In spite of many weeks of forced shutdown during the first half of 2020, Perodua bounced back in the second half to not only make up for the lost period of sales but even managed to exceed its forecast of 210,000 units by 10,154 units for a total of 220,154 vehicles (registered nationwide).
The achievement was helped by the government’s PENJANA stimulus program which gave exemption of sales tax to the auto industry, and for Perodua customers, that meant saving the 10% normally imposed. As reported recently, the sales tax exemption has been extended and will be allowed up till the end of June 2021.
“We thank all Malaysians for choosing Perodua and the government for extending the sales tax exemption under PENJANA to sustain the sales momentum which the automotive industry is now enjoying,” said Perodua President & CEO, Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad.
Measures to protect customers and employees are in place at all Perodua outlets in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures specified by the Health Ministry.
He added that Perodua manufactured 220,968 vehicles in 2020 despite temporarily halting production between March and May 2020 due to the Movement Control Order (MCO). “Despite this, the tax exemption introduced in June 2020 succeeded in spurring car buyers’ interest that was able to sustain the players as well as the local automotive ecosystem,” he said.
One million EEVs
“Perodua also hit the one million Energy-Efficient Vehicle (EEV) milestone in November 2020 – exactly two years after achieving the first half-million. This further solidifies our position as Malaysia’s largest EEV manufacturer,” said Dato’ Zainal.
Besides being busy selling and delivering new vehicles, Perodua also upheld its role as a good corporate citizen by providing protective equipment and other necessities to hospitals, schools and government agencies during the year in support of the fight against COVID-19.
The better-than-expected sales achievement had a direct positive impact on the Malaysian automotive ecosystem, helping both independent parts suppliers and dealers weather the challenges in 2020. Perodua has always been mindful of the need to help its suppliers and dealers to maintain a healthy business position.
Dato’ Zainal said that for now, Perodua will continue to fulfil outstanding orders and push for higher sales in 2021. The target for the year will be announced later on.
To locate a showroom to view, test or buy a Perodua vehicle, visit www.perodua.com.my.
Like Volvo (and Saab), Polestar is a Swedish brand and ‘lives’ in a region with a lot of snow and ice as well as long periods of darkness in the winter months. As such, the cars that it has developed would have received a lot of extra attention relating to grip, stability and of course cabin insulation, among other things. After all, the engineers who go to work daily experience extremely cold and slippery conditions which they would want to ensure the cars they develop are safe in such conditions.
Lighting is also very important, not only to illuminate the road ahead but also make the car visible to others. Even in the daytime, the lighting levels may be low, reducing when it snows. So the designers also pay extra attention to the lighting systems and the Polestar 2 electric performance fastback gets highly advanced lighting technology.
Pixel LED Headlights
For example, the Polestar 2 ‘Launch Edition’ comes with standard Pixel LED headlights, an active high beam technology as well as a ‘welcome sequence’ that activates when the vehicle is unlocked. A total of 84 individual LED pixels form a matrix in each lamp; within this matrix, each LED is controlled individually.
In turn, this allows the headlights to shade out their light in the path of up to 5 leading or oncoming vehicles when in motion. The functionality allows the driver to leave their lights on high beam, enabling maximum forward visibility at all times without blinding other road users, and without having to think about switching between modes.
“When you drive Polestar 2, especially in the dark, you really understand how much this technology increases safety,” explained Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath. “LED lighting also allows for creativity, and the light signatures we have designed are unmistakable. They are distinctive and people will know you are driving a Polestar.”
Front foglights with cornering support utilize energy efficient LED technology and activate automatically at low speeds according to steering or turn signal input, further enhancing visibility when maneuvering the vehicle.
Intelligent rear lighting technology
At the rear of the Polestar 2, the signature rear lighting has no less than 288 LEDs in a distinctive full-width wrap-around light bar, featuring unique welcome and farewell lighting sequences. The rear light bar includes adaptive lighting technology. In daylight, the brightness is increased to ensure optimal visibility of the light signature. At night, the LEDs automatically dim to prevent drivers behind from being dazzled.
Only if regulations permit
Pixel LED technology is available for all markets but only if regulations allow. At present, regulations in the USA do not allow such functionality so the cars sold there will not have it. However, should the regulations change in future, the feature can be activated with a software update. Owners won’t even have to bring their cars to a service centre for this as it can be transmitted over-the-air (OTA) free of charge. OTA updates for other systems can also be provided, ensuring that the car operates optimally all the time.
The owl isn’t known for any speed records but there is one ‘owl’ that has an acceleration record. It’s the Aspark Owl and was recently confirmed as the quickest accelerating car in the world – 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 1.72 seconds, set at the Misano World Circuit in Italy. It is also the first Japanese all-electric hypercar to go into production for commercial sale.
