Articles by James Stanford

And it bears a striking resemblance to a Mercedes-Benz Actros. But before you conclude that this is another case of a Chinese company blatantly ripping off a Western design, let me fill you in on the background.  It actually is an Actros, one that is made by a new joint venture between Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler and Chinese giant Foton. The German brand has actually been negotiating with Foton for years, but has only just gained approval from the Chinese government. Foreign companies are not allowed to set up and produce cars by themselves in the emerging market. Government regulations mean that if they want to build vehicles in China, they must set up a local joint venture operation with a local firm, which means splitting costs and profits. However, the booming Chinese market is just to important to ignore, encouraging Daimler to hook up with a major Chinese player.  Daimler estimates that China accounted for 40 per cent of global sales of medium and heavy-duty trucks last year. Foton, which has only been building trucks since 1998, sold more than 100,000 medium and heavy-duty trucks last year, making it the number one truck brand in the country.  The new joint-venture, called Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive (BFDA), will open a seconds plant in Beijings Huairou district in order to boost annual production to 160,000 trucks.  Daimler says teaming up with Foton will give it a strong foothold in China. Our 50 percent stake in Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive will enable us to play a major role in the Chinese truck market and give us access to the attractive volume segment, says Daimler trucks chief, Andreas Renschler.

It’s as cheap to run as a small car, drives much like a regular Commodore Ute and is only $500 more than a petrol version as long as you qualify for the $2000 Federal Governments LPG rebate.  So, what possible reason could be found to not buy one? The possibility of getting a flat tyre, that’s what. Normally, the spare wheel sits behind the rear axle underneath the steel tub, but that is where Holden engineers have placed the aluminium LPG tank.  So, you can run with a standard pump-up repair kit, which could do the job if you get a small puncture on the treaded section of the tyre. Cop a larger puncture or a hole in the tyre wall and it will be time to call for back-up. That could be an issue if you are out in the bush.  The other way is to select the option of having a spare wheel bolted to the floor of the tub, up behind the cabin. That’s great, but it intrudes into the cargo area and affects the ability to carry gear, which is usually a core reason of buying a ute.  This issue doesn’t affect Falcon EcoLPI Ute, which also has more power (198kW) and torque (409Nm) thanks to a liquid injection system. That’s because the Ford is 202mm longer and that means there is enough room for an LPG tank and a spare wheel.  That said, the vapour injecting LPG Commodore Ute is still a very good machine for those who love its sporty and muscular design, extremely low running costs and relatively good practicality. The 3.6-litre V6 LPG Commodore makes a reasonable 180kW and 320Nm, which drives well enough, although its feels sluggish compared to the new SIDI petrol version of the same engine. It has an average fuel consumption figure of just 11.8L/100km. The number itself is nothing special, but when you consider LPG is half the price of petrol, it should get your attention.

