Articles by Neil Dowling

It ranks up there with former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke's 1987 statement that by 1990 no Australian child would live in poverty.But the safe Swede is not playing politics.It really believes that by 2020 no-one should be killed or injured in a car wearing a Volvo badge and is taking measures to ensure that its vehicles comply.It's a visionary declaration but one the head of safety strategy for the company, Jan Ivarsson, believes is attainable.“We don't accept that people lose their lives in airplane accidents, so why should we regard car accidents as inevitable?” he says.According to the World Health Organisation about 1.2 million people are killed and more than 50 million are wounded in traffic accidents every year.By 2020, WHO says deaths from road accidents is set to rise to 8.4 million.Delve further and the WHO statistics are revealing.Road crashes rank nineth among the leading causes of disease burden worldwide, accounting for 2.8 per cent of all global deaths and disability.A startlingly 50 per cent of all road accident fatalities involve people aged between 15 and 44 years.The figures are similar in Australia, where under 30 year-olds are over-represented in fatality statistics and 22,000 people are seriously injured each year in accidents.This causes incalculable impacts at all levels of society, on families, the workplace, as well as our health services and rehabilitation hospitals.While applauding the merits of the Volvo initiative, Sydney-based road safety advocate, John Cadogan, is wary that some technologies could dumb down the actual skill of driving.“And we don't educate drivers about what the real risks are either,” he says.“There are heaps of distracting devices in cars and there is also that pesky concept that if you buy a safe car some people think you can drive a little more dangerously as a result.“Psychologies call it risk homeostasis, that everyone's prepared to accept a certain amount of risk.”With owners of really safe cars “there is a strong chance you'll take more liberties with safety down the track because you erroneously assume the car will protect you”.Cadogan, who operates a website called crashprevention.com.au, says there are identified areas of road safety concern in Australia but few drivers worry about them.“In Australia 50 per cent of all road trauma occurs at intersections,” he says.“And it's driver error.“People think that the driver error that leads to all this trauma is just the guy who ploughs through a red light... but it's also an error on the part of the driver who notionally has the right of way because they don't check that everyone else is complying with the road rules.”Carmakers may be inventing new ways of preventing and avoiding accidents and injury but it still comes down to the driver, he says.“The biggest thing holding road safety back is drivers not giving a toss about driving,” he says.“They don't think there is a much of a benefit to be derived from being good at driving.“Drivers just don't take the act of driving seriously because they don't respect of have much appreciation for how hard it can bite you.”Another issue perculiar to Australia is that the average age of our motoring fleet is more than 10 years old.“That means the average Australia is more than a decade out on safety technology,” he says.“The cutting-edge advances that you read about today won't really get into the hands of Joe Average until 2018.“If Volvo produces a car that you can't die in in 2020, the average Australia won't be driving it until 2030 and a bit.“Average Aussies are only just getting airbags and anti-skid brakes in their cars.”Cadogan says there is no question road safety will improve dramatically if the age of the national fleet was lowered.“And our most vulnerable drivers, our young drivers, are driving the oldest, crappiest and least safe cars on the roads and they're the ones more predisposed to crashing and injuring themselves.”Volvo's Ivarsson says continuous research and enhancement of safety in and around our cars will be essential for achieving a safer driver environment and a collision-free future.“In this aim we invite cooperation with authorities and the automotive industry,” he says.The Volvo Cars Traffic Accident Research Team has investigated traffic accidents since 1970.It is not alone in such research as several other carmakers, even our own local carmaker Holden in conjunction with the Monash University Accident Research Centre, has performed similar research.Volvo's accident database contains information about more than 36,000 accidents involving its cars.By using knowledge from real traffic situations in the research, it has learned how to design cars that offer high levels of in-car safety in a crash.It says this is an important base when identifying high-tech solutions that can help to avoid or mitigate an accident.Not only