Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

Married with a daughter (who is also a Ford fan), Mr Watson currently has an FPV GT 335 sedan, the latest in a long line of Ford products."We have had around 20 Fords - various models, not just Falcons - after some Holdens. We have had many Fords, one has followed the other ever since and we have no plans to change camps," he says.Mr Watson looks at the red versus blue rivalry as something that is now generational. "When it started it was Moffat versus Brock and has grown since then to have people either red or blue, now we're talking second and third generation fans as children follow their parents," he says.The family has had an FPV GT since April - the supercharged 335kW version - and now wouldn't have anything else. "I absolutely love it, the supercharged V8 has plenty of power - we use it for normal road work, not track days, we don't push it that hard, but it has plenty of poke for overtaking," he says."We're also restoring an old XB Falcon - a full bare-metal restoration - with 393 stroker V8, that will sit proudly next to the new GT," he says.A big shed and a tolerant wife are two key ingredients to Daryl Leaker's impressive stable of Holden product. The 1998 HSV Senator Signature 220i shares garage space with a number of Holden, HSV and HDT machines."I've got a very big shed for them all, I've always liked Holdens because my father was a Holden salesman so it is in the blood I guess," he says.Mr Leaker hasn't always just owned Holdens - a Mitsubishi Pajero replaced a Ford Territory recently, but there balance of power has always been to the General, harking back to his formative years with a Holden salesman for a father."It was great when Dad was selling Holdens, I got to drive GTR XU-1s and 327 Monaros when they were brand new," he says. "When I turned 21 I bought myself an HQ GTS coupe and got some discount through my father, I wish I still had that car as well."The HSV shares shed space with a VN SS Group A and an HSV Statesman, as well as a HDT VK Brock Commodore SS in silver and an HJ Monaro four-door."I'll always be a Holden fan - I think I'd die of shock if the missus came home in an FPV GT," he says.

Based on bang-for-buck impact, as well as classic muscle appeal, Shannons Insurance says it has to be the Falcon XY GTHO Phase 3 that ruled at Bathurst in the 1970s and was the world's fastest four-door sedan at the time it was introduced. A silver HO was passed in at the Brisbane Motor Show auction in 2008 at about $750,000."You wouldn't get those prices now as the bubble burst on the Aussie V8 muscle car market over 12 months ago and we haven't seen those numbers back ... yet," says Shannons spokesman Phil Ross.But Dan Bowden, whose Sunshine Coast family museum has one of the greatest collections of Aussie muscle cars, reckons the top prize goes to the Falcon XR GT which he calls "The first of the real Aussie V8s". It won Bathurst in 1967.Bathurst victory seems to be the common thread here. But what about Holdens? Ross says the number two and three cars in the price stakes are both Bathurst-winning Holdens: the 1978/79 A9X hatchback 308 V8 LX SS and the 1968 327 V8 HK Holden Monaro, "or possibly the 1970 HT 350 V8 Monaro"."Shannons Auctions sold a HK 327 Monaro for $220,000 at one of our auctions at the height of the muscle car price wars," he says.Earlier this year an A9X was passed in at a Shannons auction in Melbourne for more than $270,000. "They only made 100 of these so the Holden fans will argue it's the number one Aussie V8 of all time and the most collectable," says Ross.Road cars are one thing, but race cars attract even higher price tags. Bowden's museum has Peter Brock's 1979 A9X in which he won Bathurst by six laps, setting a record on the last lap while waving at the fans.It's insured for over $1m. Bowden says the car recently won an Auto Action poll as the most significant race car in Australia's history and won a Facebook poll among Bowden followers.Despite all that, he says the HK 327 GTS Monaro is "one of the most beautiful and a real contender", winning Bathurst in 1968.Ross says the cars that conquered Bathurst were awarded hero status by the car-buying public. "I don't think this kind of hero status for Aussie V8s will be as big with the later model cars but time may prove me wrong," he says. "I have just noticed there is a bit of a cult following starting with younger guys and the humble XD Falcon at shows."I always thought it looked more like a taxi but after looking at the Dick Johnson `Tru Blu' Falcon Group C race car at Bowden's museum I have changed my mind."Neither Ross nor Bowden mentioned any Chrysler product. "Sadly Chrysler didn't have any good V8s," says Bowden. "The ones with any real sporting pedigree were the six-cylinder versions."In the end they built the V8s in the Charger, the VJ E55 versions, but they were very toned down, marketed against the big luxury Ford Fairmont and LS Monaros, not as a sporting car."Ross says the six-cylinder E49 E49 RT Charger in the popular Vitamin C (orange) six pack "Big Tank" (extra Fuel for Bathurst) fully restored can be worth $170,000-$200.000."I once asked Leo Geogeghan if he thought a Charger could win Bathurst and he said not without a V8," he says. "He couldn't beat the V8 GT Falcons up the mountain. There was a 770 Charger released with a V8 but it never ran at Bathurst. If they had won maybe they would be worth more."Of the current batch of Aussie V8s, Bowden likes the FPV GT. "Amazing engine. The only manufacturer that hand assembles its engine in Australia," he says.Bowden also throws a monkey into the works with the rear-mounted HSV V8 engine in the Alfa Romeo Sprint made by Giocattolo Motori Pty Ltd. The Australian car company built just 15 cars from 1986 to 1989 which were capable of up to 260km/h.OTHERS TO CONSIDER* Falcon XA GTHO Phase IV, the one Ford said they never built, killed by the super car scare and only one road car ever made.* Holden L34 Torana, with Hi-Po option, our only all-Aussie-made engine.* VL HDT Group A Brock Commodore, another homologation special. "The polariser plus pack version just adds to the story," says Bowden.* Falcon XA RPO-83 option GT. A lot of those Phase IV bits went on these special cars.* Falcon XC Cobra, one of the first 30, the Bathurst special versions.

