Articles by Joshua Dowling

The plan to save the Holden factory was never going to happen, but that didn’t stop politicians from backing the proposal.A highly ambitious plan by a Belgian entrepreneur to save the Holden factory has been canned.A joint statement from General Motors and businessman Guido Dumarey of Punch Corporation issued late Friday said: “Both parties concluded that a viable business model was not possible. Therefore the proposal will not be taken forward.”Despite the apparent backing of federal politicians from both sides of politics, including Kim Carr and Christopher Pyne, the deal never stood a chance, say industry observers, because the factory would not have produced enough volume to support a supplier base.Mr Dumarey wanted to sell the Holden Commodore sedan, wagon and ute under another name, and rely on exports to boost production -- if the Australian dollar remained low.“General Motors and Punch Corporation have undertaken and completed a detailed global evaluation of a proposal from Punch Corporation to continue manufacturing vehicles at Holden’s Elizabeth plant in South Australia,” the statement said.“The challenges to domestic automotive manufacturing in Australia -- lack of scale, high production costs, supply base contraction and increasing market fragmentation -- persist and cannot be overcome for this business case.“In particular, the wind down of the supply base following the manufacturing exit of the three existing car makers, and the critical production mass they represent, is insurmountable.”General Motors said there would be no further discussion over the failed deal because the terms have been governed by a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

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Holden’s car assembly line in Elizabeth will stay open until late 2017 as planned, but the blue-collar workforce will be trimmed from 1200 to 800.The last small car ever made in Australia, the Holden Cruze, will reach the end of the line in December, axing an estimated 400 jobs in the process.But the Holden factory at Elizabeth on the north-west outskirts of Adelaide will continue to make Commodore sedans, wagons and utes until late 2017, as planned.Production-line workers were told of the widely-expected decision at a meeting at 2:30pm on Friday, at the end of shift.Holden had forecast since 2014 that production of the Cruze would end about a year before the Commodore.The model will be replaced by the Holden Astra, which will be imported from the UK.The company says it made the announcement at least six months ahead so that suppliers had certainty until the end of 2016, and could restructure their business to operate until production of the homegrown Commodore ends in late 2017.Holden Executive Director of Human Resources, Ashley Winnett, said: “Our number one priority is to support our people – this is a difficult time for all those in the Holden family.”Every Holden worker has access to transition services and up to $3000 in approved training, as part of Holden’s $15 million contribution to the Federal Government’s Growth Fund for former factory workers.Holden currently builds about 240 cars per day and the Cruze represents about one-in-three of vehicles made.Further job cuts at local parts suppliers to Holden are expected.However, of all the cars assembled locally, the Cruze had the highest foreign content. About 70 per cent of Cruze parts are sourced from overseas.The relatively low amount of local parts content in the Cruze -- and the declining production volumes -- means its departure is unlikely to affect the continuation of Commodore production until the end of 2017.Ford will be the first of Australia’s three remaining car manufacturers to close its factories.Ford’s Broadmeadows car assembly line on the northern outskirts of Melbourne and the Geelong engine and stamping plant are due to close on October 7.The Ford shutdowns will end 91 years of production in Australia for the US car giant, and end 56 years of car-making in Broadmeadows.Holden will be next to close its car assembly line, in late 2017, followed by Toyota.The Toyota Camry assembly line at Altona, on Melbourne’s western outskirts, will be the first factory Toyota has closed anywhere in the world.Fast facts: Holden CruzeThe Holden Cruze was originally imported from South Korea. But during the Global Financial Crisis in late 2008 and early 2009, a deal was struck between then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and then Holden boss Mark Reuss to build the Cruze sedan and hatch locally.“This is an epic day," said Mr Reuss at the June 2009 announcement designed to secure Holden’s manufacturing future. "We are safe, we are part of the new GM."Holden had received $149 million from the Rudd Government’s “Green Car Innovation Fund”. The Cruze qualified because it was a fuel-efficient four-cylinder car. The scheme was also used to fund the four-cylinder Ford Falcon, diesel-engined Ford Territory and Toyota Camry hybrid."We're fortunate to have a Government and a Prime Minister that actually cares about manufacturing," Mr Reuss said at the time.The first Holden Cruze went into production alongside the Commodore to help boost output at Elizabeth in late 2011. At the time the Holden factory employed 2300 workers and built 430 cars per day.More than 125,000 locally-made Holden Cruze sedans and hatches have been sold since 2012; the 100,000th was built in November 2014.The first Holden small car to go into production was the Torana, in 1967.The last small car Holden made in Australia prior to the Cruze was the Gemini, in 1987, also made at Elizabeth.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the new fifth-generation Audi A4, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at its Australian launch.

