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August 5, 2009 60,000 READERS WEEKLY No. 494

By JAMES STANFORDHOLDEN’S new direct-injection 3.0-litre V6

will match the performance of the current 3.6-

litre Alloytec V6 while delivering improved

driveability, more refi nement and fuel

savings of up to 12 per cent, the Australian

manufacturer’s lead powertrain executive

told GoAuto at yesterday’s announcement of

the new Commodore V6 range.

Production of the lean 3.0-litre engine,

which will make the VE Commodore the

most fuel-effi cient six-cylinder car made in

Australia, has already begun, with cars to

arrive in showrooms next month.

Combined with a standard GM-sourced

six-speed automatic transmission and new

low-rolling-resistance tyres, the engine will

help the Commodore Omega and Berlina

achieve an offi cial fuel economy average of

9.3 litres per 100km, undercutting the Ford

Falcon and Toyota Aurion by 0.6L/100km.

Holden announced yesterday that it would

introduce two new Melbourne-made V6

engines using Spark Ignition Direct Injection

(SIDI) technology – the entry-level 3.0-litre

and a new premium 3.6-litre V6. Both run on

regular 91 RON unleaded petrol.

GM Holden chairman and managing

director Mark Reuss emphasised that Holden’s

smaller engine was arriving now and not in

two years’ time – an apparent reference to

Ford Australia’s announcement last month of a

four-cylinder Falcon to be introduced in 2011.

“We heard what the Australian car-buying

public has said to us, we heard what the

government wanted – cleaner, more effi cient

vehicles,” he said. “We invested in our

future and delivered that fantastic news that

we have today – not two years from now,

not six months – (but) next month.”

It is the Commodore’s fi rst 3.0-litre

engine since the Nissan-sourced inline six

of the VL series in the 1980s.

The new V6 is 10kg lighter than the 3.6

it replaces, and was developed by General

Motors in the US where it is already serving in

the Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Equinox.

The new Euro IV emissions-compliant

3.0-litre Commodore engine produces

190kW at 6700rpm and 290Nm of torque

from 2900rpm. Previously, the base 3.6-litre

Commodore engine produced 180kW and

330Nm. This compares to the Ford Falcon’s

195kW/391Nm and the Toyota Aurion’s

200kW/336Nm.

The 3.0 V6 will be fi tted to the entry-level

Omega and Berlina sedan and Sportwagon,

while the base Holden Ute and LPG models

will continue to run the non-direct-injection

Alloytec V6 and ageing four-speed automatic.

Prices for the Omega and Berlina will rise

$700, pushing the entry-level Omega sedan

within a whisker of the $40,000 mark with

an offi cial sticker price of $39,990, plus

dealer delivery and statutory charges.Continued next page

Holden’s new 3.0 SIDI V6 is lean on fuel and makes Commodore ‘better to drive’

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Mark Reuss (left) with industry minister Kim Carr

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PUBLISHER: John MellorEDITOR: Terry Martin MANAGING EDITOR: Marton PettendyJOURNALISTS: David Hassall, Philip Lord, Byron Mathioudakis, James StanfordPRODUCTION AND GRAPHICS: Chris Harris, Luc BrittenSUB-EDITOR: Ron HammertonNEW MODEL DIARY: Lou PaolinoProduced by GoAutoMedia: Ph: (03) 9598 6477 newsroom@mellor.net

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“We chose Auto-I.T. because of their system’s ease-of-use for

our people. Converting from our old system to Auto-I.T. was

made easy through their very capable, experienced staff.”

Anna Kurz – IT Administrator, Coastline BMW

Continued from previous pageHolden’s new direct-injection 3.6-litre V6

is the most powerful naturally aspirated six-

cylinder to be fi tted to an Australian-made

car with 210kW of power at 6400rpm. The

torque rating of 350Nm outguns the Aurion

but falls 41Nm short of the Falcon’s 391Nm.

The 3.6-litre SIDI V6 was introduced for

the Cadillac CTS in 2007, and has since

been fi tted to a range of vehicles, including

the Cadillac STS and Camaro coupe.

Standard fi t to SV6 sedan, wagon and

ute, Calais sedan and wagon, Statesman

and Caprice, the 3.6 SIDI engine delivers

vastly improved performance as well as fuel

economy gains ranging from seven per cent

to 13 per cent. Prices will remain the same.

The SV6 sedan will achieve an offi cial fuel

consumption fi gure of 10.2L/100km, down

from 11L/100km, while SV6 Ute consumption

drops from 11.6L/100km to 10.1L/100km.

Impressively, long-wheelbase Statesman

and Caprice V6 variants now achieve

10.3L/100km, down from 11.5L/100km.

None of the Holden models that benefi t

from the mechanical upgrade will be given

any form of exterior facelift at this stage,

although Mr Reuss said one was in the

pipeline for the Commodore. He would not

be drawn on a timeframe.

“This car needs to be freshened on a cycle

that our market and our customers tell us it

needs to be,” he said. “The next design you

see won’t be that far off. It will be very, very

nice. I’m excited about it.”

While Mr Reuss previously said the

fuel economy of the Commodore could be

improved with a range of measures including

some aluminium panels, which he claimed

were affordable, no such changes have

been made to the car at this stage. GoAuto

understands these changes are likely when

the car is given the exterior facelift.

Mr Reuss said Holden would heavily

promote the effi ciency of its new 3.0-litre

V6 entry-level engine and was confi dent it

would be able to win over fl eets, including

those of business and government that have

introduced ‘no six-cylinder’ policies.

“We are blowing those (existing)

paradigms away,” he said. “We are changing

all those paradigms. We are going to educate

everyone on how we are doing that, whether

it is real fuel economy, CO2 and operating

costs or alternative fuels.”

Mr Reuss even went so far as to suggest

he would personally contact fl eet managers

to have them reconsider bans on six-cylinder

engines. “Because of those policies that are

based on the past versus real fuel economy

and running costs, we have got a very

aggressive marketing strategy including

myself personally visiting the fl eet managers

and all of our senior staff at Holden sitting

down with each of the major fl eets across the

country with our sales and service staff to go

through the real operating costs of what our

new V6s are going to have,” he said.

Mr Reuss said Holden was not currently

interested in following Ford Australia’s

example by introducing a four-cylinder

engine for its large car, but said the company

would do so if customers wanted it. “The

market would tell us that, but at this time our

plans are built around this plant,” he said.

Mr Reuss said Holden was aiming to

“out-engineer the competition”.

“Dropping cylinders would be the last

resort because people still like the power,

the performance, the towing – all of those

things that we get in Australia with this

engine and this car,” he said.

Mr Reuss said the fl exibility of Holden’s

Port Melbourne engine plant, which produces

a 2.8-litre turbo V6, as well as naturally

aspirated 3.0, 3.2 and 3.6-litre V6 engines for

export to South America, Sweden, Germany,

South Korea and Germany, meant the company

could respond quickly to customer needs.

He said the new 3.0-litre V6 would provide

the answer for Australian families who

wanted a six-cylinder car but shied away

from the fuel costs associated with them.

“Families are not getting any smaller. This

country is not getting any smaller. People

want the freedom to travel in comfort.

However, they need the fuel effi ciency of a

much smaller vehicle,” he said.

GM Holden powertrain lead executive

Martyn Cray described the direct-injection

engines as “the single most important engine

change in the history of Australia’s favourite

car”. Mr Cray told GoAuto the engine’s

performance would not disappoint customers.

“With acceleration, it is a match with

the current car,” he said. “In terms of

driveability, I have driven the car and I think

it is a better car to drive.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Omega 3.0

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 3

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GM names Holden’s Mark Reuss as the new head of global vehicle engineering

GM’s new chief engineerGM’s new chief engineer

By TERRY MARTINGM HOLDEN has received another

signifi cant boost in the restructured General

Motors with the announcement that outgoing

chairman and managing director Mark Reuss

will become vice-president of global vehicle

engineering.

Credited with securing Holden’s

manufacturing operations and maintaining

its status as an integral member of GM as it

sells off non-essential brands and downsizes

its global operations, Mr Reuss will now

return to Detroit as the architect and overseer

of the US auto giant’s vehicle engineering

programs worldwide.

As announced late last month, GM

Holden’s executive director of sales,

marketing and aftersales Alan Batey

will replace Mr Reuss at the helm of the

Australian operations.

In Detroit, Mr Reuss will replace group

vice-president of global engineering Jim

Queen, as well as GM North America vice-

president of engineering Ed Koerner, both

of whom will retire on October 1.

Another former GM Holden chairman,

Denny Mooney, who returned to the US in

2007 to become vice-president of global

vehicle systems and integration, has also

“elected to retire” in October.

Nonetheless, Australia remains well

represented at the highest levels of GM

with Mr Reuss working alongside another

champion of the Holden brand, Bob Luz,

who is now vice-president of marketing and

communications in the new organisation.

International operations president Nick

Reilly, who, along with Mr Lutz, is a member

of GM’s executive committee and in recent

weeks has reshaped the leadership team

outside North America, also said Mr Reuss

would remain “a strong friend” of Holden.

“At a time when the industry has been

in crisis and where the parent company

has been through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy

process, Mark has championed the interests

of Holden at every turn,” Mr Reilly said.

“He has played a pivotal role in ensuring it

is an important part of the ‘New GM’. He

achieved a great deal in a relatively short

time and returns to a key role in GM where

he will remain a strong friend of Holden.”

GM president and chief executive

Fritz Henderson made the announcement

last week, along with a number of other

appointments and retirements that create a

“simplifi ed” leadership team.

