Articles by Paul Gover in the USA

The compact Cruze that's giving a big kick to GM Holden's results, and is already forecast to eventually outsell the Commodore, is now the favourite car in the USA. It topped the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord in June as a range of new rivals, including Hyundai and Kia, continue to win new friends in the world's second-biggest showroom. A total of 24,896 Cruzes were delivered in June, the third straight month with sales over 20,000 cars. The Cruze is not a threat to the overall top runner in America, the F- Series truck range from Ford that has dominated among buyers for decades, but it is coming fast on the car front. "It seems to be the right car at the right time. The Cruze ECO is a big hit here with the most efficient gasoline engine in its segment," says Chevrolet spokesman Jason Laird, a transplanted Australian who previously led the spin attack for Holden. "Styling is also a big point. Chevrolet only has the three-door sedan here because that's the most popular body style. But consumers say some of its rivals ... look like they were designed by teenagers." Laird says Chevrolet has also transplanted the efficiency message from Australia thanks to Mark Reuss, the former GM Holden chairman who now holds the reigns at Chevy. "The ECO branding in the USA is picked up from the successful Ecoline in Australia. Reuss did both," Laird says. Chevrolet is also doing well with the Australian-developed Camaro coupe, with sales up by 13 per cent over June of 2010. Summer funsters have also driven demand for the convertible model to more than 20 per cent of Camaro sales. The overall Chevrolet sales total in June was 156,848 vehicles in the USA, the foundation for a half-year global result for the blue-bowtie brand of 2.35 million which is the best in the company's 100-year history. Cruze sales contributed more than 330,000 sales worldwide through June - a 132 per cent increase over 2010 - as Chevrolet set record first- half sales in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, South Africa, and Turkey.

Turbocharged petrol engines were supposed to be ready for the Sportage and Optima before the end of the year, but the heavy workload at Kia's engineering centre at Namyang has caused a delay. There is even a chance that the turbo engine, with the promise of 204 kiloWatts and 265 Newton-metres of torque, could completely miss the boat. Kia Australia says it only learned of the delay recently and is pushing hard to get the program back on track. "Realistically, it's going to need a concerted push from all the right- hand drive markets. That's England, as well as Australia, and South Africa as well," says Kia Australia spokesman, Kevin Hepworth. "We always had the program in the back of our minds and there had been strong indications from KMC management that it was in the works. To hear about the delay is certainly disappointing, but we understand the heavy workload from priority markets means it's not a priority now." Carsguide is driving the force-fed Sportage and Optima in California and can report the turbo engines deliver the extra go that's currently missing from the vehicles. But the US cars definitely suffer in ride and handling without the Australian suspension tuning on local cars, with dreaded torque steer available in both the Optima and Sportage. The turbocharging program is part of a solid push by Kia to make the brand the sporty member of the Hyundai-Kia family, although the company admits it has no proof yet of the sales potential in Australia. "We were looking to get halo models," says Hepworth. "We know Australians enjoy a performance drive and, given the new engineering and styling of the cars, we thought it would be a good fit." The turbochargers are fitted to Kia's latest generation of direct-injection petrol engines, currently only seen in 2.4-litre form in the Optima in Australia. They are 2.0-litres in capacity and give a solid push in all conditions, without even bothering with a turbo boost gauge or any sort of inlet or exhaust whoosh or thump. Hepworth says the Kia turbomotor delivers slightly more power than a Subaru WRX, although around 60Nm less torque. The problem for the planned Australian program is getting the turbocharger installation adjusted for right-hand drive clearance. It's not a difficult job, but it will take people and time at Namyang. "It's only been engineered to the left-hand drive car, so there would be packing challenges that would need to be met," says Hepworth. "It's not just a straight bolt-in job. And there would also be certification costs in Australia." He believes Kia is still committed to turbocharged engines in Australia as part of a global push that is being driven from both the USA and Europe. "These are future steps for the brand in Australia. We have a big model rollout plan and we're still hoping to get the turbos," says Hepworth.

The car in showrooms today will only have a four-year lifespan - the shortest yet for a mainstream Subaru model - as the Japanese company accelerates an all-new small-car plan.It has the new Impreza sedan and hatch previewed today at the New York motor show, will develop new WRX and STI performance cars in a separate stream, and is likely to turn the XV concept from this week's Shanghai Motor Show into a compact crossover to sit below the Forester.The latest Impreza twins - with much improved quality and a cabin to rival the previous-generation Liberty - will hit Australia later this year, although the exact timing is unclear following the Japanese earthquake disaster.The new small-car approach is outlined to Carsguide today at the New York motor show by the president of Subaru, Ikuo Mori, standing alongside the all-new Impreza."We separated the character of the Impreza and the WRX. We have no plan to make a WRX on this new car," Mori says."In the past the Impreza models were in combination with the WRX and STI. Now we completely separate the products."He refuses to give any timing for the standalone WRX and STI, although the cars are likely to run less than 18 months behind the Impreza, with a production version of the XV Concept after that.Mori believes the split strategy is the right way to build the Subaru brand, as it moves away from its previous minicar lineup to focus on the Impreza and Liberty families.It's a similar approach to BMW, which is becoming the world's biggest niche carmaker, and Audi, which is exploding its lineup with spin-off body styles and engine combinations."Now we focus our development, so we have some resources to bring to the Impreza," says Mori."The Impreza is a new, bigger, eco-friendly car. The STI is different."

