Toyota may be the world’s most valuable automotive company, but a new survey has found BMW to be the most reputable carmaker.A survey last month saw a combination of buyer feedback and “dollar value” put Toyota in the top spot.However, BMW claimed first place among its carmaking peers – and fourth overall – in the New York-based Reputation Institute’s 2011 Global RepTrak 100 Study.The RepTrak 100 are drawn from the 1000 biggest names across the globe, using consumer feedback from around the world to determine which companies have the best reputations in the market.The results were drawn from calculations of four emotional indicators: trust, esteem, admiration and good feeling.The study also analysed the ‘seven dimensions of corporate reputation,’ which focus on the perception of the company as a corporate citizen compared to consumer opinion on the company’s products and services.“The results of the Global RepTrak 100 Study confirm that, when evaluating companies, consumers and investors are aligned,” Reputation Institute Chairman, Dr Charles Fombrun said.“The greater the reputation of a company, the more support it earns from consumers, the better its operating performance, and the more money investors are willing to pay for its shares. This is a key feature of the emerging Reputation Economy we now live in.”In the top 10, BMW trailed Google, Apple and The Walt Disney Company, but placed ahead of LEGO, Sony, Daimler, Canon, Intel and Volkswagen.Toyota, pipping second-place BMW by a cool $2 billion in BrandZ’s survey last month, placed a very distant 60th in the Reputation Institute’s survey.While Daimler and Volkswagen managed to hold seventh and 10th – making for a Germany-dominated list – the closest carmakers outside the top 10 were Honda (29), Toyota (60), Nissan (61) and Suzuki (63).
Mazda has put the squeeze on Territory, Kluger and Captiva, with new front-drive CX-9 variants starting from just $44,425.The Japanese-built full-size SUV previously started at over $50K for the base all-wheel-drive Classic, and was consequently unable to match the sales of its cheaper rivals.The base two-wheel-drive Classic undercuts a Territory TS by less than $500, and includes 18-inch alloy wheels, auto headlamps, cruise control, three-zone climate control, power windows and mirrors plus a leather trimmed steering wheel and gear shift knob. The 204kW/367Nm 3.5-litre V6 and six-speed auto drivetrain remains standard.A Luxury front-driver is also available for $51,725, with 20-inch alloy wheels, sunroof, heated power mirrors, power-adjustable leather seats with 3-position memory function and a premium Bose audio system with 10 speakers.Fuel consumption of both front-drive CX-9s is 11.0L/100km, compared to 11.2L/100km for the remaining all-wheel-drive Luxury ($56,225) and Grand Touring ($62,106) variants.Mazda shifted 4096 CX-9s last year, less than half that of Kluger (13,117), Territory (11,558) and Captiva (11,175). With aggressive new pricing, Mazda no doubt hopes to close that gap considerably this year.
Engineers from Oregon State University have invented a technology that aims to use the car’s exhaust fumes as a source of energy thereby refuelling the car and helping reduce the huge environmental problem caused by millions of vehicles around the world.The prototype, which was published in the Applied Thermal Engineering Journal, captures the heat that accompanies the car’s waste and converts it back into electricity.Hailei Wang, a research associate with the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at OSU, told ScienceDaily that “more than half” of the waste heat generated by industrial activities is wasted energy, and that the typical car engine only runs at a 25-40 percent conversion efficiency ratio.“This could become a very important new energy source and way to improve energy efficiency,” Wang told the publication.“The prototype shows that these systems work as well as we expected.”So far the new system can turn 80 percent of every kilowatt of waste heat into a kilowatt of cooling ability as well as produce electricity in the process. Such a breakthrough technology would not only make future vehicles more energy efficient it could also help reduce the overall cost of cars.
Hyundai’s next-gen small-medium sedan will retain its Elantra nameplate, despite speculation suggesting the car will adopt the ‘i35’ tag.The Korean manufacturer has revealed pricing details for the next Elantra, which will be shown at the Melbourne motor show in early July. The three-tier range will include $20,590 Active, $25,550 Elite and $28,990 Premium variants.Powered soley by a new-generation direct-injection 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, it is expected to produce 110kW and 177Nm. A six-speed manual is standard only on the Active, with the six-speed auto a $2000 option on that model and standard on Elite and Premium. Hyundai is yet to announce standard equipment levels for each grade, however six airbags and ESC will be standard across the range.The swoopy new Elantra was designed at Hyundai’s North Amercian Design Studio in Irvine, California, with the company’s ‘fluidic sculpture’ design philosophy in mind. Although designed primarily for the market in which it was designed – US buyers tend to prefer sedans, where Europeans favour hatchbacks – the Elantra is built on a newer platform than its four-year-old i30 hatchback sibling.Hyundai shifted almost ten-times more i30 hatchbacks than Elantra sedans in 2010, despite sales of its arch-rival Corolla being split almost evenly between the two bodystyles. Although the new Elantra lacks a diesel variant like the i30, its newer design, all-new petrol engine, and more advanced transmissions should draw in more small-medium car buyers.
Australians can now purchase the fully-electric iMiev for a one-off up-front price of $49K.
