Articles by Philip King

When a meteor tore through Russian skies this year, the device that captured the sensational event was a car dashcam. These devices are small cameras attached to a windscreen that record what happens while you drive. They seem ubiquitous in Russia, and to understand why go to YouTube and have a look at some of the footage.The incidents recorded range from the bizarre to the hilarious to the tragic. They are enough to convince you a dashcam is essential for driving in Russia -- if you're game to drive there at all. The devices are not common in Australia, but local distributors have been astonished by the demand for dashcams, set to have a massive impact on our insurance premiums and the way we drive.The main idea is to record events in a way that can establish the facts in an accident where fault is in dispute. They can also prevent a common overseas scam that involves bumper-to-bumper traffic on a highway. As your lane comes to a halt, the car in front reverses into you. It's a rear-ender that has to be your fault -- unless you've got a dashcam.Typically, the units are designed to record continuously and, when their data card is full, start overwriting. Or they can be switched on if a driver notices something problematic. Erratic driving or road rage, perhaps.High-definition and a wide-angle lens gather enough detail to read licence plates and most will work to a greater or lesser degree at night. Some have multiple cameras, some infrared capability. Many have motion sensors that automatically retain the portion before and after the car has been nudged. Adding GPS means it can accurately locate an incident and the speed your car is travelling.They can keep running while a car is parked. Features such as these have established dashcams as a separate niche from action-recording devices typified by GoPro cameras. Besides Russia, other nations have taken to them in a big way and dozens of units are available, most coming from Taiwan, Korea and China.In Australia, dashcams are a fairly new phenomenon, but they are rapidly becoming popular. Navman, known for its satellite navigation units, began offering them a year ago and has been surprised by the demand. Navman country director Wendy Hammond says about 100,000 will be purchased this year, with the company cornering about 30 per cent of demand for units priced at more than $100. She expects total sales to double next year. "We're shocked by how many people are buying them," Hammond says.About 75 per cent of buyers want proof for insurance claims while smaller groups of buyers, such as grey nomads, use them to record road trips. Some insurance companies are examining whether to offer discounts to drivers with a dashcam, and they welcome the independent evidence a video recording provides.The corporate affairs manager at insurer AAMI, Reuben Aitchison, says although they are uncommon in Australia, dashcams have been vital in deciding some claims. "They can be useful for identifying who's at fault," Aitchison says. "Our memories are notoriously unreliable and within 20 minutes of witnessing an event our minds have changed what we've seen. A dashcam leaves it black and white."When a driver is not at fault, a dashcam can save them money. "For customers who have been side-swiped and (the offender has) taken off, then that can help and the customer doesn't need to pay the excess." Aitchison says we are all getting used to a greater level of transparency in our actions and, as dashcams become more widespread, driving behaviour will improve."If people know there are a lot of dashcams on the road they'll be more careful in their own driving and how they respond to other drivers in general," Aitchison says. Another factor likely to boost sales is workplace health and safety. Queensland motoring body RACQ has just completed a trial of four units and as a result is about to fit 40 dashcams to its fleet.Advocacy general manager Paul Turner says they will be fitted first to its highway clearance vehicles. "We're focusing on vehicles that operate in high-speed environments," he says. "We're motivated by workplace health and safety, and incident management." Assuming RACQ is happy with the results, its roadside response vehicles and tow trucks will get dashcams as well.However, the dashcam itself might be just a stepping stone to more sophisticated systems. Aitchison says it's unclear where the technology will end up, with black boxes and phone apps competing with similar functions. Hammond says all the various devices on offer will potentially converge into a single unit containing satellite navigation, camera recording and even night vision. So the next time a meteor strikes, looks like more of us will be ready to record the moment.

