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DRB-HICOM to develop Tanjong Malim area in Perak to become Automotive Hi-Tech Valley

In the mid-1960s, when the Malaysian government started the auto industry with a call to manufacturers to assemble vehicles locally, the first ‘auto city’ began to form in the Klang Valley. Vehicle assembly plants were set up in the newly created Shah Alam industrial area of Selangor and related businesses also built factories nearby to supply them parts.

As the industry grew, other areas of the country also saw auto-related factories and businesses being developed. These were in the Tampoi area of Johor and also in Pekan, Pahang, where manufacturers like General Motors, Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, Fiat and Tata had their vehicles assembled.

Pekan in Pahang also has a small automotive manufacturing complex which was developed by DRB-HICOM since the 1980s. Carmakers such as Isuzu, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors and Volkswagen assemble their vehicles there today.

When the National Car project started in the early 1980s, the Proton factory was situated in Shah Alam, mainly because many suppliers were also in the Klang Valley which also has the largest concentration of new vehicle sales. Perodua, however, chose an area in northern Selangor near Rawang for its manufacturing complex but with the North-South Highway, it had easy connections to the Shah Alam area for suppliers to deliver parts.

By the late 1990s, the auto industry was booming and Proton was seeing rapid growth in volumes that it needed a second factory. Tanjong Malim in Perak was chosen and though far from the Klang Valley, the distance was no longer an issue with the highway connection that also went to Port Klang. DRB-HICOM even made plans to create a ‘Proton City’ which would be an ‘auto city’ like Toyota City in Japan and Detroit in the USA.

*The Proton factory in Tg Malim, Perak.*

However, the late 1990s saw the Asian Financial Crisis seriously affecting the country’s economy and projects like Proton City could not proceed as planned. It had been planned that suppliers would set up factories in the area to support the Proton factory which was designed to produce up to 500,000 vehicles. However, response was poor and with the severe downturn, the idea of Proton City could not take off although Proton began operations at its factory to make a new generation of models.

20 years later, the Proton City idea is restarting although this time, the concept has been updated to take into account changes in the auto industry. Rather than being just a ‘Proton City’, DRB-HICOM will develop the Tanjong Malim area into an Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) with the aim of becoming an industry hub for the ASEAN region.

Besides supporting Proton, the AHTV is expected to attract businesses which are involved in new technologies and systems relevant to the global automotive industry. These would include electrification, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous technologies and advanced connectivity.

AHTV will be developed with an integrated ecosystem that will be a catalyst to revitalize domestic automotive sector in line with the direction of the National Automotive Policy 2020. Its aim is to bring Malaysia’s automotive industry to be on par, if not more advanced, than those in neighboring countries.

Perhaps it could help make Malaysia once again the best place in ASEAN to manufacture motor vehicles, which was the case in the 1970s. Back then, this country had the best infrastructure, a growing economy, well educated workforce and a level playing field which was attractive to investors.

An early supporter of the AHTV is the Geely Holding Group, which is also DRB-HICOM’s partner in Proton. The Chinese company has signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to jointly develop AHTV and collaborate to identify vendors and investors to the hub. The involvement of Geely, which has rapidly become a diverse global automotive group, will bring their technological strength in the automotive ecosystem as a boost for AHTV. This can be an impetus for auto and component manufacturers, especially from China, to invest in local production facilities, to create new business and export opportunities. Essentially, AHTV has the potential to become a gateway to ASEAN and other markets for companies that make it as their base. To date, there are already 17 vendors with facilities within the area.

DRB-HICOM has also signed another MoU with the Perak state government to jointly identify suitable additional land in the area for AHTV development. The current area surrounding the Proton factory measures 4,000 acres, with most already occupied by University Pendidikan Sultan Idris, factories of existing vendors, commercial premises and residential properties.

*Part of the area originally developed as Proton City which will now be developed into the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley.*

To boost the automotive talent pool in Malaysia, AHTV will establish a research university. This will create an educational framework to nurture a new generation of engineers for the automotive industry in areas of Engineering, IT, Design, Artificial Intelligence, Mobility Solutions & Software Development. This will strengthen local R&D capabilities and ensure competitiveness of local original equipment manufacturers.

The scale of the AHTV will see some 370,000 job opportunities being created in the area, with more than 160,000 opportunities during the first phase of development.

Proton constructing additional stamping facility at Tanjung Malim factory

All-new smart #1 EV gives brand a ‘second wind’ after early struggles

Though seemingly a good idea at the start in the 1990s, the original low-cost concept of Nicolas Hayek, creator of the Smart watches, never worked once Mercedes-Benz took over. The engineering costs bumped up the price and it became a niche product that had difficulty meeting ambitious sales targets.

After trying various approaches in the USA, a market it hoped would take to the little car, Mercedes-Benz ended sales there in 2019. It continued to sell the car in Europe and then Geely came into the picture to form a joint-venture and the brand gained a ‘second wind’.

