Articles by Joshua Dowling

Best of all there is actually a reasonable excuse. Interest rates are still at record lows and prices on imported goods are likely to rise if the Australian dollar continues to dive.Whether you want something on two wheels or four — or even for the water — there is plenty of temptation to spoil yourself rotten. Because you're worth it.Powered by a supercharged V8, the HSV GTS Maloo is the world's fastest ute. Only 150 were supposed to be built but Holden squeezed an extra 100 into the production schedule (the balance to be built at the start of this year).Despite the $90,000 price tag, all are spoken for. But you could get lucky if someone else's deal falls over.With a 0 to 100km/h time of 4.5 seconds it's as fast as a Porsche. If anyone asks why a ute needs so much power, tell them you don't understand the question. Or that it also has the biggest brakes ever fitted to a ute, as well as a stability control system similar to that used by Porsche.If the budget doesn't stretch as far as a HSV GTS Maloo, then the new Ford Falcon XR8 could be a bit of you.It has the supercharged V8 from the previous GT Falcon but, at $52,000, costs about $20,000 less. If the missus can save $100 on a pair of shoes, imagine what a champion you'd be by saving $20,000. At this rate, you're almost making money. Ahem.Forget what you may have read in the car buff magazines, the new Falcon XR8 is so quick it gives the Holden Commodore SS a bloody nose.No wonder it's sold out until March. It'd be a good idea to get in quick because Ford massively undercalled the demand for the last V8 Falcon of all time.If you want a workhorse that's also a show pony then the top of the range Toyota HiLux TRD Black Edition is the go.Toyota has raided the parts bin for the HiLux because the first all-new model in 10 years in due in October.The Black Edition has no extra power, payload or towing capacity but it gets pimped-out looks and a leather interior. Available from about $55,000 in, er, black or white, the Black Edition costs $550 extra if you want a black one.With a design inspired by Formula One motor racing cars and a supercharged engine that uses aerospace technology, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 is expected to claim the title of the world's fastest motorcycle when it goes on sale in the first half of this year priced about $30,000.It is said to blast from 0 to 100km/h in less than 2.5 seconds — as quick as an F1 racing machine, if riders can hang on to it.The supercharged engine has almost as much power as a Volkswagen Golf GTI hot hatch, but the Kawasaki Ninja H2 weighs barely one-fifth as much as a car.The supercharger technology is so sophisticated it has been banned from international motorcycle racing since 1946, but has returned to a modern, road-going motorcycle in the search for more power from smaller engines. Cool factor: infinity.The price of a jet ski (or "personal water craft", as they're officially known, because "jet ski" is a Kawasaki name) has been cut by more than half with the arrival of the Sea-Doo Spark which is about $9000 tow-away, no more to pay — including a trailer.The Sea-Doo Spark has a little less power than the $20,000 to $25,000 beasts but is barely any slower and still capable of giving you a fright — or a workout.The best way to get this over the line with the other half is to explain that riding one is like Pilates and Yoga for men.Jumping waves and skimming over choppy waters will work your pelvic floor and other core muscles you didn't know you had, including those in your glutes and quads. I know because I tried it and have only just started to walk normally recently.This truly is Yoga at 100km/h on the water, with a nice sea breeze. Best of all, you have to put the phone away. And it's light enough to tow it with a hatchback. If you dare.

Forget Holden versus Ford. The new battle is Toyota Corolla versus Mazda3 -- and now the score is two-all.The Toyota Corolla was Australia’s top-selling car for the second year in a row as sales of our historical favourites, the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, hit a new rock bottom.The Corolla may be the world’s biggest selling vehicle, with more than 40 million sold since 1966, but it has only ever hit the top of the Australian charts in the past two years.The Corolla was in a neck and neck race with the Mazda3 -- the car that ended the Holden Commodore’s record 15-year winning streak in 2011 and 2012 -- all year.The reigning champion Corolla overtook the Mazda3 in the year-to-date tally in July by just 21 sales -- but the pair swapped the monthly lead three times in the past five months.In the end the Toyota Corolla took top honours with a tally of 43,735, just 422 sales ahead of the Mazda3 with 43,313 deliveries, according to confidential preliminary figures obtained by News Corp Australia.As a sign of Australia’s diverse and highly competitive car market -- with more than 64 brands on sale -- the Corolla became top-seller having sold barely half as many cars as the Commodore did at its peak 10 years ago.However, the battle between the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla is tighter than Holden versus Ford: in decades of Commodore versus Falcon rivalry, the finish between the top two sellers was never this close.Meanwhile, Toyota as a brand eclipsed 200,000 sales for the 10th time and was market leader for a record 12th year in a row.But it wasn’t all good news for the Japanese giant; Toyota sales were down for the third year in a row, to 203,498 deliveries, a significant drop from its peak of 238,983 new cars in 2008.Holden posted its worst sales in almost a quarter of a century (with 106,000 deliveries) and is on track to be overtaken by Mazda (100,700) and Hyundai (100,010) in 2015.Ford also had a shocker (79,700), posting its worst sales in more than 23 years and the 10th year in a row in decline.The preliminary figures show the new-car market has had its biggest drop since the Global Financial Crisis, down by about 2.2 per cent compared with last year’s all-time record of  1,136,227 new vehicle registrations.Our taste in cars has also changed dramatically over the past decade. In 2005, locally made vehicles accounted for one in four (25 per cent) of all new cars sold. In 2014, less than one in 10 cars (or 9 per cent) was built locally.Nevertheless, 2014 will still go down in history as the sixth time new-car sales passed the 1 million mark in the past seven years.Official figures for new-car sales in 2014 will be released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries next week.

