Automark

Cloud-Based Warning System Could Curb Wrong-Way Driving Deaths
What if there were a quick and simple system that alerted all drivers when someone was driving the wrong way down the road?German automotive supplier Bosch aims to better warn wrong-way drivers, both those actually driving the wrong way and those near the cardriving the wrong way, using a cloud-based software application.

The premise is that Bosch provides a software application that constantly checks avehicle’s movements against what it understands as the permitted direction on any given road. Imagine itlike any other GPS software, but with a specific focus on which way the car is moving. If the information gathered from the vehicles doesn’t line up with the way they should be driving, that’s when an alert goes out to both that driver and any oncoming drivers utilizing the system.

According to Bosch, radio alerts in Germanyaboutwrong-way driverscan take several minutes to go out, by which time the danger’s already come and gone for most folks. A statistic they quote says that one third of criticalincidents caused by wrong-way drivers occurs within the first 1,650 feet or so, meaning that an accident’s already happened in these cases before there’s ever a radio-based warning. Thus the cloud-based system they’re working on, which would alert folks much faster.

One potential flaw in the system: It’s only as good as the number of vehicles using it. Part of the way it detects and alerts folks of wrong-way drivers appears to be tied up in information gathered anonymously from nearby vehicles. This also would be completely ineffective for anyone driving around without the software application, or without “an unbroken connection to the internet,” which is something it requires to function.

The service is scheduled to launch in 2016, and will be made available for as many “infotainment” devices as possible, in hopes of casting awide safety net. In the meantime,don’t drive downstreets the wrong way. That could help too.

Pakistan Yamaha Motor on Saturday launched the YBR-125G sports model at the PC Hotel, Lahore at a price tag of Rs 1,32,400. It will be available at select authorised Yamaha dealerships within next few days.
Already winning the motorbike market by recommencing their assembly here in Pakistan, Yamaha received huge appreciation with the launch of their YBR-125. In records where a country has more than 1.7 million bikes on road due to lack of proper transportation system turn out to be a great opportunity for bike assemblers.
Keep in mind the increasing demand due to increasing population, Yamaha has launched another new model YBR G. With soon to be launched in Karachi too, the bike sis no doubt a beauty.
The arrogant look it gives from the front proving that it has the capability to eat up almost most of the bikes on roads; Yamaha surely has made another huge step in the motorbike market.
With the already success of the previous model launched by them, Yamaha is confident enough that the all new YBR G is going to have a sales figure higher than the previous model.
Good times await you with the new Yamaha YBR125G, a 125cc 4 stroke OHC engine motorcycle designed specially for on road convenience and off road adventure.
In relation to the price it is true that Yamaha is not at all exploiting the customers and providing them the best price till now. Also the latest model is set to have a price tag of 132400 PKR.

Transport system has to be improved especially for citizens of Karachi

The Sindh High Court has once again banned motorcycle rickshaw in the sindh, the news is not new. Ban on Qingqi/motorcycle rickshaw has been so causal; now the topic seems to be boring.
Motorcycle rickshaws are found in large population in major cities of Pakistan such as Karachi and Lahore. Interesting thing about motorcycle rickshaw is that they are not being registered like other proper public transport vehicles. Being unregistered means that they don’t have any proper records with the government and which also proves that they don’t have laws to stop them.
Travelling in a motorcycle rickshaw is nothing but just being selfish to yourself and the society. Have you ever noticed that these Qingqis create huge amounts of noise and air pollution? We are already deprived of fresh air and then these Qingqis add up to more. The seats you get to sit on are nothing but a source of pain. Not only this I would also add up that there is no safety for the passengers, at least for the ones who are sitting at the back side of it. If a car behind you has fail brakes, you’re nothing but dead.
Any educated individual is not going to have issues with Qingqis. The issue is not with the type of transport but the issue is with the whole transport system. There must be some regulation on them. It’s a norm of our country that we let things get out of control and then start planning and controlling, why not just start controlling from the very beginning.
Transport system has to be improved especially for citizens of Karachi. The transport mafia should be handled and strict actions must be taken against them but unfortunately the government falls ill with a one day transport strike.
SHC must think about the class which travels in these motorcycle rickshaws is, instead of banning them, these Qingqis should get registered as none of them is. Not only this but there should be a limit and a proper stand for Qingqis because currently to be honest they are more than they are actually needed.

Pakistan’s car market has been dominated by Japanese automakers for decades, but a mini-economic revival looks set to attract new players from Europe and Korea into the mix.
Despite heavy taxation on imported vehicles, enthusiasm for owning a car in Pakistan has remained undented – thanks in part to underdeveloped public transport in the country’s sprawling cities, but also the social status it brings.
Toyota, Suzuki and Honda car assembly plants already work around the clock in Karachi and Lahore – yet customers can still wait for up to four months for new vehicles to be delivered.
Now demand for cars in the country is accelerating even more quickly, as economic growth has reached its fastest pace since 2008 while renewed investor confidence and easing inflation have spurred consumer spending.
Keen to cash in, a delegation from German auto giant Volkswagen visited the country in recent weeks, according to Pakistani officials and German diplomats.
Miftah Ismail, the chairman of Pakistan Board of Investment who took part in the talks, said Volkswagen was not the only company expressing an interest.
“There are a number of other companies from (South) Korea and Europe that we are talking to who are thinking of setting up assembly plants in Pakistan,” he said, without naming the firms.
US and European cars dominated Pakistan’s roads in the early years after it gained independence from Britain in 1947.
But fuel prices made their compact, efficient Japanese rivals more popular and from the 1960s onwards manufacturers like Toyota, Suzuki and Honda gained a stranglehold on the market.
Italy’s Fiat made a brief foray in the 1990s, while South Korea’s Hyundai as well as Daewoo-owned Chevrolet tried – and failed – to gain a foothold in the 2000s before the financial crisis forced them to exit.
Because Pakistan charges heavy duties on imported cars less than three years old, Japanese companies with in-country assembly operations can set prices significantly above the regional average.
The bottom-of-the-range Suzuki Mehran costs the equivalent of $6,300 in Pakistan but sells for around $3,900 in neighbouring India. The most popular Corolla 1.3 sedan starts at Rs1.6 million ($16,000), but buyers have to wait months or pay $1,500 for prompt delivery.
The news that Volkswagen was exploring options to enter the Pakistani market has excited car enthusiasts, who are tired of high prices and limited choices.
“I think it is a great idea because Volkswagen cars are value for money and reliability,” said Romano Karim, a fan of the classic Volkswagen Beetles from the 60s and 70s that can often be seen on Pakistan’s roads.
Haji Mohammed Shahzad, chairman of the All Pakistan Motor Dealers Association, added that having Volkswagen in the market would help drive costs down.
“The monopoly of big three could be broken if Volkswagen produces at least 20,000-25,000 cars annually,” Shahzad said.
Global auto giants are attracted by Pakistan’s booming economy, which the International Monetary Fund predicts will grow by 4.5 per cent in the next financial year.
Investor confidence in the medium-sized economy of $232 billion has improved since a new business-friendly government led by Nawaz Sharif took power in 2013, with Karachi’s share market among the world’s top 10 performers in the past year.
The country is also undergoing a major construction boom driven by Chinese investment after President Xi Jinping visited Islamabad in April to unveil a $46 billion investment plan known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Car sales have also boomed thanks to the growth of car leasing and financing facilities. Sales in the 11 months to May this year rose 30 per cent from a year earlier, according to Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association.

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