The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Ford’s Next Titan winner to get Ranger

    Ford Motor Company in collaboration with its local distributor, Coscharis Motors, has announced its participation as a supporting sponsor of the Next Titan, an entrepreneurial reality show.

    A Ford Ranger will be given to the overall winner of the competition to start a business or to support an existing one.

    “We are delighted to be part of the show once again. In 2016, Coscharis Motors sponsored the show for the first time and gave away a brand-new Ford Escape to the winner. The company is proud to support young talented Nigerians by improving mobility and enabling them to run their business more efficiently,” Abiona Babarinde, General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Coscharis Motors said

    The Next Titan is a global standard television platform and is designed to educate young Nigerians about entrepreneurship, encouraging them to consider this as a career goal and reduce the high rate of unemployment. Sixteen participants, between the ages of 21 and 39, will battle one another in various business tasks, such as strategy, sales, marketing, promotions and others, for ten weeks.

    During the competition, participants and viewers will get exposure to real life entrepreneurial challenges through informal training and learn from top business leaders. These learnings will be of great use to those who wish to start their own business or grow current businesses. The Next Titan winner will be announced on December 10.

  • Delay in the issuance of drivers’ licence

    Without doubt, there has been persistent complaints and protests against the delays in the issuance of driver licence in Nigeria.  Ironically, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) is usually the epicenter of the blame game.

    As the National President of the Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (ADIN), a coalition of Driving Schools in Nigeria,  I took it upon myself to go round the Driver Licence Centres in some States and Abuja. Most fingers pointed to the FRSC as the cause of the delay in the production of driver licence.

    I then decided to speak personally with the the Corps Marshal /Chief Executive (COMACE)  of FRSC.  I advised him to increase the tenure of the temporary driver licence  from 60 days to 180 days to save the innocent holders the stress of shuttling  the Licence Centres for the renewal of their temporary driver licence. The FRSC COMACE,  Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi confidently told me there’s no need for that.  He told me that with the machineries he has already put in place, every permanent driver licence must be ready in less than 30 days after capturing.

    Knowing full well that my driver licence will soon be renewed,  I did not argue further with him.  I made up my mind to use myself as a case study. 120 days after capturing,  I did not receive a text message that my licence was ready as promised.  I then called the FRSC COMACE to tell him he was wrong with his claims and assurances. He confidently told me again that there was no backlog of driver licence in their production unit. This affirmation therefore implied the state governments were responsible for the delays.

    With this thought in my mind,  I went to Sura Licence to demand for my licence. The first question I was asked was,  “did you receive a text message before coming?

    “ The moment I said no,  the MVAA Officials told me that my licence was not ready yet.   Another lady beside me said she just got a text message last week after waiting for one year. Despite her text message,  she was also told her licence was not ready.  As she was about to turn back,  I told her to wait.

    I told the officers attending to us that I have authoritative information that our licences are ready and that I will make a serious case if they were not issued to us that day. Surprisingly within 10 minutes,  my licence and that of the lady were fished out and handed over to us thereby confirming the commendable claim of the FRSC COMACE.

  • Firm launches Micking lubricants

    Golden Stone Limited, West Africa’s sole distributor of Korean number one premium engine oil, has launched its high index viscosity lubricants, Micking into the Nigeria market.

    The high quality varieties of the product were introduced at a media briefing held at the company’s Lagos office.

    Golden Stone Limited Chief Executive Officer, Mr Andy Offor, said he was out to not only create awareness about Micking motor oil but to also educate users on the need to always use the right motor oil for their vehicles.

    He said: “Many motorists in Nigeria are suffering as a result of ignorance. Many don’t know the API’s Classification mark and service symbol of the engine they use. All they know is: this oil is good, cheap and has good packaging without checking the API ratings”.

    He explained that some engine oil are made for year 1984,1995 and 2000 model engine and motorists will use them for their 2005 and 2010 vehicles respectively without knowing that every car has a year that it is manufactured.

