Articles by Paul Gover

The second-generation 300C is Chrysler's hero car for the 2011 North  American International Motor Show in Detroit, promising updated  styling together with the cabin quality and general refinement missing from the original car. But there is a giant 'but' for Australia. Right-hand production is not scheduled for at least six months and that means the first supplies of the updated car will not land until 2012. Chrysler Australia says the delay is normal on an all-new model and it has over-stocked with the existing 300C to take it through 2011. "Historically we've always had a six to nine-month window to get right- hand drive. We're actually loooking at a similar timeframe," says Chrysler spokesman, Dean Bonthorne. "The on-sale timing is quarter one of 2011 in North America. The  current plan is very early in 2012 for Australia." Chrysler knew about the delay in the final quarter of last year and that's when it started to stockpile the existing 300C. Around 400 cars were landed before the end of the year, but supplies of the $39,990  model - with a 3.5-litre V6 - are already running short. "There are still a handful of the 3.5-litre V6 petrol cars. We also have the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 and the 6.1-litre SRT V8. The Touring was discontinued some time ago," says Bonthorne. "We allowed to maintain a planned sales volume through the major part  of 2011. And we've got some great deals on those models until the 2012  version arrives." Chrysler is promising big things with the 300C, its first major model since the American company began a new partnership with Fiat of Italy. The basic body is similar to the existing car, although the windscreen is swept back by around six centimetres with slimmer door pillars to improve visibility. It is also fitted with daytime LED running lamps  to emphasise the new front-end look. Bonthorne makes no apology for the long wait on the 300C, which is essential to ensure the car gets a fast start in the USA. "They have pushed ahead to get the North American car ready." He promises the drought of new models in 2011 will be broken early in 2012. "Come 2012 and 2013 we have a huge number of new models coming," Bonthorne says. A new direction for Chrysler The new direction at Chrysler Australia is obvious from the top down. Clyde Campbell, formerly a senior staffer at Mercedes-Benz Australia, is the new managing director and occupies a desk in Dandenong. The new office site is part of the Iveco trucks' facility and reflects  Chrysler's move out of the Daimler family and into its new relationship with Fiat. Chrysler and Fiat operate totally separately in Australia, partly because the Italian brand is represented by Ateco Automotive as it independent importer. Chrysler is headed for a relatively quiet showroom year in 2011, with just three models on sale - the soon-to-be superseded 300C, the Grand Voyager people mover and Sebring Cabrio. But it does have the strength of Jeep, including the all-new Grand Cherokee.

It's the latest in a long line of study models and, given the BMW Group's penchant for using concepts to gauge public reaction, is a real possibility as a production model. It also marks the 10th years since the Mini brand was re-launched in the US.The Mini Paceman Concept coupe rides on the same raised platform as the four-door Countryman, but the front-end has been restyled along the lines of the regular Cooper S, though with extra intakes in the front bumper to improve brake cooling.The engine has been transplanted from the top-spec John Cooper Works production model, meaning a turbocharged 1.6-litre mill with 155kW/260Nm. That should give it a 0-100km/h time close to the JCW Clubman's 6.8 seconds.Mini describes the Paceman as the first "sports activity coupe" in the small vehicle segment and is pitching the concept at extrovert urban professionals who like a unique look, and don't mind being looked at.The raised ride height is designed to be matched with Mini's optional All4 all-wheel-drive system. Drive is split equally between the front and rear wheels, but the electromagnetic centre diff can direct all power to the rear if required.The concept rides on 19-inch wheels and is 4110mm long and 1789mm wide, making it a Mini in name only.The exterior design has focused on horizonal lines, with a a flat roof, wrap-around glass and rising waistline giving the car a wedge-shaped profile not unlike the Range Rover Evoque."In contrast to the more vertical design of the Countryman, we've given the Paceman Concept a horizontal emphasis and accentuated the width of the car rather more," Mini's exterior design chief Marcus Syring says.The rear lights have been pushed to the outer edges to continue the stying theme, while a rear diffuser is intended to enhance the car's look and aerodynamics.The Mini theme of pushing the wheels to the extreme edges of the body are continued along with MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear set-up, so it can be expected to handle as well as the rest of the range.Inside are four leather-trimmed and contoured seats, while the centre console and instrument cluster are instantly recognisable to anyone what has sat inside a Mini.Mini Paceman ConceptEngine: turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinderOutputs: 155kW/260NmBody: Three-door coupeSeats: Four