And it hopes it will change the brand’s minnow status here, following in the path of Europe – where it is the biggest van seller. The French company is hoping that will be helped by the introduction of a new generation Master van which has a payload of up to 1650kg.This is a big van, sitting above the small Kangoo and mid-sized Trafic, and the long wheelbase version can fit three standard Australian pallets. The medium wheelbase model can still fit two. The cargo area measures 10.3 cubic metres for the medium wheelbase Master, while the number for the long wheelbase version is 12.5. To make for easy loading with a forklift, the rear barn doors open up 270 degrees.The Master comes with one sliding door (on the left side), which is 1200mm wide, while a second sliding door is available as an option. Its payload rating starts at 1596kg for the automated long wheelbase model and runs up to 1645kg for manual medium wheelbase model. Renault Australia decided to fit a steel bulkhead to the Master along with a locally-compliant cargo barrier and standard equipment.It comes with electronic stability control (ESC), traction control, anti-skid brakes and a front driver and passenger airbag. Extra protection is available in the $1890 Safety and Security Pack, with a seat-mounted head and thorax airbag for the driver, automatic headlights, alarm, heated rear windows, automatic windscreen wipers and cornering headlights.Pricing starts at $43,990 for the manual medium wheelbase model and runs through to the long wheelbase with automated transmission for $47,490.The new Master is powered by a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel, with 107kW (up 19kW) and 350Nm (up 50Nm) that goes through the front wheels. It is fitted with a six-speed manual as standard, while an automated six-speeder is available as a $2500 option. This is an automated transmission, rather than a torque convertor type automatic.The all-important fuel consumption figure comes in at 9.0 litres per 100km for the manual and 8.5L/100km for the automated version. The numbers are the same for the medium and long wheelbase variants. When it comes to emissions, the manual master generates 238g/km and the automated version generates 226g/km.Renault says it has improved running costs with a new fitted for life timing chain, coolant that now lasts for 60,000km or 48 months, an exhaust particulate filter that requires no maintenance and brake pads that are designed to last 20 per cent longer than the previous model.The warranty is also fleet friendly, coming in at three years or 200,000km.Standard comforts include a sound system with Bluetooth connectivity, manual airconditioning and cruise control. There is also an additional Premium Pack available for $1490, which includes a Tom Tom satellite navigation unit that sits above the rear-view mirror and a rear view camera that is mounted on the back of the sunvisor.The Master is a relaxing van to drive. It is far quieter than you might expect, thanks to a refined engine and the bulkhead, which stifles a lot of the road noise. Its interior is car-like with high-quality surfaces and plenty of hidey-holes and places to stow folders and coffee cups. The rear doors swing wide, opening all the way to the bump stops located on the van exterior. There are a dozen tie down points on the interior of the cabin.Engine performance is spritely, although we werent carrying a full load. There is no rear drive option, which is preferred for bigger loads. The high mounted satellite navigation is not ideal, you have to take your eyes off the road and to view the rear view camera you have to flip down the visor. Overcome these niggles and the Master is well worth a look.

