Aussie Motoring

They say that politics makes for some strange bedfellows but now Formula 1 could be challenging politics as Case IH and Ferrari shre the spotlight at Grand Prix Events in North America.

Ferrari team cars will feature prominent Case IH decals during the Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal, June 25; and the U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis, July 2.

“This is a great opportunity for Case IH to share the global stage with world-renowned Ferrari,” says Mario Ferla, president, Case IH. “Both are readily identified by their powerful products and with their signature red color, as well as for setting the standard of excellence in their respective industries.”

“We are elated that Fiat, Ferrari’s majority owner, has for the first time allowed its logo to be replaced on the Prancing Horse’s Formula 1 cars. This sends a strong message about the importance of Case IH, also a member of Fiat Group,” Ferla notes.

The Formula 1 Ferrari team is led by Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world drivers’ champion, and Felipe Massa. The Ferrari Formula 1 team has won a record 14 Constructors’ Championships, including six consecutive titles during 1999-2004.

“Since the Ferrari brand and Formula 1 race team have long traditions of distinction, it’s fitting that Case IH — with its own proud heritage — will be a part of the 2006 racing season,” Ferla says.

The 2006 Kia Rio/Rio5 ranked highest for initial quality in the sub-compact category according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Initial Quality StudySM (IQS). The annual report, released yesterday, measures 217 vehicle attributes across eight categories, including driving experience, engine and transmission, and a broad range of quality problem symptoms reported by vehicle owners.

“Rio is a class-leading subcompact vehicle and an excellent example of Kia’s continued dedication to offering consumers an affordable vehicle without sacrificing quality,” said Len Hunt, executive vice president and COO of Kia Motors America. “We’re extremely pleased that the automotive industry and consumers alike recognize Rio’s high level of excellence.”

In the study, the Kia Rio was honored as the highest-ranking model in a tie in the sub-compact segment at 137 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). The all-new 2006 Kia Sedona minivan also performed well in its first year of release, while the Kia Sportage compact SUV scored better than the industry average.

The all-new 2006 Rio sedan and Rio5 five-door are raising the bar in the entry level segment by offering class-leading horsepower and interior volume, and six standard airbags, including full-length side-curtain airbags. The Rio and Rio5’s longer wheelbase and increased width and height contribute to a best-in-class 92.2 cubic feet of passenger room and both body styles feature a long list of standard equipment.

The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group ranks as the sixth largest automotive manufacturer in the world, according to the Detroit-based weekly Automotive News.

In Automotive News’ most recent survey of global automotive sales and production, Hyundai Motor Co. and its subsidiary Kia Motors Corp. registered an 11.6 percent jump in global sales in 2005 to 3,715,096 units. It was the largest percentage gain of any carmaker in the million-plus sales category. With it, Hyundai and Kia climbed one spot in the global rankings.

Kia Motors has enjoyed double digit sales gains in Europe, China and Australia while in the more competitive North American market a more modest pace of growth has been registered.

The survey results were published in the June 5, 2006 edition of Automotive News and include sales of cars, light trucks, commercial vehicles and buses.

Ranking Automaker 2005 Global Sales

1 General Motors 8,381,805

2 Toyota Motor Corp. 8,120,000

3 Ford Motor Co. 6,208,700

4 Volkswagen AG 5,242,793

5 DaimlerChrysler AG 4,854,700

6 Hyundai-Kia 3,715,095

7 Nissan Motor Co. 3,597,748

8 PSA/Peugeot-Citroen 3,390,000

9 Honda Motor Co. 3,365,000

10 Renault SA 2,533,428

*Source: Automotive News June 5, 2006 Edition

Well it could just be possible and it could already be built … but no one is admitting to seeing it yet.

Tesla Motors claimes to have built an totally electric car - not a hybrid like the Prius - that can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h just four seconds. It also claims that the car can handle like a high-end sports car but it’s range is just a little limited.

The battery can take you around 400 kilometres before you need to find wall socket to plug the power cord into.

Tesla Motors first arrived on the scene in 2003 and it must have something worth investing in because it has just raised $US40 million in venture capital from the Serge Brin and Larry Page - the guys behind Google.

The company claims that it will unveil it’s first production model on July 12.

The Australian Transport Council has adopted a proposal from the Queensland Government to undertake a range of initiatives designed to promote the use of electronic stability control in Australian motor vehicles.

It appears as the the Transport Council was impressed by some interesting statistics from countries like Sweden and Japan and you can read more by following the link to Australia Moves a Step Closer to Smarter Car Safety

As a little bit of publicity for Aussie Motoring we have the URL emblazoned across the rear windscreen of our car and for some reason it seems to bring out the worst in some motorists. Some drivers seem to want to impress us by sitting glued to our tail on the highway - so tightly attached to us that you can’t even see their headlights in the rear vision mirror.

Others want to take us on at traffic lights and earlier this week one absolute tool forced their way up our left-hand side as we drove out of the narrow exit of a hospital carpark. That particular individual was driving a new VW Touareg V8 and at the time all I could think of was that she really needed to be driving ‘Stanley’ - a robotic vehicle built around the VW Touareg. Even robots have some thought of self-preservation and that was something the other driver lacked.

‘Stanley’ was the first robotic vehicle to ever complete the annual Grand Challenge run in the US by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. You can read more about the challenge here.

While I had seen photos of the Touareg before actually seeing one first-hand came as a bit of a surprise - even as I slammed on the brakes and waited for her to rip the front of our car off. In the photos I had see it looked to be around the size of a Subaru Forrester but in real life it’s a much larger.

Here in Australia the VW Touareg is available in five cylinder turbo diesel, V6 and V8 petrol and V10 diesel models. The V6 and five cylinder diesel both come in base or luxury versions and all models come with a range of options.

Prices start at at $69,900 for the base model V6 and five cyclinder diesel and peak at $142,050 for the fully optioned V10 diesel. Delivery charges, stamp duty and registration costs are all extra. That’s a lot of money to pay for something that comes with with one of those silly reduced-size spare tyres.

Unfortunately the only images on the VW Australia website are of the left hand drive model as sold in the US.

A full road test of the VW Touareg can be found here

It seems that it could be Kia with 75,474 vehicles sold overseas in May - an 8.2% increase on sales for the same time last year. Sales in Europe are up 12% and sales in United States were up 6.4%.

At the same time Volkswagen reported a 35.6% increase in sales in May in the US compared to the same time last year.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Toyota is issuing a world wide recall for 986,000 vehicles across nine models that includes the Prius. The recall is to replace a faulty part in the steering system.

Letters should start going out to owners around the middle of this month and you can read the full story here