AutomanMag | Visit our website: www.automan.

me
now, the regions Best Automotive resource April 2016 Issue no 175

OMR 0.500 AED 10 QR 10

wards sexiness

Rolls-Royce Dawn d

ig leap to
b
s
d
n
ra
b
e
th
ts
h
g
rive highli

Super 3 Previews: Model 3, E-class, Centenario

Also inside: New York Motorshow Tests 2016 Audi A4
2016 Toyota Fortuner Audi R8 and RS Cars
Interview with Porsche WEC driver Timo Bernhard

New wheels

6-9 Audi R8 ANd Audi spoRt Rs

cARs iN AbudhAbi
10-18 New cARs lAuNched iN
omAN mAseRAti levANte, Audi
A4, hAvAl suvs,KiA spoRtAge,
toyotA FoRtuNeR, liNcolN mKX,
FeRRARi 488 spideR, Rolls-Royce
dAwN

omAN ANd RegioNAl News

20-23 mitsubishi opeNs New

quicK seRvice ceNtRe, JAguAR
F-pAce lAuNches eARly
booKiNgs, coulthARd to dRive
the Red bull cAR iN omAN, lANd
RoveR lAuNches oFF-RoAdiNg
App ANd NissAN spoNsoRs dRiFt
chAmpioNship. chevRolet hold
deseRt eveNt FoR Z71 tAhoe ANd
silveRAdo

28

iNteRNAtioNAl News

24-25 Sportage and optime win

red dot award, Jaguar to make
XkSS, Bentayga delivered to firSt
cuStomerS, world car of the year
awardS announced

bRANdwAtch

66

26-27 toyota celeBrateS 50 yearS

of corolla, Bmw announceS new
viSion for 100th year, geely emgrand
announceS new Strategy, vw
produceS laSt phaeton

coveR stoRy

28-35 rollS-royce dawn launched to

international media in cape town

RoAd tests

36-41 2016 lincoln mkX

42-47 2016 audi a4
48-53 2016 toyota fortuner

spotlight

54-57 new york auto Show report

conceptS and new carS

FAce to FAce

58-61 porSche wec driver timo

Bernhard

spotlight

62-65 Shell Super mileage challenge

pReviews

66-71 teSla model 3, mercedeS-Benz

e-claSS, lamBorghini centenario

coNceptuAl

72-75 lincoln navigator concept

motoRspoRts

76-79 formula one at Bahrain,

melBourne and motogp at argentina

chicANe

80 you are more than what you eat

editor-in-chief
Mohammad Al taie

AL roYA PreSS & PUBLiShinG

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the pace of global automotive activity is at a new high, especially if you look at the outcome
of the recent geneva motorshow. we have had a good number of all-new models being
shown there, along with significant technologies showing up in commercialised form. The
list is huge, with the maserati levante, audi Q2, aston martin dB11, Bugatti chiron and
the lamborghini centenario stealing the show.
But then, thats the nature of the geneva motorshow. for a country that has almost no
car industry at all, Switzerlands home show serves as the european point of excellence,
in some ways far ahead of what you would expect from either frankfurt or paris that are
a magnitude of scale larger, yet not quite as action-packed. the appeal of debuting the
years forthcoming attractions at geneva sets the tone for many european manufacturers
in fact some of them may even miss a presence at detroit or paris but never at geneva.
this months issue carries our report on the cars we best liked at geneva, along with the
capsule review on the New York motorshow, admittedly the most international flavoured
of the american shows, although slightly overshadowed by the very uS-focussed detroit
show.
additionally, our team attends the global media drive of the new rolls-royce dawn. its a
model that seems set to change the perception of the brand from being too insular and
exclusive. there is a freshness of perspective, a new design idiom and a sense of openness
that the open-top dawn brings with it somehow making it seem so much distanced from
its wraith and ghost siblings.
the toyota fortuner that we feature this month appeals to buyers at the other end of the
spectrum not quite entry level, but definitely a segment that finds the likes of the Prado
and land cruiser beyond their reach or an indulgence. the very third-world origins of the
platform speaks of a sense of utility and value-for-money, yet the fortuner has risen above
that in this new generation to perhaps gain more of a following among the middle classes.
the audi a4 holds no such aims it just brings the platform up to date with the
technological umwelt it exists in with connected driving, intelligent controls and the
migration of advanced lighting technologies to a larger slice of buyers.
finally, we also have the lincoln mkX. the brand is gaining an ability to spring a surprise
or two, although it still has many miles to go before it becomes a global name in the luxury
segment. from its electronic gearshift console to its new design language and on to its
increasing adoption of turbocharged engines, lincoln is moving ahead. and its not only
the high grade revel audio systems on board that warrant a second look.

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alananprinting.com | alananprinting@gmail.com
2016 All editorial content of Automan in the magazine
and its website is copyrighted and may not be
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the management of Automan.
Automan accepts unsolicited exclusive editorial
material, but reserves the right to publish any such
material. Once published, the copyright for any such
material will vest with Automan.

Automan is now in its 16th year of

publication. Expect a great deal from
us through the year in terms of all your
favourite automotive content

NEWWHEELS
2016 Audi R8 and RS cars

APR 2016

Audi marks launch of new R8 with track

event and drive of RS cars
Audi Sport marks its launch in the region with the launch of the new R8 and a showcase of the RS
models. Automan attends the adrenaline-packed event

he Audi R8 has something of a

giant-killer reputation. Ever since
its launch, the car has been known
for its ferocious V10 engine, sporty feel
and good track manners. What it doesnt
have is the sort of refinement that the
upper echelon of sports cars tried to make
standard. You knew you had a great car
under you, but it never really made that
jump to be compared with the best from
Italy. That is something that Audi is keen
to change. The new Audi R10 manages to
make that huge jump. But lets begin with
something else.
The event we were invited to was a track
day event at the Yas Marina circuit, where
we were promised lots of driving. As
we were to discover later, the morning
session covered multiple laps around a

shortened loop that took in the hotel

and marina and some rather interesting
driving around an autocross loop laid out
on the handling tarmac. The post lunch
session was taken up by a longish drive
to a waterfront jetty driving various RS
cars, including the available RS6 and RS7
in both power variants, the RS3 and the S8
plus. With a couple of driver change points
thrown in, we did manage to get some
driving time behind the wheels of some of
these cars, but the main idea was to give
us a feel of the range.
From the jetty, we were ferried across to
the exclusive Zaya Nurai island resort to
meet up with three very unique gentlemen
connected with Audi Sport in some way.
These included Romolo Liebchen, Head
of Audi Sport Customer Racing, Emanuele

Pirro, multiple Le Mans winner and one of

the newer breed of DTM drivers, Edoardo
Mortara.
Over an interactive session the three Audi
faces took us through some of the history
of Aud Quattro and the development
of the Audi Sport brand along with the
on-going relevance for Audis racing
programme.
And of course, in all of this the positioning
of the new R8 was very evident. This
generation of the R8 builds on the
combined expertise of the sports car
vertical of the Volkswagen group. You
can see the connection in the way both
the R8 and the Lamborghini Huracan now
share a similar body structure, with the
use of aluminium and significant quantities
of carbon fibre composite around the
APR 2016

rear end of the passenger cabin and rear

firewall, with almost half the floorpan
also being integrated into the moulding.
It doesnt come as too much of a surprise,
especially when you consider the choice
of powertrain as well. The R8 launches
with the two top end versions of its V10
powerplant, with outputs of 540bhp
and 610bhp, with the more powerful
variant getting the Plus tag. The engine
is naturally aspirated and evolved from
the older powerhouse, yet now features
modern day necessities like the ability
to shut down a row of cylinders on low
demand as well as a programmed coast
mode where under certain conditions you
can softly lift your foot off the accelerator
and the car coasts along at the same low
demand mode.
But thats not to say that the V10 unit is
all about efficiency with the ability to
deliver 540 or 560Nm in the two grades,
the huge rev range and the easy move
up and down the rev range all translate
into a very versatile and powerful unit.
The gearbox on offer is the seven-speed
S tronic gearbox with its double clutch
arrangement that has reduced shift times
down to a charm. In the many sessions we
had on the track, one of the learnings was
the gearboxs ability to get the best out of
8

APR 2016

the paddleshifts if you hold the shifters

instead of tap them then the gearbox will
shift to the lowest or highest gear possible
for that engine rev point, removing the
need to shift rapidly down or up.
The cars performance is definitely in top
sports car territory the regular V10 offers
a 0-100 km/h figure of 3.5 or 3.2 seconds
and hits top speeds of either 320 or
330km/h.
The engine itself is the familiar 5.2-litre
V10 with a very small offset angle, but this
time around it combines both FSI as well
as MPI. The engine is located in the sweet
spot just fore of the rear axle, with the
gearbox sitting aft of it and this is mated
with a new generation of the Quattro
AWD system designed for the sports
cars needs. In it, the drive does tend to
get relegated mainly to the rear wheels
but can be shifted as needed to the front
wheels by the active differential on the
front of the shaft. The weight distribution
is 42:58 on the axles and you can feel the
rear if you are in really tight bends.
The whole session on the skid pad
and handling tarmac was designed to
introduce us to the drive modes that the
Quattro system features on the V10 Plus or
as an option on the V10. It offers a dry, wet
and snow mode and we toggled between

dry and snow modes on the mixed surface

laid out. In the dry mode, practically all
the available power is channelled towards
the rear axle with the focus being on
giving the best track performance in dry
conditions, this can lead the driver to end
up in rather twitchy conditions on wet
tarmac. When we took the other extreme
and used the snow setting, the bias was
better balanced and gave a lot more
confidence as we took the wet turns.
But what the car gives, it can take away,
especially if you make the mistake of
braking as you take the curve the weight
shift can throw the torque delivery just so
and get you nose out.
However, at the end of the day, there is
no doubt that the R8 has definitely made
the great leap ahead. The interiors are
among the more comfortable cabins of
the genre, with ingress and egress above
par for the course. Steering wheel size
and feel is good and the move to include
all the operation buttons including drive
mode toggles on the boss makes it feel
like a racecars controller. This feel is
only aggravated by the virtual cockpit
arrangement that allows the driver to
change the layout of critical readouts as
well as to get a different look and feel
depending on the drive mode. Chassis

response is brilliant even on

the standard V10, but you
can get options like Dynamic
steering that changes its
nominal steering ratio
depending on the driving
conditions as well as magnetic
ride control that can change
response from individual
wheels depending on the drive
mode and how hard you are
manoeuvring.
The other standout technology
that debuts with the R8 is a
laser headlight system that
adds in a beam that is said
to reach ahead on the road
to almost 600 metres, with
a very targeted spread. It
offers much better visibility,
turns along with the road
and automatically dips and
dims depending on oncoming
traffic. Combined with HUD
and the features of the virtual
cockpit, you really dont lack
for anything.
But of course, the one unsaid
is how does the V10 plus
compare with Lamborghini
Huracan? They are visually very
different the C-pillar blade

is now designed as a top and

bottom element and can be
offered in Carbon fibre in the
V10 plus or in body colour
panel in the regular car. The
extra carbon fibre also serves
to visually differentiate the two
cars, even between the two
brands. The rear active spoiler
is more of a similarity. But the
main differences are largely
in price and some degree of
difference in how the Quattro
comes in, the drive modes
and the response range of the
engine. The gearbox oddly
enough feels very familiar from
our Huracan test.
As for the RS cars, while we
enjoyed our time out in them,
at no time was there enough
activity to justify a drive
review. You really dont want
to know about how well the
cars negotiate convoy driving
on Abu Dhabis speed limited
secondary roads. Suffice to say
that the standout points of the
RS cars were the sound of the
RS3, the kickdown acceleration
of the RS6 Plus and the visual
signature of the RS7.

APR 2016

NEWWHEELS
2016 Maserati Levante

Maserati launches pathbreaking

Levante SUV in Oman
The much awaited SUV from
Maserati was launched in
Oman with the slogan of being
the Maserati of SUVs.
At the ceremony in the
ballroom of the Al Bandar
hotel at ShangriLa Resort, The
new Levante SUV was unveiled
to media by the local importers
and Maerati regional officials.
This is the first ever SUV by
Maserati, so it is a complete
game-changer, particularly
in this region. Maserati is
renowned for exotic sports
cars, so our mission was not
just to build an SUV, but to
build a Maserati. Exciting times
are ahead and we are glad
to be able to offer Maserati
aficionados a completely new
experience, said Mohamed
Al Zawawy, Assistant General
Manager at Alfardan Motors.
The Levante is built on the
platform of the Ghibli and
like the Ghibli is offered with
10

APR 2016

a choice of two 3.0-litre V6

engines. These turbocharged
engines come in two outputs a 350hp and a 430hp S version.
Both of these engine specs
are mated to the 8-speed
automatic transmission and a
new generation of Maseratis
four-wheel drive system that is
tailored for SUV applications.
The Levante also debuts with
adjustable ride height allowing
the car to settle into into one
of 7 different ride heights
and the AWD system can be
toggled through a selection of
road or off-road conditions.
Additionally it is possible to
tune drive modes that offer
different types of steering
and engine responses to the
selection.
Initial pricing is kept at very
competitive levels with the
regular Levante debuting at
RO 33,600 and the S coming in
at RO 38,400.

This pricing and the engine and

drive modes make the Levante
a keen competitor in the
E-segment especially among
premium crossover based
vehicles and will no doubt
affect the market dynamic,
considering the appeal of the
Maserati marque.
The Levante is built at the
refurbished Mirafiori factory
in Italy and is claimed to have

best in class handling in sports

mode and on snow and ice.
The car has an ideal 50:50
weight distribution front-rear
and incorporates features
360-degree camera, adaptive
cruise control with automatic
braking and has a Cd of 0.31.
The engines are manufactured
by Ferrari at their Maranello
plant along with the V8
engines for the 488.

