RACQ Executive Manager Public Policy Michael Roth said a report released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries showed that vehicle sales declined in every state and territory in Australia in 2011, except in Queensland where they rose by 2,980 vehicles or 1.4%.

Vehicles sales decreased in ACT by 3.2%, New South Wales 0.6%, Northern Territory 2.3%, South Australia 5.5%, Victoria 4.7%, Western Australia 6.9% and Tasmania 13.4%.

“Queensland experienced an unprecedented number of floods and cyclones in 2011, which resulted in extensive damage and property loss,” Mr Roth said.

“The increase in vehicle sales could be linked to the number of vehicle write-offs resulting from flood and cyclone damage, with estimates of the number of write-offs across the state roughly matching the 3,000 increase in sales.”

Small cars featured strongly in 2011’s vehicle sales, with the Holden Commodore – the top selling car for the past 15 years – losing its lead position to the Mazda 3 in the small vehicle class. Another small car – the Toyota Corolla – led the sales for six individual months during 2011, including the past five months.

Mr Roth said that a small car taking the top seller title from a large car for the first time in 15 years indicated that motorists were seeking more fuel-efficient vehicles with lower running costs.

“Four of the top five sellers in all vehicle types in Australia last year were small cars,” Mr Roth said. “The latest vehicle sales figures back up the results of RACQ surveys that demonstrate the benefits of smaller cars for motorists and the environment.

“The fuel savings and cheaper running costs of smaller cars are a big drawcard for motorists, particularly in the current economic climate.”

RACQ’s 2011 vehicle running costs survey showed that motorists could save up to $80 a week by downsizing to a smaller car that still met the owner’s lifestyle needs and offered good safety ratings.

“In Queensland, where motorists are hit with the highest vehicle registration costs in Australia, those opting for smaller cars can reduce their overall running costs and their impact on the environment while not compromising safety.”

MINI Australia has just announced pricing for the MINI Roadster, starting from $45,500 for the Cooper S model and $55,100 for the range-topping John Cooper Works variant. Pricing for the drop-tops represents a premium of just $2510 and $2500 over their respective Coupé siblings.

The Cooper S Roadster’s 1.6-litre powerplant delivers maximum torque of 240 Nm from as low down as 1600 rpm (increasing to 260 Nm when using overboost function) and a power output of 135 kW.

Exhilaration steps up a gear with the John Cooper Works (JCW) variant of the MINI Roadster which puts out 155 kW at 6000 rpm and torque figures of 260 Nm from 1850-5600 rpm. Overboost increases this to 280 Nm at 2000-5100 rpm.

Adhering to British roadster tradition, the roof is black cloth with a manual opening and closing functionality.

Both the MINI Coupé and Roadster feature an automatic rear spoiler which reduces lifting forces and increases the stability of the car at high speeds. It opens automatically when the speed exceeds 80 km/h and retracts when the speed falls below 60 km/h. It can also be operated manually with a switch in the overhead control panel.

The MINI Roadster offers 240 litres of luggage space with numerous alternative places to store items including an area behind the front seats, lockable glove box, door pockets and nets of the back of the seats.

Standard features include 17” light alloy rims, sport button, park distance control, Xenon headlights, sport leather steering wheel, sports seats, automatic airconditioning, MINI Radio Boost CD and bluetooth.

Safety features include electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock brakes (ABS) four airbags, crash sensor, electronic brake distribution, three-point seat belts and a run-flat indicator.

The new MINI Coupe and Roadster will arrive in Australian showrooms in late February 2012.

Badged as an Acura in the US, the new NSX, which was unveiled at this month’s Detroit Motor Show, is expected to go on sale in the next three years, will be developed by Honda R&D Americas and manufactured in Ohio for a worldwide market.

Making use of lightweight materials and a mid-mounted V6 engine, the NSX Concept employs several new technologies, including an innovative Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All Wheel Drive™) hybrid system.

Speaking at the Detroit Motor Show, Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda, who led the development of Honda’s original NSX, explained the values of the new-generation supercar, “Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.”

While most supercars opt for brute force delivered from a large engine, Mr Ito said the NSX Concept championed the racing philosophy of an extremely favourable power-to-weight ratio.

Utilising a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system, the new hybrid all-wheel-drive system can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering, which Honda anticipates will deliver handling performance unmatched by previous AWD systems.

In addition to the handling benefits of the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® system, a powerful next-generation VTEC® V6 engine with direct-injection, works in concert with a dual clutch transmission with built-in electric motor, to create supercar acceleration while offering outstanding efficiency.

