October 17, 2019
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Hyundai and Porsche enter the race to build giant drones to move people high in the sky ALWYN VILJOEN HYUNDAI and Porsche are the latest car building companies to enter the race to adapt drone technology to transport people in self-flying air taxis that can land on rooftops. Daimler arguably leads this race with its stake in German start-up Volocopter, whose 18-rotor, two-seater drone has been extensively tested with over 1 000 test flights. Volocopter has also attracted investment from Chinese car builder and Volvo owner Geely. Close behind Daimler is Kitty Hawk, where CEO Sebastian Thrun, the engineer behind the Waymo autonomous cars, unveiled the 12-rotor Cora in March. The all-electric Cora basically flies itself and can reach speeds of 180 km/h with a range of about 100 km. Hyundai did not provide details of its plans, but as a leader in hydrogen fuel cells, the smart money is on Hyundai to provide a drone that will overcome the short range, long recharge and weight limitations of lithium batteries using the energy density and quick refuelling of hydrogen fuel cells. In California, Alaka’i Technologies presented just such a concept in May, claiming their hydrogen fuel cell concept will be able to fly 640 km with five passengers on board. The Korean vehicle builder has appointed Nasa aeronautics veteran Dr Jaiwon Shin to head its new urban Air Mobility Division. Shin said in a statement: “The new team at Hyundai will develop core technologies that will establish the company as a driving force in urban air mobility, a sector that is expected to grow into a market worth US$1,5 trillion (R22,4 trillion) within the next 20 years.”
a partnership with Nasa in May. While still an associate administrator at Nasa Jaiwon Shin said: “Urban air mobility could revolutionise the way people and cargo move in our cities and fundamentally change our lifestyle much like smartphones have.” VW and Aston Martin have also announced their plans to exploit the next level of urban mobility, but with luxury “flying cars” rather then the utilitarian air taxis currently being tested by several non-car companies. These include Chinese drone maker eHang; Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer; Slovenia’s Pipistrel Vertical Solutions; and California-based Karem Aircraft.
German start-up Lilium this week demonstrated its two-seater, all-electric, jet-powered air taxi, the Lilium, against Volocopter’s giant drone (inset). ‘URBAN AIR MOBILITY SOLUTIONS’ Meanwhile, Porsche and Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of Boeing, are developing a concept for a fully electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle. Executive board member at Porsche Detlev von Platen said the sports car company aims to become a leading brand for premium mobility, which in the longer term “could mean moving into the third dimension of travel”. A 2018 study by Porsche Consulting forecasts the urban air mobility market will lift off after 2025. The study also indicates that “urban
air mobility solutions” will transport passengers faster, cheaper and with greater flexibility than current conventional means of terrestrial transport. Head of portfolio management for Porsche as well as the Piech family who control the VW Group, Philipp von Hagen, repeated the view that giant drones could be a regular means of transport by 2025. “Drones are agile and quiet due to their electrical propulsion and both more affordable as well as more environmentally friendly than today’s helicopter.”
FLIGHT HAILING Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick has been preaching this view all along and is working with several companies, including Bell, to get this vision airborne through Uber Elevate. A study by Uber shows going direct by air could cut the two-hour drive to cover the congested 32 km between India’s Gurgaon and New Delhi to six minutes, at a cost of about R550. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences, also a partner of Uber, in January completed a test flight of an electrically propelled air taxi. Uber also announced
NOT JUST BLUE SKIES AHEAD As with all pioneering ventures, there are many challenges in getting air taxis flying, as Audi recently found. Audi’s concept is called Pop.Up and entails a passenger pod that can drive on road, or connect to a separate cradle that holds the rotors to fly over traffic. Audi demonstrated a model of the Pop.Up at Drone Week in Amsterdam in November last year, but last month announced it has suspended work on its Pop.Up air taxi and has put its partnership with Airbus up for review. The most important job is to rewrite laws that govern safe air transport. Another Boeing subsidiary, NeXt, is working with U.S. regulators to introduce “a new mobility ecosystem and ensure a future where autonomous and piloted air vehicles safely co-exist”, Boeing said in a statement. • Would you fly in a giant drone? E-mail your views to alwyn.viljoen @witness.co.za
Five reasons why teens should check out Merc’s luxury hatchbacks GORDON HALL TEENS: In your own best interests keep this page under wraps until you have internalised the following five compelling reasons to present an irrefutable business presentation to whichever parent ratifies buying decisions to get yourself in this Mercedes-Benz SUV. NEW FACE Revised grille bars, narrower headlamps with bolder DRLs, slimmer brake vents on SUVs, and chrome surround for the lower air intake. The side view gains running boards while the rear end sports smoother design and new tail lamps. Most notable interior changes include deletion of the old rotary controller and installation of a larger touchscreen. NEW OR UPRATED ENGINES GLC 300 petrol models retain the 1991 cc turbo-four but it has been uprated to 190 kilowatts from 180 previously. Torque remains at 370 Newton-metres. What’s new are two versions of M-B’s 1950 cc turbo-four diesel with choice of 143 kW/400 Nm (220d) and 180 kW/500 Nm (300d). New GLC SUVs and Coupés share all three engine choices, nine-speed automatic transmissions and 4Matic allwheel drive. Performance and fuel consumption numbers are essentially the same for each engine, regardless of body the style
The interior of Merc’s GLC features five different ways to interact with the GLC’s infotainment system, while young drivers say the coupé’s design (inset) falls in the negative perspiration category of cool.. COOL STUFF Apart from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the MBUX (“Mercedes-Benz User Experience” for the oldsters) has been upgraded to the latest generation. Even without the rotary controller, there are five different ways to interact with the GLC’s infotainment system: • By touch control on the central multimedia display, • Using the buttons on the multifunction steering wheel,
• With the multifunction touchpad on the centre console, • Using the gesture and movement recognition function of MBUX’s Interior Assistant, • By Voice Control; via steering wheel button or the “Hey Mercedes” prompt. COOL COLOURS Apart from standard Black and Polar White, seven metallic finishes — Obsidian Black, Iridium Silver, Citrine
Thailand’s Siam Technology Motor Sport team drive their Cruiser Class solar car during scrutineering at Hidden Valley Motorsport Complex ahead of the biennial Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia. Fifty-four teams from 24 countries have entered cars in the one-seater Challenger, four-seater Cruiser or non-competitive Adventure class. The race covers 3 000 km from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south, with the vehicles powered by the fusion reactor in the sky. The race ends on Sunday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Brown, Cavansite Blue, Brilliant Blue, Diamond Silver and Solenite Grey — will cater to most buyers’ tastes. For those wanting something special, there are three designer colours as well: Citrine Brown Magno, Diamond White Bright and Hyacinth Red metallic. Every lesser being and his or her family rides around in an SUV, so why not display your uniqueness-of-brand by having a Coupé instead?
