Articles by Paul Gover

The 7 Series has always been BMW's top-end four-door luxury car, but not now.The 6 Series convertible and coupe - which Carsguide is just about to drive in Europe - will soon be joined by a new-age four-door model.Likely to be called the Gran Coupe, and priced at more than $200,000 , the newcomer taps the world's growing appetite for coupe-look four-door luxury cars - Mercedes CLS, Volkswagen CC, Audi A5 - and points to the potential development of a 4 Series Grand Coupe spun from the next 3 Series.

Such systems, designed to avoid a potential collision, are a major focus in safety, according to experts in the USA. The City Safety system fitted to the Volvo XC60 and promised for another four Swedish models inside the next two years has won a glowing review from the super-critical Highway Loss Data Institute after examination of crash results over the past years. The Institute says the Volvo SUV fitted with the low-speed safety system is involved in fewer than half the number of bodily-injury crashes of its mid-sized rivals, and 27 per cent fewer property-damage crashes than its prestige SUV rivals. The City Safety system even provides better protection over the rest of the Volvo family, as the XC60 is 19 per cent less likely than other Volvo models - which are being included in a progressive rollout of technology that includes a pedestrian-recognition package and automatic braking - to be involved in property damage crashes. "We think this is the next big thing. We want to eliminate crashes before they happen," says Institute president, Adrian Lund. He believes other carmakers will move quickly on systems similar to City Safety as the most-common collisions in the USA - low-speed rear- enders, the same as Australia - can be minimised or eliminated by cars that react automatically to potential threats. "It's much less prone to mistakes than a person," says Lund. "These are very large effects. The pattern of results strongly indicates that City Safety is preventing low-speed crashes and reducing insurance costs. Driver mistakes are responsible for 90 percent of crashes. This is the first technology that can reach out to the driver at the moment of danger and bring his mind back to the danger." The new results - which show the XC60 is involved in 51 per cent few bodily-injury accidents than other SUVs in its class - have prompted strong support from the Institute, which says collision-avoidance systems can help distracted drivers who fail to notice an potential emergency. "This is our first real-world look at an advanced crash avoidance technology, and the findings are encouraging. City Safety is helping XC60 drivers avoid the kinds of front-to-rear, low-speed crashes that frequently happen on congested roads." The Institute compiled its results using insurance claims for the 2010- model XC60 in the USA, checking for the number of claims and the claim costs. Lund says the early XC60 figures point to the importance of City Safety-style technologies. "As people grow more aware of the risks of distracted driving, crash avoidance systems like this one can help to ensure that a momentary lapse of attention during a congested commute doesn't result in a crash." Later this year, the Institute will also study the effectiveness of collision avoidance systems designed for high speeds.

The French brand has already slashed prices on its Megane range, added the value-driven Fluence to the local lineup, and is now hinting strongly about reducing showroom stickers on the Koleos. The price changes and a stronger push in showrooms has lifted sales this year by 75 per cent to the end of June, with the June result alone up by a whopping 298 per cent. The Koleos has just had a visual freshen in Europe and this will be the trigger to put the red pen through prices that currently start at $29,990 for a front-wheel drive model. "We are strongly focused on creating great value propositions for our customers. It will be a mid lifecycle refresh with added value," says Emily Ambrosy of Renault Australia. Renault refuses to confirm a price cut but is hinting strongly about a renewed push after the latest Roy Morgan research poll that shows the French brand is the equal-favourite with Volvo on customer satisfaction in Australia. "We will be releasing pricing closer to the launch date. The new model will represent a styling refresh with added value," is all Ambrosy will say. The Koleos, which shares is mechanical package with the Nissan X-Trail, has been an underperformer for Renault but has helped to boost its reputation among owners. "We have sold 224 Koleos year-to-date and have almost run out of stock of current Koleos. Koleos is a core model in our line up. Since 2008, when Koleos was launched, we have seen a 53.9 per cent reduction in warranty rates. The Koleos benefits strongly from the Nissan running gear and has a distinctive, chic styling that sets it apart from other SUVs," she says. Changes to the 2012-model Koleos are relatively minor and focussed on familiar mid-life update work to the front and rear ends, with a change to the interior trim. It will continue with both front and all-  wheel drive, with petrol and turbodiesel engines. "We are excited now that we have a reinvigorated brand and a revitalised team to put behind the Koleos. The compact SUV market is a big growth area and although we haven't played as strongly there in the past as we should have, we will be playing hard with the new Koleos," Ambrosy says.

