There are many ‘Car of the Year’ (COTY) award programs run each year all over the world. While they are generally ‘gender-neutral’, the general perception is that the people who sit on the judging panels are usually males. There is, however, one COTY program which has a judging panel made up of only women – the Women’s World Car of the Year (WWCOTY).
This year, the winners were announced at the Dubai International Motor Show.
WWCOTY has been presenting awards annually for the past 10 years, and its judges have used criteria such as safety, value-for-money, aesthetic appearance, storage space, child–friendliness, ease-of-driving, colour, sex appeal and environmental footprint.
The winning car may not reach 0–100 km/h in less than so many seconds or have eye–popping Newton metres of torque. But it will be a car that appeals very strongly to women and that, in essence, is what this award is all about.
Experts in their chosen field, the 41 women (from 34 countries) of the judging panel are all published and specialist motoring writers, some of whom even have had motor racing experience.
Mazda3 – the latest winner in the Women’s World Car of the Year program.
For the 2019 edition of WWCOTY, the announcement of winners was made at the Dubai International Motor Show, with the all-new Mazda3 picked as the Car of the Year. The model was also tops in the Family Car category.
There were five other categories and the winners are: Urban Car- Kia XCeed; Green Car – Kia Soul EV; Luxury Car – BMW 8-Series; Performance Car – Porsche 911; and SUV/Crossover – Range Rover Evoque.
Visit www.mazda.com.my to know more about the latest Mazda3 and other models available in Malaysia.
Over the past 7 years, Chevrolet has been a producing 69 specially developed Camaro racing cars at its factory. Known as COPO Camaros, these rare machines have crossed the auction block for charity, raising nearly US$2 million for a variety of important causes.
And if 552 units since 2012 is not rare enough, there will also be a 2020 COPO Camaro John Force Edition, bringing together the legacies of Chevrolet’s factory racing car and John Force, the 16-time NHRA (the US National Hot Rod Association) champion driver.
The distinctively styled, supercharged racing car, which can deliver low elapsed times on the drag strip, will be auctioned by Chevrolet in January with the proceeds going to DonorsChoose.org. It carries a unique “2020COPO-FORCE” identification plaque and is considered a unique build in the COPO Camaro range – not part of the annual production run of 69 COPO Camaro racing cars.
“This is a great-looking COPO Camaro, and I enjoyed helping design this car,” said John Force. “The COPO Camaro is already a formidable car, and hard to beat on the track. But this one is even more special, as it will help support a cause I firmly believe in.”
“John Force is one of the most legendary drag racers in history – and his legend started with Chevrolet,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. Vice-President of Performance and Motorsports. “We are proud to partner with him on this one-of-a-kind COPO Camaro and are excited to see what it will do on the auction block for charity.”
Additionally, a black-and-silver paint scheme inspired by the John Force Edition is an available option on 2020 COPO Camaros. In fact, there are more colour choices than ever for the 69 buyers. Along with the John Force colour scheme and 4 production colours (red has been the most popular so far), there are seven heritage colours from the 1969 Camaro colour palette: Hugger Orange, Butternut Yellow, Frost Green Poly, Olympic Gold Poly, Garnet Red, Fathom Green Poly and Azure Turquoise Poly.
The 2020 COPO Camaro’s available engine line-up includes a revised version of the supercharged, LSX-based 350 engine, featuring a 2.65-litre Magnuson supercharger and all-new LSX-SC cylinder heads, as well as an LSX-based naturally-aspirated 427 engine.
Also available is the Racer’s Package, which includes a carbonfibre air inlet, dual batteries, weight box, parachute and a quick-change coupling (with the supercharged engine).
While most of the COPO Camaros sold are in the USA, Chevrolet says there are units in Canada, Sweden and Germany too. Many are not just sitting still as collector’s items as the owners have won 36 NHRA events to date.
History of the COPO Camaro
While Chevrolet began building COPO Camaros from 2012, the history of this special version actually goes back to 1969 when dealers used Chevy’s special-order system that enabled them to create high-performance vehicles not available elsewhere. It was a sort of loophole to get around the limitations GM placed on Chevy’s performance vehicles.
The 1969 COPO Camaro
Instead of placing an order for Camaros using the Regular Production Option sheet, dealers found they could order using the Central Office Purchase Order (which is what ‘COPO’ means) that was usually used for making changes to vehicles sold to municipalities such as special paint or truck equipment. The dealers instead used it to equip the Camaro with the all-aluminium ZL1 427 racing engine.
In 2011, Chevrolet created a COPO concept car and response was so positive from enthusiasts that the company was willing to produce limited numbers, choosing 69 which was the year the first COPO Camaros appeared. The plan was to offer the cars for a few years but demand remained high so production has continued to this day. However, unlike the early versions, the factory-built ones are not street legal. It is in fact the first purpose-built racing car offered by Chevrolet and the fastest Camaro to come out of the factory.
Volkswagen has launched the new 8th generation Golf with digitisation as a key feature, most clearly demonstrated by the new Digital Cockpit. Though looking traditional at a glance, the dashboard is actually revolutionary and presents information in a clearer, neater way.
The Digital Cockpit, which will be standard across the range, includes the instrument cluster, an infotainment system, and a multifunction steering wheel. Together, these form the first functional level, in which virtually all of the displays and controls are digital.
