Sep 23, 2015 No. 795

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GM shuns V8 sedansHolden to end V8 sedans with current Commodore, future lies in smaller turbos

By RON HAMMERTONin FRANKFURT

THE General Motors executive who took responsibility for pulling the trigger on Holden’s doomed manufacturing operations in Australia now has V8 sedans in his crosshairs.

President of GM International – the division that includes Australia’s GM Holden – Stefan Jacoby told journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week that GM would not include a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive alternative in the Holden large sedan range once the final locally made Commodore, the just-revealed VF Series II, reached the end of production in 2017.

The declaration came just three days after Holden, with much fanfare, announced its biggest and most powerful engine yet, the 304kW 6.2-litre LS3 V8, in Commodore as part of a final facelift.

While admitting GM had a plan for a V8-powered sportscar for Australia,

Mr Jacoby said that for volume vehicles GM had other powertrains that would deliver the same performance and excitement of a V8, but with less environmental impact.

“Of course, you imagine you need to continue with something like that (a V8),” he said. “But the world is obviously changing and the eight-cylinder period is coming to an end.

“And rear-wheel drive is difficult to justify on a single dedicated architecture for Australia, so there are many, many reasons that you should switch to a new

technology by really providing the same expectations customers have in today’s Commodore, with the next generation.

“Whether that will be the (front-drive-based Opel) Insignia or not, that’s not announced, but our main intention is to have a true Commodore successor which, with modern technology, is the same fun to drive, with the same command of the road as today’s Commodore.”

Mr Jacoby, best known as the GM executive who recommended to the GM board the closure of Holden factories, said downsized turbocharged engines could provide the answer.

“The technology is changing, with more or less the same performance as the bigger engines,” he said.

Continued next page

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Continued from previous pageMr Jacoby was speaking with

Australian journalists on the Opel stand where he announced that the all-new Opel Astra would be shipped to Australia from the second half of next year to ultimately replace the locally made Cruze.

But Mr Jacoby did not completely rule out a V8 for Australia, saying: “Of

course, we will have a sportscar too, and most likely that will have a V8.

“But for volume segments, why rely on an old technology when you can be much more fuel efficient and much more efficient in cost and the price?

“I think these kind of traditional powertrains – and I know they are very charming and very attractive and I like the sound of V8 as well – their time is over.”

Mr Jacoby said the Australian market was moving towards European-style cars.

“You can say you want to be the last frontier of the V8, but is that good? No,” he said. “On the other hand, the market is also shifting to SUVs, and if we don’t understand the market, we will be in trouble.”

Mr Jacoby was dismissive of Ford’s plans to sell a V8-powered Mustang in Australia to partly offset the loss of its Falcon XR8 in 2016 and thus soothe local Ford V8 fans.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERELocal Astra, Insignia focus – next page

GM shuns V8 sedans

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GM styling chief praisesAussie interior designers

By RON HAMMERTONin FRANKFURT

GENERAL Motors’ design studio in Australia is kicking goals in interior design, according to GM vice-president of design Ed Welburn.

Speaking with GoAuto at the Frankfurt motor show where GM launched the all-new Opel Astra that is destined for the Australian market next year, Mr Welburn volunteered the information that the Melbourne-based GM Australia Design team at Holden was leading the charge on new interiors, describing their recent work as “absolutely fabulous”.

“Very fresh, contemporary work,” he said. “All of our studios around the world have been impressed by it – and inspired by it.”

The work remains under wraps for now, but Mr Welburn promised more Australian design work was set for public release soon.

“There certainly is some work coming out of there but I really can’t talk about it,” he said.

Asked if interior design was becoming a specialty of the Australian team, he said: “One of them. They will design whole cars and build whole cars – as you know they did a couple of them recently and will continue to do so.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

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European-sourced Holden line-up will be tailored to fit local market: Neumann

By DANIEL GARDNER in FRANKFURT

OPEL Group CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann has singled out the Astra small car and Insignia mid-sizer as key models for GM Holden’s future as the Australian brand prepares to end local production of the Cruze and Commodore in 2017 and moves to a full-import operation.

Speaking to journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week, Dr Neumann stopped short of confirming that the forthcoming imported Commodore replacement would be based on the new-generation front-drive-based Insignia.

However, when asked if Insignia would carry the Commodore nameplate after the Australian-made car is discontinued, he said he “would be proud of it” – and added: “You can be sure that we are very proud of whatever car is selected.”

Holden announced last week that it would import the new-generation Astra from late next year, initially running only the five-door version alongside the current Australian-built Cruze but remaining open to other variants including the new Sports Tourer wagon unveiled in Frankfurt and replacements for the higher-performance GTC/VXR models that launched here in April.

“We do think that specifically with Insignia and Astra we have a product that will very, very nicely fit the Australian market and that’s why we are pursuing this direction,” Dr Neumann said.

General Motors chief executive Mary Barra repeated Dr Neumann’s enthusiasm for the Australian market and, while she was unable to reveal details of future models, she did tell GoAuto in Frankfurt that an announcement was not far off.

“I don’t have any specific product announcements to make but Australia and the Holden brand remains very important to the company so look forward to announcements as we move forward,” she said.

“We are not quite ready to make an announcement but stay tuned.”

Holden has made it clear that the majority of its future line-up will be sourced from Europe and Dr Neumann emphasised that Australian-bound models would be far more than rebadged Opel/Vauxhall cars.

“We give them (Holden) the flexibility,” he said. “We are not telling them to keep it like it is and put a badge on it, we are supporting them and working with them and as with past launches in Australia to make this car a Holden.

“This is really important – that we are allowed to use group technologies.

“It will be targeted for the Australian market so there is engineering work done on them to fulfil specific expectations which fits to the Australian customers and the Holden brand.

“We will finetune the ride and feel of the car and obviously all the feature selections of the cars,” he said.

Holden is already selling the hot Astra twins, the current Insignia VXR and Cascada convertible – the first ripple in a forthcoming tide of European cars for the brand as it prepares to close its Australian manufacturing operations.

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREMore reports – next page

Local Astra, Insignia focus

Karl-Thomas Neumann presents the new Astra in Frankfurt

Sep 23, 2015 Page 4

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Cracking V8 takes Holdenhot-car unit’s Aussie-built‘Gen-F2’ range out in style

HSV’s 400kW LSA V8

By TIM NICHOLSONHOLDEN Special Vehicles (HSV) will farewell its Australian-built Commodore donor car with a bang by dropping the fiery 6.2-litre supercharged LSA V8 into the engine bay of its ClubSport R8, Maloo R8 and Senator Signature models as part of a 2016 range upgrade.

On sale from October, the refreshed HSV range – dubbed Gen-F2 and carrying the marketing tagline ‘Step it up a Gear’ – follows the final update to the car that forms the basis of most of its line-up, the Holden Commodore VF Series II revealed earlier this month.

While upping the power on a number of key models, HSV has also introduced some exterior styling tweaks across the line-up for an even more aggressive look, modified suspension on some models and price increases across the range.

A version of the supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8 engine that is found

in the American-market Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Cadillac CTS-V performance sedan is now offered in the ClubSport R8 LSA sedan, Tourer and Maloo R8 ute, pumping out 400kW/671Nm, a big leap over the LS3 outputs from the outgoing models that deliver 340kW/570Nm.

HSV managing director Tim Jackson said the changes to the range are the most significant since it launched the Gen-F range in 2013, and that the company had to keep pushing the boundaries to satisfy its customers.

“Our challenge at HSV is to continually push the boundaries. Standing still is just not an option,” he said. “We’re confident that broadening the availability of the supercharged LSA engine to the majority of our range, in addition to the styling enhancements we’ve introduced with Gen-F2, make this the most exciting range we’ve ever offered.”

Pricing starts from $80,990 plus on-road costs for the manual ClubSport R8 sedan, representing a $7700 lift over the outgoing LS3-powered version, while the auto adds $2500 to bring it to $83,490.

The ClubSport R8 Tourer is an auto-only proposition and rises by $9500 to $85,990 in LSA guise, while the Maloo price increases by $7000 to $76,990 for the manual and $79,490 when matched with an auto.

While the price increases can be attributed to the new, more powerful engine, the ClubSport models benefit from modifications to the suspension set-up, including stiffened spring and damper rates for better corner-entry response and reduced bodyroll, while the rear suspension delivers improved stiffness and braking performance.

FULL STORY, PRICING: CLICK HERE Holden firm on fleet focus – page 26

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No sportscar program butGolf GTI/R variants are onagenda – including hybrid

By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTVOLKSWAGEN has officially abandoned its long-anticipated sportscar based on the BlueSport roadster concept, with the European auto giant now putting its popular Golf GTI and Golf R at the forefront of its compact sports development program.

