2014-02-13

TE AWAMUTU’S MONTHLY MOTORING FEATURE, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014

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Te Awamutu Courier - Thursday, February 13, 2014

What comes next for Australian carmakers? Make the change every 4 years or 80,000kms BY DEAN TAYLOR hen Holden stops making the Commodore and Ford closes its Australian manufacturing plants, it really will be the end of an era. I think it is sad, but also inevitable. Global manufacturing is a huge business, and the bottom line is making money. That is achieved by scale of economy, and down here in Australasia we are small fry, and even Aussie is a bit geographically isolated. But it is sad that Ford V Holden won’t really be the same anymore, and that two biggish, rear wheel drive, down-under designed and built sedans can’t compete anymore — be it on the track or in the showrooms. Of course both companies are part of huge international groups, and not everything badged Holden or Ford for sale here is from across the ditch — far from it. And it seems the local dealerships aren’t all doom and gloom either. We can feel sorry for Australia’s motor manufacturing workforce, and the huge support businesses that backs it up. The same happened here too — although New Zealand never had anywhere near the same input into R&D that the Australians have. It seems some of the brainpower will be kept — just not the building part. That, it seems, has been too reliant on government subsidies and that can’t go on forever. Mitsubishi pulled out of Australia in

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2008 and Ford plans to stop production in 2016. Holden has another three years, but has committed to supporting models sold here and to future supply of road vehicles. That put pressure on the Toyota operations out of Melbourne, and just this week they too announced they would cease production by the end of 2017. It is reported that a Commodore badged vehicle will still be sold here and in Aussie — General Motors certainly have plenty of choices about where and how to make such a car. And there have been indications the high performers, such as the Commodore SS, could be based on a Cadillac in future years. The US Cadillac uses the Alpha Code rear-wheel drive platform designed for high performance vehicles. Rosetown Holden owner Stu Tervitt says the marque is in an incredibly strong position and he is excited about moving forward. Holden has been a huge seller in the local market, commanding a 50% share, and the good news for the business here is that it is not all built around just the Commodore variants or Cruze from Australia. Ford dealers are also lining up for a new range — and again they are excited, especially with the possible return of Mustang. By 2017 the Ford line-up could be Fiesta, Eco (a Fiesta based SUV), Mondeo, Everest (a seven seat version of the Ranger), Mustang (with a fourbanger option?) and Edge (a Territory replacement based on a new Mondeo platform). Diesel technology is a likely option for all vehicles, except the Fiesta and

Mustang, and turbocharging plays a huge role in fuel efficiency and performance. It may even appear to give a 2.3 litre, four cylinder Mustang some 185kW of tow. Plans to replace the Falcon with the US Taurus look to have been shelved based on the dropping sales in the larger sedan sector in favour of small to midsized cars or a practical SUV. New Zealand statistics would back that decision. The list of top 10 selling vehicles in the last five years is dominated by Toyota and Mazda, with the Commodore coming in at 10. For the five years to 2011 Commodore was third and Falcon eighth. Whatever the final decisions, Ford is another company with plenty of options — and they have a winner with the Mustang, it just is. Factory right hand drive is a bonus. The pony car turns 50 in April this year and people still want them. At the beginning of the year the first production 2015 Ford Mustang GT fastback was pre-sold at a charity auction for US$300,000. And Ford also has plenty to crow about in the sales department. The Ranger had the greatest year-onyear growth of any of the top five vehicles sold in New Zealand in 2013 — a 75% increase over 2012 sales figures. So the bottom line will still be that a great range of Fords and Holdens will be available in New Zealand. The companies are committed to after-sales care of their customers. And a Cadillac based Holden SS screaming around Bathurst with a Mustang in its mirrors in the V8 Supercars would be great.

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Colorado ute gets serious mid-cycle upgrade to the Holden Colorado has made a great ute even better. The Duramax 2 engine has been given a real boost with reworked internals and a new turbocharger punting its power up to 147kW and 440Nm for the 2.8L diesel version of the manual, and up to 500Nm for the six-speed automatic. Driveability and safety features have also been given a new lease — there’s hill start, trailer sway control and downhill descent control, and interior technology has been bumped up with a MyLink infotainment system available on all bar the billy-basic DX version, which is targeted at farmers and other heavyduty buyers. The best news is pricing sits in the same place and its spec now lets it punch above its weight against its many rivals. Its off-road characteristics have markedly improved with the engine now giving a whopping spread of torque across the range. Undoubtedly the auto is the easiest option off the beaten track, with lowrange action almost relaxing it takes so little work. Hill descent control adds to the control. Off-road enthusiasts might dismiss modern trickery as not being the

