Africa Automotive News September-October digital issue 2019

September - October issue 2019 Volume 3 issue no. 5 

Africa Automotive 

The new 

manufacturing hub 

In this issue...... 

Caught up in a sinking car? 

What to do....pg 42 

Opinion: Telematics Redefining 

Automotive Industry....pg 15 

What Causes Car Batteries 

to Fail?....pg 24 

September-October issue l 2019 

Africa Automotive News l 2019 1

2 Africa Automotive News l 2019 September-October issue l 2019

Contents 

Managing Editor 

Francis David 

Editor-in-Chief 

Augustine Rang’ondi 

Editor 

Dorcas Kang’ereha 

Writer 

Violet Ambale 

Harriet Mkhaye 

Irene Joseph 

Innocent Momanyi 

Sales Executives 

East Africa 

Jimmy Mudasia 

Lydia Kamonya 

Caiser Momanyi 

Vincent Murono 

Sheila Ing’ayitsa 

South Africa 

Paul Nyakeri 

Sean Masangwanyi 

Lisa Brown 

Thembisa Ndlovu 

Nigeria 

Emelda Njomboro 

Uche Maxwel 

Published by: 

Nailex Africa Publishing 

P.O. Box 10109, 00100 

Nairobi, Kenya. 

NEWS pg 2-7 

Renault trucks opens Assembly Plant 

in Thika 

NIC Bank, Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya 

ink a financial deal for used vehicles 

EAC locks out duty-free car imports 

from South Africa 

Isuzu Motors to set up assembly plant 

in Ethiopia 

Hyundai enters Somaliland car market 

Egyptian transport start-up Swvl 

targets expansion in Africa, Asia 

Autoshow pg 18-19 

Graphene Automotive 2020 Exhibition 

and Conference 

PRODUCTS 

pg 

Total launches new lubricant for 

automotive air conditioning 

compressors 

DENSO to mass-produce automotive 

alternators 

A-MAP launches new range of ASIMCO 

PLUS batteries 

Opinion pg 

Creating composite car parts 

FEATURES pg 

Africa: The new hub for automotive 

manufacturing 

What Causes Car Batteries to Fail? 

REVIEW 

pg 

Kia may launch electric Picanto 

Nissan gives dealers a look at 

compact crossover EV 

Volvo’s Polestar EV brand designed 

to do things differently 

SAFETY TIPS pg 


What to do 

technology 

pg 

Despite technology advancements, 

where do we stand with car safety? 

Auto garage pg 

How often do I need to change 

my Brake Fluid 

motorbike pg 

Kawasaki will launch a 4-wheel 

motorcycle 

Taiwan exports electric off-road 

motorbike to Europe 

Telematics Redefining Automotive 

Industry 

Ducati are working on the ‘perfect 

electric bike’ 

The Editor accepts letter and manuscripts for publication from readers all over the world. Include your name and address as a sign of good 

faith although you may request your name to be withheld from publication. We can reserve the right to edit any material submitted. Send 

your letters to: info@africaautomotivenews.com 

Disclaimer: 

Nailex Africa Publishing makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the contents of its publications, but no warranty is made to such 

accuracy and no responsibility will be borne by the publisher for the consequences of actions based on information so published. Further, 

opinions expressed on interviews are not necessarily shared by Nailex Africa Publisher. 



News 

Renault trucks opens Assembly Plant in Thika 

The automotive industry in the country is characterised by dominance of second hand imported 

vehicles, automotive assembling oriented towards passenger and commercial vehicles 

Truck manufacturing firm, Renault 

trucks has opened a local assembly 

plant in Thika as it eyes the East 

African market. The plant set to create 

over 200 jobs was commissioned by 

Industrialization Principal Secretary 

(PS) Francis Owino in the presence of 

Renault Trucks President Bruno Blin, CMC 

Managing Director Collin Cordry and 

Thika MP Patrick Wainaina. 

Cordry said CMCs in collaboration with 

Renault would position the country in 

the automotive industry and promote the 

Government’s manufacturing agenda. 

This comes even as truck drivers and 

transporters expressed fears that the 

industry would become obsolete 

following an order to have port goods 

transported through the Standard Gauge 

Railway, which was later revoked by 

Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James 

Macharia. 

However, the CMC Managing Director 

dismissed the fears saying the two 

would complement each other. He said 

advancement in modern transportation 

would benefit the Kenyan citizen, and 

that such claims were unfounded. 

“Truck operators will never lose business 

as a result of the rail transport. The 

railway line runs from Mombasa to 

Nairobi leaving several areas in need of 

truck services,” he affirms. 

Owino said such investments would 

help the Government in implementing 

the ‘Big 4’ Development Agenda on 

manufacturing ratio to GDP from the 

current 7.7% to 15% by 2022. 

The PS said the Government is in the 

process of coming up with a National 

Automotive Policy to give direction 

and impetus for the development of a 

vibrant automotive industry, and make 

the country an automotive manufacturing 

hub in the region. 

“The Policy would address among other 

issues strong partnerships between 

the Government and investors in the 

industry, technology transfer, market 

creation through leasing, local content 

development plan, market expansion 

through harmonization of motor 

vehicle standards within the East Africa 

Community (EAC) and capping of the age 

at 5 years from the current 8 years for 

used vehicles imported into the country,” 

he said. 

The automotive industry in the country 

is characterised by dominance of second 

hand imported vehicles, automotive 

assembling oriented towards passenger 

and commercial vehicles, lack of local 

full manufacture, and reliance on KD 

(Knocked Down) kits due to minimal 

local parts production,” he added. 

Owino called on vehicle assembly 

companies to collaborate with local 

manufacturing entities such as the 

Numerical Machining Complex (NMC) 

and SMEs for assembling materials. 

On his part, Wainaina said locals should 

get 40 per cent of the business generated 

from spare parts from Kenya Vehicle 

Manufacture (KVM). 

The MP said the company should target 

manufacturing and not assembling to 

create more jobs to locals. Renault Trucks 

has a presence in over 100 countries. 


NIC Bank, Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya 

ink a financial deal for used vehicles 


The partnership will guarantee Toyotsu customers up to 90% financing, 60 months repayment period and two months 

warranty for vehicles that meet the warranty criteria with an option to extend to one year at a small fee 

From left, Godfrey Kioi Managing Director Heritage Insurance, Alan Dodd, NIC Bank Executive 

Director, Yoichi Hashimoto Managing Director Toyotsu Automart Kenya Limited singing the 

financial partnership at the Toyotsu Automart Kenya Ltd Headquaters, Nairobi, Kenya 

NIC bank have signed a partnership 

with Toyotsu Auto Kenya Limited 

– one of the largest used Japanese 

cars dealer in Kenya – to finance and 

enable Kenyans to purchase second-hand 

vehicles from Japan. 

The partnership will guarantee Toyotsu 

customers up to 90% financing, 60 

months repayment period and two 

months warranty for vehicles that meet 

the warranty criteria with an option to 

extend to one year at a small fee. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony of 

the financial deal, NIC Bank 

Executive Director Alan 

Dodd stated that majority of 

Kenyans depends on import 

of second-hand vehicles and 

therefore the partnership was 

timely and signed to help 

customers purchase quality 

second-hand vehicles at 

affordable prices through a 

secure and transparent agent. 

“Many people in this market 

depend on the second-hand 

vehicle market to own a car. 

With this Partnership, we 

seek to actualize the dreams 

of many Kenyans wishing 

to own a vehicle either for 

personal use or business 

activities at an affordable arrangement. 

In addition, this presents yet another 

opportunity for us to cement our position 

as the leading bank in asset finance in the 

country.” he stated. 

Dodd further added that the financing 

deal is open to both NIC Bank customers 

and noncustomers 

wishing to import vehicles and 

looking to be financed by the bank. 

On his part, Toyotsu Auto Mart Kenya 

Limited Managing Director, Mr. Yoichi 

Hashimoto 

From left, Godfrey Kioi Managing Director Heritage Insurance, Alan Dodd, NIC Bank Executive 

Director, Yoichi Hashimoto Managing Director Toyotsu Automart Kenya Limited during the 

financial partnership signing 

said that he was excited to be partnering 

with NIC bank and that the partnership 

will go a long way in easing the financial 

load on their customers. 

“Our partnership with NIC Bank is 

indeed another seal of approval for 

Toyotsu Auto Mart strength within 

this trade to meet the local market’s 

needs on used vehicles. Through this 

partnership, we can assure all our 

customers of efficiency and reliability 

in handling all the complex stages 

of purchasing a pre-owned vehicle 

through a transparent process and 

assured aftersales support” he stated. 

The Toyotsu partnership comes hot 

on the heels of NIC Group (Bank and 

Insurance) and Heritage Insurance 

agreement to offer their customers a 

first of its kind telematics motor policy 

that rewards good drivers. The strategic 

partnership between NIC bank through 

their subsidiary NIC Insurance Agents 

is poised to avail customers a raft 

of benefits including; Discounts on 

insurance premium, rewards for safe 

driving, simplified claims processing 

premium cashback for safe drivers 

hence reduced insurance cost based 

on feedback on the customers driving 

behavior through a Mobile App, Loyalty 

program with discounts at various outlets 

among others. 

On NIC, Toyotsu 

partnership, the vehicle 

purchase will be handled 

wholly by Toyotsu 

Auto Mart Kenya who 

have approximately 

400 vehicles in stock 

at any given time and 

upon request facilitates 

importation on behalf 

of clients with special 

specifications. 




EAC locks out duty-free car imports from South Africa 

at the Comesa Secretariat. 

Currently, finished goods imported 

into the EAC attract a duty of 25%, 

intermediate goods (10%) and raw 

materials (0%) under the EAC’s existing 

three-band tariff structure which came 

into effect on January 1, 2005. 

Moreover, there is a list of sensitive 

products such as milk, sugar, wheat, rice 

and garments which attract higher duty 

of above 25% to protect such industries 

from competition. 

Players in the automobile sectors from 

the East African Community and the 

Southern African Customs Union are 

developing a joint policy to encourage 

motor vehicle manufacturing that is 

beneficial to both blocs. 

This development comes at a time when 

the tripartite free trade area (TFTA) tariff 

negotiations launched more than four 

years ago are near conclusion. The two 

economic blocs have had a prolonged 

battle over whether to abolish the 

contentious 25% import duty under the 

tripartite free trade area (TFTA). 

The two blocs have agreed that import 

duty on some motor vehicle parts will be 

abolished within the first five years of the 

TFTA, and others will enter duty free as 

provided under the EAC CET. 

The move ostensibly curbs a massive 

influx of motor vehicles from South Africa 

into the EAC region once the more than 

700 million-people TFTA comes into 

force. It is estimated that the number of 

vehicles imported into East Africa each 

year has grown to over 250,000 and is 

expected to reach 500,000 by 2030. 

Car Industry 

As a result, member states — Rwanda, 

Burundi, Uganda, 

Kenya, Tanzania, 

and South Sudan 

— are pushing 

for the growth of 

the automotive 

assembling industry 

in the region. 

“Automobile 

industry players 

in the two regions 

are involved in 

development of 

the strategy,” said 

Benedict Musengele, 

acting director 

general in-charge of 

customs and trade 

Last year, the EAC heads of state directed 

the Council of Ministers to explore the 

possibility of developing the automotive 

industry by reducing importation of 

used vehicles from outside the region 

and thereby make the region more 

competitive. 

These countries are also tightening rules 

on the importation of second-hand 

cars into the region as part of efforts to 

encourage local assembly. 

For instance, in 2017 the EAC Council of 

Ministers recommended to the 18th EAC 

Heads of State Summit that the age limit 

for used imported vehicles be lowered to 

five years by 2021. 

Kenya currently allows the imports of 

used cars with of up to eight years, 

15 years in Uganda, and 10 years in 

Tanzania. Burundi, Rwanda and South 

Sudan have no age limits for used cars. 

Value chain 

Kenya has three assemblers — Kenya 

Vehicles Manufacturer, Isuzu and 

Associated Vehicle Assemblers. They 

assemble their cars from “completely 

knocked down units” that attract zero 

duty as per the CET. However, if they 

import “completely build units” they pay 

applicable duty as per the CET. 

Continue Reading Online. Scan Below..... 



Isuzu Motors to set up assembly plant 

in Ethiopia 

Isuzu targets to introduce additional models including medium and 

long buses for public transportations 

whilst one more dealer is expected 

to join the business, Kessate- 

Berhan said. 

Isuzu Motors is set to establish 

an assembly plant in Ethiopia via 

Japanese based Itochu Corporation. 

The assembly plant is expected to be in 

operation within the next 2 years but 

the prototype plant of the plant will 

be finalized by the end of 2018, with 

some knocked down units already being 

ordered for shipments. 

Kessate-Berhan Mengiste, the automobile 

section manager with Itochu Corporation 

told the Ethiopian dailies that the 

trending changes and growth of Ethiopia 

is attracting the likes of Isuzu. He argues 

that the momentum in Ethiopia ignited 

the increase of Isuzu-Itochu presence. 

