Personal city cars may be the new trend

VW NILS

Personal city cars are needed to counteract the traffic problems in major cities, and the example of Bangkok needs no further description, its traffic jams are now legendary.

Volkswagen presented their future personal transport for city-dwellers at this month’s Frankfurt motor show where it unveiled the futuristic single-seater NILS concept. The NILS is miniscule. 3040 mm long, 1390 mm wide and 1200 mm high, and has one-seat.

BMW has its own all-electric hybrid i3 city hatch that will enter production in 2013 and other city cars in Frankfurt are Audi’s two-seater open-wheeled Urban Concept and the Smart Forvision EV from Daimler.

VW says the one-seat NILS features an aluminium space-frame chassis that helps bring the weight to just 460 kg but meets all current safety requirements. The one seat configuration was chosen because almost 90 percent of German city commuters travel without any passengers.

The NILS is powered by a 15 kW electric motor that produces up to 25 kW/130 Nm in short bursts to the rear wheels and is powered by a “relatively inexpensive” 5.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which only takes two hours to fully recharge, so can be done during working hours at the office.

VW also says their statistics show around 70 percent of all commuters residing between Berlin and Munich cover less than 25 km on their way to work.

The NILS has a driving range of up to 65 km, depending on driving style, has a top speed of 130 km/h so it can travel on the autobahns and it is claimed it can accelerate to 100 km/h in a respectable 11 seconds.

Supported by the German transport ministry, the NILS project is “designed to be both technically realistic and economically supportable”.

Volkswagen’s head of development Dr Ulrich Hackenberg said NILS anticipated the future. “The goal of the NILS project is to research a technically concrete and economically feasible vehicle concept for micro-mobility which restructures individual transportation to make it more efficient and environmentally compatible based on electric drive technology,” he said.

An F1 race - here?

Red Bull F1 in Bangkok

The financial pages of the Bangkok Post had an item regarding the desire of some government offices to see an F1 race in Thailand, and that to be a round the houses in Bangkok.

It was reported that 150,000 people came to see the demonstration by Red Bull with an F1 car along Ratchadamnoen Avenue, helping to validate the claim that Thailand will bid to stage a Formula One race in future, to help spur tourism and meeting businesses, according to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau. TCEB president Akapol Sorasuchart said the agency was responding to calls to hold major events to enhance the country’s reputation. Next year, 20 countries will hold F1 races, and the TCEB is looking at other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Abu Dhabi which already have rounds of the F1 series.

“Building an F1 circuit is very costly but it would be useful after the races end,” said Akapol. “I think that street racing is interesting for Thailand because it involves lower investment. A good location would be Ratchadamnoen Avenue because it has a good atmosphere.”

Will we be next to line Bernie’s pocket? Possibly, as the Red Bull Chalerm Yoovidhya is at the helm of a company that could afford it, but would Bangkok be prepared to meet the annual (usurer’s) fees.

The news was also picked up by one of F1’s senior journalists, Joe Saward, who ventured the following opinion:

“The goal now is to rebuild the tourist business and attract worldwide attention and so Formula 1 is a logical step. The plan is to research the effects that F1 could have on the Thai economy and then decide on whether to bid. There is much competition for races in Asia with events in Malaysia, Singapore, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. A demonstration run in Bangkok recently by Red Bull attracted huge crowds. The government is looking closely at Singapore’s experience, which has transformed the city’s reputation, even if the race itself is not so popular with the locals because of the disruption caused by the street closures. The Thais must decide whether it is worth building a circuit, or extending an existing facility or running a street race. Street races involve smaller initial investment but cost more in the longer term. The bureau may wish for a race in Bangkok, but it might be wiser to extend the 1.5-mile circuit near the seaside resort of Pattaya, which was built in 1985 and is named after Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (known in Europe as “Prince Bira”) who raced Grand Prix cars with some success in the 1940s and 1950s. This is currently not suitable for Formula 1. There were plans as long ago as 1939 for a Grand Prix of Thailand, which was being planned by Prince Bira. Sadly that event never happened as World War II broke out a few months before it was due to happen.

“The Thais have one major advantage over rival countries. The Red Bull company is 51 percent owned by Chaleo Yoovidhya (who owns 49 percent) and his son Chalerm (who owns two percent). Dietrich Mateschitz owns the remaining 49 percent, but runs the business, leaving the Thais to market their original energy drink Krating Daeng (on which Red Bull is based) in the Asian markets. Chaleo is now the richest person in Thailand, with a fortune estimated at $4 billion. Money from a public-private partnership could thus be found… so long as politics do not get in the way.”

