BMW has launched the new 2 Series Active Tourer for Europe, but has already ruled out the compact MPV coming to Australia.

The new-for-2022 Active Tourer has adopted BMW’s signature over-sized kidney grille, which features across the manufacturer’s range, as well as similar front and rear lights to the rest of its line-up.

Under the bonnet, BMW will offer a choice of four internal combustion engines – two three-cylinder petrols, one four-cylinder petrol and a four-cylinder diesel – with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance boosting the output of the higher-spec three-cylinder and the four-cylinder petrol.

While not available from launch, BMW is set to add two plug-in hybrid powertrains to the line-up a few months in to the Active Tourer’s life cycle, both of which will be all-wheel drive as opposed to the front-wheel drive launch variants.

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BMW believes design cues from its iX electric SUV are carried across to the Active Tourer’s interior, which gains a floating armrest above the infotainment controls and a large centre storage bin.

The driver is provided information via a 10.25-inch digital dash, with a 10.8-inch infotainment touchscreen – equipped as standard with BMW Maps and four USB-C ports to connect and charge devices.

In range-topping guise, the Active Tourer will be fitted with premium equipment such as a panoramic glass sunroof and a Harman Kardon sound system.

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Interior space has also been increased over the outgoing model by as much as 90 litres in the boot, as BMW claims the back seats can slide forwards by as much as 13 centimetres as well as folding in a 40:20:40 split.

With the seats up, the boot space now stands at 470L for the 218i Active Tourer and 218d Active Tourer, reduced to 415L for the 220i Active Tourer and 223i Active Tourer, although seat-down space is up to 1455L and 1405L respectively.

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First introduced in 2014, 2 Series sales this year are at zero for the hatch variant after being removed from BMW’s line-up last year – with only the Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe moving units for the nameplate.

Despite selling 3696 units over the model’s local history, just nine were sold last year, dropping off from 36 the year prior – both of which were lower than sales of BMW’s niche i3 electric vehicle in the same time period.

UPDATE, September 6: General Motors is set to resolve its lawsuit against Ford over the Blue Oval’s use of the ‘BlueCruise’ name.

GM initially attempted to sue Ford over as it claimed the title too closely resembled its own ‘GM Super Cruise’ used for the same feature.

According to the Detroit Free Press, GM has now said that “the lawsuit had been resolved amicably,” but declined to release any further details.

A spokesperson for Ford said the settlement is ongoing, but indicated the firm is still likely to continue using the BlueCruise name in the future.

Lawyers from both carmakers filed notices of settlement in the US District Court of Northern California last week, confirming the two are working out terms for a deal.

The story to here

August 17: Ford has filed a motion for the US District Court in San Francisco to dismiss General Motors’s lawsuit over the use of the BlueCruise name for its self-driving system.

General Motors filed the lawsuit last month as it believed Ford’s BlueCruise was too similar to its own Super Cruise feature as well as its driverless car offshoot Cruise, based in San Francisco.

According to The Verge, Ford defended its choice of name, saying it was in reference to the generic cruise control feature rather than undermining an existing trademark.

“Consumers understand ‘cruise’ to refer to a feature in their vehicle that performs part of the driving task or assists them in driving,” said Ford in its motion to dismiss the case.

“They do not associate that term with any one company or brand.”

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JULY 28: US automotive giants GM and Ford are going head to head in the courts, after GM claimed Ford’s new name for its ‘BlueCruise’ self-driving system is too similar to its own ‘Super Cruise’.

Ford announced its new hands-free BlueCruise technology in April this year, which GM believes is a trademark infringement and unfair competition to its Super Cruise self-driving tech – first announced in 2012.

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According to Reuters, last week GM and its Cruise robo-taxi subsidiary filed the lawsuit in California’s federal court to stop Ford from using the name BlueCruise for its hands-free technology, as well claiming unspecified damages.

In a statement, GM said: “[We] had hoped to resolve the trademark infringement matter with Ford amicably, we were left with no choice but to vigorously defend our brands.”

In the lawsuit documents, GM claimed “Ford knew what it was doing,” and “Ford’s decision to rebrand by using a core mark used by GM and Cruise will inevitably cause confusion.”

In response, Ford said the lawsuit was “meritless and frivolous.”

“Drivers for decades have understood what cruise control is, every automaker offers it, and ‘cruise’ is common shorthand. That’s why BlueCruise was chosen as the name for the next evolution of Ford’s Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control,” the carmaker said in a statement.