But the start of 2015 is gearing up for more hot deals than usual because new car sales stalled last year for the first time since the Global Financial Crisis.It means dealers are overstocked and they're even more eager to make way for fresh metal.Adding to the pressure - and putting buyers in the driver's seat - is the uncertainty around Australia's currency, which has taken a hit in recent months. Buying a new car now could mean a double-saving; get the discount on end-of-year bargains and beat possible price rises.Record low interest rates and favourable exchange rates saw new car prices fall to 20-year lows in 2014 as affordability hit a 38-year high in 2014.But once the cars imported at last year's exchange rates are cleared, the chances are new models won't be discounted as heavily, or prices may even rise.Most cars sold in Australia are sourced from Japan (30 per cent), Thailand (20 per cent) and South Korea (12 per cent) - rather than the US (5 per cent) - but most car companies buy in US dollars as it has historically been more stable.The prices of Japanese branded cars are likely to remain steady because the Japanese Government artificially devalues the yen to boost exports. But the value of the Australian dollar against the currencies of Thailand, South Korea and the US is less stable.It means price rises are likely on almost every ute sold in Australia because most are made in Thailand, including the top-selling Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton and Holden Colorado, among others.South Korean brands Hyundai and Kia, two of the industry's biggest discounters, may also lose some of their bargaining power if the Australian dollar continues to head south.But one brand you may not be expecting to go backwards due to a shift in currency is Holden, which sources eight of its 12 models from South Korea and two from Thailand.With that in mind we have assembled the 10 cars we reckon are worth waiting for. Remember to always judge a car by its build date (the day it went down the production line and how its age will be measured when it comes time to sell), rather than the compliance plate (in effect, when the car cleared Australian customs).Be warned: there are still some 2013-built cars out there (Nissan, we're looking at you), so be sure to haggle hard and make sure the factory warranty starts the day you take delivery.Sometimes it's worth waiting for an all-new model, or at least knowing if you have more bargaining power if the dealer is trying to clear not only last year's model but one that is about to be superseded.The successor to Australia's cheapest car from a mainstream brand is just around the corner with a new look and a new name. The Suzuki Celerio is bigger than the Alto and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder has been tuned to run on regular unleaded (rather than premium like its predecessor), making it one of the cheapest cars to own and operate. Expect a super-sharp $13,990 drive-away starting price when it goes on sale in February.Australia is going to be crawling with pint-sized SUVs next year but the Mazda CX-3 is likely to take most of the spotlight. Available with a 1.5-litre turbo diesel or a 2.0-litre petrol engine it is expected to start between $20,000 and $25,000 when it goes on sale in March. It will join the Honda HR-V (February), Renault Captur (February), the next generation Suzuki Vitara (June), the unusually named Citroen Cactus (June), and the cutesy Fiat 500X (November).The city-sized soft-roader market is so huge globally even off-road brand Jeep has joined the fray. The Jeep Renegade may look like a scaled-down Tonka Truck but it is based on the same underbody as the Fiat Punto, Alfa Romeo Mito and the Fiat 500X. Powered by a 1.4-litre turbo petrol or 2.0-litre turbo diesel matched to a segment-leading nine-speed automatic transmission, the Renegade is due in showrooms in October priced between $20,000 and $30,000.The first new Nissan Navara in 10 years arrives in showrooms in April with two new 2.3-litre turbo diesel engines (one with a single turbo, the other with twin turbos). The outputs are almost the same as the previous 2.5-litre turbo diesel, despite being smaller in capacity (a 118kW/403Nm version and a 140kW/450Nm version). Payload and towing capacity are yet to be confirmed but bank on a one-tonne cargo rating and a 3500kg towing limit (bringing the Navara into line with class leaders). The 550Nm Navara with the Renault 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 has been dropped. It will be a big year for utes, with a rebodied Mitsubishi Triton due in May, significant updates due for the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 in July, an all-new Toyota HiLux in October.Take a close look at the new Ford Mondeo due on sale in April. This is a pointer to the vehicle that will eventually replace the Falcon. Available in sedan and wagon body styles, likely with a choice of 2.0-litre turbo petrol or 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines, prices are expected to range from $30,000 to $50,000. It will also be loaded with technology including LED headlights, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and industry-leading rear seatbelt airbags. A hybrid version will join the Mondeo line-up later in the year.Jaguar is making a second attempt at the lucrative mid-size luxury sedan market dominated by the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C Class. After learning from the ill-conceived 2002 X-Type