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The other side of the BRABUS business – armoured SUVs

BRABUS is well known for its high-performance upgrades to Mercedes-Benz models and while that forms the bulk of its business, the company can also do special protection vehicles for customers who need protection from more than just accidents.

The company produces an innovative variant of the current Mercedes-Benz G-Class armoured in accordance with the VR6 Plus ERV standard, known as the INVICTO. The all-terrain vehicle comes in three different versions: PURE, LUXURY and MISSION.

In order to provide the occupants with maximum protection against small arms fire and explosives, the engineers from BRABUS developed the ‘INVICTO Shelter Cell’, a self-contained, self-supporting and bolted-down protective cell. In addition, there are further protective elements that are in part produced using a special 3D printing process and, of course, all-around extremely tough bulletproof glass.

After extensive ballistics and explosives testing, the protection levels of the INVICTO are confirmed to meet high industry standards. The armoured SUV can resist not only 7.62 x 39 calibre rounds (used in automatic weapons such as the AK-47), but also hand grenades and 12.5-kg explosive charges.

However, the high level of protection remains largely unseen from the outside. It’s all ‘under the skin’ with high-tech materials used. A common feature of all three INVICTO models is the innovative special protection package developed specifically for the body of the G-Class. The doors and the hatch are fitted with newly developed protective elements, including extremely tough bulletproof glass.

In order to fit them into the body of the G-Class, the engineers developed an innovative structure for the upper windshield frame. It is the first time anywhere in the world that protective elements are used which are made in a 3D printer using additive manufacturing processes.“ .

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Unlike vehicles where the armour is retrofitted, the individual elements of the protection system by BRABUS is not welded separately into the bodyshell of the vehicle. Everything is bolted-down as a unit. To this end, the company manufactures precise-fit, hot-rolled steel armour plates and additional protective elements made from materials such as carefully selected fabric and fibre structures as well as from ceramic and metal composite materials.

Among the many special constructive features of the INVICTO Shelter Cell is the fact that there is no narrowing of the door openings whatsoever. Getting in and out of the vehicle comfortably is crucial for many owners of a G-Class. In addition, the protective cell has a zero-gap design. This means that the individual components of the armour are installed without any gaps between them. This is of elementary importance for providing maximum security under small arms fire or an explosive attack.

But active safety is not overlooked either and the engineers revise suspension settings and also components to match the increased weight as well as maintain safe handling. There’s also a high-performance braking system and 20-inch INVICTO wheels with special run-flat tyres.

In addition, the vehicle frame was reinforced in the area of the side members and the strut towers were reinforced as well. Despite the outstanding level of protection added, the weight increase is only about 1,000 kgs, which is relatively little in comparison.

The INVICTO can be ordered with various petrol engines available for the current G-Class models. The cost of the protection packages start at 354,600 euros, which is equivalent to about RM1.7 million. If you are someone who needs such protection, chances are the cost will not be an issue!

Temporary closure of ramp at Kajang Interchange of N-S Expressway

PLUS Malaysia Berhad, the highway concessionaires, is notifying users of the North-South Expressway that the Bangi-Kajang ramp at the Kajang Interchange in Selangor will be temporarily closed to all vehicles. The closure will be from tomorrow (June 10) until July 2, 2020, from 9:30 pm to 5:00 am.

The reason for the closure is also to enable safer tree-cutting maintenance works using specialised machinery at the area.

As such, highway users travelling from the South/Bangi heading to Kajang are advised to utilize alternative routes by exiting the highway via Bangi Toll Plaza or UPM Toll Plaza during the period. They should follow instructions and signs put up by PLUS.

The Real Race – Lamborghini enters eSports arena for the first time

‘The Real Race’ is Lamborghini’s first official entry into eSports, delivering a new sim racing championship blending the real and virtual worlds of racing. In partnership with Assetto Corsa Competizione by Kunos Simulazioni, its inaugural virtual one-make series started at the end of May and will have 5 qualifier weekends till August 2, 2020. After that, a live final will be run at Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy on September 18, 2020.

Assetto Corsa Competizione was developed alongside car manufacturers and provides a dynamic platform for Lamborghini’s latest racing series. The game is also used by official Lamborghini Squadra Corse test and race drivers in their real-world preparations.

