Volkswagen Golf R Touch Concept Introduced

Volkswagen has introduced a tech-infused Golf R Touch Concept at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Golf R Touch Concept – new age of mobility

The Golf R Touch concept, which is based on the high-performance 2016 Volkswagen Golf R, is said to have been developed to provide foresight into what the interior of future models will look like.

It features an infotainment system that incorporates gesture control as the next step in the area of intuitive control. All it takes is a hand movement in the space in front of the Golf’s infotainment display to make human and machine interact as one.

The vehicle was created with nearly all controls are implemented via touchscreens and sensor switches.

It is equipped with three displays, a high-resolution 12.8-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system, along with an 8-inch touch Control Centre located beneath from where the driver controls the climate, media and vehicle functions, as well as a 12.3-inch Active Information Display featuring digitised instruments.

Intuitive operation

According to Volkswagen, the central touchscreen and Active Info Display can be customised rapidly, just as on a smartphone or tablet. The infotainment unit will additionally use cameras to detect hand gestures, as well as understand and assign meaning to them. Gesture control will further make it possible to control displays and functionality without having to use a touchscreen.

A further highlight is a gesture control unit that uses a 3D camera mounted within the roof lining. When the driver touches the roof the digital controls for the sunroof appear in the main 12.8-inch display.

The company also said that “this technology adds comfort and convenience to human-vehicle interaction by reducing driver distractions while operating controls, and further underscores the synchronised relationship between the car and the computer.”

As part of Volkswagen’s efforts to provide greater personalisation possibilities in future models, there will be an extensive choice of displays and colour schemes, including on-board ambient lighting, which is claimed to provide 16.7 million colour combinations.

Since the Golf R Touch is a prototype, the company is yet to reveal when it plans to bring it to production cars or what it will cost.

Infiniti Q60 Concept Shown Ahead Of Detroit Debut

The first official picture of the Infiniti Q60 Concept has been revealed ahead of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

Striking Infiniti Q60 Concept details revealed

Set to rival the likes of the BMW 4 Series Coupe, the Infiniti Q60 concept is being described as a “premium sports coupe” that is “poised to entice coupe fans with its sharp contours and hand-crafted interior, while at the same time suggesting performance and power to match.”

The concept further features styling cues from the Q80 Inspiration concept, which include the low roofline and quilted leather seats in 2+2 configuration, while the aerodynamic gills located behind the front wheel arches are taken from the Q50 Eau Rouge concept.

Although the company hasn’t released any interior images, it does mention that the interior provides “the right balance of comfort and support as befits a premium sports coupe” and its spacious 2+2 arrangement is possible thanks to “genuine” sports seats.

The car is additionally said to be fitted with large 21-inch alloy wheels with a jet turbine blade design and black spokes with matte and chrome accents.

“The Q80 Inspiration was an indication of Infiniti’s future design language,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director. “The Q60 Concept is the next step in the journey. The sweeping lines of the Q80 Inspiration gave the Q60 Concept its coupe silhouette and looks while the Formula One-inspired touches from the Q50 Eau Rouge endowed the coupe with its sports personality.”

The Infiniti Q60 concept will make its official debut next week on January 13 at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, while the production car will enter the assembly line sometime in 2015 in UK.

 

Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition Revealed

A new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition has been revealed, as part of the company’s celebration to its “long and ongoing” partnership with Pirelli.

Special edition features

The new Aventador Pirelli Edition is available in Coupe and Roadster versions, and features a two-tone exterior in two options and “exclusive equipment specifically designed by the Lamborghini Centro Stile.”

The first two-tone option is matte black paint on the roof, pillars, rearview mirrors and engine cover. It is contrasted by six glossy finishes for the rest of the body (Giallo Spica, Rosso Mars, Bianco Isis, Nero Aldebaran, Grigio Liqueo, and Grigio Ater).

The second option is glossy black for the upper parts of the car and the air intakes, in contrast with four matte finishes for the rest of the exterior (Bianco Canopus, Nero Nemesis, Grigio Adamas, and Grigio Titans).

Standard equipment for the exterior also includes the transparent engine hood, the engine compartment in carbon, glossy black Dione 20-inch/21-inch rims, P Zero tyres with red logo and red callipers (yellow only in the case of the Rosso Mars exterior).

Distinctive elements of the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition

One other significant feature is a thin red stripe that runs along the roof and the engine hood, the rearview mirrors, and the outer profiles of the air intakes, while the Pirelli logo in red, is visible at the start the start of the two roof lines and on the tyres.

Inside, the Lamborghini Aventador Pirelli Edition features a number of alcantara finished components as well as red contrast stitching. There are also leather inserts which adorn the door panels and the seat sides. The changes are completed by a special ‘Pirelli special series’ plaque.

