Articles by Neil Dowling

Of the 66 vehicles on the list, 37 are available in Australia - including all the Subaru models. The IIHS list is used by astute American buyers in their new car selection process. It is compiled by rating vehicles on their occupant protection in front, side, rollover and rear crashes. All must also be fitted with electronic stability control as standard equipment. The IIHS says that in 2010, Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi both tied as manufacturers with the highest number of Top Safety Picks with a total of nine winning models. Ford/Lincoln, General Motors and Toyota/Lexus/Scion all took second place each with a total of eight Top Safety Picks. Subaru has managed to retain its title as the only automaker to have a Top Safety Pick designation for every vehicle it sells. The Volkswagen Touareg is the only large SUV to take home a Top Safety Pick for 2011, and the US-only 2011 Ford Explorer managed to make its way onto the Top Safety Pick list for the first time in the vehicle's history, the IIHS reports. Last year the Institute toughened criteria by adding a requirement that all qualifiers must earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash. The move instantly narrowed the initial field of 2010 winners. At the beginning of the 2010 model year, only 27 vehicles qualified for the award, but the number grew to 58 as vehicle makers reworked existing designs and introduced new models. "In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick," says IIHS president Adrian Lund. "That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV - from economy to luxury models - plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms. In fact, every major automaker has at least one winning model this year." The Chevrolet Cruze - sister to the Holden Cruze but with different specifications - has 10 standard airbags, including ones for the knees, to outperform the government's minimum roof strength requirements. The IIHS notes that safety equipment is increasingly standard. Ninety-two per cent of 2011 model cars, 94 per cent of SUVs, and 56 per cent of utes on the US market have standard head and side airbags. Electronic stability control is standard on 92 per cent of cars, 100 per cent of SUVs and 72 per cent of utes. ALL 66 WINNERS (Australian cars marketed with an asterisk) LARGE CARS: Buick LaCrosse Buick Regal *BMW 5-Series (except 4-wheel drive and V8) Cadillac CTS sedan Ford Taurus Hyundai Genesis Infinite M37/M56 (except M56x 4-wheel drive) Lincoln MKS *Mercedes E-Class coupe *Mercedes E-Class sedan Toyota Avalon *Volvo S80 MIDSIZE CARS: *Audi A3 *Audi A4 sedan Chevrolet Malibu Chrysler 200 4-door Dodge Avenger Ford Fusion *Hyundai Sonata *Kia Optima Lincoln MKZ *Mercedes C-Class *Subaru Legacy (Liberty) *Subaru Outback *Volkswagen Jetta sedan Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen *Volvo C30 SMALL CARS: *Chevrolet Cruze *Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control *Kia Forte (Cerato) sedan *Kia Soul *Mitsubishi Lancer (except all-wheel drive) Nissan Cube Scion tC Scion xB *Subaru Impreza sedan/hatch (except WRX) *Volkswagen Golf 5-door *Volkswagen GTI 5-door MINICAR: *Ford Fiesta sedan/hatch built after July 2010 MINIVAN: Toyota Sienna LARGE SUV: *Volkswagen Touareg MIDSIZE SUV: *Audi Q5 Cadillac SRX Chevrolet Equinox *Dodge Journey Ford Explorer Ford Flex GMC Terrain *Hyundai Santa Fe *Jeep Grand Cherokee *Kia Sorento built after March 2010 *Lexus RX Lincoln MKT Mercedes GLK *Subaru Tribeca *Toyota Highlander Toyota Venza *Volvo XC60 *Volvo XC90 SMALL SUVs: Honda Element *Hyundai Tucson Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags *Kia Sportage *Subaru Forester *Volkswagen Tiguan

