Do you miss your car? After all, our motors have been parked in place for much of the pandemic, causing dust to cake over fine glossy finishes.
Stay-at-home edicts meant fast cars went nowhere quick, potent engines roared no more and we lost interest in our kilometre-munching machines. Except, that’s not quite true, is it?
Admit it, you occasionally snuck out for a covert cruise on deserted roads, revelling in the moment when you broke free of the gilded cage you formerly called home.
No? Well, at the very least you sought the solitude afforded by your car, especially if the stuck-at-home children turned your domicile into a zoo. Maybe you’re not going to admit to that, either, but did I at least elicit a wry grin?
Don’t worry, you weren’t alone. Recent research by Peugeot found that 41 per cent of households with four or more people admitted to spending alone time in their cars without going anywhere. More than half confessed to using it as a quiet place to relax away from others, while 47 per cent used it to catch up on TV shows and 43 per cent retired there to read. A third said they used it as a remote office for work.
Legitimate conjecture might suggest a renewed interest in car-sharing schemes, after so many found themselves with hefty monthly loan repayments as well as insurance, registration and maintenance costs for cars they weren’t using.
The concept of borrowing as and when required, rather than outright owning a big lump of metal, which actually spends 95 per cent of its time parked (according to a 2005 US study), should appeal.
Or at least it did before Covid-19. Last year, many countries found massive drop-offs in travellers using public transport, counteracted by a rise in used-car purchases. The reason for this is simple – social distancing. People don't want to share space with others if they can help it.
You’d rather be sat in traffic in your own car, which you’ve meticulously disinfected, instead of being crammed in a bus, tram or metro, millimetres from commuters sneezing in your vicinity. When it comes to the tube in London, many of us still shudder at the thought of swapping seats pre-warmed by a stranger, hanging on to a slithery rail, and queuing up on platforms so congested you can smell your fellow passengers’ breakfast.
Similarly horrifying is the thought of sharing a car with unknown others who’ve previously potentially touched every element of the interior, from the seat adjusters, steering wheel and indicators to AC and stereo controls.
Of course, all of this is notwithstanding the fact that not once, but twice, extensive tests over months by scientists taking swabs from handrails, escalators, bus shelters and card readers on Transport of London failed to find any traces of the coronavirus, deeming the city's public transport safe.
Additionally, while the coronavirus can live on a solid surface for up to four days, it can also be killed off in minutes by sunlight or UV radiation. And while most modern cars do have UV protection in their windows, enough can still get through to eradicate a virus.
In the US, Ford engineered police cars to allow the interior heating to be remotely activated. Why? Heating the cabin to 56°C for 15 minutes is said to kill the coronavirus. Meanwhile, companies such as Jaguar-Land Rover are working on in-car filtration systems that can inhibit virus and airborne bacteria by 99 per cent.
Our fears then, are unfounded yet well nurtured. Car-sharing schemes are out, buying your own car is in. If you had contemplated shedding tears for an industry reeling from 20 per cent loss of annual global sales, fret not. Carmakers should do alright out of this.
Dealers, maybe not so much. With showrooms closed or largely abandoned during the pandemic, there’s been a dramatic shift to buying online, utilising click-and-collect or delivery services. The future for physical showrooms remains cloudy.
Any talk of the demise of car ownership, the auto industry in general, and our ongoing love affair with the mode in particular, seems premature. If anything, a new renaissance of roving romance with our rides seems to be proliferating. Just don’t forget to sanitise the steering wheel.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
More on animal trafficking
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
