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Hyundai i30 Fastback N Revealed In Europe

Hyundai has revealed the new 2019 i30 Fastback N in Europe ahead of its official unveiling at the 2018 Paris Motor Show next month.

The five-door Fastback N is the second high-performance model from Hyundai’s N Performance division, following on from its sibling the i30 N hot-hatch, which arrived in Australia in March.

The new i30 Fastback N wraps the high-performance capability and driver appeal of the i30 N in a newly sporty five-door GT coupe shape.

The Hyundai i30 Fastback N incorporates many of the design signatures of its hatchback sibling. The i30 Fastback shape has been merged with the features of the i30 N five-door, such as the dynamic-looking N Grille, and N front and rear bumpers, both highlighted by a red character line. A blacked-out side sill further underscores the model’s sportiness.

The i30 Fastback N’s rear visual features a twin-muffler exhaust and a cohesive rear spoiler that flows neatly into the line of the lift back. A glossy black accent is inserted to highlight the spoiler and further develop the N performance theme.

The centrepiece in the new i30 Fastback N’s crisp, understated interior is the exclusive N steering wheel with characteristic red N stitching, which ties in with red stitching on the gear shifter and seats.

The i30 Fastback N’s high-performance focus does not bring cabin compromise. High practicality and everyday usability are ensured, with a generous with 450-litre cargo area, which expands to hold 1351 litres when the rear seatbacks are folded flat.

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Mercedes-Benz Launches Its First EV – The EQC

Mercedes-Benz has launched its first electric car, the EQC, in Stockholm.

Touted first at the Paris Motor Show in 2016, the new EQ-prefixed models will go into full production in 2019 in Bremen, Germany.

The EQC features an all-new drive system with compact electric drivetrains at each axle. These give the EQC the driving characteristics of an all-wheel drive vehicle.

To reduce power consumption and increase dynamics, the electric drivetrains are configured differently; the front electric motor is optimised for best possible efficiency in the low to medium load range, while the rear one determines dynamics. Together, they generate an output of 300kW and a maximum torque of 765Nm. This allows the vehicle to get to 100km/h from a standing start in 5.1 seconds and reach a governed maximum speed of 180km/h.

The lithium-ion battery, which has an energy content of 80 kWh supplies the vehicle with power, with Mercedes-Benz claiming a range of more than 450km on a full charge under Europe’s old NEDC test cycle. Real-world range is expected to be slightly lower.

Mercedes-Benz says the EQC meets the highest requirements with respect to passive safety. In addition to the usual extensive programme of crash tests, the company says it applies further, particularly-stringent safety standards to the battery and all component parts carrying electrical current. The vehicle structure of the EQC has been adapted to suit the special requirements of the electrical components and battery and is “configured to achieve the usual high safety level”.

Mechanical protection of the battery begins with the installation position of the high-voltage battery beneath the vehicle floor, where it is surrounded by a stable frame that can absorb impact energy. Deformation elements are installed between the frame and the battery, and these are able to absorb additional forces in the event of a severe side impact. A battery guard in the front area is able to prevent the energy storage unit from being pierced by foreign objects. Placement of the heavy battery at the bottom of the car improves the vehicle’s centre of gravity, ensuring a stable and dynamic ride.

Electrical protection of the high-voltage system consists of a multi-stage safety concept that deploys in the event of an accident. The high-voltage system automatically shuts down, reversibly or irreversibly, according to the severity of the accident. There are also shutdown points where emergency teams can deactivate the high-voltage system manually.

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JLR’s Virtual Eyes Look At Trust In Self-Driving Cars

Jaguar Land Rover has fitted ‘virtual eyes’ to intelligent pods to understand how humans will trust self-driving vehicles, as research studies suggest that as many as 63 per cent of pedestrians worry about how safe it will be to cross the road in the future.

The friendly-faced ‘eye pods’ have a vital job: helping work out how much information future self-driving cars should share with users or pedestrians to ensure that people trust the technology.

As part of the engineering project, Jaguar Land Rover has enlisted the help of a team of cognitive psychologists to better understand how vehicle behaviour affects human confidence in new technology. The trust trials form part of Jaguar Land Rover’s government-supported UK Autodrive project.

The intelligent pods, run autonomously on a fabricated street scene in Coventry, while the behaviour of pedestrians is analysed as they wait to cross the road. The ‘eyes’ have been devised by a team of advanced engineers, working in Jaguar Land Rover’s Future Mobility division. The pods seek out the pedestrian – appearing to ‘look’ directly at them – signalling to road users that it has identified them, and intends to take avoiding action.

Engineers record trust levels in the person before and after the pod makes ‘eye contact’ to find out whether it generates sufficient confidence that it would stop for them. Previous studies suggest as many 63 per cent of pedestrians and cyclists say they’d feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving vehicle.

Safety remains the number one priority as Jaguar Land Rover invests in self-driving technology, becoming automotive leaders in autonomous, connected, electric and shared mobility. The trial is aligned with the brand’s long-term strategic goals: to make cars safer, free up people’s valuable time and improve mobility for everyone.