Mazda CX-9 and Kia Grand Carnival go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries boss Ian Chalmers says he is confident that the government will consider amending the tax which he described as "inappropriate". "Principally because it's not a tax that's properly targeted," he says."It cuts in at about $60,000 so it's a wholly inappropriate tax that's really hitting families because it applies to a number of Falcon and Commodore variants and a whole range of SUVs; so a number of safe, quality family cars."Chalmers says the main concern of the industry is that the threshold has not been correctly indexed in past decade. "In the past 10 years it's gone from about $55,000 to $60,000. "If it had been indexed to the ordinary weekly earnings it would now be about $85,000. "At the moment, it's just skewed towards government revenue collection."The luxury car tax applies at a rate of 33 per cent on the sale price above $57,466 ($75,375 for fuel-efficient cars that consume no more than seven litres of fuel per 100km). Chalmers says he was buoyed by the comments of Federal Treasury secretary Ken Henry who followed his presentation to the forum. "After my presentation he said he considers the luxury car tax to be a ludicrously inappropriate tax," Chalmers says."I think we can at least have some hope that coming from someone of his stature we can now get some reconsideration of the luxury car tax threshold."Opposition leader Tony Abbott fired up motor industry talk during the forum by reiterating comments he made in May during a visit to the Ford factory in Geelong. He quoted the Motor Industry Association's estimate that a carbon tax, at $30 a tonne, could add $84 million to the costs of the industry, which could add $412 to the cost of a car.However, Chalmers says the FCAI believes the carbon tax will not result in a noticeable impact on the retail price of Australian-built cars. He says the carbon tax would be about $200 per vehicle and would be likely to be absorbed by local manufacturers. "This reflects the fact that 80 per cent of cars sold in Australia are imported without a carbon price," he says. Local manufacturers were not keen on commenting on Abbott's statements, referring to the FCAI's position.Holden spokeswoman Emily Perry says the FCAI modelling shows pricing carbon would negatively impact local manufacturers to the tune of around $30 million a year. "We haven't broken this down further in terms of what the impact would be on Holden or on the price on locally made cars," she says. "But the most important issue to highlight is that the carbon price will only affect cars made in Australia, not imported cars which account for around 85 per cent of new car sales - so this is a big challenge for the local industry."As part of the carbon pricing announcement, Holden welcomed the co-investment clean technology programs but we still need to understand how much competition there will be for funding from other manufacturing sectors. "We've also continued to highlight the need for Australia to be an attractive place to invest over the long-term.And for Australia to provide adequate co-investment support to ensure we retain our high-tech auto manufacturing industry so we can compete on a level playing field with our countries that also have this capability.