Volkswagen Group’s head of powertrain development, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, said in Frankfurt last week that while the case for an all-new sportscar was not viable, the brand’s premier compact sports offering – the Golf GTI/R family – could offer its own brand of extended sports connection.

He also revealed that VW had considered a hybrid-powered Golf GTI but would not put a timeline on a potential production version.

“That is in principal possible, yes,”

he said, adding that the instant torque response of an electric motor suited performance applications.

“With a plug-in hybrid, it’s easy to have both economy and performance. When you increase the electrical performance of the car, you get that performance for free.”

Asked about the possibility of an affordable, lightweight sportscar for the Volkswagen range, Dr Neusser underlined the difficulties of guaranteeing the success of such a model.

“It (the BlueSport concept) looks pretty good, it runs well, but to be honest it’s hard to transfer it into a positive business case,” he told GoAuto. “The roadster segment is not growing all over the world, and there are some strong players already in the business.

“When we come with VW initially to that, it’s not easy for us to establish such a car into the market.

“We have the vision to make our customers happy, but to have also the commercial business case behind it.”

The BlueSport roadster made its debut at the Detroit motor show in 2009 and was slated for production by 2013, only to be cancelled in 2011 but reconsidered as late as 2012.

Now, though, the attractive two-seater has been confirmed as off the agenda, and Dr Neusser said he believes that the Golf GTI/R is a good basis for new “emotional” derivatives, such as the Clubsport shown in Frankfurt last week.

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREMore reports – next page

Golf GTI Clubsport

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Coupe, LWB Tiguans forAustralia as small T-Roc,lighter T-Cross in works

By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTVOLKSWAGEN is intent on closing the gaps between its various SUV ranges with a brace of new products, including coupe-shaped and extra-long versions of the new-generation Tiguan, as well as at least two slightly smaller models.

Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA), meanwhile, has confirmed the impending arrival of the additional Tiguan models.

The head of Volkswagen Group’s global powertrain development, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, told Australian journalists that the newly launched Tiguan would be offered in both four-door coupe and extended-wheelbase variants, while a pair of smaller vehicles would be prepared to nestle beneath the mid-sized SUV.

“We will have at each segment minimum one SUV,” he said. “We have the new Tiguan for the A-plus segment, we will have the T-Roc for the A segment (Golf), then we will have the T-Cross, the segment of the Polo.”

GoAuto believes that this is the first

instance that Volkswagen has given a name to its proposed Polo-based SUV.

A product known as the CrossPolo – essentially an Alltrack version of the Polo hatch – is currently sold in various markets including New Zealand, while a small SUV known as the Taigun was set to be produced for the Indian market, but has been shelved.

Volkswagen’s platform nomenclature varies from that of other manufacturers; internally, the Polo platform is known as A-zero.

Dr Neusser explained that the modular nature of the company’s MQB platform meant that such additions would be a relatively easy task. While the Golf and now the Tiguan are built on the flexible chassis architecture, only certain elements of the Polo uses MQB parts.

The T-Roc, shown as a roofless two-door turbo-diesel concept at the Geneva motor show in 2014, is built entirely on the MQB platform.

The Tiguan, which debuted at Frankfurt and will reach Australia in 2016, will spawn a seven-seater version built on a longer wheelbase. Originally in doubt for Australia, Dr Neusser confirmed that it will not only be made in right-hand drive but will be a global car.

“We are doing in parallel (with Tiguan) a long-wheelbase version with a seven-seat application,” he said. “The core market for the long-wheelbase version is clear; it’s China and the US market. But it will be available (in right-hand drive).”

Volkswagen Group Australia managing director John White confirmed to GoAuto that the seven-seat Tiguan was coming to Australia, and that it was keen for a coupe version.

“We’ve already committed to that for Australia, so that’s coming,” he said. “And you’ve heard us talk about this coupe version of the Tiguan, which we’ve put our hand up for Australia as well.”

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Mazda3 owners were keydrivers with developmentof ‘CX-4’ sports crossover

‘A new solution’

By RON HAMMERTON in FRANKFURT

THE Mazda CX-4 crossover vehicle that will arise from the Koeru concept revealed at the Frankfurt motor show last week is primarily aimed at the company’s own Mazda3 five-door hatchback customers.

The Japanese car-maker’s managing executive officer for sales and marketing Masahiro Moro said the design had arisen from research showing Mazda3 owners wanted something sportier than the CX-5 wagon and bigger than the CX-3 crossover when they were ready to shift up into the SUV ranks.

“These customers told us they were still seeking a new solution – a body style solution,” he said.

Mr Moro said CX-5 had been successful with families that want the practicality of a conventional SUV, while CX-3 had been a hit with young couples.

He said Mazda was heavily reliant on Mazda3 around the world, and it wanted to keep them in the fold by giving them

a logical step into a crossover vehicle with the space and luggage capacity they needed but in a body style they were attracted to.

Although the vehicle sits on the same SkyActiv base as the CX-5 with an identical 2700mm wheelbase, the execution is undeniably sportier, with a much lower roofline that, in Koeru at least, is 210mm below that of CX-5.

The vehicle’s designer, Iwao Koizumi, told Australian journalists at the Frankfurt show that the chopped roofline would be raised somewhat for production, to create more practical headroom, but that the vehicle would remain both sporty and premium-looking.

“The challenge for us is not to lose

the vitality of life while making it more premium,” he said.

The Koeru concept looks production ready, but it is not – it is purely a show vehicle on which the doors do not open.

No interior was on display, but Mr Koizumi said the cabin concept had been based on the idea of a capsule, with a feel that was “almost aeronautical”.

Like CX-5, the CX-4 will be a five-seater. The company assures us that no seven-seater is being planned to slot in between CX-5 and CX-9 as a latter day CX-7.

At 60mm wider and 60mm longer than CX-5, it has a squat but sophisticated look that without doubt achieves Mazda’s “more premium” goal.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE Case for CX-4 needs work – next page

Masahiro Moro

Koeru

Sep 23, 2015 Page 8

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Mazda Australia needs to be sure that new SUV willnot cannibalise CX-5 sales

By RON HAMMERTON in FRANKFURT

MAZDA Australia says it would need to be reassured that a stylish, medium-sized crossover vehicle based on the Koeru show car would find solid sales volume without cannibalising its similarly sized, top-selling CX-5 SUV.

The slick crossover show vehicle – revealed last week at the Frankfurt motor show – has not been confirmed for production, let alone earmarked for Australian showrooms.

However, Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak told GoAuto on the show stand that if the vehicle did reach production, the Australian organisation would take a close look at it.

“There are no plans to import it into Australia, but now that it is out and about and the reaction has been very positive, we will certainly do the research around it,” he said.

GoAuto has been told the vehicle

will be called CX-4, should it proceed, although Mr Doak assures us no name has been locked in.

The mid-sized vehicle sits on a similar wheelbase to Mazda’s top-selling CX-5, and has similar dimensions except for a 210mm-lower roof.

However, the styling is deliberately more sporty and premium, as well as less boxy than the practical CX-5 that is the darling of Australian families.

Mr Doak said Mazda Australia would need to look at how the vehicle would slot into its line-up, what incremental volume it would add and if it would cannibalise sales from other models, particularly the CX-5 that is Australia’s top-selling SUV.

“If we did it, we would need to be comfortable that it would be telling a different story to CX-5,” he said.

“Obviously we would want to sit down with the guys from powertrain and ask what powertrain it might have etcetera, as that will dictate starting price,” he said.

“You’d want to have all those discussions before you committed to it, but our colleagues in other parts of the world will be having the same discussions.

“Right now we are really only starting to discuss this now, and we have no firm plans to introduce the car.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE Mazda set to revive rotary – next page

Case for CX-4 needs work

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Tokyo show next month alikely stage for born-againrotary engine from Mazda

Mazda set to revive rotary

By RON HAMMERTON in FRANKFURT

MAZDA appears set to revive its iconic Wankel rotary engine at the Tokyo motor show next month, probably in a range-extender petrol-electric concept.

Speaking with Australian journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week, the company’s global sales and marketing managing executive officer Masahiro Moro dropped the biggest hint that the long-awaited new-generation rotary engine might finally be ready to make a public appearance.

Asked about Mazda’s plans for another “RX” sports model to follow in the wheel tracks of classics such as the Cosmo, RX-3, RX-7 and RX-8, Mr Moro hesitated and said: “You came up with a dangerous question” – before adding with a big smile: “Stay tuned.”

When questions persisted, he asked: “Are you coming to the Tokyo motor show?”

Mazda discontinued rotary engine production when it killed off the RX-8 due to emissions problems in Europe in 2012.