based on the Ford Mondeo, Jaguar has started with a cleansheet design and aluminium construction. It will be available with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel said to sip 4.0L/100km, less than the Audi A4 (4.8L/100km) and BMW 320d (4.5L/100km) aided by an eight-speed auto. At the other end of the scale: a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 with a 0 to 100km/h time of 5.1 seconds. Due on sale in September, it's likely to start about $60,000.The first new Volvo XC90 in 12 years is also the first all-new model developed since Volvo was bought by China's Geely motor company in 2010. Promising to the world's safest SUV it will automatically slam on the brakes if you're about to turn in front of an oncoming car, and can also spot cyclists and pedestrians at night. It even has eyes in the back of its head: a radar system can detect if you're about to be hit from behind, and will prepare the seatbelts and headrests for the sudden impact. It will be available with a choice of four-cylinder petrol or diesel power, and a plug-in hybrid that can travel up to 40km on battery power alone (before switching to petrol power), the first seven-seater of its type in the world. Due in showrooms in July priced about $90,000.Mazda has gone back to basics – in every sense of the word – and wound back the clock with the new MX-5 sports-car. The first all-new MX-5 since the original was launched 25 years ago goes back to its lightweight, low cost roots (each wheel only has four locating nuts instead of five, for example) and promises a soft-top roof and a sub-1000kg mass for the first time since last century. Since 2006 the Mazda MX-5 has had a folding metal roof to help it weather storms and thwart thieves, but this has added weight, complexity and cost. The new model is expected to be available with a choice of two engines – a 1.5- and a 2.0-litre – when it goes on sale in September priced below $40,000.The Ford Mustang returns to Australia in October for the first time since 2003, but it will be the first time in the nameplate's 50-year history that it will be made in right-hand-drive on a Ford production line (Flat Rock, Michigan). All models before this one were converted to right-hand-drive locally. It will be available with a choice of 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo or 5.0-litre V8 power in coupe and convertible body styles. Prices will range from $50,000 to $70,000.Mercedes-Benz's answer to the Porsche 911 arrives in July priced about $270,000. Powered by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 that will also power the upcoming AMG C63 sedan, it can complete the 0 to 100km/h dash in just 3.8 seconds. Fun fact for the tech heads: it has a better weight distribution (47/53 front to rear) than either the Porsche 911 (39/61) or Cayman (46/54). Game on.

Crash safety standards for new vehicles go backwards from today after Australia’s peak safety body made it easier for less safe cars to earn a five-star safety rating.In a further snub to car buyers, the independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program, which receives $1 million in taxpayer funds each year, boldly claims the changes equate to an improvement in safety.The decision to adopt weaker European standards — and award a five-star crash safety rating to cars without rear airbags and with weaker frontal crash protection structures — has infuriated road safety experts and consumer groups.RELATED: Chinese ute safety slammed againMORE: Indian ute scores two stars ahead of upgradeVIDEO: Why side airbags are lifesaversOne of the first cars to benefit from ANCAP’s new lower standards is the Renault Captur SUV due on sale in February 2015.The French vehicle was due to be released in Australia in late 2014 but the delay in its showroom arrival means it will get a five-star rating instead of a four-star rating had it gone on sale yesterday.The changes risk causing further confusion among car buyers and ANCAP has come under fire from industry insiders who question why taxpayers should continue to foot the bill when it is adopting foreign crash test results of a weaker standard.ANCAP — established in 1993, before EuroNCAP which was set up in 1997 — previously had higher standards but relaxed its rules in an attempt to avoid confusion with European crash test results.For example, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mini Countryman and Range Rover Evoque each scored five stars in Europe but only four stars when they went on sale in Australia because their frontal crash structures did not meet ANCAP’s five-star requirements.But ANCAP, which markets itself as a protector of consumers, has relaxed its crash safety standards from January 1, 2015, after pressure from the car industry and its European partners.When ANCAP foreshadowed the controversial changes in October 2014, Tom Godfrey, the spokesman for Australia’s peak consumer body Choice, said: “Any move to water down safety standards is a raw deal for the consumer. Any move to compromise these ratings in a bid to align with apparently weaker international criteria would not be a good thing for consumers.”Choice said ANCAP had done good work in the past at improving vehicle safety, but adopting Europe’s weaker testing measures was a step backwards.