Australian Car Advice | News Blog

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While certainly no slouch, the standard Evolution TC-SST on which it is based has received a raft of performance and competition upgrades.

The Club-Spec car boasts an upgraded 248kW engine, TMR race exhaust, lowered progressive-rate springs, competition brake pads and 245R18 R-Spec tyres.

Competition requirements also mean a roll cage, modified front seats with 6-point harnesses and two fire extinguishers have also been added.

The Team Mitsubishi Ralliart team, based in Melbourne, handles the development and preparation of competition cars and enhancement of Mitsubishi road vehicles.

The Lancer Evolution TMR SST Club-Spec is just one of 45 vehicles from Mitsubishi undertaking either competitive or logistical duties at this year’s Classic Adelaide tarmac rally.

Almost the entire Mitsubishi range will be utilised at the event, delivering equipment to stages, checking spectator locations, scanning the rally stages at high and low speeds, leading and following every category and providing transport for the Chief Safety Officer, medical response team, timing team, stewards, scrutineers and other officials.

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Two weeks after he took over the top job at the beginning of October Mr Burela called for an additional 450 redundancies, in addition to the 350 announced in August.

Mr Burela said that Ford Australia was “holding its own” in a challenging situation despite posting an $87.2 million loss in the 2007 financial year.

He admitted the company’s future was inextricably linked to the success or failure of its US parent, which last week posted a $US2.98 billion third-quarter loss.

“I have no plans for further job cuts,” Mr Burela said, adding, “We’ve taken tough decisions, ones that I certainly didn’t take lightly. We’ve worked very, very closely with our unions and our people, the process that we’ve gone through has we’re very, very much linked and tuned into our parent company,” he said.

Answering a question about the short-term support Ford Australia had received from its US parent Mr Burela said: “ While we’re very much linked and tuned into our parent company, our focus here in Australia is to ensure that we’re generating the right level of cash to in fact be able to sustain ourselves and the reality is it’s been challenging and tough, but we’re holding our own.”

He said the company had also been fortunate that when new Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mullaly took up his position in Detroit he had shown foresight in securing capital and selling off units such as Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar, which had the effect of making Ford stronger than its rivals.

“Allan Mullaly saw the clouds on the horizon and one of the very first things he did was to go to the markets and secured a level of funding that, when one looks back now, you would say was an absolute stroke of genius. The divestiture that took place once again under his leadership was also a stroke of genius.

“I think, although things are challenging and very tough, we’re holding our own.”
Mr Burela said the Australian Government’s $6.2 billion automotive industry package was not a “bailout” but a blueprint for sustainability for Australian carmakers, which encouraging them to invest in the latest technology.

“My view is there is plenty there for us to work with, we’ve just got to work at it. This package, quite frankly, isn’t a bailout of the industry because what the government has done is said ‘we’ll invest in you if you invest in yourself’.

“The onus is now back on us as manufacturers to say how do our plans fit into that and do we need to go out there and do some rethinking about the things we thought before versus the things we need to do for the future?

“What we need to do is now dissect the plan in terms of its detail to look at number one where is the market going and how does the plan support the market growth over time and how do we then ensure that we are investing in technologies and products that actually fit the market and that also plays to the strengths of the plan.”

Mr Burela also said that Ford’s plan to manufacture the next-generation Focus small car in Australia from 2011 would be revisited to ensure it attracted the maximum leverage from the Government.

“To be honest I don’t know where the qualification would be, but what we would need to do is go back and look at the plan and say are there things that we should add to the C-car plan that will then help make the C-car plan even more viable than what we believed it to be at the time we made the decision to build it in Australia. So can we compliment the current plan that we have,” he said.

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The Japanese COTY awards are scored by a panel of 65 jurors (mostly motoring journalists) who are each allowed to nominate twenty-five points. Ten points must be given to the one car they like best with the remaining fifteen points to be allocated among four other cars. In all 39 of the judges allocated points to the iQ.

The top ten list of this year’s contenders is as follows:

1. Toyota iQ (526 points)
2. Citroën C5 (223 points)
3. Nissan GT-R (201 points)
4. Audi A4 Avant (180 points)
5. Jaguar XF (115 points)
6. Daihatsu Tanto (100 points)
7. Fiat 500 (90 points)
8. Honda Freed (62 points)
9. Mazda Atenza (60 points)
10. Suzuki Wagon R (37 points)

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Formula One legend Sir Jack Brabham will pilot a 265kW Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG roadster of his own construction, carrying the coveted number one plate.

Following Sir Jack in car number two will be former Formula One and Indy car racer Vern Schuppan, winner of the 1983 Le Mans 24-hour race, in the 386kW SL 63 AMG roadster.

Accompanying these drivers in the AMG fleet will be a racer of the two-wheeled variety, with five-time grand prix motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan set to take the wheel of his own C 63 AMG saloon.

Mercedes will also take this opportunity to showcase its C63 AMG estate in Australia for the first time.

The estate version boasts the same 336kW V8-engine as the saloon variant and it will be the first time fans will be able to catch a glimpse before its official release just in time for Christmas.

Initial sales for the ‘special order’ C63 estate have already made it the most popular Mercedes-AMG estate ever sold in Australia - and onlookers will be able to see it competing, not just modelling.

But the most highly prized AMG in attendance is sure to be the limited-edition CLK 63 AMG Black series coupé - two in fact, each delivering a race-derived 373kW and 630Nm, resulting in a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds, along with handling and braking force to match.

This year’s event marks twelve years of official event participation by Mercedes-Benz at the annual Classic Adelaide Rally, a record that is unmatched by any other marque.

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The new Azure T boasts a high performance version of Crewe’s iconic 6¾-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine which develops 373kW and 1000Nm.

