Articles by Neil McDonald

The new Jetta is bigger than the current car and the styling has matured in an effort to further differentiate it from the Golf hatch.  Volkswagen Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, says the new sedan will join the local lineup early next year.Visually, the car draws inspiration from the New Compact Coupe concept car, which made its debut at January's Detroit Motor Show.  However, when production starts there will be some subtle styling differences between the North American car and the Australian version."It's a global car but there are some minor differences between markets," Gehling says.  Gehling says prices and specifications are yet to be determined for local cars but engines and specifications are expected to closely mirror the Golf.Prices should be close to the $30,990 starter for the current 1.4-litre 118 TSI.  It was styled under the leadership of Volkswagen head of design, Klaus Bischoff.  "It's a complete new design language for us," he says. "It's roomier than before."At 4644mm long, the sedan is 90mm longer than the current car making it 13mm longer than the just-launched Golf wagon.  The wheelbase has also grown 70mm to 2648mm. This adds 67mm greater legroom for rear seat passengers.Inside, the Jetta gets an new dashboard with aluminium highlights and leather-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel.  Luggage space is 510 litres and standard safety features including six airbags, anti-skid brakes and electronic stability control.In North America the car will get a range of petrol engines ranging in size from a 1.2-litre turbo up to a 2.0-litre turbo as well as BlueMotion technology with stop/start and battery regeneration.  In some markets the car will be available with a 78kW 1.6-litre TDI and a 103kW 2.0-litre TDI engine.The original Jetta was launched in Germany in 1979. More than 9.6 million have been sold globally and it is the best-selling Volkswagen in the United States.  Like the current car, Australian Jettas will be sourced out of Mexico.

Motorvate safe driving expert, Jennie Hill, has been asked to talk about the teaching technique to delegates at this year's World Safety Conference in the UK in September.Hill says it is not new, but harnesses psychology to help change learner driver attitudes.  "We have not invented something, we've just put it into words," she says. The program is already having a positive impact on young drivers aged between 16 and 19 at Victorian schools.  Hill and fellow Motorvate instructor, Geoff Fickling, wrote the successful Blood, Sweat and Gears book aimed at teenage drivers. Fickling says the goal of the program is to help learners become more aware of the the act of driving as well as the pure mechanics.  Hill says the proof of its success has been the overwhelming positive response from schools. More than 80 Victorian schools have used the Motorvate technique.  "The response from the teachers and parents is encouraging," Hill says.  "But it's the kids that continue to surprise. They are fully on-board with our methods."  Fickling says young drivers fall into two distinct groups.  "The first group are the demure drivers who believe they won't crash because they are careful and rarely exceed the speed limits," Fickling says "The second group are the dominant drivers and most young males fall into this category." These drivers believe they have higher-than-average skills.  "More males than females are dominant drivers, for reasons to do with male brain development," Fickling says. "Put simply, male brains are generally better at spatial activities, and driving is spatial, so it is more interesting and enjoyable for many men."  Fickling says driving also has two parts, "attitude" which relates to a driver's behaviour and motivation, as well as "action", the skills required to drive and prevent or control an emergency. Demure drivers usually score highly on attitude, he says."They're fairly calm and law-abiding," Fickling says.  But they are not action oriented, having few skills above those essential for gaining their licence and no interest in learning them, he says. Conversely, dominant drivers score highly on action but have poor attitude.  "They soak up practical knowledge and take any opportunity to `try out' cars," he says.  "So if they get into an emergency, they have a better chance of recovering from it." Fickling says boys take more risks and tend to think they are better drivers but this is not true.  "About 80 per cent of the road toll involves dominant drivers," Fickling says. "The more any driver thinks they're great and can't crash, the higher crash risk they actually have."  Fickling believes current driver training is limited to a poor "one-size fits all" approach. "Driver psychology is complex," he says.  "But until we recognise these psychological traits and commit to whatever is needed to train young drivers more effectively, deaths - 500 a year in Australia alone - will remain high."