But like a legion of fans who still

revere the free-spinning, high-power engines, Mazda has not forgotten.

Mr Moro himself commented that the rotary was close to Mazda’s heart.

Last November, he told GoAuto at the Los Angeles motor show that Mazda was still expending resources on rotary engine development.

In 2013, Mazda gave journalists a spin in a Mazda2 concept that combined a tiny rotary engine hooked up to a 20kW alternator and a battery-powered electric drivetrain.

The petrol engine served to double the driving range of the car to about 400km, while at the same time reducing “range anxiety”.

The compact nature of the Wankel format makes it ideal to slot in a car alongside an electric powertrain.

Originally conceived in pre-war Germany by Felix Wankel, the rotary engine was brought to market by NSU

in 1964 before Mazda took it on in a two-rotor form for the Cosmo sportscar in 1967.

The Mazda engine was produced in a number of ever-more-powerful generations of the next 45 years, until Euro 5 emissions regulations forced Mazda to abandon its favourite child, along with the RX-8.

Mazda has on a number of occasions talked about bringing back the rotary, but now it might just have solved the problems with the format that, apart from emissions and fuel economy drawbacks, included engine seal wear and tear.

While a rotary engine comeback might be just around the corner, at least in concept form, a Mazdaspeed MPS return might be a little further away.

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREMore reports – next page

2007 RX-8 ‘Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary’

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Toyota alliance could helpkeep Mazda trucking withBT-50 if Ranger deal ends

By RON HAMMERTON in FRANKFURT

A PRODUCT and technology alliance between Toyota and Mazda might hold the key to a third-generation Mazda BT-50 when a replacement becomes due in a few years.

Mazda Motor Corporation managing executive officer for sales and marketing Masahiro Moro indicated to Australian journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week that the BT-50 might be under some pressure unless a solution could be found for a replacement for the current model that is built on the Australian-developed Ford Ranger platform.

“We are working on a future program,” he said. “It is very early days. At this stage, it is not my call

to discontinue BT-50 as it is critical to Australia, New Zealand and some South-East Asian countries.

“But if we follow the current path, the BT-50 will get adequate updates.”

Asked if the next BT-50 would be built on the Ford Ranger architecture, Mr Moro declined to comment.

European sales of the one-tonne truck have been axed as Mazda pursues a green agenda in that region, leaving only the Antipodes and South-East Asia as the vehicle’s prime market area.

Mr Moro said he did not know if the latest Mazda-Toyota agreement included a deal to share trucks.

“I honestly don’t know,” he said. “They do have pick-up trucks in North America and Asia, but I truly don’t know because we have not discussed.”

Mr Moro said the Mazda-Toyota

agreement was a sensitive issue, and he would only say that the two companies had just established a working team to discuss and find out the potential for shared ventures.

“We don’t have a complete agenda yet,” he said. “This alliance was formed with the clear articulation of working together to develop better cars.”

Mazda Australia is just about to launch a mildly facelifted BT-50, even though the related Ford Ranger has gone through an extensive makeover masterminded by Ford’s designers and engineers in Australia.

New-generation one-tonne competitors such as the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton and – soon – Toyota HiLux are also arriving on the scene.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Facelifted BT-50

AUSTRALIA SAYS BT-50 NOT IN DANGER OF BEING DISCONTINUED: CLICK HERE

HiLux link with next BT?

Sep 23, 2015 Page 11

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ahg.com.au

The perfect candidate will have at least 5 years experience as a Group Business Manager, ideally within a medium to large automotive retail business. Key requirements for this role are as follows:Skills:• Excellent communication / team management skills.• Proven ability to motivate F&I teams to achieve

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finance, insurance and warranty companies.In return we offer an excellent salary and benefits package and a commitment to training and personal development. To apply, please send a resumé and covering letter explaining why you are suitable for this position to Annie Houlton: ahoulton@vic.ahg.com.au Closing date for applications: 30 September 2015.

Automotive Holdings Group Limited (AHG) is Australia’s largest automotive retailer, with 175 franchises at 101 dealership locations across Australia and New Zealand. AHG’s origins can be traced back to 1952 and the Group currently employs 7,642 people with reported revenue of $5.2 billion in FY2015.AHG are looking for a dedicated and highly motivated State Manager Finance and Insurance professional that will report to the Victorian General Manager of Operations within our Automotive Division. The successful applicant will need to evidence a track record of success in managing the F&I function across multi-site motor vehicle dealerships.The key focus areas of this role are to provide our customers with high quality F&I products and motivate the finance and insurance department, totalling some 20 Business Managers, together with 3 Group Business Managers. The role will also be responsible for running the state’s Business Manager Trainee program for up to 10 participants at any one time. The State Manager Finance and Insurance is responsible for achieving benchmarks and to ensure compliance requirements are adhered to. You will be the key point of contact for the state Finance, Insurance and Warranty companies, together with being a key liaison for AHG’s internal auditors.

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Thailand is a prospect tosupply Alaskan utility forAustralia, but no deal yet

Renault mulls Thai ute

By RON HAMMERTONin FRANKFURT

RENAULT has confirmed it is weighing up the possibility of Thai production for its new Alaskan one-tonne ute, but cautions it is far from a certainty.

Building the Nissan NP300 Navara-based Alaskan at Nissan’s Navara plant in Thailand would be first prize for Renault Australia which would benefit from shorter supply lines and the Thai-Australia free-trade agreement.

But according to Renault executive vice-president Jerome Stoll, it is not so easy.

Mr Stoll told journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week that adding a fourth plant for Alaskan production would be a cost burden, requiring careful consideration.

“We already have three – it is a lot,” he said. “Four, it is becoming an additional burden and we have to get the volume for that, you know.”

Mr Stoll confirmed Alaskan would go into production alongside the closely related Navara in Spain, Mexico and Argentina.

Initial right-hand-drive production is expected to come from Spain, due to its proximity to the UK and the plant’s experience with building RHD Navaras for Australia.

As for Thailand, Mr Stoll said that apart from business case considerations, any decision to build the Renault version of the ute there would be up to Nissan.

“It also depends on the strategy of our partner Nissan – whether they have room or not,” he said. “It would be great

to have it in Thailand, but…”Mr Stoll said the company was

investigating whether efficiency savings of Thai production were big enough to offset the cost of setting up there, along with logistics costs.

“We are looking as the bases of production in order to make the car competitive, especially in Asia,” he said.

“The interest is that Thailand is a right-hand-drive production base and this makes sense for the rest of ASEAN and Australia.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREMore reports – next page

Sep 23, 2015 Page 12

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Alpine vision

Sports brand plans global tilt with three-model range

Longer body, new name on Renault Koleos agenda

By RON HAMMERTONin FRANKFURT

RENAULT’S next-generation Koleos SUV is set to get an extra row of seats and – perhaps – a new name when it rolls out of Renault Samsung Motors’ South Korean factory in the next couple of years.

To be built on the Renault Nissan Alliance’s Common Family Module (CFM) architecture that also underpins the new Nissan X-Trail and other models from both Renault and Nissan, the next Koleos will be about 130mm longer, thus moving it out of its in-between position in the medium SUV segment and firmly into D-segment territory.

Renault executive vice-president Jerome Stoll said at the Frankfurt motor show that the replacement for the current Koleos would be about 4650mm long, compared with the current model’s 4520mm.

In Australia – where the Koleos was launched in 2008, received a major facelift in 2011 and then another, minor change just recently – only five seats are on offer.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By RON HAMMERTONin FRANKFURT

RENAULT Group is considering a proposal for its Alpine premium sportscar brand to go global with a range of up to three vehicles.

The world’s two biggest markets, the United States and China, are included in the draft plan that will be put to the board for a decision in early 2016.

The scheme was revealed by Renault executive vice-president Jerome Stoll in an interview with Australian journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week.

Mr Stoll said the plan was laid out “on paper” for consideration by management.

Alpine is in the final throes of developing its first Alpine model in 20 years, a lightweight sportscar with design inspiration drawn from the classic Alpine A110.

The final, unnamed production car is said to be closely based on the Alpine Celebration concept that has been doing the rounds of various events in France since June.

The success or otherwise of this coupe in the showrooms will determine

whether the other Alpine models go ahead.

Fully owned by Renault Group, Alpine is a 60-year-old French sportscar-maker and racing outfit that last produced Alpine-branded road cars in 1995.

Mr Stoll said that although Renault did not have a presence under its own banner in the United States, it could look to partners Nissan and Infiniti and their dealer networks to establish Alpine there.