does Volvo study crashed cars, it also investigates driver behaviour in order to learn more about what can lead to hazardous traffic situations.Other carmakers like Mercedes-Benz do similar work.With secure data on the actual crashes, Volvo has broadened its research to include an overall view of safety.Even if the technology to design a collision-free traffic environment is not yet in place, Volvo's safety experts know what they want to achieve.They are now looking into the driver's whole motoring journey.Volvo says the car's safety functions can be divided into five phases:1. Normal driving: Driver kept informed on driving status and driver concentration;2. Conflict: Driver involved in a potentially hazardous situation, but is able to cope with it;3. Avoidance: Driver less capable of coping with the situation;4. Damage reduction: Driver and car not capable of avoiding collision. Preparation for collision, reduction of crash forces; and5. After collision: Driver offered assistance and rescue.Volvo follows a principle that the driver should be in command.The car' s”intelligence” should support the driver, for example by monitoring drowsiness or distraction.It can also warn them when the distance to other cars is too short. It is not until the driver fails to react and a crash is imminent, that the car “takes over” from the driver, for example by auto-braking.The lowered impact speed leads to less crash energy, which in turn increases the performance of the car's protective safety systems such as seatbelts, airbags and crumple zones.Volvo plans to introduce safety technologies that detect and auto-brake for pedestrians and even auto-steer away from oncoming cars.However, it recognises a collision-free future cannoth be obtained by itself alone.Cadogan agrees with Volvo that safe traffic has three main stakeholders: the carmakers, the drivers and the owners of the infrastructure like government or companies that operate the roads.But he says carmakers have done more than drivers and governments to improve safety.Ivarsson says cooperation between road traffic authorities and the auto industry is important for safer driving.“There is considerable safety potential in creating communication between cars and infrastructure,” Ivarsson says.“Two cars could for example warn each other of queues or slippery roads. Infrastructure sensors could warn the driver of people or animals crossing the road.”This requires that all cars speak the same “language” regardless of car brand, so international standards are needed.The driver and passengers must understand the importance of following traffic rules and using the car's safety equipment.Volvo has always been conscious of safety.It invented the three-point seatbelt almost 50 years ago.“At that time we believed it was so important to mankind that we offered the patent entirely free of charge to all manufacturers,” Ivarsson says.“It is still regarded as the most life-saving safety equipment in cars.“Nevertheless, many people still do not use it.”And the person behind the wheel is the one mitigating factor in all of this.“In an ideal world we would all be good drivers,” Cadogan says.“But we don't live in an ideal world.” 

The five-door is one of two wagons presented by Italian styling studios. The previous effort was the Maserati Cinqueporte (five door) by StudioM of which a single unit costing $580,000 was built for a Middle East client.Carrozzeria Touring will make 25 Quattroporte wagons — called Maserati Bellagio Fastback Tourings — for about $350,000 each. The Bellagio adds rear sheet metal and a folding rear seat to a standard Quattroporte. Power comes from a standard 295kW 4.2-litre V8 and though the extra metal adds about 50kg, Touring claims it will stillrun to 100km/h in the same 5.6 seconds time as the standard sedan. Meanwhile, Maserati, riding high in its most profitable period for decades, is about to launch a third model. The company is playing the new model very close to its chest, even to the point of denying certain aspects. But within 12 months there will be a convertible version of the GranTurismo.“A third model is possible but I have no news,” says Maserati product manager Paolo Quattrino. “It is important that Maserati retains its exclusivity so any new model will be looked at carefully.”But an insider at the launch of the new Quattroporte in Austria says he has seen the convertible undergoing tests.The convertible is likely to be a 2+2 seater — because of the extra room needed for the folding roof — which is a departure from the company's desire to suit the family buyer.However, it sees potential on the same chassis — indeed, the four-door Quattroporte model sits on a near identical platform — and sees a niche for a convertible.Unknown, however, is what type of material will be used for the roof.It is expected to be fabric to keep the car's weight down and reduce manufacturing costs. 

