MIA welcomes wage subsidy, trades training

The Budget brings good news for the auto industry, a core involver contends.

NEW Zealand’s troubled new vehicle industry is pleased with the contents of today’s Budget.

The country’s level 4 lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic has proved disastrous for the industry, with sales down 90 percent during April and little likelihood of things being much better this month.

Motor Industry Association chief executive officer David Crawford said that for the new vehicle market to flourish, the New Zealand economy needs to be strong – and that is going to be a challenge in the current environment.

“A Budget that focuses on jobs while supporting businesses was what I was looking for,” he said.

In that regard the MIA was pleased to see in the budget a $4 billion business support package that included a $3.2b extension of the wage subsidy scheme, and a $1.6b free trades training package.

The wage subsidy scheme has been extended for another 12 weeks from mid-June, and Crawford said this extension will benefit those companies where revenue remains low.

The MIA also strongly supported the trades training package, which aims to open up opportunities for those who have lost their jobs or need to up-skill for a new career.

“We are delighted to see these two initiatives in the Budget,” said Crawford.

Holden NZ signals stock going fast

With Level Two allowing a return to car dealerships, how long have you got to buy a new Holden and what’s left?

commodore has taken a public pounding - yet stocks are low now

 RESUMING the business of getting out of … well, the business … marks Holden New Zealand out from all other car distributors that today resumed some semblance of trading normality.

Transition today into Level Two of the Government’s coronavirus crisis restrictions regime has allowed General Motors’ Australian maker to join most other major marques in welcoming the public back into showrooms.

Where Holden stands out is that it is a brand with no future, owner General Motors having announced its demise in February, so that buying time is limited.

For all that, Holden NZ is still guarded in detailing how much longer it has to go and exactly how much stock there remains to be moved.

Trax (above) and Acadia have also been a popular runout product

The Auckland distributor is only prepared to identify that its inventory is declining quickly.

It also cites that only the Colorado utility remains in reasonable availability, whereas crossovers and sports utilities were shifting faster and just a modest count of Astra and Commodore cars remain.

“We have a reasonable supply of new Colorado, both 4x2 and 4x4, as we head into the annual Fieldays sales campaign which usually takes place in June,” said corporate affairs manager Edward Finn.  

“There are some Commodore and Astra variants remaining, but for those customers who would like a new Holden SUV, Trax is almost sold out, a small selection of Equinox remain and there are limited numbers of Acadia.” 

Actual counts in respect to specific models and any thoughts about how long before these will be gone for good is not being shared, however.

When GM announced on February 17 that Holden was a goner, the inference was that full wind-down would still take until 2021.

However, it could be a quicker death. For instance, just a handful of Holden New Zealand’s staff at the East Mangere, Auckland, office will escape a mass redundancy that hits at the end of June. Those staying beyond then are involved in parts distribution and warranty care. Holden has to maintain parts supply and support for years yet.

colorado stockpile was built up for the now-abandoned fieldays

Conceivably, it might not be too much longer before Holden dealerships start either mothballing showroom space or finding other brands to fill it. A sobering situation in a market condition that, thanks to the virus, is predicted to drop 40-45 percent on the 2019 volume.

It is probable all shipments of Holden product to New Zealand have finished. So, what’s here now and still unregistered is all there will be.

The Covid-19 lockdown that virtually stopped all car sales for the month of Level Four and still had restrictive impact during the fortnight of Level Three that followed had cruel impact on Holden.

The brand had just begun the major run-out programme to clear its inventory when coronavirus struck. 

Obviously, few new cars were moved in April, when the shutdown allowed just three trading days: The April tally was 90 percent down on the same period of 2019. To give an idea of what that means, bear in mind that Colorado achieved as the second strongest selling ute for April … on the back of 38 registrations.

So what’s left and how long have prospective buyers got? Finn was apologetic:

“The best advice is for people who are considering the purchase of a new Holden is to contact their nearest authorised dealer and find out exactly what is on offer.”

Kamiq Scoutline adds tough edge

The baby Skoda crossover now hitting NZ has a new sibling with enhanced outdoorsy attitude.

NO sooner has Skoda settled its new Kamiq into local showroom life than the parent has announced another variant that the local distributor agrees would conceivably be tasty to Kiwis.

The baby Kamiq crossover is a fitting choice to debut a new brand initiative of a tough-looking Scoutline trim level.

It’s a different recipe to the Scout trim that is becoming more familiar to New Zealand buyers.

Whereas Scout models – and for us, that’s been the Octavia for several years and a just-introduced Superb – get all-wheel-drive for a degree of off-seal ability, the Scoutline is all about dirt-treading imagery.

Changes are therefore entirely to do with enhancing the styling without touching engineering.

Accordingly, Kamiq Scoutline retains the same front-drive layout and drivetrain choices that install in the 85kW 1.0-litre $30,990 Ambition, and 110kW 1.5-litre $36,990 Amibition Plus and $42,990 Monte Carlo models that have just landed here. Europe also sees a diesel and a manual gearbox as alternate to the direct shift transmissions NZ sees.

To make the Kamiq look more like an off-roader, Skoda has given the Scoutline matte black wheel arch surrounds, a new front spoiler and a rear diffuser designed to look like underbody protection, plus extra silver flashes. There are also LED tail-lights and tinted rear windows. It rides on 17-inch wheels as standard, but 18-inch versions are on the options list.

The Scoutline model also has exclusive interior trim decoration. In Europe ash wood effect is standard, with a darker shade available as an alternative. The front seats come with a new upholstery choice made of breathable fabric and microfibre suede and stamped with a Scoutline badge. Other touchpoints like the steering wheel and gear lever are leather-trimmed, while the interior also gets three-colour ambient lighting and LED reading lights.

The spec appears to be around the same level that affords with Monte Carlo, with reversing sensors, LED headlights, a 9.2-inch touchscreen, smartphone connectivity and cruise control. 

Production begins in two months, while conceivably means that the Sportline could be available to right hand drive markets by early 2021.

With the compact crossover sector having been a hot spot – at least prior to coronavirus lockdown – and consumers showing no concern about buying into product that, regardless of what the look suggests, is suited far more to the street than sludge, it would seem a car that Skoda NZ might give serious consideration to.

So how keen is it? Well, it’s not off the table, says brand boss Rodney Gillard.

“We can see the merit. At this stage we are sticking with the three variants we have but it’s a possibility.”

Skoda’s rapid rise in New Zealand has put us in Skoda HQ’s good books and, Gillard says, is a factor as to why it gets priority over most other right-hand-drive markets, including Australia and South Africa.

“So, while at this stage that (Scoutline) is not available to us, when and if it does become available we will absolutely give it consideration.”

Meantime, he anticipates good demand for the Kamiq variants already here and says early interest reminds that the one of the car’s attributes is being  a particularly good poster child for the current Skoda look.

“It really demonstrates the strength of our styling.”

GR Corolla? Toyota NZ’s revved

The big sleep might be ending, with talk about Toyota reviving an old-school favourite. What’s the local distributor’s reaction?

SPECULATION about Toyota Japan prepping a Gazoo Racing version of the Corolla sounds sweet to a local brand boss.

When asked for his thoughts about the potential of any such programme, Toyota New Zealand chief operating officer Neeraj Lala was unequivocal: Bring it on.

 Talk about the potential of a GR Corolla that would be a direct heir to the celebrated 4AGE 1.6-twin cam AE86 and GT Corollas of the 1980s has re-emerged on strength of a tweet sent out by Toyota America to media.

A message relating that the NZ-confirmed baby GR Yaris hot hatch is not a starter Stateside, the American operation raised flags – and hopes – by adding “it’s time the U.S. got a hot hatch to call its own.” 

Commentators saw that as a green light for Corolla, purely on strength that the brand’s top seller is the only other conventional hatchback in the Toyota line-up.

Sounds thin? Well, then consider what might be construed from this sole comment from Lala: “We are working hard on confirming this model, and would love to have it here in NZ.”

Interesting choice of words, right? Does ‘confirming’ mean there’s definitely something going on? Or is this just mischief?

Let’s not forget Toyota America’s interest in the concept of a hot Corolla has already been delivered in exactly that form. The highly-modified one-off special pictured here was a one-off created for the 2018 SEMA show in Las Vegas. 

Certainly, Lala and other TNZ high-ups are huge fanboys for Akio Toyoda’s aggressive expansion plan for its GR (Gazoo Racing) high-performance road cars.

NZ was amongst the first export customers for the GR Supra that has revived the brand’s most famous sports car and is also in the queue for the upcoming GR Yaris, a quasi-homologation homage to its World Rally Championship car 

If and when a GR Corolla does arrive, then don’t be surprised if it borrowed heavily from the GR Yaris, including using the blitzer baby’s 200kW/370Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive system.

In addition to Supra and Yaris, the GR clan will also include the next-generation 86 sports coupe – with the GR 86 nameplate – by the end of 2021 and also the GR Super Sport, a road-going version of the race car Toyota is creating to run in the Le Mans hypercar category expected to start in the 2021/22 season, though the category is looking precarious after Aston Martin froze its programme.

TNZ confirms Highlander in hybrid only

The V6 has served its purpose, but from now on petrol-electric efficiency makes more sense, distributor says.