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IMAGE: www.holden.co.nz

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Too soon to lower limit alk of making the lower speed tolerance permanent is premature, says the Automobile Association. The end of january saw the conclusion of a major two-month advertising and enforcement campaign on speed where any vehicle exceeding the speed limit by 5kph has faced a ticket from Police. The idea of keeping the lower tolerance in place permanently has been raised in some recent media reports, but the AA says it is too soon to rush into a decision. ‘‘December and January have had extremely low numbers of road deaths but it would be wrong to claim that is all down to the reduced tolerance,’’ says AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon. ‘‘January 2013 had the lowest number of road deaths since records began and it only had the lower tolerance in place for a few days. January this year has had the lower tolerance in place for the whole month and, as of this morning, there had been four more road deaths than the same time last year. It shows that there is a lot more than just speed involved in road crashes.’’ ‘‘An informed consideration over making the lower tolerance permanent will require a full and thorough evaluation of its impact and it will likely be months before the data to do that is available,’’ says Mr Noon. ‘‘Over the last two months we have seen a massive road safety advertising campaign and a major Police presence on the roads. Whether the reduced tolerance would be as effective without this publicity is a question the evaluation will need to look at.’’ The AA, which has 1.4 million Members, has also undertaken a survey which showed divided opinion over the lower tolerance. A survey sent to 10,000 random AA Members in late December found: ● 57% of respondents supported the extended lower tolerance for December and January while 37% opposed it; ● 82% wanted to see a 10kph tolerance retained on motorways and passing lanes; ● 65% thought the change was motivated by road safety while 34% thought it was about revenue.

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real deal, but the rest of us do prefer to come out of the bush unscathed. On the road the Colorados’ manners are still very much of the big

four-by-four beasts that they are — there’s a reasonable amount of road noise and it’s not exactly a passing-lane missile, but it has undoubtedly

improved. With most buyers of this type of vehicle breaking away from the ‘‘work truck’’ and looking for a more versatile

machine to do the Monday to Friday hard yards and then be a family wagon at the weekend, Holden can certainly tick a few more boxes.

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Family friendly da ay out at Glenview embers of Glenview Club joke that they are Hamilton’s best kept secret — now they want to change that. The club is tucked away in a semi-rural location, and for those that know it, offers much the same as other clubs — a few friendly drinks at cheaper than pub prices with mates, a bit of pool or darts, clubs within the club for those keen on fishing or golf. But they also host a great Classic and Custom Car Show, an e v e n t n ot n ormally associated with such a facility. Members started the event last year and this year added a

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PLENTY of muscle at the Glenview Club Classic and Custom Car Show.

Swap Meet to the day’s activities. The aim is to get people through the gates and show off not only a great range of cars, but their facilities — both inside and outdoor spaces. Club members run the show and donate profits to St John Ambulance. There were about 130 cars at the show and a handful of swappers, but still plenty to see. There was plenty of shade for a hot day and a good variety of food and drinks. I left earlyish, but for those that stayed there was live music into the afternoon. Well done Glenview Club.

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ATTENTION to detail is the key k to the MINT63 EJ Holden Ute.

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FOR the off-road 4WD drive brigade, this isn’t a warning sign — it’s an instruction.

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MILITARY and Police were on hand in case of any trouble. TC130214DB04G

FEISTY Fiat — apparently the ‘Fear of Japan’.

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WAIKATO Triumph Club had a small gathering, and took the opportunity to promote their own show here in Te Awamutu in April.

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1951 Jaguar MK VII in race trim was a real head-turner.

