Articles by Neil McDonald

It's the 918 Spyder - a supercar with a very big difference. This one is a plug-in hybrid that Porsche believes will set a new direction for high-performance cars, blasting ahead of the Ferrari F599 hybrid which is also at the show and Audi's range of upcoming E-Tron battery sports cars. The 918 is a mid-engined, open-topped speed machine that is Porsche's first serious top-end supercar since the $1 million-plus 911 Carrera GT1 from the late 1980s. It has a top speed of more than 320km/h and won as a prototype at the Le Mans 24 hours race. The 918 is the third hybrid coming to the Porsche stable - after the Cayenne and Panamera - and company chief Michael Macht predicts more to follow. Macht says the 918 Spyder in Geneva is a concept car but the body is ready for production and the hybrid drivetrain is almost ready to go. "Porsche has never before shown a concept car that wasn't built. The Spyder points the way of future sports cars," Macht says. However, he says Porsche will wait for consumer reaction - and there are deposit-ready customers in Geneva - before making a commitment to production. But, provided the 918 does clear the final hurdle there is a good chance the car will make it to Australia. "The drivetrain is extremely realistic. It is a serious answer to reducing emissions and fuel economy, even for Porsche," says Paul Ellis of Porsche Cars Australia. The open two-seater is powered by a high-revving V8 developing more than 370kW - already used in the RS Spyder racer - boosted by electric motors on the front and rear axle with overall output of 160kW. So the Porsche hybrid hero hits 100km/h in under 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 320km/h but, even more importantly, it emits just 70g of CO2 emissions per kilometre and delivers fuel economy of just 3.0l/100km. In simulations the car produces a lap time at the Nurburgring of less than 7 minutes 30 seconds, faster than even the Carrera GT and the Nissan GT-R. The 918 has a mid-ships engine location ahead of the rear axle line, with power fed to a seven-speed Porsche gearbox that also feeds electric power to the rear axle. Macht says the big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that the battery can be charged up from the home. In this case, that means a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery positioned behind the cabin. The car’s kinetic energy is also converted into electrical energy fed into the battery when applying the brakes. A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among four different running modes, including a pure electric mode that enables the car to travel 25km. A Sport Hybrid mode uses both the petrol engine and hybrid drive systems, but with the focus on performance. Most of the drive power goes to the rear wheels, with torque vectoring split drive to each individual wheel. Like the drivetrain, the Spyder uses a lightweight body structure that bears out the car’s motorsport DNA. The modular structure has a monocoque bodyshell made of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic with magnesium and aluminium helping reduce weight to less than 1490kg.

A petrol-electric luxury limousine is already in the works as Bentley looks for efficiency and green power over coming years. But that's not the end of things for the upmarket British. “Our customers are clearly also concerned about energy use,” says Bentley's CEO, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen. “But longer term we need to look at exactly what type of hybrid technology would be suitable for Bentley cars.” Paefgen says the size and weight of Bentley cars means factoring-in expensive and heavy hybrid technology needed to be assessed properly. “There would have to be significant gains in lowering fuel economy and emissions too,” he says. Bentley, which is part of the Volkswagen Group, has ready access to hybrid powertrains as the parent company proved with its Touareg SUV hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show. Paefgen says newer technologies are definitely part of Bentley’s future, but the current priority is fuel economy and C02 reductions on its existing engines and the introduction of petrol/ethanol flex-fuel engines on cars like the new 6.8-litre V8 Mulsanne. To help lower fuel consumption, the eight-speed automatic Mulsanne has cylinder deactivation and camshaft phasing, technologies which helps reduce C02 emissions by 15 per cent. From June all Bentleys will be available with flex-fuel engines, and a model with a diesel engine is also lurking. But the diesel drive is not as straightforward as it could be, because of resistance from Bentley's biggest and most cashed-up group of customers. “We have a diesel ready to go. But there is a clear statement from our American friends that they are not ready for a diesel," Paefgen says. “As America represents 40 per cent of our sales we cannot risk introducing an engine that is not accepted by our biggest market.” However, Paefgen says Audi and Volkswagen’s diesel push into North America could help the Bentley cause. “Mercedes, Audi and BMW will also lead the way and I’m confident that we will see a diesel Bentley in four or five years," he says. While engines are an important focus for Bentley, the company's sales and marketing chief, Stuart McCullough, says rebuilding the business after the economic rollercoaster of the last 18 months is the biggest focus. Still, unlike Rolls-Royce - which has launched the smaller Ghost below its flagship Phantom - Bentley has no plans to go smaller, McCullough says. “We don’t have customers demanding a smaller vehicle. But we are thinking about future products.” Globally, Bentley sold just 4600 cars last year, down from its 2007 high of 10,014. “It’s been two ends of the extreme. We’ll certainly sell more than 4600 cars this year but it’s difficult to see when we’ll see the days of five-digit sales. “Will we return to the hubris of 2006-2007? I don’t think we will see the like of that type of market for a very long time. Having said, a lot of things are changing in the world. China is growing fundamentally as a market and that’s changing the scale of the global market.”

