“Diesel will be phased out in our passenger cars in 2018,” Johan van Zyl, president of Toyota Motor Europe, said in Geneva, where Europe’s first major car show of the year opens this week.

“We will not develop new diesel technology for passenger cars, we’ll continue to focus on hybrid” vehicles, he added.

An emissions cheating scandal, which blew up at Volkswagen in 2015, has heaped discredit on diesel technology, criticised for belching out nitrogen oxide and harmful particulates.

This has been a major blow for car makers, who had essentially sought to bet the house on diesel as they strove for years to cut CO2 emissions with the support of public authorities.

Major cities including Paris have announced plans to ban diesel, while a top German court last month opened the way for cities to ban older diesel cars from the streets on air quality grounds.

Diesel’s fall from grace has pushed manufacturers to turn their attention to producing more in-demand petrol models or make the jump to electric, or at least hybrid, vehicles.

Last year nearly 15 percent of Toyota’s sales in Europe were from diesel vehicles, down from 30 percent in 2012.

Meanwhile sales of Toyota’s hybrid models have risen sharply.

Toyota vice president Didier Leroy said that back in 2011, before “Dieselgate” erupted, the company had “already started to anticipate the fact that we should not allocate resources to develop a new small diesel engine”.

Toyota, Nissan and Honda formed a joint venture with major gas and energy companies, including French industrial gases company Air Liquide, to build 80 new hydrogen stations in the next four years, to add to the 101 stations currently in Japan.

“At this stage, we believe there is significant space for cooperation, rather than searching for areas of competition,” Shigeki Terashi, Toyota executive vice president told reporters.

The new venture — “Japan H2 Mobility” or “JHyM” — comes as the world’s top economies rush to issue tougher environmental regulations that are spurring development of new clean cars and trucks.

Japan has focused on promoting fuel-cells, which combine hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction, producing clean electricity to power vehicles or home generators.

But fuel-cell vehicles cannot get off the ground without a network of hydrogen stations, and vice versa, and the chicken-and-egg dilemma has stalled the roll-out of the technology, say industry professionals.

Hydrogen stations and fuel cell vehicles must be promoted in tandem in order to lower their cost, executives said.

“Unless infrastructure makers team up, new hydrogen stations tend to be concentrated in urban areas,” said Hideki Sugawara, president of the new firm.

“In order to maximise the demand for FCVs (fuel cell vehicles), we have to expand geographically,” he said.

The 101 hydrogen stations serve around 2,400 fuel-cell cars in Japan, according to official data, but a lack of viable stations has been a major hurdle for carmakers as they seek to boost production.

The Japanese government and the auto industry aim to introduce 160 stations and 40,000 fuel-cell vehicles by March 2020.

The government is also pushing to deregulate the sector to lower costs.

Toyota launched the Mirai, the world’s first mass-market hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, in late 2014 as it looked to push further into the fast-growing market for environmentally friendly cars.

Nissan and Honda also have their version of fuel-cell projects.

“Geneva really ought to have been a lovely salon,” says, with heavy irony, Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of German-based Center Automotive Research of a Europe’s first major car show of the year running from March 8 to 18.

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 7, 2017 in Geneva, shows a general view during the first press day of the 87th Geneva International Motor Show. Electric cars sales accelerate in the world, a trend that is expected to be reflected at 2018 Geneva Auto Show opening on March 8, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

“The luxury car makers continue to present their new models and worldwide sales set new records in 2017.

“But behind the glamour and the finery are plenty of worry wrinkles.”

Number one overriding concern is the increasing slide in diesel sales, a blow for European constructors who had essentially sought to bet the house on diesel as they strove for years to cut CO2 emissions with the support of public authorities.

The emissions cheating scandal, which blew up at Volkswagen in 2015, has heaped discredit on a technology criticised for belching out nitrogen oxide and harmful particulates.

Major cities including Paris have announced their intention to ban diesel progressively while a top German court last month opened the way to banning older diesel cars from the streets on air quality grounds.

