The Nation Newspaper

Category: Motoring

  • Kia now world 69th most valuable brand

    Kia now world 69th most valuable brand

    The global value of the Kia Motors brand has grown by 12 per cent over the last year, according to Interbrand’s exclusive list of the 100 ‘Best Global Brands’. According to the 2016 study, released last week, Kia has risen five spots to become the 69th most-valuable brand in the world.

    The Korean manufacturer’s estimated brand value grew from $5.7 billion in 2015 to $6.3 billion this year. This represents a seven-fold (603 per cent) increase since 2006, the year in which the brand declared design-driven management as a key strategy behind the company’s future growth.

    Kia Motors Senior Vice President of the Corporate Marketing Division Charles Suh said: “Despite economic uncertainty and stagnation in the automotive market across a number of regions, this welcome rise in Kia’s brand value is a clear reflection of extensive company-wide efforts to ensure consistent and continuous growth in our brand power. This result provides us with further motivation to continue our mission to become the most desirable automotive brand in the eyes of consumers.”

    Interbrand Global Director of Brand Valuation Mike Rocha, said: “Kia’s impressive growth in brand value in recent years can be seen as a direct result of consumers’ strengthening attachment to the highly desirable designs and features of Kia’s product line-up. Kia’s brand performance in the European market in particular has been driven by a strong Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) line-up, as well as engaging experiential customer communications programs, on- and off-line.”

  • Infiniti sets new global sales record for August

    Infiniti sets new global sales record for August

    Infiniti has achieved a new global sales record in August, selling over 17,150 vehicles. The sales were up by two per cent to leapfrog August 2016 as the best ever August result. From January to August, Infiniti sold almost 145,000 vehicles, an increase of six per cent versus the same period in 2015. This also marked an all-time record for the company.

    In addition to the global record, both August and year-to-date sales were at an all-time high level in key markets and regions such as Canada, Mexico, Western Europe, China, and Asia and Oceania (Australia, Korea, Taiwan and other markets). From January to August, Infiniti sold close to 11,400 vehicles in Western Europe, up 169 per cent from the same period last year. This was largely driven by excellent reception of Infiniti’s all-new Q30 and QX30 compact entries by the company’s customers. So far, 7,900 Q30 and QX30 vehicles were sold in the region this year.

    In the Americas, Infiniti sold 11,700 vehicles in August, slightly below last year’s August due to product availability. Year-to-date, almost 95,000 vehicles were sold, an increase of one per cent from the same period last year. In Asia and Oceania, almost 550 vehicles were sold by Infiniti in August, an increase of 26 per cent over the same month last year. Between January and August, Infiniti sold more than 4,400 vehicles, which was an increase of 24 per cent over the same period the previous year.

    In August, Infiniti set a new record for China with more than 3,400 vehicles sold, 12 per cent up from August 2015. Year to date, Infiniti sold more than 25,000 vehicles in China, an increase of two per cent over the same period last year.

    Roland Krueger, President of Infiniti Motor Company said: “Infiniti continues on its growth path. Our new compact-size entries Q30 and QX30 have driven significant growth in Western Europe this year. As these vehicles get introduced in other markets in the second half of the year, we are confident they will be equally well received by our customers around the world.”

     

  • Messages to vehicle owners

    Messages to vehicle owners

    As the National President of the Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria (a coalition of Driving School Proprietors and driving Instructors), I have been receiving reports from all the 36 states in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory that a very high percentage of Nigerians who want to obtain the National Driver Licence are not interested in being trained (Theory and Practical) in the Driving School.

    They believe that Driving is not as complex as Driving Schools and the FRSC are trying to paint it. One of such people bluntly told me that there is no reason why any Driving School train him more than one week (practical). He said he does not need any theoretical training despite the fact that he does not even know 20 per cent of the traffic signs and road markings. His excuse was that he had no time to spare for such trainings. I was forced to rudely tell him that though he had no time to acquire the requisite training for safe driving, he might soon have enough time to die in a crash due to a driving error that he would have been taught how to avoid in the Driving School. This touched him and he released himself for the compulsory 26-session training and today, he is thankful for it. About 5 months after, the same person sent a #1,500.00 MTN recharge card to thank me that my bluntness pushed him to learn a defensive driving technique which saved him, his wife and 3 children from an imminent road traffic crash about 2pm that day.

