Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/530451
Events 45 maltatoday, Sunday, 21 June 2015 New Opel Adam Rocks sets new trends in small cars The Opel Adam family is growing: as an adventure-loving open-air car, a stylish trendsetter and an in- dividualisation champion, the new Opel Adam Rocks plays many roles perfectly. And as a three-door, 3.75-metre long urban pocket-crossover, it also opens up a new market niche. Opel designers have developed new de- sign elements, décors and seating trims all unique to Adam Rocks which, together with the optional Swing Top, give it its very own chic charm. The latest member of Opel's ur- ban lifestyle family is also powered by an all-new 1.0 eCOTeC Direct Injection Turbo engines. This high-tech, pocket powerhouse al- ready complies with tough euro 6 emissions standards and raises the bar for three-cylinder engine refinement with exceptionally low noise and vibration, as well as su- perb comfort. Opel's advanced IntelliLink in- fotainment system with its fast, user-friendly operation integrates smartphones into Rocks' cockpit at a very affordable price. "Customers will be thrilled with the Rocks combination of open- air driving fun, state-of-the-art connectivity and a lively new en- gines," says Ryan Buttigieg, Gen- eral Manager at Cars International, agents for Opel in Malta. "Rocks also shares the Adam family's huge personalisation potential, which means almost every example of this urban crossover will be unique. Adam Rocks drivers will hardly ever see another model on the road that looks exactly like theirs." Rocks also offers the same vi- brant colours as all other Adams, such as Goldbusters and Let It Blue, among many others, apart from the wide range of roof design options. To further individualise the cabin, new colours, door trim options and décor elements unique to Opel's mini urban trailblazer are available. With its Swing Top canvas roof, Adam Rocks offers easy access to open-air driving fun whenever and wherever the driver feels like it. The roof folds back neatly on to the C-pillars in just five seconds – and can, of course, be opened or closed while the car is moving (at speeds up to 140 km/h). The entire roof module is acoustically tuned for good noise insulation inside the cabin and the robust, three- layer fabric has a neoprene centre sandwich for weatherproofing and durability. Adam Rocks also features Opel's award-winning IntelliLink info- tainment system with all its multi- media connectivity options and apps. It allows the seamless integra- tion of ANDROID as well as Apple iOS smartphone functionalities inside the car. This ensures driv- ers never lose contact with what's going on around them, while al- lowing them to make phone calls or choose favourite music tracks or, using SIRI eyes Free voice con- trol, to hear an incoming SMS read aloud or dictate an SMS and emails – all while keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. When Adam Rocks is sta- tionary, photo galleries or videos can be viewed on the 7-inch high- definition color touch-screen. IntelliLink is not only safe and easy to operate, it is also extremely affordable, making ROCKS the best connected small car on the market, just like its Adam stable- mates. It's a talent recently under- lined by Adam winning the "Con- nected Car Award" from German trade journals Auto Bild and Com- puter Bild. Pop over to the Opel showroom at Cars International in Mdina Road, Qormi, to have a first-hand experi- ence of the Opel ROCKS and book a test drive by sending an email to opelsales@cil.com.mt or by calling 2269 2122. You can also visit opel. com.mt or the Facebook page Opel Malta. KTM introduces new generation SX range KTM is pleased to introduce the model year 2016 SX range, which is a completely new generation of motocross bikes that are lighter, faster and even more agile than before with a huge weight re- duction thanks to a new chassis, revised engines along with the brand new AeR 48 fork system by WP. Thanks to the intense develop- ment work from the R&D depart- ments in Mattighofen, Austria and the USA, KTM is proud to present the new serial production range, which will be available glo- bally from June onwards. This new Ready to Race gen- eration of KTM SX models of- fers state-of-the-art technology combined with class-leading per- formance and the lowest weight in each class, which will set the benchmark for the Motocross world. Compared to previous models over 90% of the parts are new, as the KTM engineers aimed at in- creasing performance, improving handling and reducing weight of these already world-dominating machines, despite still including the all-important electric starter. Key improvements