“Choice believes Australia should maintain the highest standards possible when it comes to car safety,” said Mr Godfrey.Frontal crashes are more common but side impacts are more deadly, which is why ANCAP initially made side airbags mandatory for five-star cars.EuroNCAP is not due to make rear airbags mandatory for five-star ratings until 2016 and currently has no plans to reinstate the minimum requirement of a 12.5 score out of 16 in the offset frontal crash test at 64km/h.ANCAP chief executive officer Nicholas Clarke told News Corp Australia: “Rear airbags are important, there’s no doubt about that. But Europe will require them (for five star ratings) in due course. There might be room for a little bit of confusion but we will respond to consumers as they arise. It’s really those that have a very active interest in safety that would pursue issues of rear airbags over no rear airbags.”What is ANCAP?ANCAP (the Australasian New Car Assessment Program) is an independent body funded by the Federal Government, the roads and traffic authorities in each state and territory, motoring bodies (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAC, RAA, RACT, AANT) and Insurance Australia Group. It was established in 1993, before EuroNCAP (1997).Why does ANCAP exist?ANCAP was intended to give consumers a more detailed analysis of how well a new car, its airbags and body structure protect occupants in a crash. Previously, buyers had little information other than an airbag count.Does ANCAP have the power to ban vehicles from sale?ANCAP has no power to stop a car from going on sale; instead it tests cars independently and then publishes the results in a star-rating system so consumers can distinguish the safety of new vehicles.ANCAP milestones:In 2011, ANCAP was the first body of its type to insist cars have electronic stability control (as well as meeting other crash test criteria) before being awarded five stars.In 2013, ANCAP was the first body of its type to insist cars have airbag protection for back seat passengers before being awarded five stars.The rules requiring rear airbags were made by ANCAP after a number of cars, including the 2008 Ford Falcon, scored a five-star rating even though they were not fitted with rear airbags. ANCAP closed the loophole in 2013 but from January 1, 2015, it will relax this rule and accept inferior EuroNCAP five-star results.

In the rear-view mirror: the highs and lows of motoring in 2014.The 2014 motoring year will be remembered as the first time new-car sales hit the brakes since the Global Financial Crisis — despite record low interest rates and the highest number of new models on sale.Aside from the shiny new metal there were plenty of other highlights and lowlights. Here are the 14 big things in motoring you may have missed in 2014.The most car recalls everThe year 2014 will go down in history as having the most vehicle recalls ever. Australia issued more than 114 recall bulletins for approximately 1.1 million vehicles, about as many as the number of new cars sold. The previous record — and the last time more cars were recalled than sold in a year — was 855,000 vehicles in 2001.Holden and Jeep posted a record 14 recalls each (in Holden’s case more than half were for Australian-made cars) while market leader Toyota issued nine recall notices.Next on the list was Mitsubishi with eight recalls, ahead of Nissan (six). Volkswagen (five), and Ford (four) while Mazda, Hyundai and Land Rover each reported three recalls. You can view the rest here.Globally, more than 55 million cars were recalled, including 30.4 million General Motors vehicles for various ignition faults, the most serious of which has so far been linked to 42 deaths.Meanwhile 24 million cars globally were recalled for a faulty airbag that could spray shrapnel when deployed and has so far been linked to five deaths. Takata makes 20 per cent of the world’s airbags and supplies Honda, Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors. More than 110,000 cars were recalled in Australia for this fault but no incidents have so far been reported.Are cars getting worse or are companies getting better at detecting faults and taking action so they don’t get sued? Both are true. Car makers are increasingly outsourcing parts supply, and then crunching suppliers on cost. The supplier then cuts a corner here or there, or parts change slightly after they’ve been approved by the manufacturer (hoping the factory won’t notice or care) and then problems occur. As for getting sued, in the US, GM has established a $400 million fund to compensate families of those involved in fatal accidents linked to ignition faults.Worst car advertisement of the yearWinner of this dubious honour goes to a Toyota HiLux advertisement in Western Australia. Under the photo of a second-hand HiLux for sale the description read: “There’s more hope of Rolf Harris getting a babysitting gig than us finding a better example,” a reference to the 84-year-old Australian entertainer who was jailed for child sex offences.The advertisement then matter-of-factly went on to list details about the vehicle, including the $28,990 asking price.The advertisement was for Goldfields Toyota in Kalgoorlie, and was published by the local newspaper, the Kalgoorlie Miner.Goldfields Toyota general sales manager, Darryl “Shack” Evans, told News Corp Australia at the time: “It wasn’t meant to offend. We try to make our ads a little bit interesting and a little bit lighthearted but we blurred the lines of good taste and bad on this occasion. It was only printed once, but it’s somehow got on social media after someone took a photo of it, even though we’d taken it off the website.”Best car advertisement of the yearAny TV ad that makes