National Motors Corporation (NMC) and 

Kaki PLC have joined in the dealership 

Isuzu targets to introduce 

additional models including 

medium and long buses for 

public transportations. NPR and 

FSR Isuzu truck series are widely 

used in Ethiopia. However, FVR 

23 and FVR 33 trucks which are 

believed to be handy for bottling 

companies are to be made more 

available in Ethiopia. 

Annual sales of Isuzu trucks have 

reached 800 units an increase 

of 96 percent from the previous 

years. 

Other indirect imports that are 

mostly sourced from Dubai to 

reach up to 3,000 units. 




Hyundai enters 

Somaliland car market 

South Korea car 

manufacturer Hyundai 

has entered into the 

Somaliland market. Hyundai 

is the latest multinational 

company to venture into 

the Horn of Africa via 

Somaliland. Hyundai has 

launched a series of models 

in Somaliland capital Hargeisa 

after partnering with Dahabshiil 

Motors to introduce the brand 

new vehicles in the Horn of 

Africa country. 

By venturing into Somaliland, 

Hyundai joins Coca-Cola in 

the country that is seeking 

international recognition but 

boasts of a huge potential for 

international investments. 

HORN OF AFRICA 

The South Korean car 

manufacturer has partnered 

Dahabshiil group of companies 

to introduce Hyundai model 

of cars to the horn of Africa 

region. 

“Hyundai automotive business 

is not going to be limited 

to Somaliland, but aims at 

Horn region as a whole,” 

said Dahabshiil Motors Chief 

Executive Officer Engineer 

Awil Sharif. 

“In view of the ongoing 

developmental projects 

in Somaliland such as the 

expansion of Berbera port and 

the plan to create a free trade 

zone plus the construction 

of Berbera corridor highway, 

we are optimistic that the 

entry of Hyundai will have 

great impact in the motoring 

industry. Our strategic plan 

includes expanding business to 

other Somali regions and East 

Africa,” he affirms. 

He said they have introduced eight Hyundai models in 

the country. The models include Grand Santa Fe, Santa Fe, 

Tuscon, Creta, Elantra, Grand i10, a 14 seater commercial 

bus, and light track. 

“Most countries in Africa import four or five models. We 

started with eight models and will bring more models in 

future depending on customers’ demand,” Mr Sharif added. 

SIX MONTHS 

The entry of Hyundai in Somaliland comes just six months 

after the company opened a 10,000-a-year vehicle capacity 

assembly plant in the Ethiopian 

capital Addis Ababa. 

The Hyundai company operates 

the largest integrated automobile 

manufacturing facility in Ulsan, 

South Korea with an annual 

production capacity of 1.6 

million units. 

The company employs about 

75,000 people worldwide. 

Hyundai vehicles are sold 

in 193 countries through 

some 5,000 dealerships and 

showrooms. 

Dahabshiil Motors, who are the 

sole distributors of Hyundai 

vehicles in Somaliland and 

Somali regions are offering direct 

purchase and bank financing. 

“Dahabshiil Motors’ Hyundai 

can be purchased through 

Murabaha (the Islamic financing 

bank system). We are part of 

the Dahabshiil Group, so, our 

customers can buy our cars on 

finance,” stated the CEO 

SAFETY 

In terms of the automotive 

business, the company 

measured safety-related matters, 

environmental pollution 

problems and user comfortability 

before importing brand new 

Left Hand Drive quality vehicles 

to replace Right Hand Drive 

vehicles,” stated Mr Sharif. 

The entry of Hyundai in the 

Somaliland comes at a time 

when the country’s Ministry of 

Transportation announced it will 

ban imported Right-Hand Drive 

vehicles by 2020. Somaliland 

is also taking drastic steps to 

ensure safety on the country’s 

roads and reduce the effects of 

vehicle emissions created by 

unroadworthy cars. 



Egyptian transport start-up Swvl 

targets expansion in Africa, Asia 

Lahore in July. 

“We aim to reach one million trips a day 

in Egypt over the next five years,” said 

Kandil. 

He and two other young Egyptian cofounders, 

Mahmoud Nouh and Ahmed 

Sabbah, own more than 30% of the 

company, he said. 

Egyptian transport technology start-up 

Swvl will expand into two cities in 

Pakistan in the next two weeks and 

begin operations in Nigeria’s commercial 

capital Lagos before the end of the year, 

its chief executive told Reuters. 

The firm, which operates buses along 

fixed routes and allows customers to 

reserve and pay for them using an app, 

will also expand into Manila in the first 

half of next year, its co-founder and CEO 

Mostafa Kandil told Reuters. 

“We will enter Lagos before the end of 

the year, and our eyes are on Dar es 

Salaam and Abidjan,” he said. The firm is 

also planning to launch in other South 

East Asian markets, he added. 

Kandil said the company is seeking 

to raise more than $100 million in 

a financing round in the first half of 

next year, and is targeting a $1 billion 

valuation in the next five years. Since its 

launch in April 2017 Swvl has secured 

the biggest round of funding for a tech 

start-up in Egypt. 

“We were a company worth about $2 

million two years ago and our paid-up 

capital is now $80 million,” he said. 

Kandil, 25, said the company has been 

losing money, but expects to turn a profit 

in two to three years. 

“This year we have entered about seven 

new cities and next year we are targeting 

another 10 to 20 new big cities,” Kandil 

said. 

The Cairo-based firm, which is due 

to move its headquarters to Dubai in 

November, launched in Nairobi about 

six months ago and began operations in 

The rest is held by 17 investment funds, 

including U.S.-based Autotech Ventures, 

Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Oman’s 

sovereign wealth fund, the UAE’s BECO 

Capital and China’s MSA Capital. 

The Swvl app, which has fixed bus 

routes, uses the passenger’s location and 

destination to determine the shortest 

possible trip time based on the nearest 

bus stop. 

Uber and regional competitor Careem 

began operating their own bus services 

in Egypt in late 2018, competing directly 

with Swvl. 

Kandil said he hoped Swvl would 

eventually go public, but did not say on 

which stock exchange. He said he would 

in the longer term also consider a buyout 

offer from the likes of ride-hailing giant 

Uber. 


Mostafa Kandil, Chief Executive Officer of Swvl 


Product 

Total launches new lubricant for 

automotive air conditioning compressors 

Whatever the gas used, Planetelf PAG K 40 offers good miscibility, provides 

superior protection and reduces wear on compressors 

Total launches Planetelf PAG K 

40, high performance lubricant 

for Automotive air conditioning 

compressors. Planetelf PAG K 40 has 

been designed to meet the requirements 

of both R134a and HFO-1234yf 

refrigerant gases present in the 

automotive air-conditioning industry. 

Whatever the gas used, Planetelf PAG 

K 40 offers good miscibility, provides 

superior protection and reduces wear on 

compressors. 

In addition, it has remarkable 

properties: 

Maintaining an excellent lubricity despite 

the drop in viscosity caused by the 

mixing of the refrigerant in the oil 

Protection of compressor parts and seals 

against wear. 

Optimized performances whatever the 

temperature 

Thermal and chemical stability established 

Excellent anti-foaming properties 

Planetelf PAG K 40 has already been 

referenced in original equipment by 

several manufacturers and OEM! 

About Total Lubrifiants 

Total Lubrifiants is a leading global 

manufacturer and marketer of engine 

oils and lubricants. It has 41 production 

plants worldwide and more than 5,800 

employees in 150 countries. Total 

Lubrifiants offers innovative, efficient and 

environmentally responsible products 

and services developed by more than 

130 researchers at its R&D center. Total 

Lubrifiants is a partner of choice for 

the automotive, industrial and marine 

markets. 

About Total 

Total is a global integrated energy 

producer and provider, a leading 

international oil and gas company, a 

major player in low-carbon energies. 

Their 98,000 employees are committed 

to better energy that is safer, cleaner, 

more efficient, more innovative and 

accessible to as many people as possible. 

As a responsible corporate citizen, we 

focus on ensuring that our operations 

in more than 130 countries worldwide 

consistently deliver economic, social and 

environmental benefits. 




Product 

DENSO to mass-produce automotive 

alternators equipped with newly 

developed high-efficiency diodes 

The new jointly developed diode significantly reduces the power conversion loss by increasing 

the efficiency of the function 

DENSO, the world’s second largest 

mobility supplier announced that 

it has developed a high-efficiency 

diode for alternators for gasoline 

and diesel engine vehicles with the 

semi-conductor supplier, Hitachi 

Power Semiconductor Device, Ltd. 

Production of alternators equipped 

with newly developed diodes will 

start for vehicles to be sold in Europe 

in FY2019, and will be rolled out to 

manufacturing group companies around 

the world. 

Overview: 

• Revolutionary spec improvement 

drastically reduces CO2 emissions 

• Overall alternator efficiency and fueleconomy 

is improved. 

The diode is a component of alternators. 

Diodes flow current in a certain direction 

and rectify generated alternating current 

to direct current. The new jointly 

developed diode significantly reduces the 

power conversion loss by increasing the 

efficiency of the function. The new diode 

improves the power generation efficiency 

by about 6% compared to conventional 

products and helps to improve fuel 

consumption. DENSO manufactures 25 

million alternators in annual total in more 

than 10 countries. If all the diodes were 

replaced with the new high-efficiency 

diodes, carbon dioxide emissions would 

be reduced by 30 tons annually. 

The new diode is developed as a 

component that fits the conventional 

alternator. DENSO and Hitachi remained 

the conventional shape of the diode 

and increased the efficiency of rectifying 

function by simplifying IC control 

function and applying 3D design located 

IC tip sterically. 

Although vehicles are being increasingly 

electrified, the internal combustion engine 

(ICE) with an alternator still accounts 

for 80% globally. DENSO markets and 

distributes products for swiftly improving 

the environmental performance of ICE 

vehicles to help create a sustainable 

society. 

About alternators 

An alternator is an important component 

that generates electricity using the power 

of the engine and supplies electricity 

to all the electrical components in a 

vehicle. The electricity remaining after 

consumption by electrical components is 

sent to a battery for storage. 

An alternator is connected to the 

crankshaft of the engine via a pulley 

and belt, and generates electricity using 

engine torque. Improving the power 

generation efficiency of the alternator 

reduces the engine torque load and 

increases the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. 

About DENSO’s Electrification 

Development 

DENSO has been developing 

electrification technologies as a priority 

to create the future of mobility. The 

company has also been developing key 

components for electrified vehicles such 

as motor generators (MGs) and elements 

of Silicon Carbide (SiC) for inverters. 

About DENSO 

DENSO is a $48.3 billion global 

mobility supplier that develops advanced 

technology and components for nearly 

every vehicle make and model on the 

road today. With manufacturing at its 

core, DENSO invests in its 221 facilities 

in 35 countries to produce thermal, 

powertrain, mobility, electrification, & 

electronic systems, to create jobs that 

directly change how the world moves. 

The company’s 170,000+ employees are 

paving the way to a mobility future that 

improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, 

and preserves the environment. Globally 

headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO 

spent 9.3% of its global consolidated 

sales on research and development in the 

fiscal year ending March 31, 2019. 


A-MAP launches new range of 

ASIMCO PLUS batteries 

Product 

Dubai-based Al Muqarram Auto 

Spare Parts Trading (A-MAP) 

has launched ASIMCO 

PLUS batteries – its latest range of 

European automotive batteries that 

use CA 100 Technology to boost 

performance by using of calcium alloys. 

A-MAP unveiled the ASIMCO 

PLUS range on the first day of 

Automechanika Dubai, one of the 

leading automotive aftermarket 

exhibition. 

ASIMCO PLUS batteries have full frame 

optimised grid design that enhances the 

longevity of the battery life and the active 

material has been developed to endure 

the aggressive usage conditions in high 

heat environment of the Middle East 

region. 

a hassle-free functioning. 

Today, most vehicles 

are ISS (Idle Start Stop) 

enabled. They run on AGM 

batteries that offer a notable 

performance improvement 

over conventional batteries. 

A-MAP aims to cater to this 

segment with their new brand, 

as ASIMCO PLUS batteries 

come equipped with AGM 

Technology which is ready 

for the modern vehicle with 

regenerative breaking and high 

energy demands,” said the 

company. 

Asimco Plus batteries are uniquely 

designed with a dedicated battery cover 

and include the latest Labyrinth System, 

Safety Caps, Flame Arrestors and central 

degassing which makes these batteries 

stronger, safer and more resistant to 

leaks and spills in demanding rough 

conditions. 

Available in a wide range to perfectly 

suit all kinds of motor vehicles, ASIMCO 

PLUS batteries are delivered filled and 

charged for a total maintenance free 

performance. 

Asimco is one of the main players in 

the automotive aftermarket and is highly 

recognized worldwide for its superior 

quality products since its establishment 

in 2001. Products under its portfolio 

include brake pads, brake shoes, fuel 

pumps, disc rotors and shock absorbers. 

