Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

Organisers have thrown in the towel after a lack of support from major manufacturers. It follows the move last year for Sydney and Melbourne to alternate motor shows. Sydney-based Expertise Events had signed a 10-year contract with the Motor Trades Association of Queensland to organise the Brisbane show. Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said he felt "gutted and angry" about the lack of support. "We substantially cut costs for vendors, but could still not get firm commitments," he said. "Whilst a number of dealers and manufacturers have been promising support they have not exchanged contracts and not locked-in. We were promised by major dealers that the brands would be represented, however in the last three months and each week there has been a delay or a new excuse." Fitz-Roy said Expertise Events retained the ownership of the motor show name, but he "very much doubted" there would be another motor show in Brisbane. "I can't say never, but at the end of the day I just don't know and I don't know if I want to deal with this industry any more," he said. Last year's Brisbane show was cancelled during the global financial crisis and this year's show was postponed from February to June. When informed by Carsguide that the organisers had cancelled the event MTAQ president David Fraser refused to comment. "However, I wouldn't go so far as to say there will never be another Brisbane motor show," he said. Fitz-Roy said the June show had received strong support from motoring clubs with one club hiring a coach to travel from NSW to attend and from aftermarket retailers who had bought out the accessories area. "Cancelling this event is a huge commercial burden however what we are most concerned about is how this reflects on the perception that the industry has let down Queensland motor enthusiasts and that is what we are most concerned about." He said Expertise Events had spent more than $250,000 organising the event, but all space deposits, ticket sales and sponsorship money would be refunded. Veteran motoring industry expert Chris Nixon said the show's third cancellation was "a severe disappointment". "The question has to be asked whether the Brisbane Motor Show has a future at all," he said. "The industry and public should hope that it does, because the Queensland motor industry is a substantial one and traditionally has grown faster than those in other states and warrants the generous support of motor manufacturers and importers."

Retired smelter worker Roger Graber, 62, bought his 1973 Valiant VJ Charger 15 years ago for $2000. "It's worth about $30,000-$35,000 now to an enthusiast," he says. "I wouldn't get rid of it, though. My son and grandson will probably fight over it when I fall off the perch." However, the money-making tale ends there."I did have three of these," he says. "One was a drag (racing) project with a Ford 351 engine in it and the other was stripped down. When I moved I didn't  have anywhere to put them so I sold them. I only got $2500 for the drag car and $1500 for the stripper. I regret getting rid of them now."When Graber bought his current Charger it was in "a terrible state", the 265 (4.3-litre) Hemi six-cylinder engine was "knackered" and the car had been off the road for years. "I spent about two years restoring it for the road, not as a show car," he says. "It cost about $5000 for the restoration."Graber claims to be a self-taught mechanic and did all the mechanical, paint and body work on the car. "I'm mechanically minded and can turn my hands to anything," he says. "I rebuilt the engine myself to make sure it was right."However, he put in a non-standard 600 Holly carburettor. "Otherwise the engine is standard," he says. "It has heaps of grunt without having to do much to them. If I checked the economy I wouldn't drive it so much. It gets about five kilometres to the litre (20 litres per 100km) because the carby is too big for it. I have a 350 which I'll put in it and then I might get about 7km/L (14.2L/100km)."Graber totally renovated the front suspension right down to the rubbers, but has done nothing to the rear except replace the brake shoes. The car features a four-speed Borg Warner gearbox with synchro in all but first. "You can't break them and it's as smooth as," he says. "It's 1970s driving. You have to be careful because the back can break out easily.""It's hard to drive, there's so much power you can easily spin the wheels. You have to drive it smoothly. But it's very reliable. I always keep a good check on the engine and recently changed the engine oil, gearbox oil and back axle oil so it's running really smooth now."If it stays in good condition, Graber plans to show it at the MotorMania show and shine at Rockhampton Showgrounds on July 25. The show is part of a 10-day Central Queensland MotorMania festival of motoring that includes cars, karts, drag racers, motorcycles and more."There's a big concentration of petrolheads up here, maybe because it's an industrial town and people have a bit of money," he says. "Our club (Curtis Coast Cruiser Club) has more than 60 members. A lot have joined because they can get concessional rego and it's a lot cheaper, especially for the guys with V8s."

