It’s often said that when you travel the world, you can spot an Aussie by picking the most colourful character propping up the bar.
But when it comes to choosing a colour for a new car, a recent survey from online car buying service Autogenie suggests that we are actually quite conservative.
Autogenie sampled over 9000 new car purchases in 2013 and discovered that white is the new black, making up 21 per cent of the total sales. The plain jane theme continues with grey hues comprising 18 per cent to take second place, followed by black and silver on 17 per cent each.
According to the survey, only 27 per cent of participants picked ‘vibrant’ colours. “If you’re going to spend $30,000 or more on a car, there is a strong chance you will have that car for some time, so perhaps people are less inclined to go for ‘fashion’ colours like ‘Arabian Mocha’ and ‘Crystal Pear’, preferring to stick with classic colours that they won’t tire of,” said Autogenie General Manager Shiju Thomas, adding that the plainer hues generally have higher resale value.
“White cars are also typically seen as being a safer option by virtue of their visibility on the road. They also reflect the sun’s heat better, which is a huge advantage on a hot summer’s day,” he concluded.
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HONDA has confirmed that its upcoming Holden Trax and Ford EcoSport competitor won’t land in Australia until the first quarter of next year at the earliest.
Wearing a different but as yet unknown badge to the Japanese market model known as the Vezel, the newcomer will launch with diesel as well as petrol-powered variations of the company’s new “Earth Dreams” four-cylinder engine range.
The former is expected to be a variation of the 1.6-litre i-DTEC turbo-diesel that recently debuted in the UK-built Civic Hatch, while the latter will be an all-new 1.5-litre direct-injection unit.
This means that the petrol-electric hybrid version with Honda’s new dual-clutch transmission will sit Australia out for the time being, especially as initial orders for it in Japan have reportedly gone ballistic, far exceeding early forecasts.
Based on the next-generation GF Jazz light car due in around August, the front-wheel drive five-seater crossover will kick off in the low-$20,000 mark to directly take on a growing number of sub-compact SUV combatants.
A four-wheel drive version – probably with the i-DTEC powerplant option – is set to spill into the $30,000 bracket.
According to Honda Australia Director Stephen Collins, the Vezel should be a strong seller for the brand in this country, growing with the burgeoning segment it competes in.
“I expect it would become a core model for us,” he revealed to Wheels at the launch of the CR-V Diesel range in Wagga Wagga this week. “And not a niche or a fringe model.”
“We haven’t set volumes at this point, but we expect that small SUV market will keep growing, and in the next few years it may even get as big as the medium SUV segment.
The vehicle known elsewhere as Vezel will actually be Honda’s second bite of the baby SUV pie in this country.
For just two years from 1999 Australians were offered the HR-V – a remarkably similar-themed model based on the Jazz’s Logo predecessor, with 1.6-litre petrol power, front-wheel drive, and the choice of two or four-door wagon body styles.
Failing to find an audience, just 5662 found homes in that time.
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Hot on the heels of the Volkswagen Golf R Mk VII launch comes a rumour that the German juggernaut will use April’s Beijing Motor Show to display a still-wilder version of its hot hatch hero.
Set to be dubbed the Golf R Evo, early reports suggest that it will make more power and carry less weight than the ‘standard’ R, and will come only with a six-speed DSG transmission. The Evo’s design New Wheels magazine out now!
The EU is secretly developing a ‘kill switch’ to be fitted to all new cars that will allow police, or other authorities, to remotely stop any vehicle, reports The Telegraph.
The technology – which will allow police to track and stop cars from a control room – has made headlines worldwide and is either a leap forward in policing, or a horrendous invasion of privacy. Or, worse, a safety concern. Stopping cars at intersections or on freeways is surely an accident waiting to happen?
If approved, all new vehicles sold in Europe could be fitted with the tech by the end of the decade following a ‘six-year development timetable’.
Of course, the technology does offer positives. Ending dangerous high-speed car chases, or halting and locating stolen cars for example.
