The 2019 SEMA Show showcased a lot of very cool cars and concepts. The Hyundai Motor Company Customization Teams decided to bring in the big guns with the show-stopping Hyundai Veloster N Performance Concept aka “The baddest Veloster on the planet”. (more…)
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has a long history of developing SUVs. In fact, together with Isuzu, it could be said that the company was the pioneer in the modern SUV which in the early 1980s was referred to as a ‘dual-purpose vehicle’. The vehicle was the Pajero and along with the Isuzu Trooper which appeared almost at the same time, consumer perception of such vehicles changed from being mere workhorses to alternatives to passenger cars.
With almost 4 decades of experience in producing SUVs, it would only be expected that MMC is now developing such vehicles which will run with electric motors, in line with industry trends for the coming decade. At the Tokyo Motor Show this year, it displayed the MI-TECH concept to give an idea of what a small-sized electrified SUV could be like.
Compact buggy-type vehicle
The design is that of a dynamic buggy-type vehicle with the familiar signature Dynamic Shield that is used for the front of the latest Triton. The new front design concept (which may be how the ‘face’ evolves) uses a satin-plated colour in the centre of the grille, with copper as a secondary colour to accentuate its expressiveness as an electrified vehicle.
T-shaped headlights are embedded in the front end to emphasize a distinguishing outward appearance. On the lower bumper, an aluminium skidplate is placed on both sides to protect the body while the centre section has an air intake.
On the sides, the highly raised over-fenders and large diameter tyres project a high level of mobility, SUV power, as well as the stability to thoroughly grip the terrain. The body radiates grandeur and sharpness with a design reminiscent of a machined metal ingot, while the use of side-steps on the carved sides balances utility with design.
The rear end design is dominated by a large and bold hexagon shape, again exuding the impression of being machined from solid metal ingot to emphasize robustness and strength. The T-shaped tail lamp shared the same design pattern used on the front end, as do the rear bumpers.
Functional cockpit with infographics
Inside, a horizontal instrument panel and clean, functional design make operating the MI-TECH easier. Keyboard-shaped switches are positioned on a centre console, and the front handgrip also functions as a hand pad to make the switches easy to operate. Functions are presented in a straightforward manner, easy to understand just by seeing them and with a reassuring feel when pressed.
The horizontal theme is further accentuated by copper lines added on the instrument panel and steering wheel. For extra peace of mind, the front windscreen presents all the relevant information in graphics such as vehicle behaviour, terrain recognition and optimal route guidance.
PHEV powertrain of the future
The power generator in the new PHEV drivetrain is a lightweight, compact gas turbine engine-generator in place of the traditional petrol engine. The gas turbine engine-generator has a powerful output for its size and weight with the added benefit of flexibility to run on a variety of fuels such as diesel, kerosene and alcohol which can be selected depending on the regions.
Building on its PHEV powertrain experience, MMC has evolved its Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) integrated vehicle dynamics control system to operate with a Quad Motor 4WD System with front and rear Dual-Motor Active Yaw Control (AYC) units. Making the brake calipers electric has also allows for high response, high accuracy control of drive and braking force of the 4 wheels while delivering a drastic improvement in turning and traction performance.
When driving off-road and 2 of the wheels lose traction, the ability to transmit the optimal driving force to all 4 wheels makes it possible to transmit force to the 2 wheels still on the ground and keep driving. It is possible to execute 180-degree spins by counter-rotating the left and right wheels.
The MI-TECH also comes equipped with a Human Machine Interface (HMI) which displays varying information detected through sensing technology including advanced optical sensors on an augmented reality (AR) windscreen. With vehicle, road, and surrounding traffic conditions shown on the AR glass, the driver can make accurate decisions even in poor visibility without taking his eyes away from the view ahead.
Visit www.mitsubishi=motors.com.my to know more about the SUV models you can buy in Malaysia today.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Ott Tänak and his co-driver Martin Järveoja have made history by securing their first FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) titles with a second place finish on Rally de Espana, the 13th round of the 2019 WRC. The event was won by Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul in Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC.
Tänak becomes only the third different driver to claim the WRC crown since 2004, while he and Järveoja are the first Estonians to ever achieve the feat. It is the fifth occasion that a Toyota driver has won the WRC Drivers’ title, and the first time since Didier Auriol triumphed in 1994.
Having won six of the 12 rallies so far, Tänak arrived at the second last round of the season with a 28-point advantage in the championship. In the series’ only true mixed-surface event, Tänak was fifth overall following the opening day on gravel, before 4 consecutive stage wins on asphalt on Saturday promoted him up into third place.
On the final day, he opened up a comfortable advantage with the Toyota Yaris WRC over the driver behind. But it was not easy-going and he still needed to push hard on the rally-ending Power Stage to secure the title. In an incredible run over the 20.72-km stage, he was 3.6 seconds faster than anyone to not only take the full 5 bonus points, but also grab second place overall on the rally.
Jari-Matti Latvala finished in fifth position, scoring important points for the Manufacturers’ Championship, which Toyota remains in with a chance of winning at the final round in Australia on November 14 as the gap is 18 points from the leader. After retiring on Saturday morning following a crash, Kris Meeke returned to action on Sunday under restart rules.
Sending his congratulations to the duo, Akio Toyota, Toyota’s President and the driving force behind the company’s greater motorsport orientation, said: “Last year in Rally Finland, I saw so many Estonian fans waving Estonian flags to cheer on Ott and Martin. They said the flags were not a weight on their shoulders. Instead, they felt the strong support from all the fans to achieve their best. I’m glad that our Yaris WRC competed with such a strong wave of support from our Estonian friends and supporters, and we rode the wave to the championship title!”
Toyota’s’ World Rally Champions
1990: Carlos Sainz (Toyota Celica GT-Four ST165)
1992: Carlos Sainz (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
1993: Juha Kankkunen (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
1994: Didier Auriol (Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185)
2019: Ott Tänak (Toyota Yaris WRC)
We all know when it comes to exotic supercars like Lamborghini, the usage of rare composite materials comes to mind (especially our favourite model, the Sesto Elemento). To further amp up their research and technology for the usage of carbon fibre, they’re willing to go do that where no man has done before; SPACE. (more…)
The world of GT racing championship is packed with some of the world’s best-looking cars and for the 2020 season, Ferrari is bringing in a new version of their 488 GT3 to the fight in the form of the 2020 Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo. So, what has Ferrari done to further improve arguably one of their most successful cars in racing history? (more…)
♦ Lewis Hamilton’s win in Mexico still does not confirm his sixth world title, and he will have to wait till the next round in Texas. His closest rival is his team mate, Valtteri Bottas who is now 74 points behind.
♦ Ferrari started off with an unexpected advantage of pole position for Charles Leclerc when Max Verstappen lost his pole position because he ignored warning flags. However, the Italian team again lost that advantage although Sebastian Vettel’s tyre strategy worked out well in the end.
♦ Daniil Kvyat finished 9th overall but was dropped to 11th when the official results came out. The Toro Rosso driver was given a 10-second post-race time penalty for his last lap incident with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg. The change in position also lost him and his team 2 points.
♦ Alexander Albon put in a good performance in Mexico, rising as high as third in the running, but the 2-stop strategy he had to use prevented him from pursuing the Mercedes-AMG drivers.
♦ The chances of Hamilton winning in Texas are pretty good as he has won 5 races there over the past 7 years. After collecting another world title, he can decide if he wants to move to Ferrari, Formula E, become an actor (he revealed that he was approached to star in Top Gun 2), or try to save the world in other ways.
Next race in Texas on November 3
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