NEWWHEELS
2016 Audi A4

New Audi A4 launched in

Oman with virtual cockpit
and Matrix LED lights
Wattayah Motors, the
importers for Audi in Oman
launched the new Audi A4
at a ceremony held in their
showroom.
With improved levels
of standard technology,
the Audi A4 is not only
positioned to appeal to
existing customers in the
region, but will also attract
a new range of buyers
looking for a premium and
stylish sedan, commented
David Ryan, general
manager, Audi Oman.
Today we have vehicles
that cater to almost every
customer segment. We
are confident that with
the emergence of the A4,
there will be a consolidated
shift towards this segment
in the future.
The A4 sedan has the best
drag coefficient in its class
at 0.23. The new models

also have impressively low

CO2 emissions. The most
powerful engine for the
Middle East will be a fourcylinder unit with 252 hp,
S-tronic with quattro wheel
drive. Driver assistance
systems and infotainment
are of luxury quality. A new
generation of four-cylinder
TFSI engines with newly
developed combustion
methods sets benchmarks
in terms of fuel
consumption, emissions
and performance for fourcylinder gasoline engines.
Three different TFSI
models are now available:
the 35 TFSI with 150 hp (1.4
litre engine), 40 TFSI with
190 hp (2.0 litre engine)
and the top of the range
engine 45 TFSI with 252 hp
(also a 2.0 litre engine).
This generation of the
A4 has also had a weight

reduction of around
120kgs, while gaining
a host of new features
including a new generation
MMI, the virtual cockpit,
matrix LED headlights,
a new generation of
smartphone interface as
well as wireless charging.

APR 2016

11

NEWWHEELS
2016 HAVAL SUVs

Haval launches in Oman with four SUV

models from Crossover to Hardcore
Company officials, Ram Mohan,
Suleiman Al Rashdi and Mark
Tomlinson at the launch of the
Haval brand, posing in front of
the H8 and H9 SUVs.

Rumaila Motors, the importer

of Great Wall brand and part of
the Zubair Automotive group
has launched the upmarket
Haval brand in Oman. Haval
is a specialised, upmarket
brand of Great Wall motors
and after enjoying customer
appreciation and a good deal
of success in China, the brand
is being sold in international
markets with a select group of
SUV models.
As importers for Great Wall
Motors, Rumaila Motors has a
network of sales and service
outlets around the country
and it has invested further
in branded Haval outlets,
beginning with an all-new
showroom in Muscat.
Haval has established
its brand name in their
home country as well as
internationally. Their focus on
research and development
as well as manufacturing
the best SUVs has earned
them various awards and
recognitions worldwide, said

12

APR 2016

Mr. Suleiman Al Rashdi, Brand

Manager.Havals extensive
range of SUVs offers distinct
models that are made to
suit customers with varying
desires. As the dealers of this
prized brand, we complement
these excellent SUVs with a
dedicated and professional
sales and services team from
Rumaila Motors and are certain
that Haval is destined to be the
new leader in the SUV category
in the Sultanate.
Haval launched its first SUV
in 2002 and over the years
has gained various accolades
including top-selling SUV
brand for the past 13 years.
Additionally it has won
engineering and innovation
awards. The brand has sold
more than 2 million units and
has a brand new, state-of-theart technical centre in Baoding
and new manufacturing
plants at Tianjin and Xushui.
Combined, the new plants
are capable of producing 1.8
million SUVs each year. With

their new focus on global

sales, Haval caters to various
overseas markets including
Russia, Australia, North
America and the Middle East.
The four models that debuted
at the launch include the H2,
H6, H8 and H9, which go up in
size through the model order.

The compact H2 is powered

by a 2-litre 4-cylinder 110kW
engine and offers an interior
that will appeal to young
families and first time users. A
Mitsubishi Motors engineered
2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine
powers the larger H6. The H8
is the brands take on a luxury
SUV, with the look and feel
of an upmarket German SUV,
powered by the turbocharged
2.0-litre direct injection
4-cylinder engine that has 160
kW output and a torque of
324Nm.
Lastly, the H9 is a Prado sized
body on frame SUV with the
same engine as the H8 but
a proper off-road packaged
transmission and terrain select
with six drive modes.

NEWWHEELS
2016 KIA Sportage

All-New Kia
Sportage
Launched in
Oman
The All-New Kia Sportage was
formally launched in Oman
at a special event at the KIA
showroom. The event was
graced by the presence of His
Excellency Kim Daesik, the
Ambassador of the Republic of
Korea, high-ranking Kia officials
& special invitees.
In his keynote address, Mr.
Homer Kim, Dy. General
Manager, Middle East &
North Africa - Kia Motors
underscored Kias rapid rise
across the world, Kia Motors
has been one of the worlds
fastest growing automakers
since 2008, despite fierce
global competition and various
challenges facing the industry.
In fact, our global sales have
more than doubled between
2008 and 2013. Last year, our
sales grew to surpass the 3
million unit sales milestone for
the first time in Kias history.
The brand value of Kia Motors
has also grown significantly
by 224% since 2010. Our brand
value now stands at US$5.7
billion, and we have cemented
our position in Interbrands 100
Best Global Brands. The most
well-known factor behind our
recent success has been the
complete transformation of
the design of our vehicles. Led
by German Chief Design Officer
Peter Schreyer, we have been
the auto industrys biggest
winner of influential design
awards since 2009. It is not
just about skin-deep, but it is

the product quality as well. The

quality of our entire product
line-up is rapidly improving. As
per Initial Quality Study by JD
Power (USA), Kia has become
the best in just around 10
years. In fact, among all the
volume brands, we are now in
the 1st place in terms of initial
quality.
Pointing to the success of
Kia in Oman, he applauded
the customer care initiatives
undertaken by Reliable
International Automotive,
Our distributor Reliable
International Automotive
continues to make large
investments to ensure a
world-class experience for
Kia customers in Oman.
He further added, The
unmatched support of sales
& service centres and easily
accessible parts outlets
ensure absolute customer
satisfaction.
Earlier in the evening, a
representative of Reliable
International Automotive (RIA)
greeted the gathering, I have
great pleasure in welcoming
you all to the launch of the
All New Kia Sportage. An
Unmistakably Sporty SUV,
the All New Kia Sportage is
all about offering you more
than you have expected
ever before. You will see
that with its breathtakingly
distinct design, innovative
technologies & advanced
features, the new Sportage

enhances your comfort & your

active lifestyle.
Later in the evening, a RIA
official highlighted the features
of the All-New Sportage
with the audience, The new
Sportage (5 seater AWD) is
available in 2 engine sizes 2.4
L GDI engine producing 182
horse power & 2.0L engine
producing 155 horse power.
Both the engines come with 6
speed automatic transmission.
New Sportage will come in
3 trims with 2.4L GTL as top
grade.
Highlighting the striking
appearance of the vehicle,
he remarked, The shape of
the New Sportage comprises
straight and strong lines with
voluminous accents that
create a unique and powerful

look. The bold hood character

lines and sharp headlamps
accentuate its strong facial
image. LED daytime running
lights are integrated into the
headlamp assembly for a
futuristic look.
Cutting-edge technology
is depicted via Sportages
exemplary features such as
Wireless charging, Smart Tail
Gate, JBL Audio system, Blind
Spot Detection, Rear Cross
Traffic Alert and Lane Change
Alert. These are but a few of
the many amazing features
packed into the Sportage,
making it truly a pride to own
and a joy to drive. The early
buyers of the Sportage will
be offered a lifestyle package,
absolutely free, he said.

APR 2016

13

NEWWHEELS
2016 Toyota Fortuner

Latest generation Toyota Fortuner

launched in Oman
The all-new Toyota Fortuner
was launched in Oman at
an event held in the Toyota
showroom in Muscat.
Mr. Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief
Representative, Middle East &
North Africa Representative
Office, Mr. Osamu Tomioka,
Assistant Chief Engineer and
other officials from Toyota
Motor Corporation graced the
special event. Also present on
the occasion were Salim and
Saud Mohamed Bahwan.
In the opening presentation,
Mr. Takayuki Yoshitsugu
remarked, The All-New
Fortuner is a completely
redesigned SUV that enhances
driving confidence on
every level while setting a
new standard for SUVs all
around the world. It debuts
a compelling design with a
strong identity, expressing
refinement and innovation
as well as being functional

14

APR 2016

and tough. It also epitomises

Toyotas focus on developing
vehicles with impressive
quality, durability, reliability
and off-road ability. The result
of this is a comprehensive
revamp, creating a unique SUV
thats every bit as comfortable
on the urban roads as it is on
the regions toughest off-road
trails.
Sharing the development
philosophy of the vehicle,
Mr. Osamu Tomioka, said To
build a true SUV with Style &
Confidence. To enhance the
customers confidence, we
developed a new stronger
frame with bigger cross
section, which enables the
vehicle to withstand rougher
road conditions. We improved
the 4-link suspension system
for a more comfortable
drive. The new engine
with high torque at lower
revolution provides higher

fuel efficiency. While the new

6-speed transmission takes full
potential of this new engine by
providing smooth acceleration
at both low and high speeds.
Its a true SUV with 44 goanywhere ability.
Earlier in the evening, the Saud
Bahwan Automotive (SBA)
representative welcomed
the guests and thanked them
for the popularity of the
brand in Oman, Toyota has

enjoyed a strong patronage

amongst our customers over
generations. Models like Land
Cruiser, Corolla and Hilux enjoy
iconic status. During the last
4 decades, SBA has invested
extensively in Infrastructure,
Manpower and Customer
satisfaction initiatives
thereby ensuring that Toyota
continues to be the leading
automobile brand in Oman.

NEWWHEELS
2016 Lincoln MKX

Lincoln Launches Entirely New MKX in

Oman to boost luxury lineup

The 2016 Lincoln MKX was

launched in Oman at an
exclusive function. The Guest
of Honour at the function was
Mr. Alex Schaeffer, Director,
Lincoln Middle East. He was
accompanied by Ms. Marianne
Papas, National Sales Manager,
Ford Middle East. Gracing the
occasion were Salim and Saud
Mohamed Bahwan. Dignitaries
from the public and private
sector, attended the event.
In his keynote address, Mr.
Alex Schaeffer, spoke about
Lincolns unparalleled focus
on automotive luxury and
Lincolns impressive journey
into the future. He said, Over
the last few years Lincoln
has taken several significant
steps. In 2013 we introduced
our first all-new product the
Lincoln MKZ a mid-sized luxury
sedan. In 2014 we introduced
Lincoln to China, the largest
luxury market in the world. In
2015 we unveiled our exclusive
audio partnership with Harman
International Revel Audio.
And in 2016 we present our
latest entirely new vehicle the
Lincoln MKX a luxury medium
utility vehicle. The promise to
16

APR 2016

deliver 4 all-new products in 4

years will be fulfilled later this
year when we start production
of the all-new Continental. In
terms of growth, Lincoln has
witnessed Best Annual Sales
Results in more than 15 years
in North America. Growth
Continues in China More
than 35 stores opened in just
2 years. We are now opening
a new flagship store in China
every 10 days. We will deliver
2 all-new products to the
showroom by 2020.
Speaking about Lincolns
plans for the Middle East
he said, The Middle East
Market remains the 3rd most
important market for Lincolns
long term global growth
strategy. Our strategy remains
focused on three key factors:
First, building products that
are truly compelling and
excite consumers; Second,
working with our partners in
creating a client experience
that is unmatched in todays
market; Third to communicate
our products and automotive
experience on a platform
distinct from any other
offering in the marketplace.

The MKX is the 3rd All-New

Lincoln product at the Lincoln
showroom here in Oman. It
is an able contender in the
largest segment in the Middle
East Luxury Industry.
Sharing his views on the
Entirely New 2016 MKX, he
said, The MKX is Lincolns
most favourable nameplate.
MKX continues to grow in
popularity with 5 consecutive
years of Year-On-Year growth.
The Entirely New Lincoln MKX
has over 36 new features and
technologies compared to
its predecessor. Several of
these are industry or segment
exclusive. The Entirely New
MKX introduces our 10-year
exclusive partnership with
Revel by Harman into our
Portfolio. Revel Audio was
founded in 1996 with one
vision, making the worlds
finest loudspeaker. We have
taken that vision with Revel
and engineered it into our
vehicles to provide a second to
none audio experience.
Highlighting Lincolns passion
to reward consumers with
outstanding features that
enhance the feeling of luxury,

Schaeffer said, At Lincoln

the vision for every product
feature we create starts with
the human experience first.
Park In/Out We wanted our
customers to feel confident
in parking, whether in or out;
parallel or perpendicular we
wanted customers to have
confidence in their vehicle
so we brought this to life on
our MKX. Another exclusive
feature is the 22-Way seat that
can adapt to more body types
and habits than any other seat
in the segment, and provide
a massage along the way. We
also recognised that on the
drive customers have very
distinct expectations. Thats
why we have created Lincoln
Drive Control. This feature
takes three key technologies
our CCD Suspension, Active
Noise Control and Electronic
Power Steering and creates a
mood for you. Whether you
want to feel and hear a sports
drive or whether you have
had a difficult day and want
nothing but quiet comfort,
Lincoln Drive Control can
deliver on your terms.

NEWWHEELS
2016 Ferrari 488 Spider

Ferrari 488 Spider

launched in Oman
Al Fardan Motors, importers for Ferrari in
Oman, launched the Ferrari 488 Spider at a
function at the Al Bustan Hotel in Muscat.
The Ferrari 488 Spider is the latest in
Maranellos ongoing history of opentop V8 sports cars and is claimed to be
Ferraris most powerful ever mid-rearengined V8 car to feature the patented
retractable hard top, along with the
technological standout features and
innovative design.
The Ferrari 488 Spider is the first RHT

(Retractable Hard Top) introduced from

Maranello on a car of this particular
architecture. This configuration is used
to lower weight (-25 kg) and offer better
cockpit comfort compared to the classic
fabric soft-top. Just like all previous
spider versions of Ferraris models, this
is a car that is aimed squarely at clients
seeking open-air motoring pleasure in
a high-performance sports car with an
unmistakable Ferrari engine sound.
The engine is the 3902cc turbocharged

engine that debuted in the 488GTB last

year and its 670 PS and 760Nm of torque
allow the car to hit 100 km/h in 3 seconds
and the standing 200 km/h in 8.7 seconds.
Speaking at the event Giulio Zauner,
Ferraris regional general manager pointed
out the importance of the 488 model line
in the success of Ferrari in the region and
his expectations of the success of the
Spider.