    ‘’From the year, you can know the engine oil you are going to use. So whenever you want to buy engine oil, go through the rating and see the API of the oil. The best in the market right now is SN, the top range, SM, the second best and the next, SL. It goes down that way,” he said.

    He urged motorists to service their modern automobile engines with synthetic oil, saying “It protects the life of your engine against sludge and gives more mileage. It also cleans the engine leading to easy circulation of fuel. It makes the engine to consume less fuel and bring down the temperature of your engine. These and many more are the benefits of synthetic engine oil. That is the difference between synthetic and conventional mineral engine oil.’’

  • Mercedes-Benz to invest $1b in Alabama plant

    Mercedes-Benz to invest $1b in Alabama plant

    Daimler, the Germany-based parent of Mercedes-Benz, has announced that the company will invest $1 billion in its Tuscaloosa, Alabama, assembly plant to produce the company’s EQ-branded electric Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs).

    The company also said a battery plant would be built near the existing auto plant and that, once completed, the project would yield 600 new jobs.

    TheTuscaloosa plant builds Mercedes-Benz SUV models GLE, GLS and GLE Coupe for worldwide distribution and C-class cars for the North American market.

    The plant exports more than 70 per cent of its production and is currently being expanded to accommodate manufacturing of the next generation of Mercedes SUVs, including plug-in hybrid models. In 2016, the plant produced more than 310,000 vehicles, and it   employs over 3,700 people and supports more than 7,000 jobs.

    Mercedes said it plans to  produce its EQ SUVs “at the beginning of the next decade”. By 2022, the company plans to “electrify the entire portfolio of Mercedes” and offer customers at least one electrified alternative in all its vehicle segments. The first EQ series model, the EQC, will go into production in 2019 at the Mercedes plant in Bremen, Germany.

    The planned battery plant will be part of the Mercedes global battery production network to support both local and export demand.

    Daimler said it would invest $1.8 billion in its battery production network, including facilities in Germany and China.

  • Toyota partners Mazda, Denso for electric car venture

    Toyota partners Mazda, Denso for electric car venture

    Toyota Motor Corporation will partner Mazda Motor Corporation and auto parts supplier Denso Corporation to form a joint venture for developing electric vehicles, as Japan’s biggest automaker plays catch up in the expanding race for battery driven cars.

    The new company, called EV Common Architecture Spirit Co., will cooperate on the developing the architecture and components of electric cars for use in a wide range of segments, from mini-vehicles and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) to light trucks, the companies said on Thursday.

    The deal will create a toolbox of components that both Toyota and Mazda can dip into when making their own electric vehicles. The deal builds on a fledgling alliance between the country’s largest automaker and one of its smallest that was cemented in August.

    The companies announced a capital tie up then, saying they would work together in a variety of fields, including electric cars.

    Toyota Executive Vice President Shigeki Terashi said then that sharing technology would give Mazda and Toyota extra volume and drive down costs.

    Terashi was tipped to head the new venture as president.

    The companies said increasingly stringent emissions regulations were forcing carmakers worldwide to develop electric vehicles. But the high cost of electric cars, driven partly by their expensive batteries, makes it necessary for erstwhile rivals to pool resources. The new venture, they said, will be open to participation from other automaker and suppliers going forward.

    “The huge investments and time required to cover all markets and vehicle segments is a pressing issue for individual automakers,” the companies said. “New regulations that mandate a certain proportion of electric vehicle sales are beginning to emerge,” he said.

    The industry’s frenzy for EVs was on full display around this month’s Frankfurt auto show. BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen were among the makes rolling out ambitious plans to unleash waves of EVs over the coming years. Jaguar Land Rover weighed in with plans for full electric and hybrid cars from 2020, and Honda unveiled its next EV.

    The new Toyota Company will pull select engineers from all three companies and have about 40 employees. It will be based in Toyota’s high-rise office building in downtown Nagoya.