“As you know we are not alone in the US,” he said. “We may use our friends.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Jerome Stoll

Alpine Celebration concept in Dieppe earlier this month

Current Koleos

Sep 23, 2015 Page 13

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‘We are ripe’

Hyundai ready to attack with N sub-brand: Schreyer

Hyundai targets Golf GTIwith N series: Buerkle

By DANIEL GARDNERin FRANKFURT

HYUNDAI is planning an assault on the accessible performance-car market by offering a wide range of options under its freshly announced N sub-brand.

Specific line-up details and the announcement of the first N-badged model are still a while away, but the South Korean car-maker has revealed the new sub-brand will offer a variety of models or variants under the one banner and that the Volkswagen Golf GTI is a benchmark.

Speaking at the official announcement of Hyundai N in Frankfurt, chief designer Thomas Buerkle told Australian media that the company was not rushing its N range, to ensure the first model makes the right impression.

“There are a lot of projects in the pipeline, but in the next few years and not too far away,” he said. “We want to be sure that the first N model is perfect. For us this is more important than launching it fast.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By DANIEL GARDNERin FRANKFURT

HYUNDAI Motor Group chief design officer Peter Schreyer is confident the South Korean car-maker’s just-launched high-performance N sub-brand will draw in a broad new audience with a range of models that look as potent as they perform.

Speaking with GoAuto at the unveiling of the extraordinary N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo racer in Frankfurt last week, Mr Schreyer admitted the concept car was a long way from production.

However, he said the GT racer plays an important role in the company’s new N-branding strategy as a new era of driver-focused models gets underway.

“It will open up a lot of possibilities,” Mr Schreyer said.

“The N brand is not (all) about design, it’s about performance, and so we are going to develop things together with our performance specialists so that design and performance go together for one cause.

“It’s about finding a harmony between what the car is capable of and what it looks like.”

With the appearance of the GT in the widely popular global computer game, Mr Schreyer believes the image and reputation of Hyundai will be given a

shot in the arm, elevating it to a new, more performance-focused level.

He said that with a digital profile, the hyper-Hyundai would reach a new audience in a virtual world and attract potential customers that might not have previously given the brand a

second glance.In addition to the halo effect of such

a fantasy machine, Mr Schreyer said the project had inspired the Hyundai design team, and that the new energy in the design department would influence future production vehicles.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE HMCA’s hydrogen focus – next page

Peter Schreyer

N 2025 Vision GT

New i20 WRC car

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Hyundai applauds Aussiedebut of Toyota Mirai asfuel-cell strategy rolls on

HMCA’s hydrogen focus

Scott Nargar

By DANIEL GARDNERin FRANKFURT

HYUNDAI has already commissioned Australia’s only hydrogen refuelling station and imported the country’s first resident fuel-cell-powered vehicle, but says it needs other brands to join the fight if the alternative fuel is to take off locally.

The South Korean car-maker’s ix35 Fuel Cell is steadily gaining traction in other global regions, but until there is more public demand prompted by a feasible refuelling network, Hyundai Motor Co Australia says a production model will not work Down Under.

Hyundai is calling on other manufacturers to invest in local hydrogen infrastructure to garner interest from government and consumers, which it says is essential for the ultra-clean energy source to be taken seriously here.

Speaking during a fuel-cell feasibility demonstration in Europe last week, HMCA product planning manager Scott Nargar told GoAuto it would take a concerted effort from

multiple sectors to make hydrogen power kick off in Australia.

“It’s going to take government support, a co-operative approach from the industry and the infrastructure, and that’s only going to happen if everyone works together,” he said.

“State and government departments, oil and gas companies, technology and infrastructure companies, green-

funding banks – everyone needs to come together to decide what we want for the future.

“We’ve got to keep working hard with both federal and state government to get these stations up and running. We’ve done a lot of work to get this first vehicle here so we need to keep moving forward

full steam ahead and encourage other manufacturers to bring vehicles in.”

Following Hyundai, Toyota is the next manufacturer to bring a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) Down Under, with the Mirai large sedan set to arrive in Australia next month for a temporary visit.

Mr Nargar said that Toyota’s actions were positive and that Hyundai would be happy to work with the Japanese car-maker in championing the hydrogen cause – including donating fuel to keep the Mirai running during its Australian stay.

“The very first day we got our refuelling station up and running, I called up Toyota and asked the guys to come and see the refueller and we can talk through what we had to go through to get council approval,” he said. “They were great.

Continued next page

Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell cutaway at Frankfurt show

Sep 23, 2015 Page 15

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Company working at topspeed on a small SUV for‘upper markets’: Buerkle

Hyundai’s ‘heavy’ load

Continued from previous page“I spoke to them last week and

congratulated them for bringing the Mirai in. I think it’s a great thing and the more cars we’ve got here and the more manufacturers involved is better for the project. I’d love to see the vehicle stay and more vehicles come.

“Our station is open and we’ve got

hydrogen ready to go. If you want to bring a vehicle in, feel free to come and use it. It’s open to all other manufacturers. The only way you are going to get the community and government to understand, and get investors in the technology is if all manufacturers are doing it.”

California, Japan and, increasingly,

Europe already have the refuelling network and regulations in place to make hydrogen a feasible vehicle fuel, and Mr Nargar explained that any other nation, including Australia, could follow suit.

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREEco fuel cost factor – page 27

By DANIEL GARDNERin FRANKFURT

HYUNDAI has confirmed it is “heavily” working on a small crossover to compete in the potentially lucrative but fiercely competitive compact SUV segment in Australia and other western markets.

As previously reported, the South Korean car-maker has developed the new Creta and related ix25 crossovers but will not offer them outside emerging markets due to their inability to meet certain safety requirements.

The company has not revealed any details of the new, more premium small SUV known to be in development, but Hyundai Motor Company Europe chief designer Thomas Buerkle said at the Frankfurt

motor show last week: “We are working on that heavily.

“To be honest, we are late with this car,” he said. “I think we should have done it earlier.”

Mr Buerkle confirmed the new model would not be related to the Creta/ix25 and would conform to higher safety standards, allowing it to compete in other global

markets including Australia.“It’s a different car because Creta

is mainly for China and some other

markets like Brazil and so on,” he said.“It was planned for a specific market

only and this is why some things were not considered. We will have a different car for the upper markets.”

Hyundai has previously had a restrictive approach to right-hand-drive markets, which has limited the availability of some global portfolio models. However, Mr Buerkle said a right-hook version of the SUV currently in development would be produced if the numbers stack up.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Thomas Buerkle

Aussie hydrogen industry needs collaboration from multiple stakeholders: HMCA

ix25

Sep 23, 2015 Page 16

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Small SUV class high onlist of opportunities forLand Rover: McGovern

‘Expanding beyond belief’

By DANIEL GARDNER in FRANKFURT

LAND Rover’s expansion into more specific and targeted segments is continuing with the British car-maker considering a small SUV competitor as a potential new addition to the green oval range.

The company’s recent subdivision and rebranding has allowed the Land Rover and Range Rover marques to breach new territory, such as the Discovery Sport range and Range Rover Sport model line-up, but the smaller end of the SUV market is as yet unconquered.

Land Rover has an established large and upper-large luxury SUV range,

but a more compact offering alongside the existing models would bolster the high-rider line-up, taking the fight to premium small SUV models from the three big German players.

Speaking at the global unveiling of Jaguar’s F-Pace SUV in Frankfurt last week, Land Rover design director and chief creative officer Gerry McGovern told GoAuto that the flourishing small SUV segment was of interest to the company.

“If you look at the world of SUVs, that’s a market that’s expanding beyond belief,” he said. “By 2020 there will be over 22 million SUV-type vehicles sold globally and although we use that term generically, we know it’s fragmenting to all kinds of niche products and therein lies the opportunity for us.

“In terms of smaller vehicles, why not? It’s a case of deciding which ones we want to do because, as we go through this transformation, we will replace our traditional vehicles and we will look at

ways to stretch and grow the brand like Evoque did, so it’s all up for grabs at the moment.

“We’re on a journey of transformation and there are lots of other opportunities so it will be a case of developing other opportunities.”

Just as Jaguar Land Rover has sought out other potential

luxury segments such as the mid-sized sedan market with its XE, a move into smaller SUVs would pitch Land Rover against popular European models such as the Audi Q1, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

ASTON MARTIN CONFIRMS DB11 ASBRAND’S NEXT SPORTSCAR: CLICK HERE

Gerry McGovern

Discovery Sport development

Sep 23, 2015 Page 17

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Picat wants a bigger sharein Australia but admits themodel mix is limiting sales

Peugeot targets Aussie lift

By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTPEUGEOT sales will increase in Australia when better, more suitable cars are made available, while local sales knowledge is better than brought-in help, according to Peugeot Group chief executive Maxime Picat.

Speaking with Australian journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week, Mr Picat shouldered some of the responsibility for the brand’s relatively poor local showing, but believes new product coming on-stream in the next 18 months will help boost its 0.4 per cent market share and annual sales of around 4400 units over the past two years.

