Automan 182

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now, the region’s Best Automotive resource DecemBer 2016 Issue no 182

THIS MONTH

New wheels 6-9 Porsche oman gives local media first drives of the Boxster s, 911 carrera 2, various cayenne variants and the macan s

Face 2 Face 10-13 We intervieW maserati regional

Boss umBerto cini aBout the outlook for 2017

OmaN aNd regiONal News 14-17 neW nissan Patrol Pick uP

targeted at omani fishermen launched, dodge neon and cJd nizWa shoWroom, concours event at BurJ al araB, driver list for car Park drift final, aston martin redBull am-rB 001 launched in duBai, fiat 500 riva shoWcased

CoverDrive – Audi Q5 RoadTest – Cadillac XT5 Crossover

BraNdwatch 18-23 trumP may cause ProBlems

in future us car imPorts, china imPortance for volvo, ford launches india r&d huB, vW and transform2025, geely eyeing lotus, toyota and mazda to collaBorate, toyota announces connectivity strategy, BlackBerry to PoWer ford connect, freevalve valveless engine, neW cJd Platforms, neW commodore on oPel insignia Platform

glOBal News 24-25 toyota to sPeed ev

develoPment, nissan leaf to get range extender, neW fisker named, hyundai Pushes for ev

cOver stOry 26-33 We attend the gloBal media

drive of the neW audi Q5 in mexico and rePort from there

rOad tests 34-39 We drive the cadillac xt5

crossover – the neW challenger

40-45 We drive the honda accord

PreView – Porsche 911 RSR

couPé in oman

46-51 We drive the Baic x65 crossover, With its saaB insPired engineering

special Feature 52-55 rePort from sema 2016 56-61 rePort from la shoW 2016 previews 62-63 alfa romeo stelvio 64-67 neW volksWagen golf 68-69 mercedes-mayBach caBrio 70-73 Porsche 911 rsr mOtOrspOrts 74-79 formula one and fia Wec chicaNe 80 the Wrong side of the Wall

editor-in-chief Mohammad Al taie

AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG PO Box: 343, Postal Code 118 Al Harthy Complex, Sultanate of Oman

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PUBLiSher hatim Al taie

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finAnce & AdMin Sumy Mol

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distribution: Tel: +968 24652400/1/2/3/4/5 Extn 555, Subscription: Tel: +968 24652400/1/2/3/4/5 Extn 650 MAnAGed And ProdUced BY:

www.carbrandz.com MAnAGinG editor raj Warrior raj@automan.me contriBUtinG editorS chandan Basu Mallik chandan@automan.me Anne Kurian deSiGn conSULtAnt Antony Karlo PhotoGrAPhY elvis John ferrao for Advertising & Marketing enquiries: advertising@automan.me diStriBUtion United ArAB eMirAteS dar Al hikma LLc alhikma@emirates.net.ae Tel: +971-4-2665394 | Fax: +971-4-2669827 Printer Al Anan Printing Press LLc Tel: +968 24446163 | Fax: +968 24446287 alananprinting.com | alananprinting@gmail.com © 2016 All editorial content of Automan in the magazine and its website is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the management of Automan.

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as 2016 draws to a close, let’s look back at a year that had more than its fair share of ups and downs to contend with – after all it was a year that took Boxing great mohammed ali from us among a host of big names. of course the year hasn’t quite managed to shake off the ongoing issues with last year’s ‘dieselgate’ issue. thankfully the judicial process in the united states of america seems to be the least of the worries for the company, despite the rather steep bill that runs into the multiple billions of dollars. Perhaps a little more worrying is the criminal case being pursued in its home country of germany, naming some of the top rung to be indicted. in the meantime diesel is suffering from a bit of a negative image, leading to audi withdrawing from the Wec in favour of a move to the sanctified surroundings of an all electric power Formula E. staying on the topic of fuel, a sustained phase of low crude prices has seen the us consumer enjoy gas prices closer to that of yore. that of course has resulted in a lower than expected demand for the very yuppie hybrids and small cars and a swing back to the larger suv, although most manufacturers are now hedging their bets by moving into the new territory of ‘turbocharged’ smaller engines. that’s not to say that the v8 has had its time, its just that there are far more options out in the market.

On the other hand OPEC finally seems to have got its act together. The group has promised to trim its output for the next year, adding a boost to the price of crude and some degree of cheer to smaller producing countries like Oman, who could do with a better floor price through 2017. however, it remains to be seen whether the group will stick to its promises, especially as we all know that the first thing that will happen is that the shale oil industry in the us will kick back into production to make up for the gap in production. meanwhile, in the region, we continue to have a large degree of peace and stability and some growth among the wars and strife we are bracketed with – while the flow of refugees continues unabated towards europe. a europe that the British have decided they don’t want to be part of in the future. and of course the united states of america has chosen to close the year with a bang, electing property mogul and reality tv persona donald trump to the office of President. Expect a whole lot of drama from the White House.

It definitely looks like 2016 has done its bit to launch us into what looks like an eventful 2017.

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NewMetal Cruising Muscat in some heavy Metal Author and Photography: Raj Warrior

Porsche Oman organised a drive for the local media that took us around Muscat and off to Sifawy. With a range of models and lots of driver changes, it enabled the press to get a feel of the brand’s offerings

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n a rather surprise move, Porsche Oman invited a group of journalists from local media along with their photographers to a day out driving some of the high powered sports cars and SUVs that make the brand so popular.

We have to admire the change in the organisation’s marketing focus to a more outward reaching one, that will stand it in good stead as it grows to match the investment in larger new sales and service facilities in Ghubra as well as a greater reach across the Sultanate.

The weekend drive entailed an early morning meet at the showroom where after submitting the necessary documents, participants took the cars in procession to popular restaurant Tche Tche on the Qurum Shatti promenade.

After breakfast, the entourage set off for Sifawy through the almost forgotten Hamriya to Yiti road. This road entails a steep climb immediately off Hamriya and takes one through a series of sharp turns, switchbacks and elevation changes to meet up with the new four-lane highway

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The line up of Porsches draws attention on the promenade of the Sifawy Beach resort, while the Cayenne Diesel rests in solitary splendour under the shade

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Part time model and full time media sales girl Prili Avichal strikes a pose in front of the Porsche team’s Boxster GTS, which sadly didn’t form part of the media drive cars that connects the Barr Al Jissah and Oman dive centre near Qantab to the Yiti road. Admittedly, this road has been a favourite of Porsche Club owners and of serious drivers who see the potential to get a bit of concentrated speed and handling from the capable machines.

However, the mix of journalists (many of whom were driving their first Porsche) ensured that most cars lagged seriously behind as we took the Boxster S at our disposal through its paces.

The road winds further through a bit of construction activity that is the alignment of the new Sifawy road. Along the way, we switched from a 911 Carrera 2WD model through the Boxster and on to a Cayenne GTS, Cayenne diesel, Cayenne S and regular through to the Macan S on the way back in to the showroom.

Of course the 911 presents the core Porsche feel, complete with its 3.0-litre 370hp engine and an intense ability to connect the driver to the road through aggressive chassis design and the use of a very snappy double clutch gearing.

In the hardtop form, this car also had its new larger sunroof and the optional 20” S wheels.

We will be detailing the Boxster S in its exclusive test drive report in following pages, but as always, the smaller sports car makes for a much more intense drive on public roads than the 911, which seems forever looking for the next racetrack.

It has been our first time in the phenomenal new Cayenne GTS and we can promise a longer test drive in the future, even if it is just to whet our appetite for the sheer power that the car delivers. Try 440hp from its biturbo 3.6-litre engine with the new generation 8-speed tiptronic S! Flat out acceleration is supported by a superb suspension package and one of the best acoustic signatures of any SUV. It also helps that the car gets the overt sporty touches of its overfenders, carmine red exterior and black on red sporty interiors with Alcantara leather and sporty steering.

After that, getting into the diesel version of the Cayenne would have been a let down if it wasn’t for the sheer brilliance of the oil burner in the SUV. The engine has an output of 245hp from its 3.0-litre displacement, but we have to remember that it is turbocharged and in the right hands this boost can add more

than enough extra thrust. The torque on the diesel engine is 580Nm, matching very well with the 600Nm that the GTS offers.

This means that with the right driver, you can feel a state of lift-off thrust through most of the lower and midrange, with far better fuel efficiency thrown in.

The two other Cayennes were the S and the vanilla version which proved to be bland after going through the GTS and diesel. The S has the detuned version of the GTS 3.6-litre at 390hp and 500Nm, while the regular Cayenne has another twist by avoiding the turbocharging and consequently offering 300hp and 400Nm of torque.

The last of the cars we drove was the Macan S. This midsize SUV had impressed us with its handling and steering feel at launch and its claim to being the 911 of SUVs may still be adequate to keep it selling in reasonable numbers. The S gets a 3.0-litre V6 with biturbo and an output of 335bhp and 460Nm of torque. On the lighter body of the Macan, it does seem for a moment as if the genes of the 911 are hovering around the throttle. But the Macan has evolved a spirit of its own, allowing it to appeal on its merits.

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Face2Face Driving Maserati in the region Interviewer: Raj Warrior | Photography: Supplied

RW: Let’s start of by learning how Maserati has been doing in the region this year?

UC: Let’s say I am happy, we are happy, we will definitely close our year with another record year. This will be the sixth year in a row that we are achieving new records with Maserati. Although the market is not that favourable at the moment, we could achieve our original targets. So, we are very happy with the performance of the brand.

RW: Are you in a position to share any figures on that?

UC: Not yet because we don’t know what the year end figures will be, but we are on track to deliver a growth also this year. It’s going to be a small growth, it’s not going to be any double digit growth, but still it will show consistent growth over the past six years, so it’s a good sign of the preference of the customer in the Middle East for Maserati.

RW: How much of this growth can you attribute to the Levante launching this year and entering your showrooms?

UC: I will say that everything is according to the plan. Meaning that we were of course foreseeing an increase with the 10

DEC 2016

Levante in terms of footfalls, but such performance is definitely due to the fuller line up of Maserati which is performing very well. Don’t forget that the Maserati Levante reached the showrooms at the end of the second quarter, so the core of the year was done with the current line up in which still the Ghibli is definitely a leader in its segment, it is doing very well as is the Quattroporte that is performing extremely well. Now with the arrival of the new Quattroporte model year ‘17 it has even improved. And we have the GranTurismo and GranCabrio that is performing extremely good regardless of the ageing of the models. And of course as you just mentioned, Levante is the latest cherry on the pie that is helping. I would say it’s a success of the full range that we carry in the showroom.

RW: Would that translate to a growth in sales of each model?

UC: We are seeing either a consolidation or a growth all across the model line.

RW: You had mentioned a couple of years ago, that by 2017 you would be hitting a volume of 50,000 units. At the time it seemed very ambitious. Are you on target to reach that?

We meet with Umberto Cini, Managing Director of Maserati Middle East, India and Africa.

Cini is a strong and passionate figurehead for the brand at a time when Maserati is growing and an expanding its portfolio. In 2007 he became Managing Director for the regional representative office for the Middle East and Africa in Dubai. Over the following years further countries were added to his area of responsibility.

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UC: Well, a few years ago it seemed very ambitious to reach that 50,000 units worldwide figure, but we will definitely be able to do that. Next year it is going to be there and this year too we will come very close to that number. Once again, it is our plan to our utmost to reach the 50,000 units for sure in 2017. And, if the market will allow us, if the global economy will allow us, we will also go beyond it. We have to see how the next year will be but definitely 50,000 is on the table.

RW: Off the top of your head what do you see as the major challenges that you will face during 2017?

UC: Definitely it’s not an internal challenge. In terms of Maserati we are in a position of being stronger than ever before. Of course we are a global brand so we work in different areas of the world, so if there will be some major impact or some major shock on the market we have to face it, but these for sure would not compromise our main goal.

RW: Are you seeing any shift in your customer profile as you get more Ghibli and more Levante in the market? Are you facing new challenges with a new type of customer?

UC: I wouldn’t call it a shift of customer profile. I would call it an increase of customer base. Our customer in a way shows certain characteristics that are very consistent between all of the Maserati range. They are real connoisseurs of fine things and as such our products go well in this scenario. We as Maserati are very linked to being a performance brand and an Italian brand and to have the beautiful style that our products have. This is very much consistent across our models and our customer base. Of course there are some differences according to the model that you drive, some are more angular, some more female rather than more male but again in general they are all linked by the passion and the appreciation of the most refined things in life.

RW: Are you seeing more customers opt for the personalisation program?

UC: Personalisation is one of the main strengths of Maserati. You know, I think we can be proud of saying that we launched the customisation program back in 2004 and this is still one of our main strengths. Of course we are delivering always in line with what our customer

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requires so despite everything we have in our customisation portfolio, we always try to go that extra mile also for the things that we do not normally have. If the customer wants something that is not part of the normal customisation program we will always try to make him or her happy with that unique feature.

protect ourselves and our market as much as possible.

RW: Does it play a role as a strong value addition for Maserati?

UC: The Ghibli has beaten our expectations, both in the region and even globally. In the region the Ghibli is market leader for the past three years in its segment. As part of the normal lifecycle enhancement of every single car, we are having a model year ‘17 upgrade that is just reaching the market with a new infotainment system, which has 8.4-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Then of course in due time there will be the normal lifecycle management.

UC: Let’s say that all our products are very much customised. But we do have some cases where our customer requests something unique and of course we have been able to deliver according to the needs. It becomes a tailor made job, like when you order a bespoke suit with something particular. We do the same for our car. All our cars end up being tailor made and being tailor made we can always do something more particular for the demanding customer.

RW: If I could take you across to the upcoming Alfieri, any early indications as to when it should be available?

UC: We are all waiting for the Alfieri to

RW: Now that you have the new Levante, the brand new 2017 Quattroporte in hand are there any any indications of what we can see fresh on the Ghibli and has it met your expectations?

RW: That brings us to the last question I need to ask you, but it’s more localised.

What’s your overview of how the brand has performed in Oman and what are the prospects for the brand in Oman?

UC: Well Oman is no different for the Maserati brand. It is different in terms

The Alfieri Concept in 2014 come, it is of course something that is planned to happen. This is forecast to reach our showrooms around 2019 - 2020.

RW: How do you see competition hotting up with the mainstream German and British brands trying to move upwards into territory that you have been?