EVERYTHING hinges on hybrid – that’s from Toyota New Zealand, in confirming today that the just-revealed next-generation Highlander will divest its V6 here and devote to petrol-electric purity.

Total commitment from TNZ to a new-to-type drivetrain that bumps a petrol V6 that continues in other markets and has been a mainstay here in the current and previous models is a safe call at the right time, local chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says. 

Pointing out that hybrids now account for one in three sales of new Toyota cars here, he said: “The introduction of another hybrid to our line-up further complements our focus on moving towards a low emission economy, while delivering our customers with a fuel-efficient large SUV.”

And that’s the whole point of the exercise. While the V6 models have been popular for their impressive power output, the engine has been increasingly tested to come up to speed in respect to economy.

That the current car has maintained healthy volume here has been increasingly due to its popularity as a rental car – where the seven-seat configuration lends favourability.

At same token, it has slipped in status with private buyers, to the point where Toyota and its fleet customers have found moving ex-rental stock into the used car forum a challenging exercise. All the more so, perhaps, now that the coronavirus crisis has destroyed tourism and thus forced operators into selling off stock.

“Toyota has now sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally, including in excess of 17,000 in New Zealand,” Lala said.

"The all-new hybrid Highlander is the beneficiary of Toyota's global hybrid leadership, extensive experience in SUVs, and unrivalled reputation for quality, durability and reliability,"

On arrival in early 2021 the model will achieve immediate status as the first seven-seater hybrid SUV has had here with a Toyota badge – a distinction that separates it from the brand’s Lexus RX, which added a third row two years ago.
Married to a 2.5-litre petrol engine, it is of course a mild system – plug-in recharging has yet to enter the Toyota lexicon – and the cited total hybrid system power output is expected to be 179kW (whereas the new V6 has 218kW).  

The hybrid drivetrain marries to an intelligent AWD system that incorporates front and rear electric motors. The hybrid battery is located under the second-row seats.

The fourth-generation Highlander sits on the Toyota New Global Architecture GA-K platform, providing multiple benefits for dynamics, safety and styling, Lala says.

“The new Highlander is brand new from the ground up; a new platform for improved stability and handling, a new engine with class leading efficiency, new levels of safety and with a dynamic styling package.”

He says it will appeal as being “a significant improvement on the outgoing model, with improved efficiency and flexibility for families.”
Toyota says this has enabled engineers to develop a lightweight and highly rigid bodyshell with a low centre of gravity - features that provide the new SUV with nimble handling and comfortable driving around town and on the highway.

The new generation has advanced Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of traffic situations.

The new platform has also allowed designers to craft a longer, more distinctive body that delivers a more flexible interior with expanded cargo space and a more tailored ambience.

Toyota has sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally.

Special Kei provided an enduring taste

Mazda’s first car was a cheeky little coupe. It’s never broken the two-door hardtop habit.

the enduringly awesome cosmo

MORE reminder of Mazda’s determination to never bend to car design and engineering conformity has come with reminder of how many two-door cars it has knocked out over the years.

The tenor of an in-house history of the company’s coupes, released as part of this being the brand’s 100th year, is a fascinating insight into its enduring commitment to this design style. 

Whereas many other Japanese makes committed more deeply to mainstream sedan shapes that were far more likely to win greater volume returns (that’s how Toyota, Mitsubishi and Nissan did it), Mazda always played beyond conservative tastes.

 That a conviction formed right at the start about how coupes best reflecting core brand philosophies remains adhered to now is a tribute to the make’s independent spirit. It hasn’t been a smooth road, but what a trip!

Agreed, that first offer, the R360 microcar designed for the domestic ‘kei’ category, is an utterly humble thing in comparison with the far more sporting products that have ultimately followed, but it nonetheless speaks clearly to Mazda’s intent to make cars that were attractive and visionary.

Of course, there was more. Mazda also identified that the best coupes around when it kicked into car-making in 1960 (having been involved in other industry, and starting out as cork supplier in the 1930s) were those that delivered performance-enhancing structures like rigidity, aerodynamics and weight reduction. These have also remained central elements of the brands product philosophy, wrapped up in the ‘fun to drive’ ethos that even the R360 was able to cheekily demonstrate, albeit less by virtue of its outright performance than the happy fact of it being the lightest in class.

Anyway, that made it an immediate bestseller, capturing 65 percent of Japan’s burgeoning microcar segment and 15 percent of the domestic market in 1960, the year of its launch.

Here’s the how the history unfolded from thereon, in the maker’s own words:

“The Mazda Carol P360 coupe, which had a longer wheelbase and a four-cylinder engine, joined the line-up in 1962 with comparable success.

Mazda’s first performance car was also a coupe, unveiled at the 1964 Tokyo Motor Show, the Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S would arrive on the market in 1967 as the world’s first production model with a twin-rotor engine. With space-age looks matched by the powertrain’s turbine-like sound, it was the beginning of an illustrious age of unconventional rotary sports coupes at Mazda. The Cosmo Sport also launched the brand’s international motorsport career.

However, the big international sales breakthrough would come with the Familia/R100 and Capella/616/RX-2 series – the respective forerunners to the Mazda3 and Mazda6 – along with the Grand Familia/818/RX-3. Mazda took its rotary engine global with these models starting in 1968, and their Italo-design inspired looks electrified buyers, quickly driving overseas unit sales into six-figures.

Even more stunning was the Mazda Luce R130 coupe introduced in 1969. Designed at Bertone by Giorgetto Giugiaro (who had also styled the first Familia), it was Mazda’s only front wheel-driven rotary model and is now a sought-after collector’s item. Slotted above the RX-2 and RX-3, the Luce R130 would make way in 1972 for the Mazda RX-4. Marketed as luxurious and sporty, the hardtop coupe version was available with an “AP” (anti-pollution) rotary that improved emissions and fuel economy. The engine would also see service on the RX-3 and Mazda Cosmo/RX-5 launched in 1975 in coupe and fastback format. Performance of the 110-135PS rotary RX coupes, with kerb weights in the 900-1,100kg range, was very respectable for the time.

The Hiroshima carmaker took this recipe for driving fun up a level in 1978 with the Mazda RX-7, whose unique wedge-shaped design featured a wraparound glass rear window. Under the bonnet of Mazda’s first truly mass-market sports car was a completely redesigned rotary engine. Propelling a lightweight structure with near-perfect weight distribution, it was exceptional to drive. Successful on the racetrack and rally stage, the RX-7 developed over three model generations into a high-performance twin-turbocharged super-coupé on par with the best the competition had to offer. With some 811,000 produced, the RX-7 remains the most popular rotary powered car in history.

Less well known is the Eunos Cosmo, a Japan-only luxury sports coupe built from 1990 until 1995. It was the only production model with a three-rotor engine; the 300PS twin-turbo “20B-REW” was also the largest-ever production rotary. The Cosmo introduced many new cutting-edge technologies, like the first built-in GPS navigation system and a touchscreen display.

Another domestic market model, the Autozam AZ-1, was remarkable in its own way. Weighing only 720kg, the exciting mid-engined kei coupe developed under Toshihiko Hira, MX-5 programme manager, had gullwing doors and a 9,000rpm redline – in a segment personified by utilitarian “boxes on wheels”.

This was typical Mazda, always seeking new ways of making its coupes look and feel special. The Mazda 929 coupe (1982-86), with its lowerable opera windows in the B-pillar, is yet another example. The stylish Mazda MX-6 (1987-97), meanwhile, had optional four-wheel steering. And the compact Mazda MX-3 (1992-98) was available with the 1.8-litre K8 engine, the world’s smallest mass-production V6.

Even back in those days, Mazda dabbled in crossover designs, widely considered a 21st-century phenomena. The Mazda 323F (1989-98) made a family friendly five-seater out of a wedge-shaped sports coupe with pop-up headlights, while the Mazda Xedos 6 (1992-99) walked the line between luxury coupe and mid-sized saloon. And the Mazda RX-8 (2003-12), a two-row “quad coupé” with freestyle doors yet, again demonstrated the company’s sophistication when it came to refreshing coupe design.

Today Mazda continues to push design convention with models like the Mazda MX-5 RF (“Retractable Fastback”). As with the previous generation MX-5 Roadster Coupe, the RF’s one-of-a-kind power hardtop gives the world’s most popular roadster the comfort of an enclosed cabin, while concept cars like the Mazda RX-Vision and Vision Coupe demonstrate how stunning coupe design influences the Kodo: Soul of Motion design philosophy that delivers the award-winning styling you find across the whole Mazda range, something demonstrated by the 2020 World Car Design of the Year winning Mazda3.”

Skoda shows off big Greenie

The electric Skoda destined for New Zealand has been unleashed in an appropriately green land.

THE covers - well, camo - are still on, but a lot of details have nonetheless come out about Skoda’s first electric vehicle for international markets, the Enyaq iV.

Even though the car is still under disguise, a media preview effort that involved taking it to Ireland - because, in addition to the ‘E’ also referencing ‘electric’ and the ‘q’ conforming to an in-house naming practice, Enyaq derives from the Gaelic girl’s name Enya (which means ‘fire’ and ‘kernel’), plus green is Skoda’s colour and Ireland is the Emerald Isle – to release video, images and a ton of spec information – there’s been little holding back on detail.

