Motoring August 2015 by The Malta Independent

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The Malta Independent on Sunday • 30 August 2015

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The new Škoda Superb GreenLine: More than 1,100 miles on a single tank • New ŠKODA Superb GreenLine is the cleanest and most efficient Superb ever • 1.6 TDI 120PS engine returns 76.4mpg and emits just 96g/km of CO2 (Hatch) • Optimised aerodynamics and engine modifications deliver improved efficiency • World debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show – arrives in UK late 2015 KODA is set to add to its acclaimed GreenLine range with its most advanced and efficient model to date – the new Superb GreenLine. The latest addition to the recently-launched Superb range takes fuel economy and emissions to a new level, with a predicted combined consumption figure of 76.4mpg and CO2 emissions of just 96g/km for the Hatch and 97g/km for the Estate. These provide the new Superb GreenLine with a potential range of more than 1,100 miles on just one tank of fuel– comfortably enough to drive from Milton Keynes to Barcelona. The new Superb GreenLine will be unveiled to the public at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show and will be available in the UK later this year. The newcomer – which is the most fuel-efficient and cleanest Superb ever built – is powered by

a 1.6-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that develops 120PS and incorporates a host of advanced fuel-saving technologies and engineering features. As with all other Superb models, the GreenLine is equipped with start-stop ignition and brake energy recovery as standard. In addition, both Superb GreenLine models feature longer gear ratios, SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) and 16-inch reduced rolling resistance tyres. To meet strict European emission standards, the Superb utilises two exhaust gas treatment units: an oxidation catalytic

converter and a diesel particulate filter. Nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced through the Superb GreenLine’s SCR system, using the reducing agent AdBlue. This synthetically manufactured solution, 32.5% high-purity urea in demineralised water, treats the diesel exhaust gases, reducing nitrogen oxide and saving fuel. To further improve efficiency, the Superb GreenLine has been engineered with a unique aerodynamic package. The chassis sits 15mm lower than the standard Superb, while both the Hatchback and Estate models incorporate tailgate and roof

spoilers to efficiently channel air around the rear of the car. As a result of these subtle additions and revisions, both models have lower drag coefficients than the standard models (0.263 Hatch, 0.275 Estate). ŠKODA’s commitment to developing highly efficient, eco-friendly cars remains as strong as ever. All ŠKODA models are now available with the latest EU6 compliant petrol and diesel engines. Further details about the Superb GreenLine, including UK specification and prices, will be announced closer to the launch later this year.

Calling all FIAT 500 Owners! • 6th September Raduno for Malta’s FIAT 500 Family he FIAT 500 Club Italia, with the support of the Malta Automobile Club, will be visiting Malta for their annual Raduno with their 1970’s FIAT 500 and FIAT Malta wants to make this a big event so it is calling on all FIAT 500 owners to participate by exhibiting their car at Dock No. 1, Cospicua, on Sunday 6th September between 9.00am and 12.00noon. “The FIAT 500 is a growing family which today also includes models such as the 500 L and the recently launched 500 X. We have decided to join the FIAT 500 Club Italia because we would like to see the local 500 lovers unite as one big family on this special day to celebrate one common passion,”

said Francesca Mamo from UCIM Co, local representatives of FIAT. The event will in fact also be showcasing the newly launched Fiat 500X and the entire Fiat 500 family including the FIAT 500 Pop, the 500 Lounge, the 500L and of course the 500X. On this day, the public attending the event will also have the opportunity to avail itself of special offers and special prices on the entire Fiat 500 range including the star of the show, the FIAT 500X. On the day, FIAT will also be

offering test drives. “These special offers which we will be hosting on Sunday 6th September are particularly welltimed as they also coincide with the current Government Scrappage Scheme which also applies on all our FIAT models,” added Francesca Mamo. Since the side of Dock No. 1 in Cospicua is a limited space, all those FIAT 500 owners who wish to participate need to book their space by sending an email on fiatsales@ucim.com.mt or by phone

at our showroom on 23803100. FIAT 500 owners who will not have an opportunity to exhibit their car at Dock No. 1, may park their car at the car park in Triq ilKarmnu and Triq San Pawl outside Senglea Gates, and walk down to Dock No. 1. FIAT 500 Club Italia’s raduno ‘A MALTA IN 500’ will take place between Friday 4th and Sunday 6th September and is being hosted in collaboration with Regione Sicilia and the Malta Tourism Authority.

