Articles by Paul Pottinger

The painfully delayed diesel engine variant of the Ford Territory is partially funded by a $42 million green subsidy. It runs far leaner and cleaner than the petrol model and it's crucial to the survival of the only Australian-made SUV.This was therefore the perfect moment for Tony Abbott to propose cutting $500 million over four years from a program of automotive research and development.  Any advance on that? Julia? Tony? The car industry was disgusted that Labor reneged on an agreement to which it had obliged Holden, Ford and Toyota to commit in writing and did so without so much as an preemptive email to the effect of: “Queensland's up that certain creek, boys, so all bets are off.''After all, the three local producers have done alright under the green fund.In addition to the diesel Territory, Ford will this year roll out a four-cylinder turbo engine and an advanced LPG system for its sales-crippled Falcon, a $230 million investment. Holden is about to produce the Cruze medium car in Adelaide and Toyota has the means to make hybrids in Melbourne.But Abbott's notion of gutting the Automotive Transformation Scheme is “absolutely catastrophic'', as the peak industry body possibly understated it.  This is precisely not the moment to be playing fast and loose with our biggest manufacturing industry. Yes, previously the Australian car industry has been about as worthy of public subsidy as a travelling workshop on interpretative dance. Once it was complacent and smug behind tariff ramparts more than 57 per cent tall. Joke from the recent past: “What do you call a lot full of Holdens and Fords? Answer: A Jurassic car park.''The malaise lingered long into the last decade. Ford's poor decision making is entirely to blame for its diesel delay. Instead they went for turbo petrol which it’s since dropped.Yet while the local car making operations remain mere colonial outposts of vast auto empires, there are not a few governments of emerging industrial nations that would give a great deal more than ours to assist an industry that in a good year is worth $5 billion in export earnings, supports 60,000 jobs and is responsible for some $700 million dollars in research and development.Many first world nations do so. An example - Volkswagen is intent upon knocking Toyota off its perch of world's leading auto maker by decade's end. VW is the grateful recipient of state and federal funding, one of Germany's biggest employers and producer of the world's most sophisticated and greenest affordable car technology.As Abbott strives to outbid Gillard in being seen as the most compassionate in response to the staggering blows sustained by Queensland, the car industry makes a tempting target.Implying, as some are, that its funding is welfare for fat cats is emotive and dishonest. Acting as though this funding is dispensable at the time the industry has earned the right to government assistance is flagrantly counter productive.Be an arch rationalist and insist that we shouldn't support the car making - but acknowledge that if we lose this manufacturing capability, we won't get it back.  Some of us prefer to think of this country as capable of being something more than a quarry for China.

Ever get those sudden stabs of anxiety, the ones where a sense of profound unease grabs you but for no readily identifiable reason? Got one one last week. Nasty one.

Flatscreen TVs. Stereos. Fridges. Sewing machines. All responses when we asked colleagues what they thought was made by the SsangYong company.Reanimated after two years in GFC-induced stasis, the Korando compact SUV has mountains to climb in the already formidable task of impacting upon a savagely competitive segment, but in building an entire brand name. It's a brand, it must be said, even in so far as it registers at all is associated with the Stavic people mover, an apparition so ungainly that it was on introduction widely assumed to be a particularly elaborate practical joke.Though still managed by Koreans, SsangYong is owned by India's Mahindra, while the Korando is designed by Italian legend Giorgetto Giugiaro and uses a German-sourced diesel which will run (eventually) through an Australian six-speed automatic.If Korando is supposed to be contraction of "Korea can do", it's as though the UN has come to its aid. In this segment, against these rivals, especially those from its "own" country, it's going to need all the help it can get.VALUETry $26,311 for the entry level S manual with front wheel drive and an introductory driveaway $27,990. It's a startling price point for a diesel SUV.The auto model, apparently trundling down the assembly line even as you read this, is $28,811. All-wheel-drive comes with the SX at $30,311, with $2500 extra for the untried auto. At $36,811, the leather-lined topline SPR is auto and AWD only.Equipment at all levels look good, though