The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Ford unveils new autonomous car

    Ford unveils new autonomous car

    Ford has announced a new and advanced autonomous development vehicle that will be used for testing autonomous functions.

    Ford didn’t give the car new name; instead, it’s sticking with the Ford Fusion Hybrid moniker that has been used since it introduced the first model three years ago.

    Ford’s Chief Program Engineer Chris Brewer said: “This new car uses the current Ford autonomous vehicle platform, but ups the processing power with new computer hardware. Electrical controls are closer to production-ready, and adjustments to the sensor technology, including placement, allow the car to better see what’s around it. New LiDAR sensors have a sleeker design and more targeted field of vision, which enables the car to now use just two sensors rather than four, while still getting just as much data.”

    Brewer, in his blog post, touched on some compelling and almost philosophical questions surrounding the development of new autonomous vehicles. He asked, for example, how one is supposed to replicate “everything a human driver does behind the wheel in a vehicle that drives itself?”

    Brewer ponders how the car will recognise if it has the right of way or not, or what happens if there’s an accident along the route. These are questions that other firms, such as Uber, Volvo and Google, are also trying to answer. Brewer said Ford hopes to learn more by using a virtual driver system that’s dependable and able to make decisions that are otherwise left up to a human driver to make.

    Brewer also explained why Ford decided to go with another hybrid vehicle instead of a standard gas-powered car. Turns out there isn’t enough electric inside of a gas-car for all of the components required in an autonomous vehicle.

    He said Ford “had to tap into Fusion Hybrid’s high-voltage battery pack by adding a second, independent power converter to help create two sources of power to maintain robustness.”

  • Honda recalls 640,000 Odyssey

    Honda recalls 640,000 Odyssey

    Honda has announced it is recalling more than 640,000 Odyssey vehicle models due to two separate issues with seat locking.

    According to a statement from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the first issue affects vehicles that are 2011-2016 models manufactured between August 17, 2010 and October 1, 2015.

    Outboard seats in the recalled vehicles reportedly have a release lever problem which could cause the seats to move unexpectedly.

    Honda plans to install a bracket and spring to the outboard seats for free.

    The second issue deals with model year 2016 Odyssey vehicles that were made between September 23 and October 24.

    Affected vehicles have issues with the second row centre seat – an adjuster may get stuck in the unlocked position.

    Honda plans to replace the adjustment bar.

    Both recalls are set to begin on January 23.

  • Hyundai Motor ends year with award

    Hyundai Motor ends year with award

    Ranked first for the third time in seven years, Hyundai Motor has been awarded first place in Auto Bild’s Quality Report 2016 and has secured one of the most coveted accolades in the automotive industry.

    Following its top rankings in 2010 and 2011, Hyundai Motor has succeeded against its competitors in Germany once again. The in-depth evaluation of quality and reliability, including customer feedback, a customer survey and extensive testing, is conducted annually by Germany’s best-selling motoring magazine. The overall result is extremely positive for Hyundai Motor. The brand recorded a total score of 2.14 on the scale of five.

    “That was a successful performance. Well done, Hyundai!” was the verdict of the testing team. Hyundai Motor achieved the first place for the third time in seven years, moving up two places from its third-place ranking last year. The magazine was particularly impressed by the endurance testing of the Hyundai models. A Hyundai i30 underwent testing over 100,000 kilometres, scoring a “1”, which made it the best-ever of Auto Bild’s endurance-tested vehicle. Judging by the interim findings of endurance tests currently in progress, the Hyundai i30 is certainly not an exception. Auto Bild said: “Hyundai can be justly proud of the improvements in quality achieved over the past few years. The extent to which the cars’ feel good factor has improved is currently underscored by the i10 and the Tucson, both of which are popular fleet vehicles and have each run up 30,000 kilometres with no sign of a fault.” Hyundai Motor Europe Chief Operating Officer Thomas Schmid said: “Quality is a key element in Hyundai’s brand strategy, as embodied in our industry-leading peace-of-mind Five-Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty. The first rank in Auto Bild’s Quality Report is a powerful endorsement of Hyundai Motor’s experience and technological development, underscoring our ambition to become the number one Asian brand in Europe by 2020.”

  • Explorer wins Luxury Car of the Year

    The Ford Explorer has been named Luxury Car of the year at the World Marketing Awards, reinforcing its status as a segment-defining model in the SUV vehicle sector.

    The award was accepted by the marketing team of Coscharis Motors, the sole authorised Ford dealer in Nigeria, at the prestigious Marketing World awards, held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos.