By Barry Green

Among the all-new product will be the eagerly-anticipated Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ rear-wheel-drive sports car (the product of a co-joint project between the two makers), Ford’s Falcon 2.0-litre, four-cylinder EcoBoost (make-or-break for the famous nameplate) and GM’s Opel brand with its Insignia, Corsa and Astra.

Mazda and Ford will be unveiling single cab variants of their popular BT-50 and Ranger workhorse utes respectively.

There is a trio of interesting and relevant eco warriors about to land: Nissan’s Leaf plug-in battery car (which impressed us mightily after a short drive of last year; it’s a little larger than a Mazda3), coalition partner Renault’s Fluence ZE (the first electric car with a switch-over battery pack) and the Holden Volt hybrid.

Others to get excited about are Mazda’s CX-5 compact SUV with its innovative SkyActiv technology, Volkswagen’s sporty Scirocco R, BMW’s new 3 Series range and Porsche’s 2012 all-new iteration of a perennial favourite, the 911.

But wait, there’s more … Along with the CX-5, Scirocco R and 3 Series, February launch have already been announced for the new Audi A5, the TwinAir-engined Fiat 500 and soft top Fiat 500C (pictured), Holden’s LPG Commodore, Hyundai Veloster and new generation Suzuki Swift Sport.

We won’t get to drive them all, but look out in The Road Ahead for the ones we do. Safe motoring.

By Barry Green

BMW Group Australia general manager sales and marketing Tom Noble said 3 Series owners were fanatical about their cars and many were bound to have boxes of ‘happy snaps’ from days of old.

“We are sure our owners will have aged as gracefully as the BMW 3 Series and are excited to see how both our customers and our cars have evolved over the years”, Mr Noble said.

The competition is being run via the BMW Australia Facebook page and calls on entrants to submit photos of themselves together with their car – the older the better.

Photography must be set in Australia as where possible the winning shot will be recreated at the original location.

First prize not only includes the recreated photo, but also one month’s use of the new BMW 3 Series together with a BMW Driver Training course under the tuition of ex-racing Champion and chief driver trainer Geoff Brabham.

Five runners-up will receive photo recreations and products from BMW’s lifestyle collection.

Entries close March 30, 2012 with the winners to be announced on April 5.

The new sixth generation BMW 3 Series launches in Australia in February.

Story Barry Green

Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries shows that a total of 1,008,437 new passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were delivered to customers during 2011.

These figures represent a decrease in volume of 2.6 percent (or 27,137 fewer sales) compared with 2010 – which can be attributed to challenging market conditions and significant supply shortages during the year, according to FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers.

“2011 full year sales are an exceptional result given the effects of natural disasters both at home and abroad throughout the year,” Mr Chalmers said.

“The uptake of new vehicles was impacted early in the year by economic uncertainty, closely followed by natural disasters in the key markets of Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.

“Sales were further subdued by Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, with a resulting shortage of export vehicles from that country a secondary outcome of the extreme loss of life experienced by the Japanese people.

“The resilience of the Australian marketplace, combined with strong industry resolve, saw sales recover strongly in the fourth quarter, with total sales finishing just 3.9 percent behind the FCAI’s forecast of 1,050,000 for the year.”

Toyota was the best selling vehicle brand in 2011, with 181,624 sales for a market share of 18 percent.

Holden and Ford finished second and third with 126,095 sales (12.5 percent market share) and 91,243 (nine percent) respectively.

Mazda3 (Maxx Sport model pictured) was the best-selling model for the full year, edging out Holden Commodore by 812 vehicles to finish with 41,429 sales.

Toyota HiLux was third overall with 36,124 sales, followed by Toyota Corolla (36,087) and Holden Cruze (33,784).

The small car, Luxury SUV and 4×4 light commercial segments led the sales charge throughout 2011, growing by 2.1, 22.4 and 6.3 percent respectively.

The volunteer fire brigade at the Upper Lockyer township of Murphy’s Creek is ready to tackle emergencies head on from new headquarters built with funding assistance from the RACQ Foundation.

A $58,000 RACQ Foundation donation has enabled an extra room for training and meetings to be built into the brigade’s new headquarters, making it bigger and better than the original building, which was inundated during the 2011 floods.

The brigade’s secretary, Mrs Margaret Wood, said the building had been completely devastated when floodwaters 1.5 metres deep gushed through the premises, wrecking three fire trucks and fire-fighting equipment.

“The RACQ Foundation donation will make a huge difference to the brigade and the amount of room we will have to work in,” Mrs Wood said.