After an early knock-back on safety grounds, the 21st century revival of a 1930s sports car is now looking much more likely to make local showrooms. Morgan importer Chris van Wyk says he believes the super-retro Morgan now satisfies the safety needs of Australian legislators and he is pushing ahead with a deal in Britain that will include crash testing for certification. "Fingers crossed," van Wyk tells Carsguide. "The main thing is that we need to do some crash testing. That's the main obstacle. If that's alright, then I think we can make it." He says he is hopeful that the Morgan can be classified as a type of trike for Australia, not a car, and that will ease its passage. "There are three categories of trike in Australia. We think we can get it through." The three-wheeler Morgan has just had its first public outing in full road trim, with a demonstration run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in Britain. The car is also headed for full-scale production and van Wyk reports huge interest in Australia. "We've had an extraordinary response. I've had over 70 inquiries. Everybody asks if it will ever be complianced for Australia," he says. "In fact, it's a maybe. Right at the minute they are trying to get production started. The capacity this year is 200 cars, and they have over 400 orders with deposits and over 4000 enquiries." Van Wyk says he is relying on the three-wheeler as time is running out - fast - for regular Morgan sports cars. They are not fitted with ESP stability control, which becomes compulsory in Australia next year - following the lead in Victoria - with a limited allowance for cars already on sale. "The classic Morgans die in Australia in November 2013 because of the traction control thing. That's the limit for existing models. I'll get as many cars as I can before then," van Wyk says. "I've taken 17 orders since September last year. We'll hit double- digits this year, which is a big first, and a big improvement over 2009 when we were a big fat zero. "But I need the three-wheeler now as my bread-and-butter car."

Peugeot is releasing less confronting new models as it looks for explosive sales growth in Australia. Just a month after Renault launched a Camry-style new model called the Fluence to wind back on its quirky Frenchness, Peugeot says it also intends to pitch its future cars at a broader audience. Peugeot admits there are only a limited number of 'loyalists' it can tap from its past history and says it needs more mainstream acceptance to hit its target of 8500 sales in less than five years. "You might say we're being more conservative. But we're looking to grow the business, in Australia and globallly," says Peugeot's Australian chief, Ken Thomas. Peugeot has 10 new models in the pipeline - including a born-again baby GTi and a compact SUV with a sub-$30,000 base price - and is starting its product offensive with the all-new and inoffensive 508 flagship. It is the least-Peugeot of any newcomer in style and driving feel, and more Japanese in many ways, something that's expected to be reflected in less polarising design and cabin quality in all of its future models. Peugeot sales are currently sitting at around 6500 cars a year but the target is 8500 by the end of 2012, with another big jump in 2013. "All that adds up, in terms of the Australian story, to an exciting story. We'll bring cars to market fairly quickly," says Thomas. "This year we expect to sell around 6500 cars, a modest increase on 5600 last year. If you look at the moment, we're about line-ball with last year, but we ran out of stock of 407 and our SUV. "By 2012 we think we can raise our volume to 8500, thanks to our existing range and some key new models. By 2013, the aim is to lift our volume b a massive 70 per cent. It looks a tall order but there is a product plan behind it. By the end of that year we'll look like a very different company." Thomas outlines an offensive that starts with the 508 and an updated 308 - which finally loses the gaping mouth and Angelina Jolie lips of the current car - then adds an eHDI powerplant before the end of this year, before the arrival of a new 4008, the Hybrid 4, new 408 and baby 208 before the end of next year. Apart from the newcomers, Peugeot has also just chopped $1000 from the pricetag of the baby 207 range, leaving the starting price at $18,990 with a boost of leather trim in the CC model, and also cut $6500 from the 4007 to have it starting at $34,990. "We have ten new models to revitalise our product offering. It will include the return of GTi," says Thomas. But there is one question he cannot answer yet - the possibility of a 508 coupe. "It's an unanswered question. The only thing we've seen is the SR1 concept car, but it remains to be seen if it makes it to the market. We cannot confirm if the coupe will be replaced," he says.

