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Battista Anniversario – the world’s first luxury pure-electric hyper GT

Automobili Pininfarina aims to offer what it describes as ‘the ultimate expression of the world’s first luxury pure-electric hyper GT’. Known as the Battista Anniversario, it celebrates 90 years since Battista ‘Pinin’ Farina started the Pininfarina coachbuilder and design house.

Laying claim to being the most powerful sportscar ever to be designed and built in Italy, 5 Battista Anniversario cars (there will be another 150 Battista hypercars made) will be hand-crafted in Turin, where Pininfarina has established its design centre and headquarters. Each is priced from 2.6 million euros (about RM12.4 million) and will be delivered to customers by the end of this year. Of course, with Italy now having a crisis and lockdown, production will be affected.

“For 90 years, the Pininfarina name has been at the forefront of automotive design and performance, and the Battista perfectly encapsulates these values. This ultimate expression of Battista, the Anniversario, is the distillation of everything that the brand has stood for in the past and which we now strive for in the future, creating a new pinnacle of desirability for sustainable and luxurious electric cars,” said Michael Perschke, CEO of Automobili Pininfarina.

“My grandfather always had the vision that one day, there would be a stand-alone range of Pininfarina-branded cars. The Battista Anniversario, named in his honour to mark 90 years of the carrozzeria that he started, is a glorious way to link our past with the future of motoring,” added Paolo Pininfarina, Chairman of Pininfarina SpA.

The Battista Anniversario delivers an added level of dynamic ability and a bespoke heritage-inspired anniversary livery. Each of the five cars is finished in a combination of three signature colours: Bianco Sestriere, the never-seen-before Grigio Antonelliano, and Automobili Pininfarina’s signature Iconica Blu.

The Battista Anniversario will have one of the most complex paint finishes in the world, with the process of creating akin to a great artist completing an Old Master painting. Skilled artisans will take several weeks to paint each car, building up the finish layer-by-layer and colour-by-colour – all by hand. The body is disassembled and reassembled three times so pinstripes in the three separate colours can be hand-painted directly onto the body.

The Battista Anniversario is also equipped with the ‘Furiosa’ package, comprising a revised carbonfibre front splitter, side blades and rear diffuser. Exclusively on the Anniversario, these parts are finished in a two-tone combination of exposed signature carbonfibre and carbonfibre tinted in Iconica Blu with pin stripes in Bianco Sestriere.

Besides the exclusive livery, a bespoke rear wing, rear aero fins and other bespoke details are unique to the Battista Anniversario. The aerodynamic enhancements enabled by the Furiosa exterior changes deliver increased downforce and greater stability at higher cornering speeds and a more dynamic balance to the car.

Four electric motors generating 1,900 bhp/2,300 Nm torque, apportioned to each wheel by the most advanced torque vectoring system, will take the car to a claimed top speed of 350 km/h. And faster than a current Formula 1 car in the sub-two second 0-100 km/h sprint, the Battista can also accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h in less than 12 seconds. This level of performance is unachievable today in any road-legal sportscar with an internal combustion engine.

“I have piloted the quickest road and race cars in the world and I’ve never driven anything as powerful as the Battista,” said Nick Heidfeld, Test and Development Driver at Automobili Pininfarina. “The Battista is faster than many race cars, but it is not a pure racing machine. Drivability in all situations is its primary focus. We will now concentrate our time testing and developing Battista to deliver a car that’s at the forefront of technological possibilities and innovation.”

Enhanced MBUX increases ’emotional tie’ between driver and vehicle

Passengers in a Mercedes-Benz now have access to four new entertainment options via the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia system. The system has also been made more ‘casual’ and as one of these options will switch to using the familiar form of ‘you’ in many languages. This aims to create a closer, personal bond as the new form of interaction between driver and vehicle.

Reinforcing emotional tie
From April this year, the new form of address will gradually be introduced in new vehicles delivered in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Poland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In these countries, MBUX will address the customer in the familiar form of the language rather than the more formal one. It is hoped that this will help reinforce the emotional tie between the driver and their Mercedes-Benz.

The infotainment system makes it possible to have a detailed weather report for specific regions read out – in virtually any language. In addition, with immediate effect, a driver wanting to know his or her fortune can ask something like ‘Hey Mercedes, give me a horoscope for Aquarius!’.

MBUX will then look into the ‘stars’ for the driver, provided the birth or star sign of the driver is given beforehand. The system will then offer a personal horoscope (only available in German and British English for now) via speech dialogue.