It will join the three Heritage Retro series models that HDT Special Vehicles have produced since long-time Peter Brock friend Peter Champion bought the company in 2007. Heather Smith who manages Champion's Brock Experience, a museum in Yeppoon near Rockhampton, says the anniversary car will be limited to 30."We're still costing it up but it will be about $80,000 to $120,000 depending on options," she says. "There are no orders yet because people don't know it's coming. No one has even seen it yet. We have good security at our workshops."Smith says the anniversary car will feature the same performance package as the current series Blue Meanie. The Blue Meanie in standard trim has an 350kW V6 but can be optioned up with a supercharger and a seven-litre V8 engine, bringing peak power to as much as 800kW. By comparison the HSV Club Sport produces 325kW.The Holden Dealer Team was Holden's unofficial racing team from 1969 until 1987. In the 1980s, Brock produced modified high-performance Commodores under the HDT name until his break with Holden. The brand had been dormant since then with two different owners producing parts but not cars until Champion, a Central Queensland mining equipment millionaire, bought the company.Smith says that in the past 18 months they have produced about 70 vehicles in three models at their Smeaton Grange workshops in western Sydney. The Heritage Retro VC, VH and VK Blue Meanie are based on the VE Commodore SV6, SS and SSV models."We're going to do a VL next year and a Champion Series next year with a modern look. It won't be a heritage series as we have had. Our cars are not like a HSV, they are more powerful and exclusive. Only 250 Blue Meanies are being made. The Blue Meanie has been our most popular so far."HDT also makes spares and reproduction parts for the old HDT cars produced in the Brock years."Holden has a commercial relationship with HSV, but we're on our own," Smith says. "Our business is growing. We believe there is a market for performance vehicles. Most of our buyers are diehard Holden supporters who are passionate about the Brock name. Some Holden dealers sell cars for us but not HSV dealers. Holden tends to frown on dealers that sell them. We're not even a blip in the numbers that HSV or Holden sell, but we don't want to rock any boats."The Brock Experience museum features most of the HDT vehicles built by Brock, including a 1989 Ford EB Fairmont Ghia Brock built after the parting with Holden. The museum started as Champion's private collection of all things Brock over two decades. It was sitting in a Blackwater shed until Brock suggested to Champion that he should turn it into a public museum.The museum features many of Brock's race cars, including his first Austin A30, Bathurst winners, rally cars and his Bathurst 24-Hour Monaro. The only other Ford in the collection, apart from the HDT Fairmont, is his Sierra touring car.There are also trophies, race helmets and suits, videos, memorabilia and even an "Energy Polarizer", a mystical invention that Brock believed gave his cars more power and better handling. Smith says they are in the final stages of restoring the Daytona coupe rally car in which Brock died. Tour guide Emma Holmes says it will be exhibited in a separate extension yet to be built. "It will be a personal choice whether you want to see it as it may upset some people," she says. "People do get emotional. We have a man who has been to seven of our special events and he leaves here crying every time."The museum attracts 10,000 visitors a year.

However, retired boilermaker Noel Irwin, 70, of Rockhampton, has invested carefully and can now indulge his boyhood dreams of owning a historic Roller, plus an MG, Whippet and an Ariel motorcycle. "I have always loved cars and my collection started off when my wife got Alzheimer's and I bought a 1930 Whippet Tourer to give her an interest," he says. "She instantly fell in love with it." He bought the fully restored Whippet two years ago for $16,000 and the 1947 MG saloon 18 months ago for $17,000. In August, he bought the 1969 Rolls-Royce Mk I Shadow for $28,000. "A Rolls-Royce means prestige but for me I'm an old boilermaker and there are no airs and graces on me," he says. "I don't care if you call it a Roller. I don't own it for the prestige but because I can and when I was young I thought I'd love to own a Rolls-Royce one day. But it's still just a motor car." He plans to show the Roller at the MotorMania show and shine at Rockhampton Showgrounds on July 25. The show is part of a 10-day Central Queensland MotorMania festival of motoring and motorsport that includes cars, karts, drag racers, motorcycles and more. "I haven't had this in any shows yet," says the member of the local All Classic Motor Club and Veteran and Vintage Car Club. "When people look at it they can't believe it's in original condition." The Shadow features a 6.2L V8 with three-speed auto. "There's no tacho and Rolls doesn't stipulate its horsepower, but I've had it up to about 140km/h," he says. "It only gets 15mpg (18L/100km), but it's got a 107-litre fuel tank and the car is very reliable. Everything works. Even the (Kienzle) clock still works. "Only the light in the glovebox and under the bonnet don't work and I don't think I'll be working on the engine in the dark. It also needs new padding under the bonnet, but after 40 years you expect some wear and tear." The Rolls had 71,000 miles on the odo when Irwin bought it. He is the fifth owner. The first owner racked up 27,000 miles in 23 years. It came with a pristine owner's manual which Irwin claims can fetch as much as $3000 on eBay. The 1969 Rolls was ahead of its time with self-levelling hydraulic suspension like the Citroen, power assisted steering, airconditioning, four-wheel discs, electric front seats and windows, day/night mirror, electric aerial, and the door skins and bonnet are made of aluminium. "I wish it had cruise control. That's the only thing missing," he says. There are individual lights at each seat; walnut dashboard trim; Connelly leather upholstery, door trim and roof lining; separate armrests; picnic tables in the rear; four ashtrays and three "cigar" lighters, according to the manual. "I'm an ex-smoker but I've never been a fan of cigars," says Irwin. "I use it weekly for leisure and for birthdays and formals for friends and relatives. I don't hire it, I just do it for the love of it." Visit www.motormaniacq.com.au for more information on upcoming MotorMania shows and events.