ANOTHER Italian brand is being groomed for migration to Australia. This time it is Lancia. The semi-luxury brand has been missing from local roads for more than 20 years but a renewed emphasis on right-hand-drive cars will benefit Australian buyers within three years. Lancia will be the 54th brand in local showrooms, though the total will be even higher before 2011 because at least two Chinese carmakers are aiming for a local launch next year. Lancia is sheltered beneath the Fiat Group umbrella, which means it is much easier to make a business case by sharing existing resources with the Ferrari-Maserati-Fiat importer, Ateco Automotive in Sydney. There are likely to be at least three models in the line-up, from a baby car to a people-mover. Ateco Automotive is being coy about details — and even shows some hesitation at the prospect of adding Lancia to its line-up — but indicates it will need at least three car models to make the brand a starter in Australia. Ateco spokesman Ed Butler says Fiat is keen to see Lancia spread potential growth once it starts producing its new generation of right-hand-drive models — firstly aimed at British buyers — later this year. “It's early days. We have to see what models are available and how they can work in Australia,” he says. The most-likely first Lancia is the Delta five-door hatch, which is based heavily on the Fiat Ritmo. The Thesis, a sedan version of the Delta, may also be added to the Australian list. And there is also the multi-seat Phedra wagon. Small-bore Lancias such as the three-door Ypsilon and five-door Musa may be physically too small and a bit costly for Australia, though they have not been ruled out. Both have the choice of 1.3-litre turbodiesel and 1.4-litre petrol engines in various levels of tuning. The powerplants are the same as those fitted to the Fiat 500 and Punto. Lancia may share mechanical components with Fiat but the nameplate is more up-spec — dare we say, luxurious — and is intended to be classier. That luxury includes attractive leather upholstery but that is at odds with the current Lancia styling that includes an ugly “cat's bum” corporate grille. The Italian brand is being promoted heavily in Europe and particularly in the UK, as the Fiat Group starts to claw back market share from French and German rivals.   IT'S EARLY DAYS. WE HAVE TO SEE WHAT MODELS ARE AVAILABLE AND HOW THEY CAN WORK IN AUSTRALIA  

Everytime I land back in Australia after slumming it around Europe or the US or Japan, there's either the remains of a car crash on the edge of the road from the airport or there's some retarded youth in a white Commodore - and isn't that a clue? - either running a red light or coming sideways around a corner. The state governments have done all they can to milk as much money as possible from these people and have made noises about going even further. But in their inactivity to make the roads a more professional route, has the greed of state governments opened up potential for blame. For example, the state government takes money from my daughter when she gets her car licence on the pretence that it believes her to be properly trained to use a motor vehicle. In fact, the government confirms she is proficient because it takes money from her in return for a piece of paper. So is the government liable for any damage incurred by my daughter as the result of not properly being able to drive a car? After all, if you bought a product that was found to be defective and it caused you harm, you are liable to sue the company that provided the product. If someone performs a service and clearly stuffs it up, you are able to sue to soothe the pain. Every week there's a giant legal case over a doctor and a patient and generally the latter walks away with a generous, compensating wad of money. Should every driver involved in an accident sue the relevant state government for insufficient training? The point is that Australia has lousy driver training for our youth. That's because driver training is dangerous. It makes everyone drive twice as fast because, the WA State Government Police minister of six years ago indicated, they believe themselves to be bulletproof. Hence, more deaths. It is also costly and the government isn't here to spend its - er, your - money. This is despite the fact that it is the motorist who will cough up the money for the course, not the government. Worse, voters may object to a comprehensive driver training scheme and vote in another party. Germany, Poland, England and even Sweden tend to be a lot harsher on prospective car drivers than the lacks-a-daisy approach of Australia. Most have training to replace a spare tyre. Most Australians don't even know the etiquette of staying out of the outside freeway lane unless overtaking. In Perth, this outside lane is more populated than the other two lanes and no-one's overtaking. I caught my daughter in this lane once and after some intelligent conversation - “did not”, “did so”, did not” ... - discovered she hadn't be taught to attempt to leave the outside lane free for other road users. She also doesn't know a three-point turn, a parallel park or a bonnet release. State governments don't spend money on training people like my daughter. They spend money on things like speed cameras and place them in high-density spots around cities, while country roads report higher road deaths. They are quick to take money from motorists - driver's licence, registration, vehicle purchase stamp duty, duty on insurance, sales tax, GST, fuel excise, luxury car tax and so on - but deny any responsibilities. There are virtually no penalties - of any worth - to retrain people who have had an accident. There is no method whereby it looks at an accident, sees the turkey behind the wheel is a klutz or doesn't wear spectacles despite being certifiably blind, and then remedies the situation by sending the said klutz off to retraining school. Just think what would happen. Firstly, the section of government that looks after road issues would be twice the size. Second, having the threat of going back to driving school for a week or two may pull some drivers' heads in. Certainly it does a lot more than the WA “hoon laws” that take the retard's car off him - or her - for 24 hours. Gee, that'll hurt! Third, it should greatly improve the ability of drivers to control their cars. And that should keep a few more of our children alive.

