Holden Commodore 2012 News

It has slashed 350 jobs from the workforce at its factory at Altona in Melbourne as a result of falling demand for the Camry, most notably in the Middle East, that pegs production for 2012 at just 95,000 cars.That's a drop of more than 30 per cent in just four years, to an unsustainable level without cuts to the 3500-strong Victoria workforce."Toyota Australia is facing severe operating conditions resulting in unsustainable financial returns due to factors including the strong Australian currency, reduced cost competitiveness and volume decline, especially in export markets," says Max Yasuda, president of Toyota Australia.But Toyota is not alone on the crisis line. Falcon sales fell to less than 19,000 cars in 2011 and the total production at Broadmeadows - including Falcon ute and Territory - was only 45,000 vehicles, while the Commodore lost the top spot in Australian motoring last year and GM Holden is now relying on joint production of the Commodore and compact Cruze to keep its Adelaide factory spinning at profitable levels.Less than two weeks ago the spotlight was on Detroit with questions about the future of both Ford and Holden. The blue oval brand reacted first with a $103 cash injection and General Motors is promising news by the middle of the year on a production deal beyond the next Commodore, the VF that hits the road in 2014.Planning the future for Australian manufacturing is being done at the highest levels, with the Federal Minister for Industry, Senator Kim Carr, meeting Ford CEO Alan Mulally and GM honcho Dan AkersonThe major focus was development of a fresh co-investment strategy between the Federal government and the carmakers, taking advantage of the $3.4 billion fighting fund included in the Automotive Transformation Scheme as part of the motor industry plan that runs through to the end of the decade.Senator Carr was upbeat when he emerged from the talks, firstly to pledge his support of Holden and then to announce the new Ford deal which has been fast-tracked in less than six months. "We had very, very productive conversations. We are at the table," he says.But that was ahead of the Toyota job cut, which is also raising questions about the future viability of the hundreds of component companies that are tied to Ford, Holden and Toyota.“This is an industry that employs 46,000 skilled Australian workers directly and over 200,000 indirectly.  It is an industry that is the cornerstone of research and development activity in Australia and an industry that is one of our top export earners," says Carr.“The enormously competitive situation for automotive globally highlights more than ever the need to support our local automotive industry, to retain core capabilities and to provide skilled jobs so that the industry can rebound when economic conditions improve.“The mining boom won’t last for ever and we need to make sure that we have a core of key manufacturing industries with export potential – including automotive – to turn to when that happens."Break-Out: FundingThe troubles at Toyota have again raised questions about government support for carmaking in Australia.The three locals all get some form of support from Federal and State governments, with Ford Australia recently announcing a $103 million co-funded injection from Canberra and its parent company in Detroit.There has been talk in recent years that taxpayers are funding the industry at the rate of more than $1000 a person every year, but a new independent survey by the Sapere group shows the reality.The actual cost of government backing is $17.30 a year - a level that Sapere rates as the lowest among countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.The level of support in Britain is only $27.270 but it rises sharply from there, to $87.90 in Germany and $93.70 in Canada to $143.30.At the top end, government support in France is $143.30 per person and in the USA it's a whopping $257.40.Break-Out: OpinionThe troubles at Toyota reflect the latest change for Australian carmakers.The best model for success in the 1990s and early 2000s was to have a strong local sales base and then cream the top with an export program.It worked for Holden with the Pontiac G8 version of the Commodore, and Ford also looked for a time at building the Focus in Australia for exports through the Asia-Pacific region.Toyota did it best with the Camry and in its peak export year, it shipped more than 100,000 Camrys from Altona to the Middle East.But carmaking has contracted, the Australian dollar is far stronger, and the best model now is to export expertise - not cars - with work like Ford's T6 pickup program, Holden's design job for the Chevrolet Camaro, and even Toyota's inhouse design jobs.There is still a place for the local makers, but they have to be tightly integrated into a global plan that means more for Australia than just trying to crank out orphan cars for local buyers.

