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DENSO, a company within the Toyota Group, has developed an improved version of its Global Safety Package which is an active safety system designed to improve the safety of vehicles by giving them high sensing capability of their surroundings. The system is already in use in many Toyota Group models and this latest third generation will be offered from now on.

The Global Safety Package uses the combined performance of a millimetre-wave radar sensor and vision sensor to obtain data on the various objects ahead of the vehicle. The radar sensor detects the shapes of road objects, such as vehicles and guardrails, while the vision sensor uses a camera to detect the environment ahead of the vehicle. This data is then analysed at high speed by an on-board computer which will determine the situation ahead and whether any warnings are to be given to the drive, or actions taken to prevent an accident.

Radar Sensor
In the new Global Safety Package, the radar has a wider detection angle, longer detection range, and improved speed resolution. There are also improvements such as in-antenna design and in radio wave transmission efficiency. The wider angle of coverage can help avoid collisions at intersections, whether with other vehicles or pedestrians.

The sensor’s wider horizontal field of view also assists adaptive cruise control and lane changes over a broader speed range. Moreover, the product uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve sensing performance and assistance functions, such as headway distance control – the ability to maintain consistent distance between a preceding vehicle – and traffic sign recognition.

With reduced size and cost, this radar sensor has fewer installation requirements and can be used in more vehicle types and models. It uses fewer than half the number of parts compared to the previous generation. This has been achieved by integrating the antenna and power supply board, simplifying product structure and leveraging multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology, which allows for a smaller antenna with fewer channels to transmit and receive radio waves.

Vision sensor
The vision sensor is a high-sensitivity, high-resolution imager with a wider horizontal field of view and longer detection range. It employs AI technology to identify drivable areas, preceding vehicles, road signs, and other solid objects based on image data. Vehicles and pedestrians in all directions, including those ahead, behind, and to the side, can be detected.

Like the radar sensor, it has reduced size and cost. The downsizing  was achieved by integrating image processing and system control functions, which reduced the number of microcomputers used. The structural design has also been adjusted to control heat emitted from the processor, while the lens design has been revised.

DENSO will continue to improve its active safety systems to eliminate road accidents and provide stress-free mobility. This will be done using cutting-edge technology with an underlying objective of pricing the systems attractively so they can be installed in more vehicles.

Like most Italian carmakers, Maserati has motorsport in its long history. Twelve years after its founding by the Maserati brothers, Alfieri, Ernesto and Ettore, the first racing car to bear the Trident logo was the Tipo 26 which was entered in the 1926 Targa Florio in Italy. It won first place in its class with Alfieri at the wheel.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the Maserati garage built racing cars for sale all over the world, while also producing road cars with the high performance demonstrated on the racetracks. 31 years after Alfieri’s first victory, Juan Manuel Fangio won the Formula 1 World Championship with a Maserati in 1957. The last time Maserati entered a single-seater was with Maria Teresa De Filippis, the first woman to qualify in F1, who drove a 250F.

Maserati’s last appearance in racing was during the first decade of the 21st century with the MC12. Its teams won 22 races and 14 Championship titles across Constructors’ Championships, Drivers’ Championships and Teams’ Championships in the FIA GT from 2004 to 2010.

In 2023, the brand will again be seen on the starting grid of races as it joins the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023 for Season 9. It will be the first Italian brand to compete in Formula E, the all-electric single-seater world championship that will be the 8th season this year.

Maserati will be the second brand in the Stellantis Group to participate in Formula E, the other being DS from the Citroen affiliate which has been racing since 2018. The company’s racing team is now developing a new racing car which conforms to the Gen3 regulations which will see the fastest, lightest and most powerful Formula E racing car ever. The Gen3 is the world’s most efficient racing car featuring a series of industry-leading design, production and technological innovations.

Maserati’s entry into Formula E is in line with its move and commitment to electric mobility. This strategy will see the introduction of Folgore, a new sub-brand that will have a range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Folgore versions will be available for the Grecale, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, as well as the MC20.

“We are very proud to be back where we belong as protagonists in the world of racing. We are powered by passion and innovative by nature. We have a long history of world-class excellence in competition and we are ready to drive performance in the future. In the race for more performance, luxury, and innovation, Folgore is irresistible and it is the purest expression of Maserati. That’s why we decided to go back to racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, meeting our customers in the city centers of the world, taking the Trident forward into the future,” said Davide Grasso, CEO of Maserati.

Maserati’s confirmed entry is good news for the event’s organizers with Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz ending their participation. McLaren has also indicated its interest in taking part in Formula E but has not given details of when they might start. With the accelerating impetus of electrification, some other brands might also see it useful to be in Formula E to show their strengths in the EV field.