APR 2016

17

NEWWHEELS
2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn

Rolls-Royce Dawn launched in the

precinct of Royal Opera House
The Rolls-Royce Dawn was
launched to a gathering of
select invitees and media in the
forecourt of the Royal Opera
House in Muscat.
Commenting on the launch
of the open-top, super-luxury
car in Oman, Mr Divyendu
Kumar Managing Director of Al
Jenaibi Automobiles said: It is
with the greatest pleasure that
we welcome the Rolls-Royce
Dawn to The Sultanate of
Oman. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
is a brand that is synonymous
with luxury and the Rolls18

APR 2016

Royce Dawn provides the

most social, uncompromised
open-top motoring experience
in the world. The beautiful
new motor car has been
very well received by our
discerning clientele so far
we are confident that it will
continue to drive the success
of Al Jenaibi International
Automobiles forward into 2016
and beyond.
While it shares a platform with
the Wraith and Ghost, the new
Dawn is being projected as a
completely new car. To this

end, most of its exterior body

panels are different and the
cars styling has undergone
significant changes from
its siblings. The car is being
projected as an owner-driven
Rolls-Royce and offers a host
of luxuries to the discerning
buyer.
The company is keen to
distance the car from being a
drop-top Wraith. The closed
roof provides for a level of
acoustic isolation similar to
the Wraith, while the entire
process of lowering the roof

is done in complete silence in

a period of 20 seconds and at
speeds up to 50 km/h.
The car is powered by the
signature V12 Rolls-Royce
engine and is delivered in a
choice of colours and finishes.
Needless to say, the wood
used on the surrounds and
in between the rear seats is
weather proof and is meant to
communicate the opulence of
an exclusive yacht.
The full drive report for the
car appears in this issue of
Automan.

Mitsubishi
opens Quick
Service
Centre in
Azaiba
General Automotive Company (GAC), the
official distributors of Mitsubishi vehicles
in Oman, formally opened a new Express
Service Centre in Azaiba recently. The
new service centre is meant to benefit
Mitsubishi owners in the capital area,
offering them a more convenient and
time-saving alternative for booking their
vehicles in for a minor lube service.
Commenting on the launch of the new
Express Service Centre, Yasser Zerik,
the National Service Manager said, As
the number of Mitsubishi Vehicles in
the capital area grow we wanted to
offer a time-saving alternative for those
customers that just want to bring their
vehicle in for a quick lube service. This
way, our customers can be assured the
highest standards of service with the
minimum possible wait time for a service
appointment.
The new Express Service Centre, located
adjacent to the existing primary Mitsubishi
Service Centre in Azaiba, is a 4-bay facility,
well equipped and operated by highly
trained technicians and specialises in
quick one-hour lube services. The service
centre even boasts a special customer

lounge with Free Wi-Fi services and soon

to be installed hot and cold vending
machines. The waiting customers are also
provided a clear view of their vehicles as
the technicians carry out the service check
points.. The new Express Service Centre
will operate from 8:00am to 5:30pm from
Saturday to Thursdays and will offer all
quick service facilities by appointment.
With this new facility, equipped with
complementing tools and facilities, we
will be able to provide better and faster
services to our customers in the capital
and help further improve their overall
ownership experience. The launch of this
Express Service Centre will no doubt see
our after-sales service take a qualitative
leap in the area and complement the
brands leading position, added Yasser.

Nissan to partner Red Bull Drift series

Nissan has announced that it

is to partner with Red Bull for
the 2016 series of the Red Bull
Car Park Drift championship.
The annual event has grown in
popularity since its inception in
2008, with 75,000 spectators
expected in 2016, compared
20

APR 2016

to 60,000 last year. Nissan

is getting in on the action by
both becoming a main sponsor
and supplying a 370Z to be the
main car driven by the record
breaking Lebanese drifter,
Abdo Feghali.

Kuwait and Morocco

face-off in H-D
Custom build

Two Harley-Davidson dealerships in Kuwait

and Morocco are competing to become
the top custom bike builder across Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EMEA), in a
contest of customisation using the all-new
Sportster Iron 883. The move marks the
Middle East and Africas (MENA) first foray
into the international competition.

The All-New Jaguar F-PACE is

a performance SUV designed
and engineered to offer the
agility, responsiveness and
refinement that all Jaguars
are renowned for, together
with unrivalled dynamics and
everyday usability.
Following pent up demand,
orders for the All-New
Jaguar F-PACE are now being
accepted by exclusive Jaguar
retailers across the Middle East

and North Africa region.

Bruce Robertson, Managing
Director of Jaguar Land Rover
MENA, said: Immediately
recognisable as a Jaguar, the
All-New F-PACE is the ultimate
practical sports car for all car
aficionados who love driving.
Garnering a huge amount of
attention since its launch, the
All-New F-PACE has been in
high demand all around the
world and we are extremely
excited to finally give our
loyal Jaguar customers in the
region the chance to place
their orders and be one of the
first to get their hands on this
outstanding vehicle.

David Coulthard announced

Land Rover Launches Mobile as the driver for Red Bull F1
App for Regions Off-Roaders Showrun in Oman
Land Rover has developed and
released a mobile app called
Ardhi or Myland that seeks
to get the regions off-roaders
into a mobile phone based
network.
It is available as both an iOS
and Android app and allows
users to chart, save and share
their off-roading sessions.
According to Land Rover, they
developed the Ardhi Mobile
App off the back of growing
research which shows that the
region not only has some of
the most active and advanced
off-roaders in the world, but
also some of the heaviest users

of smart phones and devices

who see them as an essential
tool to support their passions
and hobbies. According to
recent research , smartphone
penetration in the region is
now at an all-time high, with
Qatar at 209%, followed closely
by Kuwait at 192%, Bahrain at
188%, the UAE at 187%, and KSA
at 181%. Furthermore, with the
regions continued population
growth showing no signs of
slowing down, smartphone
penetration is also projected to
increase by a significant almost
40% in the few coming years.

David Coulthard has been

announced as the driver of the
Red Bull F1 Showrun, which is
set to take place on the streets
of Oman on Friday April 8, 2016
at Muttrah Corniche.
The Scottish driver, who
dominated Britains junior
Formula Ford categories in
1989 and became the first
ever recipient of the McLaren
Autosport BRDC Award for
young drivers, is all set to

perform a full repertoire of

donuts, burnouts and speed
stretches in front of Omani
fans. The excitement around
the Red Bull F1 Showrun will
kick of a few days before David
takes to the wheel as the
teams car will be displayed
and fired up around various
locations in Oman, including
the Omantel headquarters on
April 7, 2016.

APR 2016

21

Oman & region

Official Jaguar retailers open

order books for the All-New
Jaguar F-PACE across the
Middle East and North Africa
region

news

The All-New JAguAr F-PACe Now

AvAilAble To order

Special Z71 Performance Package

on the Chevrolet Tahoe and
Chevrolet Silverado stand out
during thrilling day long event held
on the tough dunes around the
Arabian Oryx camp in Al Wasil

22

APR 2016

Anil Dua added with a note of

satisfaction, With the choice of
terrain, vehicles and drivers we have
a winning combination that serves to
showcase the extreme capabilities of
these two performance vehicles. The
feedback from our guests was really
overwhelming and we are sure that
we will host more events like this in
the future. I congratulate the team of
Chevrolet Oman for the team effort.

APR 2016

23

Oman & region

operating conditions. The engine is mated

to a Hydra-Matic 6L80 six-speed automatic
transmission, featuring TapShift control,
Tow/Haul mode and Auto Grade Braking.
The Z71 package adds a front skid plate,
off-road tyres mounted on 18-inch wheels,
a unique grille, running boards and Z71
identification inside and out.
The new Z71 package complements a
chassis and suspension system engineered
to deliver a quieter, more-controlled ride.
It all starts on a stronger, fully boxed,
perimeter frame, which supports payload
and trailering capability, that body-frameintegral crossovers and SUVs cant match.
Z71 models further feature an updated
coil-over-shock independent front
suspension design. At the rear is a fivelink coil-spring suspension design, which
enables better ride and handling through
more precise tuning. Further chassis and
suspension features include a wider rear
track, shear-style body mounts, new
electric variable assist power steering,
new brake rotors and an available
automatic locking rear differential for
greater traction.
The Chevrolet Silverado takes all the
positive features of the Chevrolet Tahoe
and adds in the utility of a huge payload
bay and the ruggedness associated with a
truck in the segment. It similarly features
the EcoTec3 5.3-litre V8 engine with
cylinder deactivation mated to the HydraMatic 6L80 6-speed transmission.
The Chevrolet Silverado also features
a smart pickup platform thats strong
and durable and has a two-tier loading
design. It is also available with the EZ Liftand-Lower tailgate that makes it easier
to access the load bay. Available Max
Trailering Package includes a 9.76-inch
rear axle, heavy-duty rear springs, revised
shock tuning, enhanced cooling and an
integrated trailer brake controller.

news

hevrolet Oman recently hosted

an exciting day-long event based
at the Arabian Oryx camp in Al
Wasil, where over a hundred Chevrolet
owners and enthusiasts participated in
the Chevy Way: Desert Drive experience.
The event served to showcase the unique
capabilities of the Chevrolet Tahoe and
Chevrolet Silverado equipped with the Z71
Performance Package.
The patches of inclement weather over
the weekend could not dampen the spirit
of the participants who were rewarded
with sunshine and a cool wind through the
day. Speaking at the event, the Managing
Director of Oman Trading Enterprises
Anil Dua said, We have been fortunate
to get the perfect day to showcase the
capabilities of these two performance
vehicles. The dunes around the camp are
challenging even in the best of weather
and today we can really push the vehicles
to the limit. I hope that our valued guests
enjoy the sands.
Invited journalists were ferried to the
sands by other transportation from the
Chevrolet showroom in Muscat. After an
orientation, the journalists were given
the opportunity to sit with local Bedouin
drivers who were familiar with the terrain
as well as the vehicles kitted out with the
Z71 package of higher ground clearance,
harder coils and tougher frame as well as
suitable tyres that were under-inflated.
Chevrolet claims that the Z71 Performance
Package serves to extend the already
phenomenal off-roading capabilities
of both the Chevrolet Tahoe and the
Chevrolet Silverado.
The powertrain on the Chevrolet Tahoe
is the EcoTec3 5.3-litre V8 with modern
technologies including direct injection,
cylinder deactivation and continuously
variable valve timing for optimum power,
torque and efficiency across various

New Kia Sportage and

Optima win coveted Red Dot
design awards

Kia Motors has once again reinforced its

reputation for design standards, picking
up two prizes at the 2016 Red Dot
Awards for Product Design, one of the
most prestigious international product
design competitions.
The new Kia Sportage compact SUV
and Optima sedan the carmakers two
latest models both received coveted
Red Dots. The independent judging
panel even honoured the Kia Optima
with a Best of the Best award, the

competitions highest distinction, for

which only the most ground-breaking
designs in a category are eligible. Peter
Schreyer, President and Chief Designer
of Kia Motors Corporation and Hyundai
Motor Group, commented: Our
international design team has every cause
to be exceptionally proud of these most
recent awards. The first Red Dot Awards
for the Kia Sportage and the Kia Optima
were already great successes.

JAGUAR TO BUILD NINE

ICONIC MISSING XKSS
In a unique project Jaguar Land Rover
Classic has set out to make what they
consider the missing nine XKSS cars that
didnt make a shipment to the United
States in 1957 because of a factory fire.
Tim Hannig, Director Jaguar Land Rover
Classic, said: The XKSS occupies a unique
place in Jaguars history and is a car
coveted by collectors the world over for
its exclusivity and unmistakable design.
Jaguar Classics highly skilled team of
engineers and technicians will draw on
decades of knowledge to ensure each of
the nine cars is completely authentic and
crafted to the highest quality.

24

APR 2016

Every car will be constructed to the same

specifications as those first 16 made in
1957 every aspect fully certified by
Jaguar. The price will be in excess of 1
million.
The story of the XKSS began following
Jaguars three successive Le Mans
victories in 1955, 1956 and 1957 with the
all-conquering D-type.
After the hat-trick of wins, Sir Williams
Lyons took the decision on 14 January 1957
to convert the remaining 25 D-types into
road-going versions with several external
modifications.

BENTLEY
MARKS
FIRST
BENTAYGA
DELIVERIES
Bentley Motors handed over the
first Bentayga to customers, at an
exclusive event at the companys global
headquarters in Crewe.
The event marks a major milestone in
Bentleys history, as customer cars for
the brands fourth model line commence
delivery around the world.
Taking more than 130 hours to produce
each car, guests at the event in Crewe
were given privileged access to Bentleys
factory to see the skill and passion
involved in Bentaygas creation, with
insight from key people involved in
the cars design, engineering and
craftsmanship.
Kevin Rose, Member of the Board
for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales
commented, This is an historic day for
Bentley and it is a great testament to all
the work which has gone in to producing
Bentayga, the fastest and most luxurious
SUV in the world.

Start of Production:
New twin turbo
3.0-litre V6 for Infiniti

Production of the all-new compact and

lightweight 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine
has started at Nissan Motor Co.s stateof-the-art engine manufacturing facility,
the Iwaki Plant in Japan. This engine is
exclusively offered on Infiniti vehicles.
The new V6 engine is the lightest, most
powerful, cleanest and most fuel-efficient
V6 engine that Infiniti has ever offered.
The 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo is available in
two performance levels 300 or 400 HP.

R8 paved our way toward

becoming a premium brand
and raised the aura of Audi to
a new level. The new R8 will
continue this success story and
further accelerate the growth
strategy of Audi Sport,
said Dietmar Voggenreiter,
Board Member for Sales and
Marketing at AUDI AG.

Mazda MX-5 wins two major titles

at World Car awards in NY
The Mazda MX-5 has come
away with the award for the
World Car of the Year as well
as the World Car Design of the
Year at the awards ceremony
held at the New York show.
What a wonderful honor, to
have the Mazda MX-5 named
World Car Design of the Year,
said Masahiro Moro, president
and CEO, Mazda North
American Operations, and
Managing Executive Officer,
Mazda Motor Corporation.

