Hyundai Excel 2000 News

They bring glitz and glamour to the Clipsal 500 - but there's more than meets the eye when it comes to these grid girls. JESSICA (23) Usual occupation: Marketing co-ordinator at Stamford Hotels. How long have you been a grid girl? Three years.Why did you decide to be a grid girl? Having the chance to be involved with such an iconic Adelaide event as the Clipsal 500 is an amazing opportunity and every year I can't wait for February to come around.Best thing about being a grid girl? Working with such beautiful and amazing girls and meeting lots of interesting people.Worst thing? It only comes around once a year.Tell me about your usual day job: Busy!How different is your day job to being a grid girl? I work in a corporate environment, so it's nice to get all glammed up for the Clipsal 500 weekend.How do you think grid girls are perceived? For the most part, quite well. Clipsal always choose the girls who can best represent their company as well as themselves, and it shows through the amazing girls we have on the team. There will always be those few negative people no matter what you do.Do some people have the wrong perception of grid girls? Everyone in the team has and is achieving great things in their life. There is definitely more than meets the eye.V8 team of choice? It has to be Holden.What type of car do you drive? Hyundai Excel. KARA (25) Usual occupation: Miner/trades assistant/student.How long have you been a grid girl? Two years.Why did you decide to be a grid girl? When I was in high school I saw them and thought what a glamorous and amazing job that would be.Best thing about being a grid girl? The atmosphere and excitement of the Clipsal 500 is an amazing experience.What's the worst aspect? That Clipsal 500 only lasts four days and the week flies by too fast.Day job? I work at a mine site 600km from Adelaide, doing shutdowns as a gas tester and standby person. The site has both below ground and above ground plants. My job involves testing atmospheres where people will be working to make sure it is safe for them to do their job and to implement any precautions if necessary. When I am not in the mines I work as a trades assistant in Adelaide for a company that installs, repairs and maintains bore pumps. I am also studying my diploma in Occupational Health and Safety to gain a more permanent position in the mining industry.How different is your day job to being a grid girl? Extremely! I go from no hair and make-up, being hot and sweaty, dirty and wearing baggy overalls and a hard hat, to wearing gorgeous outfits made by an amazing South Australian designer with full hair and make-up and lots of people wanting to take photos.How do you think grid girls are perceived? They're an exciting addition to the racing scene, adding glitz and glamour.Do you think some people have the wrong perception of them? People will always have their own perceptions. But we get a positive response from the fans and spectators and we thoroughly enjoy what we do.V8 team of choice? Holden. Craig Lowndes for Red Bull Racing is always exciting to watch and is a real gentleman.What car do you drive? A 1993 Mazda MX5 Clubman.BRITTANY (20) Usual occupation: Sammy D Foundation volunteer, student, bartender at Sky City Adelaide.How long have you been a grid girl? Three years.Why did you decide to be a grid girl? I wanted to be a grid girl since I attended Clipsal 500 with my dad from a young age. Seeing the girls in their outfits looked like so much fun. Best thing about being a grid girl? Being on the grid and the Harley Davidson lap.Worst thing? Early mornings!Tell me about your day job? I volunteer on the Sammy D Foundation's Great Night Out blog-a-van, which goes around SA collecting video blogs from young people on their thoughts about alcohol-fuelled violence and what must be done about it. Several years ago a good friend, Sam Davis, was king-hit and died in an unprovoked attack, so it's good to spend time supporting the Sammy D Foundation set up in his memory, and help educate young people to understand why it's important to make good decisions, look after mates and ways to avoid violence. I'm also studying psychology and criminal justice at Flinders Uni.How different is your day job to being a grid girl? Being a grid girl we get to meet many different types of people, which is quite similar to what I do every day, just with less glitz.How do you think grid girls are perceived? Too often we're seen as being a bit 'ditzy".Do people have the wrong perception of them? I think some do. Most of us are either studying or in careers, as well as knowing a lot about the race.V8 team of choice? Holden.What car do you drive? Holden Barina. 

