Volkswagen presents the new Tiguan at Qatar Motor Show. Officials with the Porsche range at the Qatar Motor show.

VEHICLE registrations are on the rise in Qatar. The total number of vehicles registered in December alone last year was 10,317, Qatar’s Monthly Statistical Bulletin revealed. The number of vehicles registered in November totalled 10,982 which was 11.9 percent more

than the number of vehicles that were registered a month earlier, in October of 2015. The figure in October was 9,812.

Moving a gear up was the Qatar Motor Show, where more than 25,000 automotive fans flocked to see the event. The show wowed crowds since its opening and was billed as one of the most anticipated events of the year. Show-casing 18 percent more brands than in 2015, the show was bigger, bolder and more interactive.

Exhibitors included Audi, BMW, Bosch, Cadillac, Cas-trol, Chrysler, Continental, Dodge, Ducati, Ferrari, Ford, GMC, Harley Davidson, Infinity, Jaguar, Jeep, KTM, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Maxus, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mit-subishi, Nissan, Performance Technology, Piaggio, Porsche, RAM, Renault, Rolls Royce, Sand X, Titanium, Toyota, Tri-umph, VW and Ziebart.

Crowds at Qatar Motor Show 2016 were wowed by the many activities that were on offer at the event. From simu-lators and parades to competitions and games, the activities at Qatar Motor Show 2016 provided a highly interactive element, helping establish Qatar Motor Show as one of the most dynamic exhibitions on Qatar’s event calendar.

Popular among the attractions was the Evotek F1 sim-ulator. Featuring an active seatbelt, vibrational system, sound system, brake pedal feedback, and dynamic on three rotational degrees, the Evotek Sym Club Edition was the ultimate simulator experience, delivering a real-life F1 thrill. Also joining the simulator field, Toyota offered vis-itors the chance to experience a virtual test drive of the all new Prius.

One visitor said: “I’m so pleased to be at Qatar Motor Show. It’s an amazing event. It is one of the annual events the whole community comes out to attend. This year’s Fan-zone in particular is very entertaining. I’m already looking forward to next year.”

In addition, Toyota also displayed a variety of vehi-cles from its best-selling SUV and sedan range, including the latest versions of Land Cruiser, Rav 4, Camry, Avalon, New Prius and the Concept FT1 at its stand which fea-tured the company’s new global stand design in the form of a Wave in motion.

“The new Prius’ premium interior debuts advanced technology complemented by features that are functional, fun and also delight the eyes. The wrap-around dash design, form-hugging seats, ease of controls and enhanced visibility combine to make the new Prius a highly engag-ing automobile. Prius has set the global benchmark for hybrids, but now is breaking its own boundaries with more

engaging style and fun-to-drive dynamics,” on official said.Volkswagen Middle East presented the new genera-

tion of the best-selling Tiguan – the ultimate SUV for the urban jungle - at the show.

The latest model will be available in three new pow-ertrains ranging from a 1.4L engine with an output of 150 HP, up to a 2.0L engine with a 220 HP and a six and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox (DSG) with 4MOTION, which is now offered for the first time in the Tiguan. The new model will be available in five model configurations - S, SE, SE 2.0L, SEL and Sport with an additional sport R-Line

package for both the interior and exterior. The new Tiguan is one of the world’s most advanced

Compact SUVs with impressive innovative features enhancing the vehicle’s safety, convenience, infotainment and dynamism. These include the 12.3-inch Active Info display – an interactive, fully digital main instrumental panel and a Head-Up Display, offered for the first time in a Volkswagen SUV. Furthermore, ensuring complete pas-senger comfort and convenience are features such as Easy Open / Easy Close (automatic opening or closing of the tail-gate in response to a specific foot movement behind the

Tiguan) and power comfort seats with a memory feature.The SUV features include LED projection headlights,

digital Active Info Display and Head-Up Display - the new Tiguan has transformed the Compact SUV segment with smart, affordable and innovative features. The interior is a model example of well thought-out ergonomics and intuitive operating structures. The interplay of the dash panel, centre console and door panels create a remarka-bly intuitive atmosphere for the driver. The weight of the new Tiguan was also reduced by over 50kg compared to the previous model. Meanwhile, the space offered in the interior and luggage compartment has taken a gigan-tic leap forward. The boot volume of the new Tiguan can store up to 615 litres of cargo (loaded to the back of the rear bench); when the rear seat backrests are folded, its capacity increases to 1,655 litres. This represents a gain of 145 litres. The new Tiguan will be available in showrooms across the Middle East from August 2016.

Meanwhile, Porsche thrilled the 2016 Qatar Motor Show with a total of four regional debuts highlighting the brand’s latest advancements in producing benchmark set-ting models.

