WhichCar By Wheels

Right from the start, in 2007, there’s been a carefully orchestrated plan behind the scenes at Nissan to keep evolving Godzilla, in the same way that Porsche keeps upping the ante with the 911, to keep sales hot and to stay ahead of the curve.

Case in point, Nissan brought in a slew of small but significant updates for the GT-R for 2009, topped off of course by the lightened, hardcore, limited edition Spec V.Another version in the works is the Spec M, a premium “luxury” version of Godzilla with higher grade interior, which is expected to debut new seats and higher grade finishings for the GT-R’s dour, gameboy-themed cabin. Spec M is expected out in Japan this December yet could well appear first at this October’s Tokyo Show.On the engine front, according to word, Nissan is not set to ready any major changes until 2011 when the GT-R gets its first serious overhaul. It may be then that Nissan will finally roll out the 550 bhp powered up V6 twin turbo for Godzilla that was widely tipped for Spec V yet in the final analysis failed to show….because the GT-R team decided to spend its R&D cash on those superlative Nissan Carbon Ceramic brakes instead.Just how fast the Spec V is around the Nurburgring should be answered in May when the Kazutoshi Mizuno, the GT-R development chief, and his team decamp once again for Germany’s Green Hell. Up until now, when asked for a Ring Time for Spec V, Mizuno would only smile quizzically and say…”please imagine….”

Audi Australia’s ebullient managing director Joerg Hofmann has joined the car industry clamour for the free-spending Rudd Federal Government to offer serious financial incentives to lure Australians out of their older, less safe and environmentally unclean motor vehicles into new cars.

It’s an imaginative scheme, he says, that has worked beyond expectations in his home country of Germany and would also be a resounding success here.

The outcome would be the end of a fleet of polluting, unsafe and thirsty old passenger cars, replaced by new, models with low tailpipe emissions, a raft of safety features and better active safety. Their sales would provide a great stimulus for the struggling Australian vehicle industry.Hofmann says the German scrappage bonus of 2500 euros applies to cars at least nine years old. The original forecast of 600,000 consumers willing to scrap their old cars and use the bonus money to buy a new car was readily exceeded. “Around 1.4 million people have applied to be part of the scheme,” said Hofmann, adding that the German market is now running 20percent better than last year in defiance of the economic mess affecting most of the rest of the world.Hofmann says Audi Australia has calculated that a green scrappage scheme here, if introduced with an A$2500 incentive, would be “almost self funding” due to the Federal Government’s tax take (GST, stamp duty, and in some cases, import duties and LCT) from the new cars sold. (On a $20,000 car, the government gets roughly $2500 in tax revenue, he said.)Hofmann points out that the average age of the Australian passenger vehicle is around 10 years – among the worst in the developed world. Around 2.47 million (21 percent) of our cars are older than 15 years.“Yes, there would be some pull-forward in new car sales but the scheme would also encourage those consumers who in normal circumstance have never bought a new car, to go out and do so,” Hofmann went on.Hofmann says the idea – at this stage nothing more than food for thought for the Federal Government to stimulate new vehicle sales – has support from fellow top-end importers Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and from the FCAI.He concedes that such a scrappage stimulus scheme would not be especially helpful for Audi and the other premium importers, although “I think we’d benefit from extra A3 sales and getting rid of demonstrator models”.“The biggest beneficiaries would be Holden and Ford and anyone with cheap, small cars.“I believe it can turn Australia from having a heavily declining car market into one of positive growth,” concluded Hofmann.The UK government has now followed Germany’s lead, announcing it would introduce an incentive scheme to encourage owners of bangers at least 10 years old to trade them in for a new model. The lure is 2000 pounds…Audi draft calculationExample – Australia (rough calculation based on $2,500 environmental bonus) Duty 1,290.60 (Federal tax) List price of car 16,981.82 GST 1,698.18 (Federal tax) RRP 18,680.00 Stamp duty 760.00 (State tax ie NSW) Drive Away Price 19,990.00 Government earnings – current Imported cars 3748.78 Locally produced 2458.18 (Less Environmental Bonus of $2500) Imported cars 1248.78 9 (Earnings) Locally produced -41.82 (Earnings)

Used 911 or brand spankin’ Boxster? Stuttgart’s most affordable sports car was born in 1997, and so was this conundrum. Okay, so the modestly powered Boxster wasn’t a Carrera, but given the price advantage, it did steer, handle and sound near enough to one.

