Articles by Paul Gover

The new-car collection is being assembled in Sydney on August 13, as Ford Motor Company's global marketing boss Jim Farley flies in to confirm a local future for the iconic Ford Mustang.The Mustang will sit in the spotlight but there is also a full spread of cars that should run from the Fiesta through the new baby EcoBoost SUV up to a replacement for the locally-made Territory. But there will not be a Taurus.Ford insiders confirm to Carsguide that there is no plan for any big car to take over from the Falcon, with the mid-sized Mondeo taking over as the company's family fighter and the American-made Taurus not returning after a failed local effort in the mid-1990s.The location for the showroom preview is being kept secret until the day, although more than 150 people are expected to attend - including a small number of owners. "We will have customers at the event. We want to get some Ford fans along," the spokesman for Ford Australia, Neil McDonald, tells Carsguide. "It's somewhere in Sydney. We can't go into any details beyond that.".The presence of Farley, Ford's executive vice-president of global marketing, sales, service, and Lincoln, shows the importance of the event and also the need to talk-up Ford Australia as a pure importer instead of a local manufactuer.He should outline a plan that goes well beyond 2016, when the Falcon is currently forecasted to pass into the pages of history following a much-needed update next year. "This will show all the Ford fans what our future will look like," says McDonald. "We're not ready to talk about things yet."There will be up to a dozen cars at the show but one thing missing is the full-sized SUV based on the Ford Ranger. It has been designed and developed in Australia, like the Ranger, but the T6 family model is too far into the future to make its debut in Sydney.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover

I'm in techno overload after days on end with Benz flagships, tiny electric city cars and BMWs that drive themselves. It seems computers can do everything and anything today, from setting your ideal cabin to preparing for some sort of crash or ensuring you don't have one.  There are Apps to tell you car when to charge, and when to feed its battery pack back into the grid to make you money, and plastic bodywork that is a strong as steel. To be honest, I'm craving seat time in something simple, like an EH Holden ute. And I should apologise for coming back to my current Bucklet List leader. So, as I wind down from too many cars and too much technology I'm sliding back more than 70 years into a brilliant BMW that's as basic as they come. It's a 328, but nothing like the 328 in showrooms today. This one is an old-school roadster that was developed for keen drivers with cash before World War II. It was actually delivered in Australia, complete with right-hand drive, although it's now part of the BMW museum collection in Munich. It's been cleaned and fuelled, but otherwise is just as its maker intended - in the days, no decades, before computers took over the road. My first and only drama with this 328 is my shoes, which are too wide for the tiny pedals. So they come off and we set off with my socks doing the driving work. And what a drive. The 328 starts first time, even though it's got an old-school distributor and carburettors, and there is a snarling back through the exhaust as I work up through the four-speed manual gearbox. There is plenty of kickback through the steering, and the car wanders far more than a modern one, but that's part of the charm and enjoyment. This is real driving, not just transport in a cocoon-on-wheels from the 21st century. My host Stefan Behr is helping with the turn-signal switch and advice on overtaking, and we're both laughing and waving in the bright summer sunshine. The 328 draws plenty of looks and there is one long conversation at traffic lights as my co-driver runs through the car's history with an old-timer in the next car. The 328 runs faultlessly, although I have to make extra allowances for the ancient brakes and a chassis that would be easilyl trumped through corners by a Hyundai i20. And I'm only now realising there is no seatbelt, let alone airbags, not that I have any intention of crashing this priceless piece of history. My drive times runs out far too fast but I'm still smiling several hours later and enjoy re-telling the stories of the day. My favourite? Well, it's something about the old-timer but with a modern twist on greed cameras. Amazingly, a radar warning outside one of the small Munich hamlets catches the 328 at 77km/h in an 80 zone, which is safe enough on all fronts. But then I realise that, way back in 1938, they built speedometers with incredible accuracy and the dial in front of me is holding steady at 76. Not bad without a computer, eh? This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