Building further upon its unrivaled legacy as one of the world’s best-selling sports car, Porsche’s 911 premieres included the new 911 Carrera 4S and 911 Targa 4S as the brand goes into 2016 with a commanding start. From the more powerful, yet more efficient 911 models, to the sporty and dynamic Macan GTS, Porsche’s performance evolu-tion showcased in Qatar saw over half a century of sports car development on display.

The new 911 Turbo S is the top athlete in the 911 range and thanks to new turbo chargers with larger compres-sors, the 3.8 litre twin-turbo six-cylinder engine delivers an output of 580 hp. This makes the Turbo S the first pro-duction 911 to accelerate to 100km per hour (km/h) in less than three seconds, reaching the milestone speed in 2.9 seconds. The model’s top speed is 330 km/h, 12 km/h higher than its predecessor. The same traits of Porsche’s sports car evolution displayed in the Turbo S are extended to the 911 Carrera 4S and 911 Targa 4S which also made their regional debuts at the Qatar Motor Show.

As the newest addition to Porsche’s SUV range, the Macan GTS promises even more driving fun as the sports car among compact SUVs. With an output of 360 hp, the model features a 3.0 litre V6 bi-turbo engine, Porsche Dop-pelkupplung (PDK) and Porsche Traction Management (PTM), with flexible power distribution between front and rear axles.

Qatar Motor Show is hosted by Qatar Tourism Author-ity as part of the strategy to position Qatar as a premium business events destination. Now in its sixth year, the show has become one of the most anticipated regional con-sumer and trade shows on Qatar’s annual events calendar.

Innovation takes centrestage

as carmakers go digital

CHAIRMANSheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani

ACTING EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDr Khalid Al-Shafi

ACTING MANAGING EDITORHussain Ahmad

ADVERTISING MANAGERAli Wahba

SUPPLEMENT EDITORMohammed Salim Mohammed

DESIGNAbraham Augusthy

PRODUCTIONViswanath Sarma

IMAGE PROCESSINGMohd Sajad Sahir

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTWEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 2016

HYUNDAI’S All-New Sonata has received the Middle East Car of the Year Award in the best mid-sized sedan category, beating its

rival the Honda Accord. This was the second regional award win for the model in the past four months, with Saudi Auto hailing the model as their car of the year in August.

Taking place at Raffles Hotel Dubai, the Middle East Car of the Year Award (MECOTY) is in its sec-ond year and is fast becoming one of the most prestigious, with each cat-egory judged by 12 highly regarded automotive journalists from across the Middle East.

Collectively, the judging panel is made up some of the most seasoned automotive journalists in the region. Their opinions are the most sought after in the Middle East, thus mak-ing it the most unbiased, credible and prestigious award of its kind.

Commenting on the recognition of the All-New Sonata, Jin (James) Kim, Vice-President and Head of Opera-tions for Hyundai Africa and Middle East, said: “Our success in the 2015 MECOTY Awards is a direct result of

the company’s dedication to build-ing vehicles of superior quality to its competitors, in line with our ‘Modern Premium’ brand direction. The All-New Sonata is one of our bestselling Middle East models with 28,500 units sold in 2014 alone. Therefore, we are honoured that it has been recognised and we believe that it will instill confi-dence in our customers in the quality of Hyundai models in the market.”

The seventh generation model

offers a more refined look than its predecessor, through a new Fluidic Sculpture design language, stiffer body structure, enhanced ride & han-dling, reduced noise, vibration and harshness and more convenience features.

No longer reserved for luxury cars, advanced safety technologies such as Front & Rear Parking Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traf-fic Alert and Smart Cruise Control are all available in this midsize sedan. Furthermore, the Sonata’s smart trunk gives owners a convenient, hands-free way to open the trunk, while keep-ing both feet firmly planted on the ground; putting items away is easier and more convenient.

The owner simply needs to approach the Sonata’s trunk with the key fob in a purse or pocket and wait three seconds. The trunk will automatically open, making it easy to place items inside when hands are full. Sonata truly democratizes the premium design and convenient

Hyundai’s all-new Sonata named best mid-sized sedan

FROM LEFT: Saeed Al Marzooqui, Chairman, Custom Events; Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of Ministry of Economy; Khaldon Abdel Hafez, Marketing Manager of Juma Al Majid Establishment; and Jihoon An, Hyundai Africa and Middle East Marketing Deputy General Manager at the event.

technology of the Genesis sedan for the mid-size class.

The verdict of MECOTY judges builds on the All-New Sonata suc-cess story. In 2015 alone, the model has been recognised internationally as the 2016 Green Car of the Year by

the Green Car Journal, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award as being one of the safest models when collisions occur and it received the top mark in the midsize sedan category in Auto Pacific’s 19th annual Vehicle

Satisfaction Awards for its outstand-ing quality. Moreover, the accolades don’t stop there with world renowned family magazine Edmonds naming the model as one of the best family cars, thanks to its roomy cabin space and intuitive technology.

