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Daimler signals less emphasis on future compact vehicles

Mercedes-Benz signaled it will eventually reduce the number of compact models it offers in the next-generation range as part of a new strategy to focus the brand on larger, higher margin cars.

Cars such as the A- and B-Class had helped rejuvenate the brand but would not be the main priority for devoting resources in future, said Ola Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes parent Daimler.

“Maybe we went a bit too far to cover each and every space into each and every segment. Compact particularly comes to mind,” Kallenius told analysts during on Tuesday during an online strategy presentation.

“This is not where the main thrust should go, we should not become a competitor of the volume makers,” Kallenius said.

Mercedes sells eight compact models. Besides  the A-Class hatchback and sedan and the B-Class minivan, the range includes the coupe-styled CLA, and GLA and GLB crossovers.

The models accounted for 25

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Vehicle
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Anantapur RTA officials unearth car sale scam that used software loophole

The Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials in Anantapur unearthed a scam in which a gang changed the registration numbers of cars using a loophole in the online procedure of the department and sold them cheaply.

The miscreants, who allegedly bought the cars on finance, made the financiers believe that they were stolen and even lodged police complaints claiming that the vehicles were missing. In the process, they reportedly evaded payment of lifetime road tax running into lakhs of rupees.Six such vehicles – four in Tadipatri and one in Kalyandurg and one in Owk of Kurnool district – were confiscated by the DTC Anantapur and RTO Anantapur DSM Varaprasad and their teams after verifying the old RCs by retrieving data from back-end servers. Some vehicles are said to be still running in Telangana and Karnataka.

Modus operandi

Deputy Transport Commissioner N. Sivaram Prasad said they had chanced upon two vehicles that

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Transportation
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Worst Car Interiors of 2020: McLaren, Corvette, Lotus, Nissan, Fiat

This is not a list of bad cars.

The Chevrolet Corvette, the McLaren 570S, and Lotus Evora, for example, are among the most athletic, fun-to-drive vehicles on the market today.

But the ability to provide a thrilling experience from behind the wheel doesn’t mean a car sailed through the interior design portion of the test. Engineering prowess doesn’t always transfer to the cabin. Pity the afterthought! Much more than things to drive, cars have become the spaces in which we work, preen, eat, nap, detox, and even learn. A good interior, from driver’s seat to backseat, facilitates all that. A bad one actively gets in the way.

The interior of a car, in fact, is the most critical element of the entire driving and riding experience. It’s the only place where the body (hands, feet, back, legs) actually connects with the vehicle. The comfort of the space, the convenience of

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Car
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Specialized Aethos Review | Best Road Bikes 2020

The Takeaway: The Aethos rides like a Tarmac, but is simple and user-friendly in a way modern road bikes haven’t been for years.

  • No proprietary components
  • Same geometry and strength-to-weight ratio as the Tarmac SL7
  • Insanely light

    Price: $12,500
    Weight: 14.3 lb. (58cm)
    MORE IMAGES

    The latest road bike from Specialized is just that: a road bike. A traditional road bike void of fancy tube shapes and handlebar configurations—and any other design element that doesn’t substantively add to the quality of the ride. At the heart of the Aethos is a pure focus on a great cycling experience, not going fast and winning races. There’s nothing obviously aero about it, internal brake-hose routing is minimal, and the traditional stem and round handlebar look old-fashioned when compared to the slick integrated cockpits on many bikes. In other words, it’s everything we’re NOT used to seeing on a modern-day road bike. At

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    Bycycle
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    Geely launches electric vehicle manufacturing platform

    BEIJING (Reuters) – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group launched its first electric vehicle-focused platform on Wednesday, aimed at rolling out a variety of models more efficiently for both the Chinese automaker and its partners.

    A Lynk & Co Zero Concept is seen displayed at a promotional event in Beijing, China September 23, 2020. REUTERS/Yilei Sun

    As the global auto industry ramps up investment in electric and high-tech vehicles, manufacturers from Volkswagen AG to General Motors Co have introduced platforms for electric vehicles (EVs).

    Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) will be able to support small as well as large vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks, Geely’s president An Conghui said at an event in Beijing.

