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Genesis GV60 Uses Facial Recognition Technology For Unlocking Doors

For decades, motorists had to insert a key in the door (or handle) of a car to unlock it for entry. During the 1980s, the key became unnecessary as central locking systems allowed for remote unlocking at the press of a button on a fob.

Then pressing on the fob became unnecessary as a sensor on the door handle could trigger the unlocking process (provided the fob was on the body of the person as an identifier). Today, many cars – even entry-level models from Perodua and Proton – have this convenience of locking and unlocking doors.

Though Japanese in origin, the auto industry practices kaizen or ‘constant improvement’ and constantly looks for better ways of doing things or making things better. So even the unlocking of a car door can continue to undergo innovation and Genesis has introduced an even more advanced way of doing it – facial recognition.

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Nissan Arizon Concept – Designed By Chinese For China

While the global carmakers often talk of having a global network of design centres so that they can develop products better suited to the different markets around the world, it’s even better if there are designers who grew up in, live and work in the market a product is intended for. They would know best what customers want and needs that may be specific to local culture.

China, being the world’s largest car market, usually gets much attention from carmakers who want to sell as many cars as possible. In order to do so, the cars must be designed to suit local tastes closely. For example, some manufacturers understood that Chinese customers like longer cars and were willing to build long wheelbase variants just for the market.

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ID.NEXT – The Other New Volkswagen EV In Shanghai

The new Volkswagen ID.7 unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2023 has drawn a lot of attention with its impressive range of 700 kms as one of the strong points. Alongside the ID.7, Volkswagen China is also displaying another model for the biggest car market in the world – the ID.NEXT.

Although it seems to be an adaptation of the ID.7 (also called Vizzion for the China market), it has certain styling elements that are different. The lighting units, in particular, differ with the ID.NEXT, a name which was also used for a prototype in 2019.

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Limited Edition Huracans To Be Unveiled For Lamborghini’s 60th Anniversary

In conjunction with its 60th anniversary, Lamborghini will introduced three limited-edition variants of the Huracan.

60 units each of the Huracan STO, Huracan Tecnica and Huracan EVO Spyder will be unveiled on 21 April at an exclusive event as part of Milan Design Week alongside the Lamborghini Revuelto.

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PSV License For e-Hailing Drivers Can Now Be Obtained Within A Week

The public service vehicle (PSV) vocational licence application procedure for drivers of e-hailing services has been sped up and may now be completed in under a week, according to the transport ministry. The removal of the theory test as of April 10 has led to an improvement in the procedure, according to transport minister Anthony Loke.

Anthony Loke, the minister of transportation, stated that the ride-hailing company had alerted the government that more than 2,000 PSV licence applications, particularly for those in the Klang Valley, were experiencing delays. “Over the past three months, we successfully completed over 2,000 outstanding PSV licence applications through this collaboration with the operator,” he stated.

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Toyota Unveils 2 New bZ EV Models At Auto Shanghai 2023

While the new Lexus LM would have attracted a lot of attention at the Toyota Group stand at Auto Shanghai 2023 this week, Toyota also had two brand new concept models on display. They are the bZ Sport Crossover and bZ FlexSpace, both are part of the bZ series, a sub-brand dedicated to the carmaker’s BEVs (battery electric vehicles).

They will eventually become production models in 2024 as part of the BEV range which will have up to 10 new models by 2026.

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Cop Who Issued Summons For Non-Display Of Road Tax To Be Investigated

On 10 February 2023, it was announced that private vehicle owners were no longer required to display road tax stickers on their vehicles, but instead can use the digital Motor Vehicle Licence (e-LKM).

Recently, Faiz Sulaiman, a Facebook user, posted pictures of a summons he received for failing to have his road tax displayed on the vehicle he was driving.

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Setel Introduces ‘Lite’ Version Of App For Older Phones And Folks

Setel, introduced in 2018, has made things more convenient for motorists as they can make contactless payments. The mobile app allows motorists to make payments using their smartphone in the car when parked next to a Setel-linked pump at PETRONAS stations.

During the pandemic, the value of Setel was very clear as there was no need to interact with the cashier or even touch the keypad to enter the PIN. It was only a pity that the filling process still needs to be done by the driver but maybe one day, it will be automated, as Hyundai has shown with its prototype robot handling charging of EVs.

Over the years, Setel has kept track of feedback from users and noticed that there were some people who may have older phones with limited functionality and connectivity. It’s like having an old computer which has difficulty running the latest software, so new features cannot be enjoyed.

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Porsche Unveils The New Cayenne

Although the development of a future all-electric Cayenne is already well underway, Porsche has still put together a thorough upgrade for the current combustion-powered vehicle. Porsche presented its third generation of the Cayenne at the Shanghai Motor Show.

The Exterior

Although clearly updated, the new Porsche Cayenne resembles the previous model in terms of appearance. This is to be expected after a makeover, but there are many small adjustments that keep it looking new.

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Polestar 4 – Brand’s Fastest Production Car

Polestar, the high-performance electric car company owned by Volvo Cars and Geely, announced last year that it would be launching one new model each year starting with the Polestar 3 in 2022. It’s now 2023 and the next model is the Polestar 4, which is positioned between Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 in terms of size and price. The company estimates launch pricing to be from 60,000 euros (equivalent to RM291,180 today).

Production is planned to begin in Hangzhou Bay, China, from November this year, with the first cars being delivered to customers in the country. A full-scale launch for other markets, including in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, is planned for early 2024 – with sales and production ramping up for these markets through the course of the year.

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