As our iconic MX-5 roadster

approaches one-million units
of production, this award
is proof that it is as young,
vibrant, fun and relevant as
ever. Our design team has
pushed the boundaries of what
people thought possible with
our KODO Soul of Motion
language.
Previous World Car of the Year
winners were the MercedesBenz C-Class (2015), the Audi
A3 (2014), the VW Golf (2013).

BMW 7-series chosen as World

Luxury Car of the Year
The BMW 7-series was selected
as the World Luxury Car of the
Year at the awards.
A spokesman said, We are
delighted and honoured that
the BMW 7 Series has been
recognised as the World
Luxury Car of the Year. Since
it launched last autumn,
the response from both the
media and our customers
has been extremely positive,
with people especially

appreciative of the way the

7 Series combines superb
modern luxury with the
outstanding driving dynamics
BMW is famous for.With its
many technical innovations,
including gesture control and
laser lights, there can be no
doubt that the new BMW
7 Series is an outstanding
flagship for the brand, setting
new standards in its class.

Toyota Mirai wins World Green

Car of the Year
Toyota Mirai was declared the
2016 World Green Car at the
New York International Auto
Show.
Just as Prius changed the
world nearly 20 years ago, the
hydrogen-powered Mirai is
ready to make history, said
Bill Fay, group vice president
and general manager, Toyota
Division. With a range of over

300 miles per tank, a refueling

time of under five minutes, and
emissions that consist only of
water vapor, Mirai is leading
the world forward toward a
more sustainable future.
The Toyota Prius (2010) has
previously earned Top Three
in the World for both Green
Car and the overall categories.

APR 2016

25

news

The Audi R8 Coup has

been named 2016 World
Performance Car in the World
Car Awards.
With its distinctive design,
its driving dynamics and its
closeness to racing, the R8 is
one of the strongest calling
cards for the four rings.
The first generation of the

International

Audi R8 is the 2016 World

Performance Car

Toyota Marks 50 years of Geely

focuses on
the Corolla
alternative
energy
vehicles

With more than 43 million vehicles

sold over the last 50 years, the Toyota
Corolla has been a part of more peoples
lives than any car ever manufactured.
To celebrate the Corollas status as the
worlds all-time best-selling car and the
important role it has played for millions of
drivers, Toyota today launched the Corolla
50th Anniversary campaign a year-long
effort showcasing how the Corolla has
powered more memories, milestones and
moments than any car in the world.
Always focused on providing quality and
style in one economical package, the first

Corolla went on sale in Japan in November

1966, and was exported to the U.S. in
1968. The car proved to be an instant
success, helping transform Toyotas global
reach and more than doubling its total
annual production from 480,000 to 1.1
million vehicles from 1965 to 1968. Just
in time for the Corollas 50th anniversary
celebration, the United States specific
2017 Toyota Corolla receives a refreshed
look and new features, including available
Toyota Safety Sense technology and a
standard back-up camera on all models.

Lexus and Toyota to make Automated Braking

Standard on Nearly Every Model and Trim
Level by End 2017 in the US
Advanced automatic safety technology
that was once available on only the most
expensive new vehicles is about to be
included as standard equipment on almost
every Lexus and Toyota model and trim
level in the United States. Announced
at the New York Auto Show, Toyota will
begin to include the Lexus Safety System+
and Toyota Safety Sense packages,
anchored by automatic emergency
braking (AEB), on almost every new
vehicle in the United States of America by
the end of 2017.
Twenty-five out of thirty Lexus and Toyota
models will include Lexus Safety System+
or Toyota Safety Sense as standard
equipment. Model-specific target dates
26

APR 2016

for offering these advanced, active safety

packages as standard equipment will be
announced at a later date. Models that
will not offer the systems standard by
the end of 2017 include Lexus GX, Toyota
Mirai, 4Runner, and 86 (jointly developed
with Subaru), and Scion iA (developed
by Mazda). Mirai and Scion iA currently
provide pre-collision including AEB as
standard equipment.
Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota Motor North
America says, High-level driver assist
technologies can do more than help
protect people in the event of a crash;
they can help prevent some crashes from
ever happening in the first place.

Chinese automaker, Geely has a

breakthrough plan in the field of hybrid
vehicles. By 2020, Geely plans to shift 90
per cent of its sales to hybrid and electric
vehicles, as part of its initiative to go
green. These alternative energy vehicles
will embrace Geely Emgrand Cross
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Concept Vehicle
and Emgrand7 Hybrid Vehicle that
were displayed by Geely at 13th Beijing
International Automobile Exhibition. In
fact, Geelys future development will set
hybrid electric vehicle models as the main
route.
According to a news report, Geely had
recently discarded its multi-brand strategy
and combined its three sub-brands
Gleagle, Englon and Emgrand into one
unified Geely brand with a new refreshing
logo as part of its rebranding strategy. The
new Logo combines the previous Emgrand
Logo with blue from the previous Geely
Logo, emphasizing continuity with change.

Jaguar Land Rover

to road test future
technology on the
UKs first connected
corridor
Jaguar and Land Rover is investing in a
41 mile living laboratory project on UK
roads to develop new Connected and
Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies..
The 5.5m UK-CITE (UK Connected
Intelligent Transport Environment) project
will create the first test route capable of
testing both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicleto-infrastructure systems on public roads
in the UK. New roadside communications
equipment will be installed along the route
during the three year project to enable the
testing of a fleet of up to 100 connected
and highly automated cars, including five
Jaguar Land Rover research vehicles.
This fleet will test a range of different
communication technologies1 that could
share information at very high speeds
between cars, and between cars and
roadside infrastructure, including traffic
lights and overhead gantries.

brandwatch
With one eye set firmly on
leadership position in the
premium automotive market
of the future, the BMW group
has spelled out a new strategy
for transforming individual
mobility.
Throughout its 100-year
history, the BMW Group has
always reinvented itself. As a
pioneer of new technologies,
the company has shaped
change, within both the
industry and the world of
mobility, commented Harald
Krger, Chairman of the Board
of Management of BMW AG,
at the Annual Accounts Press
Conference in Munich on

Wednesday. We are setting

the standard with our Strategy
NUMBER ONE > NEXT, both
now and in the future. We will
lead the BMW Group into a
new era, one in which we will
transform and shape both
individual mobility and the
entire sector in a permanent
way. The focus of the groups
technological thrust is going to
be on connected driving and
electric propulsion systems.
The BMW Groups strategy
will become driving reality,
ushering in the next decade
in the form of a revolutionary
new BMW i model that will
raise premium individual

mobility to previously
unknown levels. Under the
banner of BMW iNEXT, the
BMW Group brings new forms
of automated driving and
digital connectivity together
with a new generation of
electric mobility, lightweight
construction and trailblazing
interior design that will
set new standards for
the customers mobility
experience.
BMW iNEXT heralds the next
era of mobility, stated Krger.
This symbol of our technology
leadership will demonstrate
how we will bring the future
of mobility into series

news

BMW Group sets out its

Strategy Number One > Next

production. It also underlines

BMW is role as a driver of
innovation and technological
trailblazer for the company.
The brand develops
trendsetting technologies
and services, subsequently
transferring them to the BMW
model range.
The current plug-in hybrids
are in their third generation
and are technological market
leaders. With the fourth
generation, the electric range
will be extended. Development
of the fifth generation, which
will bring further progress in all
areas is already underway.

vws Transparent factory to become electromobility showcase

The Transparent Factory
(Glserne Manufaktur) is
to be realigned: Volkswagens
Dresden location will open
a new Volkswagen brand
showcase for electromobility
and digitalization on April
8. Visitors will be able to
experience the future of
mobility at close quarters
in a playful, interactive and
informative way. From March
29, the Transparent Factory
will be closed for 10 days for
modifications.
Production of the Phaeton
luxury model ended after 14

years. Employees posed for

a photo with the last vehicle
manufactured a black
Phaeton.
Our D-class employees in
Zwickau and Dresden have
demonstrated outstanding
manufacturing expertise with
the Phaeton over the past
14 years. This know-how is
also well known and highly
valued at other facilities of
the Volkswagen Brand and
the Group, said Prof. Dr.
Siegfried Fiebig, Speaker of
the Management Board of
Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH.

Work is already in progress

on the realignment. The jobs
of the permanent workforce
are secure. About 100
employees will continue to

work in Dresden. The other

400 employees will mainly
be assigned to Zwickau or to
other Group locations.

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2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn

The new open top Rolls-Royce seeks to take the brand

on a new path one where the design and engineering of
the car leads lifestyle choices rather than the other way
around. We drive the car in Cape Town at the global launch
Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Supplied

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APR 2016

29

hen you see a new car in the

showroom, you dont really
think out the process that got
the model there. The number of strategy
and powerpoint sessions that go into
envisioning the model, developing and
engineering it and skipping ahead over
many important roles, finally rolling it out
through concepts, previews, motorshows
and finally the launches, both global and
in individual markets. Its a highly refined
strategy and its designed to make the
maximum impact on the target consumer
segment.
Even Rolls-Royce is not immune from
this strategy path. Gone are the days
when they just made the best cars and let
the consumer make up his or her mind.
Now the mind games begin well before
the hardware surfaces and the Dawns
launch shows how the process has been
refined. Actually, Rolls-Royce is on a very
strong wicket here. They have had the
years as a BMW group owned entity to
take the Phantom platform through two
generations and spawn a smaller platform
the already powers the Ghost and Wraith.
Its this platform that underpins the
Dawn. In the meantime, their target
consumer market size has grown along
with the growth in sales. The well-heeled
buyer number in markets as diverse and
China, the US and here in the region has
ballooned. So it really works well for the
brand, even one as hallowed as RollsRoyce, to get its launch right.
Last year, we were fortunate to be
included in the highly exclusive close
doors viewing of the Dawn in Monaco.
Despite the growth of new flocking points

30

APR 2016

of the super rich, Monaco still remains

at the very top of the pile with more
multi-millionaires per square kilometre
than anywhere else in the world. The
viewing was followed by an opportunity
to run with a regional exclusive story on
the car that was then launched before
the Frankfurt motor show. Now, our
involvement with the Dawn has been
taken to the next level we were part of a
select group of journalists invited to drive
the Rolls-Royce Dawn at a global drive
event, one that in the words of Richard
Carter, Communications chief of the
brand, is designed to allow you to feel
like one of the owners of these cars, with
an opportunity to live the lifestyle that
they live.
We flew out to Cape Town and were
chauffeured out to Stellenbosch and
the vineyard lodges of the Delaire Graff
Estate. These are located in the rolling hills
around Cape Town and the driving roads
around the region roll through nature
reserves and high passes with some very
interesting scenery on display.
The estate is a working vinery that was
taken over by billionaire jeweller Laurence
Graff and turned into an exclusive estate
adorned with works of art from his private
collection. And standing outside the doors
of the establishment was a 1952 Silver
Dawn open top, one of 28 open tops made
during the production run.
This new generation Dawn is not likely to
be rare at all. In fact it is being projected
as a whole new model line just because of
the possibilities that this brings up. And
while the brand that sells the cars with
the spirit of ecstasy on the hood will never

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32

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The Silver Dawn was from a post-war generation of Rolls-Royce cars that introduced
factory built bodies although this 1952 droptop is only one of 28 cars and is coach built
due to its exclusivity.

be a volume seller, the aim is to sell more

in the rarefied upper reaches of the car
market.
So we have a new car that could have
been just a droptop version of its siblings
but chooses not to be at the outset the
company claims that around 80% of the
exterior panels are different. The major
changes in how the car looks have been
brought about by a process of tweaking
the lines just so that it manages to look
sporty with flowing lines marking a
departure from the more abrupt lines of
the Ghost and Wraith.
However the standout technology in the
car will still be the six-layered folding
away roof that manages to tuck away
without a sound except for the final
locking. It can be operated at up to 50
km/h and even manages to throw in a
larger than expected rear pane. In these
days of folding hard tops, the reason for
the soft top is very obvious. The cabin
accommodates full size seats for four
occupants and in the nature of a RollsRoyce, it allows entry through its wide

opening coach doors to the rear. You can

climb straight in without moving the front
seats ahead with the roof down and you
can do the same without knocking your
head with the roof up. Covering this sort
of volume with anything but a soft top
would have added weight and complexity.
The fabric roof, on the other hand, is very
suitable, with six layers of aggregates
and whisper smooth mechanicals. Noise
and wind insulation is excellent and if you
choose to drive with the top down, all
you really need to do is keep the window
panes up and you create a wellness
zone that is aerodynamically isolated
from the slipstream and where even the
air-conditioning remains noticeable and
insulated due to the air curtain effect
above your heads.
Of course, no story on a Rolls-Royce
would be complete without touching on
the detailing of the cabin. The interiors
are made to look like a mixture of the
Art Deco world of the 50s and 60s with
a very modern twist. Instrumentation
is a mix of analogue dials and a large
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Whether parked in front of an upmarket vineyard or cruising down to the exclusive

seafront getaway, the Dawn can turn heads

digital monitor that adjusts its brightness

depending on the ambient light.
Wood panelling used in the interiors
wraps around the cabin and flows
over to the rear deck and sides in the
form reminiscent of a certain class of
speedboats. The feel of the Canadel wood
is also kept in character, with a certain
roughness associated with deck planking.
The engine is the typical 6.6-litre V12
power unit with an output of 563bhp and
torque of 760Nm. This is mated with a ZF
8-speed gearbox that in turn is linked with
the satellite navigation system to preemptively engage depending on where
the car is and how fast it is going.
And the car can really go fast if need be.
We have a suspicion that the engine and
gearbox controller is programmed to
read the G force of acceleration and feed
in so that a linearity is produced stomp
down on the pedal and the car takes off
but never at a level where you would say
the sequence was rough or aggressive.
Whatever the means, the result is a very
quick car, which is complemented by
the silken suspension and large wheels,
with 21 alloys being an available option.
The mirrors are large and very present,
especially in T-junction turns, where it
sometimes sits right in your eyeline, but
we would rather take that than smaller
mirrors.
And the Bespoke audio system is
absolutely spot on with a fidelity range
and clarity that tops the hardware on most

other cars. Kitted out with 16-speakers

including two bass units in the boot, the
system uses a feedback microphone
that helps it generate compensation for
background sounds and provides clear
music with a noise-cancellation effect.
The main monitor is a 10.2 high-resolution
panel that can hide behind a wooden
cover or take input from the controller
input that includes handwritten
instructions, using the touchpad like
controller surface. Alternately one call also
use voice commands for most functions,
while also offering smartphone pairing and
mirroring.
But all of this is academic until you live the
RR life, driving out over a few hundred
kilometres of some great terrain, including
a sea-face promenade and road that gave
us a view of first the South Atlantic and
then the Indian Ocean as we followed
the contours of Cape Towns coastline.
Everywhere we stopped became a photo
opportunity not just for us, but for the
locals as well who loved the shape and
appeal of the new Dawn. Theres really no
other way to describe the feeling than to
wish that the bank account was larger by
at least a thousand fold and that we could
afford to do more than spend a day driving
around feeling rich. For thats what the
Dawn brings with it the wish that you
could own this beauty and drive it around
in the places where your kind should
normally congregate including the tonier
areas of Cape Town.
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2016 lincoln MKX

