Articles by Craig Duff

The future of local car manufacturing may hinge on next year’s federal election, according to GM Holden’s managing director Mike Devereux. Holden has committed to investing $1 billion to continue building cars until 2022 but Devereux said yesterday that investment is dependent on federal policies that support co-investment by local carmakers. The Liberal-National coalition have questioned the rationale of government investment -- which they describe as support -- for the three local auto brands: Holden, Ford and Toyota. Devereux said he wasn’t advocating any political party but Holden’s parent company, GM, needed certainly to continue investing. “I just want to sell cars, I don’t want to be part of the political debate in this country,” he noted. “In a business sense … I need to understand very clearly in a forward looking sense what each party’s policy is on auto manufacturing. Are they committed to making things in this country? “I don’t know what the (Coalition) position is … but we need an intelligent approach to bipartisan policy. If this becomes a ‘he said/she said’ thing -- literally -- it is going to be very difficult. Whatever one says the other refutes … we need to move beyond the political rhetoric.” Devereux cited the UK, where pro-active government policies have resulted in $10 billion of auto investment in the past two years, and the US election campaign, where Barak Obama championed his bailout of the carmakers, as examples where the automotive industry assumes national importance. “In the United States the issue of making things in the USA and the auto industry was certainly a large factor in the re-election of President Barack Obama. It became an election issue, it was front and centre,” he said. “2013 will be the year that Australia decides whether it wants an auto industry or not,” he said. “My hope is the auto industry is not an election issue, it is a bipartisan issue. Either way there needs to be another broad-based review (of the industry).” Devereux said building cars in Australia was among the most expensive places in the world for GM. “Walking away (from local production) is easier for GM. The right thing for our brand is to make things in this country.” "We are not doing that to be nice to this country, we are doing it because it is the best thing for our brand and our business in this country. That is why we want to make things here. I think it also happens to be good for the country.”

Dropping a smaller engine under the bonnet was never going to save the Ford Falcon. It’s an unpalatable fact of life for our local carmakers that big sedan sales are slumping everywhere from Germany to Geraldton as buyers scale down and step up.What the EcoBoost mill does prove is just how good Ford’s new generation of engines are. Ironically, that’s one of the reasons why the Focus will supplant the Falcon as the Blue Oval’s biggest seller this year. But for those who can’t fit in a Focus, the Falcon’s ride and handling makes it a better option than an SUV.A proven chassis with a responsive, hi-tech engine … what’s not to like? The Falcon can carry five adults in comfort and the boot will swallow more than Matt Preston. It costs the same as the six-cylinder engine - $37,235 in XT guise, rising to $40,835 for the mid-spec G6, with the promise of better fuel use. Carsguide averaged just on 9L/100km in mainly city driving. Space aside, the EcoBoost Falcon will be shopped against everything from the Kia Optima and Mazda6 to the Skoda Superb.The Falcon is showing its age in terms of driving aids and software. The touchscreen is good but there’s no satnav or reversing camera for the XT, though it does have rear parking sensors. Operating the driver’s info displays requires taking the hands off the wheel to reach the buttons mounted either side of the instrument cluster. The rumoured 2014 facelift will bring the interior on a par with the latest Fords, so expect voice-operated control of the sound system and the latest Bluetooth connectivity.This is where the Falcon suffers. It doesn’t look as sporty as its traditional rival, the Commodore. In the past that wasn’t a huge issue, given private buyers would go for the XR models and fleets would take the conservative look. But fleets - and governments - aren’t buying big cars, locally built or otherwise. The cabin needs some highlights to offset what is large area of grey plastics … but that’s what the facelift is for.Size matters in a crash, making the Falcon one of the safer cars to run up against. It has a five-star ANCAP rating and comes with six airbags and ABS with traction and stability control and electronic brakeforce distribution.The EcoBoost makes the six-cylinder redundant, unless buyers need the extra towing capacity - 2300kg against 1600kg. The four-cylinder prefers premium leaded, in which case sub-seven second times to 100km/h are easily within reach. More impressive is the mid-range acceleration and the way the six-speed auto has been calibrated to bring out the EcoBoost’s best.It lopes along at under 2000rpm at 100km/h and a quick dab of the pedal provides instant overtaking response. It's the same at 60 and 80km/h and at any speed this car turns-in better than bigger-engined Falcons, courtesy of the 60kg weight cut over the front wheels. The ride is also near XR levels of firmness but never feels unsettled. the seats need upgrading though - bolstering support is marginal at the cornering speeds the EcoBoost is capable of.

