Are Electric Vehicles the Future of Automotive Industry?

The global population growth and increasing demand for oil in emerging economies due to industrialisation drove up the demand for oil. As a result, we saw an increase in the prices of oil a couple of years ago, which further led to electric vehicles as an alternative. Hence, now the question arises, even after the decrease in oil prices, are electric cars the future of mobility; specifically sports cars?

    On the left is a 6.2L V8 Mercedes SLS AMG and on the right is a battery powered Mercedes SLS

Why wouldn’t electric cars be the future of mobility?

The biggest advantage for a car enthusiast is the fact that rather than accelerating the car at every single gear until it produces the maximum amount of torque. Tesla Model S, for instance, produces 687 lb.ft of torque at 0 RPM. No need to wait for the turbos to get started. In fact, the torque is right on the pedals when accelerated. If an electric car can produce more power or even the same amount of power, a car enthusiast eventually wouldn’t care if it were electric or petrol. We are also well aware of Volkswagen’s recent emission scandal. With electric cars, there will be no such thing as emissions.
However, no gas or diesel in the system means no sound, which many car enthusiasts wouldn’t appreciate. Especially if you have anything above 300 horses inside the hood, you would want your car to remind that to everyone every time you rev. Also, charging electric vehicles is still an issue. For instance, the electric version of Mercedes SLS requires 20 hours of charging whereas; filling a tank in the petrol version of SLS AMG would take no more than 5 minutes.

Watch: Ferrari LaFerrari, McLaren P1 And Porsche 918 Spyder Go Head To Head!

Let us now consider the perspective of some industry giants on the future of electric cars. Mr Sergio Marchionne, the current CEO of Ferrari, claimed electric cars to be “obscene”, therefore Ferrari will never make one. Really? Similarly, to what the Ferrari’s CEO said Maserati’s Boss Mr Harald Wester also said that they wouldn’t want to make an electric vehicle but will eventually have to. Both Ferrari and Maserati’s CEOs do not appreciate the idea of electric cars and the similar ideology. It is of no surprise as Ferrari and Maserati both have a history of working together. However, Mr Wester does accept that Maserati will eventually have no other option but to produce electric vehicles.
Contrary to what Ferrari’s and Maserati’s CEOs said, Porsche Chairman of Executive Board Mr Oliver Blume claimed in an interview, according to Porsche’s newsroom, that Porsche Mission-E is due to come out at the end of the decade, which is not too far. In fact, Mr Blume also mentioned that Tesla had set a new trend of electric cars, and Tesla deserves respect for this.

As much as I hate to say it, in my opinion, electric vehicles are the future of the automotive industry. Also, based on the perspective of the three industry giants, and the many benefits associated with electric cars, it will be wise to say that if not now, somewhere down the line all car manufacturers will have to adopt the necessary technology required for producing an electric car to stay competitive. However, the conversation on the trends of the auto industry just doesn’t end here. In fact, it will be interesting to see the effect of ride-sharing, autonomous driving cars and even passenger drones on the automobile industry soon.

                             A concept version of Porsche Mission E, due to launch in 2020

Renault Agrees to Invest in Pakistan

Earlier today, the Board of Investment revealed in a Press Release that the French Automobile manufacturer Renault will start assembling cars in Pakistan by 2018.

“As the result of Finance Minister’s hectic efforts and persuasion, Renault has decided to invest in Pakistan. They will start assembling cars in Pakistan by 2018.” the BOI said in a statement.
It should be noted that Finance Minister and Chairman of Board of Investment have made quite a few visits in the last few months to France and had several meetings with the top officials of Renault and Peugeot.

Even more surprising are the statements being released by the Chairman of BOI. And as per The Express Tribune, the chairman elaborated

 The company will invest $100 million to expand the capacity of Ghandara plant where it

will assemble the vehicles.

