Renault has landed the new Mégane and Fluence with more value, more equipment but no diesels
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Renault Australia's new Mégane and Fluence small cars go on sale this weekend (November 1) with a loaded equipment list, driveaway pricing, but petrol powertrains only.
On its third relaunch of recent years, Renault Australia is banking heavily on the success of the new twins under the skin. Mégane and its various versions account for close to half the marque's sales Down Under.
In the new line-up, in addition to the five-door Mégane hatch and Fluence sedan, Renault is also launching Mégane Renault Sport 250 three-door hot hatch and a new coupe-cabriolet variant of the Mégane. Key to Renault's relaunch strategy, all four models have significantly simplified model ranges and limited options. Offsetting any potential flak will be boosted standard equipment list and what Renault describes as clear, consistent driveaway pricing.
New Renault Australia Managing Director, Justin Hocevar, announced his plans for the new-look range this week at the cars' local debut in Melbourne.
"All our new generation vehicles will be notable for their very high level of standard equipment and unique-to-class, user-friendly features... This is one of the key pillars of the new Renault in Australia, resetting expectations of what European cars can offer in the light and small car segments, by equipping them with the standard safety and convenience features previously only available optionally, or in larger, more expensive vehicles," Hocevar told the assembled media.
Buyers of the new Mégane and Fluence can choose from Dynamique and Privilege model grades only. The entry-level six-speed manual Dynamique model kicks off at $22,990 or, as will be advertised, $25,990 driveaway. Auto transmission (in the case of all Mégane and Fluence models, a constantly variable transmission) adds $2000. The auto-only Privilege is priced from $29,990 in both hatch and sedan versions.
Powered by a single 103kW/195Nm 2.0-litre DOHC petrol engine, the new range eschews a Euro staple -- the offer of turbodiesel torque. Hocevar says the lack of a suitable automatic transmission and home market diesel demand has hamstrung the brand in this regard. He says a new dual-clutch transmission under development will be matched to a turbodiesel in both hatch and sedan ranges, though cautioned it is unlikely to arrive Down Under until late 2011 at best.
Matched to the manual transmission, the petrol engine is Euro 5 compliant and returns a combined fuel economy rating of 8.2L/100km. The CVT/engine pairing satisfies Euro 4 but is more economical at 7.9L/100km.
Built in Turkey, the Mégane hatch is offered in a five-door body style only. Even at entry-level Dynamique grade it is well equipped with standard features including 16-inch alloys, Smart Card Key entry and start, auto lights and wipers, aircon, foglights, electric window and mirrors, cruise control with speed limiter, USB interface and streaming Bluetooth audio and hands-free. Metallic paint and satnav are offered as options.
Step up to the top-grade Mégane and a TomTom integrated satnav system, upgraded audio, electric glass sunroof and rear park sensors are added. Other 'Privilege' grade standards include dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, folding exterior mirrors and 17-inch alloys.
The Fluence pairing follows the Mégane's lead with only minor equipment differences compared to the hatch's corresponding grades.
All Australian delivery Renaults include a full safety kit of safety gear. With EuroNCAP five-star ratings for both Mégane and Fluence, standard features include stability control and antilock brakes as well as a minimum of six airbags including side curtains.
Launched at the Paris show two years ago, the latest generation Mégane is longer (now 4295mm, was 4228), wider (now 1808mm, was 1777) and sits on a longer wheelbase (now 2641mm, up from 2617) than the model it replaces. Renault claims it's more spacious, but hands-on experience suggests it's still one of the tighter cabins in the class.
The Fluence sedan features a stretch on the Megane's wheelbase of 61mm. Overall length is up 323mm (compared to Mégane) with front and rear overhangs substantially longer than the hatch's. Wedgy styling yields a large-car-like boot volume of 503 litres.
Front end styling is unique to the sedan and features a more traditional grille in comparison to the hatch's aero look.
New boss Hocevar believes the re-born Mégane range will bring new customers to the marque. It needs to! Renault's total local new vehicle sales are over 30 per cent down on September 2009, year to date.
"We are confident our improved product substance will resonate most strongly with customers... With these new cars we will be redefining the standards for the segments in which we compete, and saying clearly to our customers they no longer need to make any compromises. We have designed the cars and the specification with our customers in mind," he opined.
"Fundamentally, with our accent on safety equipment, quality and accessibility, we will make Renault the destination of choice for a far larger group of Australian consumers," Hocevar stated.
Renault Mégane Hatch
Renault Mégane Dynamique (Manual) -- $22,990
Renault Mégane Dynamique CVT (Auto) -- $24,990
Renault Mégane Privilege CVT (Auto) -- $29,990
Note: Dynamique manual is offered at $25,990 driveaway from launch
Renault Fluence
Renault Fluence Dynamique (Manual) -- $22,990
Renault Fluence Dynamique CVT (Auto) -- $24,990
Renault Fluence Privilege CVT (Auto) -- $29,990
Note: Dynamique Manual is offered at $25,990 driveaway from launch
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Thứ Tư, 28 tháng 3, 2012
Ford chief's legacy
Marin Burela's departure from the top job at Ford Australia closes a significant chapter in the company's history
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There's good luck and then there's good management. Marin Burela has probably drawn on both as head of Ford Australia. Burela has presided over Ford's local arm for the past two years, but has been offered a posting to China and will officially take up the new role from November 1.
There was some luck in steering Ford Australia through the rocks and shallows of the GFC, which hurt sales of Toyota's large car, the Aurion, and conversely boosted Ford's share of the large-car segment -- which looks good on paper. Falcon's figure of 22,951 is less than 400 units ahead of where it was for the same period in 2009. But at least it's ahead of last year's tally. The Aurion has lost over a thousand units over the same period.
Burela has relied much more on his marketing savvy than luck however, and he has additionally brought passion and commitment to the job here. For anyone who thinks Ford Australia was just a stepping stone for Burela on the way to bigger and better things, he has a message.
"I don't think you'll ever have a bigger supporter of Australia in China and in AP&A [the Asia/Pacific and Africa region] than the person that you're talking to..."
When he arrived back in Australia at the end of 2008, Burela found a company that was demoralised by the decision to close the Geelong engine factory and lay off 450 workers at the Broadmeadows car plant.
A plan to build the Focus small car on the same production line as Falcon and Territory was meeting unexpected resistance or ambivalence: from the media, from Ford fans -- and even from Toyota, based on that company's experience of building a small car in Australia, one that ultimately failed.
The FG Falcon, just six months old at that time, had received critical praise, but hadn't fired up the large-car market in the way that the company had hoped; consumers were holding their breath waiting for a global financial crisis to hit and new-car buying was off the agenda.
In this scenario, Burela's talk seemed at times over-ambitious, to say the least. Yet looking back with the benefit of two years' hindsight, what he has promised has been largely delivered. Some of those promises won't be fulfilled until after he has left these shores, but the end results are in sight.
While many of the gains Ford has made in Australia during Burela's tenure were either based on the groundwork of his predecessors or were proposed and implemented by his executive team, it was Burela who faced the media or government to relay the tidings. Many of the changes in Ford's situation during the past couple of years were due to the direct involvement of the bloke at the top himself. But during the teleconference earlier this week for the announcement of his new role, he was generous in his praise of those working under him.
"The last two years... I've felt incredibly blessed; working with true professionals that have really driven the organisation in a way that has delivered the results that we have. There would be no T6 and global Ranger if it wasn't for the development team in Australia, working the way they have in the last few years.
"If you look at our manufacturing organisation, just look at what they've delivered: the complexity, the changes, the movements, the quality, the launching... it's just been continuous change. They've done this without even a simple glimmer of a flaw... just launched 'Miami' [supercharged V8 for FPV models] -- look at Miami, look at the accolades we're receiving right now. [And] the team is now getting ready for the new Territory."
"As much as I'd love to continue the journey with the team here, they are such a strong, viable and professional team, that they will just continue to bat on and deliver great results in 2011 and beyond..."
Burela doesn't subscribe to the view that he leaves loose ends at Ford Australia. There are new models still in the pipeline, but these are virtually a fait accompli.
"I walk away from Ford Australia with my head held very high, because when I look at what this team has delivered in such a short period of time, one can write books about this.
"To take a company that lost nearly $300 million in 2008 and to make a profit in 2009; to stabilise our business; to go out there and launch a brand positioning that is equal to none in the world; to go out there and have the most fuel-efficient car in the world; to go out there and announce $230 million of further investment when we were in the middle of a global financial crisis -- we did that.
"And then to go out there and put in a strategic plan for our casting division in Geelong that will make it a viable component supplier -- not only to Ford, but to industry suppliers -- we've done this at a time when others were out there licking their wounds."
The question of profit is an important rebuttal of the argument that Ford's overall market share in Australia is on the wane -- a point put to him during the teleconference. In answer to that, Burela spoke of the richer mix of Falcon and Territory sales, among other things.
"2010 was going to be a year for us that we were driving and looking for the quality of the share, not necessarily the share itself. Why? Because we knew that we were going to go through turbulent times, with segmentation shifts, we knew that we were bringing in different products and new model line-ups, new derivatives from our overseas locations; we knew that we needed to continue to enhance our current product line-up in Australia. We also knew that we were going to be coming out of [Falcon] wagon, we also knew that we were going to be transitioning out of Euro III e-Gas into the Euro IV e-Gas -- and when you start to look at all of that, all of those things have impacted on our share.
"The great news is though, that the share that we're holding is very good and solid quality of share -- and it's very profitable share. That has driven us here in Ford Australia. Our objective has always been profitable growth...
"I'm very happy with where we are and where we're heading."
Where Ford is headed in 2011 includes the introduction of many new or upgraded products, according to Burela.
"You're going to see some exciting things going on. 80 to 85 per cent of our total showroom will be either new or fully updated for 2011. For us to be driving and delivering the profits that we will be this year -- and then bouncing into 2011 -- we're in a good place and we're charging forward."
On his watch, Burela, either alone or with prompting and assistance from his management team, can take credit for the following:
Successfully rolling out the WS Fiesta,
Giving the go-ahead for a diesel engine and upgrade for the locally-manufactured SUV (due next year),
Approving an EcoBoost four-cylinder and the long-awaited LPI system for the Falcon (also for 2011),
Resetting the framework for the company's marketing -- particularly the more 'visible' TV commercials,
Raising awareness of Falcon's fuel economy credentials with the six-speed ZF box,
Promoting sustainable production of the Territory and Falcon, producing individual cars to order and 'right-sizing' the company's production capacity,
Steering buyers into higher profit models of Falcon and Territory (with fleet queen Falcon XT reduced to just five per cent of total Falcon production),
Putting the Falcon wagon out to pasture finally,
Taking care to leverage the reduction of the imported passenger-vehicle tariff to five per cent without hurting the resale values of cars sold prior,
Obtaining significantly stronger sales from Territory, despite the subtlety of the facelift and upgrade,
Rescinding the decision to close the Geelong engine plant and end six-cylinder production,
Opening the ACART research facility,
Engaging Bosch as a customer for disc brake components from the Geelong casting plant,
Canning the move to build the Focus 'C-segment car' in Australia,
Supporting and promoting local R&D efforts, which will culminate in the T6 Ranger when it goes on sale here next year,
Turning around the company's financial situation -- from a $274 million loss in 2008 to $13 million in the black from 2009.
On the other side of the balance sheet, he and his team cannot take credit for:
Retreating from retail finance,
Doubling sales of Mondeo (just 19 per cent ahead of last year's figures, year to date),
Losing Team Vodafone (and Craig Lowndes) to Holden,
Securing the Kuga SUV for this market (still yet to happen, if it ever does),
Putting the Falcon wagon out to pasture finally (it depends on one's point of view).
So the scoreboard appears to hand Burela a win -- and you can bet that his record in Australia has not passed unnoticed in Dearborn, which is why he's moving to head up Ford's joint venture in China -- and join fellow Aussie Kevin Wale in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
discount new cars » Get the best price on a new Ford
There's good luck and then there's good management. Marin Burela has probably drawn on both as head of Ford Australia. Burela has presided over Ford's local arm for the past two years, but has been offered a posting to China and will officially take up the new role from November 1.
There was some luck in steering Ford Australia through the rocks and shallows of the GFC, which hurt sales of Toyota's large car, the Aurion, and conversely boosted Ford's share of the large-car segment -- which looks good on paper. Falcon's figure of 22,951 is less than 400 units ahead of where it was for the same period in 2009. But at least it's ahead of last year's tally. The Aurion has lost over a thousand units over the same period.
Burela has relied much more on his marketing savvy than luck however, and he has additionally brought passion and commitment to the job here. For anyone who thinks Ford Australia was just a stepping stone for Burela on the way to bigger and better things, he has a message.
"I don't think you'll ever have a bigger supporter of Australia in China and in AP&A [the Asia/Pacific and Africa region] than the person that you're talking to..."
When he arrived back in Australia at the end of 2008, Burela found a company that was demoralised by the decision to close the Geelong engine factory and lay off 450 workers at the Broadmeadows car plant.
A plan to build the Focus small car on the same production line as Falcon and Territory was meeting unexpected resistance or ambivalence: from the media, from Ford fans -- and even from Toyota, based on that company's experience of building a small car in Australia, one that ultimately failed.
The FG Falcon, just six months old at that time, had received critical praise, but hadn't fired up the large-car market in the way that the company had hoped; consumers were holding their breath waiting for a global financial crisis to hit and new-car buying was off the agenda.
In this scenario, Burela's talk seemed at times over-ambitious, to say the least. Yet looking back with the benefit of two years' hindsight, what he has promised has been largely delivered. Some of those promises won't be fulfilled until after he has left these shores, but the end results are in sight.
While many of the gains Ford has made in Australia during Burela's tenure were either based on the groundwork of his predecessors or were proposed and implemented by his executive team, it was Burela who faced the media or government to relay the tidings. Many of the changes in Ford's situation during the past couple of years were due to the direct involvement of the bloke at the top himself. But during the teleconference earlier this week for the announcement of his new role, he was generous in his praise of those working under him.
"The last two years... I've felt incredibly blessed; working with true professionals that have really driven the organisation in a way that has delivered the results that we have. There would be no T6 and global Ranger if it wasn't for the development team in Australia, working the way they have in the last few years.
"If you look at our manufacturing organisation, just look at what they've delivered: the complexity, the changes, the movements, the quality, the launching... it's just been continuous change. They've done this without even a simple glimmer of a flaw... just launched 'Miami' [supercharged V8 for FPV models] -- look at Miami, look at the accolades we're receiving right now. [And] the team is now getting ready for the new Territory."
"As much as I'd love to continue the journey with the team here, they are such a strong, viable and professional team, that they will just continue to bat on and deliver great results in 2011 and beyond..."
Burela doesn't subscribe to the view that he leaves loose ends at Ford Australia. There are new models still in the pipeline, but these are virtually a fait accompli.
"I walk away from Ford Australia with my head held very high, because when I look at what this team has delivered in such a short period of time, one can write books about this.
"To take a company that lost nearly $300 million in 2008 and to make a profit in 2009; to stabilise our business; to go out there and launch a brand positioning that is equal to none in the world; to go out there and have the most fuel-efficient car in the world; to go out there and announce $230 million of further investment when we were in the middle of a global financial crisis -- we did that.
"And then to go out there and put in a strategic plan for our casting division in Geelong that will make it a viable component supplier -- not only to Ford, but to industry suppliers -- we've done this at a time when others were out there licking their wounds."
The question of profit is an important rebuttal of the argument that Ford's overall market share in Australia is on the wane -- a point put to him during the teleconference. In answer to that, Burela spoke of the richer mix of Falcon and Territory sales, among other things.
"2010 was going to be a year for us that we were driving and looking for the quality of the share, not necessarily the share itself. Why? Because we knew that we were going to go through turbulent times, with segmentation shifts, we knew that we were bringing in different products and new model line-ups, new derivatives from our overseas locations; we knew that we needed to continue to enhance our current product line-up in Australia. We also knew that we were going to be coming out of [Falcon] wagon, we also knew that we were going to be transitioning out of Euro III e-Gas into the Euro IV e-Gas -- and when you start to look at all of that, all of those things have impacted on our share.
"The great news is though, that the share that we're holding is very good and solid quality of share -- and it's very profitable share. That has driven us here in Ford Australia. Our objective has always been profitable growth...
"I'm very happy with where we are and where we're heading."
Where Ford is headed in 2011 includes the introduction of many new or upgraded products, according to Burela.
"You're going to see some exciting things going on. 80 to 85 per cent of our total showroom will be either new or fully updated for 2011. For us to be driving and delivering the profits that we will be this year -- and then bouncing into 2011 -- we're in a good place and we're charging forward."
On his watch, Burela, either alone or with prompting and assistance from his management team, can take credit for the following:
Successfully rolling out the WS Fiesta,
Giving the go-ahead for a diesel engine and upgrade for the locally-manufactured SUV (due next year),
Approving an EcoBoost four-cylinder and the long-awaited LPI system for the Falcon (also for 2011),
Resetting the framework for the company's marketing -- particularly the more 'visible' TV commercials,
Raising awareness of Falcon's fuel economy credentials with the six-speed ZF box,
Promoting sustainable production of the Territory and Falcon, producing individual cars to order and 'right-sizing' the company's production capacity,
Steering buyers into higher profit models of Falcon and Territory (with fleet queen Falcon XT reduced to just five per cent of total Falcon production),
Putting the Falcon wagon out to pasture finally,
Taking care to leverage the reduction of the imported passenger-vehicle tariff to five per cent without hurting the resale values of cars sold prior,
Obtaining significantly stronger sales from Territory, despite the subtlety of the facelift and upgrade,
Rescinding the decision to close the Geelong engine plant and end six-cylinder production,
Opening the ACART research facility,
Engaging Bosch as a customer for disc brake components from the Geelong casting plant,
Canning the move to build the Focus 'C-segment car' in Australia,
Supporting and promoting local R&D efforts, which will culminate in the T6 Ranger when it goes on sale here next year,
Turning around the company's financial situation -- from a $274 million loss in 2008 to $13 million in the black from 2009.
On the other side of the balance sheet, he and his team cannot take credit for:
Retreating from retail finance,
Doubling sales of Mondeo (just 19 per cent ahead of last year's figures, year to date),
Losing Team Vodafone (and Craig Lowndes) to Holden,
Securing the Kuga SUV for this market (still yet to happen, if it ever does),
Putting the Falcon wagon out to pasture finally (it depends on one's point of view).
So the scoreboard appears to hand Burela a win -- and you can bet that his record in Australia has not passed unnoticed in Dearborn, which is why he's moving to head up Ford's joint venture in China -- and join fellow Aussie Kevin Wale in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
All the Lotus news from the Tasman Revival
Win a Lotus Elise for the price of $50 and support the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival
The Historic Sports and Racing Car Association (HSRCA) is giving away a 2004 Lotus Elise in an art union lottery to be drawn next month. Some lucky punter -- one of 1250 with $50 to spare for a ticket -- will be named the winner at Sydney's Eastern Creek circuit, as the final act in the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival.
Running over three days from November 26-28, the Revival is a race meeting that recalls the glory days of different racing categories -- everything from F1 and F5000 to touring cars. This year is the third occasion the HSRCA has held the event, which the organisers claim will be "New South Wales' biggest race meeting of the year".
Entries for the meeting are reportedly coming from overseas as well as local climes and are tipped to pull in big crowds. The event runs over three days with a three-day pass costing adults $50; children under 12 are admitted free. On the last day, Sunday, the lottery will be drawn and the winner of the Elise announced.
Restored by Lotus Australia, the 2004 Elise is said to be valued at $45,000 and has competed in the Lotus Trophy in the past. The car, which comes with registration and insurance, weighs 806kg and is powered by a 1.8-litre mid/rear-mounted engine driving through a five-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.