Not much has changed mechanically compared to the regular Aventador. The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Pirelli Edition is equipped with the same 6.5-litre V12 engine delivering 515 kW, and mated to a seven-speed ISR transmission driving all four wheels. Acceleration is rated at 0-100kph in just 2.9 seconds, with top speed reaching 350kph.

 

Huge Fuel Price Cut in South Africa for January 2015

The Department of Energy has announced that the prices of petrol, diesel, illuminating paraffin and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will decrease
with effect from the 7th January 2015. The main contributing factor for the decrease is a continued drop in the price of crude oil which has led to a decrease  in the prices of petroleum products in international markets. The depreciation of the Rand against the US Dollar increased contributions to the the Basic Fuel Price (BFP) but was offset by the reduced crude oil price during the period under review.

Fuel Price Reduction in South Africa

Fuel prices will be adjusted as follows:

– Petrol will decrease by 127 cents / litre. 

– Diesel will decrease by 105 cents /litre. 

– Illuminating paraffin (SMNRP) will decrease by 144 cents/litre.

– Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will decrease by 210 cents / kilogram.

 

Petrol (93) at the coast will cost R10.78 / litre while 95 octane petrol will cost R10.83 / litre. On the reef, motorists will pay R11.02 / litre for 93 octane while 95 octane will cost R11.24 / litre. An official pricing schedule for pricing zones will be made available on Tuesday 6 January 2015. If you wish to save fuel even further, read our tips on fuel efficient driving techniques.

 

Festive Death Toll Rises

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has revealed current death toll statistics for the period 1-28 December 2014 at a media briefing in Durban.

During the above mentioned period, a total of 924 fatal crashes were reported across South Africa with 1 143 fatalities. During the same period in 2013, 974 fatal crashes with 1 168 fatalities were recorded, which represents a reduction of 50 fatal crashes and 25 fatalities.

A total of 31% of the fatal crashes occurred between 22h00 and 06h00 in the morning with 80% of these crashes occurring in residential or built up areas.

A total of 904 drinking and driving arrests have been made during the period and a total of 99 060 summonses issued for exceeding the speed limit.

Provincial Death Toll Statistics

Province Fatal Crashes Fatalities
Eastern Cape 129 161
Gauteng 156 174
North West 61 82
Mpumalanga 90 116
Limpopo 106 138
Western Cape 78 91
Free State 63 95
KwaZulu Natal 211 249
Northern Cape 30 37
TOTAL 924 1 143

Traffic volumes are to increase during the week as holiday goers return home and motorists are encouraged to drive responsibly during this period to help reduce the increasing death toll. Motorists are urged to:

– Ensure that your vehicle is roadworthy

– Obey the speed limit

– Take regular breaks

– Don’t Drink and Drive

– Don’t Drink and Walk

– Only cross a road when it’s safe to do so

– Avoid Distracted Driving

If you have had too much too drink and need a lift home, be sure to make use of Designated Driver Services in South Africa.

Google Self-Driving Car Revealed

Google has been working on creating a self-driving car for a while now and it seems all the chips are falling into place nicely. Gone are the days of dreaming about a car that’s fully autonomous, technology is now making that dream a reality. The proof is in the pudding and Google has stepped up to the plate with the recent reveal of its self-driving prototype in production form.

Google self-driving car

Google has done extensive testing on various components relating to autonomous driving and have now combined all the features into this self-driving prototype. Necessities such as functional headlights and indicators, side mirrors and a restyled terrain sensor on the roof are all part of the package.

Conventional steering and braking are also included and according to Google, “safety drivers will continue to oversee the vehicle for a while longer, using temporary manual controls as needed while we continue to test and learn.”

The Google self-driving prototype will undergo testing in the new year in Northern California.

 

My Motoring Year – 2014

2014 is winding down to a close and what a fantastic year its been. This year has seen a tremendous amount of vehicles launched, both locally and internationally, and there’s been some outstanding models to grace the Cars.co.za motoring news pages.

This year I will have driven 105 new models. Of those, I will have written 56 reviews and photographed 90 of them. Here are some of the highlights and disappointments. Sure, I would happily put the Ferrari 458 and Lamborghini Huracan in this list, but these are high-end supercars and not consumer products, which is what the majority can afford.

I hope you’ve had a great year. Hit me up on Twitter @DaveTheCarGuy if you’d like to chat cars. I wish you a safe and prosperous 2015.

