Aussie Motoring

Ford in the US has announced plans to reduce their focus on producing hybrid technology motor vehicles (the Toyota Prius is a hybrid) and turn their attention to building vehicles powered by biofuels.

Around September last year Ford committed itself to building the production capacity required to roll 250,000 off the production line by the end of 2010 but now Ford has changed its mind.

Instead Ford now wants to look at a broad range of alternatives including clean diesels, biodiesels, E85 (the ethanol/diesel mix that is available in the US) and more advanced engine technology.

Ford does offer two hybrids in the US - the Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (as seen here). Both these vehicles fall into the SUV market but neither model is a big seller.

With Holden’s announcement last week that it would introduce Electronic Stability Control to it’s next Commodore range the Australian motoring public were exposed to some interesting technology has the potential to save a lot of lives.

Aussie Motoring sent feature writer - Russ Egan - out into the World Wide Web to find out just what Electronic Stability Control really is and here is his report.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) will soon be introduced into the new range of Holden Commodores. This is a major step forward in safety and driver control because ESC allows the vehicle’s computer to adjust the braking and power distribution to counter over and understeering. Although ESC is not a new technology, its placement in mid range cars has boosted the levels of safety for all drivers.

ESC is the generic term for all systems designed to improve a vehicle’s handling, especially at times when danger could occur. Bosch first developed this technology in their Elektronisches Stabilitätsprogramm (ESP) which was used by BMW and Mercedes-Benz in 1995. Since then it has been made available to the mass market, and is now available from many different car manufacturers.

Each vehicle manufactuer uses Electronic Stability Control under a different name, as ESC is simply the generic term. Ford have their ‘Interactive Vehicle Dynamics’ (IVD), Mitsubishi have ‘Active Skid and Traction Control MULTIMODE,’ and Holden have just introduced their ‘Electronic Stability Program.’

For a more detailed look into the different names, look through this list from Wikipedia.

ESC looks into the driver’s intended direction, and braking input, and compares it with the acceleration and individual wheel speeds. It then either brakes specific wheels or reduces/increases the power, which helps to correct over and understeering.

It uses sensors to detect when the driver has lost control of the vehicle, and then uses anti-lock brakes and traction control to prevent wheel lock and wheel spin. This is extremely important to the safety of all the passengers in the vehicle, as sudden obstacles can cause the driver to hit the brakes at very high speeds. By introducing this technology, drivers gain more control in dangerous situations.

ESC tests the drivers control continuously, and then if problems are found, intervenes instantly. By maintaining the driver’s control of the vehicle, accidents are far less likely to occur. When a driver undergoes a high speed stop, or if the wheels begin to spin, then the microcomputer activates automatic braking, and reduces the throttle to help control the vehicle.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently conducted in-depth research into the effectiveness of Electronic Stability Control, and their results have been promising:

“Electronic stability control could prevent nearly one-third of all fatal crashes and reduce rollover risk by as much as 80%”

Their research confirms that ESC reduces the cases of single car accidents. They estimate that up to 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided and that is a dramatic decrease in road deaths. Electronic Stability Control could and should be used in all vehicles to further decrease the likelihood of deaths from car accidents.

Electronic Stability Control is a breakthrough in vehicle safety, and its introduction into the new range of Commodores gives even more control to the average driver. The introduction of more safety devices is also a benefit, and with ESC this has never been greater.

Could it be something out of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds”? Actually, these mechanized vehicles and those that drive them “come in peace,” as hundreds of Volkswagen New Beetles trek to the New Mexico desert for the 7th Annual Roswell New Beetle “2K Car Show Weekend,” June 23 – 25, 2006.

This year, Volkswagen of America, Inc. will bring in a number of New Beetles, including the Teacher’s New Beetle, produced for the NEA (National Educators Association), whose surface acts as a dry erase board, allowing teachers to write on the car and then wipe it clean for the next lesson.

Also on hand and poised for stargazing: Volkswagen’s iconic Rabbit. The new Rabbit features a powerful five cylinder, 2.5 litre, 150 hp engine and is available in both two and four-door versions, . The Rabbit was the first Volkswagen produced in the United States and its appeal grew rapidly, with sales of over 1.3 million in its 10-year lifespan. The new Rabbit is darting into showrooms nationwide now.

The Roswell 2K event features a “Skywatch” event Friday night, and, on Saturday, a car show and New Beetle parade down Roswell’s historic Main Street. Barry Meguiar, host of Speed Channel’s “Car Crazy”, will serve as parade Grand Marshal. On Sunday, a road rally will take New Beetle cruisers to Carlsbad Caverns and a drive-in movie.

Last year’s event drew thousands of attendees and more than 250 New Beetles from 34 states and Canada. This year’s caravans hail from all over the continent, including: Denver, Houston, San Diego, Seattle, Toronto and Washington, D.C.

The Roswell 2K event originally grew out of two significant New Beetle occurrences. The first was the online frenzy generated by the car’s official launch in 1998. As new cars left dealer showrooms for the open road, Volkswagen enthusiast websites excitedly “buzzed” with initial New Beetle “sightings” from across the country.

In 1999, the idea for an event and its Roswell setting were firmly cast with the airing of a New Beetle commercial which stated (tongue firmly in cheek) that the car was “reverse-engineered by UFOs.”

