Articles by Richard Blackburn

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the 2015 Hyundai i30 diesel.

Brands are tripping over themselves to integrate the internet radio app Pandora into their cars, with Hyundai this week making the service available on the updated i30, joining a host of other brands, including Ford, Mazda, Holden and Subaru.But music streaming uses data, and if you’re using it on the fly then you’re chewing up your mobile phone plan.Pandora director of automotive partnerships Rick Gleave says the app streams at 32 to 64 kilobytes a second, depending on your handset’s setting.If you’re using Pandora on a two-hour round-trip commute, you’ll use about 560MB a monthAt 32 kbps, this adds up to about 14 megabytes an hour.Gleave says Pandora users typically stream in their cars for only six hours a month, which at the lower speed is just 84MB a month.Once you go over your limit, you pay through the noseBut that estimate seems conservative. If you’re using Pandora on a two-hour round-trip commute, you’ll use about 560MB a month at the lower rate. Monthly mobile phone data allowances start at about 500MB for the cheaper $40 plans, while an iPhone 6 on a Telstra $85 plan gives you 1GB . And anyone with a teenager knows once you go over your limit, you pay through the nose.It is a potential minefield. And it’s also a problem for car makers, who could find themselves fielding calls from angry customers who won’t take kindly to being told that excessive data use is a telco problem.Talk about opening Pandora’s box.

Meet the people-mover fit for a prince and princess.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the 2015 Lexus RC 350 Luxury.

Nissan wasn't the only maker showing off a new corporate look at Geneva.

The head of Lexus's international division has taken a shot at plug-in hybrids as the company's German rivals rush to embrace the technology. Plug-in hybrids are the flavour of the month for German luxury brands, which initially were slow to develop hybrids.But Lexus executive vice-president international Mark Templin says the company is not rushing to adopt plug-in technologies, despite parent company Toyota selling a plug-in version of the Prius in the US."I believe that plug-in hybrid is just a stepping stone to the next technology, which is fuel cell," he says. "Most consumers don't use them the way they're designed to be used.Most people don't plug them in all the time"Governments give tax breaks, or regulations are pushing people, to do that but the reality is that in markets where they are being sold today, most people don't plug them in all the time. They just drive them like a normal car."Templin says people continue to fill their cars with petrol and the benefits of reducing CO2 emissions - the reason for governments subsidising the technology - are not being realised.Lexus is believed to be working on a fuel-cell version of its LS limousine that could break cover in the next couple of years.Its approach contrasts with that of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, which are pushing ahead with plug-in variants.Audi plans to launch at least one plug-in hybrid model a yearBenz will roll out 10 new plug-in hybrids by 2017.Daimler board member Dr Thomas Weber says: "The plug-in hybrid is an investment in the future of Mercedes-Benz and we believe it will become established as the successful technology for maximum efficiency coupled with powerful dynamic performance."Rival Audi plans to launch at least one plug-in hybrid model a year, while BMW has launched the i3 and i8 plug-ins.Porsche has plug-in versions of the Cayenne hybrid and Panamera sedan and its 918 sports car is also a plug-in. Research and development head Wolfgang Hatz is a fan of the technology.Where does the hydrogen come from?"I believe that plug-in is a very nice technology. You can drive locally emissions-free," Hatz says. "We have the SUV, the sedan and the sports car. So in each market we are present we have a concept."He says fuel-cell vehicles aren't on the company's radar. "I don't think a 911 hydrogen fuel-cell car is the right answer. My doubt is, where does the hydrogen come from?"Critics of fuel-cell vehicles point out that the most affordable way to produce hydrogen is through fracking, which creates questions about environmental friendliness. On the other hand, many argue electric cars plugged in to a grid powered by coal are no better than petrol cars.

Nissan is looking to shake its dowdy small car image with a bolder look with elements of its funky small SUVs.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the Porsche Cayman GT4 at its international launch.

Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer says the brand's next hypercar will have more power than the Veyron, will be quicker to 100km/h and will better the car's current world record top speed of 431km/h."It will be more precise and more powerful with more attention to detail," he says. "With the next Bugatti model, we are aiming to consolidate and expand the market-leading position we have established with the Veyron."Our challenge is to make the best even better."The new car will not be called a Veyron but is expected to stick with the current car's potent quad turbocharged W16, with potential electric motor assistance.Durheimer says the development of the new model is "well under way" but won't speculate on a global reveal date.Some sources are suggesting the car could be unveiled as early as next year.There is also speculation that the output of the engine — essentially a pair of V8s — will climb to as much as 1120kW, up from 882kW in the most recent Veyron 16.4 Super Sport.The original Veyron launched a decade ago and since then 300 coupes and 150 convertibles have been sold, despite recent prices averaging about 2.3 million euros.

It was here Jaguar unveiled its legendary E-Type in the early '60s and the top end of town has revelled in revealing outrageous — and outrageously priced — supercars since then.Apart from the mainstream luxury brands, there is a host of boutique car builders who like to rub shoulders with, and occasionally outdo, the elite.Only 24 Vulcans will be made and, as the saying goes, if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it. You will need especially deep pockets given this is a race car, and spare parts won't exactly be "off the shelf". The entire body and chassis are handmade from lightweight carbon-fibre. And the U-shaped steering wheel looks like something from a fighter plane. The Vulcan is Aston Martin's latest track weapon, said to have a handy 600kW from its 7.0-litre V12. This is Aston's answer to a one-make racing series for the super-rich.The EXP-10 Speed 6 is a new two-seater sports car concept from the German-owned British brand. It will sell alongside the Bentley coupe and sedan that are already on sale and the SUV that is a few years away from showrooms. It signals a new, sportier design language aimed at younger buyers who may shun the brand as being a bit stuffy. In the same vein as Mini, Bentley's designers have been locked in to variations on a distinct theme for years. Now they've cut loose. The brand hasn't nominated what kind of engine will power the car.The 488 GTB is the first turbocharged mid-engined Ferrari since the epic F40 supercar (built from 1987-92 and producing 351kW/577Nm)) and is only the second turbo V8 in the company's modern era after last year's California T. As with almost every brand, Ferrari is moving to turbocharging because it can extract more power from smaller engines that burn less fuel. A sign of the times, the 488 GTB (reviving the 40-year-old badge from the 308 GTB) easily eclipses the F40's output with an impressive 492kW/760Nm pushing it from rest to 100km/h in 3.0 seconds.British F1 firm McLaren joins the long list of supercar a 750kW twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. The show car is finished in the same colour scheme as McLaren's LeMans winner from 20 years ago. McLaren's one-make racing series for the well-heeled kicks off later this year.Lamborghini has extracted extra kilowatts and trimmed 50kg from the regular V12 Aventador to produce its limited edition lightweight model. The LP 750-4 Superveloce has 750hp (560kW), can reach the speed limit in just 2.8secs and will likely cost more than $800,000 when it arrives in Australia late this year. Lamborghini, unlike Ferrari, has no immediate plans to adopt turbo engines.Switzerland has the highest per capita Porsche ownership in the world, so it's only fitting the brand should release two new sports cars at the show. The Cayman GTS 4 is a manual-only, track-focused baby 911 that will sell in Australia for $190,300. It is powered by a 283kW flat-six engine capable of launching it to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.The 911 GT3 RS ups the ante to 368kW for a 0-100km/h time of 3.3 seconds.This wild, track-ready supercar has no connection to cricket's hallowed turf. SCG in this case is short for Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, a company founded by a former Hollywood film director and avid collector of Italian supercars. Glickenhaus, who worked on Wall St for a while, lives in New York but spends most of his time building road-registrable track cars in Turin, Italy. The all carbon-fibre supercar weighs only 1350kg and is powered by a Honda 3.5 litre V6. Glickenhaus says it can lap Germany's famed Nurburgring in 6 minutes 40 secs "for 24 hours straight". And it can be custom-built and delivered to your doorstep for about €2.3 million.The Danish supercar maker shot to fame after being monstered by Top Gear. Clarkson and co gave the maker a hard time after one of its cars broke down, caught fire and then clocked a lap time slower than a BMW M5. The maker cried foul, saying the time had been set in wet weather.Undeterred by the negative publicity, the maker has shown its mid-engined two-seater, powered by a 6.8-litre V8 that puts out 810kW and is capable of 0-100km/h in 2.6s.Spano, a low-volume supercar builder, started in Valencia 10 years ago. The latest incarnation has a twin-turbo 8.0-litre V10 (690kW/1220Nm) and the maker claims it will reach 100km/h in 2.9s on the way to 370km/h. The monocoque chassis is made from carbon-fibre, titanium and graphene — said to be the thinnest, lightest and strongest compound known to man. Just 99 will be built.