Articles by Stuart Martin

The German marque is having a bet each way, with the Mercedes-Benz E 300 Bluetec diesel-electric hybrid and the E 400 petrol-electric model set to debut at the Detroit motor show in January. Both are claiming much-improved performance and economy without any sacrifice in the realm of cargo space. The diesel-powered E 300 hybrid (available in sedan and wagon guise) is laying claim to a preliminary 4.2 litres per 100km and 109g/km from the four-cylinder turbodiesel hybrid set-up - the system has 150kW and 500Nm from the diesel and an additional 20kW and 250Nm from the electric motor and lithium-ion battery side of the drivetrain, enough for Benz to claim top spot as the economical luxury-class vehicle in the world. The E 400 hybrid produces 225kW and 370Nm from the V6 petrol engine, assisted by the electric system's 20kW and 250Nm - the company says it can (using US figures) return a combined figure in the region of 8.7l/100km. The German brand says there is no intrusion on luggage space or the occupant space from the modular hybrid system, which can be used in other models.  The E 300 hybrid will be on sale in Europe mid-year, while it's petrol-powered E 400 sibling will head for the US mid-year and then other markets after that. Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the Australian arm of the company is looking at both cars but there's no word on availability for Australia yet. "We've expressed interest in both, but until we know what is available to us, as well as specification and pricing - more details will come soon," he says. "Considering what economy we get from the E 250 CDI, we think if it carries a price premium for the hybrids above the existing range, it's probably something we won't take, but we won't know that until we see the final number we won't know, it will depend on the price premium," he says.

Are you a Barina buyer looking for a bit more grunt? If you like the idea of the little Holden getting similar punch to that provided by the little turbo four in Holden's Cruze, you might want to start making noise now. While Holden say there are no plans to expand its Barina line-up, the company's colleagues in North America are spruiking the arrival of the Sonic RS. Destined for a US showroom arrival later next year, the RS will be seen for the first time at the Detroit motor show next month, aiming to get a chunk of the younger driver demographic. The RS will be powered by a 103kW/200Nm Ecotec 1.4-litre turbocharged engine - the same outputs we currently see in the Cruze turbo-petrol models - with a six-speed manual or automatic transmission on offer. Available in five-door guise only, the RS gets sports body bits (including a low front splitter), a retuned sports exhaust, fog lights, sports seats, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, aluminium pedals, 17in alloys, sports suspension with a lower ride height. The US car will get the GM MyLink infotainment touchscreen system, which allows access to internet radio and links to smartphones for music downloads and video functionality as well. The RS model sits on lowered underpinnings, with a MacPherson strut front and a semi-independent, torsion beam rear end, as well as getting four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock system.

The award goes back to Holden's VT Commodore in 1997, with the prize remaining at Port Melbourne with the Astra the following year. The Germans claimed its first Carsguide gong - and the first of the new millenium with its C-Class sedan. The prize went to one of the most-demanded machines ever to roll out of the Elizabeth factory in 2001 - the resurrected Holden Monaro. Ford introduced its new BA Falcon - a $500 million investment by Ford Australia which removed the unloved look of the AU-Series - and scored a Carsguide COTY prize in 2002. The ancestor of a 2011 finalist took the prize in 2004 - Ford's locally-developed Territory SUV won the award, before it went back to a Japanese brand. The 2006 title went to Holden again, this time the local carmaker's VE "billion-dollar baby" the VE Calais V V8. A Korean diesel took the top spot in 2007 - the Hyundai i30 CRDi turbodiesel hatch suprised many with five top spot votes from a possible nine. Broadmeadows was the home of the trophy for 2008, with the Ford Falcon G6E Turbo scoring 77 out of a possible 80. The sixth incarnation of the Golf was the first VW to win the Carsguide award in 2009 and its smaller Polo sibling sat in its tyre tracks the following year. Carsguide COTY Hall of Fame 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2009 Volkswagen Golf 2008 Ford Falcon G6E Turbo 2007 Hyundai i30 CRDi 2006 Holden Commodore V8 Calais V 2005 Suzuki Swift 2004 Ford Territory 2003 Honda Accord Euro 2002 Ford Falcon BA 2001 Holden Monaro 2000 Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan 1999 Toyota Echo 1998 Holden Astra 1997 Holden Commodore VT.