The immersive eSports competition will have the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO for participants. Its exclusive race livery is the work of Centro Stile, Lamborghini’s in-house design department. Participants can customize the looks in 12 different versions, with each car displaying the trademark logos of long-standing Lamborghini Squadra Corse’s partners – Pertamina, Pirelli and Roger Dubuis.

The top three players from the tournament’s live finals will enjoy a 3-day experience in Italy. They will have a chance to train alongside Lamborghini Squadra Corse drivers and to drive a real Lamborghini race car at a racetrack.

“Sim racing is one of the fastest growing sectors in eSports, with eSports increasingly important to younger generations. I also follow it closely! This is an opportunity for us to combine the excitement of virtual racing with the appeal of Lamborghini cars and our motorsports program,” said Stefano Domenicali, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

“ESports creates an environment where race heroes and top drivers can be challenged by anyone. This encourages wider engagement with real-life racing, reflected by Lamborghini’s investment in this new sports platform,” he added.

David Coulthard, the former Formula 1 racing driver who will be the studio-based commentator for the live event, had this to say: “I’ve paid close attention to the rise of eSports. Seeing the realism of racing games and how drivers are using racing simulators to practice, or professional eSports players going from simulation to the real thing, is just incredible.”

“The Real Race is designed to portray realism and professionalism. Skills in sim racing are so transferable, which is why Lamborghini wants to give players an opportunity to test drive the real thing as part of the prize. There’s nothing quite like getting behind the wheel of a Lamborghini,” Coulthard said.

Lamborghini GT3 — *A real Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO in action(above).The photorealism of the cars of The Real Race makes it hard to tell the difference (below).*

Assetto Corsa Competizione is the new official GT World Challenge videogame. It offers an authentic atmosphere of the FIA GT3 homologated championship, competing against official drivers, teams, cars and circuits, all reproduced in-game with the claim of the highest level of accuracy ever achieved. Sprint, Endurance and Spa 24 Hours races take full advantage of Unreal Engine 4 to ensure photorealistic weather conditions and graphics, night races, motion capture animations, reaching a new standard in terms of driving realism and immersion.

Click here for other news and articles about Lamborghini.

Ford Fiesta gets hybrid powertrain for the first time

Henry Ford II didn’t like the Ford Fiesta when he was first told about the project to develop a supermini in the early 1970s. Apart from a company view (in Dearborn at least) that small cars were not cost-effective, the grandson of the company’s founder grumbled that ‘I would have to sell millions of these little cars to make a decent profit’. He favoured the large cars still loved by Americans then as they provided good margins.

But the Fiesta was a Ford of Europe proposal and that regional subsidiary was doing pretty well with a popular range. What they needed was an entry-level model that could compete against the Italian and French superminis. In the end, Ford allowed the project to go ahead and the first Fiesta was launched in 1976.

1976 Ford Fiesta — *First generation of the Fiesta*

The Fiesta was a very successful model for Ford in Europe but in spite of its compact size, it was not sold in the Far East. Its cost base was European so it cost more than Japanese rivals, and Ford instead teamed up with Mazda to offer a badge-engineered range of sedans and hatchbacks (the Laser and Telstar) which could be more competitively priced than models from Europe.

It wasn’t until the sixth generation that the Fiesta became a global model as then-CEO Alan Mulally pushed his ‘One Ford’ strategy of having more products with shared engineering and parts to cut costs. It was produced in regions outside Europe, with Thailand being a hub for ASEAN markets. By the end of the 2000s, it was even made and sold in the US market.

The model is currently in its seventh generation but a change in strategies by a new top management team at Ford has seen diminished interest in competing in Asian markets (apart from China) with passenger cars and the focus is on pick-up trucks.

After 44 years of having been powered by only internal combustion engines, the Fiesta is now electrified as well. As a supermini, fuel efficiency has always been high for the model but Ford, like other carmakers wanting to sell in Europe, has to go in the direction of electrification of its models and this week, the company has announced the first ever Fiesta Hybrid.