Given the cloying, choking blanket of grey coating the Beijing Olympics, it comes as no great surprise that China is en route to becoming the world's biggest car market.Well within the next decade, China should also overtake the US as the world's biggest maker of cars.It already manufactures more car components than any other nation, and the first Chinese cars to reach Australia will go on sale on November 1.The coming of the Chinese presages a seismic shock to the Australian new car market, of the sort not felt since the arrival of Korean cars in the 1980s.This push is aimed at the market's biggest growth segments. A new, well-equipped Chinese small car will cost about $12,000 and a compact SUV as little as $18,000 — or even less.Ateco Automotive — best known for importing Italian marques from Ferrari to Fiat — will this week announce details of a far humbler vehicle than the members of that prestigious, heritage-rich stable.The functionally named SA230 is a no-nonsense, twin-cab utility made by the altogether more evocatively titled Great Wall Motors (GWM).As the vehicle is known at home by the rather Chinglish model name Sailor, a less flowery moniker was deemed wise.GWM's ute for budget-conscious tradies will be followed by the Peri small car and the Hover compact SUV.The other half of the Sino-Ateco pincer movement is formed by the Chery company, whose budget wares, including the QQ3 small car and the Tiggo compact SUV, arrive next year.The tiny QQ3 has been on sale in South Africa since May, priced at less than $A11,600.Although ultra-cheap, it will be above the sub-$10,000 mark forecast by some more hysterical — not to say tacitly xenophobic — commentators who have sought to present the introduction of Chinese-made cars as a kind of automotive yellow peril that threatens our very way of life.This episode can more reasonably be seen as a delayed sequel to the early 1990s, when Hyundai priced its drive-away-then-throw-away Excel at $13,990 with a five-year warranty.“Strategically, I'm certain that China is the next major source of value-for-money products,” says Ateco managing director Ric Hull, who was previously in charge of the company's imports of Korean brand Kia.“China seems to be the future for everything. Even so, the approach will be gradual.“We're going to launch Great Wall with one product and, if everything goes perfectly to plan, we'll be selling some hundreds a month.“That's minuscule in the overall market. It will take years to earn a market share that affects anyone else.”But, if the strategy is initially more that of an incursion than an invasion, there's little doubt Ateco will achieve five-figure sales of its cheap and cheerful GWMs and Cherys sooner rather than later.Ateco boss Neville Crichton has been outspoken in his belief that Chinese cars are the next massive thing.The formidable New Zealand-born millionaire car salesman — perhaps best known as the owner and successful skipper of the maxi yacht Alfa Romeo — is no more known for backing losers than he is for suffering fools.So the derisive laughter with which adherents of the status quo greeted Ateco's announcement is beginning to sound hollow. And not a little desperate.Hyundai shook local car-makers to the core by turning out a functional new car for less than half the price of a Commodore or a Falcon.Now the ramparts formed by tariffs and multi-billion-dollar government assistance, which Holden and Ford have complacently sheltered behind, have almost crumbled.Among the recommendations in the Federal Government's review of Australia's car industry, which was handed down on Friday, tariffs on imported cars will be reduced to five per cent by 2010. Industry Minister Senator Kim Carr said pointedly that “the industry needs to continue embracing global competition”.In other words, if Australian manufacturers wish to survive, they should expect to do so without the help of taxpayers who long ago lost interest in the big family cars Holden and Ford continue to churn out.These cars rely on fleet and government sales to the tune of more than 75 per cent — and even that source is drying up.According to used-car dealers, a Commodore or Falcon bought new today will retain less than half its value — some $16,000 — after three years' ownership.That's hardly an attractive proposition for the private buyer, especially given the high fuel consumption of this type of car.Australians have never been so burdened by choice: the 50 car brands on sale here come from more than 20 countries.Indeed, in April this year, cars built in Thailand outsold those made locally.In a sense, the Chinese are already here in the form of SsangYong, a Korean car-maker 59 per cent owned by Shanghai Automotive Industries, one of the wealthiest manufacturers in China.