Come in Crewman

John Mellor's Australia’s Number One Automotive Industry Journal 

GoAuto news 

January 16, 2008 

50,000 READERS WEEKLY No. 416 

A new VE model is about to emerge - 

a dual-cab ute designed with the USA top of mind 

BIGGER AND 

BETTER IN ’08 

Come in Crewman 

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS in DETROIT 

GENERAL Motors product czar Bob Lutz has 

revealed that GM is set to display a VE-based 

SUV in the form of a four-door utility. 

Speaking to Australian media at the North 

American International Auto Show in Detroit 

this week, Mr Lutz hinted that it might herald 

the unexpected return of the Crewman dual-cab 

ute in Australia, not to mention a new export 

opportunity to the United States for Holden. 

“We will have a ute concept at the NY show, 

but that is going to be badged GMC,” he said. 

“That is a global design study – and a very 

interesting study in that it is a GMC toughlooking 

four-door ute that could then obviously 

be badged as a Holden for Australia.” 

In the style of the old VY/VZ Crewman – but 

beefed up to look more like a US-style pick-up 

truck – the as-yet unnamed concept vehicle, 

which is understood to have been designed in 

Melbourne, will debut at the upcoming New 

York International Auto Show in March. 

“It is very tough looking, with a sport-utility 

look that is very low, very aggressive looking, 

a blend between a sport utility and the classic 

Australian four-door ute,” Mr Lutz enthused. 

GoAuto understands that Holden has 

played a signifi cant role in the development 

of this vehicle, which uses the global Zeta 

architecture. Furthermore, if the New York 

motor show public reacts positively enough, a 

production version of the concept is likely in 

the near future. 

However, Mr Lutz was also quick to water 

down speculation that a Crewman will be a 

sure thing. 

“It is not targeted for production at this 

point,” he emphasised. 

Asked whether it will be a replacement for 

the recently departed VZ Crewman – a car that 

Holden said was emphatically not on the cards at 

the ute’s launch last August – Mr Lutz said it was 

up to Holden to reveal that sort of information. 

“You’re going to have to ask (new Holden 

chairman and managing director) Mark Reuss 

whether (a VE Crewman) is dead or not, 

but this concept is basically a reprisal of the 

Crewman in a more modern form.” 

Mr Lutz did explain that the controversial 

fuel economy legislation that will come into 

effect might help the VE ute and Crewman’s 

cause in the US. 

“We said to Holden’s designers that if we 

really have to get much better fuel economy 

in full-sized pick-up trucks, and we have to go 

away from framed vehicles to get the lower 

mass of unitised vehicles, wouldn’t you like to 

do a really tough-looking Crewman, but that 

is much lighter than a conventional GMC fullsized 

pick-up,” he said. 

“The fi rst time you see it, you might go 

‘Whoa! I’m not sure I like this!’… because it 

is so tough and masculine looking. 

“But the longer you look at the proportions 

the more right it looks for the type of image 

that it is trying to portray.” 

Meanwhile, the regular VE ute may also get 

a guernsey at the NY show. 

“It’s something that is under consideration, 

but it can’t be confi rmed right now,” Mr Lutz 

said on the subject. 

However, despite speculation that the VE ute 

may be introduced as a long-awaited successor 

to the Chevrolet El Camino, Mr Lutz said that 

it would make more sense as either a Pontiac 

or GMC-badged vehicle. 

Continued next page 

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GoAutonews 

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS in DETROIT 

HOLDEN will not export the VE Sportwagon 

to the United States in the foreseeable future 

as Americans continue to ignore wagons in 

virtually any size and form – in contrast to the 

situation in Europe where such vehicles have a 

healthy share of the market. 

This was the bombshell dropped by General 

Motors’ product czar Bob Lutz this week to 

the Australian media at the North American 

International Auto Show in Detroit. 

“We looked at that, but the amount of change 

to meet US regulations was going to be quite a 

lot of money,” Mr Lutz said. “And the sad truth 

is, as much as some of us like ‘sportwagons’, 

they just don’t sell in the US. 

“How often do you see an Audi wagon? 

How often do you see a BMW wagon? How 

often do you see a Mercedes wagon? The 

answer is: almost never. 

“They’re just not fashionable. I can’t explain 

why.” 

Mr Lutz revealed that he championed the 

VE wagon strongly, but was shouted down by 

Continued from previous page 

GMC previously offered a rebadged 

version of the El Camino, called the Sprint. 

“If we did it, we would want to keep it in 

the same franchise, and I think that if there is 

any enthusiasm for that kind of vehicle in the 

United States, if we brought it, the expectation 

for that kind of vehicle by the American public 

would probably be as a Chevrolet, because it 

would be a reprise of the late and lamented 

El Camino,” Mr Lutz said. 

“But that is the last thing we would do 

because Chevrolet has been blessed with so 

many great products that we are at the limit 

to what the dealers can focus on. 

“So if we put any more stuff in the Chevrolet 

channel it is not going to result in any more 

sales because we are at the outer edges of 

what the dealer personnel can understand 

and stock and explain and sell. 

“And so it would be somebody else other 

than Chevrolet, and then the question is: 

would you give it to Pontiac or GMC? 

“And that makes very little difference 

because they are in the BPG (Buick/Pontiac/ 

GMC) channel, where Buick is at the top of 

that with near-luxury vehicles … and the idea 

is that Buick would never have something 

overtly truck-like while GMC is all overtly 

truck-like with nothing that resembles a 

passenger car. 

“Pontiac would be focused on sporty, highperformance 

passenger type of vehicles, 

and that’s where the ute fi ts, that’s where the 

Providing Dealer Management 

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Australia : New Zealand : USA : Malaysia : Singapore : Sth Africa 

J ANUARY 16, 2008 Page 2 

US rejects VE wagon 

Export blow for GMH as 

Lutz reveals VE wagon 

will not reach America 

the number crunchers who could not make a 

strong enough business case for the Australian 

Commodore carryall. 

“We have the product idea: We say: ‘Hey, 

how about taking the (Holden) Sportwagon 

and doing a (US Pontiac) G8 Sportwagon of 

it,’” he said. 

“Then we turn it over to the marketing guys, 

who do the volume analysis, and they look 

at sales of Audi A4 wagons … zero. BMW 3 

Series wagons: close to zero. Mercedes C-class 

wagon and E-class – it’s all close to zero. The 

Jaguar X-Type … it was sales proof! 

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VE Sportwagon 

“But then we say: ‘Well, we think this one 

looks so good, that it can overcome that, and 

the volume planners say: ‘Well … we can only 

do two to three thousand, which is not worth 

the investment. 

“So, reluctantly, in my particular case, I 

reluctantly gave up on that one.” 

The production version of the VE 

Sportswagon – which made a splash at last 

October’s Australian International Motor 

Show in Sydney – is due to arrive early in the 

second quarter of this year. 

More reports - page 4, 16, 17, 22 

GM will unveil a VE-based dual-cab ute at the New York auto show in March 

G8 fi ts, and that’s where the Pontiac Solstice 

fi ts – and that’s how we want to focus that 

channel.” 

Mr Lutz admitted that the fact there is 

already a Pontiac G8 sedan nosecone 

that already fi ts the VE Ute probably helps 

Pontiac’s case. 

“That would be the logical thing to do, since 

we have already designed all the sheetmetal 

and it mates right up to the cowl; that would 

be another reason to go Pontiac because 

it is all done. No additional investment (is 

necessary). 

“If we decide to take that it would be as 

currently sold in Australia – a two-door. But 

the one we will be displaying (at New York) 

will be the (Crewman-style) concept.” 

www.auto-it.com.au 

+61 3 9349 3062 

Dealer Management Systems 

Produced by GoAuto Newsroom: Ph: (03) 9598 6477 PO Box 18, Sandringham VIC 3191 PUBLISHER: John Mellor

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

Motown mania has hit the motoring world this week, with a massive 

collection of new metal - most of which is big and/or ballistic... 

AUDI TTS 

AUDI has uncovered a new high-performance TT series range-topper in the form of the 

TTS – and it will come to Australia in the third quarter this year, just in time for summer. 

With more boost and beefed-up internals, Audi 2.0-litre TFSI engine in the TTS ramps 

up to 200kW of power and 350Nm of torque. Even in detuned “hot weather” trim, the 

197kW output of Australian-spec car will still put it 50kW up on the regular turbocharged 

TT and 13kW up on the 3.2-litre V6 version. Performance is consequently better, with 

the TTS coupe racing from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds compared with 5.7 seconds for the 

V6 and 6.6 for the regular turbo. Unveiled at the Detroit motor show in both coupe and 

convertible guises, the Audi TTS is distinguished by new bi-Xenon headlights with a strip 

of white LED daylight running lights similar to those introduced on the A5/S5, and also a 

revised nose with bigger air intakes and a chrome-embellished platinum grille. The new 

AWD range-toppers are expected to be priced around $100,000. DH 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


AUDI R8 V12 TDI 

AUDI has taken its Le Mans-winning V12 twin-turbo diesel and turned it into 

a breathtaking road-going engine, then wedged it into the back of the stunning 

mid-engined R8 supercar. With a capacity of 6.0 litres – even bigger than the 

5.5-litre Le Mans engine – and running 2.6 bar of boost, the twin-intercooler 

V12 TDI pumps out some 368kW of power and a massive 1000Nm of torque, 

which is maintained from 1750-3000rpm. Shoehorned into the back of the R8 

and driving all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, that is enough 

to propel the car to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds (0.4 seconds faster than the 

regular 4.2-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 R8). With a top speed of 300km/h, the 

R8 V12 TDI would be the fastest diesel in the world – should Audi put it into 

production. Although Audi confi rmed production of the engine at the Detroit 

show, it did not confi rm production of the R8 V12 TDI supercar. If it does go 

ahead (as expected), an Audi Australia spokesperson said that the company 

would be interested in bringing it here. DH 

BMW X6 

BMW’S segment-busting X6 

“coupe”-SUV made its world 

premiere at the Detroit motor show 

this week ahead of its Australian 

release around July 2008. The 

biggest news is not the hulking new 

super-SUV’s faithful transition from 

Frankfurt (and Sydney) show concept 

to reality, but offi cial confi rmation 

the four-seater fi ve-door performance 

crossover will introduce BMW’s new 

twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre petrol 

V8. Developed under the banner of 

Effi cient Dynamics and featuring the 

same direct petrol injection (High 

Precision Injection) system and twinturbo 

technology as seen in the 3 

 

 


Series’ twin-turbo six, which powers 

the entry-level X6, the so-called 

X6 xDrive50i range-topper packs 

precisely 300kW at 5500rpm and a 

healthy 600Nm of torque between 

1750 and 4500rpm - yet comes with 

a relatively frugal EU-cycle fuel 

consumption fi gure of 12.5L/100km. 