Maserati is pushing its financial fortunes to a higher level thanks, in part, to a bigger engine.Profits have alluded the company for about 15 years and its financial history includes five bankruptcies.Now, after starting out in Bologna in 1913 headed by four brothers and then being owned variously by Citroen, de Tomasa and Ferrari, the company is a fully-owned division of Fiat.Getting back on track is attributed to Fiat demands for a leaner Maserati.This year it will make only four models based on two cars, though it adds a third car late next year.It fits two engines - a 4.2 and the new 4.7-litre V8s - and two gearboxes - a ZF six-speed auto and a “robotised” six-speed semi-auto.The GranSport has been dropped and the vastly superior GranTurismo takes its place. Now the Quattroporte (literally, four door) gets upgraded after five years on the market.The new Quattroporte offers two models - the continuation of the 4.2-litre V8 with the ZF gearbox - and a high performance 4.7-litre V8 that will be called the “S” and that takes the engine from the GranTurismo.The Quattroporte S goes on sale for about $320,000 in October.Styling changes are led by a vertical-slat grille that looks more purposeful and aggressive than the tea-strainer design of the current version. This grille is based on that fitted to the first Pininfarina-designed Maserati, the A6 GCS of 1953.The touch of Pininfarina is pertinent given that one-time Maserati owner, Ferrari, refused to allow Maserati access to this designer. The Quattroporte was the first Maserati by Pininfarina since the A6.The latest Quattroporte adds a new bootline with bolder lights that use LED technology (there are 64 LEDs across the back and 20 across the front as indicators), bigger wheels starting at 19-inch as standard and remodelled side skirts. Even the cabin is fresher and boasts a more ergonomic centre console.The equipment level is exhaustive though the company will let you choose from thousands of leather, wood and colour combinations.Which is all very nice but it's not what we're here for. The stand out feature is the 4.7-litre V8 that has been borrowed from the two-door coupe, the GranTurismo S.Maserati has retuned - some say, detuned - the engine for 317kW and 490Nm of torque.The GranTurismo S gets 323kW and 490Nm.For the saloon, the 4.7 has been modified to flatten out its low to mid-range torque delivery that polishes out any low-speed weakness and gearbox abruptness.It is enough to push the Quattroporte to 100km/h from rest in 5.4 seconds which is commendable for any coupe and startling for a sedan that weighs 2-tonnes.Unlike the GranTurismo S which has a new semi-auto transmission - one that's vastly improved over the first generation box - the saloon gets the same six-speed ZF automatic as the lesser 4.2-litre version.That makes it quiet, smooth and more importantly to the well-heeled who will get behind the wheel, dead easy to drive.But it doesn't make it very fuel efficient. The company claims the S model will average 15.7 litres/100km, up 1.0 l/100km on the 4.2, while CO2 emissions are 20 grams/km more at 365g/km.Maserati's Australian importer Ateco plans to sell 220 cars this year with about 80 being Quattroportes. Of that, about 55 - or about 60 per cent - are forecast to be the 4.7-litre version.The S model is expected to be about $320,000 while the 4.2-litre version will sit under $300,000.Put a 317kW engine in a two-tonne saloon and you'd hope for reasonable performance.But the Quattroporte surprises with a real lust for performance.In a straight line it wil knock the socks off a lot of rivals. It will outrun the BMW 750L and Audi A8L to 100km/h and stay alongside the Mercedes-Benz S500. The only one in its class that will beat it is the Jaguar XJ8 - it weighs 280kg less - and then only by 0.1 seconds.But where the Quattroporte really comes alive is through the bends.When the road twists tighter and the camber goes offside and it starts to rain as the road narrows and becomes rutted, this big four-door comes into its own.There is barely no understeer so the Quattroporte revels in being pushed hard and close into corners. The engine is set behind the front axle line so its responds instantly to incremental changes to the leather-wrapped