Very quickly, a brand new product was developed with the involvement of Mercedes-Benz design teams who used the Geely’s SEA architecture dedicated to electric vehicles. By 2020, a concept car called the Concept #1 was revealed and this week, the production model has been presented to the world.

This isn’t smart’s first EV as the brand went fully electric after 2019 but it is an entirely new product, simply called smart #1. While the crossover has blurred the lines between a hatchback and SUV, the smart #1 is presented as a SUV with an overall length of 4270 mm and a width of 1822 mm with a wheelbase that is 2750 mm. That makes it larger than the Proton Iriz and almost the same length as a Saga.

Although there have been smart concept cars that proposed a SUV design, the brand has never sold one so this would be its first SUV. It is, however, considered a city car as well because of its proportions although its weight of 1,820 kgs is certainly much more than city cars of the same size.

The weight largely comes from the NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) battery pack which also uses lithium-ion chemistries to store electricity up to a maximum capacity of 66 kWh. The charging system can accept fast-charging up to 150 kW and if that is used, charging time can be 30 minutes (from 10% to 80%), it is claimed. With a more common 22 kW supply, the time needed would be around 3 hours.

The battery pack powers a single rear-mounted electric motor with an output of 200 kW (272 ps) and maximum torque of 343 Nm, available almost from the moment the car moves off. The top speed is claimed to be 180 km/h, pretty fast for a car in this class.

The styling of the #1 is pretty much like that of the concept car with Matrix LEDs under the triangular shapes of each headlight. The headlights form a unique visual signature at the front which stretches right across, and the same feature is also present at the back.

To remove that tiny bit of drag-inducing turbulence that door handles cause, those on the #1 are flush when the car is on the move, extending only when needed to open the doors. It’s a feature usually found in higher-end cars, reflecting the premium positioning of the #1.

Thanks to a high footprint-to-space ratio with the long wheelbase, the interior is more spacious than would be expected with the compact exterior. The floating centre console provides better space efficiency with a reduction of elements creating a more open environment. To enhance this sense of spaciousness is a panoramic halo glass roof, one of the features on the concept car. The rear seats have a variable position over 13 cm and behind them is a variable boot space.

As with many of the latest cars, the displays are digi-graphic with a 9.2-inch panel in front of the driver (supplemented by a head-up display), and a 12.8-inch touchscreen on the dashboard. The ambient lighting can be customized with mix of 64 colours and 20 illumination levels, setting just the right mood for a drive.

The premium audio system has Beats high-end sound technology and consists of an amplifier module and 13 speakers (including a sub-woofer). The driver can enable digital key sharing through the smart app which also allows for remote engine starting.

There will be a ‘Launch Edition’ of the car with exclusive trim. Production will be at a joint-venture factory in China, starting in the second half of 2022. Exports are expected to start towards the end of the year so Proton Edar, which has been appointed distributor for Malaysia and Thailand, should be launching the car in early 2023. As it is a joint development between Geely and Mercedes-Benz, it is unlikely that it will become a Proton-badged model but by selling it, Proton would gain insights and experience into EVs which it will be producing and selling towards the end of this decade.

Mercedes-Benz and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group establish new joint-venture to handle smart brand globally

All-new battery electric SUV from smart to be unveiled on April 7 in Germany

With the renewal of its brand, product and business model, smart has entered a new era of development. The company, which has a history going back to 1994, had struggled to get a strong footing but lack of profitability hindered its development. By 2020, Daimler AG established a joint-venture with Geely which would give the brand a new lease of life.

The joint-venture company will produce the new generation of cars in China and the first of these was revealed in 2021 as a concept car referred to as Concept #1. While the pandemic has slowed down development, the production program has been able to continue between the Mercedes-Benz global design team and smart’s R&D team.

Concept #1
The Concept #1, painted glossy white, has smart elements but also shows that its design language will evolve for the new generation of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). “The new sporty Concept #1 is a redefinition of the smart brand in a very cool grown-up way,” said Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group. “We have created a completely new design DNA that has the potential to establish smart as the leading design brand.”

Balanced proportions, a powerful sculpture, the usual short overhangs at the front and rear and a progressive design language characterise the concept vehicle which is in the form of a compact SUV. One of the central design features is the large panoramic glass roof with a striking ring of light. The seamless transition to the windscreen and to the window surfaces of the frameless doors makes the roof appear to float above the body – an impression further enhanced by the atmospheric roof lighting.

In contrast to this visual lightness, striking design elements in anthracite and black in the lower body area emphasise the robustness of the sport utility vehicle. This is further accentuated by the distinctive 21-inch wheels with their unique design.

A first hint of the new dimension of digitalisation of future smart vehicles is provided by the concealed door handles, which are merely indicated by light elements. The rear doors of the smart Concept #1 are hinged at the back and open in the opposite direction from the front doors. This portal door concept makes it particularly easy to get in and out of the car. Plus, the absence of a B-pillar facilitates an unobstructed view of the generously dimensioned interior when the doors are open.

