Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/773562
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 JANUARY 2017 IV Motoring THE Alfa Romeo 4C name recalls the brand's great sporting tradition: The award-winning 4C Coupe and Spider continue this tradition with the innova- tive all-aluminum 1750 cc turbocharged direct injection, dual intercooler four-cylinder engine, delivering an impres- sive 136 horsepower-per- liter. With seating for two and the soundtrack of an Italian performance-tuned engine and exhaust, the Alfa Romeo 4C is among the most exhila- rating experiences in motor- ing – and represents the very core of Alfa Romeo's DNA and heritage. The 4C beat out nine other sports car finalists, includ- ing Acura NSX, Audi R8, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Camaro SS, Ford Mustang, Jaguar F-TYPE, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Porsche Cayman and Scion FR-S. The newly minted Autobytel Buyer's Choice Award covers multiple vehicle sub-catego- ries, each reflecting leader- ship in both Autobytel.com site search traffic and dealer lead generation. This award is derived from data collected from October 2015 to Octo- ber 2016. "After analyzing the data from the past year, it is clear to us that car buyers are most interested in quality, reliability, design, safety and performance," said Joni Gray, Autobytel's editor-in- chief. "These are some of the most innovative and beautiful vehicles on the market today. Each one resonates with the current trends in technology, safety and family-friendly features that win the hearts and pocketbooks of Ameri- can car buyers. Congratula- tions to each of the carmak- ers for this accomplishment." The Autobytel Buyer's Choice Award is especially significant given the fact that roughly 8 million consum- ers visit Autobytel properties each month to research their next vehicle purchase. Last year, the company delivered more than 9 million leads to its industry partners and well over 60 million leads to its industry partners since 1995. According to IHS Automo- tive, consumers submitting leads via the Autobytel net- work accounted for over 2.5 million new retail sales from 2011 – 2015, representing an average of roughly 4 per- cent of all U.S. light vehicle new retail sales. With racing heritage, Italian style and advanced technol- ogies, Alfa Romeo vehicles have always been one of the most desired among collec- tors and enthusiasts. THEY included autonomous vehicle testing in Japan, an upcoming Nissan Leaf with autonomous capabilities, a human-operated help centre for autonomous vehicles, and the integration of Microsoft's con- nected car platform in Renault- Nissan Alliance vehicles. Ghosn said the combined resources of Renault-Nissan Alliance as well as Mitsubishi, in which Nissan holds a controlling stake, allows the automaker to heavily invest in new technol- ogy. "No shortcuts, no blind- spots," he said. The announcements are part of Nissan's roadmap for autonomy, which envisions a gradual increase of autonomous development, from single lane highway capability, to multi-lane, to city driving to full autono- mous. Ghosn predicts Nissan vehicles will hit the third stage by 2022 or 2023, but did not give a timeline for full autonomy. Mobility advances Nissan's initiatives focus on the development of autonomous vehicles on a short timeline. The automaker will begin testing self- driving cars on Japan roads in partnership with Japanese tech company DeNA with the goal of testing a driverless taxi service in Tokyo in 2020. Though a release date was not given, the next generation Leaf will be equipped with ProPilot, a system that enables single-high- way autonomous driving. The automaker is also attempt- ing to address growing pains during the development pro- cess. Its Seamless Autonomous Mobility system, developed in partnership with NASA, provides human-powered solutions to situations where an autonomous vehicle cannot act, like construc- tion zones or blocked roadways. When a vehicle encounters such situations, it alerts SAM, and a mobility manager who can access the car's location maps a solution and sends it back to the vehicle, relieving drivers from having to take over. "It's for situations when the AI cannot handle it, and you want HI, human intelligence, to take over," said Ogi Redzic, senior vice president of connected vehicles and mobility services at Nissan, said in an interview with Automo- tive News. Microsoft partnership Microsoft is building a connect- ed car platform to provide cloud services to vehicles. Volvo and BMW have agreed to use parts of Microsoft's technology with the integration of Skype and Office 365, respectively, but Renault- Nissan will be the first automaker to use the entire suite. The platform is part of a partnership between the two companies inked in September, allowing Renault-Nissan to ac- cess Microsoft's cloud computing services. Vehicles employing Microsoft technologies could be on the market as early as 2018. Using Microsoft's cloud technol- ogy, the software allows au- tomakers to access the vehicle's data to predict maintenance as well as driver data for research, operate Microsoft's productivity services (including Office 365 and the virtual assistant Cor- tana) and provide realtime and contextual navigation. The data produced and collected by the platform can also be used for machine learning in autonomous driving systems, the company said. "It's an agile, open platform," said Peggy Johnson, execu- tive vice president of business development at Microsoft, in an interview with Automotive News. Automakers "can choose what pieces they want to work with, but it all works together." Nissan's new plans to assure safety on the roads Buyer's choice award for best sports car won by 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has big plans for an electrified and automated future. Ghosn listed an array of efforts the company is making to move toward zero emissions and zero fatalities Nissan lays out plans for electrified, fatality-free future The 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C won the inaugural 2017 Autobytel "Buyer's Choice" award for "Best Sports Car," as more sports car buyers shopped for the Alfa Romeo 4C on Autobytel.com and submitted a dealer contact form than any other vehicle in that category 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C