Articles by Richard Blackburn

They weren't. It was just that the 5 per cent reduction is based on what they call the "landed price" of cars not the recommended retail price. The real story, according to industry insiders, is that the "landed price" seems to be roughly half what customers pay.That hatchback you bought for $20,000 actually cost $10,000 before it landed hereYes, that hatchback you bought for $20,000 actually cost $10,000 before it landed here — and before customs, government, the local distributors, the dealers, the transport companies and the myriad marketing agencies took their cuts.The other untold story of last week is that the Koreans, to a brand, didn't pass on any savings. Again, there's a good reason for that. For the past year or so, the Japanese have been reaping the rewards of a weak yen, buying cars more cheaply from head office and making more profit. But the Korean won — and the euro and US dollar for that matter — has been much stronger than the Australian dollar, squeezing profit margins.So while it was good PR for the Japanese to pass on the tariff savings, truth is they were merely giving back some of those fatter margins. The Koreans, on the other hand, saw the tariff cut as a chance to claw back some profit.

Richard Blackburn road tests and reviews the 2015 Ford Kuga Titanium petrol.

After a couple of record breaking years, the car industry stalled in 2014. Sales of locally built cars continued to slide as we move closer to the shuttering of the local industry.On the flip side, the SUV continues its relentless progress, accounting for one in three new vehicles sold.Well-heeled buyers treated themselves to a record number of luxury cars. Official figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show 1,113,224 new cars were reported as sold in 2014 - down 2 per cent on the previous year's record.Here's our list of last year's winners and losers.Starting at $19,990 plus on-road costs - the same price as in 1994 - the Corolla was Australia's top-seller for the second year in a row, followed closely by the Mazda3.The Toyota HiLux workhorse was next, one of three utes in the Top 10. Hyundai's i30 small car was fourth and the new Holden Commodore finished fifth despite a sales slide in the last six months.Some importers sharpened their pencils or added more features to heap pressure on the locals . The results were dramatic for some - sales of Honda's Jazz, Subaru's Impreza and Mitusbishi's ASX grew by roughly a third, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee up 28.2 per cent and the Nissan X-Trail up 17.4 per cent.Longstanding import nations Japan, Thailand and South Korea went off the boil yet sales from Europe and the United States grew strongly.SUV sales hit a new high, for the first time accounting for more than 30 per cent of the new-car market.Since 2007, annual SUV sales have grown by more than 150,000 vehicles. "The increase in SUV purchases is a reflection of the versatility these vehicles provide and the increasing range available in the market," says Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries boss Tony Weber.The Mazda CX-5 became only the second SUV in history to make the top 10. Ford's Territory cracked it once, in 2005.As mainstream brands went backwards, most luxury marques posted significant increases. Of the big three, Audi performed the strongest, up 20 per cent, while Mercedes-Benz rallied by 15.8 per cent and BMW was up 10.7 per cent. At the top end, Porsche was up by almost 50 per cent and Rolls Royce nearly 150 per cent."The prices of luxury cars have come down," Weber says, "and they have a wider array of vehicles in different segments, so they're starting to drift down into areas where they weren't historically."Australia is now in its 23rd year of economic growth...it makes a difference to people's standard of living and that's reflected in the car fleet."They're not sexy - and they've been largely left behind by a wave of seven-seat SUVs.A comeback of sorts was due almost entirely to one model, the Honda Odyssey. It's been slammed by some reviewers for its frumpy looks and less than inspiring road manners, but sales of the bigger, more practical model are up by more than 150 per cent.Toyota's Tarago enjoyed a small resurgence and the new Citroen Picasso boosted numbers.Production of locally made vehicles hit a 61-year low with just 100,468 Holdens, Fords and Toyotas sold. In 1953, the tally was 99,133 vehicles, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The bureau also provides the peak figure for the Australian car manufacturing industry, 473,045 vehicles in 1976.In 1960, more than 90 per cent of cars sold in Australia were made locally. In 2014, more than 90 per cent of cars were imported.Eight of the top 10 brands had sales slides, Hyundai and Subaru bucking the trend.The changing of the guard at the top of the charts continued, with Hyundai and Mazda closing the gap on No.2 Holden.Meanwhile, Ford posted its worst sales performance in almost 50 years and its 10th consecutive year of decline.Toyota was the market leader for a record 12th year in a row. It wasn't all good news - the Japanese giant's sales were down for the third consecutive year, 203,498 deliveries, down from a peak of 238,983 in 2008.Once tipped as the next big thing, pint-sized city runabouts hit the skids. Sales of micro cars - including the Mitsubishi Mirage, Holden Barina Spark and Nissan Micra - dropped by 30 per cent. Meanwhile diesel passenger car sales fell by 17 per cent and sales of hybrid cars to private buyers fell by 30 per cent.Australians bought 100,000 fewer passenger cars than in 2007. Eight years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 60 per cent of the market; over the past two years they have slipped below 50 per cent.Mid-sized and large sedans continue to feel the brunt of the switch to SUVs - last year for the first time baby softroaders outstripped mid-sized sedans. Falcon sales were down by more than 40 per cent. Camry sales dropped by 11 per cent.The end of the mining boom and drought in some states have stalled Australia's work utes after years of strong growth. NSW was the only market to grow in 2014, with WA, Qld and Tasmania bearing the brunt of the slowdown. Notable exceptions are Ford's Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max. More sad news for locals: Falcon ute sales dipped by 40 per cent and Holden utes by 6 per cent.Top 10 brands in 2014Toyota 203,501 -- down 5.2 per centHolden 106,092 -- down 5.3 per centMazda 100,704 -- down 2.4 per centHyundai 100,011 -- up 3.1 per centFord 79,703 -- down 8.6 per centMitsubishi 68,637 -- down 4.0 per centNissan 66,025 -- down 14.0 per centVolkswagen 54,801 -- down 0.2 per centSubaru 40,502 -- up 0.8 per centHonda 32,998 -- down 15.9 per centTop 10 cars in 2014Toyota Corolla 43,735 -- up 0.5 per centMazda3 43,313 -- up 2.9 per centToyota HiLux 38,126 -- down 4.5 per centHyundai i30 31,505 -- up 3.0 per centHolden Commodore 30,203 -- up 8.8 per centFord Ranger 26,619 -- up 22.3 per centMitsubishi Triton 24,256 -- down 1.0 per centToyota Camry -- 22,044 down 11.3 per centMazda CX-5 21,571 -- up 7.2 per centVolkswagen Golf 19,545 -- up 10.6 per cent