    Toyota will wield disproportional influence. It will hold a 90 percent stake in EV C.A. Spirit, while Mazda and Denso each take 5 percent. The two directors under Terashi also come from Toyota. They are Kiyotaka Ise, head of Toyota’s advanced r&d and engineering, and Toshiyuki Mizushima, president of the carmaker’s powertrain sub-company.

    Toyota long remained skeptical about EVs in favour of the hybrid technology pioneered by its flagship Prius, as well as the potential for hydrogen fuel cells. But the automaker finally joined the EV race late last year when President Akio Toyoda put himself in charge of a new EV Business Planning Department.

    It was envisioned as a flat, fast-moving organisation to mimic the nimble corporate culture of the Silicon Valley startups. At its helm were just four people, including Toyoda and counterparts from Toyota Group suppliers Aisin Seiki Co., Denso and Toyota Industries Corp.

    That EV planning department will remain, while the new JV incorporate elements of its work and feeds new EV technology back into it.

  • Distraction and driving

    Distraction means the ‘drawing away of the mind or the drawing away of a person’s focus from the main task to other people, places or things.

    Driving, as I used to enumerate in my teachings, is a complex task which involves the simultaneous use of several organs of the body (eyes, nose, ears, brain, hands and legs) in a continuously changing environment to gather and interpret information for appropriate decision making so as to ensure effective and safe vehicle control.

    Taking a deep look at the definition of driving as spelt out above, it is therefore implied that distraction is a terrible enemy of safe driving which every driver and rider must take every necessary step to avoid no matter the pressure or temptation.

    In this article, I will briefly remind vehicle owners, employers of drivers and riders and most importantly, the drivers and riders themselves (everyone who sits behind the wheel) of the dangers of distraction while driving (or riding).

    While driving (or riding), the eyes of the drivers must be devoted to scanning the road and the road environment (front, back, right and left) to get the big picture and also pay attention to details, gather information about potential threats so as to be able to take appropriate actions to avoid accidents.

    The ears must be at alert to gather information about sounds inside or around the vehicle. The nose must also be at work to gather information about the odour of burning cables, fuel leakages, dry water radiators and other information.

    In the same vein, the brain must be ready at every point in time to interpret every information gathered by the eyes, ears and nose and transit them into action for the hands and legs to readily take to avert disasters on the road.

    Therefore, anything or any activity which interferes with the alertness or readiness of the eyes, ears, nose, brain, hands and legs to be alert and function appropriately either in information gathering, interpretation or action constitutes a distraction.

    Such distractions include the following:

    • Turning the eyes away from the path of travel to look at a person or things for more than one or two seconds.
    • Operating a satellite navigator or reading direction map while driving.
    • Making or receiving phone calls while driving (including hand free).
    • Reading or sending text messages while driving.
    • Chatting on the phone while driving.
    • Caressing an opposite sex with one hand while driving.
    • Adjusting radio stations, CDs or DVDs while driving.
    • Watching videos or films or the dashboard screen while driving.
    • Looking at children or pet on the back seat of the vehicle while driving.
    • Gazing at the face of the passenger (s) you are discussing with in the vehicle while driving.
    • Quarrelling or arguing with Passengers in the vehicle.
    • Fixing earphone into the ears while driving is distracting the ears from hearing what they need to hear to ensure the right information are gathered.
    • Putting one leg on the seat, dashboard or elsewhere instead of the floor in case of automatic transmission cars.

    The above mentioned are some of the actions that constitute distraction and must be avoided to ensure alertness in hazard perception, interpretation of information for effective and safe vehicle control. The traffic law enforcement agencies need to be more proactive in arresting and prosecuting the violators of the laws on distraction and other traffic offences. This will go a long way in enhancing the safety- consciousness of drivers for safe driving.

  • Stakeholders seek help for auto industry

    Four years after its introduction, stakeholders have criticised the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) of the Federal Government.

