Articles by Paul Gover

The next all-new Golf, the seventh generation, should be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September and then reach Australia by the middle of next year.It will be a familiar package, but tweaked with a sharper edge to the styling - no carryover body panels, unlike the current car - and more efficiency.Here the first half of 2013, priced similar to today.

And not without reason. There have been some desperately underwhelming four-cylinder cars sold in Australia over the years. Here are a few of the fours that flopped. AUDI TT When the cute coupe first hit Australia in the late nineties it was dozy with a capital D, thanks to 1.8-litre turbo power delivery and gearing that was tweaked for 200km/h autobahn action. Things only changed when a senior Audi engineer hit Melbourne and was stunned to be out-gunned at every set of lights by Commodore and Falcon taxis. CHRYSLER NEON A 2.0-litre engine should have been fine for the time, but the American pretender was underdone and a three-speed auto from the dark ages killed it. There was lots of talk about go-kart handling, but reviewers found crappy quality and a severe lack of go. HOLDEN COMMODORE STARFIRE FOUR Definitely the worst Commodore in the car's history, with a gasping 1.9-litre motor - a chopped-down inline six - that had zero performance and terrible response. Holden's response to global oil shortages came in the VC Commodore but, ironically, it needed such thrashing that the economy was often worse than the six. Among its many derogarty nicknames was "Backfire Four". HOLDEN CAMIRA 1.6 The first 'world' car to reach Australia, the Camira was lacklustre in so, so many ways. But worst off all was the undersized and overstretched four-cylinder engine. In a land where torque is tough, this was a loser and even later growth to 1.8 and 2.0 litres failed to erase the early setback. NISSAN BLUEBIRD  Billed as 'Australia's first four-cylinder limousine', the Bluebird of 1981 was anything but luxurious. A body built from recycled Coke cans, underwhelming quality from the factory in Clayton and a 2.0-litre engine that was past its best meant the car struggled through to 1986. PORSCHE 944 S2 A giant 3.0-litre four was the biggest of its type in 1989. Porsche was doing everything it could to find friends for its baby coupe and the four-pot did make 155 kiloWatts, but it took the arrival of the Boxster - soon to get a 21st century four - to turn the tide.  

A multicultural compact car with connections to Italy, the USA and China could become Fiat's new star for Australia. The Fiat Viaggio is an Italian rework of a car developed for the USA as the Dodge Dart, which was originally born with Alfa Romeo DNA, and will be unveiled this week at the Beijing Motor Show. It is already being considered as an addition to the local lineup of the new Fiat-Chrysler import operation, which was created when the Italian company resumed control of its local future - previously in the hands of Ateco Automotive - and merged it with its Chrysler outpost. The Dart was high on the shopping list for Australia when it was unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January, but since then Fiat-Chrysler Australia has decided to cull the Dodge name and badge from its local lineup. A lack of right-hand drive production is also a major hurdle. Switching to the Viaggio would make more sense and, with the Dart just confirmed with a $15,999 starting price in the USA, it could easily make it to Australia in the second half of 2013 with pricetags starting around $25,000. Fiat-Chrysler admits the Dart thrust has been blunted but will not be drawn on the Viaggio. "The Dart is still a very attractive car. But at the moment it's not made with the steering wheel on the correct side for Australia," says company spokesperson, Lenore Fletcher. "We need to team up with some right-hand drive markets and see what we can do." So, is the Italian connection a more likely link, particularly as the Fiat Fremont - a re-badged Dodge Journey with some extra European flair - is already a near-certainty for Australia. Because the Viaggio has original Alfa Romeo DNA, it would also be easily tweaked for right-hand drive production and Australian design rules and customer preferences. "It's too early to comment on the Viaggio," Fletcher tells Carsguide. The Dodge Dart lineup points to the various options with the Viaggio, with a range of engines including Fiat's 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo, five trim levels up to the R/T at $23,290, and a potential high-performance SRT car. Dart deliveries begin in the USA in June.  

The updated bodywork developed to refresh and revitalise the struggling star is already locked for customer deliveries by May 2013, but could be fast-tracked onto noses and tail of the Holden heroes for the start of next year's touring car season in March. Race teams are pushing for an early go-ahead from Holden headquarters at Fishermans Bend to save them building two sets of bodywork for the new Car of the Future regulations that come into force for V8 Supercar racing early next year. "Why would we build one body for the start of the year and then have to change it two or three months later?", one of Holden's pit lane leaders asks Carsguide. But an early switch could work against Holden's carefully-crafter sales plans, creating a buyer strike during the runout of the current VE as shoppers wait for the updated model. The VF will look significantly different, with major changes to the front and rear ends of the bodywork although nothing is likely to change in the central glasshouse. That means the undersized external rear-vision mirrors are expected to continue their unpopular run. But there will be major improvements to comfort and cabin quality, as well as the overall refinement of the car, even though Holden is still stonewalling on its work. "You'll have to wait and see," is the only answer from Holden's spokesperson, Emily Perry, to a string of Carsguide questions. But there is an even bigger question mark over the VF Commodore, with rumours from the USA that a re-badged Holden cold be sold there as the Chevrolet SS. General Motors chiefs admit that they will have an all-new car as their racing star in the 2013 Nascar racing series and the company has registered SS as the badge. But Chevrolet insiders are downplaying any chance of an Aussie-led invasion of the stock car series - which is second only to Formula One as a worldwide motorsport drawcard - pointing to the strength of the Australian dollar as a major negative for any potential export program. Holden's existing push for police car sales with a specially-adapted long-wheelbase Caprice has been hit very hard by the car's price, even though it is a favourite with police forces trialing it against rivals from Ford and Chrysler. Holden refuses to talk numbers, but the cop car program has resulted in less than one-tenth of the original sales target.  Even so, the Commodore worked well in the 'states as the Pontiac G8 until the brand was closed when General Motors went into bankruptcy protection and a Chevrolet SS would be likely to have the support of the two top executives in the USA - Mark Reuss and Alan Batey - who where the president and sales chief at Holden before being promoted to big jobs across the Pacific.  

