Articles by Paul Gover

The Peter Brock Foundation has assisted the less-fortunate in the community for nearly 15 years, despite troubled times since the race ace's death. It has faced a possible shutdown during a family dispute over its direction and operation but Peter's son Robert, now the chairman, confirms the organisation will continue. He says there will be restructuring and streamlining to reflect the changed situation and tough economic times since his father's death. "The Foundation relies heavily on donations and immediately after dad died there was a rush of support because people wanted to help. But since then it has rolled off and that's made things a lot harder," Brock says. He says the work of the Foundation has not changed and restructuring will help it to make a difference without excessive costs or   complications. "Primarily, what we do is helping people in crisis. That's what we want to do," he says. The changes are supported by Bev Brock, who helped establish the Foundation with Peter. She also says the restructuring of the Foundation has nothing to do with Peter Brock's personal estate. "What is needed is substantial donation of both funds and people who are genuinely willing to commit their time and energy to ensure it's success. This has not been occurring," she says. "Matters have changed dramatically in the years since Peter''s death.   There is also no way Peter would have wanted to see precious funds raised in his name to be lost in administration costs and would rather that such funds would to go to a cause he valued which is already well established and administered. "Everything Robert is undertaking is being done with absolute recognition of what Peter''s aims and objectives were and are in the best interests of the Foundation." She says a percentage of all funds raised through the intellectual property rights in Peter's estate will go towards a driver education program in his name, with other projects also being developed.

It's great to have a remote control that gives you instant opening access at the carpark when you have an 18-kilogram two-year-old in your arms, but once Eli is settled in the back I prefer - much - the operation of an old-school key.Why? Push-button start systems have become trendy, not better. Ask anyone who has misplaced their so-called key, or - far worse - started a car and realised that they have actually left the key behind. Yes, you can do that. I know because it's happened to me at least three times.The first time, I fired a Benz in the driveway and headed out to the fish-and-chips shop on a Friday night emergency run, then realised halfway to the shops that the key was nowhere to be found. Urk. So I left the engine running, and the driver's door cracked open, as I raced inside, paid and headed home to find the key sitting happily on the hook inside the front door. There was enough range to the garage to get the car going, but if I had killed the engine there would have been another emergency run that night . . .The second time I was in a Renault and someone else had the key in their pocket, watching and waving me goodbye. Thankfully, I realised before I had driven the first 200 metres.The third, and most recent, time I was testing a BMW X3 in Italy. After lunch I can remember hitting the plip to open the door, and obviously the key was nearby when the car started, but by the time we got back to base.A sprint back to the lunch spot didn’t unearth the key and so the car had to be parked - doors unlocked, windows open - until a replacement key arrived from Germany. At least BMW HQ was only five hours away. Imagine if it had been in Australia.The X3 mishap occurred because there is nowhere to store the key in the dashboard. Renault has a slot in the Megane and if that's empty then you know to check, while Benz allows you to remove the starter button and use the old-school key instead to fire the engine.But more and more companies think it's trendy and useful to have a key that's not, because these days so much about motoring is based on marketing instead of commonsense.Since the key is no longer essential to lock the steering as the front line against thieves - electronics that only work when the car and 'key' have made an electronic handshake are far more efficient - it's obvious that something different can be done to make your car experience a bit different and special.But different and special don't make something better. Don't get me started on those swipe cards that have taken over from keys in hotels, and fail more often than the quality-control checks on early Korean cars...