    Speaking in Lagos at a forum organised by the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA), Dr Oscar Odiboh, a Senior Lecturer, Covenant University (CU), Ota, Ogun State, lamented the state of the industry, saying that it may collapse unless the government and stakeholders in the sector chart a leeway.

    According to him, the economic downturn, uncertainties and government inactions have crippled the growth of the industry, despite concerted effort to turn the country to a vehicle-manufacturing nation.

    Odiboh, who spoke on ‘Implementation of Nigeria’s auto policy: The way forward’, insisted that industry is divided and may not thrive until the stakeholders collaborate.

    He observed that almost mid-term into the 10-year plan, most of the assembly plants lack international standard to compete globally, and could hardly be called assembly plants.

    He said: “What we have at the moment are not real assembly plants. They are glorified joineries. An average 65 per cent of our assembly operations are manual, while 70 per cent of employees are casual.”

    The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) and the Federal Government agency saddled with implementing the auto policy have repeatedly claimed that there are over 50 auto assembly plants, to the success of the policy.

    Odiboh, who noted that players in the sector were frustrated through importation rules, added that more than 60 per cent of tools in the sector are manual.

    Calling for budget cars, Odiboh stressed that the sector’s inability to offer affordable vehicles for mass market would keep used market growing to the detriment of the sector.

    He said lack of patronage threatens the survival of the sector as brand new vehicles remained unaffordable for an average middle class citizen.

    Odiboh called on the Federal Government to provide a finance that would enable acquire brand new vehicles, noting that projected objectives might remain elusive unless there is market for brand new cars.

    He said poor power supply, bad roads lack of processed raw materials, lack of long-term financial investment and others were bane of the industry.

    Similarly, corruption, deceptive data from the stakeholder, profit diversion, mutual suspicion, porous borders as well as poor positioning could eventually run down the policy, Odiboh said.

  • Nissan celebrates 150 million vehicles produced globally

    Nissan celebrates 150 million vehicles produced globally

    •Extends Champions League deal

    Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has reached a new milestone with 150 million vehicles produced globally.

    It took 73 years for Nissan to produce its first 100 million vehicles after the company was founded in 1933, and another 11 years to build the last 50 million.

    Nissan sees this achievement as the result of 84 years of continued support from all of its stakeholders worldwide, including employees, dealers, suppliers and local communities, as well as the numerous customers who have chosen cars produced by Nissan.

    When Nissan reached the 100 million vehicle milestone in 2006, 76.5 per cent of the total vehicles had been produced in Japan. Localisation of production accelerated in the past 11 years, during which 76.5 per cent of the 50 million Nissan vehicles were made outside Japan – driven in particular by the U.S. and China.

    Following the latest milestone, Nissan said it remains committed to delivering cars that satisfy its customers.

    The auto giant has confirmed a three-year extension to its global partnership with the UEFA Champions League, including the UEFA Super Cup.

    The agreement comes ahead of the first game of the 2017/2018 UEFA Champions League season and will see the Japanese manufacturer stay as an official partner up to and including the 2020/2021 season. The UEFA Champions League continues to be Nissan’s largest investment in sports sponsorship, which began at the start of the 2014/2015 season.

    The UEFA Champions League continues to be the most watched annual sporting competition on the planet, with a cumulative television audience of over four billion a season.

    This year’s UEFA Champions League Final attracted a global audience of over 160 million, more than any other yearly sporting event and saw Real Madrid C.F. beat Juventus F.C. to record their 12th UEFA Champions League title.

    “Innovation that excites is at the core of everything Nissan does, and our partnership with the most exciting sports tournament on the planet over the last three years has been key to that,” Roel de Vries, the Corporate Vice President, Global Head of Marketing for Nissan said.

    “We’re delighted to be extending this partnership for another three seasons, and it will continue to be at the very heart of our global marketing strategy. We’ve seen huge success from the partnership and the additional engagement it has allowed us to have with consumers,” de Vries added.