The lineup looks like the regular A8. That's until you catch the bigger brakes and wheels, hunkered-down suspension and quad-tip exhaust that always point to Audi's S cars. The S8 is rumoured with a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine later this year.

... and this picture of a Cayman prototype on German roads reveals the new look for the Boxster-based coupe.The car is more tightly wrapped around the wheels, has a larger rear window and a lower back end, while the nosecone is a one-piece camouflage to hide real details of the newcomer set for showrooms in late 2012.

... when the European brand sets up shop outside the GM Holden umbrella for the first time.The baby Corsa is on the wish list for local sales and that means we could also get the baby SUV being developed as part of the Corsa family.

Any time a carmaker tears six grand out of the bottom line on a new model it's time to pay attention.When the new model is also a sea-change car for one of the great European brands, there is even more to get you interested. And so we have the all-new Peugeot 508.It's basically the replacement for the French company's mid-sized 407, but so much has changed - from a starting price at $36,990 to a cabin that's as big as the flagship 607 - that the 508 demands a re-think. The styling is much more conservative, there is a new emphasis on quality, equipment levels have been boosted across the board, and the driving experience is far less quirky than in the past.It's almost as if Peugeot decided it needed to be more like Toyota to survive in a world where competition as never been tougher and customers expect far more for every dollar they spend.The 508 has landed as both a four-door sedan and smooth looking station wagon, with a range of petrol and diesel engines and even a GT with the promise of Peugeot-style long-distance express travel.The price leader is not here yet, but Peugeot expects most buyers to go for the mid-level 508 Allure with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel and a starting price of $39,490. Perhaps with a 50:50 split for wagon buyers, who pay an extra $3000 for the Touring."This car takes Peugeot back to its heartland in Australia, but also moves the brand forward," says Ken Thomas, managing direct of Peugeot in Australia, summing the 508 in a single sentence.VALUEThe easiest way to put the 508 into perspective is to look at the 407 it replaces. The new car is significantly bigger, most importantly in the cabin, and also picks up extra standard equipment including four-zone aircon that's a big bonus for rear-seat passengers.Equipment varies depending on the model, but some of the good new stuff includes a colour head-up instrument display, front and rear parking radar, efficient new headlamps with 'light tube' daytime lamps, and even a system that can measure a potential parking space and give a verdict on its suitability.Peugeot says the Australian dollar has helped with pricing from $36,990 through to $52,990 for the GT sedan, but also says the car is cheaper to make. And it has introduced capped-price servicing as extra buyer bait.It has decided to slide it into the large-car class in Australia, although it could also qualify as a medium contender, which means its closest Euro rival is the Skoda Superb. But it can also be measured against everything from the Mazda6 and Toyota Camry to Falcon and Commodore.TECHNOLOGYDevelopment of the 508 began with a rigid new body and all-independent suspension, with things like the parking space system and adaptive Xenon lamps to provide the window dressing.The really important stuff includes four new engines, both petrol and diesel, with C02 that's down by a claimed 15 per cent over the 407 with similar improvements in overall efficiency.The basic 1.6-litre petrol makes 115kW/240Nm with 7.1 litres/100km and CO2 of 165grams/km, the 1.6-litre turbodiesel is 82/270/4.4/115, the 2.0-litre turbodiesel is 120/340/5.7/149, and the 2.2-litre turbodiesel is 150/450/10.0/150 and the engine for the GT.It's no surprise the 508 is front-wheel drive, with a six-speed automatic gearbox that comes with a paddle shift behind a wheel that now houses all the minor controls - instead of having them shotgunned around the dash.DESIGNThe 407 was a mistake and Peugeot has learned from it. The giant gaping grille has been replaced with a restrained opening that points to a new French face - and is already reflected in an updated 308 - and the body doesn't look like the front and rear were designed by different people. But the 508 is not as uniquely Peugeot as past cars.At first glance it even looks - whisper it - a bit like a Mitsubishi 380. It is strongly styled and the new dash is more user-friendly, but the back-seat space is only good enough for two Aussie adults despite the boot capacity.SAFETYPeugeot says the 508 is the first car built from its new 'Platform 3' and that brings significant safety benefits in a crash. It was developed for the first time for both side barrier and post impacts.The suite of safety equipment is the standard stuff with ABS and ESP, but the 508 also gets cornering brake control - for added stability when you need to slow in a curve - and hill-start assistance, first seen on off-roaders. It's a five-star car with six airbags as well.DRIVINGPeugeot tragics - and my experience of the brand runs back to the 203 - will find the 508 a bit bland. But for people who are moving out of a Japanese car, perhaps tempted by Peugeot's new deals for fleets and 'user chooser' buyers, it will have enough personality to give them a bit of flavour without provoking a gag reaction.My time at the press preview of the 508 is spent mostly in the Allure turbodiesel, that sits in the middle of the lineup, and it gets along well enough, is comfy and quiet, and feels secure and easy to handle in turns.It's only once I get well out of Melbourne on some long loping roads that I rediscover the sort of long-legged ability which has always set Peugeots apart. There is some annoying thump through the low-profile tyres and some quality glitches - a loose gearknob, one piece of cabin trim that doesn't fit, some wind noise and a rattle in the back door - but the package comes together more convincingly in the sporty GT model.The styling is nothing special, and the back end even looks a bit Korean, but the 508 is intended to bring new people to Peugeot and it should do the job.I cannot close without highlighting the incredible number of warning bells and chimes in the car - the 508 seems to have an audio reminder for everything, from an open door to the handbrake, and what starts as a bit of fun quickly becomes annoying.VERDICTThe 508 is good but not great, effective but not memorable. It's a car that has been driven by a new approach at Peugeot to a new group of customers, and it will definitely give them something to consider.The price line is very appealing and the 508 makes a strong case against rivals such as the Camry, but is less convincing when it's lined up against a Skoda Superb or a Volkswagen Passat.It should definitely make big gains for Peugeot in Australia, but it's not the landmark car the brand needs. Perhaps that's the baby 208 that's coming next year . . .