Holden lost the top spot its Commodore held for 15 years, Toyota's Camry still leads its class but is nearly 6000 sales behind 2010, and the numbers for the Ford Falcon are . . . well, dismal.Imported small cars are biting deeper and deeper into the homegrown heartland and no-one is better on a serious future for the Falcon and Commodore beyond 2018 - at the latest.But drill a bit deeper and the news is not necessarily as bad as it looks.Yes, Falcon only managed to find 18,741 new friends last year and that number is impossible to sustain. For a start, there will be no money for future development.But Falcon sedan numbers now have to be combined with the Territory SUV - which is really a new-age replacement for the Falcon wagon - and Falcon utes.When you combine the three, production from Broadmeadows rises to 39,411. That's still not brilliant, but it's not a disaster.And remember Ford was without its crucial LPG model for much of the year, and has is about to introduce its EcoBoost four-cylinder Falcon to win government and fleet sales."We're putting our money where our mouth is, and investing in the future of this product. I see that the glass is half full. I'm positive," the new sales and marketing director of Ford Australia, Brad Brownell, tells Carsguide.Across at Holden, the story is the same but different.Commodore numbers are down but GM Holden has already hedged its bets by diversifying into production of the compact Cruze in Adelaide.So its local production needs to combine the two - even though there is distortion with some Cruze imports - to get a true number.Doing that, as well as adding the ute, and Caprice numbers, Holden's total goes from 40,617 for Commodore sedan up to something beyond 85,000.Holden says it is committed to local manufacturing for the long haul and that looks true, with the Cruze set to eventually overtake Commodore as its local showroom headliner.And Toyota? Well, its factory at Altona is geared for 50 per cent export and the Middle East slide has been far worse than Australia through the global financial downturn.Through 2011 the Camry and Aurion were also into runout ahead of an all-new model. So the 2011 result of 28,084 cars will jump considerably through 2012 with full production of Camry, V6 Aurion and Camry hybrid, as well as increased exports.Would Toyota be spending $350 million on a new engine factory in Melbourne if it was not committed to local production? No, exactly.Things are still tough, and both Ford and Holden are fighting hard to justify any future investments to their head offices in Detroit, but  Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr says he is bullish and is in Motown this week for meetings with company chiefs during the Detroit motor show.So there is lots of uncertainty, and Ford is definitely leaning away from a unique Ford Falcon, but it's a long time yet until the fat lady sings.

Trying to make some sense of it all is tough, but here is my best shot - today.Australia's car sales are heading for only their fourth 1-million year in 2011, but local production - and therefore exports - is down to the lowest level since 1957.The general trend - like most of the world - is downsizing. Traditional Aussie six-cylinder family cars - Falcon and Commodore - have had 20-30 per cent sales falls through 2011, while demand for small cars is up by 20 per cent most months.This is re-shaping the motor industry, leading Holden to start local production of the Cruze alongside the Commodore in Adelaide and forcing Ford to engineer a four-cylinder engine into the Falcon for 2012.Biggest change through 2011 is the performance of Mazda, which is now consistently number 4 in Australia thanks to the sales of its compact Mazda3.But Hyundai and Kia are also making rapid gains and Volkswagen is now a top-10 brand for the first time in decades.On the dealer front, profitability is poor. They have only just recovered from the GFC but the strong Australian dollar and demand for smaller cars has slashed per-unit profits. Some small cars now only earn a dealer a $400 margin.But car companies are making solid returns, since there are only 3 local manufacturers now and the other 61 brands - including cars, trucks and commercials - are importers who are helped by the strength of the dollar in buying power from home office.The three local manufacturers - Holden, Ford and Toyota - are all going through major renewals.The all-new Camry will be out in November - with the Camry hybrid early in 2012 - after a delay because of strike action at Altona.Ford has updated the Territory this year, including a diesel engine, and it is selling strongly, while the Falcon has also lifted in recent months thanks to a new LPG system that taps into demand from fleets and taxis.The VE Commodore is being dress-up with value packs - like the latest Equipe - as well as a range of economy improvements including the upcoming dedicated LPG model. Its big move for 2011 was the local production of the Cruze hatch, which is now forecast to eventually overtake the Commodore as Holden's biggest seller.Cars and utes from Thailand have become the low-cost source for a range of Japanese brands, who have moved production offshore. So that means the Toyota HiLux, a range of Honda models, and the latest Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50 utes, all come from Thailand.That is good news for consumers who get more cost-effective products and it's also helped Japanese brand stay price competitive.Japanese brands dominate the Australian automotive landscape and nothing shows it better than Toyota's place at number one, with more than 20 per cent of all salesMazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Honda are also strong.But Japan is lagging against the Korean attack and needs to lift the game on quality and 'European' design and engineering as their products are now being matched by Kia and Hyundai on the quality front, and undercut on value and warranty.Japan was hit worst by the GFC, with brands winding back research and development, so Honda will suffer for at least the next 2 years, Suzuki has nothing new and important for 3 years, and even Toyota's product changes are slower than normal.Chinese brands are establishing a beach head in Australia thanks to prices that typically undercut an equivalent Japanese model by 30 per cent.Great Wall is doing best with its utes and a medium SUV, but Chery is struggling with an $11,990 car that is sub-standard - even against the Koreans - on quality, comfort and performance. Geely is the only other passenger car brand but only sold in WA as its cars do not quality for the Victorian safety legislation that mandates ESP in 2011.But - and it's a big one - the Chinese are learning fast and prepared to make big changes. Poor safety result in independent NCAP testing have led to safety improvements at Great Wall and Chery, and Chery changes the gearbox in the J1 model after a single poor road test by Carsguide. So the industry is still the biggest secondary manufacturing base in Australia and critical to the 'brain thrust' in the country going forward. Holden and Ford now both do global engineering work in Melbourne.