A Mini for men is the pitch behind the launch of the Paceman. To date, especially in Australia, the buyer base for the Brit-built cars has skewed in favour of the femmes.The Paceman - essentially a two-door, four-seat Countryman with a lower ride height and sportier suspension - is designed to change that with more aggressive bodywork. But there’s another agenda at work here and it’s dragging the romanticism of the Mini brand down to the bottom line. This, the seventh body style for the brand, embodies the beancounters’ formula for building cars: take a proven product and wring every last derivative from it. That competence-driven approach makes economic sense ... but Mini is supposed to be about emotion and the Paceman leaves me feeling jaded.An estimated starting price of $36,000 for the base Cooper model will lift to around $45K for the turbocharged Cooper S Carsguide tested in the hills of Mallorca. A John Cooper Works version is in the works, but I’d save the cash and stick with the S - it already has enough urge to hit 100km/h in 7.5 seconds.Standard gear runs from a typically sound audio system to satnav and switchgear that feels as solid as it looks. There’s a pair of diesels in the form of a 1.6-litre D and 2.0-litre SD, but they weren’t available for the international launch on the backroads of Mallorca.There’s nothing radical here in the mechanicals or the software. Been there, driven that. So it’s good, just not new. The turbo four-cylinder is as punchy as you can ask it to be and still runs on very little petrol. The diesel will be better still in terms of fuel use.The taillights are a dead giveaway you are following a Mini Paceman, rather than anything else in the family. The horizontal design is a first for Mini and helps differentiate this car from the Countryman.That tapering roofline means rear-seat headroom is marginal and those of 180cm-plus stature may find themselves in need of a neck massage if ensconced in the back for too long. Leg room is good, though, so it may fulfil Mini’s aim of getting people to move up from a regular hatch as the little one’s get bigger.They’ll need to be big enough to do up their own seatbelts, though, or mum/dad are going to do their back in trying to stretch that far. The more masculine look works well, with the front and back having a more unshaven edge than most Minis.The Countryman’s a five-star proposition, so there’s every reason to expect the Paceman to follow the same route.Competent without being poised, the Paceman faithfully reflects its parentage. It doesn’t go as hard or corner as well as the smaller, more Mini-esque hatch but it dumps on the more upright Countryman. That’s what comes with lowering the ride height by 40mm and stiffening up the springs. Push hard and the Paceman wants to push through the corner rather than go around it but it’s testament to the chassis that a slight lift in accelerator pressure has the car back on track with very little fuss. The S version is no slouch, with a 7.5-second time to 100km/h and there’s very little evidence of the body roll that can be found on the edge in the Countryman.Rear seat access isn’t ideal, with a big step needed to clear the door sill on exit. The front seats don’t look that well bolstered but still manage to keep occupants in place even at silly speeds.