Despite being about an inch longer 

and two inches wider (but with a roof 

that’s almost four inches lower) than 

the X5 upon which it’s based, BMW 

claims the top-shelf X6 can sprint 

to 100km/h in a sportscar-like 5.4 

seconds - 1.1 seconds smarter than 

the fl agship X5 4.8i ($118,300). MP 

MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE 

 

 

 

 

EDITOR: Terry Martin MANAGING EDITOR: Marton Pettendy JOURNALISTS: David Hassall, Philip Lord, Byron Mathioudakis, James Stanford 

PRODUCTION AND GRAPHICS: Chris Harris, Luc Britten SUB-EDITORS: Katrina Webb, Georgia O'Connell NEW MODEL DIARY: Lou Paolino

John Mellor's 

CADILLAC PROVOQ 

GoAutonews 

CADILLAC CTS COUPE 

GENERAL Motors chose to unveil its Cadillac Provoq concept at a 

consumer electronics show in Las Vegas earlier this month, but the electric 

fuel cell vehicle remained a big talking point at the Detroit auto show this 

week. Illustrating Cadillac’s intent to offer a small SUV to rival the likes of 

the BMW X3, the Provoq is expected to enter production in 2009 – in righthand 

drive as well as LHD, which makes it a strong candidate for release 

in Australia. The Provoq concept uses a fuel cell version of GM’s E-Flex 

electric propulsion system, combining a small hydrogen fuel cell system and a 

lithium-ion battery. It is a powertrain that will not appear on the launch vehicle 

– watch out for a V6 petrol engine – but it does serve to demonstrate Cadillac’s 

intention to be a technology leader. Other interesting features on the fi ve-seat 

Provoq include a solar panel integrated into the roof to help power onboard 

accessories, and front grille louvres that close at highway speed (to enhance 

aerodynamics) and open again at low speeds (to provide maximum cooling to 

the fuel cell stack). The exterior design builds on the Australia-bound CTS. 

The vehicle rests on a 2906mm wheelbase and measures 4580mm in overall 

length, 1850mm in width and 

1703mm in height. The 

chassis hardware includes a 

MacPherson strut front and 

multi-link rear suspension 

and four-wheel disc brakes 

(combining with brake-bywire 

technology). TM 

Public Relations Assistant Manager 



CADILLAC revealed a coupe version of its CTS model at the North American 

International Auto Show to complement its fi re-breathing CTS-V sedan. While the 

supercharged V8 CTS-V is a production model, the CTS coupe was presented in 

Detroit as a concept. GoAuto understands the CTS Coupe will likely go into production, competing 

against two-door versions of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-class. Cadillac said the concept 

car was designed to run either the 3.6-litre direct injection petrol V6 that powers the regular CTS 

sedan or a 2.9-litre turbo-diesel engine that is currently being developed. It said the new common-rail 

diesel would produce 184kW and 550Nm of torque. The CTS coupe is described as a 2+2 seater, 

with the falling coupe roofl ine reducing rear headroom. It has the same wheelbase as a standard CTS, 

but is 51mm lower and 51mm shorter. The concept car, which has no B-pillar for a cleaner look, runs 

20-inch wheels at the front and 21-inch on the rear. JS CADILLAC CTS-V: CLICK HERE 

• Great opportunity in a dynamic industry 

• Melbourne Head Office – Tullamarine location 

Honda, one of Australia’s fastest growing Japanese automotive importers, has a fantastic opportunity available in its Head Office 

based at Tullamarine for a Public Relations Assistant Manager. 

This role is responsible for media management and developing communication strategies for the organisation. 

Reporting to the Public Relations Manager, you will assist in the following: 

• Production of press materials; 

• Development of internal communications; 

• Media Liaison; 

• Product launches; 

• Public relations event management. 

You will possess initiative, analytical and organisational skills with a proven ability to further identify PR opportunities. 

Clear communication skills are fundamental as well as the ability to work under pressure. Advanced proficiency in the 

use of the Microsoft Office suite is essential and preferably qualifications in PR or Media studies. 

To be successful in this role you will enjoy working in a fast-paced team environment within the automotive industry. 

If you fit the above requirements and possess the ambition and acumen, please forward your resumé 

and cover letter quoting reference #211207B to: 

Human Resources, Honda Australia, Locked Bag 95, Tullamarine VIC 3043 or via e-mail to: 

careers@honda.com.au 

Applications close Friday 25th January 2008. 

Honda Australia is an Equal Opportunity employer. 

CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1 

AMERICA’S iconic 

sportscar just got a 

whole lot tougher 

with the unveiling in 

Detroit of the latest 

Chevrolet Corvette 

ZR1 – a car that 

General Motors 

reckons can take it up 

to any supercar in the 

world. Based on the 7.0-litre Z06 that can now be bought in Australia, 

the ZR1 – a model designation that has not been around for a decade 

– comes to the line with an LS9 supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine 

producing 462kW of power and 823Nm of torque. Chevrolet general 

manager Ed Peper said at the Detroit show that the 1519kg ZR1 builds 

on the already potent Z06 in every performance category. “It all boils 

down to the power-to-weight ratio and the ZR1’s is exceptional – better 

than the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and even the Lamborghini 

LP640,” said Mr Peper. “In fact, the ZR1 is expected to be the fi rst 

production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph (320km/ 

h).” Other features of the ZR1 include carbon-ceramic brakes, 19-inch 

front and 20-inch rear wheels, magnetic ride control, carbon-fi bre front 

fenders and a carbon-fi bre bonnet with a clear polycarbonate window 

that reveals the intercooler. DH

John Mellor's 

DODGE ZEO 

GoAutonews 

DODGE presented a sporty take on an allelectric 

vehicle called the ZEO at the Detroit 

auto show this week. The name is an acronym 

for Zero Emissions Operation and refers to the 

vehicle’s electric powertrain. Fed by a lithiumion 

battery pack, the ZEO uses a 200kW motor 

that feeds the rear wheels for a sporty driving 

experience. The ZEO is a four seater, in 2+2 

format, with Dodge designers admitting they 

put more of an emphasis on style rather than 

practicality. Dodge claims the ZEO, which uses 

regenerative braking to top up its battery, has a 

 

 

 

 

 



CHRYSLER ecoVOYAGER 

NO LONGER required to share the limelight with Daimler at Detroit, the reborn 

Chrysler presented a trio of electric vehicles that also pointed to future styling across its 

brands – Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep – at this week’s show. The concept cars herald the 

emergence of an electric powertrain system dubbed Environmentally Responsible Electric Vehicle, 

or ENVI. The Chrysler version is called the ecoVoyager and uses a next-generation lithium-ion 

battery module with a driving range of 64km. Chrysler said a hydrogen fuel cell range extender 

means the concept car can run 483km until it needs another charge. The motor produces 200kW, 

which is driven through the front wheels – it is enough power to push the green machine from 

0-100km/h in around eight seconds. JS MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE 

range of 402km. It can also dash from 0-100km/h 

in around six seconds and reach a top speed of 

209km/h. The ZEO is offi cially a sports wagon, 

but looks more like a red-hot sports coupe. 

Whopping 23-inch wheels at each corner 

dominate the design, along with bright yellow 

paintwork and Lamborghini-style scissor doors. 

It also features a Dodge ‘crosshair’ grille that is 

illuminated at night. “The lit crossbar grille is 

designed to communicate the use of electricity 

as the ZEO’s power source,” said principal 

exterior designer Bill Zheng. JS

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

FORD VERVE 

MAKING a point that vehicles other than large SUVs and pick-up trucks have a place on 

its North American stage, Ford unveiled a four-door version of its Verve concept car – the 

latest pointer to its next-generation Fiesta light car – at the North American International 

Auto Show in Detroit this week. Following on from the three-door Verve shown in 

Frankfurt last September, which was also on show in Motown, the all-new Fiesta will 

share some of its platform architecture with the Mazda2 and, for Australian markets, will 

be built in Thailand. It is expected to enter right-hand drive production in 2009. Ford said 

the four-door will provide the basis for the North American production version, while the 

“European” three-door was being shown to test market reaction to the derivative. TM 

State Sales Manager 



DODGE RAM 

DODGE has reworked its Ram pick-up truck in the US, but Australians are 

unlikely to see it in the metal any time soon. Despite attempts by Chrysler 

Australia to have the vehicle made available locally, the new-look model 

unveiled at the North American International Auto Show will only be built in left-hand 

drive. Designed to challenge Ford’s all-new F-150, the new Ram features a bold new 

front-end and a much-improved interior aimed at giving the vehicle a much more premium 

feel. It will go on sale around this September in the US. Most new Ram models will also 

run a coil spring rear suspension, while a crew cab will also be introduced to the range. A 

revised 5.7-litre V8 improves performance and reduces fuel consumption, while a diesel 

engine will be introduced next year. Dodge also announced in Detroit that a hybrid petrolelectric 

version of the Ram will join the range in 2010. JS 

• Sales management role 

• Pivotal role in driving sales growth 

• Melbourne Head Office – Tullamarine location 

Honda, one of Australia’s fastest growing Japanese automotive importers has an exciting position available in its Head 

Office based at Tullamarine. Having recorded its fourth year of record sales, Honda is well placed to continue its sustainable 

growth plans into the future with its broad and competitive range of passenger cars and SUV’s. 

The State Manager’s key responsibilities are to manage the state office and the dealer network within Victoria and 

Tasmania to ensure that sales, aftersales and customer satisfaction objectives are achieved. Duties encompass the 

development of working relations with the dealer network, achieving stock and sales levels, marketing activity, improving 

customer satisfaction and dealer staff training. 

Working in partnership with Honda Dealers, your key responsibilities will include: 

• Manage the day to day sales functions including all systems and controls and ensure that wholesale and retail 

sales targets and parts and service KPI’s are achieved; 

• Ensure the dealer network is actively achieving Honda Australia’s goals with regards to stock and sales levels, 

marketing activity and customer satisfaction, including reviewing and recommending any opportunities to 

strengthen the dealer network; 

• Monitor market and National share performance; 

• Manage expenditure of the state promotional budget; 

• Report on market trends and sales opportunities; 

• Liaise with dealer representatives and generally manage co-operative marketing initiatives; 

• Manage the operation of the staff within the state office; 

• Oversee training for dealership staff in all sales and aftersales aspects of Customer Satisfaction and 

set individual dealer targets, monitor and report development of PES and OES by individual dealer. 

The ideal candidate will have proven success in a ‘wholesale to retail’ environment and be able to 

demonstrate strong management and commercial experience with emphasis on leadership, vision, 

analytical and people management skills. Tertiary qualifications in Business/Commerce or similar are 

preferable. To be successful in this role you will enjoy working in a fast paced team environment. 

