JEEP is set to get a seven-seater to fight family trucksters such as the Toyota Prado/Kluger, Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento.
One option is the new Grand Wagoneer flagship, due in 2018, which was all but ruled out for Australia but is now on the agenda thanks to solid local sales growth.
“It may be right-hand drive but today it’s not,” said Jeep president and chief executive Mike Manley said from the floor of the Detroit motor show. “We’re at the stage where we have to make the final decision in terms of right- and left-hand drive.”
He said Jeep’s solid growth in Australia – sales grew 37 percent in 2014 to propel the brand to 12th place on the list of top sellers – was a catalyst for putting the Grand Wagoneer back on the agenda for right-hand-drive markets such as Australia.
“We have performed well in the Australian market. That’s helped all right-hand-drive markets … that has a big impact on any future investment plan.
“The vehicle at the top of the range, in the same way as Wrangler is an icon … is very important in terms of how it establishes your brand.”
Manley said it would come down to crunching numbers to create a business case for the expensive engineering required to sit the steering wheel on the right.
Even without the Grand Wagoneer, Manley said there would likely be another seven-seat option, possibly the next generation Jeep Grand Cherokee due in 2017.
“A number of other competitors have three-row, seven-seat vehicles. Certainly it’s an option for us to look at a three-row vehicle outside Grand Wagoneer,” he said. “There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be available for Australia.”
Manley said it was all about maintaining the sales momentum with the possibility of cementing Jeep as a top 10 brand in Australia.
Jeep’s 2014 growth came with just five models and one, the Grand Cherokee, accounts for more than half of Australian sales. The Grand Cherokee is the 14th best-selling model (of about 350) and the fourth best-selling SUV (of almost 100).
In 2015 Jeep will release the Renegade that will slot in as an entry level model to take advantage of growth in the fast-growing small SUV segment.
Manley said Jeep was working to improve its disappointing recall record, which involved 14 recalls in 2014 – 11 of them for the Grand Cherokee.
“We’ve taken a number of steps to address the things that are addressable in terms of the way that we handle our customers,” said Manley. “Our job is to try and produce the best quality vehicle that we can but when there is an issue make sure we deal with that situation the best we can.”
The most ferocious version of Ford’s sixth-generation Mustang to date, the Shelby GT350R, has been revealed at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.
The buzz is that the ‘R’ variant promises to deliver “the most track-capable production Mustang ever built” as a spiritual successor to Mustang greats such as the Shelby GT350 Competition of the mid-’60s.
Lighter, more powerful and featuring a host of circuit-friendly handling enhancements, the GT350R is much more than an enhanced V8 GT.
Instead, it builds enhancement off the already bespoke new-gen Shelby GT350 unveiled last October.
This ‘regular’ GT350 substitutes the mainline Five-Oh V8 for a special 5.2-litre unit featuring a flat-plane crankshaft, favoured for high-revving engines that provides the engine with a unique character.
The “most powerful naturally aspirated production engine ever” boasts a vague “over 500 horsepower” says Ford, though consensus puts estimates at 375kW and 540Nm.
Drive is delivered via a conventional six-speed manual gearbox and a Torsen limited-slip differential, as featured on the current Mustang GT Performance Pack.
With its wider front track, the GT350 breed features a unique nosecone and panels forward of the A pillars, such as a special air-vented bonnet and front guards made from aluminium.
Both GT350 and GT350R feature adjustable MagnaRide suspension damping, though the R’s handling package is said to use bespoke spring and anti-roll bar rates and a specifically low ride height.
The R also substitute’s the GT350’s already formidable alloy 19 x 10.5 and 19 x 11.5-inch wheel package with similarly sized rolling stock made of carbonfibre – a saving of six kilos per corner.
The wheels are produced by Geelong-based company Carbon Revolution.
A set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres has been specially developed for the GT350R’s handling characteristics and wheel stagger.
All up, it’s claimed the GT350R is some 60 kilograms lighter than the base GT despite enhancements that increase structural body rigidity by around 28 percent.
