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.
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.
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.”
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.
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?
The fourth and final round of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) and the Vios Challenge one-make race will be held at the Sepang International Circuit on April 18 and 19, 2020. However, the event will not be open to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement just release, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) said it will be a ‘closed-door’ race. “UMW Toyota Motor undertakes accountability for the welfare of Malaysians at large, and also the well-being of our crew members, racers and race teams,” the statement explained.
The final round of the previous season was held for the first time at the Sepang International Circuit,
Minimal number of participants during races
Only essential crew members, racers and race teams will be invited for the completion of the third season which began last August. On event days, the organisers will be conducting health screenings for racers, race team members and crew prior to entering the race premises.
“We trust that our fans appreciate the current situation. All the races will still be broadcast live on Toyota’s Facebook and Youtube accounts and we invite everyone to cheer on their favourite racers and celebrities by tuning in to the live shows’, said UMWT’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama, who is also one of the participants.
Motorsport events have large crowds of spectators and at this time, health authorities are strongly urging that ‘social distancing’ be adopted, meaning that people should be at least a metre from each other, to reduce the risk of infection.
Motorsports organisers urged to postpone events
Meanwhile, the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) has also issued a statement urging all organisers to postpone their events until the situation subsides and improves. “This decision is made based on the directives from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Sports Commission, and in consultation with the MAM Medical Commission.
The statement adds that should an organizer choose to still go ahead with its event, the MAM ‘highly recommends that it be held with minimal personnel and spectators, as in a closed-event format’. It calls on the organisers to act responsibly to reduce the risk of infection and to follow the guidelines by the MoH and W.H.O. for participants at the event.
It started with a bold declaration by Liberty Media, which hold commercial rights for the sport, that the first three rounds of 2020 Formula 1 World Championship would go ahead as scheduled. That was around the time (February 29) the Geneva Motorshow was cancelled and so was the China round of the F1 championship in April.
Although the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic was worsening, no one expected it to accelerate and hit Europe and then America and almost every country in the world so quickly. Worse, Italy then went into a lockdown to try to slow the spread of the disease, potentially affecting some of the racing teams which have bases in Italy as well as Pirelli, F1’s tyre supplier. Some countries were getting concerned about Italian travelers and refused to allow them in.
But still the opening round in Australia scheduled for this weekend was to continue. In spite of concerns expressed by the teams, ‘the show had to go own’; Liberty Media had already warned its shareholders that there will be a severe effect on revenues this year with millions of dollars being lost if championship rounds are cancelled and certainly a lot more if the entire championship is not run.
The circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne, where the first round of 2020 was to be held.
Australia was already beginning to have a growing number of cases as March started and restrictions were placed on foreign travelers. An exception was made for those from Italy but they had to go through stringent checks. Eight F1 personnel from two teams were seen to display mild symptoms associated with the virus and tests were done on them.
Then news came that a member of the McLaren Racing team tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and thing began to unravel. Lewis Hamilton was vocal about the race being run, with Sebastian Vettel saying that, ‘for sure you pull the handbrake’, referring to the possibility of cancelling the event if the situation was too unsafe.
“I am really very, very surprised that we are here,” Hamilton said at a press conference. “For me, it is shocking that we are all sitting in this room. It seems like the rest of the world is reacting … Formula One continues to go on – it’s definitely concerning for me.”
In these times, social distancing (standing at least a metre away from another person) is recommended and Lewis Hamilton was certainly not taking chances! The reigning World Champion was surprised that the race was not cancelled earlier.
Among the 20 drivers, personal health safety was of course a priority, but they also felt that any team excluded from the race – due to restrictions – would mean it was not fair to that team or teams. “If a team is prevented from entering a country, we can’t have a race. Not a Formula One world championship race, anyway, because that would be unfair,” said Formula 1 motorsports Managing Director, Ross Brawn.
McLaren then announced it would not participate, issuing this statement: “McLaren Racing has confirmed this evening in Melbourne that it has withdrawn from the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, following the positive test of a team member for the coronavirus. The team member was tested and self-isolated as soon as they started to show symptoms and will now be treated by local healthcare authorities.”
“The team has prepared for this eventuality and has ongoing support in place for its employee who will now enter a period of quarantine. The team is cooperating with the relevant local authorities to assist their investigations and analysis.”
“Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, and Andreas Seidl, Team Principal of McLaren F1, informed Formula 1 and the FIA of the decision this evening. The decision has been taken based on a duty of care not only to McLaren F1 employees and partners, but also to the team’s competitors, Formula 1 fans and wider F1 stakeholders.”
Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, Jr. were the first two drivers to withdraw from the race after one of McLaren’s personnel was found to be infected.
The teams met and half of them (five) were willing to race so it was a stalemate and had to be discussed with other parties to come to a decision. Then Daimler AG came into the picture, instructing its team (Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Motorsport) not to participate, along with persuading it customer teams Racing Point and Williams to do the same. That left only two teams willing to race – Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri. The decision was clear: pull out. Some drivers packed and got on flights home right away.
It was still dark in the western world (6 am in Malaysia) as the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) sent out its statement: “At 9 am today, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation was advised by Formula One of their intention to cancel all Formula 1 activity at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. In light of this decision and updated advice this morning from the Chief Health Officer of the Victorian Government’s Department of Human and Health Services, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation confirms the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix is cancelled immediately.”
The FIA, Formula 1 and AGPC confirmed that the race was cancelled although there had been hopes that it could still be run – without spectators as the local government had banned large gatherings. “All parties took into consideration the huge efforts of the AGPC, Motorsport Australia, staff and volunteers to stage the opening round of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship in Melbourne, however concluded that the safety of all members of the Formula 1 family and the wider community, as well as the fairness of the competition take priority,” the statement said.
The next round is in Bahrain, which is to be held on March 22, and the organisers for that event have already planned to run the race without spectators present, relying on livestreaming and TV broadcasts. At the time of writing, Bahrain has around 60 cases and no deaths.
Then there is the third round in Vietnam which has yet to be decided upon. The race is scheduled for April 5 but the government has already declared that anyone who has been in Italy (as well as China, Iran and certain areas of South Korea) in the previous 14 days will not be allowed in. That would mean the Italian teams and Pirelli’s personnel. With the W.H.O. having declared that the situation is now a ‘pandemic’ and urging governments to be more serious, it is likely that the Vietnamese will not be as flexible as the Australians. So it looks like the round will be postponed if not cancelled which is unfortunate as it would be the first time F1 is held in the country.
As for the rest of the championship, there is uncertainty since the pandemic is growing daily and even postponement of events may not be possible. The virus isn’t just going to ‘vanish’ overnight and even if it can be slowed, it will still be around for some time to come. Singapore’s Prime Minister last night warned that ‘this outbreak will continue for some time – a year, and maybe longer’.
Apart from F1, other motorsports events have also been cancelled or postponed, including the Formula E round that was scheduled for June 22. The organisers of the Jakarta e-Prix will follow the instruction of the Governor of Jakarta not to run the race even though it is still many months ahead. It will be rescheduled but the new date has not been announced yet. Jakarta joins the circuits in Sanya, China and Rome which have had their events postponed.
Related: Formula E round in China cancelled, other motorsports events under review by FIA due to concerns about coronavirus.
The opening round of the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship will, as usual, be in Melbourne, Australia and it will go ahead next weekend despite concerns about the COVID-19 epidemic. Australia has not forbidden large-scale events (yet) unlike Switzerland which has stopped events with over 1,000 people. The Geneva International Motor Show was a ‘victim’ of the decree, having to be cancelled at the last minute.
However, for the second round in Bahrain on March 22, spectators will not be allowed into the circuit. Yes, you read that right – no spectators. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, it will be a ‘closed-door event’ which will only rely on live internet and TV broadcasts. It’s not clear if the public will be allowed to attend the planned concerts which this year have Afrojack, Don Diablo and Khalid performing.
The Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir
The statement from the organisers today said: “In consultation with our international partners and the Kingdom’s national health Taskforce, Bahrain has made the decision to hold this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix as a participants-only event.”
“As an F1 host nation, balancing the welfare of supporters and racegoers is a tremendous responsibility. Given the continued spread of COVID-19 globally, convening a major sporting event which is open to the public and allows thousands of international travellers and local fans to interact in close proximity would not be the right thing to do at the present time. But to ensure that neither the sport, nor its global supporter base, is unduly impacted, the race weekend itself will still go ahead as a televised event.”
“Bahrain’s own early actions to prevent, identify and isolate cases of individuals with COVID-19 has been extremely successful to date. The approach has involved rapid, proactive measures, identifying those affected by the virus, of which the overwhelming majority of cases relate to those travelling into the country by air. Aggressive social distancing measures have further increased the effectiveness of preventing the virus’ spread, something that would clearly be near impossible to maintain were the race to have proceeded as originally planned.”
The statement went on to acknowledge that many will be disappointed by the development, especially those planning to travel to the event, ‘but safety has to remain our utmost priority’. Up till today, data from the WHO and Malaysian Health Ministry shows that Bahrain has 85 cases of COVID-19 infections with no deaths (Malaysia has 93 cases, no deaths).
On its part, the FIA has not yet made any changes to the F1 calendar other than to cancel the Chinese GP scheduled in April (at the request of the organisers). Professor Gerard Saillant, President of the FIA’s Medical Commission, said an FIA Crisis Cell has been established and convenes every second day to consider the latest developments around the world.
“The FIA continues to closely monitor the situation and its implications, together with its Member Clubs and Promoters, and follows the advice of relevant authorities including governments and the World Health Organization (WHO). The FIA will evaluate the calendar of its forthcoming competitions and take any action required to help protect the global motorsport community and the wider public, including the postponement of competitions where necessary,” he said.
Support teams, especially tyre suppliers Pirelli, may be hampered by strict regulations that prevent them from entering countries where races are held.
There is also growing concern in the F1 community as Italy’s northern region goes into lockdown to try to prevent further spread of the virus. Pirelli, the tyre suppliers, are located in Milan which is within the lockdown area while teams from Italy – Scuderia Ferrari and AlphaTauri F1 – are monitoring the situation. It is hoped that Australia, Bahrain and Vietnam, where the first three rounds are to be held, will be flexible on allowing personnel from Italy to enter.
Ross Brawn, F1’s Managing Director for Motorsport, feels that if any team is prevented from entering a country to participate in the race, then there should not be a race. His remarks to Reuters suggested that the race might still be run but ‘it won’t be a Formula 1 championship race’ because it would be unfair to the teams affected.
GoCar Malaysia, the car-sharing platform that has been around since 2015, has a large fleet of cars to manage and obviously, it has to ensure that they are always in good condition for customers’ use. ‘Good condition’ doesn’t just refer to mechanical condition (although that is certainly important) but also the interior cleanliness of the vehicle – more so in these times of the COVID-19 epidemic.
To encourage community cleanliness and advocate car-hygiene, GoCar Malaysia has a campaign, called ‘GoClean’ which emphasizes that maintaining a clean and healthy environment is a collaborative effort. This is all the more important as many different individuals will be using the same vehicles which they can book for an hour or for longer periods.
Unlike single-owner vehicles, many different people will use the same GoCar vehicle so it is important that it is kept hygienically clean, especially in these times.
To provide passengers with a comfortable and hygienic driving environment, GoCar Malaysia is constantly expanding its Fleet Maintenance team, increasing maintenance scheduling, and even uses customised algorithms that track which cars need to be maintained. In addition to this, GoCar members can be rewarded if they clean or wash their GoCar before returning it.
“GoCar is a car-sharing platform, which means users after users will be using the car after one another. We have users leaving burger wraps, unfinished drinks – once even chicken bones – and many other unsavoury things in the car. Nevertheless, we will continue to make more effort to maintain the cleanliness of GoCars, and we have to work together to make that a reality,” said Alan Cheah, CEO of GoCar, explaining the reason for the ‘GoClean’ campaign,
With the coronavirus epidemic evolving in the country, the need for preventative measures and healthy environments has never been felt more strongly. In the spirit of community cleanliness, GoClean is to implement a few actions to help make this possible.
Firstly, antibacterial wipes with Benzalkonium Chloride (BC) are placed in the glovebox of each vehicle for users to wipe down the steering wheel, the seats, and door handles. Antibacterial wipes are said to be some of the main preventative measures the public can take against the spread of any illness. GoCar members are thus urged not to remove the antibacterial wipes from the vehicles. If they are not present, the member can contact GoCar.
There are also reminders on the windscreen to ensure that users maintain the cleanliness of the vehicle and subsequently, reimbursement will be given for taking a GoCar for a car wash before returning it via the GoPocket points.
GoCar, which offers an alternative to car ownership for Malaysians, is available in over 400 locations at 72 towns and cities in 7 states. Depending on the requirement, there are sedans, SUVs, MPVs, and even pick-up trucks to choose from. Since February this year, the company also accepts P-licence holders as members.
NOTE: This article was published in February 2020 before the COVID-19 epidemic became a pandemic and before the Malaysian government issued the Movement Control Order on March 18, 2020.
COVID-19, the coronavirus disease which began in December in Wuhan, China, is now spread all over the world. Malaysia, which took the necessary measures of surveillance and quarantine quite early, has fortunately not experienced a rapid increase in cases.
While our daily life can still continue without restrictions – unlike some places where there are lockdowns limiting movement – there is still a need to be mindful of the situation and take precautions to protect ourselves, our families and our friends. There are worrying projections of how the virus will eventually infect millions around the world but these are just projections. No one can know for sure what’s going to happen and more important right now is action which can be taken to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.