If you fit the above requirements and possess the ambition and acumen, please forward your 

resumé and cover letter quoting reference #311207A to: 

Human Resources, Honda Australia, Locked Bag 95, Tullamarine VIC 3043 

Or via e-mail to: careers@honda.com.au 

Applications close Friday 25th January 2008. 

Honda Australia is an Equal Opportunity employer.

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

FORD F-150 

DESTINED to come to Australia through low-volume independent importers and vehicle 

converters rather than offi cial Ford channels, the redesigned F-150 launched at the Detroit 

auto show this week is a crucial new vehicle for the Blue Oval brand in the US. It has 

the requisite tough, striking looks, but Ford also claims to have created a more spacious, 

fl exible and refi ned interior, not to mention new-found levels of safety and durability. The 

latter includes the inclusion of side curtain airbags as standard equipment, the availability 

of various electronic handling devices (including roll stability control and trailer sway 

control), the development of an integrated trailer brake controller, and a boxed frame 

constructed with lightweight high-strength steel that delivers 10 per cent more torsional 

rigidity. According to Ford, the all-new F-150 offers an “unparalleled” choice of cab styles 

and trim levels, while the engine line-up is now a “modern” all-V8 affair comprising a 

5.4-litre three-valve Triton V8, a new 4.6-litre three-valve V8 and a 4.6-litre two-valve 

V8. Diesel and “EcoBoost” direct-injection turbocharged petrol engines are due to become 

available in 2010. TM 

HUMMER HX 

HUMMER clearly has the iconic Jeep 

Wrangler in its gun-sights with the HX, an 

eye-catching concept designed by three of 

GM’s youngest design graduates. Revealed 

at Detroit this week, the Hummer HX is 

described as “a reconfi gurable off-roader” 

– having a pair of removable roof panels, plus 

removable rear glasshouse, doors and even 

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FORD is poised to leverage Australian engineering and design 

input as it prepares the replacement for both the Falcon-based 

Territory and Explorer SUV. Prompting speculation is the news 

that the Explorer America Concept – one of the stars on Ford’s stand at the 

Detroit motor show this week – employs a monocoque body. Since its highly 

successful inception in 1990, both generations of the Explorer SUV have 

been derived from the body-on-chassis light truck sold in North America as 

the Ranger. However, while Ford says the Explorer America is a lightweight 

ecological SUV concept designed to gauge US consumer reaction to a 

possible move towards a more car-like vehicle, it is adamant that this is 

only an indication as to the direction the next-generation SUV may head. 

“This is not a teaser for the next Explorer,” emphasised Peter Horbury, who 

is in charge of Ford’s US design. “It is a concept, just to see how – with the 

powertrain story we have – if we can still retain the degree of toughness in the 

design for an SUV of the future”. BM MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE 

HONDA PILOT 

HONDA introduced its secondgeneration 

Pilot medium-sized SUV 

at the Detroit auto show this week, a 

North American-oriented vehicle that 

has become bigger, more powerful 

and, according to the Japanese carmaker, 

safer. On sale in the coming 

months, the main attractions of the 

fenders. It is smaller than the Hummer H3, 

sitting on a 2616mm wheelbase (225mm less 

than the H3) and having only four seats, but is 

powered by the same 3.6-litre V6 engine. The 

quick-release panels turns the HX into a newage 

convertible that GM believes will appeal 

to young people looking for an open-air, trailready 

getaway vehicle. DH 

redesigned eight-seat, Alabama-built 

Pilot include a V6 petrol engine with 

cylinder deactivation technology, 

(monocoque) construction according 

to Honda’s advanced compatibility 

engineering safety system, and 

completely overhauled interior 

packaging. TM 

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John Mellor's 

JEEP RENEGADE 

GoAutonews 

A POSSIBLE pointer to a future light 4WD 

from the all-American off-road brand, the Jeep 

Renegade uses two 200kW electric motors fed by 

a lithium-ion battery. One of the motors powers 

the front axle while the second powers the rear. 

Just like the Chrysler ecoVoyager also unveiled 

in Detroit, the Renegade has a base range of 

64km when running only on electric power. It 

also carries a 1.5-litre three-cylinder Bluetec 

diesel generator, which means the Renegade 

can run for 644km before a refuel. Jeep says that 

Succession Planning 

Sustainable success 

Succession planning in a motor dealership is a challenging and rewarding 

process. The transition involves modelling a dealership’s management, 

financial, taxation and corporate structures to reflect the family’s personal 

and business goals. 

With substantial wealth transfers anticipated over the next 10 years, the key 

to long-term survival for companies affected by these transfers will be a clear 

and early focus on the importance of strategic succession planning. It’s seldom 

too soon to start so speak to a Deloitte Motor Industry Services advisor today. 

For more info go to www.eprofitfocus.com 

or contact John Flynn johflynn@deloitte.com.au 

HYUNDAI GENESIS 

HYUNDAI took the covers off its Genesis 

fl agship model in Detroit this week 

– a car that will take on the Commodorebased 

Pontiac G8, among others, in 

the US. Claimed to be the fi rst genuine 

European-standard saloon built in Korea, 

the Genesis features rear-wheel drive 

and a 4.6-litre V8 engine that propels it 

to 100km/h in less than six seconds. It is 

around the same length and height as a 

Commodore, but about 3.5cm narrower. 

Although priced between about $50,000 

even when also using diesel power in addition 

to its electric motors, the Renegade still uses 

four to fi ve times less fuel than an equivalent 

petrol-powered model. The electric-diesel 

powertrain set-up is linked to a 4WD system 

that includes low-range and front and rear 

locking differentials for serious rock crawling. 

Classifi ed a B-segment car, the Renegade seats 

two people and has an open top with a rollcage. 

It features oversized wheels, fl ared wheelarches 

and a cut-down windscreen. JS 

LAND ROVER LRX 



and $70,000 in Korea, 

Hyundai North America 

said the Genesis will sell 

from under $34,000 in the US when it 

goes on sale in June. Hyundai Australia 

sales and marketing director Kevin 

McCann told GoAuto in August that 

Australia was not yet ready for a Hyundai 

that would cost more than $50,000 here 

and had therefore not requested righthand 

drive production. DH 


FOLLOWING a fl eeting image at the Frankfurt motor show last September, and pre-Detroit show 

studio photographs, Land Rover has taken the covers off its fi rst bite-sized off-roader. Dubbed 

the LRX, the luxury three-door mini-SUV previews a forthcoming sub-Freelander model due 

on sale by 2010. Land Rover says its “more compact” off-roader “clearly addresses the needs 

of a changing world” as the company enters its 60th anniversary in 2008. It claims the all-new 

model “extends the defi nition of “breadth of capability” and demonstrates the iconic British 

off-road brand’s “seriousness about continued relevance and sustainability” by introducing new 

technologies, lightweight design and environmentally responsible materials. MP 

MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE

Move ahead with Audi 

Recognised as the producer of the very best quality German luxury vehicles, 

the Audi Brand is attractive, sophisticated and technically advanced. 

Audi has cemented its reputation as the fastest-growing German luxury brand 

in Australia, delivering 25% more vehicles to Australian luxury car buyers in 

2007 versus 2006. 

In years to come, we will continue to see many more attractive new Audi models 

launched in Australia which will ensure we continually break new sales records 

– all with one goal in mind: to become the most desirable premium marque. 

To help achieve this goal, we are currently seeking to employ an Audi Sales Analyst. 

Reporting to the General Manager Sales, some of your responsibilities include: 

 

analysis, dealer KPI performance and sales incentive program coordination 

 

 

with the preparation of presentations for both international and local review 

You will have an excellent understanding of the automotive industry, opportunity 

analysis and an eye for detail. The successful applicant will be a confident and 

dynamic presenter, possess high-level analytical skills, and hold advanced skills 

 

Audi Australia Sales Analyst 

Please forward your application to Jo Ebejer our Human Resources Officer 

jo_ebejer@audi.com.au by Friday, 25 January 2008.

John Mellor's 

 

 

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LEXUS LF-A ROADSTER 

LEXUS has unveiled a chop-top version of its LF-A luxury super-coupe concept at the North American International Auto Show. 

The LF-A two-seater roadster continues to use the lightweight carbon-fi bre and aluminium body of the 911 Turbo-chasing coupe, 

despite the additional structural issues that come to the fore when designers take a gas axe 

to the roof. The coupe is due for production inside two years, which is enough time for 

the roadster to also be prepared for a simultaneous showroom debut. The roadster uses the 

same front mid-mounted, high-revving, naturally aspirated 500-plus horsepower (373kWplus) 

5.0-litre V10, driving the rear wheels through a sequential manual transmission. 

The cabriolet stands just 1219mm tall, which is equivalent to the coupe, but adds a 

speed-adaptive rear wing. The other striking feature of the rear is a pair of wrap-around, 

arrowhead-shaped tail-lights that bracket two large grilles, the latter venting heated air 

from the two rear-mounted radiators. TM 

LINCOLN MKT 

FORD has signalled its intention to build 

a large luxury SUV with the unveiling of 

the Lincoln MKT concept at the Detroit 

auto show this week – complete with an 

engine that could eventually wind up on 

an Australian-built Falcon. According 

to Ford, the MKT demonstrates that the 

brand’s new design creed works as well 

on a big 4WD as its does on premium 

sedans like the MKS. It also features a 

300kW-plus 3.5-litre ‘EcoBoost’ direct 

MAZDA FURAI 

MAZDA’S latest variation on its Nagare theme of concept cars brings together its view of a future 

production sportscar and a car that could lead the company back to the race track. Called Furai, the 

concept unveiled this week at the Detroit motor show is the fi fth in a series that started little more 

than a year ago with the Nagare (Los Angeles show 2006), and included the Ryuga (Detroit 2007), 

Hakaze (Geneva 2007) and Taiki (Tokyo 2007). Furai utilises the French-built Courage C65 chassis 

that Mazda raced in the American Le Mans Series two seasons ago and is powered by a three-rotor 

R20B rotary engine that produces 338kW of power, running on 100 per cent ethanol. Mazda North 

America design director Franz von Holzhausen said: “The mindsets of road car and racing car fans 

are quite different, so the purpose of Furai is to fi nd a meeting point for these disparate interests. Furai 

purposely blurs boundaries that have traditionally distinguished street cars from track cars.” DH 

injection turbocharged V6 petrol engine 

that drives all four wheels through a 

six-speed automatic gearbox. While the 

fi rst-class, four-person, Learjet-inspired 

interior looks to be out of the question 

for production, the exterior – save for 

the show car’s 21-inch rims – is close 

to the mark. Critical dimensions include 

5293mm in length, 1999mm in width and 

1623mm in height. It rests on a 3065mm 

wheelbase. TM 

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MERCEDES-BENZ GLK 

MERCEDES-BENZ has rolled out its longanticipated 

compact SUV at the North American 

International Auto Show in Detroit but executives 

from the German manufacturer have confirmed 

to GoAuto that there is still no plan for the 

vehicle to be built in right-hand drive. Australian 

executives hope this situation might change for 

our expanding SUV market, but do not expect 

a RHD GLK to arrive until an updated model 

is introduced at least two to three years from 

now. The mini G-Class goes on sale in the US 

in the September quarter. With the help of Sex 

and the City star Kim Cattrall, who was last seen 

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J A N UA RY 16, 2008 Page 11 

MAZDA RX-8 

WITH a new and more aggressive style, the 2008 model Mazda RX-8 will arrive in 

Australia in the middle of this year with better performance and with a six-speed automatic 

transmission for the first time. Revealed at the Detroit show, the facelifted RX-8 sports 

restyled front and rear bumpers, a bolder grille, upgraded front and rear lamps, a new fivespoke 

alloy wheel design (which is designed to reflect the rotary engine) and bigger, 90mm exhaust outlets. 

