Articles by Craig Duff

….for Australian by 2015, with plug-in power from Better Place. As carmakers race to get buyer backing for everything from the Mitsubishi iMiEV to the Nissan Leaf and Renault Fluence ZE, GE has committed to putting its first 1000 battery cars on the road over the next four years. It's the single biggest electric car commitment yet from a global company that intends to buy 25,000 EVs worldwide by 2015. GE's CustomFleet is Australia's largest fleet management company, with more than 120,000 vehicles on the road, and it sees EVs as a smart way to reduce running costs and contribute to their customers' corporate sustainability. At the same time as the GE commitment, Better Place says Australia will have the world's biggest EV network by the end of 2013 with the company using battery-swap stations and home recharging during off-peak power cost periods to drive the electric vehicle fleet. "We will be able to change a battery in the time it takes to fill up the tank of a petrol car," says the CEO of Better Place in Australia, Evan Thornley said. "That means electric vehicles will have the same "unlimited range" as petrol cars." Renault-Nissan and Mitsubishi have already allied with Better Place as they begin electric vehicle sales in Australia. A battery leasing plan is also being developed by GE and Better Place. The principle has the customer buying an electric car outright but leasing the battery pack from Better Place for a set monthly charge. GE last week also invested in local electric vehicle production company EV Engineering, which is building seven proof-of concept electric Commodores. Those cars will then be placed in fleets to assess their performance and drivers' reactions. The Commodores will join a growing fleet of local electric vehicles. Victorian manufacturer Blade Electrics has converted 40 Hyundai Getz cars to run on electricity and is now testing Hyundai i20s and Holden Cruzes for the same process. The electrified Getz costs about $48,000.

The Swift Sport was previewed at the Australian International Motor Show, where Suzuki Australia's managing director Takeshi Hayasaki revealed plans for it to become the Japanese company's new youth leader and halo car. The last-generation Sport arrived 12 months after launch of the regular Swifts. A similar timeline this time should have the five-door hatch here in the first quarter of 2012. "We're very happy with the new Swift. Private sales are doing well for us but the fleet and government business is quiet," he said. "Cars like the Swift Sport are important in Australia, people here identify with the fast cars like in Europe, but it is low volume so the business case needs to be strong." The show Sport was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show in February and is painted an eye-watering yellow and runs on 18-inch rims. The 1.4-litre engine that drives the regular Swift has been ditched for a 1.6-litre mill with variable valve timing, though Suzuki won't yet say what numbers the engine produces. The previous Sport extracted 92kW and 148Nm from its 1.6-litre engine but did it with a five-speed manual where the new one will have a six-shifter. The outgoing Swift Sport wasn't a pocket-rocket but took to corners like few cars in the light car class. It should undercut the Europeans _ particularly the more potent VW Polo GTI it will be shopped against _ and should have a handling edge on the Holden Barinas and Ford Fiestas. The Sport shares the regular Swift's 2430mm wheelbase but the flared guards pump the width out by 60mm and the height is down 35mm. Recaro sports seats are fitted to the interior and alloy pedals, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a carbon fibre centre console show passengers it's a sports-based car.

The cars won't be available until late 2012 and EDay life hasn't yet set pricing, although the company has an E15 on display at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne. EDay Life is planning a lease-only program with the car, where customers would return their car at the end of the term and swap it for a new one. The returned vehicle would then be overhauled with updated motors and batteries, and new paint and interior if needed, before being be put back up for re-leasing. The innovative plan comes from an Australian team lead by former Holden engineering guru Dr Laurie Sparkes and Melbourne car dealer Robert Lane. "We are still looking at options. The plan is to offer two-year leases on the vehicle including the battery and recharge point but our customers will decide how they want to take up these vehicles and we'll respond to that," says Lane

….debate will be the first focus of new national body. Just as the Democrats was founded to keep the major political parties accountable, the Australian Motor Industry Federation will highlight the impact a carbon tax will have on its members. “We’ll be making a call to every parliamentarian and senator to remind them how many automotive industry constituents they have,” AMIF chief executive Richard Dudley said. “We’re bringing it back to an electorate-by-electorate basis. The auto sector is a bit like a car _ you take it for granted until it stops working, so our role will be to remind government of just what and who we represent.” The Australian Motor Industry Federation was launched on Monday as an umbrella group representing the vehicle retail, service and repair industry. It covers the motor trade associations in each state. “The industry is the nation’s largest small business sector representing 100,000 businesses, 310,000 employees and a turnover of $160 billion a year,” Dudley said. “The carbon tax will impact all of those people and we need the government to understand the flow-on effects. “ “The vast majority of our groups are price-takers, not price-makers. That means they’re presented with a fixed cost by someone else in the process. As a result their ability to absorb extra costs is very limited and we need government to clearly understand that.” “Australia relies on vehicle transport to a greater degree than any other country because of the distances we travel and because of how we generate our revenue _ farming and mining.” “If this industry went on strike for a day all the key economic indicators would drop off the charts, so the government needs to be aware of the impact its decisions will have.”

