DAIMLER GROUP

Company first quarter operating profits plunge as virus bites

German car giant Daimler has reported a 78-percent drop in preliminary first-quarter operating profits to 617 million euros ($667 million), as the coronavirus wreaks havoc on production and sales.
The Mercedes-Benz manufacturer, which had already withdrawn its targets for 2020 amid the pandemic, said Wednesday it expected sales, turnover and operating profit to be lower than in 2019.
The firm forecast sales across its lines of Mercedes-Benz cars and vans as well as its Daimler buses and trucks to all be lower on-year, it said in a statement.
"The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer demand, supply chains and vehicle production cannot be assessed with the usual degree of detail and certainty, making the re-evaluation of the forecast for the fiscal year 2020 complex," it said.
In the first quarter, Daimler's worldwide sales slumped 15 percent year-on-year, with Mercedes-Benz cars alone seeing a 20-percent drop in China and a fall of 16 percent in Europe.
Daimler—which re-opened some of its factories in Europe this week after a weeks-long interruption—did not publish its sales figures or expected net profit and will publish its full report for the quarter on April 29.
Car manufacturers in Europe have been reeling since March following restrictions on movement put in place by governments across the continent to limit the spread of the virus.
Last week, German car giant Volkswagen withdrew its 2020 financial targets as it warned of collapsing profits due to the coronavirus.
First-quarter operating profit fell around 80 percent compared with January-March 2019, to 900 million euros ($979 million), VW said in its preliminary figures.
Experts expect still-worse performance in April, while ratings agency Moody's forecast a 14-percent contraction in the global car market for 2020 as a whole. 

© 2020 AFP

TOYOTA

Company reveals all-new 2021 Yaris Cross

Toyota sure kept us on our toes this past couple of weeks. Even with the pandemic, they've been revealing some really interesting vehicles like the new generation Harrier. And now, they have another.
After its supposed launch was canceled back in March, the automaker's B-crossover has finally been revealed: this is the all-new 2021 Yaris Cross. It's nothing like the Yaris Cross models of the past, as the new model now has its own unique styling whereas the previous generations were, literally, the standard Yaris hatch with extra ground clearance.
The front end is much more upright than the hatchback's, giving it a bit more presence despite its size. Headlights are mounted much higher and the shape of the clusters themselves adapts a four-sided design. Its grill, on the other hand, takes some cues from its bigger stablemate, the RAV4, with its upside-down trapezoidal shape.
To give it even more flair, the wheel arches are squared-off and so too are the fender flares. The side profile, on the other hand, is much like the teaser sketches Toyota showed from a few weeks back. It's relatively rakish and the blacked-out roof gives the impression of a floating design.



Typical in all crossovers are unpainted plastic cladding, and the Yaris cross is no different. The entire lower section of the subcompact crossover is covered in it. But it's at the rear where more RAV4 cues are evident. From the steeply raked rear windshield to the high-set tail lights, the Yaris Cross has mostly shed its 'standard Yaris on stilts' look.



As for the interior, there are subtle differences between the Yaris Cross and the hatchback. For instance, it loses the glovebox shelf on the dash, and the center stack has a more squared-off design. Even the instrument cluster is different, having a more hooded shroud. Toyota even made the effort of making different interiors for the Japanese and European versions of the crossover.



What about similarities with the hatchback? It has a floating center screen just like the Corolla. The form of the dashboard is also the same as the hatch's, so it gets that same funky theme going on in there too. Along with that are a digital instrument cluster (possibly reserved for the top-spec models) and a sizable multi-information display.
On to engines and it's two three-cylinder mills under the hood. The base powerplant is a 1.5-liter engine that puts 120 PS and 145 Nm of torque and it's paired to a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The other is a hybridized version of the 1.5-liter and that one has a total combined output of 116 PS. The Yaris Cross Hybrid is available with e-Four all-wheel drive and it shifts via a CVT only.



This Yaris Cross will be offered in Europe and Japan. We're not quite sure yet if South East Asia will get a version of it, but we expect Toyota to be increasing its crossover offerings in our region soon.