UC: Let’s say that we are there, we have always been there and we have conquered our land. Of course competition is there, everyday there is some more product and some more brand that our coming up into more higher territory. It’s normal, it’s part of the world and we have always been where we are today from over a 103 years. We will

of clientele and market performance but again Maserati is the same across all these markets. What is appreciated by the Omani customer is similar to what our other customers want. Over the past few years we have done a very consistent job with Maserati in the region, especially in Oman. We have grown our image, we have grown our services to the customer, we’ve grown the customer experience and all of these have had the result of being appreciated by our customer. Our customer base is increasing year after year. We are line where we should be and are happy with the performance of our partner in Oman, Al Fardan and also the brand itself.

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Beefed Up Nissan Patrol Pick up targeted at Omani buyers launched Suhail Bahwan automobiles, the importer for Nissan in Oman, launched the latest variant of the Nissan Patrol Pick up in Oman at the Intercontinental hotel.

The vehicle has been specially adapted for the rigours of daily use by one of the most demanding set of customers – the Omani fisherman.

The launch ceremony was

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presided by Mr Shohei Kimura, President Nissan Shatai Co. Ltd., Mr Yuzo Sakita, Senior Vice President, Nissan Shatai Co. Ltd., Mr Ahmed Suhail Bahwan, Chairman, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Mr Divyendu Kumar, Managing Director, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Mr Fadi Ghosn, Chief Marketing Officer, Nissan Middle East FZE and other key dignitaries from

Nissan and Suhail Bahwan Automobiles.

On the occasion of the launch, Mr Shohei Kimura commented, “The New Patrol Pickup Special Version is truly a reflection of Nissan’s commitment towards developing products taking customers preferences and needs in mind. This edition of the Patrol Pickup is a result of several months of research

on actual usage pattern of key users and related reengineering”.

Mr Fadi Ghosn, Chief Marketing Officer, Nissan Middle East FZE added, “Nissan’s position in the large pickup category will be consolidated with this introduction. The Patrol Pickup has earned loyalty over the years as being a reliable and a well-engineered Pickup.

The Special version will surely appeal to a much broader base of customers. Its load bearing capacity, superior power, and seating comfort present an exceptionally high standard for a vehicle in this class”.

In addition to its 4.8-litre, 280hp, 451Nm engine and 5MT/ AT options the vehicle has been modified with a three person front seat, new guard rails and beefed up suspension at the rear with extra leaf springs or heavy duty coil springs that allow a payload of 2.5 tons. The wider cargo bed also features corrosion proofing and anti-rust wav on the underbody.

Dhofar Automobiles, importers for the FCA range of brands in Oman inaugurated their new showroom in Nizwa along with using the occasion to launch the new Dodge Neon as well.

The showroom was inaugurated by His Excellency Dr.Khalifa Hamid Al Saadi, the Governor of Dakhilya in the presence of other dignitaries and members of the company’s board.

Speaking about the launch Chris Edwards, General Manager of Dhofar Automotive said “Our new showroom in Nizwa meets the Fiat Chrysler Group’s International standards and is committed to delivering world-class service. Everything here is designed keeping the customer in mind and we are confident our highly trained customer care and support division will do

their best to delight our customers. What’s more, we have already been hearing great feedback from the visitors and we look forward to their continued support.”

The Dodge Neon is the brand’s latest C-segment car built on a common FCA platform. It features a 1.6-litre engine along with a host of modern day conveniences and class leading cargo space.

The Standard features

Oman & Region News

New Nizwa showroom debuts Neon

are spacious seating for five with 6 Standard Driver and Passenger Airbags and Directional Fog lamps. The other features include selectable steering option - “City” Mode, Cruise Control, Audio and EVIC functions, 15-inch wheels with tyre pressure monitoring system and AM/FM/AUX/USB LCD radio, Bluetooth. In addition the car gets ESP, EBD, EBA and Electronic Roll Mitigation.

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GULF CONCOURS EvENT HELD AT BURj AL ARAB Royalty attended the second day of the prestigious Gulf Concours event at the iconic Burj Al Arab Terrace, where the 2016 Bentley GT3-R won the “best bespoke limited edition” award. The winner of the “best modern bespoke” was the 2015 LaFerrari.

The event, which celebrates

automotive excellence with some of the world’s rarest and most valuable cars, attracted the region’s most discerning collectors and car enthusiasts from across the UAE during the first two days.

More than 40 of near priceless, classic cars mixed with the ultimate in modern,

bespoke luxury and supercars including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited, Mercedes, and Ferrari, were assembled in the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Terrace.

“We are delighted to invite some of the most bespoke brands to showcase the best and most iconic cars in the world,” said Rory

Heron, Managing Director of Thorough Events Singapore, the event owners and organisers.“Our aim is to bring people together from across the spectrum to indulge in their automotive passion, and we have no doubt that this event will become one of the noted events worldwide.”

DRIFTERS NAMED FOR RED BULL CAR PARK DRIFT The Red Bull Car Park Drift Final 2016 is about to rev into action with the official announcement of the competitors and judges.

The drifters, representing 11 countries from across the Middle East and Africa will go head-to-head at the biggest drifting competition ever seen in the Sultanate.

The event will be held in association with the Oman Automobile Association at Port Sultan Qaboos on Friday 16

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December 9. The confirmed drifters so far include; Abdelrahman Fakhroo (Qatar), Mesyar Abu Shaibah (Kuwait), Maged Abo Selim (Egypt), Emmanuel d‘Hotman de Villiers (Mauritius), Mohamed Khalil Kharrat (Tunisia), Ahmad Karaki (Lebanon), Zaki Lafreky (Morocco), Rafat Haron (Jordan), Salman Mohammed (Bahrain), Ali Al Balushi (Oman), Haitham Al Hadidi (Oman), and Tariq Al Shaihani (Oman).

Oman & Region News

Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing unveil AM-RB 001 Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing have unveiled the hypercar AM-RB 001 for the first time in the Middle East. Fittingly making its debut on the eve of the 2016 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, AM-RB 001 was presented during a private reception hosted by Aston Martin CEO Dr. Andy Palmer and Red Bull Racing Driver Max Verstappen.

The event was held at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, ahead of Aston Martin’s new showroom opening scheduled for early 2017.

The product of a unique Innovation Partnership between the British luxury marque and eminent F1TM team, AM-RB 001 combines the

vision and skills of two world-leading brands to create a road car the like of which has never been seen before.

Aston Martin President and CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer said “I am thrilled to be in Abu Dhabi to present the AM-RB 001 for the first time in the region, and what better opportunity to do so than just hours before the Formula 1 race begins. All of those involved in AM-RB 001 are extremely proud of the car, and I have no doubt it will make automotive history. Its reception around the world has been phenomenal, and we expect those in the Middle East to be no less excited.”

In support of the event, Red Bull

Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, added: “The AM-RB 001 has been an inspirational project to deliver in synergy with our partners Aston Martin. As we reveal the car at different cities across the globe, it is incredibly rewarding to see the delight and reactions of those viewing it for the first time. We will no doubt witness as much of a sense of wonder and excitement here in Abu Dhabi and across venues in the Middle East, as anywhere else in the world.”

The AM-RB 001 has a new, midmounted, high-revving, naturally aspirated V12 engine.

500 RIvA showcased at Abu Dhabi F1 event Fiat has announced that its limited edition 500 Riva will be coming to the region next year.

Developed in collaboration with Riva, master builders of speedboats and yachts, the 500 Riva is a showcase of special interiors using marine motifs taken from the Aquariva super yacht.

The car is available either as a convertible with a blue top or in a hardtop version with a black roof.

The interiors use wood panelling, chrome knobs and the gear knob is carved of solid mahogany.

The car was on display at the Yas Marina during Abu Dhabi F1 weekend.

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Made in America under Trump regime: Foreign companies wary

It’s no secret that rhetoric’s like make America great again and bring back manufacturing jobs by US President elect Donald Trump are giving car manufacturers who have made extensive investments in neighbouring Mexico sleepless nights.

Non American brands like Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are among the global manufacturers trying to weigh up the potential ramifications of such a decision if it went ahead.

Audi’s new plant in Mexico will build the new-generation 2017 Q5 for global

markets, BMW is in the process of building a new factory to make 3 Series and another unspecified model in Mexico from 2019 and Mercedes-Benz along with Renault-Nissan Alliance partner are looking at manufacturing their respective models for 2017 market entry.

Now, the Trump victory has car-makers scrambling as he has threatened to rewrite the trade-friendly North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] and replace with a 35 per cent tariff if Mexico does not renegotiate it. As of now, these car makers have to wait and watch and

hope for the best under the Trump regime.

Automan’s take Any trade barriers thrown up by Trump’s administration will surely affect the viability of many Mexican factories as the US is clearly the main target market.

Meanwhile, the Big Three American car brands have indicated that they will negotiate with the incoming Trump administration as production of many models have been shifted to Mexico.

China to play big role in volvo’s global ambitions As part of its future business strategy, Volvo Car Group president and CEO Hakan Samuelsson recently said that China-based manufacturing is the future for Volvo. The first product earmarked in this direction is the S90 which will move from Europe production to the brand’s Daqing plant in northern China. The mid-sized S60 and related vehicles will also be built in western China 18

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at the Chengdu plant, as well as 40-Series small vehicles at a new factory being built at Luquiao, 350km south of Shanghai. Volvo says the China-based factories will deliver world-class products for export across the globe in coming years and play a significant role in its business objective of selling up to 800,000 cars a year by 2020.

Ford Motor Company has announced plans to invest US195mn in India to create a new global product development centre for the Asia-Pacific region.

Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford announced the plans for the new centre during a recent visit to India. The new facility in Chennai will be operational by 2019 and employ 3,000 people over a five-year period and add another 9,000. Once fully operational, the India base will become Ford’s second-largest centre of employment globally after Dearborn, Michigan, USA.

The Chennai set-up will stretch across a 28-acre campus and will be designed to “enhance innovation and collaboration among employees”.

There will be at least six buildings, including three large office towers and a separate common ‘Learning and Development Centre’ with amenities such as fitness and yoga centres and medical and childcare facilities.

Automan’s take While, Ford’s new product

development centre in India will serve as a global hub for product development, the brand’s Australian R&D operations which 1500 engineering and design professionals working on the next-

BrandWatch

Ford plans massive India-based R&D hub

generation Ranger, Everest and other vehicles for the Blue Oval brand’s global operation – including regional-specific vehicles for markets such as China and India employs will not be impacted.

volkswagen to restructure business as part of ‘Transform 2025’ Shortly after officially announcing that it was leaving motorsports which was seen as a measure to save costs and remain profitable, the hard truth is that Volkswagen is struggling to remain profitable as it can’t shake off the post diesel scandal effects. If VW is lucky this year, it might reach an operating margin of only two per cent in 2016.

VW is desperate to double that figure and is working on a turnaround plan called ‘Transform 2025’. The carmaker has reached an agreement with its labour unions as the new strategy entails reducing 30,000 jobs while creating 9,000 new battery production and mobility service jobs in Germany while avoiding as much as possible forced redundancies in Germany until 2025.

The Chairman of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management, Dr Herbert Diess, said in Wolfsburg: “Our goals are high and our strategy is very ambitious. We want to benefit from change and

to take Volkswagen into the lead in the new automobile industry with determination.

Over the next few years, Volkswagen will change radically. Very few things will stay as they are. In the final resort, the new strategy is a major transformation program.”

Automan’s take ‘Transform 2025’ is a plan designed to improve the German plants’ productivity by 25 per cent, reaching annual savings of $3.9 billion by 2020, resulting in a profit margin of four per cent.

It’s not going to be an easy task for Volkswagen in this overhaul exercise in Germany.

The manufacturer will not be able to match the profitability of rivals such as Peugeot or Toyota, which operates on a six per cent profit margin due to the partially unprofitable 340-model range. Meanwhile, VW’s workers will have to adapt and re-train as the car maker eventually becomes slimmer, faster and stronger.

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NVH Anechoic chamber testing at Lotus

Geely eyeing British sports car maker Lotus?

Following the successful launch of Lynk, an all-new automotive brand by Chinabased Geely using extensive Volvo inputs a few weeks ago, there were rumours that Geely’s parent company Geely Holding Group which also owns the London Taxi Company are planning to acquire another UK-based automotive brand.

It may be recalled that struggling British sports car maker Lotus’ owner, Malaysia-

based Proton has been in the market for a foreign strategic partner. And that Lotus did have a round of talks two years ago with Geely.

However, Geely chairman Shufu Li has denied that his company was making such a move as the business relationship between Volvo and Geely is flourishing and both brands are moving closer as they share model underpinnings and production facilities.

Automan’s take Although Lotus appears to be a promising candidate as its engineering arm, Lotus Engineering, has carried out consulting and development work for various automakers. But, Geely now has an extremely strong partnership with Volvo and has communicated its future aspirations and is prepared to look into new directions.

Toyota and Mazda to collaborate on connected cars and Evs Looking beyond an increasingly complex web of agreements and partnerships, several members of the Japanese auto industry are trying to consolidate their position against future financial and technological challenges.

Toyota and Mazda Motor are in talks related to cooperate on developing electric vehicles and connected cars.

The discussions have focused on ten potential areas that will allow them to accommodate the technological shifts that are occurring in the auto industry.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: “Mazda has proven that it always thinks of what is coming next for vehicles and technology, while still managing to stay true to its basic carmaking roots. I am 20

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delighted that our two companies can share the same vision and work together to make cars better.”

Mazda and Toyota already have a year-old agreement in place under which Mazda was to receive fuel cell and hybrid technology from Toyota in exchange for its highly efficient Skyactiv gasoline and diesel engines.

Automan’s take Toyota and Mazda entered into an agreement last year and under the terms of the agreement, a committee would be set up to “evaluate how best to utilize each company’s respective strengths” with a view to developing a “broad and

meaningful collaboration”. Both brands also share a factory in Mexico that produces the Mazda 2 sedan and its nearidentical twin, the Toyota Yaris iA.

BrandWatch

Toyota unveils in-house connected strategy

From the Toyota presentation It is predicted that the world of motoring will drastically change in the next two decades. Automotive brands will not be just competing with product offerings, but rather the pitch will be on who provides the best in connectivity services.

So when Google and Apple seemed ambitious after they announced plans to make cars besides the usual business of developing software for autonomous driving and infotainment, many in the automotive industry saw it as a wake-up call. Now, it seems carmakers are looking to develop these technologies in-house instead

of depending on outsource supplier giants like Google or Apple who could completely monopolise the business.

Last month Toyota and RenaultNissan joined the growing band of “Google, no thanks” entities.

“To guarantee the safety of the customer, the manufacturer must be the platform provider,” said Shigeki Tomoyama, President of Toyota’s newly founded connected car company. Toyota says it has taken full control of its digital platform creation which runs on Automotive Grade Linux, a mission-spec operating system jointly developed by automakers and suppliers around

the world in open-source fashion.