Now, 12 years later, a seven-speed PDK base Boxster almost keeps up with the outgoing Boxster S manual to 100 kays (5.6sec versus 5.5). And yet it costs $113,000, only four grand more than the 1997 original.The launch event for the MY09 Boxster/Cayman isn’t typical. Partners are invited, so the fiancée and I fly to Melbourne for a weekend getaway.On Saturday morning we’re presented with a shiny Boxster manual. The real changes lie beneath the skin, but a subtle exterior facelift incorporates new headlights, tail-lights, side mirrors, and bumpers.It starts raining as we wheel out of Melbourne’s city streets headed via drivers’ roads to Torquay. I recall the previous evening’s presentation. The flat six whirring gruffly behind me is all-new, from the same family as the new 911 engines, and the first new engine architecture since Porsche went water-cooled. Capacity is up from 2.7- to 2.9-litres (see engine breakout, below), while MY09 also introduces PDK for Boxster and takes the manual from five to six speeds.As we motor north-west towards Daylesford, periodic breaks in the downpour let us explore the chassis’ potential and the upper reaches of the tacho. On flowing country roads the rhythm is addictive — floor the pedal, snick the gearlever up, listen as the engine note blurs from throbby bark to manic howl, squeeze the brake, slot the lever back, wind steering lock on and off, feed in the power. We’re only interrupted occasionally by an inopportune, less-than-enthusiastic driver. Or more rain.The biggest reminder you’re driving the next best thing to a 911 comes via the steering. It’s one of the motoring world’s most unsullied systems, the wheel jiggling over bumps and surface changes, always alive and feeding a continuous stream of info to the driver. Front grip levels belie the fact the only thing over the front wheels is the fuel tank, a weekend bag and a picnic rug.Trentham offers a pause in the rural-road rhythm and the chance to reflect. It’s typical of the sleepy country towns we pass through. There’s no-one around. Smoke wafts from chimneys, filling the cool early-autumn air with the smell of the impending colder months. The rasp of the flat six echoes through empty streets and off rain-soaked roads.And so to answer our question: we’d happily choose a Boxster over a second-hand 911. But great as the Boxster is, drive the S and it will convince you to spend the extra $27K.Porsche Boxster Engine 2893cc flat six, dohc, 24v Max Power 188kW @ 6400rpm Max Torque 290Nm @ 4400-6000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual 1-100km/h 5.9sec (claimed) Price $113,000 On sale Now

Throwing the gauntlet down to BMW and friends, Nissan is ready to spring this smart, Skyline-based Crossover in the Japanese home market from this summer.

A smooth fusion of coupe and SUV, it’s the third model out of the latest, acclaimed V36 Skyline range, following the sedan and coupe and if it already looks somewhat familiar, that’s because it’s essentially a lightly rebadged version of the X3-challenging Infiniti EX Crossover, already out in the US.Nissan has absolutely no intention of launching Infiniti in Japan in the current economic climate, so introducing the car as a Skyline makes perfect sense. With a history dating back to 1957 and topped off of course by the legendary Skyline GT-R and countless race wins, Skyline remains one of Japan’s most powerful and emotive brands.Japan’s Skyline Crossover comes with right hook steering and VQ37VHR V6 (shared with the latest 370Z) and 7-speed auto transmission with manual shift mode.Could this Nissan Skyline Crossover yet get to play in Australia? There was no official word from Tokyo at presstime, and while some believe it could bring the dollars in for Nissan here , their answer seems pretty clear.“These vehicles remain Infiniti products,” said a Nissan spokesperson.“At some time in the future, we will launch the Infiniti brand in Australia.“It is at that time that we desire a full and competitive product range – sold through an exclusive dealer network (not part of a Nissan showroom).“This is a global strategy.”

Humans don’t event blink in 60 milliseconds. Yet here we are at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, popping upshifts as quickly as that in the new 430 Scuderia.