The massive product expansion and overhaul will help make Jaguar Land Rover a major player in the premium market, according to the British company’s new program director. Wolfgang Epple oversees every new vehicle in the JLR portfolio and says there are 40 programs in the pipeline over the next five years as JLR looks to increase sales volumes and its share of the global market. “I think the total car market is going to be around 120 million and we think 20 million will be SUVs,” Epple says. “That is a big opportunity for us but we can’t be satisfied with just volume growth as the SUV market expands. We need to lift our share and our profile in that area.” He also confirms the basics of an Autocar story that says the Land Rover range will increase to 16 vehicles by 2020. That report says the line-up will include a four-door pick-up based on the Defender replacement, which is due in 2015-‘16, a trio of compact SUVs spanning the luxury, leisure and utility segments and a more luxurious Evoque XL and Evoque cabrio. Dr Epple says the Evoque is an example of the growth JLR can achieve. “The Evoque has been sensational for us - around 80 per cent of owners are buying their first Land Rover,” he notes.  “The projections for that car were only 60 per cent of the actual sales. That shows the potential we have to create premium products that keep all the Land Rover characteristics of quality and capability but take the brand in a new direction.” As important as the new direction is, Dr Epple also accepts the company has to retain faith with its traditional buyers and maintain the Defender replacement as a rugged and durable off-road workhorse. He refuses to directly confirm a crew-cab pick-up model but notes that part of the market continues to expand. “The Defender’s history and recognition shows its importance to Land Rover. The next version must extend that relationship with the existing customers as well as making it more attractive to a broader audience.” “From that point of view, a compact version certainly makes sense.”  

Noxious brown water was lapping over the bonnet of Land Rover’s new flagship. Forget towing a boat, I’m in danger of turning the $200,000 Range Rover into one. At the time — midway through a 5km survival swim up Morrocco’s Oued Ourika — it is only of passing concern.I was far more focused on what was happening under the surging torrent as the luxury four-wheel drive lurched from boulder to boulder. I could feel the Terrain Response software shunting torque to alternate wheels trying to scrounge grip against the current and shifts in weight.The result was technology and engineering won out and the 2.2-tonne turbodiesel kept ploughing resolutely on, despite being literally out of its 900mm wading depth and coping with ground that was causing a Defender with off-road rubber nearly as many problems.It had already survived some axle-deep sand dune runs and a rock crawl that had Land Rover PR Tim Krieger wincing on the few occasions when the 260mm of front and 300mm rear of wheel travel were exceeded and the Rangie did bottom out. That wheel travel was tested again in the river run, where one of our group managed to drop two wheels off a silt ledge and can’t the SUV on a 45 degree lean that no one believed it could recover from.We were already discussing how they were going to extricate the car from the bottom of a ravine when the driver managed to recover it — despite doing almost everything wrong, from trying to swing back up the ridge, thereby increasing the tilt, to gunning the engine and making the Rangie jump. The car was built from the ground up for just this purpose and it’s a travesty that very few owners will be have the chutzpah to test the extreme capabilities of their decidedly luxurious SUV. One wouldn’t want to despoil the leather interior now, would one? It’d be like mucking out the stables in a pair of Gucci loafers.Regular owners can rest easy though, because the Range Rover is probably even more composed on the freeway, where revisions to the steering and suspension have all but eliminated the head-shake that beset the previous model at speed and improvements to the insulation make it a serene workplace. Even with the speedo needle nudging 200km/h, it was as composed as a well-trained butler. And the steering wheel, which spun like a child's toy on the sand, stiffens up to sports car levels on the road. Other carmakers should tear it down to find out how to make an electric steering system that works at all angles.All models have a 3.5-tonne towing capacity and unless you intend to regularly use it, the V6 turbodiesel’s 600Nm and 0-100km/h time of 7.9 seconds should do the job for most owners. The diesel V8’s 700Nm make it the pick for heavy haulers, while the supercharged petrol V8’s 5.4-second sprint time gives it performance bragging rights.VALUEIf you have to ask, you can’t afford it. Given there’s no direct competition, Land Rover benchmarked the car against everything from BMW’s X5 and 7 Series to the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class and S-Class — and says the Range Rover is quieter than them all at highway speeds. The V6 turbodiesel will go on sale in February at $168,900 in HSE trim and will be the volume seller, though a $178,900 Vogue spec will also be offered.The turbodiesel V8 will be a $195,100 proposition in Vogue format, stepping up to $217,100 for the Vogue SE and $232,800 for the “with-the-log” Autobiography trim. The supercharged V8 is the sole petrol engine destined for Australia and