Wheels 30 July 2015 by Driver News

ASH EXOTICS

July 30, 2015

Future t r transpos shape PAGE 6

Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za

Witness

WHEELS

2015 TOYOTA HILUX 3.0 D4D LEGEND 45 4x4 120 kW P/U D/CAB MANUAL

7 000 km, white, 1-owner, bal of M/plan, bull bar, roll bar, tonneau cover

R459 995

DIES

Contact Ash on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg)

550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

KZN’S BEST READ ON BIKES, BAKKIES, VANS, TRUCKS …AND A JET CAR THAT GUZZLED BRANDY

SA’s own electric donkey GridCars aims to build shared personal commuters ALWYN VILJOEN

The electric donkey offers energy efficient transport for people or cargo weighing up to 250 kg at 7c/km. PHOTO: GRIDCARS

• Saturday: Blackrock Casino in Newcastle stages its annual Car Show, with spinning, drifting, stalls and a soundoff just some of the items on the programme to entertain car fans. For those just tagging along, there’s a beer garden and entertainment featuring live DJs and dancers, jumping castles, face painting and more. • September 12: All motorbike owners are invited to display their rides at a blood donor drive at VSCC, 121 Oribi Road in Pietermaritzburg, from 11 am to 4 pm. Entry is free, although pet food for the SPCA will be appreciated. Braai fires and a cash bar will be available to make this blood donor drive another great day out while replenishing those red blood cells. • September 13: 100s, the safest and friendliest group of motorbikers in KZN is staging an allday ride to raise awareness against suicides on September 13, riding to Umhlanga and Wilson’s Warf at Durban harbour. Riders on 125 cc bikes are welcome. Preride meeting and registration is at 6.30 pm on September 11 at VSCC, 121 Oribi Road in Pietermaritzburg. Call Minnesh Harrichand at 083 701 6762 for more information. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Tough gets you across rivers and over mountains. EVE is an inline twoseater electric car that aims to cut traffic jams down to size. PHOTO: GRIDCARS

V WINSTONE JORDAAN

vice and maintenance optimisation. While the IT is in place to integrate EVE with the network of things and a driver’s dairy through a smartphone, Jordaan said considerable work still needs to be done for the final industrialisation and innovation in areas such as windshield wipers, door handles, air bags and locks. Jordaan said the world sits at a tipping point. “We need new solutions to serious challenges. We need radical change to our beaten tracks that is only leading to our own destruction.” He said GridCars are calling for partners in their visionary venture. “We can’t do this alone, we are looking for progressive companies and individuals that would be prepared to explore opportunities. Although we have a lot of ideas, people and busi ness are typically closer to the problems that we need to solve, so these collaborations are essential. “We need forward thinking customers, since the market is small, we have to be aggressive in secur ing strategic customers that will commit to grow ing with us and together establishing this market.” • For more information, visit www.gridcars.co.za or call 012 349 2462.

5 year / 90 000km

service plan

Purchase any new Amarok Double Cab from Barons Pietermaritzburg during the months of July or August 2015 and receive

worth of accessories, free. Visit us on www.baronsvwpmb.co.za An optional cost of R1600 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on any new Amarok Double Cab models in standard specifications. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 31 August 2015.

Barons Pietermaritzburg

9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201 • Tel: 033 845 3100 New Sales Consultants: Alison Wiltshire – Sales Manager 082 783 8855 • John Brown – 082 645 4396 Merglin Rama – 083 382 4589 • Menzi Ngubane – 073 534 8545 • Bahle Bhengu – 082 337 5825 Erica Neff – 082 858 7749 • Thando Gumede – 078 969 8072 • Keshnee Pillay – 073 372 1452

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“We can’t do this alone, we are looking for progressive companies and individuals that would be prepared to explore opportunities.”

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AT the Council for Scientific and Industrial Re search in Pretoria, a vision by two men is on the brink of delivering South Africa’s first electric car specifically designed for the needs of city commut ers. Winstone Jordaan told Wheels he and Carel Sny man had created company, GridCars, in 2009. The aim was not to create another range of fast Tesla cars or Nissan Leaf family vehicles, but shared personal commuters that could integrate seamlessly with public transport networks. Snyman’s main background is in the develop ment of electric cars and conversions, while Jor daan’s dominant background is in IT, the two core skills needed in modern commuter vehicles. The pair’s experience in electric cars date back to the midnineties, with a converted Opel Corsa bakkie that could do 0100 km/h in eight seconds using 100 kW of alternative current from 28 12 volt batteries. They have also built electric bikes and a 20seat electric game viewing vehicle. Their current cars are a lot more pragmatic. Jordaan told Wheels they are ready to start sell ing their “pipe car”, called eSpanBoni for electric working donkey, to industry and government. This sturdy workhorse is a threewheeler that provides transport at 7c/km for people or cargo weighing up to 250 kg. The top speed is 45 km/h. The electric donkey is estimated to sell for R35 000 on volume production, but is expected to launch at R55 000 for 2015/16 GridCars is still looking to launch EVE later next year. This is a sleek threewheeler with two seats inline and aims to provide a connection between home and workplace and public transport without wasting one Watt. Depending on the batteries, EVE will have an expected range of 80 to 300 km. GridCars plans to offer this mobility service for less than any small car’s total cost of ownership in the market today. Components will be centrally produced in high volumes and cars assembled at distributed places, close to market for rental ser

Wheeled events in KZN

WitnessWheels MOTORING

No more cheap petrol UAE to start paying more for petrol after hike, but less for diesel SPARE a thought for drivers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who have long become used to dirtcheap fuel, for tomorrow night they start paying through the nose like the rest of us. The UAE said last week it will stop subsidising fuel prices by August 1 and instead allow prices to move more free ly, which means motorists in the Emir ates have until tomorrow midnight to pay only about a third of what motor ists in South Africa pay for each litre of petrol. Strangely, truckers will pay less for diesel. UAE state news agency WAM quot ed Energy Minister Suhail bin Moham med alMazroui that a new pricing pol icy linked to global levels will be intro duced. “Deregulating fuel prices will help decrease fuel consumption and pre serve natural resources for future gen erations,” he said. “It will also encourage individuals to adopt fuelefficient vehicles, includ ing the use of electric and hybrid cars.” Matar alNyadi, undersecretary of the ministry and chairperson of its new Gasoline and Diesel Prices Commit tee, told Reuters that petrol prices might initially rise slightly because of

Like the rest of the world, drivers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) start paying through the nose for fuel from tomorrow night. PHOTO: SUPPLIED the reform, while diesel would fall. At present, state subsidies keep pet rol and diesel in the Arab world’s sec ond biggest economy at some of the lowest prices in the world. Motorists pay less than a third of levels in western Europe for a litre of petrol. Cutting subsidies and charging tax on higher fuel prices will boost UAE

state finances, which have been weak ened by a plunge of oil export revenues since 2014 due to the fall in global crude prices, thanks to shale oil from fracking in the U.S. The International Monetary Fund projects the UAE will post its first fiscal deficit this year since 2009; it esti mates the country spends $7 billion

Freeing up parking lots ALWYN VILJOEN THE biggest problem traditional businesses have with the Facebook generation is how they want to share everything — even their cars. All the research point to a near fu ture where young buyers just roll their eyes at the idea of sitting in cars in peak hour traffic, or worse, owning a car that just sits there 23 out of 24 hours, cost ing money at home and in the parking lot. Yet they will all need to get to work somehow. All the big car brands, as well as a few small ones, are far advanced in re search about supplying the needs of the next transport users. BMW’s focus is on electric cars, not hydrogen as is the case with Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, (see page 6) and they plan to free up parking areas by having their cars work all day, instead

One of 70 electric BMW ActiveE sedans that was put into BMW’s DriveNow carsharing service in San Franciscoin 2012. PHOTO: SUPPLIED of just standing there. The company has been getting the public used to electric cars for four years through its DriveNow pro gramme. The group already has more than 470 000 customers around the world since 2011, including 430 000 in Germany as part of its DriveNow car

sharing scheme, using 60 allelectric BMW ActiveE cars in Munich and Ber lin. Earlier this year, they took the next step by setting up a Centre of Urban Mobility Competence. There experts aim to help create a sustainable model for urban mobility, reduce traffic vol

(R88 million) annually on petroleum subsidies. The ministry’s statement did not give details of the new pricing policy, beyond saying the prices committee would announce on the 28th of each month prices for the following month, basing its decision on “average global prices with the addition of operating costs”. Linking UAE prices to global levels could clear the way for substantial hikes in the future, if Brent starts to recover from current sixyear lows. Mazroui said fuel price changes would not raise the UAE’s cost of living significantly, while diesel’s expected fall next month would help the econo my. “This will stimulate the economy as a lower diesel price would mean lower operating costs for a wide number of vital sectors like industry, shipping and cargo among many others.” The announcement put the UAE at the front of economic reform among the rich Gulf oil states. Other govern ments are grappling with similar finan cial pressures but have mostly not had the political will to push through major change. — ReutersWR. umes and improve the quality of life in cities. The centre has now added 100 allelectric BMW i3 electric cars to the DriveNow programme in Berlin, Ham burg and Munich. In London the BMW i3 was already added to the DriveNow fleet in May, and other cities in Germany and Eu rope will soon follow suit as part of the WiMobil and ePlan research projects. “Our customers have enjoyed using the BMW ActiveE cars as much as the conventional vehicles in our fleet,” says Nico Gabriel, managing director of DriveNow. He said electric mobility and car sharing represent two impor tant building blocks for the BMW Group when it comes to working with cities to develop revolutionary mobili ty concepts. “The quality of life in our increas ingly densely populated cities can be improved significantly by putting pub lic spaces to different use. One way we can achieve this is by freeing up a large portion of the parking areas currently required. To make this possible, mobil ity concepts and frameworks need to be in place which can spark people’s enthusiasm for urban mobility beyond their own car …” Gabriel said in a state ment.

July 30, 2015

Ford looks at flexible car ownership SAN FRANCISCO — Ford Motor Compa ny recently announced the next phase of its Ford Smart Mobility plan, including new strategic areas of focus, new pilot pro grammes and new mobility product experi ments. FLEXIBLE USE AND OWNERSHIP Ford Motor Credit Company launched Peer2Peer Car Sharing — a pilot pro gramme for select customers in six U.S. cit ies and in London. Ford Credit is inviting 14 000 and 12 000 customers in six U.S. cities and London, re spectively, to sign up to rent their Ford cred itfinanced vehicles to prescreened drivers for shortterm use, offsetting monthly vehi cle ownership costs. U.S. customers participate through the Webbased, mobilefriendly software of rideshare company Getaround, while Lon don drivers connect through a similar rental system of easyCar Club. “Consumers tell us they are interested in sharing the costs of vehicle ownership, and this programme will help us understand how much that extends to customers who are financing a Ford vehicle,” said David McClelland, Ford Credit vice president of marketing. “As most vehicles are parked and out of use much of the time, this can help us gauge our customers’ desires to pick up extra cash and keep their vehicles in use.” New findings from Penn Schoen Berland, an independent research company, show: • one third of Millennials in the United States are interested in renting out their be longings to supplement their income; • young Americans rank car rides second only to book lending as things they are most open to sharing; • more than half of Millennials report being open to sharing rides with others; • half of Millennial and Generation Z con sumers see money saving as the top advan tage to sharing goods and services; and • for 40%, it’s the opportunity to try new products, while for 33%, it’s having access to more options. The pilot runs until November. EASY PARKING IN LONDON Ford also recently announced GoDrive, an ondemand, public carsharing pilot. The service offers flexible, practical and afforda ble access to a fleet of cars for oneway jour neys with easy parking throughout London. The pilot offers Londoners an easy way to access transportation through: • 50 cars positioned in 20 locations; • oneway trips with parking; and • payasyougo, perminute pricing covers all fees. — WR.

Toyota drops all its battery plans WHILE BMW last month announced it has sent a fleet of electric cars into its carsharing testing programme, Toyota alternativefuel chief Craig Scott recent ly told Forbes magazine Toyota has basi cally given up on batteries ever becom ing viable for long distance transport. Scott said that current limits on how much electricity can be stored in a given volume, and how quickly a battery can charge, will not change for the next 10 years, adding the current wave of battery developments will take at least that long to transition to production. Which is why Toyota has dropped all its battery plans and is focusing on hy drogen cars, a new direction which Tesla founder Elon Musk famously called bulls**t. Meanwhile, in the next stage of devel opment for their jointlydeveloped fuel cell bus, Toyota Motor Corporation and Hino Motors, Ltd. carried out field tests in Tokyo from July 24 to today, hoping to accelerate technological development of the bus with the aim of bringing it

to market. These field tests will help determine the practicality of the fuel cell bus for use in public transport networks, as well as evaluating the efficacy of its external power supply system during widespread power outages caused by natural disas ters. The tests will be carried out with the cooperation of the Tokyo metropol itan government. The new bus was developed jointly by Toyota and Hino based on a Hino hybrid nonstep route bus and is equipped with the Toyota fuel cell system developed for the Mirai fuel cell vehicle. Toyota was responsible for development of the fuel cell system, while Hino handled develop ment of the bus body, including the chas sis. The design of the bus has been opti mised for increased power output, and features two 110 kW fuel cell stacks and 110 kW (335 N∙m) motors alongside eight 70 MPa highpressure hydrogen tanks. The bus uses a NiMH drive bat tery, and also features a 9,8 kW / DC300 V vehicletohome (V2H) system.

The an nouncement came as Ameri cans took to so cial media to complain about the unavailabili ty of hydrogen at the special filling stations. Green Car Re ports say Ameri can drivers en joy driving their waterspouting cars, but early adopters of the new technology in Southern California cannot refuel their hydro gen cars at the handful of special ised stations set up by private compa nies. The hydrogen cars available to buyers are the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell, Hon da FCX Clarity Toyota Mirai and Mer

Toyota’s fuel cell bus will emit only water, after using a lot of electricity up stream to make hydrogen that will be converted back to power a battery. PHOTO: TOYOTA cedesBenz BClass FCell. California admitted to Green Car this “is a challenging transition time for cus tomers, but we are confident it will im

prove”. The state currently has 48 stations at “various stages of development”. — Wheels Reporter.

MOTORING WitnessWheels

July 30, 2015

No slipping when wet BRIAN BASSETT finds traction along Karkloof forest tracks in the rain in a Subaru XV 2.0li Auto SUBARU has traditionally only manu factured as many vehicles as it has orders for and these orders come largely from the huge American market, where it is in the top 10 sellers of new cars. The South African market is overall a much smaller one and Subaru has been a rather quiet brand here. Its cars are re garded as niche models and have ac quired a huge reputation for robustness and reliability. In fact in some cases it is difficult to find second hand examples of certain models, as owners keep them for years. There is also a fierce brand loyalty among South African Subaru owners, which is indicative of the quality of the vehicles themselves. Until recently Subaru did not have a middle of the road model to sell in decent numbers, but with the introduction of the XV crossover in South Africa in 2011 this problem was addressed. I am grateful to Howard Christie, dealer principal of Subaru Pietermaritz burg at Camps Drift for allowing me a few days with the recently updated XV. STYLING The Subaru XV is a wellbuilt, stylish ve hicle, which nonetheless projects an im age of nononsense functionality. The bonnet rises to a large front wind screen, which in turn connects with a high roofline. The main side features are the bold, 17inch dualtone aluminium rims, which give the design a very mas culine aspect. At the rear a wide door allows easy loading and the taillight clusters do not dominate the stepped rear end, but are nonetheless effective. The XV has poise and purpose and attracts attention when driving around. It is a kind of hatchback on stilts. INTERIOR The interior is spacious, functional and, although not spectacular, has everything you need. The seats are comfortable and covered in a heavy, washable cloth, with the front seats fully adjustable. The dashboard has welllighted dials, which are easy to read and a centrally placed small screen offers information on matters like time and temperature. The threespoke, multifunction steer ing wheel is fully adjustable and controls functions like the highquality six speaker radio/CD system with iPod and USB connectivity, as well as cruise con trol. The Bluetooth function for your

Subaru also has the XV Crosstrek in a hybrid overseas, with a electric motor integrated into the Lineartronic® Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) to deliver whisper soft grip through the forest. PHOTO: SUBARU Smartphone, allows you both to play music of your choice and speak to your friends while driving. The main feature of the central stack is the touch screen, which controls sever al functions like the radio/CD and Blue tooth and is easy to read and operate. The rear seats are comfortable, al though not for three adults. There is ample legroom in the rear and no fear of discomfort for the longlegged. The boot is on the shallow side offer ing 310 litres of space with the seats up and 741 litres of space with the rear seats folded down, the folding option being 60:40. The tonneau cover over the boot is useful, particularly if you are storing stealable electronics. SAFETY AND SECURITY The XV has 5star Euro NCAP, ANCAP and JNCAP ratings, while the car has al

so received the safety award of the Insur ance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S. The passengers all have seatbelts and there are seven airbags, one of which protects the driver’s knee. Technology built into the car includes a reinforced passenger cabin and energy absorbing bonnet, which protects pe destrians. There is the usual alphabet soup of safety aids like ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control and a wide range of driver assist systems. I missed the rear reversing camera, which is in the next model up and which assists immensely with parking. The car also has a builtin security and alarm sys tem, as well as central locking. PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING The XV has the legendary Subaru 4cyl inder, Boxer engine. This machine is de signed to lie horizontally in the engine

bay, rather than standing vertically like other engines, so providing a low centre of gravity. As a result here is less cabin noise and improved stability and balance, which results in superior cornering. The engine delivers 110 kW of power and 196Nm of torque. 0100 km/h comes up in around 10,7 seconds. So the XV is not a robot racer. In town the XV is easy to handle and the wide tyres give stability. It is however offroad that the XV blossoms. On Saturday afternoon, in some of the worst weather I have seen in a long time, I took the XV onto the network of forest tracks in the Karkloof forest. The soft loose sand had become mud and exposed some of the rocks beneath, which often moved as I drove over them. Any problems of performance were

Say goodbye to costly dings with ‘iprotect’

more than outweighed by the car’s re markable offroad capability created by Subaru’s Symmetrical AllWheel Drive and a ground clearance of 220 mm. Fuel consumption is around 7.9l/100 km in the combined cycle, but that rises steeply off road. PRICES AND THE OPPOSITION The XV2.0li Auto comes in at around R332 000 with the XV2.0liS Auto cost ing around R370 000. If you like changing gears the XV2.0l is R320 000. The cars come with a three year 75 000 km maintenance plan (ex tendable to 150 000 km) and a three year 100 000 km warranty. Also look at the Kia, Honda and Hyundai SUV ranges, as well as from Subaru’s own stable the spacious Forest er 2.5X, which comes in at R385 000 and these days is really good looking.

Guess the wheels # 5

ALWYN VILJOEN THEIR idea will not stop the overloaded mom in the big Fortuner from accidentally banging her door into your car, but it will stop your door from doing unto her as she did to you. The idea for a new car door brake system, called “iprotect”, was developed by Ger man high school pupils and will next be made by Kiekert, a leader in automotive clo sure system technology. Students at Cologne’s Erzbischoefliche Liebfrauenschule, Germany recently won first place in a “business@school” compe tition sponsored by the Boston Consulting Group. One out of every three sidedoor latches worldwide is based on a product design de veloped by Kiekert, which group sponsored the student team in the competition and will further develop and industrialise their innovation. “Our work with business@school, as well as our partnership programmes with universities throughout the world, helps us maintain our position as the technology leader in automotive locking systems,” said

The door ding stoppers, (from left): Severin Luhr (17), Leona Schultz (17), Marisa Jain (17), KarlBernd Burbach (teacher), Laura Krieglstein (16), Vincent Gramlich (15). PHOTO: SUPPLIED Dr Karl Krause, Kiekert’s CEO. The innovative “brake system” built into Kiekert’s iprotect system will stop car doors from slamming into parked cars, ga rage walls and other obstacles and poten tially could eliminate millions of irritating and often costly dings and dents. Kiekert admits their new sensorbased system will not stop other people from

opening their door onto your car, but said it will reduce costly insurance claims by au tomatically stopping car doors from strik ing other objects as they are being opened. The Cologne student group will retain patent rights to its basic, awardwinning technology as part of the “busi ness@school” programme and its partner ship with Kiekert.