“If I tell you I am happy to have zero-point-something market share, I would be crazy, but I am a pragmatic person; every time I am in this situation, it is good news,” said Mr Picat. “Even if I’m making five per cent market share, it’s a good part of the business. So there’s lots of room for improvement.”

Availability of automatic transmission in key models has been a particular stumbling block for Peugeot Australia. The factory still sells a greater percentage of manuals in its stronghold European markets, while right-hand-drive engineering was not a focus of the company in the early part of the decade.

“We clearly have to do our homework to improve the car, to have good powertrains to be able to compete in the market – which was not the case in the

past,” Mr Picat admitted. “Now we start to have offers that are really competitive, but still we have work to do.”

The brand’s new 308 has been critically acclaimed in Australia, and is selling in reasonable numbers, clocking up 1115 sales so far this year to be the top seller in the Peugeot range.

But the recently revealed 308 GTi could miss key opportunities without an automatic transmission as an

option. This makes it harder to compete on a level playing field with rivals such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI.

“I would have loved to present to you today a 308 GTi in an automatic gearbox version, but we are so busy with all the regulations we have to pass – Euro 6.1 and very soon Euro 6.2 – so we still need some more time to be able to have all the horsepower available in both manual and automatic,” said Mr Picat.

“We still do have a range of powertrains that are more adapted to outside-of-Europe markets, including yours, so we’ve got great opportunity with our partners to accelerate sales, and we will do that together.”

The new 308 chassis is a modular unit known as the EMP2 that is readily adaptable for right-hand drive, and will underpin the next generation of SUV products to come from Sochaux, including the 3008.

Meanwhile, Mr Picat sees no reason to follow the lead of competitors such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai and set up a factory-owned distribution business.

Currently, the Peugeot franchise is held by Sime Darby Motors, which also distributes Peugeot’s PSA sister brand Citroen.

“I’ve got so many examples of importers that are doing amazing jobs (for Peugeot) that honestly this is not a philosophical question at all for me,” said Mr Picat. “I’m 100 per cent sure an importer can do an excellent job, and sometimes better than us.

“At the beginning, I still had some subsidiaries with French people (in charge) not understanding the country and making wrong decisions. With an importer I don’t have that risk.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HEREPicat’s ‘no risk’ future – next page

Maxime Picat

308 GTi

Sep 23, 2015 Page 18

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Peugeot to halve its rangewithin five years as Picatmulls trends beyond SUVs

By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTPEUGEOT is set to reduce its model range by half by the turn of the decade as the French car-maker moves back into profitability.

On the chopping block are cars not closely aligned with current model lines, such as the RCZ, RCZ-R and 208CC, while the future of the Mitsubishi ASX-based 4008 crossover – Peugeot’s second-best-selling model in Australia – is uncertain.

Of the 26 models currently on the company’s books, Peugeot Group CEO Maxime Picat said he plans to keep just 13, including three or four SUVs, with the others to be phased out by 2020.

“The worldwide range in 2013/14 was 26 cars. Target is 13 in 2020-plus,” Mr Picat told Australian journalists at the Frankfurt motor show last week.

“The situation in 2015 is the first 13 in sales in the world represent 99 per cent of my sales worldwide, and for more than 100 per cent of my profitability.

So no risk. We have already cleaned the situation. I have already got my best 13 cars I want to focus on.

“But by 2020 it may be another 13, depending on how the market could evolve.”

Mr Picat acknowledged the rapid growth of the SUV sector, suggesting it was now incorrect to merely call it a trend. He did sound a note of warning, though, that his company needs to find the ‘Next Big Thing’ – and soon.

“We are not going for 100 per cent of SUV (sales),” he said. “People want SUVs now because of the high seating, and the fact that they are easy to get out of, and because they want

to be different than their neighbours. Tomorrow, all the neighbours might have SUVs. This is a problem.

“Some countries like US and Australia are more SUV in their DNA, but one day that trend will have to change. (Customers) will want to differentiate again, and we want to invent something else to help them differentiate.

“That is one of my favourite questions of the moment – what will be the next trend after SUVs? There is no answer at the moment.”

Mr Picat singled out the RCZ and the 208CC as examples of cars that the brand would banish in the next five years.

“I have great affection for both these cars, and I have driven thousands of kilometres in them,” he said. “But when you sell an RCZ, you do nothing to promote or extend the brand as a whole. If you sell a 308 GTi, you help the entire 308 line.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Picat’s ‘no risk’ future

308 R Hybrid concept in Frankfurt

RCZ 4008

Sep 23, 2015 Page 19

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White knight

Mission E demos pioneering road car tech: Porsche

Audi RS4 set to lose V8in favour of bi-turbo sixBy TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURT

AUDI will downsize the mighty RS4 when the new-generation performance flagship of the A4 range launches in late 2016, potentially replacing its fire-breathing turbocharged V8 with a twin-turbo six-cylinder engine that may have electric motor assistance.

Audi AG board member for technical development Ulrich Hackenberg revealed at the Frankfurt motor show last week that the brand’s smaller cars will miss out on V8 engines in future.

“We will have a V8 for the C-class (medium/large) cars, also for the big SUVs,” he said. “We will not have V8 for the A4, for example, for the smaller car. There is a trend that the engines will be smaller.”

Dr Hackenberg explained that the trend for downsizing engines was in full swing, and that there were other ways now to add performance.

“There is a trend that the engines will be smaller. It’s a question of how we can turn our core values into new technologies. For example, if you take sportiness – sportiness and electro-mobility are not going different ways,” he said.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Current RS4

By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTFAR from being a mere concept, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) has emphasised that the show-stopping Mission E electric sportscar shown in Frankfurt last week is “pioneering technology”.

“The local view is consistent with the global view,” PCA head of corporate communications Paul Ellis told GoAuto. “This isn’t fanciful stuff, this isn’t dreamworks – this is pioneering technology, which will make it into a Porsche road car.

“It’s not a novelty, it’s serious and we’ve learned a lot from the (Le Mans-winning) 919 hybrid racecar and the 918 Spyder, and a lot of that electrification intellect has come through our cars.

“It’s a genuine piece of engineering that will come to the road, for sure.”

The petrol-electric 918 Spyder, now out of production, sold for more than $2 million apiece, and while several prominent Australians – including former F1 driver Mark Webber – have purchased examples, it cannot be locally registered.

PCA managing director Sam Curtis told GoAuto that Porsche’s traditional sportscar customer base is accepting of the company’s push for a hybridised performance future.

“I think at the end of the day, if it delivers on all the brand promises, which I think this car will, clearly it will be accepted,” he said.

“(It is) somewhat challenging, obviously, for our audience and our customer base, but I think we’ve moved on from that and … it’s a sign of what’s to come and I think it’s just understood that we’ve obviously stripped our emission controls and regulations. It’s the way of the world.”

Another change for the traditional Porsche customer is the implementation of turbochargers across its range of 911 Carrera models launched in Frankfurt. The Carrera has been a naturally aspirated car for more than 50 years, but tightening emissions regulations forced Porsche to add turbocharging.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

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GoAuto drives Skoda’s hot RS230 wagon ahead of likely Aussie launch next year

Octavia boost

By TIM ROBSON in ZURICHHOT wagons are a thing with the Volkswagen Group at the moment – and it is a heartily commendable sentiment.

Skoda’s already excellent Octavia wagon is made even better with the addition of an RS moniker, and it is showing on the sales floor, with a six-month waiting list for the spec and colour of your choice.

The RS package, in essence, mimics that of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI, with the potent EA888 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine under the bonnet, a multi-driving mode switch in the cabin and a great chassis bolted underneath.

In load-lugger guise, it simply adds a breadth of flexibility to an entertaining package.

The RS230, launched at the Frankfurt motor show, takes that package and breathes on it just a little, via a little more noise, a little more power and, more crucially, an updated front limited-slip differential.

Australian-spec cars already have an electronically operated mechanical

limited-slip diff, but this unit – as fitted to the VW Golf GTI Performance – is an electromagnetic locker that can instantly send 100 per cent of its torque to the wheels with the most grip.

Put simply, it allows the feisty Octavia to get its mumbo down in a more meaningful manner.

The exhaust, meanwhile, sports a new pair of mufflers and a reconfigured rear section for a bit more aural theatre.

The engine upgrade is in line with the distinction between VW’s Golf GTI and GTI Performance twins; an ECU remap nets the Octavia RS an extra 7kW (to 169kW/230hp), no more torque (remaining at 350Nm) and nips a tenth of a second off the car’s 0-100km/h

time to 6.7s when teamed with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Yes, a manual gearbox. While GoAuto tested the RS230 with a six-speed DSG, the word from Skoda Australia is that the RS230 will arrive in Australia in 2016 in limited numbers and in manual guise only.