Pete Bennett, Future Mobility Research Manager at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “It’s second-nature to glance at the driver of the approaching vehicle before stepping into the road. Understanding how this translates in tomorrow’s more automated world is important.

“We want to know if it is beneficial to provide humans with information about a vehicle’s intentions or whether simply letting a pedestrian know it has been recognised is enough to improve confidence.”

The trials are part of a wider study exploring how future connected and autonomous vehicles can replicate human behaviour and reactions when driving. As part of the study, more than 500 test subjects have been studied interacting with the self-driving pods, designed by UK Autodrive partner Aurrigo.

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Ford Creates Autonomous Vehicles Company

Ford Motor Company has announced the creation of Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, a new organisation charged with accelerating its autonomous vehicles (AV) business to capitalise on market opportunities.

The new company will include Ford’s self-driving systems integration, AV research and advanced engineering, AV transportation-as-a-service network development, user experience, business strategy and business development teams. The new limited liability company, which is structured to take on third party investment, will be primarily based at Ford’s Corktown campus in Detroit and will hold Ford’s ownership stake in Argo AI, the company’s Pittsburgh-based partner for self-driving system development. Ford expects to invest US$4 billion in its AV efforts through 2023, including its US$1 billion investment in Argo AI.

Sherif Marakby, currently Ford Vice President Autonomous Vehicles and Electrification, will be appointed CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC, reporting to a board of directors chaired by Marcy Klevorn, Ford’s Executive Vice President and President, Mobility. Ford says the closer alignment of the self-driving platform and mobility solutions teams will allow faster development of businesses that can thrive in the pre- and post-autonomous vehicle worlds.

“Ford has made tremendous progress across the self-driving value chain – from technology development to business model innovation to user experience,” said Jim Hackett, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company. “Now is the right time to consolidate our autonomous driving platform into one team to best position the business for the opportunities ahead.”

With Marakby’s move, Ted Cannis, Global Director Electrification, will lead Ford’s Team Edison, the team responsible for developing and bringing to market its next-generation of electric vehicles. Team Edison will continue to report to Jim Farley, Executive Vice President and President Global Markets.

Ford’s electric vehicle strategy includes rethinking the ownership experience, including making charging an effortless experience at home and on the road, as well as offering full-vehicle over-the-air software updates to enhance capabilities and features.

In addition, Ford is reorganising its Global Operations division led by Executive Vice President Joe Hinrichs to include Information Technology as well as the company’s global order-to-delivery system, integrating the teams, technologies and processes from both across Ford’s production system. As a result, Jeff Lemmer, Vice President and CIO, will report to Hinrichs.

The realignment will help the company accelerate the integration and application of technology across its industrial system to further streamline manufacturing, speed vehicle delivery times, reduce inventories and improve capital efficiency.

All the changes are effective 1 August.

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GPs Take The Title For Britain’s Most Accident-Prone Drivers

A study by GoCompare Car Insurance (UK) has found GPs are the most likely to make a claim due to an accident that was their fault, as more than one in every eight GPs has made at least one ‘at-fault’ claim in the past year – more than double the national average across all occupations. Interestingly, 11.6 per cent of these claims involved no injuries, with GPs not actually making the top 20 for claims involving persons injured.

The research shows that overall, health and medical professionals are the most likely to cause a collision on the road. Along with GPs, hospital doctors, surgeons, optometrists and speech therapists feature in the top 10 drivers by occupation, who are most likely to be in a no injuries collision that was their fault.

At the other end of the scale, those least likely to make at-fault claims were barmen/barmaids, pickers, packers, carpet cleaners, despatch drivers and car dealers at just three per cent.

“It may seem ironic that those working in the medical profession are those potentially causing the most accidents, but these are all roles which carry a significant degree of stress and usually long hours, potentially leading to a lack of concentration on the road,” said Matt Oliver, spokesperson for GoCompare Car Insurance.

“Further to this, another reason we could be seeing these occupations in the top 10 is because of where these health professionals are driving. Typically, they will be driving for short periods at peak times in highly built-up areas, increasing the risk of an accident.

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Toyota Wins Le Mans 24h With Fernando Alonso

Toyota finally broke its long-standing Le Mans 24 Hours curse by claiming a dominant victory in the 86th running of the event with the #8 car shared by Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.

The two TS050 Hybrids were a class apart from their LMP1 rivals, with the battle for the win quickly boiling down to a two-way battle between the Toyotas.

It was a see saw battle between the #8 machine and the #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez for the majority of the distance, with a rapid night stint by Alonso helping to ease the effects of a 60s stop-and-go penalty earned by Buemi for speeding in a slow zone.

Aussie driver Matt Campbell in just his second year of international competition with Porsche, was handed his Le Mans debut with a seat in the Dempsey-Proton 911 RSR alongside Christian Ried and Julien Andlauer. The trio dominated the GTE-Am class for the majority of the race, with their #77 Porsche beating the #53 Ferrari by a little under two minutes.

