Hyundai launches new Luxury Car Brand Genesis

November 9, 2015

South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai Motor Company, has launched a new luxury vehicle brand christened the Genesis.

The Genesis will be a stand-alone brand that would operate alongside the core Hyundai marque and the models will be named by combining the letter ‘G’ for Genesis followed by a numerical number depending upon the segment.

Hence, the top-of-the-line Hyundai Equus will now be called the G90 and the current Genesis sedan will be called the G80.

The Genesis brand will also be adorned with a new wing-type emblem that is an evolution of the logo featured on the current Genesis sedan.

Hyundai said the brand will encompass six models, including a new G70 midsize sedan, an upscale SUV and a sports coupe, with all six models launching by 2020.

“We have created this new Genesis brand with a complete focus on our customers who want smart ownership experiences that save time and effort, with practical innovations that enhance satisfaction,”

Hyundai Motor Company Vice Chairman, Euisun Chung, said.

“The Genesis brand will fulfill these expectations, becoming a market leader through our human-centered brand strategy,”

he added.

According to Chung, these

“human-centered” brand strategy will center around four key aspects, namely, “human-focused innovation, refined and balanced performance, athletic elegance in design and a hassle-free customer experience.”

A new Prestige Design Division, headed by Luc Donckerwolke, who was previously responsible for the design of Audi , Bentley, Lamborghini, SEAT and Skoda models at the Volkswagen Group , will oversee development of new products.

Hyundai Motor Group’s chief design officer, Peter Schreyer has been appointed to lead the new division.

The Genesis brand will Initially be on sale in the Korean, Chinese, North American and Middle Eastern luxury car markets.

The brand will however expand its reach to Europe and other parts of Asia as the model range grows to full strength.

However, unlike other motor companies which established separate dealer networks when launching their luxury brands, the Genesis models will be sold in the same showrooms as the existing Hyundai cars and crossovers.

Apple Watch launches in India starting at Rs 30,900

John Adebimitan

November 7, 2015

Apple inc. finally launched the Apple Watch in India. The Smartwatch was launched in three variants – Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition; it also comes in two sizes—38mm and 42mm.

The device will be available in these colours: yellow gold, rose gold, space black stainless steel, space gray, gold, silver anodized aluminum and polished silver.

The Apple Watch which is 38mm long is sold for Rs 30,900 (approximately US$468, NGN 91,730) and the one which is 42mm long is sold for Rs 34,900 each.

If the device adopts the 38mm and 42mm stainless steel case combined with the white sport band, it will be sold at Rs 48,900.

The Apple Watch was introduced around six months back, and it has become the first new product category to be launched ever since Tim Cook took over the reins of the company after Steve Jobs stepped down.

The Apple Watch is also the first new device category that Apple released after they entered the tablet market with the Apple iPad in 2010.

The Apple Watch can be personalized with watch faces gotten from the traditional analog; these are the modular face, chronograph face, jellyfish on the motion face and the animated butterflies face.

The Apple Watch which serves as a timepiece, goes beyond telling time, it also has some specialized functions like the sunrise/sunset, daily activity level and even upcoming calendar events.

Users of the Apple Watch can also swipe up from the Watch face for ‘Glances’ that will quickly show any important information like weather forecast, current location and even the current music.

Health and fitness enthusiasts can also enjoy using the Apple Watch, as the watch comes with an Activity app that gives visual snapshots of daily activities, and with three rings that measure active calories burned and how often you stand or take a break from your workout.

The Workout app also gives detailed metrics required during workout sessions for activities like walking, cycling and running.

The Apple Watch works with all ranges of the iPhone from the iPhone 5 to the latest iPhone 6s. While India has finally gotten the Apple Watch, reports are going round that its successor will be coming around mid-2016.

Google to merge Chrome and Android OS

Emmanuel

October 31, 2015

Internet giants, Google, are planning to merge its Android and Chrome Operating Systems into one unified platform.

A report from The Wall Street Journal during the week had said Google plans to fold its Chrome operating system for personal computers into its Android mobile operating system.

“Chromebooks will get a new, as yet undetermined, name, the people familiar with the matter said. Google plans to retain the Chrome name for its internet browser, which runs on both PCs and mobile devices,”

says the report.

Wall Street Journal added that the two will be united under the Android name, which will give PCs that use the operating system access to the Google Play app store.

Almost immediately after the Journal’s original report, conflicting stories began to pop up.

