Automark

The second-generation Honda Ridgeline midsize pickup truck hit the market for the 2017 model year and has since received high praise from the media and public alike. Unlike conventional pickup trucks, the Ridgeline, like its predecessor, does not ride on a traditional body-on-frame chassis but rather a unibody frame, the same setup, though modified as the front-wheel-drive Pilot crossover.

Honda, however, gave the latest Ridgeline all-wheel drive with a fully independent suspension. Not all truck buyers require serious off-roading capabilities, but rather a more fuel-efficient vehicle that can haul stuff around town. The Ridgeline does the job and, according to Digital Trends, a major update might be due in the very near future.

Apparently, a Honda dealership in Louisiana, USA has revealed the crossover-based truck will enter the 2020 model year with some significant updates for its expected mid-life update.

Aside from a restyled front grille, the most interesting change will be under the hood: a hybrid option. The dealership, Honda of Covington, wrote on its website (it has since been removed as of this writing) that the 2020 Ridgeline will offer a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine connected to a pair of electric motors. No technical specifications were listed.

However, this appears to be the same setup found on both the CR-V and Accord hybrid models. If so, expect around 212 horsepower, at the very least. Currently, the Ridgeline’s naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 is good for 280 hp. Other 2020 Ridgeline update the dealership noted include a restyled instrument cluster and some infotainment system improvements.

Courtesy: Carbuzz.com

Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced Sunday it has established a Saudi Arabian wholesaler and retailer for Hino Motors, Ltd. trucks in partnership with local conglomerate Jamjoom Group. The wholesaler, Tsusho Jamjoom Trading Company (TJT), began full-scale sales activities in October 2019 as the first-ever Japanese-owned truck wholesaler in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, one of the leading oil-producing countries in the Middle East, is pursuing Vision 2030 as its economic and social reform strategy to reduce dependence on oil production and diversify industry. Amid this reform, local truck demand continues to expand, and currently Saudi Arabia accounts for 50% of the commercial vehicle market in the Middle East. Going forward, sustained expansion of the demand for trucks is expected due to the role they play in the logistics infrastructure supporting new industry born from industrial diversification and the increase in construction investment.

In 1972, Toyota Tsusho began exporting Hino trucks to Saudi Arabia, partnering with the Jamjoom Group as a local Hino distributor. The newly established TJT combine the Jamjoom Group’s local sales network with Toyota Tsusho’s after-sales service know-how developed through its automobile business. TJT will not only enhance the sales function, but bolster total support for commercial vehicles encompassing vehicle inspection, maintenance and repair, and spare parts supply.

As economic growth continues in Saudi Arabia, Toyota Tsusho will strive to contribute to the country’s further development through supplying Hino trucks with QDR (excellent quality, durability, and reliability), generating new jobs, and training technicians.

Courtesy: Saudi Gazette

International airports are one of the busiest places in any country with a continuous influx of passengers. The transportation used by passengers arriving and leaving the airport has the highest carbon footprint.

Across the world, almost all international airports have public transport with options of buses and metros. However, in Pakistan, there is a lack of a proper public transport channel in the whole country.

Over the years, the cab services had a monopoly over passenger transport but with the introduction of services like Airlift busses; Uber and Careem passengers have other options available to them. However, if you have to call uber and careem services they have to dupe as your relative as these service cars are not allowed in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Jurisdiction.

In Karachi airport, the passengers mostly have the option of private cars, cab services, and the recently launched airlift bus service. Multiple bus routes are available that passes through the main Shahra-e-Faisal road, almost from all the length & breadth of the Karachi City. The link/access road of Jinnah Terminal Karachi connects the main Shara-e-Faisal to the airport. However, if you want to travel by public busses it would test your patience in every way. The broken mini busses are filled to the brim with passengers, have frequent stops and might require you to change buses.

In Islamabad, after the development of the new airport, bus service had been planned under the directions of Islamabad Transport Authority (ITA) which to date remain incomplete. The construction of “Rawalpindi Peshawar Road interchange to New Islamabad Airport Metro Bus Service” started back in 2018 under the instructions of the PML-N government but recently has been facing a lot of delays. It seems as if the elected government is least interested in proceeding the project forward. 

With another outcry, from the citizens to have a public transport facility to the Islamabad airport, the District Regional Transport Authority (DRTA) invited private transport companies to ply for buses on the Islamabad airport route. Four companies submitted their papers on 25th July 2019 to ply buses to facilitate the citizen. However, all applications were rejected by DTRA because they failed to meet the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The local management promised to provide 66 air-conditioned buses but a year has passed and the situation persists of no facility. In April 2019, a private country agreed to ply 66 buses to the Islamabad airport on different routes. However, due to a disagreement on fare rates the plans came to a halt. Also, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was hesitant to provide parking for the buses.

At Lahore airport, you will find options of cabs and metros, however, if one can exit the arrival bay parking one may find airlift buses that offer economical rates for travelling around Lahore. The absence of a public transport facility remains consistent.