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20163

Carmakers target tech buyersPeople visit the Ford stand during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

People touch devices at the Ford stand during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Bloomberg

CARMAKERS are becom-ing a familiar sight at tech shows, where they’re rolling out new models to woo a generation of consumers who ques-

tion the need for a car that only gets them from A to B.

At this week’s Mobile World Con-gress in Barcelona, Ford Motor Co unveiled a new vehicle for Europe as well as in- cockpit technology, Volvo is showing off a keyless car and Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton will appear on a panel with the pres-ident of chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.

Eager to win over millennials who

may care more about the latest Apple Inc iPhone than a redesigned Mustang, carmakers are trying to become more tech-savvy and shed their image as 20th century metal benders.

The pivot toward the younger set comes amid a slowdown in China, com-petition from Tesla Motors Inc — which sends automatic software updates to the car’s command centre — and a boom in ride-sharing services such as Uber that have left car companies anxious about growth and eager to try out a new crop of digital products and services.

“Carmakers have a very narrow window of opportunity to win over Generation Y,” said Richard Viereckl, an analyst at PwC in Frankfurt who co-authored a 2015 study on connected cars. “They’re at these technology shows

to portray their brands as hip, and with mounting competition from the likes of Apple, Panasonic and Sony, they’re fighting to keep the attention of and access to their customers.”

By 2022, 345 million autos

worldwide will be connected to the Internet, nearly four times more than last year, according to IHS Automotive. In six years, 98 percent of the cars sold globally will be connected, up from 30 percent last year, the consulting firm said. The trend is driven by customer demand: Three in four consumers said they consider connected car services an important feature in their next vehi-cle purchase, AT&T Inc and Ericsson said in a report in October.

The risk for carmakers is that Apple, Google and Microsoft Corp will con-quer the connected-car business with operating systems and apps that peo-ple are familiar with. Google and Apple already offer in-car infotainment sys-tems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Google is at the forefront of developing self- driving cars.

“Google and Apple have a good chance as anyone at grabbing the car ecosystem,” said Kevin Curran, a computer science professor at Ulster University in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. “Cars today are computers with wheels, and tech companies know that field all too well.”

To fend off the threat, carmak-ers are set to make “big decisions” over the next 24 months, striking cooperation pacts and increasing spending on research and develop-ment as well as M&A to get ahead, said Thilo Koslowski, who heads the auto practice at researcher Gartner Inc. Those who don’t are at risk of being left behind, he said.

General Motors Co debuted its Chevrolet Bolt electric car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, before taking it to the Detroit auto show a week later. Such moves are aimed at highlighting vehicles’ software and Web features, with carmakers adding iPad-like

dashboard touch screens and moving beyond to even more futuristic systems.

German caromakers BMW AG, Audi AG and Daimler AG last year teamed up to buy Nokia Oyj’s HERE map business, a response to Google and Apple. BMW’s iDrive system brings apps, radio and navigation to the dash-board, reducing knobs and buttons for a user experience that’s closer to that of a smartphone. Porsche’s Mission E concept car unveiled last year fea-tures eye-tracking and gesture-control functions, which include holograms that allow the driver to grab apps out of the air.

At Mobile World Congress, Ford introduced a new model of the Kuga sport utility vehicle for the European market with updated communications, entertainment and driver-assistance features. It also outlined its latest plans under the umbrella of Ford Smart Mobility, the company’s initiative encompassing areas such as connectiv-ity, autonomous vehicles and big data.

“We are transitioning from an auto company to an auto and mobil-ity company,” Ford Chief Executive Officer Mark Fieldssaid in a Bloomb-erg TV interview at the event. The company is tripling its engineering investment in technologies mak-ing cars more semi-autonomous, Fields said.

It’s a tall order for carmakers contending with fleet- footed tech companies. The disruption brought by the connected car is similar to what happened 100 years ago, when the automobile successfully challenged the horse and carriage industry, Koslowski said. Engineering excel-lence isn’t enough anymore, but to appeal to the next generation of buy-ers a carmaker needs to show how it can enrich a consumer’s digital life-style, he said.

“Automakers have an opportunity to make cars even more compelling and spark a renaissance of the car,” Koslowski said. “They are being chal-lenged and they have to be careful that they don’t turn into a horse and carriage industry.”

By 2022, 345 million autos worldwide will be connected to the Internet, nearly four times more than last year, according to IHS Automotive. In six years, 98 percent of the cars sold globally will be connected, up from 30 percent last year, the consulting firm said.