“China is hardly a backward, Third World industry,” Ric Hull says. “It makes about 10 million vehicles a year.”But the salient concern remains that the vast majority of these vehicles are simply not of First World standard.In 2005, the Chinese Landwind 4WD earned no stars out of five in independent German testing, as did the unfortunately branded Brilliance BS6.Blood-curdling vision of patently poorly built Chinese cars can be seen on YouTube (enter “Chinese car crash tests”), but so can respectable efforts by more recent models.Nicholas Clarke, of the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), which conducts independent crash tests of vehicles on sale here, says test results of the first GWM will be available in November.Chery was to have been Ateco's first Chinese offering, but for the decision to await a new model range from which superior test results are expected.Still, the spectre of safety hasn't dissuaded as many as 1000 buyers a month from Holden's Barina, which achieved only two stars — the least of any new car on sale here.Although the Barina is a rebadged, eight-year-old Daewoo Kalos — described by The Sunday Telegraph's Carsguide as “genuinely appalling” — buyers don't see beyond the price tag.Alex Bombaci, of the pricing authority Redbook, says Australians just won't buy base-model or poverty-pack cars.“That's been proved again and again. It's going to take anyone a long time to establish a presence,” Bombaci says.Predictably, Ric Hull is ready for this. “The state of sophistication of the vehicles that will be coming in from China bears no relationship to the state of sophistication of those that came in from Korea,” he says.“We'll be around Korean pricing, but we'll have a better specification level.“The Chinese may be largely substitutes for used cars, so will create a market in that sense.“The interesting possibility is that the Koreans will no longer be the cheapest cars on the market. What are they going to do with that new-found status?“It was the Koreans who enabled the Japanese to push themselves up in the market.“I wonder if the Chinese will do for the Koreans what the Koreans did for the Japanese?” Impact of importsGREAT WALL MOTORS SA230Price: $16,000 (est.) Due November 1Rivals: Ssangyong Sports DualCab $28,990Toyota HiLux SR 4X2 XTRA CAB $28,470GWM HOVERPrice: $20,000 (est.) Due TBARivals: Kia Sportage $24,990Hyundai Tucson: $24,990CHERY QQ3Price: $12,000 (est.) Due 2009Rivals: Holden Barina $13,690Hyundai Getz $13,990Kia Rio $14,990CHERY TIGGOPrice: $18,000 (est.) Due: 2009/2010Rivals: Suzuki SX4 $19,990 

First, though it was the follow-up to the ultra-popular Hyundai Excel, the change of name from Excel to Accent confused a lot of buyers. The car had been called Accent in other countries for several years, however the Koreans feel that a new model needs a different name to keep it fresh, but Australians tend to think the opposite.If a car has earned its stripes, we prefer to hold on to the existing name. Reading between the lines, it seems there was quite a battle over the name, and the Australian importers lost. Accent it was.When Accent was launched in June 2000, Hyundai tried to push the car a little further upmarket, by charging higher prices. Not that it was expensive, but compared to some of the rock-bottom deals being done on the superseded Excel, the Accent came up looking on the pricey side.Finally, a couple of years after the launch of the Accent, Hyundai brought in another smaller car, the Getz. Though it was not quite in the same class, buyers tended to opt for Getz against Accent, which did the Accent no good in the sales race.The result is that it's bargain-priced as a used car and canny buyers are doing deals that get them a lot of car for a minimal outlay. That may change soon, as there are signs that the Accent is finally starting to hit its straps on the new-car scene.Towards the end of 2002, most of the more expensive Accent models were pulled off the market. At the same time the body range was reduced to just one choice. If you didn't want a three-door hatchback, tough luck. Before that, there had also been the options of a five-door hatch and a four-door sedan.Incidentally, the last of the superseded 2002 models weren't retailed until several months into 2003. These are sometimes resold as 2003 models as far as price is concerned, but it's the build date on the compliance plate that's important, and that's the one that's likely to be quoted back at you when you trade in the Accent down the track.In September 2003 the Accent received a facelift to move it away with the somewhat bland look of the original model. This later model is proving more popular in the used scene, and it's worth rustling up the extra cash to buy one. At the same time as the body was revamped in 2003, the Accent's engine capacity was increased from 1.5 to 1.6 litres.Performance from the new 78kW unit made the small-medium Hyundai reasonably zippy, not exactly a ball of fire in the acceleration stakes, after all it's quite a big car for an engine of that size, but it has enough for the average owner.The Accent is a pleasant car to drive. Handling is quite lively and