Trying to make some sense of it all is tough, but here is my best shot - today.Australia's car sales are heading for only their fourth 1-million year in 2011, but local production - and therefore exports - is down to the lowest level since 1957.The general trend - like most of the world - is downsizing. Traditional Aussie six-cylinder family cars - Falcon and Commodore - have had 20-30 per cent sales falls through 2011, while demand for small cars is up by 20 per cent most months.This is re-shaping the motor industry, leading Holden to start local production of the Cruze alongside the Commodore in Adelaide and forcing Ford to engineer a four-cylinder engine into the Falcon for 2012.Biggest change through 2011 is the performance of Mazda, which is now consistently number 4 in Australia thanks to the sales of its compact Mazda3.But Hyundai and Kia are also making rapid gains and Volkswagen is now a top-10 brand for the first time in decades.On the dealer front, profitability is poor. They have only just recovered from the GFC but the strong Australian dollar and demand for smaller cars has slashed per-unit profits. Some small cars now only earn a dealer a $400 margin.But car companies are making solid returns, since there are only 3 local manufacturers now and the other 61 brands - including cars, trucks and commercials - are importers who are helped by the strength of the dollar in buying power from home office.The three local manufacturers - Holden, Ford and Toyota - are all going through major renewals.The all-new Camry will be out in November - with the Camry hybrid early in 2012 - after a delay because of strike action at Altona.Ford has updated the Territory this year, including a diesel engine, and it is selling strongly, while the Falcon has also lifted in recent months thanks to a new LPG system that taps into demand from fleets and taxis.The VE Commodore is being dress-up with value packs - like the latest Equipe - as well as a range of economy improvements including the upcoming dedicated LPG model. Its big move for 2011 was the local production of the Cruze hatch, which is now forecast to eventually overtake the Commodore as Holden's biggest seller.Cars and utes from Thailand have become the low-cost source for a range of Japanese brands, who have moved production offshore. So that means the Toyota HiLux, a range of Honda models, and the latest Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 utes, all come from Thailand.That is good news for consumers who get more cost-effective products and it's also helped Japanese brand stay price competitive.Japanese brands dominate the Australian automotive landscape and nothing shows it better than Toyota's place at number one, with more than 20 per cent of all salesMazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Honda are also strong.But Japan is lagging against the Korean attack and needs to lift the game on quality and 'European' design and engineering as their products are now being matched by Kia and Hyundai on the quality front, and undercut on value and warranty.Japan was hit worst by the GFC, with brands winding back research and development, so Honda will suffer for at least the next 2 years, Suzuki has nothing new and important for 3 years, and even Toyota's product changes are slower than normal.Chinese brands are establishing a beach head in Australia thanks to prices that typically undercut an equivalent Japanese model by 30 per cent.Great Wall is doing best with its utes and a medium SUV, but Chery is struggling with an $11,990 car that is sub-standard - even against the Koreans - on quality, comfort and performance. Geely is the only other passenger car brand but only sold in WA as its cars do not quality for the Victorian safety legislation that mandates ESP in 2011.But - and it's a big one - the Chinese are learning fast and prepared to make big changes. Poor safety result in independent NCAP testing have led to safety improvements at Great Wall and Chery, and Chery changes the gearbox in the J1 model after a single poor road test by Carsguide. So the industry is still the biggest secondary manufacturing base in Australia and critical to the 'brain thrust' in the country going forward. Holden and Ford now both do global engineering work in Melbourne.

The bottom line on the Ford Falcon FG MkII has been dropped below $40,000 for the basic XT and Ford Australia also says there is a $1000 boost to the car's equipment, making a $4105 customer benefit on a model that now opens the Falcon action at $37,235.The new price now easily undercuts the basic Commodore Omega, priced from $39,990, although Holden has been using a run of value-added models - Equipe is the latest - to boost its sales.Ford desperately needs a Falcon upturn after a monstrous sales slide through 2011 and is pinning its hopes on the facelifted Mk11. Support for the car is down by more than 37 per cent through the first 10 months of the year, or nearly 10,000 deliveries, with the October result adding just 1591 to the total compared to 2258 for the same month in 2010."We're responding to the market and the competition, particularly in the small-car segment," says Ford spokesman, Neil McDonald.He denies any panic at Broadmeadows and says the update to the FG is running as originally planned. Apart from the XT sticker, the biggest advantage on the FG Mk11 is the $39,990 pricetag for the Falcon XR6. It is down by $3000 and Ford says it also picks up $2650 worth of extra equipment, including an eight- inch touchscreen multimedia controller, USB connectivity, 18-inch alloys, side curtain airbags and reverse parking sensors.Ford says the biggest customer boost comes on the G6E Turbo, which has copped a $2755 price cut and $5500 worth of extra equipment.The price cuts continue across the Falcon ute range, where the basic XL now starts at $27,590.FALCON FGII PRICING: (previous)XT: $37,235 (was $40,290)XR6: $39,990 (was$42,990)XR6 Turbo: $46,235 (was$48,990)G6: $40,835 (was$43,390)G6E: $46,735 (was$50,390)G6E Turbo: $56,235 (was$58,990)