Source: Anton Andres

FÓRMULA-1

Alonso would be interested in Vettel's place in Ferrari 

Charles Leclerc signed a new contract with Ferrari before the turn of the year, which will allow the young driver to remain stable in the Italian team until the end of 2024. Sebastian Vettel has no contract yet, but is currently talking about it with Ferrari.
The contract offered for the German was inferior in terms of values and would have a duration of one year. This is not something that the German pilot is expecting and that generates speculation. For example, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz would be interested in Vettel's place. These two drivers also have no contract after this year, so they can look elsewhere.
They would not be the only ones interested, informs the F1 Insider, thinking that Fernando Alonso would have proposed to replace Vettel. This would allow the Spanish two-time champion to return to his former team, where he raced between 2010 and 2014.
According to La Gazetta dello Sport, Sebastian Vettel's current contract offer would be a one-year contract with a value of twelve million euros. That's less than a third of the value of your contract now. The one-year duration for Vettel, and a long-term contract for Leclerc, also show that the priority in the Italian team is changing.

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MERCEDES-BENZ

The 2020 MB-AMG CLA35 Finds Itself Caught in the Middle 

It might be that the CLA35 is star-crossed. Each drive of the new CLA35 has brought with it something bad. Of course, this is no fault of the CLA35, and our test cars have both run without any issues. Our first Mercedes-AMG CLA35 experience coincided with a bad cold. It's hard to enjoy anything, including driving a new car, when you're trying to not cough all over your passengers. Still, that first rip in the CLA35 revealed it to have precise steering with a satisfying heft, quick acceleration with barely any evidence of turbo lag, and an interior that didn't live up to the expectations set by the $47,895 base price.
The second CLA arrival to the office in late March came during an even worse situation. If you're reading this shortly after it is published, you know what I'm talking about. If not, consider yourself lucky that time has carried you so far enough away from spring 2020 that you've forgotten why it was bad. See what we mean about star-crossed?
At least there was a complete lack of traffic on the road home after collecting the CLA from the office on the last day before it closed. While worry clouded the mood, a series of sweeping curves in the road brought out a desire to press the CLA35 hard. Unlike the CLA35 we drove in Phoenix during the press launch, our test car in Michigan came equipped with winter tires, and the softer compound created a bit of squirm under cornering pressure. But even with the cold-weather footwear, the CLA's steering is direct, its 302 horsepower feels appropriate, and its ride—often a problem in AMGs—is controlled without being harsh.
Mercedes-Benz sent the second CLA35 our way to give us more time in the car and to allow us to gather instrumented data. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented us from gathering test data on the CLA35. We promise to test one as soon as we can. Our estimates put it at a 4.6-second time to 60 mph, and through the quarter-mile in 13.0 seconds. All-wheel-drive traction and launch control make the most of the turbo four's power. And while those times don't upend the segment, the CLA35 is a rung below the 382-hp CLA45. The CLA35-grade 2.0-liter four provides strong punch, but it doesn't make thrilling sounds or make us want to grab the paddles that control the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic to ring the engine out to the redline. Left alone, the dual-clutch automatic is quick, smooth, and unobtrusive.


The cabin is a pleasant place to be, but it's not so nice that you regret leaving it. Mercedes uses less-expensive-looking switchgear in its A-class and CLA-class models, but you do get a configurable digital gauge cluster and a separate screen for the infotainment system. Please don't get us started on the brand's new voice-activated personal assistant. Hey, Mercedes, can you just leave us alone for a minute?
Every new car that comes to us has with it our hope that it'll be great. But, we know that not every kid in the class can be the best. While the CLA35 doesn't achieve greatness, it has enough power and handles well enough to distract and encourage us when the road turns interesting, winter tires notwithstanding. In those moments, the CLA35 fosters real joy, which is a good place to start. 


Part of the CLA35's problem is that it's caught in the middle of the CLA lineup, and we can think of a lot of more interesting cars at our CLA's $66,340 as-tested price. That kind of money buys an Audi RS3, a BMW M2 or an M340i, or even the $55,795 CLA45. Keep the options to a minimum, and the more powerful and sillier CLA45 could be the model that changes the CLA's luck.

Source: © Michael Simari - Car and Driver

AUTONEWS

3 Easy Fixes to Many Common Car Problems

Many of us can’t remember the last time we drove a car that required a good smack on the dashboard to get the stereo to play, or when a certain and very specific something had to be done in order to get something else to work properly. After all, today’s cars are more complex than ever and an old-fashioned smack on the instrument cluster probably isn’t going to make that warning light go away or stop the speedometer from flickering.
Still, despite their complexity, there are a multitude of problems that happen in modern cars that can likely be fixed by doing three very simple things. Based on years of research into owner-reported issues with second-hand cars and the reported solutions, here are three magic-bullet fixes to literally hundreds of possible problems with your car or truck.