Highlights

Citroen C4 Picasso

This French MPV for me has to be one of the best cars. Not only does it combine futuristic technology like automatic parking, but there’s also a super economical diesel engine in there. The best part has to be the price. Now, if only Citroen could sort its reputation and brand image in SA…

Audi S3 Sedan

I fell in love with little super sedan. With the same 2.0-litre turbo motor and S Tronic gearbox, performance is just ballistic. Thanks to some clever driving modes, the S3 sedan can be become frugal and docile too, making it a superb daily driver.

Megane 1.2 GT-Line

With 97 kW and 205 Nm from a 1.2 turbocharged engine, the facelifted Renault Megane is a decent performer. It’s light on fuel and comes with a brilliant TomTom HD infotainment system. The coupe version happens to look quite pretty too.

Subaru WRX

It’s good to see Subaru keep pace with its performance rivals. The new WRX is a good performer and features excellent handling and space. It’s priced well and was nominated as a Car of the Year finalist. It’s unfortunate that its marginally faster and more extreme STI brother is just simply not good enough to compete against its German rivals.

Renault Sandero

If there was an award for the best improvement, the Sandero would get it. The first generation Sandero was average at best, but this new model is excellent. Loaded to the hilt with technology and safety features, the Sandero makes a great case for itself as a consumer champion in the budget segment.

Disappointments

Datsun Go

I find it shameful that a car company can release a car in 2014 that has absolutely no safety features whatsoever. I can appreciate said company’s efforts of trying to tackle the challenge of cheap and affordable motoring, but at the sacrifice of safety? That’s not on. It’s a pity though, as the Datsun Go isn’t the worst offering in its segment.

Suzuki Splash

I will admit that I’m a fan of the Suzuki range, but I’m a little disappointed in the Splash. Why would you buy this over a 1.2 Swift which is a brilliant little car? It just doesn’t make sense.

Toyota Etios Cross

What an odd-looking thing! It’s meant to be a crossover, but it doesn’t have any ability to go offroad. That plastic cladding and bodykit also looks dreadful. I can’t fault the build quality though…

2014 Motoring Year in Review

Well more like six months in my case since I joined the Cars.co.za team in June 2014. I may have missed some metal in the beginning of the year but I more than made up for it in the second half, clocking up somewhere around 60 cars tested. Here are just a few of my highs and lows.

Lowlights

Alfa Romeo 4C. Not because it’s a bad car, exactly the opposite in fact. This is probably going to be a sore point for a while because I never got to drive it and so wanted to. I’ve owned Alfas, broken down in Alfas and more often than not enjoyed them so to miss out on something this special was a bummer and I have verbally abused Stuart Johnston for getting the chance to do the review in JHB.

My actual underperformer for the year is the Subaru WRX STI, the latest incarnation is almost identical to the previous and is now being blown away by most hot hatches. It’s certainly not the performance bargain it claims to be. The plain WRX on the other hand is a much better prospect now and is actually the model to own in the range.

The Datsun Go sits at the bottom of the lowlight list however, initially it sounded like a great idea as we were going to get a cheap city car that wasn’t Chinese or meant to fall apart after the first test drive. Unfortunately terrible safety ratings followed the launch and then there was the bit when driving it the chassis felt like it was stuck together with Pritt glue instead of welding.

Highlights

I think it’s probably time to move on to the highlights then. Audi’s S3 Sedan ranks right up there in terms of over delivery. Audis have been slated for all looking too similar, but the S3 Sedan’s proportions work so well. It’s a beautiful-looking car and when combined with the shove the S-derivative supplies it feels the part. It also helps that it’s one of the more agile all-wheel drive Audis around.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class has to be one of the most complete cars I’ve ever driven, inside its interior is smart, stylish and heavy on tech. I especially like the way Merc designed its car to be comfortable over sporty, the opposite to what its German counterparts are doing. It oozes class and has an impressive array of new engines.

My SUV award goes to the Nissan Qashqai, it’s the go to word in compact SUVs and more often I seem to be directing people its way. The new Qashqai improves on the previous model’s practicality, ease of use and perceived ground clearance. The new range of engines are also pretty good, especially the petrol 1.2 turbo.

Avoid Drinking & Driving

Drinking and driving is a criminal offence in South Africa and is a major cause of fatal accidents on our roads. With the holiday season in full swing, cases of drinking and driving are likely to increase and sadly, so will the number of deaths.

We have put together some basic drinking and driving information so that you know where to draw the line but can also avoid drinking and driving altogether, so listen up!

Drinking and Driving – How much is too much?

Drinking alcohol impairs driving ability drastically and your chances of having a serious accident increases almost exponentially with every drink you consume. It goes without saying, that if you’re drinking, you shouldn’t even think about driving.

The legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1,000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml.