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APR 2016

The all-new Lincoln MKX takes its bourgeois origins with

the Edges uderpinnings and produces a stellar crossover
that combines utility and luxury elements
Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis John Ferrao

incoln has had a good year. In many

ways, its the sort of year you would
refer to as a vintage year. Why, you
may ask? Well, in our opinion, the newest
grand plan to resurrect the luxury lineage
of the Ford Motor Company and take it
ahead is spawning results.
We were given an early inkling of where
the brand was going with its new interior
design treatment that hit the floors of
an infotech show in the region a couple
of years ago. The biggest takeaway from
that encounter was the eagerness to
create a new standard for the interior,
with its move of putting the electronically
activated gearshift console on the
dashboard and the first moves to a better
interface on the console.
In the meantime, the brand has also
brought about changes in the overall
design of the cars. The models have
all become more edgy and highly

individualised and theres been the

addition of the entry size crossover in
the MKC that takes the best of exterior
design, the new interior idiom and
Ecoboost drivetrain improvements.
Now, the next generation of the midsize
compact SUV has dawned and the new
MKX has brought a lot to the table.
The MKX is still built using the CD3
platform of the Ford Edge and the last
generation (thats the post 2010 model)
looked very much like an Edge with a new
front end tagged on to the front. That has
changed dramatically. Finally the entire
outer panelling has been re-skinned so
that the MKX actually looks nothing like
the Edge.
The main changes are around the front
fascia the headlights are designed
from the outset to incorporate the LED
light piping that mirrors the piping at
the outer points of the lower airdam.

And the assemblies incorporate either

the Bi-Xenon projector lamps or the LED
headlights that the higher grades offer.
The car we got for our test drive was the
top of the line variant that came specced
out with the 2.7-litre Ecoboost engine and
some other interesting kit. Part of that kit
is the 360-degree camera setup that has
lenses in the pop-out logo on the fascia,
under the mirrors and in the tailgate
release. Another feature is the inclusion
of a very large panoramic sunroof. Both
of these do their bit to define the exterior
impression with the roof rails offsetting
the glass roof.
The tail of the car is as interesting as the
front the design now offers a small lip
on top of a horizontal arrangement of the
taillights across the width of the tailgate
and onto the D-pillar area, where they
open out like wings. The rear pane is quite
large for the wedge like style lines.
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The large door panels hog the profile of

the car and the rear hatch seems to slope
away much more aggressively than before
although that effect is largely an effect of
the styling around the C and D-pillars. The
door panels look busier because of the
ridge at the waistline of the car.
The interiors are very much modern day
Lincoln. The steering wheel is larger than
you would expect but it gets a four spoke
arrangement that incorporates a large
central boss with a whole slew of control
buttons both on the two horizontal
spokes as well as hanging on to the
places in between the spokes. Most of
these buttons are familiar from the past
iterations of the vehicle. But now the level

of interaction with the system is higher so

you tend to use the selector buttons a lot.
The interiors are clad with a leather feel
plastic and soft-feel surfaces that match
with the wood and brushed aluminium
elements of the panel inserts and centre
console. The cabin has a distinct cockpit
feel with the centre console taking pride
of place.
Buttons that run down the sides of the
console include the gearshift buttons
on the drivers side and buttons for
automated parking, the 360-degree
camera and the parking sensors along
with the emergency switch.
Among all the other buttons on the
console, you will also find the release for

the glove compartment. By making it

electronic, the valet functions are better
integrated into the key fob.
The MKX is available with either the
3.7-litre Ti-VCT V6 engine for the lower
two models or the 2.7-litre V6 Ecoboost
engine. The difference in power output
is quite significant with 303hp for the
naturally aspirated engine and 335hp for
the boosted one. Whats even better is
that the torque on the boosted unit rises
to 380 lb-ft (515 Nm).
The transmission is a six-speed Selectshift
automatic transmission and the car is
provided with paddle-shift controls.
The cars all-wheel drive arrangement is
still very much in tune with the crossover

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While the Lincoln MKX shows a whole new level of styling, the new
engine option is supposed to be an equal differentiator with the top end
car featuring a 2.7-litre V6 ecoboost unit.
The interiors of the car have also been spruced up in accordance with the
new Lincoln theme, digital elements draw the eye, a large touchscreen
dominates the dashboard and the plastic, wood and metal trims have all
improved in quality.
The car also gets a huge panoramic roof with two stage opening and
features like park assist and automated cruise control with full braking.

40

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nature of the SUV. Theres no elaborate

locking controller or drive mode selector
other than choosing the S mode over D.
The Reserve edition, the one that we were
driving, comes kitted out with full-leather
feel seats and the whole roof panoramic
layout. The seats are very much an
evolution of the American norm, with lots
of padding and soft centres. Legroom and
headroom is good and the cabin feels very
roomy with the sliding roof covers open.
Driving Impressions
The engine is a new element to the MKX
equation we havent had turbocharged
engines in the class before and the use of
the 2.7-litre Ecoboost is being encouraged
both for more power and torque and
better efficiency. But this Ecoboost
engine still has the typical turbochargers
characteristics. When you get moving,
the better NVH levels of the cabin filter
out most sounds including road and wind
noise. Even engine noise is deadened but
there is a particular harmonic around the
turbocharger that feeds back into the
cabin. So as you speed up, the engine
noise is almost a faint whistling sound
against the backdrop of the class leading
sound from the Revel audio system.

Gearshifting is smooth and well co

ordinated with the torque band on the
turbocharged unit. Theres a hint of
lag at lower speeds but once you get
rolling, the relatively light weight of the
platform gives a seamless and linear
pickup. You need to hold the gears down
a notch to give the engine a real sense of
urgency and if you get aggressive on the
gears you can hear the engine really get
communicative.
Highway driving is the forte of the MKX.
Smooth, effortless acceleration, quick
response to the electronic power steering
and linear braking are all on offer. The
handling through curves has improved
too in this case the undercarriage
has improved its responses and offers
continuously controlled damping too. The
front suspension offers MacPherson struts
with L-shaped control arms (aluminium
to reduce weight) and an integral-link
rear suspension that uses a sub-frame to
isolate vibrations. This too uses aluminium
control arms.
We took the car on to a tight handling
course that it seemed very eager to
conquer. Highly accurate steering feel
helps, as does the fact that the body
doesnt roll significantly, nor does the tail

pull out. Torque shift is smooth and you do

feel the vectoring come in on hard turns.
Off road handling is fine, but dont try to
take the MKX into sand that deeper than
a couple of loose inches. The torque shift
is instant and imperceptible but once the
non-tractive wheel gets slipping, you will
dig it in.
Verdict
The MKX scores high on the feeling of
aspirational opulence. But it may just not
have the additional off-roading tricks that
allow it to compete with other premium
contenders.
The question you need to ask yourself is
whether you are buying a Lincoln or are
trying to figure out where the MKX stands
against other premium mid-segment
Crossovers. For the Lincoln aficionado the
equation is much clearer you get a whole
lot of crossover for the money you pay,
although the price has gone up for the
Reserve. Its hard to put a price tag on the
absolutely outstanding Revel audio system
and the clarity from its host of speakers,
but trust us when we say that if you are
an audiophile you may buy the car just for
that system. But then you must have a
really good music library at hand.

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2016 Audi A4

With a new lighter platform, the Audi A4

brings the advantages of doing a lot more
with less. And it takes the opportunity to
beef up its tech package
Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis John Ferrao

he entry-level premium sedan

market couldnt be more interesting.
The established players have a
wider than ever offering now the range
starts with the 1-series, A-class and A3.
So the C and C-D segment is now more of
an upmarket offering, with their smaller
siblings doing the job of getting the right
price points.
The A4 has thus got a little bit bigger than
before. With this generation, the Audi A4
platform is now called the B9 and the B9
platform brings with an increased use of
tailored blanks, ultra high strength steel
and aluminium in parts like the door and
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APR 2016

hood panels. The platform has also been

refined in terms of aerodynamic efficiency
with a figure of 0.23 the coefficient is the
lowest on any major sedan.
The sedan is 4,726mm long and stands
on a wheelbase of 2,820mm. This makes
it just a little bit bigger than before but
brings with it the advantage of offering a
larger cabin. The styling of the sedan has
also become a lot edgier than before. The
signature theme is now closer to that of
the sportier TT but still stays very much
in tune with the A3 below it and the A6
above. A lot of this edginess is connected
with the new sharper headlight assemblies

that carry the theme of an individualised

LED light signature ahead. These bracket
the slightly more aggressive grille layout
in some versions the grille sits ahead
of an automatically adjusting louver that
controls the air flow over the engine,
increasing the Cd of the car. Much of the
design underbody has also focussed on
making the slipstream the slipperiest
ever, with the engine bay shielded and
aerodynamic elements added to the
suspension components in addition to the
tailored airflow paths under the cabin.
The sedans profile has also become a
little more emotive its almost as if the

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A-pillar has been shifted aft a bit, while

the front axle seems to have been shifted
ahead. Its largely visual, but the few
extra millimetres available on the longer
wheelbase has helped in a major way. With
a rising waistline and a sharper fastback
like profile, the car gets a dose of energy.
In comparison the tail treatment is almost
secondary with a slightly wider taillamp
with LED light signature. Of course the
latest technology makes its presence felt
even in the lights as various grades offer
different types of lighting, from Bi-Xenon
focus beams to LED Headlight elements.
Since we arent even looking at a potential
RS4 at the moment we wont expect Laser
lights to be on offer.
The cabin is a good evolution over the
older one. The general treatment of the
dashboard is to emphasise the width of
the cabin, it is split into stacked zones
of dashboard soft feel plastic, airconditioning grilles, a touch of wood and
metal inserts and then the lower zone
hard plastics. A large tablet sits in pride of
place over the centre console and in the
2.0-litre Ultra variant that we were driving,
the driver gets the advantages of the
virtual cockpit. With this arrangement, the
driver is able to switch between display
modes that prioritise the IP element that
44

APR 2016

he needs so whether its large tach and

speed dials or a larger navigation map,
you choose. What this also does is to offer
the display for integrated driver assist in
the centre of the IP. Driver assist is linked
to various inputs including the sensors
for adaptive cruise control, driver pedals
and navigation maps to send information
to the driver asking him to ease off the
accelerator as he is approaching a junction
or to warn that the car ahead is too close.
The wheel and dashboard switches have
all been changed, as have the shape and
form of the stalks behind the wheel. In
particular, the piano switches used for airconditioner control have a capacitive input
which means the display reacts to a touch
on the surface and operates appropriately
with a proper force on the switch.
The roof lights also have this level of
thoughtfulness engineered in you can
switch on the light for a quick read by
touching the surface or keep it switched
on by actually using the switch. In addition
to that the new generation of MMI seems
to have matured very nicely. You get the
dial and switch arrangement along with
the ability to jump to home or go back a
step. But whats more important is that
the finger writing input is using a more
elaborate algorithm that recognises

scrawled input. It is much easier now to

input a destination while driving, as you
dont really need to look down at the
controller anymore. Of course the same
has happened with the voice controller.
You can partner your smartphone with
the cars system and you get mirrored
operations. The connection is so seamless
that the message from the MMI telling
you that it cant get online reminds you
to leave the phones data connection
switched off. If you do operate the car
in a connected mode, the maps can be
updated as well as other connected data
delivered to you
The nicely thought out ambient lighting
also boosts the quality feel of the cabin,
LED pipe lights sits in recessed parts
of the door and foot well as well in the
cup holders. Even the steering wheel
mounted controls have the same level of
backlighting and elegance.
The seats are slightly better sculpted
offering a good, firm support around
the hips and lower back, the extendable
thigh support allows you to get your leg
placed just right. You can move the lower
back bolster up or down. Rear legroom
is similarly slightly improved, but you do
still grab onto the headrests ahead of you
as you lever your way out of the door.