Over the years, ASIMCO’s quality has 

supported strong growth in market share 

and is now sold in over 65 countries. 

A-MAP has expanded its comprehensive 

product range by obtaining the 

distribution rights of Asimco Batteries in 

the United Arab Emirates. 

ASIMCO PLUS batteries are manufactured 

in line with the highest quality standards 

and pass vigorous quality tests to ensure 



Report 

Nigeria’s Booming Auto Market 

With a population of close to 180 

million and a GDP of US$493 

billion in 2015, Nigeria is the 

most populous country with the largest 

economy in Africa. Despite the current 

economic challenges facing the country 

due to low oil prices and a weakened 

currency, Nigeria still reveals robust 

economic growth of 2-4% in the medium 

term. 

Owing to the lack of domestic vehicle 

production, Nigeria is highly dependent 

on imports to meet its domestic demand. 

In 2014, passenger vehicles constituted 

the second-largest import category after 

petroleum oils or bituminous minerals. 

Overall automotive related imports stood 

at US$6.9 billion (passenger vehicle 

imports: US$2.9 billion) accounting for 

approximately 11.5% of Nigeria’s total 

imports. While auto imports recorded 

rapid growth between 2004 and 2014, 

the current slowdown in the economy 

and the recent introduction of high 

import duties on vehicles linked to 

the new automotive policy has led to 

approximately a two-third contraction 

in vehicle imports according to industry 

players. 

Second-hand vehicles dominate the 

import market. It is estimated that 

approximately 10% of vehicles imported 

to Nigeria are brand new. A large share of 

second-hand vehicles are imported from 

the US, given that vehicle specifications 

in this market are more in line with the 

demand and taste of Nigerian consumers, 

which is not always met by entry-level 

models from Europe. Importers of used 

cars in Africa are making a good profit 

importing used cars for resale from all 

across the world. 

Before the hike of import duties on 

second-hand vehicles, Nigeria imported 

more than 100,000 cars per year from 

the the US. In 2015, imports from the 

US had plummeted to less than 40,000 

units. In addition to direct shipments 

to Nigeria, the Port of Cotonou in 

neighbouring Benin is a key transit point 

for second-hand vehicles destined for the 

Nigerian market. It is estimated that 85% 

of Benin’s used vehicle imports end up 

in Nigeria. In 2013, the European Union 

(EU) and the US exported approximately 

300,000 cars to Benin. Based on the 

import figures for Benin, an additional 

255,000 used cars from the EU and the 

US entered Nigeria via Benin. 

There is no culture of maintenance in 

Nigeria – people drive their cars until 

they break down and then fix them. 

Vehicle Numbers 

Depending on the source of data, the 

current vehicle fleet in the country ranges 

from 1.3 million vehicles to 10 million 

vehicles. According to the Federal Road 

Safety Corps the total fleet size was 

1.65 million units in 2015, of which 

approximately one third are concentrated 

in Lagos State. Even applying the least 

conservative estimate of vehicles in use, 

namely 10 million vehicles, Nigeria’s 

motorisation rate is approximately onethird 

that of the global motorisation rate 

with less than 60 vehicles per 1 000 

people. 

Due to the New Automotive Industry 

Development Plan (NAIDP) launched 

in 2014 that increased the prices for 

imported vehicles, and the economic 

slowdown triggered by low oil prices, 

Nigeria’s growth in fleet size slowed 

down remarkably in 2015. However, it 


is expected that in the short term fleet 

growth will stabilise in a range between 

4.5% and 5.5% per annum. 

Vehicle Sales 

Despite being the most populous 

country in Africa, Nigeria’s 

new vehicle sales lag behind 

less populated countries such 

as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and 

South Africa. According to industry 

players, the overall new and secondhand 

market combined ranges between 

500,000 and 1 million units per year. 

Smuggling, grey imports of second-hand 

vehicles and the lack of reliable data 

however, make the exact size of Nigeria’s 

vehicle market and fleet size difficult 

to quantify. Challenges concerning the 

licencing and identification of vehicles 

further contribute to this difficulty. 

Africa auto marketImported second-hand 

vehicles, so-called tokunbos, dominate 

the Nigerian vehicle market as only 

a small segment of society is able to 

afford new vehicles. A representative of 

a leading automotive firm estimates that 

a mere 2% of the population is able to 

afford new vehicles given the current 

economic and financing environment. 

While commercial banks offer vehicle 

finance, accessing these credit facilities 

has become increasingly unattractive to 

individual consumers as credit facilities 

are provided at interest rates above 20% 

per annum and require at least a 10% 

down-payment. 

Commercial banks usually require 

repayment of vehicle loans within four 

years, due to the rapid depreciation of 

the value of vehicles given poor road 

conditions. According to one of the most 

established vehicle finance providers, the 

monthly repayment amount should not 

exceed 35% of the monthly income of 

the borrower. The short repayment-period 

as well as the high interest rates present 

a key challenge for low- and middleincome 

households when it comes to 

accessing vehicle finance. 

Due to the limited accessibility to and 

expensive financing of vehicles, new 

vehicles remain out of reach for most 

Nigerians and the largest share of current 

vehicle demand comes from the business 

community. Corporate buyers account for 

approximately 70% of overall new vehicle 

purchases, indicating the suppressed 

demand from private buyers, arguably the 

market segment with the largest growth 

potential. 

Through recently introduced promotional 

offers by banks in partnership with 

selected vehicle dealers, customers are 

able to access finance at a discounted 

rate for a limited number of vehicles 

and models. Indeed, the provision of 

alternative financing products, especially 

in-house financing by the automotive 

companies, is seen by industry players as 

a key requirement for the growth of the 

local market. 

However, in the absence of affordable 

finance solutions, secondhand vehicles 

remain the more attractive option for 

private vehicle buyers. According to a 

representative of a leading automotive 

company, second-hand passenger 

vehicles accounted for 80% of sales 

in 2014. The share of tokunbos in 

the commercial vehicle market is even 

larger, reaching up to 90% of the market 

according to a leading commercial vehicle 

manufacturer. 

New vehicle sales are dominated by 

Toyota which accounts for almost one 

third of new sales. Hyundai and Kia have 

established themselves as increasingly 

serious competitors to Toyota due to 

their competitive pricing and improved 

image in terms of quality. In 2015, the 

three Asian brands accounted for half of 

new vehicle sales in the country. 

The economic slowdown, the 

depreciation of the naira and the increase 

in vehicle prices due to the import duty 

hike had a substantial impact on new 

vehicles sales in 2015. Although vehicle 

sales saw positive growth post the global 

financial crisis, total new vehicle sales 

dropped by more than half in 2015, 

compared to 2014. The sharp decline of 

sales highlights the absence of sizeable 

and competitive domestic assembly that 

could provide an affordable alternative to 

imports and the dependency on vehicle 

imports to meet domestic demand. 

Production And Assembly 

Nigeria is no stranger to automotive 

assembly and manufacturing. Already in 

the 1970s Nigeria started assembling 

motor vehicles. In the 1970s and 

1980s, the federal government of 

Nigeria partnered with six international 

automotive and commercial vehicle 

manufacturers to produce passenger 

and commercial vehicles locally from 

CKD kits. According to the National 

Automotive Council (NAC) these 

six companies had an initial installed 

capacity of 149,000 units per annum 

during the 1970s and 1980s. 

“Sometimes, cars are imported to be 

stripped for parts as availability of 

genuine parts is limited.” 

In addition to these plants, the Federal 

Government entered into five more 

agreements with international automotive 

companies to establish assembly plants in 

1982, according to the National. 




Opinion 

Creating composite 

car parts 

Jari Sopanen, Head of Sales Region at 

Exel Composites Plc 

“One type of car that can massively 

benefit from composite components 

are electric vehicles (EVs).” 

Thermoset composites are formed 

using glass, carbon, or aramid 

fibers, which are then combined 

with resins such as polyesters, vinyl 

esters, epoxies, or phenolic resins. These 

composites are used in various industries, 

but are particularly prominent in the 

manufacturing of aircraft and spacecraft 

parts. 

Thanks to research and development 

in the aerospace sector, composites are 

also being used across other forms of 

transportation due to the high demand 

for lightweight vehicles and components. 

This trend, called light-weighting, seeks 

to use innovative materials to reduce the 

weight of products. As a result, composite 

materials are being increasingly used in 

production, especially for automotive 

parts and components. 

According to the American Composites 

Manufacturers Associations, fiberglass is 

one of the key reinforcing materials used 

in the US thermoset composites industry. 

Thanks to its durable properties, it is a 

good replacement for steel in vehicle 

structural components, including drive 

shafts, bumpers and roof beams 

Reducing component weight is crucial 

for raising the efficiency of automotive 

systems. For example, carbon fiber has 

comparable properties to steel, but is 

only one-fifth the weight. Regardless of 

the mode of transport, it is easy to see 

the benefits that shaving this amount of 

weight from a vehicle will achieve. 

Additionally, when directly compared 

to steel, composite materials can meet 

or surpass the automotive industry’s 

material property demands, including 

low coefficients of thermal expansion for 

heat conduction, dimensional stability for 

shape retention, corrosion resistance in 

wet conditions, and high-impact strength 

to withstand repeated use. 

The low weight of composite components 

also helps provide good sound baffling 

and an overall quieter performance. 

One type of car that can massively 

benefit from composite components are 

electric vehicles (EVs). Batteries are heavy 

and, although technology is advancing 

at a blistering pace, it is highly likely that 

the bulk battery weight will not decrease 

as any miniaturisation will be used to 

install more batteries to increase range 

and power. 

Minimising component weight is, 

therefore, critical and fiber glass and 

carbon fiber alternatives are incredibly 

suitable for this light weighting, especially 

for EVs. For example, EV batteries must 

be held in special boxes to protect them 

but also to prevent any discharge from 

shocking passengers. 

Metals are conductive, which makes them 

unsuitable whereas most composites 

aren’t, meaning that when made from 

composites, which possess a higher 

strength to weight ratio, they are perfect 

for this application. Due to EVs current 

limited distance range, shaving off weight 

can produce strong marginal gains. 

Composites are gearing up to feature in 

more than just structural components for 

cars. In fact, many Asian countries are 

increasing their composite production, 

because composite materials are 

becoming increasingly popular in 

their electronics sector, especially with 

companies supplying to the automotive 

sector. 

While North America and Europe 

account for a key share of the global 

thermoset composites market, which is 

expanding due to the local automotive 

and aerospace industries in these regions, 

an increase in demand for electric and 

lightweight vehicles is also anticipated to 

propel the composites market in the Asia 

Pacific region and beyond. 

With governments across the globe 

looking to implement more rigid energy 

efficiency standards, shedding vehicle 

weight is an achievable objective that 

can help car manufacturers to meet 

regulations. Composites material 

developments means that now they 

are much better suited to automotive 

applications in comparison to steel and 

it is time for car manufacturers to start 

considering the material as a viable 

solution. 


Opinion 

Telematics Redefining 

Automotive Industry 

Ashish Gulati, Country Manager, India at 

Telit Wireless Solutions 

Telematics diligence is one of the 

highest emerging sectors in the 

world and progresses in mobile 

communication industry have made it 

possible to detect and determine any 

variable in real-time. The industry has 

undergone a paradigm shift especially 

when we see the rising number of 

accidents and thefts in automobile 

segment. Indian telematics market 

is gaining momentum and proposes 

elevated expansion opportunities to the 

merchants and market vendor. 

Automobile industry is implanting more 

and more telematics in the vehicles to 

monitor the performance and to detect 

any flaws in the vehicles, simultaneously 

meeting the demands of users for 

wireless connectivity. According to 

iSuppli, BRIC region has the fastest 

growing auto industry when compared 

to the western countries and the 

percentages of vehicles embedded with 

telematics technology are expected to 

reach 46% globally by the end of 2018, 

yet the telematics development is still at 

a nascent stage in the BRIC economies. 

India has a huge growth potential in the 

auto industry considering the rising sale 

of vehicles, GLONASS deal between 

Indian and Russia in 2010 also projects 

the future expansion and deployment of 

OEM embedded telematics. 

Transportation is the backbone for 

fast moving lifestyle of the present 

generation; people are heavily 

dependent on better transit facilities 

and always strive for new innovations in 

the auto sector. Telematics is improving 

the quality of lifestyle by adding 

functionality and value to automotive, 

tracking and transport solutions. 

India being a vast nation, the adoption 

of M2M technology in the telematics 

segment has a massive potential and 

Machine-to-Machine (M2M) resolution 

is the elucidation to make these things 

possible and affordable. M2M devices 

are designed in such a way that they can 

be incorporated into all transportation 

segments like cars, trucks, aircraft, 

trains, trailers, ships and containers. 

GNSS, Short Range, 2G, 3G and even 

4G communication modules etc are 

the technologies that facilitate M2M 

communication; this would lead to 

enhanced quality of life in the developing 

world. 