“Our goal was to streamline our leadership

team and put some of our best executives in

positions where they can use their diverse

perspectives and extensive global experience

to create the new GM,” Mr Henderson said.

“The new GM leadership team includes

people who have excelled in every area of

the auto business, in every region of the

world. This new GM team’s experience

is unmatched, and it will be invaluable as

we renew our commitment to building and

selling great cars and trucks and serving the

needs of customers around the globe.”

Mr Reuss, 45, who is the son of former

GM president Lloyd Reuss, has worked for

GM since 1983 in a number of senior vehicle

development positions. He joined Holden

18 months ago from his role as executive

director of global vehicle integration, safety

and virtual development, a position which

made him responsible for all areas of vehicle

integration and performance, safety and

mathematical design/analysis application

for GM product programs worldwide.

Prior to that, he was executive director

of North American vehicle systems and

architecture.

Having risen through GM’s engineering

ranks earlier in his career, Mr Reuss also

started the GM Performance division in

2001 and was responsible for all associated

production and racing cars. This was in

addition to his role as executive director of

architecture engineering.

Echoing Mr Reilly’s comments, federal

industry minister Kim Carr said late last month

that he was confi dent Mr Reuss’ appointment

would be “a very good thing” for Australia.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Mark Reuss

Denny Mooney

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 4

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Ford Performance Vehicles turns its luxurious turbo F6 E concept into reality

FPV’s executive sweetFPV’s executive sweet

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By MARTON PETTENDYALMOST six months after revealing it in

concept guise at the Melbourne motor show

in February, Ford Performance Vehicles

(FPV) has released the production version

of its turbocharged F6 E luxury sedan.

Extending the appeal of its single

turbo-six sedan model, the F6, as well as

increasing the number of models in its range

from seven to eight, FPV said this week that

the F6 E’s existence is a direct response to

customer demand.

“We launched this car at the Melbourne

motor show as a concept vehicle and the

expressions of interest in it have been enough

to warrant us to go into a production run of the

vehicle as a full-time addition to the range,”

said FPV general manager Rod Barrett.

“The F6 E will cater for the corner of the

market – in particular executives – that want

the performance and dynamics of the F6

with some added luxury appointments and

subdued styling.

“Feedback from our customers leaves us

confi dent that the F6 E will be a hit with

those looking for something more from their

performance vehicle.”

While the V8-powered GT E arrived

as a new luxury fl agship at the top of the

redesigned FG Falcon-based FPV line-up

launched last year, the F6 E now combines

the turbocharged performance of the F6

sedan (and ute) with the same luxurious

accoutrements as found in the GT E.

The F6 E’s $79,740 pricetag matches

that of the GT E, making it $1000 more

expensive than the GT-P sedan ($78,740).

FPV’s move echoes that of Ford, whose

G6E replaced the Fairmont Ghia in the

new Falcon range, and whose G6E Turbo

replaced the Fairmont Ghia V8 as a luxury

version of the XR6 Turbo sedan.

Speculation and even grainy brochure

images of a seemingly production-ready

‘GS’-badged FPV sedan have also emerged

across various online media outlets

recently, suggesting Ford’s performance

division is planning to release a lower-

output entry-level V8 that, if its rear

spoiler decals are anything to go by, will

produce 302kW.

However, suggestions that the additional

FPV model will effectively replace Ford’s

long-serving XR8 when strict new Euro

IV emissions regulations come into force

next July appear wide of the mark.

While an all-new 5.0-litre aluminium V8

dubbed ‘Coyote’ is expected to debut in

various states of tune in 12 months under

the bonnets of both Ford and FPV models,

GoAuto sources indicate the new 302kW GS

will soon slot in between the $47,990 XR8

sedan and FPV’s base F6 and GT sedans,

which are both priced almost $20,000 higher

at $67,890.

FPV has previously committed to

releasing two additional models this year,

including the top-shelf-turbo F6 E, and the

new entry-level GS is clearly designed to fi ll

a similar performance disparity between the

XR8, which is powered by a 290kW/520Nm

5.4-litre V8, and FPV’s F6 and now F6 E,

which deliver 315kW and 551Nm.

For the moment, the F6 E comes fi tted with

the same turbocharged 4.0-litre inline six as

the F6, which offers 310kW at 5500rpm and

a tyre-shredding 565Nm of torque between

just 1950rpm and 5200rpm. That is up from

270kW/533Nm in Ford’s XR6T and G6ET.

Combined with a six-speed ZF automatic

transmission as standard, the F6 E’s offi cial

ADR 81/02 fuel consumption is rated at

12.1L/100km.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

F6 E

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Nissan’s new LeafNissan’s new Leaf

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By MARTON PETTENDYDO NOT let its garden-variety looks – or

its even more ordinary name – deceive you,

because Nissan’s all-new Leaf will be one of

the most signifi cant models ever produced

by the Japanese car-maker, as well as the

automotive industry as a whole.

Launched as promised in Japan this week,

the Leaf is expected to become the world’s

fi rst volume-selling all-electric vehicle

when it goes on sale globally in 2010 and in

Australia in 2012.

The ground-breaking small fi ve-door

hatchback, which Nissan claims seats fi ve

adults in comfort and has a real-world

driving range of up to 160km, is offi cially

described at the world’s fi rst affordable,

zero-emissions car.

Of course, that overlooks the CO2 and

other emissions produced during the car’s

manufacture and eventual disposal or

recycling (as with every vehicle), and the

fact that as a pure electric vehicle (EV) the

Leaf shifts CO2 emissions from its exhaust

outlet to power stations, which in Australia

continue to be fi red predominantly by coal.

But the production-ready Leaf marks

a signifi cant new direction from Toyota’s

hybrid icon, the Prius, as well as General

Motors’ Chevrolet Volt, which is also due

on sale in the US in late 2010 and has

been committed for sale – as a Holden – in

Australia from 2012.

While the Volt features plug-in recharging

technology, it is effectively a petrol-electric

hybrid like the Prius, which has a token EV-

only driving range and relies primarily on its

battery-assisted petrol engine.

Described by GM as a range-extending

EV, the Volt is driven exclusively by battery

power, but incorporates a conventional

CO2-emitting internal combustion engine to

recharge its battery. Like the Leaf, the Volt

has a claimed EV-only range of 160km.

While both the fuel-effi cient Prius and Volt

can be driven indefi nitely as long as they have

fuel in their tanks, the Leaf relies entirely

on battery power and therefore a network of

proposed recharging and battery-swap stations,

which is yet to be established in Australia.

However, while the third-generation Prius

has just been released in Australia priced

from about $40,000 and the forthcoming

Volt is expected to cost at least that much,

Nissan Australia has previously targeted a

sub-$30,000 starting price for its fi rst EV.

This week, Nissan said the Leaf would

come to market with a price that is

competitive with a well-equipped C-segment

(small) vehicle, making it signifi cantly

cheaper than both the similarly sized Prius

and (four-seat) Volt fi ve-door hatchbacks.

However, that price does not include the

battery, which Nissan proposes will be leased

to customers and has an anticipated life of

just fi ve years – less if it is not maintained at

near full capacity (above 80 per cent) during

that period.Continued next page

Nissan’s all-electric Leaf looks set to spearhead the mass-market EV revolution

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Toyota aims for 2010 iQ-based EV launch

Nissan’s new LeafNissan’s new Leaf

By TERRY MARTINDETERMINED not to lose the limelight to

its Japanese and international competitors

when it comes to all-electric vehicles,

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has

fast-tracked its iQ-based electric car

development program and is now preparing

to hit the market in 2010.

The global market leader in petrol-electric

hybrid cars, TMC took the covers off a concept

version of its fully electric IQ, dubbed the

FT-EV, at the North American International

Auto Show in Detroit in January. However,

management told GoAuto at the unveiling

that the vehicle – known internally as the

BEV (battery electric vehicle) – was not due

for release in the US until 2012.

Reports from the UK last week revealed

the rescheduled launch date and confi rmed

details of the new EV, which, according to

the iQ’s chief engineer Hiroki Nakajima,

will “get its own bodywork” and will be

positioned as a stand-alone model in an

affordable, mass-market segment.

He also confi rmed that it would feature

in-wheel electric motors in conjunction with

lithium-ion batteries – the fi rst application

of lithium-ion, as well as in-wheel motors,

in a mass-production vehicle from TMC.

“We wanted to position the iQ as

premium, but not so the BEV,” Mr

Nakajima told Autocar, adding that the

design needed to suit the requirement for

in-wheel motors. “In every wheel we had

to be able to fi t an electric motor.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

FT-EV

Continued from previous pageDespite this, Nissan president and CEO

Carlos Ghosn said the Leaf would be more

affordable to own that an equivalent internal

combustion vehicle, because the power that

is required to recharge it will cost less than

the petrol to fuel a conventional small car.

For some time now, US sportscar-maker

Tesla has produced all-electric plug-in vehicles

with lithium-ion batteries, while Mitsubishi’s

i-MiEV is the fi rst EV to receive offi cial

Australian Design Rule approval. However,

when supply frees up from the Japanese

factory that produces the electric i-car, it is

expected to cost about $50,000 here.

At the heart of the Leaf lies what will

be one of the world’s fi rst mass-produced

lithium-ion batteries. Similar to what will

be employed by the Volt and also used in

trials of a plug-in Prius, the Leaf’s 24kWh

laminated Li-Ion battery pack is more

powerful than a similarly sized battery using

traditional nickel-metal hydride technology,

as in the production Prius.