“The Foundation funds are covering the cost of the additional room and the whole brigade is really happy about it.”

The 30-strong brigade includes 20 firemen and 10 support staff who look after an area that extends beyond Murphy’s Creek, at the foot of the Toowoomba Range, to Ballard and Costellos Road in the Upper Lockyer.

“Since the floods, firemen from around Australia have come to help with the repair work or have made donations,” Mrs Wood said.

“We’ve been able to get back on track thanks to all the donations, including that from the RACQ Foundation.”

The RACQ Foundation was set up in January 2011 as part of the Club’s $20 million assistance package, with the primary purpose of helping affected communities recover and charity organisations to provide ongoing assistance to flood and cyclone victims.

Murphy’s Creek Fire Brigade is one of around 100 grassroots community organisations across Queensland to receive a total of $6 million dollars from the $8 million Foundation.

RACQ Chief Operations Officer, Glenn Toms, said organisations affected by last year’s floods and cyclones could apply for funding of up to $200,000 per project.

“Twelve months down the track, many communities across Queensland are still recovering from substantial damage and loss. We want to ensure those groups that haven’t previously applied for Foundation funding know that support is available,” Mr Toms said.

Some other successful outcomes achieved through funding assistance from the Foundation include:

• A Toowoomba-based charity for at risk and disadvantaged children has been able to re-establish services, repair playground equipment, and replace assets and vehicles to support community services across the Darling Downs.
• Children attending the Emerald Community Kindergarten can once again enjoy their playground which has been rebuilt.
• Disabled people are now living in brand new homes at Redbank after their former accommodation was inundated during the floods.
• Scouts at Oakey and Withcott have repaired campsites and dens.
• The courts and clubhouse at the Brisbane Basketball Centre are again available to 4,000 players after the completion of repairs.
• Teenagers in Ipswich and the Lockyer Valley who suffered trauma after the floods are receiving counselling.
• Community television station, 31 Digital, is back on air.
• Youngsters, and the not so young, from Cairns to the Gold Coast are playing AFL, rugby league, soccer, hockey and croquet on fields that have been repaired.
• Intensive care units at the RSPCA are equipped to treat injured and sick animals again.

“The funding can help disaster-affected communities overcome challenging hurdles to get back into the position they were in before the floods and cyclones struck,” Mr Toms said.

“We encourage organisations that are still experiencing difficulties as a result of the 2011 ‘summer of horror’ to apply for RACQ Foundation funding. It could just be the additional support required to get over the line and back in business.”

For more information, visit www.racq.com/foundation.

Subaru’s signature Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and horizontally opposed Boxer engine remain key features of the new model, while the whole Impreza range will have a full complement of safety gear, including seven air bags, cruise control, bluetooth connectivity and audio streaming, USB and AUX inputs and automatic airconditioning.  All models will also have a five-star ANCAP rating.

Like the current model, it will be available in three grades, in hatch or sedan, though the model designations will also change with the new model. Entry level is now the 2.0i, with the choice of Lineartronic CVT or six-speed manual transmission.

The mid spec 2.0i-L adds electric sunroof, premium Multi-Function Display with rear view camera images, audio with steering wheel control, dual zone climate control airconditioning, rear privacy glass and front fog lights. The sporty range topping 2.0i-S gets leather trim, eight-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, alloy pedals, HID Xenon headlights and washers.

New to Impreza is the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated engine, a variant of that used in the current generation of Forester. It has a long stroke to improve torque, incorporates light weight components and Subaru’s Dual Active Valve Control system. It produces 110 kW of power at 6200 rpm and 196 Nm of torque at 4200 rpm. When coupled to the new CVT transmission a combined fuel consumption figure as low as 6.8 litres /100 km is claimed.

The new CVT transmission also reduces CO² emissions by 24 percent over the old four-speed auto, and the new six-speed manual transmission offers a reduction of 21 percent.  Combined cycle fuel consumption for the new six-speed manual model is 7.1 litres/100 km, a reduction of 20 percent compared to the outgoing five-speed model

Our opportunity to drive the new Impreza was limited to a few circuits of the high speed loop and ride and handling tracks at Subaru’s SKC proving ground in Japan. We were under the close supervision of a team of factory test drivers and engineers and at no time were we allowed out in a car by ourselves.  They even took the precaution of setting up a speed gun on the high speed track to ensure we didn’t exceed the 130 km/h speed limit.

