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The ultimate driving simulator for Volvo engineers

What would the ultimate driving simulator be like? For gamers, it would be a set-up with a seat that moves and a steering wheel with haptic feedback that gives the same feel as driving a car, bumps and all. And of course, and a crystal-clear virtual reality headset with all the ambient sounds to provide total immersion.

For the engineers at Volvo Cars, the ultimate simulator is simply one where it is hard to tell reality from simulation. They have developed a ground-breaking mixed-reality simulator that is at the next level, used to take new strides in safety and autonomous driving technology.

Driving on real roads
Using cutting-edge technology from the leading real-time 3D development platform Unity and Finnish virtual and mixed reality experts Varjo, the simulator involves driving a real car on real roads. It combines life-like, high definition 3D graphics, an augmented reality headset, and a full-body Teslasuit that provides haptic feedback from a virtual world, while also monitoring bodily reactions.

This combination of software and hardware allows the engineers and researchers to endlessly simulate traffic scenarios on a real test track road while using a real car, all in total safety. They can gain important insights on the interaction between people and the car for development of new safety, driver assistance and autonomous driving features.

Testers can be exposed to imagined active safety and driver assistance features, upcoming autonomous drive user interfaces, future car models and many other scenarios. It can be used on real test track roads or in the test lab, and every scenario is fully customizable. The possibilities are literally endless and importantly, safe.

Driving with a mixed reality headset
Last year, together with Varjo, Volvo Cars became the first carmaker to make it possible to drive a real car while wearing a mixed reality headset. Now that collaboration has been expanded to include Unity and full-body haptic suit maker Teslasuit.

According to Casper Wickman, senior leader of User Experience at Volvo’s Open Innovation, this enables Volvo Cars to study authentic human reactions in a safe environment and at a fraction of the cost of a real test.

“Working together with great companies like Varjo, Unity and Teslasuit has allowed us to test so many scenarios that look and feel totally real, without having to physically build anything,” said Wickman. “It lets us test drive actual cars in through traffic scenarios that look and feel real, but can be adjusted at the touch of a button.”

Testing safely
When developing safety systems for cars, like collision-avoiding technologies, testing is crucial. But testing these systems in reality can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive. Virtual and mixed reality simulations, however, allow for perfectly safe testing in authentic environments, without having to build any physical prototypes or set up complex scenarios.

“By using this cutting-edge technology, we are exploring and leading the development for creating safe cars in the future. It’s great to play a part in that,” said Wickman.

When Volvo drove a car off a building for a crash test (w/VIDEO)

Sime Darby Auto ConneXion offers discounts and free perks to Ford owners

Ford owners who bring their vehicle to Sime Darby Auto ConneXion (SDAC) from today until February 15, 2021 can enjoy up to 20% savings and additional free perks. Announcing the Service Promotion, Syed Ahmad Muzri Syed Faiz, MD of Sime Darby Auto ConneXion, encouraged owners to ensure their vehicle is in good health.

“As the country looks forward to a new year and the hope of coming out of the pandemic, a focus on better health will continue to be a top priority for many people. Likewise, we encourage all our Ford owners to ensure their vehicle health is also being taken care of going into the new year by taking advantage of these service deals,” he said.

Savings and free perks
When customers book a service during the promotion period, they can take advantage of savings up to 20% on vehicle maintenance on selected parts and engine oils. There’s also a 10% discount on labour fees for lubricant, brake and timing belt packages.

Although the CMCO and need to be more cautious will limit holiday travel this year, vehicles should still be checked periodically, especially if they are not used much. SDAC is offering a 27-point inspection by Ford-certified technicians to ensure their vehicles are in tip-top condition at no additional charge.

Customers who spend more than RM350 in a single receipt will receive an exclusive multipurpose bag (while stocks last).

Genuine Ford Parts used
When servicing at any of the 42 Ford authorised service centres nationwide, owners are always assured that only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts are used. Genuine Ford Parts are made to the highest standards of quality, fit and finish and specifically designed for Ford vehicles.

Additionally, all Ford Genuine Parts (excluding wear and tear parts) purchased and installed are covered by a warranty for a period of 12 months or 20,000 kms, whichever occurs first.

Booking an appointment
SDAC recommends that owners make an appointment first as there is a need to observe crowd control and social distancing at the company’s premises. This can be done by booking online, calling an authorised Ford Service Centre (click here for the contact details of operational service centres) or call the Customer Care Hotline at 1300 38 3181.

