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Fire at Sg. Buloh R&R on the PLUS North-South Expressway

Motorists passing the Sg Buloh Overhead Bridge R&R may have noticed huge plumes of smoke rising from the complex yesterday. PLUS has confirmed that there was a fire which occurred at the Burger King outlet around 6:25 pm.

The highway concessionaire said that the fire was small and started in the fast food restaurant’s kitchen. There were no injuries or structural impact resulting from the incident.

BOMBA, which responded to an emergency call promptly, put the fire out following efforts by Burger King staff as well. The Burger King outlet is sealed off until further notice but the rest of the R&R is still open to the public who can go to the other F&B outlets.

DS TECHEETAH previews design of its future Formula E racing car

Building on the support from leading car manufacturers, Formula E will officially become an FIA world championship starting from the 2020/2021 season (which typically starts towards the end of the year). As part of a constant process of innovation, the all-electric single-seater championship will introduce the Gen2 EVO, a restyled version of the current racing car.

DS Automobiles and its team partner DS TECHEETAH are already preparing for this new season with race livery design of their future racing car for Season 7. DS Automobiles and its sporting entity DS Performance successfully completed the transition between the two generations of Formula E cars. With a motor that increased to 250 kW and a battery of 52 kWh, the drivers can compete in an entire E-Prix distance without car change-overs. Aligned with DS TECHEETAH, the DS E-TENSE FE19 won the two Championship Drivers and Teams titles in the last season.

2019 DS CTHEETAH Formula E — *The current Formula E car run by DS TECHEETAH.*

Formula E DS Techeetah Gen2 EVO — *The Gen2 EVO car for Season 7.*

How the car will evolve
Formula E will evolve the design of the car and changes will include modification of the front and rear appendages, addition of a ‘shark fin’ on the bonnet and opening of the front wheel arches. The design of the Gen2 EVO to be used by the DS TECHEETAH Team incorporates the facelift imagined for the next season while retaining the black and gold codes of the DS E-TENSE FE20.

“Formula E is as much a place of experimentation as it is a field of expression for DS Automobiles. We demonstrate our vision by having been the first premium manufacturer involved, our expertise in electrification by winning races and championships and our know-how by multiplying innovative actions around competition. Being the first team to present the design of our future single-seater is a new step in this commitment, ” said Beatrice Foucher, CEO of DS Automobiles.

All-new Audi A3 gets more advanced quattro drive

An all-new Audi A3 will make its world debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show and to give selected media a preview of its dynamic capabilities, the carmaker held a test-drive in the Azores islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a place where volcanoes once created a whole chain of islands and where there is a high level of volcanic activity,

Although the island location presents less of a challenge to keeping the new model out of general public view before the unveiling, Audi nevertheless had it camouflaged. The tight winding roads and varied mountain and valley stretches around the island were perfect for showing off the highlight of the new A3 and core of Audi’s DNA: quattro drive.

The all-wheel drive system fittingly makes its first appearance in one of the most emotive versions of the fourth generation A3, and represents the latest stage in the evolution of this successful technology, which in Audi models with transverse engine installations is based around an electro-hydraulic multi‑plate clutch.

Intelligent regulation
Managed by precisely tuned software and supported by the adaptive suspension and the progressive steering, the system not only maximises stability, grip, and driving pleasure, but is also extremely efficient. The clutch is located at the end of the propshaft, in front of the rear axle differential – a position that benefits the axle load distribution in particular. Inside is a package of plates that operate in an oil bath. Its metal friction rings are arranged behind one another in pairs – one ring of each pair is rigidly meshed with the clutch housing, which rotates with the prop shaft; the other ring is meshed with the short output shaft to the rear axle differential.

Tailored electronic torque distribution
Audi tailored the electronic torque distribution control specifically to suit the new A3 and integrated it in the Audi drive select dynamic handling system. It takes the data of the suspension sensors into account and detects not only the driving conditions and road properties but also the driving style. The control unit uses this data as a basis to calculate a torque distribution that provides optimum efficiency and passes the value on to the clutch.

The all-wheel drive distributes the torque with full variability between the front and rear axles. During normal driving operation, most of the engine’s power is transmitted to the front wheels. When driving off or when the front axle has little traction, the clutch diverts the torque at lightning speed. In this case, an electric axial-piston pump is activated, which applies up to 44 bar of hydraulic pressure to the clutch plates. The more the clutch plates are pressed together by this pump, the more drive torque is transmitted to the rear axle – the maximum is 100%.

The clutch can already transmit part of the torque to the rear axle when the driver begins to make quicker turns of the steering wheel during more challenging driving. As soon as the driver accelerates, the torque presses the A3 into the corner. During load changes, the distribution of torque allows precise turning into the bend, which further increases driving dynamics.

Full control ESC
The wheel-selective torque control, a software function of the Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC), perfectly complements the latest quattro system. When the new A3 negotiates a corner at high speed, the program applies the brakes slightly to the two wheels on the inside of the bend. The difference in drive forces on both axles turns the car into the bend, allowing it to follow the steering angle precisely. This makes the handling even more agile, fluid, and safe.