The LED headlights and taillights, with their striking signatures, make a significant contribution to the unique and emotional appearance of the smart Concept #1. At the same time, they are fundamental components of an attention-grabbing light display around the vehicle. In this sophisticated orchestration of the exterior and interior lighting in harmony with specially arranged sound elements, the front light strip divides into small triangles which flicker in rhythm. Starting from the illuminated radiator grille, light effects also move in time to the music along the sides of the vehicle to the rear diffuser.

Of course, many of the features seen on the Concept #1 will not be adopted for the production car. However, recent pictures of the car, albeit camouflaged, show that the concealed door handles will be present although those ‘suicide doors’ which open in opposite directions will not. Such doors often appear in concept cars but rarely continue into production models.

*Prototypes undergoing testing in winter conditions in China.*

Final testing of prototypes
Prototypes have been undergoing endurance testing in winter conditions and aerodynamic work was done at the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute in Chongqing. Testing in the facility’s wind tunnel showed the smart #1, as the new model will be known, to have a drag coefficient performance of 0.29 Cd. This is thanks to the features like the flush door handles as well as an Active Grille Shutter (AGS) to lower wind resistance.

*Win tunnel testing has shown the cd to be 0.29, important for an EV especially which needs low wind resistance to go further.*

The smart #1, which will be the brand’s first all-new production car as a purely electric brand, will be unveiled on April 7, 2022 at STATION-Berlin, a historic landmark and disused train station in the German capital.

Coming to Malaysia too
Proton Edar has been appointed distributor for Malaysia and Thailand so we should be seeing the smart #1 on Malaysian roads in future. They are unlikely to be associated with the Proton brand and would be an additional business venture for the subsidiary which handles sales and marketing in the Proton Holdings Group. Proton’s own electrification program would likely start off with hybrids and then move to fully electric vehicles, perhaps towards the end of the decade.

Proton Edar to distribute smart New Energy Vehicles from China

The future of the auto industry is electric and Proton does not intend to be left behind. Soon, electric vehicles may appear in Proton showrooms although they may not be Proton products. The Malaysian carmaker has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with China’s smart Automobile Company (smart) which is a joint-venture company between Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the parent company of Proton.

The agreement will see Proton collaborating via Proton Edar with smart to introduce the latter’s range of New Energy Vehicles (NEV) into the ASEAN automotive market. For a start, Proton Edar will be appointed as the importer, distributor and dealer for smart in Malaysia and Thailand. smart Automobile (Nanning) Sales Co. Ltd. (a fully owned subsidiary of smart Automobile), will fulfil the role of a gateway for smart to the region.

NEVs are battery electric vehicles (BEVs) which are a new generation of vehicles that will be designed by the Mercedes-Benz Design network and developed by the Geely global engineering network. Production is in China for global markets. As part of the vehicle-development program, the smart product portfolio will be extended into the fast-growing B-segment that are in line with smart’s brand positioning with a focus on pure premium electric and connected vehicles.

“With the signing of the MoA, Proton is taking its first steps on its New Energy Vehicle strategic journey. By collaborating with smart, we will be able to gain experience in the selling, servicing, and charging of NEVs and build up the skill sets we require to be a force in ASEAN’s rapidly expanding NEV sector. This is also an opportunity to tap on smart’s customer base, which will open up more opportunities for the Proton brand,” said Dato’ Sri Syed Faisal Albar, Chairman of Proton.

Marketing in Malaysia and Thailand
The MoA with Proton Edar is for the company to establish a multi-level sales and service network in Malaysia and Thailand, as well as a brand experience centre and a number of sales locations, providing the two markets with sales and aftersales services for smart vehicles.

From the description of the MoA, it does not appear that there is any technical collaboration such as transfer of technology or product development and the statement also stresses that ‘currently, there are no plans to collaborate beyond the tenets of the agreement’. This would mean that smart vehicles will be imported and distributed by Proton Edar as an additional business activity, and the vehicles will also not use the Proton brand.

However, as mentioned by the Proton Chairman, it will be an opportunity for the carmaker to gain experience and knowledge about electrification and BEVs which it would also have to offer at some point in the future. Whether the relationship with smart evolves into something broader (eg joint product development) remains to be seen.

*The Proton EMAS city car concept by Giugiaro in 2010 was proposed with a hybrid electric powertrain.*

Electrically-powered cars are not unknown at Proton. In the 1990s, the first known project was initiated with a company in California to develop electric Wiras, but it never went far. Then, eleven years ago, the company’s EMAS prototype city car proposed by Giugiaro had a hybrid electric powertrain. It has also done R&D on electric powertrains over the past 10 years but has not brought a model to the market.