But it does - when it occurs on a Car of The Year program, it's even less likely to win customers and influence more. Strangely enough, none of the cars that made the final five had anything fall off, fail or ... go wrong. First, the Territory suddenly looked like it had been parked in some dimly lit carpark and been the target of siphoners - the fuel filler cover was absent without leave. Although it went back on easily, I'm told, it probably shouldn't have come off as easily in the first place. I had a flashback to my youth with the second incident - I grew up with Range Rovers and bits and pieces were always falling off them - trim, window winders (yes, I'm going back a-ways) and electrical gremlins were regular bugbears, along with dust-sealing that can only just be described as making a seal. But when the interior light fitting popped from the ceiling of the Range Rover Evoque, it was a case of - perhaps not quite to the same extent - "the more things change ... " Not that it broke, per se, but the Focus' fuel filler cover, part of the "clever capless re-fuelling system," seemed to have similar dust sealing properties to the ye olde Range Rovers, leaving dust on the fuel flap. The same can be said for the BMW's air vent, which didn't sit comfortably in its spot in the dashboard. The piece de resistance was the journey back to the airport from Geelong, perhaps the most speed-camera-infested stretch of bitumen in Victoria, in the fastest car (not by choice, I swear) of the 2011 field. Volkswagen's Scirocco - all 188kW and 320Nm of it - decided to take away the one thing (apart from Bluetooth phone connection) that I needed for that drive. Cruise control. A little exclamation mark popped up on the dash next to the cruise control symbol and it didn't budge. So if there's any mail from the Victorian Police, I might see if that's a valid defence.

Market leader Toyota has topped the national list, as well as the state breakdowns for NSW, Queensland and WA, as well as the NT and ACT.Googlers in SA were more interested in searching for Holden - which builds car in the southern states - and Victorians punch Ford into the search engine more often than any other brand.More interesting could be what Google calls the "fastest rising list," which shows what car searches saw a spike in interest over 2011, based on a percentage increase over 2010.Indian-owned British brand Range Rover experienced a 60 per cent increase in searches from New South Wales, while the big Brit spiked by 50 per cent for searches from West Australians.South Australians searches for VW-owned Czech brand Skoda rose by 80 per cent, with Victorians also registering a 50 per cent increase in Skoda searches.Victorians also increased search requests by 180 per cent for Toyota's Tonka Truck, the FJ Cruiser, as well as the Ford-Australia-developed Ranger, which rose by 80 per cent in Victoria and Queensland.Google users in the Sunshine State also recorded increased interest in the Holden Cruze, which was up by 50 per cent over 2010.Volkswagen saw a 50% increase in searches from ACT residents from the previous year One of the more surprising statistics came from across Bass Strait, where Harley Davidson was entered into Google by Tasmanians at a rate up 60 per cent on 2010.The WA statistics Ford Ranger saw a 90% increase in searches from West Australians while Range Rover saw a 50% increase this year.Google Australia spokesperson Johnny Luu says the Google search statistics could be a good indicator of sales trends and marketing penetration."Some car companies have found the google insight can predict how many cars they will end up selling, they've found a three month lag between a search and sale trend, there's evidence pointing to the fact that people use the internet to research purchases, particularly with cars the online research percentage is high."Mr Luu says a high percentage of car buyers research on line and the lists give a good indication of what brands have captured Australia's attention."The Google research shows what people are seeking information on, it can often be used as a good predictor on sales, so if someone looks at a particular model they're more likely in future to consider or purchase that vehicle - from a trends perspective it can give insight into what campaigns and messages are working with car buyers," he says.The top searches tables show overall volume (which car brand had more people typing their brand into Google over 2011). 