According to Ferrari, we’re accelerating at a rate that will demolish 100 km/h from rest in under 3.6 seconds and with the traction control system we aren’t wasting time spinning our wheels.Can we please keep doing this all day?Think of the 430 Scuderia in the same way the 360 Challenge Stradale was a super Modena 360. Ferrari began with the basic F430 and put it on a diet, down to 1250kg. It was a general weight-loss program, everything from big stuff to bits and pieces, but most obvious is the lavish use of carbonfibre. The engine bay is awash in it, from the compartment’s walls to the V8’s intake.The interior is downright spartan, welds in view, carbonfibre as evident as the sweet-smelling leather in older Ferraris. Less welcoming, perhaps, but more invigorating. A new steering wheel manettino has five settings from street machine to racer.You’ll notice little changed outside the 430, though Ferrari says the downforce is greater front and rear with no increase in the coefficient of drag.The 4.3-litre V8 has been urged up to 375kW, torque up a bit to 470Nm with a fatter upper curve. The 6-speed F1 gearbox is further developed to make those 60-millisecond shifts. And there has been fine-tuning of the traction control and “E” differential to make putting that power down still more controllable.In fact, Ferrari says the 430 Scuderia is faster around Fiorano than the legendary Enzo … and with its carbon ceramic brakes it probably stops as quickly.Our first experience with the 430 Scuderia was on Fiorano, which is a smooth showplace of speed. It was raining during our session, but that doesn’t much stifle the fun, thanks to the traction control and stability systems. We’ll leave a hot lap in the wet around that circuit with the control systems off to the test driver, ex-F1 driver Marc Gene. Still you can bury the pedal and just keep snapping those upshifts on the paddles. The Ferrari howls out of each corner straight and true, and no matter how late you brake for the next corner you have the sense it could have been later. And, boy, does it sound good!Given the state of modern exotic car development, none of this is all that surprising. But then we headed into the hills behind the factory in Maranello, up on narrow roads that aren’t necessarily smooth and welcoming. We fiddled with the manettino a bit but quickly settled on full systems operational with the softer settings. Even on rough, heavily patched surfaces the Scuderia stays steady and well planted as you accelerate and brake through a set of gnarly hairpins.But here was the biggest surprise. Click to the firmest setting and the pseudo-racer Ferrari doesn’t become a buckboard.A remarkable piece of machinery, this 430 Scuderia – just one of a set of only 1700 being made by the factory – and we suspect they’re probably all spoken for. In fact, they deserve to have been snapped up in the blink of an eye…

While Ferrari struggles in Formula 1 this year, don’t forget it was just a few months ago that Felipe Massa was fighting for the driver’s title and the Scuderia was winning its 16th World Constructor’s Title.

The latter is reason for the 16M in the name of its latest iteration of the F430. Called the Scuderia Spider, it basically applies the same treatment to the soft-drop-top F430 given the coupe to create the first Scuderia.You can see the separation from the normal Spider by the edgier look of the Scuderia, but what matters most is the extensive use of carbon fiber. By removing 80 kg from the F430 Spider for the Scuderia, Ferrari has sliced the kerb weight down to 1440 kg. The 4.3-liter V-8 makes 375 kW at 8500 rpm and 470 Nm of torque at 5250 rpm. Combine that with a 6-speed F1-Superfast2 gearbox that snaps out shifts in just 60 milliseconds and 100 km/h comes up in (Ferrari’s claim) 3.7 seconds. Top speed is 315 km/h, and wouldn’t that be a rush with the top down?As expected, the chassis gets the attention needed for the conversion to Scuderia, from the F1-TRAC(tion control) to the E-DIFF(erential), including that welcomed ability to soften the settings a bit on rough surfaces.Ferrari claims the 16M is the fastest production spider it has produced. Like the hard top Scuderia, the soft top version is capable of being a street racer or cruiser, equally adept at both without being too hard edged. And it lets you know when you are on the power by abruptly going from being legally quiet to unnervingly noisy.Oh, and for cruising you can get an optional removable 16GB iPod that docks in the dash. Something of a contrast in an interior devoid of carpeting or much sound deadening…deleted to save weight.Price of the 16M is $600,000 plus, but you’ll have one of only 499 built.

Audi Australia managing director Joerg Hofmann has a positive outlook formed by the brand’s stunning sales performances in a sagging overall market – Audi is year-to-date running six per cent ahead of the first four months of last year in a car market down 19-20 per cent.

While his cohorts at other companies are reluctant to tip a 2009 Australian new vehicle market of more than 800,000-850,000, Hofmann has a more encouraging forecast.