The new family fighter was supposed to be unveiled at the New York Motor Show tomorrow but the disaster has forced a delay on its arrival.  It's now coming to the USA around the middle of the year, with local production and sales in Australia expected around October despite the current short-shift production at Altona.The delay in the Big Apple also means the Camry is not coming to the first Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne in July.  "We won't have the Camry in Melbourne for the show," the spokesman for Toyota Australia, Mike Breen, tells Carsguide."Until the car is globally revealed, and we don't have a timing for that, we have to wait. We expect the global reveal will be some time after the dates for the Australian show."The setback in the USA is being blamed partly on the Japanese disaster and partly on the global financial crisis, which forced a number of Japanese carmakers - notably Toyota and Honda - to cut investment in future programs.Toyota now says the tsunami was so severe it moved the Honshu, the main Japanese island, a full 2.43 metres closer to the USA, as well as knocking the world slightly off its axis and cutting a few seconds from the length of each day.But the company refuses to confirm any failing in its launch timing for the Camry.  "The New York show was an original plan. But it was one of many," says a Toyota spokesman in New York."It will still be shown first in the United States, but it will be later in the year."

And Shanghai. The 21st century cult hero is being revealed on Wednesday in a simultaneous unveiling on opposite sides of the Pacific. The shape is much the same as the original 'new Beetle', but the 'new- new Beetle' is not built on the mechanical package of the Golf and that should mean far fewer compromises. Carsguide will be at the reveal in the Big Apple and is ready to report on a car that is longer, lower and wider than the born-again Volkswagen Beetle of 1998. Other early details include a body design overseen by Walter de Silva with a windscreen and roofline set further back and a boot capacity lifted from the silly 209 litres of the current car to 310 litres. The new-generation Beetle, as the car is called, will be on sale in the USA in the third quarter of this year and Australians can expect it sometime in 2012.

About 1.2 million Ford F-150 pickups are being recalled after at least 269 incidents of what is being called "inadvertent airbag deployment". The airbag incident began when Ford recalled 144,000 pickups earlier this year, saying the unexpected airbag explosions had only affected vehicles built in 2005 and 2006. Now the net is being cast much wider with vehicles built from 2004 to 2006 involved, as well as the Lincoln Mark LT truck. The Ford action comes as Toyota - already hit with a long string of recalls in the USA - is investigated over a report that airbags failed to trigger in a collision at 88km/h. The owner of a Camry, Fred Maynard, has reported that there was no deployment when his vehicle hit a deer in Pennsylvania. The incident is now the subject of an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota has already recalled 13.7 million vehicles as a result of safety complaints in the USA as part of a global total that now stands at 19.2 million. On the Ford front, there are reports of at least 98 injuries including two drivers who suffered vision damage. The recall is likely to cost more than $180 million as the company rectifies a wiring problem. It says a wire located in the steering wheel could have been improperly positioned so it could chafe, creating a potential short-circuit. The F-150 is not officially sold by Ford in Australia, although a number have been imported privately and converted to right-hand drive for local use.