For more information on the lottery and public admission to the event, check out the website at www.tasmanrevival.com.au or lottery tickets can be purchased directly from the HSRCA by snail mail: HSRCA PO Box 5063, Turramurra South, NSW 2074. The organisers request buyers provide a covering note with the buyer's name, address, contact phone number and number of tickets required. Tickets may be purchased by credit card, filling out a form online at the website and/or emailing details to members@hsrca.org.au.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
The Historic Sports and Racing Car Association (HSRCA) is giving away a 2004 Lotus Elise in an art union lottery to be drawn next month. Some lucky punter -- one of 1250 with $50 to spare for a ticket -- will be named the winner at Sydney's Eastern Creek circuit, as the final act in the Lotus Sydney Tasman Revival.
Running over three days from November 26-28, the Revival is a race meeting that recalls the glory days of different racing categories -- everything from F1 and F5000 to touring cars. This year is the third occasion the HSRCA has held the event, which the organisers claim will be "New South Wales' biggest race meeting of the year".
Entries for the meeting are reportedly coming from overseas as well as local climes and are tipped to pull in big crowds. The event runs over three days with a three-day pass costing adults $50; children under 12 are admitted free. On the last day, Sunday, the lottery will be drawn and the winner of the Elise announced.
Restored by Lotus Australia, the 2004 Elise is said to be valued at $45,000 and has competed in the Lotus Trophy in the past. The car, which comes with registration and insurance, weighs 806kg and is powered by a 1.8-litre mid/rear-mounted engine driving through a five-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels.
For more information on the lottery and public admission to the event, check out the website at www.tasmanrevival.com.au or lottery tickets can be purchased directly from the HSRCA by snail mail: HSRCA PO Box 5063, Turramurra South, NSW 2074. The organisers request buyers provide a covering note with the buyer's name, address, contact phone number and number of tickets required. Tickets may be purchased by credit card, filling out a form online at the website and/or emailing details to members@hsrca.org.au.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 3, 2012
BMW Museum pulls down the barriers between visitors and exhibits
For one night only, the BMW Museum lets the visitors loose on the exhibits. You can even go for a ride – but you have to dress for the occasion
prestige new cars games » Get the best price on a new BMW
Michael Jackson, your ride's here. It's Night of the White Gloves time at the BMW Museum in Munich. From 7.00 till midnight on one night only – tonight (Fri 26/11) – the annual thriller event turns expands an experience normally restricted to the visual into a multisensory one. With the donning of protective white gloves provided for the occasion, visitors are allowed to look with their fingers as well as their eyes.
The museum will open up the doors, bonnets and bootlids of 120 exhibits covering 90 years of BMW history, allowing visitors an intimate look through each. If the weather's okay, they'll even be able to take a chauffeured ride through the streets of north Munich in 1960s "New Class" models (the classification of sedans and two-doors from which the 2002 emerged – and no, not the beautiful 507 roadster, which even The Gloved One would have struggled to afford at the peak of his career...)
The program extends to what the museum calls "living workshops" giving visitors a detailed look into the myriad skills and attention to detail it takes to restore a car to museum standards of original authenticity.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site.
prestige new cars games » Get the best price on a new BMW
Michael Jackson, your ride's here. It's Night of the White Gloves time at the BMW Museum in Munich. From 7.00 till midnight on one night only – tonight (Fri 26/11) – the annual thriller event turns expands an experience normally restricted to the visual into a multisensory one. With the donning of protective white gloves provided for the occasion, visitors are allowed to look with their fingers as well as their eyes.
The museum will open up the doors, bonnets and bootlids of 120 exhibits covering 90 years of BMW history, allowing visitors an intimate look through each. If the weather's okay, they'll even be able to take a chauffeured ride through the streets of north Munich in 1960s "New Class" models (the classification of sedans and two-doors from which the 2002 emerged – and no, not the beautiful 507 roadster, which even The Gloved One would have struggled to afford at the peak of his career...)
The program extends to what the museum calls "living workshops" giving visitors a detailed look into the myriad skills and attention to detail it takes to restore a car to museum standards of original authenticity.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site.
MOTORSPORT: Perth's grand day of speed
Deprived of V8 Supercar racing this year, WA motorsport fans are set to get an adrenalin rush this weekend with Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo driving a Red Bull F1 car in Perth
Webber, Ricciardo, Jones head WA festivities
Western Australia missed out on a V8 Supercar Championship round this year but the state's petrol heads have been compensated with a new Festival of Speed at Perth's Barbagallo Raceway this Sunday.
The highlight of the festival will be three runs by Australia's grand prix driver Mark Webber in a Red Bull Formula One car.
Webber, third in this year's world championship, is expected to slash the circuit lap record by about 5 seconds.
Perth's emerging openwheeler star, 21-year-old Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull reserve driver and who topped the two-day test for potential GP drivers in Abu Dhabi last week, also will take a turn at wheel of the car at Barbagallo.
Ricciardo is awaiting word from Red Bull motorsport supremo Dr Helmut Marko on his program for next year, but European reports are increasingly suggesting that he may land an F1 race drive.
Red Bull Racing has its new world champion Sebastian Vettel and Webber contracted again for next season and sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso announced months ago that it would retain Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari.
However, speculation is strong in Europe that Buemi is under pressure to keep his seat.
Ricciardo has maintained a low profile since returning to Perth for a holiday but F1's official website has published an interview with him this week (see here) and he will be in the public spotlight at Barbagallo on Sunday.
While Webber and Ricciardo will demonstrate one Red Bull car in WA, German world champ Vettel will drive another in Berlin tomorrow, before traveling to Dusseldorf to compete in the annual Race of Champions, where the line-up also includes Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, rally superstar Sebastien Loeb and Australia's retired five-time motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Perth's Festival of Speed, Terry Mader, says he wants "to build an internationally-renowned motorsports event in Perth".
Fourteen types of motorsport are on Sunday's program, including a V8 Supercar of WA competitor Dean Fiore, rally cars, exotic supercars, historic Bathurst sedans and other vintage racing cars and motorbikes, drag cars, drifting, off-road V8s, superbikes, supermoto and quads. More details here.
The event is serving as a launch for 1980 world champion Alan Jones' new AJF1 Fusion Supercar that is to go on sale early next year. The car's specifications are here.
Geoff Brabham, the eldest of triple world champion Sir Jack Brabham's three sons and a Le Mans 24-hour winner, will drive and represent BMW at the festival.
Sydney remembers Tasman Series and Warwick Farm
It will be a nostalgic weekend in Sydney, with the third bi-annual Tasman Revival at Eastern Creek.
Not only will the meeting pay tribute to the halcyon days of the openwheeler Tasman Series of the 1960s and '70s but it coincides with the start of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the first race meeting at the sadly now-defunct Warwick Farm circuit.
Among the 400 cars competing this weekend are 22 bearing the Lotus emblem -- the most famous being the Lotus 49/R8 driven for the factory team by dual world champion Graham Hill, father of 1996 champion Damon, in the 1969 Tasman Series.
There's heaps on information about the revival meeting here.
New TV rules ensure a live Bathurst 1000
The Federal Government's new sports television rules announced yesterday will ensure the Bathurst 1000 remains live on primary Australian free-to-air TV for the next five years.
And live seemingly means properly live, after the "pausing" in this year's telecast which meant viewers saw the finish almost half an hour after the chequered flag was waved at the track.
While Bathurst is classified as a "Tier A" event under the new rules, all other rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship are in "Tier B" -- meaning they can be shown on one of the new digital channels of the free-to-air networks and could be delayed up to four hours after the live start time.
The new digital multi-channels only reach three quarters of Australian households at the moment, although within a couple more years everyone in the country should have access to them.
While the rounds other than Bathurst fall into "Tier B" that's not to say that at least some of them could not remain on a primary channel -- Seven for the remainder of the existing contract and it or another free-to-air network beyond then.
That will be a test of the true value TV chiefs place on the sport -- and of the negotiating strength of V8 Supercars Australia.
Ominous silence in GP dispute
Still no word of an "Organisation Agreement" between the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and the Confederation of Australian Motors Sport.
It is now two weeks since CAMS issued this statement (read here) after the claim by AGPC chairman Ron Walker that the GP promoter was being overcharged by CAMS.
It also is a beyond the deadline CAMS set for an "Organisation Agreement" to be struck.
While it is most unlikely the Australian GP scheduled for next March 24-27 will not proceed, it will be interesting to see whether the upcoming meeting of the Federation Internationale de l'Automboile (FIA) World Motorsport Council retains the event on the calendar or perhaps places an asterisk on it, subject to an AGPC-CAMS agreement.
A positive for Ambrose - Petty reclaims RPM
NASCAR "King" Richard Petty reportedly has "finished financially restructuring" the team bearing his name to ensure it fields two cars in the Sprint Cup next year -- one of them for Australia's Marcos Ambrose.
Petty supposedly has taken control of Richard Petty Motorsports, in which he has been only a minority shareholder, from financially-embattled majority owner George Gillett, who has been saddled with US$90 million of debt on his investment in the team.
Petty is said to have completed negotiations to free RPM from the problems resulting from the squeeze on Gillett, who recently lost control of the Liverpool soccer club in Britain.
Gillett faces a raft of legal actions, including one from another RPM minority owner, Ray Evernham, who entered a partnership with him in 2007.
While things appear to be heading in the right direction for RPM to survive, we understand that dual V8 Supercar champion Ambrose has been keeping in touch with the Australian scene in case his American option dries up.
After completing his fifth year of US stock car racing with JTG Daugherty Racing, Ambrose said this week: "At times this year we had a tough go at it due to things that were out of our control, but we did the best we could with the hands we were dealt to persevere.
"We wrapped up the 2010 season 26th in the championship points standings following an 18th-place finish in our freshman year (2009).
"We had some solid finishes, but were entangled in some accidents not of our own accord this year that caused us to not finish. If it had not been for that, we would have easily finished in the top 20 -- there's no doubt."
RPM has named Todd Parrott crew chief for the Ford Fusion that Ambrose is to race next season.
Parrott has worked with drivers including Matt Kenseth, Ernie Irvan, Bobby Labonte and Elliott Sadler and was the 1999 Cup-winning crew chief for Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing.
Parrott has had 29 wins -- the third most among active Sprint Cup crew chiefs.
"I've been spending time with Marcos ... we've been talking, working on communication," Parrott said. "He's been getting fitted for seats and has some ideas of what he wants, what he's looking for, so the conversations between us have been very good.
"Once the dust settles and the smoke clears, it will all be good. The cars continue to get better."
RPM cars finished fourth and fifth in the final round of this year's championship last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway driven by Aric Almirola and A.J. Allmendinger.
Ford's Mustang will run in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series next year and chief Edsel B. Ford wants it to replace the Fusion in the Sprint Cup soon.
"The sooner the better," Ford said. "Let's be frank: Motorsports enthusiasts are not going to buy Fusions because they see a Fusion win here (Sprint Cup), are they?
"To have a Mustang on the track in NASCAR is the right direction."
A perspective on where IndyCar is at
It's two years now since the IndyCar series last came to the Gold Coast but many Australian motorsport fans still have fond memories of it -- and a continuing interest in it, particularly in light of Will Power's recent success.
ESPN.com's John Oreovicz has written an enlightening and optimistic column on where IndyCar's at, see here.
NEXT WEEK: Sydney's V8 Supercar finale
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Webber, Ricciardo, Jones head WA festivities
Western Australia missed out on a V8 Supercar Championship round this year but the state's petrol heads have been compensated with a new Festival of Speed at Perth's Barbagallo Raceway this Sunday.
The highlight of the festival will be three runs by Australia's grand prix driver Mark Webber in a Red Bull Formula One car.
Webber, third in this year's world championship, is expected to slash the circuit lap record by about 5 seconds.
Perth's emerging openwheeler star, 21-year-old Daniel Ricciardo, the Red Bull reserve driver and who topped the two-day test for potential GP drivers in Abu Dhabi last week, also will take a turn at wheel of the car at Barbagallo.
Ricciardo is awaiting word from Red Bull motorsport supremo Dr Helmut Marko on his program for next year, but European reports are increasingly suggesting that he may land an F1 race drive.
Red Bull Racing has its new world champion Sebastian Vettel and Webber contracted again for next season and sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso announced months ago that it would retain Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi and Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari.
However, speculation is strong in Europe that Buemi is under pressure to keep his seat.
Ricciardo has maintained a low profile since returning to Perth for a holiday but F1's official website has published an interview with him this week (see here) and he will be in the public spotlight at Barbagallo on Sunday.
While Webber and Ricciardo will demonstrate one Red Bull car in WA, German world champ Vettel will drive another in Berlin tomorrow, before traveling to Dusseldorf to compete in the annual Race of Champions, where the line-up also includes Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, rally superstar Sebastien Loeb and Australia's retired five-time motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Perth's Festival of Speed, Terry Mader, says he wants "to build an internationally-renowned motorsports event in Perth".
Fourteen types of motorsport are on Sunday's program, including a V8 Supercar of WA competitor Dean Fiore, rally cars, exotic supercars, historic Bathurst sedans and other vintage racing cars and motorbikes, drag cars, drifting, off-road V8s, superbikes, supermoto and quads. More details here.
The event is serving as a launch for 1980 world champion Alan Jones' new AJF1 Fusion Supercar that is to go on sale early next year. The car's specifications are here.
Geoff Brabham, the eldest of triple world champion Sir Jack Brabham's three sons and a Le Mans 24-hour winner, will drive and represent BMW at the festival.
Sydney remembers Tasman Series and Warwick Farm
It will be a nostalgic weekend in Sydney, with the third bi-annual Tasman Revival at Eastern Creek.
Not only will the meeting pay tribute to the halcyon days of the openwheeler Tasman Series of the 1960s and '70s but it coincides with the start of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the first race meeting at the sadly now-defunct Warwick Farm circuit.
Among the 400 cars competing this weekend are 22 bearing the Lotus emblem -- the most famous being the Lotus 49/R8 driven for the factory team by dual world champion Graham Hill, father of 1996 champion Damon, in the 1969 Tasman Series.
There's heaps on information about the revival meeting here.
New TV rules ensure a live Bathurst 1000
The Federal Government's new sports television rules announced yesterday will ensure the Bathurst 1000 remains live on primary Australian free-to-air TV for the next five years.
And live seemingly means properly live, after the "pausing" in this year's telecast which meant viewers saw the finish almost half an hour after the chequered flag was waved at the track.
While Bathurst is classified as a "Tier A" event under the new rules, all other rounds of the V8 Supercar Championship are in "Tier B" -- meaning they can be shown on one of the new digital channels of the free-to-air networks and could be delayed up to four hours after the live start time.
The new digital multi-channels only reach three quarters of Australian households at the moment, although within a couple more years everyone in the country should have access to them.
While the rounds other than Bathurst fall into "Tier B" that's not to say that at least some of them could not remain on a primary channel -- Seven for the remainder of the existing contract and it or another free-to-air network beyond then.
That will be a test of the true value TV chiefs place on the sport -- and of the negotiating strength of V8 Supercars Australia.
Ominous silence in GP dispute
Still no word of an "Organisation Agreement" between the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and the Confederation of Australian Motors Sport.
It is now two weeks since CAMS issued this statement (read here) after the claim by AGPC chairman Ron Walker that the GP promoter was being overcharged by CAMS.
It also is a beyond the deadline CAMS set for an "Organisation Agreement" to be struck.
While it is most unlikely the Australian GP scheduled for next March 24-27 will not proceed, it will be interesting to see whether the upcoming meeting of the Federation Internationale de l'Automboile (FIA) World Motorsport Council retains the event on the calendar or perhaps places an asterisk on it, subject to an AGPC-CAMS agreement.
A positive for Ambrose - Petty reclaims RPM
NASCAR "King" Richard Petty reportedly has "finished financially restructuring" the team bearing his name to ensure it fields two cars in the Sprint Cup next year -- one of them for Australia's Marcos Ambrose.
Petty supposedly has taken control of Richard Petty Motorsports, in which he has been only a minority shareholder, from financially-embattled majority owner George Gillett, who has been saddled with US$90 million of debt on his investment in the team.
Petty is said to have completed negotiations to free RPM from the problems resulting from the squeeze on Gillett, who recently lost control of the Liverpool soccer club in Britain.
Gillett faces a raft of legal actions, including one from another RPM minority owner, Ray Evernham, who entered a partnership with him in 2007.
While things appear to be heading in the right direction for RPM to survive, we understand that dual V8 Supercar champion Ambrose has been keeping in touch with the Australian scene in case his American option dries up.
After completing his fifth year of US stock car racing with JTG Daugherty Racing, Ambrose said this week: "At times this year we had a tough go at it due to things that were out of our control, but we did the best we could with the hands we were dealt to persevere.
"We wrapped up the 2010 season 26th in the championship points standings following an 18th-place finish in our freshman year (2009).
"We had some solid finishes, but were entangled in some accidents not of our own accord this year that caused us to not finish. If it had not been for that, we would have easily finished in the top 20 -- there's no doubt."
RPM has named Todd Parrott crew chief for the Ford Fusion that Ambrose is to race next season.
Parrott has worked with drivers including Matt Kenseth, Ernie Irvan, Bobby Labonte and Elliott Sadler and was the 1999 Cup-winning crew chief for Dale Jarrett at Robert Yates Racing.
Parrott has had 29 wins -- the third most among active Sprint Cup crew chiefs.
"I've been spending time with Marcos ... we've been talking, working on communication," Parrott said. "He's been getting fitted for seats and has some ideas of what he wants, what he's looking for, so the conversations between us have been very good.
"Once the dust settles and the smoke clears, it will all be good. The cars continue to get better."
RPM cars finished fourth and fifth in the final round of this year's championship last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway driven by Aric Almirola and A.J. Allmendinger.
Ford's Mustang will run in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series next year and chief Edsel B. Ford wants it to replace the Fusion in the Sprint Cup soon.
"The sooner the better," Ford said. "Let's be frank: Motorsports enthusiasts are not going to buy Fusions because they see a Fusion win here (Sprint Cup), are they?
"To have a Mustang on the track in NASCAR is the right direction."
A perspective on where IndyCar is at
It's two years now since the IndyCar series last came to the Gold Coast but many Australian motorsport fans still have fond memories of it -- and a continuing interest in it, particularly in light of Will Power's recent success.
ESPN.com's John Oreovicz has written an enlightening and optimistic column on where IndyCar's at, see here.
NEXT WEEK: Sydney's V8 Supercar finale
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
HSV sold out for six months
Despite a supercharged re-entry from FPV, HSV's order bank is full
The new, supercharged Ford Falcon GT may have arrived with a bang, but it is yet to put a dent on sales of its arch rival, Holden Special Vehicles. In fact, such a long build-up to the all-new engine may have backfired on Ford.
Sales figures show that Ford Performance Vehicles is poised to have one of its weakest years on record -- heading for a tally of less than 1000 vehicles for 2010. HSV meanwhile is expected to post its third-strongest year on record -- and it claims its order book is full until April and May next year.
Speaking at the launch of the HSV range in Singapore overnight, HSV boss Phil Harding (pictured) told the Carsales Network: "We are flat out. If you want a GTS in Hazard yellow, it's sold out until April. Others are sold out until May production."
HSV says it has sold 2948 cars to the end of October, while FPV has tallied just 847 sales so far this year. FPV says this dip was caused by the much anticipated changeover to the new model.
HSV's best year on record was in 2007 -- the first full year of VE sales -- when it posted 5222 vehicle deliveries. This year HSV is on track to sell about 3400 vehicles, ahead of last year's tally of 3091.
Harding refused to comment on what impact the supercharged FPV has had on HSV.
"We know what's right for our customers and we're getting on with it. We're focussing on technology and the whole package, not just one element of a performance car.
"I know the media don't like to acknowledge it, but we see our rivals as European performance cars. That's what our feedback tells us, that's what we see from the trade-ins at the dealers," Harding stated.
The new, supercharged Ford Falcon GT may have arrived with a bang, but it is yet to put a dent on sales of its arch rival, Holden Special Vehicles. In fact, such a long build-up to the all-new engine may have backfired on Ford.
Sales figures show that Ford Performance Vehicles is poised to have one of its weakest years on record -- heading for a tally of less than 1000 vehicles for 2010. HSV meanwhile is expected to post its third-strongest year on record -- and it claims its order book is full until April and May next year.
Speaking at the launch of the HSV range in Singapore overnight, HSV boss Phil Harding (pictured) told the Carsales Network: "We are flat out. If you want a GTS in Hazard yellow, it's sold out until April. Others are sold out until May production."
HSV says it has sold 2948 cars to the end of October, while FPV has tallied just 847 sales so far this year. FPV says this dip was caused by the much anticipated changeover to the new model.
HSV's best year on record was in 2007 -- the first full year of VE sales -- when it posted 5222 vehicle deliveries. This year HSV is on track to sell about 3400 vehicles, ahead of last year's tally of 3091.
Harding refused to comment on what impact the supercharged FPV has had on HSV.
"We know what's right for our customers and we're getting on with it. We're focussing on technology and the whole package, not just one element of a performance car.
"I know the media don't like to acknowledge it, but we see our rivals as European performance cars. That's what our feedback tells us, that's what we see from the trade-ins at the dealers," Harding stated.
Next-gen Dodge Viper to remain unique
Dodge boss Ralph Gilles has publicly stated the MY2013 Viper will maintain the coupe's all-American heritage
Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles has reiterated that the next-generation Viper sports car games due in mid-2012 will retain its unique architecture, rather than pilfering from the parts bin of parent company Fiat.
The new Viper "is not based on anything else," he was recently quoted as saying by Detroit News, quelling speculation it would borrow its underpinnings from Ferrari or the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Some sources had been tipping the next-gen Viper would be based on the 8C, but Gilles says the proportions of the two vehicles are quite different.
"Where the cabin is, relative to the wheels, is unique. The Viper cabin is very rearward and the hood is very long. Few cars in the industry are designed with those proportions anymore."
Gilles said "There won't be a part of the car that's untouched", vis-à-vis its predecessor (which was discontinued five months ago), and it's believed the existing V10 could be upgraded with Fiat's Multiair induction technology.
He suggested Fiat would also help develop the car's dynamic capabilities. "We will use their expertise to open the performance envelope in the Viper," Gilles told Detroit News.
"Fiat has an awesome ability to tune cars. I want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. We've never had stability control on a high-performance car, which is about to happen on the new car."
Despite its lack of technical sophistication, the original Viper was an enduring sportscar, with a lifespan that stretched from 1991 to 2010, albeit with four generational evolutions along the way.
Its straight-line credentials remained almost unparalleled (certainly in its price segment) and the series-ending Viper ACR lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 22.1sec, quicker than the likes of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS (7min 24sec), 2011 Nissan GT-R (7min 24.1sec) and Chevy Corvette ZR1 (7min 26.4sec).
The last Viper rolled off the production line at Chrysler's Conner Avenue plant in Detroit on July 2 this year.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles has reiterated that the next-generation Viper sports car games due in mid-2012 will retain its unique architecture, rather than pilfering from the parts bin of parent company Fiat.
The new Viper "is not based on anything else," he was recently quoted as saying by Detroit News, quelling speculation it would borrow its underpinnings from Ferrari or the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Some sources had been tipping the next-gen Viper would be based on the 8C, but Gilles says the proportions of the two vehicles are quite different.
"Where the cabin is, relative to the wheels, is unique. The Viper cabin is very rearward and the hood is very long. Few cars in the industry are designed with those proportions anymore."
Gilles said "There won't be a part of the car that's untouched", vis-à-vis its predecessor (which was discontinued five months ago), and it's believed the existing V10 could be upgraded with Fiat's Multiair induction technology.
He suggested Fiat would also help develop the car's dynamic capabilities. "We will use their expertise to open the performance envelope in the Viper," Gilles told Detroit News.
"Fiat has an awesome ability to tune cars. I want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. We've never had stability control on a high-performance car, which is about to happen on the new car."
Despite its lack of technical sophistication, the original Viper was an enduring sportscar, with a lifespan that stretched from 1991 to 2010, albeit with four generational evolutions along the way.
Its straight-line credentials remained almost unparalleled (certainly in its price segment) and the series-ending Viper ACR lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 22.1sec, quicker than the likes of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS (7min 24sec), 2011 Nissan GT-R (7min 24.1sec) and Chevy Corvette ZR1 (7min 26.4sec).
The last Viper rolled off the production line at Chrysler's Conner Avenue plant in Detroit on July 2 this year.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Detroit debut for BMW 1-Series M
The American public will see BMW's hottest '1' coupe, but our man Michael Taylor has already driven it
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We can finally reveal that this is the 1-Series M Coupe that BMW will unveil during January’s Detroit Motor show.
The twin-turbo, rear-drive coupe, built to slot in underneath the V8 M3, will not just be the fastest, fattest, cheekiest M car in BMW's line-up, but it will also give us a first look at the brand's facelifted 1-Series as well, now that BMW has pulled the covers off the production version. We had previously driven the 1 Series M in pre-production form.
With a 250kW, 3.0-litre, straight-six engine up front, the car will sprint to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and can burst from zero to 200km/h in just over 17 seconds, with its top speed limited by BMW to 250km/h.
And, while you might be able to get all this performance in a small package, you'll only be able to get it in black, white or this orange (pictured), because M will only provide three standard colours.
While the M3's engine is a naturally-aspirated V8, the 1-Series M Coupe uses an M-developed version of BMW's glorious force-fed six which produces a prodigious 450Nm of torque from just 1500rpm. For short bursts, it can even over-boost the turbos to deliver 500Nm.
The driver's enjoyment of all this may be limited to short bursts, though, because of the combination of a measly 53 litre fuel tank and a combined fuel-economy figure of 9.6 litres/100km (with a CO2 figure of 224g/km).
Revving to 5980rpm, the engine uses two smallish turbo-chargers to spin up quickly for better throttle response instead of a single, more-powerful large turbo.
But there are, as is M's norm, two different engine maps: one for aggressive driving and one for more relaxed forays and, based on our prototype test from a couple of months ago, its superb ride quality will help with the Jekyll and Hyde character changes as well.
Certainly, there's enough weight in the body to help keep the ride under control. At 1495kg with no liquids or people in it, the 1-Series M's mass has been a talking point even inside M as it tries to draw the obvious links to the original BMW M3, which is roughly the same size as its new car, though more than 400kg lighter.
Still, the stupendous urge of the direct-injection engine means it still has a power-to-weight ratio of 6kg per kilowatt (4.4kg per horsepower, for the old-schoolies).
Based around the 1-Series coupe, the 1-Series M Coupe scores typical M haus engineering details, such as forged aluminium suspension parts, monster brakes and the tricky, electronically-governed differential from the M3.
What it won't get is a paddle-shift gearbox, because BMW firmly insists the 1-Series M Coupe will only ever be sold with a six-speed, manual gearbox.
Besides, at €50,500 in its domestic German market, BMW insists the car is targeting a younger buyer group than the M3 or the M5 and its boffins believe younger buyers prefer manual 'boxes. Certainly (and somewhat paradoxically), the Americans do, with most of M's US buyers demanding "stick" shifters.
There's a fat footprint, too, and the car rides on custom-built, cast-alloy wheels with 245/35 R19 tyres up front and265/35 R19 rubber at the rear. The brake discs are also huge, with 360mm discs doing the job at the pointy end and 350mm discs at the rear, though both ends are clamped by M's traditional (but technically underwhelming) single-piston, floating brake calipers.
The new look is meant to be aggressive both inside and out, even if BMW hasn't skimped on the interior luxuries.
There are a range of new aero tweaks, including systems to close cooling vents to heat up the engine faster (to reduce emissions) and another system to reduce turbulence around the front wheels that saves 0.3 litres/100km by itself.
This explains the massive vertical chunks cut into the nose of the 1-Series M coupe, because they divert the onrushing air, channel it into a narrow duct and divert it around the front wheels, creating what BMW describes as a "curtain" of air that lowers aero drag around the wheels.
The two-door four seater is 4380mm long and 1420mm high, but it's also 55mm wider than the standard BMW 1-Series coupe and all of that extra width is reflected in the wider track and wheel arches.
M has gone to great lengths to accentuate the car's width, because the standard coupe looks a little too vertical for M tastes. That's why it scores the deeply sculpted air exit ducts in the rear bumper and four monster exhaust pipes at the outer edges, and it's also why it has such an accentuated, wide-mouthed air intake below the grille.
Inside, it's typically M, with high, strong seat bolstering, plenty of leather and Alcantara trimming and two huge dials for the speedo and the tachometer front and centre.
There's a tremendously fat steering wheel, too, and it has been given an M button so the driver can switch the car to the most-aggressive setup map (which will tighten throttle and steering response and move to a more-liberal ESP setting) without his/her hands leaving the wheel.
It scores BMW's new iDrive system, which thankfully (and belatedly) includes a button to easily go back one step if you get something wrong in the navigation or setup. There's also a 370-litre luggage capacity, which is not bad for a rear-wheel-drive car this size.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
discount new cars » Get the best price on a new BMW
We can finally reveal that this is the 1-Series M Coupe that BMW will unveil during January’s Detroit Motor show.
The twin-turbo, rear-drive coupe, built to slot in underneath the V8 M3, will not just be the fastest, fattest, cheekiest M car in BMW's line-up, but it will also give us a first look at the brand's facelifted 1-Series as well, now that BMW has pulled the covers off the production version. We had previously driven the 1 Series M in pre-production form.
With a 250kW, 3.0-litre, straight-six engine up front, the car will sprint to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and can burst from zero to 200km/h in just over 17 seconds, with its top speed limited by BMW to 250km/h.
And, while you might be able to get all this performance in a small package, you'll only be able to get it in black, white or this orange (pictured), because M will only provide three standard colours.
While the M3's engine is a naturally-aspirated V8, the 1-Series M Coupe uses an M-developed version of BMW's glorious force-fed six which produces a prodigious 450Nm of torque from just 1500rpm. For short bursts, it can even over-boost the turbos to deliver 500Nm.
The driver's enjoyment of all this may be limited to short bursts, though, because of the combination of a measly 53 litre fuel tank and a combined fuel-economy figure of 9.6 litres/100km (with a CO2 figure of 224g/km).
Revving to 5980rpm, the engine uses two smallish turbo-chargers to spin up quickly for better throttle response instead of a single, more-powerful large turbo.
But there are, as is M's norm, two different engine maps: one for aggressive driving and one for more relaxed forays and, based on our prototype test from a couple of months ago, its superb ride quality will help with the Jekyll and Hyde character changes as well.
Certainly, there's enough weight in the body to help keep the ride under control. At 1495kg with no liquids or people in it, the 1-Series M's mass has been a talking point even inside M as it tries to draw the obvious links to the original BMW M3, which is roughly the same size as its new car, though more than 400kg lighter.
Still, the stupendous urge of the direct-injection engine means it still has a power-to-weight ratio of 6kg per kilowatt (4.4kg per horsepower, for the old-schoolies).
Based around the 1-Series coupe, the 1-Series M Coupe scores typical M haus engineering details, such as forged aluminium suspension parts, monster brakes and the tricky, electronically-governed differential from the M3.
What it won't get is a paddle-shift gearbox, because BMW firmly insists the 1-Series M Coupe will only ever be sold with a six-speed, manual gearbox.
Besides, at €50,500 in its domestic German market, BMW insists the car is targeting a younger buyer group than the M3 or the M5 and its boffins believe younger buyers prefer manual 'boxes. Certainly (and somewhat paradoxically), the Americans do, with most of M's US buyers demanding "stick" shifters.
There's a fat footprint, too, and the car rides on custom-built, cast-alloy wheels with 245/35 R19 tyres up front and265/35 R19 rubber at the rear. The brake discs are also huge, with 360mm discs doing the job at the pointy end and 350mm discs at the rear, though both ends are clamped by M's traditional (but technically underwhelming) single-piston, floating brake calipers.
The new look is meant to be aggressive both inside and out, even if BMW hasn't skimped on the interior luxuries.
There are a range of new aero tweaks, including systems to close cooling vents to heat up the engine faster (to reduce emissions) and another system to reduce turbulence around the front wheels that saves 0.3 litres/100km by itself.
This explains the massive vertical chunks cut into the nose of the 1-Series M coupe, because they divert the onrushing air, channel it into a narrow duct and divert it around the front wheels, creating what BMW describes as a "curtain" of air that lowers aero drag around the wheels.
The two-door four seater is 4380mm long and 1420mm high, but it's also 55mm wider than the standard BMW 1-Series coupe and all of that extra width is reflected in the wider track and wheel arches.
M has gone to great lengths to accentuate the car's width, because the standard coupe looks a little too vertical for M tastes. That's why it scores the deeply sculpted air exit ducts in the rear bumper and four monster exhaust pipes at the outer edges, and it's also why it has such an accentuated, wide-mouthed air intake below the grille.
Inside, it's typically M, with high, strong seat bolstering, plenty of leather and Alcantara trimming and two huge dials for the speedo and the tachometer front and centre.
There's a tremendously fat steering wheel, too, and it has been given an M button so the driver can switch the car to the most-aggressive setup map (which will tighten throttle and steering response and move to a more-liberal ESP setting) without his/her hands leaving the wheel.
It scores BMW's new iDrive system, which thankfully (and belatedly) includes a button to easily go back one step if you get something wrong in the navigation or setup. There's also a 370-litre luggage capacity, which is not bad for a rear-wheel-drive car this size.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
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The engine plant is working at full capacity, but demand for large-capacity V6 diesels from Mercedes-Benz is off the scale
Mercedes-Benz can't build enough of its larger-displacement V6 diesels. The engine plant responsible is operating at 'ramming speed', but the orders keep coming -- and not just from the company's own car-building plants either.
An industry insider, speaking with the Carsales Network on condition of anonymity, explained that the company was flat-out building the engines for its own vehicles.
"They're absolutely at capacity," he said, before further explaining that the company's Vito and Sprinter commercials are also powered by engines built in the same factory. In addition, Benz is supplying a lower-output version of the engine for Chrysler, in an agreement that still has a couple of years left in it. Chrysler has to continue sourcing the engine from Benz, because new parent Fiat can't offer the American brand an engine to suit. Indeed, Fiat itself has reportedly been in discussions with Benz for the supply of a large-displacement turbodiesel V6.
"Fiat face the same problem, [because] they don't have a large V6 diesel," said our undercover informant.
Fiat could, in theory, source suitable powerplants from Italian engine manufacturer VM-Motori, but it's suggested the VM-Motori product is probably too dated to meet Fiat's current needs. VM-Motori is part-owned by General Motors. GM, in 2005, was forced to pay a penalty of US $2 billion to Fiat for reneging on a deal to buy the Italian company's automotive division. That penalty payment has kept Fiat afloat during the GFC and has boosted the capital for the purchase of Chrysler. So perhaps supplying a diesel V6 to Fiat is not high on the list of priorities at GM? Not when the company is still bouncing back from bankruptcy in the aftermath of the worst economic and financial crisis in 80 years.
Apparently Fiat has also approached Benz to source diesel V6s, but the German company has "rebuffed" the Italians. The only immediate way for the Benz factory to accommodate a supply contract for Fiat would be by cutting back production of engines for the German company's own cars. Taken as a whole, there's more profit in Benz selling a car, including the engine that powers it, than selling just the engine alone to a rival company -- at wholesale prices to boot.
"Any increase in that plant capacity," said our insider, "is going [to] the 'three-pointed star'."
And that spells trouble for Nissan and Renault as well. Last we heard, Nissan is hoping for Benz to pull the fat out of the fire, by supplying a suitable diesel to power the new P61G Patrol for the Australian market. Without such an engine, the Patrol will not be able to carry the fight up to Toyota's 200 Series LandCruiser in Australia.
"I can tell you that [Nissan] has tested the higher output diesels..." said the insider, "but the problem [remains] that the plant is operating at capacity."
As the Carsales Network understands it, the lack of a diesel for the new Patrol is a debacle with its roots founded in decisions made some years ago, when Renault first acquired Nissan. Nissan originally planned to have a new engine reach the market here before the introduction of the P61G Patrol. Intended to replace the current 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder in the GU Patrol, the new V6 would have been state-of-the-art and capable of meeting emissions standards for years into the future.
We're told that Renault was originally tasked with developing this engine, but the project fell victim to cost-cutting that failed to take into account future needs -- and specifically the needs of tiny little right-hand drive markets for large-scale offroaders, marketed by the junior partner in the alliance.
The French company dragged out the life cycles of existing vehicles and drivetrains, only to find that in due course, all the stuff left on the backburner was suddenly in need of replacement or updating at the same time -- and there just wasn't the engineering resource available to handle all the new projects at once. That was when Renault decided to set action priorities for each project, culminating in a much lower priority for the new V6 diesel. Renault only planned to use it in its commercial vehicles and a few slow-selling luxury cars, so it was a logical choice to be cut off at the knees.
Once that news broke, Nissan had no choice but to embark on a series of upgrades for the existing 3.0-litre engine in the Patrol. Those upgrades, principally aimed at keeping pace with changing emissions standards, were much more costly than developing a whole new engine would have been in the first instance.
As for the new 550Nm V6 introduced to the Navara and Pathfinder ranges in recent months, our source argues that its output would be inadequate for something as large and as heavy as the next Patrol.
"It's not enough," he said. "[Patrol is] going to need 650 to 700Nm."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Mercedes-Benz can't build enough of its larger-displacement V6 diesels. The engine plant responsible is operating at 'ramming speed', but the orders keep coming -- and not just from the company's own car-building plants either.
An industry insider, speaking with the Carsales Network on condition of anonymity, explained that the company was flat-out building the engines for its own vehicles.
"They're absolutely at capacity," he said, before further explaining that the company's Vito and Sprinter commercials are also powered by engines built in the same factory. In addition, Benz is supplying a lower-output version of the engine for Chrysler, in an agreement that still has a couple of years left in it. Chrysler has to continue sourcing the engine from Benz, because new parent Fiat can't offer the American brand an engine to suit. Indeed, Fiat itself has reportedly been in discussions with Benz for the supply of a large-displacement turbodiesel V6.
"Fiat face the same problem, [because] they don't have a large V6 diesel," said our undercover informant.
Fiat could, in theory, source suitable powerplants from Italian engine manufacturer VM-Motori, but it's suggested the VM-Motori product is probably too dated to meet Fiat's current needs. VM-Motori is part-owned by General Motors. GM, in 2005, was forced to pay a penalty of US $2 billion to Fiat for reneging on a deal to buy the Italian company's automotive division. That penalty payment has kept Fiat afloat during the GFC and has boosted the capital for the purchase of Chrysler. So perhaps supplying a diesel V6 to Fiat is not high on the list of priorities at GM? Not when the company is still bouncing back from bankruptcy in the aftermath of the worst economic and financial crisis in 80 years.
Apparently Fiat has also approached Benz to source diesel V6s, but the German company has "rebuffed" the Italians. The only immediate way for the Benz factory to accommodate a supply contract for Fiat would be by cutting back production of engines for the German company's own cars. Taken as a whole, there's more profit in Benz selling a car, including the engine that powers it, than selling just the engine alone to a rival company -- at wholesale prices to boot.