you stop what you doing — or stops you from channel surfing — is a winner in our books. We can’t get enough of the Kia Sportage TV ad with the real Salt-N-Pepa performing their hit single Push It. So we’re glad it’s on YouTube. It’s the 2014 sequel to the Kia Sportage TV ad from 2010 featuring two members of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, performing the hit single The Message.The Salt-N-Pepa ad for the Series II Sportage (note the different radio display) was filmed with the same “mum and dad” actors in the same location (Parklea in Sydney’s west) by ad agency Innocean. The daughter in the Salt-N-Pepa ad is the real daughter of the actor playing the mum.World’s safest child seats finally went on sale in AustraliaThe world’s safest child car seats were formally approved for sale in Australia in September — 17 years after they were introduced in Europe, 12 years after the USA and after several years of bureaucratic bungling.The seats use an ISOFIX latch system — which click into position — and have a 99 per cent success rate of being correctly fitted, according to overseas studies.But there is a catch. Changes to the seats — to meet stricter local standards — mean Australians cannot buy ISOFIX child seats more cheaply from overseas. Local versions cost between $300 and $600.Australian authorities amended the rules for ISOFIX child seats, requiring them to also be fitted with a top “tether” strap that attaches to a bolt behind the car’s back seat.Motorists who use overseas ISOFIX seats in Australia risk fines of more than $300 and three demerit points in most states.Older style child seats fitted using seatbelts and a top tether are still legal, but studies routinely show at least two out of three of those are installed incorrectly.Most car makers welcomed the arrival of ISOFIX child seats as the majority of imported cars have been equipped with them for the past 10 years.However, the locally made Toyota Camry, Toyota Aurion, Ford Falcon and Ford Territory do not have ISOFIX attachment points. Only the latest version of the locally-made Holden Commodore is equipped with ISOFIX attachment points.Rear-view cameras became standard on $14,990 cars — why not all SUVs?Safety authorities renewed calls to make rear view cameras standard on family cars after the price of a brand-new vehicle with a rear view camera limboed to a new low in June with the arrival of the $14,990 Honda Jazz hatchback.The price undercut the previous low set by the Toyota Corolla sedan, introduced in January 2014 for $20,700, which comes with a rear view camera and parking sensors.The updated Toyota Yaris closely followed the Honda Jazz by making a rear view camera standard on all models in July.Despite being available on some of the cheapest cars on the market, several expensive SUVs still lack rear view cameras.Rear view cameras are not available on the most affordable version of the Holden Captiva 7 or Ford Kuga — they’re standard only on the most expensive versions, typically priced in excess of $40,000 — even though every Toyota Kluger has had a rear view camera since 2007.The Ford Territory only got a rear view camera as standard in November.Figures from Federal safety authorities show that almost 100 children aged up to 4 years were killed in driveways or car parks between 2001 and 2010 — about 10 per year — and more than 500 kids were seriously injured by cars over the same period.Australia’s crash test authority announced a backwards step in safety standardsAustralia’s crash test authority announced in October its safety standards will take a backwards step from January 2015, even though the press release tried to pitch it as an improvement.Next year it will be easier for less safe cars to earn a five-star safety rating.The peak body that proudly closed a number of loopholes for crash rating requirements two years ago is about to reopen them so they are more closely aligned with European results, which are less stringent than Australia in two key areas.The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) currently requires five-star cars to provide airbag protection for back seat passengers, and to score a minimum 12.5 points out of 16 in a head-on crash test, which measures a car’s ability to protect front seat passengers in a 64km/h crash.However, from 2015, Australia will accept EuroNCAP results even though they do not require five-star cars to provide airbag protection for back seat passengers.The European crash test body is also happy to elevate a car to five stars even if it scores less than 12.5 out of 16 in the critical frontal crash test.The relaxing of the requirements — and the adoption of European results — prompted some safety experts to question why ANCAP continues to receive about $1 million in Federal Government funds each year.Australia unveiled the world’s fastest uteThe Australian car manufacturing industry may be about to die but at least it will go out with a bang. Holden Special Vehicles unveiled the world’s fastest ute in September and the first 150 sold out in one day despite a $90,000 price tag. The company then scrambled to build a total of 250 versions of the HSV GTS Maloo (including 10 for New Zealand) because some longstanding customers missed out. The HSV GTS Maloo is powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 with 430kW of power and 740Nm of torque and can do the 0 to 100km/h dash in 4.5 seconds, as fast as a Porsche. It also has the biggest brakes ever fitted to a ute anywhere in the world.BMW