the feel through the steering is good. There's a fair bit of understeer if you push hard, a keen driver will find it quite acceptable, if not exactly exciting.It has good interior room for its class, and we know of more than one family with young children that is happy with it as a family car. The boot is roomy and easy to use and has a good shape.Hyundai's build quality, which was a bit hit and miss in earlier times, was very much improved by the time the Accent arrived. The Accent appears to be holding up well to the rigours of rough Aussie roads.Hyundai is now well and truly established as part of the local automotive scene and its dealer network is large and widespread. However, as is often the way with city cars, there are not so many dealers in rural areas. We have heard of no real complaints about the cost of servicing or spare parts and the Accent has good under-bonnet space so it's easy enough to work on.  Danger SignsRust isn't normally a problem, but look at all the lower body areas and around the front and rear windscreens to be safe.Do an engine check for easy starting and smooth idling. Where possible, that should be done with the engine cold, preferably after the car has been standing overnight.Feel for a manual gearbox that baulks during fast gearchanges, especially the three-two downchange.Turn the steering wheel all the way from one side to the other while travelling at very low speed and listen for clunking noises near the front wheels. They probably indicate the universal joints are worn.Look over the interior, including the boot, for signs of rough usage. It may indicate the complete car has been treated harshly, or it may just be that the kids have run a muck from time to time. 

According to research and statistics, it seems they are making pretty sensible buying decisions.In a national survey of young drivers, 93 per cent rated value for money as an important factor when buying a car, followed by safety and security (85 per cent).More than half (52 per cent) of the 1053 drivers aged 18-25 years polled in the Just Car Insurance survey rated environmental friendliness as a key factor.Items such as brand, colour and how the vehicle looks to others rated lower on the scale.It comes as no surprise that the most popular car for young drivers is the Holden Commodore.Except for a couple of months this year and last year during high petrol prices, the Commodore has also been the biggest-selling car over the past 10 years.That very fact means there are a lot out there and that reduces second-hand prices, making them more affordable and attractive to first-car buyers.Commodores make up about 8 per cent of the 32,000 vehicles registered for road service under the RACQ's free2go youth membership program.Second favourite is also no surprise. The Toyota Corolla, which was the car that pipped the Commodore for sales and is consistently the second-highest seller, accounts for 6.25 per cent for free2go members.Next were the Ford Laser at 5 per cent and Hyundai Excel at 4.75 per cent.The financial realities of first car ownership is reflected in the average ages of those vehicles: an average 12.1 years old for the Commodore, 14.8 years for the Corolla, 15.7 for the Laser and 9.2 for the Excel.The average age of the top 40 models driven by free2go members is 12.4 years, with the Toyota Corona — number 20 on the list — soldiering on at an average 21.4 years.The free2go program offers free RACQ membership for three years to all Queensland residents from the age of 17 or school year 12.Roadside assistance on any vehicle being driven by a free2go member is included in the first year. In the second and third years, members can opt to nominate a vehicle for road service at half the full RACQ membership fee; or simply maintain access to all other standard RACQ services at no charge.While sensible factors are top-rating among young people in the Just Car Insurance survey, car image still plays a major role with 27 per cent believing you can tell what somebody is like by the car they drive.The poll also found 30 per cent saying they are more likely to take notice of somebody who has an expensive car.However, 38 per cent claim the look of the car doesn't matter — it only needs to get them from A to B.Sex appeal is also important with 18 per cent more attracted to someone who drives a nice car and 40 per cent claiming a nice car helps attract the opposite sex.Some of the results differed between the sexes and overall the guys were more interested in vehicle style and the impression it gives: 57 per cent rated how it looks to others as important versus 40 per cent young women; 91 per cent of women were more interested in safety and security compared with 79 per cent of men.Contrary to the perception that youth drive modified vehicles, 72 per cent drive standard vehicles without modifications.Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) believe young drivers are unfairly criticised for their driving.