For instance, Skoda has confirmed a car earmarked for sale here within two years will come with the options of three battery sizes, five power variants and a driving range of up to 500 kilometres. It also provisions in rear-drive in entry form and four-wheel-drive further up the range and a performance all-paw RS edition with 225kW is on the cards.

The car, of course, bases off the common underpinnings and drive units developed by Volkswagen for the ID.3 hatch and ID.4 crossover and also heading to SEAT, for the el-Born: Also already cited as a local starter.

Where it prices is anyone’s guess, but in size Skoda’s EV slots between the Karoq and the Kodiaq, being 4648mm long, 1877mm wide and 1618mm tall, on a 2765mm wheelbase.  

It is also classed as an SUV, though realistically that’s just a convenience. The message from commentators who got to see and drive it is that, because of the massive battery pack within the floor, there isn't a great deal of ground clearance so don't expect to go very far off-road in it.

However, it is designed to tow (if only up to 1200kg) and will is as roomy as the Kodiaq, with a big cabin – made all the more spacious by the lack of a transmission tunnel – and a 585-litre boot. Unlike some other electric SUVs, there isn't a storage area under the bonnet.

If Skoda NZ entertains taking the full range, then conceivably Enyaq would provision in more variants than virtually any model it presently sells here.

The line starts with the 109kW Enyaq iV 50, driven by a rear-mounted electric motor (so, rear-wheel drive) with a 55kWh battery pack and a maximum driving range of 340 kilometres.

Above this is the Enyaq iV 60, also rear-wheel drive but with a 62kWh battery and a 390km driving range, then the Enyaq iV 80, the highest choice in the rear-motored set. It has an 82kWh battery offering 150kW and up to 500 kilometres’ range.

Beyond this are dual-motor all-wheel-drive 80X and RS variants, also with the 82kWh battery pack, but with a second electric motor driving the front wheels. In this form the 80X has 195kW and the RS another 30kW more. The extra grunt comes at expense of range, but not greatly, with 460km claimed. The RS is the only variant that Skoda has announced a 0-100kmh time for; claiming it’ll smash that in 6.2 seconds. That’s 0.8s better than the fastest current Kodiaq, the RS. 

Fast charging is also promised with an 80 percent 'fill' possible from 40 minutes at a 125kW DC-powered station … provoding, that is, you’re talking about the 82kWh models. The onboard 11kW charging unit will enable users with a suitable domestic wallbox to replenish the battery charge in six to nine hours, depending on battery size.

Skoda wouldn’t allow photos of the interior, but media noted it doesn’t have the usual Skoda instrument displays, but instead takes a small digital display ahead of a two-spoke steering wheel plus an augmented head-up display that projects onto the windscreen, as in the Volkswagen ID.3. A centrally mounted freestanding touchscreen sits atop the dashboard, and this will come in two sizes, 10- or 13-inch, depending on model.

Skoda’s bent for practicality reveals with decent interior storage, including a generous console between the front seats. It gets a large wireless charging pad that can charge two phones simultaneously. Oh yes, and it has the trad umbrella. 

Skoda has a wide variety of specification grades, starting with Studio, available in the Enyaq 50 alone. Additional Loft, Lodge, Suite and Eco Suite trim levels will be available on the 60 and 80 models, and Eco Suite features more sustainably sourced materials. The 60 and 80 versions will gain the largest touchscreen display, a 13-incher. 

The car taken to Ireland was an Enyaq 80 and even with four adults on board, it was determined to have plenty of performance to offer with the typical instantaneous pick-up that is associated with electric motors.

What stood out for invitees was the smoothness of the ride over secondary road surfaces. Said one Irish publication: “It impressively soaked up larger bumps and the damping effect was equally polished, despite the lack of air suspension. How much that will differ in cars fitted with the largest 21-inch wheels remains to be seen, but running on 19-inch rims (also wearing winter tyres), it left a positive impression.”

RS rush kicking in from August

Coronavirus has slowed but not stymied intent to deliver the updated RS4 and RS5.

the rs5 updates start at the front

THIRD and fourth quarter arrival scheduling has been confirmed respectively two RS models especially popular with Kiwis.

The timings for the RS5 Sportback and RS4 Avant wagon has been shared along with a novel invitation to media. 

The liftback will be here for public consumption from August – though a solitary press car comes next month - while the load-all is even later.

Those timings also come with suggestion the $157,900 Sportback could be in more limited supply, at least initially, than the $153,500 wagon, whose production availability is described in a communique as being “much better. 

A spokeswoman later communicated that RS5 supply will be down to “a handful” on first arrival, but with steady stock later.

Supply constraints are hardly unusual with the RS models but, of course, the situation has become massively exacerbated by the global coronavirus pandemic, which caused car plants in Europe to close as early as March. However, Audi has since slowly resumed production from mid-April.

If not for that, the cars could conceivably have been coming out around now. NZ’s status as a high-level and easily-pleased RS fanbase usually ensures we get to the top of the list for right-hand-drive production, which appears to have just begun when the Covid-19 crisis hit.

the rs4 has been notified as a Q4 arrival

Audi NZ has listed the RS4 for some weeks but only provisioned the RS Sportback specification sheet yesterday with an invitation for NZ media to participate in a media question and answer session running from an RS skunkworks in Germany tomorrow morning.

The programme requires an early start – it’s at 4am, our time – but live attendance has been excused, with participants being allowed to submit up to three questions via a provisioned URL.

It sounds like fun, as it involves racing driver Frank Stippler and Rolf Michl, head of sales and marketing for Audi Sport GmbH, and is tagged as being an interactive test drive from the Nurburgring racing circuit, where the Audi Driving Experience Centre bases and cars are tested.

Provision of the RS5’s local market detail comes three months after Audi Germany released the images of the refreshed RS5 seen today. It comes with confirmation that focus will restrict simply on the five-door shape, with Audi NZ saying is has no intentions for the two-door Coupe.

This will also be a busy week for RS information sharing, with the local operation saying it will have more to share about the RS6 and RS7 later this week.

The RS5 Sportback in the image showcases the most expensive of the 20-inch alloy wheel styles; those matt bronze hoops are $4000 a set, as opposed to $1000 to three other styles in alloy. In its standard form, the new RS5s ride on 19-inch wheels wrapped in 265/35 rubber.

cabins come in for some revision

The flash rims a trifling splurge compared to some other options, all the same. The most expensive enhancements are carbon ceramic brakes, at $16000, and a carbon styling pack, valued at $13k.

The incoming editions are mechanically unchanged, for the most part, from the pre-facelift models that have been here since 2017 and 2018.

So, the same 2.9-litre biturbo V6 is pressed into service, the maximum power's still 331kW and the torque still peaks at 600Nm, from 1900 to 5000rpm, and it’s all driving all four wheels through quattro four-wheel drive with a rear-axle 'Sport' differential and an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox.

Yet that transmission has been recalibrated to improve shift times, while the quattro system is also given a bit of a rework, though it continues to favour a 40:60 front-to-rear-torque split, sending as much as 85 percent of torque to the back axle when required. Zero to 100kmh times range from 3.9 to 4.1 seconds.

What’s obviously changed is some of the styling. The refresh delivers a revised front end, which features reshaped air intakes and an enlarged grille for a more aggressive look. Audi says that the three implied air vents above the grille are inspired by the 1984 Audi UR Quattro. There are new lighting signatures at both ends and altered bumpers, too.

The dynamic handling system picks up two driver customisable modes (RS1 and RS2) in addition to the comfort, auto, and dynamic modes. 

engine outputs don’t alter

Nappa leather seats, a head-up display, and a even sportier suspension package with hydraulic roll and pitch stabilisation are on the menu.

The 12.3-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' dashboard has been refreshed, as have the graphics on the 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen.

This RS4 is 45kg lighter than pre-facelift car, supposedly through a reduction in sound-deadening. The adaptively damped suspension has been reworked, too, to enhance ride comfort.

If the standard RS concoct doesn’t seem fiery enough, then perhaps ABT Sportsline, a motor racing and auto tuning company that mainly deals with Audi and the related primary Volkswagen Group brands, can help.

Abt Power S has delivered a rework package for the  2.9-litre biturbo V6 that bumps up the power to 395kW and torque to 680Nm. 

A kit that is cited as being specific to the RS4 – though surely it would work for the RS5 as well - liberates this sort of punch through an Abt Engine Control (ABT) high-tech unit, an additional water-cooler package and a revised air intake cover. You can even go further by adding an optional Abt intercooler to the mix, though it’s potentially more for well-being as Abt says it won’t change the wallop.

Abt doesn't say what this sort of hike in power does for 0-100kmh times, but pundits reckon it is reasonable to expect it to be as fast, or maybe even faster, than its larger RS6 sibling, which'll run 0-100kmh in a claimed 3.6s.

Want to know more about the Abt partnership and the work undertaken with the RS4? Watch this video.

Hybrid XV, Forester running lean

Those long-promised thrift-minded hybrid Subarus are finally here …just not in strength.

CONFIRMATION that the first Subaru cars with a hybrid drivetrain have finally arrived has come with caveat of limited supply.

The national allocation of e-Boxer versions of the XV small crossover and Forester medium sports utility editions is a trickle; just 10-20 units a month.

 Also confirmed is pricing, with the XV Sport at $42,490 and Forester Sport and Premium respectively at $47,490 and $54,990 – all therefore $5000 more expensive than respective existing petrol versions in equivalent specification and trim.