    Although some errant and corrupt Officers of FRSC, VIO, MVAA and State Board of Internal Revenue with their allies in some Driving Schools are encouraging the issuance of Driver Licence to Candidates who have not been trained in Driving Schools, the Driver Licence Applicants or Vehicle Owners should always remind themselves that it is their own lives, family members and those of other innocent road users that they are putting at risk through their compromise.

    Anyone that refused to be educated remains an illiterate till he changes his mind-set and gets trained to avoid the present and future consequences of illiteracy.

    Driving is a complex activity and its mastery develop overtime with consistent and comprehensive training and re-training in Vehicle Technology, Vehicle Control, vehicle Dynamics, Defensive driving, Super-defensive driving techniques, vehicle maintenance and road worthiness, traffic signs and road markings, and the rules for safe driving among others.

    The basic training in Driving Schools and subsequent self-education coupled with a strong determination to always obey the traffic rules and regulations will guarantee safe driving anytime, anywhere and in any situation.

    Prevention is always better and cheaper than cure.

     

  • World’s first Genesis Studio opens in South Korea

    Genesis, the luxury automotive brand, over the weekend, opened its first dedicated brand space inside a newly built cultural complex ‘Starfield’ in Hanam, 30km east of Seoul, South Korea.

    The Genesis Studio embodies the brand directions of Genesis and its core characteristics. Being located in the high traffic area, the space is expected to attract lots of visitors, evoking their curiosity around the brand.

    “We are very excited to open the Genesis brand’s first dedicated brand space, Genesis Studio. Visitors can easily drop by the Studio, and get a chance to know about Genesis. This space, located in a busy area, will serve to introduce our brand, and raise visitors’ curiosity around it. We have also developed diverse concepts of brand spaces that fit for different objectives, so you will see more exciting brand spaces to come in the near future,” said Manfred Fitzgerald, Head of the Genesis brand.

    As a design-focused brand, Genesis focuses on making the space embrace the brand’s unique design directions. Located on the second floor of the complex, the Genesis Studio will host the range-topping G90 limousine, G80, and G80 Sport.

    In particular, visitors can have an opportunity to experience the G80 Sport ahead of its official launch scheduled later this year in Korea.

    Visitors will also experience the luxury and attention to detail of the materials and technologies through hands-on exhibits. For example, the doors of the G80 and G90 are displayed in Genesis Studio in all available combinations of exquisite exterior colors and artisan interior materials.

    Moreover, the Genesis Studio provides a one-stop, stress-free customer experience where brand experience, test drives, purchases and consultation are conveniently offered to each customer. Genesis experts will deliver interesting stories and values behind the Genesis brand along with detailed information on Genesis vehicles. Visitors can also experience the comfortable yet dynamic driving performance of the Genesis range by test driving the vehicles, even at high speeds, on a range of specially-planned routes.

    Starting from Genesis Studio in Hanam, Genesis plans to open diverse concepts of brand spaces in major markets. As the first dedicated brand space for Genesis, the site in Hanam will inspire other Genesis brand spaces around the world.

    Following the flagship G90 and G80, its variant G80 Sport, which was unveiled at the 2016 Busan International Motor Show in early June, will start selling in Korea later this year.

    With the launch of G70 scheduled next year, the Genesis brand’s fascinating product line-up will keep expanding

     

  • Ford partners MIT to measure pedestrian traffic

    Ford partners MIT to measure pedestrian traffic

    Ford Motor Company and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are collaborating on a new research project that measures how pedestrians move in urban areas to improve certain public transportation services, such as ride-hailing and point-to-point shuttles services.

    The project will introduce a fleet of on-demand electric vehicle shuttles that operate on both city roads and campus walkways on the university’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, campus. The vehicles use LiDAR sensors and cameras to measure pedestrian flow, which ultimately helps predict demand for the shuttles. This, in turn, helps researchers and drivers route shuttles toward areas with the highest demand to better accommodate riders.