All Ford service centres and showrooms are open, subject to CMCO conditions at their specific locations. Customers are advised that Standard Operating Procedures such as registration, temperature checks and sanitary measures will be observed in accordance with government requirements.

For more information on products and promotions, visit www.sdacford.com.my.

Click here for other news and articles about Ford and Sime Darby Auto ConneXion.

Cycle & Carriage Bintang opens a Mercedes-Benz Virtual Showroom

Cycle & Carriage, associated for decades with the Mercedes-Benz brand, now has the first Mercedes-Benz virtual showroom in Malaysia. Responding to trends, the Cycle & Carriage Virtual Showroom offers the same high-touch retail engagement online that customers get with the physical retail experience.

“The low-touch economy spurred by e-commerce marketplaces has propelled a need for us to re-engineer our strategy in the luxury car segment. While our physical retail experience will certainly be here to stay, complementing it with an immersive online experience and seamlessly incorporating both channels would make the purchasing journey better for our customers,” said Cycle & Carriage Bintang CEO, Wilfrid Foo. “Our customers’ car-buying journeys can begin not just at our showroom, but at their fingertips. We hope that with a seamless offering, we can deliver on our promise of delivering Exceptional Journeys to our customers in ways that meet those needs.”

Immersive high-quality experience
Simulating a physical showroom, customers can virtually explore both the showroom and vehicles in an immersive experience. For now, there are nine Mercedes-Benz models on display. Visitors can select external and internal 360-degree views of the models, and customise them using the configurator.

There are also exclusive Cycle & Carriage Expert Review videos for more in-depth understanding, with detailed information also available just a click away. Once customers have previewed each vehicle and have an interest, they can also make an appointment for a test-drive at their preferred Cycle & Carriage Autohaus.

Meeting customers’ evolving needs
“We believe that to be a trusted dealer partner, we need to deliver on that promise of meeting our customers’ evolving needs. Our new virtual showroom is one of the many investments we are making to nurture the overall customer experience and together with our physical showrooms, our customers can begin their ownership journey with confidence,” added Mr. Foo.

Cycle & Carriage has been in existence since 1899, starting in Kuala Lumpur as a general goods store. It is today a leading regional automotive group in Southeast Asia that distributes, retails and provides aftersales services for passenger cars as well as commercial vehicles of various brands.

Listed on Bursa Malaysia, Cycle & Carriage Bintang is one of the leading dealer groups for Mercedes-Benz passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as a dealer group of FUSO commercial vehicles. It has 12 outlets across the country, with three Daimler AG-certified ‘Centre of Competence’ facilities.Cycle & Carriage Virtual Mercedes-Benz Showroom.

More advanced Blind Spot monitoring developed for Ford vehicles

How often have you made a move to overtake a vehicle ahead, moved to the right lane – and got the blast of a horn from another vehicle behind? You quickly have to swerve back to your lane as the other car passes by with an angry driver glaring at you. Sometimes, you might even have looked in the mirror and not noticed any vehicle because it was in the ‘blind spot’ and if you are unlucky, a collision might occur.

That’s why many manufacturers now install a Blind Spot monitoring system which scans the rear three-quarter zone of the car, alerting the driver if there is another vehicle. It’s a valuable feature and could save expensive damage as well as injuries to others.

Ford has offered Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) technology on many models for more than a decade now. The system can alert drivers to the presence of vehicles in their blind spot using a warning light in the door mirror.

More advanced BLIS
Now, Ford is going further with a more advanced system – the new Lane-Keeping System with Blind Spot Assist. Besides monitoring the blind spot, the system can now also take pro-active action to discourage a lane-change manoeuvre if a potential collision is detected.

“Many drivers will at some point have been caught by surprise when another vehicle seemingly ‘appears out of nowhere’,” said Glen Goold, a programme engineer at Ford. “Lane-Keeping System with Blind Spot Assist is like having an extra pair of eyes in the back of your head, helping prevent just a second’s lapse in judgement from escalating into something more serious.”

Watching your back
While the original BLIS merely warned the driver, the new system applies a gentle force to the steering wheel to discourage drivers from changing lanes into the path of another road user and even guide the vehicle away from danger.

Radar sensors scan parallel lanes for vehicles up to 28 metres behind, 20 times per second, while the vehicle is moving at speeds from 65 km/h to 200 km/h. An intervention can be automatically activated if the control system senses a lane-change by monitoring road markings using the forward-facing camera, and the technology calculates that the two vehicles are on a collision course.