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And moving over to the boot it follows

the advantages offered by the broader
VW group platform with a large storage
volume.
The A4 is offered in the region with three
petrol engine option beginning with the
1.4-litre TFSI unit that offers 150hp and
two 2.0-litre TFSI versions, one rated at
190hp and the other at 252hp. The version
we had was the 2.0-litre Ultra rated at
190hp. While the basic difference between
the two grades is the level of boost
offered. But the less powerful engine is
also a showcase of engine technology,
offering variable compression ratios
linked to demand and a combination of
throttle body and direct injection. The
compression ratio is linked to the ability of
the input valves to closer later or earlier.
In practice, you will never figure out
where the valves are anyway the power
delivery is always on tap and combined
with a nicely programmed 7-speed S
tronic transmission you juts have to floor
the accelerator and you are away. The
engine offers a peak torque of 320Nm and
46

APR 2016

The technological leap ahead in the Audi A4 is

very evident, from the new generation MMI to
the new 2.0-litre TFSI engines, with this cars
190hp engine offering variable compression and
fuel consumption depending on demand.
And we just love the S tronics controller, with
its perfect ergonomics.

thats way more than enough on this light

platform, especially factoring in the wide
torque band offered by the turbocharger.
You also have the ability to select a drive
mode that toggles between various
modes from Normal, comfort, eco and
dynamic or you could also set an individual
setting. The difference is tangible in
engine note, response times, gearshift
patterns and even in the steering feel. A
huge level of computing power goes into
tailoring the cars responses depending on
your choice.
The car drives like a gem even in the
two-wheel drive arrangement of this
engine grade. Quattro is available with
the 252hp engine. Suspension response is
stiff with just enough yield and handling
on curves is predictable with just a little
understeer as the inherent vectoring
compensates. On dynamic settings and
with the gear selector in S, you can really
push the car hard you wouldnt believe
that it didnt have a V6 under the bonnet.
It hits the standing 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds
and tops out at 210 km/h. You do get
better performance out of the peppier
2.0-litre with the 100 at 5.8 seconds and an
electronically limited 250 km/h top speed.
This Audi A4 really brings the momentum
back to the D-segment premium car
market and makes it so much harder
to choose. But it does make for a techpowered winner if you choose this bearer
of the four rings.
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2016 Toyota Fortuner

The hardy Fortuner made a mark for itself over the past
decade as the workmans runabout - but now with an allnew look and beefed up entrails, the brand tries to take it
upmarket
Author: Raj Warrior | Photography: Elvis John Ferrao

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he Fortuner is one of a unique set

of SUVs in the Oman market. On
the one hand you have full-fledged
body on frame SUVs like the Fortuners
own bigger brothers, the Land Cruiser and
Prado and on the other you have a set of
crossovers that have evolved from the
unitary origins of a sedans build much
like the RAV4. It is this segment of vehicles
that sit in between the two, overlapping
in terms of price and sort of trying to
address all sorts of customers that stand
out often for the wrong reasons. The
underlying issue is that the bulk of the
volume on the body on frame platform

they rise from comes from the pickup

market. The SUV, like the Fortuner here, is
often an aspirational move away from the
pickup body.
Ten years ago, Toyota set about changing
that formula when they launched the
predecessor to this model. They set
about rolling out the IMV platform which
spawned the front-engine rear-wheel
layout of the Fortuner, Innova and HiLux.
The message right there was that there
was nothing incremental being done the
platform was designed to serve as the
underpinnings of each of these vehicles
but the vehicles were holistically designed
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to stand apart. And they did. The Fortuner

did get quite rave reviews for the job
it does and it has set the benchmark in
many Asian countries and even the region
for an affordable, utilitarian SUV. In fact
it could be the success of the Thailand
manufactured trio that saw their life
extend over a decade.
Now the new Fortuner has been launched
and you can see that the brand has
revisited the platform with some vigour.
To get the equation right, the engineers
seem to have addressed some of the
weaknesses of the older SUV and have
reinforced many strong points. They
began with a whole new look that reflects
a very modern Toyota design language.
Two large chrome pillars arranged in a V
bracket the new grille and the headlights
wouldnt have looked out of place on the
Camry, with Bi-Xenon projectors and new
LED light signature. The lower airdam is
arranged in a 3D manner that takes your
eyes out to the chrome rimmed foglight
pods. The same metallic effect is taken on
to the rearview mirrors.
The profile gets a lot busier. While the
body has changed marginally if at all, the
panelwork has dramatically improved as
has the way in which the greenhouse has
been emphasised. Now the area between
the C and D pillars gets a blackened out
effect that enlarges the impression of
glass. It isnt quite seamless but the
effect is borrowed from the newer Lexus
models where it is handled with better
refinement.
One of the problems with body on frame
vehicles is the height of the body as it sits
on the frame. This is especially true when

the end result is intended for off-road

use. The proportions are better handled
now, with a metallic hued running board
managing to lower the sightlines and
the beefed up fender compensating
for the height. Around the rear of the
Fortuner, the emphasis is again on given
an impression of width as the framing and
taillights are laid out horizontally, with a
nice mix of chrome inserts.
In the higher-grade car that we picked
up a 4.0-litre VX you cannot fault the
interior. Its the sort of cabin that you
would see in competition from a segment
above at the very least. The leather feel
seats, wooden steering wheel and inserts,
instrumentation and soft-feel plastics all
speak of a class of vehicle that seems a
little detached from the utilitarian reality
of the Fortuner. Its going to be the single
most important factor in getting new
customers into the Fortuner. The IP panel
is combined with a large central display
and the dashboard itself is designed
to maximise the legroom available. It
seems a little vertical but thats nicely
compensated by the use of layering,
double-stitched seams and surfaces that
can be used. You dont get caught out by
any ungainly instrumentation. There are a
few dummied up switch positions as you
would expect in an SUV allowing you to
add in some mods as required without
cutting into the dash any further.
We consider ourselves a little bigger than
average, but even we need to clamber
aboard the hip point is relatively high but
the running board helps as does the grab
handle on the A-pillar. Once on board,
housekeeping features like pairing your

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iPhone and getting the music blasting

over the Bluetooth take no time at all,
handled very well by the system. Its all
touch screen interface nowadays anyway.
We didnt check the mapping out because
our test car didnt have the map SD card
on-board but we would expect the high
resolution of the display to generate a
clear grid.
Cabin comfort is top notch, with a new
colour of leather on offer, a better than
expected sound system, quick release
access to the third row and a power
tailgate. The large display also doubles up
as a rearview monitor for the camera.
The vehicle comes with two choices of
engine, like before. The 2.7-litre four-pot
generates 165hp and the V6 4.0-litre has
an output of 235hp. And the automatic
gearbox on offer is a six-speed unit with
rather short gearing in the lower reaches.
The part-time 4WD system uses a selector
knob to engage 4WD and low range and
there is a proper rear diff lock available.
Added ruggedness comes from the
reworked frame, strengthened to handle
greater twist and stresses while the
suspension has been reworked to include
coils on all of the wheel points and a
better damping. The Fortuner can take
on rocks like a champion, showing a good
level of articulation the benefit of all that
height we spoke about.

Driving Impressions
On the straight and narrow, you can
decide how noisy the Toyota Fortuner
gets. Floor the accelerator and you feel
the grind of the shorter ratios before
the car gets it legs out and away. The
Fortuners NVH is way better than before
and the cabin is well isolated. You barely
feel a speed breaker. The only time you
remember the origins of the SUV is when
you take turns weight shift is apparent
and the roll sets in, but this time the
recovery is much quicker and the power
steering handles it like a champ. There
is a decided lightness to the steerings
feel, which is good in most cases. Its only
on sand that we feel there should be a
little more directness of feel through the
column. Low gear is well chosen, as you
can literally crawl up steep inclines. You
cant really fault the drivetrain and the
suspension combination the engineers
have ironed out any shortcomings of past
iterations.
Verdict
The new generation Fortuner takes the
story of the IMV platform ahead its
better looking; seems better engineered
and it is definitely classier than the vehicle
we are used to. The price point remains in
the same zone and it looks like the brand
is looking at buyers who would normally
be buying into crossovers.

A new cabin colour, Chamois,

joins along with the layered
dashboard treatment and
quality feel plastics to
enhance the Fortuners
appeal.
In terms of power, Toyota
sticks with the known
2.7-litre and 4.0-litre engines
with a new six-speed
automatic gearbox.

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New York 2016

New York is gaining a huge reputation for being one of the most
significant shows not just for the huge market but also for global models
being released to a larger audience

KIA Forte Koup Mud

Bogger Concept
Its still a front-wheel drive layout but this is what you get when you take
the Cerato Koup and raise it, give it some Jeep and Bilstein kit and have it
shod with ATV tyres.
As for the transmission, the engine still remains the 1.6-litre 4-pot but this
concept envisions it connected to a manual shifter. Its been shown at
the SEMA show and may seem a little out of place for the more refined
crowds of New York.

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The Lincoln Navigator

follows the Continental
It may be a concept but its being announced with the 3.5-litre Ecoboost
engine. Of course you can see a few features that may not see the light
of day on the 2018 model. Like those huge gull-wing doors. But the rest
of the SUV takes the Continentals design language ahead, with the new
grille, headlights and those wheels. While the Revel audio has already
landed in the MKX, well be surprised if the wardrobe management
system is incorporated. But you can expect the large screens and
elaborate lighting.

Volkswagens Budd-e
concept electrifies
Its been shown at the CES, where it was well received. The concept takes
the microbus shape ahead while offering a full electric drivetrain. Its built
on the new Modular Electric Toolkit platform and comes with an 101 kWh
battery that should be good for almost 500 kilometres of range. What
makes it thoroughly geeky are features like gesture control and large
intterface screens. This marks a departure from the regular dashboard
and its focussed areas around the wheel now the whole front of the
cabin is one giant display.

Toyota C-HR promises

new crossover
Its been doing the rounds of various motorshows in 2015 and the fact that
its still around in NY 2016 means theres a good likelihood we are going to
see this new platform spawn a compact crossover that may be targeted
at more than China and the developing countries. It also has a hybrid
drivetrain, so the C-HR isnt going to be cheap.

Genesis shows hybrid

sports sedan concept
In the fashion of most new hybrids, the New York Concept features a
2.0-litre turbocharged GDI engine mated to a hybrid drive with 245PS
on tap. It also hints at a new design direction for Genesis called Athletic
Elegance like seen on the G90 sedan.
The interior is built around a 21 curved display and that may just be
the direction that future Genesis models will take. The concept takes
individual seating for four and places these on both sides of a prominent
tunnel. And theres a whole new form of interface available.
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Acura MDX
The 2017 Acura MDX is out and it debuts with the Sports Hybrid all-wheel
drive arrangement that very effectively meshes a complex drivetrain of a
3.0-litre V6 engine mated with an inline motor assist for the front wheels
and two independent electric motors for the two rear wheels. Benefits are
electrically delivered torque vectoring and a peak powertrain output of
325 horsepower. The transmission is a 7-speed DCT gearbox.
The car also gets AcuraWatch which combines a host of features similar to
Hondas version. Collision mitigation, Lane departure warning and keep
assist, advanced cruise control and collision warning and even low speed
follow are part of this suite of features.
In terms of styling, the MDX takes the diamond pentagon grille from the
Acura Precision concept and integrates it into a sharply defined fascia,
while the side gets a bit of attention with a chrome rocker panel. The 2017
MDX is slated to go on sale at Acura dealerships in the US this summer and
will be joined by the MDX Sport Hybrid later in the year.

Hyundai Ioniq
Hyundai has launched three versions of this car, targeted at the US market
and its consumer. The car comes with a hybrid drivetrain, plug-in hybrid
drivetrain and pure electric version.
The Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid both feature a new Kappa 1.6
direct-injected Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine with an unsurpassed
thermal efficiency of 40 percent, delivering an estimated 104 horsepower
and an estimated 109 lb.-ft. of torque.
The Ioniq Hybrids electric motor delivers an estimated 32 kW (43
horsepower) with an estimated maximum torque of 125 lb.-ft., powered
by a lithium-ion polymer battery with 1.56 kWh capacity. The Ioniq Plug-in
Hybrid provides an estimated all-electric range of more than 25 miles,
powered by a potent 8.9 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. The Ioniq Plugins estimated 45kW (60 horsepower) electric motor is coupled with the
1.6 direct-injected Atkinson four-cylinder Kappa engine.
The Ioniq Electric offers pure electric mobility with a 28 kWh lithium-ion
polymer battery for an estimated driving range of 110 miles. The Electric
motor has an estimated maximum output of 88 kW (120 horsepower) and
215 lb.-ft. of torque through a single-speed reduction gear transmission.

Mazda MX-5 RF
The latest version of the legendary sports car offers a new dimension of
open-top driving fun while at the same time staying true to the purpose
of Mazdas previous retractable hardtop MX-5: Making the roadster
experience accessible to a broader range of drivers.
In doing so, Mazda has broken with conventional thinking to create
something entirely new. Featuring fastback styling with a smooth
roofline that slopes down to the rear, the MX-5 RFs unique rear roof and
retractable back window deliver a distinctive new convertible feeling.
The power roof opens and closes with the press of a button while moving
at speeds of up to 10km/h. The roof itself stows away compactly and
efficiently: Despite the sleek design, the MX-5 RF offers the same boot
space as the soft-top model. Also like the soft-top, the new version will
be available in Europe with a choice of two revvy petrol engines the
SKYACTIV-G 1.5 and SKYACTIV-G 2.0 mated either to a delightfully crisp
shifting six-speed SKYACTIV-MT gearbox or exclusively for the MX-5 RF
a six- speed automatic.
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Jaguar F-type SVR

So its not enough that the folks at the special vehicles operations have
got their hands on the F-type and shown it in New York, they had to brag
about it too.
New York Citys Park Avenue Tunnel was closed off to the public as Jaguar
showcased the distinctive sound of the new F-TYPE SVR ahead of the
show. The tunnel, which passes under seven blocks of the iconic Park
Avenue area in Manhattan and is 422 metres long, provided a unique
environment to experience the harder edged sound delivered by the
F-TYPE SVR. The F-TYPE SVR is the first Jaguar SVR and the fastest F-TYPE
ever with a top speed of 200mph. It has been developed by Jaguar Land
Rover Special Vehicle Operations to be lighter, quicker, faster and more
powerful.

Spyker C8 Preliator
How do you describe a quirky company that makes this gorgeous
machine? The Preliator may not be your typical supercar, but it should be
even if its just for that exposed manual shifter and linkage and the hand
tooled body and interiors.
Also now the company is using an Audi V8 engine to power the car
alongwith some unique elements like gold foil on the roof and powered
cooling for the engine.
The car follows its Geneva debut with this North American one.
The Spyker C8 Preliators design represents the ultimate translation of
our aviation heritage to a road jet, a plane without wings, reflected
among others in the Head-Up Display, fitted as standard to every car. It is
the epitome of our unrivaled craftsmanship. By mounting a supercharger
to the Audi V8 engine we have improved the performance of the Spyker
C8 Preliator significantly as compared to its predecessor and its exclusivity
is warranted since we will produce a mere 50 units says Victor Muller,
founder and CEO.