Mark Fields, President and CEO of Ford, delivers a keynote speech at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Three in four consumers said they consider connected car services an important feature in their next vehicle purchase

Bloomberg

MASERATI unveiled its first sport utility vehicle as the once-exotic Italian brand pushes further into the mainstream. Based on

a concept first shown five years ago, the all- wheel-drive Levante will reach European showrooms this spring and the rest of the world later in the year, Maserati said on its website. It’ll face off against a growing field of luxury crossovers, including the Jaguar F-Pace, Mercedes-Benz GLE and BMW X5.

The Levante’s design has “clear

associations with the Maserati brand and its distinctive Italian character,” the manu-facturer said. Though the final price won’t be announced until a public presentation at the Geneva car show next month, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NVluxury unit has said the SUV will start at about ¤70,000 ($78,000), which would put it squarely between the marque’s Ghibli and Quat-troporte sedans.

The car is a cornerstone of Maserati’s effort to a more than double sales in the next two years by reviving flagging demand in the SUV-loving Chinese and US markets. The nameplate’s global deliveries dropped 11 percent last year. Reversing that trend

is critical for Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne’s plan to more than double group profit and turn a debt burden into a cash surplus by 2018.

“Maserati has sought to give the Levante a sporting bent in both its styling and per-formance,” putting it head-to-head with stiff competition, including the Porsche Cayenne, Ian Fletcher, a London-based ana-lyst with IHS, wrote in a note. The Levante will probably be “a relative minnow in the marketplace,” Fletcher wrote, but still help Maserati boost sales to 49,000 vehicles in 2017 from about 32,000 last year. Levante production has already started at Fiat Chrys-ler’s Mirafiori plant in Turin.

Maserati chases SUV sales boom with long-awaited Levante

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20164

Bloomberg

CARMAKERS still put CD players into the dash-boards of the majority of their cars, which seems strange 14 years after the

iPod ushered in the intangible music revolution. Now, finally, the in-dash device’s days might be numbered.

Compact-disc players have been slowly following cassette decks into the automotive-inte-rior dustbin for a few years, and their disappearance is suddenly accelerating. A couple dozen 2016 models are rolling out without homes for discs, particularly cars targeting younger buyers, includ-ing the re-engineered Honda Civic and every model in Toyota Motor Corp’s Scion line.

“The demise of the CD is in the near future,” said Corey Tsuno, Scion’s product and accessory operations manager. “I don’t think we’ll ever bring it back.”

It’s not just about saving the $30 it costs to incorporate a player into a dashboard. That little slot is prime real estate that can be used to make touchscreens bigger; the larger the screen, the better the resolution for navigation programmes and stream-ing-music and other apps.

Tesla Motors, the maker of luxury electric cars, has set the cool-dash standard with a 17- inch monitor. It’s tough to find space in something like a Civic for one that big — the CD player had to go for Honda to shoehorn in a 7-incher.

General Motors no longer accommodates CDs in some models including the GMC Canyon pickup

and Chevrolet Camaro, and among its luxury models only the Cadillac SRX and Escalade are CD-player equipped. Ford and Nissan drivers can listen to discs in 2016 vehi-cles but the trend line shows that’s destined to change. Last year 17 percent of cars sold in North Amer-ica were CD-playerless, this year it will be 24 percent and by 2021 it will be 46 percent, according to the research firm IHS Automotive.

Why aren’t the devices falling out of favour even faster? Same rea-son that it wasn’t until five years ago that the in-dash cassette-tape player was buried. Toyota’s high-end Lexus line had the machines until the 2010 SC 430, said a com-pany spokeswoman— and kept them nearly that long in the GS sedan because the chief engineer was clinging to his old tapes and made sure his cars could play them.

Older people with trunks full of favourite albums on discs are still big spenders on new cars, and even though though CD sales fell 15 per-cent the music industry managed to unload 141 million of them, accord-ing to data from Nielsen Plc.

And there’s a hardcore group that may never give them up. Audiophiles like the sound, said Mark Boyadjis, a senior analyst at IHS. The data that plays music gets compressed to store more tunes on devices like iPods and smart phones, and that cuts into sound quality. CD music has less compression.

If you want both a big touch-screen and CD capability, dig out that portable player from the ‘80s and hook it up to your dash with a USB cord. You could even hang it from the rearview mirror. They haven’t gotten rid of those yet.