Permanent connectivity is provided by the Japanese telecom company KDDI and local mobile data carriers.

Automan’s take And that’s an emerging area where carmakers like Toyota, Nissan etc would not want to depend entirely on outsourced service providers. And the first signs of automakers making sizable investments in experts in software, cloud engineering, data analytics, machine learning and systems architecture are beginning to surface.

BlackBerry signs deal with Ford self-driving taxis a year to ridesharing services by 2021, and selling autonomous cars to regular consumers by 2025.

Ford seems to be strongly advocating the idea of mass marketing selfdriving cars and has roped in Canadabased BlackBerry as one of the key software technology suppliers for its first generation of autonomous cars.

Blackberry will dedicate a team of engineers to help Ford incorporate a range of BlackBerry software — including its QNX Neutrino operating system, its Certicom security tech,

and audio processing software — into future Ford cars.

Ford already uses BlackBerry’s QNX technology in its car infotainment systems via a deal with Panasonic.

The new deal allows BlackBerry to put itself at the core of Ford’s future plans for self-driving cars.

It may be recalled that Ford had announced earlier the year its ambitious plans sell 100,000

Automan’s take Once a dominating player in the mobile phone business, it seems that BlackBerry’s QNX subsidiary is currently its most promising ticket for future success –especially with the Ford deal. However, competition is emerging — companies like Google, Baidu, and Mercedes-Benz all plan to have autonomous vehicles on roads at least a year before 2021.

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Koenigsegg designs camless engine Downsizing in displacements and cylinders are a trend. Extracting more horse power and torque using various technologies like direct injection, variable valve management and advanced electronics have paved a new era in automotive industry. So, what new can be invented for internal combustion engines?

Well, expect the unexpected. Some car makers like Infiniti have just introduced variable compression technology and Freevalve, Christian Von Koenigsegg’s sister company claims to have developed a prototype 1.6-litre concept engine that has the potential to offer supercar performance.

So what is Freevalve technology?

The concept of Freevalve technology is to reduce mechanical dependency by replacing mechanical parts with electro-hydraulic-pneumatic actuators -- in this case actuators are used to move the intake and exhaust valves. In traditional engines camshafts dictate the opening and closing of the valves and all components involved in the process consume energy and add to weight which

contribute to the overall drivetrain losses due to the added inertia and frictional losses of those components.

Koenigsegg has demonstrated in the Freevalve engine that it is possible now to squeeze out additional power potential while also reducing harmful emissions by replacing mechanical parts with actuator systems. Since the valves are no longer mechanically tied to each other, they can open and close independently of each other, providing an incredible amount of control that can make cylinder deactivation and optimizing combustion easier.

The flip side is that not only does

the Freevalve technology improve the power and emissions performance of the engine, it also reduces the volume and weight that the engine takes up, allowing engineers to improve weight distribution, increase structural rigidity, and improve the safety of these cars.

According to FreeValve, the powerplant produces 230hp and 320Nm of torque.

The figures reportedly equate to 47per cent more power, 45per cent more torque and 15per cent better fuel economy than the same powerplant with a conventional valvetrain. While the concept works, Koenigsegg now has the task of proving its durability.

New platforms for Dodge/Chrysler sedans Given the current trend of downsizing, large car makers like FCA have started thinking of their future product offering plans now. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has stated that

the new and highly flexible Giorgio platform could be utilized across various applications in the group in the coming years.

The current rear-wheel drive Dodge

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is based on the Giorgio platform

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Challenger/ Charger and Chrysler 300 models will serve until at least 2020.

These models are built in Canada and a recent labour union contract related to the production of these cars seems to confirm the possibilities.

The current plan is to lightly refresh the Challenger, Charger, and 300 until the vehicles make the switch to the new Giorgio platform which will happen in 2018. The Giorgio platform currently underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulia and is expected to find its way to two of the three large American vehicles for the 2021 model year.

The Charger switched from the LX platform in 2010 with the current model and is underpinned with the mildly updated LD platform, while the Challenger recently moved from the LC platform to the LA platform last year.

Meanwhile, the 300’s LX platform will be 15 years old in 2020 and hence could be dropped

Snippets

Jeep has re-entered the Indian market in 2016 after being absent for many years.

Mike Manley, CEO Jeep had visited India in 2013 and spelled out the retail operation guidelines which was to have a network of standalone dealerships for the brand.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles India now plans to change that and has charted a new and bolder strategy. The boutique styled ‘Destination Stores’ will sell all cars from the FCA India portfolio under one roof. This means that the outlets will cater to customers looking at Fiat, Abarth and Jeep products.

New Jeep Compass production to be spread out geographically

The incoming 2017 new generation Jeep Compass will be hitting the markets soon and the model will be made in several production facilities. The new SUV will be made in Pernambuco [Brazil], Guangzhou [China], Toluca [Mexico] and Ranjangaon [India]. The US plant in Toluca will serve domestic and Canadian markets. India production will export the model to all right-hand-drive markets around the world.

New App for car navigation from Apple

Apple is catching up fast with its competitors in developing augmented and virtual reality technology

for automotive applications. A patent for an iPhonebased augmented reality mapping system that could be transferred to cars through Apple CarPlay has just been made. On a mobile device, the system uses the device’s camera to take a live image and superimpose information over the image. At a basic level, street and building names, and points of interest would be highlighted. A more advanced version would use GPS navigation data to display route guidance information complete with direction indicators over a live image of the immediately location. The system would be easily transferable onto a car’s infotainment system via Apple CarPlay. Interestingly, the concept is similar to Jaguar Land Rover’s ‘Virtual Windscreen’.

BrandWatch

FCA’s retail plan for India

Samsung Electronics buys Harman

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has agreed to buy automotive technology manufacturer Harman International Industries. The US$8bn deal is Samsung’s biggest ever deal and will immediately give it “a significant presence in the large and rapidly growing market for connected technologies, particularly automotive electronics, which has been a strategic priority for Samsung. As of now, over 30mn vehicles are estimated to be currently equipped with Harman’s connected car and audio systems.

New details on Holden Commodore/Chevrolet Lumina

The new Opel Insignia in its test camouflage Interesting reports are emerging from Australia about the rear wheel drive Holden Commodore or Chevrolet Lumina as we know the model in Middle East. It may be recalled that in December 2013, Holden announced that it would cease its local production by 2017.

However, Holden did commit not to drop the long-standing Commodore nameplate permanently from the

line-up. Now, there’s news on its fifth-generation which will be a fully imported replacement from Europe.

Due to be launched in 2018, that car is expected to be little more than a rebadged version of the upcoming new Opel Insignia. Major engineering changes are expected for the incoming model. First, it is moving to a lighter front-wheel drive [FWD] platform which brings in weight

savings of 200 to 300kg over the outgoing VF Commodore.

The traditional sedan profile will also be dropped in favour of a “liftback” hatchback. A naturallyaspirated, 3.6-litre V6 model will act as the performance flagship of the Commodore NG range producing 308hp and 370Nn of torque, sent to all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic gearbox. High-end tech such as adaptive suspension, head-up display, matrix LED headlights, and a next-gen infotainment system with an eight-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay compatibility will be available.

The SS variant will be dropped altogether. The SS badge first appeared in 1982 on the VH Commodore, borrowed from Chevrolet and was applied to the fastest version of every subsequent generation of the Australia built Commodore.

In markets like Australia, according to GM Authority, the model will adopt Vauxhall’s VXR badge - which stands for VauXhall Racing. Lesser versions of the NG Commodore will be powered by 2.0-litre, turbocharged four cylinder engines or a variety of diesel motors.

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Akio Toyoda at the Paris Motorshow

Toyota to speed up Ev development Toyota has created a small core team as part of its “virtual organization” in-house to fast track development of electrification technologies for automotive applications. Members from Toyota Industries Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, transmission manufacturer Aisin Seiki [Toyota holds a 30per cent share], and Denso Corporation [Toyota owns 25per cent] will together contribute in “out of the box” style of thinking, free from any

organizational restraints that usually slow down thought and work processes. Akio Toyoda, TMC president says, “As a venture company that will specialize in its field and embrace speed in its approach to work, it is my hope that it will serve as a pulling force for innovation in the work practices of Toyota and the Toyota Group.” For the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Toyota wants to be prepared with its all-electric vehicle line-up.

Nissan Leaf gets range extender

We all know that Nissan have sold over a quarter of a million Leaf electric cars since it was first launched in 2010. In general, the range offered is the biggest marketing limiting factor that prevents buyers making the switch to electric powered cars. But with newer technology applications and the range factor very much in focus, automakers like BMW and Chevrolet have been able to offer better user-compliant products. Nissan’s best selling Leaf was also not immune to the 24

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range limitation till now. Nissan says it has come up with a viable solution to the problem in its new e-Power hybrid system.

Essentially, the e-Power system is a range-extender, essentially the same as that employed in the BMW i3 and Chevrolet Volt. It features a small capacity gasoline engine that acts as a generator when the batteries run down to a low level of charge. The system has traditionally been too bulky to fit into a

compact car, but the automaker claims to have “cracked the code” in minimizing weight, while developing more responsive motor controls, and optimized energy management. As a result, the e-Power system uses a smaller battery than the Leaf, but delivers the same kind of driving experience. Nissan claims the e-Power is as fuel efficient as leading hybrids like the Toyota Prius.

People in focus vW chairman to face German prosecutors GlobalNews

Fisker names forthcoming creation

Danish-born automotive designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker is a man who will simply not just give up to easily. Very much like Elon Musk’s Tesla cars, Fisker has an ambitious plan to make electric vehicles cool and plans include a jaw-dropping sedan for the rich and an affordable sedan for the masses.

Fisker’s latest startup company Fisker Inc. has released some renderings of the EMotion, the latest sporty luxury sedan. Fisker says will be the first electric luxury sedan to boast 640km of driving range using topsecret graphene battery tech from UCLA-backed startup Nanotech Energy Inc. In the renditionm the EMotion comes with

butterfly doors and a dominating front face with a protruding nose and boomerang-inspired headlamps. The side profile boasts a swooping roofline with very short rear overhangs. The automaker says the interior will be relatively spacious, with “more rear legroom than many full-size luxury sedans.” The EMotion will have a top speed of 260km/h plus and can be fitted with autonomous technology. In its construction it will employ a mix of aluminum, carbon fibre and other lightweight composite materials. Fisker says it will build the EMotion in the US and will be ready to fully unveil the vehicle by the middle of next year.

Hyundai on overdrive with Evs etc Cash and resource rich Hyundai is planning to debut more than two-dozen hybrids, plug-ins, and fuelcell vehicles by the end of the decade. Currently, the US is the biggest market for these type of vehicle and hence marketing focus is expected to be strong given the various factors.

Hyundai Motor America will provide 150 units of its

latest Ioniq EVs to a Southern California-based car-sharing fleet company coinciding with local market sales which begin for the model early next year. A batch of 250 Ioniq EVs will also be given to WaiveCar, an app-based car-sharing service operator.

The Ioniq EV’s 198km singlecharge range will also be upgraded to at least 320km/h by 2018 says Hyundai.

A hefty settlement bill is not enough to satisfy prosecutors and grant some relief or immunity to scandal-riddled Volkswagen. It seems, they [prosecutors] want more blood and now have trained their guns on to the carmaker’s supervisory board chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch. The investigation, which relates to Poetsch’s time as finance chief, is the latest fallout from VW’s admission last year that it cheated on diesel emissions tests.

VW has publicly acknowledged that its engineers installed software that deactivated pollution controls on more than 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide. This scandal has damaged its global business and also cost top management heads.

German prosecutors have widened an inquiry into suspected market manipulation by managers at Volkswagen.

The prosecutor’s office in

Braunschweig, Germany, first announced the market manipulation probe in June, targeting former CEO Winterkorn and VW brand chief Herbert Diess for suspected market manipulation related to the emissions scandal.

The German state of Lower Saxony, VW’s second biggest shareholder with 20 per cent of voting rights said it was up to the prosecution and the courts to assess what had happened, adding Poetsch should be assumed to be innocent pending the completion of the investigation.

Automan’s take Volkswagen has agreed a near whopping $15 billion settlement with US regulators and car owners in North America as part of its PR effort post emissions scandal.

And it seems, the price hefty tag add-ons just doesn’t end here.

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CoverDrive

The Audi Q5 is into its next generation and carries the new Audi family look while hiding a technology package that should help it stay the preferred SUV of the upwardly mobile professional

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The next generation of performance Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Supplied

T

his is one trip that began with its share of confusion. We had been invited to join the Audi team to drive their new Q5 in the United States of America. Somewhere down the line, the destination changed and we were informed that the destination would be Mexico. Another country, another visa one would think. But we hadn’t factored in the way Mexico does business. Apparently all you need is a valid US or Schengen visa and you are given entry to Mexico - no cost and no hassle. Why are we mentioning this?

Because that’s the reality of the Mexico that is using its presence on the Southern border of the US and being part of NAFTA to boost its economy.

Whatever Donald Trump may think about the country, it is not just drug dealers and bad hombres trying to enter the United States illegally. Many major car companies have set up large manufacturing sites in Mexico, partly to freely access the US market while using cheaper Mexican labour, but also because the volumes they are aiming at allow them to target markets around the globe from this base.

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And of course, we were happy to oblige because the entire experience turned out just fine. After an overnight halt close to Los Angeles airport, we were flown in to the resort town airport of San Jose Dos Cabos near the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula. The surroundings look remarkably Omani, with its share of spartan rock surfaces, patches of grass and desert plants pushing their way up a generally arid soil and lots of palm trees (not the date palms we are used to here).

The choice of location was definitely guided by its detachment from the security worries of the Mexican mainland as well as its attraction to hordes of American tourists who like us, were flying down to the town on Thanksgiving weekend.

The Audi plant that manufactures the new Q5 is located at San José Chiapa in the state of Puebla at a height of 2,400 metres. This is the first time that Audi is using a plant like this for global supply of a model. However, there is a likelihood that the China supply will be shifted to a Chinese plant.

The new Q5 is not such a huge departure from the existing one visually. It uses the company’s MLB platform which tells you that the engine axis is longitudinal. But you don’t get the aggressive wheels on the corner look that you get from typical rearwheel drive layouts because the primary transfer is to the front-wheels.

The new larger grille rendition has been carried over to the new car as is the aggressive LED rimmed headlight treatment. The car gets Matrix LED headlights at the top of the range. The overall shape has got an additional bit of edginess, with the taillights moving to a increased horizontal feel. The profile of the car is dominated by the shoulderline that runs from front to rear fender. The glasshouse also runs part of the way into the the combined C and D-pillar area.