The facelifted Fabia hatch unveiled at the Geneva motor show is now firmly in contention thanks to more favourable exchange rates that should bring a sub-$20,000 starting price. Until now, and despite coming from the Czech republic, the Fabia would have been a $25,000-plus car and that would have priced it well above the baby Polo and close to the Golf which come from the same Volkswagen Group product pen. And that means it would have been well beyond the reach for budget-conscious Australian buyers. But Skoda is finally getting a Fabia plan that could work, building it around the hot RS model which starred for the brand in Geneva and pushing hard for a value starter car. “There’s still some way to go but clearly the RS would make a great halo car. It’s high on our wish list," says the head of Skoda in Australia, Matthew Wiesner. He says the success of the company’s existing performance flagships, the Octavia RS sedan and wagon, means there is a ready fit for the Fabia RS, which is also available as a hatch and wagon. “It would be in good company,” he says. The go-faster Fabia RS gets a Volkswagen-developed turbocharged 1.4-litre TSI engine that develops 132kW/250Nm. So the Fabia will hit 100km/h in 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of 224km/h. Like Volkswagen's Polo GTi, the RS also gets a seven-speed DSG gearbox with paddle shifters. Wiesner says Skoda Australia has been trying to make the numbers work for the Fabia for 18 months but Czech costs and unfavourable exchanges rates have been a problem. The Fabia is the car always needed for Skoda in Australia, as the quirky Roomster has struggled for sales and the Octavia and full-sized Superb (both very good cars), have not been able to draw the youthful converts needed to give the brand any real traction. “If you look at the areas we’ve launched in, we’ve had to battle into very traditional conservative segments. We’ve effectively been the Octavia car company but that’s changing and we’re seeing that with the Superb," Wiesner says. If the Fabia does get the green light, it is likely to sit at the top of the light-car segment and go head-to-head with its Volkswagen Group cousin, the Polo. It too, has recently been updated, but with a complete overhaul that should give it a much better bottom line for Australia. Apart from the Fabia, Wiesner says the Yeti soft-roader remains Skoda's main new-model priority. The high-rider wagon was unveiled last year at the Paris Motor Show. “The whole focus has been on Yeti, and from a brand volume and dealer perspective it has probably been more important than the Fabia,” Wiesner says. “The compact SUV segment is continuing to get stronger, which makes the Yeti very important for us. I think that once we’ve got a full complement of Yeti derivatives it will have a far greater impact than the Octavia." The Yeti is a Volkswagen Tiguan sized off-roader and set to arrive by the end of the year, when it will be available in both front and all-wheel drive with diesel and petrol engines.

The latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabrio comes with two nifty devices both designed to keep you snuggly warm on top-down winter nights.As if its patented Airscarf was not enough — and capable of blowing warm air over your neck — Benz now also has the Aircap as part of the standard equipment on the fresh-air E when they arrive in Australia in April to replace the superseded CLK droptop.The system works as a windbreaker to cut drafts into the cabin for both front and rear passengers. It uses a wind deflector that raises six centimetres above the leading edge of the windscreen to deflect the air flow and a net between the rear seats to reduce turbulence in the cabin. The system is so high-tech, using 211 individual components, that Mercedes has taken out 20 patents on the device.The chief engineer of the E-Class coupe and convertible, Christian Fruh, describes the system as ‘an isle of calm in the middle of a hurricane’. "It quite literally takes wind out of your hair," he says. And the Aircap also cuts noise in the cabin, as well as working with the automatic aircon — which knows when when the roof is up or down to adjust the heating or cooling to compensate.Apart from the draught stopper, the cabrio also gains a wealth of Mercedes-Benz safety knowhow. The company’s passive safety chief, Kai Visel, says it is as safe as the coupe.  "The rollover performance in an accident is the same as the coupe,” he says.To achieve that, the cabrio uses high-tensile steel, a traditional B-pillar construction, and heavily reinforced body structure that includes more robust A-pillars and twin rollover protection bars that automatically deploy for rear seat passengers. Visel says the car’s torsional rigidity is almost the same as the flagship two-seater SL.But there is more to the E Cabrio, with four new models for Australia — the first-up petrol V6 and V8 ahead of two four-cylinder models later in the year. First up is the E350 V6 and range topping E500 V8 in April to be followed by the E250 CGI petrol around June and E250 CDI turbodiesel arriving in July.The V6 cabrio will cost $139,950 while the E500 is $186,950, both a $12,450 increase over the E-Class coupe already on sale. The E250 CGI is tipped to be around $105,000 and the E 250 CDI around $135,000. But Benz says the higher prices for the E350 and E500 including $12,555 and $18,627 more value over the outgoing CLK droptop.Despite its higher price, the E-Class cabrio is likely to be shopping against the Audi A5 cabriolet and BMW’s 3 Series cabrio. Mercedes did well with the previous cabrio, as 39 per cent of CLK buyers chose the cabrio."We expect a similar level of interest for the new cabrio,” says Peter Fadeyev, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia.Like the E coupe, the E350 cabrio gets a 170kW/540Nm 3.0-litre V6 and the E500 a 285kW/530Nm 5.5-litre V8. The E500 hits 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h with economy of 11.0L/100km.The E250 CGI has a 1.8-litre four cylinder petrol engine that pumps out 150kW/310Nm, delivering 7.8l/100km. The E250 CDI gets a 2.2-litre four-cylinder with 150kW/500Nm with 5.6l/100km. All four-cylinder models get a five-speed automatic while Mercedes' latest’ 7G-tronic seven-speed automatic will be standard on the petrol V6 and V8.Fadeyev expects the E350 to be the most popular model. However, after the experience with the E-Class sedan in Australia, he believes buyers could be swayed to the new petrol and turbodiesel fours."We’ll have to wait and see, but our customers are really warming to the new four-cylinder engines because they deliver plenty of performance without sacrificing fuel economy. The E250CGI could be the dark horse," Fadeyev says.Benz also claims coupe levels of cabin quietness and integrity. The four-layer acoustic soft-top helps reduce noise. The hydraulic roof is fully automatic, taking 20 seconds to raise or lower at speeds up to 40km/h. It lowers flush with the boot gets its own stowage compartment, with a retractable cover to separate it from the luggage area. With the roof closed the cover can be slid forward to increase capacity by 90 litres to 390 litres. There is also a ski-port for loading long items.Firstly, forget strong performance and that solid-as-a-rock Mercedes build quality. The talk is all about the E-Class cabrio's new-found feel good factor, thanks to Aircap and the potential for year-round open top enjoyment. It is so effective that it will allow top down motoring even in the darkest days of winter because it significantly cuts any turbulent air swirling around the cabin.The device works a treat. It doesn't entirely eliminate the wind-in-the-hair feel but makes cold weather driving a treat. Throw in the heated seats and Airscarf — which will remain an