Formula 1 is set to undergo a massive overhaul behind the scenes, wherein one seldom peaks, following the decision of Frank Arthofer to step down from his role as director of digital and licensing. This is a major change that comes with lots of implications.
For those unaware, Arthofer has been one of the most instrumental background figures, having played a major role in Formula One’s transformation post-Liberty Media’s entry, which occurred after it acquired the sport from Bernie Ecclestone four long years ago. Arthofer is also cited by F1 as being responsible for the sport finally becoming “a leading global brand on social media”, an area Ecclestone previously feared to tread as he failed to see any monetary value for the same.
The American, who has gone back to the United States to be closer to his family after the birth of his new-born son, is also credited with ‘increasing materially’ what is described as the “key metrics, from the audience to transactions to revenue”. F1 has decided not to replace Arthofer but instead build on the platform he has created by diversifying his role in other areas within the business, which is a good decision since a replacement would cause rather unprecedented change.
F1 chairman Chase Carey, who has worked alongside Arthofer, said: “I want to thank Frank for his dedication and success in building and growing our digital platforms and licensing business. “He joined us right at the start of our Formula 1 journey in 2017 and has been a big part of the team that has transformed Formula 1 into a leading global media and entertainment brand.
“Since Frank made his decision last year, he has been a great partner in helping me ensure a smooth transition of his business units, and I am confident that these areas will continue to thrive in their new homes within Formula 1.”
Arthofer was heard saying: “It’s been a great privilege to work on the transformation of the unique, world-class company that is Formula 1.”Building the team and business from the ground up has been a professional challenge that I have relished and enjoyed from day one.
“I want to personally thank my staff at F1 for their constant focus on improvement, and Chase Carey and the team at Liberty Media for their enthusiastic support over the past four years,” he added.
What are your thoughts in regards to this new change? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple’s Car is supposedly going to be a reality or so says Hyundai. The Motor Group claimed on Friday that it was in talks with Apple about building an electric car, which has been doing rounds for quite some time. The company however backtracked on the claim later. This caused Hyundai’s shares to soar by 20 per cent overnight, which seemingly did wonders for both the company’s image and share value.
In a statement to the Financial Times, Hyundai said,: “Apple and Hyundai are in discussions, but as it is at an early stage, nothing has been decided.” The car maker’s valuation rose by £6.5bn (around Rs 6,478,47 crore) just post this announcement, so we can see how much of an impact it makes.
Hyundai then moved on to revise its statement in a later regulatory filing, in which it said it was in talks with “various companies” about the joint development of autonomous electric vehicles – but did not name Apple. The tech giant has yet to publicly comment on the same. This news of discussions between the two industry giants comes a few weeks post Apple’s interest in making an all-electric car.
The collaboration between these two companies could see Apple’s EV borrow technology from Hyundai’s new E-GMP architecture, which brings support for 800V charging capacity and offer more than 500km of range per charge, which is an amazing number.
While the software and battery tech used in any Apple car will likely be developed by them, the tie-up with Hyundai would help it to outsource manufacturing, avoiding the major costs, investment as well as complexity in building its own hardware. The cost of developing a car production network was the main reason British tech firm Dyson scrapped its electric car plans last year, which was being hyped quite a bit.
The relationship would actually be identical to the one that Apple has with Taiwanese production giant Foxconn, which currently helps to contract manufacture iPhones and iPads, allowing Apple to focus its efforts on design, technology and software, which is quite smart.
What are your thoughts about the possibility of an Apple car? Would you consider it over a Tesla? Let us know in the comments below.
Many manufacturers had announced back in December that they will be increasing their prices of certain models in January 2021. Due to this, one would have to shell out more of their money to buy a four-wheeler as they would cost more. Usually, the manufacturers increase prices by around 1 per cent to 3 per cent every year. However, this time is an exemption, since the price hike is way more than the usual percentage., mainly due to the rather expensive costs that go into refreshing all existing models to the more stringent BS6 Norms.