Big fuel bills are no longer a reason to give up on Australian large cars. With the introduction of the Holden Commodore LPG, Ford and Holden now both have big locally-made family machines that cost less to run than small petrol cars.Both only cost $500 more than regular petrol versions (as long as you’re a private buyer and qualify for the federal governments $2000 LPG grant) and you should win it back within a year. LPG is also relatively clean when it comes to CO2, which should enable eco-friendly fleets to get on board. Government fleets, which have been increasingly buying imported cars, including diesel Hyundai i30s, now have a patriotic eco-friendly  OptionThe Holden LPG option is available across all three Commodore body styles, the sedan, ute and wagon. It’s also available for the stretched Caprice.For 20 years Holden has dabbled with duel fuel Petrol/LPG options, but has now decided to follow Fords step and offer a proper focused LPG-only version. This allowed Holden engineers to tune the engine to run better on LPG.The LPG tank, which used to sit in the boot, is now located behind the rear axle, only slightly raising the boot floor of the sedan, trimming the cargo area by 10 litres to 486 litres. The wagon and ute cargo areas stay the same.One negative is that the LPG tank means there is no space below for a spare tyre.You can carry a pump-up kit and keep your boot-space or give some of it up and fit a spare in the boot or ute tray.VALUEThe true value of the LPG Commodore is always going to depend on fuel prices  good luck predicting them - but is going to be a great value proposition for some time to come. While the LPG tax regime is changing, with less government assistance, the good gas has traditionally been around half the price of petrol per litre.  Given the LPG Commodore doesn’t use all that much more LPG than the regular car uses petrol, it is going to make for a great set of numbers.Going by the claimed average consumption figures (which aren’t perfect but act as a guide), and average fuel prices in Melbourne earlier this week, the fuel cost to run an LPG Commodore for a year (20,000km) would work out to $1723.That’s $409 cheaper than the fuel bill for a small petrol car (an automatic Mazda3 Neo), neck and neck with a super lean large diesel car like the Skoda Superb and almost $600 cheaper than a regular petrol Commodore.Real world figures may vary, but there’s no doubt LPG makes big cars cheap to run.Like the rest of the Commodore range, the LPG versions are very good value when you consider what you get for the money.TECHNOLOGYThe Commodore LPG doesn’t use the most advanced LPG technology on the market. While Ford opted for the more complicated liquid injection LPG which allows for better performance, Holden decided to go with the vapour injection method.It selected the previous generation 3.6-litre quad-cam V6, made in Melbourne, for the LPG option and fitted a new fuel rail, injectors, harder valves and valve seats, special pistons, modified heads and a unique manifold. It runs a higher compression ration too.Holden will only make the LPG option available with a six-speed automatic transmission. The LPG 3.6 produces 180kW of power, which is 30kW down on the petrol engine of the same size, and 320Nm of torque, which is 30Nm off.For reference, the LPG Falcon is good for 198kW and 409Nm. The Holden LPG does better when compared to the 3.0-litre V6 petrol fleet special Commodore, which makes 190kW and 290Nm.The LPG car’s average fuel consumption for 100km is 11.8L/100km, which doesn’t sound great until you remember how much cheaper LPG is.Its average CO2 figure of 189g/km is the best in its class.DESIGNAustralians have had plenty of time to get used to the current Commodore shape given it has been around since 2006. There have been some changes under the skin, but the exterior design was thankfully bold enough that the car still looks good today.The interior, which looked dated from the day the VE was introduced, was upgraded last year to gear the Commodore range a more modern and upmarket look although it is still plain in the cheaper models.There are no visual clues that a Commodore is LPG powered apart from some badges and the red LPG stickers on the number plate.SAFETYAs is the case with the regular Commodore, the LPG version gets a five star ANCAP crash test safety rating. It also comes with a full suite of six airbags, front, side and curtains, has Electronic Stability Control (ESC), traction control, anti-skid brakes and seatbelt reminders.DRIVINGHolden boss Mike Devereux admits he’s never filled a car with LPG. He's not alone. Many people don’t like having to screw in the nozzle and especially dislike the psshht sound when the left over gas is vented out to the atmosphere when the tank is full.There's no doubt Holden, and Ford, face a battle to get ordinary Australians to consider LPG as a proper option rather than something confined to cheapskates and taxi operators.All they have to do is get them into the driving seat. Fords LPG is more complex delivers better performance, but the Holden LPG option is perfectly good.It goes a bit better than the 3.0-litre petrol Omega, but is not as quick as the 3.6-litre petrol, which is a real slingshot these days.The sound is slightly different as it goes through one exhaust and the last generation cylinder head makes slightly coarser noises, but really, you would be hard-pressed to notice.There is plenty of low down pull and enough power when you want to get stuck in. The overall drive experience is exactly what you expect from a Commodore. That means it handles well, it cruises nicely and is perfectly suited to Australian conditions.Having to run without a spare wheel, or having one take up a section of the boot is not ideal, but I reckon its worth it.VERDICTIt has all the benefits of a large car with the running costs of a small car. Just like Ford, Holden is making an LPG car that is too good to ignore. Even better, theyre both made right here in Australia.Commodore Omega LPGPrice: $42,490 (not including $2000 private customer rebate) Warranty: 3 years/ 100,000kmService Intervals: 15,000km or 9 monthsSafety Equipment: six airbags, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC.Crash rating: 5 starsEngine: 180kW/320Nm 3.6-litre V6 LPGBody: 4-door, 5 seats (ute, wagon and long wheelbase Caprice available)Dimensions: 4903mm (L); 1899mm (W); 1471mm (H); 1471mm (WB) 2915mm Weight: 1730kgTransmission: Six-speed automatic; rearwheel-driveEconomy: 11.8l/100km; 189g/km CO2

The Mazda 3 last year ended the big Holden's long reign as Australia's best-selling car.