As with the Volt, the Leaf’s 48-module Li-

Ion battery pack is integrated into the vehicle’s

fl oorpan (in this case under it, in a separate

frame), which Nissan says avoids cabin

intrusion by the battery and reduces drag by

contributing to smoother underfl oor airfl ow.

The Leaf is built on a dedicated new EV

platform that is claimed to be exceptionally

quiet. It has a “highly rigid” body and an

electric motor that is rated at a competitive

80kW/280Nm.

Nissan says the Leaf can be charged from

empty to 80 per cent of its full capacity in

less than 30 minutes with a 50kW “quick

charger” or in less than eight hours at home

using a 200-volt AC charger.

That should be enough charge for 100km

of travel, which it claims is enough to satisfy

the requirements of most (presumably urban)

drivers. According to Nissan, research shows

the car’s total range of 160km meets the daily

driving requirements of more than 70 per cent

of the world’s consumers who drive cars.

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREEV grid alliance – next page

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Energetique teams up with Ergon to test integration of EVs with electricity grid

EV grid allianceEV grid alliance

By TERRY MARTINNICHE Australian electric vehicle (EV)

outfi t Energetique has announced a joint-

venture project with Queensland’s Ergon

Energy, and is in negotiation with a number

of other power companies, to develop

and test the integration of EVs with the

electricity grid.

As a working group within the Federal

Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI)

mulls the ramifi cations of mass-market plug-

in hybrid and full-electric car launches from

2012, the fl edgling independent Energetique

– which has the Mazda2-based evMe EV on

sale now – is forging alliances to assess a

range of infrastructure issues, including the

benefi ts and drawbacks of vehicle-to-grid

(V2G) integration.

Energetique chief executive Phil Coop

told GoAuto it was crucial that

electricity companies were prepared

for an infl ux of vehicles drawing on

their networks, and understood how

to manage the integration “because

they’re the ones that are going to

bear the brunt of providing the ‘fuel’

for these cars”.

He said that if integration was

not well managed, EVs had the potential to

exacerbate peak electricity demand, which

could in turn force unforseen investments

via network upgrades.

On the other hand, Dr Coop said EVs

offered opportunities to mitigate peak

demand, with car owners feeding electricity

back to the grid from their vehicles – a bonus

for the electricity utilities, as well as a means

for motorists to reduce their running costs.

For that to occur, however, the vehicles

will need to be compatible with so-called

“smart grid” digital technology that utilities

are beginning to roll out across the world,

including in Australia.

“What they (the utilities) all want to do is

to make sure that the electric vehicle industry

comes up and has smart grid technology,

which they can use in their grid fi ltering and

their grid maintenance,” said Dr Coop.

“It would be ridiculous to put a whole

stack of cars on the charge at a peak energy

load time, because that would fi nish them

off – it’d be like putting 20,000 new air-

conditioning systems on a network that was

already suffering.

“So the fi rst issue is to mitigate the

charging load.”

Using smart grid technology,

electricity companies can control the

fl ow of energy between the vehicle

and grid, enabling the fl ow to be

slowed, delayed or even reversed.

The network managers will be able

to determine the optimal charging

time, and the charge itself might

come in bursts.

“The really positive side is that that energy

in the car is actually available to be put back

on to the grid through V2G technology,”

said Dr Coop. “In this way, the vehicle can

deliver power when the utility requires it

while still meeting the customers’ driving

needs.”

The Energetique chief said this sort of

collaboration between the consumer and

power retailer would allow households

to reduce their energy costs and provide a

valuable tool for the electricity provider

to manage the network. It could also see

electricity supply costs come down.

“It sounds a bit blue sky, but the whole

notion of community transport will change,”

he said. “The car is going to be the next wave

of technology to be integrated, just like the

mobile phone and the palm pilot and the

computer and the TV are all integrating.”

For ‘smart charging’ to occur at all, the

vehicle must be equipped with software to

interact with the smart grid when it is available.

The evMe has it onboard, as does the recently

launched plug-in version of Toyota’s Prius –

dubbed Switch – developed by the University

of Technology Sydney, which is conducting

a V2G assessment program in collaboration

with EnergyAustralia.

GoAuto understands that most of the

forthcoming EVs, including now the Chevrolet

Volt, will also be compatible. However, Dr

Coop said some car manufacturers were

struggling with technology as they race to

market with EVs.

“We are in dialogue with a few of them,

and we’re fi nding that they’re not coping

that well,” he said. “It’s not entirely their

fault – they are very large bureaucracies that

manage to manufacture a car with a global

logistics network so that you and I can buy

one for $14,990 or something, which is a

huge achievement.

“But I think that they are still struggling

with technology – they still need to prove

the technology. Once they start going into

production, they don’t want anything to

start going wrong when they’ve got 100,000

vehicles in the marketplace.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREGoAuto Green – page 19

Phil Coop

evMe

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Reborn Brisbane show tokick off 2010 calendar as AIMS returns in October

Motor show revivalMotor show revival

NOT your average car site...

or call us today on 1300 247 444

click here

By MARTON PETTENDYTHE Australian motor show season –

slashed to just one show this year after the

cancellation of four of the fi ve traditional

events – will be boosted next year by the

return of a new-look Brisbane show alongside

a full-strength Australian International

Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney.

The Brisbane event, which will be the

nation’s fi rst new-car exhibition since

the Melbourne International Motor Show

(MIMS) last February, will kick off the year

on February 3, 2010, while AIMS is all but

locked in to return to Sydney from October

14, following a two-year hiatus.

However, while Brisbane’s born-again

automotive expo has been locked in for 10

years under a new arrangement between event

owner MTAQ and a Sydney-

based promoter, a deal is yet

to be inked between the AIMS

and MIMS promoters to jointly

stage an annual international-

standard Australian motor show

that alternates between Sydney

and Melbourne.

A car company-led boycott of last

October’s Sydney event resulted in poor

crowd attendances and a joint-venture to

host a single rotating annual event between

Sydney show organiser, the Federal

Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI),

and MIMS promoter, the new-car division

of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of

Commerce (VACC).

The FCAI says negotiations for the Motor

Show Joint Venture announced in February

are close to being fi nalised and that a fi rm

booking for the Sydney Convention and

Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour

remains in place for October 14-24, 2010.

However, GoAuto understands that sticking

points continue to exist between the FCAI

and VACC concerning questions of event

ownership, organisation and profi t sharing.

“The proposed dates for Sydney for

next year are October 14-24,” FCAI chief

executive Andrew McKellar said this week.

“Those are the proposed dates and the

proposal is the joint-venture takes over that

date from the FCAI.

“Negotiations to fi nalise the contract are

still underway. At this stage the joint-venture

has had a number of meetings in recent

months and is progressing well. What we

will be doing is coming out in the near term

with a more detailed plan in terms of the

arrangements and, if you like, a

relaunch of the whole event.

“That will be forthcoming

shortly, but at this stage the

planning is proceeding well

and the arrangements for the

organiser roles and other key

appointments are being put in

place. I think we’re quite satisfi ed that it’s

on track and that we’ll be in a position to

provide a lot more detail on the proposed

scope of the event in the near future.

“There’s a sequence of steps that will be

gone through with the JV, pinning down

the organiser arrangements, so stand by for

more details about the event itself and the

future direction of the JV.

“There are still some important contractual

details that need to be fi nalised with the venue,

which will be resolved as soon as possible.”

While the 2011 AIMS in Melbourne

may be shifted closer to a mid-year date,

it could be up to fi ve years before AIMS

in Sydney moves from its October date,

delaying the establishment of a single mid-

year AIMS that switches between Sydney

and Melbourne, which was a key demand of

some car companies.

“The plan all along is that it will be badged

as the Australian International Motor Show

and that will be case for both the Sydney

event and the Melbourne event,” said Mr

McKellar.

“That (a mid-year Melbourne date) is

under discussion with the venue, so I don’t

have anything to report on that at this point.

But I guess we’ll hopefully have some

progress on that in the near future. At this

stage I won’t go into the detail of that.

“Our preferred timing for both Sydney and

Melbourne is to try and get to a stage where

they are broadly 12 months apart. There has

been an indication from discussions we’ve

had with a number of brands that a timing

that’s somewhere closer to mid-year would

be desirable.

“But I guess we’ve got to work with the

venues in two cities to resolve that sort of

outcome.”

Meantime, the organiser of the former

Brisbane International Motor Show

(BIMS), the AADA division of the MTAQ,

has signed a 10-year contract with Sydney-

based promoter Expertise Events to revive

the event at the Brisbane Convention and

Exhibition Centre from February 3-7, 2010.

Closer in concept to last year’s successful

Top Gear Live show in Sydney than a

traditional motor show, the shortened fi ve-

day event – simply dubbed The Motor Show

– promises more than 21 special features

and precincts, including three car arenas,

education rooms and feature displays.

Continued next page

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 9

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Brisbane to host a motor show in February 2010, with Sydney to follow in October

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Analysing or Agonising

Continued from previous pageExpertise Events chief Gary Fitz-Roy

confi rmed his company would hold the

revised Brisbane show under a profi t-

sharing arrangement with the MTAQ,

which is understood to have heavily relied

on the BIMS for its income. Through its

new-car division, the AADA, the MTAQ

has guaranteed to attract the support of its

dealers should interest not be forthcoming

at manufacturer/distributor/importer level.

However, Mr Fitz-Roy said interest

from car companies canvassed so far was

positive.

“We’re right in the middle of meetings at

the moment with all of the car companies

and the response has been overwhelmingly

positive,” he said.