Multiple brands have since then increased prices for their offerings, and, we thought of listing out all the hikes that have taken place since then. Here are a few of the major brands and the cars whose prices have been hiked, both in smaller and larger margins.
1. Maruti Suzuki Price Hike
Maruti has announced a price hike across all models beginning from January 2021. The price hike, which will be applicable to both Arena and NEXA models includes the facelifted Vitara Brezza, Baleno, and WagonR. For some context, Maruti’s current portfolio offers cars priced from Rs 2.95 lakh to 12.39 lakh.
2. Kia India Price Hike
Kia Motors has told to its dealers that it will be making ‘an upward price correction’ for its Seltos and Sonet SUVs from January. The statement said, “The expected increase will be substantial. Exact extent of price increase will be intimated on January 1”. The Carnival however has been left from the same.
Currently, the Kia Seltos is priced from Rs 9.89 lakh to Rs 17.34 lakh, while the Sonet ranges from Rs 6.71 lakh to Rs 12.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
3. Hyundai India Price Hike
Hyundai India also announced hikes of its models for 2021. The automaker has stated that its entire range will go through the price revision due to rise in input as well as material costs The price hike will range from Rs 7,521 to Rs 32,800, depending on the model and the variant of the car.
4. Mahindra Price Hike
Mahindra too has hiked prices by 1.9% (between Rs 4,500 – Rs 40,000) for its vehicles, from the budget offerings to the SUVs and premium vehicles on offer. Surprisingly, this is applicable even for the Thar (effective for bookings from today). Mahindra has done this by citing rising input costs, which is a fair reason for the price increase.
5. MG India Price Hike
MG recently launched the MG Hector 2021 and the Hector Plus, both of which were subject to these hikes. As was reported in December, the automaker, like others, was also preparing to hike prices. The carmaker had said that it would increase prices of all its models currently on sale by up to 3 per cent from January 1. The carmaker had hiked prices for the Gloster last month, following the end of the period for the initial special price.
6. Honda Price Hike
Dealer sources had confirmed back in December that Honda would be revising prices of their cars upwards from January 1, 2020, too. There are, however, no details yet as to how much the increase will be, even as of the date of writing this article.
We do hope however that the pricing hikes will be announced soon.
7. Renault Price Hike
Renault had announced that it would hike prices for its models by up to Rs 28,000 in the new calendar year. In a statement made last year, the carmaker revealed that rising prices of input materials and other costs had made an upward revision in pricing necessary.
8 BMW and Mini
As for the luxury end of the car market, BMW India had said that it would be hiking prices for its range of models sold under both the BMW and Mini brands by as much as 4 per cent from 2021. The carmaker had mentioned back in December that the new prices would come into effect from January 4. We expect the same to have an effect on the next BMW launch, which is the 3 Gran Limousine.
9 Ford India Price Hike
Ford India also announced that it was set to hike prices of its range of cars and SUVs by up to 3 per cent from January 2021, or between Rs 5,000 to Rs 35,000, depending on the model and it’s variant. The carmaker, stated back in 2020 however that customers booking their cars in 2020 would not be affected, with the old price remaining applicable for these buyers.
10. Nissan and Datsun Price Hike
Nissan India had announced that it would hike prices of all cars under the Nissan and Datsun brands from January 2021. The Japanese carmaker stated that it would hike prices by up to 5 per cent to account for the rising costs of inputs. The hike in pricing also had an effect on the Nissan Maginte, with the SUV’s introductory pricing period having ended back on 31st December 2020.
11. Volkswagen Price Hike
The German automaker too announced back in December that it would hike prices of its locally manufactured models, i.e. the Polo and Vento by up to 2.5 per cent from January 1. The carmaker had said that the hike in pricing would be due to rising input costs. Prices for the carmaker’s CBU models such as the Tiguan remained unaffected.
12 Skoda Price Hike
Last, but not the least, Skoda too announced a hike in prices across its model range by up to 2.5 per cent from January 1, 2021. The carmaker had cited rising input costs “due to significant volatility in the global commodity prices and foreign exchange rates in recent times” as a reason for this revision in pricing.
