Articles by Neil Dowling

By early next year, China is to step up its assault on Australia's ute market - claimed to be the third-busiest in the world - with two new brands. They hit the ground running, up against refreshed or all-new models of the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Amarok, Holden Colorado and Isuzu D-Max. This week Foton - the world's biggest commercial vehicle maker with 600,000 produced in 2010 - entered the ring with a proposed dual-cab ute with a knock-out punch courtesy of some of the world's best component suppliers. The P201 dual-cab ute - which will get a new name when it arrives early next year - has a Cummins diesel engine, Getrag or ZF transmissions and Dana axles. These four parts makers are regarded as the pinnacle of heavy-duty suppliers and though Foton importer WMC Group says it raises the price bar, it claims a 20-25 per cent discount on equivalent Japan-badged utes. Spokesman for WMC, Jon Thomson, says pricing is still being determined. "But it is fair to say it will be slightly higher than Great Wall utes," he says. "The Foton comes with some serious equipment. But we still see the pricing up to 25 per cent under the equivalent Japanese products." Compared with these Japanese-branded utes, that could mean prices of about $35,000. Foton, which is part of the huge state-owned BAIC vehicle manufacturing conglomerate, will be joined in the market by Zhongxing (ZX) which this year plans to introduce dual and single-cab utes in rear-drive and 4WD formats. ZX - similar in design and concept to Great Wall - will be distributed by WA-based multi-franchise dealer John Hughes, who is arranging national dealers. John Hughes also has the national Geely franchise. Foton, which also makes trucks also sold through WMC Group distributor, plans rear-drive and 4WD versions of its utes. Drivetrains for the utes are a 120kW/380Nm Cummins ISF 2.8-litre Euro-5 common-rail turbo-diesel or a Foton-made 2.4-litre petrol engine. Transmissions are either a Getrag five-speed manual or ZF six-speed automatic. The Foton range will have six versions from its Australian launch date. The CEO of WMC Group, Jason Pecotic, says the Foton range will complement its other products such as Higer buses and JAC trucks. "Foton will be a game shifter in the ute sector delivering a sedan style interior on a wide body configuration," he says. "It will have a one-tonne payload and a three-tonne towing capacity. "It will be a compelling proposition for buyers whether they are tradesmen, farmers, fleet operators or private buyers." Pecotic says Australia is a very important market. "It has the third highest sales of utes in the world and Foton will be using us as a launch pad ahead of its planned move into North America and Europe over the next two years," he says. Foton only makes commercial vehicles but is planning a move into small cars - including electric - after completing a new factory south of Beijing. The factory will boost car and ute/truck production by more than 220,000 a year. Foton owner BAIC started in 1958 as Beijing Auto Works. The initials now stand for Beijing Automobile Industry Corporation. BAIC has a joint venture with Hyundai and makes the Santa Fe under its own name. BAIC also has manufacturing ventures with Jeep, Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz. It makes about 50,000 E-Class and C-Class sedans a year.

Pontiac parent General Motors built a small number of full-sized cars with clear plastic bodies to showcase their internal parts. One of these a four-door Pontiac, this month turned up at RM Auctions at St. Johns, in Plymouth, Michigan. The car was built for the 1939-1940 New York Worlds Fair and has a flathead-six under the bonnet and white tyres - not whitewall, the whole tyre is made of white rubber. It does drive and has only 86 miles (138km) on the clock. After its show duties the car was spirited away to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. where it sat for eight years. It then disappeared - really - into the garages of private collectors in the 1980s. Now the ghost is back. It will on July 30 be put up for auction by RM Auctions. The price? It's predicted to fetch about $500,000.