Diesel’s fall from grace has pushed constructors to turn their attention to production of more-in-demand models running either on petrol, dubbed “dinosaur juice”, or else make the jump to electric or at least hybrid.

 – Are future friends electric? –

The top global constructors have earmarked investments worth tens of billions of euros (dollars) over the past few years to accelerate their push to electric. Yet the commercial upshot of the strategy remains unclear.

This year’s Show, the 88th edition, will see the unveiling of several new electric models and concepts at Tuesday and Wednesday’s media days, before opening its doors to the general public on Thursday.

Among new potential star turns are Jaguar’s first all-electric model as it shows off the production version of its I-Pace, as well as Hyundai’s Kona, advertised as the world#s first fully electric subcompact SUV.

Constructors also have to contend with the fact that where fuel engines are concerned, their greater emissions of CO2 will render a tough challenge compliance with future European norms.

They will have to cut CO2 emissions to an average 95 grams per kilometre across the board by 2021 from 130 grams in 2015, or else face swingeing fines.

Auto makers are bound to continue investing, furthermore, to ensure improved performance of their combustion engines as these still make up the bulk of sales. And yet they will prove progressively less of an earner as volumes inexorably fall off.

Traditional constructors also have a wary eye on sector newcomers, led by those in the electric vanguard such as Tesla, as well as giants from the high-tech such as Apple or Google and would-be Chinese rivals all seeking their slice of a “smart car” cake.

The future belongs to those whose vehicles enjoy ever more autonomy through increasing recourse to artificial intelligence and telecommunications.

Such qualities are not the preserve of the traditional automobile constructor.

– Square the circle –

The last few weeks have seen a slew of carmakers post record profits — but the question is the degree to which that will act as a springboard to paying for the switch to a new auto-tech world.

Eric Kirstetter of the Roland Berger consultancy told AFP that, currently, some constructors are doing “very well,” yet their “future is very complicated”.

They must “reduce costs in such as way as to make savings allowing them to achieve their R&D plans,” said Kirstetter, adding this will involve surmounting “a problem of squaring the financial circle.”

That, he says, is “an equation extremely difficult to resolve in order to make the necessary investments to develop new generations of vehicles while continuing to invest massively in improving the combustion engine” in the shorter term.

The task may be more readily surmountable for pioneers in the development of alternatives to diesel, including the Renault-Nissan alliance, with both leaders in the move towards electrification, while Toyota has the early jump on the hybrid market.

However the future of a metamorphosing industry ultimately pans out, the 700,000 Salon visitors expected to descend on Geneva’s Palexpo in the coming days will be able to cast their eyes over some 900 vehicles.

Monday will see the car of the year unveiled from seven finalists for the accolade.

The contenders are the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Audi A8, BMW series 5, Citroen C3 Aircross, Kia Stinger, Seat Ibiza and Volvo XC40.

Representatives of the FIA booth fix up a electric car Formule E, during the last preparations prior opening of the press preview days at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show, in Geneva, Switzerland, 03 March 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

The company unveiled its plan for the pickup-based SUV in a statement yesterday.

Thailand, the global manufacturing base of the Navara pickup truck that the Terra was based upon, is also expected to start offering the Terra.

Nissan’s frame and LCV business unit – which manufactures frame-based SUVs, pickups, vans, light-duty trucks, is seen as critical to achieving the company’s mid-term objectives, the company said in the statement. One in every six Nissan vehicles sold globally is a frame-based vehicle or an LCV, and the company is focused on capturing this division’s full potential, Nissan said. The business unit’s objectives under the mid-term plan include increasing sales by more than 40 per cent by 2022 and becoming a global leader in pickups and frame-based SUVs.

Ashwani Gupta, senior vice president for Nissan’s frame and LCV business, said the Terra would go on sale this spring, first in China, with other Asian markets soon to follow.

