Demand for V8s still strong

The V8 engine, once touted as a dinosaur ready to crumble beneath the weight of stringent emission laws and soaring fuel prices, refuses to die. Holden and Ford say demand for V8s is still strong despite large car sales declining. Holden's director of sales, John Elsworth, says about 12 per cent of Commodore sales are V8s and that percentage hadn't changed "for years" even if raw numbers are down in line with the falling large car sales.

More pertinent is how the V8 engine concentrates itself. Elsworth says 90 per cent of Caprice models, 40 per cent of Utes and 30 per cent of Calais versions are ordered with V8s. "That's because a Caprice buyer wants the top-end car with everything, and that includes the V8, while the Calais V-series and the SS Utes appeal to sports-oriented drivers," he says. The SS and SSV models are solely V8 powered. "These figure haven't changed for a long time suggesting petrol price rises don't affect these buyers. "Today's Holden V8 is quite economical with its ability to shut fuel to four of its cylinders. Buyers are also aware that the resale value of a V8 is higher than other engines."

In general terms slotting a V8 into either of the Australian-built brands will add between $5000 and $5500 to the price of the car.

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Fuel efficiency can vary enormously depending on how the cars are driven, although it is accepted wisom that nobody is buying a V8 to feather-foot the car around town. Ford's 4-litre inline six boasts fuel economy around 10.1L/100km while Holden's latest 3.6-litre V6 is generally good for about 9.9L/100km. Add an extra two cylinders and the extra cost is noticeable: 14L/100km for the 5.4-litre Ford engine and 12.6L/100km for Holden's 6-litre monster. That penalty is handled easier currently because petrol prices are down.

Elsworth says the V8 was also historically linked to Holden since the first time it was fitted to its range in the HK of 1968. "The heritage is the thing for us," he says. "Consumers think V8 and to them, that means Holden."

Ford spokesman Justin Lacy says the V8 is "definitely here to stay". "We have some exciting V8 news next year ... but we can't reveal that yet," he says.

Ford and FPV report a slight downfall in V8 sales but Lacy says that's only partly to do with the retraction of the large-car sales segment. He says V8 buyers tend to ignore issues such as fuel economy, hence sales have relatively minor fluctuations. While Ford says V8 sales are relatively stable, it more than Holden has felt the effects of model changes. It also has a worthy performance equivalent in its 4-litre in-line six-cylinder turbocharged range which has attracted many would-be V8 buyers.

Since moving to the FG range last year, Ford has reduced the models available with a V8. The V8 is now not available in the wagon and Ford Australia has deleted the Fairlane and LTD. The V8 is now available only in the XR8 sedan and Ute. The previous model offered a V8 in three sedan and four ute versions.

So from a percentage of engine sales, Ford's V8 has slipped from 9 per cent in 2005 to about 7 per cent. "Historically for Ford - excluding FPV - V8s are a higher percentage of total Falcon Ute than they are of total Falcon sedan sales," Lacy says.

FPV sales are historically weighted in favour of V8s by about 60 per cent. While the Aussie V8s dominate sales there are plenty of other bent-eight engines available for local sale.

OTHER V8s INCLUDE:
Audi: Q7, A8, R8 and RS4
Bentley: Arnage and Azure
BMW: range of models
Chevrolet: Camaro
Chrysler: 300C
Ferrari: all V8s
Jeep: Grand Cherokee
Land Rover: Discovery
Lexus: range of models
Maserati: all V8s
Mercedes: range of models
Range Rover: petrol and diesel
Toyota: LandCruiser petrol and diesel