Comments on: NSW Government asks for hybrid Commodores

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:24:20 +0000

It’s freaky to buy a GM hybrid if they can’t even perfect a normal car in the first place. VE has glitches galore, and to successfully make a very complicated electric motor? Hah!

The diesel Falcon might borrow the Jag’s 2.7, so it should do well enough for economy and pulling power. Too bad the LPG version is pretty much the same as the BF, including the ancient gearbox. They should upgrade it.

By: Macca

Macca — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:43:59 +0000

LPG-Hybrid. Sound like a killer aussie alternative. Throw one in a locally made Focus or Torana and you could be onto a winner.

Only problem I see is the considerable weight that both systems add.

By: jude

jude — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:51:38 +0000

well its not like there will actually be a hybrid commie in 2010, maybe 2015

By: Richo

Richo — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:41:27 +0000

STOP HIJACKING PAGES TOYOTA FANS! Post on topic or don’t post at all

By: Toyota To Announce Building The Camry Hybrid In Australia

Toyota To Announce Building The Camry Hybrid In Australia — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:30:06 +0000

Toyota is expected to annonce they will be building the Camry Hybrid in Australia … not sure when though.

They have stated instead of increasing jobs, it will help provide more stability for the exsisting worhforce which is great news.

I’m sure more news will come of this soon.

I believe the fuel consumption is slated for about 5.7 ltrs / 100km

By: PoisonEagle

PoisonEagle — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:00:19 +0000

GT40; Hydrogen is a pipe dream- It would be fantastic if we could switch city/housing infrastructures to Hydrogen but it doesn’t make sense in cars, and strikes me as a lip service pipe dream. All the investment in the world doesn’t draw attention away from the ridiculous amount of work involved in setting up an infrastructure.

By: PoisonEagle

PoisonEagle — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:57:15 +0000

The Australian automotive industry cannot survive if the government is going to be so superficial. All they want is the cachet of the word ‘hybrid’, which overlooks the complexity involved in actually getting one to market.
Why not instead sit down with auto executives before going public with something so absurd? LPG should receive more subsidy because it takes reliance off foreign oil, and it’s something local manufacturers already provide.
Toyota already has the technology in the wings, Holden MIGHT, but Ford does not; and if pressure specifically mounts on them to get a HYBRID to market (As opposed to an affordable to run, low polluting car) it could be detrimental to them.
Unfortunately burocrats are more concerned about gaining credibility with the myriad sheep who believe everything they read in the paper. It’s as if the local industry is being kicked while it’s down.
Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go vomit.

By: Mmmmm

Mmmmm — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:54:31 +0000

I hope petrol goes up more!!! Starting to love the “traffic”at the moment – especially on Saturdays!!!
Oh and I don’t drive a civic hybrid, Prius or a diesel car!! It would take a lot of convincing for me to touch one of them!

By: George

George — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:54:37 +0000

I wouldnt buy a hybrid car
I drive electric vehicles at work and I can’t get use to auto braking which I have been told is in the prius, with auto braking there no roll in the car and it feels to me you are not in control of the vehicle.
I drive a V8, I like the feel of it when it makes power. Electric motors don’t do anything for me and I don’t care about the cost of fuel and I would convert it to run on methanol (which has no emission) if normal fuel was not available if the future, even know it would use four times as much.

By: Alan

Alan — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:10:38 +0000

I wouldn’t buy a Falcon/Commodore hybrid, at least not for the first 2 generations, there will most likely be reliability problem with such a complex system especially with GM’s battery problem stated above.

If i’m to buy a locally made hybrid, it’ll be Camry Hybrid for sure, Toyota is without a doubt the leader in Hybrid technology

By: Ford GT40

Ford GT40 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:18:17 +0000

LPG IS STILL THE BEST WAY TO GO AT THE MOMENT.

HYDROGEN WILL BE THE BEST WHEN IT’S AVAILBLE.

By: Ford GT40

Ford GT40 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:09:26 +0000

GM need to fix thier battery problems first, I still think 2010 is way to late and not a viable path for Holden, Dud Rudd needs to know that a Hybrid is not green at all, when you take overall figures from production to recycling it just dosen’t add up.