The Lane-Keeping System with Blind Spot Assist can intervene to help prevent collisions with vehicles approaching with a closing speed of up to approximately 30 km/h.

Looking forward as well
Along with Lane-Keeping System with Blind Spot Assist, Ford has also developed Intersection Assist technology. This uses the vehicle’s forward-facing camera, combined with radar, to monitor for potential collisions with oncoming vehicles at intersections. One study found that more than one in 10 severe accidents at junctions in Europe involved cars colliding with other cars, vans buses or trucks at cross-junctions.

The technology can automatically apply the brakes when travelling at up to 30 km/h to help prevent or mitigate the effects of accidents in scenarios where a driver is turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle, such as commonly encountered at junctions or small roundabouts.

Intersection Assist operates without the need to detect lane markings or kerbs. It can even intervene in carparks, worksites or other locations without clear markings or traffic priorities. Both technologies can operate in daylight and in darkness with headlights activated.

Ford has already introduced the two new technologies in Europe and will progressively add it to other models as time goes on. These join an already extensive range of safety technologies available in all Ford models, including pick-ups such as the Ranger.

Visit www.sdacford.com.my to know more about the safety features in Ford models available in Malaysia

Latest Ford Ranger Raptor gets added safety systems and upgrades

Mobil Super engine oil range gets third product – 3000 All-in-One Protection series

Ever since Petron took over ExxonMobil’s retail business in Malaysia, Mobil engine lubricants have dropped out of the public eye. They are still available but not at stations. Besides being sold at supermarkets and by online retailers, there are also official distributors for the lubricants which supply them to workshops as well, so you still can get products like the well known Mobil 1 from such places.

While Mobil 1, which introduced Malaysian motorists to synthetic engine oil in the mid-1980s, remains as a high-performance product, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific also offers other products to cover a broad range of motorists. The latest is the Mobil Super 3000 All-in-One Protection series, an addition to the existing Mobil Super 1000 and 2000 range in the market.

Two viscosities available
Two viscosities are available – 0W-20 (1 litre and 3.5 litre packs) for Japanese hybrid and other newer Japanese ECO petrol engines, and 5W-30 (1 litre and 4 litre packs) for most of the latest Japanese models. Official retail prices are not known but would probably be above RM200 for the larger packs.

The new Mobil product is a premium, fully synthetic oil formulated with Heat Activated Anti-Wear Molecule to protect the engine from high temperature wear while keeping the engine clean. Resisting deterioration and maintaining protection at extreme temperatures is a major strength of full synthetic oils so they are especially good for turbocharged engines.

The oil meets the latest API SP and ILSAC GF-6A SAE standards, enhancing fuel economy with its friction-reducing properties, and providing good protection as well as keeping the engine clean to enable it to run optimally.

Oil change intervals
When Mobil 1 was first introduced, a very long oil change interval was mentioned as one of the benefits of synthetic oil. However, the carmakers were uncomfortable with such a recommendation which was much longer than their own intervals, so Mobil has since recommended that the recommendations in the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual should be followed, especially if the vehicle is under warranty.

“To drivers, Mobil Super means care: for themselves, for their families and for their vehicles. We want to inspire people to live life to the fullest while Mobil protects what they love. Our latest addition, Mobil Supe 3000 All-in-One Protection, offers the best, affordable protection for things most important to you, because we care,” said Teh Sze Min, General Manager of Business Development at ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Private Limited.

Mazda’s Kodo Design is 10 years old and continues to evolve

Mazda’s design philosophy – Kodo: Soul of Motion – is 10 years old, having been introduced at the Los Angeles Motor Show in 2010 with the Shinari concept car. It was a preview of how forthcoming Mazda models would look and represented a bold new direction for design at Mazda.

The word ‘Kodo’ literally translates as ‘heartbeat’, but with the added meaning of filling something with life; of giving it a soul. This idea is central to the way Mazda has always thought about design. “In Japan, we feel that craftsmen inject life into what they make. We believe that a form sincerely and painstakingly made by human hands gets a soul,” explained Ikuo Maeda, Head of Mazda Design. Therefore, ‘Soul of Motion’ takes on a double meaning, expressing both the essence of motion and the ‘soul’ imbued in the car by Mazda’s master craftsmen.

