Articles by Neil Dowling

Cars built jointly by Geely and Volvo will be aimed primarily at the US and Europe but could expand later to right-hand drive markets including Australia. Three years after being bought by privately-owned Chinese carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, Volvo has been allowed by the government to build cars in China. It will now assemble cars in two factories and build engines in another.Geely CEO Gui Shengyue previously said the Geely and Volvo brands would be kept separate so any association with China would not diminish the Swedish company's image. But now he says the ownership of Volvo has enhanced Geely's image to international markets.Mr Gui says Geely aims to have up to 60 per cent of its sales coming from overseas by 2018. It will add a new SUV model in China next year that could be exported. Geely wants to become China's biggest vehicle exporter this year with a target of 180,000 units. It sold 100,800 vehicles abroad last year, second to Chery's 184,800 units, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.Volvo Car Australia spokesman Oliver Peagam says there is no plan to import Chinese-made Volvos. He says that, at the moment, Geely and Volvo are treated as separate companies. Geely's national distributor is WA-based John Hughes Group that last month halted imports of the Geely EC-7 because it failed to obtain a minimum four-star crash test result.The group plans to import a new Geely sedan model within 18 months. Moves by Geely to build a joint, export-oriented vehicle with Volvo in China is shared with other Chinese car makers as they look offshore to build sales.They face increasing competition in their home market and may also contend with a proposed government rule to amalgamate vehicle manufacturers, reducing the numbers from the current 174 companies. They have a planned capacity to make 40 million vehicles by 2015, outstripping the projected domestic demand of about 27 million, according to the government planning agency, National Development and Reform Commission.The reporter is on twitter: @cg_dowling 

If you think this looks a lot like a 2007 Lancer you're right. The pity is it's a 2014 model and despite new models from its key rivals, Mitsubishi has no small-car replacement in sight. Reflecting the move with the perennial Pajero - which is ostensibly unchanged since 1999 - the Lancer may not be replaced until 2015.The next Lancer will be based, loosely, on the Concept CA-MiEV four-door hatch shown at this year's Shanghai motor show. Once one of Australia's most popular small cars, the Lancer now holds a 4.8 per cent market share in the year to date, down from 6.8 per cent for the same period in 2012. By comparison, the Mazda3 has an 18.1 per cent market share.Mitsubishi this week announced no specification changes - other than alloy wheels for the base model and a bigger touch screen in others - to Lancer models for 2014 but at least has kept the lid on price rises. The Lancer continues with its three-level specification - ES, LX and VRX - in sedan and Sportback styles with entry-level versions starting at $19,990.Drivetrains are unchanged, with a 110kW/197Nm 2-litre petrol four in the ES and LX and a 125kW/226Nm 2.4-litre petrol four in the VRX. No diesels or hybrids are available though the Concept CA-MiEV is a plug-in hybrid using the same drivetrain as the Outlander PHEV, indicating a Lancer petrol-electric is on the horizon.The Lancer Ralliart remains on the list with a detuned version of the Evolution turbo-petrol engine, now rated at 177kW/343Nm, mated to a dual-clutch automatic. The only change from 2013 to 2014 is the addition of a 7-inch touch screen in the VRX and Ralliart, up from the previous year's 6.1-inch screen.But though Mitsubishi appears to be treading water with its familiar product range - only the Mirage and Outlander can be termed all new - the company is lifting market share. Sales are up 36.9 per cent in the year to July 30 compared to the same period in 2012, buoyed by a simplified model line-up and reduced prices on selected vehicles such as Triton and Outlander. Triton 4WD ute sales, for example, are up 66 per cent on 2012.The writer is on Twitter: @cg_dowling 

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Ford Mondeo LX and Holden Malibu CD go head-to-head in this comparative review. 

Family size and frugal manners boost Honda's chances of success with its new Civic Tourer wagon. But Australia has shown little interest as the Tourer - a five-seater wagon based on the Civic hatch - aims its credentials at Europe. The UK-built wagon goes public next month at the Frankfurt motor show and on sale in Europe from early next year. Almost fully reflecting the Tourer concept shown at this year's Detroit motor show in January, the wagon gets Honda's 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine as fitted to the Australian Civic hatch, or a 1.8-litre petrol engine. It has the same 2595mm wheelbase as the Civic hatch but adds 235mm of rear overhang for extra cargo space - and gets a lower cargo floor than the hatch - down by 137mm - to ease loading and unloading exercises. Honda says the Tourer gets the company's "Magic Seats" design - also used on the Jazz - to claim boot space of 624 litres with the rear seats up, or 1668 litres with the seats folded. The Tourer also gets ZF Sachs' new electronically adjustable rear dampers that can be switched through three modes: Comfort, Normal and Dynamic. Honda Australia has dismissed the Civic wagon, saying the Australian small car wagon market is small. Six carmakers sell small-car wagons on the Australian market - Hyundai, Holden, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen. This reporter is on Twitter: @cg_dowling  