A recent national survey has found four out of five people thought perceptions of women driving utes had completely changed. Just one in five still view the ute as a man's car. Claire Tynan, boss of Mahindra Automotive Australia which conducted the survey, says people view the ute as an all-purpose family vehicle rather than just a workhorse. "In fact, some took their opinions further with 21.9 per cent saying women driving utes looked quite independent and sexy," he says. "Only a tiny 3.1 per cent thought negatively, saying they didn't think it was becoming." When asked what women thought of having a ute as a family car, the survey found almost half would consider it, while one in five said they had one already. Brisbane schoolteacher Michelle Moore said she and husband, Jeromy, made a joint decision on their Holden SV6 ute. "It was my main choice out of all the Holden cars," she says. "I think it was because it looks good and it's quite comfortable and also its practical - we can do trips to the dump, move furniture and also carry bikes in the back and with a plastic tray we don't have to worry too much about it being damaged as this can be replaced. Females these days are becoming more involved in handy man stuff around the house and find the need for a practical vehicle. Of course, though, it had to be black. My husband looks much more attractive in a black ute." Wanda Lyon, of Tiaro, in Queensland, uses her Mahindra Pik-Up as part of her lifestyle. "I'm in a country area and there are more women driving utes in the country and some have them quite personalised," she says. "Most of it is a lifestyle choice, but even when we lived in Brisbane we had utes. I've got dogs and they can easily go in the back so you don't end up with hair in the car. You get a nice clean cabin and the dogs can go in the back. If you go camping you can sleep in the back because its so much easier." Julie Hodgkinson, of Cloncurry, in Queensland, also uses her ute for her dogs and finds it easy to sleep in the back when she is attending weekend rodeos. "I started going to a lot of rodeos when I was younger and everyone had them," she says. "But I'm not real girly. I was always one of the blokes." But don't tell beekeeper Kathryn Niklaus, of Beechworth, Victoria, that utes aren't for women. "Get real. That is the dark ages. Come on," she says. "The 4WD utes may be a little bit high for the average women, but they still are good for cargo space." She also reckons utes are "cool" as well as practical. Colleen Rennie, of The Rock, NSW, says utes are not made only for men. "I've never had anyone challenge me on the male ute thing," she says. "Women should be able to drive anything they want. Utes don't just cater for men. I prefer them because I do a lot of travelling and I get everything I need in it." Ms Tynan says their dealers are witnessing more women being involved in the purchasing process. "We have many female Pik-Up drivers who do a range of jobs, anything from farming to bird breeding, where space and durability is the key," she says. "Many of our male buyers also see their purchase very much as a joint decision, taking into account what their partners will appreciate." Holden spokeswoman Emma Watts said they did not have any specific evidence showing whether women were buying utes in greater numbers. "Anecdotally, we understand that, over the past 10 years, there has been a marginal increase in the number of female ute purchasers," she said.

