Articles by Paul Gover

Of all the electric cars I have driven, the Nissan Leaf is the most complete.It looks like a regular compact hatch, its performance is quite spritely, and it rides and handles with none of the compromises of other electric cars. It is virtually silent, which takes some adjustment, but it keeps up with suburban traffic and promises a workable range between charges.It has the best chance of sparking a breakthrough in Australia, although the size of the jolt depends on the pricing - which needs to be around $45,000 - and the number of Leafs available for sale.In contrast, the Mitsubishi iMiEV feels more like an overgrown golf cart than a real car. It might be a ground breaker as the first plug-in battery car sold here by a major maker, but it costs too much, is limited in range and performance, and is really just an electric conversion of a Japanese minicar.The same is true of the Subaru Stella, which only made a fleeting demonstration run in Australia. The Mini E is a good car, with great performance, but it's still only a science experiment and the back seat is totally sacrificed to the battery pack.I've just had a run in the Smart ForTwo in Germany and it's good, but the electric model needs more punch and battery life. It's coming, and the Smart EV is confirmed for Australia, but the baby-box looks means it won't work for everyone and there is always the question of price.I've also tried fully-electric cars from Honda, Renault, Toyota and Volvo, as well as the impressive range-extended GM Volt hybrid - which uses a petrol engine to charge onboard batteries - that will be a winner here as a Holden, provided the price is right.But, for now, you cannot go past the Leaf if you want to plug, charge and go. The landmark Nissan is the best drive of any electric car I know, it's practical and very well built, and Nissan is planning a full-scale push including all the charging advice and hardware needed for a new-age drive.Life with an electric car is not easy. For a start, you must have a plug-in point at home. And not just a regulation drill-saw-vacuum connection in the garage, but something that can deliver real punch.At the other end of your commute there needs to be a similar charger, but those are taking time.Carsguide plans to get a Nissan Leaf on the fleet soon and, through Nissan and ChargePoint, there will soon be a plug-in point wired into a three-phase circuit to my garage. But I'm not sure about sucking up power on the road, because - unlikely petrol stations - the electric automotive grid is still in its infancy.There is talk that some of the roadside assistance organisations, led by the RACV, will have fast-charge emergency trailers for electric owners who get too ambitious and flatten their batteries. But nothing is confirmed.In Europe this week I'm hearing from Toyota about a wired house that is totally adapted to electric cars, including feeding power back to the grid and intelligent charging that can be monitored through an iPhone App. And even solar charging stations, both for home use and like the ones I saw in Detroit last year to provide power to a fleet of GM Volts.But the promises are more like election campaigning than right-now reality, so let's see how we go - and where we go - once the Leaf is online.

A mild tweak of the family-focussed Korean SUV brings new lamps, a tweaked grille and bumpers. The car is only three years into production but the cabin is also expected to get a lift in quality.

...caught here at the Nurburgring by Carparazzi. The giveaway is 18-inch alloys but the car also gets bolder lamps similar to the new A6, as well as quad exhaust tips, while the bonnet likely hides a 2-litre turbocharged four.  