Change Your Cabin Air Filter
If your climate control system seems a bit sketchy these days and is acting erratically, start by making sure it can breathe by checking and replacing its filter as needed. Changing a cabin air filter is a simple thing you can do yourself that can fix many problems.
Cabin air filters clean particles, bugs, and dirt from the air outside as it’s drawn into your vehicle by the climate control system. Whenever the fan is running, that filter is slowly but surely being clogged up.
Forgetting to change that cabin air filter in a timely fashion is a leading cause of problems with your climate control system including poor defroster performance, weak heat in winter, weak air conditioning in the summertime, and even excessive wear or failure of air conditioner parts. In some vehicles, a clogged cabin air filter can make the air conditioner act like it has a mind of its own, working on some occasions and not others. In other vehicles, a clogged cabin air filter can even result in water leakage into the front footwell carpeting as excessive ice and frost buildup occurs within the system, thanks to the restricted airflow caused by the clogged cabin air filter.


Swap Out That Weak Battery
If you’ve been suspecting that your car might have some sort of wiring gremlin causing weird and random problems with your car’s electronics, there’s a really solid chance you just need a new battery.
If you think your car is fancy and high-tech inside, you should see the complex array of electronics, sensors, and computer modules underneath its skin. Even in the simplest cars, these electronics play a vital role in making your vehicle operate and perform the way it was intended to – until the battery starts to get weak.
Modern electronics get really fussy if they don’t consistently get the right amount of power to do their jobs. And if the battery in your car or truck is starting to die, it might be having trouble keeping all of those electronics properly powered at all times.
With insufficient battery power affecting the electronics and their ability to communicate properly with one another, a plethora of issues may arise. These include the spontaneous and dramatic illumination of multiple warning lights, random operation or non-operation of certain features, and other frustrating problems like push-button ignitions that won’t work, or not being able to start your car when it’s freezing cold outside.
I wouldn’t be surprised if about half of the weird problems owners experience with their cars could be fixed by a new battery.

Get the Software Update
Just like your computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or video game console, cars sometimes need software updates to fix potential issues, make things run more smoothly, and prevent certain problems from popping up.
Cars have a multitude of computer control centres responsible for operating a multitude of features, which means there’s an awful lot of software.


Sometimes, a software update becomes available to keep it working properly. Some software updates are small and might reprogram the computer brain of your power tailgate. Others are enormous, replacing and optimizing the software that controls your vehicle’s transmission, for example.
In some cases, these software updates are released to fix a known problem like unwanted battery drain, harsh shifting from the transmission, problems with infotainment system compatibility, and more.
Software updates can even make your car easier on fuel, stop it from rolling away when you swore you put it in Park, and prevent smelly mould from growing within your climate control system by changing fan behaviour.
There are literally hundreds of other examples.
In any case, a dealer service advisor can check your VIN against a database to determine which, if any, software updates need to be applied to your vehicle or if they’ve already been applied during regular servicing.
Some high-end cars can even perform their own over-the-air software updates over a Wi-Fi connection.

© Provided by autoTRADER

MAZDA

Company files patent for hybrid rotary engine (Update)

Rotary engines that once powered the gorgeous Mazda RX-7 two-seater, rear-wheel drive coupe—a five-time winner of a coveted spot on Car and Driver's Ten Best autos list—were phased out by 2012. Their popularity in the Seventies and Eighties was boosted by their compact design and low weight, but they lost favor due to poor fuel efficiency in an increasingly environmentally conscious era.
But it appears Mazda is reinventing the wheel, so to speak. Patent papers uncovered in Japan show the auto manufacturer is planning a complex overhaul of the engine that could pave the way for a new era of low-weight, high-efficiency vehicles.
Mazda, in fact, has already revealed plans next year for the electric SUV MX-30 that will incorporate a rotary engine for the first time since 2011, when the RX-7's successor, RX-8, ended production due to falling sales.
But the new patent suggests a major leap in rotary design further down the road.
The new hybrid drive envisions a front-mounted combustion engine paired with an electric motor that controls the rear wheels. In addition, the front wheels would each carry their own electric motors running at a higher voltage than the rest of the vehicle.
The system utilizes a relatively low-power 3.5 kWh lithium-ion battery to handle the rear wheels, which is expected to be sufficient for typical acceleration in city driving. When more power is required, two inverters and an under-the-hood double-layer capacitor will come into play. The capacitors handle energy transfer more efficiently than the lithium-ion batteries. Those capacitors would be charged by the engine and also by regenerative braking.
Regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into a usable power source than can be instantly utilized or stored either in the battery or capacitors.
Mazda did not release any details of a scheduled release. It is expected the new system would be used in a possible flagship sports car or other higher-priced model.
The Wankel rotary engine, named after the German inventor Felix Wankel, marked a revolutionary change in internal combustion when it was developed in the 1950s. Instead of the standard reciprocating piston engine with a fixed cylinder block and a rotating shaft, all parts of the Wankel engine rotated in a single direction. This rotary design advantage yielded smother running, improved cooling and lower weight.
The rotary design advantage yielded smother running, improved cooling and lower weight.