BACK by popular demand — and this time firmly vintage — readers get to guess the wheels for a chance to get all nostalgic and maybe win this Car Ozonator. This little ozone maker is powered through a 12 Volt socket and will release 10 milli grams of ozone (O3) per hour into the interior of the car to kill airborne pathogens. De pending where you shop, devi ces like this retail for a few

hundred rand. For a chance to win the Ozonater, guess what car the lady with the 1960s dress is leaning against. (We kept it small in a failed at tempt to make it a bit harder!) The winner will be an nounced in the next edition of Wheels, the judges’ decision is final, and we like to corre spond, so feel free to tell us when you drove yours. Send you entry to alwyn. viljoen@witness.co.za

WitnessWheels MOTORING

July 30, 2015

The car that ran on brandy Chrysler took a leap of faith with the first jetpropelled motorcar SIMON HAW

Chrysler’s marketers also highlighted the new car’s ability to run on anything flammable. To demonstrate this, one of the cars shown in Paris ran sweetly on Chanel No. 5, while the Mexican president was able to fire up the Chrysler on tequila … The car brought to South Africa showed a predilection for Martell 5star brandy, allowing for an adaptation of the South African folk song to ‘Brannewyn laat my gaan’. PHOTO: CHRYSLER300CLUB.COM

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“I’M leaving on a jet plane,” warbled Peter, Paul and Mary plaintively in their 1970 hit cover of a 1966 John Denver song. A mere 10 years before the “Moun tain high” songsmith composed his ballad of bittersweet parting, the words would have been “I’m leaving on a pistonengined plane”, which somehow just does not cut it in the lyrics department. Just as much as it was the era of Vietnam, hippies, LSD and free love, the 1960s was the decade when the jet engine — or more accurately the gas turbine — came of age. It was therefore virtually inevita ble that someone would think of ap plying gas turbine technology to the everyday motor car. Rather appropriately it was Chrysler that took on the mantle of making the only serious attempt to provide everyman — and woman for that matter — with jetpropelled transport. Appropriate because Chrysler’s chief stylist in the 1950s, Virgil Exner, had something of a love affair with things aeronautical, as evidenced by the rather grotesque fins which tow ered at the rear of cars such as the 1959 Plymouth. In contrast to Exner’s exuberant designs, the bodies of the gas turbine car had a relatively restrained and ele gant design executed by Ghia of Tu rin, Italy and then shipped to the U.S. for completion. Chrysler’s plan was to build 55 cars. Five would be used for ongoing research while the re mainder would be handed over to some 200 ordinary Americans for re alworld testing, starting in 1963. Inevitably certain myths and leg ends surrounded the world’s first roadgoing jet car. Horror stories of Aunt Betty’s nylon stockings turned into a flaming inferno or of great fur rows of melted tar created by the fiery blast of the jet engine’s exhaust proved wholly fallacious. Chrysler’s energy recovery system in fact meant that the exhaust was

cooler than that emerging from one of its piston engines. Less favourable for the manufacturer was the myth that the car would be like a jet aero plane, incredibly fast and powerful. It was actually something of a sluggard in the performance stakes, with a noticeable amount of the sort of lag which used to afflict early tur bocharged engines. Besides the almost uncanny smoothness of the gas turbine, Chrysler’s marketers also highlight ed the new car’s ability to run on any thing flammable. To demonstrate this, one of the cars shown in Paris ran sweetly on Chanel No 5, while the Mexican president was able to fire up the Chrysler on tequila. The car brought to South Africa showed a predilection for Martell 5star brandy, allowing for an adapta tion of the South African folk song to “Brannewyn laat my gaan”. In fact seemingly the only thing the new car could not run on was leaded petrol — the tipple of choice for most of America’s gasguzzling leviathans of the 1960s. Another small drawback — less so in the 1960s than the subsequent decade — was that an owner was like ly to need the world’s entire supply of Chanel No. 5 for the French ma chine, while the Mexicans and South Africans would both require dedicat ed distilleries, as the Chrysler, at 21,4 litres to 100 km, was not exactly economical. If one added to this the fact that the new car had all the aural romance of a large vacuum cleaner, it was al ways going to be a hard sell to get Americans to give up their great, big, burbling V8s in order to embrace the jet age. And so it proved to be. Chrysler eventually abandoned the gas tur bine project entirely in the late 1970s and for various reasons all but nine of the 55 cars used for the 1960s trial were destroyed. Of the nine, only three are still running — the rest are museum pieces. All in all it proved to be a case of “Nice try, but no cigar!”

LAND ROVER PIETERMARITZBURG 9 Armitage Road, Pietermaritzburg. Tel: 033 897 8860. Email: landroverpmb@smg.co.za www.jaguarlandroverpietermaritzburg.co.za *Terms & Conditions Apply.

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Legendary American car collector Jay Leno leaves the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance in his Chrysler Turbine Car. PHOTO: YOUTUBE

Barons Pietermaritzburg act in your best interests. By Pieter from Maritzburg You can rest assured that in their quest of providing THE best Volkswagen sales, and after-sales, service to anyone living between Durban and the Drakensburg, the ‘Bespoke Volkswagen Dealers’ at Barons Pietermaritzburg will stop at nothing to protect their clients from bearing the brunt of interest rates.

Barons Pietermaritzburg continue to impress, even after all these years! Or should I say they are able to impress

Barons Pietermaritzburg act in YOUR best interests by taking said rates in to account when tailoring the deal to suit your budget and needs. By doing this they absorb the brunt of the interest so that you can continue to enjoy the quality and reliability of Das Auto Engineering and take advantage of the fuel efficiency and economy of BlueMotion Technology.

Barons VW Pietermaritzburg can be found at 9 Armitage Road. They are committed to bringing you quality cars and excellent service at the best possible prices ALL year round! To start hunting for your dream vehicle, visit www.baronsvwpmb.co.za. And to book a test drive or service call (033) 845 3100. Open Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm, and Saturdays 8am – 1pm.