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Sales strong for start of 2014 he year has started very strongly in terms of vehicle sales, with both the New Zealand new and used imported sectors performing ahead of January 2013. The passenger and commercial vehicle, as well as on-road motorcycle segments, all recorded strong gains. MTA spokesperson Ian Stronach says New Zealand new and used imported commercial vehicle sales of 20,625 units were the strongest for any month since July 2007. ‘‘January is often a good month for sales, but the performance of the market exceeded most expectations,’’ he says. ‘‘February normally sees a bit of scaling back, but 2014’s off to a flier for sure.’’ Total New Zealand new vehicle sales of 10,528 units made it the strongest January on record and more than 13 percent ahead of the same month last year. Used imported vehicles sales of 10,097 units were the best in six months, and 1,644 units (19 percent) ahead of January 2013. Used imported passenger vehicle sales of 9,470 were 2,073 units (28 percent) ahead of January 2013, while used imported commercial sales of 627 units were 198 units (46 percent) ahead of the same month last year. New passenger vehicle sales of 8,293 units were 908 units (12 percent) ahead of January 2013, while new commercial sales of 2,235 units were 327 units (17 percent) ahead of the same month last year. In terms of individual models, with sales of 722 units, Toyota Corolla was well clear of its nearest rivals Ford Focus on 301 units and Suzuki Swift on 261 units. The race for the best selling New Zealand new commercial vehicle seems set to remain tight again this year; Ford Ranger topped the market with sales of 314 units, followed by Nissan Navara on 291 units and Toyota Hilux on 231 units. ‘‘With strong economic forecasts coming from many quarters, and both business and consumer confidence being reported as improving almost across the board, there’s no doubt vehicle buyers now have the confidence to commit to replacing vehicles, which has been missing in previous months.’’

Head-turning dressed-up Ranger

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BY DEAN TAYLOR uto electrician Deane Mark has chosen the best selling ute as his work horse — but added a few features to make it eye-catching as well. He purchased a Ford Ranger automatic from Fairview Motors with a few extras. He wanted big black wheels on a white ute — and went to 20’’ aftermarket rims. The rest of the accessories came through Fairview Ford — nudge bar, tinted windows, Tuffdeck, hard lid, sports bar and tow bar. The ranger is a big utility vehicle with a huge list of creature comforts and a maximum five-star crash safety rating from Euro NCAP. It comes in XL, higher-level XLT and a loaded Wildtrak version. Power comes from a 3.2-litre Duratorq TDCi five-cylinder turbodiesel, which produces 147kW of power and 470Nm of torque, matched to either a sixspeed automatic or manual transmission. Ford figures rate combined fuel consumption is between 8.4 litres per 100km from a 2WD manual to 9.6 on the Wildtrak 4WD — which is more than acceptable. Ranger is possibly the most high-tech ute yet seen in New Zealand, incorporating such diverse features as Bluetooth with voice control to rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera on some models. The vehicle was the result of a worldwide development pro-

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gramme, in which New Zealand played a small role when disguised examples were flown in for cold-weather testing at the Snow Farm facility near Queenstown. The Ranger is larger where it counts — and the extra dimensions have been put to good use in the cabin. Ford believe double cab rearpassenger area is the roomiest and most comfortable in the class. Braked towing rating is 3350kg, one of the best for a ute and only a little short of the 3500kg holy grail of some 4WDs like Land Rover’s Defender. Front and rear suspension has been upgraded and steering has been improved from recirculating ball to rack

and pinion. The Ranger’s traction control is part of a Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) package that helped it achieve such a high safety rating. In 4WD models the DSC can be fine-tuned to assist in various conditions, such as driving in mud, sand, snow and ice. Ford adds extra traction punch in the form of a mechanical rear differential lock, standard on some

models and an option on the rest. The Dynamic Stability Control also includes a swag of other clever electronic aids, such as Hill Descent Control, Hill Launch Assist, Trailer Sway Control, Adaptive Load Control, Roll-Over Mitigation and Emergency Brake Assist. Ford has also taken storage into consideration and in Double Cab form the Ranger has more than 20 spaces to stow stuff. Door pockets take 1.5-litre bottles and the glovebox holds a 38cm laptop computer. A separate driver’s glovebox provides useful storage and there are places for mobile phones and the like in the console and other areas reached easily by the driver.

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Best of old and new caravans on show he Camper Care NZ Motorhome and Caravan Show is regarded as the biggest and best show of it’s kind in New Zealand, and with the North Island show moving to Mystery Creek Events Centre this year, it’ll bring with it the best of the old and the new. With New Zealanders thirst for everything retro, show visitors will be treated to, amongst other things, a display of classic caravans ranging across the decades of the 50’s and 60’s, including a mid-fifties Pomeroy, one of only 12 ever built. Overseeing the display will be Don Jessen whose passion for caravans started at a very early age. Jessen’s dad founded Liteweight caravans back in 1946, and by the age of 17 he was working in the business, going on to becoming director of Liteweight and staying involved in the company until it closed in 1990.