A stable public transport in every city of the country is essential to save both the infrastructure and the environment. As Pakistan is moving to establish itself as a tourist country, then one essential thing should be to have an adequate mode of public transport to and from the airport.

By Hawwa Fazal

Suzuki may no longer sell vehicles in North America, but it’s still a significant player in the global automotive industry. The Japanese automaker, which makes cars, motorcycles, outboard boat engines and probably plenty of other things we’re not even aware of, will have two concept vehicles on display at the upcoming biannual Tokyo Motor Show.

According to Suzuki, the theme of its display this year is, “Waku Waku Switch for Everyone: Excitement for you, excitement for everyone.”

As for the actual concept vehicles that will be unveiled, the first one is called the Waku Spo. An A-segment two-door car with some cool retro touches, it’s billed as a compact personal plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Its two-tone paint, fender-mounted side-view mirrors (though with this design study they more likely house cameras), nearly filled-in wheel faces and truncated rear make for an undeniably charming package. According to the announcement, “With this one car, the family can share fun and excitement across generations, for daily use as well as for pleasure.”

The Waku Spo also features a body that can change shape, alter the front mask and even switch up the content shown on its dashboard. It can “transform to meet each and everyone’s fun and excitement.”

Hanare is the name of the second design study Suzuki plans to display in Tokyo, its name apparently meaning “detached cottage” in Japanese. It is, arguably, more interesting that the Waku Spo. Described as a self-driving mobile room, this autonomous vehicle prioritizes comfort and efficiency. Ostensibly, its interior is sprawl-out spacious.

Looking essentially like a box on wheels, this concept car also appears quite retro, like an oddly proportioned Volkswagen bus of decades past. The front end has been almost comically minimized and the wheels pushed out to the extreme corners of its body, likely in a bid to maximize cabin space.

The Hanare could bring “new delight in owning a car.” As a lounge space on wheels, it could also enable passengers to enjoy their vehicles in new ways, ways that don’t involve driving.

Courtesy: Road Show by CNET

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved the Karachi Yellow Line Rapid Bus project.

The Yellow Line Rapid Bus project will cost Rs.61 billion to the national kitty. The meeting apart from agreeing to the mega transport project for Karachi has also approved the Peshawar-Torkham motorway project and Lahore Water Waste Management Project.

Yellow Line Bus project is proposed from Dawood Chowrangi up to Lucky Star Saddar via Korangi Road (one of the major industrial zone road). This line connects residential areas of Korangi with the Korangi Industrial area and the Central Business District of Saddar.

In the last meeting of the ECNEC, on July 15, the ECNEC had approved the revision in the cost of land acquisition and built-up the property of the Dasu hydropower project.

ECNEC had also approved the project for the evacuation of power from 2,160 MW Dasu HPP Stage 1, Dasu to Islamabad via Mansehra at a revised cost of Rs 90,831.69 million.

Courtesy: ARY News

Tesla’s 50-billion-yuan (U.S.$7 billion) giga-factory in Shanghai is expected to commence operations at the end of this year. It is the company’s first such-scale facility outside the United States.

The electric car-making giant briefed about the progress in building the giga-factory at a signing ceremony for intelligent connected electric vehicle projects which was held at the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone’s Lingang Special Area on September 26.

Tesla has explained the main part of the factory in Lingang has completed construction. Workshops for metal plating, painting and assemblying are ready for production. The first car body has been delivered to the assembly line for further processes such as painting and installing moving parts.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter message on September 25 his company “is building a major engineering team in China, including heavy focus on software/firmware for factory and car.”

In its wanted ad posted on Tesla’s official WeChat account on September 2, the company said it has opened eight job vacancies in China, which are all technical positions.

Tao Lin, the global vice president of Tesla, said it took the company only six months from signing contracts in July last year with the municipal government of Shanghai to break ground in Lingang. The first cars are likely to roll off the assembly line by the end of this year. The progress exemplified the efficiency of the special area in Shanghai, she said.

Lingang Special Area, where Tesla’s factory is located, was officially included into the Shanghai FTZ on August 20 with a focus on high-end manufacturing industries such as integrated circuits and bio-medicine.

During the signing ceremony on September 26, the local administrative body of Lingang signed agreements with 24 intelligent connected electric vehicle projects that cover manufacturing, application, services and functional platforms. The total investment is worth 8 billion yuan.

Lingang Special Area executive deputy director Zhu Zhisong said that an industrial cluster of intelligent connected electric vehicles is taking shape in his area.

The local administrative committee will choose the most innovative projects with scientific research capabilities and industrial application prospects to link different industries with the help of functional platforms. The purpose is to create a globally influential electric car industrial cluster, the deputy director said.

Public information showed the total industrial output of carmakers and car parts manufacturers reached 38 billion yuan in Lingang last year, surpassing the electric equipment industry to become the sector with the highest yield in the area.