The Brisbane truck and bus driver now owns four historic race cars and has run out of room in his shed. "I live in the past, my wife (Joanne) tells me," he says. Moore, 58, only started racing karts about 20 years ago having got his thrills as a youth playing rugby league for Valleys in the 1970s."I only had a few first grade games, broke a few things and never took it seriously," he says. "After that I suppose I was looking for some new form of excitement. Racing is a completely different type of adrenalin." So after his daughters grew up and he had more disposable income, he started disposing of it on cars."I've always had cars. I could have been retired by now if I hadn't had that many cars," he says. "I've had a big Dodge Phoenix, Chevies and other cruisers, plus XT and XW Falcon GTs at one stage."The cars I've bought and sold over the years, you have no idea."But they had to go when Moore started collecting race cars in 2000. His first was a 1964 EH Holden race car he bought for $6000."It had a bit of race history with it," he says. "It was raced in Sydney around the old tracks there and on the Central Coast. I'm doing a full resto on that. I've taken it back to the bare metal and painting it up in the original colours and I'll continue to race it."The EH was followed by a 1953 FX Holden he bought in 2004 for $12,000."The first time I saw the Humpy I had taken the EH to Oran Park to race a long time ago and I approached (the owner) and said if you ever want to sell that I'll buy it. I had my cheque book ready in my pocket. Then a few years later I was unloading the EH at Eastern Creek and he came over and said, `Get your cheque book out'. I still had the XW GT in the shed and came home and told my wife and she said I had to sell a car to buy it. The first bloke that saw the XW bought it. Three months later the price doubled and another three months later it doubled again."He ran the Humpy in the inaugural Cootha Classic last year and may give it another run this year. It was followed by a 1968 two-door Mark II Cortina belonging to a sick friend."He rang me asking me to buy it and named a price that I said was too cheap," he says. "When I rang him later to buy it at that price he said, 'No because you told me it was worth more'. "I ended up paying $7500 but it's a beauty with the original 1500cc four-cylinder engine running Webbers and hotted up."His final purchase was a 1957 FE Holden he recently bought for $2000.With his shed full of race cars plus his 1984 diesel LandCruiser and new Nissan Navara which are his daily drivers he has the FE "hidden in a mate's shed"."It's stock standard at the moment. We're going to cut the rust out, do the suspension, put a roll cage in it, then do the brakes and engine and go racing. I've always been a budget racer doing the stuff at home with a few mates. Brakes are the big problems with these cars. I used to get two or three laps in and then have no brakes. But I got some new drums cast in Sydney with heavier materials and some new brake linings - I tried carbon and kevlar but that was just too expansive - and I've finally got the package right."He races circuits up and down the east coast."I go ok. We have a lot of fun. There are races within races," he says. "There are the blokes up front with Falcon GTs, Camaros and Mustangs. Blokes like Jim Richards, Bo Seton and Andrew Miedecke but we don't play with those fellows. We're down the back in our own little battle group. There is a huge interest in these historic meetings now. I'd rather hang over the fence and watch the historics than watch the V8 Supercars go round. They're like slot cars."Moore prefers the rush he gets from making old cars go fast and keeping them running."I'll keep racing as long as I can afford it. I still hope I'll be doing it when I'm 80," he says. "I also have a huge desire to get a Vincent (motorcycle) sidecar like they used to race at the Ekka speedway. I'd love to get one, put my leg over it and go for a few laps. I'd put one of my mates I don't like on the side as the swinger."The Cootha Classic will be held on May 29-30 featuring more than 250 cars and about 50 motorcycles from the 1920s to today in timed sprints around a 1450m track up and down Sir Samuel Griffith Drive with seven corners and chicanes. Racing starts at 8.30am. Entry is $20 a day, $15 for concession, $30 for a two-day pass and $5 for parking in the J.C. Slaughter Falls carpark.

Special tyres are now being made for driver training, to teach control without needing to use a skid pan.  Skid Tyres Australian distributor Joel Neilsen, of Safe Drive Training, says the tyres allows people in regional areas -- who are often far from a skid pan facility – to get advanced training.The tyres can be used on any sealed surface including airport runways and taxiways, closed roads or car parks and at small go-kart circuits, drag strips and other race circuits without the need for purpose-built skid pans, water features or expensive skid frames."It will revolutionise driver training particularly when it comes to teaching drivers how to cope with wet and slippery road conditions including snow and ice which many Australian driers struggle with," Neilsen says.   "In the past this sort of driver training has been very limited due to availability and cost of skid pans or skid frames. Now for just a few hundred dollars we can give drivers the experience and training need to learn car control in marginal conditions.""You can teach drivers how to control understeer by putting the Skid Steer tyres on the front wheels of the training car or oversteer technique by fitting them to the rear of the car. It is very simple and extremely versatile."Neilsen says other Skid Tyre advantages include low noise and the use of normal street cars. They also don’t require fast or aggressive driving to replicate slippery conditions.  He says the Skid Tyres have been tested by various police forces around Australia, including the Federal Police.The tyre is a hard-wearing 8mm thick plastic coating which is applied to a worn-out tyre.  A vehicle fitted with the tyres is stable at up to 30km/h but at higher speeds the tyre breaks traction, providing the perfect driver training scenario at low overall speeds.Skid Tyres can be applied to cars, SUVs, trucks, buses and even specialised military equipment.  The tyres are available for passenger cars in these sizes: 13 175/70; 14 185/65; 15 195/65; 16 205/55; 17 225/55; and 18 235/45.Bus and truck tyres come in sizes 22.5 315/70 (truck), 22.5 385/65 (trailer) and 19.5 265/70 (dolly).  As tyres are only used in low speed training, the correct rolling diameter is not necessary so long as tyre does not foul on inner guard or suspension.  Neilsen says new sizes will be added based on demand.