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Daimler To Recall 238,000 Diesel Vehicle Over Use Of Defeat Devices

The German government has ordered car manufacturer Daimler to recall 238,000 vehicles in Germany after they were found to be fitted with illegal software that masks diesel emissions.

Across Europe a total of 774,000 diesel vehicles could contain ‘defeat devices’ and Daimler said it would recall them all.

In an official statement, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt–(KBA) said it had ordered Mercedes to immediately recall selected Vito, C-Class and GLC models in Germany:

Among the models said to be affected are the Vito 119 CDI, C220d and GLC 220d.

The KBA has not indicated the age of the cars involved, although officials suggest they include latest-generation models with Euro 6 emissions certification.

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Mitsubishi Motors Thailand Marks Five Million Units Production Milestone

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announced that Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MMTh), its exclusive producer and distributor in Thailand, has marked five million vehicles produced at the facility in Laem Chabang. The landmark vehicle was a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport.

The event was graced by Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand; His Excellency Shiro Sadoshima, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan; Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and BOI’s Honorary Investment Advisor. Other VIP guests, business partners and employees were also in attendance.

During his address, Somkid Jatusripitak congratulated Mitsubishi Motors for the successful collaboration between the automaker and the Thai government.

He said, “Mitsubishi Motors Thailand’s milestone today underlines the role of the automotive industry as one of Thailand’s growth engines. The company’s commitment to Thailand, and its leadership in sustainable practices is initiative that will help us achieve our national economic goals.”

Also speaking at the ceremony was Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. He expressed his gratitude for the support and cooperation from the Thai government, and explained: “We have always had the confidence in Thailand’s potential for domestic market growth. Its long-term policies to grow the automotive industry also a positive sign for our business.”

MMTh’s facilities at Laem Chabang are the biggest outside Japan, capable of producing 424,000 vehicles a year with exports going to more than 120 countries. The output supports the company’s growth in the ASEAN region as well as internationally.

Meanwhile, Morikazu Chokki, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand) Co., Ltd. said during the ceremony, “We will continue to pioneer new segments and technology. We will innovate and enhance hard and soft technology into human-centric packages, and deliver versatility, driving confidence and functionality. This forms the basis of our global tagline ‘Drive your Ambition’ and is our commitment to our drivers.”

Mitsubishi Motors started its operations in Thailand in 1961 and achieved its first million-unit production in 2003. The second million followed in 2010 and after just three years, MMTh hit the third million in 2013. As demand increased, the four-million mark was reached in 2015.

Out of the five million vehicles, 3.7 million were for export markets in more than 120 countries worldwide. In 2016, Mitsubishi Motors Thailand celebrated its third-million export vehicle.

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Aussies In Top Two Motor Racing Wins

Australia’s own racing drivers won two of the most prestigious motor racing events this weekend with Daniel Ricciardo snatching the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix while down on power for more than 50 laps of the unforgiving street circuit. Ricciardo had started from pole after smashing the circuit record in final qualifying. Sebastian Vettel was next nearly eight seconds behind followed by Lewis Hamilton in third spot.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Will Power won his first career Indianapolis 500 after taking the lead from Stefan Wilson with less than five laps to go. Power started third on the front row and ran out front most of the race.

Danica Patrick’s professional driving career ended after crashing out on Lap 67. Patrick started the race seventh and ran inside the top 16 before getting loose and hitting the wall. The 36-year-old was able to climb out of the car under her own power before making a visit to the medical centre.

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Alfa Romeo Stelvio And Giulia Achieve Highest Occupant Protection Scores

The latest independent safety assessments from vehicle safety authority, ANCAP, have revealed two top performers with the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio equalling the highest scores recorded to date in the area of Adult Occupant Protection.

The Giulia mid-sized sedan recorded a score of 98 per cent, closely followed by the brand’s medium SUV offering, the Stelvio, scoring 97 per cent.1

Both Alfa Romeo models achieved a 5 star ANCAP safety rating with good performance across all four key areas of assessment. This rating applies to all 2.0 litre petrol and 2.2 litre diesel Giulia and Stelvio variants.

“These are impressive scores which reflect the effort the brand has put into designing vehicles to keep occupants safe,” said ANCAP Chief Executive, James Goodwin.

“With Adult Occupant Protection we look at how a vehicle performs structurally across a range of destructive crash tests, but also how well the restraint systems work to minimise injury. Low speed autonomous
emergency braking also forms part of this, with both Alfa Romeo models performing well.”

The Citroen C3, which was subject to the same broad range of tests, fell just shy of today’s safety expectation due to its inability to actively detect and prevent pedestrian contact combined with head injury risk.

“Unfortunately the C3 falls down in the Pedestrian Protection aspects of our assessment,” Mr Goodwin said.

“We may not all be drivers, but we are all pedestrians so it is important the design and specification of a vehicle considers the safety of those inside as well as outside the vehicle.”

The Citroen C3 scored 59 per cent for Pedestrian Protection, limiting its overall ANCAP safety rating to 4 stars.

1 These scores equal those achieved by the Volvo XC60 (98%) and Volvo XC90 (97%).

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