Melbourne may be Australia’s most liveable city (so says The Economist), but Adelaide has come out on top in a new report as our most car-friendly city.The latest annual report from Virgin Car Insurance shows that for two hours of parking in Adelaide’s CBD, motorists pay on average just $9.80, while Melbourne drivers will pay around $20.Adelaide climbed from fourth to pinch top spot from Perth, while also leap-frogging Darwin and Hobart.While Adelaide ranked the best on an overall result, Hobart took the crown for cheapest parking, averaging $2 for two hours in the CBD.At the other end of the list is Sydney, where two hours of commercial CBD parking will set you back an average of $43.30.“Skyrocketing costs when it comes to tolls, insurance and parking fines means more pain for Sydney drivers,” Virgin’s Nick Larkworthy said.“The cost of running a car in Sydney is undoubtedly starting to stretch the budget and force people off the road.”On-street parking is no easier in Sydney, with only 10,483 spaces compared to 42,000 in the heart of Melbourne.The report said that the average parking fine in Melbourne will sting you half as much as what the Sydney council will take.Sydney motorists also pay about 12 cents more per kilometre on tolled roads compared to Melbourne and Brisbane, averaging 32 cents per compared to 20 cents to the north and south.Car Friendliest Capital Cities Ranking • Adelaide • Hobart • Perth • Darwin • Melbourne • Brisbane • Canberra • SydneyWhat’s your say, do you agree with the above research or is it all comparable?
Mercedes-Benz has revealed the wildcard in its 2012 C-Class pack, in the form of the 2012 C 63 AMG Coupe.Power for the superfast coupe comes from the same 6.3 litre V8 driving its sedan sibling, offered in two output specifications.The first, a 336kW version, propels the AMG-tuned coupe to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds – a shade slower than the 358kW top-shelf AMG Performance package, which brings up 100km/h in 4.4 seconds.Torque for the two specifications is listed at 600Nm, available in at 5000rpm, and fuel consumption is listed at 12.0 l/100km for both.Both variants are available with one transmission: AMG’s SpeedShift MCT seven-speed automatic transmission, featuring driving modes that include Controlled Efficiency (C), along with the usual automatic S and S+ modes and the manual M mode.Selected with the same rotary controlled featured in the SLS AMG supercar, the S+ and M modes offer gear changes in just 100 milliseconds. A new Race Start launch control function is also featured, allowing the driver “to explore the vehicle’s full acceleration capability.”The C 63 AMG also benefits from a tweaked chassis that includes a three-link front suspension arrangement, along with a reinforced multi-link independent rear suspension set-up and, of course, a a dose of negative camber and a wider track at the front and rear.The new AMG Coupe gets 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/40 rubber up front and 255/35 at the rear. Behind the wheels sit high-performance brakes with composite front discs.Larger 19-inch wheels are also available, in either a multi-spoke titanium grey finish or the same design in a matt black finish.Setting it apart from the pack, AMG’s new Coupe gets a front splitter, carbon fibre lip spoiler and a rear diffuser. There’s also an aluminium bonnet and LED daytime running lights specific to the AMG range.The 2012 C 63 AMG Coupe will make its European debut in July. Australian launch scheduling will see the C 63 AMG line-up, in Coupe, Sedan and Estate forum, arrive in September.
Czech carmaker Skoda has followed its outing at this year’s Geneva Motor Show with news that it is planning two all-new models for 2012.With the Superb pulling its weight in the large segment, Skoda says both new models will be pointed at the smaller end of the scale.The first of the new Skoda cars will be a sub-light ‘city car’, and although the Volkswagen-owned brand hasn’t revealed any further details, it is expected that the new model will be based on the diminutive Volkswagen Up! car.“This car is our answer to the increasingly strong demand for small cars with low fuel consumption and affordable costs of operation and offers a new sales potential in Europe for us,” Skoda Chairman Winfried Vahland said.Engines for the city car will be similarly small, including a 1.0 and 1.2 litre petrol engines and a 1.2 litre diesel. An electric version is also not out of the question, with the Up! platform already engineered for work as an EV.The new city car is expected to arrive later this year.In 2012, Skoda will launch its second all-new model in the form of a compact car designed to squeeze between the European-market Fabia (which Skoda hopes to bring to Australia at some point, if only in RS form) and the larger Octavia.Skoda has revealed even less about this model, but it is likely that it will draw more than a few design cues from the stylish VisionD concept revealed at Geneva earlier this month.According to Skoda, the new compact car will be a high-volume model, developed to practical and spacious while offering an “outstanding price to value ratio.”Expect both cars to wear Skoda’s new logo, revealed alongside the VisionD at Geneva.