The conversation was started by the Mazda CEO, president and chairman - Takashi Yamanouchi seemed a little disturbed that some of the Australian media were yet to sample the company's new compact SUV.We're in an early pre-production left-hand-drive vehicle for an all-too brief a drive, with European-tuned suspension on 225/55 19in wheels, not that the test track gives much clue as to the ride quality or handling prowess - the engineers point out that it's all still being sorted.What's of more interest is the Skyactiv diesel and automatic AWD, which is also destined for the next Mazda6 - foretold by the Takeri concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. While the company is still coy on final specification for the car, the diesel is a 2.2-litre offering 129kW and 420Nm in the high-power version - don't expect the 110kW/380Nm standard-power model to head our way.The entry-level car is expected to be the 121kW/210Nm 2.0-litre Skyactiv petrol front-wheel drive, which is available in six-speed manual or automatic guise, to slot in at the bottom of the range - perhaps below $30,000 - with top-end models likely to be mid-$40,000.Among the equipment on offer will be the stop/start "i-stop" fuel-saving system (which is standard range-wide in Euro-spec cars), as well as the low-speed auto-braking system (to prevent collisions below 30km/h), a lane-departure warning system and auto-dipping high-beam.The same 2.5km track which we've sampled the Mazda2 EV on - with slightly banked turns at either end - has varying surfaces but is mostly smooth and hardly a comprehensive route over which an SUV can be stretched, but we're not saying no to a drive in a model that is the company's first complete Skyactiv model and is expected to do well for the car maker.It's the response away from standstill that surprises - the diesel is turbine smooth, quiet and refined. The 2.2-litre aluminium turbodiesel runs variable-exhaust valve, a dual-stage turbocharger and a low (for a diesel) 14:1 compression ratio which - when combined with exhaust gas recirculation negates the need for the CX-7's urea NOx-reduction treatment system.Mazda says improvements in emissions and fuel economy are around 20 per cent to around 5.3l/100km, depending on drivetrain and model. A redline of 5200rpm is reached quickly and without any obvious strain; the power delivery doesn't feel as though it falls away much either. Changes from the six-speed auto are almost imperceptible at full throttle and even from the outside it sounds like a quiet petrol engine, not an oil burner.A competitor - a local but with a French accent - has a worthy drivetrain but sounds rougher and hasn't got the outputs or the road manners to match the new Mazda, rolling more into corners and proving less involving for the driver through the steering.The CX-5 feels well planted and has the dynamics that's now expected from the Hiroshima-based brand - it is close in size the CX-7 in many respects and it's little wonder the 5 spells the end of the 7 in its current form. The CX-5 will co-exist with the CX-7 post its March arrival, but Mazda won't say for how long.The interior packaging is good - a 190cm driver and similarly-sized passenger can co-exist on the same side of the car, headroom is good and the 503-litre boot space is also useful.

A hybrid using Toyota's petrol-electric system is coming in 2013 but Mazda's drivetrain team are keen to do their own hybrid and electric vehicles. The much-vaunted Skyactiv internal combustion engines are to be teamed longer-term with smaller electric motors and battery systems, reducing costs and fitting in with the company's long-term weight reduction strategy as well. Powertrain Development division general manager Mitsuo Hitomi says the company is looking at getting the best outputs to suit the hybrid application, learning from the Toyota drivetrain. "Our ambition is to improve the engine efficiency to the lightest load conditions, if we can improve that then the hybrid my belief is we can operate the hybrid with a smaller motor and smaller battery - it would be a lower cost hybrid system.'' "What we are targeting is the efficiency, smaller motor and batteries with a Skyactiv engine, we are trying to realise an engine with a torque curve that suits a hybrid - in the near future," he says. Research and Development director Hirotaka Kanazawa says the Mazda hybrid would come from within the existing product range using the TMC system. "We will make a Mazda system as well - as part of the Building Block strategy, so as time goes on we will add on electric devices," he says. "In today's environment, we should focus on ICE and enhance its efficiency for better environmental performance, as well as being fun to drive - 20 years from now our Zoom Zoom car might be driven by a motor, but what we don't know," he says. The company is looking to the battery suppliers to develop the technology for both hybrid and electric vehicles - "if we are doing it today we would use lithium ion but we are not satisfied with lithium ion, we want a more advanced battery," says Kanazawa. "Cruising distance needs to improve, and cost, otherwise we can not maker a viable product, we also need to work on recycling - once we have confidence in these regards we will introduce product," he says. Mazda Australia public relations manager Steve Maciver says that while electric cars is purely a development project, the company would look seriously at any offering from Japan. "It's not going to happen overnight or certainly in the next couple of years - if we were to be offered an electric Mazda for sale in Australia it's something we would look at seriously." "We'd look at pricing and our market, demand, the same process we always do - if we can make it add up there's no reason that it wouldn't be there," he says. In the interim, the company will continue to develop its Skyactiv powerplants, but using turbos (as many European manufacturers are doing with smaller engines) is not in the Mazda plan for now, says Kanazawa. "We haven't decided that we are not going to do turbocharging, but first we wanted to enhance combustion efficiency with naturally-aspirated engines, that was our first priority," he says. Mazda's Building Block strategy is also about streamling the number of platforms and components, as well as giving itself the ability to reduce the number of processes and timeframe required to develop new models. A tour of the company's engine and vehicle assembly plants quickly showed the background to Skyactiv technology - called "Monotsukuri Innovation" - and how the company has reduced the complexity of its processes significantly. Jigs for robots to adapt to different engine types, allowing in-line and Vee engines to be sent down the same line, as well as commonality of pick-up points and some external dimensions, allows the smallest engine - currently a 1.3-litre Skyactiv in-line four-cylinder - to be assembled alongside the 3.7-litre V6, the biggest powerplant in the Mazda line-up. Line managers were pleased to point out that the number of machining processes had been dropped from 45 to four as part of the drive for better efficiency, as well as dropping lead times to months (not years) and massively reducing investment required for future models. The U2 plant builds around 1000 cars on two shifts - 236,000 a year - with the entire Mazda production set-up in Hiroshima producing around 2100 cars a day across three lines.