"Any increase in that plant capacity," said our insider, "is going [to] the 'three-pointed star'."
And that spells trouble for Nissan and Renault as well. Last we heard, Nissan is hoping for Benz to pull the fat out of the fire, by supplying a suitable diesel to power the new P61G Patrol for the Australian market. Without such an engine, the Patrol will not be able to carry the fight up to Toyota's 200 Series LandCruiser in Australia.
"I can tell you that [Nissan] has tested the higher output diesels..." said the insider, "but the problem [remains] that the plant is operating at capacity."
As the Carsales Network understands it, the lack of a diesel for the new Patrol is a debacle with its roots founded in decisions made some years ago, when Renault first acquired Nissan. Nissan originally planned to have a new engine reach the market here before the introduction of the P61G Patrol. Intended to replace the current 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder in the GU Patrol, the new V6 would have been state-of-the-art and capable of meeting emissions standards for years into the future.
We're told that Renault was originally tasked with developing this engine, but the project fell victim to cost-cutting that failed to take into account future needs -- and specifically the needs of tiny little right-hand drive markets for large-scale offroaders, marketed by the junior partner in the alliance.
The French company dragged out the life cycles of existing vehicles and drivetrains, only to find that in due course, all the stuff left on the backburner was suddenly in need of replacement or updating at the same time -- and there just wasn't the engineering resource available to handle all the new projects at once. That was when Renault decided to set action priorities for each project, culminating in a much lower priority for the new V6 diesel. Renault only planned to use it in its commercial vehicles and a few slow-selling luxury cars, so it was a logical choice to be cut off at the knees.
Once that news broke, Nissan had no choice but to embark on a series of upgrades for the existing 3.0-litre engine in the Patrol. Those upgrades, principally aimed at keeping pace with changing emissions standards, were much more costly than developing a whole new engine would have been in the first instance.
As for the new 550Nm V6 introduced to the Navara and Pathfinder ranges in recent months, our source argues that its output would be inadequate for something as large and as heavy as the next Patrol.
"It's not enough," he said. "[Patrol is] going to need 650 to 700Nm."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Thứ Sáu, 23 tháng 3, 2012
GT3 Cup cars ready to race
Porsche's white, winged wonders are in the country ahead of a shakedown at Winton
More power, improved grip and stronger downforce are the hallmarks of the Porsche GT3 Cup cars competing in this year's Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (PCCA) series.
The 22 cars are already in the country -- clearing their way through customs -- and will be handed over to teams the day before a shakedown run at Victoria's Winton motor raceway on January 30.
On the track the cars will produce an aggregate of 10,000hp, according to the importer. It's actually a slightly lower figure, since the Cup cars are now producing 450hp each -- an improvement of 50hp on the previous models. For the pedants, that's actually 9900hp in total...
Other changes to the cars for the new year include wider tracks, front and rear, more downforce and a new design of tyre -- courtesy of contracted supplier, Michelin. In total, the field is worth $5 million and most of the cars have been sold already.
"Now that the cars have arrived it is only a matter of time before the entire grid is accounted for," Porsche Cars Australian motorsport manager Jamey Blaikie was quoted as saying in a press release.
"And despite enquiries as to whether PCA would bring in more cars if the demand is there -- the answer is a firm 'No'. We will cap the grid to a maximum of 22 cars to maximise the competitors' investment."
First official outing is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne during the month of March.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
More power, improved grip and stronger downforce are the hallmarks of the Porsche GT3 Cup cars competing in this year's Porsche Carrera Cup Australia (PCCA) series.
The 22 cars are already in the country -- clearing their way through customs -- and will be handed over to teams the day before a shakedown run at Victoria's Winton motor raceway on January 30.
On the track the cars will produce an aggregate of 10,000hp, according to the importer. It's actually a slightly lower figure, since the Cup cars are now producing 450hp each -- an improvement of 50hp on the previous models. For the pedants, that's actually 9900hp in total...
Other changes to the cars for the new year include wider tracks, front and rear, more downforce and a new design of tyre -- courtesy of contracted supplier, Michelin. In total, the field is worth $5 million and most of the cars have been sold already.
"Now that the cars have arrived it is only a matter of time before the entire grid is accounted for," Porsche Cars Australian motorsport manager Jamey Blaikie was quoted as saying in a press release.
"And despite enquiries as to whether PCA would bring in more cars if the demand is there -- the answer is a firm 'No'. We will cap the grid to a maximum of 22 cars to maximise the competitors' investment."
First official outing is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne during the month of March.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Ford UK's centennial countdown commences
12 months of celebrations planned as Ford commemorates a century of success in the UK
discount new cars games » Get the best price on a new Ford
Ahead of its 100th anniversary on March 8, Ford UK is preparing related events around the country as part of its year-long centenary celebration.
Themed marketing campaigns, historical displays and various motoring events will take place at locations around England, including the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire and the Heritage Centre at Gayon, Warwickshire. A special tribute will also be held at this year's Goodwood Revival in September with a number of classic Fords set to compete.
Ford's operations in the UK began in 1911 just three years after Henry Ford's 'Universal Car', the Model T, was unveiled in Britain. Ford Motor Company (England) Limited incorporated formed to become what was then the most important market outside North America.
That same year, a disused tram works in the Manchester suburb of Trafford Park was converted to become Ford's first UK assembly plant (pictured). Four-man teams built individual vehicles here until Henry Ford's revolutionary introduction of the moving assembly line in 1913.
By 1914 Ford sales of nearly 10,000 cars annually were equal to the output of the next six biggest British manufacturers combined.
Ford's start in Britain grew from humble beginnings. In 1903 two Ford A Models were shipped to England initiating a modest trade. By 1905 the Ford Model B had taken to London's roads, forming part of the earliest fleet of motor taxi cabs.
Three years later, the Model T debuted at the Olympia Motor Exhibition, the exhibition so popular it convinced Ford that a British division of his company was required.
Today, Ford has grown to become the UK's new car market leader, a position it has held for 34 consecutive years. Ford directly employs over 15,000 people in the UK, and has engine plants in Bridgend, South Wales and Dagenham, East London. Combined, the pair has the capacity to produce two million engines annually.
"Ford of Britain has been in the fabric of the nation for over a hundred years and no motor company has touched more lives in Britain," commented Ford of Britain chairman, Joe Greenwell.
"We have a proud heritage and a bright future. Ford of Britain is a major pillar of Ford's global strategy and the new Ford Focus, centrepiece of the centenary, features advanced powertrains developed and produced in the UK."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
discount new cars games » Get the best price on a new Ford
Ahead of its 100th anniversary on March 8, Ford UK is preparing related events around the country as part of its year-long centenary celebration.
Themed marketing campaigns, historical displays and various motoring events will take place at locations around England, including the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire and the Heritage Centre at Gayon, Warwickshire. A special tribute will also be held at this year's Goodwood Revival in September with a number of classic Fords set to compete.
Ford's operations in the UK began in 1911 just three years after Henry Ford's 'Universal Car', the Model T, was unveiled in Britain. Ford Motor Company (England) Limited incorporated formed to become what was then the most important market outside North America.
That same year, a disused tram works in the Manchester suburb of Trafford Park was converted to become Ford's first UK assembly plant (pictured). Four-man teams built individual vehicles here until Henry Ford's revolutionary introduction of the moving assembly line in 1913.
By 1914 Ford sales of nearly 10,000 cars annually were equal to the output of the next six biggest British manufacturers combined.
Ford's start in Britain grew from humble beginnings. In 1903 two Ford A Models were shipped to England initiating a modest trade. By 1905 the Ford Model B had taken to London's roads, forming part of the earliest fleet of motor taxi cabs.
Three years later, the Model T debuted at the Olympia Motor Exhibition, the exhibition so popular it convinced Ford that a British division of his company was required.
Today, Ford has grown to become the UK's new car market leader, a position it has held for 34 consecutive years. Ford directly employs over 15,000 people in the UK, and has engine plants in Bridgend, South Wales and Dagenham, East London. Combined, the pair has the capacity to produce two million engines annually.
"Ford of Britain has been in the fabric of the nation for over a hundred years and no motor company has touched more lives in Britain," commented Ford of Britain chairman, Joe Greenwell.
"We have a proud heritage and a bright future. Ford of Britain is a major pillar of Ford's global strategy and the new Ford Focus, centrepiece of the centenary, features advanced powertrains developed and produced in the UK."
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Aston Martin to launch Rapide film set
Bond-esque short film released, Gaydon's viral promotion takes a classy turn
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new Aston Martin
Innovative viral marketing is a rapide-ly developing trend, pardon the pun, and as Aston Martin has proved this week, budget appears to know no bounds.
This video, the first in a three-part series, is a short Bond-esque film designed to showcase the British marque's new four-door sports coupe, Rapide, further expanding the desirable model's burgeoning appeal.
Even we've got to admit the newly released film -- the marque's first foray into the digital medium -- is quite well done, leaving us keen to track the storyline as the weeks progress.
Aston Martin will release the film across several social media outlets in 39 countries between now and February.
Shot in Lisbon, Portugal, the films follow a group of secret agents as they attempt to deliver a precious object, time, to a mystery figure. The ethos of the film is said to be based on one of life's quandaries: the more success you had, the less time you had to share it with the people who mattered.
"We wanted to deliver a subtle but clever piece of branded entertainment, something that mirrors the thrill of the drive," explained the film's director, Donnie Masters. "Intelligent, dramatic yet very exciting. It's an action-packed Aston Martin story in three parts, designed to entertain our audience. We're not hard selling, we're showcasing. After all it is the thinking man's (and woman's) performance car."
View the first instalment of "True power should be shared" below:
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new Aston Martin
Innovative viral marketing is a rapide-ly developing trend, pardon the pun, and as Aston Martin has proved this week, budget appears to know no bounds.
This video, the first in a three-part series, is a short Bond-esque film designed to showcase the British marque's new four-door sports coupe, Rapide, further expanding the desirable model's burgeoning appeal.
Even we've got to admit the newly released film -- the marque's first foray into the digital medium -- is quite well done, leaving us keen to track the storyline as the weeks progress.
Aston Martin will release the film across several social media outlets in 39 countries between now and February.
Shot in Lisbon, Portugal, the films follow a group of secret agents as they attempt to deliver a precious object, time, to a mystery figure. The ethos of the film is said to be based on one of life's quandaries: the more success you had, the less time you had to share it with the people who mattered.
"We wanted to deliver a subtle but clever piece of branded entertainment, something that mirrors the thrill of the drive," explained the film's director, Donnie Masters. "Intelligent, dramatic yet very exciting. It's an action-packed Aston Martin story in three parts, designed to entertain our audience. We're not hard selling, we're showcasing. After all it is the thinking man's (and woman's) performance car."
View the first instalment of "True power should be shared" below:
MOTORSPORT: Aussie heroes emerge in Dakar Rally
Never heard of Geoff Olholm and Steve Riley? Well, they're Australians who have just conquered the world's toughest motorsport event, the Dakar Rally -- an awesome feat
Volkswagen's Race Touareg 3s fill top three places
Australia has two new motorsport heroes, Geoff Olholm and Steve Riley, who have finished the torturous Dakar Rally in South America at their first attempt -- as Volkswagen celebrates a hat-trick of victories.
Olholm, of Cairns, and Victorian Steve Riley, driving a BMW-based Rally Raid UK four-wheel drive finished the 15-day, 9600km event that is the pinnacle of off-road racing 27th overall in the car section.
A crowd reputed to be one million people greeted the Dakar finishers in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, at the weekend.
Olholm's partner, Jenny Tonkin, has told the Cairns Post newspaper after speaking to the driver that he "just seemed to have this huge flood of emotion".
And she said co-driver Riley had proven to be "a real bush mechanic when needed".
"He was able to 'Band-Aid' the car and get it through to the end of the stages so the mechanics could work on it," she said.
Australia's more fancied crew, Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki, were forced out halfway through the Dakar when Garland suffered a spine injury as their Isuzu D-Max ute landed heavily in the Chilean dunes.
They had finished 11th in 2009, were around the top 20 in the first half of this year's rally and were aiming for a top 10 finish.
Meanwhile, the Cairns Post report on Olholm and Riley's triumph is here.
Volkswagen won the Dakar for the third straight year, continuing its unbeaten run since the event moved to South America from the traditional Europe and Africa, as its diesel, 2.5-litre, in-line five-cylinder, 310-horsepower Race Touareg 3s scored another one-two-three sweep.
Its winning driver combination in this 33rd running of the marathon was Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar and Timo Gottschalk of Germany.
Its 2009 winners, South African Giniel de Villiers and German Dirk von Zitzewitz, were second this year, with last year's victors, Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, third after winning the most stages.
Volkswagen led outright every day and won all but one of the 13 stages -- Sainz-Cruz seven, Al-Attiyah-Gottschalk four and de Villiers-von Zitzewitz one.
The other stage victory went to French legend Stephane Peterhansel, who finished fourth overall for the second year in a row in a BMW X3 with countryman Jean-Paul Cottret as his co-driver.
Sainz now has a record 24 stage wins in the Dakar, surpassing Peterhansel's 23.
Al-Attiyah won at his sixth Dakar start and his second for Volkswagen, after the bitter contest with Sainz last year. He is the first Arab to win the Dakar.
"I'm absolutely delighted to have been the first Arab to win the world's toughest desert rally," he said. "I reached my greatest goal thanks to the world's best cross-country rally car and the best team in this sport... We'll party like there's no tomorrow."
Jubilant at its Dakar hat-trick, Volkswagen described the challenges of the event as "winding gravel roads, soft and deep desert sand in the unrelenting Atacama Desert, navigationally demanding sections through labyrinth-like canyons and washed-out river beds as well as spectacular river crossings".
It said the "compact dimensions and low overall weight" of its Race Touareg 3s compared with its rival BMW's X3 "proved to be the best overall package for the third time in succession, suiting both the WRC-like tracks and the extreme dune crossings".
Volkswagen motorsport director Kris Nissen said the Dakar victory hat-trick was "a historic performance achieved thanks to perfect teamwork, exceptional driving and navigational skills and more specifically thanks to superior technology".
"It was without a shadow of doubt the toughest 'Dakar' that we have ever contested, and also probably the best organised," Nissen said. "We proved that the Race Touareg 3 is the world's most reliable and strongest cross-country rally vehicle. This is the result of years of hard work."
Volkswagen has not had a single technically-related retirement in cross-country rallying in four years.
The great Sainz, world rally champion in 1990 and '92, said he was "more than satisfied, all in all" with this year's third place.
"I think that my co-driver Lucas Cruz and I did a good job and therefore were rightfully fighting for victory for a long time," he said. "Unfortunately two bad days and several mistakes cost us any chance of overall victory, but this is the Dakar Rally -- you always have to be alert.
"I'm delighted for the entire Volkswagen team, which truly deserves this one-two-three finish, and to have contributed to it. Everybody worked hard for this win."
BMW had to content itself with fourth and fifth places, with Poland's Krzysztof Holowczyc and Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin in the top five for the second time in three years, ahead of another Volkswagen driven by American Mark Miller and South African Ralph Pitchford.
Nine-time Dakar winner Peterhansel -- six times on motorcycles and three times in Mitsubishi Pajeros -- said small mistakes on his part may have cost the BMW X-raid team. He said he had already pinpointed improvements that could be made for next year.
"This was not the result we maybe expected at the beginning," Peterhansel said. "But the car is at the finish and that is good. The motivation was big at the start but we made too many mistakes.
"We had a lot of punctures and we lost the road some times. At the end it is not perfect that we were not able to do better.
"Maybe there is a small step between us and our rivals. It is possible to follow the speed but we need to be perfect and this time we made too many mistakes.
"This was not more difficult that the African Dakars but, for sure, it was the hardest of the three Dakars we made in South America."
Peterhansel's co-driver Cottret said that "driving through the (Chilean) fesh-fesh is one particular area where we need to look at".
"There were large sections of this thick powder dust and it hides all sorts of problems," he said. "You are going fast and totally unaware that there can be rocks just under the surface and this is how punctures can happen."
X-raid team director Sven Quandt had mixed feelings.
"We had many ups and downs along the way, but we finished quite well -- even if it was not quite what he had expected," Quandt said. "Maybe our main rivals were too strong this time, but we now know that there is no-one challenging behind us.
"Now we have to work hard over the next year to prepare."
Quandt said the new Mini All4 was in a very good position when it was "withdrawn" -- Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit crashed it in a demonstration run on the mid-event rest day.
Quandt reckoned "it may well have been in fifth or sixth position at the end".
"We will develop that car further," he said. "We now have to look into what was causing the problem of the punctures.
"The setting up of the suspension was not 100 per cent good, so we need to address that."
Where there's Smoke there's fire
NASCAR star Tony "Smoke" Stewart got himself into strife with some fisticuffs at his final Australian dirt-track outing at the weekend at Sydney Speedway -- or what to many will always be Parramatta Speedway.
Stewart was questioned by police but not charged and allowed to leave the country on schedule as the NASCAR season start at Daytona nears. More here.
And a preview of Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose's season with his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports, is here.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Volkswagen's Race Touareg 3s fill top three places
Australia has two new motorsport heroes, Geoff Olholm and Steve Riley, who have finished the torturous Dakar Rally in South America at their first attempt -- as Volkswagen celebrates a hat-trick of victories.
Olholm, of Cairns, and Victorian Steve Riley, driving a BMW-based Rally Raid UK four-wheel drive finished the 15-day, 9600km event that is the pinnacle of off-road racing 27th overall in the car section.
A crowd reputed to be one million people greeted the Dakar finishers in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, at the weekend.
Olholm's partner, Jenny Tonkin, has told the Cairns Post newspaper after speaking to the driver that he "just seemed to have this huge flood of emotion".
And she said co-driver Riley had proven to be "a real bush mechanic when needed".
"He was able to 'Band-Aid' the car and get it through to the end of the stages so the mechanics could work on it," she said.
Australia's more fancied crew, Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki, were forced out halfway through the Dakar when Garland suffered a spine injury as their Isuzu D-Max ute landed heavily in the Chilean dunes.
They had finished 11th in 2009, were around the top 20 in the first half of this year's rally and were aiming for a top 10 finish.
Meanwhile, the Cairns Post report on Olholm and Riley's triumph is here.
Volkswagen won the Dakar for the third straight year, continuing its unbeaten run since the event moved to South America from the traditional Europe and Africa, as its diesel, 2.5-litre, in-line five-cylinder, 310-horsepower Race Touareg 3s scored another one-two-three sweep.
Its winning driver combination in this 33rd running of the marathon was Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar and Timo Gottschalk of Germany.
Its 2009 winners, South African Giniel de Villiers and German Dirk von Zitzewitz, were second this year, with last year's victors, Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, third after winning the most stages.
Volkswagen led outright every day and won all but one of the 13 stages -- Sainz-Cruz seven, Al-Attiyah-Gottschalk four and de Villiers-von Zitzewitz one.
The other stage victory went to French legend Stephane Peterhansel, who finished fourth overall for the second year in a row in a BMW X3 with countryman Jean-Paul Cottret as his co-driver.
Sainz now has a record 24 stage wins in the Dakar, surpassing Peterhansel's 23.
Al-Attiyah won at his sixth Dakar start and his second for Volkswagen, after the bitter contest with Sainz last year. He is the first Arab to win the Dakar.
"I'm absolutely delighted to have been the first Arab to win the world's toughest desert rally," he said. "I reached my greatest goal thanks to the world's best cross-country rally car and the best team in this sport... We'll party like there's no tomorrow."
Jubilant at its Dakar hat-trick, Volkswagen described the challenges of the event as "winding gravel roads, soft and deep desert sand in the unrelenting Atacama Desert, navigationally demanding sections through labyrinth-like canyons and washed-out river beds as well as spectacular river crossings".