satellite navigation and a reversing camera are not to be had at any money. While the warranty is a Korean and Mitsubishi equalling five years, bizarrely SsangYong are unable to say what kilometres apply. That's being worked out. The five year thing, they say, was an apparently spontaneous offer of good will from head office. Okayyyyy .TECHNOLOGYNothing startling, though the ability to stream your iPod through Bluetooth is cute. SsangYong "lives diesel", at least until a petrol variant comes online next year. Until then the Korando's sole powertrain is a state of the game, Euro 5 compliant, common rail variable geometry turbo unit that it manages to bring to the game far more cheaply than either Hyundai or Kia, which run weedy petrol fours at this price point.But with at least 80 per cent of potential buyers opposed to changing gears for themselves, it needs that auto rather desperately, which makes the decision not to wait two months and launch with one puzzling.All-wheel-drives have a torque sensor that shovels 50 per cent of the grunt to the rear axle when it feels the need. There's a diff lock for constant all paw under 40km/h.DESIGNNot an Alfa Romeo, though penned by the maestro responsible for some of the best of them, the Korando is at least a massive visual departure from the rest of the brand's anonymous and even unsightly models. Upfront there's the inevitable low-placed mesh grille and whopping wraparound lights, and a general stance that, equally inevitably, is going to be described as "sporty".Nice wheels too, alloys throughout the range. Sixteens for the S, 17s on the SX and 18s on the SPR.Within it feels less than the sum of its parts. Yes, all the bits and bobs are there, there's a stack of useable but discreet storage spaces and no less than eight drink holders. But, as my co-driver confirmed on climbing in, somehow it feels not quite of the moment. And in the mid-spec SX, you're starting to wonder if this ambience is worth $30K plus auto plus on roads.Leg and headroom in the back are excellent, but it's a bit narrow. We two kept brushing elbows. The seats slightly overlap the centre console. It's hard to get your hand between the seat and door to the adjustment knob. The seats themselves lack under thigh support and the steering wheel has no reach.SAFETYYet to be crash tested, SsangYong hope rather than expect five stars. Four is certain. Again, the parts are all there, but not the finish. The electronic stability program has an anti-rollover sensor for rough terrain running. Anti-skid brakes come with assist and force distribution. There's six airbags and a full-size spare, even for the SPR.DRIVINGOver a combination of freeway, tasty B-roads and dirt, the Korando SX is competent by the standards of the compact SUV pack. The diesel is acceptably refined and predictably punchy in the mid-range, but there's a gaping torque hole under 2000rpm. Several times on a winding uphill run, I had to force the shortish throw gearstick into first. The auto might mask that.Turn in is not the sharpest and the inclination is always to run wide. The ride verged on the terse by the cosseting standards of this class. As in most of its other aspects, driving the Korando enforced the impression that, should you take the plunge, you're best bet is to buy bottom end, taking advantage of that entry price and adjusting your expectations accordingly.VERDICT: Overwhelmingly adequate

The much delayed diesel engine variant of the Ford Territory is partially funded by a $42 million green grant from the fund. The V6 turbo diesel originally developed for Land Rover runs much leaner and cleaner than the current petrol model and is seen as crucial to the survival of the only Australian-made SUV. Developed in 2004 for Land Rover, the diesel is expected to comprise anything up to 50 per cent of the  Territory's sales, the extensively redesigned version of which was previewed today in Sydney. It is the first stage in Ford's three-part $232 million investment in the Falcon/Territory platform. The diesel will run in all models, from the base TX, through the mid-spec TS and in the top level Titanium, which replaces the old Ghia designation. "The new diesel engine is just one part of the bigger story," Ford Australia's new chief executive Bob Graziano says.  "Our new Territory has a new interior, a new exterior, new smart technologies and an all-new powertrain." The thirsty turbo petrol variant, which was introduced in 2006 instead of the diesel, is no more.  