    “The onboard sensors and cameras gather pedestrian data to estimate the flow of foot traffic. This helps us develop efficient algorithms that bring together relevant data.It improves mobility-on-demand services, and aids ongoing pedestrian detection and mapping efforts for autonomous vehicle research,” said Ken Washington, Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford.

    The MIT research is being conducted by the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department’s Aerospace Controls Lab (ACL).

    ACL researches topics related to autonomous systems and control design for aircraft, spacecraft, and ground vehicles. Theoretical and experimental research are pursued in such areas as estimation and navigation, planning and learning under uncertainty, and vehicle autonomy.

    “Through the mobility-on-demand system being developed for MIT’s campus, ACL can investigate new planning and prediction algorithms in a complex, but controlled, environment, while simultaneously providing a test-bed framework for researchers and a service to the MIT community,” said ACL director Professor Jonathan How.

    Ford and MIT researchers plan to introduce the service to a group of students and faculty beginning this September. This group will use a mobile application to hail one of three electric urban vehicles to their location and request to be dropped off at another destination on campus.

    The electric vehicles are small enough to be able to navigate the campus’s sidewalks, while still leaving plenty of room for traditional pedestrian traffic. Each is outfitted with weatherproof enclosures that shield out inclement weather – a feature particularly useful for New England’s punishing winters.

    After requesting the shuttles via a smartphone app, MIT students and faculty won’t be waiting long for their ride to arrive.

    During the past five months, Ford and MIT have used LiDAR sensors and cameras mounted to the vehicles to document pedestrian flow between different points on campus. LiDAR is the most efficient way to detect and localise objects from the environment surrounding the shuttles. The technology is much more accurate than GPS, emitting short pulses of laser light to precisely pinpoint the vehicles’ location on a map and detect the movement of nearby pedestrians and objects. 3

     

  • Inter-state transporters plan 70 per cent fare hike

    Private transport companies have said they may have to increase fares by as much as 70 per cent to stay in business.

    This, they said, is due to the economic challenges and poor infrastructure.

    The transporters disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, put together by the Association of Private Transport Companies of Nigeria (APTCON).

    They lamented that high cost of maintaining their fleet and poor state of roads among other challenges, have greatly increased their cost of doing business and are threatening their ability to stay afloat.

    The transporters agreed that to survive,  transport fares increase by 70 per cent is inevitable, beginning from the end of third quarter, if no immediate help or support comes from the government and its agencies”.

    A communiqué at the end of their meeting noted that: “the road transport sector has, over the years, suffered severe neglect with poor attention paid by successive governments to the development of appropriate infrastructure.

    “That the absence of decent infrastructure has been a major setback for efficient delivery of service and value in the road transport sector.

    “That, being in the throes of economic recession, road transport operators have seen their little margins completely wiped away by inflation, rising cost of funds, double taxation, unstable value of the naira as well as unnecessary harassments and extortion by security operatives.

    “That the prostrate state of the automotive industry has made importation of passenger buses not only prohibitive, but unsustainable.

    “That, in the face of poor Return-on-Investment (ROI), the road transport business is in danger of imminent collapse with attendant job losses and damaging impact on the economy.”

    The group urged the Federal Government to immediately intervene by way of a bailout to cushion the harsh business climate and return the industry to sustainability.

  • Mercedes cars to become autonomous personal assistants

    Mercedes cars to become autonomous personal assistants

    Daimler’s Chairman, board of directors, Dr Dieter Zetsche, has revealed that Mercedes-Benz wants to create cars that will act as personal assistants and wellbeing monitors.

    Speaking at the weekend in Berlin, Germany at the Internationale FunkausstelIung (IFA) consumer electronics show, Dr Zetsche explained that cars will one day carry out chores and tasks humans do not enjoy in a bid to improve their quality of life and reduce stress.