Touch sliders enable quick and intuitive access to temperature and volume controls, while a touch island under the infotainment system also provides direct access to additional air conditioning functions, the assistance systems, and – depending on the equipment included – driving modes and parking assistants.
In a second touch island, the light and vision functions have also been repositioned and brought together: the light, along with the windscreen and rear window heating, is now operated using a digital panel arranged higher up on the dashboard to the left of the instruments, even further improving the brand’s characteristic straightforward drive experience.
Optional Innovision Cockpit
It’s possible to enhance the digital driver’s workplace even further; in combination with the 10-inch Discover Pro top navigation system, the Innovision Cockpit (which made its world debut in the third-generation Touareg) offers an even larger range of functions. On request, a windscreen head-up display will be added to create the ideal cockpit, with information such as speed, navigation information, etc. being projected into the driver’s field of vision.
This advanced functionality is also evident in the centre console and is now clearer than ever – particularly with the inclusion of the shift-by-wire gear knob for the automatic dual clutch gearbox (DSG).
The theme continues to flow across the new roof console, where operation has also been digitalised. To tilt and slide the panoramic sunroof, for example, requires just a swipe of the finger back or forward over a slider, opening and closing the transparent roof.
Intuitive operation
Intuitive operation in the Golf can also be supported by new, natural voice control on request. The system is simply activated by saying “Hello Volkswagen” or pressing the voice button on the steering wheel. The Golf reacts to intuitive voice commands such as “Take me home” (navigation) or “I’m cold” (automatic air conditioner).
The new digital microphones mean that not only is voice recognition and voice quality (for phone calls) perfect, but they can also locate the person who is speaking (driver or front passenger) and respond accordingly, for example by identifying which interior zone’s temperature needs adjusting.
Digitalisation opens up the opportunity for each driver to adapt the Golf exactly to their own taste. The customised settings can be saved in the vehicle and in the cloud, so they are still available even with a change of driver or vehicle. These settings include the Digital Cockpit and Innovision Cockpit displays, the seat position, settings for exterior mirrors and air conditioning system, the practically stepless control of the ambient lighting (up to 30 colours) and the Coming Home and Leaving Home functions.
Bentley is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its venerable V8, the longest serving engine of its type in production. Originally fitted to the S2 model of 1959, the lasting appeal of the Bentley engine is proven by its continued application today in the luxurious Mulsanne limousine. Whilst every part of the original S2 engine has been re-engineered over the decades, the basic principles and dimensions that have defined the engine for the last 60 years remain the same.
“The original V8 was designed to deliver a step-change in performance, along with smoothness, reliability and refinement. The engine was tested over hundreds of thousands of miles in the toughest conditions, as well as at full throttle for 500 hours. The success of Bentley’s acclaimed 6¾-litre V8 today in the Mulsanne owes much to that ethos,” said Dr Werner Tietz, Member of the Board, Engineering at Bentley Motors.
The 6¾-litre V8 defined, and still delivers, the traditional Bentley ‘wave of torque’, unstressed performance and exceptional refinement and efficiency. It remains the beating heart of every flagship built over the last 60 years.
60 years separate the engines in the two cars but the basic principles and dimensions that have defined the Bentley V8 remain the same.
Origins of the engine
The development of the first Bentley V8 engine began when a replacement was needed for the inline 6-cylinder engine used in the Bentley Mark VI, R-Type and S1. The brief was to build an engine that was at least 50% more powerful than the 6-cylinder it would eventually replace, while occupying the same space under a bonnet with no increase in weight. A ‘V’ configuration was the natural choice.
The resulting 6.2-litre engine – the first V8 – was almost 14 kgs lighter than the 6-cylinder unit. It made its debut in the Bentley S2 of 1959. The car featured air conditioning, power steering, electrically-operated ride control and press button window lifts – the most luxurious equipment for a car of that era.
In Pursuit Of Excellence
The original V8 engine had to be redesigned to fit into the new Bentley T-Series cars introduced for 1965. The engine design team focussed on improving performance, while reducing the overall engine dimensions to fit the space available under a lowered bonnet. Engine capacity was increased to 6¾-litres in 1971 through an increase in stroke which delivered even more torque.
The arrival of the first Bentley Mulsanne in 1980 required major changes to the V8, not least the need for stricter emission controls and improved passenger safety in the event of a front-end impact. The latter included a collapsible water pump, which effectively shortened the engine by 10.1 cm.
The heart of every Bentley is the engine and each one is handbuilt in England.
The biggest single change to the engine was for the launch of the Mulsanne Turbo. With the fitment of a large single turbocharger, the 6¾-litre engine become the first forced-induction Bentley engine since those that powered Tim Birkin’s Blower Bentleys of the 1920s. Power and torque made a step change, and the single turbo set-up was eventually replaced by a twin-turbo design.
Fuel injection, variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation have all been engineered-in to the engine since. Power slowly climbed to levels above 500 bhp, while torque figures rose to exceed 1,000 Nm – for a time, the L-series V8 made more torque than any other automotive engine in the world.
Bentley Bentayga
Bentley also uses a smaller, 4.0-litre V8 engine in the Continental GT and Bentayga models. The twin-turbo is distinguished by a characterful, burbling exhaust note and develops 550 ps/770 Nm.
If you’re looking for something super classy but at the same time, produces muscle car-like power and torque, then the new 2020 Audi S8 might just be the perfect candidate for you. The latest generation S8 promises a combination of ‘progressive luxury with dynamic athleticism’. (more…)