As per non-hybrid editions, the new models are all-wheel-drive and have a continuously variable automatic transmission. 

The limited availability excludes demonstrators, with dealerships from June 1. IT’s highly probable those cars might be sought by customers, as first stock for general sale won’t come until September at the earliest.

Subaru Japan’s inability to supply the models to this market until now has been a massive issue for the national distributor.

The addition of an electric motor and lithium-ion battery to abet the car’s classic Subaru 2.0-litre petrol engine was seen by Subaru New Zealand as the perfect tool to ease lingering consumer perception that the marque’s trademark horizontally-opposed engines fall short as economy or emissions champs.

 Subaru NZ began spruiking the technology three years ago and initially thought it would have it in early 2019. It then reset that timeframe, with thought NZ might piggyback on the introduction to Australia, which occurred last December.

The reduced count might not be a factory inability to provision more.

It could also be that, with the car market expected to be down by around 40 percent year-on-year as result of the initial and ongoing impact of the coronavirus, Subaru NZ has chosen to keep the national allocation under closer control.

Certainly, it has broken from convention in deciding that it will take direct control of e-Boxer allocation. General inquiries and sales arrangements are directed through a bespoke website, www.subaru.co.nz/eboxer, and customer-bound cars will apparently allocate from its Auckland head office.

Even so, it definitely wants to stir up interest. It has also come up with a finance deal that secures the models for $99 per week (over an unspecified period) through Subaru’s Accelerator Programme via Heartland Bank. Additional information will be available about this offer and will be emailed to those that have registered to find out more on June 1. 

The models use the same e-Boxer powertrain, a 2.0-litre horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine developing 110kW at 6000rpm and 196Nm at 4000rpm (5kW shy of its petrol counterpart in the XV) mated to a synchronous electric motor good for 12kW/66Nm.

Subaru has cited that the XV Hybrid has potential to deliver a 14 percent improvement in fuel efficiency over the equivalent petrol model on the urban cycle and a seven percent improvement on the combined cycle. The Forester Hybrid will offer improvements of 19 and nine percent respectively compared to 2.5-litre petrol variants. 

The hybrid tech comes from Toyota, which has shareholding in Subaru and is a technology partner in Fuji’s electric drive programme that positions the hybrids as a stepping stone to plug-in electric fare.

Only with PHEV – or full electric – can Subaru achieve status as an electric car maker. The hybrids don’t qualify for that status. As in Toyota hybrids, the aim isn’t about allow any particular electric-only urge.

While three driving modes are available - Motor Assist EV, Motor Assist electric plus petrol engine and petrol engine only – and the system has capability of swapping between configurations depending on driving conditions, it will only enable pure electric at under 40kmh and range is limited to several kilometres. 

Subaru NZ managing director Wallis Dumper has enforced that the derivatives have the same DNA as all the NZ-new Subarus launched before them - with no compromise in their performance or their capability.

“Forester and XV have both been huge successes in our range and we know there is pent-up demand for hybrid variants among our Subaru owners, who are some of the most loyal customers in the industry.

“We are not letting COVID-19 get in the way of letting them access these new models - we just need to do things differently.”

“We believe the e-Boxer Hybrids are worth the wait as they are perfect for New Zealand. Sure, global demand and production constraints have tested our patience, however it’s more relevant than ever to have a hybrid in our model line-up.”

.

New Highlander hybrid revealed

Here’s the new Toyota Highlander – but you won’t see it in the metal for a little while yet.

DETAILS about the hybrid system set to drive the next-generation Highlander have been revealed.

In giving insight into the new-to-type drivetrain that Toyota New Zealand has previously affirmed will be a sole choice, thus bumping a petrol V6 that continues in other markets, the brand has also provisioned a first look at the new styling.

The Palmerston North-based brand has yet to offer any comment on the car and its timing. Toyota Australia, whose launch timings general chime with ours, has said it is set to land in the first half of 2021.

This will be the first time a hybrid powertrain has been offered on new Highlander here. Married to a 2.5-litre petrol engine, it is of course a mild system – plug-in recharging has yet to enter the Toyota lexicon – and the cited total hybrid system power output is expected to be 179kW (whereas the new V6 has 218kW). 

Toyota also cites “excellent fuel economy and low emissions” without being too specific. The hybrid battery is located under the second-row seats.

The hybrid drivetrain marries to an intelligent AWD system that incorporates front and rear electric motors.

The fourth-generation Highlander sits on the Toyota New Global Architecture GA-K platform, providing multiple benefits for dynamics, safety and styling.

Toyota says this has enabled engineers to develop a lightweight and highly rigid bodyshell with a low centre of gravity - features that provide the new SUV with nimble handling and comfortable driving around town and on the highway.

The new generation has advanced Toyota Safety Sense active safety technologies designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of traffic situations.

The new platform has also allowed designers to craft a longer, more distinctive body that delivers a more flexible interior with expanded cargo space and a more tailored ambience.

Toyota has sold more than 15 million hybrid vehicles globally.

Time for cash for bangers

Vehicle scrappage – new car distributors say today’s massively depressed market provides the right climate for action.

Bangers for cash schemes have proven effective overseas.

 FACED with a remainder of 2020 which is going to see demand for new vehicles remain tepid at best, distributors have turned to the Government for help.

They’re seeking fast-tracked introduction of new policies to boost demand - incentives to compel the public to buy into fuel-efficient vehicles allied with others to remove old polluting and potentially unsafe vehicles from the scene.

The Motor Industry Association, the organisation that represents the new vehicle industry, is leading the push.

What spurs this all the more is a dire registrations outcome for April. A sector in lockdown put 90 percent fewer new passenger and light commercials vehicles into public use than it managed in the same month of last year. Year-to-date the market is down 32 percent.

“The Government can play a decisive role in lessening the economic pain we are feeling,” said chief executive David Crawford.

The removal of older vehicles from the roads is hardly unknown. The United Kingdom and many European countries in particular have such ‘bangers for cash’ programmes in place, usually with the dual aim of getting rid of older and more polluting vehicles, improving safety and, of course, stimulating sales of newer – ultimately brand-new – new vehicles.

david crawford

New Zealand has no such thing and this has contributed to the average vehicle age approaching 15 years. For example, the average of vehicles in the United Kingdom is just over eight years, and in Australia and the United States it is just over 10 years. The average age here now is, in fact, higher than it was before NZ accepted used import cars. Lowering the fleet age was given as a reason why ex-Japan used cars were allowed here.

Around four million vehicles are thought to be registered in New Zealand. It’s thought around 68 percent are less than 18 years old. Twenty-one percent are aged between 18 and 27 years. That means we have at least a million vehicles on our roads aged more than 20 years and with exhaust emissions many times higher than modern-day vehicles, and potentially with safety issues as well.

Saus Crawford: “We all know we have an old fleet with numerous polluting and unsafe cars roaming our roads.

“We believe it is time for the Government to provide financial incentives to remove the vehicles which are older than 20 years of age and/or where their exhaust emissions standards are the equivalent of Euro 3 or less.” (Euro 3 is a globally-recognised emissions standard introduced, first in Europe, in 2006).

He added such a move would be in line with New Zealand’s new road safety strategy and the Government’s climate change objectives.

For all that, scrappage is an issue that various administrations have considered for years.

the higher the quality of the fleet, the better the safety standard

Two trials were conducted by the Ministry of Transport, the first in 2007 and another in 2009. The first was in Auckland where owners of old clunkers were invited to hand in their vehicles in return for $400 worth of free passage on the city’s bus and train services. A total of 253 vehicles were scrapped. Organisers determined the benefits of the trial exceeded its $102,800 cost.

The second trial was in Wellington and Christchurch, where owners were paid the scrap metal value of their vehicles plus $250 worth of public transport passes. They also went into a draw to win a new Toyota Corolla.

A total of 349 vehicles were collected, but officials decided the whole thing was not cost-effective due to the low number of vehicles received and the relatively low overall social and environmental benefits relative to the trial’s cost.

Since then nothing else has been tried.

That’s been in stark contrast to other parts of world where scrappage schemes have been introduced. In the UK, for example, the Government introduced a scheme in 2009 where owners of old cars were offered the equivalent of around $6000 to get rid of them. Various car companies have also implemented their own scrappage schemes, most recently in 2017.

Last year our Government looked at a total of 11 potential new policies aimed at reducing New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions – and one of those was the introduction of some form of scrappage scheme. Incentives considered included supply of public transport passes, and credits towards the purchase of either a cleaner car or some other form of transport such as an e-bike.

older cars are also generally more problematic for exhaust emissions

But that idea didn’t progress much further, with the Government opting instead to concentrate on the so-called feebate scheme that would financially encourage motorists to buy low-emission vehicles via rebates, and discourage purchases of more fuel-hungry vehicles via fees.

The only thing that happened in relation to scrappage was a statement from Associate Transport Minister Julie-Anne Genter that the subject had been passed on to the NZTA, and that she expected to hear back from the organisation in a few weeks.

That statement was in October last year.

Meanwhile New Zealand’s vehicle fleet is getting progressively older – average age was 11.7 years in 2000, 14.4 years in 2017, and today 14.9 years. Should we be proud of this?

some car brands in the uk remain avid advocates of scrappage.