“I think the market has come to the bottom but will recover to be around 880,000 to 900,000 units – a bit more than 10 per cent down on last year.“The Aussie economy isn’t all that bad.” Which is why he’s tipping another record year for Audi sales here.Will Audi beat BMW?“Not this year, but Audi will overtake BMW in the future.”

Ferrari has put its hand up to assist disaster victims to rebuild their lives one month after the Abruzzo quakes with a limited edition F430.

The car, which will be the last off the production line at the end of the F430’s lifespan later this year, will be covered in the colours of Aquila, the town worst hit by the April 6 quakes.The highest bidder will be invited to the Maranello factory to customise the car to his or her requirements, and be presented with a certificate and plaque for the dashboard.The bidding will be held this Sunday at the Ferrari RM Auction in Modena.

Honda has truly hit the ground running with the Insight, which in April became the first hybrid-powered car to top the sales charts in Japan.

Honda’s compact 1.3-litre Insight hybrid stunned the industry by going number one with 10.481 sales.In the process, it overtook Honda’s Jazz (9443 units) which had been Japan number one, to make it a dominant Honda 1-2 in the charts.That’s according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the august body that oversees domestic sales statistics over 660 cc.In this compact class, Japanese consumers love anything that is new, hi-tech, eco friendly and, ahem, value-based. Honda’s Insight which has been in strong demand right from its launch in Tokyo on February 6 strategically ticks all those boxes.The Insight’s sales performance must have raised a few extra smiles inside Honda’s Aoyama HQ as well because it comes just days before Toyota is about to pull the trigger on the third generation Prius.It’s not often that Honda puts the skids on Toyota in the hybrid wars, but this sales “first” with the Insight counts as one such occasion, an indicator as well perhaps that hybrids are starting to get closer to going mainstream.

Holden’s Viva replacement, the Cruze, has joined the short list of new cars awarded full marks in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety test.

The Cruze will join the FG Falcon in the short list of Aussie cars awarded the full five stars when it hits the small car market in June, having earned 35.04 out of a possible 37 crash test points.

The points are collated through a series of internationally recognised crash tests that vary between offset frontal, side impact, pedestrian and pole impact. Cars can also award bonus points for safety extras like seat-belt reminders and electronic stability control.The Holden Commodore Omega and Sportwagon range have also recently earned their full stars from ANCAP, an achievement that is becoming increasingly expected among the passenger car classes.At Melbourne’s show this year, Holden boss Mark Reuss described the Cruze as Holden’s response to the growing small car market, and the high safety rating will validate Cruze as a viable option in the heavily competitive genre.The Cruze will go on sale in Australia at two spec levels of a base CD and CDX, with standard ABS, EBD, traction and stability control, and six airbags.Wheels test drives the new Cruze in the June issue, out May 25.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

12 May 2009 Cruze To Launch With Five-Star Safety Rating

The all-new Holden Cruze has joined the top-selling Commodore Omega sedan and Sportwagon models in receiving the maximum five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) rating.Holden will launch the all-new Cruze into the Australian small car market next month with the five-star safety rating following independent crash testing by ANCAP. Cruze scored 35.04 points out of a possible 37 in the ANCAP testing.A combination of its high-strength structure and a host of active and passive safety systems make Cruze one of the safest cars in its class.Cruze’s structure has been designed to provide maximum protection including front and rear crush zones engineered to collapse in a controlled manner to absorb crash energy. A collapsible pedal assembly also helps to reduce the chance of lower extremity injuries to the driver in a frontal collision.In addition to its extremely strong passenger compartment, Cruze includes a full range of active and passive safety systems as standard across the range including:

nGM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss said safety was at the core of the vehicle’s global development program.nn”We know that today’s motorists want many things from a small car and that includes no compromises on safety,” Mr Reuss said.nn”Incredibly high benchmarks were set as the Cruze was being developed and the results show.nn”This is a world-class car with a safety rating to match.nn”We welcome ANCAP’s response to Cruze’s strong safety features.”nnCruze is the first vehicle in General Motors’ new portfolio of global products and enters the Australian market equipped with bold looks, a high level of standard features and advanced interior styling and comfort.nnIt will go on sale early June powered by a 1.8 litre four-cylinder ECOTEC petrol engine on the CD & CDX or a 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbocharged common rail diesel engine on the CD model.