Sergeant Steve Lentz is dressed for action. The Arizona policeman is in full battle gear, right down to a bulletproof kevlar vest that includes spare magazines for his pistol and extra ammunition for a police-issue assault rifle. He is on a mission and taking things deadly seriously. Lentz has come to Firebird Raceway, on the outskirts of Phoenix, to assess the latest suspect in the search for a new-age American cop car.The three contenders are the Ford Taurus, the Dodge Charger and the Chevrolet Caprice, with all three brands pushing hard to take the place of the classic Ford Crown Victoria that's been the front-line battlewagon - and starred in countless television shows - for more than 15 years. Lentz is one of 40-plus police people who are running through an intensive one-day program with Chevrolet that includes a 90-minute briefing and two driving sessions intended to show what the Caprice can do."I'm ready. This is serious. I've even got the vest on so I can see what it will really be like to drive this car on patrol," Lentz tells Carsguide. We are here because the Caprice is not just another American car with bright lights on the roof and a fittings for a police computer and shotgun. The Caprice PPV - Police Patrol Vehicle - is Australia's newest pitch for export business with the homegrown Holden Commodore.A big deal could mean more than 10,000 sales a year. GM Holden did well in the USA with a Commodore that was tweaked into the hot Pontiac G8 but, when General Motors closed the brand as part of its bankruptcy proceedings, the deal died too. Sadly, the G8 was only just starting to fire when it was killed. Now Holden has targeted the massive police car business in the USA and believes it has the right package in a tweaked Caprice that should tick all the boxes for patrol car work across America."I like that car. We like our big cars here," says the bus driver who drops us at Firebird.It's a similar story among the police teams - front-line officers, driver trainers, purchasing staff and workshop crews - who assemble for the Caprice PPV program. Lentz is typical as he prepares for action."I have high hopes but low expectations," he says.It takes less than half a day to run through the program, which is winding down through a 20-city roadshow over the past three months. Host Michael Lord talks hard and fast about the Caprice and program manager Dana Hammer is ready to answer any questions.The biggest concern for most of the police is how their computers will transfer into a car with a tee-bar shifter in the centre of the car. They seem impressed by the design, the space and claims of class leading performance from the 6.0-litre V8 engine."I will make the case for the vehicle today. But at the end you're the judge, you're the jury, you will make the verdict," says Lord.The officers listen intently but the smiles come as they head to the track to drive. It takes less than a minute for the sound of tortured rubber and hard working V8s to echo around Firebird. Many have already driven the rival cars and are not impressed by the cabin of the Charger or the front-wheel drive in the Taurus.They see the real rival to the Caprice as the Chevrolet Tahoe, a mid-sized SUV, although it is also more costly. At the end of the program, the Caprice PPV has won fans but it's time to crunch the numbers. The car is not cheap - definitely not the cheapest - and the next step for many police forces will be to take one or two cars for an on-the-job evaluation to check the running costs and the in-service abilities of the Caprice.But the Aussie contender has made an impression and it's mostly positive. "I like the car. As a car and as a police tool," Sergeant Johnny John tells Carsguide. "It's gonna keep you alive."The PPV package on the Caprice is not just some lights and stickers. The shifter is moved out of the console on the patrol vehicle, there are steel wheels and special Goodyear tyres, a tweaked engine-management computer, better brakes, coolers for the engine-gearbox-differential package, and even upgraded front suspension so the car can cope with driving up over gutters on a daily basis."What we have here is a fundamentally different patrol sedan. This one is for you," Michael Lord tells his police audience.There are two PPV models, the 9C1 patrol car and the 9C3 detective vehicle, and the package was developed after intensive testing by the Michigan State Police and the Los Angeles Country's sheriff's department.The car is priced from $30,995, although large orders could trim the bottom line and police departments face extra costs for everything from paintwork to the potential transfer of equipment from Crown Victorias. Lord says the Caprice leads police contenders in most categories, from cabin and boot space to acceleration and top speed.The PPV will sprint to 100km/h in 6.4 seconds. Just as importantly, it has survived the toughest brake torture test in the USA and running costs are said to be the lowest of the police car contenders.DRIVINGThe Caprice PPV doesn't look, or feel, much different from the Holden sold in Australia. At first. Sliding behind the steering wheel at Firebird, even if it's on the wrong side, brings no surprises. But the sledgehammer thump from a standing start, the killer brakes and the tuning of the transmission has lifted the American contender to a new level.It's a serious performance car, and way different from the easygoing luxury feel of the Caprice in Australia. Driving is done in unmarked PC3s and the police are having a great time, howling through corners and thumping down the straights. Sometimes the brakes smoke a bit, but there is no fade or failure.The high-speed course is fun but it's a tight little track with maximum acceleration and emergency braking that highlights the car's real abilities. The PPV runs and runs at the limit with no sign of failure.Sliding into the PC1 shows how the car will really be used, from the switches for the lights and siren to the police computer and the protective barrier between the officers and offenders. It's a little like a movie scene, except this is real.

The spark that is igniting a new generation of electric cars has spread to Ford and fired a battery-powered Focus that will be ready for showrooms later this year.There is no confirmation - yet - of a sales plan in Australia, but the Ford Focus Electric is the blue oval brand's new-age hero as it races to recover ground from the early plug-in pacemakers from Mitsubishi and Nissan - the iMiEV and Leaf - and to shortcut hybrid heroes including the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt.The Focus Electric is revealed today, not at the Detroit auto show but at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Los Vegas. It's an event Ford has used often in recent years and that hosts the roll-out this year of Ford's electric-vehicle App for smart phones."We're more than a car company, we're a technology company," says Alan Mulally, Ford's CEO, speaking in Las Vegas.“There's a convergence between consumer electronics and the car.There's a whole ecosystem that goes with the electric vehicle. It's more than just the car. It's part of a system-wide solution.”But the Focus is the focus and, despite a grille that looks like it was snitched from the front of an Aston Martin, the electric model is packed with new technology.The company boasts a top speed of 140km/h and that it can be fully recharged in just four hours, around half the time of other electric vehicles.Power comes from a 23-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor and a single-speed transmission.There is a clear eco focus in the car that includes biofoam seat cushions, trim parts made from recycled plastic, while Ford plans to sell 240-volt chargers for the car for just $1499.The Focus Electric is claimed to drive the same as a regular petrol- powered model and it will be built in the USA, unlike the Focus from Thailand that will be sold in the USA.Ford will use the Detroit motor show to fill in the technical detail of the plug-in Focus, as well as confirming five other EV and updated hybrid models it will have for sale in 2012. They include a pair of hybrids with updated lithium-ion battery packs.