“It’s a great honour for us to announce this achievement, reached in a record time,” said Aspark CEO Masanori Yoshida. “In 2015 when we decided to start this project, no one believed it could have been done”.
From concept to production in 3 years
The Owl was first shown as a concept in 2017 and a production prototype was displayed at the 2019 Dubai Motor Show. The original plan had been to start first deliveries in the second quarter of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the schedule. Production is now underway with a limited series of 50 cars to be available worldwide, each one priced from 2,900,000 euros (about RM14.4 million). The Owl will be offered by selected dealers in North America, Europe and Japan, as well as the Middle East.
The hypercar is the product of Aspark, a Japanese company which ventured into car manufacturing in recent years. The company was founded in 2005 by Yoshida and has global operations providing engineering and R&D services for the automotive industry, as well as for electronic, industrial and medical sectors. It has a Technology Development Centre in Japan and also carries out development and production of the Owl hypercar in Turin, Italy.
The Owl is the first of a series of extreme and disruptive automotive projects planned by the Osaka-based company. It has the most powerful powertrain with 4 electric motors ever made. The rotational speed of each motor is 15,000 rpm, said to be the fastest in the world.
They produce a total output of 1,480 kW (2012 horsepower), with maximum torque of around 2,000 Nm. That’s 3 times more power than Formula E electric racing cars and 2 times more than today’s Formula 1 cars.
Unique Battery Monitoring System
The centrally mounted unique shape of the battery pack is specifically designed and developed for the Owl. The lithium-ion battery pack has a total capacity of 1,300 kW and can be charged within 80 minutes with 44 kW system.
One of the strongest characteristics of the battery pack is the Battery Monitoring System, which continuously monitors the level of each cell and protects the battery from overcharge, over-discharge, overheat and more. This safety device keeps the battery system under automatic control.
Carbonfibre monocoque structure
The chassis of the Owl is a single piece carbonfibre monocoque structure. The overall weight of the chassis is only 120 kgs. Honeycomb features are used on the chassis in order to absorb the shock as much as possible and to increase the safety. The body of the Owl, weighing 180 kgs, is completely made with the highest quality level of CFRP, which has high stiffness, an extreme level of lightness and a great beauty.
Stainless steel frames under the carbonfibre roof and a combination of steel frames with high stiffness ensure maximum safety for the occupants in the cockpit in case the car rolls over. It is just 99 cm tall, but the ride height can be varied between 80 and 160 mm.
“By accelerating the final stage of the Owl project in Italy and establishing a new legal subsidiary in Switzerland (Aspark Promotion AG) dedicated to the hypercar business, Aspark reinforces its international presence outside Japan,” said Head of Sales and Communication, “We are not only delivering the premium-level hypercars to our customers, but we also take the full responsibility for aftersales, right level of warranty and full product liability.”
The first member of the Bentley Mulliner Coachbuilt portfolio – the Bacalar – is now undergoing final test, development and durability work ahead of the start of build next year of 12 pre-sold customer cars. The on-car validation programmes have been condensed into an extremely busy schedule covering 20 weeks, which started this month.
So far, the car – designated Bacalar Car Zero – has completed wind tunnel-based aerodynamic assessment, high speed stability and top speed testing, handling and dynamics evaluations, appraisal of noise and vibration, and careful thermal measurements. It now enters a period of ongoing customer-focused mileage accumulation and durability work, before a phase of climate cycle testing up to 80°C and an intensive electrical system validation.
The purpose-built engineering prototype and the first barchetta-style Bentley of the modern era is already accumulating mileage and passing crucial quality tests at a variety of locations around Europe.
All of this work is vital to sign-off the new and bespoke nature of the Bacalar. It incorporates a total of more than 750 new components, all of which have to pass Bentley’s exceptionally stringent quality, functionality and durability standards. More than 40 of those parts are crafted in carbonfibre, while a complement of nearly 100 are produced using rapid additive manufacture techniques.
“Very much like Blower Car Zero that we unveiled earlier, Bacalar Car Zero is the crucial prototype that we’re using to sign-off the design, engineering and craftsmanship of this ground-breaking part of Bentley Mulliner’s future. The Bacalar is a thoroughly modern iteration of the coachbuilt Bentleys of the past – extremely rare, entirely handcrafted, totally bespoke to each customer and exquisite in its details. The whole team behind the car is thrilled to see the prototype shrugging off every test we throw at it, and we’re really looking forward to starting the build of the 12 customer cars,” said Bentley’s Director of Mulliner, Paul Williams.
Each of the 12 cars (already sold) will be uniquely personalised to the requirements of the customer.