A hero colour chosen by the late and great race ace during his time as a carmaker is being brought back from the dead - with a twist - for the 2012 Holden Commodore. Brock chose a bright mid-blue colour for his HDT Commodore SS in 1984 during the days of the VK Commodore and it is returning with some extra metallic punch as Perfect Blue as part of the latest twist on the VE.The timing could not be better, on the fifth anniversary of the death of 'Peter Perfect' in Western Australia on September 8, 2006. The newest Commodore also gets improved economy and emissions in both V6-powered models, with some very, very minor cosmetic tweaking. By Commodore standards it's not a big deal, although the LPG model coming before the end of 2011 promises to have more impact.The new hero colours - Chlorophyl joins Perfect Blue - are the latest in a long run of bright body shots for the Commodore which reflect the changing times and impact of Australia's favourite car. It's currently facing one of its toughest showroom challenges - ironically, with the baby Mazda3 and not the Ford Falcon that's been its traditional rival - and Holden believes the changes for the 2012 model will help rebuild its support.It starts with the paintwork, which Holden designer Sharon Gauci says was an easy choice for 2012. "We designed Perfect Blue around Peter Brock's colour. We went back to the archives and this was perfect," she says. We've been doing hero colours, particularly on sports models, for a number of years. They're obviously attractive to customers that want something different, something a bit more extroverted. They are head-turning and attract attention."She says Perfect Blue - which also pick's up Brock's nickname - is a solid colour with a fine metallic content, while Chlorophyl is "more organic and nature inspired" with a colour that changes depending on how it's viewed. "On the interior we've included some accent stitching on sport and Berlina. There are minimal changes for the interior," says Gauci.Visually, there is also a new design of 16-inch alloy on the Omega a lip spoiler on the Calais V, while the Redline models get red Brembo brake calipers, a new design of polished 19-inch alloy wheel, and FE3 suspension on the Ute and Sportwagon.The real advantage in the latest change is improved economy and emissions for the two six-cylinder engines, thanks to a new gearbox and torque convertor on the 3.0-litre motor. They reduce weight and, with updated calibration, also improve efficiency. Changing the torque convertor saves 3.35 kilograms and a new gearbox in the 3.0-litre car trims another 4.2 kilograms."We reduced transmission mass. We also downsized the torque convertor," says Holden engineer Roger Athey. We've put them through a battery of testing and it came up well. It has contributed to some of the fuel economy savings. (But) all the gear ratios are the same."Holden claims 1-3 per cent fuel economy gains for the 2012 Commodore, with 1-3.5 per cent improvements on CO2 emissions. The headline number is 8.9 litres/100km for the 3.0-litre Omega sedan, as Holden also touts an 18 per cent economy improvement since the start of the VE-generation Commodore.The update also means all Commodores are now E85 compatible, meaning they are classified as flex-fuel cars that can run on bio-ethanol fuel. "It's a minor update. A minor enhancement," admits Holden spokesperson, Shayna Welsh. We're very pleased with how Commodore is going. We'll be talking about LPG Commodore later in the year. That's the only mechanical change still to come this year." 