All the signs are positive after a strong run through 2010 on everything from new models and new technology to the price of cars and petrol and even motorsport.Last year produced a million-plus result in showrooms, only the third on record and a huge turnover in a country with a population of just over 22 million people. And the sales total for 2011 is likely to be even bigger.The fuel for the sales growth will come, as usual, from the importance of cars in Australia and the incredible number of new models that his showrooms each year. No-one can underestimate the sense of freedom that Australians tap with their cars, or the genuine needs of people who rely on cars for everything from day-to-day commuting to long-distance nomadic work.Car companies are currently doing all they can to clear their backlog of 2010 stock in readiness for the first arrivals of 2011, which means great buying for at least another month. Cars are like horses, because they all get a year older on the same day, and anything in a showroom now with a 2010 build date is out-of-date.But there is nothing out-of-date about the lineup for the first major motoring event of the year, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It opens next week with the unveiling of everything from a Hyundai Veloster and the next Honda Civic to a new Porsche supercar.There will be lots of news from Detroit, perhaps including Holden's plans to revive Commodore exports to the USA and the potential future of the Ford Falcon. Chrysler will show its new 300C, which will take more than a year to reach Australia, and Chinese brands are promising another new wave of technology and small cars.Chinese cars will be one of the big stories in Australia in 2011, with Chery, Geely and Great Wall all planning to start passenger car sales down under. Great Wall is already doing well with its value-priced utes and SUVs but it's Chery that is looking for the big breakthrough with baby cars that undercut the Korean price leaders.On the motorsport front, the Dakar Rally is already blazing through South America - with Bruce Garland doing his best for Australia in an Isuzu D-Max - the V8 Supercar championship will be another boomer, and Mark Webber will be looking to improve on his 2011 season in another year with Red Bull Racing.Melbourne will be motoring central again this year, not just because it is home to the three local carmakers - Holden, which has the local Cruze this year; Ford, which is about to go with the updated Territory; and Toyota, which has an all-new Camry for 2011 - but also thanks to everything from the Australian Grand Prix to the latest running of the Australian International Motor Show.The organisers of the show have confirmed this year's dates as July 1-10, with the promise of a truly world-class event. Moving the date is planning to bring more people indoors to look at the shiny new metal and, more importantly, open up a new position on the global motoring calendar to allow the Australian show to become a major Asian motoring event each year.

The compact two-door is closing on production and is pictured during winter testing in Europe.  It shares the front-end update work of the new Benz four-door but takes a new direction behind the doors.Carparazzi reports that the hatchback tail of the existing CLC is gone and the new car is a more traditional coupe. The centre section of the car - including the roof, doors and windows is all new and unique.It's not as radical as the rework of the E-Class Coupe, which is now very different from the sedan and four-door SLS, but intended to give the car a more upmarket look. It will also provide more cabin space, one of the complaints about the outgoing CLC.Carparazzi says the European pricing of the C-Class Coupe is expected to undercut the four-door sedan, although there is no confirmation from Mercedes-Benz Australia of any details.Meantime, the updating work on the C-Class sedan will be confirmed next week at the opening of the Detroit motor show in the USA ahead of full-scale sales. The car is expected in Australia in the second half of 2011.

Australians' voracious appetite for new cars fueled the drive to the second-highest new-car sales total on record during 2010. Consumers cast off the last lingering efforts of the global financial crisis as they put 1,035,574 vehicles on the road last year.  The result was only the third one-million-plus total in motoring history, although another is forecast for 2011 with a likely improvement again on showroom results in the coming year. The Holden Commodore stretched its run as Australia's favourite car to 15 consecutive years while Toyota was overall number one for the eight straight year, and the 14th time in the past 20 years. "This is an exceptional outcome," says the head of the motor industry's peak body, Andrew McKellar of the Federal Chamber of  Automotive Industries. The 2010 result was up 10.5 per cent and 98,245 vehicles over 2009,  despite the end of the Federal Government's business investment incentive through the GFC.

Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux admits the long-overdue system will extend the Commodore's appeal and says customers will appreciate the refinements. "This (dedicated system) allows us to optimise the engine performance specifically for LPG and get better performance and economy," he says. Devereux says the system will be "very sophisticated" but refuses to confirm it will be a direct-injection liquified LPG unit that is now in use on the dual-fuel HSV vehicles. The HSV system seamlessly switches between the two fuel system and there's no detectable loss of power when running on pure LPG. Ethanol-complaint engines are also high on the Holden agenda, with the Commodore's 3.6-litre V6 to be modified next year to run on 85 per cent ethanol. "Our vision is that this technology, and the shift towards ethanol-based fuel, in time, could cut Australia's dependence on petrol by up to 30 per cent and make a major contribution to sustainable motoring and greenhouse gas reduction," Devereux says. The announcement follows news a new Australian company, Flex Ethanol Australia, will be formed to commercialise the Coskata-developed process of converting household rubbish into fuel. "I'm pleased to announce we've reached the next and most important milestone in this project. A new company called Flex Ethanol Australia will be formed, supported by GM, to take the project to the next stage of commercialisation," Devereux says. The plant will be based in Victoria and Devereux says it will convert up to a million tonnes of household waste into more than 200 million litres of ethanol a year. The fuel will be sold at Caltex service stations under the Bio E-Flex label. Lightweight panels, including aluminium and plastic, are also being investigated for use in the Commodore as Holden has another six months to finalise the next-generation Commodore, which isn't due for another five years, but the company has confirmed it will continue to use the rear-wheel drive Zeta platform developed for the VE Commodore. "We're still very confident about the long-term future of locally made, large rear-wheel-drive family and performance cars," Devereux says.