starts at $224,400 in Vogue SE spec, rising to $240,100 for the Autobiography. A diesel hybrid will join the range late next year.TECHNOLOGYThe fourth-generation Rangie uses an aluminium monocoque chassis and alloy panels to trim more than 300kg of weight from most models. That is then promptly returned with an apps store of technology, reinforced aerodynamic shields under the SUV and heavy-duty air suspension to give it the legs to go anywhere. Even if anywhere will be no farther than a gravel driveway or grassy paddock for most owners.It is part of the Range Rover mystique that this vehicle is as capable as it is classy. To make life easier for owners, the Terrain Response system has been upgraded with a default auto mode that switches between five settings — general; grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand, and rock crawl — as it detects the surface it is travelling on. Each setting alters the car’s throttle response, gearbox shift points, centre differential and chassis systems to optimise drive.A dial still lets owners manually choose their preferred mode and there’s an adjacent switch to active the low-range function. The latest Bosch ABS software includes stability, roll and traction control, along with hill ascent and descent control. The V8 models also pick up a lean control system that uses hydraulics to adjust the stiffness of the front and rear stabiliser bars and reduce head-toss on uneven surfaces.All models have automatic variable damping that can be best felt when switching the eight-speed automatic transmission from drive to sport. That also sharpens throttle and steering response.DESIGNThe traditional Range Rover look has been refined and given a sportier makeover. The clamshell bonnet has been kept, the side fins are still there (though moved from the front quarter panel to the front doors) and the floating roof, courtesy of blacked out pillars, has been retained. The bottom of the two-part tailgate can still act as a standing platform at the polo, but both sections are now powered.Designers did sharpen the windscreen angle, which improves looks and fuel efficiency and the roofline itself has been lowered to give the big SUV an edgier look. The “camera style” bi-xenon headlamps are the easiest way to spot the Rangie, especially at night. It still has the presence of a truck, just a very good-looking one.SAFETYIt hasn’t been tested yet, but expect the Range Rover to keep its occupants supremely safe. The only criticism of the last model was it didn’t protect pedestrians. Land Rover has responded by fitting a raised bonnet and optimising the bonnet and bumper to absorb energy.Adaptive cruise control is now linked with an optional queue assist function for stop-start driving and there’s blind spot warning and automatic emergency braking systems. Front parking sensors are boosted with a reversing camera and there’s six airbags to cover all occupants.VERDICTComposure is a learned trait and the Range Rover has learned over the years how to do it with panache. The substantial price is matched by as much substance on and off the road as any potential buyer could desire. It’s not as nimble as an X5 but it is has more presence on the road and behind the wheel. Simply put, it is the most luxurious heavy-duty tow vehicle on the market, with the potential to do much more if the owner dares.Land Rover Range Rover TDV6Price: $168,000Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmService interval: 12 months/26,000kmSafety: Six airbags, ABS with EBD, BA, TC, ECS, hill ascent and descent, blind spot warning, reversing cameraCrash rating: Not assessedEngine: 3.0-litre turbodiesel, 190kW/600NmTransmission: Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel driveDimensions: 5m (L), 1.98m (W), 1.84m (H)Weight: 2.16 tonnesSpare: Full-sizeThirst: 7.5L/100km, 196g/km CO2

That's twice the number Ford predicted would try out its "Smart Drive" program and has prompted the carmaker to already book the sole outdoor venue for next year's Melbourne Motor Show.Sydney showgoers could take a 10-minute drive of the Focus Titanium, Kuga and Ranger Wildtrak around a specially constructed course that highlighted key technologies and capabilities of the vehicles."The outdoor 'Smart Drive' has been a smash hit with showgoers. Even foot traffic walking past the Darling Harbour Convention Centre are stopping in to drive the cars on display," Ford Australia CEO Bob Graziano says."We had anticipated completing 3000 test drives across the entire motor show but we hit that number after the first weekend." The active park assist was the most popular feature in the Focus, closely followed by the automated emergency braking system dubbed Active City Stop. The Ford Kuga compact crossover's touch-free tailgate opening system also copped a pounding. Ford spokesman Neil McDonald says the same car was used throughout the show and cycled through more than 3000 displays of opening and closing its tailgate in response to a foot-wave under the rear bumper. The Ranger Wildtrak's hill ascent/decent software was also showcased, using a short but steep hill.The outdoor track was marked out by shipping containers and up to seven vehicles at a time could be put through the course. "We're rapt. It definitely exceeded our projections and we're already thinking about the next one," McDonald says. That has included booking the outdoor venue at the Melbourne event for 2013, effectively locking its rivals out of what has instantly become one of the highlights of the show. 