    He said cars would be able to communicate with one another and pass on information to make journeys more efficient, and that in the very short term, they will be able to use the shared data to do things such as find spaces and park themselves.

    “We’ve already begun testing community-based parking in Stuttgart together with our partners at Bosch,” Zetsche said.

    He added: “It works using car sensors that can find empty spaces along a road and then share the information with the Mercedes back-end database. That information is then shared with other Mercedes cars.”

    The process means all connected Mercedes cars will be able to instantly know where the nearest and most convenient parking space is. In the short term future, this system will allow users to drive their cars to them, but further ahead, autonomous cars will drive off and park themselves.

    Zetsche said cars will then begin to work as their owner’s assistant, carrying out chores like taking the kids to school and picking up other family members while an owner stays at work or home.

    “Everyone is talking about digitalisation and connected cars. But software alone will not be able to take you from A to B. It is the total package that will take you from A to B,” he said.

    Additionally, the Mercedes boss said cars would work to make sure their passengers are as comfortable as possible during transit.

    “It’s our goal that a passenger gets out of a Mercedes in better condition than when they got in. The car will use its sensors to monitor the health and wellbeing of passengers, and then adjust settings to improve your situation and blood pressure,” he explained.

    While he refrained from going into further details, Zetsche cited the Mercedes F015 concept (pictured above) as an example of the idea. The concept was revealed at last year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, United States (US), and showcased Mercedes’s vision for autonomous cars that focus on offering maximum comfort to passengers.

    He said: “We do not know exactly what the car will look like in 10 years from now, but we do know it will be of greater value for all of us. That’s why our cars have begun to become quality time machines, to hand back time to let you do what you want.

    “But that time will always include driving a car for pure pleasure. We will certainly never forget that at Mercedes.”

  • UK drivers lose 37 million days finding garages

    New research by online car repair marketplace, ClickMechanic, has revealed that every year British motorists lose 893,461,500 hours – that’s more than 37 million days – trying to find a garage or mechanic to fix their cars.

    With more vehicles on Britain’s roads than ever before it stands to reason that there are more drivers to experience breakdowns and other problems.

    By the end of March, there were 36.7 million vehicles licensed for use on roads – more than 900,000 had registered in that single first quarter of the year alone.

    According to ClickMechanic’s research, men are the greatest deliberators, with 16.4 per cent of males taking a whole day (8+ hours) to book their car into a garage, verses only 2.8 per cent of females. Perhaps it’s not too surprising, then, that 16.7 per cent of men confessed to having taken time off work in order to facilitate getting their cars repaired.

    Of the 1000 people surveyed, only 23 per cent were likely to get a single quote for the work needed, with 18-24 year olds being the most likely to shop around; almost a third (31.6 per cent) within that age group said they would spend time calling multiple mechanics. 23.3 per cent of those surveyed had needed to get their car repaired at least twice in the last three years.

    While over a third (37.9 per cent) of drivers said they had their car serviced annually for the last three years, more than a quarter (26.7 per cent) had only had it serviced once in the same time period.

    Anyone who’s ever experienced car trouble will know that it’s rarely a straight forward issue to get their vehicle fixed. A first, choice mechanic may be fully booked; a second is likely too expensive; and the third may lack the experience you need, or have a reputation which you are reluctant to trust. All of these can lead to drivers spending as much as eight or more hours just trying to find a suitable mechanic, without even taking into account the time of the actual repairs.

    ClickMechanic co-founder Andrew Jervis, said: “We all rely on our vehicles to get around in the UK, so the problem with repairs is that you can sometimes feel like you’re at the mercy of whichever mechanic can fit you in. It’s easy to imagine prices being hiked because the mechanic knows that you need them – very few operate that way, but it can be hard to shake the feeling for some drivers! That’s why so many people spend time shopping around.”

  • Coscharis Motors unveils special offers for Jaguar buyers

    Coscharis Motors unveils special offers for Jaguar buyers

    Coscharis Motors has announced special offers for buyers of Jaguar products.

    Its President, Dr Cosmas Maduka said the firm is  offering special prices, free insurance and a two-year service plan for Jaguar products for one month to guests at the launch.