COUPÉS ARE JUST WAY COOLER They are slightly longer than the SUV versions and a touch lower, but are proper cars with boots rather than those bulky boxes the plebs use. Basic luggage volume before tipping seats is 500 litres while SUVs offer only 50 litres more; hardly worth getting one’s tights in a twist over, is it? There is a price premium of about R143 000, version to version, but the exclusivity is worth it, surely? The parents already know about Mercedes-Benz’s safety and luxury equipment, five-year or 100 000 km maintenance contract and all the classic options and accessories, so there is no need to repeat all that here. SUV prices range from R786 100 to R842 800. Coupé prices range from R929 600 to R985 300. For comparison, the top model of SA’s top selling bakkie year to date, the 2-litre bi-turbo Ranger Raptor, costs R819 400.
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Professor Justin Barnes, executive director of TWIMS said the endowment is one of the largest of its kind in South Africa and follows a previous endowment of R56 million, which helped to create the state-of-the-art TWIMS Campus and fund the purchase of hightech teaching equipment. To qualify for the grant, a student must successfully pass the strict entrance criteria set by TWIMS and its academic partner, GIBS. Aside from submitting their curriculum vitae, a motivation for participating in the MBA and passing all entrance exams, the applicants must also write an essay on manufacturing in South Africa and their vision for the sector.
The GIBS MBA with manufacturing focus, as taught at TWIMS, includes all core GIBS MBA modules and a selection of at least five specialised manufacturing electives. These include subjects such as lean manufacturing, the green economy, African trade and industrialisation and Industry 4.0. More information on twimsafrica.com. — WR.
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ISUZU Thailand unveiled the butcher, bulkier 2020 Isuzu D-Max bakkie. Models range from a two-door single cab 4x2 to the V-Cross flagship with an interior (pictured) aimed at suites in utes. The proven 4JJ1 3-litre turbodiesel has been remapped to make 140 kW and 450 Nm, up from 130 kW and 380 Nm. Options include a 23 cm touchscreen infotainment system inside and an electromagnetic rear differential lock at the back. In the UK, meanwhile, fleet managers have bestowed another award on the 2019 D-Max, selecting it as the ‘Pick Up of the Year’ at the Commercial Fleet Awards for the second consecutive year. Seven judges, all experienced fleet managers from national companies, rated the D-Max best in terms of warranty, non-Ad Blue option, off-road capability, capacity in class and towing.
TOYOTA Motor Corporation (Toyota) recently launched the Copen GR Sport, the first sports car developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing in the “GR” series and billed as an entry level GR car in Japan. Toyota owns 51% of Daihatsu, which brand imported the first little Copen two-seaters to South Africa in the early 2000s, but we spurned the little car in favour of buying Toyota’s most popular two-seater — the Hilux bakkie. The new Copen is only on sale in Japan for now, but it is as collectable as the Honda S2000 was in its day and local enthusiasts who arrange import of this smallest sports car in the Toyota stable will have much fun, from the high-revving, 660 cc, three-cylinder petrol making 47 kW at 6 400 rpm and 92 Nm at 3 200 rmp, to the stiff suspension that will keep the 980 kg roadster planted around the corners. The engine is mated to either a 5-speed manual for the masochist purists, or a 7-speed CVT that makes the most of the high-revving power band. HOW the other half drives: the Range Rover Velar SV Autobiography Dynamic Edition has been developed by Land Rover Special Vehicles and sells from R1 743 325. Powered by a 405 kW and 680 Nm 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine, the new addition features a range of design enhancements and will be available for one year only. The Velar goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 4,5 seconds, while cosseting customers with traditional Range Rover refinement and comfort. The already fantastic brakes and suspension components have been uprated, and the owner can set everything from the throttle response to the safety systems, to ‘ensure the SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition mixes the personality of a performance car with the go-anywhere capability of a luxury mid-size SUV’, according to the official statement.
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• Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored press launch in Umhlanga.
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Scholarships for manufacturing MBA THE Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS) in Hillcrest is proud to announce that it has received a R70 million endowment from the Toyota SA Educational Trust to create a Manufacturing Ambassador Scholarship to fund promising students who want to complete a manufacturing-focused MBA. The endowment will allow TWIMS to fund up to 90% of the total cost of a student’s studies, their boarding on campus during class and exams and their travel and expenses for the international learning module. In total, the value to each student is R450 000 over two years, leaving only R50 000 for each student or their employer to pay.
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