It said the "compact dimensions and low overall weight" of its Race Touareg 3s compared with its rival BMW's X3 "proved to be the best overall package for the third time in succession, suiting both the WRC-like tracks and the extreme dune crossings".
Volkswagen motorsport director Kris Nissen said the Dakar victory hat-trick was "a historic performance achieved thanks to perfect teamwork, exceptional driving and navigational skills and more specifically thanks to superior technology".
"It was without a shadow of doubt the toughest 'Dakar' that we have ever contested, and also probably the best organised," Nissen said. "We proved that the Race Touareg 3 is the world's most reliable and strongest cross-country rally vehicle. This is the result of years of hard work."
Volkswagen has not had a single technically-related retirement in cross-country rallying in four years.
The great Sainz, world rally champion in 1990 and '92, said he was "more than satisfied, all in all" with this year's third place.
"I think that my co-driver Lucas Cruz and I did a good job and therefore were rightfully fighting for victory for a long time," he said. "Unfortunately two bad days and several mistakes cost us any chance of overall victory, but this is the Dakar Rally -- you always have to be alert.
"I'm delighted for the entire Volkswagen team, which truly deserves this one-two-three finish, and to have contributed to it. Everybody worked hard for this win."
BMW had to content itself with fourth and fifth places, with Poland's Krzysztof Holowczyc and Belgian co-driver Jean-Marc Fortin in the top five for the second time in three years, ahead of another Volkswagen driven by American Mark Miller and South African Ralph Pitchford.
Nine-time Dakar winner Peterhansel -- six times on motorcycles and three times in Mitsubishi Pajeros -- said small mistakes on his part may have cost the BMW X-raid team. He said he had already pinpointed improvements that could be made for next year.
"This was not the result we maybe expected at the beginning," Peterhansel said. "But the car is at the finish and that is good. The motivation was big at the start but we made too many mistakes.
"We had a lot of punctures and we lost the road some times. At the end it is not perfect that we were not able to do better.
"Maybe there is a small step between us and our rivals. It is possible to follow the speed but we need to be perfect and this time we made too many mistakes.
"This was not more difficult that the African Dakars but, for sure, it was the hardest of the three Dakars we made in South America."
Peterhansel's co-driver Cottret said that "driving through the (Chilean) fesh-fesh is one particular area where we need to look at".
"There were large sections of this thick powder dust and it hides all sorts of problems," he said. "You are going fast and totally unaware that there can be rocks just under the surface and this is how punctures can happen."
X-raid team director Sven Quandt had mixed feelings.
"We had many ups and downs along the way, but we finished quite well -- even if it was not quite what he had expected," Quandt said. "Maybe our main rivals were too strong this time, but we now know that there is no-one challenging behind us.
"Now we have to work hard over the next year to prepare."
Quandt said the new Mini All4 was in a very good position when it was "withdrawn" -- Frenchman Guerlain Chicherit crashed it in a demonstration run on the mid-event rest day.
Quandt reckoned "it may well have been in fifth or sixth position at the end".
"We will develop that car further," he said. "We now have to look into what was causing the problem of the punctures.
"The setting up of the suspension was not 100 per cent good, so we need to address that."
Where there's Smoke there's fire
NASCAR star Tony "Smoke" Stewart got himself into strife with some fisticuffs at his final Australian dirt-track outing at the weekend at Sydney Speedway -- or what to many will always be Parramatta Speedway.
Stewart was questioned by police but not charged and allowed to leave the country on schedule as the NASCAR season start at Daytona nears. More here.
And a preview of Australian NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose's season with his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports, is here.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Police Caprice sales off to a steady start
Holden and Chevrolet have sold more cars than they're letting on
Holden's latest export push -- the 'Police Caprice' to be sold in North America as a Chevrolet -- is understood to have gotten off to a steady start even though General Motors executives won't confirm it.
Contrary to reports that only a handful of cars have been sold, the Carsales Network has been told that the order book is "in the thousands, not the hundreds".
At the Detroit motor show last week the former boss of Holden, and current boss of GM in North America, Mark Reuss, said: "We're not going to go into numbers today, but it's good. Better than expected in fact."
Later that week, at a police fleet preview in Phoenix Arizona -- which a small group of Australian journalists gate-crashed for brief ride and drive impressions -- the head of GM's police fleet business Dana Hammer said: "We'd like to tell you but we can't share any [sales] figures today."
GM is being coy because it does not want to show its hand to its rivals -- Dodge and Ford -- who are also vying for a slice of the 50,000 to 70,000 units-a-year police car business.
While some agencies have placed orders for "a solid number" of cars, according to our source, others have ordered only one or two for full evaluation.
Given that an all-new police car is a once-in-20-year event in North America, authorities are making sure they do their homework: that the car performs properly and, most importantly, the purchase and running costs are reasonable.
What became apparent after talking with several police fleet operators at the preview drive is that many agencies will buy only a handful of cars initially and test them for a period before ordering more.
One hurdle is that most police agencies have had budget cutbacks -- and cars are the single most expensive tool-of-trade item.
But, perhaps eventually working in Holden and Chevrolet's favour, during the global financial crisis many agencies extended the life of their Ford Crown Victoria sedans. A number of officers told the Carsales Network that their cars were being kept well beyond their 100,000 mile trade-in limit, some as high as 150,000 miles.
This means that, pretty soon, a glut of cars will need replacing -- and the Caprice may be one of the only options. The Crown Victoria is due to go out of production in August after almost two decades as the cop car favourite.
Some police agencies have ordered a final batch of Fords, but others are keen to make the transition to the next generation vehicle, whatever that is.
"We're confident that once a number of police agencies get their hands on a Caprice PPV and trial it for themselves doing real police work, the car will sell itself," said Hammer. "Word of mouth among the agencies is a very important factor. They place a lot of trust on each other's findings.
"There are 18,000 police agencies across North America, and if all of them only bought one car to trial, that's obviously a lot of cars."
The boss of Holden, Mike Devereux, said GM expected sales would get off to a "slow burn start" but once the car developed a reputation, demand would increase. The first ready-for-duty cars are due to arrive in April and should be on the beat by June.
They will dock at the same San Francisco port that received the Monaro as a Pontiac GTO and the Commodore as a Pontiac G8 in years gone by. There, they will undergo final preparation by Kerr Industries, a specialist police car fit-out company.
The delayed arrival of a V6 version means that Caprice PPV sales are most likely to reach full strength next year.
"We are in this for the long haul," said Devereux. "I know everyone expects us to say this, but we really believe we have the best vehicle out there for police work. We have developed it with their specific needs in mind and, frankly, right now there is nothing else out there that does what this car does, and has the space and features that this car has."
According to independent testing by Los Angeles and Michigan police forces, the Caprice PPV has better acceleration and shorter stopping distances than the Ford and Dodge rivals. The PPV also has a roomier interior with more safety features.
For example, the car can be equipped with a front curtain airbag even when a prisoner partition is fitted because Holden has adapted the curtain airbag from the ute. A full length curtain airbag is standard on detective Caprice PPV models that typically don't have prisoner modules.
The Caprice PPV boot is only marginally smaller than the Crown Victoria's boot -- but significantly bigger than the Dodge Charger's and the Ford Taurus sedan's (Ford's successor to the Crown Victoria police pack due next year).
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Holden's latest export push -- the 'Police Caprice' to be sold in North America as a Chevrolet -- is understood to have gotten off to a steady start even though General Motors executives won't confirm it.
Contrary to reports that only a handful of cars have been sold, the Carsales Network has been told that the order book is "in the thousands, not the hundreds".
At the Detroit motor show last week the former boss of Holden, and current boss of GM in North America, Mark Reuss, said: "We're not going to go into numbers today, but it's good. Better than expected in fact."
Later that week, at a police fleet preview in Phoenix Arizona -- which a small group of Australian journalists gate-crashed for brief ride and drive impressions -- the head of GM's police fleet business Dana Hammer said: "We'd like to tell you but we can't share any [sales] figures today."
GM is being coy because it does not want to show its hand to its rivals -- Dodge and Ford -- who are also vying for a slice of the 50,000 to 70,000 units-a-year police car business.
While some agencies have placed orders for "a solid number" of cars, according to our source, others have ordered only one or two for full evaluation.
Given that an all-new police car is a once-in-20-year event in North America, authorities are making sure they do their homework: that the car performs properly and, most importantly, the purchase and running costs are reasonable.
What became apparent after talking with several police fleet operators at the preview drive is that many agencies will buy only a handful of cars initially and test them for a period before ordering more.
One hurdle is that most police agencies have had budget cutbacks -- and cars are the single most expensive tool-of-trade item.
But, perhaps eventually working in Holden and Chevrolet's favour, during the global financial crisis many agencies extended the life of their Ford Crown Victoria sedans. A number of officers told the Carsales Network that their cars were being kept well beyond their 100,000 mile trade-in limit, some as high as 150,000 miles.
This means that, pretty soon, a glut of cars will need replacing -- and the Caprice may be one of the only options. The Crown Victoria is due to go out of production in August after almost two decades as the cop car favourite.
Some police agencies have ordered a final batch of Fords, but others are keen to make the transition to the next generation vehicle, whatever that is.
"We're confident that once a number of police agencies get their hands on a Caprice PPV and trial it for themselves doing real police work, the car will sell itself," said Hammer. "Word of mouth among the agencies is a very important factor. They place a lot of trust on each other's findings.
"There are 18,000 police agencies across North America, and if all of them only bought one car to trial, that's obviously a lot of cars."
The boss of Holden, Mike Devereux, said GM expected sales would get off to a "slow burn start" but once the car developed a reputation, demand would increase. The first ready-for-duty cars are due to arrive in April and should be on the beat by June.
They will dock at the same San Francisco port that received the Monaro as a Pontiac GTO and the Commodore as a Pontiac G8 in years gone by. There, they will undergo final preparation by Kerr Industries, a specialist police car fit-out company.
The delayed arrival of a V6 version means that Caprice PPV sales are most likely to reach full strength next year.
"We are in this for the long haul," said Devereux. "I know everyone expects us to say this, but we really believe we have the best vehicle out there for police work. We have developed it with their specific needs in mind and, frankly, right now there is nothing else out there that does what this car does, and has the space and features that this car has."
According to independent testing by Los Angeles and Michigan police forces, the Caprice PPV has better acceleration and shorter stopping distances than the Ford and Dodge rivals. The PPV also has a roomier interior with more safety features.
For example, the car can be equipped with a front curtain airbag even when a prisoner partition is fitted because Holden has adapted the curtain airbag from the ute. A full length curtain airbag is standard on detective Caprice PPV models that typically don't have prisoner modules.
The Caprice PPV boot is only marginally smaller than the Crown Victoria's boot -- but significantly bigger than the Dodge Charger's and the Ford Taurus sedan's (Ford's successor to the Crown Victoria police pack due next year).
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...
Thứ Năm, 22 tháng 3, 2012
MOTORSPORT: Young Moffat in V8 Supercar 'main game'
Two great names of Australian motor racing come together, with Allan Moffat's son James to race for Dick Johnson and as teammate to his son Steven, while Australia is closer to having two F1 drivers
Champion Courtney's old seat goes to another legend's son
It's finally official – two of the great names of Australian touring car g racing, and Ford's motorsport history in this country, have united.
ames
James Moffat, 26, son of the legendary Allan, has been confirmed as a driver in the V8 Supercar Championship this year with equally famous Dick Johnson's Jim Beam Racing.
Moffat Junior replaces reigning V8 Super car games champion James Courtney, who promptly switched to the Toll Holden Racing Team within days of winning the title last December.
It is a complete second-generation driver line-up, with newcomer Moffat joining Johnson's son Steven in the team.
Moffat has arrived in the V8 Supercar "main game via the Fujitsu development series, in which he was a frontrunner. But he's warned not to expect him to repeat Courtney's success in a hurry.
However, Dick Johnson says the new Moffat is in the right place, because "we know how to nurture young drivers".
"I've watched James closely over the last few years and I've been really impressed with how he's developed," Johnson said.
"Not only does he have talent, he's Ford through and through -- which is really important to our fans."
Moffat said: "Obviously I've got some big shoes to fill and I need to be realistic about what I can achieve in my rookie year.
"However, I've got a great car and team to work with, so I'm looking forward to the challenge and can't wait to get started.
"Dick Johnson Racing is arguably the most iconic and one of the most successful teams in the country, so it's a great honour to drive for them.
"Working with Dick and Steven is going to be incredible and I can't wait to make the most of the experience."
Moffat will have his first public run with the team at the V8 Supercar pre-season test at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway tomorrow week (Saturday, January 29). The opening round of V8 Supercar Championship is in Abu Dhabi on February 11-12.
Jim Beam Racing general manager Glenn Turnor said that the Johnson and Moffat names were "iconic" in Australian motorsport.
"Dick and Allan were great competitors. To have their sons driving together for Australia's longest-established racing team will be something really special for fans," Turnor said.
"With Steven by his side and Dick as his mentor we are confident that James will continue to grow as a driver. This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Jim Beam Racing."
Meanwhile, Ford Performance Racing has formally announced Will Davison's return to the Blue Oval fold after two years at HRT – the second of them unhappy and unsuccessful.
While Davison will now be Mark Winterbottom's teammate at FPR, he previously sprung to prominence – and scored his first V8 Supercar victory – with the Johnson team in the seat that Courtney then took over.
A stream of V8 Supercar announcements is anticipated in the week leading into the pre-season test – although it's unlikely there will be an official release about teams having been told they will get $170,000 less per car this year in distributions from V8 Supercars Australia.
Last year the payment was about $850,000 per car.
Meanwhile, 2005 V8 Supercar champion and Paul Morris Motorsport/Supercheap Auto veteran Russell Ingall has declared this a "make or break" season for him. Ingall said he wanted to continue racing next year but it would depend on his performance this season.
"My game plan is to carry on through until the end of 2012 but I'm under no illusion that I have to perform and earn my seat."
Ingall's new teammate is Steve Owen, a development series champion and accomplished Triple Eight Race Engineering/Team Vodafone endurance race co-driver.
The Morris Motorsport cars are built by Triple Eight and Ingall said Owen's experience with that outfit would be an important benefit.
Ricciardo set for F1 start within a year
Another strong pointer this week that Australia might soon have two drivers on the Formula One grid.
Red Bull's motor racing supremo, Austrian Dr Helmut Marko, wants 21-year-old West Australian Daniel Ricciardo racing in F1 by next year "at the latest" -- most probably with Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso.
Unless Mark Webber retires when his contract with world champion team Red Bull Racing ends this year that would mean two Aussies in the field.
Ricciardo will be driving in Friday practice sessions at grands prix this season and Dr Marko hinted that he could race for Toro Rosso at some point this year if either of its two contracted drivers, Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland and Jamie Alguersuari of Spain, don't perform well enough.
In the meantime Ricciardo will do a second season in the World Series by Renault for 3.5-litre Renault-engined open-wheelers. Ricciardo came within two points of winning the World Series title last year, pipped at the final wet race by Russian Mikhail Aleshin.
Instead of continuing with French team Tech 1 this season, Red Bull has switched Ricciardo to Czech team ISR, which won several races last season.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Champion Courtney's old seat goes to another legend's son
It's finally official – two of the great names of Australian touring car g racing, and Ford's motorsport history in this country, have united.
ames
James Moffat, 26, son of the legendary Allan, has been confirmed as a driver in the V8 Supercar Championship this year with equally famous Dick Johnson's Jim Beam Racing.
Moffat Junior replaces reigning V8 Super car games champion James Courtney, who promptly switched to the Toll Holden Racing Team within days of winning the title last December.
It is a complete second-generation driver line-up, with newcomer Moffat joining Johnson's son Steven in the team.
Moffat has arrived in the V8 Supercar "main game via the Fujitsu development series, in which he was a frontrunner. But he's warned not to expect him to repeat Courtney's success in a hurry.
However, Dick Johnson says the new Moffat is in the right place, because "we know how to nurture young drivers".
"I've watched James closely over the last few years and I've been really impressed with how he's developed," Johnson said.
"Not only does he have talent, he's Ford through and through -- which is really important to our fans."
Moffat said: "Obviously I've got some big shoes to fill and I need to be realistic about what I can achieve in my rookie year.
"However, I've got a great car and team to work with, so I'm looking forward to the challenge and can't wait to get started.
"Dick Johnson Racing is arguably the most iconic and one of the most successful teams in the country, so it's a great honour to drive for them.
"Working with Dick and Steven is going to be incredible and I can't wait to make the most of the experience."
Moffat will have his first public run with the team at the V8 Supercar pre-season test at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway tomorrow week (Saturday, January 29). The opening round of V8 Supercar Championship is in Abu Dhabi on February 11-12.
Jim Beam Racing general manager Glenn Turnor said that the Johnson and Moffat names were "iconic" in Australian motorsport.
"Dick and Allan were great competitors. To have their sons driving together for Australia's longest-established racing team will be something really special for fans," Turnor said.
"With Steven by his side and Dick as his mentor we are confident that James will continue to grow as a driver. This is the start of an exciting new chapter for Jim Beam Racing."
Meanwhile, Ford Performance Racing has formally announced Will Davison's return to the Blue Oval fold after two years at HRT – the second of them unhappy and unsuccessful.
While Davison will now be Mark Winterbottom's teammate at FPR, he previously sprung to prominence – and scored his first V8 Supercar victory – with the Johnson team in the seat that Courtney then took over.
A stream of V8 Supercar announcements is anticipated in the week leading into the pre-season test – although it's unlikely there will be an official release about teams having been told they will get $170,000 less per car this year in distributions from V8 Supercars Australia.
Last year the payment was about $850,000 per car.
Meanwhile, 2005 V8 Supercar champion and Paul Morris Motorsport/Supercheap Auto veteran Russell Ingall has declared this a "make or break" season for him. Ingall said he wanted to continue racing next year but it would depend on his performance this season.
"My game plan is to carry on through until the end of 2012 but I'm under no illusion that I have to perform and earn my seat."
Ingall's new teammate is Steve Owen, a development series champion and accomplished Triple Eight Race Engineering/Team Vodafone endurance race co-driver.
The Morris Motorsport cars are built by Triple Eight and Ingall said Owen's experience with that outfit would be an important benefit.
Ricciardo set for F1 start within a year
Another strong pointer this week that Australia might soon have two drivers on the Formula One grid.
Red Bull's motor racing supremo, Austrian Dr Helmut Marko, wants 21-year-old West Australian Daniel Ricciardo racing in F1 by next year "at the latest" -- most probably with Red Bull's second team, Toro Rosso.
Unless Mark Webber retires when his contract with world champion team Red Bull Racing ends this year that would mean two Aussies in the field.
Ricciardo will be driving in Friday practice sessions at grands prix this season and Dr Marko hinted that he could race for Toro Rosso at some point this year if either of its two contracted drivers, Sebastien Buemi of Switzerland and Jamie Alguersuari of Spain, don't perform well enough.
In the meantime Ricciardo will do a second season in the World Series by Renault for 3.5-litre Renault-engined open-wheelers. Ricciardo came within two points of winning the World Series title last year, pipped at the final wet race by Russian Mikhail Aleshin.
Instead of continuing with French team Tech 1 this season, Red Bull has switched Ricciardo to Czech team ISR, which won several races last season.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Minister announces new assistance for auto industry
Federal Government details its $3.4 billion 'New Car Plan for a Greener Future' to bolster the sustainability of local manufacturing
The Federal Government has announced its Automotive Transformation Scheme, aimed at promoting the next generation of automotive technologies but also as a means of ensuring Australian manufacturers get a leg up in the global marketplace.
