Articles by Neil Dowling

THE luxury car you might own within a decade may be coming from Korea, not Europe. Kia has officially shrugged off its budget-price banner with the GT - a four-door, four seater that it claims follows the prestigious trends of the original autobahn-storming GTs of the 1970s. But it’s more than a sleek shape.This is the car that Kia intends to become its upmarket saloon that will sit above the existing - and highly popular - Optima and take on Europe’s best.It could be here within two years but because its focus is the US market, may be built at Kia’s Georgia plant that also turns out left-hand drive Optimas.Kia Australia chief operating officer Tony Barlow calls the GT “the next level’’. “We can sell it,’’ he says at the Frankfurt motor show for the GT’s first public reveal.“Price may be an issue. But we’re looking at the first concept. There will probably be another concept at another show, and then it will head for production. That’s not concrete but it’s the likely path.’’ For now, it has a turbocharged, direct injection 3.3-litre V6 engine generating 291kW and 534Nm.  The transmission is an eight-speed automatic with drive to the rear wheels.  A V8 is definitely on the cards. And the best news is that it could be in Australian showrooms as early as 2013. Kia is being coy about the GT, unveiling it to Carsguide as part of a select group of journalists before the Frankfurt motor show opened its doors. It has been dramatically styled by Kia’s head designer Peter Schreyer and Kia’s European design chief Gregory Guillaume along Pininfarina lines, echoing a large GT such as Maserati’s Quattroporte. More than an individual car, Kia Australia’s Tony Barlow says it marks the maturity of Kia and the fact “we don’t want to play in the low end of the market anymore’’. Though the GT is designed in Europe with the US buyer in mind, it is off significant importance to Australia. Here it will become the company’s flagship and become a vital to elevate all the other Kia products. “It will make people who buy any Kia to feel proud of the fact that this is a carmaker that can produce some stunning cars,’’ says Barlow. The GT is the first Kia to have a front engine, rear drive layout. It shares a platform with Hyundai and though just new to public viewing, has been cooking since November 2010. Schreyer says it shows Kia can move in new directions. “The classic front-engined, rear-wheel drive layout of a performance saloon has distinct appeal not just for the domestic Korean audience, but also for the Australian, European and American markets,’’ he says. The GT’s design is similar to the two-door coupe styling of the 2007 Kia Kee concept, also shown at the Frankfurt motor show. Its front doors and rear-hinged rear doors open outward at a slight upward angle. Though expensive to produce, the absence of a B-pillar is something that Schreyer is keen to retain. He says the GT concept is less about design specifics and more about stance, proportion and balance which will influence Kia’s next project. “One of the great things about working on this project was that this is a very real car,” says Schreyer. “It felt good to be working on a car that could roll down the road tomorrow. Yes, it would be a dream to put this into production – it has a logical layout, with four seats, and good luggage space, and it’s also engaging and dynamic and makes a strong statement.  It’s exactly the kind of car Kia should be making.” The GT is 4890mm long, 1890mm wide, 1380mm high and sits on a 2860mm wheelbase, 160mm longer than the wheelbase of the current Kia Optima.

 IT looks like it should wear a bow and appear at birthday parties but the success of the Kia Soul is no laughing matter.The present box on wheels soon gets a bigger engine and more appeal to boost its value. It is selling its socks off in Europe and while Australia isn’t too sure, it’s become one of the preferred mobile advertising billboards and a surprise winner with elderly motorists.That comes as the biggest surprise to Kia who expected the Soul to knock the socks off the  youth market. Instead, says Kia Australia marketing manager Steve Watt, it has become popular with the more mature buyer who like the high seating position and versatile interior. The slab-sided box shape has become a winner with advertising companies and private businesses who want to shout their wares. Kia says the updated Soul gets here early in 2012, a year after its first showing at the New York motor show. Australia picks up the 2-litre “Nu” engine as an option to the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.6-litre turbo-diesel. It will be the first time the Nu engine makes an appearance in Australia and precedes its inclusion in some other small Kia models later in 2012. Unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show today, the European-spec Soul only gets the 1.6-litre engines. Australia will get more engines and the choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions but misses out on a few small details, including the LED daytime running lights and tail ights as shown on the US-spec model at the New York show. There will aso be no GTI engine - a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol - for Australia as it’s only destined for the US. Kia Australia spokesman Kevin Hepworth says “the fact Ausrtalia misses out on the GTI engine is why we get the new 2-litre engine’’. The car gets an external  refresh with a bigger front air dam and, at the rea, a bigger black bumper insert panel, plus 18-inch alloys and new door handles.Inside is a revised centre console design, circular LCD ventilation controls and new fabrics. Europe gets an optional EcoDynamics pack, which includes Kia’s ISG (stop-start system) and AMS (alternator management) which the company says cuts emissions to 125g/km CO2 for the diesel and 139g/km CO2 for the petrol models.