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‘‘These old caravans attract attention wherever they go. They give old timers great memories and younger people just love their style and quaintness. I really enjoy showing them to people and talking to people about them. They really capture the era very well,’’ he says. The Leisure Line & Southern Star electronic stability control demo will also be a must see. A live demonstration will take place daily, which will highlight the benefits and safety features of having ESC installed on your caravan. The AL-KO Electronic Stability Control is a sophisticated electronic brake actuation system that automatically responds to the driving behaviour of the caravan by monitoring for any dangerous lateral movements and taking preventative action immediately — applying the caravan’s electric brakes to maintain road position, making every journey you take safer and

more pleasurable Leisure Line and Southern Star Caravans are NZ’s only AL-

KO endorsed ESC installers and suppliers. Event Organiser Event organiser, Michele Connell says ‘‘We’re excited at the move to Mystery Creek, which will give show visitors the opportunity to

experience a full weekend of activity showcasing the latest and greatest, as well as the classics of the industry, along with plenty of chances to win some great prizes’’. The North Island Camper

Care NZ Motorhome and Caravan Show will be held at Mystery Creek, Hamilton from Friday February 28 - Sunday March 2. ■ For more information visit www.nzmotorhomeshow.co.nz

Show charity to benefit from prizes isitors to the show will have the opportunity to give a little something back for charity. The show has announced the introduction of a new Quick Fire Raffle where every hour their nominated charity, Lions Clubs International, will be outside one of the shows exhibitors sites, selling tickets, and spinning the winning wheel where one lucky person will win the prize supplied by the exhibitor for that hour. All proceeds from the quick fire raffle will be donated to the Waikato Bay of Plenty Lions Cancer Lodge via Lions Clubs International.

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There will also be a number of other new options on offer at this year’s show, adding to its already well regarded reputation as the biggest and best show of its kind in the country. They include the all-new Resene Do-Up where entrants will compete to ‘refresh and beautify’ their caravan over a three day competition. Competitors will have to work as a team, within a budget and will be judged on their design and workmanship. And just to keep them on their toes, a few extra challenges will be thrown in along the way.

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Creative ideas keep flowing ne of the swap stalls at the Glenview Club car Show that really stood out was the motoring memorabilia site of Kevin Middleton’s. On closer inspection all the old signs and fuel pumps carefully displayed around his ‘53 Chevy truck were new. Mr Middleton also makes robots out of ‘junk’. He says he doesn’t throw anything away because it might be useful on one of his creations. Mr Middleton lives in cambridge and wanted something to do when he retired from working in the bush. He says he’s been a Chevy man for years, and has owned heaps, and always been interested in motoring memorabilia. His ‘new’ truck is a Father’s

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day present to himself — and it’s great for taking his wares to swap meets. The signs and fuel pumps are made from wood and bits and pieces. The pumps double as cabinets. He also specialises in rocker cover racers — works of art complete with racing stickers and aerodynamic attachments. In his workshop are also a collection of planes he has whittled from solid blocks of timber. The robots are newish — made from metal bits and pieces he has collected. In between he is doing bits and pieces on the truck. It runs a Blue Flame straight six and is is great original conditions, but is getting a touch up here and there. Next plan tis to lower it a bit.

he AA says new car buyers should not discount the value of a 5-star Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) safety rating attached to smaller cars despite the release of new information that suggest occupants face more risk in some crashes. Fresh crash test information from the United States-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows drivers of small cars are more exposed to the risk of serious injury or death despite the use of high tech safety features. The results show that some smaller new cars fail to protect occupants in a small frontal overlap crash. This crash test differs significantly from those conducted by ANCAP and other new car assessment programmes, including one of the IIHS’s own. ANCAP’s crash tests mimic a head-on collision with an object or another car while the IIHS small frontal over crash is similar to hitting a pole or tree with the corner of the car at speed. AA Motoring Services general manager Stella Stocks says IIHS test creates a real world situation, but it misses the vehicle’s front-end crush zone, which absorbs impact and provides occupant protection. ‘‘ANCAP tests occupant protection in a type of very common crash, which is a frontal offset which is what you’d usually see when two cars travelling in opposite directions collide,’’ Ms Stocks says. ‘‘The safety rating produced is based on crash test performance which shows how well an occupant in specific crash conditions would fare and also on a range of active safety assist technologies (SATs) that help prevent crashes. ‘‘A vehicle that performed well in a crash test would not get a maximum 5-star safety rating from ANCAP if it didn’t have electronic stability control, for example.’’

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CREATIVE hands of Kevin Middleton at work on another robot in his Cambridge workshop. TC130214DB04D

(LEFT) GLENVIEW Club Car Show swap site that caught plenty of attention. ■ Mr Middleton sells his creations mainly at swap meets, but visits to his workshop can also be arranged. He also makes to order and can make one-off designs.To make an appointment, contact him on (07) 823 1993.

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