New damper technology
Comfortably soft or sporty and taut? Both are possible with the suspension with adaptive damper control which will be available for selected models in the new A3. Three damper settings ensure that the driver can experience the spread of the driving characteristics and enjoy particularly agile handling. Sensors measure the vertical acceleration of the body structure and the relative movement of the individual wheels in relation to it.

The dampers include electromagnetically actuated valves that can be regulated extremely quickly and in a highly energy-efficient way. Depending on their position, they allow the hydraulic fluid to flow faster or slower, which changes the characteristics of the dampers between a soft setting for long distance ride pliancy and a firmer footing for faster A and B-road driving.

Audi predictive active suspension

The best car to film the 2020 Nissan GT-R NISMO in action (w/VIDEO)

The Nissan GT-R is the flagship of Nissan’s high-performance range and the GT-R NISMO can be considered as the ‘pinnacle’ of the iconic nameplate which has a 50-year history. Constantly pushing the performance envelope, NISMO engineers have upgraded the 2020 model’s engine with aerodynamics further enhanced and weight-savings through the meticulous use of exotic materials.

Then came the time to show the sportscar in action and these days, video is a must. There was just one problem – how to film a super sportscar like the GT-R NISMO? It would have been easy to shoot from a helicopter or drone but to have more impact, the view should be as close as possible at ground level.

Enter Mauro Calo, a professional precision driver and automotive video expert known for his work on big-budget blockbuster movies and automotive TV shows. He knew the perfect car to chase and film the 2020 GT-R NISMO – another GT-R.

While Nissan helped locate a suitable GT-R to be transformed into a purpose-built camera car, Calo was already working on the design. Once the car arrived, he and his team fitted a bespoke tubular structure that was welded to the chassis and able to hold the weight of the professional carbonfibre gimbal camera mounting system.

The ultimate high-speed camera car
Until Calo realized his ambition of developing the ultimate high-speed camera car, the vehicle of choice for this type of filming would be a high-performance SUV. However, SUVs lack the speed or agility to follow the world’s fastest performance cars on track.

Thanks to its low centre of gravity, adjustable sports suspension and 4-seat configuration, the GT-R is the perfect base car to accommodate a camera rig of this type. And with the performance of the twin-turbo 3.8 V6 plus its advanced all-wheel drive system, it’s easy to see why Calo chose it.

“When I started to think about developing a high-performance camera car, I quickly realized that the Nissan GT-R was the only car that would meet my criteria,” said Calo. “It has supercar performance, with outstanding all-wheel drive handling and stability. It’s famously reliable, and it can seat the team I need to operate the camera system. There were no other contenders.”

Fabulous footage with high definition
Not many GT-R customers regularly use all four seats, but a typical shoot requires a full camera crew. With Calo at the wheel, a gimbal operator, a focus puller and a director can be in the car at the same time – ensuring fabulous high-definition footage of the world’s fastest cars at high speed (with all safety precautions taken, on a closed circuit, of course).

“I knew already, from driving it on photo and video shoots, what a great car the Nissan GT-R is,” Calo said. “But since I adapted my Nissan GT-R to be a high-speed camera car and have been using it to film some of the world’s fastest cars on track, my respect and appreciation of its performance, reliability and stability has only increased. It amazes me and the teams I work with every time we use it.”

With careful choreography planned in advance and coordinated via walkie-talkie, the two GT-Rs chased each other around the Lausitzring racetrack in Brandenburg, Germany, as part of the GT-R NISMO’s media preview event. The recorded footage has been viewed millions of times on YouTube and other social media platforms.

This Lego Nissan GT-R Nismo is what you’ll want in 2020

PUSPAKOM services now include roadtax renewal for light commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicle operators will soon be able to renew their roadtax at 54 PUSPAKOM inspection centres nationwide. The renewal is available for light commercial vehicles with a maximum permissible laden weight (BDM) of 7,500 kgs or less.

The additional service will be implemented at the inspection centres in stages over the next three months, with the Wangsa Maju inspection centre being the first from yesterday,

According to PUSPAKOM’s CEO, Shukor Ismail, offering the new service is part of the company’s effort towards making PUSPAKOM a One-stop centre for the convenience of customers and the public. “We aim to offer services to deal with vehicle-related matters besides vehicle inspections. Currently, PUSPAKOM centres also provide vehicle insurance renewal services and with the roadtax renewal available, customers have more locations to get their roadtax renewed,” he said.

“Implementation of this initiative will enhance the level of service related to government services, especially vehicle inspection, to meet current customer demands that require efficient, fast and efficient service provision,” he added.

Light commercial vehicle — *At present, the renewal service is available only for light commercial vehicles (like this Nissan NV200) that have a BDM (maximum permissible weight) of 7,500 kgs or less.*

PUSPAKOM is also considering extending the roadtax renewal service to privately registered passenger vehicles later on.

For more information, the public can call PUSPAKOM at 1-800-88-6927, send email to customerservice@puspakom.com.my, visit their official Facebook Page or website at www.puspakom. com.my.