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Hyundai and Genesis offer incentives that cover job loss due to COVID-19 (in USA)

Car manufacturers, like any other company, are going through a very difficult time now as the COVID-19 pandemic has created great uncertainties for consumers that have impacted sales. Understandably, there are other priorities to commit money to so a new car purchase, if planned, will have to be deferred.

Some of the car companies do not forget their customers too and look for ways which can ease their burdens, even if it does incur costs. In 2009, Hyundai Motor offered Hyundai Assurance in America to help protect owners who lost their jobs. The 2008 financial crisis had caused the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Home values dropped and many people could not service their loans.

Hyundai Motor America understood that without knowing what would happen to their jobs, people would be reluctant to buy new cars. So it offered a simple deal: If a purchaser of a new Hyundai lost his or her job within a year, the company would take it back. “If you find that you cannot make your payment because of a covered life changing event, we’ll allow you to return your vehicle and walk away from your loan obligation – and in most cases we will cover most, if not all of the difference,” the company advertised at that time.

Hyundai Assurance 2009 — *In 2009, when new car sales in the US market fell so severely, Hyundai Motor offered a more meaningful incentive instead of just rebates.*

This meant that a customer would be less worried being stuck with a car that could not be sold off and at the same time, have to keep paying the instalments. Hyundai would accept that car, cancel the loan and pay the difference between the car’s trade-in value at the time and any remaining balance on the loan up to a maximum of US$7,500.

Hyundai Job Loss Protection 2020 — In 2020, to give buyers peace of mind, the Hyundai Assurance program is brought back in response to uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it differs from the 2009 incentive as Hyundai dealers will not take back cars.

Now Hyundai is helping its American customers again but is not offering to take back vehicles. Instead, it will cover up to 6 months of payments for Hyundai owners who purchased or leased a Hyundai vehicle between March 14 and April 30, 2020 if they lose their job due to COVID-19 this year. The first payment is also deferred for 90 days for those shoppers.

In 2020, Hyundai also has a luxury brand, Genesis, which was not in existence 11 years ago. Genesis is also offering a similar program called the Genesis Cares Job Loss Protection. As with the Hyundai incentive, anyone who purchases a new Genesis vehicle between up till April 30, 2020 and then has an involuntary job loss any time this year due to COVID-19 can get their payments deferred for 90 days. However, the vehicle must have been financed of leased by Genesis Finance.

More importantly, Genesis Cares Job Loss Protection provides up to 6 months of payment relief for customers who lose their job this year after purchasing a new Genesis vehicle between March 14 and April 30, 2020.

The 2009 campaign scored points for the brand, building customer loyalty which helped to strengthen sales after the recession. “We understand the extreme uncertainty created by the coronavirus and the anxiety experienced by our customers, and wanted to tap into Hyundai’s legacy of having people’s back,” said Jose Munoz, COO, Hyundai Motor Company & President and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America. “Bringing back the job loss protection program in this unprecedented time will allow our customers to have one less thing to worry about if something unexpected happens to their employment status.”

First SUV in Genesis range targeted at North American market

3D display becomes a reality in latest Genesis GV80

Continental is launching its volume-production display featuring autostereoscopic 3D technology on the market with the latest Genesis GV80. The new display requires no special glasses to view (obviously!)

On the screen, the technology displays three-dimensional scales, pointers and objects, for example displaying a stop sign warning in the driver’s line of sight. No special glasses are required to see the three-dimensional warning signal. Instead, Continental uses parallax barriers – slanted slats that divide the image for the viewer – as if looking at real objects, two different, slightly offset views reach the right and left eye, resulting in the 3-dimensional image.

An interior camera, which detects the driver’s line of sight and adjusts the 3D views to their precise head position, plays an essential role. To prevent drivers from focusing their attention on the 3D screen for too long, the camera also employs attention detection to identify potential moments of driver distraction or fatigue. With the 3D visualization of the instrument cluster, Continental is focused on ensuring the driver is not overloaded with information provided by advanced driver assistance systems, conventional displays, communication services and infotainment applications.