Batman fans can now rejoice at the thought of driving a street legal Batmobile thank to the newly designed Kinetia LMX supercar.Overall design is based on the Peugeot 908 Le Mans racer and the Batmobile car of the 1989 hit film Batman, starring Michael Keaton.The sleek black, gothic, noir car look – with gull-wing doors and LED running lights upfront – evokes images of Batman cruising through the streets of Gotham City.Whilst plans for mass-production have yet to be confirmed, the Indian-based manufacturer aims to create a high-speed vehicle for public roads as opposed to customised tracks, thus qualifying the Kinetia LMX as a street legal vehicle.
Holden has today released new images of its upcoming 2012 Cruze Hatch, as part of its launch this week of the new Series II Cruze Sedan range.The new Cruze Hatch, designed, developed and built in Australia, will join the Sedan range in the last quarter of 2011.“In designing the new five-door hatch we wanted to retain the sporty ‘Cruze’ proportions and bring the same Holden appearance to the hatch that we developed for the new locally-built Series II Cruze sedan,” Holden Design Director Tony Stolfo said.“Holden is very proud of the global design work it does for other brands and countries around the GM world – but it’s especially gratifying to work on a new vehicle designed and built in Australia.”Along with the updated Series II Cruze Sedan range, the Cruze Hatch will be driven by new powertrains: a new turbocharged 1.4 iTi petrol engine and the most fuel-efficient car made in Australia, the 2.0 litre turbo-diesel manual Cruze.
The Victorian Government wants to keep the Australian F1 Grand Prix beyond 2015, but only with new contract terms.That is the latest development in the saga surrounding Melbourne’s future on the F1 calendar, after powerbrokers Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone this week said Australia is important to the sport.But there is a long-running debate in Victoria about the rising cost of the annual event to taxpayers, and it was the previous government that negotiated the current deal that is not set to expire until 2015.“There’s no doubt about it that the Victorian government would want to secure the grand prix,” Major Events Minister Louise Asher told Reuters.“It’s just that we’re not going to be bunnies in contractual negotiations.”
Ford Australia has announced plans to add the company’s global EcoBoost engine to the local Mondeo line-up in the coming months, following its launch in Europe last year.Arriving in mid-2011, the updated Mondeo will be followed by the long-awaited EcoBoost Falcon – the first application of any EcoBoost engine in a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.The announcement follows news last week that Ford’s 2011 Territory would be the first Ford vehicle in the world to feature the company’s 2.7 litre Duratorq diesel engine.Ford Australia says that close to 85 per cent of its vehicle line-up will be all-new or significantly updated within the next 12 months.As for the Mondeo beating the company’s large sedan to market with its brand-new engine, Ford Australia boss Bob Graziano said the Belgium-sourced Mondeo has always been a pioneer for Ford.“The Mondeo was the first Ford vehicle in Australia to include elements of our ‘kinetic design’ styling language and, more importantly, it began to change the way that many people thought about the Ford brand,” Graziano said.“Mondeo will again take on the role of pioneer for the introduction of this new and innovative technology that characterises Ford’s ambitious product launch calendar for 2011.”
After countless special edition releases of the Exige, British sports carmaker Lotus is set for a massive model makeover in the coming years.Headlining the range will be the much-hyped Esprit, packing a supercharged 5.0 litre V8 engine, developing around 462kW.And to keep the supercar enthusiasts eager, Lotus has releases a handful of new images and video of its upcoming Esprit and Elite models.The manufacturer has also confirmed that it expects to price the new Esprit at around AU$170,000 when it launches in Europe next year.
As the price of unleaded petrol rocketed to more than $1.39 per litre last week in a 29-month high.Australian motorists began to feel the pinch at the pump. But it’s not all bad news for drivers, who are seeing this as an opportunity to save money elsewhere, such as on car loans.While for some motorists the average $0.029 price hike means an extra $30 each month to refuel the family car, compared with six months ago, others are saving by reassessing their vehicle and finance options by:• switching to a more fuel-efficient model • comparing fixed and variable rate car loans; • accelerating repayments in good times; or • comparing car loans and refinancing.Not all of us can afford to drive the latest hybrid model or even downsize to a “smart” car, but that doesn’t mean the propensity to save money on your car is limited. The biggest savings can be found by comparing car loan products, weighing up fixed interest with variable rates and refinancing to better suit your situation.If you are considering a new loan type or switching to another lender, compare car loans online with RateCity’s comparison tool. For instance, if you found that one of the top variable rate car loans on RateCity was at 8.74 percent and you currently pay 15.5 percent on a $10,000 car loan, by switching you could potentially save around $30 each month or almost $2000 after five years.Savings such as this can counteract petrol price hikes in your budget and may even mean car owners are able to clear debt sooner and start saving for any future petrol price rises, which are inevitable according to some experts.Some economists have forecast a further $0.04 rise per litre within a fortnight. Others say petrol prices will reach $1.50 per litre within a month, as the price of crude oil rises as a result of political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.If economic forecasts of further price spikes at the bowser come to fruition in the next few weeks, any extra savings will be welcome.Before you make the switch, consider the exit fees imposed by your current lender as well as any establishment fees that you may incur with a new car loan. Also, keep an eye on the market and reassess your car loan every 12 months to see how it compares with what is available.Find best interest rates and no ongoing fees at RateCity.