We shall see what eventuates over the next 12 months, but I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

What did we learn from the Italian GP?

What did we learn from Monza? Well, we learned that you can have a damn good race without rain. You can have a damn good race without all the silly ‘Mickey Mouse’ Tilke round the houses stop-go circuits. The Italian GP was exciting from start to finish, in the dry, on a circuit that runs through the countryside and dates back many decades.

All due plaudits to Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) who showed he can pass, and has the large cojones when needed. The pass round the outside of Alonso (Ferrari) with two wheels on the grass was just breathtaking. No plaudits for Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber, who yet again crapped in his own nest with a silly crash with Massa (Ferrari) and ended up in the wall, no points, and slips back to fourth in the championship - just like he did 12 months ago in Korea.

A well deserved second place for Jenson Button (McLaren), who is the quiet man in the current championship. After a poor start he managed to pass his team mate Lewis Hamilton, plus Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Alonso. Three top drivers and all three soundly beaten. Hamilton, however, did not cover himself with glory and found himself holed up behind Michael Schumacher who showed that he had forgotten none of his race craft. Much noise from the anti-Schumi brigade for leaving no room for Hamilton, so that he ended up with two wheels on the grass. So? Vettel managed to pull it off, Hamilton didn’t, and then whinged to his pit. Sorry, young Lewis, you have a lot to learn yet, including not to daydream while following the safety car and getting left behind.

Michael Schumacher showed he has not lost his enthusiasm and drive. The battle with Hamilton had everyone on the edge of their seats (and Hamilton on the edge of the bitumen). After the race, Schumi said, “The fighting against Lewis was big fun, and my mirrors seemed to be very small at times. We are both known for driving on the limit, and that is what we did. I had to make my car as wide as a truck, and had to stretch the possible as much as I could, but in the end, as expected, he was still faster.” If Mercedes can start providing him with a better car, Vettel might meet his match.

The Toro Rosso team did well with both Algywotsit and Buemi in the points. Algy, from looking as if he were going to be dropped is now the stronger of the two. He should be in Toro Rosso again next year.

One driver who is impressing is Bruno Senna. When in the HRT last year he was an embarrassment. This year he is one of the standout rookies in his Renault.

Paul di Resta (Force India) again drove a solid race to finish eighth, and is the other standout rookie.

The rest of the field were nowhere.

So what else did we learn? Liuzzi (HRT) is a clot, for one. Came storming through from last position and managed at the first corner to take out Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Vitaly Petrov (Renault) and himself, while Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber), Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) and Rubens Barrichello (Williams) all suffered damage. The stewards made his clottishness official by penalizing him five grid positions for the (next) Singapore race. Since he is likely to qualify in grid position 24 (i.e. last) anyway, this is another ridiculous stewards’ decision. They would have done better to make him start from the pit lane 20 seconds after the field had left. This way he wouldn’t hit anyone (on the first lap at least).

The 2012 Ford Focus gets rave reviews

Ford Focus 2012

It is common knowledge that Ford Motor Company in Thailand are building a new factory on the Eastern Seaboard to produce the 2012 Focus, plus two other body styles based on the Focus floor pan.

American reviews suggest you can forget what you knew about the previous Focus - the 2012 car is a monumental improvement. Available in four door sedan and hatchback body styles, the new Focus benefits from great exterior styling and a new interior with high-quality materials. There is also a new fuel efficient four cylinder engine, and new suspension that delivers both above average handling and a refined ride.

The new Focus (for the American market at least) offers new technology, ranging from a rearview camera to Ford’s Automated Parking Assist, which gets you into a parking spot without the driver ever touching the steering wheel. There is also a new MyFord Touch system that largely does away with buttons and knobs in favor of a large center touchscreen and voice commands.

The new Ford Focus is obviously a well-balanced and highly refined small car. The 2012 Ford Focus offers the features and sophistication of a large car in a smaller, practical package. This sounds as though it really is one to wait for.

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked you who won a European Hill Climb championship at age 60, and what was he driving? It was Hans Stuck, driving a BMW 700 RS. Easy for the Googlers.

So to this week. What British car had a transverse front engine and front wheel drive 13 years before the Mini?

For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected].