Articles by CarsGuide team

The Opel RAK-e concept is a space-oddity electric vehicle in which two people sit in tandem, motorbike style. And while it does have four wheels rather than two, there’s a distinct motorcycle flavour to the ducktailed rear – which leaves us wondering what the boot capacity it like. While the concept is unlikely to make it into production in this form, Opel has hinted it could lead to a future vehicle, obviously with the ‘yoof’ market in mind, and that there could be a cheapie version in the pipeline when it does appear. The RAK-e concept at Frankfurt is battery driven, with a range of 100km and a top speed of 120km/h. However at this stage there's no further detail on how it is powered and to which wheels. The official unveiling will possibly reveal that the axles -- or even each of the wheels -- have individual electric motors driving them. The 'Rak' name salutes a series of Opel rocket-powered vehicles from the 1920s, one of which – the RAK 2 with 24 solid-fuel rockets propelling it – hit an astonishing speed of 230km/h in 1928. The RAK series was intended to grab publicity and was never put into production. Probably to everybody’s great relief.

The car will go head-to-head with small vehicles from its General Motors stablemate brand, Holden.And it comes armed with the Astra nameplate that Holden has helped cement in Australia. The pretty Astra coupe will arrive here by mid-2012 and also aims to give the Volkswagen Golf GTI a kick in the small performance stakes. The GTC will come in with either a 1.4-litre (also used on the Cruze) or 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. These engines deliver respectively 5.9 and 7.0 litres/100km. Opel is yet to confirm exact specifications for Australia, though the range is expected to be the Astra GTC, Insignia and Corsa.

The market is moving to Kia. The Korean brand that made its name on small cheap cars is now set to challenge the premium brands. The family-faced Kia Picanto and three-door Rio unveiled at Frankfurt motor show are set to rocket into the European small car segment.The little car is expected to make a huge dent in the market normally held by Ford, Peugeot, Citroen and Volkswagen. The Picanto at Frankfurt comes in five and three door models with a choice of engines ranging from a 1-litre three-cylinder petrol to a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol and a new 1.1-litre three-cylinder diesel that sips 3.4 litres/100km and gets CO2 emissions down to 85 grams/kilometre. The Picanto isn’t officially confirmed for Australia. Yet. But sources say it is in demand and could be here by mid-2012. The Picanto shares the same lines of the bigger Rio and is built on a similar platform as the Hyundai i10. The three-door Rio unveiled at the show -- and set to arrive next year -- is a sportier take on the five-door car that has recently launched here in Australia. The three-door is expected to restore the $14,990 entry level for the Rio range, which was shifted up to $16,290 with the five-door. The three-door and five-door share similar dimensions and underpinnings, and the carry-over factor will extend to the engines: a1.6-litre petrol engine with direct fuel injection and variable-valve system to give 103kW and 167Nm and a 1.4-litre uel-injected four-cylinder engine offering 79kW and 135Nm.

The concept car took out the design award for the concept and prototypes class. And now it will move from show to go, with the unveiling overnight of the street version at Frankfurt motor show.

And the truth be known, they are potentially leaving themselves open to fraud and the risk of a serious crash. Research from CarHistory.com.au reveals that almost one in two used car buyers are not confident they know the full history of the car they are about to purchase. Furthermore, five per cent of used car buyers have been the victim of fraud or deceit in the past 12 months with almost half of these people believing the incident cost them $5,000 or more. CarHistory.com.au, believes consumers should be armed with knowledge when looking to buy a used car. They need to know the full history of the vehicle before handing over any money. One of the most dangerous aspects of buying a used car is the possibility it could be a repairable write-off. CarHistory.com.au found that this was a primary concern of over two-thirds of people surveyed. With a CarHistory.com.au report buyers can access extensive data on used cars no matter which state or territory the car has been in. The reports are priced from $30. A new app is available to download, allowing you to rate and compare multiple cars (and is free up until the end of September).

But it won’t fly into production. The car, which will be unveiled at Frankfurt motor show next week, features four gullwing doors that are designed to attract attention, and points to cars accessing information from 'the cloud'. And sadly – because it’s probably the sexiest thing Ford has done since the first Model-T – it’s very, very unlikely to be built. However, that won’t stop us asking the question. Repeatedly. Pester power might just work. And the Blue Oval says the technology in the car does point to the future for Ford. “While you will never see this car on the road, the next generation of Ford products around the world will display many of the distinctive design ideas and advanced technologies it showcases,” says Derrick Kuzak, group vice president of global product development. A big focus for that future will be on technology being developed to allow the driver to better interact with the vehicle. This will include links to the driver’s personalised information, with Ford talking a lot about the ‘cloud-connected lifestyle’. Essentially, a car like the Evos would be able to access the driver’s information and combine it with the data on driving style and preferences to offer the best-suited steering, handling and engine response combinations. It could automatically play the same music or news program that was just streaming at home, or heat or cool the interior to an ideal temperature before the driver gets in without having to be requested by predicting departure time based on his calendar. Wirelessly communicating with devices in the home, it could close the garage door and switch off the lights automatically as it pulls away. “This cloud-connected vision shows the enormous potential of tailoring the driving experience to suit the exact personal tastes and moods of the driver,” says Paul Mascarenas, chief technical officer and vice president of Ford Research and Innovation. “From recommending a great driving road from friends on your social networks or resetting your alarm clock to let you sleep in when a morning meeting gets cancelled!”   WATCH THE VIDEO of the Ford Evos.

... with figures showing almost 75 per cent of new cars purchased across the nation last year were four or five star rated.The 2010 new car figures were provided by global automotive data collection agency, Polk, and reflect the growing demand among Australian road users for safer vehicles.Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King MP, said the data showed more than 1 million new vehicles were sold in Australia last year, with over 70 per cent being 4 or 5-star safety rated under the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety ratings."Fleet sales account for around half of all new vehicles sold each year, so such purchasing policies do influence manufacturers and distributors in the kinds of vehicle they produce and bring on to the market," Ms King said."Purchasing 5-star fleet vehicles also has a flow-on effect, as these fleet vehicles are normally on-sold after two or three years, providing benefits for Australian motorists looking for safer used vehicles."

Styling will remain unaltered, with the most important upgrade being in a refined suspension to give the exec express a more compliant ride. To that end, it is fitting advanced new low friction shockabsorbers from the German Sachs company which give a softer ride at low speeds, but work in tandem with increased spring rates front and rear to keep the car cookie-flat through high speed corners. The new suspension will also be fitted to the 2012 Lexus GS, due for local release in the first half of next year. The IS-F also gets a set of new-design BBS alloys, the front ones up from 8 to 8.5 inches in width, with the rears unchanged at 9-inches. Other changes are to the interior, where red-and-black leather trim replaces the orange-and-black, and there are some new exterior colours. It's the third upgrade since IS-F was launched in 2008. In 2009 the original electronic differential was replaced with a Torsen mechanical unit and last year the car got a revised suspension system, new dash and daytime running lights. The high performer has been in steady demand in Australia, with its monthly quota of about 12 always sold out. "Some IS-F owners are on their second or third one," Lexus Australia's Peter Evans says. "There's a lot of loyalty to the brand." Pricing for the new one will still be $126,800.

The former General Motors brand has been catapulted closer to financial oblivion after being denied bankruptcy protection. A Swedish court overnight denied the application for bankruptcy protection made by the company, which has been teetering on the brink of oblivion for more than a year after being sold by GM, with a failed bid to give it traction from supercar maker and new owner, Spyker. Saab owner, Swedish Automobile – formerly Spyker Cars -- filed the voluntary  bankruptcy protection application in the District Court in Vanesborg, Sweden. The application wasintended to protect Saab from creditors while giving it time to obtain further funding, start a reorganisation plan and restart production, while continuing being able to pay salaries. Saab’s Trollhattan factory in Sweden has been stalled, and the inability to pay its 3700 workers for the past two months has led to bankruptcy threats from labour unions. The company is seeking three months of court-appointed protection from its creditors while it awaits Chinese regulatory approval for its AUD$325 million joint-venture deal with Pang Da Automobile and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile. The bankruptcy protection and any court decision does not include Saab Australia, whose managing director Stephen Nicholls says the overnight news was an unwelcome surprise. "Obviously the news is not something we were hoping to wake up to," Nicholls says. "We were hoping the court would grant this. But obviously we are going to appeal the decision, and it will take about a week to go through the process and lodge the appeal. Nicholls says he doesn't have detailed information on why the application was refused, but that the appeal would make a stronger case. "I haven't seen the judgement itself and I'm not qualified to comment on the details of the judgement. But we believe there must have been some shortcomings in the submission as we believe the case itself is sound," he says. "We just need to plug these gaps and supply extra information if required, and we're confident it will then be successful. The burden of proof is just to demonstrate we have the funds, and we're going to go back to the drawing board and this time overload them with information." Nicholls says that the operations of Saab in Australia are not affected by the court decision. "Saab Cars Australia was explicitly excluded from the application -- as was the US and so on. But ultimately our  fate is linked to the paretent compay and we are carrying on trading, still honouring warranties and supplying parts. "We're funded, we're trading --- in the meantime we carry on and wait for news from the frozen north."  

The world’s top hoon, Ken Block, tells kids ‘don’t try this at home’. Block, who wowed the crowds at Calder Park in Melbourne last weekend before heading off to the upcoming Rally Australia, says his fans should never attempt his stunts on the street. "I do not ever do anything on the regular streets. I never tell kids to practice in a parking lot or on out this weekend,” Block says. Read all about Block’s rise to fame and fortune, his $300,000 Ford Fiesta, and his passion in this weekend’s Carsguide section in your favourite newspaper.