... private motorists, according to a worldwide survey of Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Congress delegates. Private motorists were ranked sixth behind car hire and leasing companies. Delegates to the Congress to be held in Germany next June, also believe the biggest challenge facing the adoption of PHEVs and EVs is developing a robust charging infrastructure. The next biggest challenges will be educating owners about the total cost of ownership of an EV, with leasing arrangements and electricity charging wrapped into the price. The EV industry also identified Nissan as being the standout market leader, with almost twice the delegates naming the Japanese company as its colleague Toyota. Third was General Motors, closely followed by Californian sportscar company Tesla. Mitsubishi was fourth with Nissan global partner Renault in fifth and the Renault/Nissan partnership named in seventh behind charging infrastructure provider Better Place. Nissan Australia spokesman Jeff Gisher is not surprised that his company has been named the EV market leader with the Leaf hitting our markets next year at more than $50,000. "Nissan is investing billions in EV technology in the expectation that it is one of the key game changers in personal mobility technology," he says. "We still expect 10 per cent of new cars will be EV by 2020 given a competitive price point and a continuously developing infrastructure." The Nissan Leaf, which is the first electric vehicle to win the European Car of the Year award, will be followed by three more electric vehicles and four EVs from their alliance partner, Renault. Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga says the EVs will include a small electric van, a luxury car and the Land Glider single-seater city car. The Leaf is powered by an 80kW/280Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, with a stack of flat laminated lithium-ion batteries under its floor. Its battery can be charged in about eight hours on 240V or quick-charged to 80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes and has a range of about 160km. The Congress delegates believe the "next big thing" in the EV industry will be the supply of electricity generated by EVs back to the grid. Another major advancement in the industry will be inductive charging which uses an electromagnetic field to charge the battery. The next iPhone is expected to have inductive charging which means you don't have to plug it in. Congress delegates also believe EV motorists will use their mobile phone to pay for electricity at charging stations operated by alternative sources such as solar or wind power.

The entry level Mazda 6 "Limited" model has been axed, while leather upholstery and parking sensors have become standard across all variants of the car.

