Motoring December 2015

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The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015

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The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015 • r e v i e w •

A collection of timeless style – celebrity photographer launches Alfa Romeo Collezione range • Alfa Romeo commissions renowned photographer Phil Knott to mark the launch of the new top of the range Alfa Romeo Collezione models • Unique photography captured in seven iconic locations across London using cameras from each decade since 1950 – from a 1950s Leica M3 to a present day iPhone6S • The photos capture and celebrate the timeless style of the new range and the design features that make them unique, such as the Alfa MiTo’s 17” bronze alloys and the Giulietta’s contrasting black roof and wing-mirrors • An exhibition with the exclusive imagery will feature alongside the MiTo and Guilietta Collezione models at the Underdog Gallery in London from 11th to 13th December lfa Romeo has commissioned renowned photographer Phil Knott - famed for his monotone images of celebrities including Prince, Jude Law, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse - to create a unique collection of stunning black and white photos of the new Alfa MiTo and Giulietta Collezione models using cameras from each decade since the 1950s.

Inspired by monochrome style of the Italian brand’s latest special editions, Knott used iconic cameras such as the Leica M3 (introduced in 1954), the Hasselblad 500C/M and the Nikon F, all of which have made their

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mark on the world of photography since the original Alfa Giulietta was launched in 1954.

British born Knott, who now lives in New York, chose locations around London that best embodied the style of each era and the story behind each camera, using the MiTo and Giulietta Collezione models alongside a 1959 Giulietta as the subject matter.The images have been developed and hand-printed by Robin Bell - one of Britain’s most respected black and white printers.

Shooting in Richmond using a 1950s Leica M3, Knott captured the area’s cinematic postwar brickwork in the background with the iconically shaped cars in the foreground, evoking memories of the famous Bert Stern prints of Marilyn Monroe. For the 1960s he used a Hasselblad 500C/M in Holland Park to create simple, warm and toned prints. And for the 1970s he worked with a Nikon F in the tall, concrete surroundings of Barbican to produce images inspired by The Beatles Abbey Road album cover shot by Iain Macmillan.

The inspiration for the 1980s-style photography was David Sylvian’s Album, Life in Tokyo; using an Olympus OM4, Knott shot the Alfa Giulietta Collezione’s beautifully designed LED headlight in the foreground, with Alfa Giulietta’s limited-edition black wing-mirror in the midground and a hint of the Lloyd’s building at the back of the frame, creating abstract landscape images. He then used a 1990s Minolta Dynax 9xi to frame the new Collezione models with Canary Wharf setting the scene, whilst The London Eye provided the perfect backdrop for the shots with a 2000s Canon EOS 5D. As a reflection of the times, Knott also

embraced the latest trend in photography, using the 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels on the Apple iPhone 6S for his contemporary day images. With these shots he created a unique mosaic of images to showcase the Alfa Giulietta and MiTo in contrast to the iconic street art of East London, capturing the Alfa Romeo Collezione car’s distinguishing details, such as the Alfa MiTo’s decadent bronze 17” alloy wheels and the Giulietta Collezione coupé looks with black wing-mirrors and signature contrasting black painted roof.

Knott commented: “To me it’s all about timeless style which both Alfa Romeo and the cameras I used perfectly encapsulate.

Capturing Alfa Romeo’s timeless design with

these iconic cameras, looking through some of the best set of lenses in history to showcase the fantastic evolution of such an iconic brand was truly a beautiful experience.”

Damien Dally, Country Manager for Alfa Romeo, commented: “We wanted to showcase the luxury and timeless style of the new Alfa MiTo and Giulietta Collezione in a unique way. Alfa Romeo’s iconic designs take inspiration from the past while looking into the future, and Phil has represented our ethos perfectly in his exclusive collection of images.”

The Alfa Romeo Black & White Collezione exhibition will be on display at the Underdog Gallery in London (www.underdogart.com) from Friday 11th to Sunday 13th December 2015.

Date announced for Mini World Live • Mini World Live to take place at Rockingham Motor Speedway on July 10, 2016 will bring together the world’s best classic and modern Minis ne of the most exciting and interactive events dedicated to the most iconic small car in Britain is set to return to the calendar in 2016, with Mini World Live promising to be even bigger and better than the show’s debut earlier this year.

The initial event was deemed a great success, attracting hundreds of beautifully restored classics, modified performance cars and the UK’s leading Mini specialists and

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experts to Rockingham Motor Speedway.