The rationale is that Skoda’s performance-preferring punters are more likely to plump for a manual gearbox when selecting a car for themselves. Having tested the manual RS on home soil, it has proven itself to be an excellent package, and one that suits the marketing brief to a tee.

“We’re very interested in adding the car to the local line-up,” said Volkswagen Group Australia public relations manager Kurt McGuiness. “If it’s confirmed, it won’t be a limited edition, and the desire would be to replicate what we have (specification and price-wise) at the moment.

“Think about the jump between the VW Golf GTI and GTI Performance.”

Continued next page

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Marketing ManagerINNER EASTERN SUBURBS, FULL TIME, MARKETING• Professional Marketing Experience • Understanding Traditional & New Marketing Platforms• Join the Established Jowett Motor Group TeamThe Jowett Motor Group is among Melbourne’s most progressive multiple franchise groups, offering an unparalleled automotive experience to customers and staff alike. We are currently looking for a Marketing Manager to join our team based in Melbourne’s Inner Eastern Suburbs. This is a varied role and you’ll enjoy working with departments across our group to develop and implement marketing strategies that support our brands and business. Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

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Octavia boostContinued from previous page

Mr McGuiness added that Skoda is good at packaging and getting the price right for the local market, but that a lack of DSG choice is not down to the Australian office.

“It’s a limitation imposed by the factory,” he said.

The only problem with this argument is that the DSG actually exists, and is extremely good. Combined with shift paddles, the combination is every bit as performance-orientated as the manual, but crucially allows the owner to slip it into drive, switch the drive mode selector to ‘normal’ and waft along with the traffic in comfort.

Visually, hints of black set the RS230 apart, with an all-black grille, a black roof, rearview mirror caps and a set of bespoke colour combo 19-inch wheels. Inside, there is a flat-bottomed steering wheel, while the rest is straight RS spec.

This, in itself, is no bad thing at all. The RS is individual, comfortable, practical and rapid, and adding a little

more to the mix only enhances it.It is not much bigger than a Golf,

but it feels substantial and resolute, with excellent balance front to rear, great suspension control and confident handling. The power being propelled through the front tyres is harnessed more effectively with the new diff, though the engineers have still allowed the fronts to scrabble and chirp for traction if the loud pedal is thumped hard enough.

The large 19-inch rims and subsequently low-profile tyres can nibble at the steering wheel on rougher tarmac, while the Skoda’s lane-keeping control can also add a strange feeling to the steering. Switch it off, however, and the electric steering weights up well and provides good, if not Lotus-like, levels of feedback.

Practically speaking, both the sedan (with its large hatch tailgate) and wagon are larger and more practical

than a regular five-door hatch, and its distinctive looks are a huge selling point.

There is no word as to when Australia will see the RS230 – and indeed, whether it will even be called a 230 (a number than applies to the car’s horsepower rating). Octavia RS Performance, perhaps?

No word, either, as to how much the mechanical additions will add to the RS, which starts at an incredibly reasonable $37,590 plus on-roads in manual sedan form, or $39,090 in wagon guise.

Rightly or wrongly, its manual-only status will naturally limit its appeal. This, of course, will suit a cross-section of buyers, and the additional specification of the RS230 simply underlines the Octavia RS’s underdog status as one of the smartest everyday performance-car buys of the decade.

VW bosses join forces – page 28

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Pyne to industry minister,O’Dwyer small business,new metro role for Briggs

Turnbull names new team

Malcolm Turnbull (left) and Christopher Pyne

By IAN PORTERTHE new ministers in the Turnbull government with responsibilities covering the automotive sector will have some work to do to restore the confidence of workers in manufacturing and of motor dealers who are concerned about proposed changes to importing rules.

And one who has been criticised by dealers, Jamie Briggs, could find himself becoming a champion for drivers and road safety, particularly autonomous vehicles, in his role as minister for cities and the built environment.

The most senior of the three new ministers, Christopher Pyne – now industry minister, replacing Ian Macfarlane – will have the task of addressing the manufacturing sector, which according to the Ai Group’s Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) has been in decline throughout the period since the global financial crisis.

Victoria’s Kelly O’Dwyer has taken the reins as small business minister and may have to take the final decision on whether to allow parallel imports and, if so, at what rate.

Various dealer representative bodies, including the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) and the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC), have campaigned

strongly against the proposed changes.Providing there are no more

ministerial changes, and that the Coalition wins the forthcoming federal election, Mr Pyne’s role looks to be the most challenging as he oversees the closure of the three car-makers – Ford in October next year, and Holden and Toyota a year later.

It would take a major reversal of policy to re-energise the automotive manufacturing sector now, even if Mr Turnbull accepts the motor industry’s descriptions of modern vehicles as “computers on wheels”.

If there is no resurrection of the Automotive Transformation Scheme (ATS), or some other industry-focused policy, Mr Pyne will oversee the loss of around 200,000 automotive jobs, with around 60,000 of those in his home state of South Australia.

Given that there were only around 900,000 jobs in manufacturing (not counting all the service jobs dependent on industry) a couple of years ago, these are substantial losses.

As industry minister, Mr Pyne will be responsible for manufacturing in general, a sector that has also been dwindling in recent years while the US, Japan and China fought currency wars to help keep their industries competitive.

Opposition industry spokesman Kim Carr was quick to laud the Turnbull government’s decision to put innovation and science back into the title of the industry portfolio, but he was wary about Mr Pyne’s appointment.

“Malcolm Turnbull and Christopher Pyne were both members of the Cabinet that ripped more than $3 billion from science, research and innovation over the last two budgets,” Senator Carr said.

Kelly O’Dwyer’s promotion to small business minister and assistant treasurer will see her working with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and handling the rules and regulations around fair trading, competition generally and other policy areas affecting car dealers.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

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Performance cars, SUVs and crucial new compact models attracted plenty of attention at the Frankfurt motor show last week…

2015 FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW A-Z

By STUART MARTINTHE key to Infiniti’s fortunes next year will be the Q30 premium compact hatch, which made its world premiere at

the Frankfurt motor show last week and is expected to be the brand’s top-seller in Australia.

Infiniti is calling its first entry into the fast-growing segment already inhabited by the Audi A3, BMW’s 1 Series and the mechanically related Mercedes-Benz A-Class an “active compact” and it will have an important role in the brand’s global growth plans.

The Q30 will become the company’s

first European-built vehicle, to be produced at recently upgraded production facilities in Sunderland in the United Kingdom, part of a £250 million ($A540m) investment.

Bringing much of the styling of the Q30 concept unveiled in Frankfurt two years ago, the production Q30 will arrive in Australia in the second quarter of 2016.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By TIM NICHOLSONFORD has announced the performance figures for its wild Focus RS hot hatch, with the Blue Oval confirming it will complete the 0-100km/h dash in 4.7 seconds.

The hardcore Focus is set to arrive in Australia in the first quarter of next year and is powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that will also see service in the forthcoming Mustang sportscar.

It can produce 257kW of power and 440Nm of torque, and is also capable of a top speed of 266km/h.

The previous front-wheel-drive Focus RS delivered 224kW/440Nm from a 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine shared with Volvo, and completed the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.9 seconds.

The Focus RS’s key rival – Volkswagen’s 206kW/380Nm all-wheel-drive Golf R – can hit 100km/h

from standstill in 5.0 seconds in the dual-clutch version, and 5.2s in manual guise.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By STUART MARTINREBORN German car-maker Borgward has made the next step in its comeback to the automotive world after more than half a century away, with the unveiling last week of its BX7 SUV.

A plug-in electric hybrid version and an up-spec TS luxury version will be part of the brand’s return to the global automotive market next year, with hopes of selling vehicles to the

European region, as well as in China where the cars are set to be built.

The venture, reportedly backed by Chinese commercial vehicle-maker

Foton, has lofty goals of selling more than half a million vehicles and expanding the range beyond SUVs.

Borgward CEO Ulrich Walker said the target was to turn the brand – resurrected by Christian Borgward, president of Borgward AG and grandson of founder Carl F W Borgward – into a major international automobile manufacturer.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

INFINITI Q30

FORD FOCUS RS

BORGWARD BX7

By TERRY MARTINAUDI unveiled its new-generation S4 sedan and Avant wagon at the Frankfurt motor show, with the high-performance duo scaling new heights via a 260kW 3.0-litre turbocharged V6

under the bonnet.To be released in Australia in the final

quarter of next year, several months after the regular A4 range switches to the new B9 series, the S4 is expected to remain a single model variant across both body styles, combining comprehensive forced-induction engine power with an automatic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive.

