Articles by Peter Anderson

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Citroen DS3 Cabrio DSport with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the Lexus CT200h, with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.

Lexus Australia chief Sean Hanley says that the customer experience provided by Lexus is one of the Japanese company's biggest points of difference against its luxury rivals.Having been at the helm of Lexus for just over 14 months, it signals a subtle shift in the way Toyota's luxury brand is selling into the Australian market, supported by a flow of new and updated product.Speaking to Carsguide at the launch of the new CT200h, Hanley told us he believes that the company is the best-placed luxury brand in the country to mount a massive sales effort and win plenty of new customers as a result.But, he says, Lexus is not interested. "There's no-one better credentialled in Australia to run a retail volume campaign with Lexus if we wanted to, given our parent company (Toyota). If volume was all we wanted, we could activate a campaign tomorrow. But we don't."We believe very clearly that in the future, luxury customers will want a point of difference. That point of difference will come in many and varied ways. You have to have a good exciting product, that stands to reason. You've got to have a brand that provides the level of recognition that the consumer expects."More important than anything, you have to provide service and an experience from the time they look your car up to the time they dispose of your car. It's got to be exceptional. We believe we've got the customer experience pretty right. You can check whatever stats you like, independent or otherwise, we've got that right.""We launched with one car twenty-four years ago and service was our point of difference. You combine that with the kind of design that Lexus is bringing to market. Distinct, exciting styling. And, over time, it is our intention to broaden our offering across the luxury market."Hanley is referring to one part of the market, specifically the compact SUV dominated by Audi's Q3. The NX concept is a pointer to that, but Lexus insists it's not yet a production goer. Another product, the RC Coupe, is further evidence of that intention. "Our belief is, don't sell your soul -- the soul of what luxury stands for -- to get quick sales today."Hanley believes Lexus needs to remain exclusive enough that buyers, especially young buyers, feel that their choice is unique. "Whilst consumerism is on the rise, if our kids become successful, they will want a point of difference. And that point of difference in the age of technology and social media and whatever else is available in their time, will be the experience they get from that product."The uniqueness, the recognition and how they feel. If you sell yoru soul now and believe that luxury is at the front end and not for the lifecycle of the customer, then I think that's a strategy that is fraught with danger. Good luck to the rest, if that's what they want to do. It's just not what Lexus wants to do." 

In the case of the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible, an apartment in a desirable upmarket suburb.

Scuderia Ferrari, along with the rest of the F1 teams, face a new set of challenges for the 2014 season, with new regulations bringing such extreme changes that they will alter not only the design of the cars, and the formula for the engines, but also the use of fuel and new driving styles and strategies.Together with their fuel and oils partner, Shell, the Ferrari team have produced the documentary Horse Power, which takes us behind the scenes of the campaign preparation. The documentary takes us into the inner workings of the high temple of Ferrari – the factory at Maranello – and the Shell labs where the specialised competition demands are researched and developed into race-bred fuels and lubricants."Since 2011 when the new rules were announced we have been working side by side with the Scuderia Ferrari engineers to develop the fuel and lubricants needed to meet the demands of the new V6 engine," Shell global sponsorship manager Richard Bracewell said."Horse Power features never-before-seen footage of the inner workings of the Maranello factory and Shell laboratories presents a unique opportunity for us to share with the world how closely we work with Scuderia Ferrari. It is a chance to meet the people and see the passion behind the racing highlighting our relationship and aspirations for the year ahead."Watch the desktop version of the Ferrari shows F1 preparation video here. The full version of Horse Power can be seen on Channels One and Ten on these dates:ONE HD:Sunday 16 March 0900 (AEDST) before live F1 coverage in all marketsMonday 17 March 0220 (after Aus F1 replay)Saturday 22 March 1500Friday 28 March 0930Wednesday 19 March 1.40amMonday 24 March 4pmSunday 30 March 10amTEN:Saturday 29 March 1500 