The Japanese carmaker is combining the brainpower from its one-time Formula One centre in Europe with production capacity in Japan. The shock decision to go all-out against AMG and M is revealed by the president of Toyota Motorsport in Cologne, Yoshiaki Kinoshita. "It's an official plan," Kinoshita reveals for the first time during an exclusive interview with Australian journalists. "I cannot show you today, but we have such a kind of plan. Not AMG, but change A to T." Toyota has already shown its early commitment to driving cars - which it calls Waku Doki, for heart-pounding excitement - with the impressive new 86 coupe, which was developed under a personal directive from Toyota's president, Akio Toyoda. The TMG plan shifts things up a gear and proves that Toyota wants to translate the lessons it learned in grand prix racing, even though the project was a failure, into its road cars. "After we stopped Formula One we decided several things. One of the things is to become an AMG type of company," says Kinoshita. "We are now trying. (But) how difficult, or how feasible, I don't know. I think we are in a very good position, and location." TMG is about to begin development of a road going Lexus LS with a 485 kiloWatt twin-turbo V8 engine, using the 250 staff who survived Toyota's withdrawal from Formula One. Many have recently been deployed on a Le Mans sports car racing program that saw Toyota challenging Audi last weekend - and leading briefly - at the French endurance classic. The giant German facility has everything from two wind tunnels and F1-style test rigs to high-tech production facilities for carbon fibre and other exotic materials, as well as the engineers need to turn ideas into reality. The TMG museum in Cologne includes a wide range of competition cars developed and built under the Toyota umbrella, from World Rally Championship contenders to F1 cars, Le Mans racers and even a full carbon fibre Lexus LFA racing sports car that perhaps hints at the future style of a TMG hero car. "We have people, we have computers, all we need is power," says Kinoshita. He confirms plans to tweak the Lexus flagship as a tester and taster for TMG cars, but is not dismissing the difficulty of the job. "It is one of the trials, for which kind of car we can make," he says. "Our strong point is that we can make special engines, special chassis, and special aero. Our weakest point is how to get Euro 5 emissions, how to get Euro 6, how to get homologation. We are now learning these things." Kinoshita says he has considered doing a TMG work over on the 86 but believes it's not the right target for his company. "We have already tuned an 86, but it is not a road version. Currently we have no plan to make a road version of 86." Kinoshita will not give a timetable for the TMG plan but is clearly enthusiastic about the potential and has strong backing from Japan to make it happen. "This facility can use 1000 head count. We can do five times more. It is building the brand image."  

...as the four-seat luxury car runs up to its reveal at the Paris Motor Show in September. It's still expected to have a V8 engine from the Ferrari family and perhaps also the all-wheel drive system fitted to the Ferrari FF.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee and Liberty have been targeted by the country's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in an investigation into their fuel tank locations.An engineering analysis could lead to a recall, although the exact implications in the USA - and a potential knock-on effect in Australia - are not clear."The Fiat Chrysler group is currently awaiting confirmation from the head office in Detroit regarding whether or not any Australian-owned vehicles are affected and, if so, how many," says Australian spokesperson, Lenore Fletcher. She stresses that there is no recall in the USA yet and a full update is unlikely before the end of this week.In America, safety advocates are pressing the NHTSA over the location of the fuel tank, behind the rear axle, and the potential for fire in a rear-end impact. Initially, the NHTSA only studied the fuel tank on the Grand Cherokee in response to 26 complaints, before deciding to expand the list of vehicles.The investigation covers Jeep Grand Cherokees built between 1993 and 2004, Jeep Cherokees built between 1993 and 2001, and Jeep Liberty SUVs built between 2002 and 2007. The total number of vehicles involved is around 5.1 million.Chrysler says it is co-operating with the investigation and says available information shows no greater fire risk in its vehicles than other similar SUVs.The NHTSA investigation compares the Grand Cherokee's fuel system with that of three similar vehicles: the Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Explorer and Toyota 4Runner and its preliminary findings indicate that fuel-tank failures and fires in rear-end collisions are more prevalent in the Grand Cherokee than in the comparison vehicles. 

The latest picture of the compact Porsche SUV leaves nothing to the imagination. The Macan is revealed as a surprisingly stylish younger brother to the giant Cayenne as Porsche fast-tracks the car for showrooms using plenty of parts from the Audi bin. A V6 engine is now certain with around 280 kiloWatts on the turbocharged headline model, but there is also expected to be a four-cylinder motor - the first in a Porsche since the end of the 968 in 1995.What is it? Porsche MacanWhy the fuss? Second SUV from the sports car specialistWhen's it here? Late 2013How much? Around $70,000 