Officially they're workhorses, but high-riding utes have never been more luxurious -- or expensive. Stick your head in the cabin of a premium 4x4 crew cab ute and chances are youll find all the fruit that goes with a luxury sedan or SUV. That said, the big and smooth V6 diesel engines that are popular in the swanky

South Korea's hard working machine picked off the HiAce for the first time, ending the year with 6610 sales, 576 ahead of the Toyota. While Hyundai's hauler performed well, other commercial vehicles struggled, with sales of most utes, vans and trucks slipping in 2011.  Reflecting economic insecurity hitting Australian businesses, VFACTS figures show the demand for workhorses stalled and, in some cases, went backwards last year.  Only 4x4 utes and medium duty trucks recorded growth in the 2011 calendar year and even those gains were mild.  Van sales suffered in 2011, dipping 8.6 per cent. Utes put in a mixed performance, with 4x2 utes finishing 11.6 per cent down for the year while 4x4 utes finished 6.3 per cent up.  The Falcon and Commodore-based utes lost more sales during the year, with the Ford shedding 25.1 per cent of its sales, while the Holden ute  lost 16.8 per cent.  Ford sold a monthly average of just 560 utes to Holden's 790, with both  hitting historical lows. Totoya's Hilux was the best selling 4x2 ute with 12,399 which was 17.9 per cent down on 2010. The Hilux also took out the 4x4 class with 23,725 sales for the year, but the Nissan Navara wasn't far off with 20,162 sales.  The light duty truck class (3500kg to 7500kg) was down 5 per cent for 2011. Isuzu dominated the segment with its N Series rig and its 3320 sales.  The medium duty class, rigs that rate between 7500kg and 10,000kg, actually grew in 2011, even if it did so by just 6.6 per cent. Isuzu wiped the floor in this division with combined N Series and F Series sales of 2509, well ahead of Hino with 1508 sales of 300 and 500  Series models. The heavy duty segment was down 2 per cent for the year, with Kenworth a  clear leader with 1766 sales, which represented a 15 per cent decline on 2010.

The new Ssangyong Actyon Sports crew cab will be made available as a 4x2 and 4x4  and is fitted with an imported six-speed manual as standard. However, it  will also be available with a six-speed automatic transmission made in  Albury by Drive Systems International.It is the factory that supplied Ford Australia until last year and had  made transmissions for Chrysler in the 1970s when it was named BorgWarner.The new Actyon Sports Ute, like the current model, will be diesel only. It is expected to be extremely easy on the bowser with an official fuel  economy rating of around 6.5 litres per 100km, which could well make it  the most efficient ute in Australia.The new powerplant is far more miserly than the previous engine, which  used an official average of 8L/100km with a manual gearbox and  8.7L/100km with an automatic.The 2.0-litre four-cylinder common rail turbo diesel generates 114kW and  360Nm of torque. This is a sizeable jump over the last unit, which  generated 104kW and 310Nm.Ssangyong's Australian importer Sime Darby has conformed the new ute  will be available in three model grades: Tradie, Sports and SPR, which  also make up the current line-up.The new ute will have a sharp price and deliver when it comes to  standard equipment, says Ssangyong Australia chief, Jeff Barber."While we can't reveal the specifications for the Australian market  until launch date, we're confident of giving our competitors a run for  their money," he says.Ssangyong will have an easier job selling this Actyon Sports ute thanks  to its design which is certainly less polarising than the previous model  which copped criticism for its radical styling.