Quiz, anyone?
As well as offering such astrological services, MBUX can also act as quizmaster to entertain passengers with a fascinating geo-quiz about capital cities of the world. It all helps to make the journey in a Mercedes-Benz even more enjoyable. Great for parents with little ones who get restless behind.

These services complement the already comprehensive range of entertainment and assistance functions available from MBUX at all times. The further strengths of MBUX, in addition to the user-friendly voice assistant with natural speech recognition, which is activated with the keyword ‘Hey Mercedes’, include intuitive touchscreen control of the media display.

There is also a navigation display that uses augmented reality technology during active navigation: a video image of the vehicle’s surroundings is enhanced with useful navigation information.

The intelligent assistant that also learns
MBUX was introduced to the world in 2018 with the new Mercedes A-Class being the first model to have it. It was then progressively offered in other models as new generations arrived. The aim is to enhance the user-experience and make the system more helpful with an intelligent assistant that can respond to voice commands – and act on them.

A unique feature of this system is its ability to learn, thanks to artificial intelligence. MBUX can be individualised and adapts to suit the user. It thus creates an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers. At the same time, updates ‘over the air’ are possible and it also heralds a new era at Mercedes me Connectivity.

Mercedes-Benz continues to be leading premium luxury brand in Malaysia

COVID-19 pandemic disrupts motorsports around the world

COVID-19, the coronavirus, is not only doing nasty things to humans but because of what it does, all kinds of activities around the world are disrupted, including motorsports. The first hit was in mid-February when the organisers of the 2020 Chinese F1 Grand Prix asked to cancel their event scheduled on April 19 – with the hope that it could be run later in the year. The epidemic was getting to other countries and the FIA, motorsports governing body, said it would ‘review the situation for other motorsport events globally in accordance with the changing COVID-19 environment and advisories from the World Health Organisation’.

Liberty Media, which has the commercial rights to F1, was quick to announce that the opening round in Australia as well as the following two rounds in Bahrain and Vietnam would go ahead. That, of course, was before the situation in Italy got really bad to the point that a nationwide lockdown was imposed.

Still, the 10 teams were asked to go to Australia for the race which was to be this weekend, in spite of the fact that Australia was raising its barriers, especially for people from Italy. Tests were required and one McLaren team member showed positive results after being seen to have symptoms on arrival. This led to the team withdrawing from the race and the other teams beginning to question the decision to go ahead – especially after the WHO had declared that the situation was officially a ‘pandemic’. 8 teams withdrew from the race which forced its cancellation although it couldn’t have run as the state government had also asked for the event not to be run in view of the large crowds.

*Withdrawal of 8 teams as well as a directive from the state government forced cancellation of the opening F1 round in Australia.*

The ‘domino’ effect starts
The cancellation of the race was announced just prior to practices being held, and one could say that the ‘dominos’ started to fall, greatly dictated by stronger actions of governments after the WHO finally declared the pandemic. The organisation had been refraining from declaring the pandemic for a while but decided it must do so in order to get more governments to be much more serious.

Bahrain had earlier announced that its event, the second F1 round of 2020, would be a ‘closed’ event, meaning no spectators would be at the circuit. It would be broadcast live on the usual TV and internet channels only. The third round in Vietnam was a question mark but thought to be possible to continue.

Hanoi Circuit — *It’s unfortunate for Vietnam that the very first F1 race to be held there cannot start,*

All events to be postponed or cancelled
Now, with governments tightening things and preventing events with large crowds so as to reduce the spread of infection, it appears that all motorsports events are cancelled or postponed. “The organiser of the Vietnam Grand Prix 2020 officially announces the delay of F1 Hanoi race due to complicated development of COVID-19,” said the statement from the Vietnam Grand Prix Company.

Bahrain also announced that its event would be postponed as well, and the FIA says that the F1 championship will resume at the end of May in Europe, possibly with the rounds in Monaco or Azerbaijan. Considering how the pandemic has shifted its epicentre from China to Italy, it seems like wishful thinking but the organisation will be constantly reviewing the situation.

*The FIA has now announced that the 2020 F1 championship will resume at the end of May, possibly at the Monaco GP or the Azerbaijan GP scheduled in early June.*

“Protecting people first,” emphasised Jean Todt, FIA’s President. ”Together with Formula 1, the Bahrain Motor Federation, the Vietnamese Motorsports Association, and the local promoters, postponing both the Bahrain and Vietnam Grands Prix, as with the Australian Grand Prix, was the only possible decision given all of the information currently available to us. We continue to rely on the input and advice from the World Health Organisation and governments and will work with them throughout this unpredictable period to safeguard the fans, competitors and all of the motor sport community.”