    “All of us at Coscharis Motors are pleased that the Ford Explorer won this coveted Luxury Car of the Year title. The Explorer is a dream car, packed with features that offer distinguished style and design, luxury and comfort and innovative technologies,” Abiona Babarinde, General Manager Marketing, Coscharis Motors said.

    “The Explorer is an exquisite vehicle that will drive Ford’s SUV growth in Nigeria alongside other Ford models such as the Escape, EcoSport and newly launched Edge. The award shows strength in Ford’s SUV offering,” Babarinde added.

    The new Explorer is currently available in Nigeria and was launched in March 2016.

  • 2017 Kia Niro sets Guinness World Records

    2017 Kia Niro sets Guinness World Records

     Introduces Santa Surprise Promo

    Arriving at New York City Hall in downtown Manhattan, the 2017 Kia Niro officially received a Guinness World Record title for the lowest fuel consumption driving across the United States from coast to coast (hybrid car).  The new record-setting mark is an incredible 76.6 mpg.

    An elated Kia Motors America Vice President, Product Planning Orth Hedrick said: “We’re extremely pleased with the Niro’s record-breaking performance. We set out to build a vehicle that offers real-world utility, great looks and fantastic mileage, and setting the Guinness World Record title confirms our achievement.”

    The Niro EX was driven by Wayne Gerdes of Carlsbad, California, and co-driver Robert Winger of Williamsburg, Virginia, 3,715.4 miles from Los Angeles City Hall to New York City Hall using only 48.5 gallons or 4.1 tanks of gas. The vehicle was not altered in any way for the attempt.

    The Niro, an Urban Crossover Hybrid Vehicle, is the first dedicated Kia hybrid and was conceived to bridge the gap between outstanding fuel economy and compact crossover usefulness. In addition to its athletic and attractive design, the Niro’s long list of features includes: a specially-designed, innovative hybrid system to provide a more dynamic and engaging driving experience; a spacious cabin with lots of room for five occupants and their gear; a full array of advanced driver assistance features — available Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Change Assist and Lane Departure Warning; and advanced telematics and entertainment equipment and a seven-inch touch screen and available Smart Cruise Control, navigation and premium audio system.

    The Niro will be available in five trim levels: FE, LX, EX, Touring and in a limited-quantity Launch Edition. The FE is EPA rated to achieve 52 mpg highway/49 mpg city/50 mpg combined, while the LX reaches 51/46/49 mpg and the Touring at 46/40/43 mpg.

    In the spirit of the yuletide season, Kia Motors Nigeria has inaugurated a service promo to reward customers with cash discounts and surprise giveaways when they bring their cars for after-sales service to its centres across the country.

    The promo is to reaffirm the brand’s commitment to providing the best affordable and premium services to customers geared towards making their ownership experience more enjoyable in the phase of the recent economic recession.

    A statement by the company’s Chief Operation Officer, Gitesh Yagnik stated that it has become imperative for Kia to offer a highly competitive and discounted preferential service package for its customers to enable them enjoy the optimum service offering from the company following the current cash crunch in the country. He stressed that the scheme is to celebrate the season with the customers by doling out surprise giveaways and offering a discounted service package.

    “The scheme is aimed at giving Kia customers best-in-class service offering at a discounted price to help keep their cars in great shape without compromising exceptional service delivery for a guaranteed quality and ownership experience.

    “We at Kia have always exceeded customer expectations by providing special offers throughout the year addressing their needs and aspirations to own Kia cars. The scheme is available in all our service centres across the country to enable all our customers avail this very special offer,” Gitesh said.

    The service scheme is valid till December 25.

  • Nissan unveils driverless towing system

    Nissan unveils driverless towing system

    Nissan Motor Company Ltd has unveiled Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT), a fully automated vehicle towing system, at its Oppama Plant.

    Nissan has worked on making the relationship between people, cars and society more exciting under its Intelligent Mobility vision, a framework for how cars will be driven, powered, and integrated into society.

    This new project, which utilises mapping and communication technologies to link an intelligent and all-electric car to infrastructure, is a step towards the realisation of Nissan Intelligent Integration.

    The IVT system uses a modified Nissan LEAF to autonomously tow trolleys carrying finished vehicles between designated loading and unloading points at the plant.

    Unlike conventional automatic guided vehicle systems for transporting parts, which often require the installation of rails or extensive use of magnetic tape, this system does not need any special infrastructure to operate.