The traditional family favourite was only fourth in showrooms during October, beaten by no fewer than three compact cars and a work-and- play ute as Japanese brands continued their comeback surge in Australia and small-car sales continued to grow faster than overall demand. Top spot in October went again to the Toyota Corolla, which repeated its victory from September and also achieved its third monthy sales win of 2011 with 3593 deliveries, ahead of the Volkswagen Golf in third overall and the Mazda3 in fourth. The Toyota HiLux ute was second overall, and close to Corolla in the overall rankings with 3480 sales. Despite the October result, the Commodore continues to lead the year- to-date standings with Australian buyers. It is 371 ahead of the Mazda3 despite a cumulative total that is 8.9 per cent and more than 3000 cars behind the same time in 2010. Holden was forced on Thursday to counter speculation that the VF Commodore will be the last locally-developed and made model when it hits the road in 2013, and was also on the back foot yesterday over the sales result last month. "October was a pretty challenging month for us," admitted Phil Brook, director of sales at GM Holden. But he highlighted a recent value-pack Commodore, the Equipe, which boosts the car's value by around $9500 in a bid to win buyers back. ' Brook also said Holden is doing well with its Captiva SUV and with the compact Cruze - sixth in October - now into local production in Adelaide. "Customer demand for Cruze and Captiva was greater than availability, which can be a nice problem to have," he said. While Holden looks to the Cruze to take up some of the Commodore slack, Toyota is building momentum for a big finish to 2011. "October was the third month in a row where total industry sales were higher than the corresponding month of the previous year," said Dave Buttner, senior executive director of sales and marketing at Toyota Australia. "This trend augurs well for the final two months of the year and the likelihood of annual sales topping one million for only the fourth time."  

The cars we know today are heading towards the knacker's yard with no chance of a reprieve. That's just a plain fact that anyone who can read a balance sheet and the latest sales numbers will understand.Big car sales in Australia have been falling for a decade and have dropped dramatically this year, with the Falcon looking critically wounded and even the Holden Commodore - which has been Australia's favourite car for 15 years - suffering a string of showroom defeats at the hands of the Mazda3 and Toyota Corolla.But that's not the end of the story. In fact, it could be the start of an all-new one. The Falcon and Commodore nameplates are likely to continue to 2020 and beyond, but fitted to very different cars to the ones in showrooms today.They are going to be smaller, more fuel-efficient, tied more closely to global development programs at General Motors and Ford, and - whisper it - potentially with front-wheel drive. Today's Ford and Holden heroes are dinosaurs by any measurement, including the ones that saw the Chrysler Valiant, Leyland P76 and even the Holden Kingswood overtaken by newer and more efficient arrivals.Basically, people have stopped buying them. It's happening today as Australians parachute out of their traditional 'big six' family cars into something as small as a Mazda3 or Toyota Corolla in one of the biggest mass migrations of recent times.What that means for the futurists at Ford and Holden is finding a formula that works for the Commodore and Falcon beyond 2015, when the hard decisions have to be made on development of cars for showrooms after 2018. A Falcon twinned with the Taurus from America is a no-brainer for Ford.Local development can provide the taste and tweaks that Aussies like, while the basic engineering is handled by a cost-effective crew operating from Detroit, USA. Front-wheel drive is certain for the Taurus, with all-wheel drive likely to keep Aussies happy.Things are less clear at Holden, but it has a range of global cars underway and it would be easy to create a cost-effective local look and then add the sort of Australian engineering excellence that's already working for the compact Cruze in production in Adelaide.