Thousands of Mini enthusiasts made their way to the Northants venue for the first ever Mini World Live, and that number looks set to grow further, with the organisers promising even more action and more of a festival feel for the show, which is backed by three major Mini-related magazine titles – MiniWorld, Mini Magazine and Modern MINI. The show will feature attractions catering for fans of both classic and

modern Minis, including a huge retail village, show and shine areas, club displays and on-track action, the details of which will be confirmed nearer to the date.

Live music and refreshments will also form a core part of the event, with camping available the evening before to ensure it benefits from a vibrant, festival feel.

Full details of the show, the cars and the various activities will be announced nearer the date, on the event website, or via the official Facebook page and twitter feeds.

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015

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Nissan’s best-selling Leaf celebrates its fifth anniversary and reaching 200,000 sales reported that there are nearly 10,000 CHAdeMO Quick Chargers (QC) available worldwide. These QC can charge a LEAF from low battery alert to 80-percent capacity in just 30 minutes. Japan is taking the lead in developing this infrastructure with 6000 chargers throughout the country, making it the biggest QC network in the world.

issan is celebrating five years at the forefront of the electric vehicle (EV) market with the record-breaking 100-percent electric vehicle Nissan LEAF. Having transformed the performance, practicality and public perception of EVs around the world since its launch in 2010, Nissan remains the undisputed leader in EV technology.

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Building a new EV future – The next five years

Five years of ground-breaking success The Nissan LEAF is as advanced and innovative today as it was five years ago.

No other manufacturer has produced as many electric vehicles or covered as much distance without producing any emissions.

In fact, Nissan LEAF customers just surpassed the two billion kilometer mark (1.2 billion miles), which is equivalent to 2600 round trips from the Earth to the moon.

This remarkable feat has helped keep 328,482 tons of CO from entering the air, according to a five year sales-volume based assumption.

Also Nissan will deliver its 200,000th LEAF in January, officially making it the world’s most popular and successful electric vehicle. The U.S., Japan and Europe have accounted for 90 percent of total LEAF sales, with the U.S. leading the way with more than 90,000 sales, followed by Japan (50,000) and Europe (40,000).

Ever since the first Nissan LEAF rolled off the assembly line, it has been continually celebrated around the world, garnering more than 92 awards, including being named Car of the Year in Japan and Europe, not to mention winning the very prestigious World Car of the Year.

Nissan’s heritage with electric vehicles

dates back 68 years with the Tama Electric Vehicle. Nissan, which has dedicated itself to in-house research and development of the EV battery, has taken it from zinc and nickel hydride to lithium-ion. The company successfully marketed the world’s first lithium-ion battery EV in 1996 with the Prairie Joy EV. The knowledge and experienced gained from this gave Nissan a big advantage over its competitors and result-

ed in the first mass-produced EV in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan has announced that it has invested more than 500 billion JPY in EV projects, with bold plans to expand further as demand for clean, efficient and affordable electric cars continues to grow.

And it’s not just the LEAF that is showcasing Nissan’s EV engineering expertise and investment, as the company has

The 2016 Nissan LEAF went on sale equipped with a new 30kWh battery in the U.S. in November that extends the miles per charge by more than 20 percent, followed by Japan (December 2015) and Europe (January 2016).

As the level of electric vehicle technology continues to increase, Nissan believes that this shift towards cleaner, more efficient zero emission vehicles will contribute greatly in improving air quality and lowering noise levels.

“EV technology will continue to be at the heart of Nissan’s product development efforts. By combining our pioneering EV technologies and other intelligence and innovations, Nissan is moving closer to a zero-emission future for car transportation. With the technologies we are creating, mobility is becoming safer, cleaner, more connected and more exciting.

That’s the power of innovation. And that’s what you can expect from Nissan,“ said Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan will accelerate its endeavors for the realization of a zero emission society by further developing and popularizing EVs as well as innovations utilizing EVrelated technology and business.

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The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015 • r e v i e w •

Toyota to establish new artificial intelligence research and development company oyota Motor Corporation announced at press conference in Tokyo today that it will establish a new company, Toyota Research Institute Inc. (TRI), as an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics.

The headquarters will be located in Silicon Valley near Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. A second facility will be located near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The new company will begin operations in January 2016.