    Maduka spoke at the unveiling of the Jaguar’s first Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) – the F-PACE – at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The F-PACE is a performance SUV designed to offer the agility, responsiveness and refinement that Jaguars are renowned for, together with unrivalled dynamics and versatility.

    Developed using Jaguar’s Lightweight aluminium architecture, the F-PACE combines purity of line, surface and proportion with F-TYPE-inspired features, such as the powerful rear haunches, fender vents and distinctive tail light graphics.

    The bold front grille and the muscular bonnet hint at the performance potential of its supercharged V6 petrol engines. Elements, such as slender full-LED headlights, forged 22-inch wheels and short front overhang carry the design vision of the C-X17 concept through to production.

    The All-New F-PACE sits five occupants in comfort.The interior is a blend of premium materials and finishes, exquisite detailing, luxuries, such as heated, electrically reclining rear seats, and cutting-edge technologies including the InControl Touch Pro infotainment system and 12.3-inch HD virtual instrument cluster.

    Coscharis Motors General Manager, Sales Ufuoma Umukoro,  quoting Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, said: “By remaining absolutely true to our design principles the F-PACE is immediately recognisable as a Jaguar. It offers all of the interior space you would expect – and more – but because of our disciplined approach to surfaces, proportions, and purity of line, we have designed what I consider to be the most balanced, most attractive vehicle in its class.”

    The lightweight aluminium architecture gave the design and engineering teams the ideal starting point. It was created from the outset as a modular structure, so the wheels can be positioned  where they are needed to deliver the proportions, dynamics, and practicality essential for a performance SUV.

    The wheelbase and track are not shared with any other Jaguar. At 4,731mm long and with a 2,874mm wheelbase, the F-PACE offers the sleek profile and short front overhang characteristic of Jaguar design together with an exceptionally spacious interior.

    Rear knee-room is class-leading and the luggage compartment has up to 650 litres* of storage space.

    The light, stiff body structure comprises 80 per cent aluminium, and is the only aluminium-intensive monocoque in the segment. Additional weight savings come from the composite tailgate and magnesium for parts such as the cross-car beam.

    With the 280kW supercharged V6 petrol engine from the F-TYPE under its sculpted aluminium bonnet, the SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h.

  • Road accounts for 90 per cent of transport needs, says FRSC chief

    Road accounts for 90 per cent of transport needs, says FRSC chief

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has said road transport accounts for 90 per cent of national transport needs.

    Its Corps Marshal Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, said there were about 12 million registered vehicles plying 204,000km of the roads in the country.

    According to him, passengers and vehicles travelled data collated from major terminals in the country.

    More road users, he noted, used the motor parks last year.

    Quoting the 2010 Draft National Policy on Transport, Oyeyemi said  road network increased.

    He said there were 6,500 km in 1960, 10,000 km in 1970, 29,000 km in 1980 and 204,000 km in recent years.

    Local government roads, he said, account for the large chunk of roads in the country.

    He listed the length of total road network by government ownership as include  34,120km for Federal roads, 34,300km – state roads and about 135,580km for local government roads.

    The federal roads, he said, are mostly inter-state roads with high traffic density.

    He expressed dissatisfaction that of the 204,000 km of roads in the country, about 65 per cent are still in bad condition.

    He reiterated the need for repairs and reconstruction of roads, adding that the construction of new ones would go a long in ameliorating the suffering of the road users.

    In addressing the road safety challenge, Oyeyemi said successive governments devised measures to address the road safety problem over time.

    These are not limited to the Nigerian Army Road Safety Week, after the Civil War in 1972, establishment of National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) – 1974, establishment of Oyo State Road Safety Corps-1977, and establishment of other state road safety institutions in the late ‘70s, such as Anambra State establishment of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on February 18, 1988, state traffic management Agencies—like Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Ogun State Traffic Compliance And Enforcement Corps (TRACE), among others.

    With all these measures, the FRSC boss said there had been reduction  in road crashes.

    Oyeyemi noted that the gap could be further reduced through concerted efforts of stakeholders.