As Carsguide reported two weeks ago, production will end soon and the final cars are likely to drive out of local showrooms by the middle of next year. Mazda has a farewell edition of the RX-8 in Japan, called the Spirit R, and it's now being assessed as a potential sign-off special in Australia. But the end of sales in the USA and falling demand in Japan, with Europe also out of the action, means the end was inevitable. "We knew it was going to come to an end at some point, but our plan is that the RX-8 will still continue in our lineup until 2012," says Steve Maciver, spokesman for Mazda Australia. "Production in Japan continues until June next year. As it is, there is a limited-edition car on the agenda and we're looking at it. Japan decided they wanted to end on high. "But we haven't made a decision on whether we will take it. So watch this space." The RX-8 Spirit R is only a cosmetic tweak, with red-painted brake calipers, Recaro sports seats and 19-inch alloys on the manual model, with the automatic picking up red highlights in the cabin, sports suspension and 18-inch alloys. Only three colours are available - silver, black and white - and production has been pegged at 1000 cars. For now, Mazda Australia says it expects to be able to satisfy RX-8 fans with the cars it has in Australia and a limited number to come from Japan. "We've got stock for about three or four months, at the current selling rate," says Maciver. Even though the RX-8 is the only major Mazda model now using a rotary engine the company refuses to give up on the unique powerplant. It is still working on a hydrogen version in Japan and is chasing the future efficiency that would be needed to meet strict new CO2 emission standards around the world. "Development of next-generation rotary engines continues and it's still definitely on the agenda for us. We believe rotary is still something we want to develop as a company. We do still see potential for it in the future. We have to extract better performance and fuel efficiency and that's what the guys are working on," says Maciver.

Volkswagen is looking good to claim the crown as its two biggest rivals, Toyota and General Motors, both run into trouble.Brand T has been hit badly by its reliability and safety scare in the world's biggest showroom, the USA, and hurt in many other countries - including Australia - by the production troubles triggered by the Japanese tsunami and earthquake earlier this year.Volkswagen is already number one in Europe, with sales of 2.8 million vehicles - nearly triple the annual sales rate in Australia. Meanwhile, General Motors is still rebuilding after its bankruptcy and is also impacted by sluggish sales at home in America.Volkswagen Group has been aiming for the top spot for several years under the aggressive leadership of Ferdinand Piech, and forecasts it will hit the target in 2018 as it aims to increase its annual global sales to around 10 million vehicles.It is spending around $100 million to increase production across the   world, as well as developing a vast range of new models currently   headed by the value-driven baby Up.But, with the troubles at its rivals, three forecasters are now saying it will finish on top at the end of 2011. The respected JP Power organisation in the USA, as well as IHS Automotive and PwC Autofacts, believe Volkswagen's worldwide sales this year will rise by around 13 per cent to 8.1 million.Its biggest successes are coming in China off the back of the Volkswagen brand, but VW Group can also claim totals from a huge range of brands including Bugatti, Bentley, Audi, Seat and Skoda. At the same time, Toyota's total is forecast by Power to fall by 9 per cent to 7.27 million.The Japanese slide is worse than it looks, as it could also cost Toyota second place to General Motors after the hard work to become global number one in 2010. Power says GM's sales will improve by 8 per cent to 7.55 million, although the margins at the top of world motoring will be very tight by December 31.

