Archive for October, 2018
Hyundai and Caltex Offer Fuel Savings
In a time where fuel costs seem uncontrollable in their rise, Hyundai and Caltex have come together to offer a deal where a an app-coupon will save four cents per litre at up to 120 litres per day. The combination works with 665 Caltex service stations offering the discount to buyers and drivers of selected Hyundai vehicles from October 15, 2018.
Hyundai Auto Link Bluetooth and Hyundai Auto Link Premium are required and the current generation i30, Kona, Tucson, and Santa Fe should have these fitted. For customers who wish to claim the fuel discount, it is as simple as downloading or updating their Hyundai Auto Link app, logging in using MyHyundai, and presenting the QR code (available in the Coupon section) at a participating Caltex service stations. The app itself will locate the nearest participating Caltex station by opening the Hyundai Auto Link app and tapping on the Caltex icon.
The fuel discount covers diesel, Caltex Vortex Premium 98, Vortex Premium 95, Vortex Premium Diesel, standard unleaded, E10, and standard diesel.
Hyundai Auto Link Bluetooth presents a multitude of information, including:
Driving Information – Displays current distance, current travel time, today’s distance, today’s travel time, fuel efficiency, and fuel consumption
Tyre Pressure Monitoring – Displays the individual pressure of each tyre on the vehicle – if the tyre pressure is not within tolerance of the recommended pressure, the tyre pressure will be displayed in red
Driving History – Provides the owner’s driving history including arrival time, maximum speed, average speed, average fuel efficiency, fuel consumption, rapid acceleration and hard braking events, distance and travel time
Crowd comparison – Allows the user to compare their efficient driving with other owners
Parking Management – Provides parked vehicle location and parking time reminders
RSA (Roadside assistance) – Allows the user to contact RSA directly
Statistics (ECO Driving) – Provides statistics of the user’s driving pattern – results can be viewed either daily, weekly or monthly
Statistics (Speed) – Provides statistics for the vehicle’s speed pattern
Vehicle Health Check – Checks the vehicle’s status and, if a problem is detected, it can connect the phone to Hyundai Customer Care Team
Vehicle Health Report – Provides a vehicle health report (listed in date order)
Maintenance – Tracks the wear of consumable parts and provides service reminders
Hyundai Dealer Network – Displays dealer information on the map and allows the user to select their preferred dealer
Message Box – A messaging system to allow contact from user’s preferred Hyundai dealer or Hyundai Customer Care Team
Map – Provides your current or searched locations on a map
myHyundai – Hyundai Auto Link is linked with the user’s myHyundai website to provide them with convenient functions for their vehicle.
Hyundai Auto Link Premium
Highlander variants offer Hyundai Auto Link Premium (SIM module) as standard. Hyundai Auto Link Premium is also available as an optional accessory on all compatible push-button start Hyundai vehicles for $495 (incl. GST). 
Hyundai Auto Link Premium includes previously available Hyundai Auto Link Bluetooth® features, with the addition of new advanced convenience and comfort features.
Hyundai Auto Link Premium (SIM) features:
Remote engine start and stop from smartphone
Remote control of door locking and unlocking, climate control temperature and defroster
Remote activation of hazard lights and horn
Sets geo-fencing alerts
Sends emergency alert messages upon vehicle accident
Contact your local Hyundai dealer for more information.
(With thanks to Hyundai Australia)
MG Circles The Octagon With The NBL.
MG Motor Australia has pulled off what could be the world’s first motor and round ball sports coup. Australia’s National Basketball League, or NBL, has partnered with MG to to reveal an octagonal shaped key on court.
Regular basketball players will be aware of the centre section of the court being a circle, as is the scoring zone, or key, in front of the baskets. But for 28 games throughout the forthcoming 2018/2019 season, sponsored by Hungry Jacks, the key will be replaced by the distinctive MG Motor octagon.
The octagonal key debuted during the season tip-off in New Zealand, seeing the first octagonal on Thursday 11 October. Australia saw it in a game between the NSW based Illawarra Hawks, and the Victorian Melbourne United. Another early release was seen between the Sydney Kings and Adelaide‘s 36er’s. Neither team from NSW were victorious.
It’s a three year deal between the NBL and MG Motor Australia, and there’s some real incentive from MG in the form of a ZS being awarded to the seaon’s winner. This comes on the back of MG being confirmed as the presenting partner of the NBL Grand Final Series.
Danny Lenartic, Marketing Director at MG Motor Australia said of the on-court change: “MG has always been a brand that embraces fun. We wanted to do something that had not yet been done, and knew that changing the key to an octagon would certainly get people talking! The octagon is an iconic shape that has been associated with MG for over 90 years of the brand’s history. The teams and crowd embraced the new-look key at its debut and we look forward to rolling this out further throughout the 2019 season.”
