Articles by Paul Pottinger

The first is the Insight, which Honda Australia CEO Satoshi Matsuzawa, said will be priced from $29,990 when it goes into showrooms on December 6 and $34,490 for  the top spec model.At a time when Australians have all but abandoned manuals, it is almost bizarre to see one billed as a new car’s main asset. But Honda is unapologetic about the six speed stick shift that drives the CR-Z.Mr Matsuzawa said the boy racer shaped coupe will “change your view of hybrids” with its sporting dynamics. He said it will be in showrooms by mid-2011.More whimsically, Honda also revealed its personal mobility device, a sort of automated unicycle that responds to the rider’s body movements.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern insists the radical change of direction signalled by the "cross coupe" _ revealed in Paris last month and a star of the Australian International Motor Show at Darling Harbour _ is "part of a journey for the Range Rover brand". The "game-changing" Evoque is released here in September 2011, priced from about $60,000 against Audi's Q5 and BMW's X3.  "We're in the process of designing a whole new generation of Range Rovers and this the first one out of the block. For us it's about recognising our past but not being harnessed by it," McGovern says. With Range Rover being synonymous with excessive size, weight and even decadence, McGovern says he fought a pitched battle with engineers not to compromise his original LRX concept, which dropped jaws at Detroit in 2008. "We were intransigent about not moving away from that design intent," McGovern says. "It was a case of `we need to mover the roof up 60cm' and we said `over our dead bodies'. In the end we all got friendly and serious about delivering it. "The original concept was always there in the studio as we started to develop the production vehicle. It almost became a catalyst for changing the culture of our business, for how we shape the future of Range Rover and Land Rover products. "And we're well on the way to designing all those vehicles."  McGovern's team prevailed to the extent that, while the interior has been greatly developed from the "very concepty" innards of the LRX, exterior changes amount to little more than bonnet and roof being raised by 20mm. "The design hasn't lost its drama, it's got that falling roof, the dramatic belt line and overall visual robustness. Clearly this is unlike any previous Range Rover, but it's very obviously a Range Rover," McGovern says. While the more practical five door version is a starter for Australia, the useability of the three door was demonstrated by none other than Land Rover's managing director, Phil Popham, who folded his 190cm-plus frame into the cossetted rear seats with ease.  He calls the Evoque a "game changer, hugely significant" both for the brand and the segment. Asked if there was a danger of a relatively affordable Range Rover blurring the status of the luxury brand in relation to the cheaper products of its parent, he says, "we are dialling up the versatility of Land Rover and dialling up of the `premiumness' of Range Rover". While McGovern says is determined to shed the baggage of the past, Popham refuted suggestions that the two-wheel-drive version of the Evoque (offered alongside the AWD)diminishes the luxury marque's proud off road heritage. "Two-wheel-drive is really focused in Eueope where they want the versatility of an SUV and the elevated driving position, but where a lot of people don't actively use AWD capability." It's also a question, crucial in Europe, of sustainability. The smallest, lightest and thriftiest Range Rover to date emits a claimed 130g/km of CO 2 emissions per kilometre and the heaviest model weighs no more than 1640kg. Its engines, all four cylinders, are a 177kW turbo petrol four with two versions of the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel. While the six-speed auto transmission will overwhelmingly be the Australian buyer's choice, the six speed manual includes a fuel saving stop-start system. Those buyers will also be markedly younger than the Range Rover norm. But is the Evoque something of girl's Rangie?  McGovern bridles at the suggestion, but concedes: "This car will attract a lot more females than were previously attracted to Range Rover, but that's down largely to its size and manageability around the city. "We would never design a vehicle in a feminine way.  Generally sporting vehicles have a level of muscularity and women like muscularity."