Imagine yourself in a life-or-death confrontation with an oncoming car, but as you turn the wheel away from danger the car wants to go back into the shooting line. It happened to me in Italy a while back, driving a then-new Mercedes-Benz CLS. And it was scary. But it will never happen again, to me or anyone else, thanks to revisions to Benz's electronic lane-keeping assistant. In case you need a reminder, this safety technology is still on its way down to your car, the 'active' lane-keep assist is intended to intervene if it detects you wandering off the road. It's one of the latest electronic countermeasures to fight fatigue and distracted drivers. At first, the lane-keeper system wobbled the steering wheel as if you were running over a string of cats eyes, then it moved on to a system which brakes the inside-front wheel to straighten the car for you. A bit like electronic stability control, with a twist. That's fine - unless you have deliberately eased away from danger and the car thinks you've dozed off. The Carsguide crew reported the glitch to Benz after the CLS drama and, to the company's immense credit, it reacted quickly and positively. I was soon on a flight to Germany to re-create the situation on a frozen airfield and other journalists were quizzed about their experiences with the CLS, including one who had nearly bowled a motorcycle who was riding in the car's blind spot at the rear three-quarter. Then, at the global preview of the flagship S-Class I am reminded of Benz's safety-first approach to motoring when a new-and-improved Active Lane Keeping Assist system is introduced, complete with revisions from the Carsguide experience. Instead of just checking to see if the driver is signalling a lane change, or that they are applying more than 10 degrees of lock on the wheel, it now uses front and rear scanners before activating the lane-keeper. One system looks far ahead for a potential collision target and another looks behind to ensure there is nothing in the blind spots. It's great, because it's a good idea that just needed some tuning. Even better, Benz admits there was room for improvement - and that Carsguide triggered the changes. “Yes, you can claim the credit,” says Benz's latest safety guru, Jochen Haab, as I climb from the S-Class. He explains the changes and the process, as well as the trickle-down effect that will take the system from the S-Class down into the E-Class and beyond - and even into other brands, as Mercedes-Benz has always been happy to share anything on the safety front. “It's a lot more intelligent now. It has the same name but it monitors a lot more inputs,” Haab says. “If we find these things, we incorporate them.” This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