A Queensland University of Queensland (QUT) study has found that use of a motor vehicle was involved in almost half (48.5 per cent) of the 73 deaths directly related to flooding in Australia from 1997 to 2008. Most of the deaths were during summer in coastal Queensland and New South Wales. The study also found that more than 90 per cent of the flood-related deaths resulted from individual choices to either engage in inappropriate risk-taking or enter flooded waterways on foot on in a vehicle. Most were not trapped by floods. Professor Gerry FitzGerald, of QUT's School of Public Health, said four out of 10 deaths (39.7 per cent) were associated with driving motor vehicles across flooded waterways or roadways, despite public warnings to avoid them. Another 8.8 per cent involved the collapse of a flooded roadway. "Drivers often underestimate the force of flowing water and its capacity to dislodge relatively large vehicles," Professor FitzGerald said. "An average car is 6-8 sqm in surface area, and a displacement of 10-20cm of water above the bottom of the chassis will cause the car to float and therefore be washed away." Professor FitzGerald said drivers of 4WDs sometimes had a misplaced sense of confidence in their vehicle. "Four wheel-drives are a heavier vehicle but they have a bigger surface area," he said. "If you go in deep enough and displace enough water, you will float." Most fatalities occurred during February and most (71.2 per cent) were males. The most affected age groups were 10-29 years and those over 70. The study found there was no decline in the number of flood-related deaths over the last decade. Prof FitzGerald called for the development of automatic devices to warn of water depths on flooded roadways. However, he said people had to take responsibility for their own safety during floods. "It may be a pain to sit on the bank of a flooded creek, and it may take another three days, but you will get home safely," he said.

He says most of their customers are people who have been given a rally lesson as a gift."Almost exclusively it"s a gift from a female to a guy as a Father"s day, birthday or Christmas present," he says."Only about 10 per cent of our customers are females.Our customers are often people who are hard to buy presents for.They already have everything like a big screen TV and this is a bit different."RallySchool last year conducted courses for almost 5000 customers over 153 days in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.Of those, 80 days were in Sydney, 30 in Victoria, 22 in Perth and eight each in Queensland and South Australia, but this year Ryan plans to increase the Victorian courses to 52, South Australia to 14 and Queensland to 10.The courses include six-lap drives, 12-lap drives, and half-day and full-day courses with prices from $195 to $995.They also host corporate events and level two instruction which leads to CAMS licensing, however Ryan says only about one percent of their customers ever progress to competition level."Most people have had very limited previous competition experience and aren't interested in competing," he says. "We want to teach them driving skills and promote the sport. We want to show them how addictive it is." RallySchool has over 50 instructors with about half competing at varying levels from club to international."We have six instructors at each event with an average of about 100 years" shared experience," Ryan says.Currently among their team is Ben Atkinson who began driving in club rally championships in 1999, but has mainly filled his trophy cabinet as co-driver to his brother and former World Rally Championship driver Chris, plus Cody Crocker, the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.I recently attended a half-day course with 10 other drivers at the Ipswich-based Willowbank track, which Ryan says is the fastest in the country with its clay base.The event begins with a briefing in which Ryan explains the fundamentals of rally driving and how it differs from road driving."The instructors will encourage you to go faster by pressing harder on the brake pedal," he says."Keep both hands on the steering wheels at 3 and 9 o'clock because you need to know at all times where your front wheels are pointing."You need your front wheels pointing down the road and you need to look down the road not where the car is pointed."He advises we leave it in third gear around the tight circuit to reduce the amount of wheelspin.Sceptical drivers head out with an instructor and pretty soon find out that the old dictum of "in slow, out fast" really works and a higher gear than you would normally select provides more control over the driving wheels. The cars have limiters to prevent you going ridiculously fast, but still hurtle around the track at higher speeds than most can handle.They run on normal road tyres to avoid churning up the track, but apart