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 30 August 2015

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Aston Martin leads the way at • Glittering array of Aston Martin sports cars showcased at Blenheim Palace • Aston Martin Vulcan, ‘built for Bond’ DB10 and DBX Concept exhibited • DB9 GT,Vantage GT12,Vanquish and V12 Vantage S road cars also on show ston Martin is promising a headlinegrabbing line-up of elite sports cars, concepts and a James Bond-exclusive creation as it prepares to take a starring role at next month’s 10th anniversary Salon Privé Luxury Supercar Show & Concours d’Elégance. Leading the luxury British sport car maker’s extensive presence at the anniversary event – to be held this year for the first time in the magnificent surroundings of Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire – will be the Aston Martin Vulcan, a track-only supercar limited to just 24 examples worldwide and the brand’s most intense and exhilarating creation to date. The 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre, Aston Martin Vulcan is powered by the most potent iteration yet of the company’s naturally-aspirated, 7.0-litre V12 petrol engine and is predicted to be capable of sprinting from rest to 60 mph in less than three seconds, and achieving a top speed of more than 200mph.

DB10 – built for Bond Even more exclusive, in terms of its production numbers at least, is the DB10 sports car which will feature in the forthcoming Bond movie, Spectre. The car on show at Salon Privé has been developed specifically for the film and just ten examples

have been built. The design team worked closely with the film’s director, Sam Mendes, to create the ultimate car for the world’s most famous spy. Celebrating the brand’s half century association with Bond, which started with the iconic DB5, the DB10 also gives a glimpse to the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins.

DBX Concept defies convention Competing with its exclusive siblings for the ‘star of the show’ crown at Blenheim Palace in September will be the Aston Martin DBX Concept. Unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and rarely exhibited in the UK, the DBX Concept was conceived to defy conventional thinking about the luxury GT segment. Widening the appeal of the iconic British luxury brand, the DBX reaches out to a more diverse global audience than ever before. Imagined by Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman and his team at the brand’s global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the DBX Concept showcases not only cutting edge engineering but also a major evolution of Aston Martin’s worldrenowned and highly-regarded design language. Clearly signalling an extension to the brand’s existing model lines in

the future, the all-wheel drive DBX Concept seamlessly combines traditional Aston Martin beauty with elegant new engineering that gracefully aligns form and function. Capable of accommodating four adults in comfort, the DBX Concept also majors on day-today practicality. It boasts generous luggage capacity by virtue of the fact that its rear trunk and forward load bay – the latter with the appearance of a conventional ‘engine bay’ – can both accept passengers’ belongings.

Sumptuous sports cars

Alongside Aston Martin’s rare and exclusive small series cars and concepts at Blenheim Palace will be a generous selection of the brand’s mainstream models, including the Vanquish ultimate GT, extreme V12 Vantage S and the recently-unveiled DB9 GT. Also making an appearance will be an example of Aston Martin’s most extreme Vantage to date, the sold-out Vantage GT12, and the unique GREAT Britain Aston Martin Rapide S – created to support the GREAT Britain campaign which shows the world the very best Britain has to offer, in order to generate jobs and growth

for the UK. Commenting on the brand’s extensive offering at the 10th anniversary Salon Privé, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer said: “This impressive selection of new Aston Martin models, concepts and small series cars has never been seen in public together before. “I’m sure it will attract a great deal of attention, and prove a fitting highlight for Salon Privé’s 10th anniversary event.” Event co-founder David Bagley said: “We are very happy to see the return of one of the world’s most iconic luxury automotive

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 30 August 2015 • r e v i e w •

t Salon Privé Toyota safety sense features introduced for Aygo and Yaris here Toyotas are concerned, being small is no barrier to benefiting from the latest safety technology. The Aygo city car and Yaris supermini are now available with Toyota Safety Sense, providing a suite of features that can help prevent an accident appening, or reduce the severity of an impact. Toyota Safety Sense is being rolled out across the range. Aygo and Yaris customers can now specify the package as an option on their new car, adding to the models’ alreadyimpressive active and passive safety features. On Aygo, Toyota Safety Sense provides a lasercontrolled Pre-Collision System that warns the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle ahead (Forward Collision Warning) and readies Pre-Crash Brake Assist to deliver emergency braking as soon as the brake pedal is pressed. Should the driver fail to take action after the warning, the system will initiate Autonomous Emergency Braking to reduce speed by about 19mph, potentially bringing the car to a stop, to prevent a collision or reduce the force of impact. The Forward Collision Warning works at speeds

manufacturers, Aston Martin, who join us with a broad and prolific line-up of models this year. “The display – which comprises current production, concept and hypercar models – will sit proudly alongside a number of classic Aston Martin sports cars entered in both the Chubb Insurance