One swallow doesn't make a summer, as one bumper month for Commodore does not mean it's basking in sales sunshine. With 3315 buyers last month, the Commodore recorded its best month since September 2011 and came third in the sales table. It's a surprisingly good result against a headwind of a 3.1 per cent decline in the market overall, as the expected rebound from a change of government failed to show. At least so far. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries believes changes to the fringe-benefits tax announced by Labor in July are still confusing potential buyers, despite being overturned by the Coalition. That suggests the market can recover from its stall. The problem is, Commodore will need an extended heatwave to reverse the chill, much less give Holden a chance of retaining a viable manufacturing operation. Since 2002, Commodore demand has slid by two-thirds. The decision to add the Cruze small car to the Adelaide plant was an admission that two models were needed to generate the volume that used to come from one. The assumption is this will mean producing 65,000 cars a year after 2016, all for domestic consumption. This is a climbdown from Holden's previous position that annual output of 90,000-100,000 was needed to keep Adelaide viable. Neither target is a money-making proposition and with increasing fragmentation of the market, a more realistic target would be two cars in the top five. Even the low goal is wildly optimistic. Cruze has failed to excite the market, peaking in its debut year as a local then tumbling 14 per cent last year and another 16 per cent this year. Commodore sales are down 14 per cent this year and last month's result needs some context -- as recently as 2011, it would have been one of the worst months, not the best. Between them, they will be lucky to achieve 60,000 this year. Exports -- let's be generous and assume 15,000 -- will keep this year's production total respectable. Now subtract exports and swap the Commodore with the Malibu, its scheduled replacement in 2016, and a car that has been ignored by buyers since its introduction as an import in June. If Commodore and Cruze can't cut it, then Malibu and Cruze are destined for the deep-freeze.  

Away from the performance specials they produce from time to time, it's difficult to think of a French car in the past few years that ticked all the boxes.

In a good year, the Golf GTI accounts for every fifth Golf sold due to Australia's outsized appetite for performance variants.

Australia has stalled on the electric vehicle starting grid and will miss out on the new wave of cars coming from Volkswagen, as the carmaker's local operation says there is insufficient demand.The German giant rolled out its first battery cars, the e-Golf and e-Up, at the Frankfurt motor show this week and set a bold goal of being market leader in electric mobility by 2018. With Volkswagen due to have 14 pure electric or hybrid cars on sale by next year, "no other automaker can match the broad range we have to offer", said chief executive Martin Winterkorn.It was starting its push "at exactly the right time" because the technology was mature. "The electric car cannot be a compromise on wheels; it must convince customers in every respect," Mr Winterkorn said.Australians, however, are unconvinced, according to Volkswagen's local arm, which will not import either electric cars or hybrids. "The market hasn't embraced these technologies and until there is sufficient demand we don't plan to offer them," said spokesman Karl Gehling.It was still early days for recharging infrastructure and the lack of government incentives for EVs was also "part of the challenge". Volkswagen already makes hybrids but Mr Gehling said they had been ruled out because they could not compete with the brand's efficient diesels.Only three carmakers have offered electric vehicles here and all have struggled to gain acceptance. Since 2010, when Mitsubishi was first with its iMiev runabout, just 602 EVs have been bought, with the overwhelming majority going to fleets.The high cost of the technology has deterred buyers, with the Nissan Leaf at $39,990 drive away the most affordable of the three after the company was forced to slash thousands off its price to stimulate demand. 

For years, tuning house AMG has been fitting large, loud V8s into Mercedes and turning swanky buyers into tyre-shredding louts.

As Australia prepares to vote in "a referendum on the future of the car industry" next weekend, a US study suggests the sun is setting on patriotic purchases. "Millennials", defined as those aged 16-32, fail to respond to the "Buy American" movement, according to the survey by AutoTrader.com, with just 38 per cent thinking it's important to purchase a car assembled stateside.The urge is much more pronounced among older buyers, with Gen Xers at 53 per cent and baby boomers 60 per cent. "It's important for domestics not to hang their hats on 'Made in the USA' to the same extent they did in the past," said Isabelle Helms, senior director of research and marketing analytics for AutoTrader.com.The trend flies in the face of purchase patterns, which show Chevrolet and Ford taking share from Japanese makers among millennial buyers. The problem is millennials aren't loyal. Only 30 per cent say they will repeat-purchase the brand they are driving. And by the end of the decade, millennials will account for 40 per cent of purchases.The survey echoes trends in Australia, which show brand loyalty declining, but a Newspoll on support for the car industry reported by The Australian offers hope for Holden and Toyota. The 18-34 age group were strongest in favour of government financial assistance, at 58 per cent. 