Cool looks and classy handling defines the Kia Cerato, which helps explain why it's the South Korean company's best-selling car around the world.The features list in the range-topping SLi is enough to impress most small car buyers and it comes with capped-price servicing for the duration of the five-year warranty. That doesn't hurt its appeal, either.The Cerato starts under $20,000 but the SLi models top out at $24,055 for the sedan and $24,305 for the hatch. That buys a 2.0-litre car with a decent amount of go, a big boot (in the case of the sedan) and features that run from Bluetooth connectivity to rear parking sensors and climate-control airconditioning.A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, the six-speed auto adds $2200. Rivals include the Ford Focus, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf. That's tough company to keep, especially given the Cerato is nearly three-years old. A few age spots aside, nothing has started to sag on the compact Kia.Local suspension tune gives the Cerato a grip on the small-car market it mightn't otherwise enjoy. It is supple enough to let owners think they're driving on smooth roads rather than the chopped-up bitumen that dominates most cities. The engine itself isn't the best in the class and the auto gearbox is likewise OK rather than brilliant.Styling is Kia's strong suit and the Cerato is one of the smarter examples to come off lead designer Peter Schreyer's drawing board. The sharp lines are offset with scalloped door recesses and work well on both the sedan and hatch.The interior is starting to show its age, with relatively hard plastics and red light displays but there's a new model due midway next year that should bring it back on terms with the latest Focus and the Golf Mk VII.Airbags aren't everything, as ANCAP has shown by giving four-bag models five-star ratings. In the case of the Cerato, there are six airbags, stability control and brake assist along with brakeforce distribution to compensate for uneven loads. When it arrived 2010 ANCAP gave the Kia a four-star rating.The Cerato's biggest problem is it looks like a sporty car, so you tend to think of it as one. The red-lit instrument cluster only adds to the illusion, because this car is intended to be a good value middle-of-the-road contender.The engine pulls well down low and through the midrange but tends to whine rather than wind up with heavy applications of the right foot. It is still quick enough on takeoff and the sorted suspension encourages run on windy roads. But the stability/traction control, which happily permits wheel-chirping starts, kills the joy with prolonged intervention the nanosecond a yaw sensor starts to twinge. That's great for learner drivers and absent-minded parents but doesn't do justice to the otherwise well-balanced car. The steering is likewise engineered with enough play to cope with nervous twitches while going straight at the expense of outright precision.As family transport, the Cerato is a winner. There's room in the rear for long-legged teens, boot space aplenty and it doesn't chew through a tank of fuel around town. 

Company insiders say the lines of the concept – just unveiled at Sao Paulo motor show -- are good indication of the design direction for the next-gen Juke when it arrives in 2016. The press release itself hints at the tie-in, noting: "Although strictly a concept car with no immediate plans for production, elements of Extrem's styling offers a glimpse into future Nissan products, for Brazil and beyond." The tie-in extends to the engines and drivetrains, with Nissan saying the Extrem could be powered by the same 1.6-litre turbo mill found in the Juke Nismo and have the option of front/all-wheel drive. Nissan Australia CEO William Peffer Jr says the Juke's launch adds even more substance to the product offensive from Nissan, who will introduce new models every 10 weeks for the next two years. "The Juke is a car that fits with our brand and has been highly anticipated in the market for quite some time" he notes The SUV is built in both the UK and Japan but Fadeyev says it is too early to determine which country the car will be sourced from. Peffer's predecessor, Dan Thompson, ruled out bringing the compact crossover to Australia, citing three separate business studies where the numbers failed to stack up.  

Fans of all things fast will crowd the Carrera 4, a wider, wilder version of the regular Porsche 911. The local debut comes just two weeks after the car made its global bow at the Paris Motor Show. Porsche spokesman Paul Ellis says the Carrera 4’s arrival so soon after its debut is a coup. “The all-wheel drive Carrera 4 takes the already high credentials of the new 911 to even higher levels in terms of handling and performance,” he says. “Plus the wider body at the rear gives it a road presence few sports cars can match,’’ he noted. This is the car enthusiast’s dreams, at least until track-focused GT models are launched.  The cars – coupe and cabriolet models will be available – are up to 65kg lighter than the outgoing model. They also generate more power and better fuel economy than their predecessors, with a 0-100km/h time of 4.1 seconds for the 294kW, 3.8-litre flat six boxer engine in the coupe, with the cabrio version just 0.2 of a second behind it. Both run to a top speed of more than 295km/h yet officially use around 9.1 litres of premium fuel over 100km. A seven-speed manual is standard across the Carrera 4 range, though the seven-speed, dual-clutch auto is a smart box to tick. Adaptive cruise control is another option worth investing in for PDK model buyers. The Carrera 4 range accounted for one in three 911 sales in the previous model and that should lift again as more buyers appreciate the extra safety and driving dynamics all-paw grip provides. The Porsche stand will also display the latest Boxter range, starting from $107,000. The new Boxsters will sit alongside the family-focused Panamera and Cayenne models. The Panamera and SUV-styled Cayenne combine the space needed for a family with the pace expected of a Porsche. The duo have proven that sports car buyers want performance and practicality, a trait offered across the Porsche line-up.  

Mick Fabar has gone Zero’d to hero with both green and muscle car fans with his latest custom project. A focus on the future – and what his son will be building and driving when he is 16 – led Fabar to craft a 1967 Ford XR Falcon with a zero carbon footprint. That footprint comes down to smart thinking and extensive use of recycled parts. Every panel, nut and bolt was recycled as the NSW hot-rod builder maximised performance while minimising his environmental impact. The Zero’d Falcon is rightfully one of the stars of the 2012 Australian International Motor Show and showcases how the custom crowd can still build a performance car that isn’t seen as a mobile platform of conspicuous consumption. Fabar turned to biotechnology for the engine powering his latest creation and is running a biodiesel V8 that fulfils the muscle-car credos while still being a green machine. “I wanted to create a street machine that had ideally a zero effect on the environment in its design, construction and when being driven,” he says. “I did some research into biodiesel fuels and figured we should put that into a car and see what horsepower we could get. It really didn’t cost any more to build this car; it just required applying some basic principles.’’ As a result, propulsion comes from a 7.3-litre For Powerstroke turbo V8 generating 450kW that runs on outof- the-pump B20 biodiesel. An Allison four-speed auto transmission powers Zero’d and the combination means the hi-performance V8 generates around 70 per cent less emissions than an equivalent petrol-powered car. The rubbers and glass are among the few new items on the car, along with a radiator and intercooler that had to be custom-built. Even the tyres were sourced from rubber that doesn’t use distillate aromatic extract oils, while the paint base was also made from low-emission material. Custom car builders are known for going to extremes – for Fabar this meant sourcing eco-friendly gas for the traditional oxy-acetalene gear and having the workshop powered by wind and solar power. Planning for the Zero’d required almost a year of research but the build itself took only seven months and Bond University in Queensland documented every step of the process to verify the production team had a zero carbon footprint.