The seemingly perennial Mercury brand - named after the Roman mythological messenger of the gods - has been pensioned off at 71 years.  It finished up with the last model - the Grand Marquis - rolling out of production. The Mercury name is only one of  Ford's brands to be chopped. More, says Ford CEO Alan Mulally, will follow.  When Mulally took over the CEO chair in 2006, Ford had 97 nameplates. Many have disappeared as Ford disposed of brands including Aston Martin, Land Rover, Jaguar and Volvo.  In his address to the Confederation of British Industry in London in October, Mulally says Ford plans to reduce its product lineup to as little as 20 nameplates. The 'One Ford' concept aids the plan by marketing one model - for example the Focus - under than name in as many as 180 countries.  "Fewer brands means you can put more focus into improving the quality of engineering,' he says. The Mercury Grand Marquis is the brand's biggest and oldest model and shares its underpinnings with the Crown Victoria. It dates back to 1983.  Ford announced in June that Mercury would go. Its Mountaineer ended production in October and more recently, the Mariner and Milan finished up. Ford admitted that this year to November, Mercury sold just 84,802 vehicles for a paltry 0.8 per cent contribution to Ford's total production.  Launched by Edsel Ford in 1938, Mercury created a long list of nameplates including Bobcat, Capri, Colony Park, Comet, Lynx, Marquis, Marauder, Meteor, Monarch, Montego, Monterey, Mystique (dubbed Mistake), Park Lane, Topaz, Tracer and Villager. Amongst its classics were the performance cars of the 1960s - Marauder, Comet and Cyclone - and the Cougar and the later Cougar Eliminator of the 1970s.  The brand also has exposure to the stars. James Dean drove a 1949 Mercury in the 1950s movie `Rebel Without a Cause'. In the TV series Hawaii Five-O, Jack Lord drove a Mercury sedan, actress Farrah Fawcett started her career as a model in 1970s Mercury advertisements and Jill Wagner was for the past five years the "spokesmodel" for Mercury.

The Hyundai i40 wagon, believed to be on the i45 sedan platform, will go on sale mid next year in Europe after its public debut at the Geneva motor show in March.  Designed and developed by Hyundai's German R&D centre, the wagon comes from an entirely different source than the predominantly US-Korea penned i45 sedan. It hints that Europe will go it alone with a specific i40 wagon with a sedan version to follow. Though sharing platforms, the European-only i40 sedan will have a different body to its Australian i45 cousin. News about the wagon only surfaced this week.  Hyundai Australia says it has little details about the car but says it is "seriously" looking at how it will fit into the local lineup. "We don't have any details about the car," says Hyundai's Ben Hershman. "It is not confirmed for Australia but it's something we will seriously consider." Mr Hershman says Hyundai Australia was also in the dark about platform and engine data.  "It is based on a concept but we can't comment if it shares the i45's platform or is a new segment." Reports in Europe say the i40 wagon will be joined later by the sedan with styling based on the "i-flow" concept car shown in March this year at the Geneva motor show.  European markets do not have the i45 sedan as sold in Australia. Hyundai in Europe is on record as saying there is likely to be two global sedans in the same segment.  "The Sonata (called i45 in Korea and Australia) is not the same as the car that will come to Europe," a Hyundai spokesman is on record as saying. "They do share a platform, but that's all. The Sonata and i45 have been designed with those markets in mind. The `i-flow' car has been designed with European consumers in mind and will be with us this time next year." The Hyundai i-flow concept as shown at Geneva this year proposes a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain with emissions of only 85grams of CO2 per kilometre and a potential fuel economy of 3 litres/100km.  It has a 1.7-litre turbo-diesel engine - also seen in the Kia Soul - and a lithium-ion-polymer battery pack and a six-speed, dual-clutch transmission. But for production models, the i40 is expected to come with more conservative powerplants including a 126kW 2-litre direct-injection petrol and the 1.7-litre turbo-diesel.  Hyundai Motor Europe vice president, Alan Rushforth says in a statement that "the new i40 will provide the momentum we need to achieve our goals in 2011 and beyond". "We expect the quality of the new i40 to continue the development of our image in Europe and attract new customers to the Hyundai brand."