A relic is, finally, disappearing from dashboardsCompact-disc players have been slowly following cassette decks into the automotive-interior dustbin for a few years, and their disappearance is suddenly accelerating. A couple dozen 2016 models are rolling out without homes for discs, particularly cars targeting younger buyers, including the re-engineered Honda Civic and every model in Toyota Motor Corp’s Scion line

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20165

Washington Post

IT’S NOT just using a hand-held phone while driving that’s a menace to society. It turns out that charging it in the car has consequences too. That’s because a phone

drawing electricity from a USB port cuts 0.03 miles from each gallon of petrol in a tank. Across the fleet of vehicles in the United States, that would mean about 970,000 tonnes of extra planet-warming carbon dioxide a year, according to cal-culations by Jon Bereisa, a retired General Motors engineering exec-utive who studies vehicle power usage. With a race under way to see

Charging a smartphone while driving isn’t free as you think

how many charging ports carmakers can cram into a car, the increased pollution is only going to get worse.

“Do I think we’re at peak USB? No,” said Mary Gustanski, vice-pres-ident of engineering and programme management at Delphi Automotive, which makes wiring and USB ports

for vehicles. “We’ll get more and more crea-

tive to not only allow you to connect with USB but also to connect wire-less. Consumers want their car to be just like their home.”

It’s not just an environmen-tal issue, either. The proliferation

of consumer devices, the growth of dashboard touch screens and other technology, and the shrinking size of engines to meet fuel-economy man-dates mean the 12-volt automobile electrical system is just about tapped out. Some carmakers are already turning to supplemental 48-volt

The number of vehicles sold in the US with USB charge ports rose to about 14.6 million last year from about 3.3 million in 2005, the first year they were available, and is projected to climb to 16.7 million by 2022, according to a forecast from the consulting firm IHS. Global sales of vehicles with USB ports will increase to 85 million in 2022 from about 49 million last year, IHS said.

The proliferation of consumer devices, the growth of dashboard touch screens and other technology, and the shrinking size of engines to meet fuel-economy mandates mean the 12-volt automobile electrical system is just about tapped out. Some carmakers are already turning to supplemental 48-volt systems in future models.

systems in future models.The number of vehicles sold in

the US with USB charge ports rose to about 14.6 million last year from about 3.3 million in 2005, the first year they were available, and is projected to climb to 16.7 million by 2022, accord-ing to a forecast from the consulting firm IHS. Global sales of vehicles with USB ports will increase to 85 million in 2022 from about 49 million last year, IHS said.

That estimate doesn’t capture how many ports are in a particular vehicle. For example, the new Chrys-ler Pacifica minivan, which goes on sale later this year, will have nine USB charging points, the most of any auto-mobile, said Bruce Velisek, Director of Chrysler brand product marketing. The model it replaces has four charg-ing points, he said.

To make his calculation, Bereisa assumed that a typical smartphone connected to WiFi or the Internet needs about 4.8 watts of energy to charge in a car. (Delphi estimates that some less-efficient models draw twice that amount.)

For a vehicle getting about 30 miles per gallon, that’s a 0.03 mpg loss, he said. Spread out across about 3 trillion road miles motorists drive each year in the US — assuming an average speed of 30 mph — the esti-mated extra usage is 100 million gallons of petrol, or about $200m in costs, said Bereisa, the chief executive officer of Auto Electrification LLC in Sunrise Beach, Missouri.

The estimated extra CO2 cre-ated by plugging in one phone in every car in the US would be about the same as that produced by 185,257 passenger vehicles in one year, according to an Environmen-tal Protection Agency website that converts greenhouse gas into real-world equivalents. Put another way, that’s the pollution created by burn-ing 945 million pounds of coal.

By far, the cheapest way to charge a smartphone is at home, Bereisa said. It costs about 2 cents an hour to charge a phone in a car com-pared with about 0.06 cent at home, or 33 times less. Petrol would have to fall to 6 cents a gallon to com-pete with home electricity, he said. It would also produce about half the carbon dioxide.

“That’s why modern electricity power plants are not driven by pet-rol engine generators,” said Bereisa, who worked on the EV-1 and Volt electric-vehicle programs and fuel-cell models during his 35 years at GM. “We go through life without realizing how important energy is to every-thing we do, and the consequences of our energy consumption. We grow up entitled to just plug it in or flip the switch or push start — with no idea of what’s behind it all.”

Bloomberg

RENAULT will roll out a new ver-sion of the low-slung Alpine sports car in 2017, reviving the mothballed nameplate in a bid to add racing flair

to the French carmaker’s lineup of utilitarian compacts.

The two-seater will be able to acceler-ate to 100km an hour in 4.5 seconds, about as quickly as a Porsche 911 Carrera, and it’ll replace the Espace minivan as Renault’s most expensive car when it hits show-rooms in Europe. Shuttered in 1995 because of poor sales, the niche Alpine brand was most known for the A110 Berlinette coupe, which beat Porsche models in rally compe-titions in the 1970s.

“Alpine represents racing glory,” and reviving the brand is a strategic opportunity to win over new customers, Carlos Ghosn,

Renault’s Chief Executive Officer, said at a presentation in Monaco.