The good news is that the cars of the future are not boring electric "golf carts" but sleek and sexy machines.Take for example the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, or even the updated Toyota Prius C. Just as smart, but also featuring powertrain technology that is much further down the line, is the Hyundai Blue2 Concept, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, or the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV with a plug-in hybrid system that extends the use of the vehicle in electric mode.Here is a sample of the green vehicles on the stands at this year’s show:BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: Making its Australian debut, this is the concept for the coming BMW i8. A conventional 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel mated to a pair of electric motors powers this four-wheel-drive 2+2 sports car. The hybrid combination pumps out 265kW of power and 800Nm of torque, and can run on electric power alone for up to 50km, diesel only for 645km or a combination of both. The lithium-ion battery packs charge in just 2.5 hours from AC mains or 44 minutes on quick charge.Ford: The new Liquefied Phase Injection LPG technology in the Ford Falcon EcoLPi has improved power and torque and decreased fuel consumption (12.5L/100km) and CO2 emissions (203g/km). Ford will also show its long-awaited diesel Territory with a 2.7-litre V6 boasting fuel economy of 8.2L/100km.Holden: The Ecoline Series II Cruze range with a new generation 2.0-litre turbo diesel (5.6L/100km) is Australia’s most fuel-efficient locally-built car. The stand will also feature the Cruze 1.4-litre intelligent turbo induction (1.4 iTi) petrol engine (6.4L/100km manual) and other Ecoline models, including the Commodore E85 flex-fuel and Spark Ignition Direct Injection V6 powered Commodores and Captivas.Honda hybrids: Honda will show the stylish Honda CR-Z coupe petrol-electric hybrid that arrives here later this year, as well as its second-generation Insight hybrid.Hyundai Blue2 Concept: This is the Korean company’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by hydrogen. It delivers power of 90kW and fuel economy of 2.8L/100km. Being a concept car, it comes with a host of future electronic aids, such as an automatic opening door system, roof and side cameras to replace mirrors, and a motion sensor-operated infotainment system.Lexus LF-Gh Concept: This concept features the hybrid system already in the Lexus fleet, but is the first time the spindle-shaped grille that will become a feature of future designs will be seen here, and hints at a future grand touring sedan. Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb says the LF-Gh reaffirms that hybrids can be sleek and stylish.Mazda Minagi: This is a crossover concept specifically engineered to be the first with frugal SKYACTIV technology diesel and petrol engines and transmission. The car is an insight into the coming CX-5.Mercedes-Benz C-Class: The range now includes the updated 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission for improved economy. Diesel models come with the ECO start/stop function as standard, and the C250 diesel coupe boasts economy of 5.1L/100km. At the top end of the Benz range, the S350 diesel BlueTec luxury saloon has economy figures of 7L/100km.Mitsubishi ?i-Miev-based electric vehicle concepts: The i-MiEV is about to hit the showrooms and Mitsubishi already has an SUV variant, which will be on its stand. The Concept PX-MiEV has a plug-in hybrid system with fuel economy better than 2L/100km. It is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors and a 1.6-litre MIVEC engine. The PX-MiEV also features Smart Grid technology that allows the battery to power home appliances during a blackout or at peak times when electricity tariffs are high.Nissan Leaf: The all-electric Leaf hits showrooms next year. The World Car of the Year features a satnav system linked to the "Global Data Centre’’ in Japan so you just press a button to find the closest recharging stations.Toyota Prius C concept & Prius V: The latest in the Prius family are a funky coupe concept (C) and a people mover (V). The Prius C concept shows how stylish the Prius can be and the V shows how spacious it can be. The V also features a lightweight-resin panoramic moon roof, weighing about 40 per cent less than a regular glass roof of the same size. It will be the first to feature Toyota’s new Entune multimedia system with mobile internet and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The system will offer live weather and traffic updates, along with monitoring the best fuel prices in town.Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion: The BlueMotion has the same 1.6-litre engine with the same output at 77kW and 250Nm as the 77TDI, but its fuel use is just 3.8L/100km compared with 5.12L/100km (77TDI) and CO2 of 99g/km (133g/km 77TDI). The gains are made from a lower idle speed, stop/start technology, aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres.Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid: The world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in goes into production next year. The driver can choose from three modes: Pure, which is all-electric with a range of up to 50km, Hybrid with an average fuel consumption of 1.9L/100km and CO2 of 49g/km, and Power, which boosts total diesel and electric power to 200kW and 640Nm of torque with acceleration to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. The turbodiesel drives the front wheels and an electric motor drives the rear axle. It can be recharged via a regular power socket in 4.5 hours on 10A charge.PLUS: There will also be displays by infrastructure companies including Better Place EV, which has announced plans to begin rolling out infrastructure in Canberra this year.