The positive result finally gives ute buyers a genuinely safe choice as well as verifying the excellent work done by the Ranger development team of engineers and designers at Ford Australia.It also means that every other ute maker must be aiming for a five-star NCAP result in their future development work, regardless of the target buyers or price point.The Ranger gets its five-star mark in the latest Euro NCAP testing and leads a field that includes the Audi Q3, BMW 1 Series, Chevrolet (Holden) Captiva, Hyundai Veloster, Mercedes-Benz ML, Opel Astra and Zafira, and the all-new Toyota Yaris - all models either on sale in Australia or coming soon.Apart from its overall five-star score, the Ranger also gets a best-yet score - 81 per cent - in the Euro NCAP testing for pedestrian safety among utes."The Ford Ranger is undoubtedly raising the bar of safety in the category of pick-up trucks, which had until now not proven to be the safest," says the secretary general of Euro NCAP, Michiel van Ratingen.The Ranger has just hit showrooms and is also sold as the Mazda-cloned BT50, with both brands reporting very strong early sales. Mazda is also confident of a companion five-star score."I would be very surprised if the BT50 is not five stars," says Doug Dickson, managing director of Mazda Australia.The five-star result for the Ranger comes after a massive development program by Ford.“On the all new Ranger we did more crash simulations than any of our prior programs to ensure all parts of the vehicle’s safety performance were optimised,” says Adam Frost, who is chief engineer for digital innovation at Ford Asia-Pacific and Africa.“This was backed up by a comprehensive physical crash test program.  The end result is a world class outcome we are all very proud of.”Not surprisingly, Ford Australia intends to make plenty of noise about the Ranger's result."This is a very important announcement for our customers," says Bob Graziano, president of Ford Australia."We set out to establish many new benchmarks and we are hugely proud of the results we have achieved."

The first prototypes of the Holden VF Commodore coming in 2013 are under way and will soon be entering major test programs at Holden's Lang Lang proving ground. They are the solid proof that the Commodore has a homegrown future until at least 2018, as the upcoming VF will have a four-year life expectancy when it takes over from today's VE in showrooms around the middle of 2013. The prototype build program was confirmed yesterday by Holden's chairman and managing director, Mike Devereux, as he went public to counter claims that the locally-made Commodore had no future beyond 2014. "The 2014 Commodore is designed and engineered here. It is being engineered right now. We started building prototype vehicles in Port Melbourne two days ago," Devereux said. He was reacting to claims by The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia that its members face major job losses without an ongoing development program for the Commodore. Holden currently employs around 1000 engineers and designers at its headquarters in Fishermans Bend, at the proving ground and its manufacturing base in Adelaide. However, Devereux and senior Holden executives avoided any answers about a Commodore to follow the VF, highlighting instead the need for research on future sales and technology trends in Australia and overseas - as well as the potential for financial assistance from the Federal government - before making decisions on the next major investment by the brand. "No, we haven't made a decision on what we will build in Adelaide post our current range and post model-year 2014, I won't speculate on the timing," Devereux said. "What we are going to make hasn't been decided yet. It's still too early." There is a widespread and well-founded belief that both Holden and Ford will eventually have to switch their local heroes - Commodore and Falcon - to a localised version of a strong selling global model. Ford is expected to eventually confirm an engineering tie-up with the Taurus model sold in the USA while the history of the Commodore actually started with a General Motors Europe car, the Opel Rekord, which was widened, re-engined and hugely improved by local engineers to become the original VB model in 1978. Work on the VF Commodore is being concentrated on weight cuts and efficiency gains, thanks in part to a $30 million grant from the defunct Green Car Innovation Fund, which was chopped by Canberra to fund rebuilding after this year's natural disasters in Queensland. There are no firm ideas yet on styling for the VF Commodore, but Holden design director Tony Stolfo has previously hinted that it could take some cues from the Chevrolet Volt -- which will go on sale here with a Holden badge -- and also the compact Cruze. The car will be built in Adelaide alongside the Cruze, which is already shaping as a major winner for the red lion brand. The Cruze has been selling strongly since it switched from Korean to Australian sourcing - with considerable local engineering and quality improvements - and is forecast to eventually overtake the Commodore as Holden's top selling model.