It's the car world's equivalent to a returning messiah but the latest Golf still carries dents from recent wars. There's no doubt that Volkswagen is shaken, not stirred, as quality issues with its seven-speed DSG transmission and engine breakdowns rattle owners and quietly amuse rival carmakers.It says the issues are behind it. It launches the seventh-generation Golf to an Australian small-car market that is very astute with buyers aware that there's 30 other name plates from which to choose.The market has also twisted its focus from fuel-saving diesels - a Volkswagen hallmark - to recognising a new breed of petrol engines that are almost as economical, more convenient to refuel and cheaper to buy. The Golf is a new car for a new age.VALUEVolkswagen has aggressively priced its cars over the past five years to such an extent that in Australia it almost mirrors pricing of its discount sister, Skoda. Golf Gen-7 prices start at $21,490 but that model is a bit bare and you'd be happier with the features of the Highline automatic range at $31,990 for the 103TSI petrol and $34,490 for the 110TDI diesel tested here.Choose diesel for long-distance range but for most of us, the 103TSI will save $2500 in purchase price and cost only $55 a year extra in fuel (based on averages). The diesel costs $876 to service for three years and the petrol is $931. Resale values are identical at a high 58 per cent.DESIGNCrisper, neater and oddly not too far departed from the previous Golf's style, the latest is both attractive and purposeful. No wasted line, no extraneous metal or plastic. Better, it won't tend to date. The cabin is even better.Electric park brake, lots of personal storage - including a driver-side glovebox and underseat drawers - add to the liberal passenger room and reasonable 380-litre boot (Mazda3 is 340). Soft-touch dash, piano-black and metal trim, instrument and switch clarity, the touchscreen and high-resolution reverse camera plus superb build quality put it into Audi territory.TECHNOLOGYThe platform is Volkswagen Group's MQB version designed to suit all its front-wheel drive cars. The chassis is lighter, stronger and cheaper to make. Engines are tweaked for more fuel economy and Volkswagen says the latest DSG transmissions won't have the same problems as previous versions. There's more focus on driver-focussed tools - sat-nav, smartphone integration and voice control - but nothing is complex or excessive. Golf models also get an Eco Tip function to help drivers save on fuel.SAFETYThe five-star car has seven airbags and a host of electronic aids. Aside from stability and traction control, all new Golfs get the GTI models' upmarket electronic limited-slip differential. The Highline adds daytime running lights, corner lights, auto headlights and wipers, emergency brake flashing, driver fatigue detection, hill holder, tyre pressure monitor, heated mirrors that dip when reversing, front and rear park sensors, reverse camera and a space-saver spare wheel.DRIVINGThis is so quiet. The engine is suitably muted but the cocoon-like cabin dismisses road noise like a luxury saloon. Everything feels tight and gauges are clean and simple while controls move positively and crisply into action. It reeks of attention to detail.The drivetrain is familiar and noted by the hesitancy of the diesel engine to arouse the six-speed dual-clutch automatic, the confident pull of the strong mid-range torque and the abrupt upshifting as that same torque seeks to save fuel flow to the engine.Handling is spot on and a credit to how good an electric-assist steering system can get. The ride isn't as firm as previous Golfs yet its suppleness doesn't upset the handling's fun factor. But I'm still not a fan of those awkward moments when the engine is called on for power and it's found sleeping with the transmission - a period of lag that gets very annoying.VERDICTHard to compare this to price-like rivals when the Golf is such a great drive. The diesel's love-hate relationship with the DSG means drivers must learn to be patient. Overall, the 103TSI petrol version may be better value.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and Audi SQ5 go head-to-head in this comparative review..star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}