At this time, Lingang has set up an area of 7 square kilometers for closed tests of unmanned intelligent connected vehicles. The open road test for driverless cars in Lingang extends some 26 kilometers.

Yuan Guohua, chairman of Shanghai Lingang Holdings Corp., said the special area’s administrative committee has come up with 50 favorable policies in late August to support the development of the automotive industry through measures on listing and equity investment.

Tesla’s Tao said that Lingang has become a dream place for the company. As more favorable policies are introduced, Tao said Tesla would like to strengthen cooperation with all parties in the development of intelligent connected technologies and the promotion of electric vehicles.

Courtesy: China International Import Expo

Suzuki Motor Corporation announces its exhibits for the 46th Tokyo Motor Show 2019 (organised by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association), which will be held from 24 October to 4 November 2019 (open to the public from 25 October) at the Tokyo Big Sight and the surrounding Odaiba area.

The theme for the Suzuki booth this year is “WAKU WAKU SWITCH for EVERYONE: Excitement for you, excitement for everyone”. Suzuki has been making efforts to create truly valuable products of automobiles, motorcycles, motorized wheelchairs, and outboard motors that delight customers. Suzuki, as the brand celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020, will introduce our initiatives in development of products and technologies for opening up a “big future” toward the next 100 years.

The Suzuki booth will exhibit in a way that lines up our technologies as an overall mobility brand. The exhibits will include WAKU SPO, a personal compact PHEV; HANARE, an autonomous driving mobile room; HUSTLER CONCEPT, a mini crossover wagon; and GIXXER SF 250, an on-road sport motorcycle with newly-developed oil-cooled engine. The booth will also have a Suzuki accessories shop imitating an open-air mini truck market using Super Carry mini truck.

Courtesy: Automotive World

The first gas station in the U.S. that has been completely transitioned from a petroleum station to exclusively charging EVs opened Thursday in Takoma Park, Maryland.

Depeswar Doley, owner of the station since 1997, said he was already unhappy with the way oil and gasoline companies structure contracts — such as limiting the use of multiple suppliers, including clauses that extend contracts when a certain volume of sales is not met and limiting maintenance support. These business factors already were pushing him to consider other options.

A public works manager for the city of Takoma Park, Maryland, first suggested to Doley a conversation with Electric Vehicle Institute.

Doley said he’s not too worried about how the switch will change his business income.

“You notice there are not too many electric vehicles on the road,” he said. “So it’s not something that I expect to become rich overnight or something like that, but it’s a good cause [and] good for the environment.”

There are more than 20,700 registered EVs in Maryland, and the area also has an electric taxi service in need of more chargers for their business.

The gas station conversion was jointly funded by the Electric Vehicle Institute and the Maryland Energy Administration, which provided a grant of $786,000.

Matthew Wade, EVI CEO, said the area has had issues with the supply of charging stations not meeting the demand of EVs. Takoma Park had just two chargers, one in a community center parking lot and the other at a street location.

“They were fully utilized throughout the day; people were lining up,” Wade said. “The city was happy they were being used, but then they said, ‘Wait, no one can get in this parking lot, because these taxis are using these chargers.’

Wade says the gas station layout, which is designed for flow traffic, will help alleviate that problem.

The station will feature four dispensers that connect to a high-powered, 200kW system. The system will allow four vehicles to charge simultaneously and reach 80% battery charge in 20 to 30 minutes. Drivers can go inside and sit in an automated convenience store with screens that allow drivers to track their vehicle’s charging progress.

“Maryland is proud to be a national leader when it comes to clean and renewable energy, climate change and the promotion of electric infrastructure and vehicles,” said Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in a release. “This fully converted gas-to-electric charging station is a prime example of our administration’s commitment to the environment and transportation.”

There are various approaches to EV charging infrastructure being rolled out across the U.S.

Elon Musk’s Tesla has over 1,600 charging stations for its car owners across the country, and a total of near-15,000 chargers. Tesla had in the past offered EV charging for free to new car owners, but now charges for the service. It also offers the Powerwall system that allows car owners to generate and store electricity, and charge their Tesla, at home.

Some of the big automakers have developed their own EV charging business models. Volkswagen funded Electrify America as part of its investments in renewables made after its diesel emissions scandal.

There are also venture capital-based EV charging start-ups, such as ChargePoint, which says it plans to create as many as 2.5 million chargers by 2025. Other major private players in the EV charging space include EVgo, which says it has the largest public EV charging infrastructure — 1,200 EV fast chargers at 700 EV charging stations in cities across the U.S. — and FLO, which offers both commercial and home-based EV charging systems.

EVI sees the station as a net positive for the community.

“Everyone gets behind it; it’s really neat,” Wade said. “It’s one of the few spaces out there that is not so divisive, and it gets people really excited.”

Courtesy: CNBC.com