UK Archives

Piston.my

UK

Plat Nombor ‘1M’ Milik Kerajaan Malaysia Tular di UK, Dianggarkan Bernilai RM5.7 Juta

Plat nombor eksklusif ‘1M’ milik kerajaan Malaysia telah mencetuskan perhatian selepas ia didedahkan sebagai salah satu pendaftaran kenderaan paling bernilai di United Kingdom. Plat tersebut, yang dianggarkan bernilai lebih £1 juta (sekitar RM5.7 juta), kini terpasang pada sebuah Mercedes-Benz S350 hitam yang berfungsi sebagai kenderaan rasmi Duta Besar Malaysia di UK.

Simbol Prestij dan Kedudukan Diplomatik

Plat ‘1M’ telah lama menjadi identiti diplomatik Malaysia di UK. Dikeluarkan secara eksklusif kepada Kedutaan Besar Malaysia di London, ia telah menghiasi pelbagai kenderaan rasmi kedutaan sejak sekurang-kurangnya tahun 1974, termasuk model sedan mewah dan juga teksi London. Pendaftaran ini bukan sahaja berfungsi sebagai tanda pengenalan, tetapi juga mencerminkan hubungan erat Malaysia-UK yang telah terjalin sekian lama.

Faktor Penentu Nilai Tinggi Plat ‘1M’

Beberapa faktor utama menjadikan plat ‘1M’ sebagai salah satu pendaftaran paling eksklusif dan berharga di UK:

Format Tanpa Tarikh – Tidak seperti kebanyakan plat pendaftaran moden yang mengandungi pengecam usia kenderaan, ‘1M’ memiliki reka bentuk minimalis dan abadi, menjadikannya amat diingini oleh para pengumpul.
Aksara Ringkas – Plat nombor dengan hanya dua aksara adalah sangat jarang ditemui dan memiliki nilai tinggi dalam pasaran eksklusif.
Huruf ‘M’ yang Bermakna – Huruf ‘M’ mempunyai daya tarikan tersendiri kerana sering dikaitkan dengan Malaysia, menjadikannya lebih signifikan kepada kedutaan negara di UK.

(more…)

UK Postpones Ban On Petrol And Diesel-Powered Cars

The UK’s ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars, originally set for 2030, has been pushed back to 2035 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. This move aims to reset the UK’s approach to meeting net-zero targets and gain more consumer support. However, it has caused concern and dismay within the automotive industry, which had been investing heavily to meet the earlier 2030 target.

Sunak criticised the lack of debate and scrutiny surrounding net-zero policies and stressed the importance of informing the public about the challenges and sacrifices involved in achieving these goals. He emphasised that consumers should have the choice to transition to electric vehicles (EVs) rather than being forced by government mandates.

(more…)

British engines are wanted all over the world

This has been a good year for the British engine manufacturing business. Despite the economic turmoil caused by the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, this sector hasn’t been affected. In fact, The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) states that the UK has seen substantial investments in this area for 2017.

In November alone, 279,532 engines were produced compared to just 250,879 during the same period last year. Year-to-date (YTD) figures tell a similar story with 2,544,575 engines built this year compared to 2,387,044 in 2016. About 54.6% of all engines that were made in 2017, were meant for export markets.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “2017 has been a very robust year for UK engine manufacturing, with huge investments into new facilities and engine models delivering impressive dividends both at home and overseas.”

This is good news for the region considering that Brexit hasn’t been easy for either side, threatening to wreak havoc for several industries that rely on mutual partnerships. Many consider the UK as the technology capital of the world. Most Formula 1 teams operate from within the UK due to the unrivaled wealth of knowledge and expertise available.

Once the separation is complete however, things may not look as rosy. There is a high probability that it could cause a ripple effect that will affect other parts of the globe. The magnitude of this problem will depend on how well, British PM, Theresa May and her government are able to navigate the country past the messy divorce.

Aston Martin Europe gets new boss

Aston Martin Europe has witnessed a shake up at the executive level. It has been announced that Ulrich Schäfer will succeed Mark Kenworthy as President of Aston Martin Europe. The incumbent leader will take on a new a role as Head of Global Dealer Network at the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon.

Schäfer is a veteran with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive and motorcycle industry. He has worked for a number of mainstream automakers that include BMW, Indian Motorcycles, Renault and KIA. During that time, he held several senior management positions in marketing and brand management, dealer development and sales.

Prior to his appointment at Aston Martin, he worked at Polaris as Managing Director for Germany and Austria. At Aston Martin, Schäfer will be responsible for the British automaker’s brand and sales activities in 19 Continental European markets.

He will be reporting to Christian Marti, Vice President and Chief Sales Officer, and will be based at Aston Martin’s regional head office in Frankfurt, Germany. Regarded as a learned man, Schäfer holds an MBA from Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany and studied International Economics at University of Sorbonne in Paris, France.

