Newsflash

+++ The next-generation 2018 ASTON MARTIN Vantage will differentiate itself further from the DB11 when it makes its debut later this year or early next, according to the company’s head of design. Design director and chief creative officer for the British marque, Marek Reichman, said we can expect a “huge difference” in design between the new models. “One of the tasks that Andy Palmer (CEO) set me when he came on board, was that he takes his mum to the showroom and points at a DB11 and points at a Vantage and she should be able to tell the difference between the 2 cars”, he said. “You will see with new Vantage that there are only 2 things that are shared between the 2 products on the outside visually – the door handles. Everything else is new, the panel work is new and the bodywork is new”. Reichman added that the new-generation sports car will also have a distinct, more focused character than that of the DB11, and essentially be an all-new product. “Some of the under-structure, the bonding methodology we use, the architecture is part of the same group, but the car is effectively an all-new car versus DB11”, he said. “They’re very distinct characters. A samurai sword and a scalpel are both knives, but they’re very different. The DB11 is a samurai sword and the Vantage is a scalpel. You’ll see that immediately when you see the car (purity, simple) it’s a focused sports car versus a super GT like the DB11”, Reichman added. Prototypes for the next-generation Vantage have been spied a couple of times over the last 6 months, looking like a Frankenstein made of DB11 parts and temporary sheet metal. It’s expected the V8 Vantage will trade its naturally-aspirated 4.7-litre V8 for a 4.0-litre twin-turbo mill sourced from Mercedes-AMG. Expect the availability of both manual and automatic transmissions, along with both coupe and Roadster convertible body styles. The new Aston Martin Vantage is expected to make its debut in coupe towards the end of 2017, which means Australian deliveries won’t arrive until at least early-2018, with the Roadster arriving around 6 months later. +++

+++ The smallest cars in the AUSTRALIAN marketplace have gone from packing one of the biggest punches to staggering against the ropes. Only a handful of years ago, light-sized cars formed a formidable segment in the Australian new-vehicle market, second only to small cars as the biggest-selling class with a 13 percent share and more than 130,000 sales a year. These bantamweights reached a high point of 137,916 sales in 2010, for a 13.3 percent share, fighting back to similar volume in 2012 after a 4.0 percent hit to sales in 2011, but their grip on the market was slipping by that stage and from then on have been overrun by a variety of other segments. While the migration away from family-sized passenger cars has knocked out the Australian motor vehicle manufacturing industry, large imported utilities and SUVs of various shapes and sizes – small, medium and large – have benefited most as consumers switched allegiance. The nation’s biggest-selling segment, small cars, has also been on a downward turn, but not nearly to the same extent as light or ‘micro’ cars combined (the latter defined by a separate category since 2014), with a variety of factors at play here – from intense market competition at the high-volume entry point of the small-car brigade to the current period of economic stability and relatively steady fuel prices. A 5.0 percent fall in light and micro cars sales combined this year will see the segment (still defined as a single category for the purposes of this report) fall below 100,000 sales for the first time in more than a decade (2005), and already the audience is walking out: the segment is down 14.3 percent after the first 2 months of trading. Last year, the light/micro segment plummeted 14.2 percent to 105,228 units, its 4th negative annual return in succession and one which saw its share of the overall marketplace fall to less than 9 percent (8.9) – enough for only 6th position as the unrelenting small SUVs (9.4) knocked it out of the top5. That leaves small cars as the only passenger car segment at the pointy end of the market, still well out in front with 19.1 percent share (as at the end of last year), although its dominant share and overall sales have both been trending downward since 2013. The mid-size SUV segment was in second place last year with a 14.6 percent share, up from 12.8 in 2015, while 4×4 pick-up/cab-chassis regained third position from large SUVs with a small resurgence to 12.5 per cent (compared to large SUVs steady on 12.1), bringing the dominant ute segment back to the around the same mark which saw it overtake light cars in 2013 – although it is still surrounded by various classes of SUV that are showing no signs of fatigue. Only those mainstream automotive brands that do not have mass-selling new models in the burgeoning SUV segments stand to lose from the unenviable position the light-car segment is now in, with most simply accepting the shift in the marketplace and diverting their attention to these new channels in terms of supply lines, product mix, sales and marketing budgets, and so on. Several have already discontinued slow-selling light sedan variants – among them, booted versions of the Mitsubishi Mirage, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris and Holden Barina – while others are remaining noncommittal about renewing their current offerings with new-generation models now available. Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Richard Emery told this week that the company was not prepared to take the new fifth-generation Micra – unveiled at the Paris motor show last September – after cutting the previous model from the local line-up last year for reasons as varied as its ageing platform and powertrain and lack of adequate specification compared with newer rivals such as the Holden Spark and Kia Picanto. “As it stands at the moment, the new Micra is not appropriate for the Australian market due to engine and spec choice”, Mr Emery said. “It’s only manual for now, and it is a bit expensive and is not offered in the right spec”. There are also question marks over whether Ford will bring the new-generation Fiesta to Australia, following its launch last year. “What you’ll see in Europe is a European outcome”, Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman told earlier this month. “Things will play out over time. We see global vehicles come through, we’re a global company, as you would expect. When we’re ready to talk about the Fiesta, we’ll come and chat with you”. Elsewhere among the big-name players, Kia (which is determined to cement its position as one of Australia’s top10 brands) recently launched its redesigned Rio and has high aspirations for its new-generation pint-sized Picanto that arrives here in April, while earlier this month Toyota introduced its updated Yaris range. The extent to which the market-leading motor company cranks up its formidable marketing machine for Yaris is still to be seen (the all-new C-HR is the main focus for now) but there is sure to be a desire to improve the hatchback’s sales, which currently place it behind Hyundai’s Accent and the Mazda2. Accent led the segment last year with 18,703 units, with Mazda2 on 13,639 and Yaris next on 12,158. In 2010, Toyota shifted 21,452 examples of the Yaris – a figure that even then wasn’t enough for segment leadership, with the Hyundai Getz beyond 21,500. A new-generation Accent is due in Australia later this year, while other notable launches ahead include the redesigned Suzuki Swift (due mid-year after its debut at the Geneva motor show earlier this month, and a crucial entrant given its status as Suzuki’s top-selling model) and the ‘Series 4’ version of the Fiat 500, which is expected in the second half. But as buyers increasingly expect higher levels of technology, and as mass-market brands look to eke more profitability out of each of their model lines, including light cars, the smallest vehicles in the marketplace are unlikely to ever fully untangle themselves from ropes, until perhaps the next global oil crisis sets alarm bells ringing. +++