In typical strip tease fashion, Ford today revealed only the new Territory's design. Technical specifics come next month, the first drive in April. The Territory goes on sale in May. While the re-skin is thorough and convincing when seen in the metal, the much-need diesel, negotiated seven years ago by former Ford boss Geoff Polites but cancelled to his anger by a successor, is the talking point. Ford marketing manager Beth Donovan says diesel accounted for some 47 per cent of SUV sales last year and ``we now have an opportunity to compete in the entire segment''. Graziano  an American veteran of Ford and Mazda with a background in sales, marketing and strategy  took up the post last month coinciding with Ford Australia's worst ever result. While at pains to emphasise the importance of Falcon and the Territory, he signalled a broader product strategy. Coming models include the new Focus, driven by Carsguide last month, and the Ranger. "What we will be able to do this year as we freshen 85 per cent of our showroom is continue to leverage the global resources and global assets that we have under the One Ford strategy. If we deconstruct January, year on year, we saw very encouraging signs. It was a best ever month on Fiesta, a good month on Focus, Territory same, and the private buyer was very strong on Falcon." Graziano expresses frustration that Labor breached a promise made in 2008 to sustain the green car fund until 2020, having secured letters of commitment form the manufacturers. "We are obviously disappointed it was withdrawn but we are looking forward to having continuing dialogue with the Government,'' he says. "It has been important in terms of accelerating that technology into Australia. It's not unusual in terms of the industry to have that kind of a fund. I think that partnership - car makers, the government and the consumer - is necessary not just in Australia, but around the world." Asked if there had been any dialogue with the Government, which axed the fund without consulting carmakers, Mr Graziano says: "At this point no." Most obvious is the new front end with trapezoid-shaped main grille, slim-line headlights, the Titanium variant getting LED position lamps. At the other end, there are wrap around lights and a new lift-gate. It rides on 17 or 18 inches wheels. Within it's all soft touch materials and covered storage bins, plus a new Instrument Panel (IP) with an eight-inch touch screen. The Interior Command Centre (ICC) provides front-seat occupants with controls for heating, ventilation and air conditioning.  

Following Ford Australia's worst ever month and the humiliating plunge of the Falcon (on which the Territory is based) to 13th place on the sales ladder - a stunning 50 per cent reversal on the January 2010 - the Territory bears the hopes of the Blue Oval's local manufacturing, at least in the short term. Falcon is suffering because the wagon has been discontinued and it is without an LPG powered model (crucial to the taxi fleets which are the Falcon's mainstay) until later this year. The Falcon's future rests at least in part on its unprecedented and unlikely teaming with a four cylinder engine, a 2.0 turbo-charged Eco Boost, later this year. In this and the Territory's diesel, Ford benefitted from the Federal Government controversially scrapped Green Car Innovation Fund.  The so-called Eco Boost is at least relatively new. The overdue 2.7-litre V6 bi-turbo diesel Ford has finally secured is as old as the model itself, first seeing service in the then-Ford owned Land Rover and Jaguar in 2004. Still, coupled with the old faithful 4.0-litre straight six petrol engine, the diesel-engined model is expected to at the very least hold the fort in terms of sales, as its donor car struggles to do better than the Thai-made Fiesta and South African imported Focus (due for replacement by a sophisticated in what will be a crowded third quarter of 2011 for Ford). Although the fund was to be in place until 2020, Ford secured these powertrains which take Falcon and Territory to 2015 - the end of their model lives beyond which there is anything but certainty they will continue or be replaced by American-derived models. Mild encouragement could come from South Africa, with Ford's local chief Jeff Nemeth indicating to Carsguide that market is looking to take about 100 of the re-designed SUV in petrol and diesel per month having discontinued imports in 2008.Ford Territory Sales 2004 - 135832005 - 23454 first full year2006 - 183642007 - 172902008 - 128822009 - 108842010 - 11558 TIMELINE 2004: SX Model introducedWins Wheels' Car of the YearFord Australia boss Geoff Polites announces diesel engine plan, cancelled by successor.2005: SY introduced in October with six-speed ZF automatic on AWD models.2006: Territory Turbo officially unveiled in February at Melbourne motorshow, in showrooms mid-year2008: FPV release F6X2009: SY MkII introduced in April. Changes include new headlamps and modified tail lamps; new fogs and bumper, revised alloys, body coloured mirrors with chrome housings on Ghia and Ghia Turbo; and chrome belt moulding across the range. F6X dropped.2011: SZ model to be officially unveiled February 8. Scheduled official on-sale date: May 2011. First ever diesel model.