Ghosn is resurrecting Alpine to help balance out Renault’s alliance with more profitable Japanese partner Nissan. The 16-year-old tie-up has been under strain since the French state unexpectedly increased its stake in Renault last year, giving it more control over the group than Nissan.

France has since thwarted Nissan’s effort to gain more say.

The dispute over control highlighted weaknesses within the alliance structure and puts pressure on Ghosn, who also runs Nissan, to lift margins at Renault and narrow the gap with its Japanese partner.

The new Alpine, which has been under development since at least 2012, is aimed at

adding sporty cachet to the French manufac-turer in an effort that also includes Renault’s return to Formula 1 racing. Still, sales of the model will probably be modest because of fading demand for niche sports cars and the limited appeal of the brand. Forecaster IHS Automotive predicts the Alpine will peak at about 1,300 deliveries in 2018, less than a rounding error for a company that made 2.3 million vehicles last year. About 30,000 Alpine cars were built between 1955 and 1995.

The Alpine is “sort of a halo exercise,” which could fall flat, said Tim Urquhart, an analyst at IHS Automotive. “They made some interesting and good cars in the 1970s and 80s, but these are very dim and distant memories.”

Renault, which owns the budget Dacia brand but lacks an upscale complement to its mass-market offerings, has broader plans beyond the Alpine Vision concept shown Tuesday. The company said it’ll be just the

first of a new family of cars that may include high-end hybrids and sport utility vehicles. “We’re flexible where to take the brand,” said Thierry Bollore, the automaker’s chief com-petitive officer. “Everything is on the table.”

Renault plans to give the white Alpine Vision — a break with the traditional blue used in the Berlinette — time to prove itself, with a 10-year road map to build out the brand. A previous attempt to shift upscale with the Initiale Paris concept car, a plush crossover shown at the Frankfurt motor show in 2013, hasn’t yet translated into a line of new vehicles.

Still, some customers have already been calling to ask for the Alpine, said Ralph Saenger, brand manager for Renault and Dacia at the Auto Witzel dealership in Bochum, Germany. “The success of such a revival depends on a healthy mix of referenc-ing historical design and setting new, unique standards in technology,” Saenger said. “It’ll showcase what Renault is capable of.”

Renault to roll out new version of Alpine sports car next year

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20166

Image shown for illustration purposes only.

Two Power Sources ENGINE x MOTOR combine to create a fresh driving sensation.The powerful driving experience will make your heart leap. The hybrid system seamlessly combines power from the engine and motor,providing the dynamism and smooth acceleration of a vehicle with a larger engine. Both the engine and motor stop when the vehicle stops.While driving, the Prius efficiently combines engine and motor power to deliver excellent fuel efficiency.

The Future is Now

TOYOTA announced the availability of the fourth generation Prius in the Middle East to unveil the latest version of this global green icon, which

takes the hybrid concept further than ever, with striking design, higher expected fuel economy ratings and greater ride comfort. The arrival of the Prius, Toyota’s first hybrid vehicle in the region, reflects Toyota’s mission in engaging with local communities and continuous efforts to contribute to society by making automobiles that lead to a cleaner environment.

Toyota’s hybrid technology marks a breakthrough in automobile fuel consumption and reflects the com-pany’s commitment to utilising the technology in driving sustainabil-ity forward. The Prius will raise awareness around the premium per-formance of hybrid technology and will assist in cementing the leading position of alternative energy vehicles.

Commenting on the arrival of the Prius to the region, Takayuki

Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative of Middle East & North Africa Rep-resentative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “At Toyota, we firmly believe that technology is a vital enabler for sustainable devel-opment. Driven by this belief, Toyota has been working on the future of sustainable motoring by heavily investing in introducing vehicles that are environment friendly and fun to drive. Toyota’s hybrid experi-ence will be extremely rewarding for our customers. Great looks, comfort and space combined with advanced technology, finely tuned aerodynam-ics and lightweight materials ensure an exhilarating driving performance, world-class efficiencies and ultra-low CO2 emissions. We see great potential

in the Middle East for the Prius. We also sincerely appreciate the unwa-vering support from our customer base for our initiatives to make more environmentally friendly vehicles.”

In 1993, automotive brands were launching standard cars with basic fea-tures. The same year, Toyota invested heavily in developing vehicles with the future in mind. The three envi-ronmental challenges that Toyota had addressed included introducing alter-native energy sources as opposed to oil, reducing CO2 emissions and preventing pollution. In December 1997,

Toyota launched the first gen-eration Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. In 18 years after rolling out the first Prius, Toyota has sold more than 8 million

hybrid vehicles worldwide. Today with the launch of the 2016 Prius, Toyota celebrates 56 years of fruitful research and development efforts.