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Ford also highlighted that other manufacturers use similar nicknames involving the word ‘cruise’ – including Hyundai’s Smart Cruise Control, which Ford said “GM has had zero issue with”.

The Cruise subsidiary involved in the lawsuit was acquired by GM in 2016. The Super Cruise technology first announced in 2012 has been used in GM products since 2017.

Toyota Australia is recalling seven examples of its Prius model due to a fault with its electronic control unit.

The issue affects a handful of Prius and Prius I-Tech 1.8L Hybrids produced in 2021.

According to the Department for Infrastructure, a software fault in the vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU) could cause a loss of motive power while driving.

As a result, the hybrid system would shut down, which could increase the risk of an accident.

A statement from Toyota says: “In the involved vehicles, a software error can cause a control computer (hybrid vehicle ECU) to erroneously determine that it does not have the correct information about the transmission position. This can occur if the shift position is changed during a short window of time when the computer is checking the system status.”

A list of VINs is available here.

Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Toyota and asked to make an appointment at their preferred Toyota dealer for the ECU to be reprogrammed, free of charge, which will take approximately an hour.

Toyota can be contacted regarding the issue by phoning 1800 987 366 or emailing: [email protected]

I confess that I write this as a Brit. Or pom. Whatever you prefer. I like to think of us as the idiots who stayed on the cold, sodden island just to annoy the French. Anyway, where am I going with this? Oh yes. The bloody E-type Jag. As a Brit/pom/idiot I’ve had the E-type Jag rammed down my throat by classic car magazines for about 1000 years. Every other month it’s another story on the E-type. It did 240km/h, y’know? Well, it didn’t. But the, ahem, ‘optimised’ press car did in the hands of The Autocar magazine on the Jabekke highwayzzzzzzzz…

I don’t care about the E-type. Never have. It’s a vintage car for me, not a classic. My classic cars are from the very late ’80s, the ’90s and the first decade of the 21st century. They have names like Skyline (apologies, I know that one still hurts), Makinen, GT3, Gallardo, Clio V6 or M3, F355, Integrale, Shamal. So when I heard about the new G-OLD tour around Modena, part of the annual Motor Valley Fest that celebrates the incredible engineering and craftsmanship in this region of Italy, my ears pricked up.

A celebration of modern classics on some of the greatest roads in Europe, plus a chance to finish up in the beautiful Piazza Grande, eat great food and wander the square and the surrounding area taking in displays from Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and a host of other suppliers and specialists. I just need something from the turn of the millennium to turn up in. Italian, obviously. Manual gearbox, naturally aspirated engine. It’d be cool if it was rare and exotic. Pagani Zonda F coupe? That should do it.

We’ll join G-OLD later. First, we need to pick up a Zonda F from the Pagani Automobili S.P.A factory in San Cesario sul Panaro. No, I can’t quite believe I’m saying that, either. It’s not just any Zonda F. I guess there isn’t ‘just any’ F as just 25 coupes were built, but this one is the personal car of Horacio Pagani himself.

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Chassis 91, handmade in 2007 and finished in Arancione St. Tropez and bare carbon fibre. The car has covered just 2500 kilometres and in 2019 underwent Pagani’s full Rinascimento (Renaissance) program to bring it up to as-new condition. I suspect it didn’t really need it, but the meticulous work acted as a good motivation to owners thinking of lavishing some money on their own Zonda. It is, simply, perfect.

The Zonda was a meteor strike to the old supercar world when it debuted at the Geneva Auto Salon in 1999, but nobody could have guessed quite the change it would effect in the market generally. Nor that this period would come to represent such a significant moment in the evolution of the sports and performance car generally.

Holding on to the evocative, immersive ingredients of the old – naturally aspirated engine, manual gearbox, hydraulic power assistance for steering and a real sense of organic connection – whilst embracing technology that would enhance dynamic performance and reduce mass, the Zonda could scarcely be more desirable or more relevant in 2021. If you trace the story of the supercar, which was written here in Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’, there’s a very strong case that it reaches its zenith with the Pagani Zonda.

You don’t need to know the history of the supercar, nor the extraordinary Horacio Pagani story for the Zonda F to hit you right in the guts. It literally pulsates with a kind of mystical charisma and makes your stomach flip just standing still and silent.

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Swing open the door and the Zonda truly seems to embrace the benefits of Horacio’s favourite material.

If you asked a kid to draw you a supercar they wouldn’t come up with the Zonda. It requires too much imagination, too much skill to capture something of the essence of the great Group C machines and mix it with the drama, humour and pure joy of the supercar tradition. They’d sure as hell recognise it as a supercar, though. On a simmering Italian summer’s day and painted that vivid shade of orange it could hardly look more spectacular.