A plastic electric car is just about the last thing you'd expect from the company that builds the stonking M3, the X5 family hauler and the luxury 7 Series. It sounds much more like a kiddie's toy than a breakthrough new BMW that is heading down the road to the future. But the i3 is not just a car.It's a new take on 21st century motoring, from its body design to the plug-in power pack and the way it's built, and is seriously impressive. The i3 is roomy, classy, perky, fun, and almost certain to go into the history books as a landmark car.The new-age electric car has a 200-kilometre range that grows to 300 if a buyer adds a tiny motorcycle engine for battery top-up charging and pioneers a new production process that could see plenty of body designs sitting on the same rolling battery pack.After spending time with the brilliant dinosaur called the Mercedes-Benz S-Class - one of today's glorious apex predators - my first drive in the i3 is like discovering the first mammal on the evolutionary road. So the S is brilliantly now, but the i3 is futuristically promising.I've got less than 10 kilometres and three hours to dip into the i3, at the first press preview drive in Munich, but it's enough. For now. The big questions will come for home-ground use from the middle of 2014, where things like the cost of plug-in coal power and the real-world range on Australian roads will be answered.Next year is also when we will know the driveaway pricing, the support system - which sets a new standard in Europe - and the ongoing warranty and service costs. For now, BMW Australia only admits the i3 will cost more than $50,000 and less than $70,000 and that it's doing its best on a dealer network that will sit inside but outside its regular system.The dealership differentiation is because the i3 is not just a car. Apart from the landmark construction process, where its carbon fibre-reinforced plastic body is bonded to a skateboard-style mechanical package like a life-sized Airfix kit, the i3 is the start of a new BMW Group sub-brand that's been created in a similar style to Mini. It will be closely followed by the i8 super coupe and other electrified newcomers.In Europe, the i line means everything from cheap energy deals to special home charging units and a satnav system that's all about finding the next plug-in spot and plotting routes that get maximum range from the lithium-ion battery pack under the floor.“BMW is playing an active role in changing the face of urban mobility. We come another step closer to reality,” the head of planning for Project i, Dr Martin Arlt, tells Carsguide, ironically, at a former World War II airfield.“Our development work has spawned a car that differs significantly from the current automotive industry norm in many ways. We haven't reinvented the car, but we have totally re-defined the basis on which it is created.”There is plenty to see, touch and hear about the i3, but this time it's all about driving. The technology can wait. There are four i3s ready to go, with only a small strip of silly camouflage on the bodywork but big cloth patches covering the cabin detail. Each is fully charged for driving on a course that's laid out to put the emphasis on acceleration, braking and cornering.So I jump onboard, stepping over the wide plastic door sills and through clamshell doors that give great access to the back seat, and slide in behind the wheel. Reassuringly, there are still two pedals on the floor, the wheel is nothing new, and - when I pull back the covers for a sneak peek - there are two big TFT screens to handle the gauges and infotainment.There is no key, just a press button, and once the dash lights up I flick a small switch into D and off we go. Select R and it spins the electric engine, which turns the rear wheels, the opposite way in the single-speed transmission.There is instant and eager response to the accelerator and I can easily believe BMW's claim of a 7.2-second sprint to 100km/h - which compares brilliantly to the 11.9 for a Nissan Leaf. There is no need for braking at first, thanks to a powerful regenerative system to top the battery, as a slight ease on the accelerator has it slowing fine for the first slalom.The i3 responds eagerly to the wheel and is well balanced without too much roll, but the tyres - just 155x19s in the interest of low rolling resistance - start to hum and then squeal long before the chassis reaches its limit.There are three driving modes - Comfort, EcoPro and EcoPro+ - but the difference is about range, although extracting maximum range does dull the response to the accelerator. There is a predictable whirring noise from the electric motor in the tail and a slight wibber-wibber-wibber harmonic at times which is apparently an aberration that will be removed before full-scale production.So I head back to a series of workshops in an aircraft bunker that fill in the detail. BMW claims the i3 is the world's first premium electric car and is intent on lifting any barrier that allows a showroom shopper to say “No thanks, not for me” to a plug-in electric car.There are already other nice electric cars including the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, but not the awful Mitsubishi iMiEV, and the range-extender Holden Volt is also leading on the road to electrification of motoring. But they are really just converted petrol projects, not a ground-up electric deal that's already been tested using converted 1-Series ActiveE cars that have covered vast development kilometres.I've tried the ActiveE and found it great, if overweight, while the Leaf is nice for a while and the Volt is good for long trips but very cramped in the back and boot. The Zoe will be better but not an i3.What makes the BMW different is a rear-wheel drive layout, lightweight construction that means it weighs just 1195 kilograms, and a no-compromise approach that even means the plug-in port is in the right-rear corner of the car - where you would normally find a petrol point - because it cuts the length of cable needed to feed the battery.Engineers have cleverly sited the 125 kiloWatt electric engine at one side of the multi-link rear suspension, leaving a balancing void on the other side that can be occupied by the range-extender motor. Moving to create comforts, BMW has left the wood in the cabin unvarnished for a motor natural look, there are hemp-fibre door trims, and the lights are low-drain LEDs.In the past, BMW has rushed new technology to the road before it was really ready - I can still recall the original iDrive disaster - but the company is taking no chances with the i-car division. It's promising 30-minute fast charges, affordable eight-hour charging at home, an extended battery support package, and has even created a range of new buzzwords - like eDrive.The full production version of the i3 will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, when we're also expecting firmer news on pricing and the dealer network for Australia. But, right now, the i3 looks impressive and headed for success.BMW i3Price: estimate $60,000Engine: 125kW/250Nm hybrid synchronous electric motorBattery: 360 volts, lithium-ionCharging time: 30-minute fast charge, 8 hours at domestic socketDrive: single-speed, rear-wheel driveSuspension: front MacPherson struts, rear multi linksTyres: 155x19Performance: 0-100km/h, 7.2s; top speed 150km/hRange: 130-300km

It has an all-new crossover body hidden under all the black plastic wrapping on this test car.The new Dualis is predicted to share its mechanical platform with the next X-Trail, although that's all secret until a likely unveiling at the LA Motor Show in November.

