Nissan's had a few electric concept cars over the last few years but none as advanced as the Pivo 3, which will be unveiled at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show.
The Pivo 3 is pioneering not for its zero-emissions electric powertrain but the technology that means it can park on its own, charge itself and then be summoned by its driver via a smartphone to pick them up once they've finished what they're doing.
It may seem far-fetched but Nissan believes its Automated Valet Parking system will revolutionise parking. The Pivo 3 parks automatically in specially equipped car parks then charges itself or sells excess power to the regional grid.
Its compact size (under three metres in length) means it can make a U-turn in a road just four metres wide and, despite its size, it can seat three people in a 1 + 2 layout.
Inside is a wide centre console for displaying GPS and other information, while side-view monitors take the place of mirrors.
Nissan chiefs will now decide whether the car is suitable for production, though it's likely to be 2016 or 2017 at the earliest before we see it on the roads.
Plan to revive Brit marque
A motoring enthusiast is trying to revive British sports car company Atalanta Motors 75 years on from the last model.
Martyn Corfield aims to bring back "one of the most innovative and stylish pre-war British car manufacturers" with a concept set to be revealed in spring next year.
With more than just a gentle nod to Atalanta's heritage, he plans to emulate the style and spirit of one of the most technically advanced sports car designs of its era, while acknowledging 72 years of automotive evolution.
A traditionally coach-built pre-production prototype is being developed that remains true to original Atalanta design principles of "Innovation, Style and Performance". It will be unveiled in 2012 - 75 years after the first Atalanta car was announced, the Autocar on March 5, 1937.
"Atalanta is one of the greatest untold British motoring heritage stories. The cars and the team that delivered the original concept were so ahead of their time. What might have been had the war not interrupted development?" says Corfield.
Only two models were ever made by Atalanta and this could be a third.
Woman, 86, drives into pool
An 86-year-old woman went out to do some grocery shopping but ended up driving her car into a swimming pool.
Mary Lee Fine was anything but fine after driving her Dodge Neon through a fence and into the pool in Austin, Texas.
Security cameras caught the moment when the incident happened and Fine can be seen struggling to get out before a passer-by spots her. The man calmly takes his shoes and valuables off before wading in to help.
It turns out Fine is extremely lucky as a steel chair she knocked into the pool during the incident wedged itself underneath the back of the car in the pool, holding it up and buying enough time for her to escape.
"When the water came up I thought, oh hell, I'm going to drown,'" Fine told KXAN.
"I couldn't get out, nothing would work. I'm trying to figure out if I could dog paddle or something."
Fine says the incident happened after a car parked too close to her, forcing her to enter via the passenger door. She says she must have hit the gear stick as the car unexpectedly sped forward when she started it.
Although not injured, Fine says she'll take a taxi next time.
Volkswagen Group posts 14 per cent growth worldwide in 2011
Volkswagen Group has announced a growth in vehicle deliveries of 13.8 per cent to 6.8 million units for the year to October.
The German giant said its brands were performing well in North America as well as in its European heartlands.
The group includes brands such as Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Skoda and Seat, as well as Volkswagen itself.
"Developments so far have been very encouraging," says the Volkswagen Group board member for sales, Christian Klingler. "We made a good start to the fourth quarter, too. However, given the present economic uncertainty and its impact on the automotive industry, we cannot take the fourth quarter for granted.
"We will continue to keep a close eye on the situation over the coming months as developments on global markets remain volatile."
Deliveries rose 21.5 per cent to 543,000 units from January to October in North America and 10.7 per cent to 3.07m units in Europe.
Seat to have plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars on roads by 2016
Seat is planning to have its first electric plug-in hybrid in car showrooms by 2015 followed by an all-electric vehicle a year later.
The company is working on designing, developing and manufacturing the cars in its native Spain and has unveiled a prototype Altea XL Electric Ecomotive, a totally electrically driven zero-emissions car, as well as the prototype Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive, a plug-in hybrid.
The company will make available units of both models to government institutions in Catalonia and Madrid over the next few months so it can assess their roadworthiness.
"Customers demand a more sustainable form of mobility, but their needs are diverse," says Seat president James Muir. "So we believe that a parallel strategy of developing two different technologies will put Seat in the best position to meet their needs."
Seat will also launch four new models over the next 12 months, the first being the urban car Mii.
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en