Articles by Paul Gover

Freeway limits should be boosted as high as 140km/h, but many country and suburban roads need to take a cut, according to Mercedes-Benz safety guru Dr Ullrich Mellinghof. He is also calling for more driver training and a better attitude to driving after his first experience on Australian roads. "The government should think about a bigger differential in the speed limit," says Mellinghof, who heads all safety work at Mercedes-Benz in Germany. On the highway it is too low. In many situations it is too high. I think they must find a compromise." He tells Carsguide he was shocked during a long-distance drive from Melbourne to Sydney during his first visit to Australia for a series of road-safety workshops. "A lot of people drive very smoothly on country roads, but on the highway they are much more aggressive. They were all driving in the trunk of my car. Very close to me. I was very surprised," he says. "People are very often distracted when they drive. Very often they didn't realise you would pass them. There is also some extra risk because people pass others on both sides." Mellinghof believes the best of Australia's roads can easily take a 130-140km/h speed limit, provided there is better education. "I'm convinced 130, for example, is no problem. So I think it is maybe safer than today, even if you drive a little bit faster," he says. "But on the other hand I think if you raise the speed limit you need better education of young drivers." He is worried most about poor lane discipline and the potential for trucks to cause problems. "If you allow higher speed it must be combined with a higher commitment to only passing on the right side," Mellinghof says. "It's not ideal that trucks can travel at the same speed. In an emergency, a truck takes the same distance to break from 80km/h to zero as a car from 120km/h to zero. This has the potential to cause problems." He says European research and experience shows freeways are the safest roads, with a much lower fatality rate than suburban streets. "In Germany, the safest way is to drive is on the highway. In Germany we were having 22,000 fatalities in 1972 and now it is below 4000. Only 2000 of them were passengers in a car, and less than 200 are on highways. The highway is not the biggest problem we have."

AUSTRALIA'S most successful Dakar competitor will return in January for his third tilt at the world's most gruelling rally.  Sydney's Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki will drive their new Isuzu D-Max which had its first run in last month's Australasian Safari where they finished third.  The team failed to finish last year's South American Dakar Rally, but scored an 11th the previous year with a class first.  "Because we've competed before, our entry had been accepted but the final deadline to confirm or withdraw has arrived and we've decided to bite the bullet and go," Garland said.  Their three-litre, 192kW/630Nm D-Max will be loaded on a ship for Buenos Aires on October 28 along with all the tools and spare parts needed for the 9000km event and the team will fly out in late December. MARCOS Ambrose overcame a spin and pit lane penalty to finish 16th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, at the weekend. It was the Australian's best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series result at the venue and is now in 26th in the standings after 31 of 36 events.The race was won by Jamie McMurray (Chevrolet), followed by Kyle Busch (Toyota) and Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) who extends his lead to 41 points from Denny Hamlin (Toyota) in the Chase.CHAD Reed has rebounded from his US season-crippling illness in emphatic style to win both races in the Super X opener in Newcastle at the weekend in front of a home crowd of 12,500. US supercross imports Josh Hansen and Justin Brayton claimed the other podium spots. "2010 has been a tough year for me, but I had a blast riding tonight," says Reed who was forced out of defending his US motocross title this year. Brisbane Honda rider Dan Reardon grabbed the first holeshot and finished third in both races while 12-time national champion Craig Anderson claimed the second holeshot. The next round is in Canberra this weekend. American supercross rider, Ryan Villopoto, has withdrawn from the Sydney and Brisbane Super X events as he is still recovering from leg injuries.BMW is making a comeback to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in 2012 after leaving the series in 1994. The German company will campaign an M3 "high performance vehicle concept". BMW board member Klaus Draeger says the company is "returning to its roots". Motorsport director Mario Theissen says they began making technical preparations following their declaration of intent to return to DTM in April. There has been no announcement about drivers.SAAB and Audi go head to head in the final of the Sports Sedan Series at Sandown Raceway this weekend. Former kart racer and series newcomer James Sera (Saab) holds a slim lead over Darren Hossack (Audi) who won the Sports Sedan title and Superkart crown in 2008. "You can't count your chickens before they hatch, the plan of attack is to go out there, get some good finishes, and wrap up the title," says Sera.FIFTEEN years after the Perkins/Ingall combination claimed a sensational last-to-first victory at Bathurst, the names will be reunited at the Gold Coast 600 this weekend. Jack Perkins, the son of six-time Bathurst winner Larry, will drive with former Gold Coast event winner Russell Ingall in their Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore. "I owe a lot to Larry; he was the one who gave me my real start in V8 Supercars after I came back from Europe," says Ingall. "I've known Jack since he was this pesky little kid running around Larry's workshop, so I never thought that one day we'd be sharing a drive in a V8 Supercar."THE Formula Ford championship will continue next year with Ford Motor Company of Australia pledging its support. However the name will be changed to Ford Fiesta Cup. Ford Motorsport boss Christopher Styring says the name aligns the category more closely with the Ford Fiesta road car, which uses the same engine as the series. Formula Ford around the world has been the training series for world-class drivers and in Australia has bred racers such as F1 driver Mark Webber and V8 Supercar drivers James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom. THE Formula Ford championship will continue next year with Ford Motor Company of Australia pledging its support. However the name will be changed to Ford Fiesta Cup. Ford Motorsport boss Christopher Styring says the name aligns the category more closely with the Ford Fiesta road car, which uses the same engine as the series. Formula Ford around the world has been the training series for world-class drivers and in Australia has bred racers such as F1 driver Mark Webber and V8 Supercar drivers James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom.