Concours d’Elegance and the Salon Privé Sale, thereby allowing guests to experience the heritage as well as future of this famous British luxury brand.” Salon Prive runs from Thursday 3 September to Saturday 5 September at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire

between 10 and 86mph, when the relative speed between the Toyota and the car ahead is greater than 10mph. The Pre-Crash Brake Assist functions at speeds between 19 and 49mph, with relative vehicle speeds greater than 19mph. For Autonomous Emergency Braking, the speed range is from seven to 49mph. A Lane Departure Alert function is also included. This monitors lane markings on the road and helps prevent accidents and head-on collisions caused by a vehicle moving out of its lane. If the car starts to deviate from its lane without the turn indicators being used, the system alerts the driver with visual and audible warnings. The same Toyota Safety Sense features are available for Yaris, together with Automatic High Beam. This detects both the headlights of oncoming vehicles, and the tail lights of vehicles ahead, automatically switching between high and low beams to avoid dazzling other drivers and improving the driver’s night-time vision. For more information on Toyota and its products visit the Toyota showroom situated in Mdina Road Zebbug log on the Toyota Malta Facebook page or call on 2269 4000

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 30 August 2015

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Latin NCAP confirms safety of the SEAT Leon range with five stars esting organisation Latin NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) has awarded the SEAT Leon ST its top five-star rating in a new test. The Latin American consumer protection body has thus confirmed the outstanding verdict reached by its European colleagues at Euro NCAP, which awarded the Leon ST Estate and the five-door Leon with five-star ratings in earlier testing. The high safety level, particularly in child protection, fits perfectly with the family-friendly attributes and excellent everyday usability of the SEAT Leon ST and also the whole Leon range. In accident safety for adult passengers, very good results were achieved for both driver and front seat passenger. Latin NCAP also judged that the airbags provided good head protection. The vehicle structure was stable and withstood even high loads. Child safety was tested with two dummies corresponding to a three year-old and an eleven-anda-half year-old child. The organisation judged that they, too, were well protected in an

accident. Full points were also awarded for the simple and reliable installation of child seats. Latin NCAP added the positive remark that the passenger airbag could be definitively deactivated to enable installation of a rearwardfacing child seat, with the airbag

status displayed to the driver. “SEAT is committed to guarantee the highest level of active and passive safety in all its models,” stresses Dr. Matthias Rabe, Vice President for Research and Development for SEAT S.A. “We are therefore extremely

satisfied with the outstanding ratings achieved by all the variations of the new Leon in the demanding tests conducted by the NCAP organisation in Europe and Latin America.” The SEAT Leon comes as standard with a comprehensive package of safety equipment. Alongside the electronic stability programme with anti-lock system, this includes seven airbags with a head airbag system front and rear and a knee airbag for the driver (option in Latin America). The SEAT multi-collision brake automatically slows down the vehicle after a serious collision in order to dissipate the remaining kinetic energy. If the airbag is deployed by the first collision, the electronic stability programme brakes the vehicles and activates the hazard lights. A series of optional assistance systems delivers further safety improvements. The SEAT lanekeeping assistant uses a camera in the front windscreen to identify lines on the carriageway and responds with corrective steering input in the event the vehicle threatens to leave the lane. The drowsiness detection system analyses the driver’s steering characteristics, continuously

evaluating signals such as steering angle and steering speed. The drowsiness detection registers deterioration in driver concentration, emits an acoustic signal and displays a symbol to recommend taking a break. Front Assist including city emergency braking function can avoid the risk of collisions by using a radar sensor to monitor the traffic in front of the vehicle. If the system identifies a critical risk of a rear-end collision at speeds of ca. 30 to 210 km/h, the assistant provides the driver with an acoustic and visual warning and primes the brake system for a possible braking manoeuvre. If necessary, the system automatically initiates braking – which can reduce the speed of a subsequent collision. During braking itself, “Front Assist” aids the driver and ensures – if necessary – that maximum braking force is applied. “Front Assist” can thus make a major contribution to protecting occupants and vehicle. The “city emergency braking function” can react with an emergency braking manoeuvre at the last minute before a rear-end accident at speeds of between 5 and 30 km/h.