All the signs are positive after a strong run through 2010 on everything from new models and new technology to the price of cars and petrol and even motorsport.Last year produced a million-plus result in showrooms, only the third on record and a huge turnover in a country with a population of just over 22 million people. And the sales total for 2011 is likely to be even bigger.The fuel for the sales growth will come, as usual, from the importance of cars in Australia and the incredible number of new models that his showrooms each year. No-one can underestimate the sense of freedom that Australians tap with their cars, or the genuine needs of people who rely on cars for everything from day-to-day commuting to long-distance nomadic work.Car companies are currently doing all they can to clear their backlog of 2010 stock in readiness for the first arrivals of 2011, which means great buying for at least another month. Cars are like horses, because they all get a year older on the same day, and anything in a showroom now with a 2010 build date is out-of-date.But there is nothing out-of-date about the lineup for the first major motoring event of the year, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It opens next week with the unveiling of everything from a Hyundai Veloster and the next Honda Civic to a new Porsche supercar.There will be lots of news from Detroit, perhaps including Holden's plans to revive Commodore exports to the USA and the potential future of the Ford Falcon. Chrysler will show its new 300C, which will take more than a year to reach Australia, and Chinese brands are promising another new wave of technology and small cars.Chinese cars will be one of the big stories in Australia in 2011, with Chery, Geely and Great Wall all planning to start passenger car sales down under. Great Wall is already doing well with its value-priced utes and SUVs but it's Chery that is looking for the big breakthrough with baby cars that undercut the Korean price leaders.On the motorsport front, the Dakar Rally is already blazing through South America - with Bruce Garland doing his best for Australia in an Isuzu D-Max - the V8 Supercar championship will be another boomer, and Mark Webber will be looking to improve on his 2011 season in another year with Red Bull Racing.Melbourne will be motoring central again this year, not just because it is home to the three local carmakers - Holden, which has the local Cruze this year; Ford, which is about to go with the updated Territory; and Toyota, which has an all-new Camry for 2011 - but also thanks to everything from the Australian Grand Prix to the latest running of the Australian International Motor Show.The organisers of the show have confirmed this year's dates as July 1-10, with the promise of a truly world-class event. Moving the date is planning to bring more people indoors to look at the shiny new metal and, more importantly, open up a new position on the global motoring calendar to allow the Australian show to become a major Asian motoring event each year.

Originally for solar vehicles only, the 3000km trial from Darwin to Adelaide now runs a parallel Eco Challenge. Carmakers are falling over themselves to include their latest models as fuel consumption and emissions become more important to consumers. Holden is the latest carmaker to put a car on the grid for the event. It will run a direct injection 3.0-litre V6 Commodore Omega Sportwagon on the 3000km drive from Darwin to Adelaide. Holden chairman and managing director Alan Batey says the decision to field a Sportwagon will serve as a practical demonstration of the car's fuel-saving capabilities. "Our strategy of providing customers with better fuel efficiency today, and next-generation fuel advances for tomorrow is driving everything we do," he says. Arch-rival Ford is running a Falcon XR6 and its yet-to-be-released Econetic Fiesta hatch, which promises real-world economy of 3.7 litres/100km. Ford Australia chief, Marin Burela, says it is not a publicity stunt. "We wouldn't be entering unless we had something to say," he says. It will be the first time this particular Fiesta will be seen on Australian roads as it does not arrive in showrooms until November. Apart from Ford and Holden, Hyundai, Kia, Peugeot, Mini, Skoda, Suzuki and Volvo are all participating. The world's first production fully-electric sports car, the Tesla, is also entered. The Eco Challenge is aimed at giving carmakers with conventional and alternative-engines an opportunity to showcase their advances in economy and low-emission technologies. A spokesman for the Global Green Challenge, Mike Drewer, says there are about 20 practical family cars taking part. "There is a greater emphasis on alternative fuel-efficient cars coming on to the market," he says. However, Drewer says the Eco Challenge part of the revamped Global Green Challenge will not take anything away from the 44 pure solar cars participating. "It's important for the solar cars to showcase new technologies," Drewer says. Since the South Australian Motor Sport Board took over the World Solar Challenge last year it has rebranded it and broadened its appeal. "There has been a push to get available relevant technology," Drewer says. Burela welcomes the Eco Challenge's broader take on new technology. "The have shifted as the market as shifted as fuel economy is more important." The Eco Challenge covers a series of set stages with overnight stops at Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy, and Port Augusta. The event kicks off from Darwin on October 24, ending in Adelaide on October 31.