... because they know the area, according to an exclusive preview of the 16th annual AAMI Crash Index to be released on October 10. While three out of every five fatal road crashes in Australia occur on rural roads and 68 per cent of these are a single-vehicle accidents, only 40 per cent of motorists say they drive under the speed limit when in country areas. The worst were in Western Australia where only 34 per cent claim they drive under the speed limit, while the safest are in Tasmania where 54 per cent drive under the rural speed limits. Almost a quarter of all drivers believe city drivers are to blame for the rural road toll, not locals. One of Australia's foremost trauma doctors has called for all drivers in country areas to pay more attention. Professor Russell Gruen, head of the National Trauma Research Institute says it's common for drivers on regional roads to travel faster and longer than city drivers. "Because regional drivers are often travelling faster, the impact of any collision is greater and resulting injuries are more severe," he says. "They often have to wait longer for paramedic and hospital intervention, and critical injuries are therefore left untreated longer." Gruen says the hazards in the city are expected such as cyclists, buses, children, trams and pedestrians while others, such as school zones, are signposted. He says rural hazards often don't come with signposts and wildlife can be unpredictable. Thankfully, 78 per cent of Aussie drivers pay more attention when driving on rural roads, particularly people who live in capital cities, according to the AAMI Crash Index. Women are more likely than men (81 and 75 per cent respectively) to pay attention to their driving in the country and are more likely (36 per cent) to limit distractions than men (29 per cent). Prof Gruen says drivers should be more alert to dangers on rural roads than in the city and says fatigue is a key contributing factor in rural single-car collisions. "Drivers who spend time on regional roads should avoid becoming a statistic by staying alert, being sensible about speed, expecting the unexpected and, of course, avoiding alcohol and drugs," he says. The AAMI Crash Index online survey was conducted by Newspoll Market & Social Research who polled 3740 Australian drivers, 18 years of age and older, across all states and territories this year. The Index will also cover driver attitudes to environmental motoring, speed, distractions and aggressive driving/road rage. RURAL DRIVING ATTITUDES Speed on rural roads because I know the area State/Terrs: NSW 22%, Qld 22%, Vic 20%, WA 18%, ACT 17%, Tas 16%, SA 13%, NT 10% City drivers: Sydney 21%, Melbourne 20%, Brisbane 18%, Perth 16%, Adelaide 10% National: 20% Drive under the speed limit on rural roads State/Terrs: Tas 54%, ACT 46%, Vic 46%, NSW 42%, SA 41%, NT 38%, Qld 35%, WA 34% City drivers: Melbourne 45%, Adelaide 42%, Sydney 41%, Perth 32%, Brisbane 31% National: 40% City drivers cause problems on rural roads, not locals State/Terrs: NSW 29%, SA 25%, WA 25%, Tas 24%, Qld 23%, Vic 18%, ACT 16%, NT 15% City drivers: Sydney 25%, Perth 20%, Brisbane 19%, Adelaide 17%, Melbourne 16% National: 24% Have a few drinks on rural roads because I know the road State/Terrs: NSW 8%, Vic 7%, NT 7%, ACT 6%, Qld 5%, SA 5%, WA 5%, Tas 3% City drivers: Sydney 11%, Melbourne 7%, Brisbane 5%, Adelaide 5%, Perth 5% National: 6% Source: AAMI Crash Index

While consumer confidence generally remains low, the Roy Morgan Leading Indicators Report for July shows a strong intention to buy new vehicles. Roy Morgan Research industry communications director Norman Morris says about 637,000 Australians intend to buy a new vehicle in the next 12 months, up on the short-term average of 611,000. "Although Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence has remained relatively low over the recent months, there is still a majority of the population who believe that it is a good time for purchasing major household items and motor vehicles are possibly a beneficiary of this optimism over the next 12 months," he says. "The RBA's recent decision to leave the cash rate unchanged, placing no extra mortgage pressure on the 39.6 per cent of new car shoppers who are currently paying off their home, is also contributing positively to car buying intentions." In the longer term, about 2,069,000 Australians intend to buy a new car in the next four years, excluding fleet, government and rental buyers, he says. These figures also show that almost one in five (17.8 per cent) intend to buy a Toyota over the next four years, ahead of Holden (11.4 per cent) and Ford (7.9 per cent). Intentions to buy a new car in the next 12 months have increased most in the past year for Nissan (up 1.4 percentage points to 4.4 per cent) and Volkswagen and Lexus (both up 0.6 of a point to 5.6 and 1.3 per cent respectively). The decline in short-term buyer intentions has hit Toyota the hardest (down 1.8 points to 17.8 per cent), followed by Mazda (down 1.5 points to 7.3 per cent) and Mitsubishi (down 1.2 points to 3.6 per cent). However, compared with the latest VFACTS market share data - which includes fleet, government and rental - the biggest improvers could be Volkswagen (up from 8th to 5th) and Honda (10th to 5th), while those with the most to lose could be Hyundai (5th to 9th) and Mitsubishi (7th to 10th). There will also be a swing towards SUVs and commercial vehicles, according to Roy Morgan Research. Buying intentions for passengers vehicles have fallen 3.7 points in the past two years to 56.4 per cent while SUVs are up from 20.4 per cent to 24.7 per cent and commercial vehicles are up from 6.1 per cent to 6.9 per cent. Buyer intentions  Source: Roy Morgan/VFACTS