*The Minagi concept which became the first CX-5 (below).*

The Shinari 4-door sports coupe concept was followed in 2011 with another example of Kodo Design, the Minagi compact crossover SUV concept which later evolved into the highly successful CX-5.

Inspired by the beauty and power of nature allied with the emotion of motion, the first Kodo designs were strongly inspired by the image of a cheetah about to pounce. Mazda designers closely observed how these powerful mammals used their entire body as a spring to convert pent-up energy into highly controlled motion.

Takeri and Hazumi concepts
After the Shinari and Minagi concepts came the Takeri and Hazumi concepts which carried the same expression of motion that focused on the strength, beauty and tension found in the instantaneous movement seen in animals.

The Takeri offered a new level of strength and allure to the future of Mazda’s sedan styling, while the Hazumi (meaning ‘to bound’ or ‘spring up’ in Japanese) used Kodo Design to characterize the personality of a small but vigorous animal bursting with energy for Mazda’s next generation B-segment car.

Minimalist approach
A turning point for Kodo Design was reached with the RX-Vision and Vision Coupe which evoked a powerful and emotional design with as few elements as possible. Introduced at the 2015 and 2017 Tokyo Motor Show, respectively, both concepts anticipated the new elegance and yet more pronounced minimalist aesthetic of an updated interpretation of Kodo Design. Dynamic and emotional forms are achieved by shaving off any unnecessary elements to bring out the very essence of beauty and motion.

From Kai to Mazda3
From this point onwards, Mazda designers sought to create beauty and a unique elegance through taking visual components away, not adding more. Launched in 2019, the latest generation Mazda3 was inspired by the Kai Concept and was the first vehicle to showcase the evolution in Kodo Design. It presented a more mature rendition targeting greater styling prestige through the elegance and rigor of a minimalist, less-is-more aesthetic inspired by the purest traditions of Japanese art and the beauty of space between objects.

With the latest Kodo Design, which is in the current Mazda3, every element serves a purpose; nothing is superfluous or purely ornamental. Three concepts were instrumental in this design progression: Yohaku or ma, the beauty of empty space; sori, or curves with poise and balance; and utsuroi, the play of light and shadow.

For example, by eliminating character lines, an empty space is created on the vehicle’s smooth side panels and functions as a blank, endlessly changing canvas for the play of light and shadow – a special skill of Mazda designers. As the car moves through space, the change of light and shade creates a dynamic and fluid aspect with the ‘Soul of Motion’ played out on the side of the car.

It took hundreds of hours of painstaking clay sculpting and painting work to develop the Mazda3’s design that creates subtle undulations of light and shadows gliding over the car’s smooth body. It is fundamental to the uniquely Japanese elegance of Mazda’s next-generation design vision.

Change and Release for CX-30
The CX-30 was developed to follow this design concept with exterior styling that has suppleness and the flowing elegance of a coupe combined with the toughness of an SUV. The vitality of Kodo Design is retained, with a new ‘Charge and Release’ design expression inspired by the brushwork used in Japanese calligraphy.

In particular, Sori is clearly embodied in the arc of the shoulder running from the front wing to the rear wheel, giving a sense of speed and vitality. Utsuroi may be seen in the body surfaces beneath the shoulder line, which reflect the surroundings in a distinctive ‘S’ shape that changes as the car moves.

Award winner
Since its inception 10 years ago, Mazda’s Kodo Design philosophy has been praised and recognized by many awards. Both the RX-Vision and the Vision Coupe have been named the ‘Most Beautiful Concept Car of the Year’ and the revamped Mazda MX-5 won the ‘World Car Design Award’ in 2015.

*Ikuo Maeda, Head of Mazda Design, is the ‘father of Kodo Design’. His father was the man who designed the original RX-7.*

More recently, the Mazda CX-30 and the new MX-30 have won a Red Dot Award 2020 in the Product Design category, while the Mazda3 was named ‘World Car Design of the Year’ in the 2020 World Car Awards. Ikuo Maeda himself has also been recognized with the Design Hero accolade earlier this year by Britain’s Autocar magazine.

The simplistic elegance and emotional appeal of Kodo Design will remain essential ingredients of the brand’s identity. After 10 years of sustained success, Kodo Design continues to push the limits of car design and define the future of Mazda. When asked if Kodo Design will be replaced by another design philosophy, Maeda told this writer: “As far as I am concerned, Kodo Design will be forever!”.