Set for launch in the first quarter of 2012, the Nissan Sunny will sit beneath the next Tiida/Pulsar and is, in essence, a sedan version of the Micra. The car has just been launched in China with the Sunny name. Nissan Australia spokesman Jeff Fisher says it's a definite for our region but it may not wear the Sunny name and is likely to be built in Thailand or Japan. "It's not the Tiida/Pulsar replacement," he says. "That's a bigger car.The Sunny is in the light-car class and is based on the Micra." Mr Fisher says the Sunny sedan has been fast-tracked for release in China. It is built in the Guangzhou province at a new joint venture factory of Chinese carmaker Dongfeng and Nissan. "It goes on sale in China next quarter," he says. "That is the first country to build the car. It will then be rolled out for sale in 170 countries." Nissan first launched a Sunny model in China in 2003 under the new Dongfeng Nissan partnership. That car was an immediate hit, particularly by young families aged in their 30s and in the market for a mid-sized sedan. The latest Sunny has the Micra 1.5-litre four-cylinder 75kW/136Nm engine attached to a continuously-variable transmission (CVT) automatic.

Holden boss Mike Devereux this week confirmed the small car - to be built in Adelaide from March - will get an optional 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine.  The powerplant is from the Opel "Family Zero" series. One derivative is used in the Chevrolet Volt hybrid. "It's a great engine in terms of economy and performance and it's the first new powertrain we'll be introducing for Cruze," Devereux says.  "We have previously confirmed that both petrol and diesel models will be built at Elizabeth - sedans start in the first quarter and that awesome-looking hatchback in the second half." Mr Devereux says Cruze production was secured for Australia by a $179 million grant from the Federal and South Australian Governments which was in addition to "hundreds of millions more from Holden" to make Australia's only locally-built small car. He says the current Cruze, launched in June last year, "has performed phenomenally well so far.  "It's our second-best seller, it cracked the top-five and outsold established nameplates like Falcon several months this year," Devereux says. "We've sold 26,253 units to November, which is up nearly 20 per cent on last year, and we're forecasting nearly 28,900 (28,848) for the full year." He says making the Cruze in Australia allowed Holden to give people an option to buy a locally-made small car that had been engineered for Australian conditions.  It ensures a more stable workload for our employees and has created new business opportunities for our local suppliers," he says. Holden says the future is rosy. It will add 165 employees to its Elizabeth plant and launch 10 new models - new and refreshed - in the next 18 months. "This year we see a total car market in Australia of 1.034 million," he says.  "Total sales for Holden this year will be around 133,800 - up 12 per cent on last year - which is a pretty solid performance. "We'll finish 2010 with about 12.9 per cent share - on par with last year. The market is good, but it's tough. We're not in the business of chasing market share. "Next year we think the market will grow around 10 per cent - so we're looking at about 1.045 million.  We think that growth will come from new models - including Holden launches like the local Cruze, Captiva and Barina - and good economic conditions."