The next showing of the MG Motor Australia octagonal will be on 21 October, with the Cairns Taipans taking on the Illawarra Hawks in Cairns.
Alpine A110 Ready To "Peak" Interest.
Automotive history is littered with names that have disappeared and then, to the joy of the hardcore, been resurrected. In rallying circles the name “Alpine” is synonymous with elegance and good looks, and the brand’s name has been given an injection here in Australia with the release of the Australian Premiere Edition Alpine A110. A recommended retail starting price of $97,000 comes along with it and for the money there’s a pack of standard kit.
An aluminuim chassis and a turbocharged 1.8L petrol engine, with 185kW and 320Nm of torque powering down through the rear wheels, plus double wishbone suspension, see a zero to one hundred time of 4.5 seconds and a 44:56 front to rear weight distribution take the new Alpine to levels surpassing its hey-day. The alloy chassis is bonded and riveted for structural rigidity, plus adds to the weight loss regime. Even more weight has been lost from using lightweight Sabelt sports seats at 13.1kg each, and Brembo brakes that incorporate the parking brake into the rear main calliper. This world first innovation saves another 2.5kg. All up, the Alpine A110 clocks the scales at just 1049 kilograms.
The proven double-wishbone suspension ensures that as the car moves and follows the road surface, the tyre’s contact patch remains consistently flat on the road. Kinetics sees the tyres press harder onto the road the harder the Alpine A110 corners. A conventional strut setup would have the tyre’s move to a position that offers less grip. Double wishbones means more suspension travel and due to the lightweight it means the actual suspension settings can be softer and more absorbent. That lightweight aids the handling further with the use of hollow anti-roll bars. This combination means that Alpine were able to specify rubber that initially looks small but in testing proved to be ideal. Michelin supply the Pilot Sport 4 and in a 205/40/18 & 235/40/18 front and rear combination on Otto Fuchs alloys.
Although it’s an inherently safe chassis, the Alpine A110 still comes with the essentials of electronic safety. Anti-lock brakes, traction control and stability control are standard. There’s a smattering of luxury items in the forms of an active sports exhaust, a sound system from renowned French audio gurus Focal, carbon fibre interior trim, leather trim on the Sabelt seats, and brushed alloy pedals. The driver is looked after by a driver focused design ethic; the binnacle is small yet clearly laid out and easy to read, the steering wheel is of a suitable diameter and heft, and all round vision is engineered in to be high. Satnav and climate control are also standard as in smartphone mirroring.
Contact your Renault dealer for more details.
Peugeot Goes Touring With The 508.
Peugeot continues its renaissance with the announcement of the revamped 508 range and the addition of the Tourer variant. This is currently scheduled for a release in the second half of 2019. The Tourer will be released along with the “Fastback” and is based on a brand new from the wheels up design. Known as the EMP2, or Efficient Modular Platform 2, the design enables Peugeot to strip up to 70 kilograms from the mass of the Tourer. It also features a more compact design, a reduced height, yet without compromising interior packaging. There’s a sharper, edgier design, and the interior has also been given an update which will feature the third version of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit.
Motorvation will come from a new driveline combination; for Australia there’ll be a newly designed Aisin eight speed auto and will be paired with a 1.6L petrol engine producing 168kW. A slightly less powerful version, with 135kW, will also be available and paired with the same auto. This will be seen in the Fastback and sedan versions at launch. Built into a chassis that will be at around 1420kg, it means a better power to weight ratio than most of the competitors the vehicles will be up against. Variants fitted with the 169kW engine will boast an 8.41kg/kW power-to-weight ratio while 133kW variants will also be competitive with a 10.67kg/kW power-to-weight ratio.
Ben Farlow, Peugeot Australia Managing Director, said the all-new 508 range’s arrival signifies the complete reinvention of the Peugeot line-up and heralds a new focus for the marque in Australia.
“Over the past five-years, Peugeot has completely reinvented its product range and the all-new 508 will challenge segment norms, while delivering a vehicle that is not just enjoyable to drive, but great to look at. The Peugeot ‘5-series’ has always held a fond place in the hearts and minds of generations of Australian motorists and this all-new 508 is set to reignite the passion for Peugeots that stretches back almost 100 years locally.”
Full pricing and safety features are yet to be confirmed, but it’s expected that now common safety technology such as Autonomous Emergency Braking will be on board. For further information and to be in the mailing list for updates, contact peugeot.com.au
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