option for Australia — and the cabrio could lure coupe buyers who have never considered a softtop. Because it is changing the cabrio's aerodynamics slightly, the Aircap does eat a little into fuel economy but Mercedes engineers say it is a modest increase.As with the E-Class sedan and coupe, the cabrio is packed with safety and technology to justify the steep price tag. The four-layer roof is technological work of art. With the roof closed the cabin is as quiet as the coupe.After driving both the E250 CGI and E500, the V8 is the pick if you have the cash to splash because it works so well with the new seven-speed automatic and has a rorty exhaust note with the top down. But the turbocharged 1.8-litre four is certainly not embarrassed; it's quiet with a strong mid-range for overtaking and the five-speed auto's ratios are perfectly matched to extract the performance from the engine.The ride and handling in both the four and V8 is perhaps not as sharp as BMW 3-Series cabrio but slicker than the A5 cabrio. It can still double as a boulevard cruiser or swift mountain touring car.Thanks to the extra chassis stiffening, the cabrio resists scuttle shake and there is very little flexing over even the roughest roads.The cabrio has a slightly longer wheelbase than the CLK which liberates more cabin room, so both front seat occupants are spoilt for space and legroom. In the back, though, the stronger body meant moving the rear seats inboard so shoulder space is best described as snug. The rear seatback is also quite vertical but this means rear seat passengers sit slightly higher and have a better view out front.Visually the cabrio styling looks far more resolved and more youthful than the sedan thanks to the coupe-esque roof and short boot.

A sensible Mitsubishi Outlander wrapped in stylish Peugeot bodywork sounds like a good idea.  Which is precisely why the French company has produced its latest, the 4007.Despite years of resisting the SUV push - Xavier Peugeot once said he thought the 4007 was too much of a departure for Peugeot - the company has been forced to accept the sales growth of compact soft-roaders.  Peugeot is now playing catch-up, aiming to recover some of the ground lost to the Japanese, Koreans and even European contenders like the classy Renault Koleos.Peugeot may have had to be dragged into the off-roader segment but since its launch, the company has sold more than 25,000 4007s worldwide.  However, the 4007 is still a curious cross-cultural experiment.  It uses the Mitsubishi Outlander body, all-wheel drive system and interior as well as Peugeot's own state-of-the-art 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine under the bonnet.Peugeot has redesigned the front of the car to give it not only a Pug family look but a beefier off-road presence. It also threw in a bit more chrome at the SV model but the rear-end and interior are still easily identified as the Outlander.Models and pricesIn Australia there are two 4007 models, a starter ST and more luxuriously appointed SV.  Prices open at $45,490 for the six-speed manual ST, topping out at $54,190 for the leather-clad SV with a six-speed dual clutch gearbox.Fit-out and equipmentWith a seven-seat option the 4007 is definitely aimed at families with a versatile seating and load carrying arrangement. The SV gets the third row pew, which retracts into the floor when not needed, as standard.  The second-row sliding seats also split 40/60 while the entire row can be flipped and folded away automatically in the SV.Like the Outlander, the rear tailgate is a split affair. The lower section can fold down to be used as a picnic table or seat and can support up to 200kg, equivalent to two adults and a cheese platter.  The SV gets all the fruit expected of a range topper.There are six airbags, electronic stability control, cruise control, rear park sensors, climate control air-conditioning, 18 wheels, rear privacy glass, chrome door sill kick plates and window surrounds, Xenon headlights, leather trim plus electric and heated front seats, Isofix child seat mounting points.DrivingAnyone jumping out of an Outlander will feel right at home in the 4007.  It drives and feels like the Mitsubishi, and the only real difference is the silky six-speed DSG gearbox and energetic 2.2-litre turbodiesel in place of the 2.4-litre or V6 Mitsubishi engines.Like all Peugeot diesels, this one is strong on urge and reasonably frugal. I managed a respectable 8.5 litres/100km in mostly city driving.  But it is so torquey at low speeds it will tug at the steering wheel in front-wheel drive mode until speed picks up.That's really no surprise because 300Nm of torque is readily accessible from just 1500 revs, propelling the car like a slingshot.   