He added: “Nissan’s frame and LCV business is seeing steady growth, and with our ambitious mid-term plan and growing product lineup, we’re confident growth will continue. It is an exciting time for Nissan. We have the Nissan Terra arriving soon, the award-winning Nissan Navara is now in 133 markets worldwide, and more drivers are purchasing our LCVs around the world.”

In 2017, Nissan’s global frame and LCV sales reached 907,929 vehicles, about a 7 per cent increase from the prior year.

You can easily sense that aura of pride and joy from the people at Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) (MBT) Co Ltd, the official distributor of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the Kingdom.

It is, in fact, exciting times at MBT, as assembly of the first Mercedes-AMG model has taken place at the Thon Buri Automotive Assembly (TAAP) plant in Samut Prakan province. This is the first time that an AMG model is being put together outside of Germany, and even though assembly is mainly from SKD (semi knock down) kits, it shows the level of confidence the German automaker has in the Thai production facility and the Thai auto market.

The first Mercedes-AMG model to roll of the Thai assembly line is the C 43 4MATIC Coupe, which was previously offered as a CBU (completely built up) import at a price of Bt5.19 million since last year.

The exciting news is that with local assembly, the new pricing announced by MBT at the official launch last week in Pattaya is Bt4.14 million, meaning that as much as Bt1.05 million has been shaved off. A huge discount ,this is (imagine customers who has purchased the CBU version), and the C43 costs just several hundred thousand baht more than the 211-hp C250 Coup MG Dynamic (Bt3.59 million).

I usually don’t do repeat test drives, but with the Thai-spec C43 media launch and drive event being held at Bira International Circuit in Pattaya last weekend, I just couldn’t resist.

MBT had been staging customer drive events at Bira during the week, and the media event was the finale to the week-long event. Members of the media arrived on Friday evening and experienced a spectacular AMG launch event featuring light and driving show plus rock concert, with a trendy live broadcast on social media.

Saturday’s event consisted of three training stations, such as slaloms and braking, designed to display the capabilities of the C43’s different driving modes – comfort, sport and sport plus. It also gives instructors a chance to check out the driving skills of the participants.

While the exercises might be far from exciting, it was a good warm-up for the main event of the day – performance driving around the demanding Bira circuit.

Well-known for its treacherous negative-camber first corner, long sweeper and precision-required chicanes, Bira circuit offers drivers a chance to experience extremely difficult situations where vehicle weaknesses are easily spotted. Whether it’s steering precision, suspension or engine torque, the Bira circuit shows it all.

Drivers were divided into two groups of five C43’s, each caravan led by an instructor driving the GLA 45, which was kind of funny (leading a group of sports cars with a crossover).

But do not be fooled. To quote an MBT official (who surely doesn’t want to be named), “If you cheat and don’t get caught, it’s called motorsport”.

These instructors are racing champs from Australia and going fast (in any type of vehicle) is their occupation. And while the GLS may seems a little quirky entering corners with its SUV stance, it actually has better acceleration than the C43 (4.3 vs 4.7 secs for 0-100kph) and is capable of leaving the C43 behind in straight-line acceleration, without sweat.

I was lucky to get into the car right behind the instructor during all three sessions (and was not interfered by a slow driver) and had a great time taking the C43, with its twin-turbo V6 pumping out 367hp and 520Nm, around the 2.4-km Bira circuit.

The 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system, with a 30-70 front-rear distribution, provided the C43 with excellent grip in corners, allowing it to accelerate out of corners quickly while maintaining good stability. It was easy to drive this car around Bira at high speeds, although for safety reasons the caravans didn’t get close to the full limits of the C43 until the final lap.

I clocked approximately 1 minute 28 seconds maintaining a steady distance from the GLA during this final lap (which means he’s going at the same speed), but in my opinion, this car should be able to easily break the 1:20 barrier if we really went all out.

Sales of AMG vehicles have been growing dramatically here during the last three years, and Mercedes is hoping that the AMG brand will finally kick off in Thailand this year with local production of the C43, which is expected to serve as a precedence for other Mercedes-AMG models that could also be assembled here.

