Articles by CarsGuide team

Administrators struggle to revive a key parts maker that abruptly stopped production. About 1800 workers at the car company's Broadmeadows and Geelong plants are facing a down day, which will result in Ford paying them 50 per cent of their wages that can then be topped up with annual leave. It could take until Wednesday before Ford's Australian car-making operations are up and running as parts maker CMI Industrial's Melbourne factory remains shut over debt problems. A Ford spokeswoman says workers face another down day on Tuesday and CMI may not be ready to start supplying parts for Ford until Wednesday. "Obviously the whole process needs a bit of time to happen before we can start our production line again," spokeswoman Sinead Phipps said. Read full story:  www.skynews.com.au

The tyre manufacturer says the arrangement is re-affirming its commitment to the environment. Working with the eco-motoring organisation Greenfleet, it sees a native tree planted for every Ecowing tyre sold in Australia on behalf of Kumho in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. Kumho and Greenfleet launched the promotion with a tree planting in Melbourne by Kumho ambassador Grant Hackett and Greenfleet CEO Sara Gipton. The Ecowing range has proven to be environmentally friendly due to its fuel saving properties, low rolling resistance and use of an environmentally friendly compound rather than a petroleum-based one. Greenfleet has planted more than 7.5 million native trees around Australia since 1997 in their aim to avoid, reduce and offset carbon emissions.  

The Altima - unveiled at the recent New York Motor Show - has already hasd success overseas."The new Altima is already the second most successful passenger sedan in the USA with sales of more than 20,000 per month," said Nissan Australia CEO Bill Peffer."Its appearance in Australia will be a strategic boost to our ever improving passenger car line up and will offer a compelling alternative to the familiar products in this segment. Altima will also raise the bar in motorsport as Nissan's entry in the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship where it will introduce modern generation sedan styling and technology."Nissan Australia executives were joined in New York by Kelly Racing co-owner and driver Rick Kelly and CEO John Crennan, for a closer look at Altima as the team prepares to build the factory entry into the V8 Supercars Championship from 2013.The new Altima is said to offer numerous segment defining attributes that enhance the ownership experience and provide extra value. It's aiming for best-in-segment fuel economy with a 2.5-litre petrol engine.Altima has an upscale interior rivaling premium luxury sedans, including NASA-inspired "zero-gravity" seats, an Advanced Drive-Assist Display and BOSE premium audio system. Standard Bluetooth hands-free phone system and streaming is included.Next-generation Safety Shield Technologies, including Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Moving Object Detection (MOD) systems Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) will be available. 

Opel Australia has confirmed the three-door sports turbo compact will be completing the launch line-up. It will run possibly a 1.4 or 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine the former with around 100kW, the latter with 132kW and six speed manual only. Following its world premiere at the 64th International Motor Show in Frankfurt last year, the Astra GTC presents an ultra-sporty and stylish model to Australia, joining the exciting launch range comprising the Astra Hatch and Tourer, Corsa 3 and 5 door, and Insignia Sedan and Tourer. The Astra GTC will be the "hero" of the range. According to Opel, GTC designers wanted the car to be the ultimate expression of Opel's design language `sculptural artistry meets German precision'. The new Astra GTC stands out with sharp design and driving capabilities. On the outside, sculpted shapes with precise accents add drama to clean, sweeping coupe lines. And on the road, all Astra GTC versions benefit from a premium front axle layout with HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut) that combines with the clever Opel patented Watt's link rear axle to provide stability and the sharpest driving precision. Few sporty cars in the segment offer such a sophisticated front axle architecture.  

Due to the success of the limited-edition Volvo S60 Polestar launched late last year, Volvo Car Australia is making Polestar tuning software available across a range of its R-Design vehicles. From April, all T6 R-Design variants, the C30 T5 R-Design and the XC60 D5 R-Design will be optimised with Polestar's unique engine management software which gives significant power and torque upgrades. By increasing turbo pressure and recalibrating the engine management system, Volvo's racing and performance partner Polestar has released extra power, boosting the T6 engine to 242kW at 5400-6500rpm (up from 224kW on the standard T6) and the torque to 480Nm (up from 440Nm) at 3000-3600rpm.  

Mazda has announced the production of the new generation 2014 Mazda 6, whose design elements will be strongly influenced by the Takeri concept car that's been kicking around for a few years now.

Whereis Maps has staged the first Beyond Maps Forum, bringing together international leaders from the navigation, automotive and connectivity industries to discuss trends and introduce new technologies to enhance our connected world. Using the Forum as a platform, Fred Curtis, General Manager, Location and Navigation, Sensis announced that they are working with US-based Media Tuners, to create Sensis Aggregation Services Initiative (SASi).  SASi is a voice-activated solution that accesses multiple cloud-based data feeds, to allow drivers to find and share information on location, weather, social media channels, live traffic services and Yellow Pages Search points of interest.  "We know Australian consumers want connected, personalised services to ultimately make driving easier and safer. SASi is about simplifying the way consumers search for, and engage with, relevant, quality content, and the voice-activation means it's as easy as having a conversation to arrange plans on the go. Available to car manufacturers for tailored vehicle installation, SASi will allow drivers to use the device simply by speaking to it, sourcing all the information they need to connect with the world around them.  Integrating Whereis Maps extensive map database and all of Sensis' points of interest information, the B2B technology will be available over the coming months.

Without them, electric cars aren't viable.They need a range of at least 300km, curently it stands at 150km - best case scenario. There's hope.A project led by advanced UK battery manufacturer Axeon and co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board has been successful in developing a new battery for use in electric cars that offers over a 35 per cent improvement in range compared to existing technologies, for the same weight.In 2009, the Technology Strategy Board awarded over 680,000 of funding to the consortium led by Axeon (bringing the total project funding to over 1.3m), with the aim of developing an innovative high energy/density battery system for an emission-free electric vehicle.The battery uses Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) electrochemistry which theoretically requires 50 per cent less volume and 30 per cent less mass when compared to Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry.The project included subjecting the battery to automotive environmental validation testing and the learning from this has been incorporated into the final design to ensure a robust solution.Axeon and its partners, Ricardo and Allied Vehicles, have now delivered an advanced demonstrator that has been deployed into a test vehicle, increasing its range, functionality and performance. 

The "Vie della Moda" badge, inspired by the most famous street sign in the world's glamour capital of Milan, identifies the most elegant Vespa of all.  Emblazoned on the shield back plate, it instantly highlights the uniqueness of this alluring model. Powered by an ultra-modern and powerful 300cc liquid cooled 4-stroke 4 valve engine with electronic injection and Euro3 compliant  the Vespa GTV "Vie della Moda" offers unrivalled flexibility and responsiveness thanks to the use of fuel injection, which also significantly curbs fuel consumption and both gas and sound emissions.  The headlight mounted on the front mudguard of the GTV is a clear reference to the origins of the Vespa. And so is the handlebar, the simple exposed metal tube of the earliest Vespas that now reappears on the Vespa GTV "Vie della Moda", and echoes the trend seen in today's motorcycles.  The two-seat saddle in eco-leather is elegant and comfortable, and as on the original Vespas, is split into two separate elements, while the precision crafted piping emphasises its silhouette.  The particular colouring of the saddle is realised with elegant covering colour-coded with the vehicle in the refined "Marrone Etna", the exclusive colour of the Vespa GTV "Vie della Moda".  The chrome finished, five spoke wheels further enhance one of the most elegant Vespas of all times. The Vespa GTV "Vie della Moda" goes on sale in August, but numbes are limited. The price will be announced closer to date.  

The winner of the Norton DJR $15,000 Car Cover Competition was Fiona Marcon of Darraweit Guim who wrote: "My husband Wayne is a fanatical Ford fan and to have a GTHO in the garage would see all his dreams come true.  For Wayne to win this competition would be the next best thing." The runners up are: NSW - CHRIS MULHOLLAND of PICNIC POINT VIC - M.S.Streeter of Melbourne QLD - Mark Lewis of Brisbane ACT - roy of canberra SA - Will of Adelaide Posted on 09 March 2012 5:07pm WA - Adrian Peter Hudman of Mt Nasura WA TAS - Samanthia LeFevre of St Helens Tasmania DJR will be in touch with Fiona and Wayne, and with our state winners as well.