Already approved by the EU’s Standing Committee on Operation Cooperation and Internal Security, the plan has the support of senior police and civil servants, but has also attracted widespread criticism.
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The French brand today confirmed it will introduce a GT variant to its new Clio range – a model built to strike a compromise between the base Clio city car and the hardcore Clio RS.
Called the GT 120 EDC, the new model boasts a unique rear bumper design, wide-set LED lights, twin exhausts, tinted rear glass and new 17-inch wheels.
Inside, bolstered seats and gearshift paddles further enforce the GT’s sporting pretensions, while under the bonnet lies the same 88kW/190Nm 1.2-litre turbo-petrol used in the Clio Expression and Dynamique.
Like its bigger Megane GT brother, the Clio GT’s chassis has been tuned by the brand’s RS performance arm, which has upped spring and damper rates 40 and 30 percent respectively to improve handling.
As for pricing, the GT will slot in between the regular Renault Clio and RS models, meaning a starting price of around $25,000.
Sales will begin in April.
While not due to be unveiled until later this year (early talk is the Paris motor show in October), Wheels can confirm several details about the new car, including ground-breaking new safety tech.
As part of Volvo’s aim to have zero fatalities in its cars by 2020, the XC90 will be crammed full of the brand’s latest safety innovations, including advanced systems that scan the road for dangers, pedestrian detection that works at night, adaptive cruise control with steer assist and Volvo’s famous pedestrian airbag.
As for design, these spy pics reveal little, but we do know the XC90 will draw inspiration from the XC Coupe concept shown at last month’s Detroit motor show and the Coupe concept shown in Frankfurt last year.
Inside, an iPad-sized central touchscreen has been confirmed, meaning an uncluttered dash with minimal buttons.
Engine-wise, expect a high-output version of Volvo’s in-house 2.0-litre twin-charged four-cylinder petrol producing 225kW – a number that could leap to 300kW (and 600Nm) should an electric motor be fitted to the rear axle.
New, innovative tech is also likely to find its way into the diesel range.
The idea – one of several options Holden has discussed with dealers – would see the Cruze occupy the value-for-money segment of the small-car class, with the German Astra positioned slightly higher, and both badged as Holdens.
The Cruze would be priced at between $19,000 and $28,000, while the Astra range – including hatchback, wagon and coupe – would start at about $24,000 and stretch to $40,000 for the high-performance OPC coupe.
Next-generation versions of GM’s small cars, sharing the same D2XX architecture, are due in 2015 and will bring an all-new range of turbo-petrol and diesel engines.
It makes no economic sense for Holden to begin assembly of the new Cruze when it has only 18 months to live as a local car. Cruze, therefore, would revert to full importation from Korea before the Elizabeth, South Australia plant ceases production.
Holden knows it needs to dramatically strengthen its range pre-2017 and is looking at a range of options.
It seems increasingly likely that Opel will become the major source of small and medium cars. Last week, the German motor industry union indicated that Opel would be building “tens of thousands” of cars to be badged as Holdens.
The first Opel-badged Holden is expected to be the Cascada convertible late this year, with the Zafira MPV due in 2015.
Inside Holden there is now belated recognition that the Holden brand suffered because many of its Korean imports – think Epica – failed to deliver Holden’s core attributes, specifically driver appeal. Long-term, the move to Opel products is seen as potentially rectifying this issue.
Replacing Commodore is, of course, the major issue.
While it is no longer Australia’s best seller, the Commodore remains a significant player on the local scene and its demise will almost certainly see a hefty fall in market share. In 2013, Holden sold 27,766 Commodores, 1113 long-wheelbase Caprices and 5941 Utes.
Whatever succeeds the Commodore – we know it’s a front-drive sedan, and could be sourced from South Korea, China or the US – it will not include a passenger-derived ute or limousine variant.