SUVs are on track to overtake passenger car sales for the first time in Australian automotive history.Sales for SUVs grew by a staggering 19.5 per cent in January, while passenger car deliveries dropped by 11.5 per cent.The appeal? Taller driving positions, better comfort, more cargo room -- and being easier to simply get in and out -- are all factors in the SUV fad.The majority of sales are of the more affordable front-wheel-drive versions, which are indistinguishable apart from the badges. They are used mostly as high-riding hatchbacks.But we thought it was time to get reacquainted with the all-wheel-drive versions of the two latest arrivals -- the all-new Kia Sportage and the recently facelifted Toyota RAV4 -- and line them up against the benchmark and class leader, the Mazda CX-5.We selected the petrol variants, because in this class and with the new levels of petrol engine efficiency, diesel doesn't make as much sense as it does in the bigger SUV categories.Kia SportageThe starting price for a petrol-powered all-wheel-drive Kia Sportage has climbed by $9000 with the arrival of the just-released new model.The top-of-the-line Kia Sportage Platinum petrol starts at $43,490 plus on-road costs. Metallic paint adds $520.Kia has chosen to rationalise its all-wheel-drive range and add front-drive petrol models at the more affordable end of the scale (see breakout).Which is why the Kia is $8200 dearer than the Mazda CX-5 and $6500 dearer than the Toyota RAV4 tested.For that, though, you get the works. The Kia Sportage Platinum comes loaded with a satellite navigation, panoramic glass sunroof, leather seats with electric adjustment for driver and front passenger, sports steering wheel, wireless phone charging, larger alloy wheels, a full size spare, HID headlights and LED foglights and rear privacy glass.The Platinum also gains the full suite of Kia safety technology, including blind spot warning, lane departure warning, automated parking, and automatic emergency braking.Then there is Kia's formidable and industry-leading seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.Downsides? The price of capped price servicing climbs dramatically after three years (the fourth year service alone is $747), and the safety tech is not available on lesser grades, as it is on the Toyota and Mazda.The quality of the materials is excellent, the instrument display (with a digital speedo in the middle, the only one here with this convenience) is bright and clear, and comfort in general is excellent.As with all these SUVs, the Kia has ample oddment storage in the doors, centre console and glovebox. But it has the smallest cargo area among this trio, in part due to its sloping roofline.The Kia felt slightly more sure-footed than the others on the dirt, but around town and on freeways was on a par.Overall, the Kia Sportage Platinum is another step forward for the brand, even if it is slightly less of a revelation than the reigning CarsGuide Car of the Year, the Kia Sorento seven-seater.Toyota RAV4This is Australia's top-selling SUV of all time, even if it currently ranks third on the sales charts.There are more than 250,000 RAV4s on Australian roads; the facelifted model with sharp new looks arrived in late 2015.Toyota, the king of off-road, has dramatically increased the number of models and options within the RAV4 range.If this particular one's not for you, there is bound to be another to suit.We have the $36,990 RAV4 GXL, the second model up in the AWD petrol range, distinguished by fancy-looking 18-inch alloy wheels that we thought were optional at first.While the RAV4 gained a new nose, the changes to the interior are more subtle.Standard equipment is fairly basic, including dual zone air-conditioning, rear privacy glass, a sensor key, rain sensing wipers and fog lights.A rear view camera is standard but navigation is optional on the GXL.At least Toyota spent some time and money fettling the suspension to make it handle bumps and bends a little better. It's a shame more wasn't able to be done to block tyre noise from entering the cabin.On the plus side the RAV4 is by far the roomiest here and has the biggest cargo area, the cheapest capped price servicing (although visits are 6 months/10,000km, whichever comes first), and has the highest ground clearance of this trio, should you venture beyond a fire trail.The lack of a full-size spare wheel is the only significant downside to the RAV4. But it's not alone in this regard.Mazda CX-5This is Australia's favourite compact SUV for the past three years in a row. Mazda gave the CX-5 a minor makeover in January 2015, with a nip and tuck on the nose and a slightly revised interior.As the saying goes, if it aint broke don't fix it. The Mazda needed little to keep it ahead of the pack.But 12 months on and the Mazda's rivals have started to close the gap. The CX-5 is still an excellent proposition, but it doesn't have the lead it once had.Standard fare on the $35,790 CX-5 Maxx Sport tested includes the same equipment as the Toyota RAV4 GXL but gains navigation as standard. An optional safety pack that includes blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic emergency braking, adds $1230.The Mazda was the perkiest of the three SUVs in our uphill 0 to 100km/h test (ahead of the Toyota RAV4 and then the Kia Sportage) but the others are now close to having the measure of the Mazda in twists and turns.The steering in the Mazda feels marginally better and the car feels slightly more planted on the road, but it's a fair bet few will pick the difference between the three in a test drive around the block.On the open road, the Mazda was a little firmer over bumps than the Toyota and Kia, and tyre noise was slightly louder than the others on coarse surfaces.But the Mazda CX-5 is still a class act, with a roomy cargo area and user-friendly interior with ample oddment storage.Downsides? Capped price servicing is done at 10,000km intervals (on average that works out to be every nine months) and there is only a space saver spare in the boot.VerdictThe Kia Sportage Platinum was the car the judges would have preferred to drive away. It's another step forward for the brand; the seven-year warranty sweetens the deal.But once price is taken into consideration, it's a different result. If Kia had an all-wheel-drive offering at the price of the others, it may have been a different outcome.That leaves the two titans of the compact SUV class: the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4.Toyota has made marked improvements to the facelifted RAV4, and it's the roomiest here and the cheapest to run.But the Mazda has more equipment for less money and has the edge when it comes to driving enjoyment.Or perhaps a two-wheel-drive option?Don't want to get off the beaten track, but fancy the looks and comfort of one these three SUVs? Save up to $10,000 by not opting for all-wheel-drive and settle for a slightly smaller petrol engine.The front-drive version of the Kia Sportage (powered by a 2.0-litre petrol rather than the 2.4 AWD) is available in the lower grade SLi trim from $33,990 plus on-road costs.The Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport front-wheel-drive (with a 2.0-litre instead of a 2.5 AWD) is available from $32,790 plus on-road costs, while the Toyota RAV4 GXL front-wheel-drive (with a 2.0-litre instead of a 2.5 AWD) is from $33,990 plus on-road costs.Kia Sportage PlatinumPrice: $43,490 plus on-road costsWarranty: 7 years/unlimited kmCapped servicing: $1152 over 3 years (fourth year is $747)Service interval: 12 months/15,000kmSafety: 5 stars, 6 airbags Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cyl, 135kW/237Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto; AWDThirst: 8.5L/100km Dimensions: 4480mm (L), 1855mm (W), 1655mm (H), 2670mm (WB)Weight: 1716kg Spare: Full-sizeTowing: 1500kgMazda CX-5 Maxx SportPrice: $35,790 plus on-road costsWarranty: 3 years/unlimited kmCapped servicing: $1362 over 3 yearsService interval: 9 months/10,000kmSafety: 5 stars, 6 airbags Engine: 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 138kW/250Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto; AWDThirst: 7.4L/100km Dimensions: 4540mm (L), 1840mm (W), 1710mm (H), 2700mm (WB)Weight: 1572kg Spare: Space-saverTowing: 1800kgToyota RAV4 GXLPrice: $36,990 plus on-road costsWarranty: 3 years/100,000 kmCapped Servicing: $1080 over 3 yearsService interval: 6 months/10,000kmSafety: 5 stars, 7 airbags Engine: 2.5-litre 4-cyl, 132kW/233Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto; AWDThirst: 8.5L/100km Dimensions: 4605mm (L), 1845mm (W), 1715mm (H), 2660mm (WB)Weight: 1600kg Spare: Space-saverTowing: 1500kg