The Q5 seems to be marginally larger from its ratios and stance. The wheelbase has gone up to 2819mm and the car now measures in at 4663mm long. But it’s more a function of the puffed out wheelarches, tucked in waist and a feel of flowing lines as the car’s design uses the fenders and doors to create an impression of rises and dips along the length of the car. Both the headlight and taillight assemblies curve around to the sides, but the US version of the car still has its obligatory turn indicator on the fenders.

The inside of the car seems roomier too although our quick switches between various versions of the car meant that we were exposed to far too many grades of interiors. The S-line interiors with its focus on padded seats, sporty trims and touches 28

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of leather is definitely the best of the lot but even the base grades of the 2.0-litre TFSI units get a touch better interiors than you were used to on gen 1.

However the bulk of the activity is centred around three zones – the steering wheel, the Audi virtual cockpit (the instrument panel area) and the centre console with its tab like interface.

The steering wheel in the S-line spec brings the cut-off bottom end along with the hollowed out bottom spoke that makes the steering wheel a four-spoke arrangement. The embellishments range from the larger Audi rings on the boss to the metallic hue and touch of red of the trim callout. The rest of the controls are pushed onto the two horizontal arms, with the +/- of the paddle shift controls peeking over them.

The virtual cockpit has evolved nicely, making its way through various Volkswagen group brands and models and always skinned with the particular feel of the specific brand. Here you get a choice of traditional dial layout or choices where you can use the background to show the map while it is overlaid with driver information. Of course, you may want to see that bit on the available head-up display that projects on to the windshield.

But you can also enjoy the way it switches colours and character as you select drive modes, always allowing you to toggle a view if you so choose.

The central display is linked tightly to the MMI and now takes inputs from the controller with its elaborate knob and rocker switches as well as touch surfaces, from voice commands spoken in natural language patterns and from the controller on the steering wheel too. The track pad comes with built in shortcuts for the presets, left and right click zones and tactile feeback. The audio volume control and jump controls are on the right of that. The two zones you notice on the centre stack are firstly the air-conditioning control with proximity sensors and capacitive switch surfaces that allow for different functions on bringing your finger close, touching the switch and pressing it.

The next zone is dedicated to the driver controls for drive mode selection, engine shut-off overrride and descent control.

The tray at the bottom serves as a mobile phone dock with wireless charging built in.

In addition the gearshift is now the new generation arrangement, with P brought up through a button, while you need to tap back to get into S and tap back to get back into D. Manual override is still off to the right, albeit with the + and - arranged the wrong way (in our opinion).

The Audi Q5 appeals to a dedicated clientele who are drawn to its combination of upmarket interiors, tight European drive characteristics and a choice of intelligent drivetrains. And quattro has been a hallmark of the model throughout

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That being said, the car has not departed too much from its tried and tested arrangements in terms of elements under the floor although the changed elements are significant. The Q5 gets air suspension, some tuned up and new engines and offers both its regular quattro arrangement and debuts quattro with ultra technology on the SUV. Among all of these, we were most impressed with the amount of thought that has gone in to the Ultra quattro (shown alongside, with the top image showing power delivery only to the front wheels and the bottom showing all-wheel power delivery).

What the system does is to change the way the company looks at quattro from something that is almost off-road oriented to a more intelligent on-demand service.

The logic goes that any efficiency in the drivetrain will translate into better fuel efficiency, so this quattro iteration tries to disconnect as much of the idle power loss as possible. In a front only delivery, the system not only isolates the delivery to the rear axle, but also through a dog clutch it disconnects the rear differential completely, taking its 17kgs of spinning weight out of the equation and turning the rear axle into a free-wheeling follower.

According to experts, the system is able to do this at will but selects both the engagement and disengagement of these two clutches depending on the sensed driving pattern. There is no visual indicator on the dashboard of whether the quattro is in any particular mode, but the folks at Audi had set up a rig connected to an iPad that showed us when the modes switched.

Apparently the system calculates its mode from inputs and plots ahead for a window of 500 milliseconds. It is able to judge the driver’s aggressiveness, terrain and steering angles along with yaw, slip and roll so as it judge the exact time to bring in the rear axle and more importantly when to disconnect it.

The cars were fitted out with a range of engines as they were meant for a global media drive. We did get to drive both the 2.0 TFSI and the 3.0 TDI. The quattro with ultra is on the former while the larger engine had the traditional permanent allwheel drive mechanical quattro because the new system can only take up to 500 Nm of torque, while this oil burner can throw out 620Nm. We will come back to the Middle East staple 2.0 TFSI later. The oil burner was one of the cars we were offered and if truth be told we didn’t want to return it! It has 286hp of power to complement the monstrous 620Nm torque and it uses a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry along with exhaust 30

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The quattro with ultra technology uses both predictive and reactive logic to decide when to engage or disengage the all-wheel drive elements of the drivetrain gas recirculation to boost efficiency and power delivery. We, that is me and my codriver, were of the opinion that the car was one to buy. It was certainly the fastest of the lot.

The 2.0-litre TFSI unit is uses technology and some keen tuning of its turbocharged delivery to offer such impressive output.

Power delivery is at 252hp and torque max is 370Nm and the drivetrain is connected to the newly designed 7-speed S-tronic with dual clutches that operate separate sub assemblies, with the disconnected unit idling while the gear is selected and waiting to be engaged. The larger 3.0-litre TDI gets an eight speed tiptronic gearbox along with its traditional quattro. But it also gets the benefit of an optional sports differential that reacts better to hard sporty driving by allowing power splits that push the car into turns, eliminating understeer.

The quattro with Ultra makes its mark on the Audi Q5 by offering a true on demand system that learns from driver and system input, delivering power to the wheels that can best use it in any situation. That’s not to say the regular quattro is passÊ

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Between the virtual cockpit and the matrix LED headlamps, the car is as standout identifiable on the inside as it is outside.

The centre console and the new MMI are a very visual element of the interiors.

And it gets air suspension for the first time, with the ability to squat at the rear for loading.

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Driving Impressions The roads in the Baja California area are largely two lane roads, with some new four-lane highways too. You would have expected that the drive route would have substantial off-road elements but we discovered that the crucial off-road bit was some gravel track through a national park that really wouldn’t have earned the tag of off-road anywhere in this region.

The 2.0-litre car is a joy to drive. You never really feel any lag as it springs into action, power delivery is smooth and seamless and you can feel the car’s stability control kick in when you take a corner too hard. The car now gets a whole host of electronic driver assist features including park assist and adaptive cruise control with collision avoidance and pedestrian recognition. One of the visible symbols of this is the minder graphic that pops up in the virtual cockpit telling you that you are too close to the car ahead. The car does brake when really pushed into a danger spot and you feel the feedback as you cheat and shift lanes without indicating.

The air suspension is also a much needed feature that finally makes its entry here. The cars with the air suspension also make for the better sprung sporty units as well as offer you the ability to raise the

suspension as you go over the so called rough terrain. The US spec car we had on our convoy had steel springs and it was just as adept.

The 3.0-litre TDI is a hoot to drive. We can’t think of an SUV that brought more of a smile to us. It of course gets the 8-speed gearbox although our suspicion is that the extra gear is also an overdrive.

The quattro with the Ultra arrangement is something we can relate to as a feature for the new breed of Audi but it isn’t necessarily a huge plus performance wise. Yes you get far better efficiency and it helps that the entire process is being calculated and plotted in a hugely powerful computer sitting in your car’s mechanisms.

Its beauty is in the silent way it takes over the thinking behind AWD, in effect giving you the new generation terrain response algorithm of the Jaguar F-Pace as opposed to the Range Rover Terrain mode. The message from Audi is clear – the car knows better than the driver ever can as to what exactly to do with the power and torque delivery to the wheels. It is able to calculate faster and deliver in milliseconds, in most cases having the system online before it is even needed. And we also loved the regular quattro on the TDI. Why would we be bothered about some amount of

mechanical loss with all that power and torque on offer?

If there were any issues at all it would be in the quality of some of the cars, with the doors needing to be banged a few times to get them to shut. We were assured that this was because all the cars there were pre-production units.

Verdict The Audi Q5 isn’t an unknown – it appeals to a certain segment of buyer combining utility with more than a fair share of technology and creature comfort. Is it as luxurious as any of the other German competition? And does the badge have enough clout to project the car upwards in the value chain? Those are questions that will need to be answered.

Early price indications for Europe peg the car to start off with a 43,000 Euro plus point. It will be better than that in the Middle East region despite most cars coming with the 7-speed S-tronic. What we can also hope for is that the company brings the 3.0-litre TDI as well despite the aversion to diesel as a fuel. We think it will appeal to a certain clientele. Now the question would be whether the car will also get a 3.0-litre petrol V6 unit that should make it really a handful.

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RoadTest

The new face of Cadillac appeals Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis john Ferrao

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It’s been a year since Cadillac launched the XT5 in the US. Since then, the design language and the technology showcase of the model has migrated into the CT6 too. We test the XT5 locally to see how it fits the new Cadillac image

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AT A GLANCE

Cadillac XT5 ON SALE Currently in showrooms ENGINE 3.6L V6 VVT DI (LGX) DOHC, four-valves per cylinder, cylinder deactivation Power 310 hp @ 6700rpm Torque 367Nm @ 5000rpm TRANSMISSION AWF8F45 paddle-shift EightSpeed Automatic (MRC), electronically controlled, automatic overdrive with torque converter clutch LAYOUT 5-door, 5-passenger, frontwheel or all-wheel drive with Electronic Transmission Range Selection (ETRS) system SUSPENSION Front: independent MacPherson strut-type; twintube struts; available continuous damping control (CDC4 by ZF) Rear: independent premium five-link; twin-tube shock absorbers; available DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 2857mm Length: 4815mm Width: 1903mm Height: 1675mm

A

ny opportunity to test a Cadillac nowadays is likely to have us looking for a tight road to throw it around.

Ever since the CTS began to be seen as a true performance sedan, we have had this fondness for the American brand that is truly trying to go international in a big way. It was one of the early movers back into the rear-wheel drive brigade and it made sure that every time a new model came out, the benchmarking was against European performance characteristics.

That is what impressed us with the first

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generation CTS and ever since we have kept track of the moves that the brand has taken to offer a lighter, tighter body built on a good power and handling.

When you look at the crossover segment, the move wasn’t all that dramatic. After all, the crossover appeals as much to the traditional Cadillac buyer who is looking for utility and comfort over new-fangled handling. But there too the moves were salutory. The SRX typified the crossover for the brand and the last generation saw the brand sacrifice

As striking as it is a marked departure for Cadillac, the XT5’s styling still manages to hold on to some signature cues, while taking the new platform to a whole different level with its package of technology and come hither looks the seven seat cabin layout for a smaller platform and a huge leap ahead in modern comforts.

In effect, the XT5 replaces that worthy model in the lineup and does this with a further move towards modernity. It has moved to the company’s new C1XX platform (a variant of the E2XX frontwheel drive sedan platform that the new Malibu is built on). While this platform allows stretching to get the seven-seater configuration, neither the XT5, nor indeed the GMC Acadia (which we have also

tested) use that instead staying on the shorter 5-seat layout.

The new crossover does manage to look completely different from both the Acadia and for that matter the earlier SRX, although the bits that stay on are the roof that gently slopes back, large vertically stacked headlights with foglight zones immediately below and a tallish taillight assembly. Of course the brand uses LED lighting to the greatest extent. The lights get rimmed in light piping, while the headlights and taillights themselves are

also offered in LED variants as are the courtesy touches. Even the door handles offer lighting on the outside, just so that you can see the handle in the dark. Once you move to the interiors you encounter LED in the ambient lighting as well.

The edgy, sharp-edged styling of the exteriors manages a evolution to a slightly more urbane and softer interior. Not by too much mind you but the elements are definitely aimed at the middle of the competitive zone among European (read German) premium crossovers.

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“The new XT5 takes the lessons learned from Cadillac’s highly acclaimed lightweight and agile luxury cars and adjusts the formula for the unique desires of the crossover vehicle customer,” says David Leone, Cadillac executive chief engineer

The old V-shaped treatment is now more broadened out, with the dashboard tapering ever so gently to the central divider. The dashboard would look almost spartan if it wasn’t for the richness of the texture and use of metal embellishments, the deep feel of the leatherette and the trick of centering the vision line at the large console display.

The instrument panel has shifted to a hybrid model that uses an almost oldschool feel by stacking the readout on two 38

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layers instead of the twin bezel and central display favoured by others. Here, you get arcs for the tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge and engine temperature sitting around the central colour readout.

Of course that readout can change and be toggled from the steering wheel, allowing the user to get almost every bit of information needed right there in front of them.

A colour head-up display can take over the functions if needed. After all Cadillac

have been offering this feature for the longest time among premium brands – they should know what they are doing.

While the car we tested did not have the feature, the XT5 is also available with the new Rear Camera Mirror system that uses a camera in the rear to feed a high definition signal to the powered and polarised inside mirror. We had issues with focussing on that in the CT6 and hope that it evolves in the future, becoming more of an assistance for middle-aged drivers.

The central display is part of the new CUE system that integrates Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as concentrating a whole bunch of functions including navigation, audio, system and lighting.

The audio controls are available on the steering wheel as well as a quick use bar below the CUE screen.

In addition to that the air-conditioning controls get a whole zone to themselves, including seat ventilation and heating controls.

The engine is a new generation of the almost veteran 3.6-litre V6 layout. This generation has already appeared in the CT6 as well as other models in the lineup. The main advantage is that the engine switches to a four cylinder mode with the other two just moving into a follower mode.

Power output has been maximised with 310 horsepower on tap along with the 367Nm of torque. The engine is freerevving in nature and does not suffer

the usual lag at the sub-2,000 rpm mark because of its naturally aspirated nature.

The unit is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and the all-wheel drive arrangement is also new, using twin clutches to transfer power from the normal front-wheel drive mode to allwheel drive. In addition, the automatic transmission is operated by electronic bywire arrangement, making it the brand’s first foray into this. You can notice this from the gearshift lever that gets the DEC 2016

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What would a Cadillac be without its usage of LED light piping and signature lamps? The extra height on the Crossover bring out the opportunity to highlight the vertical light treatment. Spacious interiors are further enhanced with the large panoramic sunroof and ambient light elements.

The engine uses an advanced header to boost power availability, eschewing turbocharging for the benefits of a 3.6-litre V6 unit although the tip to fuel efficiency is the ability to deactivate cylinders. Top quality audio is matched by the Bose speakers, while storage zones get containment nets and adjustable racks.

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button toggle for the Parking mode as well as the tap to engage manual shift.