It’s called the Superbug (not really, we just thought it sounded good) and, thanks to a race-tuned turbocharged TSI engine, it churns out more than 420kW. It also sports four-wheel drive, racing tyres, twin exhaust and a massive twin rear wing.
It’s the monstrous brainchild of VW America and top racing team Andretti Autosport, which plans to enter it in this year’s Global Rallycross Championship.
That means it’ll be rocketing over 70-foot jumps and racing similarly powerful rivals across dirt and tarmac.
Former F1 and NASCAR ace Scott Speed and US racer Tanner Foust are the guns hired to tame it.
It’s called the Koenigsegg One:1, it’s from Sweden, just six will be made and it will cost you millions – if you’re chosen to buy one, that is.
Built to achieve a perfect power-to-weight ratio (hence the name One:1), the car is set to make its debut at next month’s Geneva motor show, with performance specifications leaked overnight.
Weighing 1340kg (with a full tank of fuel, fluids and a 75kg driver), power is rated at 1340hp (1000kW) and top speed is projected at a face-bending 450km/h.
Acceleration should be ferocious, with Koenigsegg aiming for a 0-400km/h sprint of 20 seconds – less than half the time it takes the Bugatti Veyron to hit the same speed.
As you would expect, to keep it on the road, state of the art suspension and aerodynamic systems are fitted that will allow the One:1 to produce 600kg of downforce and generate 2G of lateral grip.
Mental.
In the rarefied stratosphere inhabited by super-luxury automotive brands, carefully treading the gossamer-thin line between maintaining brand exclusivity and prestige, and delivering returns for hungry shareholders, is a delicate balancing act.
Ferrari reportedly takes the position of always building one less car then there is demand for, but not even the famous prancing horse marque has been immune from criticisms that it is diminishing its brand value by expanding its range with cars like the oddball FF.
Granted, weighing the pros and cons of how many is too many is not a bad problem to have, and it’s one the German-owned British car maker Bentley may soon be grappling with.
Bentley’s global sales are flourishing; the company delivered a record 10,120 cars in 2013 – an increase of 19 per cent over 2012 and its fourth consecutive year of double digit growth.
Sales in Australia were even more bullish on a percentage basis, the crew from Crewe delivering a total of 121 cars to Aussie customers in 2013, versus 65 in 2012.
Local and international sales were spurred on last year by the launch of a new-generation Flying Spur limousine and a convertible version of the Continental GT Speed coupe.
This week two new additions were added to the luxury carmaker’s rapidly expanding line up, in the form of the Continental GT V8 S coupe and convertible.
Though first revealed at the Frankfurt motor show last September, this week’s launch in San Diego, California, was the first opportunity for the world’s media to drive the impressive new models.
The V8 S coupe and convertible are essentially enhanced versions of the Continental GT V8, which launched in Australia in 2012. Boasting more power and sharper handling, they’ll be expected to help continue the brand’s sales momentum in 2014.
Unfortunately, it’ll be mid-year before Aussie customers can get their hands on one and pricing was not available at the time of writing, but expect a sticker north of the Continental GT V8s $370,000 (coupe) and $407,000 (convertible), and south of the W12-engined Continental GT’s $405,720 (coupe) and $446,300 (convertible).
While the Continental GT V8 S coupe and convertible will add some incremental volume, the real boost to Bentley sales lies with its all-new full-size SUV, which will soon be peeking its prominent grille over the horizon.
The SUV itself could be worth as many as 3000 additional sales per annum, according to Bentley’s product PR manager, Mike Sayers, who acknowledged this would take the brand to the threshold of 15,000 sales per annum, a figure some commentators have nominated as a ceiling the organisation is comfortable with, in terms of maintaining the brand’s exclusivity.
The Brit company’s head of marketing and communications for Asia-Pacific, Robin Peel, meanwhile cautioned that, though now officially green lighted for production the SUV, won’t see light of day until late 2015, and won’t make landfall in Australia until 2016.