... in this GFC depleted corner of Michigan, especially not in the sub-zero temperatures of winter. So when one is happened upon, it's time for a happy snap, at least as happy as a Ford Falcon G6E can be when snowbound and apparently neglected in the car park of Ford's global head quarters. No real explanation from Ford's typically tight-lipped representatives as to why Broadmeadow's finest should be languishing here in Arctic weather half a world away from the heatwaves of its native land. None seemed keen to take us up on our offer for a comparison between the best ever offering from the Australian branch of the Blue Oval brand and those of its American parent. Strangely, only a few minutes earlier, we had been granted test track access to Ford's Taurus, the Yank jobbie that's expected to supplant to Falcon from 2015. If not destined for Dearborn's impressive museum, we can but hope our rear-wheel-drive icon is given the opportunity to demonstrate to the Yanks that the humble Falcon is a tough act to follow. Let's just say we can perhaps see why our time in the Taurus was limited to one lap for each variant (though this hasn't stop another publication billing it as a fully fledged drive test). Of course, we would see the next generation Taurus, but it would need to be considerable step forward over the current model to allay dismay over the Falcon's purported demise. Neither front-wheel-drive or AWD versions impressed, even with Ford's much vaunted Eco Boost V6, which not only felt uninspiring but evinced a hint of torque steer even with all paws sending power to the ground. The lack of communication through the steering wheel, interior packaging and unappealing looks might suit Americans, but we're used to better.

The Socceroos lost only 1-0, but in yesterday's monthly sales bulletin, Japanese-made cars outsold local products by almost four to one  27,516 to 7,248. This is one of the lowest local returns in recent years, less than 10 per cent of the 73,824 new vehicle deliveries January.Australians buyers also continue to much prefer to consume Thai (12,256) and Korean (12,035) to local fare.  The most popular model was, once again, Toyota's Corolla on 4065 sales, followed by the Mazda3 on 3605.Holden's Commodore was the best performing local on 2645, just ahead of the Toyota HiLux (2491) and the Hyundai Getz (2167).  Encouragingly, the Holden Cruze, which is built locally from this month, was next on 2060.But that's where the good news ends for Australian-made.  Commodore's traditional rival, Ford's Falcon, slumped to the worst result in its 51-year history, the one-time number two seller plummeting out of the top 10 for the first time.  With only 1157 sales, the Falcon rated 13th, only 30 more than Ford's Thai-made Fiesta small car.Therein lay the big, six-cylinder Falcon's dilemma. Only one comparable car rated among the best sellers, while seven of the top 10 were small or medium-sized four cylinder models from Japan or Korea.It shows the extent to which Falcon and Commodore are reliant on fleet sales, as opposed to private buyers who overwhelmingly prefer smaller cars and, increasingly, compact SUVs. Business orders traditionally fall off in December, contributing in part to the meagre returns of the already declining large car market.Ford spokeswomen Sinead McAlary says a major factor in the Falcon's slump is due to a temporary absence of an LPG-powered Falcon in the lineup, something that will not be rectified until later this year when the Falcon also receives its first ever four-cylinder engine."We have a lot of actions in place on the Falcon that will not only bring back the loyalists but attract new customers as well,'' she says.  January sales were down 1.7 per cent on the same month in 2010, due in part to the Queensland floods.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief Andrew McKellar said while the slump would continue in the wake of further flooding and Cyclone Yasi, but they "will pick up in the months ahead as people begin to look for replacement vehicles'' Best selling makesToyota              14,817Holden              8,385Mazda              7,200Ford               6,413Hyundai            6,410Nissan              4,876Mitsubishi         4,537Subaru              3.531Volkswagen       2,408Honda               2,227 Best selling modelsToyota Corolla               4,045Mazda3                        3606Holden Commodore       2465Toyota HiLux                2491Hyundai Getz                2167Holden Cruze                2060Nissan Navarra              1804Subaru Impreza            1765Hyundai i30                  1675Mitsubishi Lancer           1670     Where they come fromJapan                27,516Thailand            12,256Korea                12,025Australia            7,248Germany            4,740