“With our volume-production display featuring autostereoscopic 3D technology, we are raising human-machine interaction to a whole new level and laying the foundations for intuitive communication in the connected cockpit of tomorrow,” said Dr. Frank Rabe, Head of the Human Machine Interface business unit at Continental. “To ensure that this gain in safety and comfort does not come at the expense of a lean electronics architecture, we integrated various displays in the center console or dashboard into our Cross Domain Hub.”

Cross Domain Hub
In the future, to reduce complexity and save weight and space, only a small number of control units will be required for all the in-vehicle input and output devices. The Cross Domain Hub is a high- performance computer and the basis for Continental’s 3D display being used in the Genesis. It marks a further milestone in the transformation of modern E/E architecture. The intention is to move away from numerous individual control units to a few high-performance computers.

In the next generation of Continental’s cross-domain solution, all displays are integrated into a single unit. The driver will be able to distribute content across multiple displays, for example by means of gesture control, dragging navigation maps from the front passenger’s display onto their own screen and arranging exactly where they want to place them. In automated driving mode, the displays merge across the entire width of the cockpit and offer all the services and apps that are otherwise only available on the front passenger’s side.

Lightfield Display
To ensure that the front passenger and occupants in the rear seats can also enjoy the three-dimensional experience, Continental is currently developing a new 3D display based on the natural 3D Lightfield Technology from Silicon Valley based Leia Inc.. With this technology, there is neither the need for cameras detecting head movement nor 3D glasses. As a result, the Natural 3D Display not only saves weight, space and costs, but also opens up an entire world of digital services to all the passengers in a connected car – from video conferences and online shopping to augmented reality games and 3D movies.

Instead of the parallax barriers described above, this system relies on Diffractive Lightfield Backlighting technology from Leia. An optical waveguide with diffraction grating and nanostructures beneath the display panel creating a natural 3D effect by bending the light. Continental is adapting this technology for use in vehicles. The system is planned for production by 2022.

Audi Sport readies championship-winning car to defend DTM title

It’s interesting that even with the push towards electrification of cars, Audi’s Head of Motorsport, Dieter Gass, says that for the foreseeable future, Audi will sell more cars with internal combustion engines than with electric drive. He made this remark by way of explaining why the company supports a racing series (DTM) with modern, efficient combustion engines in parallel with its involvement in the Formula E all-electric championship.

So in 2020, Audi Design has given its six factory-entered cars a fresh look, starting with the RS 5 DTM of title defender, Rene Rast. The designs of the other five RS 5 DTM cars, which will be driven by Loic Duval, Robin Frijns, Jamie Green, Nico Muller and Mike Rockenfeller are following.

Audi Sport has been relying on the RS 5 Coupe in the DTM since 2013. In accordance with the new regulations, last season’s championship winning car will contest the 2020 season with a number of detailed changes aimed at making the DTM even more exciting and cost-effective.

Fundamental technical changes are not allowed by the Class 1 regulations introduced for the series in 2019, which are designed for a level playing field and cost-efficiency. Therefore, the basis of the 2020 model year RS 5 DTM corresponds to the 2019 champion’s car. With the Class 1 regulations, which will also form the basis for the Japanese SUPER GT Championship from 2020, DTM last year technically started a new era.

The introduction of turbo technology has given DTM a stronger connection to road car development. The TFSI engine of the RS 5 DTM of model year 2020 has an engine output reduced by around 5% compared to the previous year. For the 2020 season, DTM has reduced the amount of fuel that may flow to the engine per hour from 95 kgs to 90 kgs. By means of the ‘Push-to-Pass’ function, the engine output can be increased to around 640 bhp in the short term, as in 2019.

Therefore, from the 2020 season onwards, DTM drivers will be able to use the ‘Push-to-Pass’ system – for overtaking, for example – twice as often during the race as before. During 24 race laps (previously 12), the additional power may be switched on for up to five seconds at a time.