The $3.4 billion scheme is the centrepiece of the Australian Government's A New Car Plan for a Greener Future, one that Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said will equip one of Australia's most important industries to compete for decades to come.
"The auto industry provides high-wage, high-skill jobs to almost 60,000 Australians. It is a critical part of our broad-based national economy," Senator Carr said.
Throughout the GFC, the Australian industry outperformed competitors across the OECD – sustaining vehicle production worth $5.7 billion in 2009, Senator Carr explained. Today, Australia is one of a small handful of nations with the full capabilities to take a car from drawing-board to show-room floor.
"Now is the time to capitalise on those capabilities," he said. "The Automotive Transformation Scheme will help vehicle and component makers get cleaner and greener products to market.
"Innovation is our great competitive edge – and with the right support, our vehicle and component makers can be world leaders."
Assistance is capped at $1.5 billion for Stage One (2011 to 2015) and $1 billion for Stage Two (2016 to 2020), complemented thereafter by an estimated $847 million in uncapped assistance for the production of vehicles from 2011 to 2017.
Carr said the scheme is governed by rigorous conditions and reporting requirements to ensure taxpayers receive value for money. Participants need to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable business operations, building workforce skills and improving environmental outcomes.
For more information on the Automotive Transportation Scheme, visit www.innovation.gov.au
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
The Federal Government has announced its Automotive Transformation Scheme, aimed at promoting the next generation of automotive technologies but also as a means of ensuring Australian manufacturers get a leg up in the global marketplace.
The $3.4 billion scheme is the centrepiece of the Australian Government's A New Car Plan for a Greener Future, one that Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said will equip one of Australia's most important industries to compete for decades to come.
"The auto industry provides high-wage, high-skill jobs to almost 60,000 Australians. It is a critical part of our broad-based national economy," Senator Carr said.
Throughout the GFC, the Australian industry outperformed competitors across the OECD – sustaining vehicle production worth $5.7 billion in 2009, Senator Carr explained. Today, Australia is one of a small handful of nations with the full capabilities to take a car from drawing-board to show-room floor.
"Now is the time to capitalise on those capabilities," he said. "The Automotive Transformation Scheme will help vehicle and component makers get cleaner and greener products to market.
"Innovation is our great competitive edge – and with the right support, our vehicle and component makers can be world leaders."
Assistance is capped at $1.5 billion for Stage One (2011 to 2015) and $1 billion for Stage Two (2016 to 2020), complemented thereafter by an estimated $847 million in uncapped assistance for the production of vehicles from 2011 to 2017.
Carr said the scheme is governed by rigorous conditions and reporting requirements to ensure taxpayers receive value for money. Participants need to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable business operations, building workforce skills and improving environmental outcomes.
For more information on the Automotive Transportation Scheme, visit www.innovation.gov.au
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
CN Confidential: snakes on a car
Snakes see orange over AMG, Holden dealers spill the beans on an Opel-coloured future and the TAC takes its propoganda to tacky new heights in rural Victoria...
Whether it's from the www, the latest motor show or the back doors of a carmaker near you, Carsales Network Confidential features the good oil other sources either won't publish, don't care about or don't know. Heard an automotive rumour or new model tip? Then let us know - editor@carpoint.com.au
Serpent seduced by 'Jaffa'
It's not every day that you get to witness a snake and a bright orange C 63 Mercedes simultaneously in the wilds of Melbourne.
The two came together at the Midsumma Festival, a lifestyle event held in Birrarung Marr on the Yarra River to celebrate queer culture. Mercedes-Benz had on display 'Jaffa', the orange C 63 Mercedes AMG that was originally unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney three months back.
Apparently one of the visitors to the Festival brought along a pet snake, which was attracted to the high-performance AMG model. The owner of the snake explained to David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications for the prestige importer, that snakes can't see all colours, but orange is one they can see.
McCarthy tells us that a lot of human visitors to the festival objects were drawn to both the reptile and the car -- as the pics show. Benz was there supporting Sircuit Bar in an official sponsorship agreement and McCarthy estimates that "there were at least a thousand people" who checked out the C 63 during the day he was there.
"The sales people ran out of business cards," he told the Carsales Network. The arrival of the snake led to the attendees twittering away to their hearts' delight. McCarthy believes it was a remarkable turn of events that helped promote the brand strongly on the day.
"It was just extraordinary," he said.
In McCarthy's view, car companies are missing out on sales because they don't tailor their marketing to address interest in the automotive industry from the gay and lesbian community.
"There's an assumption," he said, "that gay people are not interested in cars..."
The lustre of Opel
Since the announcement that German GM brand Opel would launch in Australia, there's been plenty of discussion -- but not among Holden dealers and their employees it seems. The word is that Holden has clamped down on its staff discussing the subject of Opel with the media.
That hasn't stopped the media drawing their own conclusions independently of course. There are plenty of opinions among the country's motoring press, so let's offer a few examples to illustrate how Opel's introduction here might pan out.
The first is Volkswagen, which Opel aims to rival with a product range upmarket of Holden's Korean-built imported models. VW has been marketing its range aggressively and is the tenth most popular brand in Australia. It's about 2500 vehicles away from moving up into eighth place -- and with the Amarok joining the range this year (in fact the local launch is next month), Volkswagen's almost a certainty to overtake a couple of Japanese importers.
So if Opel markets itself along the same lines, can it be similarly successful? Some in the media don't think so. It takes a long time to establish a brand and Volkswagen's 'meteoric' rise is one of those overnight success stories 20 years in the making. The importer relaunched its passenger cars in the early 1990s after several years of selling just its commercial vehicle range here. With the rise of the Deutschmark, the volume-selling brand could no longer compete with upcoming Japanese brands throughout the 1980s.
Volkswagen's example could give hope to Opel and its local staff, but it will take Opel a number of years to establish itself here and it won't be able to draw on its long-standing connection with Holden, for obvious reasons.
Renault is a contrary example of just how hard it can be to establish even a well-known name in the country -- and Opel is not 'well-known' other than within the circles of very well informed punters.
With the imminent reintroduction of the Saab brand to Australia, the Swedes are hoping that they can revitalise the brand name with new product, including the company's first SUV, the 9-4X. Opel will likely watch Saab's progress very attentively.
But you know the brand that is possibly the best pointer for whether Opel will succeed? Isuzu Ute...
The manufacturer of the D-MAX and its local import arm arrived here two years ago, during the depths of the GFC, with a fairly conservative sales forecast and nothing in the way of new product. Yet the company has seen slow but steady growth in sales since its local launch. The importer is basically marketing a vehicle that shares its looks and mechanicals with Holden's original RA model Rodeo and most of the underpinnings are found in Holden's Colorado also -- the two vehicles are even built in Thailand by the same company. Isuzu Ute is selling the D-MAX in numbers above the original sales forecast and is proving that a former supplier to Holden can do well on its lonesome.
Perhaps Opel could take a lead from the commercial vehicle distributor.
Despite Holden's directive to staff not to discuss the matter, someone who works in sales at a Holden dealership knows someone else working for the Carsales Network and did agree to provide his anonymous opinion as to how the local launch of the Opel brand might affect Holden in Australia:
Opel cars coming here may not impact too much on sales we think, as the Opel brand will target a more luxury premium market I would say. Holden in Australia targets mainstream buyers... although those buyers want quality vehicles and are also price-conscious and focused.
On hearing Opel was coming I initially thought [there would be] perhaps more opportunities to sell if there were to be joint franchises possible. Colleagues have similar thoughts.
Having stopped the Opel Astra/Vectra [we haven't] really noticed a drop in sales as such -- as they have been replaced by the very popular Korean-built Cruze, which is still selling strongly. Also the Barina and the Captiva are also proving very popular.
Repeat business [from Astra/Vectra owners] is hard to define definitely, but we are seeing owners who have a Barina still trading into the new Barina -- and similarly [there are] the Astra owners trading into a new Cruze.
Not sure that the introduction of Opel will impact greatly with repeat business as we think that price-focused buyers will see the benefits of the Holden brand when comparing to the Opel. Holden's strong branding in Australia will hold it in good stead regardless of the Opel launch.
And when you really think about it they are both GM brands. Upside could be the opportunity to consolidate GM branding with perhaps joint franchises.
Confused signals sent by road safety stunt?
The township of Speed, in Victoria's Mallee region is a willing partner in the latest promotional campaign by the state's principal road safety body, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
In a press release issued a week ago, the TAC announced that it and the small municipality have jointly established a Facebook page, 'Rename Speed', exhorting visitors to the page to click on the 'like' button to register their support. Once the site records 10,000 'likes', the town will change its name from Speed to 'SpeedKills'. In exchange the TAC will donate $10,000 to the local Lions Club.
This week, one of the Melbourne daily papers also published a story concerning one of the town's residents, a certain Phil Down, who was reportedly planning to change his name to 'Phil Slow Down' in sympathy with the road safety message.
Where does one start with this sort of bandwagon campaign? It's almost admirable in itself because it donates to a worthy charity. It gains the attention of media readership well beyond the borders of the township itself, not least of all through the avenue of social media. And by relying on an old established catchphrase ('Speed Kills') the campaign has immediate recognition and penetration within the wider community.
There are many positive elements in the campaign -- if you're a marketing or PR professional.
But...
The TAC is buying the collaboration of the community through a donation that would be hard for any charity to knock back. In other circumstances that's called payola.
There's no reason to think that the campaign is likely to change the behaviour of drivers most at risk either.
One might argue that any effectiveness in the decades-old catchphrase, 'Speed Kills', is possibly eroded by a campaign that seems frivolous on the face of it -- and that's presuming that you even subscribe to the view that 'Speed Kills' offers any value to the community's broader road safety strategy.
The phrase itself is deemed simplistic and fails to address all the causes of road toll fatalities. Speed can certainly be a contributing factor, but it's hardly the only factor in any given crash.
For instance, a report compiled by the Monash University Research Centre estimates that as many as 0.8 per cent of all road fatalities between 1997 and 2004 are actually suicides. 0.8 per cent doesn't sound much, but it's about 11 fatalities a year throughout the country. Each one is someone's daughter or -- more likely statistically -- someone's son. Those are the known statistics, based on crash investigation data that indicated the vehicle was under full control at the time of the impact or the pedestrian stepped out in front of a heavy commercial vehicle fully aware of his or her actions. Little is known as to whether other single-vehicle crashes or pedestrian fatalities might also be suicides. Taking one's own life by car is just one type of road-related fatality that is overlooked in the 'Speed Kills' propaganda.
Perhaps a new series of phrases might be introduced, among them 'suicide kills'. Such a slogan might illustrate to road users just how equally ridiculous is 'Speed Kills'.
And perhaps we could pass the hat around to donate to the TAC. The safety body could then change its name to TACKY.
Whether it's from the www, the latest motor show or the back doors of a carmaker near you, Carsales Network Confidential features the good oil other sources either won't publish, don't care about or don't know. Heard an automotive rumour or new model tip? Then let us know - editor@carpoint.com.au
Serpent seduced by 'Jaffa'
It's not every day that you get to witness a snake and a bright orange C 63 Mercedes simultaneously in the wilds of Melbourne.
The two came together at the Midsumma Festival, a lifestyle event held in Birrarung Marr on the Yarra River to celebrate queer culture. Mercedes-Benz had on display 'Jaffa', the orange C 63 Mercedes AMG that was originally unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney three months back.
Apparently one of the visitors to the Festival brought along a pet snake, which was attracted to the high-performance AMG model. The owner of the snake explained to David McCarthy, Senior Manager Corporate Communications for the prestige importer, that snakes can't see all colours, but orange is one they can see.
McCarthy tells us that a lot of human visitors to the festival objects were drawn to both the reptile and the car -- as the pics show. Benz was there supporting Sircuit Bar in an official sponsorship agreement and McCarthy estimates that "there were at least a thousand people" who checked out the C 63 during the day he was there.
"The sales people ran out of business cards," he told the Carsales Network. The arrival of the snake led to the attendees twittering away to their hearts' delight. McCarthy believes it was a remarkable turn of events that helped promote the brand strongly on the day.
"It was just extraordinary," he said.
In McCarthy's view, car companies are missing out on sales because they don't tailor their marketing to address interest in the automotive industry from the gay and lesbian community.
"There's an assumption," he said, "that gay people are not interested in cars..."
The lustre of Opel
Since the announcement that German GM brand Opel would launch in Australia, there's been plenty of discussion -- but not among Holden dealers and their employees it seems. The word is that Holden has clamped down on its staff discussing the subject of Opel with the media.
That hasn't stopped the media drawing their own conclusions independently of course. There are plenty of opinions among the country's motoring press, so let's offer a few examples to illustrate how Opel's introduction here might pan out.
The first is Volkswagen, which Opel aims to rival with a product range upmarket of Holden's Korean-built imported models. VW has been marketing its range aggressively and is the tenth most popular brand in Australia. It's about 2500 vehicles away from moving up into eighth place -- and with the Amarok joining the range this year (in fact the local launch is next month), Volkswagen's almost a certainty to overtake a couple of Japanese importers.
So if Opel markets itself along the same lines, can it be similarly successful? Some in the media don't think so. It takes a long time to establish a brand and Volkswagen's 'meteoric' rise is one of those overnight success stories 20 years in the making. The importer relaunched its passenger cars in the early 1990s after several years of selling just its commercial vehicle range here. With the rise of the Deutschmark, the volume-selling brand could no longer compete with upcoming Japanese brands throughout the 1980s.
Volkswagen's example could give hope to Opel and its local staff, but it will take Opel a number of years to establish itself here and it won't be able to draw on its long-standing connection with Holden, for obvious reasons.
Renault is a contrary example of just how hard it can be to establish even a well-known name in the country -- and Opel is not 'well-known' other than within the circles of very well informed punters.
With the imminent reintroduction of the Saab brand to Australia, the Swedes are hoping that they can revitalise the brand name with new product, including the company's first SUV, the 9-4X. Opel will likely watch Saab's progress very attentively.
But you know the brand that is possibly the best pointer for whether Opel will succeed? Isuzu Ute...
The manufacturer of the D-MAX and its local import arm arrived here two years ago, during the depths of the GFC, with a fairly conservative sales forecast and nothing in the way of new product. Yet the company has seen slow but steady growth in sales since its local launch. The importer is basically marketing a vehicle that shares its looks and mechanicals with Holden's original RA model Rodeo and most of the underpinnings are found in Holden's Colorado also -- the two vehicles are even built in Thailand by the same company. Isuzu Ute is selling the D-MAX in numbers above the original sales forecast and is proving that a former supplier to Holden can do well on its lonesome.
Perhaps Opel could take a lead from the commercial vehicle distributor.
Despite Holden's directive to staff not to discuss the matter, someone who works in sales at a Holden dealership knows someone else working for the Carsales Network and did agree to provide his anonymous opinion as to how the local launch of the Opel brand might affect Holden in Australia:
Opel cars coming here may not impact too much on sales we think, as the Opel brand will target a more luxury premium market I would say. Holden in Australia targets mainstream buyers... although those buyers want quality vehicles and are also price-conscious and focused.
On hearing Opel was coming I initially thought [there would be] perhaps more opportunities to sell if there were to be joint franchises possible. Colleagues have similar thoughts.
Having stopped the Opel Astra/Vectra [we haven't] really noticed a drop in sales as such -- as they have been replaced by the very popular Korean-built Cruze, which is still selling strongly. Also the Barina and the Captiva are also proving very popular.
Repeat business [from Astra/Vectra owners] is hard to define definitely, but we are seeing owners who have a Barina still trading into the new Barina -- and similarly [there are] the Astra owners trading into a new Cruze.
Not sure that the introduction of Opel will impact greatly with repeat business as we think that price-focused buyers will see the benefits of the Holden brand when comparing to the Opel. Holden's strong branding in Australia will hold it in good stead regardless of the Opel launch.
And when you really think about it they are both GM brands. Upside could be the opportunity to consolidate GM branding with perhaps joint franchises.
Confused signals sent by road safety stunt?
The township of Speed, in Victoria's Mallee region is a willing partner in the latest promotional campaign by the state's principal road safety body, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
In a press release issued a week ago, the TAC announced that it and the small municipality have jointly established a Facebook page, 'Rename Speed', exhorting visitors to the page to click on the 'like' button to register their support. Once the site records 10,000 'likes', the town will change its name from Speed to 'SpeedKills'. In exchange the TAC will donate $10,000 to the local Lions Club.
This week, one of the Melbourne daily papers also published a story concerning one of the town's residents, a certain Phil Down, who was reportedly planning to change his name to 'Phil Slow Down' in sympathy with the road safety message.
Where does one start with this sort of bandwagon campaign? It's almost admirable in itself because it donates to a worthy charity. It gains the attention of media readership well beyond the borders of the township itself, not least of all through the avenue of social media. And by relying on an old established catchphrase ('Speed Kills') the campaign has immediate recognition and penetration within the wider community.
There are many positive elements in the campaign -- if you're a marketing or PR professional.
But...
The TAC is buying the collaboration of the community through a donation that would be hard for any charity to knock back. In other circumstances that's called payola.
There's no reason to think that the campaign is likely to change the behaviour of drivers most at risk either.
One might argue that any effectiveness in the decades-old catchphrase, 'Speed Kills', is possibly eroded by a campaign that seems frivolous on the face of it -- and that's presuming that you even subscribe to the view that 'Speed Kills' offers any value to the community's broader road safety strategy.
The phrase itself is deemed simplistic and fails to address all the causes of road toll fatalities. Speed can certainly be a contributing factor, but it's hardly the only factor in any given crash.
For instance, a report compiled by the Monash University Research Centre estimates that as many as 0.8 per cent of all road fatalities between 1997 and 2004 are actually suicides. 0.8 per cent doesn't sound much, but it's about 11 fatalities a year throughout the country. Each one is someone's daughter or -- more likely statistically -- someone's son. Those are the known statistics, based on crash investigation data that indicated the vehicle was under full control at the time of the impact or the pedestrian stepped out in front of a heavy commercial vehicle fully aware of his or her actions. Little is known as to whether other single-vehicle crashes or pedestrian fatalities might also be suicides. Taking one's own life by car is just one type of road-related fatality that is overlooked in the 'Speed Kills' propaganda.
Perhaps a new series of phrases might be introduced, among them 'suicide kills'. Such a slogan might illustrate to road users just how equally ridiculous is 'Speed Kills'.
And perhaps we could pass the hat around to donate to the TAC. The safety body could then change its name to TACKY.
Car vs bike drift battle
Think drifting is only done on four wheels? Think again...
If you thought that drifting was a sport populated solely by four-wheeled vehicles, you may need to take a seat. The land of the drift king is also becoming popular among motorcyclists, and the video below is a fine example.
Drifting -- the act of spinning the rear wheel(s) while cornering to initiate power oversteer and create loads of tyre smoke in the process -- is not easily done with grace, but Nick 'Apex' Brocha and Jim Guthrie put on an impressive show at the Sandia Motorsports Park in New Mexico, US, vieing head-to-head on track for the first time.
The car in question is a modified Mazda RX-7 powered by a Corvette V8, while the bike is a modified Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, featuring a stretched swing arm for greater control and more 'artistic navigation', as Brocha puts it.
The high speed drift battle doesn't disappoint, with heaps of slow motion sequences as two- and four-wheels battle for dominance in this spectacular motorsport.
If you thought that drifting was a sport populated solely by four-wheeled vehicles, you may need to take a seat. The land of the drift king is also becoming popular among motorcyclists, and the video below is a fine example.
Drifting -- the act of spinning the rear wheel(s) while cornering to initiate power oversteer and create loads of tyre smoke in the process -- is not easily done with grace, but Nick 'Apex' Brocha and Jim Guthrie put on an impressive show at the Sandia Motorsports Park in New Mexico, US, vieing head-to-head on track for the first time.