In the eyes of the law, a maximum of one unit or 10ml of pure alcohol per hour is permissible. The human body, depending on your weight, takes one hour or more to process one unit of alcohol and the less you weigh the more time your body needs to recover.

– People who drink beer or spirit coolers can legally consume two-thirds of a beer or spirit cooler with 5% alcohol content per hour.

– Wine lovers can sip 75 ml of red or white wine per hour providing that the alcohol content is between 12% and 14%.

– For whisky and brandy drinkers, only 25 ml per hour is permissible.

The Reality

The reality is that if you exceed these limits and proceed to drive your car, you are guilty of drinking and driving. By doing so, you are breaking the law and you risk causing a serious accident with potentially fatal consequences to yourself and others. And that’s only where your troubles begin, it’s just not worth it.

Using designated driver services in South Africa is the best way to avoid drinking and driving and companies like Uber make organising a lift easy using your smartphone. Be smart, be safe and don’t drink and drive.

Citroen C1 Airscape (2014) Review

Citroen’s new C1 quietly slipped into our country and we got to grips with the cheapest convertible on sale in South Africa.

Yes, this is a convertible. Unlike traditional convertibles where the entire roof section disappears into the boot, the Citroen C1 Airscape relies on a sardine can-style system where the roof peels back, resulting in a giant sunroof effect. The bonus and advantages of this are numerous.

Firstly, you can close the roof while you’re driving at high speed, something ordinary convertibles simply cannot do. No more pulling over to close the roof as the rain starts coming down. Secondly, with the windows and structure of the car, you cannot have beggars in your face, something I’ve found happens when you drive a conventional convertible.

Appearance

As for the looks, have you ever seen something which just oozes French flair and charm? This is such a cute-looking little car and many onlookers passed on kind words. With integrated vertical daytime running LEDS in the bumper like its DS3 sibling, the C1 Airscape is unmistakably a Citroen. There’s a nice big shiny Citroen chevron slapped on the front for good measure. There’s also some horizontal coloured stripes on the B-pillar, which is a funky touch.

The fun continues in the interior with the same funky stripes being the dominant theme. The seat sides and headrests have this same pattern on them, and there’s huge splashes of red on the dashboard. If you’re an introvert, you’re going to find this car a little too loud, but I think its terrific especially when most cars are pretty dull and uninspiring.

Specification

Speaking of interior, this little French charmer comes with a commendable amount of standard specification. The centre console is dominated by a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system. There’s also a USB port, aux input and Bluetooth connectivity. What’s particularly cool is the mirrorscreen functionality, where you’re able to connect your smartphone to the car and use the touchscreen interface to use certain apps.

There’s also a climate control system which is just about able to cope with the African sun, a comprehensive trip computer as well as a reverse camera. Nice things like tyre pressure monitor and hill assist are also thrown in. It’s pretty safe too, with ABS with Electronic Brake Distribution and Emergency Braking Assistance, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, and driver, front passenger, front lateral and curtain airbags.

It’s a fun and lively city car to drive. The Citroen C1 Airscape has a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine delivering 61 kW and 116 Nm. This may not sound like much, but when you consider the C1 Airscape weighs in at around 956kg, it gives it a respectable power to weight ratio. Fuel economy is what the C1 Airscape is all about and Citroen claims a combined cycle figure of 4.3L/100km. Thanks to its fun factor and zippy attitude, we were nowhere near this figure, but 6.9L/100km is still okay.

Conclusion and Summary

This is a seriously cute car from Citroen and it’s fun to drive. It brings out the child in you with its vibrant character, the specification is generous too. It loses marks due to its price, which is quite large for such a vehicle. I’d put this cost down to a ridiculous exchange rate and import duties, which is a real pity as the world needs more cars with massive personality.

Citroen C1 Airscape Price – The range starts from R168 900, with the Airscape retailing for R194 900.

Second Opinion

The Citroen C1 Airscape is a fun car to whizz around in, it responds quickly to all imputs and doesn’t feel lethargic at higher speeds. I’m not one for convertibles so this is a better compromise if looking a bit like a magic carpet on your roof. If only it didn’t cost so much-Ashley Oldfield

We Like: Style, specification, fun to drive, cool factor

We Don’t Like: Price, air conditioner battles to chill, may be too vibrant for some

Also Consider: Fiat 500, Suzuki Splash, Hyundai Grand i10

Citroen C1 Airscape Quick Specs

Engine 1.2-litre, three cylinder
Power 61 kW
Torque 116 Nm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Wheels 15-inch alloy wheels
0-100km/h 11 seconds (claimed)
Top Speed 170 kph
Fuel Economy 4.3L/100km (claimed)
Fuel Tank Capacity 35 Litres