It’s the biggest recall in Honda Australia history and the consequences of not getting the airbags replaced can be deadly.The number of Honda cars recalled in Australia to replace potentially deadly airbags has climbed to a staggering 421,000 vehicles with the addition of 71,000 extra models today across the Jazz, Civic and Legend range.Honda is one of eight car brands recalling up to 53 million cars globally -- including more than 5 million Hondas -- to replace Takata airbags that can fire shrapnel when deployed in a crash.So far the faulty airbags have been linked to at least eight deaths overseas, but none have been reported in Australia.Honda has the highest number of affected vehicles in Australia (421,000), even more than market leader Toyota (258,000) which sells almost six times more cars. It represents more than four out of every five Hondas sold locally during the recall period.It brings the Takata airbag tally across all brands to more than 900,000 vehicles in Australia.Honda Australia Director, Stephen Collins, told News Corp Australia the company was fixing 5000 cars per week across its network of 107 dealers.“This is unprecedented for us and shows how seriously we are taking this issue,” said Mr Collins.Because so many airbags need replacing globally, some customers face a painstaking wait that could stretch into 2017 before having their cars fixed.But Honda says at least one third of the 421,000 cars have had their airbags replaced so far in Australia.The crisis has left drivers with the unenviable task of taking the risk and driving their cars or -- if they can afford it -- park their recalled car until new airbags become available.So far, authorities in the US and Australia have not ordered the recalled cars off the road.The odds of being killed are difficult to calculate. Not all of the airbags in the 53 million cars are defective.But internal testing by Takata in 2015 found 265 of 30,000 recalled airbags had ruptured -- or less than 1 per cent.That may sound like good odds, until you realise it still leaves 530,000 cars around the world -- and at least 6000 in Australia -- with airbags that can kill.The three Honda models added today include the Honda Civic (2006 to 2011), the Honda Legend (2007 to 2012) and the Honda Jazz (2012).Chrysler 300C sedan 2005 to 2007BMW 3 Series 1997 to 2006Honda Jazz 2004 to 2009Honda Accord 2001 to 2006Honda Accord Euro 2004 to 2007Honda CR-V 2002 to 2008Honda Civic 2004 to 2005Honda Civic 2006 to 2011 (added 25 February 2016)Honda Legend 2007 to 2012 (added 25 February 2016)Honda Jazz 2012 (added 25 February 2016)Honda MDX 2003 to 2006Lexus SC430 2001 to 2003Mercedes-Benz SL and SLK 2014Nissan N16 Pulsar 2000 to 2006Nissan D22 Navara 1997 to 2004Nissan Y61 Patrol 1997 to 2010Nissan T30 X-TRAIL 2001 to 2007Nissan A33 Maxima 1999 to 2003Subaru Impreza 2004 to 2007Toyota Echo 2003 to 2005Toyota RAV4 2003 to 2005Toyota Corolla 2003 to 2007Toyota Yaris 2005 to 2007Toyota Avensis 2003 to 2007