Call us Naderites, but the notion of a three-tonne car with just one door, a refrigerator and a butane-fuelled fireplace doesn’t sound all that crashworthy. Unless you intend to film it.There again, who are we to argue with a self-professed inventive genius like Bruce Baldwin Mohs.The Wisconsin-domiciled Mohs is often described as a builder of seaplanes and innovative, luxurious automobiles. There’s scant evidence of the former, but thankfully, some comical evidence of the latter.Born in 1934, Mohs was always this inventive. At 14 he built a tandem four-seater motor scooter featuring a supercharged, horizontal-twin engine and hydraulic brakes. According to an August 1978 article in The Rotarian, this was followed over the years by “a bicycle sidecar, electric and amphibious motor scooters, a mini-motorcycle and a tilting tractor seat”.The centrifugal seat would be one of infinite oddities embodied in Mohs’ 1967 piece de ridicule, the Ostentatienne Opera Sedan limousine. Truck maker International Harvester contributed the chassis and 5.0-litre V8 engine (and optional 9.0-litre V8), while Mohs himself penned the 6.3m-long, 2.3m-wide and 1.75m-tall body.At first notable for its soaring, Utzon-esque roofline and enormous 20-inch wheels, the Opera’s body otherwise yodels of kontemporary kustom kar kooks, George Barris and Dean Jeffries.Also notable is the absence of doors, sacrificed for the ‘safety’ of solid steel girders along each side. Occupants enter via a walk-in rear hatch, similar to a flying saucer. Indeed, Mohs may have picked up the idea while being abducted by aliens.Occupants would want for nothing in terms of luxury, and thus the Opera was equipped with a gold-detailed, walnut instrument panel, velvet upholstery, and a two-way radio system with home and office base-stations. As for the furnace? NFI.All the above added up to a kerb weight of 2.6 tonnes for the 5.0-litre and 2.8 tonnes for the 9.0-litre. Their 1967 prices of US$19,600 and US$25,600 compared with around $6700 for a ’67 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.Ah, but a Cadillac couldn’t go off-road with a hunting party of eight. Neither, for that matter, could the Ostentatienne Opera Sedan; a shortcoming so apparent to Mohs that in 1972, he produced the Safarikar Dual-Cowl Phaeton.This sinister, matt-black beastie likewise had a Pantheon grille and International underpinnings, but otherwise might be mistaken for a troop-carrying Facel Vega.Its aluminium body at least had doors – albeit, ones that opened on a sliding parallelogram arrangement – and a folding metal hardtop.The exterior was upholstered in Naugahyde (aka vinyl), which Mohs promoted for its low maintenance. “You merely wet, wipe and dry for cleaning,” the brochure read.Three front buckets, a three-person bench and a pair of dicky-seats in the fold-out boot made space for eight. However, the interior could also be reconfigured in the wild to provide sleeping accommodation for two adults and two children.When it appeared in 1972, the Safarikar was advertised at a bargain US$14,500, although 4WD and the furnace were extra-cost options. While Mohs sold precisely no Ostentatienne Opera Sedans (how exclusive is that?), it’s believed that three Safarikars were built.Still, Mohs made some sort of living from his cars, keeping them as exhibits in his German restaurant and motor museum.Factors other than futile, flopped cars apparently conspired in Mohs’ 1988 financial downfall. In 1973, he trademarked the business name ‘Century 21’ in Wisconsin. This, amazingly, would prove nettlesome to a rapidly-expanding real estate corporation of the same name.Mohs lost the legal fight in 1984, but in a modestly-titled autobiography The Amazing Mr Mohs published the same year, continued to assert his ownership of the trademark. An amended judgment went against him in February 1988 and Mohs filed for bankruptcy six months later.