The DSG is smooth once underway but can be a little hesitant from the traffic lights.The diesel heartbeat is well concealed from the cabin. Only under hard acceleration am I aware that this four is an oiler. At cruising speeds the diesel is almost silent.  The suspension comes from the Mitsubishi donor car and still feels too soft and wallowy for me compared to a VW Tiguan or Nissan X-Trail.  For most conditions the ride is fine but push through the corners and the 4007 feels less precise, the extra weight of the diesel over the front end making its presence felt.Inside, the SV gets leather on the dashboard and seats but still has a little too much Mitsubishi seeping through.  Like the Outlander, the front seats are comfortable and supportive but could do with more vertical adjustment. Even at the lowest setting, they are still set too high. Shorter folk will love the driving position though.  The third row is a child-friendly zone only.Despite a valiant attempt, Peugeot has not really given the interior enough of a distinct French look or feel. Slam the rear doors and you'll see what I mean. They feel tinny and cheap.  The lack of a reach-adjustable steering wheel has also been inherited from the Outlander.So the 4007 gives Peugeot a start in the soft-roader race but it has only built a marginally better Outlander. Diehard Peugeot fans will love it but the superb diesel cannot hide the fact that this is really just a more-expensive Mitsubishi.The bottom lineFrench off-roader with an identity crisis.75/100

So is the potential of a right-hand drive conversion on the Chevrolet Camaro.  Even though the HSV line-up is currently full, thanks to the arrival of the starting-price GXP models, company chief Phil Harding, is continuing to scout for new metal.He says his enthusiasm for an HSV Cruze to sit below the Commodore-based lineup remains strong, and he can also see potential in the Camaro.  But Harding says the Cruze is the more-likely starter at HSV's headquarters in Clayton, Melbourne, although he needs local production to begin before he can create a workable business case for the car."We'll look at torsional rigidity, suspension and all that,'' Harding says.However, there is no urgency.  "I don't have a timeframe. What we'll do is get the package together and if it works we'll look at doing it.  So I don't think it has to be done by 2012 or 2013.''Harding says local production of the Cruze sedan and hatch in Adelaide will make it an easier job for HSV.  "My target is to make sure the package works. If it works then we'll have a target of a model year introduction."However, he says that the Cruze must fulfil the necessary HSV criteria for ride, handling and aesthetics.  "If it doesn't then we won't do it,'' he says.For the Camaro, the biggest hurdle for a right-drive car from HSV is the investment needed for a low-volume seller."We think we understand what that investment level is. I'm not sure the business case works for us though," Harding says.  But Harding says dealers are not asking for a HSV Camaro.  When we launched the Coupe - our two-door version of the Monaro - our customers came from somewhere and when we stopped making that car they went somewhere else,'' he says."Our typical customer is married, in his 40s and got two kids and number one interest is motorsport... the sedan suits his lifestyle.''  He says it would be hard to sustain on-going sales interest in another coupe.

At the car’s unveiling in Geneva yesterday, Skoda Australia boss, Matthew Wiesner, says favourable currency rates are now putting the Fabia into the picture for Australia. “There’s still some way to go but clearly the RS would make a great halo car,” he says. “It’s high on the agenda.” Wiesner says the Fabia RS would be a good fit with the company’s Octavia RS range. For the time being the company is focused on the Yeti, which is set to arrive by the end of the year. The VW Tiguan size off-roader will be available in both front and all-wheel drive. The RS uses a VW sourced 1.4-litre TSI engine with 132kW and 250Nm from 2000 revs, and can hit 100km/h in 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of 224km/h.

The A1 E-tron, which Audi is showing at the Geneva Motor Show, is described as an innovative mega city vehicle.Like the R8 and R4 E-tron show cars it uses an electric drive system. In the A1 E-tron it has a range of more than 55km.There is also a compact internal combustion engine to recharge the battery when its energy is depleted.The lithium-ion battery pack is mounted in the floor assembly in front of the rear axle. A small, single-rotor Wankel engine is used to increase the car’s range.This ‘range extender’ powers a generator that produces 15kW of charging power. If the range extender is used to recharge the battery, the A1 E-tron can cover an additional 180km.