Just 12 examples of this striking, limited edition model are being created, guaranteeing rarity and exclusivity. The Bacalar looks to the future of bespoke luxury motoring as each model will be handcrafted according to the individual customer’s personal tastes.
This exceptionally rare car is appropriately named after Laguna Bacalar in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, a lake renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, continuing Bentley’s strategy of naming cars after remarkable landmarks which started with Bentayga in 2015.
Bentley Mulliner will personalise a car in any way specified by the customer… even with this rainbow finish.
The Bacalar brought to life by Bentley Mulliner is a roofless Barchetta design with all-new and highly muscular coachwork. Embracing a myriad of options and materials, each Bacalar will be truly unique, the result of direct interaction between the Bentley Mulliner design team and the individual customer.
The Bacalar features an enhanced version of Bentley’s 6-litre, W12 TSI engine. Claimed to be the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world, it produces 659 ps/900 Nm, delivered to the wheels through an advanced Active All-Wheel-Drive System. The system allows the Bacalar to use rear-wheel drive as much as possible during normal driving for optimum efficiency and dynamic performance.
The Bacalar shares no body panel with any other car in the Bentley model line-up and derives inspiration from the dramatic EXP 100 GT concept car conceived to mark the company’s centenary last year. Indeed, it only shares one exterior component with a Continental GT – the door handle, simply because it contains the keyless entry system.
EXP 100 GT concept
The rear clamshell, wings and top deck of the Bacalar are crafted from carbonfibre, while the doors are lightweight aluminium. Combined with the use of three-dimensional printing, it has allowed designers to create an even more distinctive car.
The exterior look of each model is completed in collaboration with individual customers, who have been able to further personalise their car, choosing from rare paint options, exterior treatments and design themes. The Bacalar represents a return to the exciting early years of Bentley, allowing owners to help shape the car of their dreams.
Some manufacturers provide it as a standard item, or their distributors/dealers will take the initiative and throw it in. The item referred to is the First Aid Kit and while it is not offered in every car in Malaysia, it is something which has been mandatory for passenger cars sold in Germany since 1970.
Although the requirement began 50 years ago, first aid kits were already being provided in cars as far back as the 1920s, the various medical items stored in a special pouch or container. In time, the items were standardised with the typical ones needed to treat minor injuries.
Vehicles in Germany had first aid kits even as far back as the 1920s.
It was an amendment to Article 35h of the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulation in 1969 which made it compulsory for a newly registered vehicle from 1970 onwards to have a first aid kit on board at all times. It had already been mandatory for buses and coaches to carry a first aid kit since August 1960.
Eventually, the regulation was extended to all vehicles, not just newly registered ones. Since January 1972, all vehicles in Germany have had to carry a first aid kit. Similar rules apply in many European countries today.
Inspected regularly by law
In Germany, the first aid kits in the vehicle are also checked as part of the statutory inspection. According to the TUV Rheinland testing authority, this became mandatory in January 1971. However, it appears that there was a lapse of attention to this detail for several years, and since 2012, the regulation has been given firm attention.
And it is not just checking whether there is a first aid kit but the inspectors also take a close look at whether it is complete. Furthermore, they also inspect materials’ expiry dates so owners must also be attentive to this aspect. While things like a scissors may not have an expiry date, some disinfectants and liquids may only last for a certain period and will need to be replaced.
The early first aid kits were kept in sturdy metal boxes but over time, soft pouches made of durable material came to be used. Plastic containers are also used as they can be shaped in any form, perhaps to suit a space in the boot more neatly. The individual items usually have their own packaging to protect them until they need to be used.
Typical items in a first aid kit for a Mercedes-Benz roadster.
Knowing how to give first aid
First aid kits won’t be really effective unless their contents are used properly. For this reason, it is important for drivers to know how to give first aid. As of 1970, the German Road Traffic Licensing Regulation made sure this was the case by also making a first aid course mandatory for those getting a driving licence. Successful completion of the course is proven by a certificate of ‘induction to emergency measures at the scene of an accident’, which is generally issued by large aid organisations which offer such courses.
While not directly related to the subject of first aid kits, the horrific accident which Romain Grosjean had at the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix in late November underlines the significance of having medical aid quickly on site. The arrival of the high-speed Mercedes-AMG F1 Medical Car within seconds of the accident and quick initiation of first aid measures by the trained crew likely saved the racing driver’s life.
The importance of quick medical aid was shown when Romain Grosjean had a terrible accident in Bahrain and the Mercedes-AMG F1 Medical Car arrived immediately, and the crew provided first aid which likely saved his life.
So if your vehicle comes with a first aid kit, be sure you know how to use it as you might one day save a life. If there is no such kit, perhaps you could consider getting one (they are available at pharmacies) to keep in the boot or glovebox.