…in the light and small hatch segments as the company looks to make up for lost Getz volume. The hatch was initially discounted when Hyundai announced it would bring in the i20 hatch but marketing director Oliver Mann said at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne yesterday there was scope for the Accent to sit above the i20 and below the i30. “We haven’t decided on spec and pricing yet, but it will be positioned between the two,” Mann said. The Accent is the best looking of the hatches and benefits from Hyundai’s latest “fluidic sculpture” design language. The hatch on show is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine. Overseas models have three engine variants: a 1.4, 1.6 and 1.6 direction injection. “The Accent hatch will work in the mid and upper segment of the light class,” Mann said. Mann is adamant the five-star ANCAP safety rating is a core part of the Hyundai brand. “We’re certainly no longer the “cheap and cheerful” company … in Getz leaving the range we realise we’ve moved on from the low-cost end of the market _ we’ve come a long way and Hyundai is now a modern, premium brand.

The luxury company’s LF-Gh hybrid concept is a mobile showcase of Lexus’s design direction and points to a sleek, low-impact look. The show concept minimizes the appearance of traditional external features such as side mirrors and door handles. The theory is this improves the sleekness of the car as well as boosting aerodynamic efficiciency. “LF-Gh captures the essence behind all future Lexus vehicle design – call it “L finesse” 2.0 if you like,” chief executive Tony Cramb said. “LF-Gh’s bold and aggressive design blurs the line between our growing hybrid and performance vehicle portfolios – offering the perfect blend of performance, fuel efficiency and looks.” Lexus said the LF-Gh was designed to be a high-performance concept capable transporting multiple occupants at higher speeds on long-distance drives.

And our preference for sporty models will see Lexus put its performance-oriented F Sport models. The F Sport vehicles represent almost half of IS350 sales and around a quarter of IS250s. “Lexus is committed to growing its performance portfolio – with two more F Sport models destined for launch next year,” chief executive Tony Cramb said. The growth in F Sport model sales is also reflected in Lexus Australia doubling its order of LFA vehicles from an initial allocation of five to 10 of the limited-build $700,000 supercars. The $700,000 LFA is made from carbon fibre and exotic alloys and is powered by a 4.8 litre V8 with 412kW and 480Nm. That power is fed through a six-speed automatic transmission and gives the lightweight car a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds. “Australia is viewed as a yardstick for the rest of the world, and our increased allocation of LFAs demonstrates the strength of the brand locally and the importance we hold in the global Lexus market,” Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb said.

..will mark the launch of a seven-speed automatic transmission in the range. Audi announced the special model at the Australian International Motor Show and said it will come with nearly $9000 of extra kit. That includes a black exterior kit, 19-inch alloys, a sports exhaust system, adapative headlights, a Bose sound system, LED interior lights and an extended leather interior pack. The TT RS uses a turbocharged 2.5 litre engine that is good for 250kW/450Nm. The TT RS is now on sale at $139,900 for either the six-speed manual or seven-speed auto transmission.

Audi confirmed at the Australian International Motor Show that the car, which was first shown in 2009, will be made from late next year. The supercar is a true quattro with an electric motor for each wheel that combine to generate 230kW and push the 1600kg car from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds. A heat pump is used to provide heat for the occupants - the electric motors don’t generate enough heat by themselves to use in the airconditioning. The lithium-ion battery pack weighs in at 470kg and has a useable charge of 42.4kW/h. For those not inclined to plug their performance cars in, Audi has the R8 GT - a 412kW/510Nm rocket powered by a V10 engine. All five cars earmarked for Australia have been sold, despite the $470,700 price.

…will ensure Peugeot 508 owners know exactly how much their car will cost. That’s the premise behind Peugeot’s latest innovation to help sell the stylish French cars and the clean lines of the 508 should earn fans by itself. The insistence on flowing lines meant items such as the windscreen washer jets and aerial were hidden from view. The 508 will go on sale from July 15 with the 2-litre and 2.2-litre diesel engines. The 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine and e-HDI hybrid diesel will land before the end of the year. Prices start at $36,990 for the base Active sedan with a six-speed automatic and top out at $52,990 for the 2.2-litre turbodiesel GT sedan.