Commenting on his appointment, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Andy Palmer, said, “I want to personally thank Mark Kenworthy for his support job in the region, under his direction, Aston Martin in Europe has doubled the total sales on a year-to-year basis, significantly extending our market share.”

“We are delighted to welcome Ulrich Schäfer to the Aston Martin team. He brings profound knowledge and a wealth of experience by serving more than 20 years in the automotive industry. We are looking forward to working with Ulrich in delivering the Second Century plan,” he added.

This news follows a whole string of changes at Aston Martin including the decision to use Mercedes-AMG sourced engines for a variety of its supercars. The UK based firm is probably hoping that the various restructuring moves and strategies pay off in the long run.

Porsche stolen by thieves with technical know-how

Due to the ever increasing sophistication of automotive technology, car thieves have had to resort to more ingenious methods to circumvent newer security systems. A background in electronics and wiring are now part of the job requirements for any successful car thief.

Gone are the days when a car jacking was attempted by petty criminals armed with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. Nowadays, they are equipped with laptops and cutting-edge hacking tools to breakdown a car’s security system.

Such was the case for a repair shop in Birmingham, where thieves broke in and stole a number of cars, including a Porsche 911 that costs £100,000 (RM549,788). After some initial tampering with the cars’ systems, they managed to drive the vehicles from the centre to a dump site not very far away.

There, they got to work at removing the telematics devices and number plates, rendering said vehicles, virtually untraceable by authorities. CCTV evidence that was gathered captured the crime, from the breaking and entering of the repair shop, to the cars driving into the dump site.

These thieves were able to perfectly conceal the identity and location of all the vehicles that were taken with the exception of the 911. See, this particular car, was equipped with another covert device from a company called Asset Protection Unit or (APU). This tracking device was hidden well enough that nobody was aware of its presence.

Once the vehicle was reported stolen, APU was able to track the vehicle’s data and relay it back to the authorities. The Porsche was found in a hotel parking lot in Coventry just two days later. Unfortunately, the culprits have yet to be apprehended. But APU is working with law inforcement to identify the suspects.

Incidents such as these are symptoms of an underfunded police force that lacks the manpower needed to keep its streets safe. In fact, 40 police forces in England and Wales recently revealing that car theft was up 30% from 2013, the theft also represents a case-study of how criminals are finding such success on UK roads.

Neil Thomas, Director of Investigation at Asset Protection Unit Ltd, said, “This latest incident is worrying evidence of thieves becoming increasingly savvy. When organised gangs of thieves go to these lengths it can make tracking and recovering the vehicles almost impossible.”

APU’s services are currently being employed by police forces and insurance companies in the UK to compensate for their lack of resources and skills. This knowledge can be used to interrogate telematics data and package it into usable evidence in court.

This way, the good guys still have a fighting chance of getting the better of the baddies who are becoming increasingly more crafty with each passing year.

Ford Fiesta crowned champion of MPG marathon

At the recent MPG (miles per gallon) Marathon, an annual competition in the UK where fuel sipping cars go head to head to prove, which is most efficient, Ford came out on top. Compared to its rivals, the new Fiesta proved to be the most frugal on the 563km event.

Despite having a turbocharged 125bhp engine, the little Fiesta managed to achieve a fuel consumption figure of 41km/l, which overshadows the previous record that was set at 36km/l. This effectively made the Blue Oval’s contender the champion for the petrol category.

As for the diesel category, another Fiesta was crowned champion, allowing Ford to lay claim to the title of the manufacturer with the most efficient cars on the market. The diesel powered Fiesta set a new recorded too, by achieving 52km/l, which was significantly higher than the previous record of 46.2km/l.

This feat was enough to crown the oil burning Fiesta as the overall champion of the competition. And with that, Ford can expect a surge in demand for cars such as these in the near future.

Though the various Fiestas did tremendously well in their individual categories, their respective drivers played pivotal roles that lead to the clean sweep at the MPG marathon. Ex- works rally team Andy Dawson and Andrew Marriott drove the petrol Fiesta and journalist Paul Clifton with Ian McKean piloted the diesel.

Equipped with six-speed gearboxes, both cars managed to exceed their official fuel consumption figures thanks to conservative use of the accelerator pedal and the cars’ frugal consumption of their respective fuels.

Andy Dawson, Ford lead driver on the MPG Marathon, said, “Maximising fuel economy not only saves money, but smooth driving can also be fun thanks to the new Fiesta’s brilliant steering and suspension. Using less fuel also means reduced emissions, limiting motorists’ environmental impact.”

The new Fiesta has been on sale in the UK market since July of this year and to date, more than 15,000 examples have been sold to customers. According to official sales numbers, the Ford Fiesta has been Britain’s best selling supermini since 2008.