However, the current supercharged direct-injection 3.0-litre V6 – good for 245kW of power and 440Nm of torque – makes way for a lighter, more efficient

and significantly more powerful TFSI turbocharged unit that produces 260kW and 500Nm, the latter available from 1300-4500rpm.

Driving through a new, more conventional eight-speed Tiptronic transmission rather than the current seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, the redesigned S4 sedan can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds, on its way to an electronically limited 250km/h top speed.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

AUDI S4

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By HAITHAM RAZAGUITOYOTA has confirmed it will plug the compact SUV-sized gap in its range with a model based on the C-HR concept first shown a year ago at the Paris motor show and reprised in updated form at Frankfurt last week.

A production version of the radical-looking, European-designed five-door high-rider is promised to debut at the Geneva show next March, so it could slot in below the RAV4 in Australian Toyota showrooms by the end of next year.

Resembling the love-child of a Nissan

Juke and a Hyundai Veloster, the latest C-HR concept makes concessions to production reality with larger exterior mirrors, Tesla-style flush doorhandles, a more down-to-earth wheel-and-tyre package, and conventional headlights, tail-lights and foglights.

The original C-HR’s dramatic angles, heavily sculpted flanks and floating boomerang-shaped tail-lights that protrude like the edges of a boot spoiler all remain, although the tapered glass roof linking the windscreen to the roof spoiler’s integrated brake light appears

to have been ditched.Toyota Australia executive director

of sales and marketing Tony Cramb confirmed the production version “is definitely on our wish-list for Australia”.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

TOYOTA C-HR

By TIM NICHOLSONSUZUKI unveiled its Baleno light hatch at the Frankfurt show – a model

that will debut the company’s latest architecture, a new three-cylinder turbocharged engine and its first mild-hybrid system.

The Baleno resurrects a nameplate that was discontinued in most markets apart from South-East Asia in 2002, and follows Suzuki’s strategy to use old monikers on its latest models.

It recently brought the Vitara badge back and, as reported by GoAuto, the

Ignis name is set to adorn a sub-compact crossover based on the iM-4 concept revealed at this year’s Geneva show.

Suzuki Australia general manager Andrew Moore told GoAuto that the Baleno was “not confirmed at this point” for the Australian market, but the company has expressed interest in adding it to its roster.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

SUZUKI BALENO

By TIM NICHOLSONJAGUAR has finally let the cat out of the bag with the official reveal of its first SUV – the F-Pace – at the Frankfurt motor show last week.

After an excruciatingly long teaser

campaign that began at the same motor show two years ago with the C-X17 concept, the British prestige car-maker announced that the F-Pace will be offered with three powertrains, including a supercharged 280kW 3.0-litre petrol V6 transplanted from the F-Type S sportscar.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia has confirmed the five-seat all-wheel-drive wagon will reach showrooms in the third quarter of next year, with pricing and full specifications to be confirmed closer to launch.

That said, Australia will offer the same

powertrain choices as the European-spec models from launch, kicking off with the Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel unit from the XE producing 132kW/430Nm for a 0-100km/h dash time of 8.7 seconds and official European combined-cycle fuel consumption of 5.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

That economy figure cannot quite match the 4.2L/100km number of the XE 2.0d, but the F-Pace is heavier and has all-wheel drive as standard.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

JAGUAR F-PACE

By STUART MARTINNISSAN has unveiled its Gripz compact crossover concept at the Frankfurt show, which harks back to its rallying days but carries an electric drivetrain.

The Gripz covers a similar amount of road to the current Juke, which suggests it could be a look at the next generation of that model, while the styling cues that bear a strong resemblance to the Z sportscars have had some pundits suggesting the high-riding sports

concept points to a 370Z replacement.According to Nissan, the Gripz is

its take on next-generation crossover design and the concept should be seen

as a design statement rather than a replacement for an existing model.

Nissan calls the look of the Gripz (which wears design cues from the 370Z, among others) ‘emotional geometry’ design language, bearing some similarities to the Sway concept from this year’s Geneva motor show, while pointing to design and engineering possibilities of a future compact crossover.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

NISSAN GRIPZ

2015 FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW A-Z

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Sep 23, 2015 Page 25

By TIM NICHOLSONBMW has announced pricing and details for its facelifted 3 Series range, which brings a change in model designation to some variants and the introduction of the company’s fuel-saving three-cylinder petrol engine.

The prestige mid-size range starts with the return of the 318i moniker and is available in sedan guise from $54,900 plus on-road costs, representing an $1100 price rise over the 316i which it replaces.

The 318i gives BMW an entry-level variant that undercuts the price of some key competitors, including the Mercedes-Benz C-Class which kicks off from $60,900 for the C200, and the just-launched Jaguar XE that starts at $60,400.

Other rivals offer similar starting prices, including the soon-to-be-replaced Audi A4 1.8 TFSI that starts from $55,500, the Lexus IS250 at $54,000 and

the Infiniti Q50 from $50,900. Under the bonnet of the 318i is the

BMW Group’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder TwinPower turbo-petrol engine that is already in service in the 2 Series Active Tourer and the Mini 3-Door and 5-Door models.

This marks the first time a three-pot engine has powered a 3 Series, and is the first time the engine has been used in a rear-wheel-drive BMW.

Despite having one less cylinder than the outgoing 316i, the 318i delivers identical power and torque figures of 100kW and 200Nm respectively, but improves its 0-100km/h sprint time by 0.1 seconds to 9.1s.

Fuel consumption drops from 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres to 5.4L/100km, while CO2 emissions are rated at 126g/km.

The 318i arrives in dealerships in November, a month after the rest of the 3 Series range.

Next up is the 320i in sedan guise from $61,900 or Touring (wagon) body style from $65,300, representing a price increase of $400 apiece, while the sole diesel offering, the 320d sedan, carries over its $63,800 pricetag from the outgoing model.

FULL STORY, PRICING: CLICK HERE

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Renault Captur Expression Tce 90Sometimes popularity can come at a price, as Renault Australia discovered when overseas demand for the Captur outstripped supply, forcing a delay exacerbated by child-seat anchorage issues. Both have now been addressed, but it means the compact SUV that would have wowed us in early 2014 is now less remarkable against newer rivals. Still, the base Expression manual certainly has its strengths. FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

RAV4 FACELIFT COMINGHIGH-SPEC Cruiser variants of the Toyota RAV4 will be loaded with extra standard safety kit when the facelifted model arrives in Australian showrooms in December.

Autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and front parking sensors will be added to the suite of driver-assist technology which already includes blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert and automatic high-beam.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

318i from $55K

BMW details pricing for facelifted 3 Series range

CR-V DIESEL SWANSONGHONDA Australia has dropped the diesel-powered version of its CR-V, but is offering a Limited Edition version with a frugal 1.6-litre Earth Dreams diesel powertrain before the model is discontinued.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

GM FINED $1.26 BILLIONGENERAL Motors has been hit with fines and compensation orders after being found guilty of intentionally concealing knowledge of a faulty ignition switch that has cost 124 lives.

The United States justice department has levied a fine of $US900 million ($A1.26 billion) on the company for not revealing the fact that the ignition switch could shut off the car while it was being driven.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

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DealerSolutions

Means Performance.

Sep 23, 2015 Page 26

By TIM NICHOLSONGM HOLDEN will not follow Ford Australia’s lead in prioritising private sales over fleet buyers, with the company’s new chairman and managing director Mark Bernhard confident of continued strong sales from business customers.

Speaking with GoAuto at the unveiling of the VF Series II Commodore in Melbourne, Mr Bernhard said the car-maker was committed to its fleet customers, and suggested that the new 304kW/570Nm V8 that powers its performance variants could in fact boost interest from business buyers.

“We are always focused on private buyers, but the market is made up of fleet buyers as well as private buyers, and we need to focus on both,” he said.

“We value the relationships we have with our large fleets, we work very, very closely with them. The engine we have got here can help us with some of those fleets as well.”

Key executives from Ford Australia, including new president and CEO Graeme Whickman, have previously stated that the company is actively chasing private sales instead of large fleet deals, as they believe it is a better long-term brand-building strategy.

Mr Bernhard acknowledged that the number of brands on offer in

Australia’s diverse new-vehicle market makes attracting customers to the brand a challenge, but highlighted the company’s future product line-up and customer service initiatives as ways of appealing to consumers.

“It is very challenging; there is no question,” he said. “But you see that in part of our marketing campaigns now trying to appeal to a different audience, and then look after them with the right levels of customer experience and customer service, that they can stay with us and be loyal and have the same passion around the Holden product that we all have.

“And even the product portfolio you will see is starting to evolve to appeal to a different demographic than just the Commodore demographic. The Commodore demographic is very, very important to us, but as are other segments. As the market continues to fragment there are a lot of different customers out there.”

