Understanding Your Car : 4X4 V/S AWD

SUVs have become a mainstay for numerous car owners who swear by them for the utility, capability and reliability they offer. SUVs have been around for a long time, with origins which can be traced back to the 1930s when armies across the globe were developing vehicles which had the capability of tackling or being deployed in any terrain. One of the most crucial elements in an SUV or any utility vehicle is the drivetrain system. SUVs use 2 types of powertrain systems – 4X4 & AWD. This time on Understanding Your Car we shall explain you the differences between 4X4 & AWD, read on to know more.

  SUVs are designed to be rugged, tough vehicles which have the capability to tackle even the harshest terrain conditions. Come rock, sand, mud or snow SUVs can take on anything and take you anywhere. A car requires traction to maintain good grip and movement while being driven on a surface/terrain. The terrain conditions on an off-road surface (Rock, sand, mud, snow etc.) are different from ones on a tarmac road. Off-road surfaces often vary in the traction levels offered to the car; hence the car loses grip and cannot be driven effectively. This is where the 4X4/AWD system comes into play and provides optimal grip to the car by transferring engine power to the required wheels. A 4X4 or AWD system is essentially a power distribution system. A large number of cars around the world use a 2WD (Two Wheel Drive) powertrain system. This system distributes the power generated either to the front 2 wheels or the rear 2 wheels; motion is generated and the car moves forward. A 4X4, AWD system distributes the power equally to all 4 wheels of the car, hence there is an equal distribution of torque to all wheels and good levels of grip are maintained even on off-road conditions. Both 4X4 and AWD are similar with respect to power delivery for the wheels but the key difference lies in the way they operate. An All-Wheel Drive system uses the power generated by the engine and equally powers all wheels of the car (both front and rear). AWD systems come in configurations; full-time or part-time which vary from car manufacturer to car manufacturer. In the full-time mode the AWD is engaged always and power is sent to all 4 wheels throughout. The benefit of full-time AWD is the fact that better handling, power is available for use on the use. This also helps in slippery conditions as the car gets more traction to move forward. In the part time AWD mode the power is sent to the driven wheels (either front or rear, varies from car to car). The system then automatically engages the other two wheels as and when road, terrain conditions demand. With the help of an electronic computer, sensors the system monitors and controls the power sent to the wheels.

    The 4X4 system is a more traditional system. The first SUVs and tough terrain tackling vehicles all used a 4X4 system. The 4X4 system is designed to work better in a more challenging off-road environment. This system is designed to send power to all 4 wheels of the vehicle equally and increase traction where required. 4X4 systems tend to be more robust and durable then their AWD counterparts and can handle more rugged terrain too. 4X4 or 4WD uses a series of transfer cases and couplings to provide maximum torque to the wheels where required under a variety of terrain and surface conditions. 4X4 systems come with a low, high range of gear ratios which can be engaged by the driver when need be. The low range provides maximum traction in an off-road environment while the high range is useful in slippery conditions such as snow, loose sand, gravel or ice. These two gear ratios can be engaged via an electronic switch or a mechanical gear lever. Like AWD the 4X4 system comes in 2 configurations a full-time and a part-time mode. Full time mode offers power to all wheels equally on a continuous basis. The part-time 4X4 system is a more old-school system which can be found in large SUVs, trucks to take on the harshest of driving conditions. In this system the vehicle is generally driven by the rear wheels, and the decision to engage the 4X4 is at the discretion of the driver as and when required. Some systems also allow the driver to lock the differentials at for extra traction in extreme conditions. 4X4 systems are always preferred while extreme off-roading as they offer a higher level of grip and power the driver. While SUVs generally come equipped with 4X4 or AWD systems, however other car types (sedan, hatchback etc.) also some equipped with such systems. The availability, compatibility varies from one car manufacturer to another. The 4X4/AWD system is not going away anytime soon and is here to say as the demands of tough all terrain tackling vehicles will always be present. With the aid of latest cutting edge technology these systems will only improve for the better. 