This Corvette with the works is perfect to celebrate the birthday of a sportscar star. If you like fast cars, then 2013 has a feast of anniversaries. It's 100 not out for Aston Martin and, against the odds, it looks likelier to notch up another ton than at any time in its past. It's also the centenary of Italian styling house Bertone, the talent behind scores of landmark designs, while former tractor maker Lamborghini turns 50 as does British supercar specialist McLaren.More remarkably, the post-war blossoming of consumption in the 1950s threw up some individual models we still laud today. Two sports cars that between them represent the twin poles of European and American approaches to performance are both celebrating significant numbers: from Germany, the Porsche 911 turns 50; while the Chevrolet Corvette, after six decades, is one of the oldest nameplates still in production.HISTORYIt took a few years for Corvette to establish its identity -- early examples were underpowered and heavy -- but the seventh generation unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January cements its place as the performance star in General Motors' constellation. The C7, as it's known, revives the famous Stingray badge and endorses the formula of front engine, rear-drive.If success is measured by sales, then Corvette wins. With a total of 1.4 million buyers against 820,000 for the 911, it's about 30 per cent more popular. Price has something to do with it: in the US the new Corvette starts at $US52,000 against more than $US85,000 for a 911.RHD CONVERSIONSIn Australia, we are forced to look on in envy. Not just at the price differentials -- 911s begin well over $200,000 here -- but in the case of the Corvette, simple availability. America's finest is built only in left-hand drive. Some right-hand drive markets, notably Britain and Japan, tolerate cars with a wheel on the wrong side but Australia frowns.If you want a Corvette, you must get one converted. Luckily, there are a few operations that do just that. One of the newest is Trofeo Motorsport, based in Victoria. Principal Jim Manolios made his money in blood diagnostics and turned his passion for motorsport into a business. Trofeo runs drive days, a race team and is the national distributor for Pirelli motorsport tyres. For about a year it has been importing and converting Corvettes at its workshop in Hallam, near Dandenong.Trofeo aims to do start-to-finish conversions, Manolios says, sourcing cars from the US and specialising in the notoriously difficult-to-switch Corvette. Components that need to be changed -- about 100 -- are scanned into a computer, flipped, then generated in a 3-D printer. Some low-volume parts can be made directly this way or the 3-D print can be the basis for production tooling.The steering wheel, pedal box and windscreen wipers must swap, but also dozens of unseen bits such as airbags and wiring. In addition, Trofeo offers a range of options, from carbon fibre body kits to upgraded exhausts, suspension and brakes, to superchargers.PRICES AND MODELSPrices start at about $150,000 for the Grand Sport, which is powered by a 321kW 6.2-litre V8. Conversions of the high-performance Z06 model with 376kW 7.0-litre V8 cost more, with options capable of bumping the price to $260,000.Manolios says a Corvette delivers Ferrari performance for a fraction of the price and believes there is plenty of demand. We're after the person who has the money in their pocket for a Porsche and is after a real sports car,'' he says.US production of this outgoing Corvette, the C6, stopped in February to make way for the C7. Trofeo has converted seven C6s so far and will have the new version by the end of the year to work out the process afresh. In the meantime, Manolios says he can still get some Z06s. The eventual goal is to deliver 20 cars a year.TEST CARI drove a Z06 with the works: upgraded suspension, carbon fibre front spoiler and side skirts, special exhaust and -- best of all -- a Harrop supercharger. This V8, called LS7 in General Motors code and displacing 427 cubic inches in old money, is being replaced by a new generation engine in the C7. Manolios believes the LS7 will have sentimental appeal and it's impossible to disagree.Based on the alloy block engine in racing Corvettes, it features dry sump lubrication and lightweight titanium connecting rods and intake valves. It rumbles and rocks the car at idle, roaring under throttle and crackling on overrun, with the whine from the supercharger in perfect counterpoint.The supercharger requires a re-profiled bonnet with a bigger bulge. It's made in carbon fibre, offsetting the modest weight