Ute outlook Pt 3: The big Blue

Our national obsession for utilities, especially family-minded dual-cabs, knows no bounds. The market is booming at the moment, and filled with plenty of strong options. Yet surely you’re also keen to know something about what’s coming up next, when and from whom? Here’s the final section of our three-part analysis.

will there be a new Raptor? It’s still unknown.

My, how the motoring world goes around.

Back in 2011 when Ford Australia unveiled the T6 Ranger ute that it had designed and engineered all by itself, it flew journalists to some God-forsaken place in South Australia’s Flinders Range for the big reveal.

In among the Rangers at the launch event was a Volkswagen Amarok. The Ford people explained that the VW was there because during the Ranger’s development they had benchmarked their new ute against it.

High praise indeed for the Argentine-built ute produced by Germany’s Volkswagen Group. And the benchmarking worked, too – Ranger immediately became one of the world’s most popular one-tonne utes.

In New Zealand it is the topselling ute, consistently edging out its arch-rival Toyota Hilux. In fact it is the top selling new vehicle full-stop – last year there were 9485 of them registered, well ahead of Hilux’ 7126 sales and way ahead of the most popular passenger vehicle, the Toyota Corolla with its 6804 sales.

And Amarok? The hard truth is that the Volkswagen has struggled. It account for just 1 per cent of the Kiwi commercial market last year, with 653 sales. And that figure was less than 1 per cent of the Amarok’s global sales of 72,500 last year, which in itself was very modest when compared to the hundreds of thousands of sales recorded annually by the likes of Hilux and Ranger.

Given the very high costs of development of any new-generation vehicle, it made sense then that Volkswagen Group would look to forge an alliance with another manufacturer to share development of the next Amarok.

That’s what has happened. Last year the group signed a contract with Ford Motor Company to develop new light commercial vehicles.

current ranger has been vital for ford nz

In other words, instead of Ford using the Amarok as a benchmark during development of a brand-new T7 Ranger, it is now developing the next-generation Volkswagen ute.

Under the terms of the new alliance, Ford is responsible for creating the two ute models, while Volkswagen Group is responsible for development of both brands’ next-generation vans.

The ute project is being led by Ford’s Australia-based Asia-Pacific Product Development Centre, and it is already well advanced. Unofficial word is that the new Ranger will be launched late next year, and the Amarok slated to arrive in 2022.

Although both companies – Volkswagen particularly – are currently spending a fortune electrifying their future vehicles, this isn’t going to apply to the utes. Instead, Ford is concentrating on developing a range of suitable petrol and diesel engines for Ranger and Amarok.

Media reports out of Australia suggest that instead of being powered by the current 3.2-litre five cylinder diesel, which won’t meet latest emissions regulations, the new Ranger will feature a 3.0-litre single turbocharged Power Stroke diesel V6.

The latest version of this lightweight engine is under the bonnet of the F-150 pick-up in USA, and in that application it offers 186 kilowatts of power and 597 Newton metres of torque.

There’s also talk the Ranger will also get a 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged ‘Nano’ EcoBoost petrol V6 that debuted in 2018 aboard the F-150 in the US, and it develops 242kW and 542kW. But at this stage it seems unlikely this petrol Ranger will become available for New Zealand.

 There’s no word yet as to whether the new Amarok will feature the same powertrains as the Ranger.

Parts 1 and 2 of this series can be found in the news section.

amarok has been a solid performer and the v6 is admired. will it continue?

Future-looking Volvos coming, ready or not

The next XC90 coming here is designed to carry a feature considered the key to unlocking fully automated driving.

How Lidar sees the world.

THE next generation of a Volvo car strongly supported by Kiwis will avail within three years with technology crucial to enabling safe automated driving – but whether it can be used effectively here then is far from certain.

The Swedish car brand’s local distributor has confirmed it is line for the next XC90, a large seven-seater luxury sports utility, debuting an advanced self-driving suite using lidar.

Lidar is a radar that – as the acronym suggests – uses light detection and ranging to measures distance using pulsed laser light to generate a highly accurate 3D map of the world around the car. 

Lidar sensors are considered by many automakers and tech companies an essential piece of technology to safely roll out autonomous vehicles.

Because? Just like human-driven cars, vehicles enacting autonomously must face traffic congestion, potholes, trees and numerous other obstacles. Lidar is the technology that works as an ‘eye’ and to opportune accuracy gains far beyond the level from existing radar and camera technology that’s already in operation and increasingly commonplace, especially in luxury brands.

With Lidar Volvo is promising it will deliver fully autonomous vehicles which can navigate highways. With the emphasis on the last word. This is not designed to enable full-time hands-off driving in any other scenario. City streets, country roads, carparks, your driveway, the beach … no, too hard. There will still be a steering wheel, still the need for a driver.

Volvo has been at the forefront with its highway pilot system, which in current form uses radar, cameras and software to read road conditions well enough to be a semi-autonomous aid. It fits as standard to most product now.

However, the new system, developed with a highly secretive Silicon Valley start-up, Luminar, is a significant world-first step beyond that ability, Volvo New Zealand general manager Coby Duggan says.

What’s unveiled now potentially feeds off a trial Volvo conducted on part of Tauranga’s motorway back in 2016 that became first official trial of an autonomous driving system in this country in real world conditions.

In that test, the trial car – also an XC90, but the current model – used a more sophisticated version of the self-drive technology presently available in production models to navigate the road.

Driver intervention was minimal, only required to u-turn at the halfway point of the 15km journey. What impressed onlookers and trial partners the Ministry of Transport, NZTA, Trafinz and the maker was how the car operated seamlessly and safely alongside other vehicles.

At that time the smarts were just in Beta form – the car had to be smartened with software brought in from Sweden (on a memory stick), with an expert from Gothenburg head office to operate it.

Much progress has since occurred with the ‘Drive Me’ development programme, including an initiative in Sweden that saw 100 families testing fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. 

Now comes the overnight announcement of the lidar integration being set for production. 

Volvo, whose parent is Chinese giant Geely, says this latest advance will be part of a hardware package for vehicles on its second-generation of the Scalable Product Architecture that underpins all current models.

Coby Duggan

That programme kicks off with the next XC90, which Duggan says is set to avail here in late 2023, a year after international release.

Volvo’s confidence in the new system is such it has immediately assured it will take full liability should anything go wrong.

It says the lidar package might initially start out an option, but will eventually become a standard feature.

Either way, Duggan says it is probable all new XC90s will carry the core electronic elements – and presumably at least the lidar housing - regardless of how prepared export markets are for automated driving.

Luminar and Volvo have not revealed how much this version of highway pilot might cost. Luminar has previously said its Iris lidar unit will cost less than $NZ1600 per unit for production vehicles seeking full autonomy and about $NZ800 for version used for more limited purposes like driver assistance.

Will New Zealand be ready for this? Hard to say. Realistically, it would likely only prove useful on motorways built to latest design standard and in perfect order; as Tauranga’s was. Roadworks, congestion, confusing markings … these remain a challenge even for tech in its most advanced form.

All the same, from a legislative perspective, NZ is well-placed for the ‘if’ and ‘ when’ of autonomous driving and there seems to be a healthy consumer interest in hands-free driving.

“So, yeah, I think we are getting there. Yes, we still need to understand more about what needs to happen in infrastructure terms to make sure the cars are able to perform as they are intended to.

“Yet we’ve always said the NZ is quite open to this and is receptive to an uptake of new tech.

“From a legislative perspective it is well prepared and NZ customers certainly seem to be keen to explore what’s available. But I also think the condition of the roads will also be pretty critical and there’s probably lots of work yet to be done in that respect.”

Of course, NZ standing out as a particularly tasty test site for real world AI driving only carries so much currency - the reality remains that ours is a small country so generally has to wait its turn.”

Current XC90 is a top seller for Volvo NZ

In some respects, it’s no different to where NZ finds itself with electric vehicles; makers appreciate our high level of renewable energy and identify the infrastructure is reasonably good, yet still have to give bigger markets priority.

“In some respects it would be nice to think we could be at the forefront but the reality is … we won’t necessarily be landing those cars first.”

Even so, in broad terms and regardless that it’s too early to unwrap where we place in Volvo’s planning, the tech is great to see and he anticipates his office and the sales network will receive plenty of customer inquiry.

It’s going to be a learning experience for everyone. “The more that we know about the technology in advance of the car arriving then the more we can start that education process.”

It’s not as if owners will be going in cold. Current Volvos are, like most modern luxury cars, equipped to engage semi-autonomous hands-off operation in specific conditions and for short duration.

“The notion of autonomous driving in the first instance is about making the most boring and the most unsafe aspects of driving safer and more convenient. There is obviously a piece of that depending on the infrastructure being what it needs to be, but obviously this (new) tech takes it forward.”

Volvo is hardly first to seek to adopt Lidar; the advancement here is as much as anything else in the packaging of a system that sends out thousands of laser pulses every second, these colliding with the surrounding objects and reflecting back to create a 3D point cloud. An onboard computer records each laser’s reflection point and translates this rapidly updating point cloud into an animated 3D representation. What has kept lidar off cars is cost and the ungainliness of the set-up: Who wants a car with a bucket-sized rotating device – requisite for a 360 degree view - installed on the roof or bonnet?

Luminar’s sensors are sited within the car’s roofline.