There are several telematics devices that 

are the part of the transportation segment 

like navigation, stolen vehicle recovery, 

infotainment systems, electronic toll 

systems and vehicle diagnostics. M2M 

technologies can help in getting real time 

update, vehicle information, toll, parking 

and other relevant information. 

M2M is also gaining impetus in various 

subsidiary industries like automobile 

leasing business, fleet management and 

related sectors. The rising demand of 

telematics embedded vehicles is expected 

to drive down the prices of these devices 

and make it affordable for companies to 

incorporate these devices. However, lack 

of awareness and cost sensitivity could 

pose a challenge to this sector. 

Globally, automobile industry is broadly 

working on the consumption of M2M 

technologies. Deployment of M2M 

telematics applications in automotive 

industry can help to decrease the number 

of road accidents and damages. The focus 

of telematics industry in deploying similar 

products would push the automotive 

sector in increasing the digitization in 

vehicles. 

This initiative of telematics industry will 

bring a revolution in the automotive 

sector and would initiate the system 

of intelligent traffic in the developing 

countries like India which would 

also help in live traffic updates, real 

time positioning, tracking, parking 

management and also reduce the 

road accidents. The economically and 

technologically superior nations like 

USA, Japan and Germany have already 

implemented this technology and the 

Indian automotive sector is on the verge 

on deploying this expertise at home. 

Modern cars with integrated computer 

system and other electronic gadgets 

which help in the essential controls, 

M2M modules today provide vehicles 

with fully loaded sensor technology 

which gives all the information about 

the performance on engine, temperature, 

fuel, breaks, etc. 

M2M data modules are extremely 

sophisticated and come with an array of 

features and capabilities such as onboard 

Global Navigation Satellite System 

(GNSS) technology, flexible land grid 

array surface mounting, embedded M2M 

optimized smart cards (like phone SIMs) 

known as MIMs or M2M identification 

modules, and embedded Java, a 

significant facilitating technology to step 

up the Internet of Things (IOT). 

Despite certain challenges like awareness 

and adoption of m2m technology, 

Asia and in particular India has made 

a substantial break-through in the 

Telematics space. India as a country faces 

issues regarding consumer awareness. 

Most of the high-end consumers are not 

aware how telematics can make their life 

simpler and how full utilization would 

reap benefits for them. This is one of the 

greatest challenges, which India has to 

conquer to attain absolute utilization of 

immense market opportunities. 



Opinion 

How technology is impacting the 

automotive industry 

Manufacturers are seeking to make cars more efficient in two 

ways, driven largely by the requirement to reduce average fleet 

emissions to 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre for all new cars 

The automotive industry is one of 

the UK’s fastest-changing sectors, 

something that is all too evident 

when those who only trade in their 

cars or vans on an irregular basis finally 

decide to upgrade. Much of this is as a 

result of technology, whether that’s simply 

reflecting wider consumer trends or more 

fundamental changes that could affect the 

design and role of vehicles and even how 

we move around in the future. 

Legislation is a key driver, particularly 

the need to reduce carbon. “This means 

that the technological features revolve 

around new regulations and customer 

demand,” says Felipe Munoz, global 

automotive analyst at automotive 

business intelligence provider JATO 

Dynamics. “The turbochargers developed 

by some premium brands are a good 

example: they used to be the primary way 

to boost speed and acceleration. Now 

their focus is to improve driver experience 

and efficiency.” 

The efficiency quotient 

Manufacturers are seeking to make 

cars more efficient in two ways, driven 

largely by the requirement to reduce 

average fleet emissions to 95 grams of 

CO2 per kilometre for all new cars. One 

is to reduce fuel used; something that 

has been a focus for the Institute for 

Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering 

(IAME), a partnership between the 

University of Coventry and Unipart 

Manufacturing Group. 

“One project is with Ford, where we have 

helped them develop the technology 

for increased pressure in gasoline direct 

injections to reduce fuel consumption,” 

says Dr Carl Perrin, director of IAME. 

The second trend is around reducing the 

overall weight of the vehicle. Some of this 

is achieved through the use of different 

materials – the American Chemistry 

Council estimates the proportion of steel 

has fallen from 43% to 35% of total 

weight since 1998, while aluminium 

has risen from 6% to 10% – but also 

from reducing the weight of particular 

components and parts. 

IAME has been involved in a number 

of projects, says Perrin, including on the 

Aston Martin Vanquish. “We looked at 

where all the mass is in the exhaust and 

challenged everything from the thickness 

of the tubing to the heat shields and the 

joining methodology,” he says. “We were 

funded through an Innovate UK project 


to target a 50% reduction in the weight 

of the exhaust. It’s about 13kg, from a 

total mass of 26kg. We did that through 

using different materials, downgrading 

other materials and then developing all 

the joining and forming technologies 

needed to go with that.” The system is 

currently at the prototype stage but Perrin 

hopes it will move into production later 

in the year. 

Another project has been with Jaguar 

Land Rover, where the focus has been 

to reduce the weight of the muffler 

box on exhaust systems by using 

acoustic technology rather than physical 

components to eliminate noise. “It means 

we can deactivate some of the cylinders 

so we’re burning less fuel, but we can still 

make it sound like a V6 or V8,” he says. 

Connecting the dots 

Another big area for the sector has been 

the development of internet-enabled or 

“connected” vehicles. Research by JATO 

Dynamics suggests 18% of vehicles 

registered in the UK in 2015 had some 

form of internet connection, and this 

figure will undoubtedly rise in the future. 

In the car, this is giving rise to a number 

of new developments designed to give 

owners or users more control. “Apps for 

connected cars, along with the telematic 

box – an in-car SIM – will enable users 

to manage their car remotely, so to check 

gas levels, lock the door, check driving 

performance, receive theft notifications, 

and control other elements such as 

starting up the engine or putting the 

alarm on,” says Munoz. “The ultimate aim 

is to do all of this via a smartwatch.” 

The technology also opens up 

possibilities around vehicles 

communicating with each other or with 

broader infrastructure. Examples here 

include intelligent transport systems 

which could alert drivers to traffic 

conditions, tolls and optimum routes, 

as well as driver assistance systems 

to control speed, stability and even 

emergency braking if required. 

Proportion of steel has fallen from 43% 

to 35% of total weight since 1998 

Nick Reed is academy director at The 

Transport Research Laboratory, which has 

recently been working on a European 

project called COBRA, looking at the 

benefits and concerns around such 

systems. He foresees a future where car 

journeys become more personalised – 

with apps advising drivers to park some 

distance away from their destination to 

reach a step target for the day – as well 

as vehicles providing information and 

assistance around parking and warning 

drivers when services or repairs are 

needed. 

But he also has concerns. “Drivers and 

passengers will be able to experience 

smoother, faster and more coherent 

access to smartphone functionality 

such as calls, email, social media and 

multimedia applications, but it is critical 

to recognise the potential for driver 

distraction,” he says. “With more devices 

to catch their attention, drivers may miss 

critical information as they are engaged 

in other activities or browsing through 

menus.” 

There are also fears around security, 

warns Simon Viney, director of 

cyber resilience with Stroz Friedberg. “This 

offers the opportunity for cyber- attackers 

to steal valuable data, goods or vehicles, 

or disrupt the operation of ‘connected’ 

cars,” he says. He gives the example of 

the Jeep case, which forced Fiat Chrysler 

to recall several million vehicles in 2015 

after hackers managed to gain control of 

a vehicle. 

“In addition, some 6,000 cars were 

reportedly stolen in London in 2014, 

after hackers identified a way to readily 

bypass a keyless entry system used by 

several manufacturers,” he adds. “Attacks 

such as these only become more 

sophisticated and easier to conduct once 

an attack is successful.” 

It’s a concern shared by Mark Taylor, 

technical manager, technical innovation 

at ICAEW’s IT Faculty. “You tend to find 

on engineering projects that people get 

very excited and think about great things, 

and then they think about security after,” 

he says. “It’s important to think about 

security when you’re starting to build the 

system; it will only get worse unless car 

manufacturers think more about this in 

the process.” Privacy of customer data is 

also a concern if vehicles communicate 

with call centres, he adds. 

Electric avenue 

Opinion 

Electric vehicle technology is – finally 

– starting to make a real impact, as 

concerns over driving range and charging 

infrastructure start to subside. According 

to The Society of Motor Manufacturers 

& Traders, some 2,400 electric vehicles 

a month were registered in 2015, 

compared to just 500 the year before. 

Today, there are more than 75,000 

electric vehicles in the UK. 

“I believe that this growth will continue 

and result in 85% of all new car sales 

being electric by 2035,” says Erik 

Fairbairn, founder of POD Point. “What’s 

really driving the growth is a recognition 

of their superiority over vehicles with 

internal combustion engines. Put simply, 

electric cars are easier to drive, quieter on 

the road, require less maintenance, cost 

less to run and are altogether more fun 

than their petrol counterparts.” 

Nick Reed forsees a future where car 

journeys become more personalised, with 

apps advising drivers, as well as vehicles 

warning when repairs are needed 

Part of this is also due to the emergence 

of manufacturer Tesla, which is pushing 

a combination of new models and 

investments in battery technology, and is 

currently seeking to acquire SolarCity as 

it attempts to tie in renewable technology 

with electric charging capabilities in the 

home. The new Models S and X have a 

range of over 300 miles, helping to make 

electric vehicles a more viable option for 

those looking to do more than local trips 

or city driving. 

But electric vehicles or hybrids are not 

necessarily the only option in moving 

away from petrol or diesel. “In the 

future there will be a range of fuel 

types dependent on actual transport 

needs, from pure electric vehicles to 

gaseous-powered vehicles, including 

hydrogen,” says Chris Chandler, principal 

consultant at Lex Autolease. production 

and distribution of hydrogen that many 

people do not fully appreciate. 




Auto Show 

Graphene Automotive 

2020 Exhibition and Conference 

Welcome to the Graphene 

Automotive 2020 Exhibition 

and Conference where graphene 

researchers and automotive manufacturers 

will meet in Detroit to explore new 

graphene-based solutions for use in 

automotive applications. 

Graphene, an ultra-light weight and 

immensely strong material has captured 

worldwide interest. Graphene is 200 

times tougher than steel, incredibly thin 

and flexible, a superb conductor, and can 

offer a solid barrier. As production and 

processing of graphene has advanced, 

the automotive industries are eager to 

establish supplies, integrate graphene into 

existing processes, and explore new uses 

of graphene in a multitude of automotive 

applications including electronics, thermal 

management and structural uses. 

While graphene is emerging as the most 

promising nanomaterial because of its 

unique combination of superb properties, 

industries are faced with a number of key 

challenges before wide-scale commercial 

use can be established. The solution for 

commercialization of graphene lies in the 

standardisation of high-quality materials 

in a scalable manner, developments 

in material integration and processes, 

and the production of graphene at the 

lowest possible cost in order to achieve 

profitable applications. By overcoming 

the challenges, industries can confidently 

invest in industrialization to deliver 

graphene-based devices and solutions in 

the near future. 

This year’s Graphene Automotive 

2020 conference is set to become the 

world’s leading exhibition and conference 

exclusively for graphene researchers 

and automotive manufacturers to meet 

and explore new uses of graphene 

in automotives, and to address the 

specific challenges associated with the 

commercialisation of graphene for use in 

a multitude of new applications. 

Key topics on this year’s agenda include: 

Graphene availability, market supply, and 

demand forecasts 

New markets and 

the commercialization of graphene 

automotive applications 

Quality and standardization of graphene 

materials to meet commercial needs 

New developments in manufacturing 

processes and material 

integration techniques 

Latest methods, results, and new 

developments in graphene-based 

composites 

End-user automotive manufacturer case 

studies and successful applications 

This exhibition and conference will 

provide a forum for all stakeholders, from 

researchers and suppliers in the graphene 

industry, to end user manufacturers, 

to network and build cross-market 

relationships and to discuss the latest 

developments in graphene use in new 

automotive applications. 




Cover Story 

Africa: The new hub for 

automotive manufacturing 

Africa auto sector is struggling under currency policies and associated import 

controls set up to conserve hard currency and encourage local manufacturing 

The automotive manufacturing 

industry in Africa is growing fast. 

Automotive production in Africa 

is growing industry as more and more 

manufacturers move closer to their 

African customers and discover the 

advantages of low-labour costs and 

tax holidays. Demand for automobile 

spare parts in Africa is also growing. 

The automotive production industry in 

South Africa is nearly 100 years old. In 

the 1980s and 1990s, Nigeria achieved 

significant production and production 

occurs in Egypt and more recently 

Morocco. Smaller production activities 

take place in Kenya and some decades 

ago in Zimbabwe. However, currently 

significant modern assembly is largely 

located in South Africa. 

Formed in 2015, the Africa Association 

of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) 

works specifically to promote and 

facilitate the growth of the African 

automotive industry. Formed by 

executives from the world’s biggest car 

manufacturers, the African Association 

of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) 

embarked on a concerted push to revive 

and resurrect Africa’s auto industry. 