*Proton Saga EV prototype displayed in 2012.*

History of smart brand
As for smart, the name may be familiar to some Malaysians as the original smart cars were sold in the mid-2000s, imported by DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia). The smart company (which was founded by the man who created the Swatch watches) had been acquired by Mercedes-Benz which invested heavily to make city cars. However, it may have been a bit ahead of its time and though having a clever design (the vehicles used combustion engines), the relatively high prices and compact size were not so appealing globally. Perhaps the Japanese would have appreciated it but they already had their own kei cars.

Mercedes-Benz tried to make the smart business work and even tried to offer a larger model called the smart forfour that sat on a Mitsubishi Colt platform. That too didn’t sell too well and smart as a company was closed down, with the products being placed under the Mercedes-Benz division up to 2019. To try to keep the brand going, Mercedes-Benz formed a partnership with Geely which would see smart-branded vehicles – using electric powertrains – being developed and produced in China for sale globally.

*The original smart cars were sold in Malaysia in the mid-2000s by DaimlerChrysler Malaysia (now Mercedes-Benz Malaysia).*

“The smart brand has a unique value and global influence, it has grown to be a leader in urban mobility. Geely Holding will fully support the smart brand with its full advantages in R&D, manufacturing, supply chain and other fields into the joint venture and support its development in China and globally. We will work together with Mercedes-Benz to transform the smart brand into a leading player in urban premium, electric and connected vehicles to successfully develop the brand’s global potential,” said Li Shufu, Geely Holding Chairman.

Third year of growth in Proton sales in spite of challenging conditions

China to end subsidies for New Energy Vehicles after 2022

There were electric vehicles 100 years ago; in fact, even Henry Ford’s wife, Clara, drove and electrically-powered car because it was easy to start and had no transmission. However, battery technology at that time was not advanced and poor performance made electric cars unappealing, allowing cars with internal combustion engines to grow and then dominate the planet. With poor interest in electric cars, the manufacturers stopped developing them and would not consider them again till the 21^st century.

During the 100 years, many technological advances have been made and in the past 20 years especially, battery technology – an important element for electric vehicles (EVs) – has advanced greatly. The incentive to accelerate technological development has been the tightening of emission regulations, especially in the more developed nations, which has forced carmakers to start switching to emission-free powertrains. There is urgency as well due to climate change, with exhaust emissions of motor vehicles being identified as one of the causes.

The technology and manufacturing processes for the internal combustion engine (ICE) have been developed over more than 100 years so production costs have stabilized and as volumes grew, economies of scale kept pushing the costs down. EV technology is relatively young and the volume of EVs has not reached a point where economies of scale have fully kicked in. As such, the technologies – which are still evolving and advancing – are still expensive and EVs equivalent to ICE vehicles are still more expensive.

In order for EVs to be adopted by more people, the auto industry expects governments to help. Obviously, funding cannot be provided directly but the prices to buyers can be offset by subsidies. The lowering of retail prices can then attract motorists to consider them, while other elements like infrastructure and performance continue to get better.

Many countries have subsidies for EV buyers and the nature of the subsidy varies. Typically, there is a fixed sum provided based on the price although in Malaysia, from this year, the government has decided to exempt battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from duties and other taxes and even the annual roadtax will not be charged. It’s a bold move but it does not necessarily bring prices down below RM100,000 so a large segment of the population will still not find it easy to buy one. And there is no point using the argument of ‘saving the planet’ because many Malaysians today have to save themselves and their families from financial difficulties, so they certainly won’t care to pay more for their car.

China, as the world’s largest car market, has had an incentive program since 2009 when it introduced subsidies for New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), ie BEVs, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs). The NEV program actually began in the 1980s but the incentive policy only began in 2009, with nationwide adoption from 2013. To qualify for subsidies, the vehicles must meet minimum technical and performance requirements, and the size of the subsidy is indexed to a variety of vehicle specifications and utility parameters. Every few years, the qualification criteria have been tightened, forcing manufacturers to push their technology further.

*As qualification criteria for subsidies tightened during the past decade, the manufacturers had to keep improving their EV technologies.*

By the end of 2020, the NEV push had resulted in 4.92 million NEVs being put on China’s roads, or 1.75% of the vehicle population. The number almost meets the 5 million target set in 2013 and having reached this level, the government now believes that acceptance has been achieved and NEVs are in the mainstream of the car market. This year NEVs are expected to account for 18% of all vehicle sales in China (13% greater than in 2019) and add another 5 million NEVs according to industry forecasts.

*With this year being the final year that EVs will be subsidised, there should be increased interest and higher sales in China.*

And with that target achieved, it has now decided that subsidies can be phased out completely. In fact, in April 2020, there was already an indication of this when it was announced that subsidies would be reduced by 20% in 2021. This year, the cut will be 30%, after which there will be no more subsidies provided from January 1, 2023.