The British brand has never bothered to protect the identity of its new-age supercar, which stands out in any crowd.  But testing of the carbon fibre road rocket means the One-77 is doing more and more kilometres on the road, instead of performance testing to confirm its 335km/h to speed and a 0-100km/h sprint time of just  3.3 seconds. Carparazzi caught the car this week in Germany, as it headed out onto the Nurburgring test track.  Aston Martin has a huge development base at the Nurburgring, which is used for all type of engineering work and also for driver training. But this is the first time the One-77 has been caught at the track, which points towards final suspension tuning and sign-off work before the car is ready for full-scale production for deliveries in the first half of 2011.

On one side of the glittering $50 million display at the Darling Harbour exhibition centre in Sydney is the $700,000 Lexus LFA, a sellout speed machine that can top 315km/h, and across the aisle is the latest $12,490 Holden Barina Spark.It's a sign of the times that GM Holden, which stunned Australia when it revealed its Monaro concept car at Darling Harbour in 1998, has the Spark as its centrepiece for 2010. More than a decade ago the Holden stand was flooded by chequebook-waving fans who had to have a Monaro, but there is no repeat this time with the Spark.Instead, the smallest Holden is going up against an all-new $12,990 Nissan Micra unveiled at the show and a Toyota Yaris that cops a price   chop as sales chief Dave Buttner does opening-day duties for Australia's favourite brand.It takes more than four hours for each of the major makers at the show - and there are more than 35 brands in total - to make their pitch on opening morning. Each has something to say, from Audi with its baby A1 through to Volvo with the first local appearance of its new S60 sedan.But the biggest news of all is that Australia finally has a single motor show. It took a walkout by many of the major brands, and months of talks between the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce that controls Melbourne and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries for Sydney, to reach a compromise that means there is finally a true Australian International Motor Show.In 2011 it flips to Melbourne, with the date confirmed at July 1-10, and there are big plans to make an impact on the worldwide motoring calendar. The foundations are laid this year with the world debut of the T6 pickup twins, the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50, and Subaru also shows a Forester WRX-style concept that will be converted into a turbocharged headliner for showrooms in 2011."Today is our most significant motor show ever," says Ford Australia's president, Marin Burela, on opening day. "Australia is playing a key role in the global Ford product story.  Today's show is the springboard to the future."His verdict is backed by Doug Dickson, the Mazda chief who heads the FCAI. "This show is different. It's time for a contemporary approach," says Doug Dickson, chairman of the organising committee and the managing director of Mazda Australia. "It presents the very best the global motor industry has to offer."The show stands are packed but here are the stand-outs:Car of the Show - Toyota FT-86It's currently only a concept car, but the futuristic coupe provides the proof that Toyota is serious about putting emotion into its cars. It's feeling the squeeze from Korea and knows it needs to give people cars they want to buy, not just fridges with wheels.Baby Boomer - Nissan MicraThe result of a five-year plan to create a cost-down tiddler that works for customers and Nissan's bottom line is a good looker with impressive safety. It's as cute as the current Micra but has airbags-ABS-ESP safety and a new-age three-cylinder starter engine to edge out the Holden Spark and Suzuki Swift.Dream Machine - Lexus LFAThe one-off Mercedes SLS 'Blackbird' with flat-black paintwork makes a case, and and so does the Lamborghini Gallardo 570-4 Superleggera, but the LFA is a $700,000 sellout that will never be repeated. Every car costs Lexus money and that means the eight local owners have a future classic.Home Run - WP Series IIFord fans flock to the latest supercharged star at Ford Performance Vehicles, but the heaviest hitter is the supercharged, 460 kiloWatt-780 Newton-metre, Commodore from Walkinshaw Performance. The base price is $99,900 but four are sold almost as soon as the show opens.Future Spark - Honda CRZThere are fewer green machines in Sydney that most global shows, with electric cars struggling for traction in Australia. The CRZ is Honda's new hybrid headliner, although it will probably sell more of the family-friendly second-generation Insight.Funk Factor - Range Rover EvoqueThe first city car from the off-road pioneers is a game-changer for   the British brand. It will also be a huge hit in Toorak and Double Bay   once deliveries begin.Big Tease - Nissan PatrolNissan Australia had to buy the Patrol show car from a dealer in the Middle East because right-hand drive production does not begin for nearly a year. It looks good and promises to take the fight right up to the Toyota LandCruiser, once there is a steering wheel on the right-hand side.