    The towing car is equipped with an array of cameras and laser scanners that detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle. By cross-referencing this information with map data, the towing car calculates its own location, negotiating the route to its destination unaided. The towing car travels within the speed limits of the factory, and automatically stops if it detects an obstacle or hazard ahead, before setting off again when it has determined that the road ahead is clear.

    The towing route can easily be altered to accommodate changes in production processes or vehicle transport routes. All driverless towing cars are connected to a central traffic control system, which can monitor the location, driving speed, remaining battery and operational status of each vehicle.

    When two driverless towing cars meet at an intersection, the control system’s algorithm determines which car should be given right-of-way, and in case of emergency, the system can stop the vehicles remotely.

    The Oppama Plant’s existing logistics system requires finished vehicles to be transported from the end of the production line to the facility’s dedicated wharf by a team of drivers, at which point they are loaded onto ships. Introducing IVT will allow Nissan to improve production efficiency.

    Since trial operations of the system began roughly a year ago, more than 1,600 test runs have been carried out at the plant. The data acquired has been utilised to ensure that the system can operate reliably within the plant’s premises.

    A safety system and a fail-safe system have been developed to counter potential risks or unexpected conditions the IVT system may face during autonomous driving, including adverse weather and low light conditions. Nissan will continue to test the system at its Oppama Plant, and will examine the possibility of implementation at other manufacturing facilities both in and outside Japan.

  • Elantra wins two awards

    Elantra wins two awards

    The All-new Hyundai Elantra was awarded the Best New Small Car title and the Hyundai Elantra Sport won the Best New Sports/Performance Car title by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

    First introduced in 1991, the Elantra compact sedan – now in its sixth generation – has sold over 500,000 units in Canada and more than 10 million units worldwide. Meanwhile, the Sport version is new to the Hyundai line-up and stands as the most powerful Elantra model ever produced.

    The previous generation Elantra won both the Canadian Car of the Year and North American Car of the Year titles in 2012, and this new recognition continues Hyundai’s recent winning ways in the Canadian competition. Since 2011, the Tucson, Accent, Veloster, Elantra GT, Santa Fe Sport, and Sonata have also received honours from AJAC. As category winners, Elantra and Elantra Sport are now on the final list of contenders for the 2017 Canadian Car of the Year title announced February 16, 2017.

    President, Hyundai Auto Canada Corporation Don Romano, said:  “We could not be more thrilled to receive these awards. It’s especially rewarding for the engineers and designers who worked tirelessly to bring to market the best vehicle Hyundai could possibly develop. The Elantra is our highest volume car and one of the best-selling cars consumers have decided to park in their driveways. Winning an AJAC award for both the Elantra and Elantra Sport demonstrates that our customers made an exceptional choice,”

  • Causes of accident

    Causes of accident

    The Yuletide is around the corner and without any iota of doubt, the volume of traffic on virtually all Nigerian roads will be unusually high thereby increasing the safety risks on the roads. There is therefore the need for all drivers and vehicle owners to clearly and deeply understand the causes of road crashes and also develop the essential accident avoidance skills most especially, the Hazard Perception skill. Below is a classification of the causes of accidents to guide all drivers for safe vehicle handling.

    Human factors
    • Distraction -The driver must focus his attention on driving.
    E.g. No phone calls, make-up, shaving, looking at women, eating, text messages, searching for an item to buy, searching for an address or any other object along the road while driving.
    •Fatigue – The driver must have enough sleep before driving.
    •Over-speeding- Adjust your speed according to the official speed limit and the road condition.
    •Dangerous overtaking – Don’t overtake at a bend, on a hill, on a bridge, at a junction and where there is a solid line on the road.
    •Road rage – Don’t drive with anger.
    •Drunk driving – Avoid alcohol when driving.
    •Drugged driving -Avoid Indian hemp and other psycho-active drugs (including the cough syrup that has codeine which can make you drowsy).
    •Stress – Avoid emotional pressure and unnecessary thinking.
    •Tailgating -Don’t be too close to the vehicle in front of you.
    •Failure to give way – Always give way to other road users where necessary and as the law permits.
    •Communication – Always use the right signals to alert other road users.
    •Bad Health – Don’t drive when you are sick.
    •Low Energy Level – Don’t drive when you have low sugar level or low blood level.
    •Vision – Bad vision can cause accident both in the day and mostly at night. Drivers with bad vision should go for medical attention and be using glasses to drive.
    •Training – Inadequate knowledge of vehicle technology, traffic rules and regulations and defensive driving techniques can cause accidents. Drivers should go for regular training programmes no matter how many years they have been driving. There is no end to learning.