+++ A Range Rover has been snapped in spy photos at FORD ’s proving ground in what is most likely benchmarking testing of vehicle performance and technologies. Globally, Ford has 5 new SUVs in the pipeline for launch before 2020, including the born-again Bronco, which will be based on the same ladder chassis as the new-generation 2019 Ranger pick-up now under development. As well, Ford’s upscale Lincoln brand has at least 2 new luxury SUVs on the way: the full-sized Navigator due in North American showrooms later this year and an unnamed China-only SUV to follow in 2020. A Ford spokesperson declined to comment on the specific project involving the Range Rover, saying only that Ford tests lots of competitor vehicles for its global engineering efforts. While the luxury and expensive Range Rover might sit way above the more utilitarian Ranger/Bronco, they might have at least one area in common: a 3.0-litre diesel engine. Ford’s 3.0-litre Powerstroke diesel that seems destined for the 2019 Ranger (to replace the 3.2-litre 5-cylinder unit) is already employed by Land Rover in its Discovery and Range Rover. Making 258 hp and 600 Nm in the Land Rover products, the engine was developed in a collaboration between PSA’s Peugeot, Ford and Land Rover, and has been earmarked to become the first diesel engine in the 2018 Ford F-150. On the SUV front, Ford is unlikely to be planning to turn the new Bronco into a direct competitor for the Range Rover. However, items such as all-wheel-drive systems, active suspension technologies, aluminium construction and diesel engines might all be of interest for Ford engineers developing their own mass-selling versions for upcoming Fords and Lincolns. Announcing the return of the Bronco at this year’s Detroit motor show in January, Ford president of the Americas Joe Hinrichs assured fans of the vehicle that it will be “a no-compromise mid-sized 4×4 utility for thrill-seekers who want to venture way beyond the city”. The huge Lincoln Navigator (shown in concept form at the New York motor show almost a year ago) is due to emerge in production guise in the second half of this year. It is the vehicle closest to the Range Rover’s level of luxury and size, but because development of the Navigator will be all but done and dusted by now, it seems a little late for benchmarking of Range Rover for that purpose. The Lincoln SUV is expected to be built at Ford’s joint-venture Changan Ford factory in the western China city of Chongqing. Changan Ford also builds the Taurus large car, as well as the Escort small car developed in Australia. Another Ford joint venture, JMC Ford, builds the Transit. +++