Since then, the newly-created African 

Association of Automotive Manufacturers 

(AAAM) has been working with key 

African governments to create the right 

policy environment for the sector to 

Flourish. 

Africa’s untapped demand combines with 

a steady increase in consumer spending 

which has been rising at an annual rate 

of 10% over the last few years. Moreover, 

analysts predict that by 2030, over half 

a billion Africans will have joined the 

middle class. “If the growth in vehicle 

sales keeps pace with growing consumer 

spending, annual sales of passenger 

cars in Sub-Saharan Africa will surpass 

10 million units by 2030,” says South 

African consultancy B&M Analysts. 

Not surprisingly, one of the organisation’s 

first ports of call was government leaders 

in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. Fast-growing 

Nigeria is the jewel in Africa’s auto 

crown with just 44 vehicles per 1,000 

inhabitants,far below the global average 

of 180 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, 

according to recent estimates by a 

Deloitte report. 

While new vehicle sales have jumped 


Cover Story 

in developing markets like China, 

India and Brazil over the last decade, 

growth in Africa has remained relatively 

slow. According to the International 

Organisation of Motor Vehicle 

Manufacturers (OICA), only 1.5 million 

new vehicles were sold across the African 

continent’s 54 countries with a combined 

population of 1 billion in 2016. South 

African consumers buy most new cars, 

and together with Egypt, Algeria and 

Morocco account for almost 80 per 

cent of the continent’s total auto sales, 

with only muted demand from important 

economies like Nigeria and Kenya. 

But far from being a disincentive to 

investors, the figures act as a rallying call. 

“When Volkswagen and General Motors 

moved into China the motorisation rate 

was lower than in Ethiopia today. The 

limited market was not a deterrent for 

the early movers who recognised China’s 

long-term potential,” says Karthi Pillay, 

Africa automotive leader, risk advisory at 

Deloitte. 

Mix with this a renewed determination 

amongst African leaders to diversify 

their economies through boosting 

manufacturing. New policies aimed at 

increasing domestic car production are 

starting to pay off. In 2016, China’s 

state-owned car manufacturer Beijing 

Automotive International Corp unveiled 

plans to build a R11bn (US$759mn) 

auto plant in South Africa the biggest 

investment in a vehicle-production 

facility in the country in four decades will 

earmark over half of its output for export, 

initially to East, West and North Africa. 

Elsewhere, after a four-decade break in 

production, Volkswagen is starting up its 

Kenyan production line once again. 

The signs are good. But with challenges 

ranging from imported used cars flooding 

the market to Africa’s weak manufacturing 

base and a lack of finance for would-be 

car owners, Africa promises a challenging 

operating environment. 

Import of used cars in Africa 

The biggest barrier to new vehicle sales 

in Africa is cheap, imported secondhand 

cars from the US, Europe and 

Japan. Consultancy Deloitte estimates 

that eight out of 10 imported cars in 

Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria are used 

cars. According to the Kenya National 

Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) the volume 

of imported vehicles between 2005 and 

2017 grew at over 300 per cent from 

33,000 to over 120,000 units. 

Governments are developing policies 

to limit the influx. In an effort to hike 

the price of second-hand cars to favour 

more new car purchases, Kenya has 

forbidden vehicles over eight years old 

from entering into the country, with plans 

to reduce this further. Similarly, Nigeria 

has increased its import duty on secondhand 

vehicles, most of which arrive in a 

bustling trade from the US into Africa 

via Benin’s Cotonou port. As a result, 

Nigeria’s imports of cars from the US 

plummeted from more than 100,000 a 

year to less than 40,000 units in 2015. 

Nigeria car sales Other signs of change 

include the enduring stagnation of the 

Japanese economy. It has resulted in 

sluggish sales of new cars there, which 

in turn has created a shortage in the 

supply of quality used vehicles. There has 

been “a deterioration of the environment 

surrounding the export of the used 

motor vehicles industry”, says Hiroshi 

Sato, chairman of the Japan Used Motor 

Vehicle Exporters Association. 

As crucial as controlling used-car imports 



Feature 

is to nurturing a domestic industry, so 

is establishing a manufacturing base. 

South Africa leads the continent’s auto 

manufacturing sector with original 

equipment manufacturers, longestablished 

in the country and backed 

by a vibrant community of 500 suppliers 

and diversified manufacturers. Yet, head 

up the continent and there is little auto 

manufacturing until North Africa, bar light 

manufacturing from imported kits. 

Kenya only has three assembly plants, 

and they all produce vehicles with wholly 

imported parts that require no domestic 

manufacturing input. 

The Kenyan government, which has 

identified the auto sector as a key driver 

of the country’s industrialisation policy, 

has promised incentives to encourage 

a local industry. These include building 

special economic zones which benefit 

from tax holidays and low utility rates. 

It has also introduced local input 

requirements and tariffs on imported auto 

components that could be manufactured 

locally. Encouragingly, the assembly of 

motor vehicles in Kenya grew by 31.4% 

from 2013 to 2014, with assembly 

figures forecast to almost double between 

2013 and 2019. It’s improving the 

country’s chances of becoming a hub for 

assembly and production in the region. 

It’s a similar story in Nigeria, where the 

Automotive Industry Development Plan 

(NAIDP) pledges to build auto industry 

infrastructure including supplier parks and 

clusters. Tax incentives include Nigeria 

allowing car groups to import two fullybuilt 

units at a discount duty of 35% for 

cars and 20% for commercial vehicles, for 

every one built locally. The government 

also aims to boost skills and investment 

and encourage a local component 

industry to supply manufacturers at 

competitive prices. It amounts to the 

kinds of incentives that encouraged Ford 

to begin assembling its Ford Ranger 

pickup in the Nigerian city of Ikeja in 

2015, partnering with Ford dealer group 

Coscharis Motors on the project. 

“Nigeria is a priority market for us in 

Sub-Saharan Africa and this will allow 

us to better serve our customers, both 

from a retail point of view and in terms 

of vehicle and parts availability,” says 

Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO of 

Ford Motor Company of Sub-Saharan 

Africa. “We are committed to supporting 

Nigeria’s developing automotive industry 

and economy together with Coscharis, 

and are looking forward to being active 

in the community. New assembly 

operations, even on a smaller scale like 

this one, have very positive ripple effects 

in the local economy and workforce.” 

But nurturing indigenous manufacturing 

is still difficult. Nigeria-based groups 

Nissan and Peugeot also only assemble 

the bulk of their vehicles from imported 

semi-knocked down (SKD) kits because 

there is no local manufacturing industry. 

Even Nigeria’s own Innoson Vehicle 

Manufacturing Company (IVM) based 

in the south-eastern Anambra state, 

assembles trucks and buses with 

completely knocked-down (CKD) kits 

with all the vehicles’ engines, gear boxes 

and electrical parts imported from 

overseas. Auto-related imports into 

Nigeria accounted for around 11.5% of 

total imports, worth around US$6.9bn in 

2014, according to UNCTAD. 

Automotive sector in Africa 

Nigerian policy is currently making things 

even more difficult. Like all manufacturing, 

the auto sector is struggling under 

currency policies and associated import 

controls set up to conserve hard currency 

and encourage local manufacturing by 

prioritising strategic imports. It’s starving 

the auto sector of inputs and leading to a 

collapse in supplies of product lines from 

glass to rubber. OICA estimates that total 

new vehicle sales in Nigeria dropped by 

more than half in 2017, compared to 

2016. It’s this kind of foreign exchange 

controls that are also limiting the ability 

of companies to import SKD units 

and parts for assembly and repair in 

Ethiopia, where high taxes also make cars 

unaffordable for most. 

Exporting within Africa is also a challenge 

for the continent’s carmakers because of 

tariffs and barriers. Uganda and Tanzania 

slap tariffs on cars assembled in Kenya, 

the only country in the East African 

Community with assembly capability, 

because they don’t meet local input 

criteria. It gives imported second-hand 

cars the edge. 

In recent times, Toyota South Africa saw a 

fall in exports to the rest of the continent 

as a result of higher tariffs in Nigeria, 

Algeria and Angola. Meanwhile, South 

Africa exports more vehicles to Europe, 

the US and even Asia than it does to its 

neighbouring African market. 

“Vehicle exports to Europe and Asia 

continued to show growth. Vehicle 

exports to African markets recorded 

substantial declines. This was due to a 

combination of factors including ad hoc 


duty increases in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, 

regulatory restrictions in Algeria and 

weaker economic conditions across most 

African countries due to the decline in 

commodity prices,” says Nico Vermeulen, 

director of the National Association of 

Automobile Manufacturers of South 

Africa (NAAMSA). 

Car finance challenges 

Governments also need to create easier 

access to car finance. “The availability 

of financing for new motor vehicles is 

virtually non-existent in most African 

countries,” says Vermeulen. 

South African banks have been quickest 

off the mark. South Africa’s FirstRand 

Bank announced plans to set up a vehicle 

financing arm in Nigeria via its subsidiary 

WesBank, Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest 

provider of auto loans. 

Meanwhile, First Bank of Nigeria has 

spotted opportunity in the growth of car 

sharing in Nigeria in a development that 

the architects trying to build demand for 

new cars can hardly welcome. The bank’s 

vehicle financing arm plans to extend 

borrowing to highly-rated Uber drivers via 

low-interest, used vehicle loans. The carsharing 

platform has operated in Abuja 

and Lagos since it entered the Nigerian 

market in 2014. It currently has more 

than 2,000 drivers and was targeting 

4,000 by the end of 2016. 

“We are absolutely committed to making 

it as easy as possible for our driver 

partners to start and maintain their own 

successful and profitable businesses,” says 

Ebi Atawodi, general manager of Uber 

Nigeria. “And these used vehicle finance 

options make it possible for those with a 

demonstrable performance commitment 

to build sustainable businesses without 

incurring the high costs often associated 

with new vehicle purchases.” 

The growth in car sharing in Nigeria 

leads Deloitte’s Pillay to ponder future 

developments in the industry. “It shows 

mobility leapfrogging car ownership; 

Africa may not be a market focused on 

making and selling cars,” he suggests. 

Indian and Chinese manufacturers 

believe their low-cost models will have 

the advantage, while others are betting 

on the electric car. Uganda’s Kiira 

Motors grew out of a research project 

at Makerere University and is aiming to 

produce electric vehicles by 2019 before 

becoming original manufacturers by 

2039. Ford is expanding its multi-modal 

approach to urban mobility. One of the 

innovations on show at Go Further Africa 

was its electric MoDe:Pro e-bike. 

Whatever the future holds, Africa’s 

consumers are the last untapped market 

for the auto giants. 



Feature 

What Causes Car Batteries to Fail? 

Low charge and acid stratification are the most 

common causes of the apparent failure 

A 

German manufacturer of 

luxury cars reveals that of 400 

car batteries returned under 

warranty, 200 are working well and 

have no problem. Low charge and acid 

stratification are the most common 

causes of the apparent failure. The car 

manufacturer says that the problem 

is more common on large luxury cars 

offering power-hungry auxiliary options 

than on the more basic models. 

In Japan, battery failure is the largest 

complaint among new car owners. The 

average car is only driven 13 km (8 

miles) per day and mostly in a congested 

city. As a result, the batteries will never 

get fully charged and sulfation occurs. 

The batteries in Japanese cars are small 

and only provide enough power to 

crank the engine and perform some 

rudimentary functions. North America 

may be shielded from these battery 

problems, in part because of long 

distance driving. 

Good battery performance is important 

because problems during the warranty 

period tarnish customer satisfaction. Any 

service requirement during that time is 

recorded and the number is published 

in trade magazines. This data is of great 

interest among prospective car buyers 

throughout the world. 

Battery malfunction is seldom caused by 

a factory defect; driving habits are the 

more common culprits. Heavy accessory 

power when driving short distance 

prevents a periodic fully saturated charge 

that is so important for the longevity of a 

lead acid battery. According to a leading 

European manufacturer of car batteries, 

factory defects amounts to less than 7 

percent. 

The battery remains a weak link and the 

breakdowns on 1.95 million vehicles six 

years or less are as follows: 

52% battery 

15% flat tire 

8% engine 

7% wheels 

7% fuel injection 

6% heating & cooling 

6% fuel system 

A breakdown due to the battery remains 

the number one cause. 

Acid stratification, a problem with 

luxury cars 

A common cause of battery failure is 

acid stratification. The electrolyte on a 

stratified battery concentrates on the 

bottom, causing the upper half of the 




Feature 

cell to be acid poor. 

This effect is similar 

to a cup of coffee in 

which the sugar collects 

on the bottom when 

the waitress forgets to 

bring the stirring spoon. 

Batteries tend to stratify 

if kept at low charge 

(below 80%) and never 

have the opportunity 

to receive a full 

charge. Short distance 

driving while running 

windshield wiper 

and electric heaters 

contributes to this. Acid 

stratification reduces 

the overall performance 

of the battery. 