Although the 177kW Renesis 1.3-litre rotary engine is unchanged, the final-drive ratio has been shorted 

from 4.44 to 4.78:1 to give the facelifted RX-8 slightly better acceleration. Auto buyers will get a better 

performance deal because, while power still has to be cut with the new six-speed unit (with steering-wheel 

paddle shifters), it is only down to 158kW compared with 141kW for the current four-speed auto. The 

auto redline is set at 7500rpm compared with 9000rpm for the manual. A new R3 sport package shown at 

Detroit features a sports suspension with Bilstein dampers, a body package that includes a rear spoiler, side 

skirts, foglights and a different bumper, 19-inch forged alloy wheels and Recaro seats. DH 

in automotive circles flogging the Nissan Tiida, 

Mercedes showed two versions of the GLK in 

Detroit – the Freeside, which emphasises its offroad 

potential, and the Townside, which as the 

name suggests highlights its on-road performance. 

Both models ride on the German manufacturer’s 

“agility control” suspension (the Townside is 

30mm lower and has sports tuning) and 20-inch 

light-alloy wheels. The two GLK show cars also 

showcase a new-generation Bluetec four-cylinder 

common-rail turbo-diesel engine, which in this 

application is a 125kW 2.2-litre unit. TM/JS 


MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 

MORE than just a GLK extravaganza for Mercedes-Benz, Detroit was also chosen as the venue to show 

its updated SLK. The two-seater roadster has a redesigned front and rear end, a modified interior and a 

number of specification detail and mechanical improvements including engine upgrades (the highlight 

being a higher-revving 224kW 3.5-litre V6 for the SLK 350), and, as an option on all models bar the 

SLK 55 AMG, a newly developed direct-steer system. Its power output up from 200kW, the engine can 

now rev to 7300rpm. Torque has also climbed 10Nm to 360Nm at 4900rpm. The 0-100km/h acceleration 

benchmark is now claimed to be 5.4 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission (down 0.2 seconds), 

while fuel consumption is down 1.1L/100km to 9.5L/100km. TM MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE 

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MITSUBISHI CONCEPT RA 

MITSUBISHI unveiled a stunning concept 

car – dubbed the RA – at the North American 

International Auto Show in Detroit, showing a 

number of future design cues and pointing to 

MITSUBISHI LANCER RALLIART 

MITSUBISHI used the North American 

International Auto Show to reveal its Subaru 

WRX challenger, the Lancer Ralliart. The 

turbocharged AWD sedan is expected to 

arrive in Australia from as early as this July, 

although the exact timing is yet to be locked 

in. Mitsubishi revealed in Detroit that the warm 

Lancer will slot in between the standard Lancer 

and the slingshot Lancer Evo X, but did not 

give an expected price. It uses a 2.0-litre fourcylinder 

MIVEC engine that uses an intercooled 

turbo and generates a healthy 177kW of power. 

The show car runs a six-speed Twin Clutch-SST 

automatic gearbox. No manual gearbox was 

mentioned and it is not yet clear whether one 

NISSAN FORUM 

AFTER issuing a sketch of its new people-mover well ahead of its 

offi cial unveiling in Detroit this week, Nissan has shown its Forum 

concept in the fl esh. Created at Nissan’s American design studio in 

California, the Forum is expected to replace the Quest MPV currently 

built in the US, but with production moving to Japan in a couple of 

years, this new-generation SUV has also emerged as a prospect for sale 

in right-hand drive markets such as our own. Interesting features of 

the seven-seat Forum include trackless sliding doors, the elimination of 

traditional B-pillars and a swivelling second row. Power will come from 

an as yet unspecifi ed turbodiesel 

engine, driving the front 

wheels through a continuously 

variable transmission. Key 

dimensions include 4987mm 

in overall length, 2114mm 

width and 1763mm height, on 

a 3075mm wheelbase. TM 

a new-generation Eclipse coupe. The Eclipse 

is expected to remain restricted to North 

America, while the RA concept also seems to 

be acting as a litmus test in the region for a 

sports-oriented turbo-diesel model. 

Although it looks as mean as the 

Japanese manufacturer’s latest Evo 

fi ghter, the RA runs an economical 

150kW 2.2-litre common-rail turbodiesel 

engine. The clean-burning 

diesel includes a new catalytic 

converter system that features an 

oxidation catalyst, much like the 

system used for the Mercedes- 

Benz Bluetec diesel engines that 

will be offered when the car goes on sale. The 

car uses an active centre differential and features 

a front helical limited slip differential and a rear 

mechanical LSD. The system is not as advanced 

as the AWD system used in the top-of-the-range 

Evo. Mitsubishi has clearly linked the Lancer 

Ralliart to its more powerful Evo brother, 

giving it aggressive front-end styling and a 

vented aluminium bonnet that suggests it has 

some serious fi repower. A bodykit that includes 

side skirts a rear bumper extension, a higher 

rear spoiler and unique 18-inch alloy wheels 

will also help distinguish the Ralliart Lancer 

from the VRX model in Australia. In the US, the 

Ralliart Lancer will be fi tted with luxury items 

TECHNICAL MANAGER 



are already on sale in the US. 

The two-seater RA coupe has 

a sleek profi le with a gradual 

sloping roofl ine and sits on massive 21-inch 

rims inside pumped-out wheelarches. The car 

uses a lightweight space-frame structure made 

from extruded aluminium sections and die-cast 

aluminium components. It also has impactresistant 

plastic resin external panels, which 

are light and are also easy to recycle. Traction 

is taken care of thanks to the RA’s Super-All 

Wheel Control AWD system that adds active 

steering and active suspension control to the 

existing AWD components used for the current 

Lancer Evo. JS 

including keyless start and Bluetooth hands-free 

phone interface, while options include Recaro 

seats, Rockford Fosgate premium sound system 

and Xenon headlights. JS 

SAAB 9-4X BIOPOWER 

SAAB has confi rmed that its 9-4X BioPower Concept is a thinly 

disguised version of the 9-4X “crossover” due in Australia by 2010. 

Speaking at the unveiling of Saab’s fi rst car-based SUV at this week’s 

North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors 

Premium Brands Director for Australia, Parveen Batish, revealed that 

Australia is on the fast track to see the 9-4X as soon as possible. “It will 

defi nitely be on sale in Australia by 2010 at the latest,” he said. “We 

can’t wait to see it in Australia.” Based on the new Theta architecture 

– a derivation of GM’s Epsilon platform that currently underpins the 

existing Saab 9-3 and Opel 

Vectra (as well as its upcoming 

Insignia replacement due 

in Europe this year) – the 

production version of the 9- 

4X will be shared with the 

upcoming Cadillac BRX. BM 

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE 

Maserati Australia and New Zealand wishes to appoint a Technical Manager. 

Based in Sydney and working across Australia and New Zealand, the Technical Manager will report to the 

Maserati National Service Manager and will be responsible for liaising with Maserati on all technical issues, 

supporting the Maserati dealer network and assisting with training. 

Applicants should possess excellent technical skills, including full qualification as a licensed motor mechanic. 

Computer literacy is essential, in particular Microsoft Word, Access and Excel, along with a high level of 

personal and professional presentation skills. Experience working with prestige and performance brands is 

also vital for the successful candidate, as is excellent self-motivation and the ability to work unsupervised. 

This position is offered with a competitive package. 

Please forward your resume to: 

Timothy Belousoff, HR Manager, European Automotive Imports, Locked Bag 260, Silverwater NSW 1811.

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

One Day 

Reporting 

Some dealerships think 

One day reporting is like 

‘we’ll get around 

to it one day’. 

But those days are over. 

One day reporting means 

you close off on the last 

day of the month, wrap up 

the next day, and issue 

financial reports the next. 

If you want advice on 

how to implement this in 

your dealership, please 

call Ken personally. 

Ken Rich – Director 

Office: (07) 3229 0080 

Ken Rich: 0418 152 254 

ken.rich@richandco.com.au 

www.richandco.com.au 

‘When Experience Counts’ 

Rich & Co Pty 

Accountants and Business Advisors 

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KIA BORREGO: CLICK HERE 



SUBARU FORESTER 

SUBARU’S third-generation Forester made 

its world motor show debut in Detroit this 

week, following an offi cial reveal in Japan 

last month – and Subaru Australia chairman 

Trevor Amery has confi rmed to GoAuto that 

the all-new compact SUV will be on sale 

Down Under by the last week of March. 

Speaking at the Detroit opening, Mr Amery 

confi rmed that the Forester III will arrive in 

naturally aspirated and turbocharged 2.5-litre 

horizontally opposed four-cylinder petrol 

guises. However, there is little likelihood 

that the upcoming Forester STi model will 

ever reach Australia’s shores. “There will be no STi in the short or medium term,” he told GoAuto, 

adding that he preferred that the Impreza STi and Liberty GT remain as the high-performance 

vehicles in Subaru’s local line-up. Again based on the Impreza small-car platform, the Forester is 

expected to come with a slightly higher pricetag than the current model, which opens at $31,990. 