Wedged between the Red Bull and Mercedes pits is a white box about the size of a small caravan. Wedged into the same space are stacks of Pirelli tyres in tyre warmers and temporary walls shrouding fuel storage tanks known as carlottas.Inside the box white box is Shell's fuel laboratory, believed to the only such facility in the pitlane and working exclusively for Scuderia Ferrari.Normally there's three staff in there - the Technical Manager and two scientists. For the first race of the 2014, Shell has sent both of their Technical Managers, Ian Albiston and Guy Lovett to see in the new rules.Albiston is starting his fourteenth year with Shell and Ferrari, his seventh as a technical manager. He and Guy Lovett each do half of the races on the Formula 1 calendar and divide their time between their London homes and Maranello when not on the road with the Scuderia.As the door closes on the fuel lab, the sounds of the pitlane outside - in this case some loud, raucous music from the Red Bull pit, abruptly cease. The inside of the box looks like it's out of an Omo advertisement - bright, white surfaces, immaculately clean, with touch screens on the benches that run down either side of the lab.A pair of centrifuges sit on the left-hand bench and nothing is out of place. A clean desk policy ensures our prying eyes don't see anything we shouldn't.Tiny vials of fuel are stored in racks and several specimen bottles containing fuel are neatly lined up. The bottles have the car number inked on the side."What you see here goes to every Grand Prix," says Albiston. "We always have two scientists, one on fuels analysis on this side of the lab and engine oils and other oils on the other. You're probably asking well, what do we do in here? Three guys going round the world eating ice cream in the sun and parties every night. It's not quite true," he laughs.Out in pitlane we'd seen a nest of fifty litre drums with V Power logos on the side. Guy Lovett  told us that the fuel had been flown in because development was still going on the new fuel. Since the new rules were announced in 2011, Lovett and his team have blended around fifty iterations.Once delivered, the fuel is taken from the drums and put into what Ferrari call "carlottas", where the fuel is stored before being put into the car and when it is removed from the car."Every time Ferrari shift the fuel from the drums to the carlottas, we'll take a sample of fuel. When they shift the fuel from the car to the carlottas, we'll take a sample. We check and double check.""Over the race weekend will do anywhere from thirty to thirty-five samples. A lot of the fuel work is done prior to the race weekend. It's a lot of work to make sure the carlottas are clean, a lot of work before the fuel gets anywhere near the car."The reason so many samples are taken is simple - even a small irregularity in the fuel sample could mean the fuel is deemed illegal."The FIA can turn up at any time over the three days and take a sample of fuel from anywhere here. So they can take it from a drum, from a carlotta, could be the rig on a Sunday morning before the race, it could be from the car. It could be after qualifying or after the race."If there was an irregularity, what's the penalty? On a Friday, anywhere between a quarter or a half a million dollars fine. Saturday, we'd certainly be put to the back of the grid and Sunday you'd certainly be disqualified.""So we could be front page headlines but for totally the wrong reasons. That's not why Shell gets involved in motorsport."Albiston has been doing this for fourteen years and says he still loves it. "I always say, if hair doesn't come up on the back of your neck, it's time to give up. It still happens," he smiles. 

The ix35 is a suburban staple, second only to Hyundai's i30 in sales for the brand.

Infiniti says the Q50 is the real start to Infiniti's success in Australia. It's the first all-new design to reach our shores and it shows.

Infiniti says the Q50 is the real start to Infiniti's success in Australia. The three-tier, two engine range kicks off at $51,900, for the 2.2 diesel-only GT, a very handy $8400 cheaper than its most obvious competitor, the BMW 318d. It's also cheaper than the A4 and C Class.The diesel S can be had for $57,900 and the S Premium for $61,900. The S Hybrid is $67,900 and the range tops out at $73,900 for the hybrid AWD-only S Premium. The GT base model bursts out of the blocks with an impressive array of standard features, but we've only space for the highlights.Every Q50 has the dual stacked screens of Infiniti InTouch system which handles most of the car's functions. The top screen is for navigation and you can leave the maps on even when you - or your passenger - are fiddling with the other functions. The standard list features DAB digital radio, sat-nav, electric driver's seat, leather upholstery, Moving on to the S spec level adds the Direct Adaptive Steering, sport front bumper and Bose stereo. The range-topping S Premium, available with both engines, adds a safety package with backup collision warning, active headlights, blind spot and lane drift warning and active cruise control.Standard across the range are six airbags, brake assist, brake force distribution, active cruise control, front and rear sensors with rear-facing camera. S Premium adds a suite of safety features including predictive collision forward warning, active lane control, blind spot intervention, forward emergency braking and moving object detection.The diesel 2.2d is from Mercedes-Benz and produces 125kW/400Nm for 5.2l/100km. The hybrid 3.5l V6 is good for 268kW and 546Nm while returning 6.8l/100km (RWD) or 7.2l/100km (AWD). While still a seven-speed transmission, the electric engine sits between two clutches to allow for electric only running. Both have paddle-shifts and downshift rev-matching. Steer-by-wire Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS) is standard on all models bar the GT.2014 Infiniti Q50 pricesInfiniti Q50 GT $51,900 ($56,809 drive-away, $55,900 drive-away launch offer).Infiniti Q50 S $57,900 ($64,197 drive-away)Infiniti Q50 S Premium $61,900 ($68,397 drive-away)Infiniti Q50 S Hybrid $67,900 ($74,597 drive-away)Infiniti Q50 S Premium Hybrid AWD $73,900 ($81,787 drive-away)

Peter Anderson road tests and reviews the 2014 Ford Focus ST with specs, fuel consumption and verdict.