Despite the hefty pricetag for what essentially is a sub-light hatch with a battery pack and electric motor, the Mitsu is the cheapest of its kind available locally; the next (and only) fully-electric car being the $200K Tesla Roadster.
Although introduced to Oz in 2009, the iMiev hasn’t yet been available to the public – until now only a select few companies have been able to lease the 110 iMievs imported to this country.However the iMiev is now available to the buying public. Mitsubishi estimates it will cost approximately $4 to fully charge the iMiev’s batteries, via a 15-amp powerpoint taking eight hours, or a fast-charge recharge station that halves that time. For that, drivers get a range of just over 100 kilometres.
The new up-front pricing coincides with an iMiev facelift – it now scores new alloys, dark-tinted headlights, and the keyless start system has been replaced by a regular insert-and-twist key, after several drivers drained the batteries having not realised their silent iMiev was still running.Although the iMiev’s cost is high, many predict the price of full-electric cars to fall dramatically in the coming years. In 2012, Nissan will launch its fully-electric Tiida-sized Leaf in Australia, for “top of the range Prius and CT200h prices” according to Nissan. That circa-$55K pricetag will no doubt force Mitsubishi to lower the iMiev’s price even further, since the Leaf is far roomier, better equipped, faster and offers a greater range than its fellow Japanese rival.
Ford has been awarded the 2011 Traffic Safety Achievement Award at this year’s World Traffic Safety Symposium in New York for its rear inflatable seatbelts, available on the Explorer SUV.
In the event of a frontal or side crash the industry-first restraint system inflates to increase the diameter of the belt, holding the occupant in the proper seating position more effectively and reducing head, neck and chest injuries.
McLaren London, the first of what will eventually be 35 outlets in the brand’s global retail network has opened for business.
Located at the prestigious address of One Hyde Park, the flagship site will offer sales and service of the new 441kW MP4-12C.By the end of this year, McLaren will have a retail presence in 19 countries, and like the 34 showrooms to follow, McLaren London will stock at least one example of every serviceable spare part for the MP4-12C, and offer what it calls ‘pitstop’ service for fast and efficient maintenance or repair.
A five-week slide in average national petrol prices was halted this week by a 1.1 cent per litre rise, but experts say prices should soon begin to fall again.
CommSec economist Savanth Sebastian said this week that recent dramatic falls in the global price of oil should see petrol prices slide by another few cents.
“The Singapore unleaded price has slumped by almost $US8 a barrel in just over a week, a result that should ensure that petrol prices across Australia fall by around 3-5 cents a litre in a fortnight’s time,” Mr Sebastian told AAP.He said that a continued drop in fuel prices should provide some improvement to household finances, with the average monthly fuel bill falling by almost $7 to $196 in the past six weeks.“However a look at a longer timeframe shows that households are spending an additional $30 a month more on petrol compared with just over 10 months ago,” Mr Sebastian added.This latest report comes just weeks after CommSec Chief Economist Craig James said that prices “haven’t got too much further to fall, limiting gains in confidence and spending capacity” for consumers.
Penned by the French, engineered in Japan, and built in Korea, the Renault Koleos has been an unusual compact SUV candidate since its launch in 2008.
For 2011, the Koleos gets a new face, adopting a chrome multi-slat grille similar to that used in the Fluence and Latitude. Inside, new trim colours and plastics are expected to improve fit and finish. Renault hopes a mid-life re-style will keep the four-year-old SUV fresh among a raft of newer competitors, however the engineering changes are limited.
An upgraded version of the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine will move outputs from the current 110kW/320Nm to a more substantial 127kW/380Nm. The Nissan-developed 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder engine will be retained, as will the choice between front-drive or (also Nissan-developed) multi-mode four-wheel drive variants.Despite Renault slashing the price of Koleos – the entry-level Expression 4×2 is $28K – sales have fallen to just 223 units for the first five months of this year compared with 4170 X-Trails, the SUV on which it’s based.With Renault’s push to sell 3000 cars by year’s end, expect more equipment and lower prices across the Koleos range when the facelifted model launches here in October.
On Subaru’s stand at this week’s Australian International Motor Show, it will be all eyes on the all-new 2012 Impreza, and the impressive XV concept.
That’s not all that Subaru has up its sleeve for the Melbourne event however, with the company confirming today that it will show off its new Eyesight crash-avoidance technology.
Featuring a compact unit of small stereo cameras located near the rear-view mirror, Subaru EyeSight is a driver assistance system that triggers a number of advanced active, passive and preventative systems when a hazard is detected.Similar to Volvo’s CitySafe technology, the EyeSight system is designed to help drivers avoid frontal collisions, lane drifting and low-speed impacts, “locking on” to vehicles in front and adjusting speed to maintain a safe distance.Subaru Australia MD Nick Senior confirmed today that the carmaker will display an Eyesight-equipped Outback at the event, ahead of the technology’s local launch later this year.“We believe Subaru is the first Japanese brand to offer such a comprehensive camera system and there are some aspects of the technology that have previously only been available in premium cars that are around four times more expensive,” Mr Senior added.Mr Senior said that the Eyesight system has been a “major success” in Japan, with more than 50 percent of all new Legacy (Liberty) models sold with the optional system.