Of course, the Zonda is not just about drama. Beneath the composite skin is a carbon fibre tub, double wishbone suspension at each corner and the rear sub-frame cradles a 443kW 7.3-litre V12 engine from AMG. Remember, the Zonda came into the world when Lamborghini’s big, bad supercar had a chassis that looked like it had been put together by drunk scaffolders in preparation for the Red Bull soapbox challenge. The Zonda was more an Italian McLaren F1 than a sexier, more esoteric Diablo.

In fact, the very birth of this car is rooted in Lamborghini’s reluctance to adopt new technologies. Horacio, born in Argentina but with dreams that could probably only come to life in the Emilia-Romagna region, had found his way to Sant‘Agata in 1982 and in ’87 headed up the development of the experimental Countach Evoluzione.

Featuring a new composite chassis, carbon-Kevlar panels and a host of other trick components it was nearly 400kg lighter than the Quattrovalvole and performed on an entirely new plane. Horacio saw the, um, light. Lamborghini didn’t. So he left, founded Modena Design and, very soon after, Pagani Automobili.

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Swing open the door and the Zonda truly seems to embrace the benefits of Horacio’s favourite material. It’s feather light, a handshake to remind you that this full-size supercar weighs just 1230kg (dry), and reveals a cabin that’s a feast of shapes and jewel-like details but, most of all, perfectly matched, machined and lacquered carbon fibre.

In a mid-range BMW a few strips of carbon-fibre trim seems vaguely absurd and isn’t even that pretty. In the Zonda F it’s structural, dazzling, sculptural and, honestly, rather gorgeous. For some the intricate, busy interior will be too much but what it lacks in understated elegance it makes up for in carnival-like flamboyance.

It gets the details right. The flat-bottomed Nardi steering wheel is fabulous to hold, the circular floor-hinged pedals are a little unusual but take just seconds to master and the driving position and glass teardrop canopy provide a gorgeous view and a real sense of airiness. The front wings fall away abruptly and frame the view ahead and the elegant side mirrors mounted on those deliciously slender carbon-fibre stems give a great view of the road behind. That’s if you’re able to stop gawping at the taut rear wings and the edges of the carbon-fibre wing.

Twist the key, depress the red button mounted atop the gearlever and the M120-series AMG V12 wakes with a deep, mellow roar. It’s not brash like, say, a C63 S on start-up, but such is the depth and resonance that you can sense the scale of the engine. The steering requires some heft, which seems only right and proper, and the clutch needs a bit of muscle, too.

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The six-speed Cima ’box is slightly less satisfying in its action. Light, hollow-feeling and just a little bit awkward to use, it’s perhaps the only thing you could describe as a ‘disappointment’. However, it’s a six-speed manual and for that I will give praise. The connection it brings is priceless. Subsequent Zondas introduced a padde-shift version of this ’box and it feels very outdated compared to modern dual-clutch systems. The F really is the sweet spot.

I haven’t explained the ‘F’, have I? Well, way back when Pagani was dreaming up his perfect supercar he needed an engine partner. A friend of his named Juan Manuel Fangio went about introducing his countryman and friend, Horacio, to the team he used to race for, Mercedes. The rest is history. So it’s F for Fangio. Which means it had better be bloody good to drive…

Oh, it’s good. The engine has all the torque you’d expect of that cubic capacity and in combination with the lightweight construction makes for effortless progress at low and medium speeds but there’s real bite, too.

Extend the engine beyond 4500rpm and it howls the purest, sonic almost sci-fi howl. It’s like the noise you’d expect to come out of a plasma blaster or something and it doesn’t so much cut the air into sharp fragments as charge it with energy and blast it into space. If you had any fear a German engine couldn’t work in an Italian supercar it seems laughable after one run to the rev limiter. Of course, being naturally aspirated, it’s also laser precise and has fantastic throttle response.

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It’s the sense of precision and delicacy that really characterises the way the Zonda F goes about picking apart a road. The chassis structure feels as stiff as any new hypercar and that allows the suspension to be supple enough to suck-up the worst that even earthquake-damaged roads can throw at it but also pull the body tight, so that you feel you’re tracing the surface rather than floating above it.

With lovely, textural feedback through the steering, minute control of the engine and excellent feel and power from the carbon-ceramic brakes, the Zonda F remains a pretty devastating car even by today’s standards.