Since inception in 2014, Formula E has provided dramatic racing action on the streets of cities around the world such as New York, Monaco, Berlin, Mexico City, London and Rome. For manufacturers like Nissan, Porsche, NIO, Mahindra, Jaguar, DS, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, developing cars for racing has led to finding new solutions in increasing energy efficiency, enhancements in battery range and advances in powertrain development.

In 2011, Lamborghini sold 1,602 supercars (there was no Urus then), not a record result but the numbers were still impressive considering the financial situation in many parts of the world that year. Ten years later, in 2021, the company delivered 8,405 vehicles worldwide, the highest number ever in the history of the company. In spite of the pandemic still ongoing, sales increased by 13% on 2020.

The contributor was double-digit growth in all 3 of the macro-regions where Lamborghini is established: America (+14%), Asia Pacific (+14%) and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa, +12%). The company maintains a fairly balanced split between them in global volumes which stand at 35%, 27% and 39%, respectively.

Urus was bestselling Lamborghini model in 2021, accounting for 59% of total sales.

In terms of individual markets, the USA was still Lamborghini’s best market (2,472 units, +11%), while China moved into second place (935, +55%). They were followed by Germany (706, +16%) and the United Kingdom (564, +9%). There was also an increase in the figures for Lamborghini’s home market of Italy, where 359 cars were delivered in total (+3%).

Reflecting market trends, the most popular model was the Urus Super SUV, with 5,021 units delivered – almost 60% of the total volume in 2021. It was followed by the V10-powered Huracan, which saw a strong increase in sales up to 2,586, thanks to the strong impetus provided by the Huracan STO. In addition, 798 Aventadors (V12 model) were delivered all over the world.

Huracan STO experience in China, which became the carmaker’s second biggest market in 2021.

During the year, the company launched 3 new products – the Huracan STO – Super Trofeo Omologata, a road-legal model that was inspired by the Huracan Super Trofeo EVO and GT3 EVO racing cars; the Aventador Ultimae, final series of the Aventador model; and the Countach LPI 800-4, an unorthodox icon featuring ground-breaking design and technology that celebrated the 50th anniversary of one of the original supercars.

2021 also saw Lamborghini announcing its future electrification strategy. ‘Direzione Cor Tauri’ (Toward Cor Tauri) is the name of the path that will lead the company through the decarbonization of its future models and the manufacturing site. Throughout the product electrification process, there will be a constant focus on identifying technologies and solutions that can guarantee top performance and driving dynamics.

More than €1.5 billion will be spent over the course of 4 years, during which time Lamborghini will launch its first hybrid production model and electrify its entire range by the end of 2024. Subsequently, a fourth fully electric model is due to be added to the range in the second half of the decade.

“This record has provided confirmation of four factors for us: the solidity of our strategic plan, our brand’s outstanding international reputation, the competence and passion of our people and the exceptional professionalism and dynamism shown by our 173 dealers in 52 markets, who have continued to invest alongside us at a challenging, uncertain time,” said Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

The sales outlook continues positively into the new year, thanks to a substantial order portfolio that already covers almost the entire production planned in 2022. Additionally, Lamborghini plans to introduce four new products during the coming 12 months.

“We are stronger than ever as we prepare to embark on a period of profound transformation and move towards an even more sustainable future. In 2022, we’ll be doing our utmost to consolidate the current performance and get ready for the arrival of our future hybrid range from 2023 onwards,” added Winkelmann.

Just as the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship will see the biggest changes in technical rules in some four  decades, the 50th season of the World Rally Championship (WRC) will undergo major environmental changes as new FIA technical regulations drive the series towards a more sustainable future.

Under its PurposeDriven movement, the FIA is taking an innovation-led approach to deliver sustainable motorsport. One goal is to reach carbon neutrality by 2030. An even bigger revolution concerns the drivetrain, with hybrid technology mandatory for what are known as Rally1 cars. The plug-in hybrid unit, including all necessary components and software, will be common, with the potential for more freedom of development in 2024.

In the WRC’s first-ever rallycars with hybrid powertrains, an electric motor works together with the proven 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Rally1 cars will have up to 134 ps of additional power available in certain situations.

The unique Rally1 hybrid system has three principal modes: Full Electric Mode in which cars will have full electric range, Stage Start Mode when the system’s full power will be available, and Stage Mode in which teams and drivers will be able to create up to three personalised ‘maps’ to decide how to deploy the hybrid power. The system also provides the opportunity to reduce emissions locally via full electric driving on road sections in built-up areas.