 The large car segment is showing signs of a modest sales rally this year as buyers return to the market.  Big six sales are up 10 per cent and even the medium segment is up 14 per cent compared to last year.  Although the lion's share of sales still revolve around light and small cars and off-roaders, the signs are encouraging for local carmakers Holden, Ford and Toyota. The Holden Commodore remains the undisputed king of family sedans but the dark horse is the Ford Falcon.  Ford has sold 13,349 Falcons this year, an increase of 20.5 per cent compared to last year. This compares to 18,428 Commodores and a sales lift of 9.4 per cent compared to last year.  Analyst Tony Robinson, of Innovation Group Australia, believes the large car segment could continue to see some growth. "I don't think we'll be seeing it slip into single digits," he says.  Robinson says fleets still underpin large car sales and as more come back into the market, the prospects look good. Like small cars, the compact, medium, large and luxury off-roader segments are showing growth spurts.  Almost 95,000 off-roaders have been sold this year, 24,000 more than last year. Subaru's Forester is the country's most popular "compact" off-roader with 5709 sales.  Subaru Australia spokesman, David Rowley, says the Forester had hit a sweet spot with buyers.  "It goes far beyond the traditional family car," he said.  "It also appeals to a wide audience, from young families to retirees." With 7488 sales, Toyota's Prado leads the medium race while the LandCruiser has 3715 sales and is ahead in the large SUV segment.  Audi's Q5 is the luxury off-road star, beating BMW's X5 by just eight cars. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFACTS sales figures show that 89,218 cars, off-roaders and commercial vehicles were sold last month, up 13,777 vehicles over the same month last year. Some car executives are confident 2010 will be a strong year.  Toyota's senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner, expects sales to hit the magic million.  "However, the potential impact of economic conditions, movements in interest rates and the impending Federal and Victorian elections remains unclear," he says. Toyota remains in No1 sales spot with a market share of 20 per cent, ahead of Holden and Ford on 12.8 per cent and 10.1 per cent.  This year 422,446 new vehicles have been sold, 20 per cent up on the first five months of 2009. Top 10 sellers in May 1 Holden Commodore 38992 Toyota HiLux 36653 Ford Falcon 32584 Mazda3 29015 Toyota Corolla 27966 Holden Cruze 24847 Hyundai i30 23858 Mitsubishi Lancer 23689 Nissan Navara 197210 Toyota Camry 1966Top 10 brands in May1 Toyota 17,8322 Holden 11,3813 Ford 90224 Mazda 69285 Hyundai 63786 Nissan 58147 Mitsubishi 57428 Subaru 36109 Honda 350810 Volkswagen 3332  

The company is working on a high-tech in-car solution called Travolution that ‘talks’ to traffic lights.  Using a wireless network link between cars and traffic lights, it cuts the time drivers spend idling at stop lights.Audi Australia spokesperson, Anna Burgdorf, says Travolution is still in its infancy but has enormous implications to save fuel, reduce emissions and deliver more efficient driving.  "If it's successful, and there are certainly signs that it is, it has enormous scope not just in Germany," she says."But it would be a minimum of five years away."Apart from saving time, Audi says exhaust emissions could be lowered by two million tonnes a year in Germany alone, cutting CO2 emissions by 15 per cent.  Fuel consumption will also be slashed by 17 per cent, saving as much as 700,000 litres of fuel a year.Audi is currently testing Travolution in 15 cars in several German cities.  As a car approaches a light that's already red, the system will tell the driver how long it will be before it turns green.  This allows them to alter their speed to avoid coming to a stop.If a traffic light is about to change from green to yellow or yellow to red, the driver is also alerted, allowing them to slow down ahead of time.  Burgdorf believes Travolution will require a big infrastructure commitment from governments."But Germany is very advanced in legislating for more efficient ways of driving," she says.  Travolution already has the backing of German governments and the city Ingolstadt, Audi's headquarters.  Although the tests revolve around conventional cars, Burgdorf says the system has scope beyond the internal combustion engine."It will have big advantages for electric cars," she says.  Audi has found that when a car is stopped at a red light, it uses 0.02 litres of fuel when it pulls away and emits 5 grams of harmful CO2.There are 60,000 traffic lights in Germany and 50 million cars regularly emit 15 million tonnes of CO2 or 20 per cent of their total emissions idling at traffic lights.  These emissions can be reduced if the traffic lights initiate contact with the vehicles.Travolution has several other applications.  It can help drivers avoid red light camera fines, find carparks and allow drivers to pay for fuel from their car.