Driving Impression The XT5 is an entirely different creature from the SRX although it shares a bit of dimensional commonality. The new platform makes it tighter, discernible in the new low NVH levels and the supple handling. Of course some of the effects of the handling come from the chassis with its adaptive suspension elements and lighter configuration. By getting the CDC4 from ZF on the XT5, you get the best of both worlds. In long and gentle dips, the car goes softly, softly on the springs, while rumble strips, speed breakers and we dare say, rocky ground will bring out the stiffness.

As you drive into curves like you will encounter on the roads around Muscat, the CDC tightens up the outboard wheels to bring the motion into a more adaptable

envelope, using the steering angle and yaw sensors to regulate the shift.

Engine power on and quick acceleration almost always invokes the AWD bit of the equation. Fuel saving coast mode is almost indiscernible, with the move to frontwheel only mode happening transparently and engine revs staying almost constant as the cylinders switch off. The main indicator of that is in the fuel consumption meter that registers a massive drop.

We like the height built-in on the platform – good ground clearance and a respectable degree of approach and departure angle are more than suitable for the crossover. The rear load height is a little more than you would normally expect but you do get the benefit of hands-free opening and one of the best equipped storage bays in the segment.

Cabin comfort is also good, the seats have a feel of being slightly less padded than before lending a nice roomy feel for

the second row. The headrests on the second row sit high and do intrude into the rearview on the mirror.

Verdict The XT5 changes the equation for Cadillac in that it brings the mainstream crossover closer to the German offerings while keeping a very distinct identity of its own.

The package is definitely one where the aim is to get the best value in the premium segment. Priced in the mid-20,000 Rials with almost all features available, the XT5 is compelling enough that you would want to check it out when looking at cars like the Audi Q5.

But if you really have been a Cadillac buyer before this – the car does bring a new look and feel to the equation. Once you are planted behind the steering wheel it is only the badge that reminds you of the American-ness of the XT5. Beyond that, you could be on an Autobahn.

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RoadTest

When two doors less is too good Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis john Ferrao

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The Honda Accord CoupĂŠ exists in a sweet spot of comfortable brand recall, reliability and a degree of subtle understatement. It manages to surprise when really pushed to prove itself. Automan tests the 2016 variant in Oman

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AT A GLANCE

Honda Accord Coupé ON SALE Currently in showrooms ENGINES 3.5-litre V6 EarthDreams engine with 278HP @ 5,200rpm and 342Nm@ 4,900rpm with variable cylinder management

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e received an invitation to drive the 2016 Honda Accord Coupé from the importers in Oman, while we were dicussing the upcoming launch of the moderately reworked 2017 line up in teh region. In the shift back to the US manufactured Accord line-up, there was perhaps a hint of acceptance that the popular family sedan from Honda was facing acceptance issues due to its China manufacturing origin.

However, there is no such issue with the Honda Accord Coupé. Frankly, you cannot imagine any other market where the acceptance for the form of a two-door variant of a family sedan is as popular.

All teh Japanese manufacturers have

capitalised on this trend in the United States, with cars like the Camry Solara, Maxima Coupé and Accord Coupé ruling the roost of cars that people with a hint of alternative lifestyle prefer.

The Accord Coupé is not teh sort of car that would appear at the top of a sports car owners list. In fact, we feel that many of these manufacturers are staring at a lost opportunity when it comes to changing the form from a regular sedan.

Is it really enough to just drop the two rear doors and tighten the styling? Why not beef up the body, and throw in a coupé versioon only uprated engine offering?

That now would really push these cars into the performance category.

2.4-litre 4-cylinder direct injection185HP @ 6,400 rpm and 245Nm @ 3,900 rpm TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters (V6) CVT torque converter for the 2.4-litre engine LAYOUT 2-door, 4-passenger, front-engine, FWD SUSPENSION MacPherson strut front suspension, hybrid steel and aluminum front subframe, Independent multi-link rear suspension DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 2725mm Length: 4813mm Width: 1854mm Height: 1435mm

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The 2016 Honda Accord Coupé sports a more aggressive front and rear fascia, restyled bumpers, new grille and has the headlights and taillights changed

But the reality is that the Accord CoupĂŠ, like its competitors, has to only be a change in styling and doors. What it does is appeal to a younger audience, one who is not burden by the exigencies of family life, where the rear seats are only for the occasional add-on like a friend.

The 2016 styling has seen the Accord tighten up its lines. The car gets the barlike horizontal detailing of its grille and a larger presence of the Honda H, with the result that the chrome looks like it is a set of wings for the logo. New technology

in the department of the headlights has seen the acreage of glass reduce while the offering of LED accents ensures instant recognition.

Current day styling of Honda cars is going back to the intensity we associated with the engineering driven company of the eighties and nineties. The coupĂŠ evokes the same kind of interest with its use of negative volume on the side panels to emphasise the shape of the profile, with the lighting serving to declare the end points.

The car does not share many panels from the sedan, choosing instead to set a very distinctive identity of its own.

The cabin is quite snug for a sedanbased variant. It uses the newly evolved dashboard architecture of Honda, with its Android system based large display atop the central column partnered with new instrumentation and the ever so recognisable ECO button.

The IP still gets the three dimensional feel of the twin dials, with background lighting that serves to indicate drive and

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The Accord Coupé manages to stay just that little bit different from the possible sedan derivation, the interiors are tailored to a more basic and sporty appeal. The 7” colour console is taken from the new parts bin, featuring the typical android based system of Honda, with a distinct control panel to the left.

The 3.5-litre EarthDreams engine scores major marks for championing a low fuel-consumption pattern, yet almost instantly switching over to a boosted power delivery. It isn’t quite a sports car engine – just a hint sportier than we expected.

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fuel consumption modes. It gets a bit addictive, in that you find yourself trying to keep the lights in the lowest consumption zone.

While the coupé is available with both the engine choices that the sedan offers, the car we had was the V6 version and frankly, we quite enjoyed the choice, largely because that meant the car also got the 6-speed automatic transmission.

The V6 engine is labelled under Honda’s EarthDreams series, with every element designed to save. It is lighter and offers better mechanical efficiency while additional offering active cylinder management. in this generation the engine toggles between 6-cylinder and three cylinder modes, eschewing the fourcylinder option of the last generation.

Switchover happens with almost no feedback on the driver’s side, except a marginal difference on the tach.

Driving Impressions The coupé does bring a bit of extra sportiness but that is largely governed by the ability to stay in a low driving position and the compact dimensions of the cabin.

The steering wheel feels a little more direct, the electric power assist seems

to have been tuned better and while the car takes corners well, you can feel the understeer with which it moves through the curve.

The car also gets active damper control that supposedly factors in drive intensity to prime the recoil. It tightens tangibly when you let the body weight shift into the turns, although not eliminating the car’s tendency to understeer. What it does is to offer you a better degree of control as you turn in.

The engine is definitely a winner. For most of the drive cycle, it stays muted and almost seems detached from the process, only to respond as you hit the floor with the gas pedal. The six-speed automatic is not tuned for sports car driving, just to a level where you get sprightly acceleration and a little bit more roar than you would have expected. The engine does all of this with a smooth composure – you almost expect more from it as you hit the redline.

The new clutch of driver assist features makes its presence felt on the V6 car under the Honda Sensing package. You get adaptive cruise control, lane watch, lane keeping, collision mitigation and road keeping in addition to the almost signature blind spot camera system that serves to

protect the far side from any unexpected intrusion. The front and rear parking cameras are also now angle-switchable, allowing you to toggle in between extreme wide angle to a closer view as well as a topdown view at the kerb.

With its active noise cancellation and good sound system, the cabin becomes a very welcoming space despite the added rigours you may choose to throw at it when taking a mountain road. Not quite performance car, but in the vicinity.

Verdict The Honda Accord Coupé offers a clear identity to the buyer. You are a believer in a refined, almost alternative lifestyle, you have no baggage to tote along and you like the slight differentiation that the style provides. Not for you the bang and busy nature of a real sports car – the sportier version of the family sedan is quite up your alley, especially since it brings the same value proposition and frugal operational economics of the Accord sedan.

If you are considering the coupé at all, it really helps that none of its traditional competitors are bringing the form factor into the region anymore, so you really manage to stand out.

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RoadTest

It’s only a month since BAIC launched in Oman and we are fortunate to get our hands on their current flagship – the X65 crossover. Does it have the wherewithal to compete in this value conscious market? Automan reports

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An X-factor contestant you shouldn’t ignore Author y: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis john Ferrao

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re you adventurous at heart? Or a risk=taker by disposition? Or do you love swimming against the flow? We aren’t actually asking you to tell us about the bungee jumping trip or the skydiving destination you went to last year.

The question actually pertains to whether you are the sort of buyer who would buy a Chinese car in the face of judgement by your peers?

Admittedly, the main factor for the choice could be one of simple economics – by and large a China sourced car is cheaper than any other alternative. But that isn’t

the only reason you should consider the cars. Over the past year we have seen a quantum shift in the quality that products from behind the bamboo curtain offer.

Brands as diverse as Emgrand, MG and now BAIC as entering the competition with a mindset and preparation that are similar to where the Koreans were a few years ago. And they have done their homeowrk in that the products that are now on offer are really well researched and of global quality. That doesn’t yet mean that they are ready to take on the really big names in the automotive world, it is just that they DEC 2016

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have moved the mean to a higher point.

We experienced that when testing the MG GS as well as the Emgrand GT. The BAIC X65 is just as much a creature of the new age of Chinese products.

BAIC’s equation is simple. It is a strong government controlled manufacturer in China that is using its success in the home market to power its foray into global markets. The X65 shows up the approach.

It is made using a lot of high strength steel (reportedly 64%) in its structure and there has been considerable investment in getting the styling right. The vehicle is supposed to be larger than the Nissan X-Trail in volume, while being only a fiveseater. While that seems farfetched, what is visible is that production quality has improved. Panel gaps are even and controlled, all the external plastic elements are high grade and even the headlights look like something that would be made in a European factory. In many ways the X65 reminds us of a Volkswagen Tiguan while staying completely distinct in terms of styling. Large wheel bays call for

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larger wheels to fill them up, but the ratios are good – 2,670mm wheelbase underpins a length of 4654mm. The profile still looks sleek on the height of 1680mm. The vehicle is actually dimensionally close to the current breed of D-segment crossovers as looks as elegant as any of them.

The interiors offer another pleasant surprise. The plastic quality is definitely reaching globally accepted standards and adequate care has been taken in the assembly and fitting. If there is a single discordant note, it is in the large colour display that seems to have stopped just short of going high definition – perhaps it is a function of the graphics. The system offers a navigation option but the maps are limited to the Chinese market. The phone integration is also rather rudimentary. We have suggested that the importers use this opportunity to get a later generation system that integrates Apple CarPlay on it, just to add the icing on the cake.

The multi-function steering wheel has a paddleshift arrangement to its rear, while the instrument panel consists of twin dials

sitting outboard of a monochrome central display that also integrates the turbo indicator.

The engine is a rather good 2.0-litre unit with the Saab inspired turbocharger.

It should have been excellent except that there is a odd point at which the combination of turbo and A/T logic does not match up. Usually you would expect the auto gearbox to downshift to get the engine revs up thereby powering the turbo into its prime zone. Here you can see the turbo spool up but the gear stays atleast one stop over what you actually need, the engine rpm stays around 1300rpm and the power curve flatlines.

If you engage the S (Sport mode) on the transmission this lacuna is taken care of as the engine stays revved a little higher, the gear shifts one cog down and the turbo gets its

BAIC projects the X65 as the wonder child of their Saab ownership – using platform and engine traits from the Swedish brand. The turbocharged engine and the bar indicator on the dashboard is definitely a strong connector

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BAIC uses its ownership of Saab to highlight the strengths of its latest generation of models. The X65 is no different – besides obvious quality increments in the visible elements like body and interiors, the engine is a turbocharged spin-off that claims the reverred 2.3-litre Saab engine as parentage.

The six-speed Aisin gearbox is a generation old, necessitating switchover to M mode before it will allow you to use the paddle shifter.

Cabin quality, touch and feel points and trim quality is surprisingly good for a vehicle aimed at this price bracket. That is where the car draws an advantage over other Chinese contenders 52

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AT A GLANCE

BAIC X65 ON SALE Currently in showrooms ENGINES 2.0-litre i4 turbo engine with 174HP of power and 240Nm of torque TRANSMISSION 6-speed Aisin A/T with paddle shift. Power delivery to front wheels LAYOUT 5-door, 5-passenger, frontengine, FWD SUSPENSION Front suspension is a Mcpherson independent suspension.

Rear suspension is a multi-link independent suspension

required degree of boost. The S mode also allows the gears to hold on downward slopes.

Driving Impression The X65 is a crossover but stops short of offering the AWD characteristics of the breed. You don’t even get it as an option.

Despite that you can use the extra ground clearance and reasonable approach and departure angles to take the vehicle offroad. Of course you need to avoid any loose soil.

The engine is peaky and the broad spread of torque is a boon. Other than the

mentioned tendency to flatline in certain circumstances, the engine responds with alacrity to the gas pedal and the six-speed gearbox offers a good spread of ratios.

When you really do encounter a rough patch, the suspension shows its tuning quality. How we wish that there was a an all-wheel drive on the car, it would have outperformed many of the regular crossovers in the segment.

Verdict Despite its front-wheel drive limitations, the X65 is a serious contender for inclusion as a buyer’s choice in the segment. The vehicle looks atleast a couple of price bands higher than it is – at 6,900 Rials for the full featured version, it is at a price point that allows you to buy two for the price of one Korean or Japanese D-segment SUV. Another point of view is that the vehicle will never drop more than that amount in value. It seems likely that with the BAIC provided 5-year warranty and comprehensive ownership package the X65 will hold value far better than that. That makes it even better in value retention that vehicles like the Duster. So are you really adventurous enough to try the X65 for a change?

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Special Feature

Car Crazy Central Once again, as expected, the Las Vegas-based Specialty Equipment Marketing Association or SEMA show was by far the biggest aftermarket auto event in the world this year. Automan shares some of the key highlights Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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e visit a lot of automotive shows across the globe and arguably, nothing comes close to automotive madness at SEMA. As a reporter or visitor this year there was a million square feet of show floor to cover and jaw dropping automotive content to experience and absorb. In short, there are two types of considerations out here from our point of view: type of vehicle class and custom styles. And this is the 54

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not to be missed venue which tantalises aficionados with from everything from high-performance OEM specials to custom wheels and graphics from local players.

Global car manufacturers like to flex muscle power here by investing in products, concepts or whacky ideas aimed at raising their profile among enthusiasts. In addition to the wild concepts, manufacturers don’t mind

working on projects co-developed with independent tuning houses or co-promote brands/services. Besides extreme concepts or presentations, there are limited editions or road legal production cars which usually preview future sports variants and then there’s the usual run of limited production specials.