+++ HYUNDAI has made a filing with the European Patent Office for engines featuring cylinders with differing displacements. Recently, a patent filing from the Korean car maker for a “system and method for motor-assisted non-uniform displacement engine control” was discovered. In a nutshell, the hypothetical engine would have 2 types of cylinders, each with a different displacement. For example, a 4-cylinder would have two 500cc cylinders, and two 450cc cylinders. Connected to the engine is an electric motor, which would be used to balance torque output from the unevenly sized cylinders. It would also help to minimise the extra noise and vibration generated by an engine with non-uniform cylinder displacements. A drivetrain control unit would be able to operate the new type of engine in at least 3 different modes. According to Hyundai, a traditional engine with cylinders of the same size has “a margin for operation point control that is insufficient due to the fixed displacement thereof”. The automaker also says that current production engines spend too much mechanical energy in order to idle in a stable way. Hyundai made the original filing on December 2, and the application was published on March 22, 2017. It’s not known how far along Hyundai is with development of this new engine type, nor is it known if the company intends to proceed with such a design for production. The company has yet to display a concept car with this style of engine. +++

+++ LAMBORGHINI has disclosed that it is looking into the possibility of releasing electric vehicles. With the Volkswagen Group revealing that it will be releasing electric vehicles within several years, there was the expectation that other automakers would follow suit. However, then Lamborghini CEO Stephen Winkelmann did not believe that the brand should go the way of electric vehicles and preferred to continue creating models that were gas-powered. All that could change though. Appointed in March 2016, CEO Stefano Domenicali told that he is interested in the brand’s plan to produce electric supercars. This however should not come as a surprise given that Lamborghini is in fact under the Volkswagen Group through the Audi division. With the parent company pushing for the creation of a range of hybrid vehicles and pure electric ones, it is possible that this would later trickle down to the Italian automaker that would then make a low-slung supercar. In the same interview, CEO Domenicali said that while Lamborghini is indeed looking into electrification, customers should not expect anything in the short run. It is important, he added, to be realistic so if an electric Lamborghini model does get launched, it is likely going to happen some years from now. Still, the company had confirmed previously that it will indeed be coming with a plug-in version of the Urus SUV. However, market release is projected to be sometime in 2020. This means that if the electric supercar does get made, it will be probably years after, in 2025 at the earliest. Despite Lamborghini not yet committing to an electric version of its models, Audi has reported that it will go ahead and release electric versions in order to compete with rivals like Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG, to name a few. In a report by Autocar, Audi CEO Rupert Stradler shared that before the decade is over, Audi will release either a hybrid hypercar or maybe a pure electric version. While Audi is still not sure on what technology to actually utilize, it is looking as well into the new technologies it can use, CEO Stradler added. It was back in 2016 when Volkswagen Group first revealed plans of what it dubbed as the “Strategy 2025.” Under this plan, the brand hopes to offer 20 new plug-in hybrid or electric cars by 2020. In addition, it also hopes to release a total 30 all-electric models by 2025. For the electric cars in particular, Volkswagen will be making use of its MEB platform chassis. This will be the same architecture that many of its new models are expected to have mainly due to the flexibility and the fact that the battery is placed on the floor. Based in Germany, as of 2016, Volkswagen Group is considered as the world’s largest automaker with sales reaching an estimated 10.3 million units. +++