The Geely CK, which is sold without airbags in Latin countries and the Caribbean, scores zero stars in the same 64km/h frontal-impact test used in Australia. The best of the nine cars ranked in the first Latin NCAP testing is the Toyota Corolla with four stars, but four of the cars are sold without airbags and scored poorly. The Geely did, however, manage two stars for child occupant protection although the NCAP results point to "significant collapse of the bodyshell during test". Latin NCAP joins a growing worldwide safety push through independent crash testing and evaluation of life-saving motoring technology.  “We are introducing Latin NCAP to Latin America and the Caribbean because we want to see a dramatic improvement in the safety of cars across our region. Our ultimate and most important aim is to save people’s lives," says Nani Rodriguez, executive secretary of Latin NCAP. The nine cars tested are among the most popular models sold in Latin America and the Caribbean. Latin NCAP scores: Geely CK (no airbags) - zero starsFiat Palio (no airbags) - two starsFiat Palio with airbags - three starsVW Gol (Subs: correct) (no airbags) - one star Peugeot 207 (no airbags) - one star Peugeot 207 with airbags - two stars Chevrolet Meriva - three stars Toyota Corolla - four stars

David Beckham kicked Kylie Minogue off top spot in the latest quarterly results from Millward Brown, a research company with 35 years experience in the UK.The results rank celebrities according to their 'star power', assessing everything from their buzz to how they score as a role model and their likeability.Stephen Fry is now the most-likeable celebrity with veteran actresses Joanna Lumley, Judi Dench and Helen Mirron rated as the most-positive role models, with Amy Winehouse, Katie Price and Ashley Cole as the most negative.Results of the rankings are compiled from 2000 consumer interviews about 100 celebrities and 100 brands.The UK celebrity top 10 are (previous ranking in brackets)1) David Beckham (3)2) Ant & Dec (4)3) Kylie Minogue (1)4) Will Smith (20)5) Lewis Hamilton (14)6) Judi Dench (12)7) Joanna Lumley (5)8) Cheryl Cole (2)9) Jamie Oliver (7)10)Gary Lineker (n/a)

The former class leaders have been overtaken this year in showrooms and Toyota has responded with a major value push on the compact contenders, including rare - for Brand T - price cuts.The basic Corolla is down by $250 and the Yaris by more than $500 in a price push that cuts some models by as much as $910 and - thanks to extra equipment including airbags - boosts buyer value by up to $2400.The move is expected to trigger a series of price cuts and value improvements as major brands jockey for sales. Nissan has already promised to deliver a new baby price fighter, its $12,990 Micra, next month and Holden has a new $12,490 Barina Spark ready to go in a double-edged attack at the bottom of the business.The small-car action at Toyota comes during a rash of value updates that even includes a $1000 cut on the family-sized Kluger and more standard equipment in the HiLux ute. But Toyota denies any panic in the Corolla-Yaris move. "I'd rather not call it a price cut. It is definitely a value boost," says Dave Buttner, head of sales and marketing for Toyota Australia."Those two products are very important to us. They are just on 65 per cent of our passenger-car private sales. We need to ensure we offer value against our competitors."Buttner is unwilling to name the Korean rivals but admits the Corolla has been overtaken by the pacy Mazda3, which is driving the Japanese brand to new highs in Australia. "With both Yaris and Corolla, while many of their products are at the peak of their model cycle, we are in the mid to later phase. We took the opportunity of some technical changes to go for a value upgrade," he says."At the same time, we've re-postioned our prices. With spec up and price down, these vehicles will continue to represent great value."Even so, Buttner admits times are tough."There is no denying it. These two products were number one but their share has eroded through 2010 and they are now number two. We believe the products still have a wonderful reputation and should be leading."The value drive comes with the help of Toyota in Japan and means the Yaris now starts at $14,990 and the Corolla at $20,990. The basic Ascent gets full-length curtain and driver's knee airbags as well as rear power windows.Despite Toyota's domination of Australian showroom action, Buttner is not expecting a significant response from the company's rivals. "I don't expect a price war. From a pricing point of view, this puts us in line with our competitors," he says."It doesn't put us in front. But it puts us back where we were, with specification adjusted. We are now fundamentally re-aligned."We're not cheaper. But on specification we're now better value.""Our value-for-money prospotiion, at the stage we're in with our product cycle, had eroded and we needed to address that."