Well, no-one. Luminar’s solution is to forgo looking anywhere but ahead. So it’s sensors are fixed in place with a 120-degree horizontal field of view. This allows Volvo plans to integrate Luminar's iris sensors into the car's roof just above the windshield, where it will have a good view of the road ahead of the vehicle. The whole thing is really compact, about the size of really thick sandwich.

Luminar CEO Austin Russell says the announcement also represents years of work bringing down the cost of its technology. Luminar's technology is built around a relatively exotic type of laser operating at 1550nm. The fluid in the human eye is opaque to light at this frequency, allowing lidars to use higher power levels without running afoul of eye safety regulations. That helps Luminar's lidar achieve an impressive 250-metre range. 

The downside is that transmitting and receiving a 1550nm laser light requires the use of unusual and expensive semiconductor materials like indium-gallium arsenide (yeah, we also hope that one never comes up on The Chase). That's in contrast to conventional 905nm lidar systems that can be made using ubiquitous silicon-based components.

The perception software equally crucial to making it all work is still under development. The aim is to activate it wirelessly once it is verified to be safe in individual geographic locations. Volvo says it will continue to expand the capability of the software such as pushing up the maximum speed a vehicle can travel while driving autonomously. But it enforces this is primarily for highways. 

Even so, that’s a big step. And, yes, over time, updates over the air will expand the areas in which the car can drive itself. But Luminar enforces a safe introduction of autonomy is a gradual introduction – quite a different message, then, than we’ve heard from a certain someone in the electric car business.

Luminar’s Lidar packaging is a breakthrough

Ute outlook: Part 2 – the big team

Our national obsession for utilities, especially family-minded dual-cabs, knows no bounds. The market is booming at the moment, and filled with plenty of strong options. Yet surely you’re also keen to know something about what’s coming up next, when and from whom? Here’s part two of our three-part analysis.

Are you ready for Renaut’s Oroch Duster?

THE Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance is a massive strategic partnership that currently produces better than 10 per cent of all the world’s new vehicles.

That’s a lot of vehicles – close to 11 million a year, in fact – so it makes sense that the alliance has various technology-sharing agreements in place to take advantage of economies of scale. Such as sharing platforms and powertrains for its next generation of vehicles, for instance.

When it comes to one-tonne utes, the first brand-new model to emerge from the Alliance is going to be the Mitsubishi Triton. And a likely special feature of the model, which will probably be launched in 2022, will that it will be electrified.

Probably not pure electric though – that would be a step too far, given the traditional towing and 4WD rock-hopping needs of utes.  But it is known that research is progressing into whether the Triton will become available as a petrol-electric hybrid or as a PHEV.

Triton is a vitally important model for Mitsubishi. It’s the brand’s second-biggest selling vehicle worldwide behind the Outlander, with close to 200,000 annual sales. In New Zealand it is the biggest-selling Mitsubishi by a country mile – last year 5319 of them were registered, close to double the number of Outlander sales.

Current generation Triton has done Mitsubishi proud.

So in every respect it is important that the new Triton continues the model’s great reputation – and potentially  enhance it via the Mitsubishi becoming the first ute manufacturer to add electrification to its lineup.

Mitsubishi has been investigating the feasibility of a hybrid ute for some years now, and in fact it revealed such a vehicle – a diesel-electric concept called GR-HEV – back in 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show.

While there was no updated concept ute at the Tokyo Motor Show late last year, it was made clear a brand-new Triton is under development – and that Mitsubishi will be the first member of the Alliance to produce it.

Said the company’s chief operating officer Ashwai Gupta at a media briefing: “It’s a matter of each brand’s business decision as to when they will launch (a new ute), but as far as Mitsubishi is concerned...we are going ahead with development of a Triton successor.”

Mitsubishi has already achieve big sales success with its Outlander PHEV, so it is obvious that this plug-in technology is one that the brand is now considering for light commercial use. But it may well be that a more traditional series or parallel hybrid system will be chosen.

Next ute off the Alliance rank will be the Nissan Navara, which is also likely to be offered with the choice of an electrified version. But as with Mitsubishi, no decision has been made on which direction this electrification will take.

The new Navara will probably arrive in 2022. The current model has already received a final refresh, and the New Zealand lineup has just been bolstered via arrival of a version called N-Trek Warrior which was developed by Australian firm Premcar.

N-Trek edition is expected to lift current Navara’s status

In New Zealand, Navara is the most popular Nissan, with its 3305 sales last year beating both the Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs.

At Tokyo last year, the brand’s global head of light commercial vehicles Francois Bailley said for Nissan to consider any form of electrified power, a ute must be able to deliver power, torque and towing abilities.

“We’re looking at different technologies, from full EV to PHEV and so on. But we don’t think our customers will tolerate any compromise in terms of towing, payload, range. We must supply the same capabilities as the internal combustion models.”

Interestingly though, Nissan has already produced an electric ute.  Nissan-Dongfeng, which is a 50:50 joint venture in China, last year launch a new ute called Rich 6, which is based on the Navara and offers the equivalent of about 120kW and 420Nm.

Renault, the third member of the Alliance, already sells two utes on various interenational markets – the Navara-based Alaskan, and a small half-tonne ute called Oroch that is built off a compact SUV called Duster.

Renault New Zealand has been banging on for some years now that it intends importing the Alaskan, but it’s never happened.  Now it is more likely that if a Renault one-tonne ute does enter the Kiwi market, it will now be a brand-new model based off the new Triton.

It also seems likely the Oroch will get here before that. Renault NZ has confirmed that the Duster will arrive in New Zealand during the fourth quarter of this year, and there is talk that the ute version will arrive soon after.

And what about the Mercedes-Benz X-Class? Will a second generation of that ute, which is currently built off the Navara and assembled alongside Navara and Alaskan in Spain, also be built off the new Triton? Or will there be another X-Class at all?

The answer is no.  Mercedes-Benz has been badly burned by being the first luxury manufacturer to enter the world of the one-tonne ute – and as a result ithas announced that X-Class will be axed from the end of this month.

In a statement, the brand simply said: “In our global product portfolio, the X-Class is a niche product which plays a great role in a few markets.” In other words, It hasn’t been selling in anywhere near sufficient numbers – so is being dumped.

Shutdown jolts Juke release

The first shipment of Nissan’s crucial crossover is incoming. The next? Erm, about that ….

JUST an initial, modest shipment of the new Juke will achieve New Zealand landfall in time for its intended launch date and there’s no clarity when more will follow.

This sobering message about the model crucial to Nissan’s pitch to shake up the compact crossover sector comes in the wake of news that would likely strengthen its market acceptance – a brilliant crash test rating.

In condition normal, the five-star accreditation just announced by the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme would potentially offer opportunity for a powerful pre-launch marketing spin. 

Yet these are far from normal times. 

Production of the car having been brought to a screeching halt by the coronavirus pandemic and seems unlikely to resume for at least another month.

That creates a curly dilemma for Nissan New Zealand, managing director John Manley says.

He will certainly have cars here in time to avail the original plan of releasing in June – but exactly when reinforcements for this first wave follow is anyone’s guess.

So do they progress with the launch and, if so, how should that be accomplished: Loudly or low-key, given it’ll involve just a few hundred cars?  That’s being debated right now.

Getting the car from its production source to NZ is quite a journey. Rather than coming from Japan, Juke is again only built in Sunderland, in north east England.

Like all other UK car plants, this massive operation has been idle since March. Sunderland’s management signalling this week an intention to re-start some production is no particular panacea. It’s set to be a small-scale trial involving just 50 of the 6000-strong workforce and none of the tens of thousands in its supply chain. 

Of course, the way the market is heading, having opportunity to slow the Juke rush might become handy. April new car registrations being 93 percent down on the same month of 2019 fuels industry prediction of at least a 40 percent in new car registrations for the remainder of the year looks increasingly certain.

On the other hand, it’s a crucial product and the sector it aims at was showing the most growth potential before the coronavirus crisis hit.

Competitors include the Mitsubishi ASX, Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona and Venue, Honda HR-V and the Kia Seltos, which achieved as the top-selling model in April … albeit on the strength of a piddling 95 sales.

“it’s a tricky situation for us,” Manley conceded in respect to Juke supply.

“We just don’t yet know what is going to happen and it might be some time before there’s clarity. Okay, these are exceptional circumstances for everyone, but even so. Not easy.”

The Juke has been on sale in the UK and Europe since last year. That’s where the crash test was undertaken for Melbourne-based ANCAP, the only organisation whose protocols are recognised and funded by New Zealand. The NZ Automobile Association also sponsors ANCAP.

A five-star score is the maximum grade yet because the car has already launched in other regions, its crash testing was carried out according to 2019 standards – rather than a more stringent criteria introduced in Europe and Australia this year.

Even so, the regime required examples being subjected to a full-width front collision at 50kmh, a dynamic offset frontal collision at 64kmh, a side impact at 50kmh, a side pole impact at 32kmh, and a whiplash assessment for front and rear occupants.

The outcome was accredited on strength of it scoring highly across four disciplines, including adult occupant protection (94 percent), child occupant protection (87 percent), vulnerable road user protection (81 percent) and safety assist tests (71 percent).

However, while Juke’s active lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking systems won praise, ANCAP also suggested those features were not adequate in all scenarios, stating: “the system is not capable of intervening in the more critical emergency lane keeping scenarios”. 