A light acid limits plate 

activation, promotes 

corrosion and reduces 

performance. High 

acid concentration on the bottom, on 

the other hand, artificially raises the 

open circuit voltage. The battery appears 

fully charged but provides a low CCA. 

High acid concentration also promotes 

sulfation and decreases the already low 

conductivity further. If unchecked, such a 

condition will eventually lead to battery 

failure. 

Allowing the battery to rest for a few 

days, applying a shaking motion or 

tipping the unit over tends to correct the 

problem. A topping charge by which the 

12-volt battery is brought up to 16 volts 

for one to two hours also reverses the 

acid stratification. The topping charge 

also reduces sulfation caused by high 

acid concentration. Careful attention is 

needed to keep the battery from heating 

up and losing excessive electrolyte 

through hydrogen gassing. Always charge 

the battery in a well-ventilated room. 

Accumulation of hydrogen gas can lead 

to an explosion. Hydrogen is odorless 

and can only be detected with measuring 

devices. 

The challenge of battery testing 

During the last 20 years, battery testing 

lagged behind other technologies. The 

reason: the battery is a very difficult 

animal to test, short of applying a full 

charge, discharge and recharge. The 

battery behaves similar to us humans. We 

still don’t know why we perform better on 

certain days than others. 

Even by using highly accurate charge and 

discharge equipment, lead acid batteries 

produce disturbingly high capacity 

fluctuations on repetitive measurements. 

To demonstrate the variations, Cadex 

tested 91 car batteries with diverse 

performance levels (Figure 3). We first 

prepared the batteries by giving them a 

full charge and a 24-hour rest period. We 

then measured the capacity by applying a 

25A discharge to 10.50V or 1.75V/cell 

(black diamonds). 

This procedure was repeated for a second 

time and the resulting capacities were 

plotted (purple squared). This produced 

a whooping +/-15% variation in capacity 

readings across the full population. Some 

batteries had higher readings the second 

time; others were lower. Other chemistries 

appear to be more consistent in capacity 

readings than lead acid. 

From the beginning, load testers have 

been the standard test method for car 

batteries. The year 1992 brought us AC 

conductance, a method that simplified 

battery testing. Now we are experimenting 

with multi-model electrochemical 

impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a 

portable version at an affordable price. 

Getting a fast and dependable assessment 

of a failing battery is difficult. Most 

battery testers in use only take cold 

cranking amps (CCA) and voltage 

readings. Capacity, the most important 

measurement of a battery, is unavailable. 

While taking the CCA reading alone is 

relatively simple, measuring the capacity 

is very complex and instruments offering 

this feature are expensive. 

The Spectro CA-12 by Cadex Electronics 

is the first in a series of high-end battery 

testers capable of measuring capacity, 

CCA and state-of-charge (SoC) in a 

single, non-invasive test. The technology 

is based on multi-model electrochemical 

impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The system 

injects 24 excitation frequencies ranging 

from 20 to 2000 Hertz. The sinusoidal 

signals are regulated at 10mV/cell to 

remain within the thermal battery voltage 

of lead acid. This achieves stable readings 

for small and large batteries. 

During the 30-second test, over 40 

million transactions are completed. A 

patented algorithm analyses the data and 

the final results are displayed in capacity, 

CCA and state-of-charge. 

EIS is very complex and until recently 

required dedicated computers and 


Feature 

expensive laboratory 

equipment, not to mention 

chemists and engineers to 

interpret the readings. The 

hardware of a full EIS system is 

commonly mounted on racks 

and the installation runs 

into tens of thousands of 

dollars. 

The tough choice 

No battery tester solves all 

problems. Entry-level testers are low cost, 

simple to use and capable of servicing a 

broad range of batteries. However, these 

units only provide a rough indication 

of the battery condition. A lab test 

at Cadex demonstrates that a battery 

tester based on EIS is four times more 

accurate in detecting weak batteries than 

AC conductance. Conventional testers 

often misjudge the battery on account of 

low state-of-charge. Many batteries are 

replaced when they should have been 

recharged, while others are given a clean 

bill of health when it should have been 

replaced. 

Acid stratification is difficult to measure, 

even with the EIS technology. Noninvasive 

testers simply take a snapshot, 

average the measurements and spit out 

the results. Stratified batteries tend to 

show higher state-of-charge readings 

because of elevated voltage. On 

preliminary tests, the Spectro CA-12 also 

shows slightly higher CCA and capacity 

readings than 

normal. After 

letting the battery 

rest, the capacity tends 

to normalize. This may be due to 

diffusion effects in the stratified as 

a result of resting. Little information 

is available on how long a stratified 

battery needs to rest to improve the 

condition, other than to note that 

higher temperatures will hasten the 

diffusion process. 

Ideally, a battery tester should 

indicate the level of acid 

stratification; sulfation, surface 

charge and other such condition 

and display how to correct the 

problem. This feature is not yet 

possible. Much research is being 

done in finding a solution that offers 

a more complete battery evaluation 

without the need for a full discharge. 

The knowledge gained on lead 

acid batteries can then be applied 

to other battery systems, such as 

traction, military, marine, aviation 

and stationary batteries. 



Technology 

Despite technology advancements, 

where do we stand with car safety? 

Safety features like forward collision warning and automatic 

emergency braking help drivers avoid them 

more than 300,000 lives have been 

saved because of them. 

Even today, seat-belt technology 

continues to evolve to make passengers 

safer. Two parts of a seat belt that work 

during a crash are the pretensioner and 

the limiter. The pretensioner pulls the belt 

tight so you don’t fly forward, and the 

load limiter lets out a little bit of slack 

so that you don’t get hurt by the belt. 

All this great technology isn’t standard 

on all cars and isn’t always available in 

backseats. It shouldn’t be a luxury option. 

Advances in technology are 

making cars safer than ever 

before, but not everyone has 

access to these lifesaving features. And 

did you know that 9 out of every 10 

serious crashes are linked to driver 

error? 

Safety features like forward collision 

warning and automatic emergency 

braking help drivers avoid them. But 

these safety features are standard only 

in 44 percent of 2019 model cars. 

Consumer Reports would like to see all 

cars have lifesaving technology. 

These systems are so important that 

Consumer Reports factors them into 

their ratings and would like more 

vehicles to have them as standard 

equipment. But the rollout has been 

slow. And CR says slow-to-market safety 

technology is all too common. 

Take a look at seat belts. Consumer 

Reports tested them in 1956, but it took 

more than 10 years for the government 

to require them on all cars. Since 1960, 

So what’s next for safety? Consumer 

Reports says we might be looking to 

the cloud to keep us safe on the roads. 

Vehicle to vehicle technology, or V2V, 

allows cars to communicate with each 

other and coordinate traffic signals to 

help avoid crashes. And automakers 

and tech companies say that self-driving 

cars could be the Holy Grail of highway 

safety, working to reduce or even 

eliminate crashes all together. But CR 

says fully self-driving cars are still years or 

even decades away. 




Auto Garage 

How often do I need to 

change my Brake Fluid 

This leaves it up to the owner to consult what the 

manufacturer says in their car’s maintenance schedule 

and rely on the advice of a trusted repair shop 

The recommended intervals for 

changing brake fluid are all over 

the board depending on the 

manufacturer, from as often as every 

two years to actually never. Wait, never? 

Really, never. 

For example, Chevrolet calls for a 

brake fluid change on most models 

every 45,000 miles, but Honda says 

to do it every three years regardless 

of the vehicle’s mileage. Three years 

is also the recommended interval for 

most Volkswagens, but Mercedes-Benz 

vehicles typically call for fresh fluid 

every two years or 20,000 miles. In 

contrast, on the Ford Escape, Hyundai 

Elantra, Toyota Camry and other models 

from those manufacturers, there are 

no recommendations for replacing the 

brake fluid, only instructions to inspect it 

periodically. 

This leaves it up to the owner to consult 

what the manufacturer says in their car’s 

maintenance schedule and rely on the 

advice of a trusted repair shop. 

Brake fluid lives in a sealed system and 

can survive for years, but moisture from 

the surrounding air can work its way in 

through hoses and other parts of the 

brake system. If your brake fluid has 

become dirty or contaminated, it can 

change how your brake system operates 

— brake pedal feel can be affected, as 


can heat dissipation in repeated stops. 

Water in the brake lines lowers the 

boiling point of the fluid, so stopping 

ability can diminish in hard stops as heat 

in the system increases. In addition, 

over time the moisture can 

cause internal corrosion 

in the brake lines, 

calipers, the master 

cylinder and other 

components. 

Flushing and 

replacing 

brake fluid 

might 

cost $100 

or less 

on many 

vehicles, 

but replacing 

rusted brake 

lines, brake 

calipers and other 

brake parts can run 

several hundreds of dollars, 

so clearly there’s value in 

keeping up with maintenance. As a 

rule of thumb, it’s wise to have the brake 

fluid inspected and tested for moisture 

content every few years, and no more 

than every five if you live in a highhumidity 

area. Drivers living in areas that 

get winter weather should also inspect 

their brake system frequently, as salt 

and other contaminants can get into the 

brake fluid. 

You might be able to tell it’s time for 

a change by looking to see if the fluid 

is still fresh in the brake fluid reservoir, 

usually sitting on top of the master 

cylinder under the hood of your vehicle. 

Brake fluid is often light brown in 

color, and in some vehicles it’s clear 

(at least when new) but will darken 

with age, becoming murky from water 

contamination. A better way is to have it 

tested by a professional for moisture and 

see what they recommend. Oftentimes 

you can have this service performed at 

the same place that performs a rapid oil 

change. Since the technician is already 

Auto Garage 

poking around under the hood, it’s easy 

for them to take a sample and inspect all 

of your vehicle’s fluids. 

Brake fluid is as vital to stopping a vehicle 

as engine oil is to keeping it going, but 

it doesn’t get as much attention as it 

deserves. 



Review 

Kia may launch electric Picanto 

Kia could launch an electric 

version of the Picanto minicar if 

the automaker can find ways to 

reduce costs to make the car affordable. 

A battery-powered Picanto will be “a 

big challenge,” said Emilio Herrera, Kia 

Motor Europe’s chief oprating officer. “But 

sooner or later, we will have to do it.” 

Automakers are rethinking small-car 

strategy in Europe in response to tougher 

European Union emissions limits that will 

force them to add costly new technology 

to cars that already bring in low profits. 

Ford will stop selling its Ka+ in the region 

while Opel is dropping its Karl and Adam 

models. 

Volkswagen Group is expected to replace 

its VW Up, Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii 

internal combustion cars with battery only 

models. Seat has been tasked developing 

small EVs for the group that will cost less 

than 20,000 euros. 

At the Frankfurt auto show this month, 

Renault said it is working to launch a 

10,000-euro electric vehicle in Europe 

within five years. 

Herrera said he is skeptical that Renault 

will achieve the goal. “I think that is a very 

bold statement because one of the most 

challenging things we have is to make all 

EVs profitable. And the smaller the car, 

the more complicated it is. So to have a 

10,000-euro EV in that time frame, I see 

it very challenging and not very realistic,” 

said Herrera. 

Despite this, Herrera said Kia is looking 

into the possibility of an electric Picanto. 

“There’s nothing confirmed yet, but we 

are really looking at it,” he said. He gave 

no time frame for a decision. 

The price of the current Picanto with a 

gasoline engine starts at 10,290 euros in 

Germany but drops to 10,000 euros with 

discounts, Herrera said. A fully equipped 

version can sell for more than 17,000 

euros. A Picanto EV would currently cost 

close to 20,000 euros, he said. 

Herrera said Kia needs to reduce 

production costs for a Picanto EV to 


Review 

16,000 to 17,000 euros. Kia could 

try to find synergies with sister brand 

Hyundai if it wanted to produce an 

electric version of its i10 minicar, Herrera 

said. 

Herrera said automakers should not 

count on government incentives that 

boost EV sales by reducing the price 

differences between internal-combustionengine 

and battery electric vehicles. 

In five years, those incentives may be 

gone because so many EVs will be on 

the road that it will be too costly for 

governments to offer subsidies, he said. 

Why would Kia take up such a difficult 

challenge? “Because mini and small cars 

are so important in Europe. In countries 

such as Italy they account for 50 percent 

of the market, so I think we will have to 

have a battery electric minicar,” Herrera 

said. 

According to JATO Dynamics data, the 

mini- and small-car segments together 

command 26% of the EU market. 

Kia’s goal is to have an electric car “in 

almost every main segment,” Herrera said. 

Kia currently sells electric versions of the 

Soul and the Niro small crossovers in 

Europe. Kia will sell about 20,000 of the 

two EVs in Europe this year and plans to 

double that figure in 2020, Herrera said. 



Review 

Nissan gives dealers a look 

at compact crossover EV 

The Japanese automaker has been lapped by rivals 

with EVs that boast longer range and more power 

Nissan introduced the first massmarket, 

battery-powered electric 

vehicle in the U.S. — the Leaf 

— nearly a decade ago. But despite that 

head start, the Japanese automaker has 

been lapped by rivals with EVs that boast 

longer range and more power. 