The carmaker’s best-selling model in Europe gets a 48-volt mild hybrid powertrain which complements EcoBoost Technology to give more powerful and responsive performance with better fuel efficiency claimed to be up to 18.3 kms/litre. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine also has cylinder deactivation to further save fuel.

“Adding EcoBoost Hybrid technology to Fiesta’s best-in-class driving dynamics means customers can have even more power and still go further on a tank of fuel,” said Roelant de Waard, Vice-President, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. “The Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid will help Ford bring the benefits of electrification to more drivers than ever before.”

Available in 125 ps and 155 ps power outputs, Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid models feature a belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG) in place of the standard alternator, enabling recovery and storage of energy usually lost during braking and coasting to charge a 48V lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack.

The BISG also acts as a motor, integrating with the engine and using the stored energy to provide torque assistance during normal driving and acceleration, as well as running the vehicle’s electrical ancillaries.

The intelligent, self-regulating mild-hybrid system continuously monitors how the powertrain is being used to determine when and how intensively to charge the battery for optimal benefit, and when to utilize the stored battery charge.

Torque substitution, which deploys the electric motor functionality of the BISG to provide up to 24 Nm of torque – reducing the amount of work required from the petrol engine and contributing to lowering carbon dioxide emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency.

Torque supplementation can also deploy the electric motor functionality of the BISG to increase the peak torque available from the powertrain by up to 20 Nm above the level available from the petrol engine alone. This means up to 240 Nm for the 155 ps powertrain and up to 50% more torque at lower rpm.

The BISG also has enabled Ford engineers to lower the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine’s compression ratio and add a larger turbocharger for more power, by mitigating turbo lag using torque supplementation that also rotates the engine faster for maintained turbocharger boost response.

“With electrification fast becoming the mainstream, we are substantially increasing the number of electrified models and powertrain options for our customers to choose from to suit their needs,” said Stuart Rowley, President, Ford of Europe. “By making it easier than ever to seamlessly shift into an electrified vehicle, we expect the majority of our passenger vehicle sales to be electrified by the end of 2022.”

To know more about Ford models available in Malaysia, visit www.sdacford.com.my.

The powerbank for Datsun Fairlady 240Z fans!

Powerbanks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes these days. Some have unique designs and for car-lovers, especially those who are fans of the Datsun Fairlady 240Z, there’s a powerbank shaped just like the legendary car. A product of Links International based in Japan, the powerbank is a collaboration between the 21-year old company and Nissan.

The energy storage device is a faithful scale reproduction of the sportscar and has functioning headlights and taillights which illuminate to indicate the amount of charge available and status. When charging a device, the white LEDs of the headlights come on, and when the remaining power is 10% or less, the headlights go off. Then the red LEDs of the taillights flash like a brake lamp; when the battery pack is fully recharged again, the headlights will switch on.

It has a single USB port that swivels out from the underside to connect a cable to the smartphone and a low charging rate of 1A/5V. The capacity of the 130 gm unit is 4,500 mAh which takes approximately 6 – 9 hours to fully recharge through the Micro USB port. The powerbank can be recharged for 500 times.

To protect the device being charged, there are safety circuits to prevent overcharging, over-discharging and short-circuit.

The Datsun Fairlady 240Z Powerbank has been in the Japanese market a while now and is still available from the Nissan Online Shop and some online stores in Japan, priced at 6,600 yen which is equivalent to around RM260.

Before you go on that long-distance drive you have missed…

With interstate travel being permitted from June 10, many people are already making plans to do their ‘balik kampung’ journeys which they could not do for Hari Raya this year. Others are looking forward to driving beyond the state where they had been confined for over 80 days and of course, those who were stuck elsewhere can finally go home. It’s likely that there will be a lot of traffic on the highways and employers will probably be receiving many applications for leave in the coming days.

Have your vehicle checked first
It will be nice to be able to drive anywhere again, without having to stop at roadblocks but if you are planning on a long-distance trip, the same traffic rules apply even under what is called the ‘new normal’. Likewise, the same preparations need to be done on your vehicle before the journey, especially if it was not used much during the MCO period.