This new qualifying rule also applies to the use of the DRS function (Drag Reduction System) which flattens the rear wing, reduces the car’s drag and increases top speed. From 2020, DRS may be used in races more often than before. With the combined use of DRS and ‘Push-to-Pass’, the RS 5 DTM reaches a top speed of almost 300 km/h, depending on the track.

Audi DTM 2020 — *New Audi Sport RS 5 DTM of Rene Rast, the title-defender.*

Alongside Formula E and customer racing, the DTM forms the third pillar of Audi’s motorsport program. DTM’s spectacular Class 1 racing cars feature highly efficient 4-cylinder turbo engines with a displacement of 2 litres. This type of drive is used by Audi in many production models with various performance levels worldwide and is a pillar for increasing efficiency and reducing fleet emissions.

Rolls-Royce recalls the Roaring Twenties with the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection

We’re now starting the ‘Twenties’ and in another era, there was a period known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’. This was the 1920, a time after World War I when there was economic growth which led to societies (mainly in America and Europe) experiencing social change and a more liberal attitude. The auto industry offered more flamboyant cars to customers who wanted change.

Rolls-Royce has now created its first Collection Car of the new decade – the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection – which relates to decadence, to frivolity, to heady heydays and irreverence of that era. The Dawn, like a silver bullet, embodies the spirit of the Roaring Twenties.

Drawing inspiration from the fabled roadsters of the 1920s – rare, glamorous machines forever associated with bright young things and rakish Hollywood rebels – the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection captures the carefree attitude of those far-off days in a bold, contemporary expression designed for today’s non-conformists and pleasure-seekers. Seductive and effortlessly cool, this Collection is limited to just 50 cars worldwide.

The Dawn Silver Bullet Collection is a powerful, artfully tailored addition to the Rolls-Royce Collection Car ensemble. It uses an ultra metallic finish in silver, a shade found frequently in the marque’s enigmatic history on special cars such as the Silver Dawn, Silver King, Silver Silence and Silver Spectre.

The hero of the Collection is undoubtedly the Aero Cowling, which shifts the persona of the car’s high-shouldered silhouette, heightening the sense of speed and purpose. The rakish silver centre spine brings the bodywork into the cabin, giving it the intimate, connected feel of a true two-seater. A vapour-blasted titanium finisher completes the Aero Cowling windbreak and proudly displays the Silver Bullet name and silhouette.

The Dawn Silver Bullet Collection features dark exterior detailing: dark headlights and a new dark front bumper finisher, providing a dominant and determined expression in heighted contrast to the silver hue. The part-polished wheels offer a translucent shadow finish with a single silver pinstripe.

Inside, the Dawn Silver Bullet Collection is alluringly tactile, resplendent in materials and craftsmanship of our own time. A unique open-pore carbonfibre fascia greets the driver and companion in a contemporary, dashing fashion. A quilted transmission tunnel, with design cues taken from the quintessentially rebellious fashion accessory, the leather jacket, runs through the centre of the cabin in a tailored fashion.

With this in mind, Rolls-Royce will curate a series of ‘Silver Bullet Drives’, epic road-trips for owners of this contemporary collection, made available via Whispers, Rolls-Royce’s exclusive, digital home for its clients around the world.

Black Badge Cullinan – The King of the Night completes the Rolls-Royce Black Badge family

Better protection for your wheels with 3D-printed locking nuts

It’s one of the worst experiences for a driver – finding their car up on blocks (or sometimes not even off the road) with all four wheels gone. Now Ford has developed unique rim nuts that can make wheels more secure using 3D printing technology.

Together with EOS, a leading supplier for high-end solutions in 3D additive manufacturing, Ford has created locking nuts with contours based on the driver’s voice. Like an iris scan or a fingerprint, a person’s voice can be used as a unique biometric identification.