dealer confirms we ARE paying too much for luxury carsAs the Federal Government conducts an inquiry into the pricing of luxury cars — and how Australia compares to overseas markets — a BMW dealer in Queensland spilt the beans to industry journal GoAuto and confirmed what we’ve suspected for some time. That Australians do pay too much for cars above the $100,000 mark, and not just because of Luxury Car Tax (33 per cent of the price above $61,884). In the affordable mainstream end of the new-car market Australian prices are the same as or cheaper than most other countries once all taxes, delivery fees and registration charges are taken into account. But the top end of town definitely pays too much.Last Ford Falcon GT rolled off the line, raised $393,700 for charityFord raised a remarkable $393,700 for charity for the first and last examples of the final edition Falcon GT. Build number 001 sold for $157,600 while car 500 (of 500) went under the hammer for $236,100, more than three times the regular purchase price of $77,900. All proceeds went to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The final Ford Falcon GT edition had a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with 351kW of power, a tribute to the engine capacity in cubic inches of the famous Bathurst winning Falcon GT 351 sedans from the 1970s. In November, Ford released the last ever Falcon XR8 with the previous Falcon GT’s 335kW supercharged V8. Ford underestimated demand on the XR8 — which is sold out until March 2015 — and is now trying to double production.In December, the same week as the last Falcon GT was built, Ford confirmed it is pulling out of V8 Supercars at the end of 2015, ending half a century of Holden versus Ford racing rivalry. The last time Ford withdrew support from Australia’s premier motor racing category was in 1978, the year after the famous one-two finish by Allan Moffatt and Colin Bond. The Daily Telegraph’s James Phelps had the exclusive story about Ford’s decision to exit V8 Supercars in the lead-up to this year’s Bathurst 1000, in which Ford scored hard-fought back-to-back wins on the mountain.Holden began searching for its sixth boss in six years as sales hit 20-year lowHolden managed to hang on to the Number Two spot behind Toyota in the 2014 new-car sales race — but it will revive the age-old Holden-versus-Ford battle in 2015: for fourth or fifth place.Mazda and Hyundai will overtake Holden next year after Holden reports its lowest sales in at least 20 years in 2014.The latest boss, Gerry Dorizas, left after barely six months in the job and Holden is now searching for its sixth boss in six years, although that could stretch to seven years as the company is taking its time on finding a replacement.After the initial sales surge driven by the new Commodore, Holden sales started to tank in the second half of 2014 as dealers struggled to move a range of imported cars that are overdue for replacement or outdated.The company even admitted to journalists “we failed” on the Colorado.General Motors hit the pause button during the Global Financial Crisis and Holden is now paying the price for its parent company stopping development of new vehicles. Holden won’t start to come good again until about 2018. In the meantime, its 233-strong dealer network is in for a tough time.Mercedes-Benz hosted joy rides in a driverless carThe driverless car is coming ready or not. The inventor of the motor car, Mercedes-Benz, took the unusual step of allowing media to be taken for a ride in an automated car in the US in October.We weren’t allowed behind the wheel but it was an amazing insight into the technology that’s being developed now (radar cruise control, automatic braking, automatic speed sign and red light recognition) and what is around the corner (press a button on your phone and the car will come and fetch you from its parking spot). But anyone hoping this means the driver can get behind the wheel drunk will be disappointed. Police and insurance companies have already stated that drivers of automated cars still have to be in control of the vehicle — and under the alcohol limit — in case of an emergency, in the same way captains still need to be in control of aircraft while it’s on autopilot.Hyundai began installing Australia’s first hydrogen refueller dedicated to carsJust weeks after Toyota and Honda unveiled their production ready hydrogen cars at the LA Motor Show in October, an ocean away Hyundai installed the first hydrogen refuelling point for cars in Australia.It is Australia’s first hydrogen refuelling point for vehicles since a there-year trial of hydrogen powered buses in Perth ended in 2007.Rather than the spaceship looks of the latest Toyota and Honda sedans, Hyundai’s hydrogen car is based on a family-friendly SUV, the ix35.However, hydrogen cars are a long way from showroom reality in Australia as there are currently no other refill stations.Hyundai hopes to link Australia’s two largest cities via the nation’s capital. The company says it would require four refuelling stations — in Sydney, Canberra, Albury and Melbourne — and could see hydrogen vehicles — including buses — running in and between these cities emitting nothing but water vapour.Experts believe electric and hybrid cars are a stepping stone to hydrogen-powered vehicles.They can be refuelled in five minutes and can travel about 450km on each tank — both about the same as a petrol car.At least it will offset Hyundai’s new Genesis luxury sedan, which has a V6 that is so low-tech it