What are your thoughts in regarding to this sudden hike of prices? Are you upset? Let us know in the comments below.
It seems the world of Formula One is quite ecstatic to return to normal, as is evident by the decision to conduct an unprecedented 23 races for the 2021 season, trumping records of years past. This has been announced by the World Motorsport Council today and, post this announcement, the F1 fanatic in our mind is quite happy to see this development.
Some of the new additions to this already exciting calendar include Saudi Arabia, which is making it’s debut, as well as the Dutch GP, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic (it’s been over a year since this began, yet it seems the effects of Covid took place just yesterday, does it not?)
The races are expected to begin on the 21st of March in Australia, however, this is under scanners, as was reported earlier by us. The last race, meanwhile will be conducted in Dubai, just like the 2020 season, with the final race beginning on the 5th of December. There are as many as five back-to-back races and two triple headers in the second half of the Formula 1 season, which has the inner F1 bug in me wriggling in excitement.
Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO of Formula 1, stated: “We are pleased to announce the 2021 Formula 1 provisional calendar after extensive conversations with our promoters, the teams and the FIA. We are planning for 2021 events with fans that provide an experience close to normal and expect our agreements to be honoured.”
We have proven that we can safely travel and operate our races, and our promoters increasingly recognise the need to move forward and manage the virus. In fact, many hosts actually want to use our event as a platform to show the world they are moving forward.” he added.
Commenting on the changes, he said: “We are delighted to see Saudi Arabia become a part of the schedule and are equally excited to return to the venues we hoped to race in 2020. We want to thank all our promoters and partners for their ongoing enthusiasm and collaboration and look forward to giving our fans an exciting season on the track.”
We will be listing out the provisional schedule for Formula One, but, do note that they may be subject to change as well as cancellations. Although the Formula 1 calendar for the year has faced hiccups, as Australia and China are likely to be postponed or dropped from the calendar, 2020 proved that the sport is more than ready with backup circuits and whatnot.
For example, with Australia and China uncertain about going ahead with their scheduled Formula 1 races, both Algarve, as well as Imola, have been lined up as stand-bys. For now, the Formula 1 season might start in Bahrain, as Australia could be postponed to November.
According to some reports, Lewis Hamilton wanting the same salary as the last season (2020) has baffled Mercedes chief Ola Kallenius. For those unaware, the Briton’s contract with Mercedes ended on 1st of January and, since then, he has been the only racer out of the various team to be out of a contract, since every other team has either retained their racer or added a new driver.
The Briton, who won the F1 Drivers’ Championship for the seventh time in 2020, drew level with Michael Schumacher in the process. But his long-term future in the sport is up in the air, with the Silver Arrows being linked with Williams Junior Driver George Russell, who’s outstanding performance during the Sakhir GP had us all in awe.
As has been reported before, Hamilton and Mercedes’s head Toto Wolff have both admitted once or the other that they’re eager to strike an agreement over a new contract, since Mercedes would not wish to leave Hamilton, that too at the peak of his career.
For some context, Hamilton has asked for a salary of around £40million a year to stay with the Mercedes, who he’s been with ever since joining from McLaren in 2013.
As we mentioned earlier, the Chairman of Daimler’s Board of Directors, however ‘cannot understand’ why the 36-year-old is hoping for the same contract he had last year, since Mercedes is having to cut costs on all levels as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and Hamilton staying on would be a very expensive thing for the company.
There are some reports and a bit of chatter around the street that Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive officer of Ineos, wants the Silver Arrows to do everything in order to keep Hamilton with the team, but, as things stand today, no new contract appears to be present.
What are your thoughts in regards to this situation? Do you think Mercedes will be able to secure Hamilton, or will he sit this season out, which would be rather damaging for his career? Let us know in the comments below.