While most tabloids said the Chrome OS would be killed off, Business Insider said the operating system will live on as an option alongside Android and “a third project that combines the best of both.”

TechCrunch also corroborated Business Inside and disputed that Chrome OS would be killed off.

However a Google spokesperson according to The Verge has confirmed that both Chrome OS and Android will continue to exist, and that Chrome OS is not being “killed.”

It is now believed that Chrome OS and Android will combine and that Google plans to preview the combined new OS in 2016 and launch the final version in 2017.

The report to kill the Chrome OS seemed surprising as Chromebooks have been fairly successful and are a great low-cost computer option.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s Chief Executive Officer, was put in charge of both Chrome and Android two years ago, and he’s made moves to bring the two operating systems closer in that time.

This includes adding support for Android apps inside of Chrome OS. Though support is still limited, some Android apps are up and running on Chromebooks

The move marks an effort at Google to reduce the number of independent platforms it has to maintain,

However 2017 is still far away and it’s fair to assume a lot could change between now and then.

2015 Ford Everest gets Five-Star ANCAP Safety Rating

John Adebimitan

October 29, 2015

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program awarded Ford a five-star safety rating on the 2015 Ford Everest.

The Ford Everest posted five-star after getting a score of 35.98 out of a possible 37. Only Trend 4×4 was tested, but this rating applies to all the other variants of the Ford Everest SUVs as well.

The Car’s standard safety features were checked and passed. Some of the safety features that were found on the seven-seater Ford Everest included a full range of airbags that are provided for the front driver and the front passenger.

Knee airbags were also provided for the driver, and there is a chest and head protection in place for the seats on the first and second rows, while only a head protection was provided for seats on the third row.

The 2015 Ford Everest also has an Electronic Stability Control (ESC), an Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and a seat belt reminder that notifies passengers before the car is started.

The 2015 Ford Everest scored 15.38 points and a maximum of 16 points for the frontal offset and side impact tests respectively.

The Ford Everest’s whiplash protection was also marked “good” while the pedestrian protection was marked “acceptable”, getting 25.02 rating out of 36 points.

The second-generation Ford Everest made its debut this year at a motor show in Bangkok. The Ford Everest was built on the Ford Ranger’s T6 platform, and gives customers a choice of choosing either the 3.2 litre or the 2.2 litre diesel engines.

With the Ford Ranger making a grand entry into the market after its debut locally, we can expect to see a new car with some of the best features and one that is designed to provide safety. Customers will also have the opportunity to choose from three different variants of this car.

Toyota Fortuner 2016 Refresh

John Adebimitan

October 28, 2015

Toyota has been able to completely take over the premium SUV segment with one of its range of products—the Toyota Fortuner.

The Toyota Fortuner continues to sell in large numbers, and there is no indication that it is aging in the eyes of the customers. With enough confidence and enthusiasm, Toyota is planning to launch the brand new Toyota Fortuner.

The Toyota Fortuner has a very large slanted chromed grille flanked by LED DRLs and projector headlamps. The front bumper is in three dimensions and it packs more power when compared to the older Toyota Fortuner.

The car has bold character lines that run across the doors between the front and the rear fenders; the C-pillar is now black, making it produce a “floating roof” effect.

The Fortuner also has side steps, a shark-fin antenna, roof rails and stunning 18-inch wheels. The Toyota Fortuner is 4,795mm in length, 1,855mm in width, and 1, 835mm in height.

The car is to get bigger than the present version but it will continue to feature a body-on-frame chassis.

The new Toyota Fortuner comes with a very classy and flashy cabin. Toyota adopted a two-tone colour scheme and a brand new dashboard.

The centre console is the home to a touch screen audio navigation device along with two controls for the automatic climate change. The new instrument panel now comes with a twin pod setup and a digital readout in the middle.

The car which stills maintains its 2-3-2 seat configuration comes with a different engine design. The present 2.5litre diesel unit will be replaced by a better 2.4litre diesel unit. Similarly, a 2.8litre diesel motor will replace the 3.0litre diesel motor.

The new 4WD technology will replace the 4×4 version. The car also comes with a rear differential lock and a Hill Decent Control. This new Toyota Fortuner is an “updated” version of the older Toyota Fortuner.

Toyota overtakes Volkswagen in Auto Sales following Emissions Scandal

John Adebimitan

October 27, 2015

Volkswagen has been pulled off the top spot of global car sales by Toyota following its emission scandal, signalling that some consumers are losing confidence in VW.