of the supercharger itself. The chassis also comes from motorsport and is constructed in aluminium while many of the body panels, such as the roof, are carbon fibre. So the Z06 weighs only a fraction more than a Porsche 911 at 1450kg, despite being slightly longer and quite a bit wider.So with power boosted to 527kW and torque to a whopping 925Nm, a supercharged Z06 has performance to burn. Manolios believes sub-3.0 second zero-to-100km/h times are possible and it's not difficult to spin the monster Pirellis in more than one gear. Once on the move acceleration is unrelenting and if anything gets more impressive the quicker you go. Few powerplants I've sampled have been this intoxicating.DRIVINGTo drive, the Z06 is like a Lotus that has spent months at Venice Beach. It feels similar, only more muscular. Like a Lotus, the suspension is firm and body rigid, so you constantly get a sense of how the car was constructed from little creaks and groans. Weight is distributed evenly front-rear.The result is a car that feels balanced and nuanced in its movements, with dynamics that can handle the immense power. The controls help. It steers sweetly and precisely, despite a wheel that's slightly on the large side, while the throttle offers millimetre control and brake feel is comparable with the best.The six-speed manual transmission shifts well, although the slightly offset second gate meant I fluffed a few upshifts. With all this ability, a Z06 would be best sampled at a racetrack and I couldn't help wondering what top speed you'd see on the Phillip Island straight.Happily, you would not have to glance down to find out; the Z06 has a head-up display like the one in the latest Holden Commodore Redline, although a previous generation. That's true for all the electronics, which are a measure of the outgoing Corvette's age. It's also true of the interior, which is classic pre-reformation GM.The seats are OK, the cargo area is spacious (but would benefit from tie-down hooks) and there are some delightful ingredients, such as the electronic door release. However, the overall ambience is cheap plastic and lacklustre build. That's no fault of the conversion, which is all but undetectable from the driver's seat. The handbrake stays in its original location, and you need the insurance of first gear when parked, but it doesn't get in the way.The exterior also betrays its GM origins in poor panel fit while the bonnet colour-match in this early Trofeo conversion could be improved. But you don't buy a Corvette for its interior and especially not a Z06. Aside from the engine and the way it drives, there's the gorgeous domed rear glass and round tail-lights to admire. It's a rare sight and gathers admirers everywhere I go.Despite the enormous power of the example I drove, it would be a very easy car to live with -- docile unless you press it and with a ride quality better than expected. For me, it's been a long wait to sample a Corvette but it was worth it. Now I'm impatient for the C7. Happily, Trofeo Motorsport is impatient for it too.VERDICTOld school GM, sorted Aussie-style.Chevrolet Corvette Z06(Trofeo conversion with optional supercharger)Price: from $260,000Vehicle: SportscarEngine: 7.0-litre supercharged V8 petrolOutputs: 527kW at 6300rpm and 952Nm at 4800rpmTransmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

When Volvo announced in June that it would enter V8 Supercars next season, I couldn't help thinking about bowling hats sliding around on parcel shelves and wondering how to tie them down. What would the race regulations have to say about an unsecured piece of headgear?An absurd idea, of course. A case of reflex brand association.  But it's precisely the sort of connection we all make. It shows how much mental reorganisation is needed to put the two ideas in the same sentence. Volvo and racing? Come on.For those with longer memories, this will be less of a struggle. Volvo competed with its S40 in the 2.0 Litre Super Touring Cars series in the 1990s, winning at Bathurst in 1998 and taking the manufacturers' title a year later. It has kept its eye in with stints in overseas events, including the Scandinavian Touring Cars Championship.As the V8 Supercars rules have changed, but the general perception of Volvos has stayed broadly the same, it has come back for another go. This time the race car is an S60 powered by a V8, which is not a combination you can actually buy. Although that matters only if you think that, beyond the badge, V8 Supercars actually have something in common with their showroom equivalents.However, there is a link. Volvo's pet motorsport operation, Polestar, which