While Australians will be able to choose from three versions of the new A6 from July, including two petrol versions and one diesel, the petrol electric hybrid is not currently an option. Audi in Germany has figured the biggest market for the hybrid A6 will be the US, so the car will only be built as a left-hand drive, at least for now.  Australian customers are likely to get their first taste of an Audi hybrid when the petrol electric Q5 crossover wagon touches down in around a year from now. A right-hand drive version of A6 hybrid could be added at a later date, but Audi Australia is not as keen for it as it is for the Q5 hybrid which is likely to be a far stronger seller. Audi Australia managing director, Uwe Hagen, explains that the diesel A6 bound for Australia is so efficient it makes missing out on a hybrid less of an issue. "When you compare this (diesel) with hybrid cars, there is no huge difference. Take the fuel consumption of an A6 3.0-litre (diesel), it will be around 6 to 6.2 litres per 100km, the C02 emission is under 160g/km.'' Hagen says Audi Australia would still import the A5 hybrid if it was made available because there are some customers who would like one despite the efficiency of the diesel.  He feels the electric car will eventually be a better solution. "Personally I think the future is the E car, the hybrid is only something in between,'' Hagen says.  The hybrid A6 uses a new lithium ion battery pack that allows it to travel a short distance on electric power alone, but this is not such a great feature Hagen says. "I don't want to criticise it, but it is running on just electricity for a range of 3km, which is the average with all those cars. With all respect, what can you do in 3km? You get your newspapers in the morning and you get your breakfast.'' Audi has focused heavily on cutting fuel consumption of all A6 models and not just the hybrid, introducing stop-start technology, which switches the engine off when you come to a stop, across all models along with an energy saving alternator. "Every new Audi uses at least a 10-15 per cent less fuel consumption. This mandatory in our development,'' Hagen says.  "In this way we are able to bring this to everyone and not just someone who wants to spend more money (on a hybrid).''

It's not as though there's a lack of quick moving imported status symbols between $80-90K. Consider the top spec of the rapid and smart Lexus IS350 V6, a C-Class Merc also with a V6, a beautifully balanced BMW 3 Series with a straight six and an Audi A4 with a neatly blown four.Then, like blinged up brickies, there are those Strayan muscle car aristocrats with their bellicose V8s, Ford's FPV and this, the latest of Holden's Special Vehicles. As comparatively refined as the E3 series GTS has become, it remains in essence a big, beefhearted brute.While all the Japanese and Euros devices mentioned above shout "I've made it," the GTS seem to say in all its burbling enormity: "I've made it too and get stuffed."VALUEAs always with HSV this is a question of what you most value. If it's go for the dough, you're in the right showroom.At $82,900 for the six-speed manual, two grand more the auto, HSV can always claim this is an amazingly cheap equivalent of, say BMW's 550i or Merc's E 500. There's much in this argument.You get a mass of prime meat for the money. Apart from rare, raw power, the E3 has crossed the luxury car threshold in terms of both tax and content, with tech of the highest order.Best not consider the the question of residuals, though. Buyers of new HSVs can get kicked in the slats at resale time.TECHNOLOGYNot so much as a visual facelift over the E2 as an organ transplant. The changes are almost all within the cabin and they are considerable, Via a touchscreen, the new HSV Enhanced Driver Interface accesses a performance data logging system conveying real time info on revs, brakes, gear changes, G-forces, fuel use, steering angle, bi-modal exhaust and a plethora of other data and the ability to download data onto a PC (though not a Mac). Novelly, the system includes preloaded race track locations, stop watches and track maps. For civilian deployment, there's sat-nav, digital radio and Bluetooth.Taking a page from the Volvo playbook, Side Blind Zone Alert uses sensors to locate and alert you to obstructions in those hard to see spots. EDI also accesses the stability program and controls the bi-modal exhaust.Out front, the the LS3 6.2L V8 is retained but upgunned over the rest of the HSV range to 325 kW. Ninety-five RON is required.SAFETYAs safe as its solidity suggests, with five star ANCAP rating, and massive brakes that, at least in street legal use, don't fade under the big bloke's considerable heft. Would that all stop pedals had this sort of progression before the barrier of ABS is breached.DESIGNIf you have the misfortune to be hearing impaired and thus unable to hear the V8 with bi-modal exhaust in full roar, the violent yellow of our test car would still somehow be audible. Loud? Rather. My choice would be something more discreet, such as blood red or screaming magenta. Phew.Whatever, the beast has presence, not least in the rear vision mirror of the overtaking lane laggard. No horn blasting or light flashing necessary for an unimpeded path.On