Articles by Ron Hammerton

Audi Australia is waiting for a fix for a potential emissions management issue that has seen the company halt the sale of two of three Q7 variants in October, which has contributed to an 80 per cent sales slide for its large SUV last month.The design flaw in 160kW and 200kW versions of the Q7’s 3.0-litre TDI V6 diesel engine means the system can’t detect if its AdBlue anti-pollution system has been filled with AdBlue or another incorrect solution, meaning there is the potential for tampering.AdBlue is a fluid made up of urea and deionised water that is injected into a diesel vehicle’s exhaust system to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) – one of the main causes of urban smog –  and it breaks down the NOx into water and nitrogen.The stop-sale for new and used Q7 diesel V6 TDIs has come at a bad time for Audi, with BMW’s new-generation X5 large SUV set to lob before the end of November.Mercedes-Benz is also gearing up for the arrival in April 2019 of its freshly revealed GLE SUV.The launch next month of Audi’s new Q8 upper-large SUV could provide the carmaker with some relief at the top end of the segment, but it will be keen to make sure the Q7 is back in showrooms by then.Audi Australia corporate communications manager Shaun Cleary said engineers were working on a solution and that sales would resume as soon as it has been optimised and installed.The two V6 TDI Q7s have been withdrawn for sale Down Under, leaving the flagship $161,900 (plus on-road costs) V8 4.0-litre diesel SQ7 as the only variant offered.The Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid was only offered as a limited-edition variant in Australia and is not affected by the issue.Audi Australia confirmed to CarsGuide that it is not conducting a recall/rectification program for customer cars potentially impacted by the fault.Q7 sales have dropped from 266 in June to just 29 in October. Last month’s tally was an 86 per cent dip compared with the same month in 2017, while year-to-date Q7 sales have now slipped by 31 per cent.VFACTS sales figures reveal that Audi registered four new Q8s last month ahead of the its media launch in December and showroom launch in January.The Q8 will be offered initially with a 3.0-litre TFSI petrol engine, while a 3.0-litre diesel will follow later in 2019.

Electrification is set to extend – not kill – the life of Mercedes-AMG’s 4.0-litre V8, according to its chairman Tobias Moers.

Volkswagen Group has shown off yet another all-electric concept with the reveal of its new ID Buzz Cargo van at the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hannover this week.

Kia Motors has revealed its first all-electric production vehicle, the e-Niro, ahead of its public debut at the Paris motor show next month.

Volkswagen Group Australia will soon reveal its plans for a new line of all-electric models, which is expected to kick off with the Volkswagen ID small car in 2021.

International vehicle safety authorities are developing new United Nations regulations to govern anti-collision auto emergency braking (AEB) standards.

Lexus is claiming a production-car world first with the imminent introduction of rear-view cameras in place of conventional wing mirrors on its new ES large sedan that will go on sale in Japan next month.The cameras on door-mounted arms – in a similar fashion to regular mirrors – transmit images to two 5.0-inch screens inside the cabin at the bottom of each A-pillar.Audi has also signaled its intention to introduce the digital mirror system on its Audi e-tron SUV, but Lexus will beat the German company to the punch by putting it into production first.Lexus has no plans to introduce the re-imagined mirror set-up outside Japan, but the move might put pressure on road safety legislators to change rules that deem this technology unroadworthy.In Australia, the regulations would have to change before mirrors of this kind are to become commonly available, with Australian Design Rules (ADR) requiring mirrors with specific design parameters.In theory, Lexus could apply for an exemption to the rule, although the Japanese carmaker has given no indication it will try.Audi also might have to revert to conventional mirrors for e-tron when it arrives in Australia in the second half of next year. Alternative mirrors have been a common feature on concept cars in the past decade, but road safety administrators have deemed latency issues and low-light performance make them less effective than regular wing mirrors.Lexus says its camera shape resists raindrops and snow, giving a clearer rear view while also reducing wind noise and providing a less obstructed view through the side windows."The system automatically enhances the corresponding area – left, right or behind – when the turn signals are activated, or when the transmission is put into reverse," it says. "The view of areas around the car can be manually enhanced by the driver to obtain complete peripheral awareness of the area around the vehicle."

Citroen has revealed images of its new plug-in hybrid concept based on the C5 Aircross, which will make its public debut at the Paris motor show next month.