Toyota Highlander
Alongwith the Prius Prime, Toyota launched the 2017 Toyota Highlander
at the New york show. The SUV now gets a new 3.5-litre direct injection
engine mated to a new 8-speed gearbox. This will be joined by the hybrid
version that uses the same powertrain but adds in an integrated motor
assist with limited all electric range but far better fuel efficiencies. The
third- generation model, now entering its fourth year, offers room for up
to eight, a choice of three powertrains and six model grades, including a
new sporty SE model. The Highlander Hybrid adds two new grades, (LE
and XLE) to its existing lineup of Limited and Platinum models for a total
of four. All Highlander Hybrid models will continue to be all-wheel drive
(AWD).
Additionally the Scion FR-S changes into the Toyota 86 for the North
American market. This is a significant change as Scion also debuts some
new Mazda partnered hardware.

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face to face
news

Timo Bernhard is a professional racing driver from Germany,

competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for
Porsche in the LMP1 category. In 2015, Bernhard alongside his
teammates Mark Webber and Brendon Hartley claimed the
Drivers World Championship title.
A seasoned endurance racer, Bernhard has won the 24 Hours
of Nurburgring five times and Le Mans twice in 2002 in the GT
class with Porsche; and in 2010 in LMP1 when seconded from
Porsche to Audi.

It looks like next season is going to be

tough against Audi and Toyota - does that
mean there is more pressure?

quite a big difference in terms of the LMP1

prototypes in your time of endurance
racing?

In motorsport there is always pressure

and you always have high expectations.
In 20142014 we were the new kids on
the block and everyone was watching
us under the microscope so there was a
lot of pressure. I think we did quite well
in our first year, and in 2015 we won.
Because we were a great team last year,
Id say there is certainly pressure because
after completing two years you feel more
confident and the whole team is working
well together. It is a different kind of
pressure now because we have such high
expectations of ourselves.

I started in prototypes 10 years ago with

the Porsche RS Spyder in LMP2. It was a
pretty simple car compared to what we
have now and after the Audi era with
LMP1 there was a lot of power but without
the hybrid element. It was a very good
team back then with good success. As a
driver you always want to drive and you
always want to be competitive.
With the transition from prototype back
to GT with the 911 RSR you notice the car
is a lot more alive, theres downforce, the
car is a bit calmer and you can react. These
LMP1 cars are quite stable until a certain
point and then you have to wrestle the car
back into place. It is a completely different
driving style.
For sure Ive seen a difference over time

You yourself have gone from top shelf

LMP1 to GT back to LMP1 in what was
quite a short period of time. Do you see

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between LMP2 and LMP1. LMP1 is more

complex but going out to a full hybrid car
like this is very different. Not only is the
driving very challenging but the whole
team working together means you have so
many possibilities and changes, so many
things you can test and things you can
tweak so you need to be focussed on the
main areas.
Was there any frustration, knowing that
you had done LMP1 and then you went
back to GT racing with Porsche?
I wanted to be a part of the return of
the LMP1 programme with Porsche and
therefore joined the GT-programme for a
while. I came to Porsche 17 years ago back
in 1999 and that was the first time I signed
a contract with Porsche as a junior driver.
I had just turned 18 and my boss back then
told me that if I do well, I would a factory
driver one day and I would go to Le Mans.
That was back in 1999 and nobody told me
it would take so long! [laughs out loud].
But I always remembered that. I had this
idea in my head that I wanted to fulfil that
dream and achieve that goal of going to Le
Mans with Porsche.
Was was it like to win the 24 Hours of Le
Mans twice in two different categories?
For me they are the two standout
successes of my career. I think the Le
Mans victory is special because you never
know if you are ever going to win that
race. When I started the sport this was
one of my big goals, so in 2010 on the 13th
June, when winning the LMP1 category,
I ticked that box and that was a big
achievement for me.
You never know with this race. It can be
so cruel. Bob Wollek drove 31 times and he
never won it. He probably deserved five
victories but didnt get one. Then you look
at Nico Huelkenberg who comes in and
wins at his first attempt. I met Bob Wollek
when I arrived as a junior. He was the most
experienced driver towards the end of
his career and he had so many great cars
and he never won. So this race can be, in
a way, unfair. For me that is why Le Mans
is so special but to be honest to be World
Champion was unbelievable and especially
with Porsche. This whole project will
always be special to me.
How frustrating was that seeing a guest
team to come in and win Le Mans straight
away?
I was a bit divided but I wouldnt say it was
frustrating. I was very proud of the team,
that we finished the race with three cars

in first, second and fifth. We didnt do a

lot wrong. On the other side, as a driver
I would like to win but still I was proud.
Our second position helped us to secure
the drivers Championship. If you are on
the podium at Le Mans it is very good. We
were fighting and it was a very close fight.
We are proud of what we achieved.
Typically at Le Mans how often would you
change the car settings and the setup?
Le Mans is special because you stay in
the car for three hours and you do four
stints. It depends if you are driving at
night or what the temperature is, so you
may change things every now and again.
Sometimes you may have tracks where
you change things every two or so laps, so
it really depends.
What happens when you have problems
and you need to put the car in the pit and
finish your turn, such as last years race in
Bahrain?
In Bahrain it was clear that I needed to
pit. It was important not to think about it
too much at that stage because the race
was still ongoing but I needed to try and
communicate and tell them what was
going on in as much detail as possible.
When it happened to Mark [Webber] it
was the same, and at these times you still
need to give 98% to driving but leave 2% so
you can focus on other things.
Does your LMP2 experience with the RSSpyder have any importance in rebuilding
the Porsche LMP programme?
I think so yes. They were quite different
cars but what me and Romain [Dumas]
learnt in the Spyder era, such as driver
economics or seat position, we could use
in the LMP1. We had some guys from our
Spyder time that are still with us now and I
think the success we had during that time
motivated these people to go to LMP1. We
won LMP2 and it gave us good confidence
going into LMP1.
We have a regional Porsche GT3 Cup
Challenge series here - for young people
participating in that, what is your advice
to them, how can they succeed?
Always stay hungry and always be willing
to learn. It is a good championship, I know
some people that are running here to get
experience so the level here is very good.
You have amazing racing tracks, you have
every ingredient you need to learn and
make it as a racing driver.

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Mileage Challenge

he annual Shell Super Mileage

Challenge was held on March 21st
with eight contesting teams and
five extra cars containing non-contesting
participants from Shell Oman, Nissan
Oman, UMS Media, a team of two
bloggers and our entry from Automan.
The Shell Super Mileage challenge is
designed to take participants over a road
course of around 100 kilometres and this
year the course was set from the Nissan
showroom in Qurum to Marina Bandar
which served as a way point where the
teams rested and had breakfast. Then the
route wound out through Sidab, Muscat,
Muttrah and then via the Sultan Qaboos
highway to the Al Khoud flyover and back
in front of Al Mouj complex to last years
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start and end point at the Shell pump

located on November 18th street.
The eight teams had been chosen from
more than 850 teams that had sent in their
entries. After all with a bumper prize of RO
500 worth of fuel for each of the winning
team, the Mileage challenge has become
a rather prestigious event. As with the
previous years, Automans editor Raj
Warrior was the adjudicator of the event.
At the briefing a couple of days before
the event, Shell Oman Marketing officials
educated the participants on the safety
aspects - HSSE is a very important part of
the companys culture and the initial part
of the briefing covered these aspects.
Further advice was then offered to the
teams by the Shell team about how to

maximise the fuel efficiency of their cars,

including tips on regular maintenance,
correct tyre pressures, minimises laden
weight and smooth driving practices the
participants were also informed about
the penalties that they would pick up for
infringement of various safety norms and
rash driving.
On the morning of the drive the teams met
on the forecourt of the Nissan showroom
in Qurum, where they were introduced
to the marshals that would accompany
them through the route. In addition to
the competing teams, five cars followed
with non-competing teams who were
nevertheless interested in bettering the
winners score. The Automan team had
the distinction two years ago, in the debut

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event, of getting the best score. Last year

saw the winning participant take back that
accolade. After the 100-kilometres of the
drive route were over, every participating
teams score card was checked against the
readout from the cars digital consumption
meter. Since all the cars were 2015
Nissan Altima sedans with similar age and
mileage, the ready method was taken to
measure the efficiency.
We are pleased to report that the
Automan team managed to get back its
laurels of the first year but the winning
competing team managed a very good
mileage with a reading of 20.4 km/l on

the 2.5-litre Nissan Altima, we were just as

surprised at their efficiency. The winning
team of Syed Aftab Ahmad & Anfal
Shamsuddeen from team Fuel Conscious
were called to the podium and felicitated
by officials from both Nissan Oman and
Shell Oman. Nissan Oman VP Deepak
Jain to the opportunity to point out the
impressive efficiencies scored by all the
eight teams in the Altima, referring to last
years stock car for comparison.
As an added bonus, all participants were
offered the opportunity to share their
thoughts on the event and their roles in it
with many admitting that they had learnt

Top, Shell official Shahad Al Wahaibi briefing

participants. Left, our editor Raj Warrior
with Shell official Georgie Zacharaiah. Above,
participants from Nissan and winning team of
Syed Aftab Ahmad & Anfal Shamsuddeen from
Fuel Conscious.
On the opposite page, from top, announcing the
start, flag off by Shell and Nissan officials, cars
parked at the way point at Marina Bandar, the
winning team collecting the award and all the
participants at the way point.
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both defensive driving techniques as well

as a more efficient method of driving.
The winners were handed Shell Super fuel
cards for fuel worth RO 500 each, while all
participants were given a certificate and a
memento.
We, at Automan, find that this is a rather
unique event which talks about the
strengths of Shell Super without diluting
from the underlying message of safer and
more fuel efficient driving.
All said and done, the folks at Shell Oman
marketing have started a trend at the best
time for drivers in Oman as fuel prices vary
with market pricing.

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Tesla Model 3

Elon Musk delivers on his promise of an electric

car for under S35,000, although you need US
government tax credit for that. The Tesla Model
3 may interest the GCC buyer, if petrol prices rise
a little bit more

he Tesla Model 3 brings the virtues

that have been expounded by the
electric vehicle platform in the
Model S and Model X. The platform has
been modified to deliver a much more
affordable package. And just the promise
of being able to get a decent autonomy
range along with the virtues of electric
drive have brought in record bookings (of
a booking amount of $1,000/-).
The range is 215 miles (close to 340kms)
and an acceleration figure of 6 seconds for
the 0-60mph (96 km/h) sprint.
While still shrouded in secrecy, you should

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expect much of the positive features that

are already part of the Tesla S - including a
compact and quick drive with dual motors
as an option and seating for 5 adults on its
flat battery skip of a platform.
Combined with supercharger stations that
are sprouting up around North America
and Europe, the Model 3 may offer a
degree of appeal that many premium
sedans cannot.
It is still some time till we will see the
Model 3 in the region - whats more likely
is that the Tesla Model X may offer a
cachet to the well-heeled buyer.

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M-B E-class

The quintessential flag-bearer of the premium E-segment is back in a

new generation, boasting a package of technology and engineering that
should keep it ahead

he E-class has a rock solid platform

that doesnt need too much of a
tweaking. What it offers in the new
generation is a technology suite that
almost rivals the offering on the S-class.
Beginning with a 9-speed 9G-Tronic
automatic gearbox and a new generation
of four-cylinder diesel engine (in relevant
markets), the electronics include a wide
screen dual display, touch controls with
finger swipes, new graphics on the
infotainment system, integration with
both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Driver assist functions cover automated

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cruise control with stop and go in traffic,

lane keeping, lane change assistant,
braking and evasive steering assist, active
blindspot monitoring and Pre-Safe.
The new car also offers automated parking
function, which brings the feature from
the S-class and BMW 7-series to a more
affordable package.
The coefficient of drag is now a low 0.23
and that combines with highly efficient
engines and stop/start technology to
improve fuel consumption.
it is claimed to be the quietest vehicle in its
segment.

The lighting is a standout feature, with

LED headlights and ambient cabin lighting
that can be any one of 64 colours. The
multibeam LED headlights have 84
independent elements and the taillights
have a stardust effect.
Its wheelbase is now 2939mm and overall
length is 4923mm.
Another addition is the touch-sensitive
controls on the steering wheel.
The E300 will have a 245hp engine with a
torque of 370Nm, while the E400 4Matic
will have a six-cylinder engine with 333hp
and 480Nm.

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Lambo Centenario

A rather unique homage to the centenary of

Ferruccio Lamborghinis birth, the Centenario is
a limited run of 40 cars that have all been sold

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The Geneva motorshow saw Lamborghini

unveil the Centenario in homage to
Ferruccio Lamborghinis birth centenary.
The project consists of 20 coupes and
20 roadsters that begin at a price of
1.75-million Euros with tax extra. It is a
continuation of the companys strategy

of one-off models based on their

architecture. The 770hp engine is a V12
naturally aspirated unit that allows the
car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 2.8
seconds and go from 0-300 km/h in only
23.5 seconds. The top speed is expected to
be more than 350 km/h.

The design includes an extending rear

wing for better downforce. Large
air scoops in the front bonnet, while
reminiscent of 1970s sports cars, are there
for functionality: air is taken in through the
cars front contributing to downforce on
the front axle.

The body of the Centenario is built entirely

in carbon fiber, with a monocoque and all
other body parts and trims in carbon fiber.
With a dry weight of just 1,520 kg, the
Centenario achieves a weight-to- power
ratio of 1.97 kg/hp and a torsional stiffness
of 35,000 Nm per degree.

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CONCEPTUAL
Lincoln Navigator Concept

While it may not launch in this form, Kumar Galhotras leadership is

bringing out some interesting moves from Lincoln especially with
the new Navigator
Lincoln revealed the Navigator Concept
at the New York motor show. Following
on from the recently launched Lincoln
Continental, you can see the elements
that bind the two together, although the
concept explores a new direction in terms
of utility and design.
The all-new Navigator Concept
reinforces our commitment to give
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every Lincoln client what we call quiet

luxury vehicles and experiences that
are elegant, effortlessly powerful and
serene, said Kumar Galhotra, president
of Lincoln. This kind of quiet luxury sets
Lincoln apart. Now, were showing fans
of large SUVs how we can exceed their
expectations, without being the loudest
statement on the road.