It doesn’t have the rock-solid body control of, say, a McLaren 765LT, nor the crazy, dizzying performance of an SF90, but it’s more than fast enough to live with all but the most committed lunatic in either.

Just how fast is made clear the next day when we finally join up with the G-OLD convoy. There are two groups – Youngtimers and Modern Supercars – and we seem to be floating between the two. Even in a group including F355, 550 Maranello, a perfect E46 M3 and Z3 M Coupe, plus some real rarities like a Mercedes 500E and an E34 M5 with a turbocharger the size of Rome, it’s clear the Zonda is The Main Event. How could it not be?

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A young guy sidles over to pore over the Zonda. He’s here with his Dad, in the Modern Supercar group and a Ferrari 488GTB. Or is it an F8 Tributo? Who cares. Anyway, he asks the power output and it strikes me I don’t actually know.

It seems so irrelevant when all these cars are so unbelievably potent. “I think 600bhp,” I reply. He’s Italian so kilowatts wouldn’t cut it. “Less than yours, anyway,” I continue. He chuckles. “Yeah… just 150bhp or so less! It’s beautiful, though.” I feel patronised. Later, when his Dad is right up my chuff as we emerge from another idyllic Italian village and a ribbon of tarmac clinging to the side of the Apennines opens out ahead, I decide to demonstrate that the old girl can still cut it.

To be fair the Ferrari stays in my mirrors for two or three corners, but the Zonda F is in full flight and eases away. It’s so confidence inspiring. Yes, it feels a little wide and over big undulations I’d want a touch more control (of course, this being a Pagani you can have the set-up finalised in any direction you so desire), but there’s such inherent agility that it feels perfectly at home even on roads that logic suggests are a size too small. Grip runs out at the front first but the understeer is measured rather than messy, plus you have 7.3-litres of AMG goodness to balance that out.

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Terrifyingly, to get the Zonda really flowing requires disabling the ASR traction control as it’s severe and intervenes too early. Yet after the initial panic of prodding the button you soon relax into the intuitive dynamics. You can spin-up those rear wheels but it takes determination and the oversteer that follows is progressive and predictable. The Ferrari doesn’t stand a chance.

Our final miles with the Zonda F are literally in the wheel tracks of Horacio Pagani. The G-OLD guys and girls join up with him after a factory tour and we all trundle into the centre of Modena together. The Motor Valley Fest is in full swing and the orange carbon fibre spaceship is, once again, all anyone cares about.

The Zonda really is a remarkable car. The ‘last’ versions were meant to be the Cinque and Cinque roadster, all the way back in 2009 and 2010. But it won’t die. People clamour to own them, or to upgrade existing cars to ‘760’ specification – the final development of the AMG engine producing 559kW. This Zonda F, which would have cost €550,000 plus taxes in 2007, is now worth €$7m. The absolutely, definitely, probably-not-really final ‘final’ cars will be two further Zonda HP Barchettas, similar to a car shown at Pebble Beach in 2017. They are priced at €$15m each.

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The values are completely nuts. But I see the appeal. The cars are stunning to behold, the personal story of Horacio is pure fairy-tale and the Zonda really does sit at the most amazing point in motoring history. Blessed with performance, materials technology, reliability and safety that would hitherto be unthinkable but not saddled with endless electronics or bloated by spiralling power outputs and hybrid or EV powertrains, the Zonda isn’t so much a classic car as a timeless statement of supercar drama and excitement.

I would wrap this all up neatly with some derogatory comment about the E-type Jag. But as we inch our way to the Piazza Grande in convoy, Horacio is just ahead in his beloved bright red E-type Roadster looking very happy indeed. Oh well, nobody’s perfect.

2006 Pagani Zonda F specifications

UPDATE, 5 October: The 1994 Subaru Prodrive 555 Group A World Rally Championship car driven by the likes of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz has sold over the weekend for $500,000.

“This WRC car was a needle in a haystack, uncovered in a barn in Victoria, and was originally thought to have an estimated value of $15,000-$20,000,” said Lloyds Auctions COO Lee Hames.

“The new custodians are motorsport enthusiasts and are looking forward to enjoying all the benefits of the car and honouring the vehicle.”

It’s understood the buyers elected to pay for the Subaru with around 7.5 Bitcoins – following Lloyd’s decision to accept the cryptocurrency around three months ago.

It’s believed to be one of the highest prices paid for a rally car, but falls short of the amount paid for the 2000 Subaru Impreza S6 WRC rally car of Richard Burns and Robert Reid, which was sold by Collecting Cars for £610,000, or AU$1.14 million.