is thirstier than a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG and a Bentley V8.Ford unveiled first ever Australian-designed and engineered car made in ChinaAustralia’s car manufacturing industry may be closed by the end of 2017 but there is a bold new export hope: design and engineering talent.The first ever Australian-designed car to be made in China was unveiled in Beijing n November.The new Ford Everest family-sized four-wheel-drive was designed and engineered from the ground up in Broadmeadows, on the northern outskirts of Melbourne, in a small building behind the Falcon factory that will fall silent in October 2016.The top secret project is a sign of things to come as car manufacturing comes to an end and Australia becomes an exporter of talent — helping create cars that will be made overseas.Ford Australia already employs more designers and engineers than it does blue-collar factory workers — about 1100 versus 850 — and will become the biggest automotive employer of people with such skills once Holden and Toyota also close their factories in 2017.The Everest is due on sale in Australia next year priced from about $45,000. Although the vehicle will be made in China, ours will come from a factory in Thailand.Brakes slammed on the Bathurst 1000Officials put the brakes on the Bathurst 1000 for more than an hour with 100 laps remaining after a section of the track crumbled and workers made urgent repairs. In an unusual move the teams were allowed to work on the cars while stopped on the main straight. It was the first time such an incident had occurred in the history of the race and, at eight hours, it was the longest Bathurst 1000 in V8 Supercars ever recorded. It was also the first time the race bumped the Channel Seven news, which was due to start at 6pm but was pushed back 40 minutes. As ever, Australians took to social media to lampoon the bitumen bungle.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in the US.

More than 1.1 million cars have been called back to dealers for rectification work that varies from serious (a brake failure) to silly (windscreen wipers).And although 2014 is likely to be the first big sales dip since the Global Financial Crisis, the number of new car sold is also likely to top 1.1 million.The last time more cars were recalled than sold in a year was 2001.It's been a bad year for recalls globally too.General Motors has recalled 2.59 million cars because of an ignition fault so far linked to at least 30 deaths, as part of a recall of 13.8 million cars this year for other ignition problems or keys slipping out of position.But the biggest of all is the Takata airbag recall which has so far been linked to six deaths after shrapnel fired from the airbags.It's a big problem because Takata supplies 20 per cent of the world's airbags and it has taken in cars made by Honda, Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.More than 18 million cars around the world have been recalled for the Takata airbag problem including 110,000 in Australia.Meantime the dubious honour of most recalls this year is a dead heat between Holden and Jeep with a record 14 each. Never before has any brand recalled so many cars in one year.Market leader Toyota was next with nine recalls ahead of Mitsubishi 8, Nissan 6, Ford 4, Volkswagen 4, Hyundai 3, Mazda 3, Land Rover 3 and Peugeot with 2.Then again the year isn't quite over yet. There may be more.

All I want for Christmas: the world’s fastest car, the Bugatti Veyron, has been sold to a mystery buyer in Australia even though it cannot be driven on local roads.The world’s fastest car -- the Bugatti Veyron, which has a top speed of 431km/h, almost twice the speed that planes take off -- has been sold to a mystery buyer in Australia even though it cannot be driven on local roads.A secondhand Veyron has appeared in the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney parked alongside a classic Mini Moke and an old Porsche.It has been on display for less than a week and the company says it has been sold to an anonymous buyer.But the buyer won’t be too anonymous: this Veyron is believed to be the only one in Australia, other than the one that was flown to Australia briefly for a demonstration lap at the Formula One Grand Prix in 2009. “We don’t want to give away any details,” said Classic Throttle Shop salesman Matthew Dickson. “The owner wants to remain anonymous.”The company would not disclose how much the buyer paid but the Veyron cost 1 million Euros plus taxes when new.If it were sold as new in Australia the Veyron would have cost about $3 million once exchange rates, taxes and Luxury Car Tax (33 per cent of the price above $61,884) is taken into account.But the Veyron was never officially sold in Australia by Bugatti because it was built in left-hand-drive only.Collectors the world over have given the car icon status.Earlier this year US talent scout, TV star and One Direction creator, Simon Cowell, sold his 2008 Veyron at auction for $US1.375 million.The Bugatti Veyron is powered by a massive 8.0-litre W16 engine with four turbochargers. It originally had 1001 horsepower but was upgraded to 1200 horsepower in 2012. It blasts from 0 to 100km/h in about 2.5 seconds, as fast as a Formula One car.Only about 400 have been built since 2005. Bugatti has sold out of the 300 coupes it originally built, and fewer than 40 of the 150 roadsters, introduced in 2012 remain before production ends in late 2015.Other specialist companies claim to have beaten the Veyron’s record