“We launched very quickly so we’re now

in the fantastic position of getting all our

plans in train fairly quickly.

“We had a very clear strategy that we

had to announce it through the MTAQ

and then we wanted to meet with all the

manufacturers face to face. We started

talking with brands last week in Sydney and

Melbourne and that process will happen for

another week or so.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

AADA president targetsnew deal on franchise tenure with car-makers

Call for franchise fi xCall for franchise fi x

By PHILIP LORDTHE new president of the Australian

Automobile Dealers Association (AADA),

Michael Tynan, wants to improve dealers’

security of tenure in franchise contracts.

He has also identifi ed lifting the public

image of dealerships and defi ning the role

of independent service centres as issues he

will address during his presidency.

Mr Tynan, who is the managing director

of Sydney’s Tynan Motor Group and a

director of Mahindra Automotive Australia,

told GoAuto late last month that a key issue

he wanted to tackle was dealers’ franchise

agreements, as some manufacturers were

extremely demanding.

“It’s very expensive to set up as a

franchise with their demands, and the

biggest complaint for dealers is if they

make the wrong decisions – if the product

is wrong, the pricing is wrong – the dealers

have no comeback,” he said.

“I’m not suggesting that dealers should

have comeback. What we’re saying is we

want to be recognised as (taking a fi nancial

risk). We just can’t be there to fl og their

motor cars.”

Set to preside over his fi rst AADA

national dealer convention at Melbourne’s

Grand Hyatt later this week, Mr Tynan

said dealers were concerned because many

franchise contracts were for short periods,

meaning they potentially could not recoup

their investment in a brand.

“I think the big thing that worries dealers

is that they’ve only got a one-year contract

– some are three – but with no right to

renewal,” he said. “So consequently you

go into this enormous capital expenditure

and then you could lose the franchise at the

whim of some person who really in fact has

no personal money in the industry.

“It’s big money today – you don’t get

much for two or three million (dollars, to

establish a dealership franchise).”

Mr Tynan said wholesale changes

were not necessary – but consistency in

franchise agreements was. “The majority of

franchisors are very good people,” he said.

“They work very well with the dealers. Then

we’ve got a few that are probably not as

dealer-conscious as we’d like them to be.

“Hopefully we can work with FCAI and

build mutual respect, acknowledging that

they’ve sometimes got different agendas to

what dealers have got.”

Independent service centres are also

on Mr Tynan’s agenda, and while he said

independent workshops had a place in

the industry, he does not believe they can

offer the level of service of an authorised

franchise, as they simply do not have the

required investment in tools.

“No one seems to realise that when a

new model comes out, it’s about a $100,000

investment, to make sure we’ve got all the

right computer gear, all the training and

so on,” he said. “It’s impossible with the

modern motor car to just take it in and get it

serviced – unless we’ve got all the gear.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

The 2009 AADA National Dealer Convention opens this Thursday, August 6.www.AADAconvention.com.au

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Toyota luxury brand to double retail network in time for 2011 small car

Lexus growth chartLexus growth chart

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New &Im

proved

By MARTON PETTENDYLEXUS Australia plans to double the size of

its national dealer network to cope with an

infl ux of new products starting this year, but

has put on hold its retail expansion program

for two years due to the global economic

downturn.

The recommencement of the Toyota

luxury brand’s ambitious plan to increase

the number of its outlets from 23 to 48 will

now coincide with the Australian release of

the fi rst Lexus small car in 2011.

As GoAuto revealed last week, the

front-drive Corolla-based fi ve-

door, codenamed C-Premium and

due to make its global premiere

at the Frankfurt motor show in

September, has been confi rmed for

sale in Australia in 2011, when it

should become the Japanese car-

maker’s volume-selling model.

“Audi has moved ahead on the

back of product,” Lexus Australia

chief executive John Roca told

GoAuto last week. “Look at the A3 – that’s

where we need to be. We recognised those

segments were growing years ago but

the problem is it takes years to produce

something to compete, which is where

(C-Premium) will play a big part.

“If you look at the market today, they’re

the areas that are growing.”

Lexus Australia sales were down by one-

third year-on-year to June 2009, due largely

to the changeover of its RX350 luxury SUV,

which accounts for half of all sales.

But the company expects a stronger

second half led by another boom month in

July, when 250 orders were carried over

from June. Lexus has presold its fi rst two

months’ supply of both the RX450h hybrid

and IS250C, both of which arrive from

August.

The IS F super-sedan continues to attract

a two-month waiting list, with four to fi ve

examples sold in Queensland, where the LS

and LX are also popular, every month from

a nationwide allocation of just eight cars –

down from an initial 12.

“This is traditionally the quiet quarter, but

June was that good some of that

spilled over into July,” said Mr

Roca. “So as much as we had pull-

forward, we also didn’t have the

supply and so we had carryover

like many of our competitors. July

will be good – the interesting one

will be August.

“I think what you’ll fi nd is the

market will recover in the second

half of the year.”

Mr Roca also admitted that sales came

before profi ts during the same period in

2008.

“Last year we were in run-out mode with

the RX, so while the volume was there the

profi tability wasn’t – we were just running

out cars we had too many of because we got

caught with supply. Now we have a full and

free supply of all RX models, so we expect

to do around the 160 mark with RX, which

will be consistent with last year in terms of

volume in the second half, but profi tability

will be up in a major way.

“Both the RX and IS volume cars are now

on song, so the timing couldn’t be better for

us. We’re very fortunate we have the cars

to take advantage of an improved second

half with new products, and our dealers are

crying out for stock,” he said.

Lexus has targeted at least 5500 sales in

Australia for this year, which is well down

on the 6700 vehicles it sold in 2008 (and

further behind its 8200 sales record, set in

2007), and plans on maintaining a 10 per

cent share of the luxury market.

“Our plan was 5500 and 10 per cent,” said

Mr Roca. “But the market is stronger than that

so I think we’ll get close to 6000 this year. We

turned the corner in May, when the RX350

came on and we cleared all 2008 stock.

“When you break it up into segments 15 per

cent is luxury. Our models are the top two or

three (sales) performers in each sub-segment,

but we only operate in six of those segments.”

Mr Roca said his company’s retail expansion

plans had been postponed until market

conditions improved, but that the Lexus dealer

network’s refurbishment and rebranding

program would continue as planned.

Using the new-look corporate image that

debuted in Japan two years ago as a blueprint,

the process started in Perth last year and

continued with the newest Lexus outlet, a

former BMW dealership in Wodonga, which

offi cially opens this month.

A new signage package will also be rolled

out in the interim.

“Our expansion plans are on hold for

another two years because of the market,”

said Mr Roca. “There will be no expansion

for a couple of years, which makes good

business sense because you want the

(dealers) to recover from the last 12 months

and put them in a position to reinvest.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

John Roca

Lexus of Perth

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Here comes Here comes KizashiKizashi

By MARTON PETTENDYSUZUKI has revealed the fi nal production

version of its fi rst mid-size sedan in the

United States, and the good news is it

will carry the nameplate – and most of

the striking new design elements – of the

acclaimed Kizashi concept.

Offi cially pictured in a range of shots

last Thursday after being leaked on to the

internet 24 hours earlier, the Kizashi ‘sport

sedan’ will go on sale in Australia during the

second quarter of 2010.

The fi ve-seater, three-box rival for

Toyota’s top-selling Camry will be the largest

Suzuki sold in Australia since the previous-

generation XL-7 SUV, which was replaced

by a model restricted to North America.

Bookending Suzuki Australia’s range

along with the all-new Alto sub-light hatch,

the Kizashi will follow Suzuki’s smallest

model into showrooms by less than 12

months.

As the fi rst production car images show,

the fi nal Kizashi design will feature larger

headlights and mirrors than the Kizashi 3

concept that fi rst appeared at the New York

motor show in April 2008. The concept’s

aggressive front bumper has also been toned

down a little, but the Kizashi’s distinctive

rear end, featuring a high-rise ‘Bangle-like’

bootlid and twin outboard exhaust outlets,

carries over with only subtle changes.

Few mechanical details have been revealed

for the Kizashi, which was previewed by a

series of three striking concepts over the

past two years, culminating in the Kizashi

3, which also made an appearance at the

Melbourne International Motor Show in

February.

However, an all-aluminium 2.4-litre

DOHC inline four-cylinder similar to the

J24B-codename unit found in the Grand

Vitara will be the exclusive Kizashi engine

from launch, driving the front wheels

through either a six-speed manual or

continuously variable transmission (CVT)

with paddle-shifters.

Australia is unlikely to receive the

“next-generation intelligent all-wheel drive

system” that will also be available in the

US and which is expected to come standard

with an eventual top-shelf V6 version,

which should be powered by a 3.6-litre alloy

V6 similar to the one in Holden’s current

Commodore.

Suzuki has also confi rmed it is developing

a petrol-electric hybrid version of the

Kizashi, which it has now confi rmed will

join the medium sedan range in the future.

A diesel version is also believed to be in

the plan – as is Kizashi production alongside

the Alto in India. As the fi rst market to

receive the Kizashi, the US is expected to

take the majority of initial production from

Japan.

The Kizashi’s chassis technology will

also be shared with General Motors, with its

platform being developed from GM’s new

Epsilon II mid-size platform, which also

underpins Opel/Vauxhall’s new Insignia and

Saab’s upcoming 9-5 replacement.

Chassis development testing is said to have

taken place on German autobahns, Swiss

mountain passes, English cobblestones and,

of course, the famed Nurburgring.

American Suzuki Motor Corp (ASMC)

expects the Kizashi’s combination of

“Japanese quality and European fl air” to

make it a contender for the 2010 North

American car of the year award.

It will play a pivotal role in Suzuki’s

plan to gain a four per cent share of the

Australian new-vehicle market, and will be

a “halo vehicle for the maturing Suzuki line-

up” in the US, where the Japanese small-

car manufacturer’s market penetration is

signifi cantly less.

According to ASMC, the Kizashi will

be Suzuki’s fi rst entry in North America’s

AWD sport sedan segment when it goes on

sale there as the brand’s fl agship model at

the end of 2009.

“In developing and naming our newest

automotive introduction, the Japanese word

Kizashi, which tells that something great is

coming, seemed appropriate for the vehicle,”

said ASMC president Kevin Saito.

“Now that the production model Kizashi

has arrived, we expect the name and the

product itself to clearly demonstrate the bold

statement this company knew it would

be making with the debut of this

vehicle – while also simultaneously

suggesting what will emerge in the

Suzuki line-up as we look ahead

to the future.”

Production version of Suzuki’s fi rst mid-size sedan

emerges ahead of 2010 Australian launch

FULL STORY: CLICK HERESplash ‘will come’ – page 13

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GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 13

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Suzuki Australia still has Splash on its agenda, even with Alto on sale

Splash ‘will come’Splash ‘will come’

By MARTON PETTENDYSUZUKI’S groundbreaking new Alto city

car is now on sale in Australia, but it will not

be the only micro-hatch to join the Japanese

small-car manufacturer’s line-up here.

As Australia’s fi rst affordable sub-light

model and fi rst passenger car to emerge here

from India, the Alto was widely believed

to have been imported instead of the larger

and more expensive European-built Splash

hatch.

But it has emerged that the Splash, which

is also now produced in India, remains on

Suzuki Australia’s agenda and could be sold

here once production starts in Thailand.

“Suzuki is still a work in progress in

Australia,” Suzuki Australia managing

director Takeshi Hayasaki told GoAuto.

“Our sales are more than double that of

Mazda’s in Japan, yet in Australia Mazda’s

sales are more than double ours.

“My job is to ensure that situation

improves. The challenge is to make sure

that, in future, Australians get more benefi t

from the Suzuki brand, by getting access to

more cars like the Splash.

“I am requesting it (the Splash) and it

will come in the future, but right now the

problem is demand in Europe.”

Suzuki Motor Corporation was the third

best-selling brand in Japan last year with

669,000 sales – behind market leader Toyota

with 2.1 million sales and Nissan (678,000),

but ahead of Honda (624,000) and Mazda

(244,000).

So far this year in Australia, Suzuki has

sold 10,012 vehicles (down 17.5 per cent on

the fi rst half of 2008), placing well behind

the market-leading Toyota (94,233 sales,

down 26.1 per cent), Mazda (38,603, down

9.2 per cent), Mitsubishi (27,063, down 23.0

per cent), Nissan (26,954,

down 12.5 per cent),

Honda (22,350, down 25.9

per cent) and even Subaru

(19,009, down 8.6 per

cent).

The fi ve-seater Splash

is slightly longer, taller and wider than

the four-seater Alto, which is now on

sale with a benchmark-setting entry-level

manufacturer’s list price (plus statutory and

dealer delivery costs) of $12,490.

The Swift’s recent base price rise to $16,790

leaves a $4300 gap between Suzuki’s two

smallest models for the Splash, which would

also position a 1.2-litre model between the

1.0-litre Alto and 1.5-litre Swift.

The Splash was launched in May as the

Ritz in India – the only nation in which the

Splash is now produced outside Hungary,

where Suzuki’s Esztergom plant has

manufactured the Splash as a replacement

for the Wagon R+ in Europe since 2008.

Co-developed with GM from a shortened

version of the Swift platform, the Splash is

also available in Europe (where Opel and

Vauxhall versions are known as the Agila)

with 1.0-litre triple-cylinder petrol and

1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines.

The front-drive fi ve-door hatch rides

on a 2360mm wheelbase (the same as the

Alto’s, but 30mm shorter than the Swift’s)

and measures 3715mm long, 1590mm wide

and 1680mm high, making it 215mm longer

than the Alto and actually

20mm longer than the

Swift.

The next-generation

Swift, however, is due to

emerge on a larger new

platform in 2011.

Established in 1983, Maruti Suzuki, which

is 54.2 per cent owned by Japan’s Suzuki

Motors Corporation, is India’s top-selling

car-maker and last year claimed a 54 per

cent share of the new-car market in India,

where the Splash name cannot be used.

Last year it sold more than 730,000

vehicles in India, and exported more than

50,000.

GoAuto understands that Suzuki will

establish a plant in Thailand within about

18 months, which could also produce the

Splash. Thailand has free-trade agreements

with many nations including Australia, and

a factory there would give Suzuki a deep-

sea port with direct shipping access to

markets including Australia. The Alto

is currently shipped from India via

Singapore.

If sold here, the Splash is unlikely to

arrive within two years, by which time

Suzuki Australia will have launched

a facelifted SX4 small car (in early

2010), the all-new Kizashi medium

sedan (in the second quarter of 2010),

the redesigned Swift (around mid-

2011) and a new seven-seat SUV, due

here in 2012.

Swift gets special – page 21

WHAT’S COMING:SX4 facelift Q1 2010

Kizashi Q2 2010

New Swift 2011

New seven-seat SUV 2012

Splash 2013

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GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 14

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Phone: (03) 9670 8308 Email: enquiry.form@crma.com.au www.crma.com.au

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By MARTON PETTENDYTHE replacement for Kia’s fl agship

Opirus sedan has emerged in South Korea,

brandishing a striking new design language

that previews the brand’s future styling

direction.

Previewed at the Seoul motor show earlier

this year as the Kia KND-5 concept and

now offi cially codenamed the VG, the all-

new premium sedan goes on sale in Korea

at the end of this year and will also replace

the Opirus in Europe and North America.

But Kia advises it will not be sold in

Australia, where the mid-size Magentis sedan

will continue to be Kia’s largest model.

“We have no plans to bring the Opirus

here, because we do not currently compete

in the large-car segment,” said Kia

Australia spokesman Jonathan Fletcher.

“For Australia, the Opirus is a strong

design story because many of its design

elements are evidence of the maturing of

Kia design, which began with the new

Sorento and continued with the Soul.

“So while it is the next step in the

development of Kia design, it is not a car

we will take.”

Offi cial renderings of Kia’s new top-

shelf sedan, which is based on the same

large front-wheel drive platform as parent

company Hyundai’s next-generation

Grandeur fl agship (known as the Azera in

the US), show a bold new front-end design

comprising Kia’s new corporate grille and

LED running lights.

LED technology extends to the tail-lights

and side mirrors of the VG, which rides

on 18-inch alloy wheels and should come

powered by 2.4-litre direct-injection GDI

four-cylinder and 3.5-litre Lambda V6 petrol

engine, and possibly a 2.7-litre LPI gas V6.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Opirus previews Kia’s new design direction

Opirus

New-look Rio among a tidal wave of fresh models

Kia tide turnsKia tide turns

By MARTON PETTENDYKIA Motors has offi cially revealed the fi rst

facelift for its smallest but biggest-selling

model, the Rio, four years after the current

JB-series went on sale in Australia.

The new-look Rio, pictured here as a

sedan that clearly shows

Kia’s new H-shaped grille

design, will enter production

in fi ve-door hatch guise from

September before arriving

here in October.

It will be the most signifi cant

in a barrage of 2010 model

year updates from Kia this

year, starting this week with

an upgraded 10MY Sorento

2WD, and also including

minor tweaks for the small Cerato sedan,

mid-size Magentis sedan and Carnival and

Rondo7 people-movers.

The revised Rio’s local launch is likely to

be sandwiched by the arrival of the all-new

Cerato Koup (in September) and redesigned

XM Sorento SUV (in October), which

GoAuto drove in Korea in June, before all-

new replacements for the KM Sportage and

MG Magentis models arrive next year.

Badged as the Pride in South Korea,

where it goes on sale within weeks, the

Rio receives a bolder new front fascia with

larger lower air intake and altered foglights,

as well as an interior makeover comprising

a freshened centre stack, instruments and

steering wheel, plus Bluetooth connectivity.

The newer Rio will continue to be available

with a Euro IV emissions-compatible

82kW/145Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol

engine, but the 70kW/125Nm 1.4-litre four

now available only in the

hatch should be offered in

the sedan, too – mated to

the same fi ve-speed manual

and four-speed automatic

transmissions.

The fl ood of 10 updated,

facelifted, new or additional

models over the next 18

months will mark a change

of pace for Kia Australia,

which launched the new TD

Cerato in January this year, followed by the

Grand Carnival CRDi diesel in March and

funky new Soul hatch in April.

While the latter has met its unambitious

sales target of 40-odd per month, the Cerato

has been the only shining light this year for

Kia, whose sales are down less than the

average industry decline at 10.2 per cent,

with Cerato sales up 21.5 per cent in the fi rst

half of 2009.

Expect the midlife makeover for the

Korean brand’s volume-selling Rio,

therefore, to come with pricing that does

not stray too far from the current model’s

$14,990 (1.4) and $16,840 (1.6) pricetags.

WHAT’S COMING: Sportage 2WD Aug

10MY Cerato Aug

10MY Carnival Aug

10MY Rondo7 Aug

10MY Magentis Aug

Cerato Koup Sept

Rio facelift Oct

New Sorento Oct

New Sportage 2010

New Magentis 2010

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 15

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Audi marches onAudi marches on

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKISAUDI will increase its model line-up by about

60 per cent as it strives to reach its 1.5 million

annual global sales target set for 2015.

Dubbed ‘Route 15’ internally, the volume

drive also includes a 15,000-vehicle sales

goal in Australia by the same year.

Of the planned 42 models on the product

planning drawing board, Audi is looking at

importing about 38 to Australia by 2015.

However, none of these are expected to be

the upcoming hybrid diesel-electric models

under development, as Audi has said it will

not market such vehicles until at least 2014.

Currently, Audi has about 26 distinct

models, including S versions of core series

such as the A3, A4, A6 and TT, as well as a

multiplying number of RS cars such as the

TT version arriving late this year.

Underpinning this growth more than ever

will be breakaway niche vehicles such as

the A5 Sportback revealed last month on the

company’s 100th anniversary.

Based on the A4 platform that has also

spawned the A5 Coupe and upcoming

Cabriolet (due in September), the A5

Sportback is expected in Australia during

the fi rst quarter of 2010.

This is to be followed

by myriad new models,

from the next-generation

A8 luxury limousine

slated for a November

unveiling, to the hotly

anticipated A1.

Pencilled in for

Australia in 2011 after

a probable Paris motor

show debut in September

2010, the diminutive

hatchback will be aimed

directly at BMW’s highly

successful Mini.

Also in the pipeline, and due over the

next two-and-a-half years, is the A7 ‘coupe

sedan’ shown at this year’s North American

International Auto Show as the Sportback

Concept, as well as the next-generation C7-

series A6 that sires the A7.

Reports out of Europe claim Audi is also

devising an A7 Cabriolet, although the many

engineering challenges involved in creating

an open-top version of a four-door sedan

may ultimately scupper such a project.

Following on from the A6/7 fraternal twins

will be the ultra-compact Q3 SUV derived

from the forthcoming third-generation A3.

As usual, the latter will

share its underpinnings

with the Volkswagen Golf,

but it is thought that a four-

door sedan will join the

next A3 three-door hatch,

fi ve-door A3 Sportback

and A3 Cabrio.

The sedan will take on

the long-rumoured BMW

1 Series sedan that the

Bavarians are believed to

be brewing when that car

has a generational change

in two years’ time. Slotting

under the increasingly larger A4 sedan, and

sharing some mechanical components with

the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf-

based Jetta sedan expected in about 2012

or 2013, the A3 sedan might wear the now-

defunct A2 badge.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERENo ‘e’ push – page 19

German marque continues on quest for 15,000 annual sales in Australia by 2015

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WHAT’S COMING: A5/S5 Cabriolet Sept

Q7 TDI V12 Q4 2009

TT RS Q4 2009

A5 Sportback Q1 2010

A8 Mk4 Nov 2010

A1 Q1 2011

A7 2011

A6 Mk7 2011/2012

Q3 SUV 2012

A3 Mk3 2012/2013

Q7 Mk2 2013/2014

A2 2014

TT Mk3 2015

Audi teases with shots of its all-new A8 limoAUDI used the opportunity presented by its

recent centenary celebrations in Germany

to issue teaser images of its next-generation

A8 limousine, which is due to make its

global debut in November before going on

sale in Australia in the second half of next

year.

The radical new proportions of the fourth-

generation Audi luxury fl agship are partly

revealed in a shot that shows technical

development board member Michael Dick

with the new A8, which is draped in a semi-

transparent car cover.

An accompanying sketch shows the next

A8’s edgy new front-end design, which

comprises a squared-off teardrop-style

headlight with single gas-discharge beam

and a row of bright LED daytime running

lights underneath, framed by a heavily

fl ared wheel-arch, a muscular bonnet crease

and prominent full-frame grille.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

blue-tongue.com.au

Are you attracting the Right Candidates?

Assing About!

STOP

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BMW pulls the pin on Formula One to fund new fuel-friendly family

‘CO2 champion’ focus‘CO2 champion’ focus

By MARTON PETTENDYTHE new 7 Series M Sports Package has

been confi rmed for release in Australia later

this year, but it will be as close as BMW’s

biggest sedan gets to being a bona-fi de M7

model from Bavaria’s M division.

BMW’s newest, but unfortunately

largely cosmetic, M Sports pack will be

available in Australia right across the top-

shelf limousine line-up from September

production.

To cost an extra $11,600 for the entry-

level 730d, falling to $10,600 for the

740i and 740Li, and $4000 for the 750i

and 750Li, the Seven’s M treatment is

headlined by an M Aerodynamics package

(read: sports bodykit) with extra chrome

apron trims at both ends.

The 7 Series M kit, which is priced

roughly in line with last October’s M

Sports pack for the X5, also comes with

BMW’s Dynamic Drive variable chassis

system, which is standard on the 750i but

usually costs an extra $5249 on the 730d

and 740i variants.

Of course, there is also a set of staggered-

width 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in a

double-spoke design (245/45 R19 front,

275/40 R19 rear), along with the further

option of double-spoke 20-inch alloys.

M Sports 7 Series models also come with

the choice of an exclusive Carbon Black

Metallic exterior paint colour.

Interior additions extend to leather

sports seats and illuminated M-badged

scuff plates, a multi-function M leather

steering wheel, M footrest, BMW

Individual anthracite roof lining and fi ne-

grain aluminium cabin trim.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

BMW to offer 7 Series M Sports pack in lieu of M7

By RON HAMMERTONMOTORSPORT’S loss will be

environmentally conscious motorists’ gain

as BMW withdraws from Formula One

to divert vast sums of money into new

technologies, including development of its

‘Project i’ family of fuel-friendly vehicles.

The German car-maker announced its

departure from motor racing’s premier arena

last week, making good on its promise of

last year to put sustainable motoring fi rst.

Announcing the decision, BMW chairman

Norbert Reithofer confi rmed that BMW

would unveil a “CO2 champion” concept

car at this year’s Frankfurt motor show.

This vehicle is expected to be the prototype

for BMW’s fi rst “near-zero” emissions car,

dubbed the Megacity Vehicle.

While it is not expected to hit the roads of

Europe until the fi rst half of next decade, the

micro Megacity will offer a choice between

fully electric drive and a high-effi ciency

combustion engine.

This urban vehicle – the fi rst fruits of the

so-called Project i skunkworks established

within BMW by Dr Reithofer – is expected

to be based on a new micro-car platform

developed by Fiat and sold under the Isetta

brand taken from BMW’s 1955 city car.

Other vehicles using Project i technologies

will follow, now propelled through the

development process by extra budget

diverted from the Formula One campaign.

Dr Reithofer said the decision to withdraw

from F1 had been a diffi cult one personally.

He said the program had come under scrutiny

from BMW’s Strategy Number One – an

internal review of BMW projects to check

them for future viability and sustainability.

“I have always been clear about my

position on making tough decisions that

will help BMW Group’s success over the

long run,” he said. “As our company places

stronger focus on sustainable initiatives, our

participation in Formula One becomes less a

key promoter of this engagement.”

BMW’s latest, 10-year stint in Formula

One – fi rst with Williams and then Sauber –

earned 11 grand prix wins, 10 of them as an

engine supplier to Williams between 2000

and 2005. In the middle of 2005, BMW

bought Sauber to race under its own fl ag

from 2006. While it was regarded as one of

the top three teams until this season when

Brawn and Red Bull exerted their muscle,

BMW Sauber could not crack a constructor’s

championship, coming second in 2007.

This season it has slid back to eighth in the

standings. It is a fair way short of BMW’s

glory days in its fi rst seven-year stint in the

1980s, as an engine supplier. That turbo-era

partnership with the Brabham and Benetton

teams resulted in BMW’s only driver’s

championship, to Brabham’s Nelson Piquet

in 1983.

In all, BMW scored 20 grand prix victories,

the last coming to BMW Sauber driver Robert

Kubica in Canada in June last year. Now

BMW joins Honda on the F1 sidelines at the

end of this season, another consequence of

the global economic downturn that has forced

car companies to refocus resources.

The question now is whether any other

companies, including Toyota, Mercedes-

Benz and Renault, will follow.

DIG

ITA

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AG

E: C

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Artist’s impression of the Megacity Vehicle

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 17

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AUSTRALIA’S “MUST ATTEND” AUTO INDUSTRY EVENT

Nissan, Honda crossover SUVs will not be sold here, despite BMW X6 success

At the crossroadsAt the crossroads

By MARTON PETTENDYBMW’S SUV-on-steroids X6 has been

a smash-hit in Australia, where 639 have

been sold in the 12 months since its July

2008 launch, but two similar new luxury

crossovers from Honda and Nissan will not

follow in its footsteps here.

While the X6 has attracted more than

35,000 buyers globally, falling short of

the original sales forecast of 40,000 set by

BMW at its US launch in April, the oddball

super-SUV has outsold a host of luxury

challengers here, including Porsche’s

Cayenne, the Lexus LX, Volkswagen’s

Touareg, Volvo’s XC70, Jeep’s Grand

Cherokee and, as BMW is keen to point out,

the entire Maserati range.

Now two fresh luxury SUV-coupe

entrants released overseas in the past couple

of weeks will attempt to emulate the X6’s

sales success, if not its polarising styling.

Honda’s X6 look-alike will go on sale in

the US later this year in the shape of the Acura

ZDX. As GoAuto reported when the vehicle

was previewed by a concept of the same

name at the New York motor show in April,

neither the ZDX nor Honda’s luxury brand

will be sold in Australia any time soon.

Like the smaller but almost identically

styled Accord Crosstour, the MDX-based

ZDX is a left-hand drive model to be sold

only in North America. Like the EX35/

Skyline, it is powered by a 3.7-litre petrol

V6, this time offering 221kW and allied to

a six-speed automatic with paddle-shifters,

driving all four wheels.

Confi rmed last month for production, the

Acura ZDX will come standard in the US

with 19-inch alloy wheels, a hand-stitched

leather interior, panoramic glass sunroof and

adaptive cruise control. It will be positioned

above the MDX in Acura’s US range.

Honda will also release the Accord-based

Crosstour soft-roader in the US this year.

Priced above the CR-V in Honda’s SUV

line-up, it is expected to be powered by a

2.4-litre four-cylinder, a 3.5-litre V6 and,

possibly, the Acura RDX’s turbocharged

2.3-litre four.

Meanwhile, the Nissan Skyline Crossover,

which is Japan’s version of the Infi niti EX35

luxury SUV released in the US in late 2007,

has just gone on sale after being announced

earlier this year.

Nissan’s luxury brand is not sold in Japan

or Australia, where Infi niti was on the verge

of being launched before the global

economic downturn emerged last

year. Japan continues to be the only

nation in the Nissan world that has

special dispensation to sell Infi niti

models as Nissans, and the Skyline

Crossover is the latest example of

this. Australia will not follow suit,

however, ruling out a local launch of

the Skyline Crossover – for now.

Whether the EX35 – or other

Infi niti models including the new G35 coupe

and convertible – go on sale in Australia

depends on when Infi niti launches as a

brand here, and how old those models are

at that stage.

“Infi niti will come here – the question

is when,” said Nissan Australia corporate

communications manager Jeff Fisher.

“When, not if, Infi niti arrives here it (the

EX35) may or may not be part of the range.

“Our Infi niti plans were relatively well

advanced in the middle of last year but

everything’s now on the backburner. We’re

waiting on market conditions to improve

before committing to Infi niti.

“The question is, do we want to go to

market with those current cars or wait for

their replacements. It is a product timing

issue now,” said Mr Fisher, who added that

the redesigned 370Z roadster was still on

target for an early 2010 launch in Australia.

The Skyline Crossover has gone on sale

in Japan priced from $A54,390, and is

expected to attract 200 buyers a month. It is

powered by Nissan’s new 243kW 3.7-litre

VQ37VHR engine, mated to a seven-speed

automatic transmission.

The Skyline coupe-SUV features the

latest Nissan technologies, headlined by the

‘Around View Monitor with Parking Guide’

and also including a lane-departure warning

system, active Xenon headlights, LED

tail-lights, active head restraints, a Bose

audio system and a ‘Carwings’ hard-drive/

navigation system. Nissan Skyline Crossover

Acura ZDX

GoAuto August 5, 2009 Page 18

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Market Insight

GoAuto Market Insight is brought to you by Dealer Solutions

By JAMES STANFORDMOST Australians regard Thailand as a

destination for cheap holidays and spicy

food, but our Asian neighbour is growing

into a regional automotive superpower.

Australian manufacturers are coming

under pressure from cheap products

imported without the usual duty thanks to a

free-trade agreement struck in 2005.

And, sometimes, Australian car-makers

come under pressure from the Thai divisions

of their own global organisation. For example,

Toyota Australia is locked in negotiations to

build the next-generation Kluger and must

beat Toyota Thailand to win the project.

Meanwhile, Ford Australia has just

binned its Focus production plan because

it cannot compete with a “low-cost source”

in Asia. It has not named the production

location, but it is most likely Ford’s plant

in Thailand, which will begin producing the

Fiesta from next year.

With minimal shipping costs, low labour

costs and zero import duty, it comes as no

surprise that imports of Thai-built vehicles

to Australia have almost doubled since

2005. In that year, 84,831 Thai-sourced

cars were sold in Australia, compared with

78,719 vehicles from South Korea.

In 2008, Australians bought 154,607

Thai-made cars and 96,437 cars built in

South Korea.

Of course, Japan is still the number-one

source of cars sold in Australia with 378,437

of its vehicles sold here last year, about the

same amount that came here in 2005.

Thailand has picked a winner by producing

mainly commercial vehicles. All of the top-

selling ladder-frame workhorse utilities,

including the Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi

Triton, most Nissan Navaras, the Holden

Colorado, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Ranger and

Mazda BT-50, come from the kingdom.

The 4x4 versions of these vehicles are

rapidly growing in popularity in Australia,

now representing about 8.2 per cent of the

total new-vehicle market compared with

6.3 per cent in 2005.

Thai operations also make most of the

high-volume vehicles in Honda’s Australian

range, while other brands are planning to

source cars from there in future. GoAuto

understands that Toyota Australia is set

to take the next-generation Yaris light car

from Thailand, and Nissan could take the

new Micra from there in 2010. Suzuki is

also looking to source vehicles from there.

The Thai government introduced new

incentives for domestic car-makers to

produce fuel-effi cient cars that use less than

5L/100km, and has also slashed the import

tariffs on hi-tech green components for

locally produced cars that are not currently

made in Thailand.

Honda is also looking to use a new

free-trade agreement with India to source

cheaper steel and some components from

the emerging economy to drive down

production costs in Thailand even further.

With Thai imports to Australia increasing

dramatically, it is worthwhile looking at

how many cars Australia has exported to

Thailand in the last few years. Unfortunately,

that number is zero.

Ford Australia looked at taking advantage

of the new free-trade agreement to export the

Territory, while Holden investigated shipping

the Commodore, but the Thai government

legislated for a 50 per cent excise on cars

with an engine size of 3.0 litres or more,

pricing them out of the market.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

www.dealersolutions.com.au 1300 66 11 33

Want to jump start your website sales?

Let us hook up the lead generators.

Jessica White Mark Butler

I NVENTORYDISTRIBUTION

Thailand makes its mark on our market, but foils Australian export hopes

Thai the knotThai the knotThai, South Korean cars sold in Australia

Sal

es

70,000

100,000

110,000

140,000

150,000

160,000

120,000

130,000

80,000

90,000

2005 2006 2007 2008

Source: VFACTSSourSou ce: ce: VFACVFACTSTS

South Korea

Thailand

GoAuto August 5, 2009 Page 19

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Green issues in the auto world

GoAuto Green is brought to you by Custom Fleet

Green

Audi decides not to launch a ‘green’ sub-brand here

No ‘e’ pushNo ‘e’ push

By BYRON MATHIOUDAKISAUDI has announced that, for the time

being, it will not release ‘e’ eco-branded

models in Australia beyond the A3

Sportback 1.9 TDIe that has been on sale

since early last year.

This puts the next car in line for ‘e’

branding, the A4 TDIe sedan, in doubt,

although it is “still under consideration

for Australia”, according to Audi

Australia product planning manager Immo

Buschmann.

“We are discussing (the ‘e’ strategy)

internally at the moment,” he told GoAuto

at the recent TT TDI quattro diesel launch.

“And there is no confusion with the issue

– we feel that the product we currently

offer is adequate and good for the market.

It is exactly what the customer is currently

looking for.

“If you look at the facts, we currently have

21 models offering less than 7.0L/100km …

so we are not looking currently at launching

the sub-brand ‘e’.”

Mr Buschmann indicated that Audi

would observe how well the A3 Sportback

1.9 TDIe model sold in Australia before

committing to other models, adding that

there were other priorities for the brand

beyond eco branding.

“We are investigating it, we would like to

have it here, we have the 1.9 TDIe (in the

A3 Sportback) and that is already tracking

well as far as how it is performing,” he said.

“And as soon as we see that demand for the

‘e’ strategy allows us to bring in the A4

TDIe, we will have it in the market.

“We are still interested in the technology

and we can still make a big story out of

that, but we want to concentrate for now

with the cars that we currently have in the

marketplace.”

Audi believes that Australian buyers

will respond better to the ‘Vorsprung

Durch Technik’ (Advancement Through

Technology) branding that applies to all its

models, even though this tagline has been

used in its advertising campaigns since the

1980s.

Furthermore, the 21 Audi models

returning less than 7.0L/100k are almost 2.5

times the number offered by BMW (eight)

and three times as many as Mercedes-Benz

(seven).

Vehicles that achieve less than

7.0L/100km are exempt from luxury car

tax in Australia.

“Audi will be introducing TDI (turbo-

diesel) technology in every single segment

we are operating in,” Mr Buschmann said.

Asked if this would include the on-again/

off-again Audi R8 TDI supercar, he

quipped: “The R8 TDI is not dead!”

Taking a clear swipe at Toyota’s petrol-

electric hybrid models such as the Lexus

GS450h, Mr Buschmann said he was

confi dent that Australian luxury car buyers

would appreciate Audi’s diesel stance.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By TERRY MARTINNORWEGIAN electric vehicle (EV)

manufacturer Think Global and US-based

battery supplier EnerDel claim to have

developed the world’s fi rst “off-the-

shelf” electric drivetrain that can convert

conventional-engine vehicles into plug-in

electric hybrids or full-blown EVs.

Announcing a trial program last week with

the Japan Postal Service, Think and EnerDel

said the drivetrain was designed for large

vehicle manufacturers and international fl eet

companies, which stood to avoid massive

development or purchasing costs with a

“road ready” system that offers made-to-

order performance in a wide variety of

plug-in hybrid and EV applications.

With the aid of conversion partner Zero

Sports, Japan Post has two test vehicles

on the road in the Kanagawa and Tokyo

prefectures and, if the program proves

successful, initially plans to convert 25 per

cent of its fl eet of 22,000 petrol-powered

light-commercial vehicles. The aim is

to ultimately convert the entire fl eet to

electric drive. Test data will be shared with

other prospective customers, including

postal fl eets in Europe and the Americas.

The drivetrain is based on the one used

in Think’s City EV, which uses a 26kWh

lithium-ion battery supplied by EnerDel

subsidiary Ener1. This combines with

a 30kW electric motor to offer a driving

range of up to 180km per charge and a top

speed of 100km/h.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Electric alliance develops ‘road ready’ EV drivetrain

Japan Post EV

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GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 20

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If you have any car industry personnel announcements, please email them to

Terry Martin at tmartin@mellor.net

Ford Fusion

By TERRY MARTINHINO Motor Sales Australia (HMSA)

has ushered in a new chairman and chief

executive, Kenichi Sekine, and named

chief operating offi cer Steve Lotter as its

president.

While Mr Sekine has arrived from

the Toyota truck

division’s Japanese

headquarters, where

he has held a range

of senior management

positions, Mr Lotter’s

appointment marks

the fi rst time a local

executive has become

president of a global

affi liate company of Hino.

Mr Lotter will continue as COO, a role

he has held with HMSA for the past three

years after a long career with Toyota Motor

Sales Australia.

Mr Sekine is a former president of

Hino Diesel Trucks in Canada, and has

worked for Hino in the US and the Middle

East. The outgoing HMSA chairman is

John Conomos, who, along with former

Victorian premier Steve Bracks, was last

month named as an envoy for the Australian

automotive industry.

HMCA’s outgoing president and CEO

Junsuke Ando has returned to a senior

position in Japan after a fi ve-and-a-half-

year stint in Australia.

The appointments

were announced last

week by the global

president of Hino

Motors Limited, Yoshio

Shirai, who paid tribute

to the contributions

Mr Conomos and Mr

Ando had made to the

development of Hino

Australia, which is the second-largest

commercial vehicle distributor and number-

two in light-truck sales (behind Isuzu).

SEKINE AND LOTTER TAKE THE HELM AT HINO AUSTRALIA

Steve Curran George Hennessy

Sharon Hunter

Anne Taylor

Suzi Kyratzis Doug Tame

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Are you ready for the Recovery?

Steve Lotter

Kenichi Sekine

Ford increases sales as GM ramps up production

US back in businessUS back in business

By RON HAMMERTONTHE fragile green shoots of auto industry

recovery were evident in the United States

last month as Ford managed a rare sales gain

and arch-rival General Motors announced

plans to ramp up production by 35 per cent

in the third quarter.

Fuelled by the new “cash-for-clunkers”

incentive scheme introduced by the US

government in the last week of July, the US

new-vehicle sales slide eased as the industry

recorded a 12 per cent decline on July last

year – the lowest fall since May 2008.

The fi gures raised hopes that the industry

might have seen the worst of the 27-year

lows experienced this year.

Ford – the only “big three” US car-maker

not to fi le for Chapter 11 bankruptcy –

welcomed back buyers into its showrooms

in increasing numbers, lifting sales by 2.4

per cent in July to 164,795 units – more than

4000 vehicles above last year’s levels.

By contrast, GM sales declined 19.4

per cent, Chrysler was down 9.4 per cent,

Toyota slipped 11.4 per cent and Honda slid

17.3 per cent.

Despite its sales hit, GM remained the

market leader on 188,156 units, ahead of

Toyota (174,872, including Lexus) and Ford.

Ford’s July sales increase was driven

by the strength of its smaller vehicles,

especially the Focus (up 44 per cent on July

2008) and Fusion (up 66 per cent).

These vehicles tapped into the low-end

sales explosion triggered by government

sales incentives of up to $4500 for buyers

trading in gas-guzzlers on more fuel-effi cient

car and trucks.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

VW DEFIES TRENDEUROPE’S biggest car-maker, Volkswagen

Group, managed to hold its head above

fi nancial water in the fi rst half of this year

as many of its fellow European motor

companies fl oundered in red ink in the wake

of the global economic downturn.

While French rivals Renault and PSA

Peugeot-Citroen both recorded large

earnings slumps into negative territory

in the fi rst six months this year, VW

bettered fi nancial analysts’ expectations

by recording a fi rst-half operating profi t of

€1.24 billion ($A2.1 billion).

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

GoAuto News August 5, 2009 Page 21

John Mellor's SUBSCRIBE FREE: www.mellor.net

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

Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe SportsMAZDA not only provides the only truly affordable two-seater open sportscar, but also offers a range of variants to suit differing needs as well as budgets. Case in point is the fl agship Roadster Coupe Sports Activematic, combining the security of a retractable hard-top with the ease of an automatic gearbox. But the big question is, can a folding-roof automatic MX-5 stay true to the hallowed lightweight roadster philosophy of the others? We test the Series II facelift to fi nd out.

AUGUST:Audi A5 CabrioletAudi R8 V10Ford Mondeo faceliftFord Mondeo wagonLand Rover Freelander 2 TD4_eNissan Dualis 4x2Nissan Navara Titanium EditionNissan X-Trail Adventure EditionSkoda Octavia RS faceliftSuzuki Swift RE4 LESuzuki Swift Safety PackToyota Aurion faceliftToyota Camry faceliftToyota Corolla Edge SEToyota RAV4 Edge SEToyota Yaris Edge SE

New model diary: CLICK HERE

Launch Padbrought to you by

Australia’s No.1 because it works!

“Carsales leads are great. I’m in Katherine NT and justsold a ute to a buyer in Sydney - he even picked it up!”

Jonathan Baldock, Dealer Principal - Jalyn Ford, Katherine NT

Find out why it works for Jonathan.Call us on 1300 728 800

Yaris Edge

CAR REVIEW: CLICK HEREEE

LIFELINE FOR JLRBRITAIN is reportedly set to throw a

government lifeline to Jaguar Land Rover

after the struggling prestige car-maker lost

₤673 million ($A1.33 billion) in its fi rst full

fi nancial year under Indian rule.

The Financial Times has reported that the

UK government is now prepared to guarantee

a ₤175 million ($A348 million) short-term

bridging loan offered by the European

Development Bank. The bank gave the

green light for ₤340 million ($A676 million)

in loans for the company two months ago,

but the deal was forced into limbo by UK

government reluctance to agree to repay

the loan if JLR went under. Since then, the

company and the UK government have been

locked in talks about conditions for the aid.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

SWIFT GETS SPECIALTWO new special-edition Swifts are now

available from Suzuki, offering the choice

of either extra safety or style.

Hot on the heels of the all-new Alto sub-light

hatchback, which sets a new Australian price

benchmark with a manufacturer’s list price

of just $12,490 and is fi tted standard with six

airbags, comes a safety pack for the light-sized

Swift that also includes six airbags.

Available for an extra $700 over the

entry-level Swift’s $16,790 pricetag (plus

statutory and dealer delivery costs), the

Swift Safety Pack adds front-side and side

curtain airbags to the base model’s standard

twin front airbags.

The second Swift special edition available

from August 1 is the Swift RE4, which is

claimed to offer $5500 of extra features for

$18,290 (plus $2000 for the auto) – $1500

more than the base Swift’s price.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

ADVENTUROUS X-TRAILNISSAN Australia has released a limited-

edition Adventure version of its X-Trail

compact SUV, sales of which are almost 25

per cent down so far in 2009. Limited to 600

examples, the X-Trail Adventure Edition is

based on the entry-level X-Trail ST ($32,990,

or $35,490 as an auto) and is priced $1000

higher at $33,990 ($36,490 auto), yet brings a

claimed $2000-plus of additional features.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

NAVARA WITH THE LOTNISSAN has launched a special-edition

Navara 4x4 Dual Cab to maintain momentum

against the market-leading Toyota HiLux,

while also acting as an antidote to any sales

hangover from June’s tax-break-inspired

rush for business workhorses.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

FOCUS X-ROAD BLOCKA CROSSOVER Ford Focus wagon,

dubbed the X-Road, has gone on sale in

the Netherlands – but do not expect it in

Australian showrooms.

Ford has ruled out any chance of the

X-Road being sold in Australia because it

is a limited-edition (300-unit) model for the

Dutch market only.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

BIG ONLINE PROFITCARSALES.COM Ltd has recorded a

massive increase in profi t for the fi nancial

year to June 30, 2009, as the board of

directors hunkers down to decide if the time

is now ripe to fi nally list the company on the

Australian Stock Exchange.

The latest results show revenue is now

approaching the $100 million mark, with a

profi t margin (EBITDA) on sales of 45.4 per

cent – a return on sales regarded in broking

circles as “near the top of the tree”.

Revenue rose from $72.5 million in the

2008 year to $96.3 million in the 2009 year,

taking profi t (EBITDA) from $28.3 million

to $43.7 million. Net profi t after tax increased

63.8 per cent from $18.7 million to $30.7

million. Final dividend is up 64 per cent to

7.8 cents a share fully franked.

Carsales dividends so far have totalled

32.8 cents per share – 12.8 cents more than

the original share price of 20 cents a share

paid by foundation investors from across the

car industry.

Chairman Wal Pisciotta said the decision

to trade the unlisted public company on the

ASX would be made “as soon as possible”.

- JOHN MELLOR

Disclosure: The writer holds shares in

Carsales.com Ltd.

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R8 V10

Mondeo

Octavia RS