IT'S the eyes that get you. Pulled back teardrops that look daggers at the road, stare threateningly at other road users. The narrow, swept-back headlights come from big sister, the four-door Rapide. The use of these lenses on this car - the Virage - is more than coincidence or even cost-saving. It's the visible DNA that bonds the two latest Aston Martin models.Virage is the most recent "V" word to wear the Aston badge and though it is undoubtedly a stunning statement in metal, its inclusion in the marque's range initially seems excessive. Aston Martin disagrees. Spokesman for the company in Australia, Marcel Fabris, says the Virage plugs any gaps in Aston Martin buyers' minds."It is less formidable in terms of power, transmission delivery and ride than the DBS but more on edge than the DB9." he says.That's exactly how it feels, too. The problem isn't that there are three similar models in Aston's tight model range, but the fact that the Virage is the best. Of course that's Aston's problem - not mine.VALUEFor the price of an apartment, the Virage is excessive. Compared with other handbuilt exotica on wheels, it's not bad. You be the judge. It costs $371,300 and that's a $17,742 premium on the DB9 and yet a whopping $106,293 cheaper than the DBS. The Virage gets carbon-ceramic rotors the size of dinner plates, a superior Garmin sat-nav system that's both easier to use and clearer than Aston's previous efforts, plus 20-inch wheels and a leather-alcantara cabin.DESIGNBeautiful. Nothing is better than this and even though Jaguar gets close, the Aston DB9 styling will wear the sash and crown at any beauty pageant. Put a bikini on it and you'd marry it.Pragmatists will argue that it's a lot of car with a small cabin. Like I care.Truthfully, there are four seats but unless you are a sadist, the Virage will carry only two people. Though perhaps the two deeply-dished and leather trimmed indents in the back would suit small children, maybe a dog. Did I mention it is beautiful?TECHNOLOGYI used to favour Aston's V8 Vantage over the DB9's V12. Basically, the V8-engined models felt more nimble and needed less correction through corners. That was then. The 5.9-litre V12 has become silkier and more responsive to the right foot. In becoming less lethargic, it has changed the dynamics of the car and in the Virage, accents more than ever how accurate this car can be punched into a corner and how balanced it sits on exit.It packs ZF's six-speed automatic, its response times heightened by touching the "sport" button and over-riding the gearchanges with the steering wheel-mounted paddles. I prefer this box to the automated manual in the Vantage S because it is significantly smoother to drive and easier to live with while trawling the traffic lanes.SAFETYOnly four airbags? For $371,300 (plus onroad costs)? No crash-safety rating? Are you being ripped off, thrust into an unsafe car that can rip black marks down a road at blinding speeds yet may have the impact protection of a Vespa. Manufacturers of exotica tend not to hand over a car to crush. So it's hard to offer a safety benchmark without comparatives. You be the judge.DRIVINGThe car has been around for about six years. If it was any other make, it'll be over the hill by now. But the Virage - nee DB9 and DBS - is still freshly styled and competitive both in performance and price.It's just that I am not excited by looking at the same dashboard, year after year. Perhaps I long for a gearshifter to plunge forward and back in tune with various engine screams, rather than politely press acrylic buttons on the upper dashboard. But I will never, never lose the thrill of that eruption when the V12 fires up in the morning.Get over the scary fact that there's a long bonnet out there and that curious fellow motorists may want to come closer for a better look and you can quickly become used to the way the Virage cossets the driver.The seats wrap and warm the body, the steering wheel falls firmly to hand and the magnesium shifters sprouting from behind the steering wheel click audibly at the touch of your fingers. It's a sensory ride.Sports car suspension - such as the DBS - is usually abrupt and harshly stabs the kidneys. The Virage is softer, with push-button adjustment from firm-ish to really firm, depending on your mood, the road, the weather and your kidney's condition.Everything about the car is pin sharp - it turns instinctively, reacts instantly to your lightest touch and is always pumping out that rich V12 yowl.VERDICTYes, Aston. You make beautiful cars. Now get over it - only a handful of us can afford this. It's a selfish two-seater (plus dog and cat) made for deserted winding roads in cool climates. Aston has a few on the boat and they're all sold - mostly at the expense of the DBS that may be a bit too hardcore for city driving. The Virage is Aston's big-coupe future and more than the other Aston Martin models, follows the owner-friendly line of the Rapide.ASTON MARTIN VIRAGEPrice: $371,300Warranty: 3 years, 100,000km, roadside assistResale: 64%Service interval: 15,000km or 12 monthsEconomy: 15.5 l/100km; 367g/km CO2Safety equipment: four airbags, ESC, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC.Crash rating: N/AEngine: 365kW/570Nm 5.9-litre V12 petrolTransmission: Six-speed sequential automaticBody: 2-door, 2+2 seatsDimensions: 4703 (L); 1904mm (W); 1282mm (H); 2740mm (WB)Weight: 1785kgTyres: size (ft) 245/35R20 (rr) 295/30R20, no spare tyre

And if the predictions are correct, this time the Caliber will have a bit more gunpowder to back up its name. Thanks to the ownership by Fiat, the Chrysler family-owned Dodge Caliber will sit on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta "Wide C" platform and make its appearance at the 2012 Detroit motor show in January. The "Wide C" platform will also provide the underpinnings for the 2013 Alfa SUV and possibly the later Jeep Compass and Patriot. Caliber may get access to the Giulietta's 173kW/340Nm 1.75-lire turbo-petrol engine to create a hot SRT4 version, though most will either retain Chrysler's tired 2.4-litre petrol engine or gradually move into the hi-tech Fiat Group MultiAir engine range.

