The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Carmakers flaunt luxury in era of austerity Posted: 13 Sep 2011 08:45 AM PDT  Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini, introduces the new Gallardo super sports car. — Reuters pic There may be turbulence in the euro zone, a downgrade in the US credit rating, tumbling stock prices and fears about climate change making consumers clamour for low emission vehicles, but at the Frankfurt car show it's the high priced, high-powered, high emission vehicles that are drawing the crowds. Demand for the glitzy luxury cars that some might call ostentatious remains astonishingly high.  The new Porsche Carrera 911 S is presented at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. — Reuters pic "So it's a matter of buying something which you really love and sometimes money doesn't matter," Winkelmann told Reuters after unveiling the limited-edition Gallardo LP 57004 Super Trofeo Stradale, with a 10 cylinder engine and 570 horsepower. The bright red Lamborghini drew a lot of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' today from the thousands of assembled journalists as Winkelmann and two assistants in tight black skirts took the wraps off the car that retails for more than 200,000 euros. But there was also a lot of buzz at other stands featuring high-emission cars even though there had been a lot of pre-show media attention paid to electric and low-emission vehicles. And for the first time, the Frankfurt car show even devoted an entire hall to electric cars — and every carmaker has some sort of electric vehicle in its plans. But the excitement was elsewhere today after the show opened to the media.  Wolfgang Duerheimer, CEO of Bentley, presents the new Bentley Continental. — Reuters pic "There are people who have enough money and who have achieved some success in their lives and they really appreciate the Porsche brand," Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller told Reuters after presenting a revamped 911, the company's pride and joy with 350 horsepower and a price tag of some 250,000 euros. Mueller said Porsche was keeping its eyes on developments in stock markets, the economies in key markets and the euro zone turbulence. But despite all those areas of uncertainty, he said, demand for Porsches has remained high. "The Porsche 911 is a car that fits the era," Mueller said. "It's an expression of a person's lifestyle and standard of living. It's quite simply a statement for those who own such a car — it's a sovereign possession." With a top speed of nearly 300km per hour, the new Porsche 911 was one of the most eagerly awaited cars in Frankfurt.  Models pose at the exhibition booth of French carmaker Citroen next to the new 'Tubik' car in Frankfurt. — Reuters pic But Alasdair Stewart, a member of Bentley's board, told Reuters that demand for the luxury car remains strong in most markets around the world. "Even though stock markets are moving around, customers appreciate the car and see value," he said. "We're watching the stock markets carefully. We're keeping the supply as tight as we can. But people are buying. "Maybe they just feel 'I've had enough of all this gloom and doom and maybe it's time to have a new car'." Christoph Stuermer, a car industry analyst at IHS Global, said despite the attention on low emission cars, the industry and public still have a fascination with powerful engines and high-performance cars.  The one-off "white gold" Bugatti Veyron L'Or Blanc will cost about 1.6 million euro. — Reuters pic One concept car that caught a lot of peoples' eyes is a concept car by Citroen called the Tubik. It is a large van that can carry up to nine people and its grill pays homage to the French carmaker's H Van light delivery truck. But the Tubik has been described as a "misbegotten spawn of an affair between a piggy bank and a bread bin" by Karla Pincott at CarsGuide.com.au website. "Could the Citroen Tubik be the ugliest motor show concept ever designed?" Carlo Bonzanigo, Citroen's head of advanced design, said he wasn't bothered by the unflattering review from Australia. "That's interesting," he told Reuters. "When you do a concept car, the worst thing you can do is have a car that doesn't make an impact or is boring." — Reuters |
| Posted: 13 Sep 2011 08:22 AM PDT  The disease kills one person every seven seconds. — Reuters file pic The vast majority of those with the disease have Type 2 — the kind linked to poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise — and the problem is spreading as people in the developing world adopt more Western lifestyles. Diabetics have inadequate blood sugar control, which can lead to serious complications like heart disease and stroke, damage to the kidneys or nerves, and to blindness. Worldwide deaths from the disease are now running at 4.6 million a year. The latest figures, unveiled at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) congress in Lisbon, underline the need for urgent action by governments at a UN meeting next week, according to top doctors in the field.  The vast majority of diabetes sufferers have Type 2, which is linked to poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise. — Reuters file pic Food, drinks and tobacco companies are in the firing line for selling products linked to cancer, heart disease and diabetes, but health campaigners fear politicians may not set firm targets or provide funds for a decent fight. The NCD Alliance, which groups 2,000 health organisations from around the world, argues that spending US$9 billion (RM27.5 billion) a year on tobacco control, food advice and basic treatments would avert tens of millions of untimely deaths this decade. Cash-strapped governments, however, have baulked at finding new money, though the cost of inaction may be even greater, with annual healthcare spending on diabetes alone now put at US$465 billion. The new figures on the prevalence and cost of diabetes are to be published in the fifth edition of the Diabetes Atlas, the authoritative guide to the disease issued by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The previous edition in October 2009 had estimated the number of diabetics at 285 million for 2010, although a separate study published in the Lancet medical journal in June this year had already put the figure at a much higher 347 million. "The IDF's latest Atlas data are proof indeed that diabetes is a massive challenge the world can no longer afford to ignore. In 2011, one person is dying from diabetes every seven seconds," said IDF President Jean Claude Mbanya. Mbanya and EASD Vice-President Andrew Boulton said more research was needed into strengthening health systems around the world to deal with diabetes. Many older classes of diabetes drugs are now available as cheap generics, but global drugmakers — including Sanofi, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk — aim to introduce new classes of drugs that could further extend treatment options. Global sales of diabetes medicines totalled US$35 billion last year and could rise to as much as US$48 billion by 2015, according to research firm IMS Health, driven by increased prevalence and treatment, especially in countries such as China, India, Mexico and Brazil. — Reuters |
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