The subsidies have typically applied to vehicles costing less than RMB300,000 (about RM197,130). A typical subsidy has been around RMB18,000 (about RM11,800), and in 2022, it will fall to around RMB14,400 (about RM9,500).

*Tesla Model 3 was among the best-selling NEVs in China last year.*

The domestic carmakers have already reached large volumes that allow them to have economies of scale. BYD, an early EV manufacturer, was already doing over 753,000 EVs in 2019, second after world leader Tesla which sold 900,000 EVs.

Toyota to step up investment and development of fully electric vehicles during this decade

Geely’s Zeekr EV brand to collaborate with Waymo to develop autonomous vehicle

Zeekr, the premium electric brand in the Geely Holding Group, is less than a year old, having been established early this year. Its first product, the 001, was introduced in April as the flagship of the Zeekr range, with first deliveries starting three months ago. . In the next 5 years, the young carmaker plans to introduce 6 different models to the market.

The electric mobility technology and solutions utilize Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), with in-house developed battery technologies, battery management systems, electric motor technologies and electric vehicle supply chain support.

Zeekr collaborates with Waymo
Besides its own line of production, Zeekr is also collaborating with Waymo, an American which specialises in autonomous driving technology development. It is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google. With Waymo, Zeekr will develop a new fully electric vehicle for use by the Waymo One autonomous ride-hailing fleet in the USA.

The plan
The new purpose-built mobility vehicle is being designed and developed at Zeekr’s R&D facility, CEVT (China Europe Vehicle Technology Centre) in Gothenburg, Sweden. This facility has a proven track record in developing class leading vehicles for the wider Geely Holding Group. Under this collaboration, Zeekr will be designing and developing the future vehicle on a new proprietary and open-source mobility architecture. Waymo will take delivery of the vehicles in the United States and will then integrate its fully autonomous Waymo Driver into the vehicle platform.

The new vehicle will be designed to be rider-centric from the outset, setting a new benchmark for autonomous vehicles. The new Zeekr vehicle has been designed for autonomous use-cases and will come with a fully configurable cabin, both with and without driver controls, that can be tailored towards rider requirements of Waymo’s unmanned ride-hailing fleet.

“Zeekr was born on the ideals of equality, diversity, and sustainability. By becoming a strategic partner and vehicle supplier to the Waymo One fleet, we will be able to share our experience, ideals and provide our expertise in collaborating on a fully electric vehicle that fits Waymo’s requirements for this rapidly expanding segment in the global market for sustainable travel,” said Andy An, CEO of Zeekr Technology.

‘Rider-first’ vehicle design
Waymo will integrate its ‘Waymo Driver’ into the new vehicle which is designed to prioritize the comfort, convenience, and preferences of users. The ‘rider-first’ vehicle will have a flat floor for more accessible entry, easy ingress and egress thanks to a B-pillarless design, low step-in height, generous head and legroom, and fully adjustable seats. It will have full compliance with U.S. federal vehicle standards and eventually be without a steering wheel and pedals.

*The new autonomous vehicle developed with Geely will join this fleet that includes a hybrid Chrysler Pacifica and Jaguar I-PACE.*

Tested in various conditions and climates
Waymo services have been tested in dozens of American cities spanning a diverse range of conditions, climates and topographies. They include New York City, which is the most densely populated city in the country, with busy avenues, unusual road geometries, complex intersections, and constantly evolving layouts.

*The prototype vehicle used for the development of Waymo’s autonomous technologies.*

The Waymo fleet that the Zeekr vehicle will join has hybrid Chrysler Pacificas and Jaguar I-PACE BEVs. It’s now been over a year that the company has been offering the world’s first commercial fully autonomous ride-hailing service – with no human driver behind the wheel – in the state of Arizona. Tens of thousands of rider-only trips have been done and more people are discovering the convenience of this type of mobility.

How Waymo is preparing self-driving technology

Vaccination does not make you immune to COVID-19 infection. You can still get infected and although you may not show symptoms, you could spread the coronavirus to others. Do not stop taking protective measures such as wearing a facemask, washing hands frequently and social distancing.

Farizon Auto’s futuristic semi-truck will be rolling on China’s roads in 2024

Before the passenger car segment started to mushroom from the mid-1980s as China liberalised economically, its auto industry was largely focussed on commercial vehicles. As such vehicles are used for business purposes, appearances have not been particularly important to customers while ruggedness has been. So China’s trucks have generally remained in the background but not necessarily stagnant with regards to evolution and development.

And just as with their passenger cars, the domestic manufacturers have also been looking ahead to a new generation of commercial vehicles. Recently, Geely Holding Group’s commercial vehicle brand, Farizon Auto, unveiled its next-generation smart new energy semi-truck with production and first deliveries planned for early 2024.

Known as the Homtruck, the exterior appearance will be futuristic – certainly nothing like what is seen on the roads today – and it will be one of the most advanced and cleanest commercial vehicles on the road. The focus of the vehicle’s development has been on efficiency, driver and pedestrian safety, with major breakthroughs in sustainable powertrains promised.