ICT Connected Shift System - Hyundai, Kia Develop Future Auto Gear Tech Which Will Predict Your Next Gear Shift

  The car is one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind. Having revolutionized the way humans travel, commute the car can be credited to changing mass transportation as we know it! With the advent of cutting-edge technology and the means to make it more accessible, affordable to all consumers globally car manufacturers have been very successful in making the car an integral part of our day to day lives. While driving a car is an easy, fun task for a lot of people…a common frustration about driving a car is the daily grind of driving in bumper to bumper traffic! Thankfully the automatic gear transmission comes to our rescue. The automatic transmission is a very crucial advantage car drivers have over grueling traffic conditions. Korean car giants Hyundai, Kia have jointly developed the ICT Connected Shift System, which could potentially be a game changer not only in automatic transmissions, but also the future of transmission technology. You might be thinking…well that’s amazing, but how does this new tech work? Don’t worry, we have you covered! We are going to tell you all about it…read on to find out more!

  In an automatic transmission gearbox, the gear shifts are controlled by the transmission control unit (TCU). Basis the speed of the car, data provided by the engine control unit and a whole host of sensors the TCU decides when to shift into optimal gear in order to maintain performance and efficiency. American car giant General Motors can be credited to introducing the first auto gearbox – Hydramatic which made its debut in 1939 in Oldsmobile and Cadillac models. Since its application in cars the auto gearbox has become very popular with car drivers the world over. The auto gearbox brings with it much needed convenience of not using the manual clutch, this aids the driver and shields him from feeling tired, frustrated during stop-go traffic conditions we are accustomed to these days. The CVT, DCT, Torque Converter, DSG etc. gearboxes are among the most popular ones used across most of the cars globally. All these gearboxes use information such as speed of the car, engine data, sensors to shift gears automatically. The idea behind Kia, Hyundai’s new ICT gear technology is to predict gearshifts optimally while evaluating and taking into consideration the realistic driving conditions. The new transmission is a completely different take on the conventional ones we are accustomed to. The ICT technology assess the situations, road conditions ahead, predicts the next best shift for optimal performance. While developing the new ICT tech Hyundai and Kia have filed for 40 major patents both in South Korea and globally. ICT uses intelligent software in the TCU that collects and interprets real time input from technologies such as 3D navigation equipped with an exact map of the road, multiple cameras and radars for cruise control. Evaluating and taking into consideration various input elements such as elevation, slope/incline, curvature, various road events and current traffic conditions 3D navigation works alongside the radar which detects speed and distance between cars, lane information is provided by a forward-looking camera. While conducting tests of the ICT system a 43% reduction in the frequency of shifts while cornering was observed. While cornering 11% of braking frequency was reduced – thereby reducing brake wear and driver fatigue. As part of the testing process, ICT was used on the highway as well. On highway runs it was observed that the ICT system adapted to the requirements of joining the highway by putting the car into sport mode, this led to an increase in speed, power to make it easier for the driver to merge on the highway. Once the car had reached an optimal highway speed the ICT system slotted the car back into an efficient gear while maintaining the speed.

  The ICT is still a work in progress and certainly one for the future. Technology like ICT is constantly worked on and improved daily to help make it optimal, practical and safe for usage in the real world. ICT should see application in autonomous driving as well and will look disrupt the automatic gearbox as we know it. Future tech such as ICT will be shaping the global car industry in the coming years, it will be interesting to see what the competitors of Hyundai & Kia have in store for the industry, customers!

Who Are Great Wall Motors?

The automobile industry plays a very important part of the economic dividend of a country by increasing overall GDP, increasing exports, employment, etc. China is currently the largest producer and manufacturer of cars in the world surpassing established markets such as the USA, Japan, and Germany. China’s neighbor India is also one of the largest car markets in the world and the fastest emerging one too. Off late Chinese car brands have finally taken the leap and entered the highly lucrative, exciting Indian market. SIAC-owned MG Motor is the first Chinese brand to enter India with Great Wall Motors following suit. We have previously covered MG Motor, this time we shall take you through the story of Great Wall Motors.