Lincolns design team drew inspiration

from luxury sailboats and yachts
when designing the new concept. This
influenced everything from the clean,
modern lines and Storm Blue paint on the
exterior that mimics the grays and blues of
sea and sky, to the teak finishes, custom
gear and wardrobe management system
found inside.

The Navigator Concept is engineered to

provide drivers peace of mind. It features
a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine delivering
more than 400 horsepower and smart new
technologies to make this SUV even more
sure-footed on different road surfaces and
in changing weather conditions.
Drivers can choose several drive modes
to improve ride and handling and to find

the drive experience that best suits their

mood including steering, suspension and
noise levels. Each mode is accompanied by
a matching digital animation in the cluster.
The leather-wrapped interior is rendered
in a light blue. Six Lincoln-patented Perfect
Position Seats adjust 30 ways to best
support occupants different body types.
The drivers seat, for instance, includes

independent deployable thigh supports

for maximum comfort.
A custom wardrobe management system
holds gear chosen for a day on the water,
while Lincolns Revel audio system has
been specifically tuned to create the
highest level sound and visual quality.
All of this is accessed through power
gullwing doors and deployable concertina
APR 2016

73

steps. A special lighting sequence

welcomes passengers for every journey.
The Navigator Concept features PreCollision Assist with Pedestrian Detection,
which uses radar and camera technology
to scan the road ahead. If a collision risk
with a vehicle or pedestrian is detected,
the system provides a warning to the
driver. If the driver does not respond in
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time, it automatically can apply up to full

braking force to help reduce the severity
of, or even eliminate, some frontal
collisions.
A 360-degree camera and enhanced
park assist features take the stress out
of parking, exiting a parking spot and
manoeuvering. The system seamlessly
integrates views from four cameras

creating an overhead image that allows

drivers to see all around the vehicle.
On the road, a lane-keeping system
vibrates the steering wheel to alert drivers
they are straying from their lane and
provides mild steering input to encourage
them to steer back toward the center
of the lane.In the cabin, head restraint
monitors provide passengers Wi-Fi

connectivity, allowing them to wirelessly

share music and content from personal
devices.For drivers, a large panel screen
clearly displays key information. The
display can be customized from a digital
touch screen housed in the centre stack.

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75

Formula One

Nico Rosberg claimed his firstever victory in the Formula 1

Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at
a brilliantly floodlit Bahrain
International Circuit (BIC) in
Sakhir.
Rosberg put in a dominant
drive as he claimed his second
successive victory to start
the 2016 Formula 1 season.
He charged off the start line
cleanly and immediately took
over as the leader before
enjoying a flawless and
untroubled race from then on.
The win was Rosbergs fifth in
a row dating back to the final
three races of last season and
including Australia a fortnight
ago.
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Its been an awesome

weekend, said Rosberg. The
key was the start; I had a quick
getaway and from then on I
was trying to control the pace.
Its absolutely awesome to get
the win.
Ferraris Kimi Raikkonen
finished as the runner-up for
the second straight year, while
Rosbergs Mercedes teammate
and pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton
completed the podium placers.
His Royal Highness Prince
Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa,
Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme
Commander and First Deputy
Prime Minister was on hand
to present the winning
constructors trophy to

Mercedes Engineering Director

Aldo Costa.
Handing over the trophies to
the top three drivers were
Gulf Air Acting CEO Maher Al
Musallam, Minister of Youth
and Sports Affairs Hisham
Al Jowder, and Bahrain
Motor Federation President/
Commission Internationale
de Karting President Shaikh
Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Rosberg led much of the race
by a comfortable margin and at
the end of the 57-lap challenge
was classified 10.2 seconds in
front of Raikkonen. Hamilton
was well behind the leading
pair, finishing the race 30.148s
behind the winner.

Congrats to Bahrain; such

a great race track here,
said Rosberg, who made his
Formula 1 debut at BIC back in
2006.
Raikkonen had a poor getaway
and did all he could to fight
back. Hamilton, on the other
hand, was behind Rosberg
heading into BICs Michael
Schumacher Turn (Turn One),
but was T-boned by Williams
Valtteri Bottas. He dropped to
ninth but put in a fine effort to
make up for his lost places.
I had a bad start, Raikkonen
explained. After a few laps,
I had gone straight behind
Nico and it was pretty hard to
recover. It was bad luck.

Added Hamilton, whose two-year

winning streak in Bahrain ended
tonight: A big thank you to the fans. I
got some incredible support here; Ive
been so well taken care of.
Ferrari ace Sebastian Vettel, who had
qualified third and who was widely
tipped to be the biggest threat to a
third straight Mercedes win in Sakhir,
was unfortunate not to even make the
start. He suffered an engine failure
on the formation lap, which was the
beginning of an eventful and exciting
start to the race.
Daniel Ricciardo (+62.494s) of Red
Bull Racing finished in fourth place,
while Romain Grosjean (+78.299s)
continued the fine start to the
season of Formula 1 debutants Haas
by claiming fifth place. Young Max

Verstappen (+80.929s) finished sixth

for Toro Rosso, while Daniil Kvyat (+1
lap) of Red Bull, Felipe Massa (+1 lap)
and Bottas (+1 lap) of Williams, and
Stoffel Vandoorne (+1 lap) of McLaren
rounded out the top 10. It was an
impressive debut for Vandoorne
in Formula 1. He took the place of
superstar Fernando Alonso, who was
not allowed to compete due to health
concerns.
The rest of the final classification,
from 11th to 17th (all of whom were
also +1 lap), respectively, included
Renaults Kevin Magnussen, Saubers
Marcus Ericsson, Manors Pascal
Wehrlein, Saubers Felipe Nasr, Force
India pair Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio
Perez, and Manors Rio Haryanto.

Melbournes race was

overshadowed by Fernandos
accident with Esteban Gutierrez
at Turn Three on lap 16.
Despite the violence of the
crash, Fernando was able to
extricate himself from the car
unaided, and was then taken to
the circuit medical centre for
routine checks, before being
declared okay by the doctors.
His car fared less well both
the chassis and the power unit
were heavily damaged, and the
resulting debris was scattered
so extensively that it prompted
a red-flag stoppage to clear up
the mess.
After the restart Jenson
adopted a different strategy
to the majority of runners,
but failed to capitalise on it,
finishing 14th.
After the crash, the race was
Nico Rosbergs.
Team mate Lewis Hamilton
recovered from a nightmare
start to finish second, while
Sebastian Vettel who led into
Turn 1 and looked very much in
charge prior to the red flags
had to settle for third after 57
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APR 2016

laps of Albert Park.

Local hero Daniel Ricciardo
took a popular fourth place
for Red Bull, well clear of the
Williams of Felipe Massa, while
Romain Grosjean gave the allnew Haas team points on their
debut with sixth.
Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg,
Williams Valtteri Bottas, and
the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos
Sainz and Max Verstappen
completed the top ten, with
Renaults Jolyon Palmer
narrowly missing out on a point
in his maiden Grand Prix.
McLarens Alonso and Haass
Esteban Gutierrez meanwhile
were thankfully able to walk
away from a huge crash at Turn
3 which caused the red flags to
fly on lap 19.
Up until that moment it was
Ferrari who held the cards,
Vettel and Raikkonen having
burst between the two Silver
Arrows to snatch a one-two
away from the start.
Hamilton got the worst of it,
his slow start compounded
by losing further ground and
positions - and possibly some

front wing endplate - in the

opening turns, with Verstappen
and Massa both able to pick
him off and push him from pole
to seventh.
That dynamic would all change.
Following a 20-minute break
to clear the debris from Alonso
and Gutierrezs crash, the race
restarted with Ferrari still
on an aggressive two-stop
strategy of using supersoft
tyres. Mercedes though had
gone conservative and selected
the mediums, meaning Ferrari
would need to pit again and
Mercedes wouldnt. Game on.
It was soon clear that Vettel
was not going to open up the
24s gap that he needed for a
final stop, and when that came
- from supersofts to softs - on
the 35th lap, Rosberg, Hamilton
and a feisty Ricciardo overtook
the Ferrari. Hamilton closed in
on the Red Bull and overtook
for second place on the 42nd
lap, but couldnt make serious
inroads into Rosbergs 10s lead.
The Britons attention instead
went on protecting his position
as Vettel closed in. With seven

laps to run the pair were split

by just half a second - but
try as he might Vettel could
not engineer a move, with
his challenge failing two laps
from the end when he ran
deep and onto the grass at the
penultimate turn.
Like Vettel, Ricciardo also
bolted on fresh tyres - in his
case the supersofts - and flew
late on, the Australian setting
the fastest lap and rising up
to fourth, just missing out on
becoming the first Australian to
claim a Grand Prix podium on
home soil.

Perfection from Marc

Marquez at the Gran
Premio Motul de la
Repblica Argentina
sees the Spaniard take
his first win of 2016.
Long gone were Marc
Marquezs and Hondas woes
from testing, the combination
back to their best in Argentina.
Starting from pole position,
the Repsol Honda Team rider
had a less than ideal start and
was pushed down the order in
the charge to Turn 1. He would
finish lap two in third lap, but
had Valentino Rossi (Movistar
Yamaha MotoGP) square in
his sights. On lap three he
overtook his great rival, but
was unable to shake off the
Yamaha, the pair circulating
together until they pitted on
lap 11 for the mandatory bike
change. Marquez would retain
the lead of the race, never

challenged once he returned to

track on his second bike.
7.679 seconds would split
Marquez from Rossi at the
end of the race, Marquez
leaving Argentina with an
extra 25 points and result
in him obtaining the lead
of the MotoGP World
Championship by eight points.
This was Marquezs second
win in Argentina, the track and
conditions suiting his style.
The World Championship now
heads to Austin for round three
at the Circuit of the Americas, a
track where Marquez has never
been defeated. Few would have
expected Marquez and Honda
to lead the championship after
their tricky off season, Austin
could now offer an almost
perfect chance for Marquez to
extend his lead.
Marc Marquez: Im really
happy with this win because
weve worked very, very
hard during the pre-season,
in Qatar and here. Honda is

working very well and I feel

the support; were going in
the same direction, and thats
the most important thing. Its
a special win, not only because
its the first one of the year but
also because with the team,
we managed the situation
very well, and after what
happened in Australia on a
similar occasion [in 2013], it was
important for us to do well. I

knew that the first part of the

race would be tough because it
was still damp in some places,
and with the first bike I hadnt
felt as good as with the other
one even during practice. I
knew that the second part of
the race was the key. I pushed
100% in the first five laps after
the bike change, I opened a gap
and after that I just kept the
distance.

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YOU ARE MORE THAN

WHAT YOU EAT
Scientists have recently published a report that tells us that if we were all to switch to
a vegan or at the very least a vegetarian diet, humanitys impact on the Earth would
be lessened. To me, at first glance, that seems a bit counter-intuitive. If more of our
shrubbery and foliage is being eaten by us, how does that help?
Of course, the answer lies in the detailed analysis of human eating habits and how we,
as a species, have used industrial levels of animal husbandry and factory grade fishing
techniques to wreak havoc on the planet. Youll value your next free range chicken meal
were you to ever visit a large poultry farm. I didnt even need facebook and its persuasive
power to promise myself that I wouldnt be partaking of foie gras ever again; with the
absolutely inhuman way the ducks and geese are treated in order to engorge their livers.
But then what would you make of the food we eat on a regular basis? Our recipes and
cuisines have developed over hundreds of years with our table manners only serving
as the bookends of a highly evolved gastronomic adventure. People love to travel the
world in search of that next meal usually one that involves some meat, seafood and
poultry. Thats pretty standard. And with globalisation in full swing we often get the exotic
served right at our doorsteps if we live in one of the urban hotspots of the world. But
its the sheer scale of the food industry that serves to load our resources, lately joined
by countries with large complements of poor people who are getting richer and in the
process switching from their frugal plant based diets to meat-intensive.
The best estimates are that we will have a 9 billion population by 2030 and will peak out
around 12 billion in 2050. Thats an awful lot of meat, fish and poultry that the world will
have to produce to feed this population. So it definitely makes sense to switch over to
a plant-based menu wholesale. What this does it remove the industrial levels of animal
husbandry and their consequent need for animal feedstock made of the very items that
we need in a vegetarian diet. Are we capable of making that switch? Its highly unlikely.
Raj Warrior is now managing editor of Automan and has
been in the thick of the Automotive journalism field from
the past 18 years.
Want to comment or have your say?
Email at raj@automan.me
Identify yourself or your message will be trashed and
your id blocked

For many of us, what we eat is an outcome of the family and society that we are born
into that includes understanding whats normal and what would be seen as exotic. In
some countries it is normal for the entire family and community that family belongs to,
to be vegetarian. In some places the new normal is to switch to a vegan diet, eschewing
any form of animal produce, even cheese, milk and eggs. In most other places in the
world, some form of animal meat is considered a standard offering in a meal. You had to
be really poor to not have meat on your table. But thats not the point.
We know that any major shift will take generations and we dont have the time before
2050 to actually do more than two of those. No shift is likely to happen anyway as long
as your morning eggs and sausages taste so good. Its not likely to happen either with
the large fast food chains that make billions out of selling the premise of tasty meats in
various forms. Itll not happen while the affluent populations of the world not only enjoy
their hot dogs and burgers, but export it en masse to the rest of the world.
For me, from a personal standpoint, I cant say that I find anything is going to change. It
is actually a relief to know that we may all actually eat ourselves into Armageddon before
we end up suffocating ourselves through poisoning our atmosphere with exhaust fumes
from the millions of tailpipes or even drowning ourselves due to rising sea levels.
So, this discussion has been pointless I, for one, love my occasional sinful Chicken
Biryani or Mutton Rogan Josh just as much as I love a typical English breakfast spread.
Thats the sort of love that makes one forget about the future of the Earth and our very
existence till the next meal.

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