Automotive
The Ferrari 488 GTB Gets Test Ride in Chiang Rai, Thailand

The Ferrari 488 GTB (Left) and 488 Spider of the Experienza Event held in Chiang Rai Province
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CHIANG RAI – Naza Italia Sdn Bhd, the official and sole importer of the Ferrari brand in Malaysia, recently organised an Esperienza Ferrari event to Chiang Rai, Thailand, to experience the 488 GTB and 488 Spider.
The Ferrari 488 Gran Turismo Berlinetta (GTB) was introduced globally in 2015 to replace the 458 Italia and last year, the 488 GTB won many awards from renowned automotive magazine worldwide.
The awards include Best Supercar, Supercar of the Year, Best Luxury Sports Car, China Performance Car of the Year, Over 150,000 Euro Imported Sports Car and the Middle-East Car of the Year awards for Supercar Category.

The 3.9 Litre V8 Twin Turbo Engine produces 661 HP at 8000 RPMS
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The supercar is powered by a 3.9-litre V8 twin-turbo engine, which replaces its predecessor’s direct injection 4.5-litre V8 engine. The powerplant sends power to the wheels via an improved seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual transmission which is smoother and quicker than the previous 458 Italia.
The rear-wheel drive 488 GTB produces 661hp at 8,000rpm and 760Nm of torque from 3,000rpm, while the predecessor had 562hp at 9,000rpm and 540Nm of torque from 6,000rpm. It is more powerful and fuel efficient than the 458 Italia.
At a glance, the exterior of the Ferrari 488 GTB looks like the 458 Italia. However, aside from the roof, and the trademark prancing horse emblems, it is basically an all-new supercar. Most of the components have been upgraded.
The famous Ferrari red colour or the racing red, has been replaced with a new colour called Rosso Corsa Metallizzato. Don’t get us wrong, it is still the traditional red, but added with a metallic glittering orange coat which only can be seen under certain lighting conditions.