Hoping to catch up, Nissan is preparing 

to launch a second EV in the U.S., 

a crossover with greater range and 

power than the Leaf, as well as updated 

technologies. 

The EV, expected to arrive in the U.S. in 

the second half of 2021, would be one 

of eight battery-powered models Nissan 

is planning globally in the next few years. 

At a dealer meeting last month, Nissan 

gave its U.S. retailers their first look at the 

EV, which is being developed on a new 

platform. 

According to dealers who saw the vehicle, 

the five-seater has a 300-mile range and 

can go from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 

seconds. 

The crossover is described as a compact, 

and has the exterior proportions of a 

compact Rogue but the interior space 

of a midsize Murano, according to the 

dealers. Nissan declined to share details 

of the planned model. 

Nissan’s second EV will launch into a 

market that is getting more crowded as 

several automakers, including Jaguar, 

Audi and Tesla, are moving aggressively 

into electric crossovers, while Ford and 

General Motors have vowed to step up 

their EV offerings. 

Analysts believe the electric crossover 

segment is likely to keep growing for the 

next few years. 


Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at Navigant 

Research, said a crossover EV is the right 

move for Nissan. 

“The market is more likely to want an 

electric crossover in 2021 than it is in 

2019,” Abuelsamid said. 

Squandered lead 

With a 300-mile range, the planned 

vehicle would be competitive in the 

nonpremium EV market, said Ed Kim, an 

analyst with AutoPacific. 

“The importance of range among EV 

buyers cannot be overstated,” Kim said. 

“Range is one of the top reasons people 

reject electric vehicles.” 

With a 300-mile range at a “mainstream 

price point,” Nissan’s EV will be 

competitive with Ford’s upcoming 

Mustang-inspired crossover and Tesla’s 

Model Y, Kim said. 

Review 

Nissan was first to market a batterypowered 

vehicle with its Leaf hatchback 

in 2010. But critics say the automaker 

squandered its lead by failing to update 

the vehicle’s powertrain and design 

quickly and aggressively enough. 

The Leaf, while promoted as a feasible 

family car, was hobbled by a range of 

less than 100 miles in its early years. Not 

until this year did Nissan deliver a Leaf 

with a competitive 226-mile range. 

Inside, Nissan’s IMx concept focuses on 

flexibility 

Nissan also stuck with a single body 

style for most of a decade. The second 

generation launched in 2017 with a 

carryover platform wearing mostly new 

sheet metal and glass, but with its range 

bested by the Chevrolet Bolt EV that 

launched before it. 

Abuelsamid said that by 2015, the 

compact hatchback segment was 

shrinking. “They should have had some 

alternative body style — even based 

on the same platform — to offer to 

consumers.” 

The new crossover is loosely based on 

the IMx concept that Nissan unveiled at 

the 2017 Tokyo auto show. A closerto-production 

concept is expected to be 

shown next month at the Tokyo show. 

The specifics of its battery capacity were 

not disclosed at the dealer meeting. 

Based on the range, the crossover could 

have a 75 to 85 kilowatt-hour battery. 

Digital dashboard 

One dealer who saw the vehicle told 

Automotive News that it has a roomy 

passenger cabin, with a “futuristic” look 

that is “like nothing on the market.” 

The cockpit features a digital dashboard 

that stays hidden until the vehicle is 

turned on. 

“When you get in the car, all you see is 

a pulsating start button,” a dealer said. 

Pushing the start button brings the highresolution 

display to life. 

The design reflects an industry trend to 

use touch-sensitive buttons in place of 

traditional dials and knobs. Like the new 

Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model 3, the 

Nissan crossover has a dashboard devoid 

of physical buttons. 

The production version of the crossover 

has a shorter hood than the IMx concept, 

dealers said. 

ProPilot 2.0 

The crossover should receive the next 

generation of Nissan’s ProPilot semiautonomous 

driving technology. The 

new iteration, available first in Japan, 

promises no-hands, auto-navigating 

highway driving from on-ramp to offramp, 

with the ability to automatically 

pass cars along the way. The 2.0 

version makes advances over the firstgeneration 

ProPilot, which doesn’t allow 

for hands-free driving or take orders 

from the navigation system to drive to a 

destination. 

But before the 2.0 system can be offered 

in the U.S., Nissan must obtain detailed 

digital mapping of the United States. The 

technology relies on 3D, high-definition 

highway maps for centimeter-level 

precision. Nissan’s U.S. tech center is 

testing ProPilot 2.0 for local needs. 



Review 

Volvo’s Polestar EV brand 

designed to do things differently 

Electric vehicles typically adopt a skateboard design, with 

their bulky battery packs lying flat under the floor 

Volvo- affiliated Polestar’s first 

battery-electric sedan will feature 

a design element that is the 

antithesis of an EV—a transmission 

tunnel. The tunnel has nothing to do with 

a transmission, of course. Instead, it’s a 

battery storage area, housing some of the 

324 rectangular pouch cells that power 

the Polestar 2. 

The design choice is functional and 

aesthetic. Electric vehicles typically adopt 

a skateboard design, with their bulky 

battery packs lying flat under the floor. 

But that adds to the height of the vehicle, 

which compromises aerodynamics 

and driving range, said Polestar Design 

Chief Maximilian Missoni at Volvo’s 

Hällered Proving Ground an hour from 

Gothenburg. 

By removing batteries from the rear-seat 

footwells, designers were able to lower 

the height of the Polestar 2 and create 

a “sleek fastback silhouette,” Missoni 

said this month on the sidelines of the 

facility’s handling track. The battery 

layout also allows passengers to sit more 

comfortably, while the tunnel design acts 

like a raised center console and gives the 

performance sedan a cockpitlike interior. 

The car will likely reach the U.S. in mid- 

2020. And its design reflects Polestar’s 

willingness to do things differently — 

from its minimalist, tech-focused interior 

design to its unconventional retail 

strategy. 

Polestar, owned by Zhejiang Geely 

Holding Group, is Volvo’s response to the 

BMW M and Mercedes AMG subbrands, 

and the challenger has a lot riding on the 

five-seat fastback. 

The Polestar 2 is crucial to achieving 

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath’s goal 

of making the brand profitable in five to 

seven years and reaching annual global 

sales of more than 100,000. Polestar 

expects to build about 50,000 Polestar 

2s in its first full year. 

“Polestar 2 is the car that will define 

the brand,” Polestar COO Jonathan 

Goodman at the auto company’s boxy, 

three-story headquarters building here. 

The $63,000 sedan is part of an 

ambitious product portfolio for Polestar, 

bookended on the other side by the 

$155,000 limited-run plug-in hybrid 

Polestar 1 coupe. Other models will 

slot in between, including the Polestar 

3, a crossover coupe based on the next 

generation of Volvo’s Scalable Product 

Architecture platform. Production of that 

vehicle will begin at the end of 2021, 

with U.S. arrival in summer 2022. 

Sedan strategic 

“Polestar is the right brand at the right 

time,” Goodman said. “The battle for us 

over the next 12 to 18 months is to get 

the notoriety out there, to be impactful 

with the marketing and events that we do, 


and create the level of interest that we 

require to get to the volume objectives 

that we’ve got.” 

Review 

While launching a sedan in a crossovermad 

world might seems counterintuitive, 

Polestar executives point to the sales 

success of Tesla’s Model 3 as proof of 

demand for a high-performance, welldesigned 

electric sedan. 

Polestar’s choice to go with a sedan was 

also strategic. Established automakers 

such as Jaguar, Volkswagen and 

Mercedes-Benz are already focused 

on the electric crossover segment. The 

Swedish newcomer would prefer to avoid 

that knife fight for now. 

“I’m very pleased to be launching a 

fastback car which offers an alternative to 

the Tesla Model 3, where there will be no 

other alternative for the next 18 months,” 

Goodman said. “Sometimes, it’s quite nice 

to be not like everybody else.” 

Goodman is confident Polestar has nailed 

the timing, as EVs capture customer 

imagination and charging infrastructure is 

expanding. EVs are expected to account 

for 57 percent of global passenger car 

sales, or 56 million vehicles, by 2040, 

according to Bloomberg New Energy 

Finance. 

“We have no legacy to worry about,” 

Goodman said. “If I’m a big OEM, one of 

the things I would have to wrestle with is, 

‘How do I promote my electric vehicles 

while at the same time doing 80 percent 

of my volume with more traditional 

engines?’ We are all-in on electrics, so 

we can be very unequivocal in what we 

say about the cars and how we believe in 

them.” 

At the same time, Polestar is itself part of 

an old established automaker in Volvo, 

which offers Polestar deep pockets and 

resources — in addition to having entree 

into the Chinese market through Geely. 

“We can be in China, we can be in 

Europe, we can be in the U.S. at the same 

time,” Goodman said. 

U.S. rollout 

One thing Polestar doesn’t have is a 

solution to global trade tensions. Those 

could confound the upstart’s global 

ambitions — especially its U.S. rollout. 

The company plans to build its vehicles 

in China, which is in a tit-for-tat tariff war 

with the U.S. The Trump administration 

has threatened to levy tariffs of up to 25 

percent on an additional $300 billion 

worth of goods imported from China. 

Company executives said they’ve priced 

their vehicles to factor in current U.S. 

tariffs on China-made vehicles. But if 

tariffs change, “We’ll have to reevaluate 

everything,” Polestar USA chief Gregor 

Hembrough. 

Geographically diversifying production 

would offer some insulation from a U.S.- 

China trade war, but Goodman waved 

away that prospect. “As soon as you start 

doing that, you’re into double tooling, 

and the costs are very high,” he said. 

There have been about 2,000 preorders 

for the Polestar 2 globally since 

reservations opened in late February. The 

company declined to say how many of 

those reservations are from the U.S. but 

noted early interest is coming from EVfriendly 

California and the Northeast. 

The U.S. marketing offensive, which 

begins next month, will be more snipershot 

than spray-and-pray. Don’t expect 

a Polestar commercial during the Super 

Bowl, Hembrough said. “This is not going 

to be a brand for the masses,” he said. 

Starting in July, Polestar will launch 

“highly experiential type of activities,” 

such as a roadshow where the public will 

have an opportunity to interact with the 

vehicle. Test drives will not be offered 

initially. 

The Polestar 2 is benchmarked against 

the Tesla Model 3, but Hembrough 

doesn’t expect to lure Tesla customers in 

the near term. “Model 3 owners are only 

12 to 14 months into their ownership,” 

he said. “I don’t think they are going to 

be defecting at this early stage.” 

More likely poaches, Hembrough said, 

will be owners of the BMW 3 series, Audi 

A4 and Mercedes-Benz C class who are 

curious about an electric powertrain. 



Motorbike 

Kawasaki will launch a 4-wheel 

motorcycle 

The introduction of graphene in electric motorcycle batteries, will allow greater 

autonomy and also offer a remarkable quality standard 

The Kawasaki J Concept will come 

true, this time as a four-wheeled 

motorcycle model, after confirmed 

by the brand’s responsibles in Italy. 

Rarely do the leaders of the brands 

make statements as juicy as those made 

by Sergio Vicarelli and Giovanni Poli, 

Director of Sales and Marketing and 

Technical Director of Kawasaki Italia, 

respectively. 

The interview granted to fellow Italian 

Motorcyclists , runs through certain 

paths around the Kawasaki Z400, 

differences with previous models and 

other commercial matters. However, the 

most interesting comes in the last two 

questions. First, there is talk of Kawasaki’s 

advances in the electric mobility segment 

, in which the brand does not deny 

certain investigations, although especially 

with a view to the year 2030 or the 

introduction of graphene in electric 

motorcycle batteries, which will allow 

greater autonomy and also offer a 

remarkable quality standard. 

Finally, comes the pump as Vicarelli 

announced that “we have a project … 

four wheels” also “hit the market in the 

future relatively near “ . This leads us 

to recover the Kawasaki J Concept , a 

prototype that the brand already showed 

in 2013 and that last year showed us 

again in a video. As if that were not 

enough, we discovered that Akashi’s firm 

had registered a patent with a tiltable 

front axle that could be used for a threewheeled 

motorcycle … or four-wheeler. 

So, we look forward to more information 

about the Kawasaki J Concept street 

successor . Will it be a future rival of the 

Yamaha Niken or rather a more urban GT 

vehicle like the Qooder? 


Taiwan exports electric off-road 

motorbike to Europe 

Motorbike 

In addition to prominent brands 

Gogoro and Kymco, Taiwanese 

company Otto Bike Co., Ltd. exports 

electric off-road motorbikes to Europe. 

The company, based in Taipei City’s Xizhi 

District, launched its electric products in 

2014. 

show in Italy, but this summer Taiwanese 

enthusiasts would have the opportunity 

of trying out the machine in Pingtung 

County’s scenic Dapeng Bay area, the 

Liberty Times reported. 

Its latest model is the electric off-road 

bike known as the MCR II, which stands 

for Mini City Racer. 

