Cars, COVID and cancellations

The auto world in 2020 was unprecedented, like many things, this year. Automakers increasingly rolled out more environmentally friendly vehicles, and one so-called "flying car" became road legal in Europe.

Hyderabad:The futuristic Mercedes-Benz "flying car" concept car was inspired by science fiction film "Avatar".

The "AVTR", unveiled at Las Vegas' CES gadget show, was designed with the help of Avatar director James Cameron and was aimed at being as environmentally-friendly as possible.

Mercedes-Benz said the car is powered by a fully recyclable battery that is based on organic cell chemistry, doing away with the need to rely on minerals like nickel or cobalt.

"Imagine a car that delivers a completely new experience, which combines an inside-out design philosophy with an outside-in approach to connecting passengers and environment," said Daimler AG chairman Ola Kallenius.

Japanese electronics brand Sony made a surprise announcement at CES, launching a new electric concept car, which the company believed would revolutionise driving and entertainment.

This sleekly designed "Vision-S" prototype was fitted with 33 sensors to monitor the outside and inside of the car.

Audi's autonomous car was taking people on self-driving trips at CES.

Elsewhere, this high-tech sun visor could make driving safer in the coming years.

German engineering company Bosch created the 'virtual visor' that uses eye tracking technology to reduce sun glare while keeping maximum visibility.

Away from Las Vegas, Japanese auto brand Toyota showcased the second generation of its hydrogen fuel cell saloon car in the Netherlands.

The all-new Mirai claims a range of 650 kilometres without refueling, but a lack of hydrogen infrastructure persists.

In February, SUV sales were booming in India, particularly at Auto Expo 2020, the country's biggest car show.

There was a huge turnout of visitors, despite the absence of some popular carmakers.

But sales of passenger vehicles fell more than 16 percent between April and December 2019, according to the Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers.

"The demand has shrunk and shrunk primarily because of economic reasons. Because of the GDP growth, leading to customers not being very happy in buying things," explained Manohar Bhat, head of sales and marketing and public relations at Kia Motors India.

In France, automaker Citroën unveiled its new two-seater electric vehicle, which the company claimed would revolutionise how we drive around cities.

The compact car is tiny, at under three metres long, but there were already questions about its battery range and charging time.

In Belgium, Ghent successfully adopted environmentally friendly solutions to transform the ancient city by making it car free.

The core of the plan rested on the idea of redirecting car traffic away from the historical centre, an area with about 120,000 residents.

"We got rid of the through traffic. And we got a safer city, a healthier city, a city with more quality of life," said Ghent Deputy Mayor Filip Watteeuw.

In Switzerland, this year's Geneva International Motor Show was cancelled after the Swiss government banned all large events to halt the spread of COVID-19.

This year's show was expected to run 5-15 March. The event was expected to generate 200 million to 250 million Swiss francs worth of spending in the Geneva area.

"I think it does cast a spell over future motor shows, in fact, because the industry has swiftly got into action and digitised the motor show," said Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of magazine Auto Express.

Peugeot's 208 hatchback was named 'Car of the Year' at a digital version of the annual award ceremony.

Presenters announced the winner of the prestigious prize to an empty room, after the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show.

Automakers staged a host of online events to make up for the cancellation.

German car maker BMW debuted its all-electric i4 concept, which promised a range of up to 600 kilometres and gave a sneak peek of a vehicle that is expected to enter production in 2021.

Mercedes-Benz revealed its latest E Class range and additions to its plug-in hybrids.

Getting across the importance of staying at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus inspired one Indian inventor to create a new car.

The spherical vehicle looked like the COVID-19 virus.

Inventor Sudhakar Yadav planned to drive it around the Indian city of Hyderabad, warning people about the dangers of not observing social distancing.

In April, the Chinese city of Wuhan, original epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, ended its 76-day lockdown.

Its Honda car factory was one production line resuming a larger workload, with strict precautions in place to avoid spreading the virus.

A month later, luxury sports car maker Lamborghini re-opened its factory in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region with new safety measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The factory had been closed since 12 March but could re-open following an announcement by Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte.

"In every single post of assembly, there are two people working and they keep the distance of more than one metre, as is predicted by the law," said Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali.

In July, Russian engineers were testing driverless cars on the streets of St Petersburg.

The vehicles could navigate a route, avoiding pedestrians and other potential obstacles, without human intervention.

In Japan, Nissan unveiled a new electric crossover vehicle, the automaker's first major model since getting embroiled in the scandal surrounding its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn.

At its global premiere in Yokohama, the new vehicle, "Ariya" was billed as "a new chapter" for the company.

In July, a creative craftsman in Russia's Perm region built his own convertible car that resembled Ford's legendary Model T.

The four-wheeled, homemade creation only cost around 700 US dollars and won awards in Russia.

In September, manufacturers of luxury electric cars were looking to the Chinese market to pump up demand.

At this year's Auto Show in Beijing, all the high-end car makers were showing off vehicles that incorporated sustainable technologies.

In October, a Dutch company said its "flying car" had gained road legal status in Europe, one of the first ever to do so.

Its makers said they will begin deliveries of the 400,000-euro, two-seater aircraft from 2022.

"Roads and air regulations, they have never been built together to apply to one vehicle. So, making this jigsaw puzzle where you can fit both regulations is a very, very big puzzle," said Robert Dingemanse, CEO and Founder of Dutch firm PAL-V.

In December, the UK's first dedicated electric car-charging forecourt opened on the outskirts of London, hoping to drive adoption of EVs.

"To provide the best possible experience for electric vehicle drivers, it really does make sense, starting with a clean sheet of paper," said Toddington Harper, founder and CEO of Gridserve, the company behind the project.

Gridserve said this site will be the first of over a hundred dedicated electric forecourts built over the next five years.

That is good news for British government, which recently pledged to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars by 2030, a decade earlier than its previous commitment.

(AP)