steering wheel. There is also two suspension modes - standard and Sport - to suit driver and road conditions.The brakes are stunning - diametric metals of steel discs with alloy centres that have been melded when liquid - in power and amazing in their fade-free characteristics. Repeated jabs and longer pressure periods through northern Italian mountains showed no fade.What the colourful brochures fail to convey is the serenity in which it's all delivered.There's the comfort of soft leather and the insulation that bares all noise except the muted throaty roar from the four exhaust pipes.Maserati has greatly improved the dashboard by using a similar centre console of the GranTurismo.But though it all looks wonderful, there are some annoyances.Many of the push-button controls are hidden behind the spokes of the steering wheel. Personal storage space is good, though has room for improvement.The boot is small and there's no room for a full-size spare. Some versions, in fact, get no spare at all.But even in its home country, Maserati is looked upon in awe.It will glide through a city and passers-by will still gawk. Cruise the country and people wave.It may have been decades from dicing with Ferrari on the racetrack but Maserati proves it still carries a powerful allure.

If you looked around a service station forecourt a year ago, you'd easily spot the motorists with a diesel vehicle.They were the ones filling up their fuel tanks with a smug expression.That's history. Now diesel refuellers have furrowed brows and mechanically watch the dollar signs roll over on the bowser gauge.Which is what I was doing when it came time to top up the Citroen C4. I wasn't happy about that $11.20 I had to put in that thing to travel 100km, let me tell you. Highway robbery.But the time has come to do your calculations before jumping in and buying a diesel vehicle.Work out how many kilometres you would average each year of ownership. Consider the price difference between the purchase price of a diesel car compared with a petrol car.If the diesel car is more expensive — some aren't — then that difference is practically the value of the “free” petrol you could put in the petrol model.The Citroen C4 comes in 2-litre diesel and petrol versions. They cost $35,990 and $33,990 respectively for automatic versions.Based on an average of 15,000km a year, the diesel will cost about $1750 a year to refuel at $1.77 a litre. The petrol model's fuel bill would be about $1798 a year at $1.48 a litre.The difference is about $48 a year. With a $2000 premium on the car's purchase price, the diesel model would take 41.7 years of ownership to finally equal this difference.It's very unlikely anyone would own a car, especially in today's fashion-car market, for 41 years.So you're not smug anymore are you, diesel owners.But if the price of diesel and petrol were equal — and who's to say that can't happen again — the story would favour the diesel.And it's a lovely ride. The C4 with the “big” 2-litre turbo-diesel — Citroen also makes a 1.6-litre diesel version — is quick off the mark and almost silent at cruising speed.Part of its economy and brisk manners is the silky six-speed automatic, but a lot comes back to the diesel engine for which the Peugeot-Citroen group — called PSA — are renowned.The C4 has similar features to other C4 models and that includes a welcome cabin that will seat four adults in comfort.It has a bright and airy disposition that is enhanced by simple controls and a perfumed air freshener, but there are some aspects of the dashboard that could be better constructed.Citroen quality is improving each year but it still needs a kick even to reach Peugeot standards, let alone that of the Japanese.The C4 handles well and has a supple ride. However, anyone thinking this car will match the cloud-nine ride of older Citroens will be very disappointed. Most of the underpinnings are shared with Peugeot.In the 1970s, Citroen owners wore tweed, had beards and lived in the hills. It was pretty much the same for the women, though not all lived in the hills. Now Citroen has a broader market although it is still a car for the motorist who seeks something a bit different. The C4, in diesel especially, will guarantee that difference.

