.jpg)
.jpg)
The funds, part of the now defunct Green Car Innovation Fund (GCIF), will be used by Holden to slash the fuel consumption of its next Commodore by up to 7 per cent. Aluminium body panels, more efficient engines and better aerodynamics are Holden's key areas of development.
Holden says the 7 per cent saving in fuel use "would save around 3.6 million litres of fuel and reduce CO2 emissions from the Commodore fleet by around 9000 tonnes a year''.
Awarding the money at Holden's body shop in Adelaide, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, says the GCIF is making Australia's automotive sector "more environmentally sustainable''.
It is the second grant from the Fund to be awarded to Holden since the scheme started two years ago. Holden, which recently announced a 2010 profit of $112 million, received $149 million last year to build green cars, specifically local production of the Cruze small car.
Holden is not alone in benefiting from the Fund. Toyota received $98 million from the Federal Govt. to build the Hybrid Camry and produce more fuel-efficient cars; and Ford received $42 million to develop the EcoBoost 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the Falcon.
The Fund, which was frozen in January and funds diverted to aid natural disasters such as the Queensland floods, is one part of a more ambitious New Car Plan for a Greener Future program. This program sits beneath the umbrella Automotive Transformation Scheme, which Senator Carr says will provide support worth $3.4 billion up to 2020.
Holden chairman and managing director, Mike Devereux, says the funds are "critical'' for the Australian car sector to compete on a global scale and to bring new technologies and innovations to locally-made vehicles.
"Holden continues to be one of the country's largest investors in research and development and to invest in the future of automotive design, engineering and high-tech manufacturing in Australia," he says.
"The assistance from the Federal Government will enable Holden to bring Australian-made firsts in fuel-efficiency and weight saving to market and to secure local jobs in the broader automotive industry."
Mr Devereux says Holden's track record included improving the environmental performance of Commodore with fuel-saving technologies like Active Fuel Management on V8 models and Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) on V6 engines, "The success of Holden's product development program, and co-funded programs like the new locally-made Cruze, shows new vehicles and technologies have to be affordable and return real-world savings for the environment and for Australian drivers," he says.
"Holden is also continuing to develop other low emission and alternative fuel solutions in our Ecoline portfolio including a dedicated LPG Commodore and E85 flex-fuel capability on the 3.6 litre SIDI V6 engine later this year."
Senator Carr says the New Car Plan is the catalyst for introducing new technologies into locally-made cars including "hybrid engines, electric vehicles, new fuel systems, batteries and light-weighting''.
"The Plan is instrumental in enabling the Australian automotive industry to emerge from the global economic crisis in better shape than many of its international counterparts,'' he says. "The industry is producing higher-quality vehicles with high-skilled, high-wage jobs for Australians.''
.jpg)
.jpg)