Fundamental revisions to the technical regulations also see the top-tier Rally1 class for manufacturer teams bringing a substantial gain in crew safety with an upgraded safety cell chassis. There will also be more equality between competitors due to a new design approach.

Another milestone is the introduction of 100% sustainable fuel, a first for any FIA World Championship. Part of the FIA’s race-to-road strategy is to implement sustainable energy sources across its motorsport disciplines to reduce CO₂ emissions.

The renewable fuel from P1 Racing Fuels is a blend of synthetic and bio-derived components. This green fuel will be mandatory to all top-tier competitors at WRC events. In its development, P1 Racing Fuels will collaborate with global energy and chemical experts Aramco on the formulation of advanced-generation biofuels and sustainable synthetic fuels derived from captured CO2 and low-carbon hydrogen.

Fundamental revisions to the technical regulations also see the top-tier Rally1 class for manufacturer teams bringing a substantial gain in crew safety with an upgraded safety cell chassis. There will also be more equality between competitors due to a new design approach.

Introducing hybrid powertrains has been a key part in ensuring Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport Ford are fully committed to the WRC from 2022 to 2024. All three teams have been testing their new cars which will debut in competition at the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the 2022 season, next week.

(Above and below) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

The new generation of Rally1 cars from the 3 manufacturers were shown together for the first time in Austria yesterday at a special ceremony that marked the beginning of a new era in rallying. In the presence of new FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, reigning champions TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Hyundai Motorsport and M-Sport Ford unveiled their all-new rallycars which will compete across 13 rounds on 4 continents.

(Above and below) Hyundai i20 N Rally1

(Above and below) M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1

“Today’s launch of the new Rally1 era is a very proud and significant moment for the FIA and entire rally family and I would like to congratulate WRC Promoter for delivering a great show at the start of the championship’s 50th anniversary season,” said Ben Sulayem, a former WRC competitor himself. “The enthusiasm for the FIA’s new technical regulations has been very much in evidence in recent months and the event further underlined the momentum coming from the teams and manufacturers, with Rallye Monte-Carlo just a few days away.”

Subaru Tecnica International, the carmaker’s motorsports division which Subaru fans know more as ‘STI’, is looking ahead to the era of electrified vehicles, and inevitably a time will come when motorsports will go fully electric. As it is, there is already a single-seater all-electric series (Formula E) and in the recently-ended Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, Audi entered three electrically-powered rallycars.

To prepare for the new era, STI has initiated  the E-RA Challenge Project as a near-future motorsport study project. This project (‘E-RA’ stands for ‘Electric-Record-Attempt’) has the aim of gaining experience and training of new technologies in the world of motorsports in the carbon-neutral era. The insights gained from this project will help Subaru contribute to the future electrified society.

2022 Subaru STI E-RA Concept EV

To complement the studies that will be carried out, STI has developed the STI E-RA concept car which is on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon this weekend. The first goal of this model is to try to record a lap time of 400 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds) in a time attack at Germany’s Nurburgring circuit from 2023 onwards. Before then, driving tests will be conducted at circuits in Japan during 2022 as part of the development program.

Subaru’s strength and long experience in in all-wheel control technology will be used to develop systems for the control of the high outputs. With 4 motors, these will reach maximum system output level of 800 kW (1,088 ps) and reach the road using proprietary 4-wheel torque vectoring technology

The unique torque vectoring system is a technology that equalizes the balance to the grip limit of each of the 4 wheels with a driver-focused control system. It raises the grip level to the maximum and stabilizes car body position.

2022 Subaru STI E-RA Concept EV

In order to obtain the maximum effect, the best way is to independently apply the optimum drive torque to the 4 wheels as the load shifts. To realize this, the system calculates the signals from sensors in wheel speed, vehicle speed, steering angle, g-force, yaw rate, brake pressure, and wheel load, determines the drive/braking torque of each wheel to gain a target stability factor, and provides instructions to the inverter.

For the motors, a high-torque high-revolution type with an integrated inverter and a gear for hyper EVs, which were developed and supplied by Yamaha Motor have been adopted. This motor is driven by a lithium-ion battery with a storage capacity of 60 kWh.

2022 Subaru STI E-RA Concept EV

The structure where the motors are directly attached to the 4 wheels enables a high level of responsiveness and a direct control of the yaw of the car body. Since this is considered to be a system which can maximize a vehicle’s kinetic performance, and is included in the regulations for future motorsport (FIA E-GT), STI will follow the direction for development.

Ever since the Dakar Rally moved to Saudi Arabia from South America in 2020, Nasser Al-Attiyah has been trying harder to win the event as it is now held in the Arab world. He came very close to doing so in 2020 and 2021 and this year, again driving for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, he finally captured the crown. The victory would also be a fitting welcome for the new President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem from the United Arab Emirates, a former top rally driver.