The Argentine-born son of Italian migrants was born on June 24, 1911 and raced to five world championships - the last at age 46 when he made up a huge time penalty and broke the (then) Nurburgring track record to win his last title. His five-win record stood for 46 years until beaten by Michael Schumacher. Fangio, who raced with four teams - Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-benz and Maserati - has the highest winning percentage in Formula One (47.06 per cent) by winning 24 world championship Grands Prix from 51 starts. This compares with Schumacher's 33.09 per cent. He is the only Argentine driver to have won the Argentine Grand Prix, winning it four times in his career. He retired from racing in 1958. His life was not without incident away from the track. Cuban rebels kidnapped him on February 23, 1958, but he was later released, and remained a good friend of his captors afterwards. The incident was dramatised in the 1999 Argentine film "Operacion Fangio". After retirement he ran his successful Mercedes-Benz dealership in Buenos Aires. He died aged 84 in 1995. Fangio will be honoured at the Goodwood Revival (September 16-18) in the UK this year, which is also the 60th anniversary of him winning the first of his world championships. Goodwood will stage a daily track parade including a variety of his most famous cars, including his winning 1957 Maserati 250F.

Due in Australia in the second quarter of 2012, the third generation of Mercedes' SUV uses the company's lauded 2.1-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine for a 6.0 litres/100km average, CO2 emissions of just 158 grams per kilometre and a 1500km range. The company says this engine - used also in the passenger car range - helps reduce the total M-Class fleet by 25 per cent compared with the outgoing range. It is one of the highlights of the new M-Class range that Australia expects in early 2012. Mercedes-Benz Australia says no final specifications or prices have been announced, though the four-cylinder is one model being considered. The 2012 model builds on the existing platform, honing suspension and reducing weight. It stays on the same wheelbase but is wider and slightly smaller in length. The styling has been toned down, with the imposing wheel arches of the current model being replaced by more demure body line that extends along the flanks. The grille is also less aggressive, now a chromed two-bar design leading to slimmer headlights. Cabin treatment includes an all-new dash with the centre console's screen and switchgear placed much higher. The current round vents have been replaced with rectangular units that better integrate with the new switches and screen. Rear-end treatment is also softer with tail lights that mimic those of the E-Class range. The engines, however, are the big talking point. The ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC with a 150kW/500Nm 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine has an average fuel consumption of 6.0 l/100 km (equal to 158g CO2/km) and can travel up to 1500km on a single tank of fuel. It is no slouch either, running the 100km/h sprint in 9.0 seconds. The next biggest engine option is the ML 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC. The revamped 3-litre V6 turbo-diesel is quicker, has less emissions, better fuel economy and more powerful than the current V6. While clipping fuel consumption back by 24 per cent, it also meets the stringent Euro 6 emission category that is not expected to be mandated until after 2014. It has 190kW and 620Nm of torque - compared with the current engine's 170kW/540Nm - and can accelerate to 100 km/h in 7.4 seconds. The first petrol engine offering in the M-Class will be the ML 350 4MATIC BlueEfficiency. It has an average consumption of 8.5 l/100 km and emissions of 199g/km CO2, compared with the outgoing engine's 11.4 l/100km average and 266g/km CO2 emissions. The direct-injection 3.5-litre V6 petrol pumps 225kW/370Nm compared with the current engine's 200kW/350Nm yet is faster, covering 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds against the existing model's 8.4 seconds. More engines, including one enhanced by AMG, will be added later. Mercedes says it wasn't only the engines that were targeted to minimise fuel use and emissions. The M-Class gets stop-start technology, a seven-speed automatic, low-friction drivetrain components, electric steering and low-resistance tyres as standard. To conserve energy, components such as the airconditioner compressor, oil and water pumps are only activated when needed. Weight reduction includes aluminium alloy used to make the control arms of the front and rear axles and panels including the bonnet and fenders. The cross member for the instrument panel is made of magnesium. An off-road pack continues as an option - though Mercedes-Benz in Australia says the take-up is only about 1 per cent - which now has a six-mode automated terrain control system similar to the Range Rover. Optional equipment will include active roll stabilisation - Mercedes call it "Active Curve System" that works with the Airmatic air suspension. This system uses active anti-roll bars on the front and rear axles, which it controls automatically irrespective of lateral acceleration, speed or the suspension's switch setting. ACS compensates for the roll angle of the body through bends to improve handling, agility and occupant comfort.