And the good thing about the C 43 is that, although it doesn’t possess that fire-breathing character of its crazy sibling the C63, it has been designed to offer great real-world driving with good circuit performance.

You can drive it like a normal family car during weekdays (to work or to the supermarket) and to the circuit for driving events just like this during the weekends.

Mercedes-AMG C43 4MATIC Coupe Specs

Engine: V6 twin turbo with intercooler

Displacement: 2,996cc

Bore and stroke: 88x82mm

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Max power: 367hp/5,500-6,000rpm

Max torque: 520Nm/2,000-4,200rpm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

0-100kph: 4.7 secs

Top speed: 250kph

Average fuel economy: 12.5km/litre

Average CO2: 183g/km

Suspension (f/r): multi-link, stabiliser/multi-link, stabiliser

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 11.2 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/vented disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,696

Width: 1,810

Height: 1,405

Wheelbase: 2,840

Track (f/r): 1,563 /1,546

Weight: approx. 1,735kgs

Wheels: 19-in alloy

Tyres: 225/40 R19 (front), 255/35 R19 (rear)

Fuel tank capacity: 66 litres

Price: Bt4.14 million

Distributor: Mercedes-Benz Thailand Ltd

Managing director Chayus Youngpichit said promotions include low-mileage executive cars (1,800kms), starting price of Bt1.39 million, and warranty with buyback guarantee.

“The automobile market is growing again and could reach 900,000 units this year thanks to the improving economy and higher consumer confidence. This will help all segments of the automobile market to grow, just like last year where the market went up by 10 per cent,” he said.

“We are staging this promotion to boost our used car sales to the same level as new cars and this will be the largest pre-owned campaign that we have ever organized.”

According to figures from Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd, a total of 25,749 passenger cars (up 27.3 per cent) and 40,796 commercial vehicles (up 10.2 per cent) were sold in the country last month.

TMT vice president Vudhigorn Suiryachannananont said the growth is result of government economic stimulus programmes that are bearing fruit.

“Exports growth has hit a 10-year high at 9.9 per cent while tourism has grown by 8.8 per cent, driving up the consumer confidence index to 80 per cent, the highest in 36 months,” Vudhigorn said, adding that vehicles orders placed during the Motor Expo in December were also being delivered during January.

The M5 is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo engine capable of pumping out 600 horsepower. Acceleration from 0-100 kilometres per hour takes 3.4 seconds, while the top speed is electronically limited at 250km/h.

Suzuki has pretty much ensured its popularity in the Thai eco-car market with the new Swift.

While the second-generation Swift was produced under the eco-car regulations, the new model takes on the Eco Car Phase II requirements, which are even tougher in terms of fuel economy and emissions levels.

Suzuki has been quick in following up the official launch of the Swift with a media test-drive event held in Chiang Mai. Apart from rounding off the highlights of the new model, test drivers were also informed of the driving route, which consisted of twisting corners as well as long highways.

Retail pricing of the new Swift ranges from Bt499,000 to Bt629,000 – all four variants come with automatic transmission. With only 10-15 per cent of Thai customers purchasing the manual version in the previous model, the new Swift manual is expected to be offered at a later date.

Based on Suzuki’s new “Heartec” platform, the new Swift is slight shorter and lower than the outgoing model, but is as much as 40mm wider, and the wheelbase has been increased by as much as 90mm to 2,540mm resulting in a more spacious interior. While the luggage area was no strong point of the old model, the capacity has now been increased by 54 litres to 265 litres.

The exterior design of the Swift has been polished and loses a bit of funkiness, which is replaced with something more mature and European-looking. It’s still trendy though, featuring a “floating roof” design and rear door openers located at the C-pillar area.

The interior reflects a good effort in upgrading the atmosphere from an eco car to something more premium (like the Mazda2). While the flat-bottomed multi-function steering, 7-inch touchscreen and jet air vents look and feel great, the quality of the door panels and its “hollowness” still doesn’t impress. The tradition of offering one-touch electric window function just for opening still continues in the new model as well, even in the top GLX-Navi trim.