Drivers View of the Ferrari 488 GTB’s Dashboard and Steering wheel
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The signature air intakes are slightly larger as well. It comes with a double front spoiler, the top section gets air into the radiator, while the lower section generates downforce under the front of the car.
There is an active DRS (Drag Reduction System) that activates above 140km/h, and moves a flap in the rear diffuser to allow air to escape more cleanly. The only indication that this is going on is a light on the dashboard that switches off automatically when you slow down to 60km/h.
We were told that some of the active flaps are not mechanically activated, but were instead activated by air pressure. Driving the 488 GTB at high speed will cause the air pressure to activate the flaps and give the car more downforce, making it feel like it is glued to the ground.
The Ferrari 488 GTB has 50 per cent more downforce than its predecessor, with less drag as well. The improvements are mainly credited to the results of the new aerodynamic designs and features.
488 GTB’s carbon-ceramic brakes are adopted from the LaFerrari model. The stopping distance is reduced by nine per cent compared to the 458 Italia. It comes with 20-inch wheels, with a tyre size of 245/35 up front and 305/30 on the rear.
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Ferrari claims that the 488 GTB can sprint from standstill to 100kph in three seconds, while zero to 200kph will take about 8.3 seconds. The Ferrari has a top speed of 330kph.
The 488 GTB has about 230 litres of front boot capacity, with about 78 litres of fuel tank capacity.
Some of the 488 GTB key features include driver control ride control adaptive suspension, magnetic fluid-filled shock absorber, front and rear anti-roll bars, electro-hydraulic power assist speed-sensing steering, dual stainless steel exhaust, polished tailpipe finisher, sport leather bucket seats and remote keyless entry with push start button.
As for the safety aspects of the Ferrari 488 GTB, it comes with electronic stability control, F1-Trac, anti-lock braking system, driveline traction control, E-Diff, side impact beams, rear parking sensors with reverse camera, tyre specific low tyre pressure warning, front and side airbags.
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THE DRIVE IN CHIANG RAI
The convoy headed out to Doi Mae Salong about an hour’s drive from the hotel.
The first thing we realised when we stepped into the Ferrari 488 GTB was how luxurious it is. The sporty interior has carbon fiber finishing coupled with leather to add to its exclusivity.
Visibility in the 488 GTB is very good. The sitting position, side mirror and rear view mirror design gives the driver good line-of-sight, especially when switching lanes.
We were also surprised that the Ferrari 488 GTB also had generous shoulder room, legroom, and sufficient headroom to fit in a large framed six-footer.
The suspension and absorber settings are also comfortable as well. When the road started to roughen up, all we had to do was switch the magnetorheological dampers system to ‘bumpy road mode’ and the 488 GTB will do a wonderful job of absorbing rough and damaged roads to give driver and passenger optimum comfort.
Most of the button switches are cleverly located at the tip of the sporty steering wheel, it feels like a ‘Playstation’ gaming controller or a F1 steering wheel, where there are buttons and switches all over the steering wheel.
Having such level of comforts didn’t compromise the 488 GTB’s performance though, as we discovered during the drive up the mountain in Doi Mae Salong.
While cruising up to Doi Mae Salong, the 488 GTB was in 6th gear most of the time, with the rpm below 2,000, while the engine was so quiet to the extent that we forgot we were driving a sports car.
Power kicks in with a slight tap on the accelerator pedal. We could hear the engine start roaring loudly, with the turbo system working directly with not a trace of turbo lag at all. We have to admit the Italian engineers did a superb job with the calibration of the throttle, as the Ferrari never lurches.
Tackling corners is extremely simple and direct when only minimal effort is needed to steer, as the response of the lightweight steering gives clear, sharp and direct feedback to the driver. There was so much downforce generated by the 488 GTB that it felt like it was glued to the ground.
Technology such as electronic stability control, F1-Trac, E-Diff and the Driveline Traction Control available in the 488 GTB makes an Average Joe feel like an F1 driver.
After a short luncheon at Doi Mae Salong, the convoy made its way to Choui Fong Tea plantation, where we had a tea break and a photoshoot session with the car.
The convoy then headed to Wat Hyua Pla Kang and Wat Rong Khun for more photos. The Esperienza Ferrari ended with a dinner at Singha Park, before heading back to the hotel.
All the while, the eye-catching Ferrari 488 GTB and 488 Spider attracted many tourists and locals to take photos with the two beauties.
Most supercars are best suited to be just weekend fun cars.
Surprisingly, we found the Ferrari 488 GTB to be comfortable and practical enough for daily driving.
While Ferrari claims that it consumed an average of 11.4 litres per 100km, for the day, it showed that we consumed about 15 to 17.2 litres per 100km. But then again, if one can afford to buy it, one will have no issues running it.
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2016 Ferrari 488 GTB Review

Automotive
Russell’s early departure leaves Lando Norris on pole at the Hungarian F1 GP.

