Articles by Bryan Littlely

Former Adelaide-based Futuris Automotive manufacturing manager Matthew Newey, who has 17 years' experience in the automotive industry, will start in the role of chief operating officer next month.His job is to deliver up to 5000 vehicles - three models - in the manufacturer's first full year of operation and build a northern suburbs based factory's output to 30,000 a year.Under the ambitious plan, Ethan Automotive is "moving quickly" to develop a program and have an Australian-built sedan, SUV and coupe on the market by mid-2018.The big challenge of course is Ethan's new passenger car program"The big challenge of course is Ethan's new passenger car program, an SUV, sedan and coupe from a common platform launched in 2018," Mr Newey said."The timing is extremely tight and will require full support from all stakeholders."The Ethan Automotive plant, to be built in Edinburgh Park, would employ up to 400 people and support an additional 500 jobs at partnership component makers.Mr Newey has worked on engineering projects at Toyota, Land Rover, Jaguar and Chery Motors.While working for Futuris Automotive in the US, he helped create a partnership with Tesla Motors to design and build a model that integrated first tier supplier operations within the Tesla facility.

A little burble from the exhaust system, go-kart-like handling, the wind in your hair and a clean set of heels at the lights... that is what many office-bound men and women live for.

Racing across our TV screens over the past 60 years have been some automotive gems, some motoring mishaps, dream cars and machines highly likely to never become reality. From the Flintstone's foot-powered family car to the Batmobile, the great Herbie the Love Bug and Inspector Morse's Mark II Jaguar, there's always been a car for all ages on our small screens. Mork and Mindy got around in a Moke, David Hasselhoff had a car named KITT which, even before his 20 year battle with the booze clouded his mind, was smarter than the driver. The spectacularly equipped for its time Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is now one of the most expensive film cars, and Ted Bullpit's life centered around his car in Kingswood Country. Of course, there's no way we can forget the muscle machines young lads would race home from school to switch the box on for: The Duke boys' General Lee; Starsky and Hutch's viper red Ford Gran Torino; the GMC Van Mr T belted around in for the A-Team and the animated Speed Racer's Mach 5. While various original cars used in filming of TV shows are nursed in cotton-wool in studio museums around the world or hidden away in private collections, for some auto stars there are plenty of replicas which continue to carry the torch for these hero cars. Ford built about 1000 'Starsky and Hutch' Gran Torinos in 1976 because of the popularity of the show. There is one for sale in Ireland for 15,000 pounds ($26,500).  Want an A-Team GMC/Chevy Van replica  fitted with a LCD TV and DVD player ideal to watch re-runs of the series? That will set you back about 25,000 pounds ($44,180). A 1970 Dodge Charger General Lee is for sale in the UK for 35,000 euro($51,016).  In 2002, 100 Speed Racer Mach 5 replicas were made. Based on a Corvette platform and street legal (minus the retractable saw blades featured on the prototype), they sold for between $72,500 and $125,000. A recreation of the 1966 Batmobile  signed by nearly every cast member of that era  sold last year for $US165,000 ($201,000). The successful buyer also got a dinner date with Batgirl from the time, Yvonne Craig.  The aviation car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, from the 1968 movie staring Dick Van Dyke, had a $10 million price tag on it when it went to auction in 2007... but, just like the magical car it was, news of whether it reached its price target or not seems to have disappeared.The General Lee (Dukes of Hazard)1970 Dodge Charger - approx $51,000.Herbie the Love Bug (Herbie)1963 Volkswagen Beetle - approx $1900Batmobile (Batman)1966 creation - replica $US165,000Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 1968 Movie"Magical car'' based on aero-engined racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s - $10 million Ted Bullpit's Kingswood (Kingswood Country)1976 HJ Holden Kingswood - approx $1500(carpeted ashtray and polished dipstick may cost more)Mach 5 (Speed Racer)Animated reality on Corvette platform - approx $100,000A-Team GMC Van (The A-Team)Replica - approx $44,180.Starsky and Hutch Gran Torinos (Starsky and Hutch)One of 1000 built by Ford - approx $26,500.

Just a brief look into any junior sports club shows fewer people now do more to keep such clubs and teams afloat.

There might well be a great deal of laughter when I suggest Skoda has thrown down a challenge to the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi. They should fear a little the return of Skoda to Australian shores.Certainly, Skoda earned a second-rate reputation when it was last here in the 1980s, but times have changed with this brand as it begins to make a new mark Down Under. Skoda offers what those prestige brands cannot - high standard at a competitive price.Luxury at a reduced rate, that's a key to Skoda's success.And the oil-burning Octavia wagon ought be smack bang at the top of the-cars-to-consider list for those with a budget in mind but a big appetite for features. First, the two-litre turbodiesel, four-cylinder engine - which produces 103kW of power and 320Nm of torque - uses just 6.4 litres of diesel every 100km.It does sound a little agricultural, but there's plenty to like about the seat-slinging kick of this engine and its want to just keep on pulling. The automatic DSG gearbox - my favourite transmission, supplied from Volkswagen - is proof that the parent company has not brushed aside the Czech-based carmaker.While I cringe at the cheap looking Pontiac-like grilles and front ends of the Skoda, this wagon, overall, does not look too bad.The Octavia TDi touring, at $37,790, is a solid and honest wagon, with ample Euro flare and enough class that it is worthy of being a ‘budget' buy for those wanting to keep up with the Joneses.While it is no BMW, Mercedes or Audi, and for some it won't compare with the French and Italian offerings in the segment, Skoda Octavia will have appeal based on price.  

However, the lasting impression of the RS is that it has not taken the Impreza performance into any new territory.

What's wrong with the compliment: “Nice car, mate”? I know too well that the youth of today would be acutely unaware of such delights as the music of Dire Straits, ice-cold Snips and the Dodge brand of motor car, the latter resurfacing in Australia last year after an absence of more than 30 years.I know that beanies have evolved to be more than apparel to keep your head warm, that it is “cool” to have your jeans five sizes too big, and bling is for boys as much as it is for girls.But am I expected to be so up with the times, so down with it, to appreciate the comment thrown to me from some young homeboys while I cruised Adelaide in a new Dodge Nitro?“PHAT . . . that car is fully phat, mate . . . sick.”It was followed by a mix of phrases from the wanna-be, pale-looking rappers, which included various combinations of the words; “fully-sick,” “smoke it up,” and “filth.”While there was little chance of actually “smokin up” the 2.8-litre, common-rail-diesel, five-speed auto medium SUV, I did think the term “PHAT” suited the robust truck. Its flat-faced, crosshair grille-endowed nose says you mean business, and the square body sitting on 20-inch alloy wheels gives drivers and occupants a sense of presence.But the rappers clearly were only appreciative of the look and knew little about the Nitro's performance and the points the Chrysler Group believes will help drive the Dodge brand forward with gusto.Aesthetics of the Nitro appreciated by the cool set, I was somewhat surprised when a man of the cloth, a very car-clued Barossa minister, later stopped me in the street to discuss its performance values.He was particularly keen on the towing capacity and tow ball weight limit of the diesel Nitro. A quick check of the specifications confirmed it to be 2270kg, (braked towing capacity) and adequate for his caravan towing needs.The soft-roader will make a big impression on the city streets, there is no mistaking it for anything other than a Dodge.It feels good on the road and is surprisingly more nimble than its imposing body suggests. Particularly impressive is its performance on dirt roads, although the eagerness of the ESP to kick in is a little annoying.A sliding Load and Go boot top is practical, as is the hard plastic underfloor rear cargo bin.The Nitro is nothing outstanding on the road, but it is a genuine, solid vehicle with its greatest asset being its distinctive looks. 

With only weeks before Holden pulls the covers off its VE ute the internet is buzzing with speculation about just how the tradesman's sports car will look. And it doesn't stop there. One particularly clever blogger with time and talent to burn on a computer graphics program has come up with a range of possible VE models that may not be too far off the mark.Now circulating via email, the blogger's series of pictures reveal a new Monaro, hatch-back Commodore, utes, a sporty wagon and Crewman.The computer generated images are not pinched from a secret file in the heart of the Holden design centre, but rather morphed out of official Holden press photographs from the launch of the VE Commodore last year. The images take plenty of licence with Holden's corporate design language but have enough reality to them to raise an eyebrow or two.The Holden aficionado site LS1 has been running hot with comment on the CGI models, with most web chat centred around the proposed Monaro comeback styling and the sleek-looking sportswagon.Reaction has been split about the look of the cars but the overall impression is that any Monaro would be a good Monaro and that the wagon should come with the mystery designer's low-riding sporty styling.“Ooo, I like the wagon,” says LS1 poster belz-V8, while dazz5.7 takes the view: “Not much cargo area in the back of the wagon! Needs to be strrreeettccchhhed.”The General “killed off” Monaro as a model with a much publicised auction of the last VZ car, but Holden management was evasive enough at the time to leave open the possibility of some type of future Monaro.Holden will officially reveal its new ute, based on the VE Commodore, on August 22.It is unlikely that the real-world ute will have the apparently-truncated load area evident in these artist's impressions.It is also expected that as well as the standard ute shape, Holden will add the twin-cab Crewman to the line-up. And it is probable that a commercial range of one-tonne derivatives will also be on the market by next year.While there has been no confirmation of a wagon model in the VE line-up, it has been a key player in Holden fleet sales in previous Commodores and speculation is running high that one will join the VE family early next year.“With only a matter of weeks until the VE ute is officially revealed, it's very encouraging that there is already so much excitement ahead of its launch,” says Holden South Australia corporate affairs manager Andrea Matthews.“There's certainly been a great deal of speculation about what it might look like, and all will be revealed soon enough.”While Holden VE ute production is taking place at the Elizabeth plant, the only images of the new machine to emerge have been of heavily disguised vehicles.“Beyond the ute, Holden has not confirmed any other VE derivatives,” Matthews says. 

Nothing is perfect. That is a point fairly easily ascertained here at CARSguide; no matter how good a car looks, how well it performs, it is never perfect.But learning last week that car makers are allowed not to be perfect when it comes to the accuracy of a car's speedo, came as a bit of a shock.Under Australian Design Rules, vehicle speedos are allowed to be up to 4km/h out in their accuracy.South Australian police are warning that they will soon drop the tolerance level for speeding offences captured by fixed cameras. This is a heavy blow to motorists who largely are doing the right thing and driving at the speed limit, to the best of their ability.The average driver, unlike a racer, does not have a good concept of how fast they are travelling and relies on the accuracy of their speedo to keep them out of the costly eye of speed cameras.Now we're being told that speed tolerances could be dropped to as low as 5km/h over the limit, while at the same time our speedos, by law, are allowed to be 4km/h out of whack.Other contributing factors includes uncertainties such as the angle at which individuals view a speedo needle and throttle control, which can add a couple more kilometres an hour of indiscretion to your speed without you knowing. In short, we'd better all drive at 5km/h under the speed limit to be sure not to be diving into our wallets, or worse, catching a bus to work when we've seen all our driver's licence points evaporate.For the police to tighten speed tolerances within the region of uncertainty is rude. It also has the potential to be quite unproductive on a road system already choking with congestion. Police say the move is not based on revenue raising, but money-conscious motorists will eventually get the idea and drive slower than what the law states they can.That means a slower-moving mass of traffic, longer on the road and quite likely, more frustrated drivers who will be willing to take silly risks. It is likely to also lead to a spike in road-rage offences as irate motorists question why the car in front is travelling at only 55km/h rather than the signposted 60km/h speed limit.Have patience, fellow motorists. Those slower drivers will just be trying to save money as you, too, would hope to do. A couple of hundred dollars for a speeding fine is never a welcome thing.Tolerance is needed - and if the police won't give it to motorists, we should consider having some for each other when on the road. 

With a surname like mine, it's not surprising that it's the smaller things I take most notice of. The new Audi TT Roadster is definitely a compact little package despite being bigger than its predecessor.Its clean, crisp and purposeful lines are pleasing to the eye and give it bigger status on the road than first impressions suggest.The V6 version, $92,900 as tested, also exudes a bigger growl of an exhaust tune than you would expect from this punchy all-wheel-drive packet.The 3.2-litre-capacity engine delivers a healthy 184kW of power, coupled with Audi's S Tronic transmission, which has two clutches and pre-selects the next upward gear providing performance levels that are far from diminutive. The baby two-litre four-cylinder turbo version drives only the front wheels and delivers 147kW of power.So, just what were the little things about the TT that got my attention? The time it took to close the rag-top roof, the efficiency of the seat heaters, the retractable cabin wind blocker, the magnetic ride control and the retractable rear wing.Audi too, when developing the TT Roadster, certainly knew that little things count. A roof which closes in 12 seconds might seem like a little thing, not so in the fickle weather we've had in Adelaide of late.With few chances to enjoy some open-top driving last week, having the ability to confidently close the roof during a traffic light stop as rain approached became a big 'little' thing.The efficiency of the seat heaters was more a case of small things amusing small minds (yep, I'm a bit of a big kid at heart). A touch of the button on the passenger seat controls soon got the desired result, with my vertically challenged female passenger complaining she felt flushed, before asking “has this thing got seat heaters?”The retractable wind block directly behind the seats is a practical small thing, while the retractable rear wing, to aid stability at higher speeds makes a statement. Optional Magnetic Ride Control, which allows the suspension to be stiffened at the press of a button, provides more than a subtle change in the suspension and offers sportier characteristics when selected.The TT is equipped with class-leading technology. The newest generation of Audi Space Frame combines both aluminium and steel to achieve lighter weight (1295kg) and better weight distribution for better driving dynamics. Audi's S-tronic gearbox offers the performance of a manual transmission with the convenience of an automatic, and shifts faster than any driver could at 0.2 seconds per shift . However, paddle shifts behind the steering wheel provide the driver the opportunity to do it themselves if they so please. There's nothing small about the TT's long list of standard luxurious and sporty features. Standard equipment includes leather and Alcantara-covered sport seats, automatic climate control, electromechanical power steering, Audi Concert audio system with in-dash CD changer, 17in alloy wheels, keyless entry with alarm, cruise control and leather-wrapped flat-bottom sport steering wheel.In short, the Audi TT Roadster is full of little things to make it a whole lot of fun.