The Holden V6 was used in the Alfa Romeo 159, 159 Sportwagon, Brera and Spider with the last 159s getting the engine from stockpiles after the end of the arrangement last year. It will be replaced by a new family of engines that combine the V6 technology from Chrysler with the MultiAir technology from Fiat. Now Alfa has announced it will also build a 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder engine that has 33kW more power than the old Holden V6. The company plans to produce the 224kW all-aluminium engine in 2013 and fit it to existing as well as future cars, thanks to its light weight and ability to be fitted in a transverse or longitudinal direction. It is designed and will be produced by Fiat Powertrain, a whole owned subsidiary that develops and designs engines, gearboxes and drivetrains for Fiat's companies and for outside companies. That means it could end up in a lot of other vehicles, apart from Alfa. Fiat Powertrain was set up by Sergio Marchionne after his appointment in 2004. Previously each brand did their own powertrain development, causing some duplication and difficultly in selling power units to companies outside Fiat. As well as developing TwinAir and MultiAir and inventing and developing common rail diesel engines, Fiat Powertrain has become a highly profitable part of the Fiat business, selling hundreds of thousands of engines to other car makers. Fiat Powertrain has 12 factories and five research centres, producing 2.9 million engines and 2.4 million gearboxes a year with 20,000 employees. Sister company Fiat Powertrain technologies produce powertrains for industrial applications. The new turbo engine has a high-pressure (200-bar) direct-injection system, dual variable timing and a high-efficiency turbocharger. Apart from being more powerful, Alfa claims it will also be fuel efficient and compliant with future European and US emissions standards. They also claim the engine will be quiet, but we suspect it will retain a typical Italian raspy exhaust note. Alfa and Maserati chief technology officer Harald J. Wester says the new engine is "a first step in a series of initiatives to be implemented in the near future which will reconnect Alfa Romeo to its historical roots as a premium Italian sports car brand." Future Alfas that could get the engine include the Giulia that replaces the Alfa 159 in 2013, the rumoured Giulietta GTA, Alfa 4C and the proposed SUV.

In the past five years the number of motorists who have chosen to pay extra excess to get a cheaper premium has more than doubled.According to Budget Direct figures, it has gone from 8 per cent to 17 per cent which is still low, but an indication that motorists are seeking to pay less in these tough economic times.Spokesperson Richelle Ward says 90 per cent of motorists are also taking advantage of policy discounts by restricting the age of drivers, 71 per cent are cashing in on discounts for fitting car alarms and immobilisers and 79 per cent are reaping the rewards for having a good driving history.The number of discounts for having an anti-theft immobiliser and/or car alarm has grown 18 per cent over the past five years, mainly due to more new vehicles being fitted with them as standard.Ward says the results show the current economic climate has forced many to reduce insurance premiums."Restricting who drives your car is a popular choice because younger drivers are a higher risk for having an accident so they do cost more to insure," she says.Budget Direct figures show that a provisional driver is twice as likely to claim as a driver who has held their full licence for more than two years.Receptionist Kay Fisher, 25, has restricted the age of drivers of her 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage to reduce her insurance premium."No one younger than me can drive my car for very good reasons," she says. "I don't have anyone in the household under 25 since I turned 25 in August."She also hasn't made a claim in the past five years which keeps her premium down. However, her car doesn't have an alarm or immobiliser and she isn't planning to fit one as she keeps the car in a locked garage most of the time."Where we live it is quite safe, but I am a bit concerned about it in rooftop parking at work," she says.Ward says another dollar-saving avenue gaining in popularity is the option to increase the excess fee to reduce the premium."While we've seen this option advertised more heavily in recent years it really depends on your financial situation as to whether this is a good idea," she says."Increasing your excess to $1000 might reduce your premium at the time of signing on but not all consumers may have that amount of cash on hand in the event of an accident."Without a vehicle to get to work a consumer could land themselves in further financial difficulty, highlighting how important it is to find the right policy for you."Other ways motorists can reduce premiums is to shop around and provide as much information as possible about their vehicle such as whether it is kept in a locked garage and its usage.INSURANCE HABITS CarsGuide does not operate under an Australian financial services licence and relies on the exemption available under section 911A(2)(eb) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in respect of any advice given. Any advice on this site is general in nature and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision please consider these and the relevant Product Disclosure Statement.