He worked and hustled and bullied his way to the top of the car world, eventually becoming a Formula One team owner in addition to his successes in Australia with Holden Special Vehicles and the Holden Racing Team. There was also contract work for his TWR operation, lots of it top secret stuff, for a range of big brands including General Motors, Jaguar, Aston Martin and Volvo - as well as victory at Le Mans with Jaguar in 1988. When Walkinshaw's global TWR empire came crashing down in 2002 a lesser man would have been crushed. But the former boxer never gave up, held onto HSV and eventually wrangled the return of HRT. The last time we spoke was when he called from Britain this year to complain that I was was making too much of his cancer. "I'm bloody fine. I'm calling you, aren't I?," he thundered in his deep Scottish burr. "I'll buy you lunch the next time I'm down. That good enough for you?" But lunch didn't happen and now it never well. Instead, I'm writing a tribute _ obituary is not nearly strong enough _ to a bloke who became a legend in Australia after taking over at Holden when Peter Brock was thrown out of the Fishermans Bend family. There was a lot of angst and suspicion when Walkinshaw first became the front man for Team Red. His early media meetings were tough and confrontational, too, and I can remember fronting a bloke with arms like a butcher who was prepared to chop down any opposition. Walkinshaw never cut anyone slack and fools had their foolishness pointed out to them. If he didn't want to answer a question he didn't. There was a stony silence and a brutal glare. But he won people over with some impressive road cars and successes on the track that built on his first appearance at Bathurst in 1984 and victory in 1985 with a Jaguar crewed by local hero John Goss. The bottom line was simple: Walkinshaw was prepared to roll up his sleeves and get the job done. He was a charismatic leader who inspired great things in his race teams and among his close-knit group of motoring specialists, as well as fear among his rivals. Yes, he was called `Cheating Tom' by some people - and there are some great stories about rule bending and more - but he was a racer to his core and near enough was not remotely good enough. Sometimes the rules were just a guideline. His absence has been obvious at HRT in recent seasons, and particularly at Bathurst 2010 when Team Red missed his rock-like stability and confidence. Walkinshaw was the heart of the team and the crew always lifted for him. Now I am forced to rewind through many, many meetings to try and unravel a complicated man. Walkinshaw was as tough as anyone I've met, yet he had an almost-impish sense of humour. He loved a joke or the chance for some mischief. He was a wonderful host - gracious, thoughtful and generous. He was also incredibly loyal and committed to his people. They were more like a family than employees, which probably explains a lot of the spats. Ian Callum, once with Walkinshaw and now chief designer at Jaguar, says simply "I love the man". The key to Big Tom was to push back. If you were prepared to fight your corner, you got respect. If not . . . There will be people who are happy that Walkinshaw is gone, but they were probably on the losing side at a stoush of some sort. It's hard to know what will happen to HSV and HRT now that Walkinshaw is gone, but he was usually one step ahead of his opposition and the business should be in safe hands. Walkinshaw's own strong hands allowed him to built an empire and a list of successes that stretches for decades. Big Tom was almost larger than life and will be remembered in a similar way to Brock. He was a hero.

Heavy disguise means we can't overmuch glean the new look, but, more importantly, we can tell you this prototype is powered by a hybrid set-up  the same petrol-electric combo as used in the Prius, we'd wager. Launch date remains in the realms speculation for the moment.

