Articles by Paul Gover

The world’s three largest carmakers have all rejected battery-powered cars this week at Europe’s biggest car show of 2012.Volkswagen and Toyota have joined General Motors in a stronger commitment to a new generation of range-extended hybrid cars that promise more than just a plug-in city runabout.GM is in full production with its landmark Volt, with the first Australian deliveries about to begin through Holden dealerships, and now Toyota is pushing harder with its Prius range and VW Group has confirmed a new type of petrol-electric cars across its giant line-up.All three companies are committing to cars that combine some form of pure electric driving with a combustion engine for longer trips, often charging an on-board battery pack to stretch the electric range to as much as 600 kilometres.At the same time, global sales of plug-in electric cars are still tiny and - even though the Nissan Leaf has won awards and drives well - carmakers admit they are losing money on many as they try to convince customers to take a leap into the future.There are even rumours that BMW, which is readying a completely new division for electric cars, is slowing the project until there is greater acceptance. “Many competitors are currently reducing their plans for electric vehicles,” says Martin Winterkorn, chairman of Volkswagen Group.“We at Volkswagen do not have to do that because, from the word go, we have always looked realistically at this technology transition.” “We thought about pure electrical cars, but at the end of the day I think they fulfil only the urban things.If you go by autobahn or in the countryside I think a pure electrical car is not in the near future,” confirms Dr Horst Glaser, one of the senior development engineers at Audi, part of the VW Group. There are many challenges for successful electric cars, from the charging systems to costly lithium-ion battery packs.But the hurdles are with customer acceptance, as every major brand talks about the ‘range anxiety’ of cars that cannot be refuelled quickly and shoppers also baulk at the cost and unproven lifespan of automotive battery packs.Toyota says it is reducing its electric commitment, instead accelerating development of plug-in Prius hybrids with better short-term electric range for city use. “The current capabilities of electric vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge,” says Takeshi Uchiyamada, deputy chairman of Toyota.“There are many difficulties.” Audi is leading the Volkswagen push with a system that combines a tiny three-cylinder combustion engine with a battery pack and two electric motors, a system I drove this week in Germany.It’s an impressive package and will soon go into full-scale production, most likely in an upcoming Audi Q2 SUV before being rolled-out through the VW Group. “We started with the full hybrids because we knew about the limitations of batteries and management technologies. To have a new technology first is not always the right approach,” says Glaser. 

Stephan Winkelmann says the Gallardo LP560-4 has new front and rear-end styling as he presents it alongside a 570-4 Edizione Tecnica. The two cars move the Gallardo story forward, but more in design than anything else.Giant triangles cut new lines on the front of the 560-4 and there is also a freshening at the tail, with enlarged air intakes and dark 19-inch alloys with contrasting machined spokes."The new front end is characterized by triangular and trapezoidal forms – two shapes that are highly typical of the Lamborghini design language. Divided by diagonal elements in body color and in black, the overall look of the front end is broader and more forceful, giving it an even stronger bond with the road," says Lamborghini.The Tecnica pack brings a fixed rear wing and carbon-ceramic brakes with three bold new paint schemes: matt black with orange roof arch and front air intakes, matt white with orange pillars and intakes, and orange body with matt black roof and intakes. 

The eternal city is a perpetual snarl, with parking slots as rare as South Sydney premierships and one piece of road - the giant roundabout at the Arch d'Triumph - where all car insurance is automatically void.The Smart ForTwo could have been invented just for Paris, and not just because it's the four-wheeled equivalent of a handbag.But Paris is also the city of lights and the lights are shining this week on the Mondial de L'Automobile - Paris motor show to you and me - and an astounding lineup of dream machines and showroom bait.Europe is really struggling and the show is one way for carmakers to talk about their future plans and dreams, while trying to ignore for a few days the reality of a sales slide that's topped 10 per cent through most of this year.It's easy to be overwhelmed by a motoring menu that's top heavy with cordon bleu cars, but there is also a lot of meat-and-spuds stuff that will be relevant to Australia over the next few years.So, what did I see that I like in Paris? The star car, for me, has to be the McLaren P1. Anyone who knows a bit about motorsport will know that P1 is shorthand for position one, not just another silly jumble of numbers and letters like the company's current MP4-12C.The P1 is designed and developed to be best-of-the-best in the supercar world with the promise of a 340km/h top speed, ultimate luxury, and looks to shut down any Ferrari.McLaren turned the supercar business upside-down in the 1980s with its landmark F1, with cars still selling for more than $1.5 million second hand, and everything points to the P1 repeating the dose.Then there is the Jaguar F-Type. It's far more affordable, at least for people who can afford at least $200,000, with great looks and the promise of performance to match a Porsche.The F proves that Jaguar is finally back to its best - did I mention the millions from India that have funded the turnaround? - with a car that's also coming next month to Sydney. On the concept car front, the home teams at Paris always go all-out for something special.For 2012, the Peugeot Onyx is the head-turning supermodel. It looks great and makes all sorts of promises on the performance angle. But, like so many chic concepts in the past from Peugeot and Renault, it has about as much chance of reaching the road as finding a parking spot in Paris. Then we come to the real stuff at Paris, and two cars stand out from the crowd.First is the Volkswagen Golf, the car called the Mark 7. It's a total overhaul of the Volkswagen group's global flagship, which has to do the heavy lifting as it aims to overtake Toyota and General Motors in the next five years to become the world's leading carmaker.The Golf looks sharp and refined, much more than just the tizzie and a facelift for the current car, and I'm driving it next week to see if it delivers on the promises.Then there is the Hyundai i30 three-door hatch. It's a good looking car that would be a huge hit in Australia, if only Hyundai would get serious - as Renault plans, with the chic new Clio that's also unveiled in Paris - about taking cars from Europe and not just relying on the low-cost supply line to home base in Korea.