The two power sources of Toyota’s hybrid technology

Toyota’s hybrid vehicles provide high performance without wasting gasoline, propelled by the synergy between two power sources, which are the gasoline engine and the electric motor. When accelerating, the vehicle uses an electric motor that does not require gasoline to accelerate efficiently and powerfully. In response to driv-ing conditions, the system efficiently

combines power from the electric motor and gasoline engine automatically.

When the vehicle has stopped, the system also automatically shuts down the engine to avoid wasting fuel during idling. The cumulative effect of preventing gasoline wast-age in this manner means Toyota’s hybrid technology can provide dra-matically better fuel efficiency than any other vehicle in its class. There is no need to charge the hybrid system battery using external equipment. The hybrid system automatically charges the battery by using electricity gener-ated each time you apply the brakes. Please click on the following link which explains the two power sources https://youtu.be/i6fFwQaftac

Toyota hybrid not only fits the

region’s sustainability agenda, but is also in line with the global direction towards more sustainable and greener communities. The Prius, as a symbol of Toyota’s hybrid technology, will contribute to achieving the new Mil-lennium Sustainable Development Goals, which strive for a healthy life-style, taking urgent actions to combat climate change, and ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

The alignment between what is delivered with Toyota’s hybrid tech-nology and the efforts exerted globally to sustain the planet’s resources makes the Prius the perfect car for responsible drivers who are aiming to adopt a more eco-friendly approach towards our planet.

Toyota reshapes the future of sustainable motoringToyota’s hybrid technology marks a breakthrough in automobile fuel consumption and reflects the company’s commitment to utilising the technology in driving sustainability forward.

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20167

HYUNDAI Motorsport’s brand new car, the New Generation i20 WRC made its debut atthe 2016 FIA World Rally Championship

(WRC) in Monte Carlo in January.The New Generation i20 WRC

marks the opening of an exciting new chapter in the short history of Hyundai Motorsport, building on two successful seasons in the competitive WRC envi-ronment. In that time, the team has undertaken a steep learning curve to establish itself as a genuine compet-itor against tough opposition.

Commenting on the new i20 dur-ing the unveiling ceremony at Hyundai Motorsport factory in Alzenau, Ger-many, in December, Jin (James) Kim Vice-President and head of opera-tions for Hyundai Motor Company in Africa and the Middle East, said: “Our ongoing involvement with the WRC is a real brand shaper for us. The championship is something which really appeals to our target youth audience therefore we will continue to invest in this sector of our busi-ness, and this special edition i20 is testament to this.”

Following its foundation-lay-ing year in 2013, the team quickly developed a brand new WRC car from scratch for its first season of compe-tition in 2014. The car proved to be both quick and reliable, securing a maiden win in Germany on August 2014. From there, the team enjoyed a

Hyundai Motorsport rolls out New Generation i20 WRC The New Generation i20 WRC marks the opening of an exciting new chapter in the short history of Hyundai Motorsport, building on two successful seasons in the competitive WRC environment.

more consistent second season, scor-ing four podium finishes and fighting for second place in the Manufactur-ers’ Championship right up to the season finale.

In early 2015, the team committed to a year-long test and development programme for a WRC specification of the road-going New Generation i20. The New Generation i20 accu-mulated 8,000km of testing prior to the unveiling ceremony and has proven to be quicker than its pred-ecessor, with the team’s drivers also praising improved drivability.

The new car is the result of the Hyundai Motorsport’s evolution since 2013 and although the team is still young, it is far more established in

the WRC community. This growth is also reflected in the team’s bolder

ambitions for the 2016 season, namely to fight at the front in every stage and to mount a heightened Champion-ship assault.

Hyundai Motorsport will field three cars in every round of the 2016 Championship, with Dani Sordo, Hay-den Paddon and Thierry Neuville all confirmed for a full season of WRC. From Monte-Carlo to a new-look sea-son finale in Australia, while also taking in a brand new event in China, the trio of drivers will share the #3, #4 and #20 cars during the season. The precise car-driver composition will differ from event to event, offering the team full flexibility in its Cham-pionship strategy.

The team began its third season with two New Generation i20 WRCs and one previous model at Rallye Monte-Carlo before increasing to three identical cars from Rally Sweden. The team’s title partners Shell and Mobis

both stand out on the new car, and will continue to be named as part of the two team entries — Hyundai Shell World Rally Team and Hyundai Mobis World Rally Team.

The team has also retained the serv-ices of rising Dutch star Kevin Abbring, who will remain as Hyundai Motor-sport Test Driver. Abbring will contest selected WRC rounds in a fourth car as part of his agreement, but his primary focus will be on managing develop-ment of the team’s 2017 car and R5 activities.