THE betting markets list James Courtney as the favourite for the V8 Supercars championship title. The Jim Beam Racing Falcon driver has led the championship since May and takes a 53-point advantage over Jamie Whincup (Team Vodafone) into the title decider at Homebush in Sydney this weekend. Courtney is tipped at $1.33 to $1.36 in three betting markets ahead of Whincup on $3-$3.30. The only other driver with a mathematical chance of claiming the title is Mark Winterbottom (Ford Performance Racing), who trails Courtney by 203 points and is $67 in the markets.FORMULA One protege Filipe Albuquerque scored a shock win in the Race of Champions in Germany over three-time event winner and seven-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb at the weekend. The event features 16 leading drivers in a variety of race disciplines with Australia represented by five-time world motorcycle champion Mick Doohan. He failed to reach the eight-driver knockout stage. Former event winner and Finnish F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen took a precautionary trip to hospital after being knocked out in a crash on the Sunday.AUSTRALIA'S next Formula One racer will be Perth 21-year-old Daniel Ricciardo after he was named Toro Rosso's third and reserve driver for the 2011 season. The former Red Bull reserve driver will drive in the free practice sessions on the first day of each GP, alternating with regular drivers Jaime Alguersuari and Sebastian Buemi. If either is injured or their performance is diminished, Ricciardo is likely to get a drive.TEENAGER George Gutierrez has scored his first state championship at the South Australian Karting Championships at the weekend. The 14-year-old avoided the carnage to knock over a top field of drivers including including current national champion Joseph Mawson in the Junior Clubman category. Other category winners were Chase Wooley (Midgets), Tyler Morrison (Rookies), Todd Hazelwood (Junior National Heavy) and Danny Errigo (Clubman Super Heavy).ROBBIE Farr has forged ahead in the World Series Sprintcar Championship with his second win in the first two rounds. Farr won at Archerfield, Brisbane, last week and again in Toowomba at the weekend to head off Cameron Gessner and Matthew Reed.THE last Mini Challenge race for 2010 at Sydney this weekend will be the final for the series. Mini Australia boss David Woollcott has confirmed they are terminating their five-year contract with Toleman Motorsports after just three years. He cited the lack of TV coverage and growing expense of the series.DAREDEVIL rider Robbie Maddison has landed the world's first indoor "drop-in" at the Crusty Demons Thirst 4 Destruction finale in Sydney at the weekend. He launched his Yamaha YZ250F off a platform suspended more than 22m above the floor of the Acer Arena to land the bike on a specially built landing ramp. The Australian's previous feats include jumping on to and off the Arc de Triomphe replica in Las Vegas and jumping over London's Tower Bridge.TWINS Jake and Matt Moss won their classes at the penultimate round of the Super X series in Parramatta at the weekend. Jake became the first Australian to win an open round after Chad Reed returned to the US after the first round to secure his ride for the coming American and World supercross series. He moves to within 50 points of American Josh Hansen as the series hits Brisbane this weekend for the finale. His brother and Suzuki teammate continues to lead the lites class from American P.J.Larsen.HONDA will return to the Australian Superbike Championship in 2011 with Motologic. The partnership has netted five national road racing titles including back-to-back titles in Superbike and Supersport in 2004 and 2005, and the 2008 Superbike title. THE Aussie V8 ute will be turning Japanese in Sydney this weekend when Super GT driver Ryo Orime becomes the first of his countrymen to race in the V8 Ute series and the first to drive in a support category to the V8 Supercars. Mr Orime, who usually races a Mazda RX-7, will get behind the wheel of the Holden ute raced by Brendon Tucker at the Gold Coast 600 last month. "It's totally different from a GT car. There is no down-force and no grip," he said. V8 SUPERCAR driver Jason Richards will undergo chemotherapy after a rare adrenal gland cancerous tumour was removed from his abdomen last week. The Brad Jones Racing driver dropped out of the final two rounds of the series with his place taken by Andrew Jones. Richards is expected to leave hospital by the end of this week.

The sub-Cayenne family wagon is well into development and is likely to be followed by a smaller Porsche sports car to bring more new buyers to the brand. Confirmation on the Cajun - currently short for Cayenne Junior, although the name already fits Porsche's showroom naming policy - comes right from the top. "It's a real Porsche. You can believe me. We can bet about that," Matthius Muller tells Carsguide. But he refuses to confirm a production start-up or an onsale date. "I have talked about the Project Cajun. We are analsysing the package of the car and the technical solution. Also the design is very well. So I think we can decide the project at the beginning of next year." The size of the Cajun is likely to be similar to the Audi Q5 and Muller admits that Porsche could dip into the Volkswagen Group parts bin to help with development. "The opportunity we have for the future is to step into the modular system, to take some parts or other solutions. I think it's a big opportunity for us." He admits there is also an opportunity for a sub-Cayman sports car to bring younger buyers, but refuses any commitment. "That could also be a solution. We have to analyse the market and we have to talk to our customers, (ask) whether they have an interest in a smaller sports car. I think if it could be successful we have some technical solution to do that." Volkswagen is also considering a compact convertible, slightly bigger in size than a Mazda MX-5, along the lines of the Bluesport Roadster concept it starred at the Detroit Motor Show in 2009. Muller will not confirm but European sources believe Porsche and Volkswagen are working on a joint project. Regardless of the SUV and roadster plans, Muller says the worldwide recovery from the Global Financial Crisis is giving Porsche a fresh opportunity for growth. The company intends to double it sales to more than 150,000 vehicles a year by 2014. "The markets are strong. We are looking forward that the markets will increase," Muller says. "We in Porsche have very convincing solutions for sports cars, and I think it is the right timing to analyse the product strategy of Prosche and to create a new cycle plan for the products for the next decade."