But there were downsides:
As described by Jason Fenske of the automotive online community DriveTribe, the old rotary engine suffered four key disadvantages: "Rotary engines have a low thermal efficiency as a result of a long combustion chamber and unburnt fuel making it to the exhaust," he stated in an online post in 2018. "They also have problems with rotor sealing as a result of uneven temperatures in the combustion chamber since combustion only occurs in one portion of the engine. Oil consumption is also a problem, as oil is injected to add lubrication and help keep the rotor sealed. Finally, emissions are poor and fuel economy is terrible, and ultimately this is the cause of its death."
Still, rotary engines have found useful lives beyond automobiles. They can be found in planes, go-karts, jet skis, snowmobiles, chainsaws and auxiliary power units.
It remains to be seen if they will once again command the attention and admiration they garnered 40 years ago. 

by Peter Grad

UNICAT

Company launches luxury motorhome for $1.5 million

Unicat has a history of building some of the world's most impressive off-road motorhomes, and even with the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzing the world, the company launched this vehicle with a robust and luxurious design.
Originally planned to debut in the now postponed June 2020 Adventure & Allwheel program, Unicat's latest MAN monstrosity is fully optimized for social detachment. The 6 × 6 MD56c has a full two-week autonomy, completely disconnected and, although it is very large for off-road trails, it carries on its back a small UAV (all-terrain vehicle in ibngles) ready to continue the journey in tighter places .
As in previous versions, like the MD77h, the numbering of the MD56c comes from the length of 5,600 mm. The motorhome module is built from self-supporting fiberglass panels, on the floor a combination of fiber compounds and an integrated steel structure attached to the MAN TGS 26.540 6 × 6 chassis, through a three-point kinematic assembly system . The total length of the vehicle is 8,160 mm. And the six wheels of the truck are spread over a wheelbase of 4,000 + 1,400 mm.



Access to the Unicat motorhome module is via a passage in the driver's cabin or a ladder through the side door. The spacious dining table fills the front of the cabin, offering seating for six on its two benches. The adjustable central table goes down to create a 140 x 200 cm bed.





On the other side of the entrance door, the large kitchen area has a two-zone induction hob, stainless steel sink, teak countertop, microwave oven, dishwasher and 130-liter refrigerator with 65-liter freezer. The drawers include tightly packed non-slip dividers to ensure that you don't arrive at the camp after a rough ride to find a pile of shards of pottery.



Keeping the induction cooker, microwave and other electrical appliances in operation is in charge of a group of 1,200 Ah / 24.6 kWh lithium batteries connected to a 1,850 W solar panel, dual inverters and a monitoring system complete. A Honda portable generator provides a backup solution, but the battery-based electrical system itself was designed to keep things running off the grid for two weeks.
The 600 L fresh water supply with two tanks is designed with the same time frame in mind, and the 980 L diesel fuel reserve offers up to 3,300 km (2,000 miles) of autonomy.
The foam-insulated cabin from Unicat remains comfortable in all types of climates, thanks to a double heating system and 2.3 kW air conditioning. The taps are powered by a water heater and an ice-proof plumbing system.
Unicat models often have motorcycle carriers at the rear, but the MD56c takes it a step further with a door large enough to carry one or two bikes side by side, plus spare tires.

The cabin also includes a GPS navigation system, rearview mirrors and 360-degree camera and full climate control.

The driver's cabin has two main seats with air suspension, heating and ventilation and two additional seats that transform into a bed. Thus, Unicat points out that the truck is optimized for two people, but can accommodate up to four or five. The cabin also includes a GPS navigation system, 360-degree mirrors and camera and full climate control.
The MAN TGS is equipped with a 532 hp diesel engine with a 12-speed transmission. The Unicat truck also includes steering on the rear axle for greater maneuverability, tubeless tubeless tires and a central tire inflation system.

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