The Homtruck’s architecture can accommodate different powertrain options including a range-extender, methanol hybrid and pure electric with battery-swapping option based on government standards recently released by China’s Ministry of Industry and Technology. This will allow the Homtruck to be charged at service stations alongside highways in minutes rather than a substantial amount of time.

The name of the vehicle is taken from ‘home’ and it reflects the development team’s aim of providing operators of the semi-truck a feeling of home. This is important as semi-truck drivers – not only in China but around the world – spend large amounts of time in their vehicles going from place to place. In fact, many may spend more time in their vehicle than at their own home.

This has led to the creation of a mobile space within the Homtruck which integrates ‘work, life, and entertainment’, all to help the driver carry out his role efficiently and comfortably. To do this, Farizon Auto’s engineers closely studied the needs of independent commercial vehicle drivers and fleet operators.

The Homtruck is capable of connecting to the logistics network’s big data platforms to help drivers obtain the most optimal orders in real-time, analyse and track deliveries, and calculate operating costs along the routes. An on-board ‘brain’ can utilize vehicle sensors to analyse traffic data in real-time and receive route recommendations. In addition, the energy management system can also manage the power or fuel supply to achieve the most optimal economic performance, with recommendations for optimal refuelling or recharging routes.

Driver comfort is vital to driver safety; well-rested drivers are more attentive and more focused. Based on analysis of the working conditions of drivers, Farizon Auto has designed a cockpit that applies the concept of home and optimizes space to create a driving and a living area. The design includes a bathroom complete with a shower and toilet, single bed, refrigerator, tea-maker, kitchen, and even a small washing machine. No more sleeping in the cold under the truck!

The ergonomic seat design and high-definition camera help ensure drivers are well-rested and well-focused, while an intelligent AI assistant coupled with full 360-degree cameras help to keep the driver aware of any issues around the vehicle whilst in motion or stationary. As a further association with home, the Homtruck’s cabin has soft-touch fabrics, sustainable plastics, and bamboo grain materials to create a healthy eco-friendly environment inspired by the peaceful bamboo forests of China.

Within a growing number of selected routes, the Homtruck will be able to utilize Level 4 hands-off autonomous operation and will also introduce convoying features for longer journeys. This can allow trucks to communicate with each other to maintain safe speed and distance that will lower operator stress levels. Hardware sensors such as lidar, millimetre-wave radar and ultrasonic radar will be standard equipment along with 5G and V2X communication. The Homtruck will also be fully capable of being upgraded overtime using Over-the-Air (OTA) software upgrades.

Farizon Auto was announced in October 2016 with its first products being a pure electric light commercial vehicle and a city bus. Farizon Auto was established as a commercial vehicle brand within the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to strategically enter the commercial vehicle segment with New Energy vehicles. Its core drivetrain technologies are internally developed with a focus on pure electric solutions and range extension for zero emissions.

Geely Holding and Volvo Cars to form joint-venture company producing powertrains

Geely Holding (or more correctly, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in full) has been building up its portfolio of brands over the past two decades. While allowing the brands – which include Lotus, Volvo, Polestar and Proton – to operate autonomously, there has also been a strong effort to fully utilise the available synergies that such a large group of companies enables. Sharing resources can give a competitive edge in the business and Geely Holding has therefore not just developed the car companies but also looked at how it can create its own ecosystem for other elements.

One important area is powertrains and while each of the companies has had its own R&D in this area, a ‘centralised’ powertrain company would be beneficial to the group. To establish this, Geely Holding has announced a joint-venture with Volvo Cars to create Aurobay, a new company that will be in the powertrain business. The new company will be a global supplier of complete powertrain solutions including next-generation combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid solutions.

Aurobray will get Volvo’s engine facilities
Aurobay will initially be jointly owned by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding and as part of the creation of Aurobay, Volvo Cars will transfer all assets in its wholly-owned subsidiary Powertrain Engineering Sweden, including its engine plant in Sweden as well as the related R&D team, along with its engine plant in China and other relevant assets to the joint-venture in coming months.

The creation of the stand-alone joint venture and the transfer of assets allows Volvo Cars to focus fully on the development of its new range of all-electric models in coming years. The company aims to have 50% of its global sales volume made up of fully electric vehicles by 2025, of which 50% will be hybrids using powertrains supplied by Aurobay. By 2030, it will no longer sell vehicles with combustion ends and offer only fully electric models.

For Geely Holding, the new entity will benefit from the addition of a strong R&D team and technologically advanced and efficient combustion engines and hybrid powertrains for its portfolio of brands, creating a strong base for substantial operational, industrial and financial synergies.

Supply to other companies outside Geely Group
The new business also has plans to supply customers outside of the Geely Holding Group, with the objective of becoming a leading player in the supply of high-quality, low emission, cost-efficient powertrains solutions. The supply of engines to other companies isn’t something unusual and larger carmakers have been doing so for a long time. For example, Proton used to source engines for the Waja and Savvy from Renault.