Given the constraints and artificial conditions of the test circuit it’s difficult to offer any meaningful comment about the new models on-road abilities and it will be interesting to see how it fairs on Australian roads. It’s probably quieter that the old model by a fair margin though some tyre noise was noticeable.

The Stop-Start system worked well, though again it was demonstrated under contrived conditions rather than real traffic. The engine stops 0.5 seconds after the car comes to a halt and restarts 0.35 seconds after you release the brake or touch the accelerator. For manual versions you need to stop, select neutral and take your foot off the clutch pedal to make it work.

The car has been cleverly re-packaged to produce a more spacious cabin within the same external dimensions as the superseded model. It has a longer wheelbase, the rear seat leg room has been increased, the cargo area is bigger and the windscreen has been moved forward to increase the field of view. The interior is a big improvement over the dated design of the previous model and features new soft touch surfaces and a simple, easy to use dash layout.

Pricing and the final specifications of the new range will be announced closer to launch however we were told that it’s unlikely to be cheaper than the outgoing model, which ranges from $23,990 to $28,490 plus on road costs.

And don’t expect to see the new model appear in WRX or STI guise in the near future. Even though the performance range is based on Impreza, it’s a completely separate division and it won’t be adopting the new shape for around three years.

Nor will we be seeing a diesel Impreza.  Subaru Australia says while a diesel engine has been discussed, it’s a long way down its current wish list and it’s questionable if it would give a big enough reduction in fuel consumption in this application to justify the expenditure.

By Russell Manning

In winning the sought after ‘Golden Spanner Award’, the Australian team competed against and defeated entrants from 20 Isuzu truck distributor nations world-wide.

Each team was required to complete a series of tests examining its measurement accuracy, vehicle inspection standards, fault identification capability, repair ability and theoretical understanding.

The victory completes a six month process for the team members in which they first had to see off competitors as part of IAL’s own domestic National Technical Skills Competition for the right to represent IAL and the Australian Dealer Network at the international competition.

Caption: Westar Truck Centre technician James Daffy, IAL service manager NSW Adam Bell and Brisbane Isuzu technician Bernie Pease hold the ‘Golden Spanner’ aloft.

Jaguar’s Model Year 2012 XF Luxury 2.2 diesel is the company’s new entry level model. And it’s shaping up to take on the German trio of Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Benz E Class.

Priced at $84,990 drive away, with 30 gig HDD navigation system which also includes the virtual CD stacker, the newcomer is a strategic move by Jaguar to revitalise the brand and make it more attractive to a greater range of buyers.

And while you may think a diminutive 2.2-litre diesel engine is a strange match for a car of Jaguar’s ilk, particularly given that the company has a reputation as a builder of high performance luxury vehicles, it isn’t until you drive the new diesel XF that you truly appreciate what an excellent job the engineers have done.

The new engine is a ‘Jaguarised’ (their word, not mine) spin-off of that used in some Land Rover models. The turbo-charged four-cylinder engine is good for 140 kW and 450 Nm of torque and with a combined cycle fuel figure of just 5.4 litres/100 km, it’s the most fuel efficient engine ever to grace a Jaguar engine bay. Coupled to a silky smooth 8-speed ZF auto transmission makes for a slick combination.

The low fuel consumption figure is achieved in part by the newly developed stop-start system. Designed to be a class leading system and to ensure instant acceleration from rest, it’s capable of restarting the engine within one crankshaft revolution.

Inside and out, XF is dripping with that British luxury car style that its Germanic competitors just can’t match. The leather covered dash, real polished wood and piano black trim accents and alcantara seat inserts give an ambience that’s on a level all its own. Pleasingly, the new model has satin chrome on the centre console trims in place of the highly reflective finish that made the previous models so uncomfortable to drive on a bright day, and better front seat bolstering for added support.  Outside, there have been some detail changes to the grille, bonnet and front panels. HID lights with the signature ‘J-Blade’ daytime running lights are included and there is a new horizontal power vent in the front mudguards.

On road performance belies the engine’s small capacity, largely due to its excellent torque characteristics, and most potential buyers will find it more than adequate. Steering and handling have that unmistakeable Jaguar precision, while the ride is supple and composed, even on poor road surfaces. And there are few compromises when it comes to cabin noise.

Like most luxury cars there’s a comprehensive option list. Jaguar also told us there will be some ability to mix and match certain features from other models in the range as well, so if you’re interested it’s probably best to discuss the possibilities, likely costs and delivery times with a dealer. An option that is definitely worth considering though is the 1200 watt Bower and Wilkins premium sound system with 17 speakers.

The German trio should be very concerned about this new kid on their block.

By Russell Manning