The new Forester presents a family resemblance to Subaru’s facelifted Tribeca medium SUV 

courtesy of a slotted grille, and its all-new sheetmetal dispenses with the current model’s squarer 

edges to introduce a more rounded overall bodyshell, much like the new Impreza hatch did in 

October. BM/MP MORE DETAILS: CLICK HERE 

TOYOTA A-BAT, VENZA 

TOYOTA has unveiled a new concept vehicle at 

the Detroit motor show that provides a glimpse 

of what the company’s next-generation compact 

pick-up might look like. Called the A-BAT, the 

new ute is clearly made for the US market and 

is designed along the lines of the somewhat 

controversial Honda Ridgeline pick-up. Typical 

of concept cars these days, the A-BAT throws 

some environmental credentials into the motor 

show spotlight by having a hybrid powertrain 

– a four-cylinder engine combined with electric 

drive like the Prius – but you can be sure that a production version will offer plenty of petrol-only 

horsepower. Toyota is pitching the A-BAT as an urban runabout that can carry plenty of stuff home 

from the hardware store, including 4x8 sheets of wood (though only with the tailgate down and 

no back seat passengers). It was designed at Toyota’s Newport Beach, California, design centre 

and developed in conjunction with the company’s US advanced product group.Toyota has also 

revealed a new crossover vehicle called the Venza in Detroit – a Camry-based model it describes 

as a “unique blend of sedan and sport utility vehicle” with seating for fi ve, a car-like ride and 

functional utility. DH 


VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC 

THE nameplate misleadingly suggests 

that Volkswagen has created a large coupeconvertible 

version of its medium sedan, but 

the Passat CC is nothing of the sort. Instead, 

the production car is a luxury four-seat version 

of the Passat with a “stance” of a coupe and 

a bigger-than-normal sunroof. The German 

manufacturer claims the vehicle debuts a 

new exterior design theme for Passat, along 

with “new comfort, safety and 

dynamic” technologies. The 

latter includes lane-changing 

and automatic parking assist 

technologies, as seen on rival 

European and Japanese cars. 

The CC is longer and wider than 

the standard Passat, measuring 

4796mm in overall length (up 

31mm) and 1856mm in width (up 

36mm). The coupe-like profi le 

sees overall height reduce 50mm, 

while the front/rear track increase 

11mm/16mm. Air suspension 

debuts under the Dynamic Drive Control (DDC) 

heading, while the interior has a new design 

and higher standard of appointments than ever 

seen before on a Volkswagen wearing a Passat 

badge. Power will come from three petrol and 

two diesel engines, ranging from a basic 1.8litre 

petrol (driving the front wheels) to a 3.6litre 

V6 AWD petrol. Australian deliveries are 

expected to begin in the fi nal quarter. TM

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

Ford’s RWD future 

Kuzak confi rms Ford 

Australia is developing 

a new global platform 

By DAVID HASSALL 

FORD executives in Detroit have confi rmed 

that the company is developing a new rearwheel 

drive large-car platform in Australia for 

worldwide application. 

The rumoured global RWD development 

program involving Broadmeadows has not 

previously been acknowledged offi cially, but 

new company CEO Alan Mulally and other top 

executives broke their silence last Tuesday in a 

pre-Detroit show media briefi ng. 

They revealed that Ford is defi nitely 

developing new rear-drive large cars for the 

Ford and Lincoln brands. 

However, while Australia is expected to 

play a central role in development of the new 

platform, production of the US models will take 

place in North America – as is the case with 

GM’s Holden-developed Chevrolet Camaro. 

“Yes, we’re working on a rear-wheel drive 

plan for the enterprise,” said global product 

chief Derrick Kuzak. “It’s in the plan.” 

Mr Mulally, who is understood to have 

initiated the program after seeing the success of 

GM Holden’s similar program, told journalists 

at the dinner that “it’s important going forward” 

to develop new RWD models. 

The Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town 

By MARTON PETTENDY 

THE turbocharged Focus XR5 may have set 

new dynamic and performance benchmarks 

in the hot-hatch arena, but Ford of Europe 

has confi rmed even bigger things are in 

store for the Blue Oval’s dynamic small car. 

Yes, along with this single moody preview 

image comes word from Ford’s Cologne 

affi liate that a successor to the previousgeneration 

Focus will be released globally 

in 2009. 

To be based on the Focus ST (which in 

the UK has proved twice as popular as its 

arch-enemy, Volkswagen’s Golf GTI, the 

reverse of which is true here), the all-new 

RS will be developed by Ford Team RS, led 

by Jost Capito, who has been announced as 

Ford of Europe Performance Vehicles’ new 

vehicle line director (VLD) from January 1, 

2008. 

“With two consecutive Manufacturers’ 

World Rally Championship titles under our 

belt, the time is right to create a new Focus 

RS,” said Ford of Europe president and CEO 

John Fleming. 

“With the Fiesta and Focus ST models, 

Jost and his team have proved already 

that they can deliver exciting and practical 

performance road cars. 

“The success of these models, combined 

Car are based on a platform that is now more 

than 30 years old and sales are slowing. With 

new RWD competition from modern cars such 

as the Chrysler 300 and the Australian-built 

Commodore clone Pontiac G8, that decline is 

likely to continue. 

Ford is also due to replace its rear-drive 

Mustang in 2011 and the Falcon platform 

would be ideal for that. 

Editor-in-chief of top-selling US magazine 

Motor Trend, Angus McKenzie, who is an 

expatriate Australian, says that Ford wants an 

all-new RWD large car for North America by 

2011 or 2012 and that Mr Mulally looked at 

what GM was doing with Holden and asked, 

‘Why can’t we do that?’ 

He said that the proposed joint development 

not only solves the US dilemma, but also 

Australia’s next-generation Falcon, which is 

expected in 2013. 

Development will include an SUV 

application to ensure the future of Ford 

Australia’s Territory, giving the US brands 

with Jost’s experience in motorsport and 

Ford of Europe’s positive business results, 

mean that we now have a credible business 

case for a no-compromise Focus RS roadcar 

for more enthusiastic drivers.” 

Ford says the concept of a redesigned 

Focus RS has been under development 

for several months, but its offi cial go-ahead 

means Mr Capito’s team will now devote all 

its resources to the project. 

“We have reviewed our technical options 

and worked closely with the design team on 

how the car might look, and I’m very excited 

by the results,” he said. 

“Now with the program going ahead, the 

hard work really starts as the small team 

working on the project takes the car from 



Derrick Kuzak in Detroit 

the opportunity of producing four-wheel drive 

sedans for markets affected by snow and ice. 

The US program could also result in the return 

to Australia of the long-wheelbase Fairlane and 

LTD, although they would probably be built in 

the US or assembled at Broadmeadows from 

stampings imported from Detroit. 

Ford global manufacturing chief Joe 

Hinrichs said there was no plan to consolidate 

RWD production in Australia. 

“There are good reasons not to – currency, 

freight,” Mr Hinrichs said at the dinner. 

A Ford Australia spokesperson said that 

Australia’s role in the proposed development 

and production program was yet to be formally 

defi ned, but pointed out that Australia is “a 

centre of excellence in the Ford world for rearwheel 

drive sedans”. 

As well as having a strong reputation for the 

Falcon, Ford Australia has rapidly expanded its 

design and engineering facilities in recent years 

and won kudos for international programs such 

as the Fiesta sedan for India. 

Ford of Europe confi rms its commitment to a piping-hot new Focus RS 

prototype to production. 

“We will use the redesigned 2008 Focus 

ST as the base for a no-compromise RS 

model that will become the ultimate roadgoing 

Focus. 

“Just as the Focus RS WRC owns the 

rally circuit, we want the new Focus RS 

to own the road, so we have the major 

competitors in our sights as we develop the 

car’s performance, design, handling and 

braking,” said Mr Capito. 

No details were revealed alongside the 

sneak-preview image that reveals the new 

RS will feature massively pumped-out front 

wheel-arches, specifi c headlights, bonnet 

fl uting and a cross-hatched grille and 

gigantic lower air-dam. 

But it’s believed the new RS will retain the 

ST/XR5’s turbocharged fi ve-cylinder engine 

(albeit with about 30 per cent more power) 

along with, unlike the previous RS, its frontwheel 

drive layout. 

Helping to claw at least 200kW of power 

to the ground with two (front) tyres via an 

exclusive six-speed manual transmission 

will be a unique semi-active limited-slip 

differential, plus the obligatory 19-inch 

wheels and fi rmer springs, dampers and 

anti-roll bars. 

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

No show for Benz 

Mercedes pulls out of the 

Melbourne show, claiming 

it is not cost effective 

By JAMES STANFORD and TERRY MARTIN 

MERCEDES-BENZ Australia has pulled the 

plug on the Melbourne International Motor 

Show. 

The only volume car brand to be absent 

from the event, Mercedes is staying away 

because it says it can no longer justify the cost 

of attending two major car shows in one year. 

GoAuto understands a brand like Mercedes- 

Benz spends around $1 million to attend the 

Melbourne show each year, matching the cost 

of attending the Australian International Motor 

Show in Sydney. 

Other volume European brands have told 

GoAuto that the cost of attending both of these 

shows is far too high for a market the size of 

Australia. 

While they have complained, no highvolume 

brands have actually declined to attend 

either show until Mercedes-Benz made the call 

to miss the Melbourne event. 

Porsche, Jaguar and Citroen are among other 

marques not attending the show, according to the 

Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce 

(VACC), which organises and promotes the 

event through its dealer division, the Australian 

Automobile Dealers Association (Vic). 

Mercedes-Benz Car Group Australia 

managing director Horst von Sanden told 

GoAuto that the costs of attending two shows 

a year was just too much. 

“In a market the size of Australia, and with 

the marketing budget we have at our disposal, 

it is not logical or cost effective to do two very 

expensive motor shows a year,” he said. “In the 

current environment we can effectively utilise 

the money we would have spent on Melbourne 

on more focused marketing activities.” 

Melbourne International Motor Show 

director Russ Tyrie told GoAuto this week that 

Mercedes-Benz had signalled some months 

ago that it might not attend the show, which 

opens at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on 

February 29. 

“We’re only a component of the overall 

budget that they allocate, and I’m afraid we 

can’t control their total expenditure,” he said. 

“We would much prefer to be representing as 

many marques as we could within the market 

– I guess just like manufacturers and exhibitors 

I’m sure would love to achieve 100 per cent 

market share, in both cases it doesn’t very 

often happen.” 

Mercedes-Benz Australia is yet to decide 

whether it will attend the Sydney motor show 

in October. 

Instead of attending both major shows, 

Mercedes would prefer only one major show 

was held each year in Australia, alternating 

between Melbourne and Sydney. 

Some other importers have also told GoAuto 

they are in favour of having one major show 

per year. 

While the Melbourne show is hosted by the 

VACC, Sydney’s is organised by the Federal 

Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI). 

The two organisations are not linked. 

GoAuto understands the FCAI and VACC 

met last year to discuss the possibility of 

hosting one Australian show alternating 

between Sydney and Melbourne, but did not 

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Horst von Sanden at the 2007 Australian International Motor Show 

reach an agreement. Mr Tyrie confi rmed that 

the meeting took place, although he did not 

attend. 

“I think people are very parochial and I 

really have a diffi culty in seeing that one 

national show would necessarily draw an 

audience nationally,” he said. “There’s nothing 

(supporting this) that we’ve got from any of our 

research, apart from some very odd occasions 

when we’ve had certain vehicles which have 

drawn people (from interstate) … The markets 

are very distinct, whether it’s Melbourne or 

Sydney or Brisbane or whatever.” 