It shows the ugly duckling of the Porsche parade, the four-door Panamera, is finally being done right. It's taken the arrival of a Panamera wagon to set the car straight, adding the beef and balance that the car needs to win the hearts of performance fans around the world.Porsche has done the job with its Sport Turismo concept at the Paris show, which is the start of a taster tour to see if it should be put into full-scale production. Even if it gets a go-ahead it will be at least three years before it hits the road, but the signs are already promising.Porsche has equipped the concept with one of its latest plug-in hybrid power packs - similar to the one I drove and liked this week in an Audi A1 prototype - and promises the system will move quickly through the range after providing the motivation for its upcoming 918 supercar."But it's still just a study. Until a decision is taken on whether to build it," the head of Porsche Cars Australia, Michael Winkler, tells Carsguide. "Really, it depends on the public reaction."The preview of the Sport Turismo, in the same week as a Carsguide first drive in the latest Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake, proves that European luxury brands still see solid sales potential in stylish wagons despite the worldwide dominance of family-focussed SUVs.The new Porsche actually trumps the Shooting Brake on visual impact and does not have the unfortunate visual link to the Hyundai i40 wagon already on the road in Australia. But Porsche is not giving a green light to the Sport Turismo. Yet, anyway."Any new car is a risk. There is a real dissecting of the market for certain needs. We have to see if this car could fulfil a need," says Winkler. 

The outrageous and outrageously expensive SUV has won a go-ahead for the road after an overwhelming response from super-rich buyers.

Volkswagen Group staged the event to showcase a range of its show heroes but the two most important previews of all - the Golf GTi and Audi Q2 - were held back.

The compact Q2 is being previewed at the Paris motor show as the Crosslane Coupe concept.Nobody is fooled by the concept tag, as the mechanical details are almost identical to a range-extender hybrid A1 - with a combination of battery power and three-cylinder petrol engine - I drove in Munich earlier this week.The body is a good looking crossover design with a four-seater cabin and overall dimensions shorter and lower than the Q3 already on sale, although it is likely to become a five-seater by showroom time. Audi is expected to pitch it as a rival to the Mini Countryman.The Q2 is the second new model from the Volkswagen Group to be built on the company's flexible MQB mechanical platform, which is also the base for the latest Golf Mk7. More details soon. 

The hot hatch hero is being previewed at the Paris motor show today as the regular seventh-generation Golf closes on showrooms.Carsguide drives the Golf for the first time next week and will have a drive report as the engine is cooling in Corsica.The GTi has been a huge star in Australia and the previous model created a waiting list that stretched for more than 18 months during the early part of its reign.The MK7 GTi is only being called a concept in Paris but it's a car that looks ready to go, based on leaked pictures on the eve of the show opening.Without official confirmation, it appears the GTi will have around 160 kiloWatts from a turbocharged 2-litre engine coupled to six-speed manual and DSG gearboxes.Visually, the car has big alloys, red brake callipers, twin tailpipes, a rear diffuser and small spoiler at the back of the roof.More detail as it comes to hand.