Toyota will give away thousands of patents for its fuel-cell cars in an effort to encourage its rivals to adopt the new technology.It mirrors a similar move by Tesla, which in June removed patents on its electric vehicle technology to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport".Toyota says it will allow royalty-free use of about 5680 patent licences, including 1970 related to fuel-cell stacks and 3350 concerning fuel-cell system control technology.The free patent licences will also include about 290 items related to high-pressure hydrogen tanks.Hydrogen refuelling stations are scarce around the globeThe free licences will be allowed "through the initial market introduction period" of fuel cell vehicles (FCV), which the company expects to last until about 2020.Toyota will open about 70 patent licences related to hydrogen stations - the equivalent of fuel bowsers, and a vital link for drivers - indefinitely for manufacturers and operators.Toyota senior vice president Bob Carter hails the move as promoting more widespread use of fuel cell technology."The first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between auto makers, government regulators, academia and energy providers."By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically." One of the main hurdles to the development of fuel-cell technology is lack of infrastructure. With electric cars, every home is a potential refuelling station. Hydrogen refuelling stations are scarce around the globe.Fuel-cell cars are seen as the Holy Grail of green carsIn Australia, there is next to no hydrogen infrastructure, although Hyundai has installed the country's first refuelling point for passenger cars at its Sydney headquarters, and has imported its first hydrogen-powered car.Toyota's announcement came after it rolled out the world's first mass market fuel-cell car - the four-door Mirai sedan - in Japan.The maker aims to release the car - the name means "future" in Japanese - in the US and some European countries, including Britain, Germany and Denmark, later this year. It hopes to sell more than 3000 examples by the end of 2017 in the US and up to 100 annually in Europe.Fuel-cell cars are seen as the Holy Grail of green cars as they are powered by a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, which produces nothing more harmful than water at the point of use. They also have greater range than electric vehicles.The Mirai can travel about 650km without refuelling, three times further than an electric car, and Toyota says its tank can be filled in a few minutes, as with petrol-engined vehicles. Toyota has invested heavily in hydrogen fuelling infrastructure in California and the north-eastern US, including providing a multimillion-dollar loan to operate 19 hydrogen fuelling stations in California. Another project will develop and supply 12 hydrogen stations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