Engineers record the driver’s voice for a minimum of one second, saying something like ‘I drive a Ford Mustang’, and use software to convert that singular soundwave into a physical, printable pattern. This pattern is then turned into a circle and used as the design for the locking nut’s indentation and key.

With the geometry in place, the nut and key are designed as one piece, then 3D-printed using acid and corrosion resistant stainless steel. When finished, the nut and key are separated, with a small amount of grinding required to make them ready for use.

Additional security features
The design also includes second-level security features that prevent the nut from being cloned or copied. The unevenly spaced ribs inside the nut and indentations that widen the deeper they go prevent a thief from making a wax imprint of the pattern, as the wax breaks when it is pulled from the nut.

If not using the driver’s voice to create the contours, the nuts could feature designs specific to a vehicle, such as with the Mustang logo, or use the driver’s initials. The design could also take inspiration from a driver’s interest, for example, by using the outline of a famous racetrack.

Expanding use of 3D printing
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, offers design flexibility to help reduce weight, improve performance and create parts that wouldn’t be possible using conventional methods. For more than 30 years, Ford has increasingly used 3D printing to make prototype parts which help reduce the development time for new vehicles.

The company has also used this technology to create parts that feature in the Ford GT, Focus and Mustang GT500, and will make more 3D-printed parts in the future. Special bespoke car parts are also 3D printed, including the intake manifold in Ken Block’s Hoonitruck and the pair of wind louvres found on the M-Sport Ford Fiesta World Rally Championship car.

On the Ford production line, 3D printing is used to create assembly line tools that are up to 50% lighter, which makes repetitive tasks less physically stressful and helps improve manufacturing quality. As many of these tools are made of nylon, Ford has introduced a recycling programme that turns old 3D-printed pieces and plastics from manufacturing areas into 100% recycled nylon.

Ford also creates 3D-printed safety equipment, such as protection sleeves for rotating tools used on the production line, which prevent operators from incurring finger and arm injuries.

“Having our very own plug-and-play printer enables us to make tools and parts exactly when we need them, and to replace them faster than ever before. For some tools, the delivery time was up to 8 weeks but with 3D printing, the turn-around has been reduced to just five days. Best of all, anyone can sit down, create the part they need and start printing it using recycled plastic,” said Lars Bognar, a research engineer for Advanced Materials and Processes at Ford of Europe.

Save money while switching to a more active and adventurous lifestyle with the Ford Ranger XLT

Sebastien Ogier wins Rally Mexico for sixth time – in yet another car!

Sebastien Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia secured their first victory for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team with a record-equalling sixth Rally Mexico triumph. It was also the first win on the gruelling gravel event for the Toyota Yaris WRC.

The finish of the event was brought forward to Saturday evening, a decision taken in the face of fast-changing travel restrictions connected with the global COVID-19 virus outbreak to ensure safe and timely travel home for officials, competitors and team personnel. Some countries in Europe are going into lockdown in view of the pandemic numbers increasing.

In his third start with Toyota – and first on gravel – Ogier dominated proceedings after taking the lead on Friday’s second stage. He led by 13.2 seconds coming into Saturday, and immediately extended that advantage with a stunning stage win on SS13 Guanajuatito. His final winning margin was 27.8 seconds.

With his sixth Mexico win in 8 years – behind the wheel of four different cars – Ogier moves into the lead of the championship ahead of team-mate Elfyn Evans, who finished a strong fourth with co-driver Scott Martin after running first on the loose gravel roads on Friday.

Kalle Rovanpera continued the impressive start to his top-flight WRC career in fifth place: the 19-year-old’s third top-five finish in as many rallies, together with Jonne Halttunen. Rovanpera was within a few seconds of a podium place coming into Saturday, but was disadvantaged by running early in the road order.

With its all-new driver line-up having taken two wins in its first 3 events, Toyota’s rally team has further increased its lead in the manufacturers’ championship to 21 points.