The story to here

14 September: An original 1994 Subaru Impreza WRX Group A rally car, driven by World Rally Championship-winner Colin McRae, is going across the auction block in Australia.

Lloyds Auctioneers is offering this Prodrive-built Impreza WRX, originally commissioned for rally champion Carlos Sainz when he moved to Subaru for the 1994 WRC season.

It was the first vehicle to wear the famous L555REP number plates, celebrating Repsol’s sponsorship of Sainz and Subaru.

Repsol’s personal sponsorship of Sainz forced the driver to leave Toyota after Castrol became the title sponsor of the team in 1993.

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The Subaru – known as chassis 94.006 – is believed to have been driven by Carlos Sainz at Monte Carlo in 1994, in which he took third place.

The Impreza took a number of stage wins during its career, and is currently in its number seven 555 livery as driven by McRae in the car’s final rally for Prodrive at Corsica in 1994, marked as a DNF.

McRae went on to win the World Rally Championship in another 555-liveried Subaru the following year.

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The second owner retired this particular vehicle in 1996, before its current owner took possession in 2013.

The vehicle is still fitted with its original 2.0-litre turbocharged ‘boxer’ engine, marked as ‘94 PD.01’, and a six-speed manual gearbox only allocated to the team’s top drivers.

“When we originally saw this car, it was a barn find with an estimated value of $15,000-$20,000. Today it’s had a wash and a check of its history, and it may well be worth more than $1 million,” Lloyds COO Lee Hames told WhichCar.

“This is one of the most important rally cars in history – its history is unmatched.”

The 1994 Subaru Impreza Prodrive 555 Group A car is currently being auctioned on the Lloyds website, found here under lot 555.

The Peugeot Expert van range has received an update going in to 2022, with two engines and two body styles available across four variants.

As with the current model it replaces, the refreshed Expert can be ordered as either a “Short” or “Long” body – measuring up at 4.95 metres and 5.30 metres respectively, both with a height of 1.94 metres to provide access to multi-storey car parks.

Peugeot will be hoping for the new Expert to inject life into its van range, as the current model sits second-last in the 2.5-3.5 tonne sales charts – only behind the Hyundai Staria-Load which was released last month.

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2022 Peugeot Expert van pricing

Of the four variants available, only two can be ordered with a manual transmission, limited to the City Short and Pro Long, while every other trim is automatic-only.

The Sport grade is a limited edition for the opening run of 2022 Experts, an option which is only allowed on the Short body.

Prices exclude on-road costs.

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Features

In the Expert range, all variants bar the range-topping Sport are fitted with a Euro 5 compliant 2.0-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine, which produces 110kW and 370kW, with power sent to the front wheels through a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox.

City

The entry-level City variant is the base of the range, scoring equipment such as:

Pro

Stepping up from the City to the Pro, a wider array of features are on offer, including:

Premium

Only available on top of automatic Pro variants, the Premium grade adds:

Sport LE

Finally the Sport Limited Edition, the only variant available with a Euro 6.3-compliant engine, developing 130kW and 400Nm, has exclusive trim and equipment such as:

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Warranty

As with the rest of Peugeot’s light commercial vehicle range, the Expert is covered by a five-year/200,000-kilometre warranty, with servicing for the first five-year/100,000-kilometre period setting buyers back $3049 for 110kW owners and $3864 for those with the 130kW engine.

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Availability

The 2022 Peugeot Expert will arrive locally in the first quarter of next year.

The local arm of Ford has confirmed the E-Transit is on its way for the local market, as it makes its first step towards electrification.

A fully-electric version of Ford’s iconic Transit van, the E-Transit, will kick start the Blue Oval’s move towards electric vehicles locally – becoming the first of five such Ford products to launch in Australia by 2024.

Under the skin is a 68kWh battery, which powers the E-Transit’s 198kW and 430Nm electric motor, making it the most powerful Transit on offer in Australia. Meanwhile, it is hoped its 317 kilometre driving range will suit a majority of urban commercial businesses.

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Featuring both AC and DC charging, the E-Transit’s 11.3 kW on-board charger is capable of delivering a 100 per cent charge in up to 8.2 hours – while a 15 to 80 per cent state of charge is achievable in 34 minutes when utilising 115kW DC fast-charging.

Ford will offer the E-Transit with a gross vehicle mass of up to 4.2 tonnes and targeted payload of 1616kg, while its cargo capacity of up to 11.3 cubic-metres in mid-roof specification and 12.4 cubic-metres for the high roof are identical to the Transit 350L RWD diesel equivalents.