   

     Great Wall Motors (GWM) was founded in 1984 in the city of Baoding, Hebei province, China. Initially, GWM started off manufacturing trucks and light cargo vehicles. In 1990, Jack Wey took over as the general manager of GWM and this marked a turning point in the company’s rise to prominence. In 1995, the Great Wall Deer pickup truck was introduced and quickly asserted itself as the market leader in the pickup segment of China. Great Wall started exporting the Deer to markets in the Middle East hence bringing in an era the era of globalization for the Chinese auto market. GWM launched its first SUV – Safe for the Chinese market in 2002. The GWM Safe was China’s first economic SUV and within a few months from its launch went on the be amongst the top 3 SUVs in China. GWM created history in 2003 when it became the first privately-owned domestic car manufacturer to go public when it got listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. With an infusion of fresh capital, GWM was well on its way to further expansion! GWM is a vertically integrated company, this further strengthens and gives better control over the supply chain, efficiency in the production/manufacturing process. GWM has been manufacturing in-house critical car components/parts such as – engines, rear and front axles, suspensions and other core components. This gives GWM a competitive advantage over its rivals and allows for better customization, efficiency in production, quality and overall control of the production process. The year 2005 was a very important year for the brand as the Haval SUV was launched for the Chinese market. GWM owned brand Haval is one of the most popular and best-selling SUVs in the Chinese market to this day! Hence giving GWM a very strong foothold in the SUV market of China. German car component manufacturing giant Bosch announced a joint development partnership with GWM in 2008 to develop diesel engines that would be used across various car models under the GWM umbrella.

    

   Having already established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the SUV segment and a good range of successful products such as the Haval H3, Haval M2, Haval H5, Great Wall V80 MPV; Great Wall Motors entered unchartered waters with the launch of their first-ever sedan the Great Wall Voleex V30 in 2010. With the huge success and popularity of the Haval SUV range, GWM decided to make Haval an independent brand under the Great Wall Motors group in 2013. For the first time, the Great Wall group had 2 brands – Haval and Great Wall, in March 2013 Haval SUVs exceeded 1 million units in market volume! Haval SUVs became the mainstay of Great Wall as the group switched to an SUV focused approach. Haval has a great model range that can serve customers all the way from a small-sized SUV to a large-sized SUV, this further establishes the brand and asserts its dominance in the market. Apart from operations in the domestic market – China, GWM also has operations and production facilities in countries such as – Russia, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Bulgaria, Vietnam amongst others. With an ever-increasing rise of technology and the buyer demographic becoming younger, global car brands have quickly had to adapt their strategy for a new age customer – a more informed, younger, technology-oriented, and most importantly value-centric car buyer. Over the past few years, the global car industry has witnessed an increase in demand, especially in the luxury SUV segment, with markets such as China and India leading the way. In 2017, GWM launched its luxury sub-brand WEY. WEY was China’s first luxury SUV brand with an intent to allow more people to afford a luxury SUV. GWM launched its first EV the Great Wall C30EV in 2018 joining the EV bandwagon towards a global alternative fuel mobility future. In 2018, German car giant BMW announced a partnership with GWM to manufacture Mini EVs in China.

    

   GWM announced it was entering the Indian market during the latter half of 2019. India is a very interesting and exciting market for GWM, Indians love SUVs and that’s exactly the sweet spot GWM will want to hit. GWM will be locally manufacturing their cars in India for the Indian market. GWM will be manufactured out of Pune in the Talegaon auto hub, according to a deal said to be valued around the $250-$300 million-mark GWM will be taking over the old General Motors plant in Talegaon. GWM seems to be ticking all the correct boxes to set themselves up for a successful run in the Indian market. Marking its debut at the ongoing New Delhi Auto Expo, 2020 the initial impressions are promising, we shall have to wait and watch what China’s best SUV carmaker has in store for the Indian market.