A complex twin-charge engine - similar to one recently abandoned by Volkswagen - heads up the future at Volvo. The supercharger and turbocharger combination are designed to put Volvo into the high-performance league with 225kW-plus from a 2-litre four-cylinder engine.Volvo, which unveils its new technology at next month's Frankfurt motor show, plans multiple applications and outputs from only two 2-litre engines - one diesel and one petrol.This includes hybrid drive with plug-in storage, turbocharged, twin-charge and aspirated with direct petrol injection. Volvo's Powertrain vice president, Derek Crabb, says adding electric power such as plug-in hybrid technology, "we will reach power figures in the V8 territory.""We have created smaller, more intelligent engines with power curves that give exciting driveability compared with engines with more cylinders yet deliver the fuel economy of only four cylinders."Volvo now rids itself of the inline six and five-cylinder engines and will bundle hybrid plug-in and charging technology with the Swedish-made four-cylinder engine under the Drive-E logo. Previously, the new powertrains were devised under the Volvo Engine Architecture (VEA) umbrella.Drive-E offers one diesel and one petrol engine in various outputs. They replace the current eight basic engines, slashing production and development costs in the same way the Volkswagen Group plan billion-dollar savings by using a single vehicle platform across multiple vehicle sizes and applications.Drive-E bi-turbo diesels will range from 90kW-170kW and petrol versions will start at 104kW and go to 225kW-plus. Next month, for the European market, Volvo kicks off the program with the new S60, V60 and XC60. These will be available with three engines from the new engine family: the 228kW turbo-petrol T6; the 182kW T5 and the turbo-diesel D4 with 135kW. The T5 and the D4 will also arrive in the new Volvo V70, XC70 and S80.The diesels claim a world-first i-Art technology featuring pressure feedback from each fuel injector instead of using a single-pressure sensor in the common rail. Volvo says i-Art means continuous monitoring and delivery of fuel to each combustion cycle and in each of the four cylinders."Increasing the common-rail pressure to 2500 bar, while adding the i-Art technology, can be described as the second step in the diesel revolution," Crabb says. "It is a breakthrough comparable to our invention of the lambda sensor for the catalytic converter in 1976. It's another world first in passenger cars for Volvo."He says the combination of higher injection pressure and i-Art gives the engine improved fuel economy, considerably lower emissions, high performance and a powerful exhaust sound. The engines are mated to a new Swedish-built eight-speed automatic or a six-speed manual."Our four-cylinder engines will offer higher performance than todays six-cylinder units and lower fuel consumption than the current four-cylinder generation," Crabb says. "If you take a four-cylinder Drive-E engine versus any six-cylinder engine, there's a massive weight and size reduction for the same power. Fuel economy savings are anything from 10 to 30 per cent, depending on which engine you're comparing it to."Volvo hasn't put a time frame on the launch of plug-in hybrid versions but says the Drive-E engines are prepared for future electrification from the start. "Key components, such as the Integrated Starter Generator, can be connected easily and the compact size of the four-cylinder engines means that the electric motor can be fitted in the front or rear of the vehicle," Crabb says."The battery pack will be located in the centre of the car." But don't think all this will be easy to spot. The boot badge mystery remains as Volvo plans to continues its current program. The T6, for example, identifies the car as having a six-cylinder engine but will remain for the new four-cylinder engine to indicate the most powerful version."The easiest way to understand it now is for the T (and D) numberings being representative of power outputs, not cylinders," says Volvo Australia spokesman Oliver Peagam. "So a T6 is the highest petrol output engine and a T4 the lowest (in Australia). Same with the diesel D5 and D2. It's nothing to do with cylinders anymore." 

It had to happen. In the wake of the wave of Segway riders who have given up the art of walking and prefer to annoy pedestrians comes the self-balancing unicycle. Honestly, where is the skill in this? People used to pay money to see such expertise at the circus.No guesses where this comes from and no surprises that the SBU V3 unicycle is promoted as "a genuinely a new way to travel". Created by Focus Designs (USA) the SBU V3 is a self-balancing unicycle that for many people in the US has become an integral part of their daily commute. As long as they weigh less than 148kg.The 12.2kg machine is promoted as being very portable and able to fit on the bus, the underground, the train, and beneath your desk at work. It has a range of up to 16km and a top speed of about 22km/h.The SBU V3 has no handlebars or steering wheel and is controlled merely by leaning. Lean forward to go, lean back to slow down/stop. It remains upright by gyros, similar to the Segway. Focus Designs says it takes about 20-30 minutes to learn and "once you master it riding becomes as natural as walking and talking".The machine contains sensors - trademarked as Turn Assist , Push Back and Smart Sense - to learn the rider's style. If you've given up on walking, details are now at www.eddyline.co.uk or direct from Focus Designs in the US.This reporter is on Twitter: @cg_dowling 

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Toyota Yaris YR and Fiat Punto Pop go head-to-head in this comparative review. 

.star {width:135px;}#article-corpus {width:100%; padding-right: 0;}Honda Accord V6 and Toyota Aurion Presara go head-to-head in this comparative review.