...A second-generation CLS is a no-brainer for Mercedes-Benz.But there is a twist, called the Shooting Break, which stretches the coupe into an upscale station wagon.It's just a pity it looks like a Hyundai i40.

...selling - just 42 cars through March - mini people mover.The all-new model should land in Australia in the first half of next year. 

The 135i will sit at the top of a selection of three-door Ones picking up a turbocharged six-cylinder engine good for 230 kiloWatts and predictable suspension and tyre tweaks.The three-door hot is here later this year for around $60,000.

The side profile is unchanged but there will be major changes to the nose to line it up with everything from the latest baby C to the SL roadster.Major efficiency improvements are also expected.

The connected world of Gen-Y is particularly under attack from US regulators who see everything from texting to in-car internet use as a clear and present danger to road safety.  The American government is moving to ban any major driving distractions following an exhaustive study that reveals more than 3000 deaths during 2010 are attributed to distraction.  It is currently only calling for voluntary guidelines but the latest US budget includes more than $300 million over the next six years for education and awareness programs to highlight the dangers of distraction.  The move covers communications, entertainment, information and navigation devices and it is aiming to exclude anything that takes two hands to operate or drops a driver's concentration on the road for more than two seconds.  "Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit. That's why I've made it a priority to encourage people to stay focussed behind the wheel," says America's transportation secretary, Ray LaHood.  The new safety guidelines are compiled by his department's National Highway Safety Administration and cover electronic devices fitted to cars, SUVs, pickups and minivans when they are made.  "We recognise that vehicle manufacturers want to build vehicles that include the tools and conveniences expected by today's American drivers," says NHTSA administrator David Strickland.  "The guidelines we're proposing would offer real-world guidance to automakers to help them develop electronic devices that provide features consumers want—without disrupting a driver's attention or sacrificing safety."  The US government is proposing a phased-in series of guidelines, and the first step includes limiting operation of devices to one hand, limiting manual inputs and limiting unnecessary visual information in the driver's field of view.  More importantly, it wants carmakers to develop a system that automatically disables visual-manual text messaging, internet browsing, social media browsing and address entries in satnav unless a vehicle is parked.  "Increasingly, data shows that as technology evolves, cell phones aren't the only potential distraction in vehicles," says LaHood. "Many carmakers are now developing in-vehicle electronic systems that can give directions, post to social networking sites and search the Internet."  In the second phase, similar restrictions will apply to devices which are not fitted to a vehicle during manufacturing. The American government is now opening its proposals for public comment before producing its final guidelines.  

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is helping carmakers to migrate from old-fashioned metal construction to the lightweight strength and safety of 21st century carbon fibre. All of the world's leading motoring companies are looking for a way to switch carbon fibre from the high-priced exotic favourite of Formula One teams to something suitable for the humble Toyota Yaris.  BMW is investing heavily in an American factory, and has plans to double its output in coming years for the battery-powered i3 and i8 models, while Lexus doing the groundwork for Toyota with its exotic LF-A supercar. But it is Lamborghini of Italy, which is running the point for the giant Volkswagen Group, that currently claims leadership thanks to its radical Aventador flagship and a partnership with Boeing. "We have learned so much from Boeing. About the process of developing carbon fibre and how to put it into production," says Casper Steenbergen of Automobili Lamborghini. "We are the only company with a full carbon fibre monocoque on a car, with our Aventador." The two biggest challenges for carbon fibre use are cost and the complication of construction, which has meant the use of giant autoclaves to combine extreme heat with vacuum forming.  But Steenbergen shows Carsguide how Lamborghini now uses a different type of carbon fibre, combined with pressure forming under heat, to create its products. Apart from the Aventador, Lamborghini - the closest rival to Ferrari in the exotic world - is using lightweight carbon fibre parts through its Gallardo range and passing the knowledge to its owners at Audi and up through the Volkswagen family.  "We are re-defining the future of our supersports cars around the two main reasons to buy: design and performance. That means the key is in reducing weight," says Stephan Winkelmann, the Lamborghini CEO who forged the ties to Boeing and the establishment of a high-tech laboratory in the USA.  "From the middle of the Eighties, the average weight of our cars has increased by 500 kilos because of active and passive safety, comfort and emissions reduction issues, and this is something that we have to change. "Since we cannot reduce safety or comfort in our cars, we have to reduce the weight by using new materials. The magic word for this is carbon fibre." He believes Lamborghini is the world leader and points to the 787 project as the sort of resource available to his company. "We started working with carbon fibre . . . over 30 years ago and today, with our two laboratories in Sant’Agata Bolognese and in Seattle, we are mastering a broad range of technologies which put us in a leadership position for low-volume production," Winkelmann says. "Every new Lamborghini will make the best use of carbon fiber to reduce weight." It's clear that work will eventually migrate throughout Volkswagen, although no-one at Lamborghini is able to give any timetable. Yet.