Much of the weight reduction program is evident inside the stripped-out cabin, which features lightweight Recaro seats, no second-row seating and removes track-day excesses such as air-con, audio equipment and parking camera hardware (though many deleted items be optioned as spec).
Engineers also worked on massaging the GT350R’s aero package, which includes a carbonfibre rear boot wing, a so-called rear ‘diffuser’ treatment, new front splitter design and underbody paneling.
The official line at Detroit is that when GT350R hits showrooms (and pitlanes) later this year, it will only do so in North America and Canada.
However, given the six-gen Mustang’s much touted global-friendly rollout, it seems possible the new Mustang King might cross ponds to Europe and Australia, perhaps dependent on feasibility of 5.2-litre engine production.
Fingers crossed, V8 fans.
While it mightn’t have been a big surprise to Detroit Auto Show-goers, Alfa Romeo’s drop-top Spider interpretation of its 4C sportscar garnered a lot attention at the event.
With its near targa-esque body styling, the Spider stays reasonably faithful to the rag-top design concept debuted at 2014’s Geneva show.
Crucially, though, the Spider robs little of the 4C Coupe’s gorgeous styling template and modern-classic proportions.
The similarities owe much to the 4C coupe’s super-rigid carbonfibre monocoque construction and, thus, there is little in the way of structural reinforcement or alterations required to imbue the Spider with requisite dynamic talent.
Its targa-type silhouette is certainly reminiscent of Lotus’s Elise design – like its logical lightweight counterpart, the fabric roof foregoes weight-robbing electric automation and is purely a manual installation affair.
Similarly, the roof rolls up and stows in the rear boot compartment.
The roof attaches to an inconspicuous integrated aluminium roll bar, while a carbonfibre removable hard lid will be made available as an option.
Close inspection reveals few differences between Coupe and Spider body work; the rag-top displays a little more of its carbonfibre make-up in areas and there’s a transparent engine cover to reveal the turbo four-cylinder engine to onlookers.
Mechanically, the initial production version of the Spider mirrors the Coupe faithfully, maintaining the latter’s 177kW and 350Nm 1.7-litre turbo four, though the Spider features a revised turbocharger.
Geeky details abound in what’s clearly an enthusiast-bred machine, with the windshield and side glass said to be marginally thinner than that of the Coupe to keep tabs on excess weight.
Speaking of weight, there’s very little separating the Spider from Coupe – the drop-top version tips the scales at 1128 kilograms, a deficit of just 10 kilograms against its coupe brethren.
Inside, the (US-spec) launch Spider is due to receive a full-leather interior currently only available in a high-spec 4C Coupe, while the seats are constructed from a mix of carbonfibre and CFRP (carbonfibre reinforced plastic).
Said to be available only with a paddle-shifted twin-clutch transmission, Alfa Romeo claims that the Spider will match the Coupe’s 0-400m acceleration claim of 4.2sec.
As for handling prowess, the featherweight Alfa is said to generate beyond 1.0G of lateral grip for peak cornering load.
With the first examples of the 4C Coupe (finally) arriving in Oz right now in preparation for its February debut, best estimates place the Spider’s arrival Down Under as late 2015 or possibly early 2016.
While the local car industry has largely left all-terrain high-performance motoring in the hands of the aftermarket, Detroit’s big three have long pushed dirty – in the most positive sense – culture into showrooms.
Ford’s latest, reinvented iteration of its flagship go-fast pick-up truck, the F-150 Raptor, brings as much smarts as it does brawn to the off-the-beaten table.
A mainstay of the Raptor breed has long been its intimidating appearance, with its blunt Transformers nose styling and extra 15-centimetre-wide pumped guards, Ford’s latest trophy truck for the road must look terrifying in your wing mirrors.
Much more than an F-150 tart-up, the Raptor adopts a purpose-built high-strength steel frame and bespoke bodywork made from what Ford claims is “military grade” aluminium said to offer weight saving of almost a quarter of a tonne.