Jaguar looks set to roll out its J-Type moniker for its next sports car range, that is expected to be electrified, after trademarks for the J-Type name were last month renewed with the European Intellectual Property Office.The carmaker has held the J-Type name since 2002 and its renewal indicates it is being prepared for the next sportscar range, with British media suggesting it could replace the F-Type.Jaguar uses the letter and 'Type' nomenclature for sportscars and, more recently, a prefix letter and the word 'Pace' for its SUVs.The renewal is the second visit to the intellectual property office for Jaguar in July after also registering the C-Pace name, which could be either a new category of SUV or a coupe version of the current F-Pace.Trademark registration for a new car is usually listed under Class 12 which applies to all types of land transport vehicles, including those with internal-combustion engines.In its J-Type application, however, Jaguar has broadened that to include Class 9 that includes a broad range of electronics and electrical devices, such as charging stations, batteries for EVs and autonomous vehicles, while Class 37 covers services for vehicles.The J-Type has the potential to be Jaguar’s first electric – either hybrid or full electric vehicle – sports car as its lodgement at the property office fell under the broad category that included autonomous driving systems, EVs, hybrids and even charging equipment.Reports from the UK have stated the J-Type will replace the F-Type in around 2022. The reports also state the new sports car will be mid-engined, initially with a hybrid drive and later with a full EV powertrain.The J-Type could follow the design and drivetrain principles of the 2010 Jaguar C-X75 concept sports car that used four electric motors and diesel-fuelled mini turbine generators. At the reveal of the car at the 2010 Paris motor show, Jaguar said the C-X75 would "influence future design and technology".UK motoring publication Auto Express reported that Jaguar is yet to confirm the drivetrain of a new sportscar but it predicted it could follow the I-Pace EV SUV with electric motors on the front and rear axles to provide all-wheel drive.The publication also said in its hybrid layout, the J-Type was likely to have a mid-mounted V6 supplemented by electric motors.It said that the powertrain would need at least 410kW of power to be competitive against rivals including the McLaren 570S. If the rumours are correct and the mid-engined J-Type reaches the showroom, it would be only the second time Jaguar has put a mid-engined car into mass production following the XJ220 of the 1990s.An EV is not unexpected as Jaguar has promoted electric and hybrid propulsion and it has just held the global launch of its first EV – the I-Pace crossover – that will lob in Australia in November.Jaguar design director Ian Callum said that last year’s Frankfurt motor show that he had probably designed his last internal-combustion vehicle. 

The August vehicle sales figures published by VFACTS show that Toyota sold almost as many HiLux units as Holden did from its entire range.Specifically, Toyota moved 4275 HiLux pick-ups and 18,833 vehicles overall, which is a 1.7 per cent total sales increase for the brand over August last year.In comparison, Holden dropped 37.7 per cent to 4356 total sales, with every model in its range plummeting in the showrooms.The Commodore took the biggest hit, falling 67 per cent to just 682, which is partly due to the fact that locally-built models are steadily becoming fewer and further between.Holden's poor performance was no doubt a contributing factor to the Australian market's slight sales drop of 1.5 per cent, with 95,221 vehicles sold locally in August.The market saw a 13.4 per cent drop in passenger-car sales and a 1.9 per cent slip in the light-commercial sector, but was cushioned by steady gains in the SUV category.Australians bought 41,271 SUVs last month, an 8.3 per cent rise compared to August 2017, and a 9.0 per cent rise year-to-date, with the Mazda CX-5 (2599 units +26.9 per cent) and the Toyota Prado (2019, +79.1 per cent) among the biggest winners.While Toyota rocketed ahead in the sales race, second-placed Mazda did well to sell 10,740 vehicles last month, up 26.2 per cent, with significant gains for its Mazda3 small car, CX-5 medium SUV, Mazda2 light car and BT-50 ute.Hyundai squeezed onto the podium with a 2.6 per cent rise to 8006 unit sales, with Mitsubishi hot on its heels with a 6.3 per cent rise to 7067 units.A bad month for Ford saw the brand drop 10.3 per cent to move just 5962 vehicles, though it still fell over the line ahead of Volkswagen (4637, -2.0 per cent), Kia (4620, +2.5 per cent) and Nissan (4440, +8.4 per cent). Just as Toyota outed its new-generation model, the Corolla small car took first place in the passenger car category with 3033 sales.Following behind the best-selling HiLux in the pick-up segment, Ford sold 3515 Rangers and Mitsubishi took third with 1742 Triton sales.Despite dropping 11.5 per cent to 2595 sales, Mercedes-Benz took the luxury segment crown, followed by BMW (1760, -12.2 per cent)  and Audi (1067, -25.8 per cent).