prepares its track racers in Sweden for the STCC, has come up with a specially tuned version of the S60. It's called S60 Polestar, and it's Volvo's pitch for the performance sub-brand buyers who have a huge appetite for BMW M cars, Mercedes AMGs and Audi Quattros.The S60 Polestar trials the idea in an Australia-only limited edition of 50 cars that went on sale in June, as Volvo announced its V8 Supercars involvement.VALUEThe S60 Polestar is based on the regular performance flagship S60 T6 R-Design, the top-spec version of its mid-size junior exec, which comes with a turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine and body-hugging seats for $75,140. The S60 Polestar is almost half as much again; at $109,950 it is easily the most expensive Volvo you can buy.DESIGNThe S60’s Polestar package includes revised suspension, 19-inch wheels instead of 18s, and Polestar calipers for the brakes with performance pads. The transmission is the same six-speed automatic, although tuned by Polestar, and the car retains the electric steering system on the S60. Its quoted dry weight of 1684kg equals a T6 R-Design.On the outside, the Polestar gets a body kit including a rear wing and discreet badging with the tuner's square blue logo. The same blue is also available for the whole car, although red and white are alternatives.  Inside you'll find heated leather-faced seats, satin highlights, a soft dashtop and unusual metallic trim on the centre console that is reminiscent of Scanpan cookware, although that probably wasn't the goal. It's a typically excellent Volvo interior with just a few inherent issues, such as rear headrests that restrict vision. The dials are straightforward and include a helpful speed limit indicator but, as far as I could tell, no digital speedo. There's a counter-intuitive electric park brake that you pull for off.From a buyer's perspective it is not much of a lift over the donor car, with most of it unchanged from the R-Design treatment. The logo under the transparent gearshift cap is a nice touch but it could do with a bit more Polestar badging, since that's what you're paying for. The steering wheel is too large for the context and features a naff numbered inset showing which one of the 50 examples you're in. For the extra you could expect more nice textures and colours, more satin trim.The equipment level compensates a bit, with everything you get in a T6 R-Design plus some. So it includes intelligent lights, parking sensors, premium sound, sat nav, Bluetooth and adaptive cruise control. There's little to add except a sunroof, which is another $2650.For passengers, there's just as much room as a standard S60 but the boot is a different matter. A spare tyre sits on the cargo floor, getting in the way. In an Orwellian use of language, this is what's known as a “space-saver”. But it doesn't save any space at all, it occupies it.ENGINE AND TRANSMISSIONVolvo’s Polestar enhancement adds a bigger turbocharger, new intercooler and race exhaust to the S60’s 3.0 litre straight six. The result is 33kW more power, for 257kW, and 60Nm more torque, at 500Nm.  The 250km/h top speed is unchanged from the S60 T6, which is where most luxury brands set the limiter. Surprisingly, fuel use is unchanged at 10.2 litres per 100km average. The difference comes in acceleration; with launch control, the Polestar is more than a second quicker to 100km/h than the donor car, at 4.9 seconds. That's quick in anybody's language, Swedish or German.SAFETYVolvo is better known for safety than performance and the Polestar includes all the brand's safety software, such as auto-braking at low speeds if it detects an imminent collision with a car or human. However, the pedestrian airbag that debuted on the V40 hatchback recently has yet to be fitted to the S60 range.  Some of the driver alert systems are becoming obsessive in their coddling. I particularly liked the “rain sensor with tunnel detection”.DRIVINGThe S60 Polestar drives as well as any Volvo I've sampled although, like the cabin, it feels constrained by its starting point. The engine is mounted high and transversely under the bonnet, which is not ideal from a handling perspective, and with all-wheel drive it ends up feeling more like a performance Audi than a performance BMW or Mercedes.So there's plenty of grip, but the chassis feels a bit tall and doughy. Turn in could be crisper. There's no shortage of power or pace, and the engine has a pleasing snarly tone although it's a background soundtrack.  