The closed environment of a car cabin and the closeness of occupants means that a more conscious effort is needed to maintain cleanliness to help prevent spread of COVID-19.
Some facts about viruses
As our website is motor-related, we’ll talk about actions by motorists that can help. But before we get into that, let’s first understand what the known dangers are. To start with, the virus is transmitted like the flu which we have lived with all our lives. With flu, vaccines have been developed to treat those infected (but many still die every year) and hopefully, a vaccine will quickly be found to fight and prevent COVID-19.
The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person, either through close contact (within about 2 metres or 6 feet) or through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. At this time, leading medical authorities say there is still not enough strong evidence to support concerns that it is airborne (as in floating around) as well.
It is also possible to be infected from touching a surface or object that may have been in contact with a person having the virus. Droplets containing the germs may have transferred onto things like door handles, buttons, computer keyboards or even eating utensils. You won’t get sick right away but when your hands or fingers touch your mouth, nose, or possibly the eyes, the germs your hands picked up could be transferred. You may not realise it but you probably touch your face often and that is the reason why health authorities strongly recommend frequent washing of hands with soap and water (for at least 20 seconds). You can also use a hand sanitizer that requires no water but can still provide a degree of disinfection on your hands.
The virus can stay alive and dangerous for some time; early evidence suggested that it could be up to 9 days. Research is still ongoing to determine if higher temperatures will kill it but recent reports also express concerns about its ability to survive longer than 9 days. There’s still a lot that is not known about COVID-19 but almost every day, new findings are made as scientists race to understand it.
What you can do
Okay, now that you have an idea of how the ‘enemy’ operates, how do you protect yourself inside the car? The first thing would be to keep areas that are usually touched clean and this does not mean just wiping them with a wet cloth but using liquids or tissues with antiseptic properties. It’s a simple process to just wipe door handles, window winders (if your car still has them), switches, buttons, steering wheel, and even surfaces like the dashboard.
The door handles, dashboard, switches, steering wheel and audio system controls are some of the spots where fingers and hands will frequently touch.
Actually, such cleaning practices are good hygiene anyway as there have always been germs everywhere. Only thing is, this time, one of the germs is very dangerous so a more conscious effort is needed to keep the cabin areas clean. Carmakers like Geely Auto are already doing R&D on materials that could help in this area.
Keeping the air clean
The air-conditioning system blows cool air into the cabin and unless it has a very effective filter, the air is likely to also contain germs. This is inevitable as over time, dust collects inside the vents and ducts, bringing with it germs. Again, you’ve lived with this condition but now things are more serious, especially as the recirculating system can pick up germs inside the cabin as well.
Dead bacteria in the system is one of the reasons you sometimes get a bad smell. Mould, mildew, fungi and micro-organisms grow as a result of the damp conditions in the system, allowing bacteria to also collect, grow and die.
For this reason, some manufacturers have air purifying systems incorporated in the ventilation systems of their cars. These were originally meant to protect the occupants from pollen but Toyota found that installing a nanoe generator could also inhibit the growth of allergens, bacteria and viruses in the air, besides enhancing air quality. It provided this feature (developed by Panasonic) in the Camry some 8 years ago and also offers it in some other models.
More recently, as an urgent response to the COVID-19 epidemic, Geely Auto completed development of the G-Clean Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS) which automatically filters out harmful particulates – including airborne viruses – from the vehicle’s internal air environment. The carmaker says that the filtration is of the same level as an N95 respiration system. The ‘N95’ designation means that at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles used in testing can be blocked.
Ionizers can deactivate viruses
If you don’t own a Toyota Camry or a Geely model (Protons don’t have the IAPS yet), you can still install an ionizer which generates negative ions into the cabin air to keep it fresh and are known to deactivate (not kill) airborne bacteria and viruses so they cannot infect. Companies like Panasonic, Sharp, Philips and Blaupunkt make small units that can slot into the cupholders between the seats and are powered from the cigarette lighter or USB ports.
Ionizers for cars can help to not only keep the air fresh but also deactivate viruses so they cannot infect.
A word of warning: as such devices electrically charge air molecules inside their casings, they could cause interference with remote control devices so don’t place your keyless entry fob near them.
Periodically disinfecting the cabin is also a good idea and you can use disinfectant sprays for this. Most are okay for such a purpose but do read the warning notes before using. You’re not going to have 100% coverage but it is still helpful. Who knows – the spray may kill that one tiny virus droplet on the steering wheel and save you from getting infected.
This article is presented for information as we believe that it is better to be ‘safe rather than sorry’. For the latest official updates on the COVID-19 situation, visit the website of the Malaysian Ministry of Health (KKM).