And it signals that Holden and Ford's new battle ground will be at the bowser. GM-Holden yesterday fired a salvo across Ford's bows by launching what it describes as the most fuel-efficient Australian-built six cylinder car available. It has unveiled two new hi-tech six-cylinder engines for the Commodore range just a week after Ford said it would build a four-cylinder Falcon. GM-Holden chairman, Mark Reuss, said Holden was going to ‘out-engineer’ its rivals with cutting-edge technology. "Dropping cylinders would be the last resort," he said. The new direct-injection 3.0-litre and 3.6-litre V6 engines will hit showrooms next month in the face-lifted Commodore and Statesman range. Not only is Australia's best-selling family sedan now cheaper to run, it emits less harmful greenhouse gases, Reuss said. "We've been listening to what the customer wants," he said. "We've invested in changing what matters most to motorists, increasing fuel efficiency, improving refinement and developing performance." The new petrol engines will be joined by a more economical LPG Commodore engine. Reuss said the new 3.0-litre Commodore was so efficient, families could drive from Melbourne to Sydney, a distance of 870km, on one tank of fuel. "We know because we've done it," Reuss said. "The car we drove actually got 7.5l/100km in actual real-world driving, that's right in there with our four cylinder entries in the smaller car market." Owners will also be able to save $325 in annual fuel costs too, he said. Reuss said the Commodore's direct-injection technology was a big step forward for the local car industry and Australian manufacturing and was applauded by the Industry Minister, Senator Kim Carr. "We are defining our own future, creating our own luck," Reuss said. "It places a more refined Commodore amongst four cylinder competitors while delivering the space and flexibility which Australian car buyers clearly want." Both V6s adopt what Holden calls spark ignition direct injection, to deliver up to 13 per cent better economy and up to 14 per cent lower CO2 emissions, combined with a new six-speed automatic transmission. The new Omega 3.0-litre gets 9.3 litres/100km, more than 13 per cent better than the existing model's 10.7 litres/100km. This engine also produces 600kg less CO2 emissions than the existing engine. Apart from lower fuel consumption, power is up. The 3.0-litre develops 190kW, up from 175kW of the previous engine, while the 3.6-litre develops 210kW, up from 195kW. Holden's popular dual-fuel LPG range will retain the 3.6-litre AlloyTec V6 but it has been reworked for better economy and lower CO2 emissions. Apart from powering local Commodores, GM-Holden plans to export the engines to several other GM plants globally, including Mexico where it is expected to go into a new Cadillac off-roader. New Holden Global V6 direct-injection engines 3.0 and 3.6-litre double overhead cam alloy V6. Uses 91RON ULP, Euro IV+ emissions rating Power: 3.0 - 190kW @ 6700rpm 3.6 - 210kW @ 6400rpm Torque: 3.0 - 290Nm @ 2900rpm 3.6 - 350Nm @ 2900rpm Fuel economy (l/100km)/emissions: 9.3/221g/km - 10.3/245g/km. Between 9 and 13 per cent fuel consumption improvement, 9-14 per cent emissions improvement. Superceded V6 3.6-litre double overhead cam, variable inlet camshaft, 24-valve alloy V6 (High Feature in top-spec models). Power: 175kW @ 6500rpm HF 195kW @ 6500rpm Torque: 325Nm @ 2400rpm HF 340Nm @ 2600rpm (ECE, Nm) Fuel economy (l/100km)/emissions: 10.6/252g/km -11.6/274g/km  

That's the view of General Motors' planner Larry Burns, who is leading the company's switch from petrol to an alternate fuel future. Burns, the vice-president of research and development and strategic planning based in Detroit, was in Australia recently when Carsguide interviewed him about GM's future. He says Australia must end its dependence on imported oil and capitalise on the country's bank of alternative energy sources.Burns says we should start with LPG and then look down the track at everything from compressed natural gas to hydrogen and even solar power.And he talks big about the GM Volt electric car, hydrogen, a nuclear future for motoring and improvements to GM Holden's home-grown Commodore. AUSTRALIA“I definitely would focus on energy diversity, I would ask myself, do I need to be importing any petroleum at all into this country,” he says. “I would look at LPG as a starting point. I think that'sa very exciting opportunity you have here already, there's a distribution for that already and the natural gas is relatively inexpensive and relatively clean.“I would anticipate compressed natural gas down the road and, longer term, I would ... go after solar big time. I do think it's going to be economically viable and then I would look at bio-mass.