from the rubber and some suspension tweaks, the vehicles are virtually race ready. Pretty soon instructors have the novice drivers picking up speed and confidence and returning to the pits with a grin as wide as their outstretched arms.As Ryan says, "the guys on TV make it look easy". Having never driven on a dirt track before, I first had to "un-learn" a lot of tar habits such as trailing the brake and using a wide arc through corners. On the dirt, he says you get your braking over in a straight line and you stick to the "clean line" on the inside of the corner where the best grip is. They don't teach the "Scandinavian flick" or handbrake cornering, but they do teach valuable lessons in car feel and control.Each driver gets four six-lap sessions, one in each car (Lancer, Subaru and Ford ute), and the fourth in the car of their choice. Around the country, RallySchool has 14 vehicles: two Ford utes, one Holden ute, eight Subaru WRX STi sedans and four Evo Lancers.The three cars used at Willowbank are spread out on the track at the same time, so there is little down time for customers. They also rotate through a second Subaru as a passenger with Atkinson showing them the finer points of rally driving.To cap it off, customers also experience a hot lap with a rally driver, which puts their own brave attempts into perspective. The hot laps are a real adrenalin rush, but they also show just how far off the pace you are. For an extra $50, customers can also buy a video of their experience.Brad Hooper, 32, drove five hours up from Kempsey in his Golf GTI to take part in the course. "The instructor gets you to pick up your speed quite quickly," he says.The motorsport fan who also owns a Ducati 1098 motorcycle was given the gift by his wife, Kathryn, two years ago.Michael Whitehouse, 46, of Brisbane, has no interest in motorsport and was given the course as a present from his partner, Lynne Newbury."It's just an adrenalin rush," he said after his drive. Newbury bought the course for Whitehouse "because he has everything else"."I thought it best to buy him an experience he will remember," she says. "Now he can tick that one off his bucket list."WHAT I LEARNTI will never be Chris Atkinson;I drive too fast into corners and don"t use enough brake;If you go slower into the corner, you can get on the throttle earlier and achieve more terminal speed on the next straight;Braking transfers weight to the front wheels which gives them more grip and steering feel; The smoother you drive, the less you unsettle the car.SNAPSHOTWHAT: Rally driving lessonsWHERE: Richmond, Toronto NSW, Willowbank QLD, Werribee VIC, Tailem Bend SA and Bakers Hill WAHOW MUCH: six-lap drives ($195), 12-lap drives ($375), half-day ($555) and full-day course ($995)WHO: RallySchoolWEB: rallyschool.com.auPHONE: 1800 208 000

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV’s price has not yet been decided, but it is expected to hit the showrooms next year at a cost substantially lower than its current asking price overseas of about $60,000.Mitsubishi Motors Australia corporate affairs vice-president Paul Stevenson confesses that the price of the i-MiEV "will be expensive up front". However, when the first two vehicles rolled off the ship at the Port of Brisbane recently, outgoing Mitsubishi boss Rob McEniry said it would not be as expensive or as big a premium over comparative-sized cars as the hybrid Toyota Prius."I can't tell you what the price is yet, but the price of electric vehicles is coming down rapidly and that is why we are cautious of saying the price now," McEniry said. "When it gets into volume production it will be affordable - not much more expensive than comparative-sized cars. But running costs will make them cheaper over the whole of the life of the vehicle."Stevenson says Mitsubishi Motors Australia has not been able to get a commitment on volume from Japan yet, which hampered their decision on price."The thing is that over time and not a lot of time as the volume ramps up production meets demand," he says. "At the moment demand outstrips supply so the price is high. As volume ramps up we will see that price decrease."He cited the example of plasma TV technology. "In 2003 a 40-inch plasma TV cost about $27,000 and now they are about $800," he says.Stevenson says government incentives could also help reduce the price and encourage people to go to EV."Mitsubishi is not talking to government with any numeric value in mind, but we are speaking about policy issues," he says. "In France (EV motorists) can use transit lanes, they have special parking spaces and new office blocks have to have recharging infrastructure in place. In Paris there is a range of free public EV charging points for cars and scooters. The Japan government subsidises half the premium over the compatible petrol model and in UK they are offering a $10,000 subsidy for each EV."