While Toyota's future FT-86 coupe has been grabbing the news - and motor show stands - around the world since last year, the Subaru version has been kept away from cameras.  Now it's in the open. The Subaru coupe will share the drivetrain with the Toyota but go its own way with body styling and cabin flair. Toyota says its two-door sports car - the first since the demise of the MR2 in 2007 - will go on sale in 2012 but the Subaru may not arrive until 2013.  Both cars use a rear-drive platform and front-mounted Subaru boxer engine driving a six-speed manual transmission. An all-wheel drive model was proposed by Subaru but has been dropped because of weight and cost issues.  Though a 2-litre third-generation normally-aspirated (NA) Subaru engine has been fingered as the likely engine, it may be replaced with the punchier 2.5-litre unit. As a sports car, the 2-litre's 109kW/196Nm output is down on some rivals. It compares, for example, with other NA 2-litre cars such as the Honda Civic Type-R's 148kW/193Nm and Mazda MX-5's 118kW/188Nm. The design and price of the Toyota-Subaru coupes may also put it up against turbocharged rivals including the Mini Cooper S, Peugeot RCZ, Citroen DS3, Renault Megane Sport and Volkswagen Polo and Golf GTIs. News from Japan indicates Toyota - which owns 16.7 per cent of Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries - has taken control of engine development and is looking at about 147kW (200hp) without any charging.  Subaru, on the other hand, may option its coupe with the WRX 2.5-litre turbo for 195kW/343Nm or the STI's enticing 221kW/407Nm. That may be enough sting to overcome weight issues and allow the coupe through as an all-wheel drive, pleasing Subaru Australia that has invested heavily in the "All4", exclusive all-wheel drive model range.  Impressive though an AWD coupe would be, it contrast initial plans. In April 2008, Toyota (TMC) and Subaru (FHI) announced the proposed jointly-developed coupe in a statement that says they would "jointly develop a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car that will be marketed by both TMC and FHI." "The compact rear-wheel sports car to be jointly developed by TMC and FHI is envisioned to offer a new `fun to drive' experience based on an all-new vehicle platform powered by an FHI core-technology horizontally-opposed engine. "Production is to take place at a new plant to be built at FHI's Gunma Manufacturing Division in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. TMC will consign production to FHI."

The wagon - Jeep's first production attempt at an SUV - has been revealed wearing new clothes that overcome the bland appearance of its predecessor.

New for 2011 is the ninth-generation Civic that shows it will follow the pronounced wedge profile of the European Civic hatch and Type-R. Honda has released a sketch of the Civic Concept before the car hits US showrooms around the middle of next year. Australia waits until the last quarter of 2011, says Honda Australia spokesman Mark Higgins. "The line-up will be much the same as the current model," he says. "The sedan will continue to come from Thailand and the hatch from the UK." He says there is no word about changes to the drivetrains, so the model should continue with petrol and hybrid offerings. However, is is understood the Hybrid may have a 1.5-litre engine to replace the current 1.3-litre unit to copy the CR-Z's powerplant. The 2011 Civic Hybrid could also be Honda's first car to use next-generation lithium-ion batteries to replace the current nickel-metal hydride battery. The Li-ion batteries are smaller, lighter, quicker to charge - and avail themselves to plug-in - but more expensive than the current units. In 2011, Honda Australia will also launch the CR-Z Hybrid two-door hatch around the middle of the year. The Jazz Hybrid is expected here in the first quarter of 2012 and and all-new CR-V in late 2012 or early 2013.

The baby is the new Colt, though officially Mitsubishi in Japan is presenting it as a new model.  It will be launched in 2012 - including Australia - and come out of a purpose-built Thai plant currently under construction. Mitsubishi calls its new model the "global small" car and is designed to take on the swelling city-car market.  The car is likely to be smaller than the current Colt and sit on a new platform using engines ranging from 1-litre to 1.5-litres. However, the accent will be on fuel and emissions and Mitsubishi - like Nissan with its latest Micra - may stay in the lower-capacity engine sector.  Mitsubishi Australia spokesperson Lenore Fletcher says it's on the cards. "This is very high on our agenda, though it's too early to talk specifics," she says.  "But we are very keen to get this car into Australia." Using Thailand as its production base improves pricing with Australia under the Free Trade Agreement and will improve its competitiveness against rivals such as the Micra. The global small car will also fight the Ford Fiesta - now built in Thailand - and Mazda2 - which has moved production to Japan from Thailand - as well as the Hyundai i20, Holden Barina, Kia Rio, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris and Volkswagen Polo. Thailand may also build a range of engines for the new Mitsubishi. These include three and four-cylinder small-bore engines from 1.0 to 1.2-litres though capacities of up to 1.5 litres could be used to match the performance of some rivals. Mitsubishi today conducted a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the global small car's factory, the company's third in Thailand.  The factory, built adjacent to the first and second factories, is planned to start production in March 2012.  Production capacity is expected to start at about 150,000 units a year and rise to 200,000.

SLIGHTLY bemused grey-haired couples are becoming increasingly common guests in 4WD ute showrooms.