Here’s our selection from the show.

BMW BMW tried to impress the crowds with its new portfolio of appearance and performance products from its M Performance sub brand.

On display was a fully decked up pearl white M3 complete

Chevrolet

Muscle cars mean a lot to the visitors at SEMA and Chevrolet pitched in at least a dozen concepts including four Camaro coupes.

Chevy celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Camaro with several models. Racer Dale Earnhardt Jr. introduced the Camaro SS Slammer and the Camaro Turbo AutoX caters to the parking lot autocross aficionados.

Chevrolet also promoted its genuine performance accessories catalogue.

In the pick-up portfolio, the Colorado one-tonner seemed to be a popular choice for modifications with one

with its red and blue striping, new carbon fibre side sills and rear diffuser, a front aero attachment, mirror caps, and of course, rear wing, new 18in V-spoke forged alloy wheels and sports exhaust.

military themed concept combining a hydrogen fuelcell drivetrain conversion with formidable off-road upgrades and the other designed for travel to remote surf spots.

Moving up, you had three Silverado full-size trucks equipped with a snowplough, another toughened up for trade use and one providing additional luxury and innovative storage options.

Chevrolet rounded out its offerings with an adventurethemed Trax crossover. Blue Line concepts of the Cruze and Malibu hinted at future special factory editions.

Dodge Dodge Shakedown Challenger, Durango Shaker and Ram Macho Power Wagon were the key proposals. The Shakedown Challenger was a classic example of restoration and modding. The Mopar

team took a 1971 Challenger, lowered the chassis to the ground, and fitted a long list of modern-day performance parts including Brembo brakes from the Dodge Hellcat models.

Ford Ford is a big player at SEMA and this year it was no exception. Six modified Mustangs ranging from big power builds based on both V8 and four-cylinder EcoBoost engines to body-kitted street cruisers and a restored heritage car shared space with an array of modded F-based pick-up trucks. Pick-ups included working versions of off-roaders through,

pimped-up urban low-riders, luxury rides and even a toy-inspired police vehicle.

This assortment was joined by a pair of performanceboosted Fusion sedans and two Transit vans modified as a mobile concert venue and a retro-luxury motorhome. A wide-bodied Fiesta ST and five interpretations of the Focus ST and RS hot hatchbacks wrapped up the portfolio.

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Honda Honda was busy promoting factory performance accessories and some of its exhibits like the Civic Type R prototype were previously shown at Paris.However, for its North American debut the repertoire was joined by another Civic hatch, coupe and

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Mopar was among the performance and appearance sub brands. Mopar had on display six concepts including a matte black 1971 Challenger fitted with the latest driveline, suspension and braking technology, along with headlamps and taillamps morphed from the current Challenger.

An interesting Jeep concept idea was quite a star

attraction. The concept was based on mixing old and new features on a Jeep CJ66 with elements of three Wrangler generations. That combined with modern off-road accessories and drivetrain performance upgrades.

Souped-up versions of the Dodge Durango SUV, Chrysler Pacifica people-mover and Ram commercial vehicles were also on display.

Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai and Kia showed four cars each. Hyundai presented a pair of polar-opposite Santa Fe concepts for the first time, a Veloster track car and an Elantra street racer along with a US market ‘Night’ special edition of the Tucson SUV. Hyundai had teased most of the tuned models ahead of SEMA, but it saved unveiling a very fast Ioniq for the actual show. It may be recalled that a modified Ioniq earned the land speed record among production-based hybrid vehicles after reaching 157.825 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

All four Kia concepts were focused around driverless operation, with the Sorento Ski Gondola arguably most striking due to the addition of snowfriendly caterpillar tracks. Kia’s Carnival MPV was converted into a mobile recording studio and band transport vehicle, while the funky Soul hatchback was turned into an entertainment lounge.

Kia reimagined its latest Niro crossover as a triathlon-ready team support vehicle complete with easy-access suicide doors and a rear-mounted bicycle rack.

Lexus Although perceived as a luxury brand, Lexus also has joined the modding scene.

The world’s first customised version of its LC flagship coupe 56

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alongside a hotted-up GS F performance sedan and tuned RC F coupe were key highlights from the brand.

sedans kitted with a variety of factory performance accessories.

In the pick-up department you had a modified Ridgeline representing racing, offroading or style and luxury appointments.

Mansory Trust a high end tuner like Mansory to play with ultra luxury cars. Bentley’s first SUV, the Bentayga was presented with a carbon fibre pack including a lower valance splitter and huge air intakes. Large 23in wheels replaced the stock wheels

and beefier appearance came via the wider side skirts and flared wheel arches. The car’s cabin also was adorned with new leather upholstery, new pedals and more. The Mansory performance package includes a sport exhaust system, and revised engine programming.

Mazda Mazda presented two MX-5 concepts, including an evolution of last year’s lightweight Speedster. Mazda also showed the Kuro concept

based on the upcoming MX-5 RF hardtop variant, finished in matte paintwork and using suspension and tyres from the Global MX-5 Cup racer.

Toyota Toyota’s SEMA presence is growing each year and this year it was headlined by a LandCruiser 200 Series dubbed Land Speed Cruiser due to its twin-turbo 2,000hp 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine capable of propelling the SUV to record-shattering 354km/h in theory at least.

Toyota’s tuning ideas were also seen on the usually sedate Corolla sedan

which was converted to a high-performance coupe.

Meanwhile, the Sienna MPV was iPad-controlled with a private jet styled lavish interior. A race-ready Prius hybrid capable of serious cornering grip, the debut of the 2017 86 Cup Series racer and a Tacoma TRD Pro truck modified for desert racing were among the key presentations.

Independents: special mention From the independent specialists, there were several cars worth mentioning out here. The Zero to 60 Design, the California-based company responsible for this Mustang GTT showed off its impressive GT-inspired Ford Mustang.

Ford tuner Roush came to this year’s SEMA show with supercharged power in the form of custom 2017 Ford Mustang GT and F-150 models.

Fast and Furious star Sung Kang finally revealed the finished 1972 Ford Maverick named “Project Underdog.”

The car was originally slated

to get a conventional V8 swap, but Kang later decided to go with the 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from the Ford Mustang.

The showstopper at SEMA this year was the audacious project called Gumout Toyota GT4586, a collaborative effort between Gumout and Ryan Tuerck. A Ferrari 458 Italia’s mid-engine powerplant was shoehorned into a Toyota 86 drift car build. The 570hp 4.5-litre V8 with a 9,000rpm redline featured uncorked exhaust headers and exhaust pipes that spit flames.

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Special Feature

Banking on refreshed models You could consider this as the year’s last major global level show which preceded the extravagant SEMA show where production carmakers try to impress the audiences with production model upgrades and technology-laden concepts. Automan files its report Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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n terms of marketing an automotive related show for the masses, the Los Angeles venue off late has mostly pitched for debuting green technologies, networking and concept cars. But given the changing trends in the industry, this 58

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year, the event managers decided to give what the audiences really like to see -that is powerful sports machines, luxury cars, and despite winter approaching, even a few convertibles! As with the current trend of trickling information

before the show, several manufacturers did revealed details of their debuts.

Here’s our pick of what we consider as the top exibits from 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Read on...

Alfa Romeo It was the first outing of Alfa Romeo’s upcoming compact luxury crossover SUV, the Stelvio [Tipo 949]. The SUV will be manufactured by Alfa Romeo at the Fiat Cassino Plant in late 2016 with sales commencing in early

2017. The car gets its name from the famous winding mountain Stelvio Pass in northern Italy. On arrival the Stelvio will compete with little heavyweights like the Porsche Macan, Jaguar F-Pace, Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

Aston Martin Penned by famous coachbuilder Zagato, the refreshed and upgraded for 2017 Vanquish S is the new top-of-the-range model. Aston Martin has bumped up power of the

car’s V12 engine to 600hp along with some cosmetic tweaking. This exercise was necessitated to ensure clarity and differentiation in view of the recently launched DB11.

Hyundai That Hyundai is making great strides with hybrids was quite evident with the world debut of the pretty high-tech Ioniq Autonomous concept.

Hyundai also explained that the goal of the autonomous Ioniq concept was to keep the self-driving systems as simple as possible. The concept vehicle is one of the few self-driving cars in development to have a concealed LiDAR system than makes the car look like any other car on the road and not a high school science project.

LiDAR technology in the concept demonstrated the integration of smart cruise control and lane-

keep assist cameras. The three cameras detects pedestrian proximity, lane markings, traffic signals while a GPS antenna helps determine the precise location of each vehicle.

High-definition mapping data comes from Hyundai MnSoft. These features build upon the capabilities of the production Ioniq, which offers automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, smart cruise control, lanedeparture warning, and rear cross-traffic assist. The vehicle also incorporates all autonomous controls into existing systems, to ensure a seamless transition from active to self-driving modes

jaguar Jaguar’s future line-up will include hybrids and electric cars. At LA, the British brand gave an idea of its thoughts on a production possible electric car. With the I-Pace Concept SUV which is based on the F-Pace, the new production car is set to hit the streets in 2018. The EV has a pair of electric motors, one on the rear and on the front axle, 354km driving range, 4.0-sec 0-96km/h sprint time, 50 kW DC quick charge set-up for batteries and access to combined output of 400 hp [see preview elsewhere in the magazine].

With the hand built XKSS,

Jaguar’s classics have recreated a stunning 1950s styled supercar with modern mechanicals.

The perfect Sherwood Green car coloured car boasts nearly all the exact specification of the 1957 original including the straight six 3.4-litre 262hp engine.

Craftsmen employed a traditional labour intensive process called ‘hand wheeling’s to shape the lightweight magnesium alloy for the body shell. Roughly 10,000 man hours were consumed in building this exotic. Only nine examples will be built for production.

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Lamborghini This year at the centre stage was the Spyder variant of the Huracan RWD which completes the Huracán lineup. As for styling, the Spyder with RWD features a newly designed front and rear with a dynamic but more aggressive look setting it apart from its AWD sibling. The lightweight

soft top opens and closes in just 17secs at speeds of up to 50km/h, and is efficiently stowed to maintain the Spyder’s perfect centre of gravity. This variant will be priced between the RWD and AWD coupe models when it goes on sale early in 2017.

Mazda The Hiroshima-based manufacturer’s key message was the arrival of the diesel variant for the CX-5 SUV, but for visitors, the bonus was the display of the bright red new racing car, the RT24-P which has been prepared for the 2017 IMSA series in the Daytona Prototype International

class. The brand’s KODO design philosophy has been applied to the surfaces and the silhouette of the car which has a chassis designed and developed by Riley Technologies along with aerodynamic specialists Multimatic.

Mercedes-AMG When it comes to flexing muscles, one can trust the combo of Mercedes-AMG talents when it comes to SUVs. The replacement of the dated GLE400 was very much expected and there was no

disappointment out here with the arrival of the new GLE43 which introduces a more powerful 3.0-litre biturbo V6.

The variant is slotted below the top-of-the-range GLE63.

Mercedes-Maybach The ultra luxury sub brand’s S 650-based cabriolet had its debut.

The variant is the first drop-top model in the Mercedes-Maybach range and is powered by the twin-turbo V12 that powers the AMG version of the luxurious Cabriolet [see preview elsewhere in magazine].

Nissan Nissan also presented the 2017 Nissan Rogue One Star Wars Limited Edition. The bespoke car gets full-on Star Warsrelated cosmetic treatment,

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right down to the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire logos on the cupholders and the Rogue One logo badging on the front doors.

Nismo Nissan’s performance sub brand is being regularly promoted at show all over the world and for LA, it released the first details of the new-for-2017 GT-R Nismo GT500.

Porsche Porsche’s Panamera family is set to grow even further as early as 2017 when the Sport Turismo wagon variant is introduced. At LA, the German sportscar maker wooed the crowds with an array of second-generation Panamera models As of now, there are now no

less than 10 members in the Panamera family, including the 4 E-Hybrid Executive variant and stretched by 150mm Executive trim. Also on display was the re-conceived for 2017 season 911 RSR racer [see preview elsewhere in magazine].

Rezvani Irvine, California-based designer-turned-entrepreneur Ferris Rezvani unveiled the next iteration of his limited production Beast Alpha.

The Alpha variant will add Rezvani’s newly patented “Sidewinder doors”, a

hardtop, power windows, power locks, airbags, and full climate control. The car is mechanically based on the Ariel Atom and powered by a 2.4-litre twin turbo motor capable of 700hp according to Rezvani.

Subaru With the Viziv-7 SUV Concept, Subaru highlighted its intention of entering the growing three-row seven seater fray. Slated to hit the markets by 2018, the stylish SUV will compete with modern SUVs like Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe

etc. The Viziv tag has been used by Subaru since 2013 on at least two concept presentations. For now, the concept was presented as a design study as no powertrain details or interiors/features were shared.

Toyota Toyota’s all-new compact SUV, the C-HR is almost ready to hit the markets. The 4,360mm long car will be offered with a range of petrol engines displacing 1.2-litre to 2.0-litre. A hybrid will also be offered with 1.8-litre engine.

Production began last month in Turkey and the C-HR is expected to be launched in Japan this month followed by markets in Europe, Asia and Pacific, and North America in early 2017.

volkswagen The newest full-size sport utility vehicle addition to Volkswagen portfolio is the Atlas. This SUV will be made at the brand’s Chattanooga plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the US on the MQB platform and will feature transversemounted engines of fourcylinders or Volkswagen’s

narrow angle V6. The Atlas will face challenges from several established names and from Subaru in particular, which has also added a new full-size SUV to its line-up. Meanwhile, the Atlas will also be made in China for the domestic market where it will be sold as the Teramont.

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Bigger aspirations!

Alfa Romeo is on a mission and the latest brand to join the ever increasing SUV bandwagon. The brand’s first all-new SUV in over a century of history, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio made its début at last month’s Los Angeles Auto Show Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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lfa Romeo is in image makeover strategy where it wants to move out from being niche player and become a global premium brand. Of course, new product pillars will play a big role in this effort. The first product in the renaissance exercise was the Giulia and is now joined by the new Stelvio crossover SUV. Meanwhile, the brand expects to have eight products in its portfolio by 2022.

Given the present market trends, the timing of the SUV is good as the mid-size SUV market is very much active. The Stelvio project was initiated 6-9 months after the Giulia and the Porsche Macan in particular was singled out as the benchmark competitor for development.