“And then I would anticipate that fuel cell vehicles and plug-in electrics are going to be very real solutions and set myself up for that.” THE FUTURE“Clearly, the industry is in a transformational period. Fuel, globalisation ... we need to get out in front of that better, as an industry, and we think the key is to focus on efficiency and energy diversity. Efficiency's important because energy supply looks like it's going to run short of energy demand and we think the supply of petroleum is plateauing. But efficiency alone won't solve this challenge.” THE CHALLENGE“Let's say you went to bed and had 900 million vehicles in the world ... all have their efficiency improved 25 per cent — that'd be a miracle. Now you pick your technology: they were all hybridised, they were all converted to diesels, HCCI, or something like that. So you have 25 per cent improvement — how much time have you bought yourself?“If you believe that the global economy is going to grow at 3 or 4 per cent per year, that's a pretty good bet. Energy demand correlates with that at 2 or 3 per cent per annum. So, 10 years from now after that miracle last night, we'll start consuming more petroleum for automotive than we did when we had this miracle happen.” PETROL PRICE CRISIS“I'd like to believe some markets have always had higher fuel prices, so I don't think they necessarily need a wake-up call. I was in Germany about a month ago and diesel fuel was the equivalent of $US8.25 a gallon (about $2.50 per litre). So the wake-up call really is where gasoline is relatively inexpensive, like the US. And it is not just a wake-up call for auto companies, but for consumers political leaders.“Gasoline became very, very inexpensive over an extended period of time and that defined the consumer choice, and the consumer choice tended to be for more power and more size in the vehicle. One of the things I get very concerned about is: `What if petroleum dropped back under $20 a barrel?” THE CHOICES“You have all of these people digging their heels in thinking there is a simple answer and that's the only thing you should invest in, and in fact you have to invest in all of it. Then we get paralysed by that indecisiveness on people thinking it's one answer. We can solve it, but we can't solve it by being paralysed by all these parochial different views, and what's happening is people who tend to like natural gas over gasoline promote that and they overly criticise all the other ones. People who tend to like ethanol overly promote that and they overly criticise all the other ones.” POTENTIAL IN AUSTRALIA“I was fascinated to see how much coal you have and certainly pathways where coal could find its way to automobiles, whether it's through electrically-driven vehicles or creating hydrogen or coal liquid,” he says. “I was intrigued by how much sunshine you have and solar energy continues to look promising longer term. I'm intrigued by how much natural gas you have and the potential for LPG and CNG vehicles and, quite frankly, I'm intrigued by the amount of bio-mass that could exist, both in the form of municipal waste and also plants that we don't need. So you can find a way to reduce the dependence on petroleum by finding pathways for this energy to get to the automobile.” HYDROGEN FUEL“Right now, in the world today, there's enough hydrogen being produced to fuel over 200 million fuel cell vehicles. That's almost a quarter of the cars in the world could be fuelled by hydrogen. What's all that hydrogen being used for? It's used to make fertiliser — one half of it. The other half is used as input making gasoline. By 2012 just the hydrogen used at refineries could fuel 175 million vehicles with fuel cells.” FUTURE FUELS“The sun shines on my roof, I create electricity and I put it in my electric vehicle. The time frame on LPG is right now ... the bio-mass time frame is three to five years. The good news on bio-mass technology is it's already very, very inexpensive to make your car capable of running on E85 and we'll find clever ways with LPG and compressed natural gas to get more cost out as well. I want to emphasise that this is not food-based bio-mass ... it's garbage.” FUTURE CARS“We think the tipping point for fuel-cell vehicles is at the point where we have sufficient scale and sufficient cost and market learning. That could be 2018 to 2020 and you might ask, `Can the world wait that long?'. Well, we're not waiting. We're playing hard on ethanol, we're playing hard on plug-in electrics, we have eight hybrids , and we'll have eight more in the next two years, and we're pushing solutions like CNG and LPG — and that is energy diversity.” NUCLEAR FUTURE“I know nuclear is not necessarily the right thing in Australia but in the US I would build one nuclear plant on a closed military base so it's secure.I'd dedicate it to creating hydrogen ... you can make a lot from a nuclear plant. I'd introduce hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles using that because they're an exciting vehicle customers like and then I'd go to OPEC and say, `Do you want to talk?' ... we don't necessarily have to rely on petroleum any more.”