This investment might bring the much-needed diversity in the stagnant, locally manufactured vehicles line-up. It is being speculated that the company will bring the Duster in Pakistan; expected to be priced at PKR 2.5 million. The Express Tribune further elaborates that the company will also introduce 1200 cc cars, which will be aimed to cater the requirements of middle class consumers.
It seems that the government’s strategy to persuade a new player to enter in the local auto-manufacturing market of Pakistan is definitely shaping up for a better outlook

The All new Land Rover Discovery 2017

The all new Land Rover Discovery 2017 is going to be full of innovative technology and will come with a revolutionary design. This car will be equipped with the latest technology available in 2017. This car is expected to set a new benchmark for the automakers.
The car is going to have a spacious and modern interior that will have a seating capacity for seven adults. The interior of all new discovery will be designed by making use of high quality materials. Moreover, it will have a panoramic roof.
Land Rover Discovery 2017 will be equipped with the world’s first intelligent seat fold system that can automatically fold the rear seats. This intelligent seat folding system will be controlled remotely from a smartphone as well.
It will feature gesture control that would allow a person to open its boot. Land Rover Discovery will also be equipped with more storage spacing to store gadgets. The arm rest will have a storage capacity to store two-2 litre water bottles. The availability of 9 USB ports will make it much easier for people to travel with their gadgets. Another exciting feature of Land Rover Discovery 2017 will be the first ever activity key, a wrist band that will enable the driver to lock and unlock the vehicle.

Watch a wonderful video to find out more on the details on this amazing upcoming car at :   https://youtu.be/DDCUjCe7JLI
             

The Worlds fastest SUV unveiled by Toyota

Toyota just unveiled the fastest SUV ever built at the SEMA (Speciality Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas. The new Land Cruiser has been named as “Land Speed Cruiser”. The SUV has achieved a world record of being the fastest SUV. The engine is a twin turbo 5.7 litre V8 that produces 2000hp, which is 500hp more than Bugatti’s Chiron. Its estimated top speed is 354km/h.

Toyota had to modify it to make sure that it could handle the extreme load of the components in the engine. SUVs are not aerodynamic and have a great ride height, which is not ideal for achieving top speeds. In order to overcome the issue of aerodynamic, Toyota had to lower the suspension, and smoothen the lower area to make it more aerodynamic. The lowered suspension makes the air pass under the vehicle, creating less turbulence at high speeds, less drag and more stability at super speeds.


For some amazing videos you may visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv6wFPJvYUE

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Kitchen Foil, Microwave Oven And Fridge – Things That Can Protect Your Car From Thieves

Most people use security systems and key fobs in their vehicles to protect them when they are parked in parking lots or outside their homes. And considering that is the only standing between their pride and joy, why shouldn’t they? I recently read an interesting blog post written by a world renowned technology blogger Kim Komando.

The rapid advance of technology, in particular to increase security devices has not deterred criminals; they also have become more sophisticated in their tactics. You’d be amazed to know how easily thieves can steal your car using the signal emitted by the key fob.

How do the key fobs work? Roughly speaking, a key-chain remote control uses a computer chip to create unique code that sends the command to the security system chip installed in your car. The security system controller installed in the car has the same algorithm to generate codes. If the codes match, the system will open your car.

But always active key chains pose a serious security weakness, says Kim Komando in a recent column for USA Today. Therefore, new car models do not unlock unless the key fob and car are not in a close proximity.

Criminals can get an amplifier that detects signals from key chains to up to 300 feet (91 meters), and then transmit them to your car. In other words, the keys could be in your home, and criminals using this device would be able to open your car. There is an even more sophisticated way to steal cars.

Fortunately, there are ways to block the electronic signal emitted by your key-chain. One simple method is to cover your security remote control in a piece of kitchen foil. Or you can make yourself a small box covered with foil where you can store your car keys. This interrupts the signals of the key fob.

Another way of doing this is to keep the key in the microwave or put it in the refrigerator if the manufacturer says it can be done without damaging the device. That is a bit impractical if we’re honest. You can’t keep your car keys in your fridge or microwave all the time. What if someone at your home turns the microwave on with the keys in while heating the last night’s pasta.

The question is, if thieves here in Pakistan have these gadgets as well. Although I doubt they have them, but I don’t think a security system has ever been able to stop a thief. Cars like Toyota Corolla X are favorites of thieves. They are imported from Japan, and you would think they would have sufficient security systems installed from the factory, but even then thieves have been able to steal them. They usually keep an ECU with matching car key. And as soon as they find an unattended Corolla X, they hook the ECU in, and use the matching key to start the car. It doesn’t take them much longer, and your precious car is gone.