The focus has been on Mazda's Skyactiv tactics - involving internal combustion engines, transmissions and body structures - but electric vehicles have been far from ignored.Mazda has been developing an electric version of the Demio (or 2 in Australia) to be leased in low numbers in its home market for now. Mazda EV program manager Mitsuru Fujinaka says there are no plans to make the car in volumes viable for retail yet."We don't have a specific plan for selling to the public, we haven't decided on a lease volume either - I want to reach three digits," he says.Fujinaka-san says the company's work is looking "into the new face of the market" and hopes to soon be able to sell electric vehicles alongside Skyactiv cars, starting in the greenest US markets like California."We assume that will be from MY2018 and we want to be ready for the global launch of this vehicle by that time ... at least by 2018, we are trying to pursue an earlier launch than that," he says.Carsguide was given the chance to sample - on a short test track - the 2 EV. The company says has had no significant changes in the rear end to accommodate the battery, which leaves the cargo space untouched. The prototype cars we are driving are anything but rough as they pull away from standstill. There's a speedo, a Charge/Eco/Power display and a range indicator - 200km is the target and Mazda is confident it has that nailed. The immediate impression off the line is a linear surge, with only a faint whine from the electric driveline, which Mazda is prepared to say little about in terms of outputs - somewhere between the Mitsubishi 49kW/180Nm i-MiEV (which has a 150km range claim) and the 80kW/280Nm Nissan Leaf.Although we're only doing four banked right-hand turns, the 2 feels as though it could be nimble despite an estimated 100kg more in the kerb weight (mostly due to the battery). The battery has been slung ahead of the rear wheels and below the back seat, which would seem a good place to minimise impact on cargo and cabin space, as well as handling.The transition from cruising to deceleration and regenerative braking is smooth - the 2 EV will have a switch to increase the force of the regenerative braking as well.

Chief designer Akira Tamatani says the Takeri-based next-generation Mazda 6 is not likely to include a hatch in its model line-up.

And not just as a helper for electric cars. But with Audi having developed the world's first electric car with a rotary range-extender -- the A1 e-tron that has just gone into a 20-car fleet trial in Munich -- Mazda may be re-examining its decision to kill off the engine technology. And that may extend to it returning in its own right.Mazda research and development director Hirotaka Kanazawa says they haven't given up on the engine that added a sports halo to the brand with iconic cars like the RX-2 that won its class at Bathurst in 1971 and 1973 -- and all the RX models that followed it."We haven't given up on the rotary, we are exploring its range-extender potential as well as hydrogen-fuelled rotaries, our engineers are also working on Skyactiv rotary "RE" engine," Kanazawa says.With the demise of the RX-8, Mazda has left the sports-coupe market to the incoming joint-venture between Toyota and Subaru, but Kanazawa hopes the market segment may be grown with the new entrants - if the market grew it would help Mazda return to the segment."Rotary engines match well with stylish and lightweight coupes. I welcome our competitors into that segment, I hope it gives stimulus for the segment, to re-invigorate, that is good for us," he says.