Toyota believes artificial intelligence has significant potential to support future industrial technologies and the creation of an entirely new industry. To underscore this belief, it is making an initial investment of $1 billion over the next five years, to establish and staff the two initial locations and conduct operations.

This is in addition to the $50 million investment over the next five years with MIT and Stanford to establish joint fundamental artificial intelligence research centers at each university.

TRI will help bridge the gap between fundamental research and product development. Its primary mission is to accelerate R&D in a range of fields to help resolve society’s future challenges by using artificial intelligence and big data, thereby, contributing to a sustainable future where everyone can experience a safer, freer, and unconstrained life.

Directed by Dr Gill Pratt, Toyota’s Executive Technical Advisor and the Chief Executive Officer of the new enterprise, TRI will hire leading researchers and engineers to support its wide range of

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activities.

Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation President, said: “As technology continues to progress, so does our ability to improve products. At Toyota, we do not pursue innovation simply because we can;

we pursue it because we should. It is our responsibility to make life better for our customers, and society as a whole. I want to work with Gill, not just because he is a great researcher, but because I believe that his goals and motivations are the

same as ours.”

For more information on Toyota and its products visit the Toyota showroom situated in Mdina Road Zebbug log on the Toyota Malta Facebook page or call on 2269 4000.

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015

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Five-Star Euro NCAP rating for the new Renault Megane • The new Renault Mégane has been awarded a five-star passive safety rating after testing by the independent body Euro NCAP • The rating for the new Mégane takes the number of Renault models to have secured the maximum five-star rating in 2015 to four • The new Renault Mégane features upgraded safety thanks to a suite of Benefits of the Common driver assistance Module Family platform hen it comes systems which reassure to safety, the and warn drivers for new Mégane shares the ease of driving benefits of

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the same Common Module Family (CMF) platform as the Kadjar crossover. Features of this new platform include the use of very high elastic limit steel for the spars, side rails and cross members (notably

those situated between the engine compartment and the cabin). A square millimetre of this type of steel can withstand a load of 120kg.

The CMF platform also incorporates effective occupant restraint systems, including dual-generator front airbags, the deployment of which adapts as a function of the type of impact and position of the occupant. This feature enabled the new Mégane to obtain high scores for both adult and child protection.

Meanwhile, the seat belts are equipped with pretensioners and adaptive load limiters which adjust the degree of restraint to the severity of the impact and the occupants’ build. In side impacts, front occupants are doubly protected by two latestgeneration side airbags and two curtain airbags.

A suite of driver aids Thanks to the CMF platform, the new Mégane also benefits from the many driver assistance systems already featured on Renault vehicles from the segment above, such as the Espace. These aids are designed to reassure or warn drivers, or for ease of driving.

For reassurance: • Adaptive Cruise Control automatically adjusts the car’s speed to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead • AEBS (Active Emergency Braking System) warns the driver to brake in order to avoid a head-on collision.

The brakes are applied automatically in emergency situations

To warn drivers: • Lane Departure Warning system warns drivers they are leaving their lane without indicating • The Safe Distance Warning system helps the driver to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead • Overspeed Protection with Traffic Sign Recognition reads

traffic signs in order to adjust the cruise control’s speed setting • A Blind Spot Warning provides the driver with a visual warning when a vehicle is detected in one of the door mirror’s blind spots

For ease of driving: • Switching from dipped to main beam head lights and vice-versa is automatic, requiring no driver intervention • Driver aids also include Hands Free Parking (front, rear and lateral parking sensors) and a reversing camera, subject to specification • A colour head-up display in the line of sight provides information about the majority of the driver assistance systems, the vehicle’s speed and navigation instructions The Renault Talisman was also given a five-star rating at the same time as new Mégane, taking the number of Renault models to achieve the five-star rating in 2015 to four. The Kadjar and Espace, also benefiting from the CMF platform, were also awarded the rating by Euro NCAP earlier this year.

Anti-submarining: a Renault innovation dating back 15 years For 15 years, Renault has innovated to prevent occupants from sliding beneath their seat belt in a head-on impact thanks to anti-submarining technology. To develop this technology, Renault uses specific crash test dummies equipped with more flexible groins to obtain simulations that are as close as possible to real-world situations. This technology calls for extensive work on seat ergonomics and on the positioning of the seat belt anchor points. In January 2015, the Euro NCAP protocol – which is made more severe every year – listed antisubmarining protection as a criteria for the first time.