Ford is marking the 100th anniversary of the Model T, the first low-priced car that introduced motoring to the masses, at a time when motorists are cringing at the cost of fuel. But a week-long celebration of the Model T in its birthplace offered some nostalgic balm for fans. About 750 of the iconic vehicles were on display in the US this week in what is being called the largest gathering of Model Ts since they left the factory. Edsel Ford II, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, addressed the crowd at Richmond, Indiana, at an opening banquet. The gathering transformed the Wayne County Fairgrounds into what looked like a movie set for a motion picture depicting life in the early 1900s. Drivers created Model T traffic jams as they picked their way among the barns. Jay Klehfoth, the CEO of the Model T Ford Club of America, which is based in nearby Centerville, says owners of the Model T are like a big extended family. “Sometimes we refer to ourselves as the similarly afflicted,” Klehfoth says. “We recognise we are only temporary custodians of these rolling pieces of history.” Roger Peterson, 71, of Greeneville, Tennessee, has owned 11 of the Model Ts over the years. “You don't own just one Model T,” Peterson says. “You buy another one ... and another one ... and another one.” John Heitmann, a history professor at the University of Dayton who has taught classes on motor vehicle history and its impact on American life, says the Model T is one of the most historically significant cars of the 20th century — and possibly the single most important American car. Henry Ford realised there was a big market for cars, and not just for the wealthy. He knew people would keep buying them, Heitmann says, adding: “It was kind of the common car for the common person.” The first production Model T Ford was assembled in Detroit on October 1, 1908. With the development of the sturdy, low-priced car, Henry Ford made his company the biggest in the industry, according to the Henry Ford Museum. In a span of 19 years, Ford would build 15 million cars with the Model T engine. The Model T, nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie”, was probably the most important vehicle in leading to social change in America, Heitmann says. It helped transform the nation's cities, enabling residents to move away from the city and create the first ring of suburbs. Australian celebrations will include a charity drive across Australia in September. Six of the delicate old vehicles will make the drive across the Nullarbor Plain from Perth to Adelaide, and then possibly on to Melbourne. But the organiser, Perth businessman Alan Rose, says it won't be a quick trip. “The 1913 four-seat Tourer has the most powerful engine and a two-speed differential,” he says. “It'll go as fast as 70km/h ... the others will do 50km/h.” Original plans were to leave on September 7, reaching Adelaide on Sunday, September 14. However, Ford Australia says it is interested in the convoy continuing on to Melbourne. But this plan is yet to be cemented. Rose's car was upgraded by its previous, Sydney-based owner. It sports features unavailable for the age of the chassis, including an overhead-valve engine with a proper ignition distributor and a “Buffalo” brake system that combines the braking efficiency of the rear wheels with the transmission. The rear axle is a two-speed Ruckstell that effectively doubles the number of forward gears to four. It also has wire wheels in place of the standard model's wooden spokes. It has electric lights, not the factory-issue acetylene lamps. Clearly, the Ferrari of the fleet.  

A huge power increase in Bentley's latest Flying Spur saloon has brought an unprecedented new sound to the car.But that's exactly what Bentley wanted and not what you might expect. Not outside the car, anyway.Intead, Bentley and its audio partner, Naim, have concentrated on the cabin.It's not the first time a major carmaker has gone to a top-end sound company for assistance, but the Flying Spur is the first time Naim has come out of the lounge room and into a car.In making the transition, Naim brings in a 1100W war chest of sound that is driven by a series of eight high-end amplifiers with 15 channels and fired through 15 speakers.The two companies claim it is the world's most powerful production-car audio system.Naim has modified the interior of the Bentley Continental and Arnage range for the finest sound quality, clarity and precise reproduction.Everything is custom-made for the Bentley model specified, including making a system as perfect in delivering sound quality in the Continental GTC convertible with the roof up as it is with the roof down.It is enough to may make audiophiles go ga-ga, but it comes at a cost. The system in the Continental Flying Spur adds 15kg to the car and, as an option on the car when it arrives in Australia later this year, will cost up to about $15,000.Naim systems for the home cost anywhere between $6000 and $250,000, though Naim's project manager Trevor Wilson says the sky's the limit.“We are fanatical and obsessive about sound quality and attention to detail,” Wilson says.Details of the system include heavy brass holders for the circuit boards, which are mounted on springs to isolate vibration and a storage box made of heavy-gauge extruded aluminium. The tweeters have silk cores — not paper — and the sub-woofers operate in the boot to maximise sound depth.Naim still makes domestic audio equipment and operates its own record label.Its products are available from eight Australian dealers. 