Since Rudd signed up koyoto, fuel prices have rocketed and now he and those green mates want to release more oil supply to relieve pressure on global markets, make up your mind Labor before thier is a global recession and we all have to drive so called hybrid crap, which still use coal power, oil power, battery power and has really bad recycling capabilities, GOVERNMENT SHOULD THINK ABOUT AUSTRALIA’S GROWING FUTURE NOT HALF BAKED IDEAS.

By: Duck

Duck — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:09:02 +0000

Andrew M, once I’ll have to agree I wouldn’t want to own a hybrid and never buy one unless the government forces us in the next 20 years!

By: GM Has Just Reported Major Hybrid Faliures

GM Has Just Reported Major Hybrid Faliures — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:47:10 +0000

Toyota is sure to be introducing the hybrid Camry to Australia by the sounds of it and considering Toyota’s strong track record for developing reliable, dependable and durable hybrid motor vehicles, i would be much more incline to buy from Toyota or Honda then Holden.

Infact, considerable numbers of the Prius have been known to have travelled inexcess of 300 000km’s with little or no attention bar regular / scheduled servicing.

That said, the Camry Hybrid has been on the market in the US for several years and has proven it’s everyday use with outstanding reliability and customer satisfaction unlike GM which has just reported seriuos problems with thier batteries.

Click onto ‘news’ and read the last story under ‘6th June’ which’ tells you all about it … mmm !!

Oh yeah, the Toyota Prius was just ranked NO.1 in the 2008 JD Powers Quality /Customer Satisfaction Survey beating over 100 other models.

It was further reported that customers have been particularly pleased with the quality and reliabiity of the car.

Toyota and Honda comfortably remain the leaders in such technology while GM has been plagued with questionable development and reliability of thier own versions.

Like i said, read the article i have just provided referance to and decide for yourselves.

General Motors reputation in this field is not even remotely close to that of Toyota and Honda.

By: craig simpson

craig simpson — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:42:40 +0000

the gm 2 mode hybrid isn’t battery based. It is a gearbox with 2 electric motors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-Mode_Hybrid. So no environmental downside of battery based hybrids.

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:08:51 +0000

i wouldnt buy a hybrid full stop.

too much of a loss in the practicallity of what you need the vehicle for.

but then if you still kept the commodore/Falcon space and safety……………
naaaaahhhhh,
I’d still go the LPG.
as touched on earlier an LPG falcon is cheaper to run than a Prius anyway, let alone a large sized hybrid vehicle.
its a bit of a no brainer

I too am disappointed that ford didnt upgrade to a sequential Vapour LPG system. why didnt the government offer support to make that happen?
they didnt need to throw money at ford, but just say we will give you this contract you otherwise wouldnt have if you invest in it a little further.

and then slowly bring the private sector into the LPG motions once you have a top notch system.

By: Wheelnut

Wheelnut — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:46:44 +0000

I was a Motor Vehicle Fleet Manager for a NSW Govt Department.. At the time Government regulations stated 10% of a departments fleet had to be a Hybrid – which meant we had to have 2 Priuii [plural for Prius]

However; the staff found it so user UN-friendly and had poor all-round vision etc that it got to the point that if you did something wrong you got given the Prius for a week as a form of punishment.. It was a great way to improve performance

So now that Holden are designing a rather unique Hybrid; unique in so much that it will actually have style.
I’d say provided they don’t make it that you need a certificate from mensa to start or run it they should sell quite well

By: anthony

anthony — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:30:19 +0000

never gona happen….

id buy a hybrid holden if it was a shoter, lighter wheelbased commodore…commodores mass is just a killer for anything eco.

ford could of produced a LPG hybrid for the new falcon. but …. no money in the bank.

perhaps we will see the rise of indipendent hybrid.. or eletric manufactures start up here… tesla have got some good ground up north
……………………………………………still illegal to drive eletric cars on the road in australia, yeah.. we are obviously committed to a greener future.
cookie

By: realcars

realcars — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:26:38 +0000

Lets hope the price of LPG stays low.

Apparently Australia has huge reserves and gives the stuff away to China.

By: Carl

Carl — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:58:32 +0000

i would ONLY consider an LPG hybrid because petrol and even diesel hybrids will still be too expensive to run!!
Hyundai are considering importing an LPG hybrid for 2009, they claim it will only cost 10 dollars a week on fuel.(for an average of 300Ks a week and LPG costing 70 cents a litre.)Currently i pay 61.9 at my local independent station!
Now that’s what i call a Prius killer!!!!