Held in Roswell, N.M., famous for a 1947 UFO crash that was reported then later denied by the U.S. military, the three-day weekend of activities is the largest New Beetle celebration in the world.

The sales of new motor vehicles in Australia rose slightly in May despite the continuing increase in the price of petrol.

However, that rising price of fuel had a negative affect on the sale of SUVs where there was a slight decrease in the number sold during May. Sales of SUVs have now been falling for the last five months.

Holden announced today that electronic stability control would be included as standard equipment on it’s new range of VE Commodores, Statesman, Caprice and Captiva modelsdue out later this year.

Electronic stability control helps drivers maintain control of their vehicles and prevent crashes by immediately identifying when the vehicle skids, swerves suddenly or when road conditions change. The vehicle is then automatically stabilised through applying brake pressure or modifying engine power.

… then the news from Ford America must look good.

The word is that sometime this decade Ford will release a 4.4 litre V8 diesel for it’s F-150.

The Auto Blog is reporting that the new engine is currently in the development and planning stage. You can read more about it here

If you happen to live in a tourist destination or you spend a lot of time travelling on the highways around this great country you will know just how popular motor homes are becoming here in Australia. You will see everything from old Bedford buses converted into quite rough and ready accommodation right through to the well-known Winnebago palaces on wheels.

What you won’t see so many of are custom built motorhomes like this one.

Ross Bonney started with a 1997 Toyota Coaster and in 2002 turned it into this luxury motorhome. Ross spent many years in the house boat industry and it shows in the quality of his workmanship and his attention to detail.

The fittings include:

TV/Video CD player

Full size double bed

Pull-out barbeque

Separate toilet

Seperate vanity

Smev glass-top stove and sink

Microwave

3 way fridge

240/12 volt power

Factory air and

R/O awning

When you see motorhomes like this one it’s no wonder that they are proving popular for tourists and boomers who really want to enjoy their retirement.

And if you want to travel Australia in style then Ross has this beautiful unit on the market for just $79,5000.

You can email Ross for further details at: rmbonney4655@hotmail.com

Honda announced yesterday that it was recalling over half a million vehicles manufactured between Oct 3 1994 and May 15 1997 because of a faulty part used in starting the engine.

Models affected include Oddyssey minivans, CR-V SUVs and Step vans. The affected vehicles were sold in Japan, the United States, Europe and various Asian and Pacific nations including Australia.

Yeah who wants to be tied to the land with their 4WD, quad bike or two seater sports car when you can take them out to sea with you.

Amphibious vehicles are nothing new - the Army has quite a fleet of them, there have been amphibious cars before and many years ago one very brave couple crossed the Atlantic in an amphibious Land Rover but Gibbs Technologies, a company in the UK wants to put amphibious technology within the reach of more than just the military and eccentric.

And they just might do it with these three unique vehicles:

The Quadski is the world’s first high speed genuine all terrain vehicle.

The Aquada is a genuine two seat amphibious sports car.

The Humdinga is a concept vehicle with full-time four wheel drive. It’s powered by a 350 BHP engine that gives it a top speed on land of 160kph and 64kpm on the water.

I can see lots of potential for those vehicles here on the Queensland coast - but licencing them for road use could be a challenge.

A trip to Brisbane from Hervey Bay on a Sunday afternoon usually takes around four to five hours and even though a some of the trip is along a multi-lane highway up until recently you could expect the traffic to be heavy and moving very slowly on that multi-lane part of the trip.

Last weekend the trip took less than 3.5 hours and the traffic could not have been described as heavy at all. So has the increased cost of fuel finally hit the Australian motorist? If it has what can we expect to see in the short-term future for the Aussie motoring industry?

Already we’re seeing Mitsubishi going from bad to worse as their great white hope - the 380 sedan - turns into a great white disappointment. In fact the 380 has been such a poor seller that within a few weeks of the release of the car Mitsubishi reduced the numbers rolling off the production line and then began discounting the car to encourage sales.

Now the South Australian government is propping up the company by ordering over 680 of the model for the Government fleet. More than 500 of those will be delivered by the end of June.

And there is no doubt that Mitsubishi is in dire need of help; sales of their vehicles - including imported models - fell by 10% over the period from May 2005 to May 2006.

A 10% fall in sales is far above the industry as a whole. Sales for the industry as a whole are down 2.8% this year compared to last year with Holden and Ford continuing to fall behind Toyota. To the end of May sales of Toyota vehicles had reached 82,227 compared to 60,792 for Holden and 48,496 for Ford.

American Motor Vehicle Sales

Perhaps the Australian motor vehicle industry will be looking to America for some hint of what’s to come where, despite discounting and other incentives, the US manufacturers continue to fall behind the European and Asian manufacturers.

Comparing figures for May 2005 with May 2006 show that Chrysler’s sales are down 14% and Ford is down 1.9%.

Toyota continues to race ahead of the pack continually posting record sales months and May 2006 was no exception. Other companies with increased sales during May were Volkswagen Hyundai, Mitsubishi (yes in the US Mitsubishi recorded increased sales during May mainly thanks to the Galant), Audi, Mercedes, Mazda, Subaru and BMW.

The only foreign cars to buck the positive trend in the US were Volvo and Mini.

The Mitsubishi Galant - popular with the American motoring public.