“The first two years in Mexico, we could not fight during the rally due to overheating. But our engineers have put a lot of effort into improve the cooling system and finally we reached the top of the podium! I also thank their fighting spirits for the kaizen,” said Akio Toyoda, the Team Chairman and President of Toyota Motor Corporation.

The fourth round, to have been held in Argentina from April 23 – 26 as the event organiser announced it is postponed. The postponement follows many other motorsport events around the world, including major championships. In most cases, the governments of the host countries have started to ban events with large crowds for a period of time. Malaysia, for example, has banned public gathering of more than 250 people until April 30, 2020.

2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport in showrooms, priced from RM379,800

A new Land Rover Discovery Sport is now in Malaysian showrooms, available in two variants priced from RM379,800 (excluding insurance and roadtax). Customers can choose from the 5-seater or the higher-spec R-Dynamic variant with 5+2 seating which is priced at RM409,800.

New design cues on the bolder front end and a sportier silhouette identify the latest Discovery Sport R-Dynamic. Modernity and refinement are also reflected in the new signature LED lighting systems front and rear. Of course, the traditional Land Rover design features are still present – a prominent clamshell bonnet, rising beltline and tapered roof.

Now with Driveline Disconnect
The driving experience is said to be improved with the new power transfer feature called ‘Driveline Disconnect’. Incorporated in the All-Wheel Drive system, this feature works by disconnecting the drive of the front axle to the rear wheels under steady state cruising, thereby reducing frictional losses and re-engaging AWD in less than 500 milliseconds.

In addition, the Terrain Response 2 system is now a standard feature. Developed with Land Rover’s decades of experience in 4×4 systems, Terrain 2 Response optimises performance, traction and control on a variety of surfaces. A simple twist of a dial selects the appropriate driving mode (Comfort, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud & Ruts) and adjusts the characteristics of the throttle, brakes, differentials, and transmission. An AUTO mode automatically adjusts torque delivery to suit the terrain.

As with other Land Rover models, the Discovery Sport uses an engine from the Ingenium family, in this case a 2-litre turbocharged unit. Power flows through a ZF 9-speed automatic transmission with a very low first gear for strong low-end acceleration and a tall top gear for reduced engine revs at higher cruising speeds.

Smart technologies
Unlike the early Land Rovers which were engineered to be extremely tough but were technologically simple (which was an advantage off-road), today’s Land Rovers offer advanced smart technologies. Drivers of the Discovery Sport have, for instance, ClearSight Ground View, Land Rover’s world-first technology which is a new feature for the Discovery Sport. It provides drivers with a clear virtual view of the ground ahead so they can navigate over rough ground, park in tight spaces and avoid hitting kerbs.

Connectivity is also advanced with a 10-inch high-definition Touch Pro infotainment system which includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system also allows the driver to control the climate system and Terrain Response 2, while an Interactive Driver Display with a large 12-inch high-definition screen displays multiple types of information. The new Discovery Sport also comes with wireless charging which can be used for devices that have the capability.

Also available is a Generation 2 Head-Up Display (HUD), with vehicle speed, gear position and navigation directions projected onto the windscreen ahead of the driver. The high-resolution, full-colour graphics are visible in any lighting conditions and allow the driver to keep his or her eyes ahead.

As safe as passenger cars
With 4X4 SUVs spending almost all their time on highways and able to travel at high speeds, safety is even more important and Land Rover has provided a host of advanced safety technologies. These include High-speed Emergency Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keep Assist and Driver Condition Monitor as well as the 360° Surround Camera that is equipped with Wade Sensing features. Should an accident occur, there are no less than 7 airbags to help reduce serious injuries.

All new vehicles distributed by Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia have been engineered and tuned for Malaysian conditions and fuel quality. They come with a ‘Land Rover Care’ programme which is based on whichever comes first – a warranty of 5 years or 150,000 kms; scheduled servicing for 5 years or 65,000 kms; and 3 years of Roadside Assistance.

The New Land Rover Defender can fly too! (w/VIDEO)

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?