Every car in the country now has to carry a single-use personal breathalyser, a development that is likely to spread rapidly across Europe in coming years. There is also a good chance it could be copied by the lawmakers in Australia as part of the ongoing battle against drink driving on local roads. The new breathalyser rule comes into effect in France on July 1, a delay from April 1, to allow production of enough units at an affordable pricetag that is less than $2. It is also the start of the annual influx of holidaymakers to the sunshine spots in the country. Police have been instructed not to impose fines, set at $14, until November. The Transport Ministry in France confirms the regulation applies to every car driving on the country's roads, including foreign visitors in cars registered outside the country. The blood alcohol limit in France is the same as Australia at 0.05, but the death toll on the country's roads has resisted ongoing efforts in recent years. The figure for 2011 was 4000 deaths, only a slight reduction on 2010. The single-use breathalyser is intended to allow drivers to self-test before hitting the road, but drivers are being recommended to have two units in the car to keep one in reserve for any police check. Road safety regulations in Europe have forced through requirements for a number of onboard items in recent years, and anyone driving in France is already required to carry a reflective warning triangle and a fluorescent safety vest - which must be in the passenger cabin and not the boot. This is in addition to a first aid kit, fire extinguisher and spare bulbs for the car's lights. Anything missing brings a fine of $125.  

The SLS GT has just been rejected despite its strengths because there is a bolder and badder SLS lurking around the corner. It's the AMG SLS Black Series and it's certain for Australia, despite official dithering about the detail. Mercedes-Benz Australia admits the SLS GT - developed as both a gullwing coupe and roadster - has missed the boat but is only hinting on the Black Series side. "We won't be taking the GT at this stage There will be a more powerful SLS that we will take," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz. So, that means the Black Series is a starter? "I cannot confirm this," he tells Carsguide. But the Black Series is definitely coming and the timing for Australia is likely to be the middle of next year, with a price tag in the $750,000 range based on the previous Black Series flagship, the SL65.  Black Series cars are the ultimate from AMG, the fast car division of the silver star carmaker, with wicked engines, lighweighted bodies and other significant improvements to boost speed and driver enjoyment. The SLS black is expected to come with more power, wider wheel arches to cover bigger wheels and brakes, as well as race-style bucket seats. The pocket rocket C63 Black Series hit Australia at the beginning of the year and was an instant sellout. It was so popular that Benz Australia requested extra cars, although none were available. "We secured 32 cars and have not been able to get anymore," says McCarthy. Although McCarthy is evasive on the SLS Black, he confirms the importance of the car. "We went to a lot of effort to get CLK Black and others. As one of AMG's most important markets with a very loyal,demanding and well informed ownership base every Black Series we get is virtually pre-sold."  So, it is likely for Australia. "Yes," he admits. But there will still very limited supplies, based on the likely price tag and a limited production run. "We would take half a dozen or so if it becomes available. We sold seven of the SL65 AMG Black Series," McCarthy says.  

There are more than 150 carmakers in China, although most are tiny firms producing for local customers. But three of the larger Chinese brands are already established in the passenger-vehicle ranks - Chery, Great Wall and Geely - with Foton and JAC selling trucks, Higer with buses and all looking for future growth. Great Wall is easily the most successful to date, with 4838 sales to the end of May mostly thanks to its utes, with Chery on 696 and Geely not included in the national VFACTS total despite taking a toehold in Western Australia last year. Carsguide has learned of another six contenders and believes they are already negotiating with freelance importers about local distribution. "The Chinese embassy has contacted us about finding local partners for six car companies," a senior source at the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reveals to Carsguide. "We are trying to help. They seem pretty keen." The importer with the strongest Chinese ties, Ateco Automotive, already has Chery and Great Wall on its books and company chief Neville Crichton admits he is looking to spread his influence. Ateco has recently lost the local agency for Alfa Romeo and Fiat, which were reclaimed by their owners at Fiat Chrysler Group, and has previously imported both Suzuki and Kia vehicles before selling the franchises back to head office. Crichton will not discuss his targets but a team from Ateco was one of the Australian groups in China recently for the Beijing Motor Show. There are now seven Great Wall models in Australia but none are passenger cars, at least yet, while Chery has three with the J11 SUV selling best with 374 delivers to the end of May. The Geely importer, John Hughes in Perth, is regrouping before a stronger push with a bigger range of the company's latest models in 2013. Two other brands, JAC and Maxus, are being handled by the import company WMC, which began with Higer buses. JAC is beginning its Australian push with small trucks, planning to follow with vans and a ute in 2013, and likely passenger cars in late 2014. Maxus, which is part of the giant Shanghai Automotive group that includes MG, is starting with vans but has perhaps the greatest potential of all once it commits to a local program with its Chinese cars.