Where the outgoing Raptor used a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 outputting 306kW and 588Nm, its next-gen replacement is a smaller-capacity, alloy-block 3.5-litre turbocharged petrol V6 leveraging – you guess it – the Ecoboost nameplate.
So far Ford is mum on the new engine’s specific outputs, short of claiming that the new second-gen, Raptor-exclusive Ecoboost unit is “more powerful and more efficient” than the old eight.
In the spirit of more is better, the Raptor will debut a new automatic transmission with 10 (!) forward ratios.
The Raptor’s on-demand all-wheel-drive system is fully mechanically lockable and governed, along with other electronic powertrain and safety protocols, by a new Terrain Management System offering selectable Normal, Street, Weather, Mud, Baja and Rock drive modes.
The lofty ride height comes courtesy of adaptive, motorsport-spec Fox Racing suspension hardware capable of up to 30cm of travel compression, an improvement over the outgoing model.
Suspension architecture, however, isn’t quite so exotic, it’s A-arm front and soild rear-axle arrangement true to simple-yet-robust tough truck traditions.
A key attribute of the widened front and rear tracks is improved stability across the most challenging off-road surfaces, while each corner mounts a 17-inch alloy wheel wrapped in humongous 35-inch-diameter BF Goodrich all-terrain rubber.
Available in both four-door crew cab and two-door extended ‘super cab’ body styles (and model-specific wheelbases), the Raptor loses the old model’s SVT designation in lieu of new Ford Performance branding when it hits US showrooms early 2016.
With the foreseeable increase in interest in imported trucks in the wake of the forthcoming demise of the Aussie large car, perhaps Ford Australia should take a closer look at the Raptor breed that it has, to date, steadfastly ignored.
Or perhaps offer a performance-bred, go-anywhere Ranger for well-heeled, all-terrain enthusiasts.
HONDA’S NSX was revealed in production form at the Detroit motor show, but the new supercar was fleetingly ignored as comedian Jerry Seinfeld – potentially the car’s first buyer – stole the spotlight.
If you’ve been salivating over the NSX at the seemingly dozens of motor show appearances it has made over the last three years, prepare to wait just a little bit longer.
Honda revealed only minor details of the showroom-ready NSX ahead of the aluminium spaceframe hybrid supercar going into production this spring.
Engine power? No exact figure yet, rumoured to be around 400kW. Same goes for the torque. Engine capacity? Still a secret. Why has it taken so long to get to market? It hasn’t, apparently.
“A three-year gestation period is very similar to other such pinnacle products,” NSX project head Ted Klaus said, as Ford literally pushed the carbon-chassis 450kW GT that it will build in 2016 past the Japanese maker’s show stand.
“I think some of the confusion was because we did have a product that started and stopped that was also called NSX. So the gestation period started in 2012, and here we are with a higher market position with hybrid powertrain.”
Despite the timing, you’d learn more from an episode of Seinfeld – the long-running US TV sitcom that prided itself on being a show about nothing – than from what Honda gave away at the show.
“Our goal was to create a human-centric response,” Klaus said, referring to the Honda’s driver focus, for a car that “rewards drivers of all skill levels”.
Klaus said the NSX is gunning for the Porsche 911 Turbo and Audi R8 V10, but despite its hybrid drivetrain, eco-supercars are not on its hit list.
“The [BMW] i8 is a wonderful, exciting product, but it is not a key competitor.”
The Honda supercar is loaded with high-strength steel, carbonfibre and an aluminium spaceframe, which doesn’t seem as avant-garde as the original 1990 model, which was made of aluminium honeycomb.
“Ultra high-strength steel may not be as sexy as carbonfibre or aluminium, but when that’s the best material, that’s what you use,” Klaus said.
Will it be revered as much as the original?
“I know that the original NSX was maybe under-appreciated, and just like all fine things in life, grew to be better appreciated. And while I hope that this [new NSX] is not under-appreciated, I hope my use of the word ‘timeless’ rings true.”
Time is something the NSX project seems to have had a lot of.
While production of left-hand-drive models begins in Ohio late this year, we’ll have to wait until mid-year for the full specs and, for right-hand-drive cars that will also be supplied by the US factory, it’s most likely we will have to wait until mid-2016 at the earliest.
“Please be patient,” Klaus implores. “Please understand the challenge for us to execute the global allocation plan.
“There is a plan, but we are not ready to announce it until the global media drive.”
That drive will be mid-year, so stay tuned for more NSX news.
AUDI’S flagship A8 limousine will use electrification in all models from the next generation, due in 2017.
The German luxury brand is preparing some form of electric motor assistance for the entire A8 range as part of a push for a wholly electric range.
Audi already sells a hybrid version of the A8 in some markets, powered by an electric motor paired with the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine used across Volkswagen Group products including the Audi A3 and S3, and the Volkswagen GTI.
“I’m convinced more or less every car in the future, especially in the premium segment, will have some kind of electrification,” said Audi board member for technical development, Ulrich Hackenberg, “whether that might be a micro hybrid system or electrical turbocharging system or a combination or maybe a full hybrid or a plug-in [hybrid].”
Hackenberg said the use of electric motors would help “fulfil the CO2 emissions targets” as well as a best-of-both-worlds approach whereby existing performance levels could be maintained, but future regulations and lower fuel use demand be met.
Quizzed about full electrification of the Audi range, Hackenberg said: “That’s not so far away.
“For example, if we look to an A8, next generation we are very close to that.
“If you go to volume cars, I can imagine the next generation of the MQB [small car platform] always will have the possibility to be electrified in some way.”
Hackenberg also confirmed the next A8 – long the technical flagship of the Audi range – would showcase the brand’s much-hyped partial automation, whereby the car can take control in some situations, such as on a freeway.
“Our focus always was to be in production with the A8 successor and the A8 will be integrated with such a system.
“What we need are electro-mechanical steering, braking … and we need sensors. And we need a control unit that brings all those sensor signals together to calculate the control data of the car and then you can steer it.
“So this central control unit makes a story. It’s quite expensive to develop it and to produce it [and] it has to be able to be placed in a car … we have reduced from the size of in a trunk in the car down to a size half of an iPad.”
HYUNDAI Australia won’t be dropping the prices of its line-up as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with South Korea rolls out.
The FTA with South Korea kicked off on December 12, but the FTA with Japan, which comes into effect this Thursday, January 15, has already seen Japanese makers such as Subaru passing the savings on to customers.
Earlier this month, Subaru announced price cuts in direct response to the Japan FTA, cutting the price of the Forester by $1000, taking $750 from the price of the XV and $500 from the list price of the Impreza.
It also launched a new Liberty and Outback range with prices cut by up to a whopping $14,000 compared to the previous versions.
Hyundai Australia boss John Elsworth says the Japanese makers currently have an advantage over Korean brands such as Hyundai and Kia.
“They have two things working for them at the moment: a pretty weak yen and the FTA,” Elsworth said. “We don’t have that in Australia. We’ve got a historically strong won [and] we’ve got issues with the euro.”
Both currencies are critical to Hyundai’s success, as it sources cars such as the iX35 SUV from both its Czech factory and its South Korean plants, in order to keep up with Australian market demand.
“So the two currencies that impact our business are working against us,” Elsworth said.
That means Hyundai dealers, who enjoyed a record year in 2014 to sell more than 100,000 vehicles for the first time, won’t be cutting prices as the FTA comes into full effect.
“You have to look at the details. Diesels don’t get it, so our diesel SUVs won’t get the full five percent [cut],” Elsworth said.
“We don’t have a plan to roll back pricing; we’re going to do it as models get upgrades and look to pass on more features to consumers, so overall value rather than pricing.”
AUDI is working on a new model offensive that could see the creation of a family of sporty SUVs filling holes in the current SUV line-up – think Q1, Q4, Q6 and Q8.
Chief executive Rupert Stadler said the German luxury brand is looking to expand its line-up from about 50 models to 60 or more.
Key to that expansion will be new SUV models that capitalise on unprecedented growth for the high-riding wagons.
Audi board member for technical development, Ulrich Hackenberg, said at the 2015 Detroit motor show that sporty SUVs were a major focus for the brand.
“I’m sure the SUV market will grow,” Hackenberg said. “There are some segments that are not covered by this SUV concept and that’s the reason we are working on a small Q, which we call Q1, because we don’t own the name Q2 … it’s owned by another company.
“If you look at how our SUVs are placed, we have the Q3, the Q5, the Q7 … we can imagine maybe there is some sporty version; for example, there is a space between 5 and 7 and maybe beyond 7 there is a possibility, or between 3 and 5 also a possibility.
“So we are looking very interested and very intensive for such plans.”
Hackenberg pointed to Alfa Romeo’s ownership of the Q4 nameplate as a reason to name that model using the TT – or TT Q (for Quattro), as a concept alluded to.
“TT is one possibility to give a name to the car,” he said.
He also hinted larger sports-oriented SUV derivatives were under development.
“We could name it Q8 or Q6,” he said when referencing a larger (or two) sleekly styled SUV.
As with the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE that a Q6 or Q8 would compete with, Hackenberg said exclusivity would be key and the cars would be priced higher than regular models such as the Q5 or Q7.
But he said Audi would have a different interpretation of the coupe-like look.
“We are following that with interest, but the (design) proportion of what they are doing is not what we would do,” he said. “To have an X5 … and make a roof which is like a coupe is not our way. We will find another way. The other guys are doing the same (but) we have other ideas.”
The Q1 is due in 2016 and will likely be followed by the TT Q, then Q6 and/or Q8.
Hell hath no fury and all that.
Let this story be a lesson to any potentially unfaithful partners; your wandering ways could cost you dearly.
The Courier Mail has reported the story of a Melbourne wife who has sold her husband’s Porsche 997 Carrera S PDK for just $20,000.
With the going rate for similar cars sitting around the $90,000 mark, one lucky buyer has scored the bargain of the century. The online ad explained the justification behind the heavily discounted rate.
“I had hunches that my husband was cheating, so I followed him out on what he said was ‘a guys’ poker night’ to find him at a five-star restaurant cuddling up to this young blonde woman.
“I have been married to this unfaithful poor excuse for a human being for over 25 years…so to pay him back, as I have rightful ownership of his precious Porsche, I have decided to sell it for a specific price of $20,000.”
Attempts to contact the woman in question through the website have come to naught, so we can’t 100 per cent confirm this story is the real thing. We actually hope it’s not, as it means we’ve missed out on a $20K 997!
MERCEDES-Benz will offer 10 plug-in hybrids by 2017.
Speaking at the Detroit motor show, the car maker’s research and development chief, Thomas Weber, confirmed that a broader range of PHEVs will join the hybrid versions of the S500, the company’s first plug-in, and the C350 Plug-in that was revealed at the show.
Confirmed for electrification is the M-Class successor, the new GLE, which will be shown at the 2015 New York motor show.
“SUVs is where the pressure from the legislation side is heaviest,” Weber said. That suggests that the new GLC, which replaces the GLK SUV, will also be offered as a plug-in model.
Not all SUVs will be hybridised just yet, though, with Weber ruling out a plug-in version of the GLE Coupe: “Why would we combine the most dynamic [SUV] with a plug-in? It’s possible, but it does not make sense.”
Mercedes’ sedans and wagons will also be offered as plug-ins.
“It’s always necessary to combine the new [plug-in] launch with a new model. In a short period of time a new E-Class will come to market – of course there will be an E-Class hybrid, because all cars C-Class and upward we definitely have to prepare for plug-in hybrid.”
The plug-in models are driven by both legislation – which forces carmakers in Europe to have an average of 95g/km by 2020 – and customer demand.
Currently, Mercedes’ fleet average, according to Weber, is an impressive 130g/km ahead of the release of the C350 plug-in at Detroit.
“The last remaining grams are the hardest, so we have to prepare our fleet for further optimisation steps, and plug-ins across our fleet will play a major role,” he said.
“It’s now our job to make these [plug-in models] emotional and affordable.”
