AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness [email protected]

I’d rather be hit by a Volvo!

Pedestrian safe Volvo V40.

Volvo has built up a credible reputation for safety, but they have gone one step further with the new V40 Hatch. This time, as well as providing much secondary safety for driver and passengers, they have incorporated pedestrians in the safety package as well. International statistics would indicate that about 15 percent of the national road toll is pedestrian.
Volvo has just released a new hatchback with the world’s first pedestrian airbag, that pops out from in front of the windscreen and acts as a buffer between the pedestrian and the hard points of the car’s engine and body.
Volvo’s vehicle line director for the V40, Hakan Abrahamsson, says the pedestrian airbag allowed designers to create a safe car with a low nose and bonnet line. “We achieved two things, a smart looking car and a very safe car,” he said.
The V40 has a five-star crash safety rating and was singled out for praise by the ANCAP crash authority this year as one of the safest cars on sale.
The V40 is pitched as the world’s most technologically advanced hatchback, with innovations like the pedestrian airbag, customizable digital instrument display and the latest version of Volvo’s City Safety autonomous braking (that now works at up to 50 km/h) but to genuinely attain that ‘most advanced’ status requires the Driver Support option pack that is only available on high-spec Luxury and R-Design variants.
This pack includes adaptive cruise control (which can halt and re-start the car in traffic jams, detect pedestrians and emergency brake to avoid collisions), self parking, road sign recognition (I wonder how it would go with Thai?), lane-keeping assistance, automatic high beam and blind spot monitoring that warns of vehicles in adjacent lanes and can detect vehicles crossing the rear of the car from up to 30 meters away when reversing.
The V40 has four engines, with a choice of petrol or diesel power in both four- and five-cylinder layouts.
The entry-level D2 diesel has a 1.6 liter, four-cylinder engine with 84 kW and 270 Nm, while the 2.0 liter, five-cylinder D4 diesel has much more punch with 130 kW and 400 Nm of torque.
The diesel engines are very frugal, with the D2 having an official fuel figure of 4.2 L/100 km, while the five cylinder diesel uses 4.9 L/100 km.
The diesel engines are available with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, unlike the petrol pair which are only available in auto.
The V40 T4 has a turbocharged 2.0-liter, five-cylinder engine with 132 kW and 300 Nm, while the T5 has a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder motor with outputs of 187 kW and 360 Nm. There is also an overboost function that gives drivers access to 400 Nm of torque for short periods of time.

VW XL1 at production stage

World’s most fuel efficient.

Volkswagen has shown a production version of its ultra frugal XL1 ahead of the distinctive new two-seater’s public premiere at the Geneva motor show on March 5.
This vehicle has been running in prototype form for a couple of years, and most people thought it was just a marketing exercise. Supposedly the world’s most fuel efficient road car, it gains its low consumption figures on the use of exotic construction materials, a low weight, a compact plug-in diesel electric hybrid driveline and slippery aerodynamics to deliver a combined cycle fuel consumption of 0.9 L/100 km on the European test cycle - a figure, Volkswagen contends, provides the XL1 with a theoretical range of more than 500 km on its 10 liter fuel tank.
The XL1 is set to enter limited production alongside the Volkswagen Golf cabriolet and Porsche Boxster at the former Karmann factory in Osnabruck, Germany next month.
The XL1 is lower than the recently unveiled second-generation Porsche Cayman. Entry to the cabin is via butterfly style doors hinged within the windscreen pillar. Inside, the new XL1 is a two seater, with the seats staggered slightly to free up shoulder room.
To get down to 795 kg, the XL1 uses carbon-fibre reinforced plastic just 1.2 mm thick for the body, a windscreen with glass that is 3.2 mm thick, a dashboard supported by a wood fiber material 1.4 mm thick and magnesium wheels.
VW itself states that it will make 50 of these cars and then review the demand. Don’t expect to see one soon!

Autotrivia Quiz

Quiz Car.

Last week I asked what car was the first to put the horn button in the center of the steering wheel? It was the 1915 Scripps-Booth Model C. The car also was the first with electric door latches. Go and check on any Scripps-Booth Model C near you!
So to this week. Have a look at the couple and the car. Who were they and what was the car?
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].

Not everyone thinks we are doing well

Frost & Sullivan, commentators on the auto industry, believe that the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 is likely to reduce the dominance of big Japanese automakers in the region introducing a more level playing field. Smaller Japanese players such as Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Isuzu and new entrants will gain the most from the implementation of AEC, as the level playing field will make it easier to expand their presence and challenge incumbents. However, big Japanese OEMs are still likely to continue to lead the market.
“Given the sheer scope and complexities of various outstanding issues, there is a strong likelihood that closer to 2015 some of the elements of AEC will be put on hold,” said Frost & Sullivan principal consultant, Dushyant Sinha.
Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are the key automotive markets in ASEAN, accounting for 89 percent of the passenger car market, yet at a global level, they do not figure amongst the top 15 passenger car markets.
The BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), are much bigger than the key ASEAN markets in terms of industry volume, and compete aggressively for investment in the automotive sector. As one market, ASEAN is currently at the cusp of a high growth phase, along with the BRIC markets.
While the low level of motorization in ASEAN indicates a strong growth potential, the heavily motorized markets of Western Europe and North America represent a saturated replacement market.
The BRIC markets, led by China and India are the largest competitors for ASEAN in terms of market and investment. Their attractiveness stems from their larger market size and larger economies. As an integrated market, ASEAN will be more competitive and a better match to the BRIC economies.
Smaller markets, with their individual automotive sectors, will continue to be plagued with issues of productivity and efficiency. Sector integration will lend economies of scale which in turn will help reduce costs and improve competitiveness.
The capital intensive nature of the automotive sector, coupled with the ever increasing competitive pressures, pushes for increased investment, both technical as well as financial, for the local industry to remain competitive and globally relevant.
An integrated automotive sector will enhance ASEAN’s attractiveness as an investment destination and help the local players, plagued with limited resources, to survive.
However, political compulsions, accentuated by development divide serve as key restraints for the implementation of AEC.
“Local OEMs will find it challenging to maintain their existing market positions and some degree of consolidation is expected,” Mr. Dushyant said. “Automotive OEMs and suppliers should focus on increasing value and reducing cost of safety systems.”
Within the automotive value chain, suppliers as a whole are better “hedged” to weather the impact of AEC due to their multi-client share of OE business and opportunities in the aftermarket segment.
“Under the full implementation of the AEC, a structural change is likely in the automotive sector,” concluded Mr. Dushyant. “Local players, both OEMs and suppliers, stand to lose the most. Overall, market concentration is set to decrease.”
[Of course, all this will depend upon the AEC actually becoming a working entity, and there are enough naysayers to make one very wary of committing much until we see if the AEC will work. I remain doubtful. Dr. Iain.]