Ford Territory 2008 News

Imported cars are hardest hit by the new LCT threshold but some of our homegrown brands also suffer.

The chance to save $450 a year on fuel bills and help save the planet could be enough to lure Sydney drivers to test a new fuel-saving system.Technology company Mtech Australia is looking for owners of a wide range of cars to take part in a three-month test of the company's ceramic fuel-saving technology.Using nano-technology, Mtech claims to be able to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 15 per cent and greenhouse-gas emission by as much as 23 per cent — as well as boosting power.“We already have qualified independent test results proving Mtech Fuel Saver's credentials, and today we want Australians to step up to the plate and commit to reducing their carbon emissions and fuel consumption in their vehicles,” Mtech chief executive David Bignold says.According to Mtech literature, the system works by encouraging the fuel molecules to break down from clusters to single molecules.The result is a change in the properties of the fuel, allowing better atomisation of the fuel before delivery to the combustion chamber.This, in turn, improves volumetric efficiency and improves fuel efficiency.Mtech claims the system will work on petrol, diesel and LPG-fuelled vehicles, with a range of results depending on the age of the car and the condition of the car's engine.“We know that different vehicles and models have varying results in carbon emissions and fuel consumption, and now we want to prove that Mtech Fuel Saver gets results regardless of the vehicle type,” Bignold says.For the public test, the company is seeking models as diverse as the Toyota Prius, Mercedes-Benz A200, Ford Territory, Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and many others.“With the average family sedan consuming more than 1400 litres of fuel each year and emitting four tonnes of carbon, participants can save up to $450 per year,” Bignold says.The greater the fuel usage, the greater the saving, Bignold says.He claims a family spending $130 a week on fuel could cut their annual bill by around $1000, while a company with a $3000-a-week fuel bill would be in line for savings of more than $23,000.Ten years of study on the system has been ratified by Associate Professor Dr Peter Dingle, from Murdoch University, in a paper published last November.“The statistics and research are compelling,” Professor Dingle says.“There are more than 14 million registered vehicles travelling over two billion kilometres a year in Australia.“This rate is growing and, as it does, so do the pollutants that result.“This (the claimed 23 per cent emission reduction) could equate to a possible saving of around 25 million tonnes of CO2 a year if applied to the Australian fleet.”Anyone interested in registering for the public test can click here for details.  Applications close on April 25.Carsguide would like to know what you think about Mtech's latest nano-technology? is 23 percent enough to help you pay your bills? 

Only 550 of the Brooklands model Bentleys are available worldwide."They are tailor-made to the exact specifications of each customer,” said Sue Young, the spokeswoman for Queensland Bentley.Ms Young said the Brisbane buyer wanted to remain anonymous, as did two other Queenslanders who have expressed an interest in getting one of the luxury coupes.She said all three currently own a Bentley Arnage T, worth about $545,000.Maserati's latest GranTurismo will be seen in Australia for the first time at the show, which opens at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre at noon on 1, February 2008.The sports car's appeal seems to have outweighed its $293,000 price tag, because 150 Australian orders have already been taken for the new model, including 20 from Queensland, according the company's Australian general manager, Edward Butler.No other Maserati has sold as quickly and the waiting list for the 2008 GranTurismo is greater than the firm's Australian and New Zealand sales last year, Mr Butler said.Luxury-car sellers say their models have become increasingly popular with younger professionals."The 20 to 35-year age group is taking a much bigger slice of the market share,” said Audi Centre Brisbane dealer principal Greg Willims. “There is no doubt the prosperity in Queensland is growing.”Adam O'Brien, of Brisbane Prestige Cars in Fortitude Valley, said manufacturers were working harder to attract young customers in a bid to keep them for life.Danny Singh, 31, of Brendale in Brisbane's northwest, recently bought a luxury H3 Hummer from Brisbane Prestige Cars for $70,000 then spent a further $15,000 on modifications.Also making their Australian debuts at the show will be new-look versions of cult street machines the Subaru WRX STi, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution — known as the Evo X to fans because it is the 10th in the series.Both are expected to be in the $60,000 bracket.Australia will be represented in the go-fast stakes by a Ford Performance Vehicles version of the Territory SUV, the yet-to-be-released F6 X all-wheel-drive wagon.Brisbane International Motor Show, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Bank, runs from Friday to February 10; Monday to Saturday, 10am-10pm; Sunday, 10am-6pm. Adults $17.50, children $10.

There has been a rash of locally developed high-performance off-roaders such as the Ford Territory FPV F6 and Toyota's HiLux TRD. Now Holden Special Vehicles is looking to get in on the act.

The hi-tech 5.0-litre V8 will be introduced in 2010 - a year that is shaping as a boomer for Ford Australia with the first facelift of the Orion Falcon, the switch to V6 engines in Ford's family fighter, and the likely introduction of the next-generation Territory.There is a good chance 2010 will also bring the first diesel engine to the Falcon and Territory, a 2.7-litre powerplant already in use in Europe. The good news on the V8 front comes as Ford Australia confirms plans to axe its existing 5.4-litre V8, which was standard in the G8, Fairlane and LTD and optional in a range of other Fords, including the Falcon ute.The Jaguar V8 is a new all-alloy design that was developed for the upcoming XF hero car, which is a make-or-break model for the legendary British luxury brand.The new Jaguar V8 will be available both in naturally-aspirated form and with a supercharger and the basic bottom line is 375kW. It will be the hero engine for the XR8 Falcon and will also be used in the fliers from Ford Performance Vehicles.The move to the Jaguar V8 is part of a shift prompted by the end of production of the existing 5.4-litre engine.Ford Australia imports the engine from the Essex plant in Ontario, Canada, which has been steadily phasing out the engine.Locally, the engine was known as the Barra 220 or Barra 230, depending on the application, with the number reflecting its kilowatt output.Still, Ford will continue with the part-locally assembled, four-valve twin-overhead camshaft version of the same engine in its Falcon XR8 and FPV models. The three-valve V8 was optional on the base-model BA Falcon from 2002, replacing the ancient 5.0-litre Windsor pushrod V8.But Ford's Broadmeadows factory has had little use for the engine, according to Ford Australia's president Tom Gorman.“Quite honestly, we were down to about 10a month and it's not a major impact on our business,” Gorman says.“They've actually ceased production in the US and, as you know, we're ceasing production on our long-wheelbase cars.”Gorman says Ford has enough remainingV8s stockpiled to meet demand in the long-wheelbase cars until production of the Fairlane family in a few months. 

The new model will be offered in two all-wheel-drive specification levels - Territory Turbo, and the more luxuriously appointed Territory Ghia Turbo. Both will be powered by Ford's 245kW turbo engine. "Territory Turbo and Territory Ghia Turbo build on the many fine attributes inherent in the original Territory and then adds additional performance," said Ford Australia President Tom Gorman. Enhancements introduced on the recently released SY Territory range will also feature on the Territory Turbo, including a slick shifting six speed automatic transmission as standard. "Our design engineers had a brief to create a Territory Turbo with enhanced performance but not to compromise functionality and versatility," said Mr. Gorman.