Commercial customers will be covered by Ford’s eight-year/160,000-kilometre warranty for the battery and high-voltage electric components, as well as its five-year/unlimited-kilometre service offering.

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The introduction of the E-Transit is a part of Ford Australia’s EV strategy to bring itself in line with the company’s global goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, recently announcing a US$11.4 billion (AU$15.7bn) investment in building the Blue Oval City – a dedicated ‘mega campus’ for the production of electric vehicles.

“We are accelerating our electrified future in Australia,” said President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand, Andrew Birkic.

“We are anticipating the needs of each type of customer and bringing the best of our global line-up to meet those requirements. For business customers, E-Transit delivers the durability and capability they need to serve their customers, along with zero emissions efficiency.”

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Ford will be installing charging stations at its facilities in Campbellfield, the YouYangs Proving Ground, and at the company’s new logistics hub at Merrifield – preparing for its extended range of electric vehicles to arrive in coming years.

Further pricing and features for the Ford E-Transit will be confirmed closer to its local launch in mid-2022.

Ford Australia is holding back on creating concrete targets to introduce electric vehicles locally.

At today’s reveal of the new E-Transit, Ford’s first electrified offering to come here, CEO and President of Ford Australia and New Zealand Andrew Birkic remained coy when asked about the company’s targets to bring EVs to the local market.

While it was confirmed at least five electrified vehicles will be launched in Australia by 2024 – including the E-Transit and Escape PHEV – Birkic wouldn’t provide details around whether the remaining three vehicles will be fully-electric or hybrid.

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Any aspirations of the F-150 Lightning electric pick-up truck coming to Australia were quickly dismissed, given the yet-to-be-launched vehicle is available in left-hand drive only.

Despite the Mustang Mach E being available overseas in right-hand drive, Birkic said there was no possibility of it coming to Australia due to being sold out globally – with no plans to bring it to the local market when demand eases.

Birkic also said the potential introduction of an electric Ranger ute is currently off his radar, even though the current-generation, Australian-developed Ranger is the best-selling 4×4 in Australia and second overall to the Toyota HiLux.

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Australia’s lack of a federal emissions standard has previously been a sore point for Ford, with global CEO Jim Farley pointing to it as a reason why the company hasn’t announced a total move to electric vehicles, while Birkic believes the local arm needs to work with the Government to develop stronger policies to incentivise customers.

“The Government has a role to play in terms of both consumer adoption and infrastructure,” said Birkic.

“Norway is a leader for EV policy, with high adoption through financial incentives as well as benefits with reduced registration and toll costs, plus bus lane access in some areas.

“We’re keen to work with local government, industry and industry bodies to help develop policy in Australia.”

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In terms of its global operations, Ford is throwing a significant amount of capital at its move towards electrification, with a US$30billion (AU$41.24bn) investment in technology being spearheaded by the new US$11.4bn (AU$15.7bn) Blue Oval City ‘mega campus’ for the production of electric vehicles.

The investment comes alongside a commitment for at least 40 to 50 per cent of Ford’s production volume to come from EVs by 2030, helping it to reach its wider goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

How quick is the Ford Focus ST? Well, I’m glad you asked. Ford claims its hottest hatch – fitted here with the seven-speed automatic gearbox – hits 0-100km/h in 5.7sec, but we want a bit more data than that.

Specifically, we’ll record 0-97km/h (60mph give-or-take for our overseas readers), attempt to match that 0-100km/h time and also attempt a quarter mile, 80-120km/h overtaking acceleration and 100-0km/h braking test.

The Focus ST’s 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine produces 206kW and a muscular 420Nm; that’s a lot to send through just the front wheels but an electronically controlled limited-slip diff does its best to put the power to the ground.

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Unlike its six-speed manual twin, the automatic Focus ST doesn’t have any form of launch control, so it’s up to the driver to extract the performance.

There are three drive modes, however – Normal, Sport and Racetrack – and selecting the latter sharpens the throttle, weights up the steering and, crucially, stiffens the suspension, reducing the amount of weight transfer off the front wheels to improve traction.

The usual place to start is to stall the engine up slightly, increasing revs by holding the brakes with your left foot and then depressing the throttle until the revs reach the desired point. This can’t be done for very long as it’s not good for the transmission, but with 2000rpm on the clock the brakes are released and we’re off.