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Polo Vivo 2012 Polo Vivo 1.4 5 Door 2013 Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door 2014 Polo Vivo 1.6 Trendline 5 Door 2014 Polo Vivo Sedan 1.4 Trendline 2014 Polo Vivo 1.4 5 Door 2014 Polo Vivo 1.6 GT Polo 2011 Polo 1.6 TDI Comfortline 5 Door 2012 Polo 1.2 TDI BlueMotion 5 Door 2012 Cross Polo 1.6 TDI 2014 Polo 1.4 Trendline 5 Door 2014 Polo GP 1.2 TSI Trendline 2015 Polo GP 1.2 Comfortline 5 Door 2015 Polo GP 1.2 TSI Highline 5 Door 2015 Polo GTI 1.8 TSI Golf 2011 Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion Comfortline 2011 Golf 6 GTI 2.0 TSI 2011 Golf 6 GTI 2.0 TSI R DSG 2014 Golf 7 2.0 TSI DSG 2015 Golf 7 1.4 TSI Comfortline 2015 Golf 7 GTI 2.0 TSI DSG Amarok 2011 Amarok Doible Cab 2.0 BiTDI Highline 2014 Amarok Double Cab BiTDI Highline 2015 Amarok Double Cab 2.0 TDI 4x2 132kW Other VW 2012 Jetta 1.6 TDI Comfortline 2012 Jetta 1.6 TDI Comfortline 2015 Jetta 1.6 TDI Comfortline Other 2010 Kia Cerato 2.0 Koup 2012 Nissan X-Trail 2.0 4x2 2012 BMW 320i Sportline 2013 Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro 2013 Chevrolet Utility 1.4 Sport 2013 Honda Jazz 1.3 Comfort 2014 Ford Figo 1.4 Ambiente

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An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Golf TSI 90kW Comfortline model in standard specifications. Instalment excludes optional extras and delivery fee, but includes monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 10 August 2015.

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80-point mechanical check 2-year / unlimited km warranty* Vehicle History Integrity Check Balance of VW Automation Plan Professional Vehicle Reconditioning

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km km km km km km

Grey Blue Silver Silver White Silver White White

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106 000 88 000 94 000 25 000 22 000 7 000 5 000 6 000

km km km km km km km km

White White Red Black White Grey

R 189 000 R 269 000 R 309 900 R 499 900 R 287 900 R 419 900

77 000 89 000 66 000 25 000 6 500 5 000

km km km km km km

Grey White White

R 259 000 R 399 000 R 420 000

111 000 km 23 000 km 4 800 km

Silver White White

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42 000 76 000 6 500

km km km

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Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4x2 Trend & Fun

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Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments

R4,994*

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Deposit

Balloon Payment

6% 30% (R21,750) (R108,750)

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

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An optional cost of R2150 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Tiguan 2.0 TDI 4x2 Trend & Fun in standard specifications. Instalment excludes optional extras and delivery, but includes initiation and monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 10 August 2015.

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0% Deposit on the Polo Vivo 1.4 from R2,068*per month. The Polo Vivo 1.4 standard features include: -

5-speed manual Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with EBD Driver and passenger airbags Alarm/ Electronic immobiliser Model

Vehicle Price

Polo Vivo 1.4 Conceptline

R145,700

Central locking system with remote key Air-conditioning Height and reach adjustable steering column Power steering

Monthly No. of Instalments Instalments

R2,068*

Interest Rate Linked / Variable

Deposit

Balloon Payment

Total Cost Incl fees & VAT

8.32%*

37.4% (R54,492)

R203,389 R223,422 R235,604

Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline

R160,900

R2,299*

8.3%*

36% (R57,924)

Polo Vivo 1.4 Eclipse

R169,900

R2,423*

8.3%*

36% (R61,164)

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*The advised price exclude the 2 year Mastercars Warranty. The Mastercars Warranty is available as an option and is a contract between the customer, an insurer and administrator. This extended Warranty is not available for all Amarok and Light Commercial Vehicle models. Terms & conditions apply. While stocks last.

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Front, side and curtain Airbags Electronic Park Brake with Auto-hold High-Beam Control “Light Assist”

An optional cost of R900 incl VAT will be charged for metallic paint. Note: *Linked to FNB prime rate, currently 9.5%. Note: Offers calculated on the Polo Vivo 1.4 Conceptline, Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline and Polo Vivo 1.4 Eclipse models in standard specifications. Price excludes optional extras and delivery fee, but includes monthly administration fee of R57. Subject to bank approval. Information subject to change without prior notification. All finance offers are subject to credit approval from Volkswagen Financial Services. Volkswagen Financial Services South Africa Proprietary Limited trading as Volkswagen Financial Services an Authorised Financial Services and Credit Provider. NCRCP6635. Terms and Conditions apply. All the above is subject to price increase and valid until 10 August 2015.

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WitnessWheels FUTURE TRENDS MOTORING

July 30, 2015

NEW CAR DESIGNERS SHOW IMAGINATION IS THE ONLY LIMIT FOR FUTURE TRANSPORT SHAPES

Three designs found on the 3D creation website Behance show what the next generation of car designers are dreaming up. In London, UK, Jans Slapins went fullout steampunk on this hot rod, perhaps dreaming of escaping that dreary, congested and overpriced city. PHOTOS: BEHANCE

Scott Schenone doodled this cheerful little snow crawler to counteract a cold winter in Chicago. ‘It is still a work in progress; I plan on animating it bouncing and bobbling through the harshest terrain in the most comical way possible,’ he wrote. The crawler opens with a ramp in the rear, which makes this design ideal for wheelchairs.

When hubwheels on custom electric cars become commonplace, expect a few of Adolf Shahverdyan’s whimsical kombis to appear on streets — albeit with higher bumpers. The 3D designer lives in Yerevan in Armenia, proving the country did not just give the world its best apricots and worst Kardashians.

Twostroke generator New patent by Honda suggests a simple, clean, overstroked engine that can burn diesel LOZ BLAIN TWOSTROKES are far simpler machines than fourstroke en gines. They’re also lighter, easier to work on, and downright angrier, pumping out a lot more power per cubic centimetre of displace ment, which has won them a lot of fans. But they’ve had a reputation for belching out a fair bit of smoke and unburnt fuel, a situation that just couldn’t fly alongside tightening emissions regulations around the world, so

they’ve fallen out of favour. But now there’s hope. Earlier this month, Honda submitted a patent application for a brand new twostroke motor that uses direct fuel injection for a cleaner burn and better piston cooling. We may yet see a resurrection of the ringdingers. Uncovered by eagleeyed pat ent hawks at Morebikes, the new patent describes a new two stroke engine with a fuel injec tion system mounted on the back of the cylinder, pointing upwards toward the back wall of the cylin der bore.