The all-new Giorgio platform which will be used across FCA’s various brands has been used as the base for Stelvio. The highly flexible Giorgio platform is being claimed as class-leading from a driving dynamics perspective which has been developed for this application at Alfa’s engineering centre in Modena, Italy. The SUV will be manufactured in the Cassino plant on a production line dedicated exclusively to Alfa Romeo products.

The compact appearing Stelvio’s length is 4,680mm, height of 1,650mm and sports width of 2,160mm. As expected, the 62

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car’s design reflects traditional Alfa Romeo DNA through its clean and taut lines. In profile, the cabin ends like a steeply raked rear hatch with an spoiler for maximum aerodynamic performance. The Quadrifoglio version at Los Angeles featured a body-coloured appearance kit including side-skirt with a carbon fibre inserts complementing the front and rear bumpers and aggressively styled wheel-arches. The front end is pure Alfa with its hallmark cloverleaf treatment and its performance credentials are hinted through the specific air vents for the intercoolers and the classic apertures around the shield-shaped grille. The rear sign-off is represented by the four exhaust tips.

In its construction there’s a mix and match of materials for weight optimisation. Ultra-lightweight material like carbon fibre has been used for the driveshaft and aluminium for the engine, suspensions, brakes, doors, wheel-arches, bonnet and liftgate.

The interior is totally driver-centric, clean and uncluttered.

Most controls feature on the steering wheel. The driver’s position is unique with a diagonal tunnel and slightly undulating dashboard. Craftsmanship and exotic materials like real carbon fibre, wood and fabrics have been used for that bespoke and upmarket feel. The infotainment and navigation is unique to the Alfa Romeo brand.

The success of the Alfa Romeo SUV will be measured on the extent to how it meets key market responds to its performance, technology applications and design

Two powertrain options will be offered based on lightweight aluminium construction. The top end 6-cylinder 2.9-litre twin turbo petrol engine draws benefits from Ferrari technologies and technical know-how and produces whopping 501hp when mated to 8-speed ZF transmission. The car’s automatic transmission is specifically calibrated to make gear changes in just 150 milliseconds in Race mode. The transmission also features a lock-up clutch. The entry level model will be served by 280hp/400Nm turbocharged four cylinder also mated to 8-speed automatic transmission.

Driver aids will include the new Alfa DNA Pro selector which modifies the car’s dynamic response according to which mode the driver selects: Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficiency (energy-saving mode) and Race (ideal for maximum performance).

The car also features rear-wheel biased all-wheel drive which in normal conditions transfers 100 per cent power to the rear and to other wheels on demand with up to 50 per cent of the torque to the front axle.

The car’s active suspension package has a double wishbone system with semi-virtual steering axis up front and Alfa’s patented Guila-inspired four-and-a-half link system aimed at sedan like drive feel. Torque vectoring has also been introduced for sharper road handling which in turn is controlled by sensors and forms and integral part of the car’s chassis domain control (CDC) set up which manages the operation of the various tech systems like drive mode selector, the all-wheel drive and torque vectoring system, the active suspension and stability control.

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Interesting makeover As part of the mid-life facelift for 2017, Gen VII Volkswagen Golf hatchback gets subtle cosmetic and several interesting technology updates under the skin Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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he Golf as a model series has had a steady career worldwide and the Gen VII which was introduced in 2012 represented a decent bundle in terms of design and technology applications. For starters, it was built on a strong gene set which means that very much like the third-generation Audi A3, SEAT León and Škoda Octavia the car was conceived on the highly practical MQB platform. The flexibility of the MQB platform has allowed a shift in proportions, with front wheels further forward and a shorter front overhang. The new bumper design factors in redesigned air intakes and radar sensors.

The sensors are discretely located behind the VW logo in the grille. GTI versions have red ‘winglets’ to the corner of each headlamp.

As it is an official facelift no matter how modest, it is the detailing what really matters. Some of the new design cues incorporated are direct inspirations from the Sport Coupé Concept GTE show car [Geneva 2015]. This is evident from the new LED daytime running lights and grille with full-width chrome strip [red in the GTI/blue in the GTE plug-in hybrid].

At the rear, new all-LED taillamps come with a stripe effect in the horizontal theme. Range-topping trim variants have a white stripe which turns orange when indicating and a different brake light signature, and GTI models get larger, chrome-painted exhaust tailpipes.

These elements complement the rear bumper and new LED taillamps.

While the overall line-up has been thinned, the main focus of the 2017 facelift is alongside new engines, design and new assistance systems is the introduction of a completely new generation of high tech infotainment systems. Top trim models will get 9.2in ‘Discover Pro’ central touchscreen with gesture controls. Other versions with the ‘Active Info Display’ gain larger touchscreens and customisable displays with five selectable information profiles. Further options include wi-fi hotspot, inductive phone charging, and a media control application for remote control of infotainment via smartphone or tablet. VW says this platform is compatible with Apple or Android phones.

The colour and trim team have developed new materials and seat cover choices. However, the key DEC 2016

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change to the interior is the introduction of personalisation options which were previewed by the I.D. concept car at this year’s Paris Auto Show. The core features revolve around the driver’s individual settings which can be saved in a user account, giving automatic adjustment of features including the driver’s seat, ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control, air conditioning, entertainment and navigation.

The manufacturer’s spec sheet also suggests new standard in assistance systems wherein technologies like City Emergency Braking with new Pedestrian Monitoring function, the new Traffic Jam Assist [partially automated driving at speeds of up to 60 km/h] and Emergency Assist have been introduced.

Under the bonnet, a new range of TSI engines and a new 7-speed DSG have been introduced depending on markets.

The new Golf initially sees the debut of the new turbocharged 1.5-litre TSI Evo four-cylinder engine which produces 150 PS and also comes with Active Cylinder Management [ACT]. A more efficienct BlueMotion version producing 130 PS will also be available. Meanwhile, the GTI gets a performance boost two output variants [230PS and 245PS] and a new 7-speed DSG [dual clutch gearbox]. The new transmission will gradually replace the 6-speed DSG in the Golf range.

Other driver related advanced feature includes semi-automated driving in traffic jams called Traffic Jam Assist. The system works in conjunction with Lane Assist [lane departure warning system] and ACC [automatic distance control] for all Golf models with a DSG gearbox. The system makes traffic jams or stop-and-go driving in the Golf stress free.

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Maybach goes Cabrio!

After the revival of the Maybach brand as luxury variants for Mercedes-Benz cars last year as opposed to its not so successful standalone entity, comes the first limited production 2017 Mercedes-Benz S650 Cabriolet Maybach Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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xclusivity and ultra luxury is what Maybach would like to tag itself in modern times and moving forward, the Mercedes-Maybach combo brand celebrated its debut at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show the limited to 300 unit production and with a net price tag of €300,000 S-Class open top based cabrio. The car has adopted the donor’s classic aesthetic proportions among other features with highlights which include the silhouette with coupé-like soft top and the sidewall dropping line which slopes down towards the rear.

As an exclusive Mercedes-Maybach product, it features include a new front bumper with upgraded lower section and 68

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also numerous chrome highlights. The Maybach emblem is discreetly featured on the vehicle’s wing. Other special elements on the exterior include the 20in Maybach forged wheels in bichromatic finish. On opening the doors, the Maybach logo is projected onto the floor by means of entrance lighting.

Like the exterior, high-end appointments adorn the four-seat car’s interior and make up part of the vehicle’s special characteristics. Unique features include nine colour concepts for the interior plus the hand-finished bespoke craftsmanship in the leather seats which come with waterfall-style look. Exclusive to the Mercedes-Maybach

S650 Cabriolet are trim elements in designo nut brown magnolia - either with flowing lines or in a high-gloss finish. In combination with the other trim elements a unique yacht ambience is created inspired by the Mercedes-Benz Style “Arrow 460-Granturismo” yacht. Each car gets a polished chrome-plated “1 of 300” signature plates. Meanwhile, the optional extras of the S-Class Cabriolet are standard on the Mercedes-Maybach, including AIRCAP, AIRSCARF and Swarovski headlamps.

As a statement of luxury, each Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet comes with as standard an exclusive travel luggage set from MAYBACH - ICONS OF

LUXURY boutique collection. This set comprises two large travel bags as well as two lifestyle bags made of original vehicle leather. In terms of form and colour which are coordinated with the interior variant selected by the customer - the bag set is tailored to match the Cabriolet. The bags can be securely attached to each other with straps to enable optimum use of the space in the boot.

The cabriolet is powered by a 630hp 6.0-litre biturbo V12 engine mated 7G-TRONIC transmission. The car also features air suspension with driver variable damping control.

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Changing the ingredients in the game plan 70

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So, Porsche decides to bend the rules with the traditional architecture of what the 911 is generally associated with and creates a new racing car. The new 911 RSR for the 2017 promises to be as tantalising as its peers if not more!

Author: Chandan Basu Mallik

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ou have two kinds of organisations in the world of automobiles who have serious interest in motorsports. The first category belongs to followers who remain conservative and play safe while the second type banks on innovation and is prepared to take a calculated risk. Obviously, Porsche banks a lot on motorsports and is willing to go that extra mile with its strong and impressive racing credentials.

For 2017, the sportscar brand has created an all-new 911 RSR which will participate in 19 races in the LM-GTE category including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

After engineers minutely delved into the finer points of performance requirements, they realised that in order to create a new benchmark in terms of performance and handling the existing packaging had kind of outlived its peak.

As a result, it was back to the drawing board with an open idea.

Application of lightweight technologies, additional safety features, optimising power to weight ratios, finding perfect axle weight distribution and most of all extreme aerodynamic performance and elements that would contribute in balanced handling were determined as key elements in the new 911 RSR package.

One thing was for sure. The engineering agenda was doable but not in the rear-

engine set-up. As a result of these explicit demands, what we are witnessing in the incoming car is a major shift in thinking and execution. The first major shift is the position of engine which has migrated from the rear and now placed ahead of the rear axle which means it is officially a mid-engined car.

A major shift like involves additional work. As a result, almost every part of the RSR has been developed from scratch, including the body, mounts for various components, suspension packaging, powertrain and safety kit. With the topmounted rear wing adopted from the LMP1 race car, the 919 Hybrid, the length of the car stands at 4,557 mm [without splitter, rear wing, diffuser], width at 2,042mm [front axle] / 2,048mm [rear axle] on a wheelbase of 2,516mm.

As a race car that weighs just car weighs 1,243kg, the interior has been stripped out and retrofitted with full roll cage. Other kit includes a bucket seat, race harnesses, a race steering wheel covered in switches and controls, and various other racing specified safety kit. The seat is bolted on the floor pan and hence the pedal assembly moves to accommodate each driver. The carbon fibre bodywork has quick-release fasteners so it can easily be removed for quicker servicing.

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has further developed the clear and dynamic design language of Porsche Motorsport. Meanwhile, the car’s serviceability has also been significantly improved. Sections of the carbon-fibre body can be removed and replaced thanks to clever quickrelease fasteners. Moreover, changes to the suspension setup can be performed much more quickly and easily.

After the 911 GT3 R and the 911 GT3 Cup cars, the incoming GT racing car is now also powered by the same cutting-edge six-cylinder boxer engine family which is a naturally aspirated set-up displacing 4.0-litre which depending on what restrictor the series prescribes, it is capable of producing around 510hp when mated to a six-speed sequential transmission with a locking rear differential.

The suspension packaging at the front includes double wishbones on the axle, four-way vibration damper, twin coil spring setup, anti-roll bars while the rear integrated rear subframe uses double wishbone axle.

Steering is electro-hydraulic power and as expected brakes are large and use six-piston calipers while the centre locking wheels have rear tyres measuring a whopping 12.2in in width. Two independent brake circuits for front and rear are adjustable via balance bar. Front gets 390mm ventilated steel brake discs and rear smaller 355mm discs.

On the safety front, radar-based Collision Avoid System has been introduced to warn racing drivers of fast-approaching vehicles for the first time. Because there are big differences in the speed of endurance racers, and because it can be tough to see in the dark, the system is intended to warn racers before they change their driving line.

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The new Porsche 911 RSR will make its debut at the Daytona 24-hour race in January 2017

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Thrilling end to season at Yas Marina – Hamilton unable to halt Rosberg championship The final question everyone F1 aficionados had been pondering after Lewis Hamilton’s win in Brazil and before the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi was: who will collect the 2016 Driver’s Championship trophy? Obviously, the two neck-in-neck contenders were rival Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and the permutations and combinations offered by analysts suggested a possible ‘cakewalk’scenario for Nico Rosberg to seal the coveted title.

In practical terms it meant a third place finish regardless of what Mercedes AMG F1 teammate Lewis Hamilton did. In theory at least, it sounded easy given the team performance.

But given the high level of competitiveness between the participating teams and the attitude of drivers, secretly neither of the top tier drivers including Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen or even Sebastian Vettel for that matter had any intention to make 74

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things too easy for Rosberg. With the numbers in his favour, Rosberg was keen to become the 33rd driver in history to be crowned the F1 champion as long he stayed his cool and performed flawlessly on track.

At Yas Marina, Lewis Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and in the closing stages sort of defied the team orders and slowed down almost 9s at one pooijt of time to allow Rosberg to move up into the chasing Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull of Max Verstappen. In fact, Verstappen made a remarkable comeback from a first-corner spin Rosberg only had to finish third to clinch the championship, as the pair entered their second title showdown in three seasons. In winning the title, he matched his father Keke’s feat 34 years ago with Williams.

In an incident filled race, action began after Hamilton led Rosberg through Turn 1, with Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari taking

third from the supersoft-tyred Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull and Vettel. Max Verstappen spun at the first corner and was pushed to last after making contact with the Force India of Nico Hulkenberg.

Hulkenberg passed Force India teammate Sergio Perez for sixth at Turn 1 at the start of lap two. In the battle between the Williams, Valtteri Bottas passed Massa for ninth on lap three.

Hamilton eased out of DRS range of Rosberg by lap five, while Ricciardo remained in Raikkonen’s DRS but didn’t have the top speed to make an proper attack. Massa repassed Bottas at Turn 14, with the Finn pitting on lap seven.

Verstappen regained his place in the top 10 on lap seven. Hamilton pitted to swap his ultrasofts tyres for softs at the start of lap eight, as did Raikkonen. Hamilton rejoined in front Verstappen.

By lap 11, the top five were covered by 5s. Rosberg was warned to not fight with Verstappen, and to look after his right-

front tyre. As the dusk descended, Hamilton stayed well clear of Verstappen, however, with Rosberg clear of the battling Raikkonen and Ricciardo, with Vettel holding on in sixth.

Ricciardo launched a huge attack on Raikkonen into Turn 11, briefly getting ahead but overshooting, and allowing Vettel to get right on his tail.