but they are one-off specials and the top-speed was not done to Guinness World Record standards (the average speed over 1km in both directions to account for changes in weather and test track conditions).Meanwhile, Bugatti has formally axed plans to build what was to become the world’s fastest ever sedan, and officially confirmed it will build a successor to the Veyron.Bugatti boss, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber, told the UK’s Top Gear magazine earlier this year: “There will not be a four-door Bugatti. We have talked many, many times about the Galibier, but this car will not come because ... it would confuse our customers.”Bugatti has reportedly made a loss of every one of the more than 400 Veyrons it has built despite a price of more than 1 million Euros plus taxes. “With the Veyron, we placed Bugatti on top of all super-sportscar brands in the whole world. Everyone knows that Bugatti is the ultimate super sportscar,” Dr Schreiber told Top Gear. “It’s easier for current owners, and others who are interested, to understand if we do something similar to the Veyron (next). And that is what we will do.”Bugatti unveiled the Galibier sedan concept in 2009, just after the Global Financial Crisis took hold, but had been relatively quiet on its development since then.When asked if Bugatti would send the Veyron out with a much-rumoured bang after it built a special edition capable of 431km/h in 2010 (up from the 408km/h top speed of the original) Dr Schreiber told Top Gear: “We will not produce a ‘SuperVeyron' or Veyron Plus, definitely. There will be no more power. 1200 (horsepower) is enough for the chapter of Veyron and its derivatives.”Dr Schreiber said the new Veyron would have to “redefine the benchmarks … and the benchmark today is still the current Veyron. We are already working on it (the successor)."The German Volkswagen Group bought the French supercar brand Bugatti in 1998 and immediately commenced work on the Veyron. After several concept cars and numerous delays the production version was finally unveiled in 2005.During the Veyron’s development, engineers struggled with cooling the massive W16 engine, which has four turbochargers. Despite having 10 radiators, one of the prototype cars caught fire on the Nurburgring racing circuit during testing.The original Veyron, powered by an 8.0-litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine (two V8s mounted back-to-back), had 1001 horsepower (736kW) and 1250Nm of torque.With power delivered to all four wheels via an all-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed dual clutch “DSG” gearbox, the Veyron could do the 0 to 100km/h dash in 2.46 seconds.On the Veyron’s top-speed run it gulped 78L/100km, more than a V8 Supercar race machine at full speed, and ran the tank out of fuel in 20 minutes. By way of comparison a Toyota Prius sips 3.9L/100km.The Bugatti Veyron claimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car with a top speed of 408.47km/h on Volkswagen’s private test track at Ehra-Lessien in northern Germany in April 2005.In June 2010, Bugatti beat its own top-speed record with the Veyron SuperSport, which had the same W16 engine but with power increased to 1200 horsepower (895kW) and 1500Nm of torque. It managed a staggering 431.072km/h.Of the production run of 30 Veyron SuperSports, five were named the SuperSport World Record Edition, which had the electronic limiter switched off to enable them to reach 431km/h. The remainder were limited to 415km/h.The original Veyron cost 1 million Euros plus taxes, but the fastest Veyron of all time, the SuperSport, cost almost double: 1.99 million Euros plus taxes.In September a US man transformed a 2004 Holden Monaro into a replica of the Bugatti Veyron.The car restorer in Florida has advertised the home-made re-creation on online auction website eBay and he wanted someone to pay $115,000 so he could finish building it. The plastic-bodied backyard build was based on a 2004 Pontiac GTO, which is the US version of the Holden Monaro.

Joshua Dowling road tests and reviews the 2014 Peugeot RCZ R, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

December and January are already good times to drive a bargain as dealers clear 2014 stock and make way for cars built in 2015.But it could be an even better time to buy if the Australian dollar continues to weaken against the US dollar.Senior car company executives have told CarsGuide that if the Australian dollar drops below 80 US cents for any length of time then we may start to see price rises on certain models by about March or April next year.Not all car companies buy in US currency, and the Australian new-car market is still more closely tied to the exchange rate with the Japanese Yen (which has been accused of being artificially devalued by the Japanese government to boost exports) given that about half the new cars sold in Australia wear a Japanese badge.But brands such as Jeep and Chrysler, which have enjoyed massive sales growth in recent years on the back of sharp pricing, may be forced to raise prices.Likewise the US-sourced Toyota Kluger, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML which, despite their Japanese or German badges, are in fact made in the USA.So if you’re in the mood to treat yourself to a new car, buyers continue to have the upper hand with record low interest rates, overstocked dealers (the market is down 2 per cent yet the forecast was for another boom year) and, now, the prospect of price rises around the corner.