+++ 28 years after the company was first launched by Toyota, which was initially targeted to the United States market only, LEXUS has already made its way to over 70 countries. And just recently, their newest addition is India, where they officially launched the company with a trio of models. To make the debut interesting to the market, the company set up what they called a “guest experience center” in their 4 dealerships stores located in New Delhi, Mumbai, Gurgaon, and Bangalore. In these centers, customers can check out the first three models they released: the RX 450h, ES 300h, and LX 450d. Meanwhile, aftersales service will be established in Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi. As the company ended their launch in India, they gave the guests a sneak peek of the all-new top of the line 2018 LS, which is set to arrive next year. Though they have not yet given much information about the LS version that will be sold in India, they hinted that it will most likely be a hybrid version, which fits the local market better. This means that the less expensive LS 500h equipped with a pair of electric motors and a 3.5 liter V6 engine and that yields up to 354 hp will be available in showrooms next year. Akitoshi Takemura, Senior Vice President of Lexus India mentioned that the way India is dealing with luxury is evolving, as residents are becoming more affluent. His strategy is to ensure that his customers are more than content by providing them with an “amazing experience” through its vehicles, its service and through any interaction with its brand. In other words, the company really plans to take care of its customers and give them the best kind of service possible. By doing this, they will make their brand look good too. That should be a good start! In addition to what Takemura said, there will be a 24/7 call center available for customers whenever they wish to inquire about their vehicles. For now, all cars will be imported straight from the Japan factory. However, there is a possibility for the company to begin local manufacturing – depending on how the market functions and if the volume of orders reaches a critical level. Lexus decided to open there to target the growing number of luxury customers as well as Toyota owners who want an upgrade of their current vehicles. As for their competitors in the luxury segment, Audi and Mercedes have already been around for over a decade. The company’s current focus is not yet on sales, but on plans to build their brand in the country. +++

+++ MITSUBISHI says it does not yet have a viable business case for developing plug-in hybrid vehicles to sit below its highly successful Outlander PHEV. This means that PHEV derivatives of vehicles such as the just-released Eclipse Cross have been shelved, though the company insists it is still investing significant resources in developing the technology more generally. Mitsubishi is a world leader in PHEV drivetrains, capitalising on the growing number of jurisdictions with tempting buyer incentives to go greener, while skirting the still-thorny issue of pure-electric range anxiety. The Outlander PHEV has motors on each axle with independent drive, powered by battery cells in the floor, giving it a unique AWD setup the company calls Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC). The batteries can be charged by the front-mounted petrol engine (which can also directly power the front wheels at higher driving speeds) or by being plugged into an external source. There are also various levels of regenerative engine braking. Pure electric range is about 50 km (top speed 120 km/h) but the presence of the petrol engine as power source and generator means you can drive it effectively as an IC car for 500km and then fuel up at a servo. The company has sold more than 100,000 Outlander PHEVs since 2013, owns more than 30 per cent market share in Europe (the world’s key driver of plug-ins) and is the top-selling car of its type in Norway, the UK and more. But with the template set, the Japanese brand’s next major step-change (a new PHEV model) will not lob until the next-generation Outlander arrives, which is not likely to appear for a few years. Mitsubishi Motors’ European general manager of communications Daniel Nacass told last week that the numbers just don’t yet stack up for various other segments. “Our next all-new PHEV will be the replacement for the current Outlander”, he said. “Eclipse Cross was designed for PHEV, and the car can accommodate the PHEV drivetrain, however we decided to stop development of that version simply because the business case at that price range did not make sense, would not have enough return on investment”. That said, the PHEV remains a key point-of-difference for conservative Mitsubishi: a truly market-leading vehicle in terms of price, and market penetration, in a relatively cutting edge space. “We keep obviously working on PHEV development”, Nacass added. “Obviously PHEV systems we will fit to our next cars will have next-generation motors, batteries and more”. Chrystal ball time. Last year’s 2016 Mitsubishi Ground Tourer GT-PHEV concept offered a larger 25 kWh battery pack, a 2.4-litre combustion engine, 90kW front electric motor (plus front LSD) and a 45kW on each rear wheel (2 on the axle). The promised electric-only range is 120 km, and the hybrid cruising range is more than 1.200 km. Nacass was also bullish about the recent incorporation of Mitsubishi into the Renault-Nissan Alliance. A key reason given at the time for Nissan’s 2 billion euro move was to access MMC’s PHEV tech to complement its strength in pure electric vehicles, such as the Leaf and NV200. Given the point of the alliance is to find synergies and share technologies to amortise the costs faster (where it makes sense to do so) PHEV iterations of other future cars such as the shared-platform next-generation Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol would also seem like obvious bets. +++