When the strikingly-designed mid-size sedan was released in May, it received  a positive reaction for its value and size, but derision for its sloppy dynamics.  The default set-up, which has NOT prevented the i45 becoming Korea's top selling passenger vehicle, is too soft and generally unresolved for this market. Embarrassingly for Hyundai, its ix35 has been the brunt of similar criticism just as its subsidiary Kia has employed engineer Graeme Gambold to sort its equivalent SUV, the Sportage. The latter's clearly superior dynamics see the parent company playing catch up. Despite emphasising the breadth of revisions to the i45, Hyundai were defensive about the car that it hopes more than any other will serve to shed the lingering remnants of its driveaway then chuckaway image. "From launch our position has been the i45 is an all-round package and we felt we have done that extremely well," product planner Roland Rivero says. "There was, of course, a handful of reviews that said from the dynamic side it doesn't tick the box. "Our focus was more attuned to Camry-like handling. It was never meant to be a sport car - I'd just like to point that out."  Even so, Rivero says the Amplitude Selective Dampers on Premium models have been recalibrated and introduced on Active and Elite model variants. Springs are firmed by up to 15 percent to curtail pitch and dive, and thicker stabiliser bars would arrest body roll. While the hydraulic steering has not been reset, these changes are claimed to result in a better weighted set up. "It's confidence inspiring for those driving in a more spirited manner, but we have been very careful not to alienate customers who have already bought the i45," Rivero says. These revisions are part of a 2011 upgrade package that include more fruit for a slight price rise.  Priced from $29,590 to $38,990, the i45 gets satellite navigation with Bluetooth standard on the Premium model and as a $1000 option on Active and Elite variants. Premiums also get heated front seats standard and all models have increased sound deadening to counter criticism of NVH measures. The i20 small hatch gets the old Volkswagen Golf-like "blue hue" instrument lighting to go with the Bluetooth that's standard on all trim levels. The base Active has side and curtain airbags standard to match the rest of the range's five star ANCAP rating. New pricing is $15,490-$23,490. The i30 also cops Bluetooth on all trim levels, minor styling touches, including silver roof rails on wagons, one touch indicating signals and headlamp escort function. Prices start at $19,590, with a $19,990 driveaway deal, up to $30,090. The 2011 ix35 range has rear parking sensors and steering revised with Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) and telescopic adjustment. AWD models get Amplitude Selective Dampers with prices now $26,990-$38,490.

Windows up, aircon off, the only noise to be heard from this Toyota is the faint rumble of its tyres on the roads around Sydney’s Darling Harbour.This device looks like a Prius, feels numb like a Prius and sounds like one – which is to say it barely makes a sound. In fact Toyota’s Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) takes the Prius game to the next level, one that takes us one step closer to running our cars off the same power source as our toasters.While the Prius alternates between battery and petrol power – in the manner of what now must be called a “conventional hybrid” – the PHV can run for some 20km purely on its electrically rechargeable lithium ion battery before reverting to normal hybrid operation.It is touted as the answer to what Toyota call “range anxiety”, which sounds like one of those conditions of which you were happily ignorant until the cure was announced.One of five PHVs humming about Australia as part of a three-year trial on three continents, the PHV could be in local showrooms by the end of 2012. It depends largely on whether the ability to do 20km on wattage alone is deemed an adequate distance for this country as it has been in Europe, where some 55 per cent of car trips are of 10km or less. Practically, the more powerful and bulkier underfloor lithium ion battery adds 135kg to Pruis’s kerb weight and reduces its load space to 391 litres from 445, but takes its combined cycle fuel consumption down to 2.6 litres per 100km and emissions to 59g of Co2 per kilometre. Yet the PHV’s output is identical to the third generation Prius – 100kW combined, or 73 from the petrol engine and 60 from the electric motor at any one time. The charging point is on the front passenger wheel guard covered by a push-in flap. The demo model’s power cable requires a 15 amp socket, but those on commercially released PHVs will be able to go into the wall next to the kettle. “It’s a trade-off,” Toyota corporate manager Greg Gardner says. “The greater the battery capacity, the greatr the EV driving range. But more range means a longer charge time and a heavier battery means which increased weight, which harms fuel efficiency and therefore C02 emisions. “And there is also a cost perspective because, frankly, lithium ion batteries are more expensive to manufacture.”Possibly Prius drivers are immune to auto envy, but it’s hard to imagine someone who spends their own money on such a public proclamation of their eco-coolness not going slightly green at a PHV being parked on their same block of solar panelled houses.The plug-in has what is essentially a reverse cycle air conditioner that uses a hand held remote to activate either heating or cooling up to 30 minutes before you drive using household electricity. To the riot of colour and movement that is the Prius’s instrument display, the PHV ads a readout indicating when the car is in Plug-in EV Mode.When the start button is pressed while the battery is being charged from the external source, the plug-in connection status is displayed, as is the time required to fully charge. Driving in EV mode after charging, the energy monitor displays charge level in green for Plug-in EV mode and white for Hybrid, plus EV driving range. If this isn’t information enough, it also, when in Plug-in mode, guides your use of the accelerator via the Hybrid System Indicator.Indeed, though our drive of the PHV was basically a four kilometre doddle around a few blocks, it was enough to grasp that it makes you even more self-conscious than the Prius of driving within constraints that would make Bob Brown beam. The plethora of readout guidance makes it almost impossible not to.Although the petrol engine will kick in over EV mode if you accelerate sharply enough, this act seems utterly foreign in the PHV. Not that you’re going to get off the mark in a particular hurry with that extra heft.But then if you’re among the PHV’s likely buyers, anxiety about performance is one to which you’re immune.

... and one of the stars of the Australian International Motor Show.