The injector is set to spray the fuel when the piston is near top dead centre, so that unburnt fuel won’t get swept out with the ex haust gases, and the fuel is aimed such that the cylinder and piston can both be partially cooled as the fuel evaporates against them. Honda believes this design can help eliminate some of the com plexity of other injected two stroke designs, helping bring the production and maintenance costs down and potentially mak ing them relevant for manufac ture again. It’s widely believed that

Plastic road holds many benefits

Husqvarna and KTM, among others, are sitting on injected twostroke motor designs and waiting on the right time to de but something. But word is KTM expects its injected twostrokes to be so complex that they’ll end up being as expensive and heavy as a four stroke engine, which could well kill demand. Perhaps with this design, Hon da has managed to break down some of that complexity and find a package that can welcome the braappers back into the modern motorcycle landscape.

But language in this Honda patent, as well as the design drawings, suggest that this might not be conceived as a motorcycle engine at all — at least, not in its current form. In the first background para graph of the application, Honda states that “the twostroke en gine is often preferred over the fourstroke engine in the field of general purpose engines because of the simplicity in the structure”. The diagram included would seem to show a longstroke en gine with a pushrod valve system and a thick mounting flange at

the bottom. In addition, the pat ent wording states that “the liq uid fuel may consist of diesel oil or any other fuel that is provided with a lubricating property”. All of which points toward an industrial generatortype ma chine rather than a highper formance motorcycle engine. Even so, it shows Honda is still looking to innovate and develop in the twostroke world — and there is most certainly a market that would love to see efficient, clean twostrokes come into the modern era. Stay tuned. — Gizmag.

Cuppa Joe to go, Swedish style

ALWYN VILJOEN DUTCH construction firm VolkerWessels has come up with a way to recycle plastics and built better roads to boot. The company has developed a modular PlasticRoad, which con cept it says is in line with develop ments such as Cradle to Cradle and The Ocean Cleanup: the ini tiative to free the seas of ‘plastic soup’. The PlasticRoad is still an idea on paper at the moment; the next stage is to build it and test it in a laboratory to make sure it’s safe in wet and slippery conditions and so on. “We are looking for partners who want to collaborate on a pilot — as well as manufac turers in the plastics industry,” the company said. While still at a concept stage, VolkerWessels is looking for cit ies to help develop a prototype to test the road in real world ap plications. The company said their PlasticRoad is “virtually mainte nance free”, as it is unaffected by corrosion and the weather. The road structure handles temperatures as low as 40 de grees and as high as 80 degrees Celsius with ease. It is also much more resistant to chemical corro sion than tar. Simon Jorritsma, adviser at In fraLinQ, told Wheels the Plastic Road is different from roads laid with a mix of tar and crumbed

The latest product from Sweden’s Nordic Society For Invention and Discovery is going for a pledge of about R37 800 on Indiegogo. The mini trailer contains coffee plants for fresh coffee beans, but is considered a marketing gimmick. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Artist impression of a modular plastic road concept by Dutch construction company VolkerWessels. PHOTO: SUPPLIED tyres, being more durable. VolkerWessels estimates their plastic road will last three times longer than normal roads, which means less road maintenance and the ensuing traffic jams. Because sections of the road could be prefabricated and in stalled on sand in a single piece, the company claims construc tion time for roads would be cut from months down to weeks. T he material would also be

lighter and allow better control over factors like road stiffness and water drainage, while a hol low space within could be used for all sorts of things. The moulded casts can also in tegrate other elements like pizoid generators to make power through impact of wheels, or conventional traffic sensors, measuring equipment, and even heaters to melt snow in cold countries.

BEN COXWORTH IT was just this January that we heard about Wheelys 2, an elec tricassist cargo trike that dou bles as a mobile coffee shop. Al though it provides pretty much everything that its owner might need to run their own business, its designers are now introduc ing the improved Wheelys 3. Like the nonelectric Wheelys 1 and 2, the Wheelys 3 is the product of Sweden’s Nordic Society For Invention and Discovery (NSID). It comes with a fridge com

partment; a siphonstyle coffee brewer; a 10litre coffee ther mos; a batteryboosting solar panel; and a basin for catching spills. There are also three bunsen style burners. The temperature of those burners is wirelessly controlled using a custom app, which can also be used for things like keep ing track of customer orders and handling payments — including ones made by Bitcoin. The taps run hot and cold and an optional extra is a mini towable greenhouse that can

give a cupful of beans. Are many owners likely to use that? Probably not. It could be a useful marketing gimmick, though. NSID is now raising produc tion funds for the Wheelys 3, on Indiegogo. A pledge of $2 999 (R37 800) will get you one, when and if they’re ready to roll. Operators purchase the trike, pay a monthly franchise fee, and then regularly receive the coffee beans and other brandspecific supplies needed to run the busi ness. — Gizmag.

MOTORING WitnessWheels BIKING

July 30, 2015

New Africa Twin for the wild at heart HONDA has released more de tails of the new 1 000 cc adven ture motorcycle CRF1000L Afri ca Twin, due for launch in Eu rope later this year. The CRF1000L Africa Twin is thoroughly equipped for true adventure, with a potent engine and dynamic chassis ready to cover continents on or offroad.

The new 1 000 cc adventure motorcycle CRF1000L Africa Twin. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

Leaning into the future Piaggio, KTM to develop narrow track trikes and quad bikes with wheel tilting ALWYN VILJOEN PIAGGIO and KTM will coordinate a €6,9 million (R93 million) project to build leaning bikes to help decongest Eu ropean cities. Piaggo already sells the MP3 leaning trike while KTM has the Freeride electric scrambler. Under an initiative called Range of Electric Solution Lcategory Vehicles (Resolve), they will lead a 13member group tasked by the European Union to develop narrow track trikes and quad bikes with wheel tilting for European cit ies by 2020. The two largest bike builders in Eu rope will work with Bosch and Magneti Marelli and five universities to make electric bikes to lure drivers out of one person cars and onto smaller electric transport units that emit no exhaust fumes in the city. The bikes will have 4 kW electric mo tors and a top speed of 45 km/h. The

Europe’s mode of citizen transport by 2020. Double tilting wheels up front provide a lot of stability and grip in corners and at a stroke remove the motorists’ fear that the bike will lose grip or slide. PHOTO: CORDIS double tilting wheels up front provides a lot of stability and grip in corners and at a stroke remove the motorists’ fear that the bike will lose grip or slide. The Community Research and Devel opment Information Service (Cordis)

said in a statement this shift in city wheels will not be without challenges, the main one being that most car drivers do not consider bikes either a viable or comfortable mode of transport. Hence the Resolve mission to make

bikes so cheap, safe and easy to ride that only a dunce driver will want to fume in traffic. Or in Cordis’s more diplomatic state ment: “The project will develop compo nents and systems that meet the very low cost requirements for the segment, par ticularly modular and scalable LVspe cific electric powertrains and battery ar chitectures. At the same time the project will deliver an exciting and attractive ELV driving experience by proposing new concepts (tilting and narrow track), while keeping the vehicle energy con sumption at very low level.” Cordis said all these advances will be demonstrated in two tilting fourwheel ers, although even cheaper electric scooters will also form part of the pro gramme. Piaggo is coordinating the process, which started with the Horizon 2020 in novation program, an €80 billion initia tive aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.