Tyre shops — *Some of the bigger tyre shops also offer general maintenance services and can inspect your vehicle to ensure important components are in good condition.*

If you are unable to send your vehicle to a service centre for a quick inspection to ensure that everything is okay, you could go to one of the bigger tyre shops where they also do general maintenance. They would be able to help check things like the brakes, suspension and other areas that concern safety.

You can also do the checks yourself and most Owner’s Manuals provide information on what needs to be checked periodically. Tyre pressures would be one area, especially if the vehicle was idle for a long time. Check that the pressures are in accordance with what the manufacturer recommends and if you are travelling, then it is a good idea to increase the pressures a bit. And don’t forget to check the spare tyre too! Needless to say, all lighting units should be in working order.

Check all the fluids as well – brake fluid, engine oil level and radiator fluid – and top up if necessary. It’s hard to see the condition of the battery (although some batteries have indicators of their health) but if you have a basic battery, then at least make sure the fluid inside is topped up. Again, the people at the tyre shop can help determine the condition of the battery. This is important to know as you do not want to have your journey disrupted when you cannot restart the car because the battery died after you switched off the engine at a R&R.

If there are very small children, remember that there is a law now which makes it compulsory to provide them with a childseat. It came into effect in January this year and using a childseat is even more important when travelling outstation as you will be cruising at higher speeds than in town.

Next is something which you probably never considered before – hand sanitizers and antiseptic wipes. On your journey, you may stop at some places where you will come in contact with surfaces that many other people touch. For your protection, you should not only minimise touching such surfaces but if you do, use the hand sanitizer to clean your hands before you touch anything else in the car (and avoid touching your eyes or mouth). It is recommended that you do not leave the hand sanitizers in the car as long periods of high temperature can cause their effectiveness to diminish.

Related: Latest fuel prices

The other thing to also keep in mind is when refuelling. Although the petroleum companies have said that their staff sanitize the equipment frequently, it doesn’t hurt for you to also take precautions. There have been warnings not to use thin plastic gloves for protection as these can cause static electricity which is very dangerous at a fuel pump. If you want to use gloves, be sure they are made of rubber. If you do not have gloves, an old newspaper should also be fine to hold the nozzle. That would at least prevent direct skin contact with the surface and, of course, you can use the hand sanitizer to clean after that.

Fuel nozzle — It’s probably something you never thought about before but this nozzle handle is held by many different people. In these times when there should be precautions taken to avoid picking up the virus, it is a good idea not to have direct skin contact with the handle.

Keep face masks in the vehicle as well. You don’t have to use them while in the vehicle but if you have to go into the R&R area or the petrol station convenience store and there are many other people around, wearing a facemask would be a good idea.

Stalls at the R&Rs
All the stalls at R&R locations will be operating from June 15 but there are certain procedures which must be observed. In particular, social distancing must be practiced, just as at restaurants in the city, so don’t crowd together at the table. In fact, gathering in large groups is also not recommended. PLUS has also informed that comprehensive cleaning work at all R&Rs will be carried out between June 12 and 14, in addition to scheduled cleaning.

*All the stalls at R&Rs will be allowed to operate from June 15. However, customers are expected to practice social distancing in all areas (this picture was taken last year).*

PLUS has also introduced a ‘Pre-order’ facility at selected R&R restaurants located at the Dengkil, Rawang and Sungai Buloh R&Rs. Motorists customers can order food using the PLUS Mobile app and make online payments before collecting at the respective R&R . This facility will be extended to other R&Rs in the near future.

According to PLUS, the number of vehicles on its highways has been steadily increasing and over 1 million vehicles have been recorded on weekdays with a 20% decrease over the weekend. There is an expected surge during the week following June 10 when interstate travel is permitted again.

SmartTag — *Check your TnG tollcard before your jouney and be sure it has enough balance to pay for the toll charges along the way.*

Reloading of Touch’nGo cards at toll plazas is not available as PLUS suspended the services to avoid interaction between motorists and its staff so as to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. The company urges motorists to ensure that their tollcards or accounts have sufficient balance to cover toll charges along a journey. Reloading can be done at some 11,000 locations around Malaysia and these include ATMS, petrol stations, convenience stores and many other places. Don’t inconvenience other motorists by causing a jam because you do not have enough to pay the toll.

Have a safe drive wherever you are going in the near future.