Australians bought 85,054 cars, SUVs and trucks last month, or more than 267 a day. That's 6,923 units, or 8.9 per cent, up on September 2009.It also eclipses by almost 600 sales the five-year-old September record.  The year-to-date 2010 market of 780,720 vehicles is running ahead of the same period in 2009 by 14.5 per cent or 98,746 sales.Toyota is - as ever - the market leader, followed by Holden and Mazda. Year-to-date Toyota leads Holden with a margin of 56,369 vehicle sales, or 7.2 market share points.While the Commodore remains the best-selling model with 4038, the Mazda3 - whose volume, unlike Holden, contains no fleet business - is by far the car on which Australians prefer to spend their own money, with 3878 sales.But it could not be a grimmer return for Commodore's traditional rival.  Even in a month when most of the top 10 brands increased volume, Ford's Falcon slumped to sixth and the Blue Oval brand ran fourth overall. To compound the pain, Holden's soon to be locally manufactured Cruze also outsold the Falcon by 2432 to 2265.Ford's lack of sales competitive small and medium cars bit them, with the large car market on which it is over reliant falling by 729 units or more than 8 per cent. Nevertheless Ford remains third overall in year to date terms.By contrast, the small, light, and medium segment all increased - light cars by almost 10 per cent - as did all SUV segments except the large class. Compact SUVs remain the year's success story, the segment soaring by almost 54 per cent or 3509 units in September.Toyota continued in the top sales position in the September monthly market with 16,185 vehicle sales, ahead of Holden with 10,718 and Mazda third with 8,850.

Fiat is providing police in a Fiat 500C Convertible for use in that most upmarket of Sydney's eastern suburbs, Rose Bay.Being unlikely to keep pace with any self-respecting felon, unless they're fleeing on foot, bambino ragtop has a gig in community police working being, unlike your usual cop conveyance, a way of sparking conversations and building a rapport in the community. The 500C also frees up your Falcodores etc for work out on the road.And, as the most economical car in the Rose Bay Police fleet, it reduces fuel bills.The 500C will be used throughout the Command for community policing, the Crime Management Unit, which includes the Crime Co-ordinator, as well as the Crime Prevention Officer, Youth Liaison Officer, Domestic Violence Officer and the Traffic Officer

And it is among this year’s most slaveringly anticipated dish.While expected to be officially unveiled at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, an almost production ready test model of Lamborghini’s Jota has been captured up and close and personal by our spies at Germany’s Nurburgring.Looking lithe and lethal, but quite close to the concept version, the Jota lines have not yet been seen this clearly.The snapper has captured detailed images of the undisguised prototype, not least the front bumper and exhausts.The Jota will be powered by a V12 developing some 500kW of power.

The mid-size sedan, which is predicted to overhaul Commodore sales, goes to volt power in the form of the Cruze EV, co-developed with GM Daewoo, LG Chem and LG Electronics. "This Cruze EV demonstration project reinforces GM's commitment to being a leader in the development of electric vehicles and green technologies, building on our portfolio of hybrids and the Chevrolet Volt," GM vice president of global vehicle engineering, Karl Stracke, says.  "We'll apply the learnings from this and our other demo projects to help us deliver the world's best vehicles for our customers." GM Daewoo also will test an electric-powered Lacetti Premiere vehicle in South Korea. The Lacetti sedan shares the same platform as the Cruze and is sold in Korea. The Cruze EVs are equipped with a 31-kilowat battery that generates maximum power of 150 kilowatts. The test vehicles have a range of up to 160km and a top speed of 160km/h in testing. Zero-to-100km/h acceleration is estimated in 8.2 seconds. The Cruze EV can be recharged in 8 to 10 hours on a standard 220-volt outlet, GM said. The battery pack is located under the vehicle and does not interfere with trunk space. GM did not provide specifics about the battery location.

