Articles by Paul Gover

The future of Citroen in Australia hinges on a single car, the C4 Cactus.

The Gold Coast will be the home of a new shrine to race legend Peter Brock.

The most aggressive product plan in the history of Aston Martin will reinvent the classic British brand by 2020.

From the age of 16, Calvin Luk dreamt of designing for BMW. Now he's one of the key people in the company's exterior production design studio in Germany. His first complete car will be public later in the year, but the 1 Series work is already on the road in Europe and he has a big grin."I'm enjoying it here. There is no reason to think about anything else. It was always a dream to come here," Luk tells CarsGuide.He wrote to BMW after visiting the Sydney Motor Show in the 1990s, took the company's advice to study at the Art Centre College of Design in California, then interned at BMW before being offered a full-time job."I always stayed in touch with the BMW team while I was studying. Once you leave Australia, that's it, you better make something out of it. It's a big commitment to leave home."The impression from front and rear is that it's almost a new carThat commitment is now reflected in his work on BMW production cars, starting with the 1 Series."It's a facelift. But it's the whole front and rear end," he says. "A lot of the change is being driven by the new components underneath, like the new light modules and air requirements for new engines."Overall, the impression from front and rear is that it's almost a new car."Sydney-born Luk says his background gives him a global view of the car business.What you consider important is coming from many facets at the same time"It's not just being Australian, but it's also studying in California and my Asian heritage from Hong Kong. Then you're living in Germany in Munich. What you consider important is coming from many facets at the same time."He has worked with BMW for nearly seven years, starting with the advanced design studio, and loves the competitive element to his job. That starts with concept sketches, runs through a contest to create the best design and models for a new car, to the final production work."I think it's exciting. Without competition you don't have the same sort of drive to make the best out of the project. It's much more exciting and thrilling, and it keeps you on your toes." Luk says working at BMW gives him both challenges and satisfaction.Customers expect more that they cannot get in other cars"You have to respect the brand. Part of the customer expectation is to buy a BMW at the end of the day, so you don't want to throw them something that's unrelated," he says."You add to the story. But you do have more freedom because you are a premium product, and you can invest more. And customers expect more that they cannot get in other cars."

A plug-in hybrid is also coming next year. But the big switch, and a car to challenge the Mercedes-Benz C-Class that is romping ahead with prestige buyers in Australia, is still in the future.A new 7 Series flagship is coming towards the end of this year. Australian designer Calvin Luk has done design updates for the 1 Series and X3, but the 3 Series is only a mild evolution despite the hype at company headquarters in Munich."We are enriching the 3 Series with new cutting-edge engine technology. We can offer a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 13 per cent," says BMW Group global marketing chief Ian Robertson.He says the focus is on agility and dynamics as BMW defends the global market leadership it has held since the 3 Series's debut in 1975."We fully intend to maintain this position. The sedan segment is still strong despite what everyone is trying to intimate, and the Touring (wagon) works well in Europe."I think sedans have a long way to go. Our core is still rear-wheel drive and sedans."The 3 Series update will reach Australia late this year, after European sales begin in August, but there is no prediction yet on pricing or the final engine line-up after the mid-cycle change.The new engines are led by the four-cylinder petrol powerplant in the 330i that makes 135kW and best fuel figures from 5.3L/100km. The 240kW inline six in the 340i returns at best 6.6L/100km.All the 3 Series engines below the M3 — three, four and six-cylinder petrol and four-cylinder diesel — now come from the Efficient Dynamics engine family, boosted by turbos. The plug-in hybrid, the 330e, promises economy of just 2.1L/100km despite making 185kW.We've done subtle but effective changesOn the technology front, in addition to 4G there is an updated Professional satnav with the prospect of quicker route calculation and free map upgrades "automatically over the air in the owner's home region" for three years.Visually, the 3 Series has a sharper nose with more LED work and tail-lamps with a slightly different shape. In the cabin, there is more soft plastic and extra chrome trimming."We've done subtle but effective changes. It's about quality and precision," says BMW design chief Karim Habib.BMW talks big about the history of the 3 Series, with sales totalling more than 14 million cars.There was a historic line-up of all six generations outside its Munich headquarters for the update event.Robertson says the big party is coming next year, though he won't be drawn on the possibility of landmark concept cars or even a 3 Series with more improvements."We are going to do some celebratory 100-year cars next year," he says, alluding to BMW's centenary.Check out Malcolm Flynn's video review of the BMW 3 Series:

Nearly a quarter of the cars sold in the country are now battery powered, thanks to a combination of green energy and government incentives that include a waiver for GST and the ability to drive in bus lanes.As plug-in cars struggle for acceptance in Australia, and car makers including Nissan and Tesla fight a losing battle for government support, BMW is pushing ahead with its i-car drive.It sold 16,000 examples of its city-focused i3 last year and is intending to get much closer to its early forecast of 30,000-plus in 2015.The i3 enjoys a lot of success where there are government incentives in place"Zero emissions are coming, so urban mobility is going to change," says BMW Group global marketing boss Ian Robertson. "At the end of the day, the big urban environments around the world are going to a zero-emissions situation."Robertson says government support is essential and lists incentives including free access to the London congestion zone and carpool lanes in California, as well as the £5000 grant to electric car buyers in Britain. "It would be fair to say the i3 enjoys a lot of success where there are government incentives in place."

Paul Gover road tests and reviews the 2015 Mercedes-Benz C250 Estate with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Paul Gover reviews the Mini John Cooper Works at its international launch.

Gover road tests and reviews the Mazda CX-3 with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Australia is leading the Kia world on cornering.