As the emission-rigging scandal takes full effect, Toyota has reclaimed the leadership in global car sales, and only time can tell how long Volkswagen will be down as this emission scandal is ragging.

Earlier this month, Volkswagen reported that it sold 7.43 million vehicles in the nine months of 2015, and the report that Toyota released was that it has sold 7.5 million, with the highest number of sales coming in the past two months after the Volkswagen scandal started, although both Volkswagen and Toyota each had a 1.5% fall in its sales.

After Volkswagen’s admission that it had fitted its cars with a software device to manipulate emissions in the US test, a lot of people have lost confidence in Volkswagen and that could explain why there has been a sudden fall in the sale of its cars.

Volkswagen’s dream of being the leading and biggest car seller was realized earlier this year after it got more car sales than it’s rival Toyota, but that position was not held for long as its emission scandal has now forced a decline in the number of vehicles sold.

Volkswagen is now preparing to repair over 11 million vehicles worldwide, so it has halted the sales of diesel car models in most of the world’s markets.

David Bailey, a professor of industrial strategy at Aston University’, said:

“Volkswagen should say goodbye to being the biggest car seller in the world for the foreseeable future. We have not yet seen the full impact of the scandal and the damage it will do to the firm, but as for now, their (Volkswagen) diesel market in the world has been killed.”

Even when it was the biggest seller in the world, many analysts have predicted that Volkswagen was masking some of its underlying problems, and true to the insinuation, Volkswagen which had controlled the China market suffered its fall in Chinese sales even before the scandal erupted.

The desire to beat quality has cost Volkswagen dearly and this month, they have announced a strategic overhaul to concentrate on electric and hybrid vehicles and to revamp all its diesel cars and vans with a cleaner exhaust emission system.

BMW unveils 2016 MINI Convertible, targets March 2016 launch

Emmanuel

October 23, 2015

Automobile giants Bayerische Motoren Werke, BMW, will make its much awaited 2016 MINI Cooper Convertible available in March next year according to a news release by the company.

The BMW group is expected to start offering the Cooper and Cooper S trims variants next year, which is about two years after the Hardtop update and the Clubman introduction.

The 2016 MINI Cooper Convertible is much anticipated as it’s packed with a load of goodies and awesome features.

Its exterior features circular headlamps, rear lights with chrome surrounds and hexagonal radiator grille.

The 2016 MINI convertible is less mini in terms of dimensions than its predecessors. It is now 98mm longer, 44mm wider and 7mm taller than the vehicle it replaces.

The length, width and height of the car now stand at 3821mm, 1727mm and 1415mm, respectively.

Motorists can drop the full retractable soft top on the 2016 MINI Convertible while it’s traveling at speeds of up to 18 mph and the total transition to topless takes about 18 seconds.

When a rollover threatens to turn a drive tragic, the Convertible’s two rollover protection bars will deploy to protect the occupants and prevent the car from flipping over. The first of its kind, a pyrotechnical trigger deploys the high-strength aluminum bars in less than 150 milliseconds.

The 2016 MINI Convertible is available with three-cylinder and four-cylinder engines. The three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine develops 134bhp and 220Nm while the 1.5-litre diesel engine develops 114bhp and 270Nm.

The powerful S version employs an in-line four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that churns out 189bhp and 280Nm.

The engine, propelled by a six-speed manual gearbox powers the convertible to reach 0 to 100kmph in 7.2 seconds with a top speed of 230kmph. The same engine mated to six-speed automatic reaches 100kmph in 7.1 seconds with a top speed of 228kmph.

The new model is available in 11 colors including the new Caribbean Aqua shade.

Pricing however won’t be announced until January 2016.

“The new MINI Convertible has a great balance of playful personalization and sophistication. It’s open-top driving without compromise,”

David Duncan, vice president MINI of the Americas said.

“The bespoke levels of customization set it apart from other convertibles on the market, while the front wheel drive BMW architecture and engines make it fun-to-drive and practical in any driving conditions,”

he added.

Wireless Xbox One Controller Adapter for Windows Launches

John Adebimitan

October 22, 2015

Back in June 2015, Microsoft announced the Xbox One Wireless Adapter for Windows. As part of its commitment to to bringing Xbox gaming experience to the Windows 10 PC and a desire to meet the ever high expectations of consumers, Microsoft has now released an accessory that offers Xbox experience on Windows.

Starting October 22, Microsoft has officially began shipping the Xbox One Wireless controller to retailers around the world.

Microsoft took a strategic step to increase sales and availability of the accessory by shipping it in large quantities to retailers round the world.

The device was first shipped to some of the leading game playing countries to give a major boost to the sales of the first batches.

Using the Xbox One Wireless Adapter for Windows is really easy; you simply plug the Adapter into the USB 2.0 or the USB 3.0 port of your Windows 10 PC, laptop or tablet.

After plugging the Xbox Adapter into the USB port you have to bind the Adapter to your Wireless controller to enjoy your games.

The Xbox Adapter gives a gaming experience comparable to that of the Xbox One – the gaming experience that gamers are used to.

You also enjoy the in-game chat and high quality stereo audio. The Xbox Wireless controller can accommodate an upward of eight controllers per unit, and up to four chat headsets or two stereo headsets.

This new device makes gaming become more real, more engaging and more interesting on a PC. The Xbox Wireless Adapter comes with a sleek design; it’s easy to use and easy to learn.

The Adapter will make us enjoy playing games like Minecraft, Fable Legends and Gears of War.

The Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows is now selling for $25 USD (5,000 Naira), but if a buyer wants it together with an Xbox one Wireless controller, the price sums up at $80 USD (16,000 Naira).

All New Mercedes-Maybach S-Class Is Here

John Adebimitan

October 22, 2015

The Mercedes Maybach S-Class is a new invention that redefines everything about luxury. Sometime ago, Mercedes discontinued the production of the Maybach series with the hope of redefining the car to be up to the standard set in the automobile industry.

The production of the Mercedes Maybach is well calculated and well planned by the top rated automaker.

The new car has luxury raised to the highest level and these makes it possible for Mercedes to break newer grounds again. These new car is sure to attract existing and new customers.

The Mercedes Maybach is 5453mm long and its wheel base is 3365mm, making it 20 cm larger than the S-Class Saloon car in dimensions.

Rear sitting passengers will also enjoy a larger space size and other standard equipment that include voice amplifications and executive seats. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is also the world’s quietest car.

This car combines stylish and effortless superiority with trend setting exclusivity. This model has also retained sleek, domed-shaped rooflines from the other cars in the S-Class, but some outstanding exterior features have been adapted to the Maybach.

When compared to the other S-Class cars, the Maybach is 207mm longer, thus increasing the level of comfort being derived.

The front centre arm rest is coated with Nappa leather upholstery which is produced with Maybach crests. Another cool feature in the car dashboard is the analogue clock that comes with an IWC design.

All numbers and indicators are milled and applied with fine metal and the analogue clock comes with amazing design underlining it.

The all new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class has a remarkable V8 Bi-turbo engine that comes with an output of 335kw (455 hp), a maximum torque of 700 Nm is available from 1800rpm, 207g/km CC02 emissions, and its acceleration is simply remarkable with a speed of 250 km/h.

Xiaomi launches Android-Powered Mi TV 3 with 60-Inch 4K Display

John Adebimitan

October 21, 2015

Xiaomi launched the Mi TV 3 on Monday. This is a 60-inch television with a 4k display that looks just like the Mi TV 2 and previous generations of television sets from the company. The television was launched in China the home market of Xiaomi.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 3 features a 60-inch 4k display from LG, and the display comes with a full aluminum frame running on the sides.

The slim Mi TV 3 is 11.6mm thick and it is powered by an MStar 6A928 processor with Cortex-A 17 and Mali T760 GPU.

It has an 8 GB eMMC 5.0 flash as the internal storage memory, but as respects the RAM module Xiaomi hasn’t said anything yet.

The Mi TV 3 also comes with an ability to be super connected because of its three HDMI ports, two USB ports, one VGA port, one Ethernet port, one AV in port, one output for subwoofer and a standard RF modulator.

In terms of its audio capabilities, the Mi TV 3 features a Virtual Surround technology, deep bass and dialogue enhanced tool with an Auto Volume Balance support.

Xiaomi said that the acoustics for the television was put together by Grammy award winning star Luca Bugnardi and Wang Fuyu who is the former research head at Philips acoustics.

The speaker bar is made of four mid-range 2.5-inch subwoofers and it interestingly comes with the television’s main board.

The company said that it separated the processor board from the screen, thus reducing the replacement cost of all internal components and improving the life cycle of the TV.

For now Mi TV 3 is available for sales in China, but Xiaomi has kept mum concerning its international availability.

But considering the company’s plan to make it available in the United States and some other selected locations, it is possible that the TV travel farther than anticipated.

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