Mini Cooper S Chilli and Audi A1 Sport go head-to-head in this comparative review.

Putting "fun to drive" and "family car" together in the same sentence isn't something you expect in a car test. But then the rather conventional Mazda 3 isn't what you expect in a lot of ways.

…after its Perth owner this week drove it onto the international collector's car market. But it's not just any old Holden. Built two years before Holden started production in 1948 of the 48-215 FX model, the grey sedan is a handmade prototype that was used as a test car. Owner Peter Briggs, Perth-based entrepreneur and owner of one of Australia's biggest private car collections, bought it in 1980 for his collection and is now downsizing. "Actually, I don't know how much it's worth," says Briggs, who has recently trimmed his vehicle collection down to about 75 cars from 140. "What value do you put on a car that is the oldest Holden, that is handmade, that is the only one of its type in private hands, that is still running and represents the origin of a highly successful and domestic car industry? "It was even the first Holden to be photographed and publicised in the Melbourne press." The record price for an Australian-made car is $920,000 in 2008 for a 2002 Monaro HRT 427 - one of only two made by HRT and the only one road registered. Another car, a 1948 48-215, was the 46th Holden ever made and had an asking price of $1.2 million but wasn't sold. "This car is older and immeasurably more important than either of these cars. It formed the foundation of the Australian automotive industry we know today," Briggs says. "Given what it is, I don't think $2 million is to a collector or a museum is too expensive. "Based on the prices of the other Holdens, mine will be the first Australian car to crack a million dollars." The car, still with its original registration number of KJ 400, was the first of two cars built in Australia by hand at the Victorian facility of Holden (then General Motors-Holden's). The other car was destroyed. It precedes three built in the US and shipped to Australia for evaluation. Only one, now in the National Museum of Australia, remains. Data confirmed by Don Loffler, the author of "She's a Beauty" - the record of Australia's first volume production car - shows the Briggs Holden was registered as a 1946 Chevrolet sedan in Victoria on September 1, 1947. It had no Holden badges - the car's logos, including hubcaps, being added later during GM-H ownership. "The body was filled and shaped with lead. I found that out when it was weighed. It is hundreds of kilograms heavier than the later 48-215 production cars," Briggs says. The car is temporarily undriveable, needing repair to its mechanical cable brakes. It retains the patina of age and the weary disposition of a car built firstly to provide a working visual of the future car, and then to be mercilessly tested to find structural and mechanical faults. The buff-coloured velour upholstery is at odds with the vinyl of the 48-215 - dubbed the FX - from 1948. Briggs says that's because the builders of the car would have grabbed anything available. "It was a prototype," he says. "They would have just used anything at hand. "That applies to the seats and probably explains why the boot doesn't have a stay." Holden KJ-400 is a hand-shaped prototype of the car which would later be called the 48-215 and then became more commonly known as the FX Holden. Perth automotive historian Graeme Cocks says three prototype Holdens were made in the US, but this car is Prototype Number Four and one of only two which were made in Australia. "The other Australian-made prototype no longer exists, making this the oldest Aussie Holden," he says. "This prototype car was started in 1946 and completed in August 1947. It was not until October 1948 that a Holden came off the production line. "It pre-dates by almost a year the Holden now known as Old Number One which was the first production Holden and is still owned by the company." Mr Cocks says while Prototype Number Four is the oldest Australian made Holden, it is also the second oldest Holden in existence. "One of the three US made prototypes still exists and is now in the National Museum of Australia. Out of the five prototypes, only these two cars have survived,' he says. OLD HOLDEN STUFF The Peter Briggs Family Collection is located at the York Motor Museum, about 90km east of Perth. This museum is Australia's oldest private motor museum and the second oldest motor museum in Australia. Details on www.motoringpast.com.au Australia's most expensive Holden is the single road-registerable HRT Commodore. It was first unveiled at the 2002 Sydney Motor Show and was expected to sell for $215,000. There was a huge response but Holden Special Vehicles abandoned the project, apparently because the cost to build the car outweighed its potential sale price. It has a 7-litre 427kW V8 and is capable of a top speed of 299km/h. Features include Kevlar fittings, a roll cage, special racing seats with six-point harness, racing fuel system, alloy wheels, push button start, Motec instrumentation and a hand-made boot spoiler made of Kevlar and aluminium. It is finished in Sting Red and the build number is ED (Experimental Development) 0001, August 12, 2002. It was built for the track to rival Porsche's 911 GT2. Only three 1948-built Holdens remain of the 112 built that year. One, the 46th off the production line, was offered for sale at $1.2 million but it is unknown if it was sold. It was rare because of the three it was the only one fitted with "deluxe" options - passenger sunvisor, safety wheel rims and leather upholstery - and had only 21,000 miles (35,000km) on the clock. More than 120,000 48-215 (dubbed FX) cars were made until 1953, when it was superseded by the FJ.