The XC60 SUV first fitted with the low-speed safety system is involved in fewer than half the number of bodily-injury crashes of its mid- sized rivals, according to a report from the Highway Loss Data Institute. The report also says the XC60 is involved in 27 per cent fewer property-damage crashes than its prestige SUV rivals. The City Safety system even provides better protection over the rest of the Volvo family, as the XC60 is 19 per cent less likely than other Volvo models - which are being included in a progressive rollout of technology that includes a pedestrian-recognition package and automatic braking - to be involved in property damage crashes. The new results - which show the XC60 is involved in 51 per cent few bodily-injury accidents than other SUVs in its class - have prompted strong support from the Institute, which says collision-avoidance systems can help distracted drivers who fail to notice an potential emergency. "These are very large effects. The pattern of results strongly indicates that City Safety is preventing low-speed crashes and reducing insurance costs," says Institute president, Adrian Lund. "Driver mistakes are responsible for 90 percent of crashes. This is the first technology that can reach out to the driver at the moment of danger and bring his mind back to the danger. "This is our first real-world look at an advanced crash avoidance technology, and the findings are encouraging. City Safety is helping XC60 drivers avoid the kinds of front-to-rear, low-speed crashes that frequently happen on congested roads." The Institute compiled its results using insurance claims for the 2010- model XC60 in the USA, checking for the number of claims and the claim costs. Lund says the early XC60 figures point to the importance of City Safety-style technologies. "As people grow more aware of the risks of distracted driving, crash avoidance systems like this one can help to ensure that a momentary lapse of attention during a congested commute doesn't result in a crash." Later this year, the Institute will also study the effectiveness of collision avoidance systems designed for high speeds.