The bike’s batteries allow it a maximum 

radius of 220 kilometers with a maximum 

speed of 105 kilometers per hour, 

according to the Liberty Times. 

In addition to sophisticated brakes, 

Google Maps and a keyless ignition, the 

bike also has cameras installed back and 

front, allowing live broadcasting of one’s 

ride, Otto Bike said. 

Over the past two years, the bike was 

presented to visitors of the Milan car 



Motorbike 

Ducati are working on the ‘perfect 

electric bike’ 

As with most manufacturers, electric 

bikes are clearly part of Ducati’s 

future, but for a business so 

focused on racing, it’s difficult to know 

what direction they will take. 

“We’re still developing our production 

bikes with the aim of being the best on 

the track,” Zampieri told MCN. “But with 

electric the difficulty is a compromise 

between weight and performance or 

range. 

“Today the whole package is not as 

good as we would like it to be, because 

the energy density that you can store is 

not high enough. The main challenge, 

technically, is reaching our performance 

and weight targets.” 

Does the ‘Zero’ give a clue to future 

Ducatis? 

He continued: “Being a company that is 

usually state of the art, we could arrive 

(with a product) that’s state of the art or 

even better than all of our competitors. 

The problem is: is now the right moment? 

It’s a small market and we’re still trying to 

understand when it’ll be ready for such 

innovation.” 

It’s a problem not dissimilar to the one 

Ducati faced a few years ago when their 

V-twin superbike had reached the end of 

its lifespan and increasing performance 

was nigh-on impossible. 

The solution was to move to a V4, but 

how would enthusiasts react after 50 

years of V-twins? “The V4 choice was 

similar,” says Zampieri. “We had a lot of 

discussions about whether our customers 

would appreciate it or not. Now we are 

having similar discussions. 

“You try to push the customer but need 

to know if they like it or not. Would our 

customers appreciate an electric bike? Is it 

the right moment for them? 

Electric student racer also had help 

from Ducati 

“Today they want a V4. The big question 

is: will they want it tomorrow, the day 

after tomorrow or later still? One day 

Ducati customers will ask for an electric 

Ducati, the difficult part is knowing when. 

We know how long it takes to develop a 

good bike. We are already drawing what 

the perfect electric bike is. The problem is: 

when do we want to bring it out?” 

Ducati’s other issue, of course, is 

maintaining the ‘Italian stallion’ dream; 

a bike that’s bad-tempered, clatters and 

boils your bits but is all worth it when 


you twist the throttle. Electric bikes have 

none of that. 

“It is a challenge, but I’m confident we 

can make an electric bike that’s pure 

Ducati with pure Ducati character,” he 

added. “And if we look outside, Harley- 

Davidson for example, they’re starting 

from a situation that’s probably worse. If 

they’re able to shape a product and give 

it character, I’m confident we can do the 

same or better.” 

“I grew up a petrolhead, kids are not like 

this” – Pierluigi Zampieri, Ducati Head of 

Innovation 

A challenge facing every bike 

manufacturer is how to energise young 

people. If today’s 15-year-olds don’t have 

a motorcycle poster on their bedroom 

wall, it’s game over for Ducati by the time 

they’re 30. Zampieri’s face echoes the 

grimace of a many CEOs. 

“This we discuss every day. It’s a big 

challenge. I grew up a petrolhead. Young 

people are not like this now. Trying 

to keep this interest alive in the next 

generations is so important. 

“In the last five-ten years more has 

changed than in the previous 50. There’s 

electrification, digitisation and the sharing 

economy. The internet has changed 

everything about customer behaviour. 

Each day it becomes more and more 

difficult to find the right path for the 

future of a company. 

“Today a Ducati is an object you like 

to own. The challenge is to make it so 

Motorbike 

interesting you want to do the same 

tomorrow. We need to keep people’s 

passion alive; we cannot take it for 

granted.” 

“I grew up a 

petrolhead, kids 

are not like this” – 

Pierluigi Zampieri, 

Ducati Head of 

Innovation 

“Today a Ducati is an object you like to own. The challenge is to make it so interesting 

you want to do the same tomorrow. We need to keep people’s passion alive; we 

cannot take it for granted. 



Safety Tips 


What to do 

More common occurrences include being swept off the 

road in a flash flood as a result of a natural disaster 

The need to escape from a sinking 

vehicle is a rarity. According to 

available data less than one-half of 

1% of all auto crashes involve submersion. 

Yet, it does happen, and we need to 

ask the question whether we would be 

able to survive such an experience? 

With enough know-how, survival is definitely 

possible and we need to equip motorists 

with information that will enable 

them to survive. Motorists seldom have 

to confront a bridge collapsing underneath 

them and the risks are more often 

associated with cars driving off quay-sides 

or into rivers. Also included are problems 

that arise when the parking brake isn’t 

applied properly with cars simply rolling 

down embankments into lakes or rivers. 

More common occurrences include being 

swept off the road in a flash flood as a 

result of a natural disaster. It is important 

to acknowledge that not all experts agree 

on all the survival tips and the precise 

sequence of escape – but there are some 

common threads that need to be identified 

and learnt from. On balance, it seems 

that the best course of action is to try 

and get out as soon as possible. 

What to expect from a sinking 

vehicle? 

• The speed at which a car will sink 

depends on several factors, including 

the distance of the fall, speed 

and angle of entry and the physical 

characteristics of the vehicle. 

• Most entries of vehicles into the 

water are smooth entries with the 

water cushioning the blow. Most 

people survive the initial impact with 

minimal or no injury at all. 

• If you remain relatively calm there 

should be enough time for you to 

take action to save your life and the 

lives of your passengers. 

• Newer cars that are better at keeping 

sound out will likely also be better at 

keeping water out. 

• Most vehicles will float for a minute 

or two before beginning to sink. Cars 

usually sink at an angle, with the 

weight of the engine pulling down 

the front first. A rear-engine car sinks 

trunk-first. 

• It is possible that the vehicle might 

flip onto its roof in deeper water. 

• In a test in a controlled environment 

experts from the police tried to sink 

a car and were surprised to find that 

it took 5 minutes for the vehicle to 

sink. 

• In a car that sinks front first, there 

will be a bubble of air in the back, 

but you should stay in the front … 

the front windows are often bigger 

and easier to get out of — for all 

passengers. 

• 

Vehicle sinking characteristics 

An upright floating vehicle may take 

2–4 min to completely submerge below 

the water surface, however occupants 

have only one minute (The Flotation 

Phase) during which escape is possible. 

During this period, water is rising against 

the doors, preventing them from being 

opened, however windows can still be 

opened and occupants can exit through 

them. After the first minute or so, the water 

rises up against the windows exerting 

enough pressure to prevent them from 

being opened as well (Sinking Phase). 

From this point on, although there is still 

air in the passenger compartment, none 

of the doors or windows can be opened 

and the occupants are confined to death 

through drowning. 

Cars and pickup trucks are inherently 

stable in the upright position because of 

the mass and low position, of the motor. 

Therefore, if passenger vehicles land in 

the water upside down, and the windows 

are closed and remain intact, the vehicles 

will eventually right themselves by rolling 

in the x axis. Likewise, vehicles landing 

in water at a steep pitch (angled in the y 

axis) will also eventually settle in the upright 

position. Even at a steep pitch of up 

to 60° or more, from horizontal, a vehicle 

will penetrate the water and then bob 

back up in the upright position and enter 

the Flotation Phase. All of these factors 

need to be considered in the design of 

an AWOS. 

Field tests 

Prototype systems were installed on 

two used cars at a gravel pit lake near 

Winnipeg, Canada. All fluids were drained 

from the vehicles and a crane was used 

to place the vehicles in the lake either 

by lowering them straight down into the 

water (static tests) or by swinging the 

vehicle into the water to produce forward 

movement (dynamic tests). 

Upright immersions: In both static 

and dynamic tests, the windows opened 

immediately and effectively when the vehicles 

landed upright in the water. In each 

case the windows were open before water 

rose to the level of the windows and this 

would have provided time for occupants 

to exit before water flowed into the passenger 

compartment. 

Inverted immersions: One test vehicle 

was statically lowered into the water in an 

inverted position. The windows opened 

quickly and the vehicle sank quickly while 

remaining in the inverted position. In this 

scenario, escape would have been unlikely 

due to a combination of the short time 

available and being in a disorientating 

inverted position. 

Basic Survival Tips 


1. Staying calm 

• Experts agree that before you leap 

into action you should take a few 

deep breaths and calm yourself 

down. 

• Making educated decisions could 

mean the difference between life and 

death. 

• Once you have panicked you can’t 

think clearly, you can’t focus and you 

won’t be able to save yourself. 

• Staying calm and helping any 

passengers to stay calm is the single 

most important thing you can do to 

survive a car sinking in water. 

2. Seatbelt 

• Many people fear that if they are 

wearing a seatbelt they will not 

be able to unbuckle it and will be 

trapped in the vehicle. 

• This fear is however unfound – A 

seatbelt is designed for quick release, 

and without it there is nothing to 

hold you in place, nothing to keep 

your head from slamming into the 

steering wheel or dashboard. (Hitting 

water at speed is comparable to 

hitting a wall.) 

• If you were knocked unconscious 

you would be helpless. You wouldn’t 

have a chance to save yourself, let 

alone help anyone else. If you and 

any passengers are wearing seatbelts, 

chances of survival are much greater. 

• The first instinct may be to unbuckle 

your seat belt and try to escape, but 

experts warn that passengers should 

first check their surroundings. 

• You want to make sure the impact 

is over before you take off your seat 

belt. This might include the possibility 

of other cars or foreign objects 

heading toward the vehicle. 

• If a belt won’t release, find something 

with which to cut it. 

• Unbuckling your seat belt will allow 

greater freedom of movement. 

• Be aware that the seatbelts might not 

retract; take care not to get tangled. 

• If your head restraints are removable, 

pull them out when you release your 

seatbelt to enable easy passage for 

rear passengers. 

3. Opening windows / doors 

• Once a vehicle sinks it may turn 

sideways or upside down. 

• Occupants who are not buckled in 

with a seat belt will 

float within the vehicle 

and can easily 

become disoriented. 

It then becomes 

extremely difficult 

for them to find the 

windows or door 

handles. 

• If you remain in 

your seated position 

(as you will if your 

seatbelt remains 

fastened) you will 

retain your orientation regardless of 

what position the vehicle is in. 

• In some instances, the vehicle will 

sink quickly and you won’t have time 

to roll down the windows. Again, 

stay calm, unbuckle your seat belt 

and check on passengers. 

• If you are sinking rapidly, you need 

to wait for the water pressure inside 

the vehicle to become equal to the 

pressure outside. 

• Even though it might sound strange, 

it might be best to let the vehicle 

sink further and wait until things settle. 

Let the vehicle fill up with more 

water before attempting to open a 

window or door. 

• This is because water rushing against 

a vehicle weighs thousands of 

pounds. 

• Trying to open a door or window 

with that kind of pressure wastes 

valuable time and energy. And if you 

were successful, the onrush of water 

most likely would push you away, 

even pin you under the dash. 

• It’s only when internal pressure is 

equal to outside pressure that you 

can open the car door. 

• When you are ready to open a door, 

the recommendation is to always 

choose a door on the side away 

from the water flow. It’s much easier 

to open a door on the down river 

side of flowing water. 

• Once you have escaped via the door 

or an open window the next best 

thing might be the roof of the vehicle 

and to consider from there the safest 

way of moving to safety. 

Equip yourself with a few necessities 

• If the door does not open and the 

window does not turn down you 

might have to break the window 

• This might be t is easier said than 

Safety Tips 

done – automotive windows are 

made of tempered glass which is 

extremely strong. 

• It takes a concentrated force against 

a very small area of the glass to 

shatter it. 

• If you have a window shattering tool, 

use it to break either the side or rear 

window to escape. 

• Spring-loaded punch has a steel tip 

that can shatter a window. Hardware 

stores call this an “automatic center 

punch” because it’s used to mark 

wood or metal before drilling a hole. 

• Even though you might not have the 

best surviving tools for an “under 

water escape” there are everyday 

tools that might help you to shatter 

the window. 

• An old spark plug, kept in your glove 

compartment, is heavy and strong 

enough to break a window. 

Golden safety rules 

It may seem obvious – but don’t try to 

save anything except lives. Computers, 

phones, purses, jewellery, etc. can be 

replaced – you can’t! 

What about passengers in the vehicle? 

– Before you can save anyone else, you 

have to first save yourself! 

Once you reach the surface, take a few 

seconds to get your bearings, and if you 

have the swimming skills, take a deep 

breath and go back down. Hopefully, you 

can help someone else escape. 

Unless there is another person in the car 

that you are trying to save, you should 

never go back into a vehicle will sink 

quickly. There is nothing, short of saving 

another person that is worth the risk. 

You and your passengers need to focus 

on one goal only and that is “to exit the 

car as quickly as possible”. 



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