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 30 August 2015

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Hyundai Motor’s new high performance sub-brand ‘N’ takes center stage at Frankfurt Motor Show • The sub-brand N will build new momentum for an exciting driving performance and provide emotional driving experience for customers • The latest motorsport challenger and two dynamic concepts will also be introduced at the Motor Show yundai Motor will showcase its high performance subbrand N at the Frankfurt International Motor Show 2015. The result of intensive testing and product development, the subbrand N builds on Hyundai Motor’s successful motorsport experiences and technology

capability to drive future performance-oriented and racetrack-capable models forward and bring ‘the most thrilling winding road’ fun to customers who truly love cars. The N builds on not just Hyundai Motor’s continued advancement as a primary competitor in World Rally Championship (WRC) but also on the company’s dedication

and investment to create striking and pioneering high performance cars. It capitalizes on Hyundai Motor’s fast-growing strength and signifies the pace of change within the brand, matching the company’s ambition to challenge perceptions by making real and emotional connections with customers. Highlighting Hyundai Motor’s passion for performance and engineering competency, a preview of the New Generation i20 WRC car will appear on stage during the motor show to demonstrate Hyundai Motor’s performance ambition. Based on the New Generation i20, the rally car is the first prototype for the vehicle that will challenge for the podium in the 2016 WRC. Already undergoing a punishing testing, engineering and

development regime, the new car is building up to its final rallyspecification ahead of its debut at the start of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship at Rallye Monte Carlo. Furthermore, an ultimate concept car showing the brand’s perspective on future performance characteristics will be introduced during the Motor Show. The ‘Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo’* concept highlights sustainable technology and race car design, truly representing the future potential of Hyundai N. Through this new concept, Hyundai Motor is engaging further with its fans and the online community by making Hyundai’s passion and performance accessible to millions of people around the world.

In addition, the Hyundai RM15 concept car will be displayed, representing the company’s passion for performance and suggesting how the Hyundai N driver-focused technologies could come into production. The midengine concept, with a 2.0-litre 300ps engine, is undergoing further developments to apply high-performance technology to Hyundai Motor cars in many exciting ways. Hyundai Motor’s press conference will take place in Hall 6 at 11:30 (CET) on Tuesday 15th September 2015. * Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo: This concept is a new project by Hyundai Motor to be coming exclusively to PlayStation®’s Gran Turismo video game series.

Opel Continues Successful Course in Europe • Opel posts Europe-wide growth of nine percent in June • Sales increase of three percent in first six months of the year • Registrations up in 20European countries pel remains on a successful course in Europe: according to the preliminary numbers for June, new car registrations increased by more than 9,800 vehicles compared to the same month of last year – an increase of 9 percent, resulting in new registrations of 118,600. The market share was at 6.35 percent. Opel’s result for the first six months of 2015 is also positive. From January to June, the carmaker sold 582,300 vehicles, an increase of three percent or around 18,400 units more than in the same period of 2014. This is equivalent to a

slightly improved market share of 5.9 percent. “The increase in volume in more than 20 markets in the first six months shows that our models appeal to the customers. The new Opel KARL, for which we have already received 30,000 orders, our personal connectivity and service assistant Opel OnStar will create additional impetus for further growth,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales

Opel Group. In the first half of 2015 Opel registered an increase in registrations in 20 European markets including Germany (+ 2 percent), the United Kingdom (+4 percent), France (+7 percent), Spain (+18 percent), Italy (+17 percent), Portugal (+21 percent), Poland (+20 percent) and Turkey (+ 36 percent). The brand registered an increase of market shares in more than 13 European markets..

In June, Opel conquered first place on the Hungarian passenger car market with a market share of 11.3 percent. The Rüsselsheim-based carmaker also took second place in the registration statistics in Austria (7.57 percent market share) and the Netherlands (8.1 percent market share. The Mokka once again led the way for the passenger car portfolio with an increase of more than 20,000 units or 28 percent. Corsa registrations were up by around 18,000 units or twelve percent followed by the ADAM with more 2,500 units or nine percent. Opel was extremely successful with its LCV portfolio from January to June. Registrations rose by 25 percent to 51,500 units. The market share increased by 0.56 percentage points to 4.03 percent. All three LCV lines recorded an increase in volume with the Movano up 34 percent, the Vivaro 27 percent and the Combo 15 percent. Opel is represented in Malta by Cars International in Mdina Road, Qormi. To have a first-hand experience of any Opel car and book a test drive send an email to opelsales@cil.com.mt or call 2269 2122. You can also visit opel.com.mt or the Facebook page Opel Malta.