    An said Geely, which has a 9.7% stake in Daimler AG, spent 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) on research and development for SEA. SEA uses more aluminium to make vehicles lighter and a front steering

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    Vehicle
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    1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS 396 Is Everything Today’s Car Is Not

    For all intents and purpose, the modern day muscle car segment – or, to a greater extent, the sports coupe segment – is dominated by the Ford Mustang. One of just two of the Blue Oval’s remaining passenger cars in the U.S. (alongside the Fusion, in the process of being retired), the Mustang is clearly a much more prominent presence in the customer’s minds that it’s long time rival, the Camaro.

    The current generation of Chevy’s pony has little going for it in the battle with the Mustang – this is why it sold about half the number achieved by Ford in 2019 – but true fans never give up. For them, a return to the early versions of the car is the best way to keep hope alive.

    And this 1967 example is a great way to do that, as it is not only part of the very first

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    Car
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    Vehicles, visions and views from Auto China 2020

    It was just days before the March 3 start of the Geneva Motor Show when the show was forced into cancellation by the Switzerland Federal Council’s decision to ban large events due to the heightening threat of COVID-19. The Geneva show was among the first major dominoes to fall in the series of lockdowns and cancelations that have disrupted the Western world ever since.

    While North American shows in New York and Detroit canceled outright for 2020, Auto China (Beijing Motor Show) merely postponed, becoming the first international auto show of the post-corona era when it took place between September 26 and October 5. The feel and circumstances of the show were quite different from past events, but the event still brought plenty of wild concept cars, cutting-edge technology and forward-looking design.

    Some highlights follow below …

    HiPhi X

    Shanghai's Human Horizons calls the HiPhi X an SUV, but the vehicle also shows influence from wagons, vans and sedans
    Shanghai’s Human Horizons calls the HiPhi X an SUV, but the
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    Vehicle
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    Check Out These 3 Classic Porsches Reimagined For The Modern Era

    The 914, 928, and 944 are due for a reboot.

    Even after years of concerted effort to expand its lineup to include crossovers, SUVs, and electric vehicles, Porsche still has a focused portfolio. However, there are still segments it’s absent from where it’s competitors operate without worry. If Porsche wanted to expand further, it could easily resurrect past models for the modern era. Porsche Club of America has a new video highlighting which three icons it wants to receive new interpretations.



    a car parked in a parking lot: Modern-Day Porsche

    © AutoClassics
    Modern-Day Porsche

    One that’s due for a reboot is the 914, Porsche’s Targa-topped, lightweight roadster. While it originally came with either a VW-sourced flat-four or a 911-derived flat-six engine, a new 914 would go electric. As the PCA video notes, batteries would significantly increase the car’s weight; however, compensating that would be the instant torque that’d be available. The powertrain would also give it a low center

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    Car
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    Geely’s Open-Source SEA EV Architecture Has a Lot of Potential

    Recently, the company announced the launch of its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), the world’s first open-source electrical vehicle platform, hoping to aid the rapid development of zero-emission cars and trucks all around the world.

    Geely relies on the Compact Modular Architecture for its current range of electric cars, like the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge.

    It was originally built for internal combustion cars, alongside Volvo’s Research and Development Department and makes the new SEA architecture the Chinese car manufacturer’s first dedicated EV platform.

    The highly scalable, pure electric architecture can be fitted to a wide range of vehicles, from small, sub-compact cars to bigger, mid-sized sedans and compact SUVs. A larger version for Light Commercial Vehicles will also be developed.

    The platform is also highly customizable, it can be fitted with single, double, or triple motor drives, it features a 5-star safety standard battery protection chassis and offers optimized

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    Vehicle
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    JR car park sale alarm highlights absurd situation at great hospital

    THE alarm at the John Radcliffe that vital staff parking space could be sold off is a reminder of the preposterous situation around parking there.

    For years, staff and patients at our world-class hospital have complained at having to queue for up to an hour just to get a space, with many parking on surrounding residential streets instead.

    We have even reported on homeowners in the area making cold, hard cash by renting out their driveways.

    The situation clearly causes a lot of stress for employees and families who are already inherently dealing with a lot of stress from the very fact they are driving to a hospital – whether they are going to work or visiting a friend or relative.

    One obvious, simple, and popular solution would be a multi-storey car park which could fit hundreds of cars.

    Unfortunately for fans of that idea, our city council won’t allow

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    Transportation