include the in- novative AeR 48 Air Fork design developed by WP in close collabo- ration with KTM, plus a newly de- signed chassis with a new frame, subframe, footpegs, swingarm, linkage and rear shock to provide improved mass centralization and reduced weight for better han- dling (all models except 250 SX). A full range of completely new smaller and lighter 4-stroke en- gines, plus a new 125cc 2-stroke, have been developed with a totally new architecture design, which of- fers increased performance, while also working in harmony with the new chassis. The 4-stroke range now has a state-of-the-art launch control system, an updated eMS with a faster eCU, as well as a new throttle body and different riding modes. The vision is simple: The KTM engineers wanted to make their new bikes faster than ever before. Joachim Sauer, KTM Offroad Product Manager said, "We are excited to deliver a new genera- tion of SX models, which have been developed in collaboration with many experts in our R&D department, professional racers, our motorsports department and together with WP." The KTM junior range has also received detail updates for the 50 SX, 65 SX and 85 SX, and KTM continues to offer a full range of motorcycles for any kind of riding level for youngsters to progress, as well as adult novice to profession- al level MXGP and Supercross For more information on KTM or for local enquiries please call 2339 3102, visit our showroom at FAPI Motors, Mdina Road, Attard, or email us at info@fapimotors.com. Your first click of the daY www.maltatoday.com.mt Central Bank publishes its first quarterly review for this year The Central Bank of Malta has published the first issue of its Quarterly Review for 2015, which analyses recent economic and financial developments in Malta and abroad and presents the Bank 's latest economic pro- jections. Moreover, the Review carries a number of analytical reports on Maltese households' savings; on the work of the eCB's Competitiveness Research Net- work; on industry-specific mul- tipliers for the Maltese economy; and a recently launched survey assessing local firms' access to finance. The Governing Council of the european Central Bank (eCB) maintained an accommodative monetary policy stance during the first five months of 2015, as euro area inf lation was foreseen to remain less than the target of below, but close to, 2.0% for a protracted period. The eCB kept the interest rate on the main refinancing op- erations (MRO) unchanged at 0.05%. The rate on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility rate remained at 0.30% and -0.20%, respectively. In Jan- uary 2015, the eCB announced an expansion of its asset pur- chase programme to include purchases of sovereign bonds in the secondary market. During the first quarter of 2015, gross domestic product (GDP) in the euro area rose by 0.4% on the previous quarter. Domestic de- mand drove growth, whereas the contribution from net exports turned negative. The annual inf lation rate in the euro area based on the harmo- nised Index of Consumer Prices (hICP) remained negative dur- ing the first quarter. In March, it was 0.1%, up from -0.2% in De- cember, while by April the annu- al inf lation rate stood at nil. The modest recovery in euro area inf lation between December and April mainly ref lected develop- ments in food and energy prices. According to the June eurosys- tem staff macroeconomic pro- jections, economic activity in the euro area is expected to recover, with real GDP growth accelerat- ing from 0.9% in 2014 to 2.0% in 2017. The annual inf lation rate is expected to decrease margin- ally from 0.4% in 2014, to 0.3% in 2015, before accelerating to 1.8% by 2017. The Maltese economy grew at a robust pace in the last quarter of 2014, with real GDP expanding by 4.0% in annual terms. Growth was driven by all major com- ponents of domestic demand. however, as exports fell while imports increased, net exports dampened real GDP growth. The Review also includes a supplement on developments in GDP in the first quarter of 2015. economic activity remained ro- bust, with real GDP expanding by 4.0% on a year earlier, driven by net exports. The annual hICP inf lation rate in Malta stood at 0.5% in March, up marginally from 0.4% in De- cember. This acceleration was driven mainly by food and non- energy industrial goods prices. In contrast, price pressures eased in the case of services and ener- gy. In April 2015, annual inf la- tion rose further to 1.4%, largely because the electricity tariff cut of April 2014 no longer had an effect on the annual rate. The first issue of the Quar- terly Review for 2015 is avail- able on the website of the Central Bank of Malta at www.centralbankmalta.org.