Another week, another Audi ­­­- though the latest version to emerge in the German carmaker's almost manic quest to have 42 distinct variants on sale by 2015 is among its most visually striking to date.The A7 Sportback is a physical and logical extension of the equivalent A5, with which it shares two drivetrains and takes the luxury "five door coupe" design language to its fullest extent. Crucially, the A7 shares its underpinnings with the forthcoming new generation A6 sedan and wagon that, while successful elsewhere in the world, is a feeble sales performer in Australia.Aside from being a designer's delight and an alternative to cars as diverse as Mercedes-Benz's CLS and Porsche's Panamera, the A7s we drove in Sardinia last week bode well for the A6 and suggest Audi Australia might at last have a challenger in more than name to the massively dominant E-Class and 5 Series.DESIGNIn a word, stunning. If the A7 photographs captivatingly, its physical presence is overpowering. People stop and stare.For all the talk of a "practical coupe", this is unapologetically an exercise in form over function. And for all its imposing dimensions (4.9m long by 1.9m wide) the A7 is only 1.4m high and houses four seats, though with 535 litres rear seats up/1360 down (accessible via an electronic hatch), its load space is capacious.The more candid Audi folk smilingly call this a "styling decision". In other words they've done it because it looks great. The cutting edge shape is enhanced by a body-length tornado line almost sharp enough to draw blood, a reshaped single frame grille and a new line of daytime running lights. From the pert sloping rear hatch, a wing automatically raises at 130km/h - which means that it'll never be seen on an Australian road. Right?As bold as it looks without, the interior statement is even more successful, with its cosseting, wraparound cockpit feel. Audi's inside story is as seductively class leading as ever, the option of a high quality wood finish a welcome and warm departure from the usual leather and metal look.While, unlike the smaller A5 Sportback, taller adults can sit in the A7's rear pews without removing their heads or legs, the driver can barely see out back of the thing and the rear windows do not wind down.VALUEIf your idea of bliss is a marriage of luxury feel and drop dead looks, then this is money well spent - whatever the sum. With local release not due for six months, Audi Australia is in negotiation with headquarters over specification and price.Common sense points to it sitting above the rest of the A6 range and beneath A8 - so a $150,000-$160,000 starting point is our educated guestimate.  What's certain is that Australia gets quattro all wheel drive and seven speed S tronic dual clutch automated transmission as standard, along with a start-stop system and energy recovery.A Bose sound system is also standard, as is Valcona leather and either wood grain or aluminum finish,  MMI navigation with touchpad and 8-inch display, convenience key, a three spoke steering wheel with shifting paddles and four zone air conditioning.Options include quattro sport differential at about $3000, sports air suspension, which is an extra $2200 in the new A8 sedan, side assist, adaptive cruise control, Bang and Olufsen sound system, and an S line sport package with lowered suspension, 19-inch alloys, sports seats and bespoke trim. The brand's first self-reverse parking function is also on the options list, but its first heads up display is a possible standard fixture.TECHNOLOGYAside from the fruit mentioned above, the A7's tech highlights are its excellent engines. The ones we'll see are familiar. The 3.0 TDI six cylinder turbo diesel is good for 180kW/500Nm, 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds while using six litres of the good oil per 100km on the combined cycle. Its petrol companion 3.0 TFSI uses the supercharged V6 form the S5 Sportback that packs 220kW/440Nm, a 5.6 second sprint time and uses 8.2 litres of 98 RON per 100km.A version with the 2.8 naturally aspirated V6 from the current A6 is under discussion.  The use of aluminum sheeting on the door bonnet and hatch, and cast aluminum keeps weight down, so that even with AWD, auto transmission and diesel donk, the TDI is 1770kg unladen, the TFSI 1695.The standard quattro varies torque constantly between front and rear axles and brakes the inside wheels in hard cornering. The optional sports differential actively manages torque between wheels. The stop start function, new to this transmission, switches the engine off when fully halted, resuming when the accelerator is pressed.SAFETYThe five star crash safety rating is a given with the full raft of active and passive safety features including ABS, ESP. There are airbags for the driver and passenger, at the front, side and curtains.  Active cruise control and side assist are among the likely options.But as visible as the lane filling A7 is, LED lights ablaze, the driver doesn't ensconced in those high sills and thick pillars. Vast wing mirrors and reversing camera compensate for the mail slit of rear window. The spare is a space saver.DRIVINGThe A7 doesn't alter those Audi inevitabilities. You know them by now: BMW provides a sharper drive, a Merc will likely ride better in our patch of the planet, and the steering cries out for more feel.But Audi's growing army of customers could care less. Treat the A7 as a grand tourer with infusions of sport and you're on the right track - though preferably a wide track with a seamless surface.The TFSI, especially when equipped with the air suspension to compliment its adjustable steering, throttle and accelerator response, is a surprisingly agile and abundantly responsive drive, very much a bigger brother to the S5. The diesel, with all its extra weight over the front axle is more obviously the GT of the two, though far from disgraced when going through the third and second gear bends, its massive and immediately accessible torque almost enough in itself to win the day on straights, to say nothing of its greater cruising range.And carp as we might about the weighting of the steering wheel in any mode, the new electro-mechanical system is linear and progressive. Ever more sophisticated, quattro is seamless and confidence enhancing, a boon to safety and dynamics. Brakes abet the cause, with the just the right combination of progression and bite.VERDICTLooks and feels the goods.  70/100AUDI A7 SPORTBACKPrice: from $150,000 (est)Engines: 3.0 litre V6 turbo diesel (180kW/500Nm); 3.0 litre supercharged V6 petrol (220kW/440Nm)Transmission: 7-speed dual clutch autoThirst: 6l/100km (diesel); 8l/100km (petrol)RIVALSMercedes-Benz CLS (from $150,000)Porsche Panamera (from $193,000)BMW 5 Series GT ($143,000)