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The wheels spin momentarily before the gearbox selects second. Oops, I forgot to put it in manual. Nevertheless, it doesn’t feel to overly affect momentum and the initial results are a promising 5.7sec to 97km/h, 5.9sec to 100km/h and a 14.1sec quarter mile at 164.2km/h.

Manual mode engaged and the start technique repeated results in a slight improvement to 5.5sec to 97km/h, 5.8sec to 100km/h and 13.9sec at 167.4km/h. What’s been edited out of the video above is the next six or seven runs that all netted virtually identical numbers, the Focus frustratingly refusing to yield that final tenth.

At moments like this it’s important to change tack. There’s the old adage about repeating the same thing again and again and expecting a different result, so a fresh approach is needed.

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In this case, instead of stalling the engine up, I just ease the Focus ST off the line virtually from idle. There’s less wheelspin, the front tyres gripping up as soon as second gear is selected and from then on it’s simply a case of remembering to click the upshift paddle at the correct moment.

The result is 5.4sec from 0-97km/h, 5.7sec to 100km/h, matching Ford’s claim, and a 13.8sec quarter mile at 167.2km/h. Overtaking from 80-120km/h takes 3.5sec and braking from 100-0km/h is completed in 36.7m.

So how quick is the Ford Focus ST? As it turns out, one of the quickest front-wheel drive hot hatches we’ve ever tested!

Australia’s new-car market is on course to pass one million units despite supply issues and lockdowns continuing to disrupt showroom results.

The latest official industry data reveals 83,312 vehicles were sold last month. The figure represents a 21 per cent increase on September 2020, though is the second-lowest September tally since 2011.

Total sales for the year now stand at 816,140, a 27 per cent increase on this time last year when the market continued to be most heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New South Wales again accounted for the biggest slice of the nation’s new-car sales despite an eight per cent decrease to 23,965 units. Victoria sales of 20,495 were nearly double its particularly troubled September 2020, a 96 per cent increase that nudged the state past Queensland’s 20,062 units.

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Industry body the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) said September’s results were encouraging, but acknowledged the ongoing lockdowns and global microprocessor shortages were restricting market progress.

“For many manufacturers, [the September sales result] is bittersweet with the knowledge of what could have been achieved in a normal trading environment,” said FCAI chief executive Tony Weber.

“These are challenging times, but automotive manufacturers are rising to meet them. Brands are working across their supply chains to deal with microprocessor issues and consumers are embracing online purchasing through click and collect delivery options.

“In many respects these figures give the industry great encouragement and excitement for what will be possible in 2022 when lockdowns will hopefully be a thing of the past.”

Passenger car sales have recovered by only five per cent compared with this month last year and are up only seven per cent year to date. September sales of 18,531 places passenger cars behind light commercial vehicles (20,035 units) and the dominant SUVs (40,832 units).

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Ute sales lead the way for individual segments. Combined 4×4 and 4×2 ute sales are 17,327, though 14,476 units for 4×4 utes alone places them above the next most popular category of mid-sized SUVs (14,031 units).

Large SUVs were third in September, courtesy of a 46 per cent sales increase to 11,145 units. Small SUVs placed fourth with 10,750 units.

Small-car sales were static at just over 9500 units, and down nearly four per cent year to date.

Micro cars were the biggest grower in September, with a 64 per cent increase, albeit representing just 697 vehicles. People-movers were up 54 per cent to 844 units for the month.

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Top 10 models

The Ford Ranger outsold the Toyota HiLux for only the third time this year, making the locally developed ute the best-selling vehicle for September.

It put only a small dent in the HiLux’s overall 2021 lead, however, while Toyota vehicles accounted for half of the top 10 model sales for the second time this year after the Camry sedan made its first appearance of 2021 in the list.

The Hyundai i30 maintained its 100 per cent top 10 record for 2021, if comprehensively outsold by the rival Corolla – which increased sales by a huge 139 per cent. The gap was close to 1500 units.

Isuzu’s D-Max has also never left the top 10 this year, leaving another ute as the surprise for the month. Sales of the Mazda BT-50 jumped by nearly 180 per cent compared with September 2020 to just sneak into the best-sellers list.

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The BT-50’s cause was aided by a rare falter for the Japanese brand’s mid-sized SUV. CX-5 sales dropped 20 per cent to 1415 sales to push it out of the top 10 for the first time this year, and a single unit below the rival Hyundai Tucson (1416 sales).

Mitsubishi’s ASX compact SUV made only its third appearance of 2021 in the top 10, though the company’s Triton ute has missed out for the third consecutive month after being a regular fixture in the first half of the year.