What happens when a people's favourite takes on Euro class? Richard Blackburn referees a compact SUV match.

Little French master or space odyssey? Richard Blackburn rates the people-movers

Selecting a Car of the Year is a bit like lobbing a grenade. It's sure to draw an angry response and you need to be prepared to cop the flak.The CarsGuide crew was bracing for just that as soon as we figured out the two stand-out candidates for this year's Car of the Year were the Falcon XR8 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.The irrelevant versus the unaffordable, the detractors would say. They have a point.At a time when hybrids and ultra-efficient turbocharged four-cylinders are the future, the XR8 is so old-school it could be labelled the Falcosaurus.As for the C200, it's the second most expensive car in this year's field. But it pays not to rush to conclusions.The Falcon and the Mercedes-Benz were judged not against their rivals but in terms of how they performed relative to their intended purpose. In other words, whether they did what it said on the box.The judging criteria covered engine performance, safety, driveability, value for money, comfort and practicality. Each car was rated against the criteria, rather than the other finalists.And on that score, it's hard to argue against either choice. As an old-fashioned muscle car, the Falcon delivers on its promise emphatically. The supercharged 335kW V8 is about as hairy-chested as you'll get anywhere in the world for a production sedan. And it makes all the right noises - supercharger whine, V8 burble, exhaust crackles and pops. The transmission is the perfect partner for a high-performance engine.It feels relaxed around town but as soon as it senses the driver is in a hurry it adapts accordingly. Its safety package gets five stars, complemented by huge Brembo brakes and a system that will call 000 if it senses a serious accident.Its cornering ability defies its heft, the cabin is comfortable and spacious and it's big enough for a family of five and their luggage. And the knockout punch is the value: It's basically the same car as the FPV GT, which sold for roughly $25,000 more just last year.The Mercedes, meanwhile, is a completely different beast but equally impressive in the way it nails its brief.The C200 is a glimpse of what will flow down to cheaper cars in the futureThe punchy turbocharged four-cylinder propels the Benz like a six-cylinder, yet sips just 6.0L/100km - a whisker more than the tiny Honda Jazz - thanks to a state of the art seven-speed auto with stop-start technology. The safety arsenal includes nine airbags and a host of driver aids, including fatigue detection, blind spot assistance and collision prevention.Inside, the cabin channels much bigger and more expensive Benzes, with a touchpad controller, satnav, adjustable mood lighting, electric handbrake, reversing camera and much more.On the road it can adjust the way it drives to suit your mood, changing engine and transmission responses, as well as suspension and steering settings.And as with the Falcon, the value equation is compelling. Most of the space-age gadgets, which have flowed down from top-end limousines, are standard. On the competition, most are expensive options.So why the Mercedes and not the Falcon? Because the Ford is a brilliant execution of an age-old idea, but the C200 is a glimpse of what will flow down to cheaper cars in the future. It is the one car in the field that sets a benchmark for automotive excellence. That's why it was a unanimous choice.

One is a Continental favourite, the other a perennial top-seller down under.