(CTN News) – Lando Norris and his McLaren squad survived a tough qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but they know they must perform on Sunday.
Lando Norris needed to win Budapest after Oscar Piastri locked off the top row in the field’s fastest McLaren. Recent races have been costly owing to wasted opportunities and little mistakes.
He matched Max Verstappen’s pole lap at the Hungaroring, who was unhappy to finish third. In a confident and aggressive approach, the 24-year-old finished more than three tenths ahead of the Dutchman, hitting the apexes.
Piastri followed Lando Norris by two hundredths of a second on the second hot run, demonstrating McLaren’s speed.
McLaren is doing well since Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix.
His potential triumphs have been cost by team and driver error, for which both parties have taken responsibility. On Sunday, he and McLaren will know they must do well.
Norris was quietly pleased with his historic first pole in Hungary and third overall. Although confident, McLaren will also be proud of their recent race progress. No one has won the pole in Budapest since Lewis Hamilton won the race and flag in 2012.
Norris and his crew recognize they must capitalize on closing gaps with 12 races left to drive Verstappen to the finish. Lando Norris understands. Behind Verstappen by 84 championship points.
“I know we missed out on some races, but we did the best we could in every one of them, and I don’t want to get back into all that stuff,” he said. I expect Oscar and Max to challenge me in the rear, not a clean weekend.
“Every location and point must be maximized; the more we can do to return to Max and Red Bull, the better.”
Hungary is a great opportunity since Lando Norris Verstappen was plainly unhappy with his car and outperformed. This disappointed him twice because the team had swiftly upgraded this race.
Verstappen had stated that the upgrades will define the second half of the season, but he admitted that he did not think they had gone far enough and could not defeat the McLarens.
“The changes are effective, but we still need more as we are not at the top,” said he. “Despite the imbalance, I liked the laps. I was pushing hard, so you had these little moments. Fast lap times are less crucial today. Simple: we need to work more because we’re moving slower. McLaren’s qualifying performance suggests a lot of ground to cover.
Lando Norris completed his best lap despite two crash-related stoppages.
Verstappen looked great in dry Q3 hot laps. He set a record with a lap time of 1 minute, 15.555 seconds and was quickest through each sector.
Lando Norris followed and pushed through the corners with fearlessness, posting a perfect 1:15.227 lap time. Piastri improved to second place on the penultimate laps while Verstappen did not, and Yuki Tsunoda’s crash halted the session.
A tardy coda didn’t matter when practice resumed because the last two minutes on old tires were worthless. McLaren has all the cards, but they must perform at the highest level to prove the legendary brand can win again.
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was fourth and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes fifth. George Russell, Sainz’s teammate, was unexpectedly ousted in the first round.
Sergio Pérez of Red Bull struggled again in the first qualifying round. He hit the curb, lost the rear at turn eight, and crashed, interrupting the session.
Poor performance again for the Mexican, whose Red Bull berth is in risk after a succession of poor performances, especially in qualification. His contract, recently extended to 2025, may have a performance clause, and Red Bull is unlikely to tolerate him underperforming for long. He was sixteen.
Russell fell behind because Lando Norris Mercedes didn’t fuel the car until the session ended. The British driver was eliminated in 17th place after staying out when the track dried after the break.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari placed sixth, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin placed seventh and eighth, Daniel Ricciardo of RB placed nine, and Tsunoda placed tenth.
Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished 11 and 15, Valtteri Bottas of Sauber 12 and Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant of Williams 13 and 14. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly placed ninth and twentieth for Alpine, while Guanyu Zhou placed eighth for Sauber.
SOURCE: GN
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Automotive
M5 Partially Closed as Cullompton-Exeter Crash Hospitalizes Two

(CTN News) – Two people were sent to the hospital for treatment as a result of the M5 tragic vehicle accident that happened in Devon.
The accident between two vehicles was the cause of the disaster. One more consequence of the crash is that it has left the M5 partially blocked to traffic to this day.
Between junction 28 for Cullompton and junction 29 for Exeter, the highway was blocked in both directions; however, one lane on the southbound carriageway has been opened up for previously closed traffic.
In a statement issued by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, they stated that they were notified of a traffic accident that had happened in the Exeter district at 2:29 p.m. on Friday, July 12.
M5 happened in Exeter, according to reports.
Furthermore, information was given to them by the South Western Ambulance Service.
To provide medical assistance to those injured, four land ambulances, each with two crews, an air ambulance, a critical care M5 vehicle, a doctor, an operations officer, and a responding officer were dispatched to the scene of the incident.
Furthermore, a critical care vehicle was dispatched. We also dispatched an air ambulance to the scene of the event.
Two patients were transported to their respective hospitals: one was transported by land ambulance to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, while the second patient was flown there by air ambulance.
After being moved, the two patients were sent to hospitals in Devon and Exeter, respectively. Simultaneously, both patients were transferred to their respective sites at the same time.
Here’s what Devon and Somerset M5 Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We responded to the scene of a road traffic collision on the M5 at 2.30 p.m. today, between junctions 28 and 29.” The statement cited above was part of an official declaration.
A car that had been hit by another car coming from the other direction had two persons inside that had been rescued. It had been traveling in the other direction.
We offered support as the people were being taken out of the car. These people are now receiving medical assistance from the ambulance service in order to fulfill their duties.
The event caused significant delays for the M5 and the routes that pass through Exeter during the period when traffic was being redirected. In order to accommodate the traffic, this was being done.
A southbound vehicle experienced wheel failure, causing it to cross the center reserve and merge with the northbound road approaching. The car was going the wrong way, which is why this happened. The vehicle was traveling southward at that precise moment.
National Highways indicated that based on the facts they have provided, it is expected that the police would begin their investigation into the occurrence given the magnitude of the calamity that occurred. The entity that made this information public was National Highways.
The Devon and Cornwall Police Department issued the following statement:
“We know the M5 closure is causing traffic.”
The statement that was released is located beneath you. “We will get people moving safely when we can but please bear with us while we deal with the incident and causalities at the scene.”
In order to accommodate cars and other small vehicles that were traveling on the now-closed northern route towards M5 Taunton and Bristol, the back of the line has been shifted.
This was done to create space for these cars, which were heading towards Taunton and Bristol. The purpose of this activity was to provide space for larger cars. At this point, it seems like more and more vehicles are being stopped from going forward.
Due to this incident, a second lane has been opened up for use by any and all vehicles traveling southward.
SOURCE: ITV
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Honda to Cease Production at One of its Thailand Auto Factories
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Automotive
Honda to Cease Production at One of its Thailand Auto Factories