Notable results for vehicles outside the top 10 include the Subaru Outback wagon (up 286 per cent to 1162 units), just-launched new-generation Isuzu MU-X SUV (up 203 per cent to 1297 units), and new Toyota Kluger seven-seater SUV (up 127 per cent to 1266 units). The LandCruiser 200 wagon has hogged the sales headlines in 2021 so far, but in September it was the turn of the 70-series ute with 1314 units – a 116 per cent increase on September last year.

With just three months of 2021 remaining, the HiLux remains clear favourite to be Australia’s favourite vehicle yet again. Toyota’s RAV4 and Corolla also look well set to win their respective SUV and small-car segments.

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Top 10 models: September 2021

1) Ford Ranger – 4192 + 12% (v September 2020) 2) Toyota HiLux – 3635 + 1% 3) Toyota Corolla – 3487 + 139% 4) Toyota RAV4 – 3390 + 39% 5) Toyota Prado – 2173 + 165% 6) Hyundai i30 – 2034 + 14% 7) Isuzu D-Max – 1833 + 64% 8) Toyota Camry – 1610 + 35% 9) Mitsubishi ASX – 1489 + 58% 10) Mazda BT-50 – 1444 + 177%

Top 10 models: 2021 year to date

1) Toyota HiLux – 40,791 2) Ford Ranger – 37,551 3) Toyota RAV4 – 29,263 4) Toyota Corolla – 23,404 5) Mazda CX-5 – 21,333 6) Isuzu D-Max – 20,006 7) Hyundai i30 – 19,134 8) Toyota Prado – 17,326 9) Mitsubishi Triton– 16,148 10) Kia Cerato – 14,802

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Top 10 brands

Toyota last month sold more than triple the number of vehicles shifted by the next most popular car maker.

The Japanese brand increased month-on-month sales by 56 per cent to again register more than 20,000 monthly sales.

Second-placed Mazda suffered a seven per cent decline to post 6555 sales for September.

Ford Australia had a strong month, with a 20 per cent increase not only placing it third for September – but pushing it ahead of Hyundai in the overall 2021 manufacturer race by just 100 units.

Korean affiliate brands Hyundai and Kia both had a relatively flat month, up just three and one per cent, respectively.

A nine per cent year-on-year increase for Nissan sales couldn’t prevent the Japanese brand from missing out on the top 10 manufacturers list for the third consecutive month.

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Nissan has been replaced in seventh place in overall 2021 sales by Volkswagen.

Outside the Top 10, September was a disappointing month for German luxury brands. Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all endured sales decreases – down 12, 27 and 17 per cent, respectively – while Porsche dropped 34 per cent.

Lexus sales grew 90 per cent compared with September last year, equating to 689 units and contributing to year-to-date growth of 25 per cent.

British luxury brand Jaguar also defied a difficult year so far to post a 71 per cent increase in September to 104 units.

Positive stand-out September results beyond those brands in the Top 10 included Peugeot (up 198 per cent to 486 units), GWM (up 197 per cent to 1801 units), SsangYong (up 139 per cent to 234 units), Lotus (up 100 per cent to 12 units), Jeep (up 65 per cent to 795 units), and LDV (up 51 per cent to 1372 units).

Peugeot’s sister brand Citroen sold just seven cars last month, putting it ahead of only McLaren (6 units) and Rolls-Royce (2 units) of the established brands.

Honda’s 2021 struggles also continue. The Japanese brand’s September sales were down 45 per cent, with year-to-date sales down 39 per cent.

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Top 10 brands: September 2021

1) Toyota – 20,216 + 56% (v September 2020) 2) Mazda – 6555 – 7% 3) Ford – 5759 + 20% 4) Hyundai – 5457 + 3% 5) Kia – 5155 + 1% 6) Mitsubishi – 4605 + 10% 7) VW – 3791 + 9% 8) Isuzu Ute – 3130 + 102% 9) Subaru – 3062 + 44% 10) MG – 3010 + 94%

Top 10 brands: 2021 year to date

1) Toyota – 176,771 2) Mazda – 83,565 3) Ford – 54,269 4) Hyundai – 54,169 5) Kia – 53,316 6) Mitsubishi – 52,152 7) Volkswagen – 32,315 8) Nissan – 31,652 9) MG – 28,878 10) Subaru – 28,763

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In charts

September 2021 – Top 10 models

September 2021 – YTD sales top 10

September 2021 – Overall segment sales

September 2021-2020 category sales

September 2021-2020 YTD category sales

2021 YTD model sales race