*As with other championship sports events, F1 draws very big crowds which, at this time, mean a high risk of infection and spread of the virus.*

No exception in Malaysia too
In Malaysia, the government has declared that all public gatherings – international meetings, conferences, sports events, social and religious events – are to be postponed or cancelled until April 30, 2020. Some organisers had already turned their events into closed events as a precaution and now would have to abide by the government’s directive to cancel or postpone. It will be messy for everyone concerned, not just the teams. Sponsors have committed money, some of which would already have been paid and owners of venues would also have to start discussions about rentals and related matters.

It’s hard to say when this situation will change, let alone end. And even if we can see a glimmer of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, can we be sure it is not a train coming at you?

Lucky Shell customers in Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan win child carseats

Your little ones deserve the best protection when they are travelling with you in the car, and that means having them securely seated in a Child Restraint System (CRS), typically a childseat. Until this year, there was no compulsion for drivers to use CRS but the fatalities involving small children has been high and the authorities therefore decided that if people won’t use their common sense, then they need to be forced to do so by law.

A child in a car with a proper CRS has a lower risk of getting injured compared to an unrestrained child, in the event of a road accident. As pointed out by the World Health Organisation, a major problem today is child injuries, disabilities and even fatalities caused by road accidents. The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) found that only 30% of car drivers use child carseats.

As part of their initiative to support the call in enforcing the mandatory use of child carseats, Shell is giving away 138 child carseats. The campaign is on until April 12,2020 at 136 Shell stations in the Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan regions. Up to 17 customers will stand a chance to win a child carseat every week since the campaign began last month.

Naturally, the winners are delighted to get a free carseat and in the case of Lim Yen Wei, it means that they won’t have to swap the seat between his car and his wife’s car as each one can have its own installed all the time.

Another winner, Mohd Faizal Abdul said: “My 3-year-old niece used to travel without a child carseat. Now, she gets to travel on the road safely. I am very glad that Shell is promoting road safety by rewarding customers with child car seats! This is a good initiative by Shell.”

Shell stations — *Click on the image above for the full list of participating stations.*

As of this week, 70 lucky parents have already won child carseats. To win one, it takes only two simple steps: No.1 – customers need to spend a minimum of RM40 in a single receipt at participating Shell stations in Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan; No. 2 – customers need to submit their details via a contest form at the station. Upon completion of these two steps, customers will stand a chance to win a child carseat that is given each week.

“At Shell, we always want to make life’s journey better for our customers. This is a gesture from some of our stations to promote the use of child carseats. Often, many parents do not know how important it is to have suitable Child Restraint Systems. By rewarding customers with child carseats, we hope we can educate parents to protect their children when travelling on the road,” said the MD of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd, Shairan Huzani Husain.

No more 50 sen charge for TnG reloads at Shell Stations along PLUS Expressways (NKVE and ELITE) and East-Coast Expressways

Fuel Prices For March 14 – 20, 2020

Final round of Vios Challenge one-make race to be ‘closed event’ at Sepang

The fourth and final round of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) and the Vios Challenge one-make race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit on April 18 and 19, 2020. However, the event will not be open to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement just release, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) said it will be a ‘closed-door’ race. “UMW Toyota Motor undertakes accountability for the welfare of Malaysians at large, and also the well-being of our crew members, racers and race teams,” the statement explained.

Vios Challenge Season 2 — *The final round of the previous season was held for the first time at the Sepang International Circuit,*

Minimal number of participants during races
Only essential crew members, racers and race teams will be invited for the completion of the third season which began last August. On event days, the organisers will be conducting health screenings for racers, race team members and crew prior to entering the race premises.

“We trust that our fans appreciate the current situation. All the races will still be broadcast live on Toyota’s Facebook and Youtube accounts and we invite everyone to cheer on their favourite racers and celebrities by tuning in to the live shows’, said UMWT’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama, who is also one of the participants.

Information and updates about the TGR Festival are available at toyota.com.my/tgrmalaysia/ .

Motorsports organisers urged to postpone events
Meanwhile, the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) has also issued a statement urging all organisers to postpone their events until the situation subsides and improves. “This decision is made based on the directives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Sports Commission, and in consultation with the MAM Medical Commission.

The statement adds that should an organizer choose to still go ahead with its event, the MAM ‘highly recommends that it be held with minimal personnel and spectators, as in a closed-event format’. It calls on the organisers to act responsibly to reduce the risk of infection and to follow the guidelines by the MoH and W.H.O. for participants at the event.