The combination of turbo lag -- the delay between throttle application and acceleration -- plus a transmission that isn't the quickest to shift means engine response from low revs requires patience.It's better when asked to deliver while already rolling. The transmission can hunt for gears a bit in D. Sport mode turns up the wick although there are no steering wheel paddles for manual shifting; you must use the lever, which operates counter-intuitively with a push for an upshift.There's a hard redline at 7000rpm, but left to its own devices the transmission changes up earlier regardless of mode. The steering, usually a Volvo weakness, is among the best I've encountered from the brand but it could be more engaging and the car's turning circle is a wide 11.9m. The 19-inch wheels also generate quite a lot of tyre noise and ride quality can be brittle.VERDICTOverall, the S60 Polestar moves the bar for Volvo but doesn't change its character. It's a corduroy car in running shoes and, while it delivers on outright pace, it lacks the sort of excitement dividend you should expect for a $34k premium. It nibbles at German performance territory rather taking a wholehearted bite.  That may be the fate of Volvo's race return too. This year's newcomers Nissan and Mercedes have been rolling chicanes for the Holdens at the front of the pack.Volvo S60 T6 PolestarPrice: from $109,950Engine: 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder turboPower: 257kW and 500NmTransmission: Six-speed auto, all-wheel-driveThirst: 10.2L/100km0 to 100km/h: 4.9 seconds

When Ford announced it would quit manufacturing here in 2016, it dispersed a longstanding cloud of doubt. No more Falcon, no more Territory. After 90 years of assembly, it will pack its bags.But not all of them. Its design and engineering division can now embrace a future independent of the factories in Broadmeadows and Geelong. It's a vital part of Ford globally and the largest of its kind here. Ford Australia survives as more than just an importer.Holden also has a development division capable of independent existence, but the cloud now hangs over its Elizabeth plant in South Australia, where it produces the Commodore and Cruze. The problems that confounded Ford now threaten Holden and it remains an open question -- until after the election -- whether its future is secure.If it leaves, then the last carmaker standing, Toyota, will struggle to survive. Carmakers need a local supplier base and they rely on each other for volume. Imported parts cost less and increasingly have displaced local components. But it makes no sense to import every part; it makes more sense to move the vehicle factory.The car industry has a mantra: make where you sell. And that lies at the heart of the issue. In earlier decades we all bought Falcons or Commodores, but no single model can now generate enough volume to run a car plant at world-competitive levels. Australia's market is too small.Even two models in the same plant only just make sense. Some exports are essential. But they are problematic. Australia produces mainstream cars but its cost base is high. It cannot charge a premium for Commodores and Camrys the way German carmakers do for Mercedes and BMWs.Also, the large sedan at the core of our industry has substantial demand only in China, the US and the Middle East. China runs its own race and opportunities in the US and Middle East are already being exploited. Small volumes go elsewhere, but regional free trade agreements frequently work against our carmakers. For instance, Thailand has become our second biggest vehicle supplier but retains a tax on engine size that penalises imports.For Holden, this means a business model based mainly on domestic demand. That leaves it vulnerable to moves such as the fringe benefits tax revision. Toyota, on the other hand, is over-exposed to exports, with 70 per cent of its Melbourne output heading overseas, mainly to the Middle East.Currencies there are pegged to the greenback, leaving Toyota in double jeopardy when the dollar is high: its exports become less competitive but imported rivals get cheaper. Our 5 per cent vehicle tariff is low by global standards. There's a long-term problem, too. The Middle East is becoming a viable location for carmakers. It's only a matter of time before Toyota's Altona plant is superseded by facilities closer to its markets.Toyota has announced an injection of $123m to take it through a refresh of the Camry in 2015, and its new engine plant suggests it will build at least one more generation of that car. But it desperately needs a second model line, with the RAV4 probably the best bet. Without that, or if Holden falters, then it's crunch time. Either way, any economic rationale for making cars in Australia left the building long ago.