+++ PORSCHE is laying aside any plans of pushing another hybrid hypercar into their line-up; at least not at this time. Oliver Blume, Porsche Global Chief confirmed in a recent conversation that a 918 successor is definitely not in the cards right now. Notwithstanding the fact that Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin are moving forward with a new breed of hypercars, it is unlikely for Porsche to slip out a new 918 Spyder anytime soon. Blume explained how Porsche usually launched special models every 10 years. He said that since the 918 Spyder was just launched in 2015, it makes it quite unlikely for another hybrid hypercar to be in the works. It was earlier reported that the Valkyrie and Project One will be arriving towards the end of the decade. This will be followed simultaneously with another hypercar contender from McLaren by 2022. But in case Porsche will strictly follow the 10-year timeframe, that would mean we won’t be seeing a 918 successor until 2025. Nonetheless, Porsche happily welcomes the arrival of Aston Martin and Mercedes AMG’s new hypercars. Blume stressed how competition helps them “to be better and even better than the competition”. Since Porsche also comes from Motorsport, it only goes to show how the company enjoys having to compete with other brands. Both the Mercedes-AMG Project One and Aston Martin Valkyrie will likely come with extremely powerful hybrid powertrains; packing a relatively impressive 1000 hp at the most. Porsche’s 918 Spyder, on the other hand, boasts an equally powerful 900 hp 4.6 liter V8 engine. Combined with 3 electric motors, the 918 can sprint from 0 to 100 km per hour in just 2.5 seconds before reaching 336 km/h per hour at its peak. The Porsche 918 has been known to set an extraordinary record time of 6:57 at the Green Hell, only to be beaten by the Lamborghini Huracan Performante this year. Whatever the case may be, it would be exciting to see where Porsche is heading right after this. After successfully launching the 918 in 2015, Porsche continues to introduce more hybrid vehicles in their segment. This includes the upcoming 680 hp Cayenne S E-Hybrid. So, by the time a 918 successor turns up, we can also expect better things from Porsche. Perhaps that would also include taking back its crown from Lamborghini as the ultimate king of the Nurburgring. Porsche, as we know, loves beating the competition. +++

+++ European demand for SUVs and crossovers of any size and price showed no signs of slowing last year, which is why the models benefited disproportionately from the region’s better-than-expected sales in 2016. Combined sales of models that included the Renault Captur, Nissan Qashqai, BMW X1 and even the aging Volvo XC60 increased 22 percent to nearly 3.8 million units, according to data from JATO Dynamics. That rise easily outpaced the overall market’s 6.5 percent increase to 15 million. In addition, SUVs and crossovers accounted for a quarter of all European passenger vehicle sales last year, up from 21 percent in 2015. While torrid demand for SUVs and crossovers has put increased pressure on MPVs for years, the downward trend for people movers could be reversing because of the arrival of new products. Last year the new Ford S-Max and Galaxy helped the large MPV segment to rebound by a third, boosting the sector’s sales above 200,000. The arrival of the new Renault Scenic could have a similar effect on the compact minivan segment, which declined 6.6 percent last year. The segment should also benefit from continued strong demand for the new Volkswagen Touran, which was up by 52 percent to 112,850 units in 2016. SUVs and crossovers also continue to steal sales from hatchbacks, sedans and wagons. The Small SUV and crossover segment grew 20 percent to 1.26 million units last year while traditional subcompacts, led by the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Polo, lost share. Similarly, the compact SUV and crossover sector rose 21 percent to 1.45 million units while traditional alternatives, led by the Volkswagen Golf, lost share. When it comes to big models, European consumers turned to premium large SUVs and crossovers, whose sales increased by 22 percent to 271,014 units last year. Conversely, large SUVs and crossovers from volume brands declined by 12 percent to 70,473, making it the only SUV segment to suffer a decline, JATO’s figures show. The addition of an SUV or crossover to an automaker’s European portfolio can be a game-changer, Seat CEO Luca de Meo said, pointing to the Spanish automaker’s launch of the Ateca last year and its plans to join the small SUV sector with the Arona this year. “Previously Seat competed in half of the European market, with the Ateca and Arona it rises to three-quarters”, he told. Europe’s fastest-growing segment last year was premium compact SUVs and crossovers, which had a 40 percent gain to 338,428 units. The new BMW X1 took a comfortable lead in the sector by doubling sales to 97,218. The subcompact segment remained Europe’s largest with sales of 2.82 million units, a 2.4 percent increase that extended its lead over the region’s second-largest segment, compacts. +++