The car in question is a modified Mazda RX-7 powered by a Corvette V8, while the bike is a modified Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, featuring a stretched swing arm for greater control and more 'artistic navigation', as Brocha puts it.
The high speed drift battle doesn't disappoint, with heaps of slow motion sequences as two- and four-wheels battle for dominance in this spectacular motorsport.
New Ford Territory: model by model
There will be something for everyone when the facelifted Ford Territory arrives in April, with three model grades - TX, TS and Titanium
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While most of the phenomenal growth in the SUV market has come from vehicles in the $25,000 to $40,000 price range, Ford wants to take the new Territory upstream to better compete in the $50,000 to $60,000 bracket when it arrives in showrooms in late April.
The company believes there is a groundswell of customers who've owned Territorys or similar vehicles for years who want to upgrade to new levels of luxury – without leaving the medium-SUV class.
The arrival of a diesel is also likely to lure some buyers from other prestige models, while the richer mix will also help Ford's bottom line.
There will still be a base model Territory, of course, and we're tipping Ford will at least match if not better the current runout pricing of $38,990 drive-away when the new model arrives – because its rivals are selling for several thousand dollars below that amount.
As before there are three models in the new line-up: TX, TS and Titanium (which replaces the Ghia nameplate).
The good news for those on a budget is that the base model Territory doesn't look like a pauper pack. It gets the same projector headlights and wide-mouth grille as the rest of the range, and new sleek tail-lights.
But buyers of the base model Territory TX may be miffed that they miss out on the 8-inch touch screen display that the two other models come with. Instead, the basic Territory makes do with a smaller, 5.8-inch screen that must be operated with the piano-key buttons below it.
This seems an odd oversight for a company that usually has an eye for such detail; a $32,000 Holden Commodore has a touch screen as standard equipment, so why would it not be standard on a $38,000 (or thereabouts) Ford Territory?
There are some other nice touches, though. The Territory gets an all-new dash, and the new steering wheel and instrument display borrowed from the latest Ford Falcon.
But perhaps of more importance is the fact that one of the Territory's consoles now houses a tissue box holder, as the Falcon has done since 2002. Ford designers have made it fit the newer, larger Kleenex tissue box (the box changed a couple of years ago making the Falcon cubbie redundant). So, finally, drivers of the Ford that carries the most number of kids can now give them a wiping, or a swiping.
Ford has not confirmed it, but we believe all three model grades will be available with diesel or petrol engines, in two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Automatic is the only transmission offered.Importantly from a safety viewpoint, all three grades will also get rear park sensors (at least -- rear camera will likely make it to standard kit by launch time) and seven airbags. The trim panel under the new Territory's steering wheel had a 'airbag' badge even in the base model -- well, the cars on display at Ford's unveil anyway...
Based on what we've been told so far, here's how the new line-up compares outside and in:
Ford Territory TX (most affordable model, third image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Black upper grille
Satin finish on lower grille mouth bars
Black skid plates front and rear
Black rear bumper insert
Black fender feature that houses side indicator lamp
17-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
No touch screen (5.8-inch screen uses 'piano-key' buttons)
Black upholstery
Black steering wheel-mounted controls
Satin door handle releases
Ford Territory TS (middle of the range, second image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Satin finish on upper and lower grille mouth bars
Satin skid plate front and rear
Black rear bumper insert
Black fender feature that houses side indicator lamp
Front fog lights with chrome housing
18-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
8-inch touch screen
Black upholstery with suede-look side bolsters
Satin steering wheel-mounted controls
Satin door handle releases
Ford Territory Titanium (top of the range, first image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Chrome finish on upper and lower grille mouth bars
Satin skid plate front and rear
LED daylight running lights with chrome housing
Black rear bumper insert with fake chrome exhaust outlets either side
Body colour fender feature with chrome flash
Side indicators in mirror scalps
Unique 18-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
8-inch touch screen
Leather seats (black or beige)
Satin steering wheel-mounted controls
Chrome door handle releases
Satin and chrome highlights on switchgear
Paint: choose your hues
There is only one non-metallic colour (white). The rest of the selection is:
Lightning Strike (silver)
Chill (silver-gold)
Smoke (dark silver)
Havana (warm mocha)
Seduce (red)
Vanish (blue-black)
Edge (gun-metal grey)
Silhouette (black)
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.
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While most of the phenomenal growth in the SUV market has come from vehicles in the $25,000 to $40,000 price range, Ford wants to take the new Territory upstream to better compete in the $50,000 to $60,000 bracket when it arrives in showrooms in late April.
The company believes there is a groundswell of customers who've owned Territorys or similar vehicles for years who want to upgrade to new levels of luxury – without leaving the medium-SUV class.
The arrival of a diesel is also likely to lure some buyers from other prestige models, while the richer mix will also help Ford's bottom line.
There will still be a base model Territory, of course, and we're tipping Ford will at least match if not better the current runout pricing of $38,990 drive-away when the new model arrives – because its rivals are selling for several thousand dollars below that amount.
As before there are three models in the new line-up: TX, TS and Titanium (which replaces the Ghia nameplate).
The good news for those on a budget is that the base model Territory doesn't look like a pauper pack. It gets the same projector headlights and wide-mouth grille as the rest of the range, and new sleek tail-lights.
But buyers of the base model Territory TX may be miffed that they miss out on the 8-inch touch screen display that the two other models come with. Instead, the basic Territory makes do with a smaller, 5.8-inch screen that must be operated with the piano-key buttons below it.
This seems an odd oversight for a company that usually has an eye for such detail; a $32,000 Holden Commodore has a touch screen as standard equipment, so why would it not be standard on a $38,000 (or thereabouts) Ford Territory?
There are some other nice touches, though. The Territory gets an all-new dash, and the new steering wheel and instrument display borrowed from the latest Ford Falcon.
But perhaps of more importance is the fact that one of the Territory's consoles now houses a tissue box holder, as the Falcon has done since 2002. Ford designers have made it fit the newer, larger Kleenex tissue box (the box changed a couple of years ago making the Falcon cubbie redundant). So, finally, drivers of the Ford that carries the most number of kids can now give them a wiping, or a swiping.
Ford has not confirmed it, but we believe all three model grades will be available with diesel or petrol engines, in two-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Automatic is the only transmission offered.Importantly from a safety viewpoint, all three grades will also get rear park sensors (at least -- rear camera will likely make it to standard kit by launch time) and seven airbags. The trim panel under the new Territory's steering wheel had a 'airbag' badge even in the base model -- well, the cars on display at Ford's unveil anyway...
Based on what we've been told so far, here's how the new line-up compares outside and in:
Ford Territory TX (most affordable model, third image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Black upper grille
Satin finish on lower grille mouth bars
Black skid plates front and rear
Black rear bumper insert
Black fender feature that houses side indicator lamp
17-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
No touch screen (5.8-inch screen uses 'piano-key' buttons)
Black upholstery
Black steering wheel-mounted controls
Satin door handle releases
Ford Territory TS (middle of the range, second image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Satin finish on upper and lower grille mouth bars
Satin skid plate front and rear
Black rear bumper insert
Black fender feature that houses side indicator lamp
Front fog lights with chrome housing
18-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
8-inch touch screen
Black upholstery with suede-look side bolsters
Satin steering wheel-mounted controls
Satin door handle releases
Ford Territory Titanium (top of the range, first image)
How to pick it from the outside:
Chrome finish on upper and lower grille mouth bars
Satin skid plate front and rear
LED daylight running lights with chrome housing
Black rear bumper insert with fake chrome exhaust outlets either side
Body colour fender feature with chrome flash
Side indicators in mirror scalps
Unique 18-inch alloy wheels
How to pick it from the inside:
8-inch touch screen
Leather seats (black or beige)
Satin steering wheel-mounted controls
Chrome door handle releases
Satin and chrome highlights on switchgear
Paint: choose your hues
There is only one non-metallic colour (white). The rest of the selection is:
Lightning Strike (silver)
Chill (silver-gold)
Smoke (dark silver)
Havana (warm mocha)
Seduce (red)
Vanish (blue-black)
Edge (gun-metal grey)
Silhouette (black)
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.
Green Fords safe: Graziano
Ford boss says the government's axing of the Green Car fund will not hurt existing projects
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Ford's four-cylinder Falcon and high-tech LPG powertrain projects are safe despite the axing of the Green Car Innovation Fund by the Federal Government.
Killed off last month as part of a package of measures to help pay for infrastructure reconstruction after Queensland's flood and cyclone disasters, the GCIF was set up to provide tax-payer funded grants to cement local production of more fuel efficient vehicles.
Incoming Ford Australia President Bob Graziano confirmed that funding of his company's existing Falcon based programs was safe. He stated categorically that both the ECOBoost turbocharged four-cylinder Falcon and high-efficiency liquid injection LPG would come to market on time.
Beyond that, however, Graziano would not comment on Ford or the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' communications with the Gillard Government following the program's cancellation.
Mass media has reported that Ford, along with Holden, Toyota and the FCAI have written to government requesting a 'please explain' regarding the GCIF axing. The ABC reported yesterday that as part of the agreement to establish the GCIF, government had requested significant undertakings from the local manufacturers regarding forward investment.
Graziano refused to comment on the content of Ford's communications with government over the GCIF dismantling.
"I don't want to get into the specifics of the letter but we're disappointed with the decision and look forward to having some dialogue with the government," Graziano straight batted.
"Right now the use of the Green Car fund for us is the use of some of the technologies we've talked about today [Territory launch] and my understanding is that remains in place. So near-term we don't see that that is going to change," he said.
Graziano would not confirm whether any investment decisions had been put on hold following the government's announcement. Nor would he comment on whether the changes put the likely arrival of Ford's electric and hybrid variants of new generation Focus and C-Max at risk.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
discount new cars » Get the best price on a new Ford
Ford's four-cylinder Falcon and high-tech LPG powertrain projects are safe despite the axing of the Green Car Innovation Fund by the Federal Government.
Killed off last month as part of a package of measures to help pay for infrastructure reconstruction after Queensland's flood and cyclone disasters, the GCIF was set up to provide tax-payer funded grants to cement local production of more fuel efficient vehicles.
Incoming Ford Australia President Bob Graziano confirmed that funding of his company's existing Falcon based programs was safe. He stated categorically that both the ECOBoost turbocharged four-cylinder Falcon and high-efficiency liquid injection LPG would come to market on time.
Beyond that, however, Graziano would not comment on Ford or the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' communications with the Gillard Government following the program's cancellation.
Mass media has reported that Ford, along with Holden, Toyota and the FCAI have written to government requesting a 'please explain' regarding the GCIF axing. The ABC reported yesterday that as part of the agreement to establish the GCIF, government had requested significant undertakings from the local manufacturers regarding forward investment.
Graziano refused to comment on the content of Ford's communications with government over the GCIF dismantling.
"I don't want to get into the specifics of the letter but we're disappointed with the decision and look forward to having some dialogue with the government," Graziano straight batted.
"Right now the use of the Green Car fund for us is the use of some of the technologies we've talked about today [Territory launch] and my understanding is that remains in place. So near-term we don't see that that is going to change," he said.
Graziano would not confirm whether any investment decisions had been put on hold following the government's announcement. Nor would he comment on whether the changes put the likely arrival of Ford's electric and hybrid variants of new generation Focus and C-Max at risk.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Chủ Nhật, 18 tháng 3, 2012
Why governments shouldn't let go of the Australian car industry
Funding cuts reignite debate about taxpayer support of local car games manufacturing
Comment
Now you see it, now you don't. Chilling before-and-after shots of cyclone and flood damage help illustrate the devastation from natural disasters that have swept our nation in recent weeks. But 60,000 auto workers who live nowhere near the storm-affected areas may also feel in the impact -- several years from now.
In the wake of mother nature's fury the Federal Government moved swiftly -- axing the Green Car Fund without a moment's notice to help pay for the reconstruction of ravaged communities.
There is no doubt the government had to take drastic action in these extraordinary times. But the aftermath of the cyclones and floods nevertheless sent shockwaves to the global headquarters of the three local car makers -- Holden, Ford and Toyota -- who are each about to make critical decisions in the next six months about vehicles they may or may not build here from 2016 onwards.
Some sections of the Australian community were overjoyed by the announcement of funding cuts to an industry they believe is getting fat off the taxpayer -- while the hearts of 60,000 auto workers skipped a beat as they wondered how it would affect them.
Now, after a tumultuous fortnight, the Federal Government has reassured Australian car makers that the worst of its funding cuts are over.
On late Wednesday afternoon last week, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and industry minister, Senator Kim Carr, had a meeting in Canberra with the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar, and Holden boss Mike Devereux, who is also chairman of the FCAI.
The industry executives called for the crisis meeting to seek assurance that no further cuts were imminent after the Gillard Government halted the Green Car Innovation Fund to help pay for disaster-relief efforts.
"In an attempt to recover from a natural disaster there was a risk of creating a man-made disaster," the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries had warned.
After Wednesday's meeting Senator Carr's office issued a statement under the heading "Keeping Our Industry Strong", which said in part:
"The recent floods and other natural disasters across our nation represent an extraordinary and unprecedented set of circumstances. This has required some tough budget cutbacks, including savings in the Federal Government's New Car Plan, so that funds can be redirected into the rebuilding of roads, bridges, rail lines and public facilities in flood ravaged communities.
"But the Government understands the need for certainty and the long lead times for investment in the highly competitive automotive industry. The Prime Minister and Minister Carr have confirmed to the automotive industry that all other parts of the New Car Plan ... will be retained.
"The New Car Plan helped see Australia through the worst economic crisis faced by manufacturing since the Great Depression and the changes will help ensure its future. What we are making is a commitment to all other elements of the New Car Plan."
In 2007 the Federal Government pledged $5.4 billion of financial support to the local car making industry and its suppliers through to 2020 -- and called it the New Car Plan. In 2008 this figure grew to $6.2 billion with the addition of the Green Car Innovation Fund -- and the name changed to New Car Plan for a Greener Future.
The extra GCIF funding, however, was short-lived. It was cut twice in the lead-up to the 2010 Federal election -- $200 million was cut to the supplier base and a further $200 million was cut to vehicle manufacturers. Following the disasters in January, the remaining GCIF funds were frozen -- but funding already pledged was secure.
Holden received $149 million from the GCIF and another $30 million from the South Australian government to go towards its new Cruze small car, which will be made at its Elizabeth factory from next month.
Ford received $42 million from the GCIF and an undisclosed amount from the Victorian Government to go towards a diesel Ford Territory and the four-cylinder Falcon.
Toyota received $35 million from the GCIF and an undisclosed amount from the Victorian government to go towards the hybrid Camry program.
The Victorian government chose not to reveal exact funding figures on these occasions but the amount is well into the millions in both cases.
All this sounds like a vast sum of money -- and it is -- but it is no different to what other governments in other parts of the world do to attract car makers.
Dozens of states in North America offer incentives in the form of lower tax rates or rebates in return for setting up factories. That's why brands such as Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen (among others) have established green-field car-making facilities there. Indeed, one of the reasons the three North American domestic makers (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) have struggled to compete on their home turf is because of the high level of assistance offered to foreign companies to establish car factories -- and create thousands of jobs.
Government assistance is happening on Australia's doorstep, too. The Thailand government has been offering incentives to foreign makers to establish factories there for more than a decade. And guess what? Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Mazda now make cars or utes there in globally significant numbers.
Why is it that other countries want to save or create jobs in the car industry -- but a broad section of Australians don't? Is it because they don't realise the ramifications of not having a car industry?
Clearly most Australians aren't living in fear of losing their jobs. More than 1 million people treated themselves to a new car last year -- the second-best on record -- although 90 per cent of the cars were imported.
Some senior executives in Australia who represent imported car brands question the level of taxpayer assistance offered to our three local carmakers. Some of these executives offer these opinions to journalists off the record, as background, so they can still mingle guilt-free with their friends from local car makers at motor shows.
Others, such as Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers, are happier to put their name to their views. Devers told the Carsales Network last year that Australia should switch its efforts to building more relevant cars -- or become a hub for research and engineering.
By his estimation "Ford would make more money importing cars from Thailand than making them in Australia". He would know. Suzuki is about to join other Japanese brands and establish a car factory there in a couple of years -- thanks to assistance from the Thai government.
Incidentally, the Carsales Network has since been told that Ford Australia contributes 40 per cent of total profit to Ford's Asia-Pacific operations -- and local carmaking is a "significant proportion" of that.
Devers also calculated that $6.2 billion of Australian government funding roughly equates to $100,000 per car industry employee -- if the figure of 60,000 workers spread across the three carmakers and their suppliers is accurate.
"Nobody's really done the sums, have they?" Devers said, suggesting that the government was blinded by "an overriding idealism that we need [a manufacturing] industry".
But spread over the 13 years of the program, the $6.2 billion equates to $7700 per person per year. There's a fair chance the Federal Government will get more than that back from each worker in income tax -- and GST from goods and services they purchase.
What is also conveniently overlooked by detractors is the estimated $16 billion the car industry (that is, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers) will invest as a result of government contributions. That $16 billion does not include wages, incidentally.
In the outline for the GCIF in 2008 the government said: "Manufacturing is the mainstay of families and the lifeblood of communities around the country. We can't have a balanced economy without it -- and we can't have a just society without it either.
"The automotive industry makes a huge contribution -- both direct and indirect -- to Australian output, jobs, exports, innovation and skills. Its latent significance to national security -- as a storehouse of industrial know-how and capability -- is immeasurable."
In 2007-08, the report said, Australia exported $5.6 billion worth of vehicles and vehicle components. That's more than Australia earned from exports of wool, wheat, beef or wine.
The government acknowledged the shift in demand to more economical vehicles. "The world is changing and Australia's automotive industry must change with it. Our choices are simple -- our industry must either adapt to the new environment, or face extinction," the report said bluntly.
"Adaptation will require significant investment in new technologies. [And] we will only get that investment if people believe the industry has a future and are certain of the Australian Government's commitment."
It is interesting to revisit the original GCIF document in the wake of having the rug pulled a fortnight ago. The reality is that the same principles -- and threats -- still apply to the car industry today as they did in 2008.
While the three local carmakers have calmed down now after being reassured there will be no further cuts, they had a tense lead-up to last Wednesday's meeting, especially after the Federal Opposition threatened to make further cuts to car industry funding if it wins power at the next election.
Presumably to make sure the Federal Government's commitment to the car industry remained on public record, the FCAI issuing a statement that said in part:
"It was good to meet with the Prime Minister and have the opportunity to reinforce the commitments the Government had previously made to the industry as well as highlight the need for certainty in the future," FCAI exec McKellar said.
"Public private partnerships underpin the industry in every automotive manufacturing economy and this co-investment has developed an industry that directly employs more than 50,000 people with the capability to design and engineer world-class vehicles for Australia and global markets.
"The vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers can be reassured by the confirmation from the Australian Government that no further policy changes will be made."
The talk of funding cuts struck at a critical time for the three local carmakers because each is vulnerable for a different reason.
In the next six months Ford and Holden will decide what type of cars they will build from 2016 onwards -- and whether or not they will be built here.
Ford Australia built just 45,000 vehicles at its Broadmeadows factory last year -- including fewer than 30,000 Falcons -- and the parent company in Detroit has announced there will be no more one-off vehicles such as the Falcon and Territory for individual countries.
This means that Ford Australia must make a business case to Detroit as to why future Falcon- and Territory-type vehicles should be made in low numbers in Australia, when their equivalent US models will be made more cost-effectively in the hundreds of thousands in North American factories -- and could be imported with a zero tariff under the free trade agreement Australia has with the USA.
