WORLD RACING AUTOCARS: Australia

Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts

New Malibu to be Offered in Australia as a Holden, will Sit Between the Cruze and the Commodore

Written By nyit on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 | 8:43 AM

Last week, GM released the first teaser photo of its upcoming Chevrolet Malibu ahead of its global debut on Monday, April 18. The next generation of the Malibu is the first Chevy mid-sized model designed for the global market and will be sold in up to 100 countries around the world including Australia where it will be launched under the Holden brand.

The Holden Malibu will arrive in Australia for the first time in 2012 with a range of four cylinder engines, effectively replacing the unpopular Epica, a badge-engineered version of the South Korean Daewoo Tosca, which itself had taken the place of the Vectra.

“The Malibu will play an important role within the Holden line-up, providing a spacious and efficient four-cylinder alternative for Australian customers,” said Holden Chairman and Managing Director Mike Devereux.

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Ford and Top Gear Australia Revive Mad Max Interceptor with a Pair of Concepts

Written By nyit on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | 5:33 PM

More than 30 years after George Miller's original Mad Max film starring Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky hit the screens turning both the American-born Australian actor and his jet-black Ford Falcon XB GT351 coupe-based Interceptor into movie icons, Ford’s local division in partnership with Top Gear Australia magazine, has revealed two concept studies for a modern day Interceptor.

The company formed a group of designers led by chief designer of passenger cars for the Asia, Pacific and Africa region, Todd Willing. The team created several of studies that paid tribute to the styling cues from the original XB Coupe Interceptor, but ultimately, only two made the cut. The winning designs were penned by Nima Nourian and Simon Brook.

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VIDEO: When in New Zealand, Beware of the Most Annoying Mini in the World

Written By nyit on Monday, March 28, 2011 | 2:45 PM

Did you ever think about adding on some harmonicas to your car's bodywork? Of course not; you don't want people in your neighborhood to vandalize your car. The folks from Mini New Zealand, however, decided to stick 300 harmonicas on a Mini Clubman, just for the sake of a marketing campaign.

Once the job was finished, they created an interactive app on the local Mini website that allows visitors to combine the different sounds from the Mini Carmonica's adventures and create their own compositions. Creative marketing or the result of boredom? Who knows, but one thing's for sure; many of you will definitely turn off the sound after the first seconds of the video below…

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Sebastian Vettel Takes Dominant Australian Grand Prix Win

Written By nyit on Sunday, March 27, 2011 | 7:33 AM

Sebastian Vettel won the inagural race of the 2011 F1 season after a dominating performance in Melbourne. The German driver made full use of his pole-position and lead the race from start to finish, taking his 11th Formula 1 win. Vettel adopted a two-stop pit strategy and finished with a 22.2-second advantage over second ranked Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), who had to race with a detached floor after running wide on lap 33.

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2011 Formula One Season is On: Vettel to Start Australian GP from Pole Position

Written By nyit on Saturday, March 26, 2011 | 7:27 AM

Red Bull and McLaren dominated the first qualifying session of the year, with the two teams getting the top four pole positions for Sunday's Melbourne race. 2010 title winner Sebastian Vettel started the new F1 season in style, dominating comfortably all three qualifying stages and sealing pole-position with a 1m23.529s lap, 0.78 seconds quicker than the second fastest driver, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

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Watch This Space: High Performance Holden Cruze SS said to be in the Works

Written By nyit on Friday, March 25, 2011 | 11:40 AM

In Australia, the SS badge has a special meaning to Holden owners. Its most frequently associated with the Commodore large car and to a lesser extent, the ultra-rare Torana SS of the 1970s. It’s all about big Aussie V8’s and rear-wheel-drive. It’s as Australian as Fosters beer and Four’N Twenty pies.

So now, there’s talk of a performance version of the Cruze small car in the works - and insidious rumors this front-wheel-drive econobox may carry the prestigious double ‘S’ moniker previously reserved only for V8 models. “Sacrilege!” you scream, and I’m more than willing to agree. Nevertheless, let’s push on and see what the Australian rumor mill has in store for us.

It’s possible a high performance version of the Cruze would use the same 132 kW, / 180HP and 230 Nm 1.6-liter turbo four from the European Vauxhall / Opel Astra as there drivetrains are readily interchangeable thanks to both using the GM’s Delta II architecture.

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Infiniti to Enter Australia’s Luxury Car Market in 2012 with FX, G37 and M Models

Written By nyit on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 | 6:37 AM

Infiniti continues to expand its reach around the world and has now confirmed plans to begin sales of its range of sedans, coupes and crossovers in Australia from the third quarter of 2012. The introduction in Australia follows the presentation of the premium brand in the UK, Western Europe and select Asia Pacific markets.

The Japanese company said it will create Infiniti Centres in each of the three major east coast capitals of the country in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The initial lineup will include the FX sport crossover, G37 hardtop convertible and coupe, and the M luxury sedan.

"As part of Infiniti's worldwide expansion, Australia is a mandatory next step for the luxury brand," said Dan Thompson CEO, Infiniti Cars Australia. "In a little more than a year, the promise of luxury vehicles with a unique combination of inspired performance, attentive hospitality and unparalleled quality will become a reality for the Australian market.”

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Holden Unveils its Own Version of the Cruze Hatchback

Written By nyit on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | 5:11 AM

Even though it was Chevrolet that came out first with both a thinly disguised concept in 2010 and this year’s production version of the Cruze hatchback at the Geneva Show, the five-door model was actually penned by GM’s Holden division at the Port Melbourne studio in Australia. Now, it’s finally time for Holden to reap the benefits of its work with the release of the first official photos of the compact hatchback with the Australian brand’s lion logo.

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Tesla Roadster Starts 3,000-Kilometer Tour in Australia

Written By nyit on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 | 12:05 PM

The "Oz Goes Electric" tour is an event staged by Tesla Motors with the aim of allowing fans from Australia's eastern coast to get a closer look at the electric-powered sports car. Starting from March 16, the Tesla Roadster will journey 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), which is the longest roadtrip ever to be undertaken by an EV in Australia, according to the company.

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GM Design Grandisimo Approves Design of Next Holden Commodore Due in 2013

Written By nyit on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 | 3:31 PM

*2011 Holden Commodore Series II pictured here

Good news for Commodore fans; General Motors design boss Ed Welburn was in Melbourne recently to sign off on the styling of the next Holden Commodore, due in Q3 2013. The as-of-yet-unrevealed VF Commodore will be an evolution of the current generation VE, sharing the same rear-wheel-drive platform and V6 engines. "It's the absolute right Commodore for that market,” Mr. Welburn was quoted as saying, “I feel very good about it.”

Holden is said to be looking into lightening the VF’s components to improve fuel economy with the new model, and is also putting a strong emphasis on improving drivetrain efficiency. Though Mr. Welburn refused to comment on whether the Commodore would come to the U.S. badged as a Chevy, he did say:

“They are doing work for Holden and for other projects around the world. They are a very talented team – very talented – and I want to take full advantage of that. So, they are responsible for the look and feel of all Holden products, but they are doing work on Chevrolets, they have done some wonderful Buick work, and I could not be more proud of the work that they do.”

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Saab Hires Saabs United Blogger Steven Wade to Strengthen its Social Media Marketing Team

If you’ve been following the Saab-saga from the time General Motors decided to let go of the Swedish company in 2009, you’ll probably be familiar with the enthusiast blog Saabs United and its founder, Steven Wade, who did his part to keep the brand alive by rallying up supporters when many thought it was a lost cause.

In a not so unexpected turn of events, Saab today announced that it has hired Wade and appointed him the firm’s social media marketing team. Wade will be based in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

“Saab has hired me to be involved, as part of a global team, in a sustained social media presence that will see Saab presented from an inside view, allowing you access to company events, key people and of course, the cars themselves – in a way that no bigger car company can do,” Wade said on Saabs United.

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Hyundai’s Model Naming Conventions: From 0 to Fubar in Just 4 Years

Written By nyit on Thursday, March 3, 2011 | 3:06 PM

Hyundai is one of the world’s biggest automakers, and the most visible of South Korea’s business and industrial acumen. So you would think a company that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Toyota and pre-bailout GM would be pretty consistent with its model naming conventions, right?

Well, not exactly. When Hyundai first launched the i30 hatchback in Europe, Australia and other markets, it seemed that familiar nameplates such as Elantra and Sonata would soon be dead and buried. Not so. In fact, the i30 CW (basically, the station wagon version of the i30), is still sold in the U.S. as the Elantra Touring.

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Nissan Qashqai Surpasses 1 Million Sales Milestone

Written By nyit on Monday, February 28, 2011 | 6:49 AM

Nissan's well-received Qashqai model has just passed the 1,000,000 sales mark after four years in production. The compact crossover model, which is also known as the Dualis in Japan and Australia and other markets, was designed and engineered in Britain. Introduced in 2007, Nissan expanded the crossover's range with the presentation of the seven-seater, long-wheelbase version called the Qashqai+2 in 2008, while the entire series received an update in March 2010 with a refreshed design and powertrain refinements.

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Holden Unveils Aussie-Built Cruze Series II with New 2.0L Diesel and 1.4L Turbo Petrol

Holden, General Motors' Australian division, introduced an updated version of its Cruze sedan bearing the Series II moniker today. The facelift brings powertrain, chassis and some styling changes, but most importantly, it marks the switch to local production starting from March, 2011. Up until now, the Holden Cruze sedan was imported to Australia from Korea. The first locally built compact model in the country in more than a decade will be manufactured at Holden's plant in Elizabeth, South Australia.

The styling updates on the Cruze Series II are kept to a minimum and concern the new trapezoidal grille, subtly redesigned front bumper, new headlamp bezels and a different rear fascia treatment.

The facelift brings two new engines, a 2.0-liter turbo diesel and a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline unit, while the naturally aspirated 1.8-liter engine carries over with some minor revisions from the Series 1 model.

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BMW Bankruptcy Bust Up in the Bush: The Price of Luxury Car Loans Down Under

Written By nyit on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 | 1:41 PM

AU$18 million or about US$18.1 million at the current exchange rates. That’s how many Australian dollars some 226 plus Aussies owe BMW’s unimaginatively named financial arm "BMW Finance". The Bavarian automotive giant is now perusing bankruptcy proceedings against these persons in Australia’s Federal Magistrates’ Court in an effort to recoup the debt from hundreds of unpaid car loans.

It’s all rather depressing, really, especially in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. Take one man who bought an AU$80,000 Lexus on credit shortly before he lost his AU$110,000 job. Or the woman who signed her name on a car loan for her and her husband, only to have him leave her and get stuck with the debt. "They repossessed the car, but they still want [AU]$25,000. I don't know what to do,” said the 34 year-old.

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Two Germans Travel Across Australia in a Wind Turbine Car [with Video]

Written By nyit on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 | 12:56 PM

When it comes to crazy-cool engineering, nobody can top ze Germans. If it’s even vaguely plausible, you can bet that some German crackpot inventor has done it. Well, now two Germans – Stefan Simmerer and Dirk Gion – have broken three Guinness World Records in a ... wait for it ... wind turbine powered electric car.

That’s right, an EV that’s powered by a wind turbine, those big robotic looking windmills you may have seen in farms atop hilltops in Scotland or Pennsylvania. Here’s how it works:

At night, Simmerer and Gion park the Wind Explorer – that’s what it’s called – and erect a nifty looking collapsible wind turbine. While they sleep, the lightweight turbine generates enough energy to recharger the Wind Explorer’s batteries. If they’re running low on energy during the day, they can whip out a kite that helps powered the vehicle forward.

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Aussie Valiant Charger R/T Turns Up Stateside

Written By nyit on Thursday, February 17, 2011 | 11:29 AM

Pop quiz: what’s the greatest sports car ever built in the Australia? Well, there are a few potential candidates. There’s the short-lived 2004-2006 Pontiac GTO nee Holden Monaro, for one. Then there’s the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 4, the Holden Torana A9X hatchback and the then-futuristic Holden Commodore SS Group A. They’re all good cars, and all highly collectible.

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of the Chrysler Group's Valiant Charger R/T E49. The Valiant Charger was the short wheelbase version of the unremarkable Valiant coupe and the R/T’s homologation specials of their motorsport cousins.

The E49 was the last of the R/T’s, built primarily to win the 12 hour Bathurst endurance race. There were 149 of these legendary cars made, in colourfully named shades such as “Hot Mustard” and “Bondi Bleach”.

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Holden Updates Captiva 5 SUV in Australia with Series II Model

General Motor's Holden division has the unique distinction of having two Captiva models in its range: the Captiva 7, which is none other than the European market Chevrolet Captiva, and the Captiva 5, that's a re-badged Opel Antara. Given Opel's confirmed descent to the land of Down Under in 2012, there's a very strong possibility that Holden may be forced to drop the Captiva 5 from its Australian lineup at some point.

But until a decision is made, Holden will keep the Captiva 5 going with a modest refresh, incorporating the same changes found on its 2011MY Opel Antara twin. The Captiva 5 Series II is distinguished on the outside by the new grille treatment with mesh detailing and the fresh alloy wheel designs, while interior changes include a single-touch electric park brake.

The new Series II model gains a new generation 2.2 litre four-cylinder diesel engine delivering 135kW (181HP) and 400Nm of peak torque, teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission for a combined fuel consumption of 8.5 lt/100km.

There’s also an updated 2.4 litre four-cylinder powerplant with 123 kW (165HP) and 230 Nm, which is 19 per cent more powerful than its predecessor. It returns an average fuel economy of 9.1 liters/100km.

The new turbo diesel model is equipped with an electronically controlled active all-wheel drive (AWD) system, while the 2.4 litre gasoline-powered version offers buyers two-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

Holden added that the Series II Captiva also benefits from a smoother, quieter ride and improved handling characteristics.