Rosberg attacked Verstappen from a long way back at Turn 8, and then outpowered him through the second DRS zone to seal the deal by Turn 11.

Verstappen pitted on lap 22, switching to softs from the supersofts he started on. Rosberg soon started setting a string of fastest laps, pulling clear of the Raikkonen, Ricciardo and Vettel battle, as Mercedes realised Verstappen had switched to a onestop strategy.

Ricciardo pitted to try and undercut past Raikkonen on lap 25, with the Finn responding to the threat a lap later – but Ricciardo’s pace got him track position on the Ferrari. Verstappen had to overtake Perez on track, which delayed him in his race against Rosberg – whose string of fastest laps saw him pull well clear.

Ricciardo then passed Perez, which helped him stay clear of Raikkonen.

Hamilton made his second stop with a 3s lead over Rosberg, which briefly gifted Rosberg the lead for a lap before he too pitted. Vettel, who decided to run a long second stint, now led from Hamilton and Rosberg, with Verstappen fourth ahead of Ricciardo – who set a string

of fastest laps during this phase to pull clear of Raikkonen.

Hamilton slowed his pace at this point, allowing Rosberg to get within a second. After his glory run at the front, Vettel pitted on lap 38 for his final stop, rejoining on supersofts and dropped back to sixth. With 13 laps remaining, Vettel was lapping 2s quicker than the leaders at this point, and Hamilton was advised to up his pace. Vettel caught Ricciardo, and DRSed past him with nine laps to go.

At this stage Rosberg complained of Hamilton’s pace. Verstappen was catching Rosberg by over half a second a lap, with Vettel right behind him.

With five laps to go, Hamilton led Rosberg by 0.8s, with Verstappen and Vettel now in range. Vettel passed Verstappen with four laps remaining, and set his sights on Rosberg. Hamilton was told to pick up this pace, but Hamilton pointed out he was leading and was comfortable with his pace. Vettel got into Rosberg’s DRS range with three laps to go.

“Right now I’m losing the world championship so I’m not bothered if I win or lose this race,” said Hamilton, as Vettel attacked Rosberg behind him. The top four were within a second at the start of the final lap, but Rosberg got DRS off Hamilton – which helped him stay ahead of Vettel. Hamilton won the race, with Rosberg, Vettel and Verstappen right behind. Ricciardo was fifth, ahead of Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Massa and Alonso.

Nico Rosberg says goodbye as world champion

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vettel accuses Hamilton

2016 FIA Formula One World Champion elect Nico Rosberg announced that he will stop racing in Formula One with immediate effect.

In an emotional address prior to the 2016 FIA Prize Giving in Vienna, Austria, Nico revealed the reasons behind his decision, which was reached following his crowning achievement in Abu Dhabi last Sunday.

Nico has competed in a total of 206 Grands Prix and won 23 of them, placing him joint 12th on the all-time list alongside Nelson Piquet. He has scored 30 pole positions (8th all time) and 20 fastest laps.

In Abu Dhabi he became the first German driver to win a Formula One World Championship at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow.

“Since 25 years in racing, it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’ to become Formula One World Champion. Through the hard work, the pain, the sacrifices, this has been my target. And now I’ve made it.

I have climbed my mountain, I am on the peak, so this feels right. My strongest emotion right now is deep gratitude to everybody who supported me to make that dream happen.

“This season, I tell you, it was so damn tough. I pushed like crazy in every area after the disappointments of the last two years; they fuelled my motivation to levels I had never experienced before.

And of course that had an impact on the ones I love, too – it was a whole family effort of sacrifice, putting everything behind our target. I cannot find enough words to thank my wife Vivian; she has been incredible. She understood that this year was the big one,

our opportunity to do it, and created the space for me to get full recovery between every race, looking after our daughter each night, taking over when things got tough and putting our championship first.

“When I won the race in Suzuka, from the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became World Champion. On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time… and then the lights went out and I had the most intense 55 laps of my life. I took my decision on Monday evening.

After reflecting for a day, the first people I told were Vivian and Georg (Nolte, from Nico’s management team), followed

by Toto.

“The only thing that makes this decision in any way difficult for me is because I am putting my racing family into a tough situation. But Toto understood. He knew straight away that I was completely convinced and that reassured me. My proudest achievement in racing will always be to have won the world championship with this incredible team of people, the Silver Arrows.

“Now, I’m just here to enjoy the moment. There is time to savour the next weeks, to reflect on the season and to enjoy every experience that comes my way. After that, I will turn the next corner in my life and see what it has in store for me…”

Sebastian Vettel was critical of Lewis Hamilton’s strategy at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

According to the numbers, Hamilton needed Rosberg to be on the podium to stand a chance of the title.

At Yas Marina, the Mercedes teammates were running 1-2 in the closing stages. With a few laps to go Hamilton decided to go slow and help Rosberg move up by restricting the

Red Bull cars and in particular Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. In the post-race press conference, Vettel suggested that Hamilton had actually been not far enough ahead for him to feel free to attack Rosberg. Vettel insisted that he did all he could to get past Rosberg, although conceded he was mindful of the title fight between the Mercedes drivers.

Massa’s farewell gift Felipe Massa was presented with the Formula 1 car that he raced at his final home Brazilian Grand Prix as a gift from his Williams team. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was the last for the 11-time winner. A special team farewell party was hosted in the Yas Marina paddock on Saturday night where deputy team principal

Claire Williams paid tribute to the contribution he had made since joining the outfit in 2014.

A photo album and speciallycommissioned cartoon illustrating his career were among the gifts. The race car featured a unique rebranding from title sponsor Martini, which replaced its name with ‘Massa’ on the car.

No F1 race in Germany in 2017 After negotiations between F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Hockenheim track’s executive director Georg Seiler failed to produce a mutually agreeable settlement, there will be just 20 races on next year’s calendar. “There was no offer that would have excluded all economic risks,” Seiler told media. “But

just that was always our prerequisite. Ecclestone had already made it clear that the event was in trouble. “They’re saying, or I think they’re saying, ‘We’d be prepared to continue with the same terms and conditions that we’ve had for the last two or three years,’ which are no good for us,” said Ecclestone.

FIA releases 2017 Calendar March 26 - Australia (Melbourne) April 9 - China (Shanghai) April 16 - Bahrain (Bahrain) April 30 - Russia (Sochi) May 14 - Spain (Barcelona) May 28 - Monaco (Monte Carlo) June 11 - Canada (Montreal) June 25 - Azerbaijan (Baku) July 9 - Austria (Spielberg) July 16 - Great Britain (Silverstone) July 30 - Hungary (Budapest)

August 27 - Belgium (SpaFrancorchamps) September 3 - Italy (Monza) September 17 - Singapore (Singapore) October 1 - Malaysia (Sepang) October 8 - Japan (Suzuka) October 22 - USA (Austin) October 29 - Mexico (Mexico City) November 12 - Brazil (Sao Paulo) November 26 - Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi) DEC 2016

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Emotional final victory for Audi Sport Team Joest at Bahrain Audi Sport Team Joest fulfilled a dream exit from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) , following an outstanding one-two in the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).

The no. 8 R18 Hybrid driven

by Lucas di Grassi, Loic Duval and Oliver Jarvis clinched a well-deserved victory ahead of teammates Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer in Audi’s no. 7 car. It was an emotional result for the German manufacturers, who announced last month their withdrawal from endurance racing and Le Mans following the completion of the WEC’s season-ending round in Bahrain.

Also making his final appearance in the sport was Porsche’s Mark Webber, who also had reason to celebrate after steering his team to the 78

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last overall podium spot in third place. Webber, who is retiring from racing, was in the cockpit of Porsche’s no. 1 919 Hybrid as it crossed the finish line behind the victorious Audi pair.

To add to their victory, Audi set a distance record for the Bapco 6 Hours of Bahrain after completing 201 laps.

Following the race, di Grassi commented: “We are proud to take the ‘Four Rings’ on the top of the podium for the last race; it’s where we belong.”

Jarvis said: “The emotions are unbelievable. To take the last win and last pole position for an Audi car, it is very special.”

Duval added: “We wanted to finish with a great result. To close the door with this kind of victory is well deserved for the whole team. The emotion is super high.”

Meanwhile, Porsche’s no.

2 team of Neel Jani, Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb secured the FIA World Endurance Drivers’ Championship despite finishing sixth – one position behind their closest rivals from Toyota Gazoo Racing featuring Mike Conway, Stephan Sarrazin and Kamui Kobayashi.

The drivers’ title made it a double for Porsche in the second successive year, after they also won the FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship.

It was almost a disaster for the trio after suffering damage on their left-rear tyre and rear wing around an hour into the race. They needed to stop to make the changes, costing them a few places and plenty of lost time. But in the end they managed to claim just enough points for them to take home their crown.

Jani said of their title victory:

“Winning in Le Mans this year and now world championship, it’s simply amazing. It can’t get any better!”

Di Grassi was in the car at the chequered flag as his team completed the grueling endurance event, which began in the daylight and concluded under the brilliant BIC floodlights which lit up the Sakhir sky.

The runners-up enjoyed the same 201 lap output, but Fassler was 16.419 seconds behind his teammate in the end. Porsche’s Webber, Hartley and Fassler were also on 201 laps but were one minute 17.001 seconds behind the winners.

Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima finished fourth. Each of the top six were running Hybrid cars in the LMP1 class.

With their one-two in

Mark Webber calls time on his racing career Mark Webber will quit his professional racing career to become Porsche special representative.

He will represent Porsche at global events and as a consultant will contribute by lending his experience to the motorsport programmes of the sports car manufacturer from Stuttgart. This includes talent research as well as

Bahrain, Audi make their exit from endurance racing the same way they won in Sakhir in the WEC’s inaugural season in 2012. Audi end their tenure in endurance racing and Le Mans after 18 successful years.

The Bahrain marshals commemorated Audi’s final race by holding up the Bahrain flag next to a large banner while standing track side during the formation lap. The banner read the message: “Thank you, Audi. We will miss

driver training for up and coming professionals and the huge number of worldwide Porsche amateur racers.

Alongside rally legend Walter Röhrl (69) Webber is now the make’s second representative.

Both are distinguished by a successful racing career as well as by a huge affinity to Porsche.

you.”

Meanwhile, G-Drive Racing’s Roman Rusinov, Rene Rast and Alex Brundle were the top team in the LMP2 category in their Oreca 05-Nissan.

Aston Martin Racing’s Nicki Thiim and Marco Sorensen in their Vantage V8 won the LMGTE Pro class; and Abu Dhabi-Proton Racing’s Patrick Long, Khaled Al Qubaisi and David Heinemeier Hansson claimed the LMGTE Am category.

Porsche wins drivers’ world championship For the second consecutive year Porsche has taken everything in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC): victory in Le Mans, winning the manufacturers’ world championship in Shanghai and the drivers’ world championship at the finale in Bahrain.

In the last of nine WEC rounds in 2016 Timo Bernhard (DE), Brendon Hartley (NZ)

and Mark Webber (AU) came third, having started second on the grid with their Porsche 919 Hybrid. The new world champions, Romain Dumas (FR), Neel Jani (CH) and Marc Lieb (DE) only came sixth after contact with another car early in the race. Audi’s dominant one-two race result was an impressive farewell from the WEC.

DEC 2016

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THE WRONG SIDE OF THE WALL 2016 has been a very busy year – especially with everything that’s happened surrounding Brexit and the win of the polarised right in the form of Donald Trump. Right wing and ultra-nationalist movements seem to be gaining a foothold in many parts of the world and the worrying aspect is that it is often at the cost of the very globalisation and free trade that has powered these economies to a level of prosperity that they now seek to internalise.

Whether we like it or not, whether it eventually gets built or not, Trump’s declaration of building a wall with Mexico will serve as the single strongest symbol that underpins this mindset. Humankind has had an enduring fascination with walls. Because we are servants of gravity, barriers that are barely our heights tend to become potent reminders that things exist on the other side that are forbidden to us. The Great Wall of China was conceived and built in order to keep out the barbarian invaders of Central Asia. The fact that it wasn’t actually built at the borders of the kingdom, but along an alignment that used the terrain to add to the impregnability only added to its allure.

Walls and often minefields also separate countries that are foes of each other. The infamous barrier between North and South Korea, the heavily militarised strip along the India – Pakistan border and even the historic Berlin Wall are all examples of this propensity for us to retreat behind the fence, to corral our wagons. Or you could take the approach of the Israelis who build walls to both keep terrorists out and to fence off and stifle an entire population.

Fortunately for Great Britain, its path ahead is more one of paperwork and being ready to sacrifice economic muscle for nationalism. It uses the sea around it as its metaphorical wall, although there is some talk already of an actual physical barrier that may need to come up between Northern Ireland and the rest of Eire. The other big beneficiary of being thousands of miles from anywhere is Australia that has used the sea as its bastion of isolationism, pushing the refugees that try to reach its shores into other jurisdictions.

Trump’s wall, like his mindset, somehow assumes that the process of Nationhood is a zero sum process. You keep out the illegal immigrants and that will then mean that you can bring them in as workers, regulated and numbered, but without any chance of ever integrating properly or gaining the laurel wreath of American citizenship. The message is that if you keep the desperate and downtrodden out, there will be more jobs for the American, jobs that somehow will begin to appeal to the local, despite experience that tells you otherwise. Just take a look at the economies of the regulated job markets of the GCC area. Legal labour works to contracts and does not ever dream of becoming part of the host economy. Illegal labour exists on the fringes, ever worried that it’ll be discovered and imprisoned and deported.

And the chance that the lowest profile jobs will be done by local citizens is marginal, due to per capita affluence of the countries. It is as much about society, keeping up with the neighbours and their own aspirations, as it is about the affordability of global labour.

Mexico finds itself at the forefront of this new wave of misplaced protectionism.

Using common market agreements that have been championed by successive US governments, its location in NAFTA makes the country a good manufacturing base, with low cost labour and tariff free access to the United States. American companies, along with global ones are setting up large plants in the country, with an eye on the US market to underpin global supplies. The latest Tiguan and Audi Q5 are both being made for the world in Mexico as are various products from other American brands. Jobs created in Mexico mean less incentive for people to try to cross over into the US illegally. And it means more profits for American business as they lower their manufacturing costs. But now Trump wants those manufacturing jobs to move back to the US, along with the higher costs since these jobs will now have to draw in the US citizen who is used to a better minimum wage. Guess what happens with people movement across the border?

There are no simple answers in these challenged times, but whether the wall makes sense or otherwise currently depends on which side of the shouting match you find yourself on. Here’s to hoping that we always find ourselves on the correct side of any wall.

Raj Warrior is managing editor of Automan and has been in the thick of the Automotive journalism field from the past 19 years.

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