Mark Reuss, chairman of Holden, this month took over as chairman of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and wants the Federal Government to know the industry's importance.Not a fan of recent government moves — including the unexpected luxury car tax increase and the even bigger surprise in the form of an early financial gift to Toyota's Camry Hybrid project — he wants Australia to remain an attractive destination for international investment.“Look around the world and you will see governments competing to establish an automotive manufacturing base in their countries,” Reuss said. “To those countries that don't have one, the benefits are obvious. To countries that already have an automotive manufacturing industry like Australia, the message is equally clear: If you lose it, you are unlikely to ever get it back.“Australia has a huge level of `intellectual capital', that is the skills we have as engineers, manufacturers, designers and innovators. This is something we nurture and can export.”Reuss said Holden spent $420 million in research and development in 2007. That made Holden Australia's biggest private sector R&D investor.“The local car industry produces more than $27 billion a year of economic activity; it's a major employer; and it generates significant tax revenue,” he said.“We want an environment that ensures Australia remains an attractive destination for global investment.“If the global playing field is level, we will do the rest.” 

A greener ethanol engine is one way Bentley plans to protect its place at the top of global motoring.The luxury British brand will slash exhaust emissions and boost fuel economy under sweeping plans under development by Bentley in partnership with Volkswagen.It plans to suck the engineering expertise of its German parent company and then adapt VW technology to its own range.The plan is firm, but Bentley head of engineering Paul Jones is not big on detail.Speaking at the launch of its 2009 Continental Flying Spur models in Boston, Jones hints that Bentley will take a series of stabs into the heart of its range's high fuel consumption.He indicates the first move will be biofuel-compatible engines in an effort to get the brand's CO2 emission levels down towards the proposed European Union's 120g/km target.So engines with Saab-style E85 compatibility will become available within two years for the US and Europe. There is nothing firm for Australia as the rollout of E85 fuel is still in its infancy.Jones says Bentley will not be party to sourcing ethanol from human feedstock.“We will not become involved in using food crops to power our cars. The E85 fuel will have to come from other sources such as wood pulp and the woody stalks of crops,” he says.The first Bentley to get E85 compatibility will be the Arnage V8. This 50-year-old engine is expected to remain behind a Bentley badge for at least four years . . . perhaps longer if it can meet future emission regulations, says Jones.But it is expected to be replaced with a new powerplant by 2012 which he hints “will have a 40 per cent reduction in CO2”, and therefore, a 40 per cent decrease in fuel consumption.“But it will have no change in performance. We won't do business if we have to reduce performance. Our customers have very stringent demands,” he says.Jones will not indicate what powerplant will make these reductions, though his hints arrive around the same time the Volkswagen Group — including VW's major shareholder Porsche — has outlined a new push into hybrids.Bentley has suggested it will make its cars lighter to help the fuel economy which, in the 2.5-tonne Flying Spur saloon, averages about 17 litres/100km.A fuel-efficient Volkswagen DSG semi-automated transmission is possible, but Jones says the W12 engine's high torque will be too high.Other than the hybrid route, Bentley also has access to the Volkswagen turbodiesel engine range including a bi-turbo V12 and V10 it has developed for its Q7 four-wheel drive and R8 supercar.