*Besides making and supplying powertrains to Geely Holding Group companies, Aurobray will also supply them to other companies.*

Besides the new powertrain business, Geely Holding and Volvo Cars have other plans for collaboration. These include sharing of electric vehicle architecture, joint procurement, autonomous drive technologies and aftersales.

“As shareholders and portfolio-managers of both wholly-owned and listed companies, Geely Holding sees significant benefits from deeper partnerships and alliances whilst maintaining independence,” said Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Holding. “We are encouraged by the potential synergies and growth opportunities created by this collaboration, which will create two even stronger globally competitive companies in the rapidly changing world of automotive technology and new mobility services.”

Volvo Car Group aims to have assured battery supply with gigafactory joint venture

2021 Geely Vision Starburst concept

Vision Starburst, Geely Design Shanghai’s latest concept car, shows a new design vision derived from Geely’s ‘Expanding Cosmos’ design philosophy. It continues to draw inspiration from the universe, something which Geely associated itself with when it introduced its original brand logo in 1997. The outer blue circle of the logo was said to symbolize that which lies beyond infinity and the universe.

The Vision Starburst examines a new and alternative expression of the ‘Expanding Cosmos’ design philosophy which Geely Auto is using as a design board for future models. The inspiration comes from the stellar phenomena where brilliant nebulas and magnificent elements come together, merging, fusing and finally bursting into new stars. ‘Every new design concept is the result of the combination, fusion, and eruption of different ideas which become new star products that enrich the market’, explains Geely.

Pushing boundaries of technology and innovation
Elaborating further, Guy Burgoyne, Vice-President of Geely Design Shanghai, said: “The ‘Expanding Cosmos’ philosophy serves as a constant inspiration for our designers to discover a new and holistic design language that satisfies our ever-expanding and increasingly-diverse range of customers. In search for this DNA in the new digital age, we have pushed the boundaries of technology and innovation. Like the birth of a new star, the ideas from our talented team of global designers combined, fused, and erupted, resulting in the birth of a new design expression, a new vision, our Vision Starburst.”

Geely Shanghai designers cooperated throughout the design process to create unity between exterior and interior, colour and materials, as well as car and user. In the conceptual design form, bursting energy and constant outward tension result in a twisted profile with curved surfaces that appear to rotate and stretch. In its details, the design takes inspiration from stellar rays and waves in the folding and crossing of lines and surfaces.

Like ‘energy releasing from a starburst’
The most visually striking aspect of Vision Starburst starts at the sight of the front grille and air intake vents. The front grille has dramatically changed from previous Geely Auto designs; Vision Starburst’s sharp and unique new parabolic pattern, in combination with the new lighting design, creates an effect which echoes the theme of energy releasing from a starburst.

The concept that headlamps are the eyes of a vehicle has also been overturned as Geely designers imagine future vehicles seen through high-tech sensors. The whole vehicle visually extends from the centre towards the sides, up and down, giving the front face of the vehicle a more powerful and three-dimensional aura.

The concept car’s waistline, door panels intertwine and integrate, sharp lines make for bold shapes while hiding a hint of the concept’s grand vision of infinity, another dimension which has had an influence on Geely’s designs.

Borderless visual experience within
Moving inside, the interior door panels are also designed to match the characteristics of the exterior. ‘Cosmic Ray’ light strips help to unify interior and exterior design. On top of the floating centre console, the shifter takes on an aerodynamic geometric shape that’s hollow. Four lines of light illuminate to display different gear settings.

Instruments in the Vision Starburst meld with the ambient light on the dash and door panels to create a borderless visual experience. Borderless instruments and seamless information transmission also redefine the way users interact with vehicles. The designers imagine the whole vehicle being capable of conveying vehicle and road information, increasing safety and bringing to life a whole new sensory experience for users.

The concepts of showcasing advanced technology and mobility have been applied to the illuminated wheel arches. Different lighting effects will highlight Vision Starburst while in different states, for example while charging, in motion, parking, etc.

Lighting gives sense of speed
Holistic HMI (Human-Machine Interface) inside and out is one of the major design focuses of the Vision Starburst concept. Like the exterior, the interior ambient lighting, sound, and atmosphere also change depending on the state of the vehicle, conveying information to the users in a whole new manner. The lighting interaction from the outside in, gives users a sense of speed and a new driving experience.

Although the Vision Starburst concept itself is not intended to become a production model, many aspects of the new design language will be taken and applied to future Geely Auto models. Perhaps some may even be considered for adaptation in Proton models too although the Malaysian brand has its own design philosophy as well.

New dawn for Lotus as Vision80 plan progresses

Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since mid-2017 (although a Malaysian shareholder still has 49%), is changing gears to accelerate its business forward. Broadcasting a new dawn for the company via Driving Tomorrow, a global virtual conference, the British carmaker has revealed four new vehicle architectures, a technology roadmap, a fresh global retail identity and the name of an all-new car.

