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It was found that the Toyota Aurion AT-X equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission costs an average of $226.20 per week to run - $13.24 less per week than its main rival, the VE Commodore Omega.

This figure equates to a cost difference of $688.47 per annum, with the AT-X already priced $1,635 below its main rival.

“Motorists are looking at running costs more closely than ever, so the RACV study underlines another dimension to Aurion AT-X ’s overall affordability as the least expensive vehicle to run in its class,” said Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner.

From a field of five which took part in the same category - including an LPG-equipped Falcon and Dual Fuel Commodore - the Aurion AT-X also boasted the least depreciation, interest charges and total registration costs of any car in the survey.

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The bare-bones Nano which runs a two-cylinder engine and weighs in at just 580kg has a planned wholesale price of around $2,500.

However the company is now asking its suppliers to share the cost increases, introducing a pricing model which would reduce rates as volume grows.

Parts suppliers for the Nano are also feeling the pinch following a rise of almost 40 percent for the cost of furnace oils used to forge parts.

Fortunately for Tata it shouldn’t be too hard to negotiate a discount - especially when the Tata Group also owns India’s largest steel producer, Tata Steel Ltd.

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He also intimated that Ford globally was working of “low displacement, forced induction” engine technology, taken to mean small displacement engines that use both turbo and supercharging to provide the power and performance of a much larger engine while offering the fuel efficiency of a small engine.

Ford Australia President Bill Osborne, who normally takes the media briefing but is in the United States where the Australian government is discussing the future of the local automotive industry with both General Motors and Ford, has already said the Falcon will have diesel power by 2010, when it also switches from a locally-made straight six-cylinder engine to an imported V6.

Mr Winslow said Ford definitely saw a lot more diesel-powered cars in its future, along with other developing technologies, but was not really talking about hybrids.

He said the E-Gas Falcon was a proven green vehicle that provided both lower tailpipe emissions and lower running costs.

He cited the example of an E-Gas Falcon XT which he said, run over 25,000 kilometres a year, was $350 cheaper to operate than the best-selling Toyota Corolla.

Mr Winslow said that in the past two years E-Gas Falcons had gone from having residual values $1000 less than a petrol car to commanding a $2500 premium.

Further questioning the rush to hybrids, Mr Winslow posed the question of who would buy all the three year old used hybrids that would head onto the market as a result of the government backed push to encourage Toyota to build 10,000 Hybrid Camry’s a year in Australia.

“We would be concerned about the profile of the second user for such cars, which we expect in the first place will be bought by companies and government.”

He questioned whether typical second-hand private buyers would be keen to take on hybrids, with the potential of costly battery replacement.

“E-Gas on the other hand has the proven record of operating economy plus it is greener, with four per cent less emissions, and that is where Ford is already firmly established.”

Mr Winslow also confirmed that E-Gas was now being built in the new FG Falcon range and said the cars were being shipped to dealers.

He also emphasised that from about 2010 Ford would be pursuing its plans for a diesel engine in the Falcon and added that once the next-generation Focus small car was being built in Australia, it too would offer a locally-made diesel alternative.

He said Ford believed these cars would also present a strong case to government and fleet buyers as alternatives that were fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

Mr Winslow said that in 2007, of total Falcon sales, 15 per cent of sedans, 41 per cent of wagons and 37 per cent of utilities were E-Gas.

He said Ford had stepped up production of the LPG components about two years ago and was in a position to meet almost any demand for E-Gas in the future.

He also added that by 2010 Ford would have the Australian-built Focus with a diesel engine to compete with the Toyota Camry hybrid when it eventually became available.

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To create the new model Renault has fitted its existing top-end 2.0dCi diesel engine to the chassis originally developed for the Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo.

This powerplant develops 127kW at 3750rpm plus a generous 360Nm of torque at 2000rpm and, in terms of breadth, its operational power band is comparable with that of a turbocharged petrol engine.

It compares favourable with the VW Golf GT diesel which develops 2kW less and 10Nm less at slight lower rpm.

The Renault engine is packed with advanced technology, including a variable geometry turbocharger which provides a wide spread of torque throughout the rev range. Piezoelectric injectors are capable of operating up to five times per cycle, which helps reduce engine noise, fuel consumption and particulate emissions.

Coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox it produces a combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.5L/100km and CO2 emissions of just 172g/km.

Beneath the skin you’ll find the underpinnings of the petrol-powered Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 Turbo and our experience with this car means we wouldn’t disagree with Renault’s claims that the standard Renault Sport chassis blends dynamic handling with the kind of comfort everyday driving demands.

Independent steering-axis front suspension guarantees precise and efficient handling in all circumstances, while body movement is minimized by a 20mm-diameter anti-roll bar.

The front suspension has also been tuned to suit Mégane Renault Sport dCi’s characteristics and weight distribution. Spring stiffness and damper settings are consequently specific to this diesel version.

The rear suspension is based around a programmed-deflection flexible beam, the torsional stiffness of which is equivalent to that of the Cup chassis version of Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 T. The suspension components themselves are identical to those employed on the Sport chassis Mégane Renault Sport 2.0 T.

Powerful and fade-free, the Brembo braking system features four discs that are impressive in terms of both diameter (312mm and ventilated at the front, 300mm at the rear) and thickness (28mm at the front, 11mm at the rear). The front discs are also equipped with four-piston calipers.

The 18” alloy wheels run 225/40R18 tyres and the electronically variable power steering has been set up specifically to suit the car’s weight distribution.

The car will come with standard ESP and the Megane already has a EuroNCAP five-star safety rating.