Nevertheless the Swift is well-equipped in other areas – there are 6 airbags, Hill Hold Control, traction control, idling stop, automatic climate control, and Suzuki Smart Connect with Apple CarPlay.

The Thai-spec Swift features a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder direct ignition engine that passes the Eco Car Phase II regulations, with an average fuel economy of 23.3km/litre and 98g/km of CO2. Maximum output is claimed at a heart-breaking 83 horsepower (down from 91 horsepower in the previous model) while torque is down to 108Nm (from 118Nm).

Despite the drop in power and torque, the new Swift gets an improved CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) and weighs much less (910kg compared to 975kg for the top model). As a result, acceleration is just marginally slower in the new model (about half a second for 0-100km/h) and the top speed is about 10km/h lower, according to in-house figures.

It’s too bad that Thailand doesn’t get the 3-cylinder 1.0-litre Boosterjet engine offered elsewhere that offers 110 horsepower and add tons of life to the new Swift, but that version doesn’t make the emission cut for the Eco Car Phase II’s 100g/km limit.

But do not be disappointed, as the new Swift, with just 83 horses, is still a much better drive than its predecessor. In fact, it’s gone up another level in driving satisfaction.

The lighter weight and revised suspension/steering system gives the new Swift improved nimbleness while offering loads of comfort. Cracks and bumps on country roads are ironed out nicely and the wider track gives the car better stability while cruising on the highway. You’d feel a much improved damping system in the new model that reminds you of European hatchbacks rather than Japanese.

The seats have been improved both in terms of design and comfort, while the steering is adjustable for both reach and rake, allowing the driver to find the perfect driving position.

Driving through the winding roads from Flora Park resort in Chiang Mai the Swift showed little or no understeer even with the traction system switched off, which was surprising for a car in this class.

The steering, which now carries its own control chip, is a great replacement for the problematic power steering in the outgoing model.

I really loved the chassis set-up of the new Swift. Compared to the one my son drives (a manual GL with all sorts of mods including Tein springs) the suspension is far superior, providing both better grip and comfort.

The top variant like the GLX-Navi also gets rear disc brakes that are much more desirable that the regular drums (still offered in the lower variants). Meanwhile, the Swift wheels never looked good and the new model doesn’t show much improvement.

I bet a huge number of owners will be going after custom wheels after the purchase.

Distributor Suzuki Motor (Thailand) hopes to sell 15,700 Swifts this year, but with more orders being accepted during the first three days of the launch (approximately 2,000 orders), the number could be easily upped as its assembly plant has enough capacity.

Meanwhile, existing Swift owners (like me) who want to purchase the new model also enjoy special privileges, such as free accessories worth Bt20,000, while regular customers get a Bt10,000 discount.

Like its predecessor that enjoys cult status, the new Swift is expected to take over the market once again, establishing a new benchmark in the Thai eco car market.

Suzuki Swift GLX-Navi CVT Specs

Engine: 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve

Displacement: 1,197cc

Bore and stroke: 73.0×71.5mm

Compression ratio: 11.5:1

Max power: 83ps/6,000rpm

Max torque: 108Nm/4,400rpm

Transmission: CVT

Ratios: 4.006-0.550

Final drive ratio: 3.757

0-100kmh: 13.87 secs

Top speed: approx. 170km/h

Average fuel economy: 23.3km/litre

Average CO2: 98g/km

Suspension (f/r): McPherson strut, coil spring/torsion beam, coil spring

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 9.6 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 3,840

Width: 1,735

Height: 1,495

Wheelbase: 2,540

Track (f/r): 1,520/1,525

Weight: approx. 910kgs

Wheels: 16-inch alloy

Tires: 185/55R16

Fuel tank capacity: 37 litres

Price: Bt629,000

Distributor: Suzuki Motor Thailand Co Ltd