The blue oval brand has signalled its intention to cash-in its 11 per cent stake in the Japanese company, a move which has already triggered a slight fall in Mazda's share price in Tokyo. There is no confirmation from either side of the move, but Ford has been re-organising its business for more than 18 months including the sale of Volvo - its other major satellite - to Geely of China. Ford has had a stake in Mazda since the 1970s, but its shareholding grew massively through the 1990s when the Japanese brand was almost bankrupted during an Asian financial crisis. It eventually took a one- third share. The two companies have had a long series of joint-venture models from the 323-Laser twins to the latest Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 utes unveiled on Friday at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Mazda Australia is aware of the latest rumours from the USA but has no confirmation of a share deal from Japan and is not expecting any major day-to-day changes. "It's just speculation. These things pop up from time to time," the managing director of Doug Dickson, says. "I believe it's just speculation. Ford and Mazda have an ongoing relationship and, really, nothing has changed." He says any change to the shareholding - if there is one - is unlikely to cause any problems. "I think the two issues are quite distinct," Dickson says. "It's just business as usual. There are plenty of joint ventures between companies that don't have any shareholdings. Where it makes sense, the business relationship will continue." However Ford is denying rumours it plans to sell off its remaining stake in Mazda. A Ford spokesman in Detroit told US media that while they would not comment on speculation “we continue to have a collaborative relationship with Mazda.”

Toyota is cashing-in the strength of the Australian dollar against the Japanese Yen to deliver price cuts and a value boost for its two best selling imports, the Corolla and Yaris.The basic Corolla is down by $250 and the Yaris by more than $500 in a price push that cuts some models by as much as $910 and - thanks to extra equipment including airbags - boosts buyer value by up to $2400.The move is expected to trigger a series of price cuts and value improvements as major brands jockey for sales.Nissan has already promised to deliver a new baby price fighter, the $12,990 Micra, next month and Holden has a new $12,490 Barina Spark.  The price fight was triggered yesterday at the opening of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.But Mazda said it is waiting to see if the exchange rate change is a long-term shift before it moves and Hyundai said it has no plan yet to cut prices on its Korean cars.Toyota Australia's sales chief Dave Buttner said his brand is making an aggressive stand to be competitive as car sales head for only the third one-million showroom result in Australian history. He downplayed the currency exchange rate shift, saying Toyota had been in the business for 30 years in Australia and had learned to ride the highs and lows.Ford and Mazda shared top billing on opening day with the global reveal of new working class twins,the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 utes,but the show draws include everything from the $750,000 Lexus LFA supercar to the new Micra.Price policies dominated talk at the show with most brands resisting pressure to adjust their showroom stickers despite the recent surge in the Australian dollar.  "We have no intention to over-charge," said the global boss of Mazda, Takashi Yamanouchi.Hyundai's Australian managing director, Edward Lee, said his brand is waiting to see what its rivals do.  "Basically, we already have very good value. The reason why competitors have reduced their price is because they don't have our value position," Lee said."If the current situation continues, probably we can take a look. But only if it continues. Pricing has to be very steady, we cannot go up and down all the time as the exchange rate changes."A number of companies have moved negotiated with their overseas parents to pay their bills in Australian dollars to avoid exchange rate difficulties, although the US Dollar is still the dominant currency in the car world.  But for the European majors, the booming Aussie dollar is a windfall, with more baby price fighters and even top-end heroes."We are now looking at bringing in the sub-Polo cars," says Volkswagen Group Australia managing director, Anke Koeckler.  "We would not be able to even consider bringing in the Up! small car with a weak Australian dollar - so it's good news for us."

And that says everything about the Motor Show in 2010. The baby Barina price fighter is just as important to the red team today as the Monaro was in 1998, when it arrived to power the brand into a decade of growth and overseas connections. The Spark leads a double-edged attack on the fastest growing class in showrooms, priced from $12,490. Apart from the price, which will take it up against the new $12,990 Nissan Micra, the Spark ticks the right boxes for today with fuel economy of 5.6 litres/100km, CO2 emissions of 128 grams/kilometre and six airbags. GM Holden is planning for the Spark to bring new buyers to the brand, particularly young women. "We see it as a fan, fuel efficient, very well put-together package that represents great value for money," says Holden's chairman, Mike Devereux. The Spark is part of a global push into 150 countries and cars for Australia will be built in Korea. The Spark has a 1.2-litre engine. Holden also has its new homegrown heroes up in lights at the show, with the VEII Commodore and E3 hotrods from Holden Special Vehicles on display.