Mr Tyrie acknowledged that the situation 

could force dealers to act independently to 

ensure their marque is represented at the show, 

particularly when research shows that a large 

percentage of buyers who attend the event are 

considering purchasing a new vehicle. 

“Historically, Mercedes didn’t participate in 

the early 1990s for several years, and I guess at 

the end of the day the motor show continued and 

Mercedes continued. From that point of view, 

I think there will always be occasions when, 

for marketing objectives that they’ve got, they 

(dealers) may wish to look at options.” 

New Holden concept - page 22

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

Year to to remember 

Australia is now among 

the world’s top nations 

for new-vehicle sales 


THE Australian new-car market grew an 

impressive 9.1 per cent in 2007 for a total of 

1,049,982 sales, with 10 of the 12 months 

posting records. 

Confi rming the fi rst million-plus result in 

Melbourne last week, the chief executive of 

the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries 

(FCAI), Andrew McKellar, noted that Australia 

is now one of the biggest car-buying nations in 

the world. 

“One million new motor vehicles sales in a 

country of 21 million people is an impressive 

achievement by the Australian automotive 

industry – and ranks as one of the highest rates 

of new-car purchase in the developed world,” 

said Mr McKellar. 

He noted that Australia’s rate of 1:21 

compares with a fi gure of 1:25 for the UK. 

The Australian market has grown 35 per 

cent (277,000 vehicles) since 2001 and Mr 

McKellar said that last year’s 9.1 per cent 

increase far outstrips Australia’s economic 

growth of 4.0 per cent in 2007. 

The 2007 result was further boosted by 

record December sales of 86,250 – up 9,187 or 

11.9 per cent on December 2006. 

“The Australian motor vehicle market has 

now grown in six out of the last seven years, 

driven by the strength of the labour market, 

rising asset values and improving vehicle 

affordability,” said Mr McKellar. 

For the 12th year in succession, Holden 

Commodore was Australia’s best-selling 

vehicle, recording 57,307 sales in 2007 to 

fi nish almost 10,000 units ahead of the Toyota 

Corolla (47,792). 

Despite supply constraints as a result of 

Toyota Australia underestimating demand 

THE 2007 TOP 10 

Pos Marque Volume Share (%) 

1 Toyota 236,647 22.5 

2 Holden 146,680 14.0 

3 Ford 108,071 10.3 

4 Mazda 77,734 7.4 

5 Mitsubishi 65,397 6.2 

6 Honda 60,529 5.8 

7 Nissan 60,015 5.7 

8 Hyundai 50,007 4.8 

9 Subaru 38,445 3.7 

10 Volkswagen 27,400 2.6 

Source: VFACTS, January 2008 

for turbo-diesel models, Toyota’s rampant 

HiLux light commercial vehicle fi nished third 

with 42,009 sales, compared with 36,885 the 

previous year. 

SUVs and light commercials were major 

contributors to overall market growth, 

together contributing almost half of the 87,000 

additional sales over 2006 (27,329 extra SUVs 

for a 16.0 per cent rebound, and 15,052 4x4 

pick-ups for a 22.3 per cent increase). 

For the third year in succession, however, 

the biggest market segment in Australia was 

small cars, which grew a further 5.9 per cent 

(13,030 units) to 232,388 sales. 

Despite the fi rst full year of sales for the 

VE Commodore and new Camry, the once 

dominant large-car segment increased only 2.3 

per cent for a total of 139,677 sales. 

The fl at large-car result was mainly due 

to a severe drop-off for the Ford Falcon 

– which dropped some 19.9 per cent to just 

33,941, pushing it back to fi fth place behind 

Commodore, Corolla, HiLux and Mazda3. 

Toyota once again dominated the sales race, 

fi nishing as the best-selling brand in Australia 

for the fi fth year in succession, with 

236,647 sales for a 22.5 per cent market 

share. 

Toyota had fi ve of the eight top-selling 

vehicles of 2007, with Corolla (second) 

and HiLux (third) supported by the 

light-car segment-leading Yaris in sixth, 

medium-leader Camry in seventh and the 

six-cylinder Aurion in eighth. 

Toyota sales and marketing chief David 

Buttner said he was especially delighted 

with the results of the locally produced 

Camry and Aurion, which resulted in the 

company increasing production for local 

consumption by 40 per cent. 

At the same time, exports reached a 

record 95,000 for a total output at Altona 

of 145,000 vehicles. 

Mr Buttner said that Toyota sales have 



Commodore 

increased by 50 per cent in just fi ve years and 

last year was number one in every state for the 

fi rst time. 

“After coming close in the past couple of 

years, we were fi nally number one in South 

Australia, the home state of two other local 

manufacturers,” said Mr Buttner. 

Light-car sales rose by 11,805 or 10.2 per 

cent for the year while, at the other end of the 

spectrum, upper large cars were up by some 

27 per cent on a small base, thanks to the new 

Holden Statesman/Caprice range. 

Holden maintained second overall to Toyota 

with a 14.0 per cent market share (down from 

15.2 per cent the previous year), while Ford 

dropped from 11.9 per cent to 10.3 per cent but 

was still a clear third. 

Mazda retained fourth place for the year, 

increasing market share from 6.6 to 7.4 per 

cent – the company’s biggest share since 1974 

and confi rming its status as Australia’s top fullline 

importer. 

Having been beaten by Honda last year by 

just 27 sales, Mitsubishi rebounded in 2006 

with a 20.7 per cent growth to take fi fth place 

with a 6.2 per cent market share compared with 

Honda’s 5.8 per cent. 

Despite continued sagging sales for the 380 

(down 11.9 per cent), Mitsubishi was one of 

the country’s biggest-growing brands for 2006 

thanks to strong sales of all its imports, headed 

by the Outlander (up 63.9 per cent), Pajero (up 

56.4 per cent), Colt (up 47.9 per cent), Express 

(up 46.1 per cent), Triton 4x2 (up 39.9 per 

cent) and Triton 4x4 (up 34.1 per cent). 

Mitsubishi’s top-selling vehicle was again 

the Lancer, which increased 13.5 per cent 

despite a new model change-over during the 

year. 

Nissan fi nished just 514 sales behind Honda 

for the year to retain seventh place, extending 

its lead over Hyundai and Subaru, while 

Volkswagen’s share improved from 2.2 to 2.6 

per cent to round out the top 10.

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 


GM HOLDEN managing director Chris 

Gubbey has been given the opportunity of 

going to Russia and heading one of GM’s 

fastest-growing divisions, ending the shortest 

reign at the top in Holden’s history. 

However, the 51-year-old Englishman joked 

last week that he was “not being sent to the 

Russian Front because I’ve done anything 

wrong”, but was moving on because his 

experience working in an emerging market is 

required elsewhere. 

Mr Gubbey’s six months at the helm of 

Holden will offi cially fi nish on February 1, 

when his seven years of experience heading 

GM’s Chinese operation will be applied to GM 

Russia and Commonwealth of Independent 

States (CIS). 

His replacement will be 44-year-old 

American Mark Reuss, who is currently GM’s 

executive director of global vehicle systems 

and integration. 

Unlike Mr Gubbey or his predecessor, Denny 

Mooney, Mr Reuss is described as “a car guy” and 

has a deep passion for cars and motor racing. 

“Being a real product guy, 

I’m sure that Mark will be a 

great asset in a company – and 

a country – that truly loves its 

cars,” said Mr Gubbey. 

Mr Gubbey’s sudden 

departure means there will 

be an awkward handing-over 

period to Mr Reuss, who will 

not be in Australia until mid- 

February at the earliest. The two will conduct 

the handover in a series of meetings in Detroit 

this week. 

On the plus side, Mr Gubbey’s appointment 

to Russia can only aid Holden’s interest in 

selling the Statesman there as a replacement 

for the Chevrolet Caprice. 

“I haven’t been on the ground there yet, 

but once I do get there I’ll be looking at every 

opportunity to expand GM’s presence there,” 

Mr Gubbey said. 

GM Asia Pacifi c president Nick Reilly 

admits that the sudden replacement is unusual, 

but believes that Mr Reuss will be “the ideal 

replacement”. 



GMH boss to Russia 

American ‘car guy’ heads Down Under as 

Gubbey departs after six months at Holden 


GENERAL Motors has taken the unusual step 

of releasing a photo of the new Australiandeveloped 

Chevrolet Camaro without 

camoufl age – more than a year ahead of 

release. 

Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper posted 

the photo of a white Camaro at Holden’s 

Lang Lang proving ground on GM’s own 

Fastlane blog site on 3 January and said that 

future testing would be conducted without any 

camoufl age. 

Introducing “the fi rst picture of the Camaro 

development vehicle without camoufl age”, Mr 

Peper even encouraged people to take their own 

photos of the test mules, which have been seen 

around Melbourne roads in recent months. 

Mr Peper said that word came down from 

GM product chief Bob Lutz to remove the 

camoufl age from the pre-production Camaros 

“so further evaluations could be done for 

aerodynamics and cooling effi ciency”. 

“During this upcoming year, pre-production 

Camaros will appear both on US and Australian 

roads as we continue with testing and 

development. So keep those camera phones 

ready – if you happen to see one, we’d like to 

hear about it, so please post a comment and 

include your ‘spy photo’,” Mr Peper wrote. 

The offi cial photo shows the Camaro has 

retained the overall shape of the concept cars 

produced in Melbourne that have already 

appeared at shows in the US and Australia, 

with a very shallow glasshouse area and a 

virtually invisible B-pillar. 

However, blog sites around the world have 

concentrated on scoop photos of the interior, 

with most comments being negative and 

appealing to Mr Lutz to make sure the fi nal 

production version is more attractive. 

Although developed in Australia, the 

Camaro will be built in Canada. Production is 

expected to begin in February 2009 at a rate of 

Chris Gubbey (left) and Mark Reuss 

“This is a fairly unusual move for GM,” said 

Mr Reilly. 

“As a general rule, GM doesn’t move 

executives after such a short time, especially 

in such an important market as Australia, but 

Chris’s unique expertise in working within 

partnerships and in developing countries made 

him the ideal candidate to grow GM’s business 

in Russia at this critical time.” 


Up Close on Personnel - page 21 

Camaro ‘caught’ in action 

GM reveals pic of Camaro 

testing on Australian soil 

75,000 units a year, but GM hopes it will rise 

to 100,000. 

There are likely to be three models initially 

– a 3.6-litre V6 entry-level model, a 300kW 

V8-engined Z28 and a range-topping 6.2-litre 

model with more than 380kW. 

A convertible is expected in 2010. 

Mr Lutz visited Australia three months ago 

and was delighted with the people at Holden 

and their work on the Camaro, which he drove 

at Lang Lang. 

