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Stories By Moses Akaigwe, 08072100049
2017 Dodge Challenger has earned a five-star overall safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Five stars is the highest rating in the regulatory agency’s vehicle-evaluation programme.
“This proves the 2017 Dodge Challenger is much more than a great-looking car,” says Mike Dahl, Head of Vehicle Safety and Regulatory Compliance, FCA North America. “It reflects our commitment to delivering exceptional occupant safety in every vehicle segment.”
Nearly 60 per cent of the sporty Challenger’s body structure consists of high-strength steel. This engineering strategy, combined with the careful integration of side-guard door beams, was critical to the car’s performance in NHTSA’s side-impact testing.
The agency simulated collisions with a pole and with another vehicle at closing speeds of 32 miles per hour and 62 miles per hour, respectively. The Challenger’s rating for each: five stars.
Supplementary restraint systems also contributed the car’s performance. Driver and front-passenger side air bags are standard equipment on all Challenger trim levels, as are front and rear side-curtain air bags.
In its assessment of the new Challenger, NHTSA notes the availability of Forward Collision Warning (FCW), which features forward-facing sensors programmed to detect the potential for certain types of frontal collisions. If a frontal impact with another vehicle appears imminent, the system pre-fills the Challenger’s brakes and transmits audible and visual warnings for the driver to respond.
FCW is among more than 70 available safety and security features on the 2017 Dodge Challenger. Others include Blind-spot Monitoring (BSM) and Rear Cross Path (RCP) detection.
BSM uses radar sensors to aid the driver when changing lanes, passing or being passed. When another vehicle is detected in the driver’s blind spot, its presence is noted with illuminated icons in the Challenger’s side-view mirrors and a driver-selectable chime.
RCP detection warns drivers of lateral traffic when backing out of parking spaces. It automatically activates whenever the driver puts the Challenger in reverse gear.Since the modern Dodge Challenger was launched in 2008, NHTSA has included the car in its annual model-year ratings seven times. It achieved five-star scores every time, including five overall five-star ratings – one for each year overall ratings have been awarded.
The Dodge challenger is notably one of the fastest and most powerful sedans in the world. It comes with a supercharged 6.4 Liter Natural Aspired Hemi Engine with 485 horsepowerthat and an outstanding quarter-mile time in the 10 second range all harnessed by TorqueFlite® eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Dodge Challenger SRT is provided in the Nigerian market by Weststar Associates, which also offers after-sales back-up services to buyers, including the sale of genuine replacement parts and taking care of maintenance services through skilled technicians at its workshop and other similar {authorized} facilities across the country.
Mercedes-Benz draws arts lovers to Standing With the Kings
Apart from the ranges of three-pointed star luxury cars and commercial vehicles, visitors to the classy Mercedes-Benz Centre on Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ikate, Lagos, are used to viewing and buying the German brand has given them an extra reason to pay more visits.
Reason: An exhibition of works of arts by Tayo Ayelowo with the theme, “Standing with the Kings”, which opened on Saturday, November 26, with friends of the centre, families and art enthusiasts ceaselessly coming in to appreciate the pieces of art on exhibition and close up on Mercedes vehicles on display.
The showroom has been transformed into an art gallery for portrait paintings of various traditional rulers in Nigeria, thus illustrating creativity in its most scintillating form. It was learnt that the arts exhibition would continue till December 12, meaning, according a manger at the centre: “The public is welcome to come watch exemplary royal leaders come to life as they take a tour around the classic cars on display”
Guinness MD, FRSC: Be ambassadors of responsible drinking
The duo of Guinness Nigeria Plc and the Federal Roads Safety Corps, FRSC, has once again, appealed to members of the public to be ambassadors of responsible drinking during the Christmas/New Year season and beyond.
Speaking at the flag-off of 2016 ‘ember’ months responsible drinking campaign which took place at the Ketu Motor Park in Lagos, the Managing Director/CEO, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. Peter Ndegwa, counselled road users to avoid accidents by not driving when they have consumed alcohol.
Ndegwa disclosed that the partnership between Guinness Nigeria and FRSC which has lasted over a decade, enables both parties to jointly deliver seasonal safety campaigns that reach millions of Nigerians every year.
“Through our ‘ember’ months campaigns, we aim to play a part in helping consumers make the right choices. The message we deliver to consumers through our annual campaigns is consistent with our values at Guinness Nigeria. Consumers are at the heart of everything we do as an organisation and are the basis for our success. We are, therefore, genuinely concerned when we see consumers put themselves at risk through practices like drink-driving”, the Managing Director.
The timing of the campaign, according to him, takes into cognisance the high volume of vehicular movement towards the end of the year, particularly during the Christmas season, with the attendant increase in road accidents. “This campaign, therefore, aims to help prevent alcohol-related accidents this season”.
Ndegwa also commended the FRSC for the critical role it plays in helping to reduce accidents on the nation’s highways.
In his remarks, the Lagos Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, commended Guinness Nigeria Plc for sustaining this giant stride for the past nine years, while taking into cognizance the fact that road safety is a shared responsibility.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s campaign theme, “Crash the crash: Speed kills”, Omeje, a Corps Commander, noted that driving under the influence was an underlying factor in many road traffic crashes.
The Sector Commander disclosed that the donation of breathalyzers by Guinness Nigeria during last year’s campaign to the corps, had helped the marshals carry out extensive tests on drivers.
Ford Ranger is Nigeria’s Pick-up of the Year
Following weeks of suspense and speculation as to which light truck would overtake the competition as the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) Awards approached, Ford Ranger has been declared this years’ Pick-up of the Year at the event held recently in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Guests at the awards who described the honour as well deserved, said it had reinforced Ranger’s status as a segment-defining model in the highly competitive light commercial vehicle sector.
The award, which was received by the marketing team of Coscharis Motors, the sole authorised Ford dealer in Nigeria, was witnessed by key stakeholders in the Nigerian automobile industry.
“We’re delighted that the Ford Ranger won this coveted Pick-up of the Year title, which recognised its impressive range of technologies, bold design and outstanding capabilities,” said Rob Johnston, Regional Manager Sales and Marketing, Ford Customer Services Division for Sub Saharan Africa.
“The Ranger is the key model driving Ford’s expansion across the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and despite facing stiff competition from the likes of the new Toyota Hilux, its ‘Built Ford Tough’ qualities clearly position it as a cut above the rest,” Johnston stated.
Ford is represented in Nigeria by Coscharis Motors, with its president, Dr Cosmas Maduka, being honoured as Automotive Personality of the Year. “Congratulations to Dr Maduka for the award, which acknowledges his important contribution to the domestic motor industry,” Johnston added.
A full line-up of Ford Rangers is sold in Nigeria, including the Single Cab commercial models, the versatile Super Cab (or RAP Cab) versions with the additional rear-hinged doors, and the extensive range of practical Double Cab derivatives which includes the XL,XLT, Limited and range-topping Wildtrak derivatives.
Rangers sold in Nigeria are imported from Ford’s Silverton Assembly Plant in South Africa, either as fully-built up units, or as semi-knocked down (SKD) kits for selected double cab models which are assembled locally by Coscharis Motors. This initiative is aimed at bolstering the industrialisation and development of the automotive industry in West Africa.
In conjunction with the three Quick Lane Tyre and Auto Centres opened in Nigeria since 2013, it reinforces the commitment of Ford and Coscharis Motors to expanding its presence in the region by offering a competitive range of vehicles, backed up by improved aftersales service and support, along with greater parts availability.
