Aussie Motoring

… not happy Jan!

The JD Power Group are well-known in the United States for their annual surveys of car buyer satisfaction. Big brand-names like Mercedes have not faired well when consumers are asked to comment on how satisfied they might, or might not be, with the car they’ve purchased and the service they have received.

Now JD Power is doing their surveys here in Australia and Holden and Ford have not faired well. In fact they have done so poorly in the survey they’re at the bottom of the list … in positions nine and ten.

The response by both manufacturers is pretty much what you would expect and you can read more about it here

Yes there is one and there could be another if you happen to have just over $A1.62 million and an urge to own a truly unique car. An urge to travel up to 10 metres below the surface in a car that swims like a fish is optional.

You can find more about the sQuba and a photo here.

Mitsubishi has announced that they will close their South Australian plant in March with the lost of 930 employees.

In a statement released a short time ago Mitsubishi stated that the ” … decision has been made because Australian consumers are moving towards smaller, more economic, and environmentally friendlier cars like those in the rest of the Mitsubishi range.”

Of course the closure of the plant means the end of production for the 380 - the car that very few people seemed to want.

Now if the reasons given for closing the plant are correct then I wonder what’s in store for Ford when they release the new Falcon. Have Australian consumers really moved on from the big 6 cylinder cars?

The ABC is reporting that Mitsubishi will make a decision later today on whether or not to close their assembly line in South Australia. The money is on the plant closing and production moving to plants in either Russia or China.

You can read the full report here

If you happen to live in America then there’s a Smart car coming to a dealer near you. But you just have to wonder about a company that can’t cope with the concept of using capital letters for the names of its products.

The smart fortwo is manufactured by the Mercedes Car Group. This technologically advanced vehicle has been designed to achieve 40-plus mpg under normal driving conditions. The vehicle is 2.64 metres long, 1.55 metres tall and 1.55 metres wide and comes equipped with many standard functional and safety features such as electronic stability program, anti-lock brakes and four air bags.

smart is currently sold in 36 countries, and over 800,000 smart fortwos have been sold since 1998.

The smart fortwo will be available in three trim levels. The entry-level pure coupe will start at $US11,590 with standard features such as a 5-speed transmission that allows drivers to switch between automatic and manual driving modes with the push of a button, central remote locking system, 2-spoke leather steering wheel, and a radio-ready console.

The passion coupe, starting at $US13,590 includes a panorama roof, alloy wheels, air conditioning with climate control, 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel with gear shift paddles, power windows, electric and heated side mirrors, and an AM/FM radio with CD player, all standard.

Those seeking top-down excitement can choose the passion cabriolet, starting at $16,590 featuring a fully automatic soft top that can be easily adjusted with a push of a button, and in addition to the standard equipment of the passion coupe, a premium sound system with an in-dash mp3 compatible 6-CD changer. The value-priced cabrioletlet model is believed to debut as the lowest priced convertible offered in the United States.

All models are equipped with a 1-liter, 3-cylinder, 71-horsepower engine.

Now I can see that a car like the smart fortwo would be popular in Europe but how many do you think they’re going to sell in the US market were BIG is still considered beautiful?