    Speaking on the agreement, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Nissan after a very successful first cycle. They have become an integral member of the sponsor family and have been invaluable for the promotion of the competition on a global level.

    ‘’The UEFA Champions League brand appeal is growing from strength to strength every single year and its platform continues to provide top brands like Nissan the opportunity to connect and engage with football fans around the globe.”

    Nissan Europe Vice President, Marketing Jean-Pierre Diernaz said: “Our partnership with the UEFA Champions League has been instrumental in our mission to become the most desirable Asian brand in Europe. In the coming years, we have an ambitious product plan supported with breakthrough technologies, having the world’s most exciting sporting event as a partner is giving us the perfect platform to emotionally engage with our audience and drive brand preference, I am excited to see how innovative we will be together with UEFA in creating excitement for the fans.”

     

  • Accident investigation and safety

    Accident investigation and safety

    According to an adage, “experience is the best teacher”. In the history of Nigeria, a lot of public and private sector organisations have failed and collapsed into oblivion. My question, however, is, “Do this generation know why those businesses failed or collapsed and how will the upcoming generations know why they failed or collapsed?’’

    There is, therefore, the need to document the essential stories of the rise and fall of such businesses to enable the business entrepreneurs and upcoming ones as well as political office holders learn lessons to avoid the pitfalls.

    Similarly, it is expedient now than ever before, for the lead agency, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the state traffic management agencies to establish effective and result-oriented mechanism for the regular and prompt investigation of road traffic crashes (post-crash investigation and reporting) with an unbiased identification, documentation and publication of the causes of the accidents. This will surely go a long way in enhancing safety on Nigerian roads because road users will be adequately exposed to the pitfalls responsible for the accidents and consciously take steps to avoid the pitfalls with their adverse consequences.

    There is no doubt about the fact that road accident investigation and documentation involve a lot of money. This is however one of the areas where the governments at the Federal and state levels need to clearly demonstrate their commitment to the safety of the lives and properties of Nigerians.

    The governments should sponsor officers of FRSC and state traffic management agencies for in-depth training in road accident investigation and reporting and regularly provide funds for the documentation of the report as a boost to road safety education and safety on Nigerian roads.

     

  • London blocks Uber licence renewal

    London blocks Uber licence renewal

    Transport for London (TfL) has announced it will not be renewing minicab alternative Uber’s private hire licence after it expires on Saturday.

    TfL concluded after an investigation that Uber “is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”.

    According to TfL, Uber’s approach and conduct “demonstrated a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications”.

    These include its approaches to reporting serious criminal offences, how medical certificates are obtained, how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained, to explaining the use in London of Greyball, software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.

    Shortly after TfL announced its decision, Uber confirmed it would contest the ruling in court.

    Uber London General Manager Tom Elvidge said: “3.5 million Londoners, who use our app, and more than 40,000 licensed drivers who rely on Uber to make a living, will be astounded by this decision. By wanting to ban our app from the capital, Transport for London and the mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport.”

    He added: “We have always followed TfL rules on reporting serious incidents and have a dedicated team who work closely with the Metropolitan Police.”

    The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service.”

    Khan added: “However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect particularly when it comes to the safety of customers.  Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security. I fully support TfL’s decision. it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security. Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules.”

    London Assembly member Andrew Boff said: “This is a hugely damaging decision by Sadiq Khan that will effectively put 40,000 people out of work at the click of a finger.

    “The mayor consistently tells us London is open but in shutting down the operations of an innovative market leader like Uber he has caused immense reputational damage to our city as a global business hub.

    “With 3.5 million registered users almost half the city’s adult population, Uber has shown to be providing a hugely beneficial service to Londoners.

    “Sadiq Khan has ignored their needs and instead believed the smears and propaganda propagated by Uber’s rivals.”