Kibo aims to revolutionise Kenya’s bike taxi industry TRISTAN MCCONNELL NAIROBI — When U.S. President Bar ack Obama visited Nairobi last this week to open an international business con ference, motorbike taxi driver Evans Ma kori watched him drive by, hoping his dreams come true. The 35yearold father of two boys is a fan of new motorbike venture Kibo, which aims to build bikes fit for Kenya’s roads and turn their drivers into small business owners. While in Nairobi, Obama addressed the Global Entrepre neurship Summit where the focus was on smart, educated young people with “techy” dreams. DANGEROUS ‘BODASBODAS’ Manufacturing and the proletarian aspi rations of motorbike taxi drivers are as important if Kenya is to grasp its poten tial. Kenya’s motorbike taxis, popular but dangerous, are as likely to land you in the casualty department as get you to a meeting on time. Known as boda bodas, they’re cheaply made, poorly maintained and badly driven. Kibo hopes to change all that, turning out sturdy bikes in Kenya and providing maintenance, road safety and business training as well as microfinance loans. Huib van de Grijspaarde, a 40year old Dutch entrepreneur, said: “Motorcy cle taxis transport people and goods at

an affordable price, creating mobility at the bottom of the pyramid.” For him the project is about easing the flow of people and goods and releasing the entrepreneurial spirit by turning renterriders into owners. BAD ROADS, HEAVY LOADS As in many other African countries, mo torcycles in Kenya are meant for work, not play. It’s not unusual to see a generic 125 cc Chinese bike bouncing along a potholed road carrying two adults, plus the driver, or loaded with piles of sacks. Or the bike may be so laden with chickens that it looks like a motorised hen, or maybe it’s racing in the wrong direction along a triplelane motorway. Kibo’s 150 cc motorcycle was built for bad roads and heavy loads: it’s long and tall with a strong tubular exoskeleton, heavyduty suspension and offroad tyr es. Riders who join the programme will also be equipped with helmets, padded jackets and reflective vests. Makori rides a cheap, imported 125 cc Skygo bike from his usual waiting area at Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium. He pays the equivalent of R49 a day to rent the bike and earns a profit of around R74 a day, after fuel. He has a couple of dozen regu lar clients as well as daily passing trade. ‘KIBO IS SOMEHOW DURABLE’ He’s taken with the Kibo bike’s design:

Kenya’s motorbike taxis, popular but dangerous, are as likely to land you in the casualty department as get you to a meeting on time. Known as boda bodas, they’re cheaply made, poorly maintained and badly driven. Kibo hopes to change all that, turning out sturdy bikes in Kenya and providing maintenance, road safety and business training as well as microfinance loans. PHOTO: SUPPLIED “I dream of that motorcycle every day. The roads here in Kenya are not good, the infrastructure is not friendly, but the Kibo is somehow durable.” But it is the promise of ownership, of being his own boss, that is most attract ive. “I didn’t look at the money, I looked at that motorcycle as a bridge that can take me from one place to another.” It’s ambition such as that of Makori that attracted Grijspaarde to Kenya rath er than, for instance, Ghana where he was “discouraged by the lack of entre preneurship and drive”. Makori said: “The Kenyan mindset

was an important element.” NOT YET IN AFRICA Kibo is built for Africa, but not yet in Africa. User groups of riders, owners, passengers and mechanics were con vened in 2011 to work out what was wrong with current machines. The bike was designed in Holland, going through eight iterations before arriving at the K150, which will be available later in 2015. Its 256 parts are made in China, Eu rope and Taiwan, shipped to Kenya, and assembled in 50 steps in the Kibo facto ry, in the industrial and shackland sprawl

UNDER THE TANK The CRF1000L Africa Twin’s 1 000cc parallel twin power plant draws heavily on Honda’s offroad race experience in the form of the CRF250R/450R competition machines, and uses the same fourvalve Unicam head design for compact overall dimensions. A lightweight cast camshaft operates the valve train, and twin spark plugs fire the fuel/air mixture in each combustion chamber. A 270° phased crankshaft gives the power delivery a dis tinct character as well delivering excellent feel for rear wheel traction. Biaxial primary balance shafts cancel vibration. MINIMUM BODYWORK The longtravel Showa inverted forks are fully adjustable and feature dual radialmount Nissin fourpiston brake calipers and 310mm “wave” style floating discs. The Showa rear shock has hydraulic spring preload adjust ment. Like the CRF450R Rally, the CRF1000L Africa Twin uses 21/18inch front rear spoked wheels, wearing 90/9021 and 150/7018 tyres. Prices will be announced close to the Africa Twin’s arrival at local dealers. — WR. between downtown Nairobi to the city’s airport. Henk Veldman, managing director of Kibo Africa, explained: “Kibo is aiming to produce 10 000 bikes a year by 2019. To scale up production we have to move manufacturing to Kenya.” The bike is expensive at about R37 000 and paid off over two years. The amount is similar to what Makori pays in rental fees over the same period but at the end the rider owns the bike and all the profit that follows. The most popular imported bikes cost around R13 000 but are barely useable after two years of being overloaded and driven on Kenya’s awful roads. The Kibo is designed to run for much longer with maintenance a core part of the plan and — as important — business training. Veldman said: “You’re an entrepre neur now with money coming in and out. You need to think about customer rela tions.” For bodaboda passengers the experi ence is often hairraising and rarely pleasant, especially for women. Male drivers with often poor personal hygiene have a habit of squeezing the brake hard when a female passenger is on board, causing her to lurch forwards and press her body, unwillingly, against him. This was one of the main gripes among fe male passengers in the user groups. Safety is also built into the bike, from the strong external frame to the fuel tank’s unusually high position designed to discourage the placing of packages, or children, on it. Grijspaarde said: “It’s about saving lives, improving road safety and enabling the building of a business through own ership of a good asset.” — Wheels24.