So as much as these security systems are there to help you protect your car, it is better not to solely depend on them.

1980s: An Era Never Remembered For The Variety of Cars

In terms of the number of options available for an automobile buyer in Pakistan, we are definitely witnessing the worst period ever. There are currently only three sedans (Civic, City and Corolla) and 4 hatchbacks (Mehran,Cultus, Wagon-R and Swift) to choose from. If you are to buy a 1300cc sedan, you have to choose either between City, or a Corolla…and that’s it. In 1800cc segment, the competition revolves around Civic and Corolla Altis, while the hatchback segment is all but Suzuki’s playground. If we add the Bolan and Ravi Carrier and a couple of options recently offered by FAW, the total number of car buying options still remains around 10. A lot of people blame the buyer for being “resale-obsessed” and “not willing for a change” but in reality the market has been engineered in such a way, that the automakers can churn maximum profits out of a non-competitive monopolized market.
 Before the imports were halted in favor of local production of automobiles which started in our country back in the early 90’s, the options available to a car buyer in Pakistan were almost five times more than what we have today. Ask anyone who has observed the market in the 1970s and 80’s, things were absolutely different. People were free to explore a variety of brands and the concept of resale while still existed to a certain extent, wasn’t a topmost priority as it is today. Let’s try to sneak back into the past and have a little comparison between the number of options available today versus those available during the 80’s.

It was during the mid-1960s when Japanese brands started to dominate our market. Before that, European and American brands were sold here, but their size and fuel consumption was a major point of concern, whereas the Japanese brands were smaller and fuel efficient. Most popular Japanese cars of the 60s were the Toyota CoronaRT40, Mazda 1500 and Datsun Bluebird. Then during the 70s, more Japanese vehicles made their way to our market, Toyota Corolla became the most popular car here alongside Datsun Sunny and Mazda Familia. Later towards the late 70s Suzuki, Mitsubishi and Daihatsu cars also made their way into our automobile market.

The 80’s was probably the golden era of our automobile market in terms of the variety of options we enjoyed. Not only this, we used to get a new shape approximately every 3rd year which resulted in a magnificent variety of cars to choose from within a single decade. Just put it this way, talking about 1000cc hatchbacks from 1980 to 1989, within a decade there were 3 generations of Daihatsu Charade alone. They were offered in several trim options and engine variants (Diesel/ Petrol/ Turbo etc). While if we add up the likes of Toyota Starlet, Nissan Pulsar, Suzuki Swift, Subaru J10 etc. the number (including the trims) would exceed 20 whereas from 1991 to 1999 there was only one option, the Suzuki Khyber available in only one trim, with no metallic color offered before 1999. Towards the late 90’s, Kia Pride made its way and was available for a couple of years only before the company packed up and left.

Not only this but hatchbacks that we had in the eighties were better equipped than those offered locally by 2010. Take local Suzuki Alto as an example, it was never offered with rear window defrosters or proper retract side mirrors while cars of the eighties have had much more than this to offer.

If you were to buy a 1300cc sedan, the options available during the 80’s included Daihatsu Charmant, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Sprinter, Mazda 323, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sunny, and a few more, each available in multiple trims. Not only that the options were so many, the liberty to choose between the trims as well as the interior color was something a buyer of today can never enjoy. Take Honda Civic, for example, the 3rdgeneration Civic was available in as many as ten exterior colors and four interior colors (Black, Brown, Maroon and Blue) to choose from. Most of the cars we had during the 80’s were offered in multiple interior color options. Today if we are to buy a local car, we are bound to get a single interior color, which remains same in all the range of available trims.

The 1500cc+ category was filled with options like Honda Accords, Toyota Corona, Crown, Mitsubishi Galant, Mazda 626, 929 while a long list of cars with bigger engines were also found frequently on the roads. In 4x4s the Mitsubishi Pajero was considered as the status symbol of the 80’s, followed by Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol and smaller ones like Daihatsu Rocky and Suzuki SJ410 were there to be offered.