The first-generation Juke – sold from 2012 onwards – also scored a five-star rating when tested in 2011.

The new model is a complete redesign and has grown in length, width and height. It offers more rear seat space and boot space, with the latter increasing from 354 litres to 422 litres. Despite the more generous dimensions it's also 23kg lighter, now weighing in at 1212kg. 

The edgy styling continues, the new model retaining its bulbous headlights and sweeping curves but now receiving LED daytime running lights and the latest version of Nissan's V-motion grille. 

The independent front and twist-beam rear suspension has been recalibrated for enhanced stability and sportier performance, says Nissan.

The NZ specification, model line-up and pricing has yet to be disclosed.

In Europe the car has a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 86kW of power and 180Nm of torque (rising to 200Nm in an overboost mode  that lasts up to 25 seconds), for 0-100kmh in 10.4 seconds at best.

European buyers can choose between a six-speed manual transmission or a new seven-speed automatic, the latter replacing the predecessor's CVT, and there are front and four-wheel-drive variants.

Europe’s flagship is the Premiere Edition, which runs 19-inch alloys and has two-tone paint, leather and Alcantara seating and a Bose Personal Plus stereo system.

The flagship also demonstrates new Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies, such as the ProPILOT semi-autonomous self-driving system, which Nissan says will help the JUKE steer, accelerate and brake itself. 

The safety provision includes autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, dynamic lane keeping, a 360-degree camera package, rear cross traffic alert, high-beam assist and six airbags.

Other leading-edge tech includes a NissanConnect smartphone app that allows users to access a range of functions, including the ability to push journey plans to the vehicle remotely, and in-car internet, allowing users to utilise the vehicle as a Wi-Fi hotspot. It can also be paired with Google Assistant to access a range of information and allow some functions to be controlled by voice.

$60k for battery-pure Mini

The Mini that plugs into play will be here in August.

ANOTHER small electric model is set to slot under $60,000 when it lands in August - if by just $100.

Still, Mini’s first fully electric car, the Cooper SE, is set to intrude into a price space occupied by two more utilitarian plug-reliant products, the Nissan Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq.

As much as they both of which hammer the wee BMW-Brit bauble for range (the official cited max is 233kms) and in size, both arguably falls well behind for visual chutzpah, premium-ness and social standing.

How they will stack up for specification? Yet unknown. Even though there’s just going to be the single variant, that today’s announcement enforces that this is the start point for pricing is good reminder that it will, as always, cop a decent options list.

Even so, the local starter spec looks good. Mini is kicking off its campaign with a First Edition whose fittings include some fancy gear: adaptive LED headlights, bespoke interior trim, heads-up display and a Harmon Kardon audio. Intriguingly, Australia also takes the same thing for $A59,900 – which comes out to just under $NZ64k on today’s exchange rate. So, a Kiwi win, by the look of it.

Of course, you can tick boxes for all that in combustion-engined Minis and still save, as almost all are cheaper; not just all the variants in the same three-door styling but also the substantially larger Countryman and Clubman.

That just reminds that there’s still a degree of expensiveness in buying into a mains-reliant drivetrain consisting a 32.6kWh lithium-ion battery and a 135kW/270Nm electric motor. 

Even so, there’s lots of optimism, with Brett Waudby, general manager of MINI New Zealand and Australia, reckoning the car “heralds a new chapter for the brand - a charge into the future of electromobility without compromising the marque’s core values of creativity, vibrancy and smart urbanity.

“It is wonderful to see such a positive response we are getting to the car. Our dealers are extremely excited to add this model to our customer offering, which is sure to be an absolute thrill to drive.”

Hilux future: NZ specials, hybrid … but no racer V6

An update is due for Toyota NZ’s top-selling vehicle five years into its model life.

BESPOKE versions of Hilux tailored in New Zealand are likely to be offered.

Production of special, perhaps even one-off, editions will be undertaken by Toyota New Zealand at its Signature Series facility at Thames, which started out as an assembly plant but now operates as a refurbishment centre for used import and ex-fleet and rental NZ-new product. 

The Palmerston North-centred national new vehicle sales leader says any such models would be to special order and specified above the current SR5 Cruiser.

What has inspired the programme is positive customer reaction to a flamboyant design study the distributor commissioned, chief operating officer Neeraj Lala says. 

Based on a 4WD double cab Hilux SR5 and unveiled at the 2017 Mystery Creek Fieldays, the Gladiator (below) carried around $65,000 worth of modifications and accessories. It remained in TNZ’s fleet for two years before being auctioned in December, 2019, the new owner being a Taupo man who bid $81,000 and also traded a Landcruiser in on it.

Says Lala: “We figure there’s an opportunity to do more of this. It’s taking Hilux back to its roots, because there’s long been a tradition of individuals doing big improvements their Toyota utes.”

Further information about the special edition programme is to be aired when TNZ also breaks silence on what is coming with a big mid-life facelift for the current generation Hilux. 

What’s set to arrive is far more extensive than the 2018 update that improved TNZ’s strongest-selling product in 2019, with around 7000 registrations. 

Toyota Japan plans an international announcement on May 21.

The upgrade is expected to include substantial cosmetic changes plus a re-powering of the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, which currently develops 130kW of power and 450Nm of torque in automatic form and 130kW/420Nm in manual, and revisions to improve the diesel particulate filter.

It is also expected to receive mild revisions to the interior that will include an upgraded infotainment system that includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto.

Lala says he can offer no comment until May 21, explaining “we are bound by an embargo. 

What has particularly excited media are renderings that have been bounced around the internet for weeks that appear to expose the facelift design.

Purportedly sourced from an independent global Toyota exporter, Milele Motors, and based on leaked internal documents, the images suggest the upgrade delivers new LED headlamp design, a larger front grille inspired by US truck styling and revisions to the Hilux’s rear, plus new 18-inch alloy wheels at the high end and 17s for the outright workhorses.

Beyond those images, there has been further intense speculation that Toyota is also entertaining with this update a new GR – for Gazoo Racing – variant featuring a twin-turbo V6 diesel making perhaps 200kW/650Nm if not more.

One national provider has become particularly fixated, with speculation repeated as recently as yesterday, apparently based on musing published by an Australian online outlet. 

Fake news?

“New Zealand is not going to get a V6 twin-turbocharged diesel-powered Hilux ute,” says Lala.

The NZ outlet’s stories have resulted in TNZ’s call centre being hit by inquiry from customers asking what other information was available. Lala wishes the writer would simply pick up the phone and talk to him.

One big drivetrain revision that is set to involve with the current ute, but won’t be included in the facelift, is adoption of hybrid technology.

“We’re committed to focussing on lowering exhaust emissions throughout our vehicle fleet, and that includes the Hilux ute,” says Lala. 

“So far Toyota Motor Corporation has produced 15 million hybrids, so we know how to build them.

“In New Zealand we are already selling hybrids that can tow – the RAV4 SUV – so it’s no big step to acknowledge that a hybrid will feature in the current model lineup some time in the next 12 to 18 months.”

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GS ‘top fan’ sad to see it go

The Lexus GS medium sedan is low key but will be missed.

 DETERMINATION by Lexus to axe the GS sedan is bittersweet for the brand’s top man here.

Neeraj Lala has no trouble understanding the logic behind the move – the national SUV obsessions has rendered luxury sedans of all sizes increasingly irrelevant. 

Here Toyota’s premier marque has primarily become a sports utility operation, with the extra spin of a brand-unique hybrid push with its controversial ‘self-charging’ tag line.

Even though the sales progress of the four-strong GS line is modest in New Zealand, it has a fanbase.

Lala’s in that support group. He reckons his own drive car, the range-topping F-designated V8 that, at $169,900 costs $60k more than the entry variant, that sees far more red than Green, won’t be easy to relinquish. Mind you, he has the best sub-variant, the limited-count F10 anniversary model. 

“It’s a great car, hands down the best one I’ve had as a work car,” says the Toyota and Lexus New Zealand chief operating officer.

“I’m really enjoying having it. They did a great job with it.

“It’s a real shame to see ‘fun’ sedans like this being under threat. But demand for those cars unfortunately doesn’t allow them to continue on.”

The decision to axe GS was expected. “Switching it off has been on our plan for at least two years, it’s not a surprise.

“It is fairly well documented that the demand for those sedans is no longer there. SUVs and crossovers now deliver the same handling levels but also offer greater practicality and flexibility.

“It is a car we would love to keep but the brand is moving on. We have some exciting Lexus models coming next year and, honestly, I just see customers gravitating more toward those models that offer more flexible, dynamic solutions than a traditional rear-drive car.”

GS production for NZ ends in August. The LS flagship and smaller ES sedan will remain in the family, the latter now including an F-Sport

For New Zealand, the ‘F’ will be the final blast of a model line that has been part of Lexus for 27 years and spans four generations. 

An announced special edition of a current shape that came out in 2012 will not come to New Zealand, Lala says.

He believes the swansong ‘Eternal Touring’ special edition that will be last out of the factory will likely only avail in Japan and the United States.

The Eternal Touring adds a number of sporty design touches including the F Sport spindle grille, a rear spoiler, orange brake callipers, red-and-black leather interior trim, F Sport seats and carbon trim on the passenger-side dash.