THE champagne corks have been popping at Land Rover. Not only has the Range Rover turned 40 (see page 50-51), but the Freelander 2 is also celebrating a milestone.  The company has just built the 200,000th Freelander 2 - a blue TD4-e - at its Halewood plant in the UK. The Freelander 2 has been around since 2007 and

MY first encounter with a Range Rover is seared into my memory.  Years ago in the wilds of North East Victoria, we took several brand new Range Rovers through inhospitable snow country, made worse by a late spring dump.  The scenic terrain became serious winch country in axle-deep mud and snow.Wing mirrors were ripped off, our car's fine alloy panels were scratched and some dented and our patience with the conditions wore thin.  But the fully loaded Rangie I was driving just soldiered-on, including doing a tricky a hand-brake start on a treacherously steep and slippery slope to avoid disappearing sideways into a deep gully.It was a struggle keeping the car upright and crawling through conditions even our hosts admitted were challenging.  The trek was far removed from the off-roader's usual day-to-day school run pounding the tarmac in Toorak or Double Bay.  That experience forged a deep respect that endures even today.Despite the arrival of the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5, Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg and Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the Rangie is still the ultimate off-roader.  The newcomers may have better utilised interior space but the Rangie has the looks and undisputed reputation. A proper full-size spare is reassuring.Like a trusty Saint Bernard, you know it will get you through the worst blizzard and deepest snow. Inside the comfy cabin, heated leather seats and yes - a heated steering wheel - will cocoon you from the worst and deliver you to the ski resort in style.  If the luxury doesn't win you over, the electronic off-road gizmos will. Land Rover's high-tech "terrain response" system is one of them.Flick a switch and you can select the conditions you're about to tackle, from mud and rock through to snow and ice. It also has a "sand launch control" to make it easier to get going in sand.Next up are the five outside digital cameras that allow you to see if the car is about to come to grief on a rock or tree stump. It's useful in tight situations.The car rides and handles beautifully. It's perhaps not as crisp as a Cayenne or X5 but it certainly is plush.Considering its bulk, there is no wallowing in corners, thanks to the adaptive electronic air suspension, which can be raised to provide ground clearance of 283mm.  The latest supercharged 375kW/625Nm 5.0-litre V8 - shared with Jaguar - reinforces my admiration for the car's impeccable credentials, even if the Vogue Autobiography costs a stratospheric $229,500 and fuel economy isn't a strong point.  Just think of it as the automotive equivalent of Louis Vuitton hiking boots.

CarsGuide has assembled our top 10 motoring snow companions.

Niche US electric carmaker Tesla Motors is likely to become the first brand to sell an electric car in Australia, beating both the Mitsubishi i-MIEV and Nissan Leaf to market. Industry website GoAuto says the US-owned company is readying a local launch of its Lotus Elise-based two-seater Roadster. The company's first dealership is expected to be in Sydney.One Melbourne-based dealer keen to watch the Tesla rollout is the managing director of Zagame Ferrari and Maserati, Bobby Zagame. "It will certainly be interesting," he says. Zagame has seen the cars in the UK and believes they present an interesting option for cashed-up buyers in the supercar market. Would he like to get on board with a dealership?"Not really, I don't know what to expect out of something like that," he says. "I understand they will still be expensive but they may appeal to a wealthy client who wants that technology."The Roadsters sells in the US for about $130,000 and is expected to have a local pricetag above $200,000, according to GoAuto. The first cars are tipped to go on sale in August after completing homologation. The Roadster has been on sale in the UK since January.The Tesla uses lithium-ion batteries and a 375-volt air-cooled electric motor to generate 215kW/370Nm. A Sport version adds an extra 30Nm of torque. Like the Elise, the car is a light-weight rear-drive two-seater that with the battery pack, tips the scales at 1238kg.It has supercar-like acceleration, hitting 100km/h in 3.9 seconds and can reach an electronically limited top speed of 200km/h. The Roadster has a combined highway and city range of 393km with an expected battery life of seven-years or 160,000km.To fully charge the car takes about 3.5 hours using a conventional 240-volt outlet. GoAuto says the cars are expected to have Tesla's standard power connectors that allow low, medium and high charging options. The low-charge system allows overnight charging while the high-charge takes about four hours.In the US these connectors cost between $US600 and $US3000 and the battery pack costs $US12,000 to replace. Tesla sells the Roadster in 21 countries and has so far sold more than 1000 globally.It is well advanced with plans to build a sleek family sedan, called the S with deliveries to start in the US in 2012.The S has a similar range to the Roadster but proper sedan-like seating for five plus two child seats. In the US it will have a starter price of $US49,900, which includes a $US7500 government tax credit.The car is expected to be built in right-hand drive.Tesla's fortunes have risen in recent weeks after Japanese giant Toyota announced it was investing more than $50 million into the company to help develop cars and electric components.What makes it go?Battery: Microprocessor controlled lithium-ion battery packMotor: 215kW three-phase electric with 14,000 rev limit and regenerative brakingTorque: 370Nm from zero to 5500 revsTransmission: Single-speed gearboxChassis: Bonded extruded aluminium monocoque chassisBrakes: Four-wheel Brembo discsBody: Hand-crafted carbon fibre.