The photos show how the car has been slimmed and trimmed to make it less of a heavyweight. The coupe will pick up all the technology from the S-Class sedan and will also still come with a V12 engine for people who don't have to worry about petrol.

This hotrod F- model is being tested, not surprisingly, at the Nurburgring in Germany in readiness for a battle with the upcoming BMW M4 coupe. There are also likely to be trimmed-down IS Coupes that build from a body that's slightly wider and longer than the new four-door model. Here in 2014 for around $160,000.

This camouflage-free test car is caught by Carparazzi, which is still predicting 405 kiloWatts of power from the latest development of the flat-six in the tail.

The name game is underway for a new British baby - but it's not the new Royal. Bentley has started the search for the name it will apply to the most important car in generations, its first SUV.The top-drawer British brand has just had the final go-ahead for its first family-focussed crossover which was previously previewed in 2012 as the EXP 9F, ahead of sales in the final months of 2015.The jumble of letters and numbers - which reflect the cars place in the experimental line at Bentley - will definitely be going and there will be a new name to sit it alongside the Continental, Mulsanne and Flying Spur."It will have a name. Asobultey. Yes," the spokesman for Bentley Motors, Robin Peel, confirms today to Carsguide as he wraps a downunder visit with brand ambassador Andy Green, holder of the World Land Speed Record. "Is that name decided yet? No."Is there a process for deciding that name? Yes." Peel says Bentley will be looking into the archives for potential choices from the brand's earlier days but is giving no hints on the final outcome, beyond ruling out EXP 9F."That's not a sexy name, but as a concept you had to give it something that's at least recognisable." The 9F toured the world as a tease for a new direction for Bentley and got an overwhelmingly positive response, despite the ugliness of its front end.It's a similarly predictable outcome to the Lamborghini Urus, which was also revealed as a motor show tease before getting a production go-ahead. Ironically, both Bentley and Lamborghini are part of the giant Volkswagen Group and their new SUVs will sit over the same mechanical package, which will also run under the next Porsche Cayenne.Peel refuses to be drawn on exact timing for the Bentley SUV but says it will be public sometime in 2015. "For me to say it's the end of 2015 or the start of 2016, we don't actually know. That's the working timetable," he says.The SUV is expected to more than double Bentley's annual sales - just as the Cayenne did when Porsche joined the SUV hordes - although sales were already up by 22 per cent in 2012 at 8510 deliveries worldwide.It will bring an employment boost at Bentley's factory at Crewe in England - the traditional home, also, of Rolls-Royce - with more than $1 billion to be spend on extra production facilities and the employment of an extra 1000 workers. Bentley has only given the barest outline of the SUV in its first official picture of the production car, but is touting the newcomer as the world's most powerful and expensive SUV.It says the styling will be "changed considerably" from the 9F, no surprise since the nose was voted as worst in show anywhere it appeared. The Bentley SUV - whatever it's finally called - is likely to have a pricetag beyond $250,000 in Australia, matched by a top speed beyond 250km/h.This reporter is onTwitter: @paulwardgover 

Despite a strong and long-term commitment to top-class motorsport, which once included its own Formula One team and still runs to a winning program in the German touring car championship, it is not interested in Aussie tin tops.BMW Australia admits it has been approached about joining the V8 ranks but the reply is blunt, basic and runs to a single word. "No," says Tom Noble, marketing chief of BMW Australia. "You should never say never, but I don't … No, it's no."The V8 ranks have swollen this year as the traditional race rivals, Ford and Holden, have been joined by Nissan and Erebus - which fields AMG Mercedes-Benz cars - with Volvo set for a start in 2014. BMW admits it has been approached but is less than lukewarm."Mark Skaife (chairman of the V8 Supercars Commission) gave us a ring last year," says Noble. So it's a definite no, but why? "As it's not really a formula to showcase new technology, as a concept it doesn't necessarily make sense," he says."I'm not going to race an M3. I'm not going to race something that looks like an M3 with an engine that's not a BMW product. "So what am I showing and proving? I could run a race team, but I'm not showing the capability of BMW."This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover