i can understand it in the ford territory though as it would represent a bit more of a sizable saving but still not the aussie sedans.

and your last comment……….
yep i still cant figure that out either

If our locals “don’t bother” then there’s a very good chance that an increasing number of punters “won’t bother” buying them. It’s already started.

As for Toyota, well, their customers are buying huge numbers of a 4 cylinder car that has slightly worse fuel economy than the same car with a V6. They march to a drum they know the sound of.

it is only really beneficial where there is a greater consumption difference between petrol and diesel which is clearly demonstrated in commercial vehicles.

diesels are proven to beneficial in the jap trucks and small cars but i doubt the set up would be as beneficial in the large sedans. they would have to return 6L/100k in a commy or falcon for savings to be the reason to buy one.

LPG is good but ford foolishly didnt run with it.

Phillip,
no traction control on LPG because it interupts the “carby style” fuel delivery currently used on the E-gas

well if ford and holden have been slow in getting on the diesel band wagon, then where the hell are the market leaders toyota? not one single diesel passenger vehicle, yet their small car (corolla) still manages to sell strong

BTW, my security word is Eunos. Now there’s an unfortunate blast from the past!

Right now in March 2008, it would be fair to assume that Holden and Ford honchos wish they had a turbo diesel offering RIGHT NOW for their large cars instead of 2009 onwards. They never forecast where fuel prices were heading during the developmental stages of their large cars and must sorely wish they had something in the showrooms right now.

I know you love LPG and swear by it, but it just isn’t firing in the market. The take-up rate of turbo diesel cars is what’s firing. Just ask a BMW, VW or Peugeot dealer.

It’s pretty easy to tell I’m a diesel convert and I can assure you that a Commodore with a turbo diesel would have great appeal for a larger number of people out there based on driving characteristics alone. Diesel’s impost is about 10% greater than standard ULP and gives 50% greater mileage in my case over the equivalent petrol car.

The cost of the car? Whatever its price is.

LPG yukkie yukkie (okay, just putting that bit in to be cheeky)

to my understanding ford are not actively seeking more exports but rather just conducting another study into whether or not an export program would be viable for the falcon. it was brought on after the changing of the guard with the coming of the new ford basketball playing head honcho.

also how much are holden making on the VE exports if they can palm them off over seas and be sold at an equivalent rate of 33 aussie dollars?
im not having a dig but rather saying that the doller per unit profit on a focus is propably on par with a commy profit per unit when exported because they obviously arent making near the same profit on the export market that they turn when sold for australian roads

also whats to big deal about diesel?
why would we honestly want our commodore or falcon on diesel?
i think ford and holdens decision to implement diesel options was a pure kick of the can by the CEO’s in realising that the consumers arent that bright.

just some quick math…….
for eg the current falcon returns 10L/100k.
with a diesel it would return a predicted 8L/100k

dont forget diesel is 20c dearer and asks a half decent premium

100k from a petrol falcon would cost you $12.00 (@1.20/L)
100k from a diesel falcon would cost you $11.20 (@1.40/L)

now what would the premium be for owning a diesel falcon or commy? you save $160 a year if you bought a diesel falcon or commy.
you could easily pay upwards of $2000 for the “benefit” of owning a diesel engine which means it takes you more than 12 years to recoup the outlay………
at least an LPG option would see you recoup the outlay in under 1 year

the main benefit for diesel engines are in our commercial vehicles hence why Hilux’s, Tritons, Rangers etc have had it for years. the reason being because the petrol versions can chew up to 15L/100k where as the diesels hover around 8L/100k.

and the difference is even greater once load is added as fuel consumption in diesels is a little more constant under load than petrol

so who is going to rush out and buy their beloved falcon or commodore once a diesel option is added??? NOT I

I always felt it was dangerous for Holden to head in the direction they did when relaunching Daewoos. After all, if they’d separated the brands they could have kept the Corsa and Vectra. Now, the Astra is a bit of an orphan in Holden’s 4 cyl stable, a rose amongst the thorns.

The Commos exported to SA are purely symbolic. They are about as common on the roads there as a Renault Megane would be in Australia. Plus, if GM SA really believed in the product they would have put an Opel badge on them (like the Vectra, Astra etc) but instead they are selling it along the Lancetti and other Daewoos.

Its VM, a top quality Italian engines, used before by AlfaRomeo and RangeRover.They both made their own diesel engines.

Good product, but wont be cheap

Cheers

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