They are among just 20 lucky buyers globally who will be able to slide behind the wheel of the $515,000 Hulme CanAm. The cars are being built by Auckland-based developer-manufacturer, Hulme Supercars, with delivers expected to start late next year. Hulme managing director, Jack "Jock" Freemantle, says the two Australians are among many global enthusiasts who want the car. "As far as interests goes, it is from everywhere," he says. "As far as potential buyers, they will probably be from the Middle East, Europe and China." However, Freemantle says it's early days. "We have only just gone on the market," he says. Freemantle is confident the CanAm will be a sellout and expects it to have few rivals. "It will be built to the Pagani Zonda quality," he says. So far Hulme has built one test car - Bear 1 - and has started building its second test and homologation car. The hand-built CanAm will be the only production road car to bear the name of F1 World Champion, Denny Hulme. Created for both road and track use, the car shares much with a Formula 1 racing car. It has an ultra-lightweight carbon composite tub and bodywork, and race-orientated chassis, suspension and braking. Performance is guaranteed courtesy of a General Motors 7.0-litre V8. The 448kW/600Nm eight-cylinder will be mated to a close-ratio, six-speed CIMA manual gearbox or six-speed automatic. The light-weight two-seater tips the scales at 980kg, slightly more than a Suzuki Alto. This combination promises a sub-3.5-second sprint to 100kmh, and top speed of more than 300km/h. Despite its race car credentials, Freemantle says the car has been designed and developed to as comfortable on the road as the track. Prospective buyers will be able to fly to New Zealand business class to finalise the fitting and check it out on the road before the car is shipped to its destination. All cars will be numbered and owners will get a full dossier of the car's manufacture, including photos. The CanAm concept, in coupe form, was first shown at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Because of the interest in the car Hulme conducted extensive research to assess demand. Freemantle opted for an open-top version to celebrate Hulme's victories of the Can Am Championship in 1968 and 1970. For Denny's widow Greeta the CanAm is a fitting tribute to her late husband. "Jock's desire to honour Denny's life with this unique car has been matched by his irrepressible enthusiasm and passion to create it," she says.  

More families are ignoring rising fuel costs to ditch their family sedans and switch to all-wheel drive wagons, according to the latest industry sales figures.  So far this year almost 95,000 off-roaders have been sold, 24,000 more than last year.Subaru's Forester is the country's best-selling ‘compact’ off-roader and the company's Outback is also among the top 10 picks.  Subaru Australia spokesman, David Rowley, said the Forester had hit a sweet spot with buyers."It goes far beyond the traditional family car," he said.  "It also appeals to a wide audience, from young families to retirees."The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries VFACTS sales figures show that 89,218 cars, off-roaders and commercial vehicles were sold last month, up 13,777 vehicles over the same month last year. The chamber's chief executive, Andrew McKellar, said last month's result proved that sales momentum remained strong.  "All vehicle segments increased during the month, demonstrating a genuine recovery in the marketplace," he said. Mr McKellar said mums and dads were also returning to showrooms.  "It is encouraging to note that private buyers returned in larger numbers last month (up 27.2 per cent) taking over some of the momentum that business buyers have provided over the past year," he said.Toyota remains in No1 sales spot with a market share of 20 per cent, ahead of Holden and Ford on 12.8 per cent and 10.1 per cent.  This year 422,446 new vehicles have been sold, 20 per cent up on the first five months of 2009.Top 10 compact off-roaders (year to date)1 Subaru Forester 57092 Toyota RAV4 53643 Mazda CX-7 39424 Mitsubishi Outlander 36085 Nissan X-Trail 35766 Volkswagen Tiguan 29787 Honda CRV 28468 Subaru Outback 25249 Nissan Dualis 232210 Hyundai ix35 1963Top 10 cars in May1 Holden Commodore 38992 Toyota HiLux 36653 Ford Falcon 32584 Mazda3 29015 Toyota Corolla 27966 Holden Cruze 24847 Hyundai i30 23858 Mitsubishi Lancer 23689 Nissan Navara 197210 Toyota Camry 1966