Gerard de Rooy led home team-mate and Dutch compatriot Hans Stacey to have Iveco fill the first two spots on the podium and end the Eastern European domination of the truck class.  Russian truck heavyweight, Kamaz, had won the event for the last three years in a row. Iveco's achievement is underlined by the fact that Kamaz, along with Czech brand Tatra, has won the grueling Dakar rally 16 of the last 19 times it has been run.  Kamaz took third this year thanks to Kazakhstan driver Artur Ardavichus, who was competing in his second Dakar event. The Iveco squad was given a big boost when the fastest Kamaz driver, Russian Eduard Nikolaev was disqualified for unsporting behavior during the fourth stage.  His truck hit the SUV of an Argentine competitior, who later admitted he was at fault, but race organisers argued Nikolaev didn't "rendering insufficient assistance" to the stricken machine. Hino finished the truck class in 9th place outright with a 500 Series race truck driven by Teruhito Sugawara.  While that doesn't quite match the company's claim of "dominance of the global rally circuit" as claimed in a spin-heavy press release, the Hino was the first truck home in the under 10-litre class. It's the 12th time Hino has won the 10-litre class and the 21st year in a row the company has entered and finished the tough event.  Iveco's Dakar win was the company's first ever. A true patriot could regard the race-winning Iveco as an Australian truck, although that is probably stretching the truth a little. It is a race truck constructed by Dutch race team Team de Rooy which is modeled on the production Powerstar bonneted truck which is unique to Australia and is built at Iveco's Dandenong factory in Victoria.  While it is said to run a Powerstar cab, the winning truck is a unique rig, using the chassis of the European-made Trakker and many custom components. It is fitted with a Powerstar nose, which did come from Australia, so it's fair for us to claim some of the success.  The Petronas Iveco team ran five trucks all up and they finished, first, second, sixth, 11th and 16th . All but the race-winner are cab-over models. They are serious four-wheel drive machines built for rallying, not for carrying a load. While the tradition of truck racing at Dakar started with service trucks, these units don't carry anything but the driver, navigator and mechanic.  The trucks run a red-hot engine based on the 12.9 Iveco Cursor in-line six cylinder. However this turbo diesel is far from standard given it pumps out a whopping 600kW (840hp) at 2200 revs and 3600Nm of torque. That is a fair way above the 373kW (500hp) maximum rating of that engine in Australian Stralis and Powerstar haulers. Would it be nice to have the Dakar-spec engine for a run up the Hume Highway? Although, I wouldn't want to be the one footing the fuel bill.  While that kind of performance would be handy with a full load, the Dakar Ivecos aren't heavy. The Powerstar tips the scales at just 9300kg which is heavy for a rally car but not for a truck. It also has special race suspension made up of leaf springs and coil springs and chunky race tyres hooked up to an on-board inflation kit which allows the team to drop the pressure for better traction on sand and re-inflate them on the run.  The team was also thinking of comfort when it developed the race truck, isolating the cabin from some of the harshest bumps with coil springs and hydraulic shock absorbers. This is important given de Rooy was forced to retire after the first stage of the 2011 event when he aggravated a previous back injury.

Nissan's foray into the full-size American pick-up market was expected to end when the current Titan model is phased out at some stage next year. Now it seems that the ute, which is a size larger than the Navara and is not sold in Australia, will live on.  Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn confirmed the company was committed to 'every segment' in the US and would replace the Titan. While Nissan was reportedly considering developing the Titan with another manufacturer, in the same way that General Motors and Isuzu developed the new D-Max and Colorado, it has confirmed it will work alone on the Titan project. The next Titan is unlikely to come to Australia. It’s not surprising Ghosn has decided to keep the Titan alive in a market that loves its big pick-ups. The mighty Ford F-Series pick-up was the best selling vehicle in the US in 2011, with 584,917 finding new homes. That's no surprise, as the Blue Oval machine has been best selling vehicle in the States for the last 30 years and the best selling pick-up truck since Star Wars hit theatres all the way back in 1977. Of the F-Series utes sold, 52.2 per cent were fitted with V6 engines and 47.8 per cent had V8s under the bonnet. While the US economy is flat, Ford sold 68,278 F-Series trucks in December 2011, representing its best single month of sales since before the global financial crisis kicked in during the last quarter of 2007.