Its strategic direction was actually formulated with Vision80, launched in 2018 soon after the company’s 70th anniversary. Based on three key pillars – transforming the business, revolutionising the product range and delivering results every year – Vision80 commits Lotus to meet its transformational targets by the time of its 80th birthday in 2028.

2021 begins the fourth year of that plans and the transformation remains on track in spite of the challenging period during 2020. “This year is a pivotal one for Lotus, particularly with our sportscars; we reach the end of one era and begin another. The spirit and passion that gave the world the Elise, Exige and Evora will live on in the next generation of cars – cars like the all-new Lotus Emira,” said Matt Windle, MD of Lotus Cars.

Emira world debut on July 6
Lotus has confirmed more details of its all-new sportscar, to date known only by its codename ‘Type 131’. Firstly, its name is now confirmed to be Emira – pronounced ‘E-meer-a’, a word which features in numerous ancient languages and often translates as ‘commander’ or ‘leader’.

The Emira will be unveiled on July 6 at the Lotus Advanced Performance Centre in England, adjacent to the factory where it will be made. Contrary to media speculation, the car will not be a hybrid. In contrast to almost every company talking about new cars with electrified powertrains, Lotus has confirmed that the Emira will be powered by a choice of internal combustion engines – the last time Lotus will launch a car with a combustion engine – with a new powertrain partnership. The additional powertrain option will be new to Lotus, highly efficient, use cutting-edge technology and be tuned to help deliver that distinctive Lotus experience.

With a distinctive new sports car design influenced by the Evija hypercar, the Emira marks the acceleration of the brand’s product-led offensive into a new era of contemporary design, highly efficient powertrains, and everyday usability coupled with explosive performance.

New Lotus architectures
The Emira is being built on one of four new Lotus architectures. Working collaboratively with colleagues in Europe and China, Lotus engineers have developed a dedicated family of structural platforms for the brand. Exclusive to Lotus within the Geely group but available to other companies through the Lotus Engineering consultancy, these four architectures will underpin the next generation of Lotus performance cars.

The first is the Sports Car Architecture, referred to internally as the Elemental architecture. This is the platform on which the Emira will be built. Flexible, lightweight and featuring the signature Lotus extruded aluminium technology, this sportscar platform is a massive step-change technically. Every dimension is different to previous generations of Lotus sportscars.

The second one is Hypercar Architecture, which the Evija will be the first car to use. Despite travel restrictions limiting testing opportunities around the world, progress on the hypercar has not stopped. Several thousand kilometres of engineering development and validation testing have already taken place in the UK. Lotus is also working with an advanced simulator company, allowing the Evija team to run endless simulations in the virtual world. This enhances confidence in passing project milestones with real-world development vehicles and creates programme efficiencies.

Evija owners will be the first Lotus customers to benefit from ‘what3words (W3W) technology’ available on the car. W3W divides the world into 3 metre x 3 metre squares and gives each a unique combination of three words: a W3W address. For example, ‘hotspots.punters.race’ is the W3W address for the entrance to Lotus HQ. The Lotus Emira will also benefit from this system, which is a far more accurate location system than the traditional postcode.

Premium Architecture is the third of the four architectures and is described as the first ever truly global automotive architecture from Lotus. This will complement the Evolution platform which will be the basis for an all-new range of lifestyle vehicles from the company. The architecture has been defined and designed in the UK, supported by collaborative work with teams in China, Sweden and Germany. It is ‘born British, raised globally’.

For the future is Electric Sportscar Architecture which will see a new vehicle platform coming from a collaborative effort between Lotus and Group Renault’s Alpine brand. The Lotus Engineering consultancy is leading development work on the new platform – known internally as ‘E-Sports’, from which will come new products for Lotus and Alpine.

“The E-Sports architecture will be flexible and modular, and will generate an exciting new sportscar for the Lotus brand, with contemporary styling, class-leading ride and handling, explosive performance and that unmistakable Lotus character – a pure dynamic experience that is ‘For The Drivers’. I have challenged our teams to target the same weight as our latest combustion engine sports cars,” Mr Windle said.

Core values driving the business forward
In 2021, there are three core values driving the business forward – Performance, Intelligent Technology and Sustainability. Thanks to Vision80 and the progress made since its launch, and the support of its shareholders, the long-term foundation and sustainability of the Lotus business is taking shape. The growth of Lotus is already sparking a new generation of Lotus cars, which will lead to an increase in vehicle sales worldwide.

Being part of the Geely group of companies gives Lotus access to a vast range of skills and expertise, something which it previously did not have. Hubs spread across the globe create the new Lotus map of the world, allowing the company to draw upon deep resources and skill bases as part of the Geely Group, in the same way its former owner, Proton.

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