(CTN News) – The Japanese vehicle firm Honda Motor made the news in a statement that was posted on Tuesday. The statement stated that the company intends to center its production at the site that it operates in the province of Prachinburi.
As a consequence of this, the production of automobiles will be halted at the facility that it operates in the province of Ayutthaya in Thailand by the year 2025.
The more difficult circumstances that the second-largest car manufacturer in Japan is facing in the country of Thailand, which is located in Eastern Southeast Asia, are exemplified by this move. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia.
There are several reasons for this, including the fact that Chinese firms are determined to grow their market share in Thailand, and a growing number of consumers are expressing an interest in electric vehicles (EVs). They both play a role in contributing to the problem.
The combined output of automobiles produced by Honda’s two facilities has fallen throughout the course of the succeeding four years, going from 228,000 vehicles in 2019 to less than 150,000 vehicles annually. This downward trend has occurred during the course of the past four years.
The preceding four years have been the time period during which this decline has taken place. With regard to the sales that the company has made in Thailand throughout the course of the past four years, there has been a consistent range of less than 100,000 to less than 100,000 for the entirety of this time period.
This is according to Honda’s spokeswoman.
When the factory first opened its doors in 1996, the company anticipates that it would continue to manufacture vehicle components at that location. When the firm finishes manufacturing vehicles at the Ayutthaya facility in the next year, the spokesperson stated that the company intends to continue producing automobile components at the plant.
In accordance with the statement that was given by the spokesman, the Prachinburi factory, which was built in 2016, will be utilized for the purpose of integrating the facilities with which automobiles are created. This was said in the statement. There are only two factories in Thailand that are owned and operated by the vehicle manufacturer, and these two factories are the only ones in the country.
According to the statement made by a spokeswoman for Honda in Thailand, the company’s goal is to reduce the disparity between the number of automobiles it produces and the number of sales it has experienced in the nation.
According to the remark that was made by the spokesman for the company, the automobile manufacturer are already exporting their products from Thailand, particularly to other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. According to a statement that was sent by a spokeswoman for the company.
Currently, Honda has no plans to invest in Thailand.
When it comes to mainland China, Honda and Nissan Motor, a Japanese automobile manufacturer that competes with Honda, have been hit particularly hard by competition from rising Chinese manufacturers.
Nissan Motor is a competitor of Honda. As a result of the fact that these businesses provide reasonably priced plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles that are loaded with software, a significant number of customers have been drawn to them.
Now, Japanese automobile manufacturers are at risk of losing clients in countries outside of China, such as those in Southeast Asia, to Chinese companies that are increasingly attempting to increase the quantity of automobiles they export and build up operations outside of China.
As a result, Honda Japanese automobile manufacturers are facing a potential loss of customers. They are exposed to this danger as a result of the fact that Japanese brands compete with Chinese brands in these locations.
BYD, a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles, recently launched a plant in Thailand that will be responsible for the production of automobiles that are powered by electronic batteries.
This plant was established last week. The Chinese electric car manufacturers are beginning to establish facilities in the country, and this factory is a component of the wave of investments that they are making in the country. These investments have a total value that is greater than 1.44 billion dollars together.
SOURCE |SCMP
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