With the removal of the GS F, Lexus NZ is left with only two models sporting the ferocious 351kW 5.0-litre aspirated V8 – the RC F and LC500 coupes. 

However, more performance models seem set to be on the way. In February, the brand released a statement about its racing ambitions in Europe, and included in the news was the announcement it will be testing a new twin-turbo V8 that will be implemented in a production model.

No word has been given on what models are set to receive the new force-fed bent eight, however the most likely candidate is the LC coupe, which is being used as the test car for Lexus’ racing programme. 

No current F grade exists for the flagship coupe, however a more potent version of the V8 could see it become a reality.

Given the current V8 outputs 351kW/540Nm in the LC500, the twin-turbo mill would likely have to push in excess of 400kW to earn the F badge, overseas’ media have conjected.  

The first generation of GS went on sale globally in 1993, with the second-gen version following in 1997.

In 2005 the Toyota Crown-based third generation arrived, replaced by the current model in 2012.

Giulia GTA a big ask for NZ

For its 110th year, Alfa Romeo hasn’t bothered with a cake. But Kiwis seeking a slice of the hotshot it has cooked up might be chancing it.

KIWI Alfisti keen to secure their favourite brand’s most powerful and most expensive car face an uphill battle.

Created to celebrate Alfa’s 110th anniversary and set to roll off the line from mid-2021, the new flagship Giulia reintroduces the famous GTA badge, first seen on an Alfa Romeo in the 1960s, in two formats – a standard GTA and a more track-honed GTAm.

So, will it come?

While national distributor Ateco declined opportunity to provide direct comment, a spokesperson says it doesn’t seem likely. There’s not only the small matter of anticipated high demand for a small global run – just 500 units – but also that all seem set to be in left-hand-drive.

That doesn’t completely rule out opportunity, of course. And extreme effort might be worthwhile, given this Giulia is unlike any other.

As impressive as it is in its own right, the Quadrifoglio on which the GTA is based is half the car – literally terms of price, with overseas’ reports suggesting the ‘m’ has a sticker roughly double that attached to the $139,990 NZ flagship variant. 

Hard to see how something so small will cost, on home turf, around $20k more than the 8C Competizione supercar, which went out of production in 2010?

Well, performance is in a higher league. The new model uses the same 2.9-litre Ferrari-derived V6 engine as the Quadrifoglio but power has been upped from 375kW to 397kW for a 0-100kmh time of just 3.6 seconds.

An Akrapovic titanium exhaust is also fitted, which is much noisier than on the Quadrifoglio. Along with the extra power, the GTA weighs less and features aerodynamic additions to further improve performance, most obviously on the stripped out version.

If that’s not enough to attract attention, then it will be availed in a series of bespoke liveries inspired by the brand's motorsport heritage.

The firm's Centro Stile design arm has taken inspiration from the original Alfa GTAs that ran hard in the European Touring Car Championship. Liveries include a yellow and red paint scheme that harks back to the 1971 title-winning car.

You can also choose from GTA Red, Trophy White and Montreal Green paint colours, chosen to represent the Italian flag. There’s a dedicated online configurator to view the various possible combinations at https://gta.alfaromeo.com.

 Even though this Giulia looks quite a lot like any other, it isn’t really. There’s a much wider use of carbon fibre than in the standard car. The driveshafts, front wheel arches, a bonnet, front bumper and roof are made out of the lightweight material.

Both cars get a sharper front bumper with a chin spoiler and naked carbon-fibre inserts, plus black centre-locking alloy wheels and black rear wheel arch extensions. The rear bumper is all-new, the huge functional diffuser is hard to miss. Likewise that enormous carbon-fibre boot lid spoiler. The cars have a 50mm wider track (the distance from one wheel across the axle to the other) and thorough suspension changes.

The GTAm also gets a stripped-out interior, so just two carbon-fibre seats, six-point racing seat belts and a roll cage, no door panels or proper door handles. It has as Alcantara suede-like fabric as the GTA, but weighs around 100kg less. 

Buyers will get a tailored race suit, shoes and gloves from Alpinestars and a Bell race helmet, plus a car cover, all included in the cost of the car. The 500 customers also get to attend a driving course at the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy.

Ute outlook Pt 1: Mazda's new love ... Max

Our national obsession for utilities, especially family-minded dual-cabs, knows no bounds. The market is booming at the moment, and filled with plenty of strong options. Yet surely you’re also keen to know something about what’s coming up next, when and from whom? So, here’s the first instalment of a three-part analysis.

2020 D-Max

ONE of the big motoring stories over the next few months is going to be all about utes – what’s going to be new, and who is going to be building them.

It’s called platform sharing, folks.  And the art of sharing development costs. In recent times it’s seen the likes the Mazda BT-50 built on the same platform as the Ford Ranger, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class built on the same underpinnings as the Nissan Navara, and the Holden Colorado sharing the platform of the Isuzu D-Max.

Now the deckchairs have been re-arranged and the platform sharing has started all over again. But while the process itself is remaining the same,  the outcomes are a lot different.

So which new ute is being developed with which other new ute – or even utes? In this series of articles, we provide the breakdowns, starting with a pair of newly-weds.

Back in the day when Ford owned 35 percent of Mazda,  the Australian division of the blue oval company was largely responsible for development of what remains New Zealand’s biggest-selling vehicle, the Ranger.

And, thanks to the ownership scenario at the time, Mazda conceived its BT-50 version off the Ranger. Although it featured such differences as unique body styling and different suspension settings, the two utes shared the same chassis and same powertrain and were even built in the same factory in Thailand.

While the process saved a lot of money in development costs, in New Zealand  this platform sharing scenario proved to be something of a double-edged sword for Mazda.

That was because of Mazda’s 24 Kiwi dealerships, 18 of them were also Ford dealerships – and for sales staff it was easier to sell the hugely popular and masculine-looking Ranger than the BT-50, despite the fact Mazda NZ went to great lengths to differentiate between the two, particularly as regards pricing.

 End result: Ranger has a 20 per cent share of New Zealand’s ute market, while the almost identical BT-50 owns 5 per cent.

2020 D-Mx

Ford doesn’t own any stake in Mazda any more – it sold its shareholding in 2010 – and the current BT-50 is the only remaining remnant of that ownership scenario.  And now that’s about to change, thanks to a supply agreement Mazda brokered four years ago with Isuzu.

At the time, the two brands said the agreement would allow Mazda to “maintain own-brand market coverage.” In other words, get out from under the shadow of Ford.

And Isuzu? Back in 2016 it said the agreement would allow it to “enhance its product competitiveness”. In other words, rid itself of lingering claims that its D-Max ute has for all intents and purposes always been a Holden Colorado.

Actually, it’s always been the other way around.

At one stage General Motors owned 49 per cent of Isuzu,  which gave the Detroit giant access to Isuzu light trucks.  That explains why the Holden Rodeo sold in Australasia from 2002 to 2008 was in fact the original Isuzu D-Max.

But when GM began to sell down its shareholding in Isuzu, the two brands began to go their own ways. GM lost the right to the Rodeo name and changed the name of the Holden ute to Colorado, then Isuzu distribution operations were established in Australia in 2008 and New Zealand in 2010, which allowed the brand to begin to sell the D-Max.

It’s been like that ever since, with the D-Max and the Colorado essentially sharing the same platform but being increasingly their own vehicles – different engines and powertrains, different bodyshell designs (well, from the A pillar forward anyway), and built in different Thai assembly plants.

But now that’s all about to change. Instead of a BT-50 being a Ranger and a D-Max being a Colorado, the new BT-50 will be a new D-Max.

First to arrive will be the D-Max, which has already been launched in its home Thailand and was scheduled to be unveiled in New Zealand just after mid-year – in fact dealers were scheduled to be in Thailand in late April to watch the first kiwi models roll off the assembly line.

 But thanks to Covid-19 the assembly plant was shut down, and the trip had to be cancelled. Isuzu Utes NZ Ltd marketing manager Kathyrn Hayward said the company is now working with the factory to confirm a new arrival date for the D-Max.

“We will provide more information when we can,” she added.

A feature of the new ute is that it will be powered by a beefed-up version of the excellent 3.0-litre four cylinder turbo diesel that is under the bonnet of the current model. Power has gone up to 140 kilowatts and torque has risen to 450 Newton metres. It’s also going to have improved safety specification and more infotainment.

During last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Isuzu told the attending media that the new D-Max was developed solely by Isuzu as the original equipment manufacturer, with the finished product then provided to Mazda.

A shared disclosure agreement with Isuzu means Mazda New Zealand is unable to disclose any specifics about how the brand has BT-50-ised the ute. That will become clear when the vehicle is launched here later this year.

 But Mazda NZ product and sales planning manager Tim Nalden did confirm that the current BT-50 is enjoying such a “halo” period at the moment – it’s achieving its highest monthly segment share levels since its first year on the market in 2011 – that it is leading the company to consider selling both models side-by-side for a period of time.

It’s going to be interesting how both these new models perform on the New Zealand ute market.

Last year the BT-50 was the sixth biggest selling ute here with 2325 sales, and the D-Max one place behind with 1802 sales. But in 2020/2021 a combination of the fact they are brand-new, and the imminent disappearance from the market of the volume-selling Holden Colorado,  could see a rise in registrations of both of these models.