the outside, the GTS is mainly a case of tarting up the SS V Commodore, so you will either love it or loathe it and that's miles better than indifference. Within the E3 is a step up. Though you'll never quite escape the feeling this is derived from a much less expensive car, the GTS is an attractive and comfortable, if not lush, place to inhabit.In any hue (and, honestly, make mine a dark metallic or white) mounted on massive low profile 20-inch rubber wrapped multi-spoke Pentagon alloys, the GTS has a sense of occasion.DRIVINGSave for a few furtive bursts, it's useless pretending we charted more than a fraction of the GTS's immense performance during our 400-odd kays on public roads. Capable of reaching 100km/h from standing in just under five seconds, so it's claimed, the GTS seldom feels hurried, as that immense capacity is put to the road without undue fuss.Though some 1830kg (plus 73 litres of fuel and 100kg of me), it is seldom unwieldy and through tighter passages of road it somehow feels smaller and more nimble than than its heavyweight dimensions should permit.OK, we can accept the GTS works fine as both a functional device and a fantasy fulfiller for well to do V8 Supercar fans. What wasn't expected, at least not by me, is the aplomb with which it fills the role of grand touring sedan. On a mostly open road run (hence our reasonable fuel consumption) the yellow leviathan eats the kays at a canter. Those easy conditions mean a manual shifter, inevitably described as "agricultural", can't become tiresome, though even in urban running the need to be assertive with it seems in keeping with the car's character.In a car suffused with tech, HSV's Magnetic Ride Control is an outstanding feature, ensuring that the ride through those skinny 20s almost unfeasibly compliant.VERDICTDidn't want to return it.HSV GTS E3Price: from $82,900Engine: 6.2-litre V8 petrol; 325kW/550NmTransmission: 6-speed manual or 6-speed autoThirst: 12.8L/100km (tested)

A MOBILE phone application that activates and monitors electric vehicle charging and a portable charger for the home are Ford's newest gambits in its bid to become a major maker of alternative energy vehicles by 2020. Ford's manager of vehicle electrification, Chris Pick, says although hybrids will by far remain the Blue Oval's primary non-conventional vehicle, cars with alternative energy powertrains of all types could make up as much as 25 per cent of the company's overall production by decade's end. Speaking at Ford's global headquarter in Dearborn, Michigan, Picks says the technological challenge of improving plug-in-hybrids (as opposed to full hybrids like Toyota's Prius) and EVs remains formidable. But, he says, a greater challenge is curing the buying public of "range anxiety", so the company is concentrating on making them as comfortably "familiar" as possible. "The electric version of the Focus (showcased at the Detroit motor show) is simply an electric version of a mainstream vehicle," Picks says. "You get all you get in the new Focus with the benefit of an electric drivetrain. It is not a project car or a demo vehicle." Picks says Ford's new EV charger is a portable domestic appliance that "replaces petrol miles with electric miles", one that he claims charges faster than that of the rival Nissan Leaf and provides greater range than the Chevrolet Volt. It will also, he says, be about $500 cheaper in the US - some US$1500. The downloadable phone app, called My Ford Mobile, is free to users or the first five years. While this and the home charging kit are the sexy features of Ford's electrification program, Picks says EVs will comprise only  five per cent within maximum of the 25 per cent of vehicles that will make up Ford's alternative power source program. Cars with more familiar hybrid powertrains, such as the Fusion and the new C Max, will make for some 70 per cent this segment. Hybrids capable of running for distances on solely on plug-in rechargeable batteries will comprise the rest. Pick says Ford is already the biggest maker of "full hybrids" next to Toyota. "We don't want to force this on customers," Pick says. "We want to provide more options for those ready to move from conventionally-powered cars. Just as one size of vehicle doesn't fit all buyers, we're going to provide them with options. We are in the early stages of electrification, so this will be somewhat premium priced." As to how the range of EVs could be extended beyond the approximately 140km currently possible, Pick says this will be driven by early adopters. "We won't really know until they use their vehicles over extended periods and we know what their needs are. We don't know whether we should install a bigger battery, because battery technology will become more sophisticated." Ford Australia's spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says the new wave of hybrids and EVs will first roll out in North America, then Europe, with Asia Pacific to follow sometime later. "It's definitely on the agenda, but there's no time frame as yet."