Iconic Aussie car brand plans to find new ways to appeal to buyers in "modern Australia".

Despite some "experts" saying it would never happen, NSW Police are testing a new Ford Mustang for highway patrol duties.

Toyota is putting the finishing touches on its entry into the booming city-sized SUV segment.The Toyota C-HR concept unveiled at the 2014 Paris motor show looks like a spaceship, but the production version is just weeks away from being unveiled at the Geneva auto salon ahead of an Australian showroom arrival this time next year.As the saying goes, when you’re last in, you better be best dressed.Reports out of Europe say the production version of the Toyota C-HR will be made in Turkey and come with a choice of turbo petrol or hybrid power.However, vehicles destined for Australia are expected to be made in Japan and come exclusively with an all-new 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (85kW/185Nm) that was recently introduced in the UK version of the Corolla.The high-riding hatchback is also expected to be available with a choice of six-speed manual transmission or CVT auto.Overseas reports say the Toyota C-HR will stay true to its daring design, although imagine the concept car with smaller wheels and more realistic headlights and tail-lights.Pricing is a year away from being announced, but class rivals such as the Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V are typically priced between $20,000 and $30,000.Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger carsToyota may be the biggest seller of SUVs in Australia but it has been conspicuously absent in the fastest-growing segment of the new-car market globally.High-riding hatchbacks are fast catching sales of regular passenger cars as buyers embrace their taller driving position, ease of getting in and out, and roomier cargo areas.If sales of SUVs continue at their current rate, Australians are on track to buy more SUVs than passenger cars for the first time in our motoring history.Official new-car sales figures for January show the gap between passenger cars and SUVs is the closest it has ever been.Passenger car sales were down by 11.5 per cent while demand for SUVs surged by 19.5 per cent.If the trend continues, SUVs could overtake passenger cars by the end of 2016.Just 2141 sales separated the two vehicle types last month (35,214 versus 33,073); this time last year the gap between the two biggest categories was six times greater.

A giant of the US auto industry is heading Down Under: meet the 'Holden' Acadia.