“I have never experienced an automotive 

company, including my three years at BMW, 

that has so much passion for excellence and 

dedication to the product. It’s contagious,” 

wrote Mr Lutz. 


Another VE recall - page 22

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

By PHILIP LORD 

BMW has released yet another update for its 

large luxury 6 Series coupe and convertible, the 

second since its release here three years ago. 

This time, the 6 Series has a new automatic 

transmission, active head restraints and 

headlight and cosmetic improvements to 

account for the $8000 price rise. 

The changes are focused on the 650i Coupe 

and Convertible, although the M6 Coupe and 

Convertible also benefi t from some of the 

updates. 

The 6 Series belongs to a band of select 

premium two-door cars, including the 

Mercedes-Benz SL and Jaguar XK. Since its 

introduction in 2004, 689 examples have been 

sold (to the end of November 2007), with the 

split being 62 per cent coupe and 38 per cent 

convertible. 

BMW expects that the annual sales fi gure of 

around 150 units will continue unchanged with 

the new 2008 model. 

The 4.8-litre V8, with outputs of 270kW at 

6300rpm and 490Nm at 3400rpm, continues on 

unchanged from its introduction in early 2006. 

The principal change is the transmission, 

with what BMW now calls a Sport Automatic 

transmission. This will now be the only gearbox 

offered for the 650i Coupe and Convertible (the 

M6 continuing with its automated seven-speed 

SMG manual), superseding both the prior sixspeed 

automatic and manual. 

The Sport Automatic is the same unit that 

was fi rst seen earlier this year in the 2007 5 

Series sedan. 

The new auto has a Sport button that quickens 

gearshifts, sharpens throttle mapping and 

adjusts the assistance to the Servotronic power 

steering. The changes also net 

an improvement in 0-100km/h 

acceleration by a claimed 0.2 

seconds for the convertible and 

0.3 seconds for the coupe. The 

convertible now does the 0- 

100km/h sprint in a claimed 5.6 seconds while 

the coupe can do it in 5.2 seconds. 

The automatic now incorporates steering 

wheel-mounted gearshift paddles, which can 

be activated by selecting sport mode on the 

gearlever or by using the paddles in Drive 

to temporarily engage manual mode (after a 

short period the transmission reverts to fully 

automatic mode.) 

A new safety feature across the 6 Series 

range is active front head restraints, 

which reduce the whiplash that can 

occur as a result of rear-end collisions. 

The system receives input from 

impact sensors also used by the car’s 

airbags and pyrotechnic seatbelts – if 

more than just a minor shunt is detected, 

two springs within the upholstered 

section release and the head restraints 

move forward by 60mm and upwards 

by 40mm to be in the best position to 

minimise neck injury. 

Cruise control with brake function 

is now standard, as is keyless entry 



6 shooter reloads 

BMW updates its premium 6 Series, adding features but losing a manual gearbox 

and start, soft-close doors, and a USB/audio 

interface connector in the centre console. It 

requires an optional $100 connector to permit 

the car’s system to be used to control iPod 

music changes. 

A new sound system with 16 speakers and 

speed-related volume control and equalising 

has been fi tted. 

New options available for the 6 Series 

include Active Cruise Control with Stop & 

Go function ($4500), Night Vision ($4000) 

PRICING: 

650i Coupe $212,000 

650i Convertible $228,800 

M6 Coupe $279,400 

M6 Convertible $299,000 

and Lane Change Warning 

($1200). 

The optional Lane Change 

Warning system (fi rst fi tted 

to the 2007-model 5 Series) 

works by using a camera 

fi tted in the front of the interior rear vision mirror, 

a control unit and a new signalling system. 

The system monitors the distance from one or 

both lines on either side of the road to identify 

any deviations from the lane of travel. If it 

senses that the car is veering out of its lane and 

the indicator has not been activated, the steering 

wheel vibrates as a warning to the driver. It only 

operates at speeds above 70km/h. 

Another new option for the 6 Series is Active 

Cruise Control with Stop & Go function. 

Employing radar sensors with an enlarged area 

of vision, the system gives the driver the choice 

of four distance settings from traffi c ahead, no 

matter how fast the cruise control is set for. 

When cruise control is set, the radar sensors 

send out signals to the road ahead. When the 

radar detects another vehicle, the system 

applies the brakes when that vehicle reaches a 

set proximity from the front of the car, and will 

continue to slow the car down to a complete 

stop if required. 


DRIVE IMPRESSIONS: CLICK HERE

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 


AUDI’S slinky new S5 coupe – complete with 

V8 power, a manual transmission and all-wheel 

drive – went on sale here in October priced at 

$131,900, and now the landmark new model 

upon which it is based has reached Australian 

shores. 

The A5 3.2 FSI Multitronic might lack the 

S5’s piping hot 4.2-litre FSI V8 but, for now, 

as the entry-level version of Audi’s fi rst A4based 

two-door, it is a whole lot less expensive 

at $91,900. 

For $3000 more than the similarly engined 

TT quattro auto coupe, or $10,000 more than 

BMW’s smaller-engined 325i coupe, the fi rst 

A5 to arrive here drives its front wheels with 


AUDI has reclaimed the title of Australia’s 

most powerful diesel SUV with the local 

release of the Q7 4.2 TDI in late December. 

The new king of the big but popular Q7 

all-wheel drive wagon range comes priced 

at $123,900 and powered by the same 

240kW/760Nm 4.2-litre twin-turbo diesel 

V8 that lurks under the $210,000 A8 4.2 TDI 

quattro limousine’s bonnet. 

With peak torque on tap from 1800rpm, it 

is not only enough to blast the 5.1-metre Q7 

fl agship to 100km/h in a claimed 6.4 seconds 

and, in another record, to a claimed top speed 

of 236km/h. 

It also betters the previous diesel SUV 

performance benchmark of 230kW/750Nm set 

by Volkswagen’s Touareg V10 TDI ($121,990), 

which is a second slower to 100km/h, speedlimited 

to 235km/h and returns average claimed 

fuel consumption of 12.6L/100km. The Audi 

manages just 11.1L/100km. 

Of course, Volkswagen’s Touareg will 

leapfrog the gutsiest Q7 in April, when the R50 

version lands with tweaked turbos to produce 

258kW and 850Nm (from 2000rpm), priced 

higher again at $129,990. 

However, it will also be governed to 235km/ 

h and with an offi cial 0-100km/h time of 6.8 

seconds, the 2.5-tonne VW fails to better 

Audi’s direct injection 3.2-litre petrol V6, 

mated to a seven-speed CVT auto with sport 

program. 

It produces 195kW at 6500rpm and 330Nm 

of torque from 3000rpm, sprints to 100km/h in 

a claimed 6.6 seconds and, like other A5/S5s, 

measures 4.63 metres long and has a 455-litre 

boot. 

Audi’s V8 diesel SUV in the traffi c-light dash. 

As always, Audi has another rabbit up its 

corporate sleeve as Volkswagen’s premium 

vehicle brand, and in the Q7’s case it is a 

ballistic new 6.0-degree 5.9-litre V12 twinturbo 

diesel that delivers no less than 368kW of 

power and 1000Nm of torque from 1750rpm. 

First revealed at the 2006 Paris motor show 

as Audi’s answer to high-performance luxury 

SUVs from Porsche, Mercedes-AMG and 

BMW, the Q7 V12 TDI is billed as the world’s 

fi rst 12-cylinder diesel engine in a series 

production car. 

A version of the 478kW 5.5-litre V12 TDI 

used in Audi’s R10 racing car, the street-legal, 

(2010) EU5 emissions-compliant diesel uses 

what Audi claims is the world’s fi rst 2000bar 

common-rail system (400 bar more than 

previously available). 

Permanently driving all four wheels through 

a reinforced six-speed automatic gearbox, it 

can send the 2.2-tonne-plus S-badged Q7 to 

100km/h in a supercar-style 5.5 seconds, has a 



‘Affordable’ A5 arrives 

Audi expands its sleek 

new coupe stable with 

the A5 3.2-litre FSI V6 

V8 diesel for Q7 

German SUV takes a walk 

on the wild side with a 

bruising 4.2 V8 oil-burner 

A5 3.2 

The complete A5 and S5 coupe range will be 

on sale here by mid-2008, with the quattro (allwheel 

drive) and Tiptronic (automatic) version 

of the A5 3.2 CVT to go on sale in April, priced 

at $95,900 (an extra $4000), and the Tiptronic 

alternative to the S5 4.2 quattro manual to be 

released in May 2008, priced at $134,900 – up 

$3000. 

Q7 4.2 TDI 

limited top speed of 250km/h and uses only a 

little more distillate at 11.9L/100km. 

All of that is more than a match for the 6.0litre 

petrol W12 that motivates Audi’s most 

expensive model, the $326,000 A8 6.0 quattro 

LWB sedan – not to mention garden-variety 

Q7 variants in the 3.6 FSI petrol ($84,900), 

the 3.0 TDI diesel ($86,800) and the petrol V8 

4.2 FSI ($116,800), with which the Q7 4.2 TDI 

shares its specifi cation level including 21-inch 

alloy wheels. 

While the V12 Q7 will go on sale in Australia 

in 2008 priced at more than $130,000, a 4.2litre 

V8 petrol-electric hybrid version of the 

Q7 will also eventuate. 

For now, however, the Q7 4.2 TDI not 

only makes a mockery of its more pedestrian 

stablemates but also shades V8 diesel luxury 

SUV peers like the Range Rover Sport TDV8 

($108,900) and Vogue TDV8 ($142,900), both 

of which offer 200kW/640Nm (at 2000rpm) 

3.6-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 power. 

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

John Mellor's 

GoAuto 

Green Green issues in the auto world 


Green O C TO B E R 11, 2007 Page 20 

GoAuto Green is brought to you by Custom Fleet 

Part of GE Commercial Finance 

THE FLEET 

MANAGEMENT 

EXPERTS 

Cloud over Indian car 

Climate concerns heat 

up as Tata launches the 

world’s cheapest car 


ENVIRONMENTAL alarm bells have been 

ringing throughout the world since Indian 

car-maker Tata Motors last week launched 

the cheapest car in the world – the Tata 

Nano “people’s car”, which will sell for the 

equivalent of $2850. 

Referred to as the “1 lakh” car because it 

is priced at 100,000 rupees in India, the rearengined 

Nano was launched at the New Delhi 

motor show by Tata chairman Ratan Tata. 

However, the car is already creating 

controversy in the West, with critics saying 

it will add millions of sub-standard cars to 

India’s already clogged roads, aggravating the 

mounting air and noise pollution problems. 

Nobel Peace Prize winner and United 

Nations climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri 

has been quoted as saying he is “having 

nightmares” about the car. 

Safety has also been raised as a concern, 

although Tata argues that the Nano exceeds 

regulations. Among its claimed safety items 

are a sheet-metal body, crumple zones, 

seatbelts, strong seats and tubeless tyres. 