Mr Bernhard was reluctant to discuss Holden’s sales targets, but told GoAuto that the priority was to get the house in order and hopefully sales will come from that.

“From a volume standpoint, we are probably more focused on fundamentals of the business around customer experience, getting our product portfolio right and the brand. And the sales will be an output of us executing really well against those three priorities.”

So far this year, Holden is tracking 9.3 per cent behind the same point last year with 67,502 units, after ending 2014 on 106,092, itself a 5.3 per cent loss compared with 2013.

With most mainstream car-makers focusing on improving customer and aftersales service, Mr Bernhard acknowledged that while Holden has made some gains, it needs to be constantly looking at ways to better its performance.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Holden firm on fleet focusNew GMH chief vows notto overlook fleet businessas car-maker restructures

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Holden average monthly sales 2005-2015 YTD

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Passenger cars SUVs LCVs Total sales

Source: VFACTS

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Sep 23, 2015 Page 27

By DANIEL GARDNER in BOLZANOONE of Europe’s leading alternative energy champions opposes the notion that clean energy should be cheaper or even free, compared to more environmentally damaging non-renewable sources of transport.

Hydrogen fuel infrastructure is steadily gaining momentum in Europe, with a growing network of refuelling stations increasing the feasibility of hydrogen-powered vehicles.

However, H2 Centre director Thomas Klauser – who heads up Italy’s first hydrogen centre, based in Bolzano, South Tyrol – argues that the fuel should cost at least as much as fossil-fuel alternatives.

During a visit to the H2 production and distribution centre last week, Dr Klauser told GoAuto that free energy may attract motorists to greener technology, but would breed wasteful habits that are counterproductive.

“I think it’s very important so people don’t get the wrong idea,” he said. “Alternative fuels and alternative mobility shouldn’t be free, it shouldn’t even be at a lower cost (compared with conventional fuel) because you will create a lot of other problems.

“The streets are already crowded. We are already driving a lot and doing a lot of senseless drives with our cars, so it is very important to get the private mobility to be emissions-free but not money-free.

“You will not solve the problems that we have in our cities and urban centres.”

Dr Klauser compared the notion of free transport to free electricity in homes, saying he believes occupants would not consider the conservation of energy in homes if a bill did not arrive at regular intervals.

“Everything that is free has no worth. It is the same with electricity,” he said.

“If you give it for free to the people they will consume without any reason

and they will not try to consume any less. You can’t have energy consumption reduction if you give it for free.”

Dr Klauser said that reducing the number of cars on the road is unlikely and that emissions reduction is only possible if the correct measures are in place to cut noxious fuel use and at

the same time encourage the public to only use their personal transport when necessary.

“You will not reduce it because we are used to our private mobility, but if it hurts a little you will think over whether you go 200 metres with the car or not.”

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

Hydrogen expert wantsgreen energy to ‘hurt alittle’ to avoid problems

Eco fuel cost factor

H2 Centre

Thomas Klauser

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By TIM ROBSON in FRANKFURTTHE incoming and outgoing bosses of Volkswagen Group Australia presented a combined front at the Frankfurt motor show last week ahead of the change in local leadership in October.

John White, a native of Montreal in Canada, will end a short but ultimately successful two-year stint in the top job, having orchestrated changes across the business as it managed sales and retail network growth and tackled poor results in independent customer service index surveys.

He also led the company through significant safety recalls during 2013 and, at around the same time, widespread reports of unexpected power loss in Volkswagen cars and a Victorian coronial inquiry, which eventually found no evidence of any systemic faults with the VW Golf involved.

Under Mr White’s leadership, Volkswagen’s annual sales remained steady at around 55,000 units in 2013 and 2014, but this year the brand has surged 14 per cent to the end of August. Skoda sales have also improved markedly this

year, up 25 per cent, after posting around 3800 sales in 2014 and 3500 in 2013.

Speaking with GoAuto in Frankfurt, Mr White, who is a hockey-mad father of two and is now preparing to return to Montreal, said he had two regrets about leaving Australia.

“My number-one regret is that the tenure not having, from a personal perspective, having had the opportunity to just stay longer and see some of our plans come to fruition,” he said.

“The second thing that would be, as you know, and I’ve been pretty clear, is we’re really focused on improving customer satisfaction. We’ve put in a lot of measures to improve customer satisfaction internally and with our dealers.

“We’re making progress, but I’ve not

seen the progress come quickly enough, and we’re making other changes internally that will help to address that so when Michael takes over he’ll have that level of support.”

Mr White will hand over to expatriate Australian Michael Bartsch, who is returning from a 12-year stint in the United States where he was executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Porsche Cars North America for almost a decade.

Mr Bartsch had planned an earlier return to Australia as head of Porsche Cars Australia in 2013, but elected to remain in the US and take a new job as vice-president of Infiniti for the Americas region. He resigned from that position in February this year.

“I think that it’s a truism to say that the Australian market is very much the US business model,” said Mr Bartsch, who grew up in Sydney’s northern suburbs and early in his automotive career worked for Holden and Hyundai before rising through the ranks at Porsche.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

By TERRY MARTINAUSTRALIAN Automobile Association (AAA) director of government relations and communications James Goodwin has left the organisation and will join the National Farmers’ Federation as head of public affairs in late September.

Mr Goodwin had spent almost four years with the national organisation representing state automobile clubs, and previously served for three years as manager of media and government

relations with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).

During his time at the AAA, Mr Goodwin stepped up as interim chief executive – from December last year through to April this year – when Andrew McKellar resigned to take up a new global position with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in Paris.

Michael Bradley was subsequently

hired as the AAA’s new CEO, moving from the role of external affairs director at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA).

Assistant director of policy and advocacy James Voortman is now in the position of acting director of external affairs as the AAA searches for a

replacement for Mr Goodwin.

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP AUSTRALIA BOSSES JOIN FORCES AT FRANKFURT SHOW

John White (left) and Michael Bartsch

GOODWIN LEAVES AAA FOR NEW POST AT NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION

James Goodwin

Australia’s

RecruiterNo.1

AutomotiveGeorge Hennessy Managing Director

careers@motorsta�.com.au1300 666 562 www.motorsta�.com.au

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GoAuto New Car Diary

John Mellor’s

Sep 23, 2015 Page 29

GoAuto New Car Diary – brought to you by CarsGuide

SEPLAUNCH FULL NEW CAR DIARY: CLICK HERE

Mercedes-Benz swaps the ML moniker for GLE in a major mid-life upgrade for its popular SUV, and introduces the bold GLE Coupe to take on the swoopy BMW X6.

Ford Focus

Lexus ES

Lexus IS200t

Mazda BT-50

Mercedes-Benz GLE/GLE Coupe

Suzuki Vitara

Toyota HiLux

Toyota Prado

VW Golf Alltrack

VW Golf R Wolfsburg edition

In a year of major new releases in the light-commercial ute sector, none are bigger than the Toyota HiLux, which brings an entirely new look and a more frugal turbo-diesel engine.

New-generation Honda Civic sedan emerges ahead of mid-2006 Australian launchBy TIM NICHOLSON

HONDA has wheeled out its next-generation Civic sedan – and the sportier, more aggressively styled four-door is headed to Australia.

While the sedan revealed last week is the North American-spec version of the 10th-generation model, it will reach Australian shores around the middle of next year with design characteristics that will be unique to the Asia-Pacific region.

Under the skin is a new global platform that will underpin the car in international markets, a new suite of in-car technology, and major improvements to ride, handling and interior comfort.

Honda North America is calling the new-generation model “the most ambitious remake of Civic ever” and it has lofty ambitions, stating that the new-from-the-ground-up design was “intended to recapture the sporty character of Civic while creating the world’s best compact car”.

In the US, the Civic will eventually be offered in sedan, coupe and hatch

guise and, for the first time, a Type R variant will be offered in the region.

As the coupe is not built in right-hand-drive configuration, it will not be made available in Australia.

However, the as yet unseen hatch will almost certainly find its way Down Under, but timing is unclear. The wild Type R that is based on the current hatchback is also yet to be locked in for an Australian launch.

A pair of new powertrains will be offered in the US, starting with a 2.0-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder unit matched with either a six-speed manual

or a continuously variable transmission (CVT) in lower-grade variants.

Higher-spec versions have a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine – Honda America’ s first-ever turbo – paired with a “unique” CVT. This engine will sit under the bonnet of Australian-spec versions.

The Japanese car-maker is yet to announce performance figures, but says it is targeting fuel economy ratings of about 40 miles per gallon, which roughly equates to 7.0 litres per 100 kilometres.

FULL STORY: CLICK HERE

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