VIRILITY was once established by a man's courage in the face of death. Fighting a lion using nothing but his bare hands was one early test, halted when the villages realised they were quickly running out of men.A more sophisticated civilisation softened the need to pursue wildlife, replacing it with the ability to croon to a theatre packed with women. This was replaced by the ability to make lots and lots of money.Which brings me to seven-seat wagons. Clearly, a bloke driving around in one of these says more about his reproductive potential than that of Tarzan, Bing Crosby and Donald Trump.And let's not be sexist. A woman driving such vehicles is telling the world more about her desires behind the wheel than wearing a T-shirt imprinted with "Child Rearer".But what seven-seat wagon has the style to pull it off? This one.Seven seat wagons generally aren't cheap because they're made with a lot of metal and fabric. The Mazda CX-9 comes in three versions priced from $50,015.Tested is the Luxury at $57,015. It's about $11,000 above the five-seat Mazda CX-5 and basically adds more room, more seats and a bigger engine - though no diesel option.It is a serious end of the market. Children aside, bigg-ish SUVs like the CX-9 are loved by outdoorsy people, even those that don't go outdoors.The wagon must be flexible, roomy and with the ability to have a decent tow rating. The CX-9's enemy includes the new Ford Territory, now with the option of a diesel engine. I'd be carefully doing my sums before making judgement.This is a good looking wagon with a big smiley face. It follows the design of the smaller CX-7 and yet doesn't look like an awkward stretch job. More a 110 per cent enlargement. The extra 406mm length allows a third row of seats suitable for two small people. Trust me, if you're an adult you will not be comfortable back there.Boot space shrinks, naturally, to the point where not much more than a suitcase will slip behind the third row of seats. But it's great for family and friends and the versatility of the seating - the centre row is on sliders - gives it a purpose for almost every occasion.Lots of leather and an attractive dashboard is spoilt only by so-so sat-nav graphics and the foot-operated park brake. The rest is great.Not rocket science - a 3.7-litre 204kW/367Nm V6 petrol and all-wheel drive oily bits under an attractive body. It's a well executed and pleasantly simple package.Actually, the wagon is a front-wheel drive and will only start sending power to the rear wheels when needed - for example, when the front wheels slip on a wet surface or during heavy-footed acceleration.Theoretically, you could venture off the bitumen and gravel but reality says this is not intended to compete with 4WDs and besides, I wouldn't want to dig its 2-tonnes out of beach sand.Interestingly, the Toyota Kluger is near identical in spec and market but has almost four times the CX-9's sales - and there's no logical reason for this disparity.Mazda scores a maximum five-star rating for practically all its cars and the CX-9 is no exception.It also adds all the necessary electronic nannies, including ESC, ABS and rollover mitigation. Plus it's tall and looks like it wouldn't dint against a Mack.Yes, it's big but it has a confidence about it that creates the impression it is nimble.The steering is nicely weighted - though there's a bit too many turns lock-to-lock - and the automatic transmission puts down the cogs quickly and without fuss.The V6 engine is silky smooth and willing to rev with a good dab of torque at low revs - about 330Nm is available from 2800rpm - which makes it pointless to scream it out to 6250rpm to find the 204kW of power.Handling is secure though pushed hard will unleash understeer (the car wants to keep going straight ahead during a corner) and body roll. But it is so comfortable and quiet that you lose the desire to drive it quickly. It is, of course, a wagon for lots of people or luggage.