Defenders of the car point out that the Nano 

will replace even more dangerous forms of 

transport such as motor scooters and threewheelers, 

and that it is essential for India’s 

economic and social development. 

Developed locally by Tata Motors – which 

is in negotiations to buy Jaguar and Land 

Rover – the four-seat Nano is 3.1m long, 

1.5m wide and 1.6m high. 

It is powered by an all-aluminium 623cc 

two-cylinder petrol engine with multi-point 

fuel injection and a single balance shaft. 

The Tata-built engine, which sits under the 

back seat, develops just 25kW of power and 

drives the rear wheels through a continuously 

variable transmission. 

Tata claims a fuel consumption figure of 

5.0L/100km. 

A Deluxe model was also revealed, 

which features air-conditioning and leather 

upholstery, while the company chairman said 

that future developments would include more 

powerful petrol engines, a diesel engine and 

an automatic transmission. 

Mr Tata said the new car brings the 

comfort and safety of a car within the reach 

of thousands of families in one of the world’s 

most populous countries for the first time. 

“I observed families riding on two-wheelers 

– the father driving the scooter, his young 

kid standing in front of him, his wife seated 

behind him holding a little baby,” said Mr 

Tata. “It led me to wonder whether one could 

conceive of a safe, affordable, all-weather 

form of transport for such a family. 

“Tata Motors’ engineers and designers 

gave their all for about four years to realise 

this goal. Today, we indeed have a People’s 

Car, which is affordable and yet built to meet 

safety requirements and emission norms, to 

be fuel-efficient and low on emissions. 

“We are happy to present the People’s Car 

Nano 

to India and we hope it brings the joy, pride 

and utility of owning a car to many families 

who need personal mobility. 

“We initially conceived this as a lowend 

‘rural car’, probably without doors 

or windows and with plastic curtains that 

rolled down … but as the development cycle 

progressed we realised that we could – and 

needed to – do a whole lot better. And so we 

slowly gravitated towards a car like everyone 

expects a car to be. 

“When we were planning facilities for 

the car and working out a business plan, the 

business plan shown to me was looking at 

a figure of 200,000. I said 200,000 cars is 

crazy. If we can do this we should be looking 

at a million cars a year, and if we can’t do a 

million then we shouldn’t be doing this kind 

of car at all,” he said. 

Perhaps like never before, it brings into 

perspective the pressure the automotive 

world – and emerging markets in particular 

– is placing on the environment. Take a 

moment to consider the impact a million 

or more additional cars will have on Indian 

roads each year, a large proportion of them in 

cities where traffic congestion is a nightmare 

already… 

Jaguar, LR sale close - page 22 

“SCORING GOALS IS 

HARD, HELPING YOU 

MANAGE YOUR FLEET, 

NOW THAT’S EASY!” 

Mike Nichols, Senior Customer Service Officer and soccer player. 

THE FLEET MANAGEMENT EXPERTS 

Part of GE Commercial Finance

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 

Find your 

new car 

NOW ! 

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used car 

for FREE ! 

To celebrate our official 

website launch, we are 

giving away our basic 

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www.mycaryourcar.com.au 

for more details! 

Up Up Up Close Close Close on on on Personnel 

Personnel 

Personnel 



Up Close on Personnel motor staff 

Brought to you by Motor Staff - The Motor Industry’s No1 Recruitment Specialist 

DE MEO NOW ALFA CEO 

ALFA Romeo has 

appointed Luca De Meo 

as its CEO, replacing 

Anto Baravalle who 

resigned from the Fiat 

Group last month. 

A former Renault and 

Toyota executive, Mr 

De Meo will retain his Luca De Meo 

current position as chief marketing offi cer 

of the Fiat Group, with responsibility for all 

marketing-related activities across all Fiat 

Group sectors, as well as his responsibilities 

as CEO of Abarth. 

GOODMAN TO CARKEY 

CARKEY Automotive 

Photography has announced 

the appointment of Sharon 

Goodman as its NSW 

dealer relationship manager. 

Well known to the dealers 

in Sydney and elsewhere 

in NSW after a career in 

online and print media, Ms 

Goodman will be directly responsible for the 

continued expansion of Carkey services and 

the launch of new products. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sales•service•parts•admin 

LEMMO JOINS AUTO TEAM 

THE Auto Team accounting 

network, which has more 

than 140 dealer clients across 

Australia, has secured the 

services of ex-Martec/The 

Warranty Group executive 

Tony Lemmo. 

Bringing extensive 

automotive experience to Auto Team, Mr 

Lemmo has been appointed CEO of a jointventure 

company, Auto Team Consulting, and 

will be responsible for all consulting, training 

and profi t improvement programs. The board 

will also include Vince Choy (Auswild & 

Co), Ken Rich (Rich & Co) and Ed Colledge 

(Colledge’s Aust). 

“As a result of Tony coming onboard, 

Auto Team Australia now has a much more 

comprehensive list of products and services 

it can offer the automotive industry and its 

clients,” the company said in a 

statement this week. 

Auto Team also announced 

that Angelo Sirianni had joined 

Melbourne-based member fi rm 

Colledge’s (Aust), following 

more than 12 years’ experience 

with Toyota Australia. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PAYNE WALKS OUT FROM WALKINSHAW GROUP 

WALKINSHAW Performance director and CEO, and Elfi n Sports Cars 

CEO, Chris Payne, resigned from his position late last month and is now 

considering his next move in the automotive industry. 

Mr Payne is a former Holden Special Vehicles general manager, who 

remained a director of the Tom Walkinshaw-owned Holden performance 

division after moving across to establish the new aftermarket highperformance 

speciality tuning business late in 2006. He has two decades’ 

experience with Holden and companies affi liated with General Motors. 

“I’m just ready for a new opportunity and a new challenge,” Mr Payne 

told GoAuto this week. “I did a lot of things with Tom and the group at Chris Payne 

HSV over many years … It’s pleasing to have been associated with that (success) for such a 

long period of time, but it’s time to look for something new on my side. 

“There’s been a lot of changes in the company in the last few years in people, and it (HSV) 

is now exporting when it really hasn’t been for many years, and I like to feel I played a part 

in that. It’s just time to move on.” A successor for him at Walkinshaw Performance and Elfi n 

Sports Cars is still to be announced. 

Sharon 

Goodman 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angelo 

Sirianni 

Tony Lemmo

John Mellor's 

GoAutonews 



GoAuto’s latest car review www.goauto.com.au 

NEW HOLDEN CONCEPT 

GENERAL Motors global product boss Bob 

Lutz has revealed that Holden is putting the 

fi nishing touches on a concept car to be shown 

at the Melbourne International Motor Show next 

month. Not wishing to steal Holden’s thunder, 

Mr Lutz would not give any details away about 

what the concept might be, other than to say that 

it is one of the best he has ever seen. “(Holden) 

are working on a design down there that is 

going to knock everybody’s socks off,” Mr Lutz 

said. “And I am extremely proud of the design. 

It will emerge as one of GM Holden’s proudest 

moments. It is really terrifi c.” A Holden 

spokesperson refused to elaborate. Stay tuned. 

Orion Falcon 

ORION FALCON OUT 

FORD Australia has released the fi rst offi cial 

images of its all-new Falcon, as part of the 

offi cial unveiling of the new manufacturing 

facilities that will produce it from April next year. 

Codenamed Orion, the eighth-generation Falcon 

has been snapped testing in camoufl age across 

the nation and has even appeared undisguised in 

News Limited newspapers following the leaking 

of marketing images. Now, for the fi rst time, 

Ford has revealed its own “spy” shots of the new 

Falcon. FULL STORY: CLICK HERE 

Toyota Kluger KX-S fi ve-door wagon 

DON’T be swayed by the gorgeous 19-inch alloys. Until you drive it, the latest Toyota Kluger in 

mid-range, front-wheel drive KX-S guise seems virtually unbeatable, thanks to a combination 

of excellent seven-seater packaging, a powerful and smooth V6 drivetrain and impressively 

high equipment levels for the money. But something has been lost in the way this SUV 

steers and rides compared to its dynamic AWD predecessor. So, while the vast majority 

of buyers are likely to appreciate this Toyota for the way it transports their family and 

friends, there is very little for the keen driver to sink his or her teeth into. Here lies the 

crucial difference between the Kluger II and Ford’s terrifi c Territory. 

Launch Pad 

brought to you by 

JANUARY: 

Audi A5 3.2 FSI Multitronic 

Audi Q7 4.2 TDI 

BMW 320d 

BMW 335i Touring 

F6-X 

Fiat Punto Turbo Sport 

FPV F6-X 

Mitsubishi 380 Platinum Edition 

Nissan Dualis 

Dualis 

New model diary: CLICK HERE 

ANOTHER VE RECALL 

HOLDEN has recalled more than 86,000 V6engined 

versions of the VE Commodore and WM 

Statesman due to a potentially leaky fuel line. It 

is the third time Holden’s so-called ‘billion dollar 

baby’ has been recalled in the past 15 months. 

The latest recall affects 86,538 vehicles built 

between the commencement of production in 

April 2006 and December 5 2007. 


JAGUAR, LR SALE CLOSE 

TATA has emerged as the clear preferred buyer 

of Jaguar and Land Rover after Ford offi cially 

confi rmed this month that it is pursuing 

negotiations with the Indian car-maker. This latest 

development is seen as a blow for the other two 

known contenders – another Indian carmaker, 

Mahindra, and an American investment group 

called One Equity Partners that is headed by 

Australian Jac Nasser, a former Ford CEO. 


It just works. 

Get us working for you. Become a Carsales dealer 1300 308 690 

CAR REVIEW: CLICK HERE 

FIAT’S FASTER PUNTO 

FIAT has added a new turbocharged petrol 

model to its Punto range in Australia, priced 

below the equivalent turbo-diesel Sport model 

and offering even better performance. The 

three-door Turbo Sport is priced from $25,990 

with a standard fi ve-speed manual gearbox. 

With a light-pressure Garrett turbocharger 

applied to the base 1.4-litre Punto engine, 

the Turbo Sport develops 88kW of power at 

5000rpm (up from the non-turbo’s 57kW) and 

206Nm of torque at a high 5000rpm (versus 

115Nm), but Fiat says that 200Nm is available 

from just 1700rpm. 


SUZUKI STAR IS BORN 

SUZUKI has revealed the fi rst images of a 

new small car that will be built in India, but 

sold around the world. Although presented as 

a concept car called the A-Star Concept, it will 

become the new Suzuki Alto from late 2008 

and is especially designed to appeal to Europe. 

A closer-to-production version of the car is 

expected to be presented at the Geneva motor 

show in March, when more details should 

become available. 


A-Star

Come in Crewman

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