Like the VW GT diesel the Renaultsport with a diesel engine will offer drivers a sporty driving experience coupled to frugal fuel efficiency.

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This week, both Federal Parties, Labor and Liberal, were divided on how best to tackle the issue.

“VACC is concerned that there are few answers coming from Canberra. Where then, motorists might ask, is a considered resolution going to come from?” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said.

“While VACC acknowledges that the prime reason for rampant pump prices is the rising cost of oil on world markets, there are certain obvious measures, which if taken immediately, would go some way to reducing costs for road-users,” he said.

VACC says that on the question of competition, the oil companies and their supermarket alliance partners have nearly total vertical control of the market, and their “comfortable oligopoly,” as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) refers to it, must be broken.

VACC contends that oil companies, through their supermarket partners, are attempting to remove independent operators from the market through predatory pricing practices, to gain total market control. The ACCC must act to stop predatory pricing.

It says supermarket shopper dockets are a con. Few motorists can now believe that they are not paying for the so-called ‘discount’ through the supermarket check-out. This con must be exposed by the media.

Taking up a growing call the VACC says; “GST on the excise component of petrol is indefensible and counter to the former Howard and Costello Government’s pledge when it introduced the 10% ‘Goods and Services Tax’ in 2000. This tax-on-a-tax must be abolished which will save motorists nearly four cents a litre.”

VACC questions the relevance of world parity pricing in the current distorted world market where speculators are in large part responsible for the record barrel prices. It is time that world parity pricing was reviewed.

It also says the $2000 vehicle rebate for LPG fitment must be maintained until 2014 as planned. Australia’s local vehicle manufacturers would have a clear market advantage if LPG was designed to fit integrally into more of their locally produced models, and fitted at the production stage.

Finally it says the Victorian Government must introduce new road safety initiatives to make it safer for commuters to choose two-wheeled vehicles.

“To achieve this, VACC proposes a designated system of “Safe Routes” with safety boxes, access by scooter riders to particular identified bicycle lanes on some city arterials, boxed turns on certain busy intersections, and initiatives to improve road-sharing practices by drivers.

“VACC agrees with the Prime Minister’s assertion that there is “no silver bullet” to solve the high fuel prices.

“However, we can’t simply throw our hands up. Australians, Australian business, and the economy, relies very heavily on road transport.

We must take some creative solutions if the price of fuel is not to cripple the country,” Mr Purchase said.

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All the world’s leading carmakers are working on developing vehicle-use lithium-ion batteries to replace nickel-hydride ones currently used in petrol-electric hybrid cars, since they can store more energy in lighter, smaller packs.

Volkswagen showed a Golf diesel-hybrid powered concept at last year’s Frankfurt motor show and has indicated it is considering forms of electric power for future small cars that it is considering.

Japan’s Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi have separate joint ventures with Matsushita Electric Industrial, the NEC group and GS Yuasa, respectively, to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries.

“Our focus in future will be directed more strongly at making electrically powered automobiles alongside ones driven by more efficient combustion engines,” Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn said in a statement.

“This cooperation is an important step for us.”

Sanyo and Volkswagen are currently collaborating on the next generation of nickel-metal hydride systems. Sanyo has separately supplied batteries for hybrid vehicles made by Ford Motor and Honda.

Production of the lithium-ion batteries will initially begin on a new manufacturing line to be set up at Sanyo’s Tokushima factory in western Japan, it said in a statement.

It will look for a new location for further production from early 2010, to meet future demand of about 15,000 to 20,000 units a year, it said.

Sanyo also aims to develop and supply lithium-ion batteries for use in rechargeable plug-in hybrid vehicles starting in 2011.

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CGA says the dual-clutch transmission, developed in conjunction with gearbox maker Getrag, will provide consumers a fuel economy improvement and CO2 emissions reduction of six percent.
Frank Klegon, Executive Vice President – Product Development, said: “Chrysler’s new dual-clutch transmission is the next step in transmission technology, offering consumers improved fuel economy along with smoother and quicker shifting.”
“This important technology is one of several initiatives we have in place to directly focus on improving fuel efficiency across our vehicle line-up.
Chrysler says its dual-clutch transmission technology improves fuel economy and CO2 emissions by reducing parasitic losses—first, by eliminating the torque converter, and second, through the use of synchronizers instead of shift clutches.
In its first Chrysler LLC vehicle applications, the new dual-clutch transmission will debut in international markets on the all-new 2008 Dodge Journey when mated to the turbo diesel variant.

Originally developed by Volkswagen, which calls its DSG, the dual-clutch transmission is an automatic transmission which utilises dual launch and shift clutches with a manual transmission style lay-shaft gear arrangement, instead of a conventional torque converter and planetary gears.
During shifts, the next gear is anticipated and pre-selected. Then one clutch is opened while the other is closed, allowing shifting without torque interruption. The result is quicker acceleration and refined shift quality. Further, with the lay-shaft arrangement of gears, there is increased flexibility to optimise gear ratio selection for performance and fuel economy.
The Chrysler/Getrag version of the dual-clutch transmission does not require a torque converter to transfer engine torque to the transmission. Instead, it uses two wet multi-plate clutches. With the wet multi-plate clutch system, the clutch components are bathed in lubricating/cooling fluid in order to provide adequate thermal capacity.
The wet multi-plate clutch system uses hydraulic pressure to actuate the clutches and provide for gear selection.
With this system, the power flow from the engine to the transmission is not interrupted during a shift, resulting in a power-on shift.
This means that there is less torque disturbance than a conventional planetary automatic transmission with torque converter.
Also, by eliminating the torque converter and reducing the number of shift clutches, parasitic losses are reduced leading to improved fuel economy.

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