In January this year, Holden pledged its intentions to continue making the Commodore locally well into the 2020s -- but it would not be viable without government assistance.
Holden says its factory -- and any car factory for that matter -- must produce at least 100,000 vehicles per year to turn a profit. But last year its Adelaide plant built fewer than 60,000 vehicles.
Holden's parent company General Motors could potentially shift Commodore production to one of its under-utilised plants in North America, or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. Holden already assembles the Caprice in China, while the majority of its small cars come from factories in Korea and Thailand.
Toyota built in excess of 120,000 vehicles (most of which were exported) last year but, despite producing by far the most number of vehicles, it is possibly the most vulnerable of the three local makers. The strong Australian currency has meant that Toyota Australia has been losing money on every Camry it exports.
In the next 12 months Toyota will make a decision on whether or not to build the 2017 Camry in Australia -- or import an identical vehicle from its Thailand factory with a zero tariff because of a free trade agreement Australia has with that country.
All this explains why the FCAI issued the following warning after the GCIF was axed: "The decision to abolish the Green Car Innovation Fund comes as an unwelcome surprise and it sends an adverse signal to international investors responsible for future investment in the Australian industry.
"We urge the Government not to renege on the clear policy framework which it has implemented to secure new investment and jobs in the industry. We urge the Government to re-think this decision.
"The program was originally put in place in response to the 2008 review of the automotive industry, after extensive consultation with the industry and other stakeholders and it is a key element of the Government's New Car Plan."
The boss of Jaguar and Land Rover in Australia, David Blackhall, has a unique perspective on the dilemma facing Australian car manufacturers.
Before he took charge of the prestige brands locally seven years ago, he spent the majority of his automotive career -- more than 22 years -- with Ford Australia and has an intimate understanding of the local car industry. He was also formerly the marketing director of Ford in Taiwan.
As of January 1, he is responsible for Jaguar and Land Rover in the Asia-Pacific region and has just returned from a whistle-stop tour of his new territory. He is also on the FCAI executive committee.
"I think it's a worrying time for the three local manufacturers," he told the Carsales Network.
"[The industry] is in an extreme state of flux right now and there'll be some very important decisions made in the next six to 12 months about where companies place investment bets. That's not good news if you're looking at the big picture in Australia."
Blackhall is concerned that the lack of warning about the axing of the Green Car Fund will spook the global bosses of Ford, General Motors and Toyota.
"The most unnerving thing [about the Federal Government's funding cuts] is the without-warning change," he said.
"What [car] companies need is stability and certainty, to enable them to plan for the future. When you have something in place, you make big investment decisions based on that being in place -- but when that changes overnight, that changes the situation dramatically.
"If you're the boss of a car company sitting in Detroit or Japan and you're looking at the sudden without-warning move the Australian government has made, that does not instill you with confidence about making investment decisions here. [This is] especially [the case] when other governments -- some of them neighbouring countries to Australia -- are bending over backwards to encourage vehicle manufacturing to create jobs in those countries."
Blackhall said a reduction in -- or removal of -- financial support "alters the economic sums significantly".
"I'm not saying Julia Gillard could do anything else in the wake of floods and cyclones but when the policy changes overnight it changes the business case dramatically."
He said one of the biggest hurdles facing the local car industry was non-tariff trade barriers.
"Australia has signed Free Trade Agreements with some of its neighbours, and that's all well and good, but there hasn't been enough attention paid to the non-tariff barriers."
In Thailand, some cars attract a registration fee that is up to 200 per cent of the cost of the car because of the vehicle's engine size -- and Australian cars happen to fall into that category. In Singapore there is a modest import tariff, but the registration fee is equivalent to 100 per cent of the cost of the car.
"Successive Australian governments have talked about the level playing field and Australia's commitment to free trade... But what I've been surprised by in my first few weeks of looking at the Asian markets are the non-tariff barriers in countries such as Korea, Thailand and Malaysia," Blackhall said.
"There can be administrative barriers and bureaucratic processes that frankly are sometimes more difficult to negotiate that even figuring out what the price should be.
"A lot of effort goes into creating the perception of a level playing field by various governments around the region, but there ought to be an opportunity for those governments to sit down together and say ‘hey, are we really serious about this?'.
"I think Australia's attitude has been trying to do the right thing and what's best for world trade. No-one wants to go back to the 1930s when import tariffs were 60 and 70 per cent. But Australia has definitely led the field [in terms of free trade] and there are other countries with more nationalistic views that perhaps aren't coming along quite as easily."
He said a return to higher import tariffs was not the answer in Australia.
"Raising our import tariffs would be the wrong thing to do. Instead, real energy needs to be applied to have dialogue in ASEAN and other forums."
But even with non-tariff barriers removed, would Australian-made cars find wide appeal in our neighbouring countries? Small cars and body-on-frame utilities (such as the Toyota HiLux) dominate Asian-Pacific car sales. Large cars are even out of vogue in North America, as buyers shift to compact vehicles and SUVs.
Thailand is the world's capital for building body-on-frame (workhorse) utilities; they build them better and cheaper than any other country in the world so it is unlikely Australian factories could compete with them.
As Ford and Holden have proved, building small cars in Australia is not viable without government assistance. Ford halted plans to build the new Focus at Broadmeadows at the 11th hour because of a lack of government funding at the time. Holden got the Cruze hatch over the line because of government funding.
The inconvenient truth is that all these factors combine to create a grim outlook for local carmakers -- unless there is taxpayer support.
Basically, Australia needs to decide if it wants a car manufacturing industry -- and get behind it, or get out of the business.
Before you decide, just ask yourself what the 60,000 displaced workers are going to do and who is going to pay for their employment benefits, because there aren't that many research and engineering jobs to go around if the shop shuts on manufacturing.
Indeed, 60,000 jobless people would likely leave a black hole far greater than any cyclone or flood damage. Now you see them, now you don't.
Comment
Now you see it, now you don't. Chilling before-and-after shots of cyclone and flood damage help illustrate the devastation from natural disasters that have swept our nation in recent weeks. But 60,000 auto workers who live nowhere near the storm-affected areas may also feel in the impact -- several years from now.
In the wake of mother nature's fury the Federal Government moved swiftly -- axing the Green Car Fund without a moment's notice to help pay for the reconstruction of ravaged communities.
There is no doubt the government had to take drastic action in these extraordinary times. But the aftermath of the cyclones and floods nevertheless sent shockwaves to the global headquarters of the three local car makers -- Holden, Ford and Toyota -- who are each about to make critical decisions in the next six months about vehicles they may or may not build here from 2016 onwards.
Some sections of the Australian community were overjoyed by the announcement of funding cuts to an industry they believe is getting fat off the taxpayer -- while the hearts of 60,000 auto workers skipped a beat as they wondered how it would affect them.
Now, after a tumultuous fortnight, the Federal Government has reassured Australian car makers that the worst of its funding cuts are over.
On late Wednesday afternoon last week, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and industry minister, Senator Kim Carr, had a meeting in Canberra with the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, Andrew McKellar, and Holden boss Mike Devereux, who is also chairman of the FCAI.
The industry executives called for the crisis meeting to seek assurance that no further cuts were imminent after the Gillard Government halted the Green Car Innovation Fund to help pay for disaster-relief efforts.
"In an attempt to recover from a natural disaster there was a risk of creating a man-made disaster," the chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries had warned.
After Wednesday's meeting Senator Carr's office issued a statement under the heading "Keeping Our Industry Strong", which said in part:
"The recent floods and other natural disasters across our nation represent an extraordinary and unprecedented set of circumstances. This has required some tough budget cutbacks, including savings in the Federal Government's New Car Plan, so that funds can be redirected into the rebuilding of roads, bridges, rail lines and public facilities in flood ravaged communities.
"But the Government understands the need for certainty and the long lead times for investment in the highly competitive automotive industry. The Prime Minister and Minister Carr have confirmed to the automotive industry that all other parts of the New Car Plan ... will be retained.
"The New Car Plan helped see Australia through the worst economic crisis faced by manufacturing since the Great Depression and the changes will help ensure its future. What we are making is a commitment to all other elements of the New Car Plan."
In 2007 the Federal Government pledged $5.4 billion of financial support to the local car making industry and its suppliers through to 2020 -- and called it the New Car Plan. In 2008 this figure grew to $6.2 billion with the addition of the Green Car Innovation Fund -- and the name changed to New Car Plan for a Greener Future.
The extra GCIF funding, however, was short-lived. It was cut twice in the lead-up to the 2010 Federal election -- $200 million was cut to the supplier base and a further $200 million was cut to vehicle manufacturers. Following the disasters in January, the remaining GCIF funds were frozen -- but funding already pledged was secure.
Holden received $149 million from the GCIF and another $30 million from the South Australian government to go towards its new Cruze small car, which will be made at its Elizabeth factory from next month.
Ford received $42 million from the GCIF and an undisclosed amount from the Victorian Government to go towards a diesel Ford Territory and the four-cylinder Falcon.
Toyota received $35 million from the GCIF and an undisclosed amount from the Victorian government to go towards the hybrid Camry program.
The Victorian government chose not to reveal exact funding figures on these occasions but the amount is well into the millions in both cases.
All this sounds like a vast sum of money -- and it is -- but it is no different to what other governments in other parts of the world do to attract car makers.
Dozens of states in North America offer incentives in the form of lower tax rates or rebates in return for setting up factories. That's why brands such as Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen (among others) have established green-field car-making facilities there. Indeed, one of the reasons the three North American domestic makers (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) have struggled to compete on their home turf is because of the high level of assistance offered to foreign companies to establish car factories -- and create thousands of jobs.
Government assistance is happening on Australia's doorstep, too. The Thailand government has been offering incentives to foreign makers to establish factories there for more than a decade. And guess what? Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford and Mazda now make cars or utes there in globally significant numbers.
Why is it that other countries want to save or create jobs in the car industry -- but a broad section of Australians don't? Is it because they don't realise the ramifications of not having a car industry?
Clearly most Australians aren't living in fear of losing their jobs. More than 1 million people treated themselves to a new car last year -- the second-best on record -- although 90 per cent of the cars were imported.
Some senior executives in Australia who represent imported car brands question the level of taxpayer assistance offered to our three local carmakers. Some of these executives offer these opinions to journalists off the record, as background, so they can still mingle guilt-free with their friends from local car makers at motor shows.
Others, such as Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers, are happier to put their name to their views. Devers told the Carsales Network last year that Australia should switch its efforts to building more relevant cars -- or become a hub for research and engineering.
By his estimation "Ford would make more money importing cars from Thailand than making them in Australia". He would know. Suzuki is about to join other Japanese brands and establish a car factory there in a couple of years -- thanks to assistance from the Thai government.
Incidentally, the Carsales Network has since been told that Ford Australia contributes 40 per cent of total profit to Ford's Asia-Pacific operations -- and local carmaking is a "significant proportion" of that.
Devers also calculated that $6.2 billion of Australian government funding roughly equates to $100,000 per car industry employee -- if the figure of 60,000 workers spread across the three carmakers and their suppliers is accurate.
"Nobody's really done the sums, have they?" Devers said, suggesting that the government was blinded by "an overriding idealism that we need [a manufacturing] industry".
But spread over the 13 years of the program, the $6.2 billion equates to $7700 per person per year. There's a fair chance the Federal Government will get more than that back from each worker in income tax -- and GST from goods and services they purchase.
What is also conveniently overlooked by detractors is the estimated $16 billion the car industry (that is, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers) will invest as a result of government contributions. That $16 billion does not include wages, incidentally.
In the outline for the GCIF in 2008 the government said: "Manufacturing is the mainstay of families and the lifeblood of communities around the country. We can't have a balanced economy without it -- and we can't have a just society without it either.
"The automotive industry makes a huge contribution -- both direct and indirect -- to Australian output, jobs, exports, innovation and skills. Its latent significance to national security -- as a storehouse of industrial know-how and capability -- is immeasurable."
In 2007-08, the report said, Australia exported $5.6 billion worth of vehicles and vehicle components. That's more than Australia earned from exports of wool, wheat, beef or wine.
The government acknowledged the shift in demand to more economical vehicles. "The world is changing and Australia's automotive industry must change with it. Our choices are simple -- our industry must either adapt to the new environment, or face extinction," the report said bluntly.
"Adaptation will require significant investment in new technologies. [And] we will only get that investment if people believe the industry has a future and are certain of the Australian Government's commitment."
It is interesting to revisit the original GCIF document in the wake of having the rug pulled a fortnight ago. The reality is that the same principles -- and threats -- still apply to the car industry today as they did in 2008.
While the three local carmakers have calmed down now after being reassured there will be no further cuts, they had a tense lead-up to last Wednesday's meeting, especially after the Federal Opposition threatened to make further cuts to car industry funding if it wins power at the next election.
Presumably to make sure the Federal Government's commitment to the car industry remained on public record, the FCAI issuing a statement that said in part:
"It was good to meet with the Prime Minister and have the opportunity to reinforce the commitments the Government had previously made to the industry as well as highlight the need for certainty in the future," FCAI exec McKellar said.
"Public private partnerships underpin the industry in every automotive manufacturing economy and this co-investment has developed an industry that directly employs more than 50,000 people with the capability to design and engineer world-class vehicles for Australia and global markets.
"The vehicle manufacturers and component suppliers can be reassured by the confirmation from the Australian Government that no further policy changes will be made."
The talk of funding cuts struck at a critical time for the three local carmakers because each is vulnerable for a different reason.
In the next six months Ford and Holden will decide what type of cars they will build from 2016 onwards -- and whether or not they will be built here.
Ford Australia built just 45,000 vehicles at its Broadmeadows factory last year -- including fewer than 30,000 Falcons -- and the parent company in Detroit has announced there will be no more one-off vehicles such as the Falcon and Territory for individual countries.
This means that Ford Australia must make a business case to Detroit as to why future Falcon- and Territory-type vehicles should be made in low numbers in Australia, when their equivalent US models will be made more cost-effectively in the hundreds of thousands in North American factories -- and could be imported with a zero tariff under the free trade agreement Australia has with the USA.
In January this year, Holden pledged its intentions to continue making the Commodore locally well into the 2020s -- but it would not be viable without government assistance.
Holden says its factory -- and any car factory for that matter -- must produce at least 100,000 vehicles per year to turn a profit. But last year its Adelaide plant built fewer than 60,000 vehicles.
Holden's parent company General Motors could potentially shift Commodore production to one of its under-utilised plants in North America, or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. Holden already assembles the Caprice in China, while the majority of its small cars come from factories in Korea and Thailand.
Toyota built in excess of 120,000 vehicles (most of which were exported) last year but, despite producing by far the most number of vehicles, it is possibly the most vulnerable of the three local makers. The strong Australian currency has meant that Toyota Australia has been losing money on every Camry it exports.
In the next 12 months Toyota will make a decision on whether or not to build the 2017 Camry in Australia -- or import an identical vehicle from its Thailand factory with a zero tariff because of a free trade agreement Australia has with that country.
All this explains why the FCAI issued the following warning after the GCIF was axed: "The decision to abolish the Green Car Innovation Fund comes as an unwelcome surprise and it sends an adverse signal to international investors responsible for future investment in the Australian industry.
"We urge the Government not to renege on the clear policy framework which it has implemented to secure new investment and jobs in the industry. We urge the Government to re-think this decision.
"The program was originally put in place in response to the 2008 review of the automotive industry, after extensive consultation with the industry and other stakeholders and it is a key element of the Government's New Car Plan."
The boss of Jaguar and Land Rover in Australia, David Blackhall, has a unique perspective on the dilemma facing Australian car manufacturers.
Before he took charge of the prestige brands locally seven years ago, he spent the majority of his automotive career -- more than 22 years -- with Ford Australia and has an intimate understanding of the local car industry. He was also formerly the marketing director of Ford in Taiwan.
As of January 1, he is responsible for Jaguar and Land Rover in the Asia-Pacific region and has just returned from a whistle-stop tour of his new territory. He is also on the FCAI executive committee.
"I think it's a worrying time for the three local manufacturers," he told the Carsales Network.
"[The industry] is in an extreme state of flux right now and there'll be some very important decisions made in the next six to 12 months about where companies place investment bets. That's not good news if you're looking at the big picture in Australia."
Blackhall is concerned that the lack of warning about the axing of the Green Car Fund will spook the global bosses of Ford, General Motors and Toyota.
"The most unnerving thing [about the Federal Government's funding cuts] is the without-warning change," he said.
"What [car] companies need is stability and certainty, to enable them to plan for the future. When you have something in place, you make big investment decisions based on that being in place -- but when that changes overnight, that changes the situation dramatically.
"If you're the boss of a car company sitting in Detroit or Japan and you're looking at the sudden without-warning move the Australian government has made, that does not instill you with confidence about making investment decisions here. [This is] especially [the case] when other governments -- some of them neighbouring countries to Australia -- are bending over backwards to encourage vehicle manufacturing to create jobs in those countries."
Blackhall said a reduction in -- or removal of -- financial support "alters the economic sums significantly".
"I'm not saying Julia Gillard could do anything else in the wake of floods and cyclones but when the policy changes overnight it changes the business case dramatically."
He said one of the biggest hurdles facing the local car industry was non-tariff trade barriers.
"Australia has signed Free Trade Agreements with some of its neighbours, and that's all well and good, but there hasn't been enough attention paid to the non-tariff barriers."
In Thailand, some cars attract a registration fee that is up to 200 per cent of the cost of the car because of the vehicle's engine size -- and Australian cars happen to fall into that category. In Singapore there is a modest import tariff, but the registration fee is equivalent to 100 per cent of the cost of the car.
"Successive Australian governments have talked about the level playing field and Australia's commitment to free trade... But what I've been surprised by in my first few weeks of looking at the Asian markets are the non-tariff barriers in countries such as Korea, Thailand and Malaysia," Blackhall said.
"There can be administrative barriers and bureaucratic processes that frankly are sometimes more difficult to negotiate that even figuring out what the price should be.
"A lot of effort goes into creating the perception of a level playing field by various governments around the region, but there ought to be an opportunity for those governments to sit down together and say ‘hey, are we really serious about this?'.
"I think Australia's attitude has been trying to do the right thing and what's best for world trade. No-one wants to go back to the 1930s when import tariffs were 60 and 70 per cent. But Australia has definitely led the field [in terms of free trade] and there are other countries with more nationalistic views that perhaps aren't coming along quite as easily."
He said a return to higher import tariffs was not the answer in Australia.
"Raising our import tariffs would be the wrong thing to do. Instead, real energy needs to be applied to have dialogue in ASEAN and other forums."
But even with non-tariff barriers removed, would Australian-made cars find wide appeal in our neighbouring countries? Small cars and body-on-frame utilities (such as the Toyota HiLux) dominate Asian-Pacific car sales. Large cars are even out of vogue in North America, as buyers shift to compact vehicles and SUVs.
Thailand is the world's capital for building body-on-frame (workhorse) utilities; they build them better and cheaper than any other country in the world so it is unlikely Australian factories could compete with them.
As Ford and Holden have proved, building small cars in Australia is not viable without government assistance. Ford halted plans to build the new Focus at Broadmeadows at the 11th hour because of a lack of government funding at the time. Holden got the Cruze hatch over the line because of government funding.
The inconvenient truth is that all these factors combine to create a grim outlook for local carmakers -- unless there is taxpayer support.
Basically, Australia needs to decide if it wants a car manufacturing industry -- and get behind it, or get out of the business.
Before you decide, just ask yourself what the 60,000 displaced workers are going to do and who is going to pay for their employment benefits, because there aren't that many research and engineering jobs to go around if the shop shuts on manufacturing.
Indeed, 60,000 jobless people would likely leave a black hole far greater than any cyclone or flood damage. Now you see them, now you don't.
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