AS a "baby boomer" I admit to a frugal upbringing leading to a wardrobe of trousers with deep pockets. I live a life just short of camping out at the Two-Dollar Shop - waiting for the specials - and one with a fascination of finding value for money. My house is full of stuff I don't need - but, by gum, that stuff was cheap! So I was delighted to find the Volvo XC60 T6 R-Design which, though recently the subject of a $5340 price rise, gets a staggering list of standard features that puts it streets ahead of its rivals. Value for money? You bet!VALUEThis is the XC60's key to success - a big, safe and family-friendly wagon that's made by the seriously safe car company, Volvo. Value is all through the XC60 range but we're here with the T6 R-Design that is the most expensive of the model line-up. It costs $75,990 but includes City Safety - that automatically stops you doing a low-speed kiss with the car in front - plus adaptive cruise control with auto braking, pedestrian detection so you can identify your wife at the shops, rear camera and sensors, bending lights, 12-speaker surround sound with Bluetooth audio streaming, sat-nav and so on.DESIGNThe tagline "boxy, but nice" is old hat as Volvo picks up a restrained fluid shape ending in distinctive S-shaped tail lights. It looks good and works even better thanks to the R-Design's big wheels and aggressive body kit. Inside it's sports seats in leather and upgraded instruments and trim items. The rear hatch is electric, making it easy for people of smaller stature to access the luggage area. Two boosters are within the rear seat cushion making this perfect for travelling with children and the rear seat splits 40-20-40 to accommodate lots of cargo shapes. Though crammed with goodies, the execution is Swedish subtle, user friendly and appears to be very well made.TECHNOLOGYThe unusual bit here is the inline engine which is stretched transversely between the front wheels. Inline sixes are inherently smooth - call BMW to the witness stand - and the 3-litre turbocharged Volvo is no exception. It's also sparkling and reasonably fuel efficient. It only comes with a six-speed sequential auto which permanently drives the front wheels with an "on demand" coupling to the rear. The R-Design has sports suspension and sits 15mm lower than its sisters, gets water-repellent windows, auto wipers but - strangely - no auto headlights. Other high-tech highlights are within the extensive, and mind-boggling, safety package listed below.SAFETYThis has third-generation Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist (allows you to tail the car in front), blind spot detection, pedestrian detection (find people and avoid them) and Full Auto Brake (to stop you before you stop yourself). ACC allows the car to maintain a safe distance to the car in front using a radar sensor and digital camera integrated with the cruise control and - in its latest guise- offers full braking capability. City Safety will, for speeds up to 30km/h, automatically stop the car when it detects an object ahead. There's also six airbags, electronic stability and traction control and even roll stability control.DRIVINGAt 1846kg dry, it's not a small car but it's certainly quick and even nimble. The engine is smooth, responsive and quiet and perfectly suits this prestige-segment SUV which perhaps has Buckley's chance of seeing dirt under its tyres. Though it gets sports suspension with stiffer springs and different dampers, the ride is never harsh. The benefit is tidy handling. It holds its line well through the bends and really it's only the dullness of the steering feel and extra body roll of the tall wagon that will slow you down. Best of all, it works so well in conditions as varied as long country runs, twisty roads and city congestion. But it's not really suited to the dirt.VERDICTAt this price, it's a winner. It has the style to twist the heads of passers-by, the comfort to be a luxury car and the flexibility to suit the family.at a glanceVOLVO XC60 T6 R-DESIGNPrice: $70,650Warranty: 3 years, roadside assistResale: 55%Service interval: 15,000km or 12 monthsEconomy: 10.5 l/100km; 251g/km CO2Safety equipment: six airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC.Crash rating: 5 starEngine: 224kW/440Nm 3.0-litre 6-cyl, turbo-petrolTransmission: Six-speed automaticBody: 5-door, 5 seatsDimensions: 4627 (L); 1891mm (W); 1713mm (H); 2774mm (WB)Weight: 1846kgTyre size: 235/60R18, space-saver spare

One of Australia's most successful small cars - and winner of the prestigious Carsguide Car of the Year award - is becoming even more appealing.

... using a paddock as its shirt to announce Chevrolet's centenary and refreshed entrance into the European market. The 600sq.m bow-tie logo is in a field near the Frankfurt airport and points to the city's motor show - the world's biggest - which starts next week. Visible from the windows of aircraft on approach to the airport, the logo is the size of a house and is in a ploughed field within the airfield grounds. It has been created to celebrate the centenary of Chevrolet. The American brand was established in 1911 by Swiss racing driver Louis Chevrolet and American engineer Billy Durant, and marks its 100th birthday on November 3, the day the company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan  the traditional home of the American car industry. The famous Chevrolet gold bow-tie was first used in 1913, and there are various rumours as to how it came into being. The most common is that it was originally taken from a wallpaper design in a French hotel by Billy Durant, though members of the Durant family also claim he first drew the logo on a napkin after finishing a bowl of soup. Other suggestions to its origin are that it represents the cross on the flag of Switzerland, Louis Chevrolet's birthplace, or was taken from an advertisement for coal products seen by Chevrolet in a newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia. Whatever its origin, the bow-tie is one of the best known symbols in industrial and motoring history and has served Chevrolet in many different forms for 98 years. Chevrolet is now the fastest growing car brand in Europe. In 2011 it had global first half-year sales of 2.35 million vehicles - its best ever six months.

The Voztec helmet, developed and now under test by NSW-based public company Voztec, is designed to be quickly removed to allow medical aid for the motorcyclist at the scene of a crash. To put the helmet on or take it off, the rider opens or closes a hinged rear-section which uses an over-centre action to lock or release. There's an integral chin cup but no strap and Voztec says it fits more safely and comfortably. After a crash, the latch on top of the helmet allows the front to be removed seperately so paramedics don't have to cut off the helmet to help save the rider. Voztec, which recently received Federal Government funding, says the helmet now is in its final testing stages.

Daimler-owned French car builder Smart wants to start selling a third-generation of an electric version of its tiny Smart Fortwo car.

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