The R5 car is based on the New Generation i20 which will roll out soon, falling under the banner of Hyundai Motorsport’s customer racing division. There will be a development phase during the first half of 2016, homologation of the car in mid-2016, and an opening to orders in the sec-ond part of the year for private rally drivers of WRC.

The New Generation i20 accumulated 8,000km of testing prior to the unveiling ceremony and has proven to be quicker than its predecessor, with the team’s drivers also praising improved drivability.

By Hannah Elliott

Bloomberg

THE 2016 Jaguar XJ-R Sport is a luxury sedan that looks like a lot of other luxury sedans. The crimped hood is going in a BMW 7-Series direction. The back looks like, well, a back. The fish-mouth

grill looks almost like that of an Audi A4. And remember the way Jags used to look? You could spot one blocks away.

What you don’t realise at first glance is that, while Jaguar is doing the same sedan design everyone else is doing, they are the ones doing it best. The XJ-R embodies the form in a way that exceeds everything else.

I drove the $81,775 XJ-R around New York last week, dipping for moments into Brook-lyn and spanning the upper reaches of the West Side Highway before putting it to work as a conveyance to several New York Fash-ion Week runway shows, not to mention a last-minute trip to Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

The car is surprising. While we know and love the F-Type, offerings from Jaguar in recent years have been somewhat less compelling. But a British friend of mine in town for Fash-ion Week went gaga over the XJ-R’s jet interior with ivory stitching; he loved the fact that the panoramic sunroof involves two roofs, one for the front and one for the rear, that oper-ate independently of each other. He approved the look of the car, which is rampant progress for the brand that sat stagnant in past years under the weight of sleepy design and fin-icky mechanics.

I felt the same. The XJ-R is the largest and most expensive of the four-door sedans Jag-uar offers in the United States. It comes with a V6 engine supercharged to 340 horsepower

and bolstered by dynamic stability control and adaptive all-wheel drive.

This all-wheel-drive version of the XJR line gets to 60 miles per hour in 6.1 seconds, which is the slowest of the family (the V8 XJR gets there in 4.4 seconds) but the most capa-ble for adverse weather and road conditions. Top speed is 121mph.

From behind the wheel, the car feels per-fect in its dimensions — not too long a hood, not too fat a tail. It’s wide enough to acco-modate five tall adults but easy to parallel

park in any old West Village spot, should the need arise. I can imagine that owning an XJ-R would be like Goldilocks finding her perfect chair: Not too big, not too small. Just right.

When you press the gas, the car surges in one secure swoop; the steering wheel is dimensioned so well that you don’t notice whether it’s small, large, thick, or thin — a phenomenon that never happens in other cars — and the associated handling is focused like a bullet. You’ll be surprised at the energy you feel when you ask it to

move. It’s a different intensity from any-thing we’ve seen at Audi, Lexus, or Mercedes lately. Plenty To Offer, Inside and Out

If you can afford it, I’d choose to include the adaptive cruise control to your car, the park-assist cameras, the heated windshield (you’ll be driving in snow, after all), the 26- speaker Meriden surround sound sys-tem, and the front-seat comfort pack that includes side rear shades for increased pri-vacy while you drive. Skip the illumination package that lights up the “Jaguar” logo in

the floorboards like a club as well as the superfluous four-zone auto climate control. Does anyone actually use the massaging seats that come optional in cars like this? I certainly don’t, other than to give them a brief test — their pressure is far too light and not targeted enough for my taste. I’d leave that option behind as well.

Plenty of other nice things come as stand-ard components of the car: the handsome 19-inch wheels; the full LED front and rear lights; the eight-inch touchscreen integrated with the round knob that controls Drive func-tions; and the “InControl” remote that allows you to monitor your XJ through your smart-phone to check fuel levels, temperature, and security when you’re not around. The com-bination of heated and cooled front and rear seats is a rare “standard-issue” treat in this segment. Frankly, It’s Handsome

I do wish this sedan were a bit more eco-nomical: A guzzle rate of 17 miles per gallon in the city and 26mpg on the highway is hardly generous. But it’s tough to stay true to your ideals in front of such a handsome face.

The XJ-R manages to lure with a long physique that evokes the same sleek feline that jumps forward on its logos. The new ammonite gray paint highlights the sculpted sides, gloss black radiator grille, and chis-eled nose; the discrete red-badge labels and dark wooden steering wheel play peekaboo on second take like the interior lining of a bespoke suit. Jaguar has managed here to give us something that regards its aggres-sion as better spent underneath the hood than flung around like ill- spent plastic on an over-styled exterior. That attention is evident throughout, come to think of it. Whether performing under pressure or sim-ply standing still, the XJ-R sedan piques our interest in a segment that, more often than not, just bores.

The 2016 Jaguar XJ-R sedan is the perfect shape and size

WEDNESDAY 24 FEBRUARY 20168