The Malta Independent on Sunday • 13 December 2015

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Porsche to invest around a billion euros – more than 1,000 new jobs Green light for Mission E he first 100% electrically powered Porsche is on its way. The supervisory board of Dr.Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG today gave the green light for the Mission E project. In the words of Dr. Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board, Porsche is thus "beginning a new chapter in the history of the sports car." The vehicle is due to be launched at the end of the decade.

With the Mission E project, Porsche is continuing to back sustainable growth. In

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Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen alone more than 1,000 new jobs are being created. The company will be investing around 700 million euros in its main site there. Over the next few years, a new paint shop and a new assembly plant will be built. The existing engine factory is also being expanded for the production of electric motors. In addition, the existing body shop is being enlarged. On top of that come other areas in which the company will be investing in this context, such as in the Weissach development centre.

The Mission E concept car celebrated its premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) in September. Visitors were gripped above all by its highly emotional design. Living up to the buzzword of 'E-Performance', the technological trailblazer combines outstanding driving performance with trendsetting day-to-day practicality. The four-door car with four individual seats has a system power output of over 600 hp(440 kW). The vehicle will

thus achieve both acceleration of 0 to 100km/h in under 3.5 seconds and a range of more than 500 kilometres. Charged via an 800-volt charger unit specially developed for the car, which is twice as powerful as today's quick-charge systems, the lithium-ion batteries integrated within the vehicle floor have enough power again for 80 percent of the range after just 15 minutes. The vehicle can optionally be 'refuelled' wirelessly by induction via a coil set into the garage floor.

Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG: "With Mission E, we are making a clear statement about the future of the brand. Even in a greatly changing motoring world, Porsche will maintain its front-row position with this fascinating sports car."

Chairman of the Porsche Executive Board, Dr. Oliver Blume: "We are resolutely taking on the challenge of electric mobility. Even with solely battery-powered sports cars, Porsche is remaining true to its philosophy and offering our customers the sportiest

and technologically most sophisticated model in this market segment." Blume added that the E Mission project underlines the importance of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen as a production site, of Baden-Württemberg as a centre of technology and of the whole German automotive industry.

Uwe Hück, Chairman of the Central Works Council and Deputy Chairman of the Porsche AG Supervisory Board: "A day to celebrate! Yes, we did it! We brought Mission E to Zuffenhausenand Weissach where the future has tradition. The workers' side made the employer's side an offer that they couldn't refuse. This heralds the dawn of a new age in Zuffenhausenand Weissach.

Digitalisation will be growing up with us. And Factory 4.0 will be a major challenge for the workforce, trade union and employer. We will be taking new approaches but not giving up on the social aspects. With today's decision, Porsche is driving flat out with no speed restrictions into the automotive and industrial future."

Best-looking in its class: Opel ADAM S wins design award • Best Design Newcomer 2015: Convincing win for ADAM S in mini car category • Public opinion: 17,000 auto motor und sport readers cast their vote mall Opel, big splash: The ADAM S pocket rocket was one of the big winners at the “autonis – Best Design Newcomer 2015” readers’ choice awards. A huge majority of the 17,000 participants voted for the Opel ADAM S as the best-looking car in its class.

“17,000 readers cannot be wrong! The convincing win of the ADAM S is a fantastic confirmation of our design philosophy: Sculptural Artistry meets German Precision.

In addition, the ADAM shines with sheer endless individualisation possibilities, giving every customer the opportunity to create an ADAM according to their personal taste,” said jubilant Mark Adams, Vice President Design Europe, at the award ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany.

The autonis readers’ choice award held by automotive magazine auto motor und sport

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follows its own set of rules: Each participant can vote, two for positive and two for negative assessments. The final result is based on the following calculation: If, for example, 20 per cent vote for model A as the winner and five per cent see it as a flop, model A receives overall score of 15. This result then determines the final position of model A. The ADAM S received an outstanding overall score of 50.1; the closest competitor only achieved a score of 29.8. The editors of auto motor und sport thus commented in their latest edition: “Opel ADAM S – incredibly versatile in configuring an unmistakable look.”

Opel is represented in Malta by Cars International, Mdina Road Qormi. For more information or test-drive on any Opel car, send an email to opelsales@cil.com.mt or call 2269 2122.You can also visit opel.com.mt or the Facebook page Opel Malta.

Best Design Newcomer 2015: Convincing win for the Opel ADAM S at the autonis awards.