The signature Bentley ‘wave of torque’ delivers effortless performance, allowing the Azure T to sigh away from a stand still to 100km/h in just 5.5 and on to a top speed of 288km/h.

The gearbox is a ZF-developed 6-speed semi-automatic unit with three transmission modes: Drive, Sport and Manual, which allow the driver to take full advantage of the powerful V8 engine.

“The new Azure T reflects our passion for creating the world’s most exhilarating and prestigious convertibles that, true to the Bentley T tradition, blend sophistication with a powerful presence.”

The exterior offers a raft of discreet highlights which differentiate the ‘T’ from its stable mate whilst hinting at its increased performance potential.

These include five-spoke 20-inch two-piece alloy wheels, ‘Le Mans’ lower front wing air vents, dark-tinted grille, billet aluminium fuel cap and retractable Flying ‘B’ mascot.

“The Azure’s proportions provided us with the ideal platform to work with when creating the new Azure T. The prominent haunches and ‘supermodel’ body inspired our designers to create a new interpretation of a Bentley convertible with the accent placed on a more muscular, sporting stance.”

Inside, classic refinement such as Diamond quilted seat and door, and premium veneer highlights meet new-age technology such as an iPod interface linked to an Infotainment system.

The Azure T is available in the full Bentley range of 42 exterior colours, 25 interior hides, and the full range of premium veneers, plus the comprehensive line-up of Mulliner options and its bespoke colour-matching service that enable Bentley owners to create a uniquely personal car.

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The BMW 3-Series was the most rated model for reliability, with the MINI hatch and BMW 1-Series also making the top ten, sitting fifth and seventh most reliable respectively.

Compiled by Fleet News, the survey assessed some 881,000 cars according to the number of breakdowns per 100 of each type of model on each leasing company’s fleet. Points were then awarded according to the number of times that brands or particular models appeared in the tables supplied by the leasing firms and also for the position in which they were placed.

Top Ten (by manufacturer):

1. BMW
2. Honda
3. Toyota
4. Ford
5. Volkswagen
6. Mercedes-Benz
7. Audi
8. Lexus
9. Mazda
10. Vauxhaul

Top Ten (by model):

1. BMW 3-Series
2. Toyota Avensis
3. Honda Accord
4. Volkswagen Golf
5. MINI
6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
7. BMW 1-Series
8. Honda Civic
9. Ford Focus
10. Audi A4

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Prada’s design team will create the three special edition Genesis sedans in Italy over a four month period, working closely with Hyundai Motor Company’s engineers and own designers, using the house’s signature materials.

“We’ve made a name for ourselves as a quality automaker, and are now focusing on raising our brand image,” said James Choi, Hyundai Motor’s President of International Sales. “We are extremely delighted that Prada, one of the best and most innovative luxury goods brands, has agreed to work with us and infuse their creative energy into our products.”

The special edition project will lay the foundation for future cooperation between the Korean automaker and other specially selected partners.

Established in 1913, Prada has built a reputation as a reference trend-setting brand in the luxury industry. Prada’s interests transcend fashion, to embrace multi-faceted cultural initiatives that led to the creation in the early nineties of the Prada Foundation, which has become a reference institution in contemporary art and culture.

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BMW has added to the intrigue by accompanying its teaser video with a short statement, indicating the full range of options would be announced later this month.

Can’t wait to see more? Join us again in November when we will show you what genuine driving pleasure is all about. Because with BMW Performance true passion is a matter of course. See you then.

Rather than mimicking the flagship M3, BMW Performance division parts boast their own unique and aggressive styling.

From the short video, we can see obvious additions such as the new front and rear bumpers, carbon-fibre wing mirrors and a new wheel design.

Recently BMW Performance has applied its engineering expertise to the 1-Series with spectacular results; expect similar options to be introduced for the 3-Series.

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The car will be developed with its small-car subsidiary Daihatsu, with production planned for 2015 in Bangalore, India.

According to recent reports, Toyota will release the car under a new fourth brand to segregate the downmarket image from its current sub-brands, Lexus and Scion.

Toyota is also planning to build another production facility in India by 2010 to accompany the current Bangalore plant - increasing its annual production capacity by 100,000 vehicles.

General Motors has also shown interest in competing with the Nano earlier this year, with GM Vice Chairman of global product development, Bob Lutz indicating that GM would be working on a “parallel” products program which will run independent of it’s current global vehicle lineup.

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“The industry needs an immediate package to survive the current economic crisis,” J.S. Chopra, President of the Automotive and Component Manufacturers Association of India said.

With vehicle demand slowing, especially for commercial vehicles, several suppliers said that automakers were delaying payments and that loans to fund capacity expansion were difficult to get.

Some manufacturers have also slowed production with Ashok Leyland Ltd., the second-largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles, saying it would halve production until December at the earliest.

Tata Motors Ltd., the third-largest passenger-car manufacturer, said plants in Lucknow and Pune would halt production for six days this month. Tata also planned a two-day shutdown of a heavy-vehicle plant in Jamshedpur.

Mahindra Renault Ltd., a joint venture of automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Renault SA, will drop production of the Logan (pictured above) from 2,500 units a month to 1,000.

A drop in global sales, led by U.S. automakers, has cut revenue as much as 30 percent for some parts suppliers. The Automotive and Component Manufacturers Association estimates that India’s auto parts industry will grow by no more than 6 percent this year, compared with an average growth rate of about 25 percent for the previous five years.

India’s car market, among the fastest-growing in the world, dropped seven percent in October, which is usually considered a peak selling month when customers take advantage of “festive offers” during the wedding and Diwali season (a time when Indians buy new items for the home).

But with high interest rates (around 16 percent), demand has slowed considerably. It is hoped a government funded stimulus package with help turn things around.

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