The hardtop two-seater is already in final development and should hit the road within two years of the first convertible deliveries next year, pointing to an on-sale date in 2015.  Jaguar wants clear space to catapult its F-Type sports car into action but cannot deny plans for a coupe and also a high-powered RS model with supercharged V8.  “If you don't see something now, there's a good chance you might see it later. We'd be made not to do a coupe,” Ian Callum, Jaguar's chief designer, reveals to Carsguide in London.  “Yes, it's pretty close.” Jaguar has been very busy on the sport car front in recent times, with development of the F-Type running in parallel to the C-X15, which is being productionised as a hybrid in a partnership with Williams F1. Callum says the F-Type convertible came before the coupe, which was made easier since all the basic shapes and dimensions were already set. “There's a simple rule - you design the convertible first. This was done first,” he says. “You get it interesting first and then the coupe comes much more naturally.” He's not big on detail for the hardtop, preferring to discuss the roadster, but says one thing that made the original E-Type coupe very distinctive in its day - a side-opening rear door - will not be revived. “It's not going to have a hatchback,” Callum says simply.  There should be a couple of benefits, as coupes are traditionally lighter - because of extra strengthening and the roof mechanism in a convertible - and also cut the air better for slightly improved performance and economy. “The coupe will be better, but we don't know yet by how much,” Callum says.

The all-new F-Type is Jaguar's first true sports car since the 1960s. It's the spiritual successor to the classic E-Type, with a driving-first layout and a muscular body that's pulled tight around the mechanical package. It goes public today in Paris for the biggest European car show of the year and is also being rushed down under to star at the opening of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney next month. It's certain to be successful, with a look that's new and fresh and distinctive, an alloy chassis, a choice of V6 and V8 engines, and pricing that will put it squarely in the fertile range between Porsche's Boxster S and 911 Cabrio - likely to mean a base price around $200,000 in Australia. The F-Type is much chunkier than the dainty E-Type, but that's down to modern safety regulations and a conscious decision not to run the sixties car through a 3-D photocopier. Design guru Ian Callum and his team have done a fantastic job and he admits there will eventually be a coupe to follow the F-Type roadster. “It's a very complete car. It's a car we've wanted for a very long time,” Callum reveals to Carsguide during a sneak preview in London last month. “There is nothing I'd like to change, other than to take a couple of inches out of the height of it. I'm actually going to buy an F-Type with my own money.” It's hard to gauge the size of the F-Type from pictures, but Jaguar says the car is 2 centimetres shorter and 11 wider than a new 911. It will play in a tough sandpit already filled by the Porsches, Audi's R8, the Lamborghini Gallardo and Aston Martin V8. Mechanically, the only real shortcoming is the lack of a manual gearbox. Jaguar says it's happy with a tweaked version of its latest eight-speed auto but, in reality, getting a manual would have added an unacceptable 12-month delay to the project. There are three models - F-Type, F-Type S and F-Type V8 S - and the major difference is the engines. The basic car gets a V6 with 250kW/450Nm for a 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 260km/h, the supercharged V6 takes it to 280/460 and 4.9/275 and the V8 is good for 364/625 and 4.3/300km/h. Fuel economy is as good as 9.0 litres/100km, weights are from 1597 to 1665 kilos, and Jaguar says it's possible to fit a set of golf clubs in the boot. But the F-Type is about driving, so that's where all the effort - beyond the styling - has gone. The car was even driven into the press preview event, because Callum believes “You have to see a car in motion for the first time”. A lot of effort has gone into keeping the weight down, and the front-rear balance close to 50:50, with rear-wheel drive and plenty of electronics to make it responsive while quick and safe. It's hard to know exactly how the F-Type will drive, but Jaguar says it's going to be way sharper than the brutal-but-brunt XK models - even the hotrod RS - and that it has been developed for the 21st century. “Jaguar is a sports car company and without a sports car Jaguar is not Jaguar. But we did not sit around worshipping the ashes of our dead ancestors,” says Adrian Hallmark, global brand director for jaguar. “It's a Jaguar sports car - ultra-precise, powerful, sensual and, most of all, it feels alive.” We won't know until the F-Type is available to drive, sometime early next year, if Hallmark and Callum are just jabbering. But everything looks good and the F is a bit like a Ferrari California that's been working out, with similar proportions but a much more muscular look. It's not like anything else on the road today, it's backed by the massive Indian investment that's brought Jaguar back from the dead with a string of showroom hits, and the name alone is going to ensure the car is easy to sell for the first couple of years. Jaguar F-Type On sale: 2013 Pricing: from $200,000 (estimate) Body: two-door roadster Engines: 3-litre V6, 3-litre supercharged V6, 5-litre V8; 250kW/450Nm, 280/460, 364/625 Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive, LSD on S models Dimensions: 4470mm (L), 1923mm (w), 1297mm (h)