As part of the 2020 Auto Expo, Maruti Suzuki showcased the Jimny in India, which garnered a lot of interest among the auto and off-roading enthusiasts. It was reported that Maruti is considering launching the vehicle in India, however, in a more practical, 5-door variant. Now, it seems like the launch of the 5-door Jimny is closer than we originally thought. According to the reports that are surfacing now, the India-spec Suzuki Jimny, which has been codenamed YWD, is already under development.
The vehicle will be sold as a 5-door model in India and the company is targeting a launch date of July 2022. Maruti will also be reportedly submitting quotations in regards to the car to its suppliers by the end of this month.
For some context, it should be noted that the Suzuki Jimny is already in production in India, but in its 3-door avatar, meant for export to international markets.
The demand for the Jimny is quite the rage in international markets, and Suzuki has decided to boost production with the help of its Indian wing, considering how much of manpower the company has in India. The 5-door version is being developed exclusively for India.
As for power, the Suzuki Jimny (3-Door) is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. The motor is capable of generating a peak power of 101 HP and a maximum torque of 130 Nm with transmission options consisting of a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gearbox. For off-road use, the car also gets Suzuki’s AllGrip part-time AWD system paired with a low-ratio transfer case.
According to some chatter, the Jimny could launch in India under ‘Gypsy’ moniker, which was a cult-classic vehicle, popular among enthusiasts due to it’s brilliant off-road capability available at an extremely affordable price. At launch, the 5-door Jimny will rival the Mahindra Thar and Force Gurkha in the Indian market.
Harman, the company owned by Samsung Electronics announced on Friday it’s new software agent, dubbed Harman Turbo Connect (TBOT), which is an intelligent software aid that mitigates vehicle connectivity and the discrepancies that come alongside it.
The newest solution in the company’s portfolio, Harman’sTBOT satisfies the current demand for high-speed connectivity coupled with reduced latency, especially when used alongside 5G-enabled technologies like Harman’s Smart Conformal Antenna and fully 5G and 5G-ready Telecommunications Control Units.
As consumer expectations for connectivity are on the rise, auto manufacturers have had both the responsibility and an opportunity to capture one’s attention with incredible vehicle experiences. However, there are some limitations such as latency, bandwidth and rapid technology evolutions, which make maintaining the pace challenging. As a result, according to Harman, the in-vehicle consumer experience is at risk of lacking the needed connectivity for long-term operation. With the 5G-ready TCU and TBOT, Harman will provide its automaker customers with a nimble way to adapt to ever-evolving and growing experiences.
Vishnu Sundaram, Senior Vice-President, Harman Telematics said: A foundational element of all modern cars on the road today is, of course, connectivity,”
“By introducing TBOT into vehicles, we are able to anticipate poor or congested connectivity, thereby mitigating any streaming or latency issues before the driver or passenger even observes a problem. Music streaming can go uninterrupted, navigation functions can continue, and conference calls can be held, even in areas of poor network service.”
Harman says its TBOT is one of many enhancements enabled by 5G connectivity, which will increase the in-vehicle communications speed and lowers latency across the spectrum. The supplier’s 5G-enabled telematics suite includes its 5G-ready TCU, which can provide network connectivity for connected cars using either 4G or 5G
For some context, Harman also offers a 5G-ready multi-band conformal antenna as an optional feature for its TCUs, for those interested in the same. Harman’s conformal antenna is the right option as some cars are configured with many radio services, each of them requiring a dedicated antenna.
The antenna is mounted below the body’s surface which does not hamper the aesthetics and aids in more efficient aerodynamic capabilities. Used in place of familiar “shark fin” antennas which first appeared in the early part of the 21st century, the conformal antenna package also gives vehicle designers a clean surface to design for the future.
What are your thoughts regarding this new advancement? Let us know in the comments below.
The Volkswagen Taigun, which is essentially Volkswagen’s answer to the Hyundai Creta and Kia’s Seltos was recently teased via an official post by the company, which comes before the car’s expected launch in the second half of 2021. This is going to be a significant launch and, seeing as to how the mid-size SUV crowd is booming and this could mean wonders for the company.
The Taigun, which was showcased during 2020’s Auto Expo is so near to the production unit that we expect the changes to be quite minimal when it goes on sale in production form. With a classic Volkswagen design, the Taigun will get ample amounts of chrome below the LED headlights, a distinct-looking LED light bar connecting the LED tail-lights. which adds to the look of the car and provides neat character lines. There are also stylish two-tone alloy wheels.
At the centre of the dashboard is the piece da resistance, a large infotainment system, which will probably be an 8.0-inch unit with connected car technology. To add to this, there is a digital instrument cluster, which is situated behind a bit of a chunky, fat steering wheel that comes with controls for the infotainment and some other features.
Volkswagen, when asked about the engine has confirmed that a turbo-petrol engine from its TSI set will be on offer, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit. As for the gearbox, a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox is present. A manual gearbox option is also expected, though Volkswagen has not commented on the same.VW is also evaluating the chances of offering a factory-fit CNG option.
As for the pricing, we expect the Taigun to be priced competitively to go up against cars such as the Kia Seltos (Rs 9.89-17.45 lakh), Hyundai Creta (Rs 9.82-17.32 lakh*) and the Nissan Kicks (Rs 9.50-14.15 lakh).
What are your thoughts regarding the Taigun? Are you excited for the same? Let us know in the comments below.
Bengaluru-based company Ultraviolette Automotive is gearing up to launch its first product of the year, the F77. This electric motorcycle, which has been in development since 2015 debuted in India during 2019 in the month of November. The bike gets three listed colour options, Airstroke, Shadow, and Laser and draws power from three battery packs, rated at a combined power of 4.2 kW, which sends power to a 25 kW electric motor.
Recently, the manufacturer shared a video of the road test of the F77, with the caption “First run of 2021”. The video, which is also the official road test video shows the electric motorcycle riding from Bengaluru to Nandi Hills, Karnataka, with the company’s Founder & CEO Narayan Subramaniam on the rider’s seat. The test consisted of a near-75 km run in the city and highway, multiple 8 to 10 km runs up and down hilly roads, and back.
According to the footage, it seems as though the Ultraviolette F77 will be a blast to drive on curves, and we wait for the production model to hit the market to verify this. The Ultraviolette F77 is built on a trellis frame and gets USD front forks and a monoshock rear suspension. As for the brakes, the braking system consists of a 320mm disc towards the front wheel and a 230mm disc at the rear.
Both wheels are 17-inch units, shod with 110/70 rubber at the front and 150/60 rubber at the rear. The F77 also gets a fully digital instrument cluster, with an embedded sim card. To add to this, the motorcycle will get advanced features like smartphone connectivity, GPS vehicle tracking, a USB charging port, etc.
It will also get fast charging capability, which will top up a completely depleted battery to full in just 1.5 hours, while standard charging takes 5 hours to do so. The Ultraviolette F77 is expected to be priced around Rs. 3 lakh (ex-showroom), which will put it directly in the path of 250cc to 300cc motorcycles in the Indian market.
The year 2021 seems to be that of change, since, the regulators of the 2021 F1 Grand Prix seem to be in the mood for change, as, the timings of the races are set to be changed.
Sources have also said that F1 is now set to return back to race start times on the hour rather than 10 past, with European events, in particular, to begin at 2pm instead of 3.10pm as has been the case for the past three years. The switch, to 10 minutes past the hour, was made ahead of the 2018 campaign as the new owners Liberty Media felt it would better suit television programmers as well as help to increase viewing figures, seemed to be a not so welcome change, as it is being revised quite quickly.
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However, it has become apparent over time that the benefits are minimal and, for the teams especially there has been a detrimental effect as the later race starts has had a knock-on effect in relation to the finish time for post-race packing up. It is also understood the teams have backed F1’s proposal, which is to be announced officially soon.
In some unrelated news, the first race of Formula one might just be delayed, so all this fuss might be over nothing, considering if the races are delayed, rushing into these timing changes might not be the best thing to do.
What are your thoughts in regards to this latest development? Let us know in the comments section below.