The Focus wagon made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, along with the revelation that a hot performance Focus will also hit the roads some time this year.“There will be an increasingly global approach to our performance Fords in the future,” the company's group vice president of product development , Derrick Kuzak revealed after the wraps came off the Focus wagon. Kuzak said the performance Focus would be a global car, which means it could be heading to Australia. “It will have both left and right hand drive,” he says.However, Kuzak would not be drawn on whether the hot Focus would be sold under the Ford Performance Vehicles banner. “Obviously, it’s a very strong brand,” he says.

Green is not just a theme at Geneva. Like chocolate and watches, the Swiss are turning an automotive fad into a phenomenon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.It is one of the first international motor shows to dedicate a “green pavilion” that is allowing carmakers and specialist automotive environment companies to exhibit their wares under one roof.Production ready hybrids, electric concept cars, the electric Mini, the battery powered HydroGen 4 from Opel, a Kia hybrid electric and natural gas car and a city car powered by the latest generation batteries developed by Croatian company Doking are on display. Other companies and some Swiss universities are exhibiting high-tech refueling and recharging stations for tomorrow’s cars.It is the type of ingenuity that is attracting mainstream carmakers too.Two sportscars, the Twenty-4 Le Mans race developed by the same Swiss company, which built the GreenGT electric racer, and the 3.3-litre V6 Quaranta hybrid sportscar developed in 2008 by Italdesign-Giugiaro are also on show. The Twenty-4 Le Mans racer is powered by two electric motors with around 298kW and 2000Nm and weighs less than 900kg. It is expected to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed close to 300km/h.But the green theme is not isolated to one pavilion.Apart from its Quaranta, Italdesign Giugiaro has introduced a family of low environmental impact cars created with Malaysian carmaker Proton. The first Proton concept, uses a hybrid drive system. It is designed to maximise available interior space and ergonomics in a four-seater, five-door hatchback that is just 3.5m long.“This is the outcome of several years of study,” Italdesign chief Giorgetto Giugiaro says. “The solution allows interior spaciousness on a par with that of a D segment car despite maintaining the exterior dimensions of an A segment car.”Finnish electric carmaker Valmet is showing off its Eva 2+2, which it claims can travel up to 160km on one charge and Swiss specialist electric company, Protoscar has the Lampo 2 sportscar. Based on the General Motors Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Lampo 2 uses two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that deliver 300kW/640Nm that enable the light-weight two-seater to hit 100km/h in just 5 seconds and top speed of 200km/h. The car has a range of 200km.Apart from the Europeans, Japan is also showing off some quirky concepts.The Honda 3R-C is a revolutionary one-person battery electric vehicle concept that is making its world debut alongside the EV-N concept, being displayed for the first time in Europe. The three-wheeled 3R-C concept looks to a future when consumers want commuter vehicle for one with zero emissions. The 3R-C uses a battery electric drivetrain mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis. Honda says this allows a low centre of gravity and improved stability.It has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. On the road, the canopy becomes a wind-blocker to protect the driver. The design has a high sided safety shell that provides excellent crash safety as well as protection from the weather. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan.Despite the green tinge to Geneva, petrol power still reins.Porsche’s new Cayenne made its world debut, along with a hybrid version boasting a V8 with the economy of a V6. The car has a parallel hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel economy of 8.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 193g/km, making it the cleanest Porsche in history. Apart from the hybrid, the new petrol Cayennes are expected to be more than 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the previous model.BMW and Lotus are also showing off hybrid models, the ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid  - essentially a very lightly disguised new 5-Series - and Evora 414E hybrid. The Evora shares its 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with the Proton concept. The sportscar also gets two electric motors to drive the rear wheels, delivering 304kW and 800Nm via a single-speed transmission that can mimic upshifts and downshifts of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the third hybrid model unveiled. It follows the ActiveHybrid versions of the X6 and luxury 7 Series sedan.Opel, the European division of General Motors, is showing off its number one prototype of its version of the Chevrolet Volt, called the Opel Ampera.