    Mechanical factors
    •Tyre – Bad threading, expired tyre, worn out tyres or weak tyres, twisted tyres. Always check your tyres, gauge your tyres appropriately check the bolts and nuts.
    •Brake – Check your brake system to avoid brake failure (check the brake oil, brake pad, brake hose, brake hub, etc).
    •Steering wheel – Make sure your steering wheel is okay.
    •Lights – Make sure your head lamps, pointers, brake lights and hazard lights are working properly.
    •Horn – Make sure your horn is working and use it correctly and when necessary.
    •Always take your vehicle to the mechanic for routine checks and maintenance.

  • Forex, govt dwindling revenue affect auto industry, says Toyota chief

    Forex, govt dwindling revenue affect auto industry, says Toyota chief

    The Managing Director of Toyota Nigeria Limited (TNL), Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo, has said that government dwindling revenue and forex have greatly affected the auto industry.
    Sales, Ade-Ojo said, has dropped by 60 per cent because government and corporate organisations, who are main buyers of brand new vehicles in the country are affected by tight revenue and foreign exchange.
    “So when government is cash strapped and businesses are closing down and not generating cash to run their businesses, then naturally, that also affect our business,” he said.
    He spoke during a media briefing at TNL head office, Lekki, Lagos.
    The TNL chief predicted a tougher year ahead if the present situation persists.
    “Foreign exchange has been a major challenge to everybody. And as a result, when we compare import this year with that of last year as far as brand new vehicle is concerned, there has been a drop of almost 60 per cent.
    “Last year, the entire market imported about 15,000 new vehicles. This year, it has reduced to about 6,000, which is a major decline as far as importation is concerned,” he said.
    Even at that, he said the company did not retrench workers, rather look inward and cut some expenses.
    “However, despite the difficult challenges encountered during the current year, we have decided not to retrench. We have a strong foundation, which we keep on strengthening to weather the storm.”
    On the market share, he said Toyota has continued its leading role.
    “Out of total sales of 32,000 vehicles recorded by the entire auto market in 2015, Toyota sold about 7000 vehicles. For this year, however, the industry forecast only a maximum of 16,000 vehicles. And for us in TNL, our sales forecast was 4000, which is a significant drop,” he said.
    He noted that foreign exchange and price of vehicles will continue to be major issues come next year, saying: “Between January and now, the price of vehicles has more or less doubled from what it used to be. And that has been, because of the foreign exchange issues. At some instances, some of us had had to go into the black market, which also has major impact as far as price of goods are concerned.”

  • BMW, Ford, Mercedes, VW to build charging network for electric cars

    BMW, Ford Mercedes and VW have concluded arrangement to design and build a network of ultra-fast charging stations along Europe’s major highways.
    BMW, Daimler (parent of Mercedes-Benz and Smart), and VW Group’s Audi and Porsche brands joined with U.S. maker Ford to announce the joint venture last week.
    The network will include 400 sites by 2020 where chargers reportedly will operate faster than today’s Tesla Supercharger stations.
    Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors laid out the template with its Supercharger network, which now numbers 327 sites in the United States and more than 400 sites outside the country.
    The network will be based on the Combined Charging System (CCS) protocol currently used in a lower-power version by all four makers.
    The global group that sets software and physicals standards for the CCS specification has been working on upgrades from the current 50-kw maximum spec for many months.
    More than a year ago, Audi pledged that a 150-kw DC fast-charging network would be available by the time its 2019 Audi e-tron all-electric crossover utility vehicle launched sometime in 2018.
    Porsche followed with a mention of 350-kw fast charging as it unveiled the concept version of its Mission E all-electric sport sedan, expected to launch in 2019.
    “This will be an important step towards facilitating mass-market battery-electric vehicle adoption,” said the partners in their joint statement.
    The 400 planned sites will incorporate “thousands of high-powered charging points” by 2020, they said.
    Fast charging at rates as high as 350 kw could cut the time to recharge an electric-car battery to 80 percent of its capacity from the current 30 minutes or more to as little as 15 minutes.
    That would be, in the words of the joint venture, “as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations.”
    The four founding auto companies will be equal partners, but other makers will be encouraged to participate in what the group calls a “brand-independent network.”
    Statements by each of the four partners said encouraging things about the future of all-electric vehicles.