2022 Dakar Rally

This is the Qatari driver’s second victory for the team, having previously won the event in 2019. It is the fourth Dakar win for the ‘Prince of the Desert’, as the rally community has nicknamed him, the others being in 2011, 2015 and 2019. In the two earlier events, he was driving a Volkswagen and a MINI. Besides being a skilled rally driver, Al-Attiyah, 51, has also represented his country in clay pigeon shooting in the Olympics.

The result makes Al-Attiyah the second-most successful driver in the history of the event’s cars category, tied with Finland’s Ari Vatanen and only behind Stephane Peterhansel’s tally of 8 wins.

2022 Dakar Rally - Toyota

The vehicle they drove was the new GR DKR Hilux T1+ which conforms to the updated regulations for the T1 category. It features larger wheels and tyres, more wheel travel, and the 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that also powers the new Land Cruiser 300 GR Sport. The truck shares components with the race-proven Hilux that was first introduced in 2018, and won the race in 2019.

For Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel, the final stage presented few real problems, despite challenging navigation. The pair had taken the lead in the rally during the opening stage of the event and were never in danger of relinquishing that position. They won the prologue for the 2022 edition of the rally on January 1, and powered to two more stage wins on their way to overall victory.

Their closest rival and runner-up were the pair of Sebastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin of the ProDrive/Bahrain Raid Xtreme team which finished 27 minutes 46 seconds behind. However, the 9-time WRC champion from France lost 50 minutes in the early part of the rally with a broken driveshaft. Loeb did manage to bring the gap down to under 30 minutes by the end of the penultimate stage – before a penalty for speeding undid part of his good work.

Saudi Arabians were delighted to see their countryman also on the podium as Yazeed Al-Rajhi (below) with Michael Orr of the Overdrive Toyota team finished third. They had pushed their Toyota Hilux hard but were realistic enough to aim for second and lost out to Loeb by about 34 minutes.

A 16-time Dakar Rally participant, Orlando Terranova finished an impressive 4th to give the ProDrive/Bahrain Raid Xtreme team a finish among the Top 5 in the category.  For South Africans Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dennis Murphy, there were many highs and lows as the fought their way to 5th place, giving TOYOTA GAZOO Racing two placings in the Top 5 finishers.

All three electrically-powered Audi RS Q e-tron rallycars completed the event.

For the Audi Sport team, no stranger to off-road events, the Dakar Rally saw the most complex racing car in the brand’s history taking part. All three electrically-powered RS Q e-tron rallycars completed the event to usher in a new era in off-road rallying. The best-placed crew was Mattias Ekstrom/Emil Bergkvist who finished ninth, with team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz and Stephane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger finishing 12th and 57th, respectively.In the big trucks category, the Russian truckers have always been favourites. They have collected 18 victories with 6 different drivers since the 21st century began. Each of the 4 men at the wheels of the blue trucks has claimed at least one stage, leaving nothing for the competition. Reigning champion Dmitry Sotnikov defended his title and led the Kamaz team to a 1-2-3-4 finish.

For the Audi Sport team, no stranger to off-road events, the Dakar Rally saw the most complex racing car in the brand’s history taking part. All three electrically-powered RS Q e-tron rallycars completed the event to usher in a new era in off-road rallying. The best-placed crew was Mattias Ekstrom/Emil Bergkvist who finished ninth, with team mates Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz and Stephane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger finishing 12th and 57th, respectively.

Unlike the World Rally Championship events, the Dakar Rally requires navigation and a number of competitors had difficulties in some stages, losing a lot of time. Mechanical problems were, of course, to be expected in the world’s toughest cross-country race that had around 4,261 kms of competitive stages this year.

Dakar 2022 was the 44th edition of the iconic event, which first took place in January 1978. Until 2007, the event ran from Paris to Dakar on the western side of Africa. But with terrorists causing security issues, the 2008 event had to be cancelled and from 2009, it was run on the western side of South America, while retaining the original name.

The participants, mostly based across the Atlantic, were unhappy with the long distance from Europe and resulting high costs of logistics. This led to the event being moved to Saudi Arabia in 2020.

The 2022 event also had a suspected terrorist attack when, 2 days before the start, a support vehicle belonging to one of the teams had a blast through its floor near a hotel in Jeddah. One of the participants in the event, Frenchman Philippe Boutron, was seriously injured as he was in the vehicle. French security services said they would investigate the incident and at one point, it appeared that the event might be cancelled but the organisers did not stop it.

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