COVID-19, the coronavirus, is slowly impacting our lives and while we hope that there will be positive changes soon in the spread of the epidemic, event organisers in Malaysia are considering the situation seriously. This is of great importance as there is a risk of infection when large groups gather, as has been evident in other countries. Therefore, some events may have to be postponed or cancelled to reduce the risks.
Motorsports is one of the events which has large crowds of spectators and in view of the risk, the organisers of the 2020 Liqui Moly US Legend Cars Championship have decided that the inaugural championship will be postponed.
The first round of the 6-round championship series was to have been held on March 13 at Perak’s T-City Gopeng Motor Speedway (shown above).
In a statement issued today, the organisers said that US Legend Cars Malaysia is closely monitoring the situation. “Further to this, with various other uncertainties in the country, the management of US Legend Cars Malaysia has deliberated intensely and decided to postpone the championship. The decision was not an easy one to make, especially with much preparation already done,” the statement said.
New dates will be announced at a later date and would be dependent on how the situation evolves.
Remember our earlier report about Geely Auto’s Healthy Car program to develop healthier vehicles? Well, showing just how determined it is to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak, the carmaker has come out with a G-Clean Intelligent Air Purification System (IAPS) which will be installed in all its vehicles. Working non-stop, Geely’s engineers developed the new system in just 20 days!
IAPS is able to automatically filter out harmful particulates – including airborne viruses – from the vehicles internal air environment. It has an advanced new active carbon chemical filter that can effectively absorb harmful gases such as formaldehyde as they enter the vehicle and is also able to filter out irritating odour and harmful pollutants once they are detected by the automatic system.
In addition, the IAPS is equipped with a negative ion generator that can sterilize and deodorize the cabin air, removing in airborne viruses, bacteria, fungi, and molds, etc. Geely says that the filtration is of the same level as an N95 respiration system. The ‘N95’ designation means that at least 95% of very small (0.3 micron) particles used in testing can be blocked.
The IAPS system was already installed in the 150 Jiaji MPVs that the company provided to frontline workers battling the Coronavirus epidemic across China. It will be installed in other models from next month.
The IAPS will be installed in all new Geely vehicles produced from next month. 150 units of the Jiaji MPV already have them as they are urgently needed by medical personnel.Besides high levels of occupant protection during accidents, Geely vehicles will also have a clean environment to protect from viruses and other biological pollutants.
Under the Geely Healthy Car program, Geely Auto will move to invest 370 million RMB (about RM220 million) into the development of healthier vehicles. The program will progress in three key phases, starting with the introduction of short-term solutions such as the IASP system that quickly be introduced at affordable levels. In Phase 2 and 3, Geely will be partnering with leading medical agencies and material companies to develop clean materials for interior and exterior parts such as buttons and grab handles which may harbour harmful bacteria and viruses. Hopefully, the solutions will also be shared with other companies in the Geely Group which includes Proton.
Cancellations of Formula 1 races are rare and the last time was 8 years ago when the Bahrain Grand Prix had to be cancelled due to security issues as a result of unrest in the country. This time, it’s the outbreak of a disease and given the seriousness and spread of the COVID-19 virus in China, the FIA has made the decision not to run the Chinese Grand Prix which was scheduled for April 19 in Shanghai. This follows the cancellation of the Formula E round that was to be held on Hainan Island next month.
For both events, the FIA has mentioned ‘postponed’ which suggests that the events could be held later in the year. However, the calendars are tight and finding an available weekend may not be easy. Furthermore, being in Asia, logistics have to be considered too as a series of races may be scheduled for the venues in the western hemisphere.
The FIA has considered the health and safety of all those involved in F1 races, and has decided the Chinese GP this year should be cancelled, with the possibility that it may be run later in the year.
“In view of the continued spread of novel coronavirus and after ongoing discussions with the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of People’s Republic of China (CAMF) and Shanghai Administration of Sports, the Chinese Grand Prix Promoter, Juss Sports Group, has officially requested that the 2020 FIA Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix be postponed,” the organisation said in a statement.
“As a result of continued health concerns and with the World Health Organisation declaring the coronavirus as a global health emergency, the FIA and Formula 1 have taken these measures in order to ensure the health and safety of the travelling staff, championship participants and fans, which remains of primary concern,” said the FIA.
The FIA and Formula 1 will continue to work closely with the teams, race promoter, CAMF and the local authorities to monitor the situation as it develops. It will also review the situation for other motorsport events globally in accordance with the changing COVID-19 environment and advisories from the World Health Organisation.