WitnessWheels MOTOR SPORTS MOTORING

July 30, 2015

Four of the South African women who could be nominated for to take part in the fiveday training session in Doha, Qatar, for a chance to win a fully sponsored drive in the 2016 Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar. The are from left Jolinda Fourie, Lizelle van Tonder, Sandra Labuschagne and Sune Kriel. PHOTO: KEINO DAVIE

Chance to go crosscountry racing in Qatar for fast women under 35 CHARMAINE FORTUNE SOUTH African women have been invit ed to take part in a selection camp that would see a female competitor win a fully sponsored drive in the 2016 Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar. The selection camp, an initiative by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federa tion (QMMF) in association with the

FIA Women In Motorsport Commis sion (WIMC), aims to support and promote the participation of women in motorsport. FIA National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) have been invited to nominate competitors between the ages of 18 and 35 to take part in the fiveday training session in Doha, Qatar in November this year.

The selection camp will combine practical testing and an educational pro gramme. At the completion of the camp a driver will be chosen to compete in the Sealine Cross Country Rally next year. “The selection camp is an exciting op portunity by Qatar Motor and Motorcy cle Federation (QMMF) and we are hop ing a number of South African competi tors will show an interest,” said Sanora

CEO Richard Schilling, who also heads the FIA Cross Country Commission. “Cross country racing in South Africa plays an influential role in the sport on an international basis, and it would be great to see this influence spread to fe male competitors in this country. “Sanora will do all it can to support female competitors who would like to take advantage of the opportunity of

fered by the selection camp.” A number of female competitors are currently active in the Donaldson Cross Country Championship, and in the Northern Regions and KwaZuluNatal regional championships. The next round of the Donaldson na tional series is the Nkomazi 450, in Mal alane, Mpumalanga, on August 7 and 8. — SA Rally Exco.

Hackers send wakeup call Car builders respond fast to remote vehicle takeover ALWYN VILJOEN FIAT Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) this week responded to an article in Wired Magazine that reported how two legend ary hackers took over a Jeep Cherokee while it was driving, and then pretty much did what they wanted with the big ute, including stalling it in front of a speeding truck. Two things need to be noted about this news — it took legendary hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek years of studying systems to get to the point where they could hack into cars remote ly; and both are consulting to the auto motive industry to close the security loopholes they find. FCA reassured drivers in South Africa the loophole in this case, a cellular mo dem embedded in the cars, is not availa ble in Fiats, Jeeps or Chryslers sold out side of the U.S., since international mar kets are currently not offering the same connectivity features as the U.S. market vehicles. The automaker said in a state ment: “FCA has a dedicated team from System Quality Engineering focused on identifying and implementing software best practices across the company glo bally. The team’s responsibilities include development and implementation of cy bersecurity standards for all vehicle content, including onboard and remote services.” The group has already made available a patch to close the loop, which more than 150 000 owners in the U.S. can acti vate either at a dealer or by inserting a USB drive into their audio systems. Ca dillac and Infinity, which have the same vulnerability, according to the hackers, have not yet made public their reaction.

A journalist ended up coasting into a ditch after hackers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek showed how they could take over any vehicle with a GPS link.

Only the start was sunny as the rest of the Total 24hour Spa endurance race in Belgium took place in sodden conditions. Nick Catsburg, Markus Palttala and Lucas Luhr raced their #46 BMW Z4 (inset) faultlessly to complete 536 laps for a win on home soil. PHOTOS: NEWSPRESS

Audi ready to produce R8

PHOTO: WIRED

Both Miller and Valasek are based in Missouri, and the pair challenged their usual victim, Wired reporter Andy Greenberg to submit to another hacking test in a car. In 2013, they cabled up to a Ford Escape and a Toyota Prius and disabled brakes, activated the hooter, the pretensioner on the seat belt and the electric steering wheel motor. But back then they needed to plug into the vehicles’ onboard diagnostic port to hack these systems and the car industry largely ignored their warning. Two years later, “carjacking has gone wireless”, wrote Greenberg, explaining the hackers have now sent out a wakeup call to the industry by showing how they can find and take over any Chrysler car with Uconnect anywhere in the U.S. With Greenberg, the hackers first turned on the cold air, then they turned the volume up full, playing Kanye West through the stereo and finally they flashed up a picture of themselves on the car’s console and set the windscreen wipers going full blast, squirting clean ing fluid onto the windscreen to make

it difficult to see. Greenberg thought the photo was a nice touch, but was left feeling powerless by all the other tricks, which it turned out were just the warmup for the main event. The hackers next turned off the engine, leaving Greenberg coasting slower and slower on a busy freeway as a big truck raced up behind him. Greenberg finally steered the car onto the shoulder of the highway, only to find he had no brakes as he helplessly slid the twoton Jeep into a ditch. The pair have since showed FCA how to close the digital loophole, but they can still track cars without using the patch through onboard GPS, plotting on a map in real time just like they do in any Bond movie. Since the article appeared last week in Wired, the U.S. Senate set new digital security standards for cars and trucks. The senate stated it was not in re sponse to the hackers’ wakeup call, but as part of a general effort to ensure stan dards of digital safety and privacy of cars within the next five years.

AFTER all four new Audi R8 LMS cars Corse Ferrari of Bruni, Pier Guidi, Lém saw the checkered flag in a sodden 24 eret and Lathouras moved up during the Hours Spa in Belgium last weekend, Audi night to eventually take an emphatic said it will in September produce the new class win and fifth overall to boot. Audi R8 LMS on four continents. The sister car, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari Audi took second and third overall, of Guedes, Rigon, Cameron and Griffin, plus a class victory in the Spa 24, behind finished two laps down in second, but the home team of BMW Sports Trophy that was more than enough for Duncan Team Marc VDS. Cameron and Matt Griffin to wrap up The #46 BMW Z4 driven by Nick the 2015 ProAm Cup drivers’ title in the Catsburg, Markus Palttala and Lucas Blancpain Endurance Series. AF Corse Luhr completed 536 laps, taking fastest did the same in the teams’ classification. lap for good measure, crossing the line The Am Cup was dominated by the a lap ahead of the #2 Audi Sport Team #24 Team Parker Racing Audi, which led WRT in a typically eventful race in almost from start. changeable weather. Loggie, Westwood, McLeod and Third was the #5 Audi Sport Team Simonsen crossed the line with a two Phoenix, who claimed the last podium lap advantage over a very consistent #56 spot one hour from the end when the Attempto Racing Porsche and the #111 #99 Rowe Racing Mercedes was pushed Kessel Racing Ferrari. — WR. into the box with a broken alternator. SELLING CV JOINT All other candidates for ANYTHING the win lost time due to SPECIALISTS technical problems or com for CV joints, ball joints, pletely fell by the wayside tie rod ends, wheel bearings. after an incident, especially Advertise it during the tricky condi 339 GREYLING STREET for FREE at tions of the early hours. Pmb. 033 342 9174/75 www.olx.co.za In ProAm, the #47 AF

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