Wheel Fever - by Craig Hill

Japanese Cars Melbourne International - Wheel Fever

Suzuki Alto Hatch

February 27th 2009 14:58

Suzuki Australia has unveiled the all-new Alto hatch at the opening of the Melbourne Motor Show this morning.

The fifth and smallest member of the Suzuki family is already on sale in Europe and hits local dealers late this year.

Although prices have not been set, the Alto is expected to come in under the $16,490 Swift hatch.

Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers says the Alto will represent “outstanding value for money”.

However, Suzuki spokesman, Andrew Ellis, says exchange rates will play a big part in determining the car's pricepoint.

Suzuki Alto Hatch

The Alto will be available in two specifications.

The entry level gets six airbags, air conditioning, CD stereo system with MP3 auxiliary input, remote central locking, anti-skid brakes and six airbags.

The top specification Alto adds alloy wheels, foglights, a tachometer and electronic stability control.

At 3500mm long, the Alto is almost 200mm shorter than a Mini Cooper.

It is slightly narrower than a Mini but 63mm higher and has a wheelbase of 2360mm, 107mm shorter than the Mini.

Powering the Alto is a three cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine producing 50kW and 90Nm mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

A four-speed automatic will be optional.

The Euro IV-compliant engine delivers fuel consumption of just 4.5L/100km and produces only 103g/km of CO2 emissions.

Manufactured in Suzuki's Manesar plant in India, the Alto was designed by Suzuki engineers and tuned for European customers based on an extensive test drive program.

Already on sale in Europe, the little hatch has returned fuel economy figures of just 4.4 litres/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 103 grams a kilometre.

“Alto is the answer for people wanting a quality vehicle offering great performance, high levels of safety and outstanding fuel economy,” Devers says.

The front suspension is a MacPherson strut type while the rear is a three-link rigid axle.

Herald Sun

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Japanese Cars, Hatchbacks, Suzuki, Melbourne International

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Lexus LF-A Roadster

February 27th 2009 14:32

The Lexus LF-A roadster could be the car of the future, or a car with no future.

The LF supercar program has been running for close to three years and is a headliner for the whole Toyota group, but has yet to produce a production car.

There have been coupe and convertible show cars, and a hardtop LF-A painted in flat-black camouflage competed at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race in Germany last year, but there is still nothing concrete for showrooms.

But that has not stopped Lexus Australia from landing the signal red LF-A roadster as it show star for Melbourne.

"This car shows us what we are capable of doing, as a brand," says John Roca, head of Lexus Australia.

"It shows we are not boxed into a vanilla future that only has hybrid cars as a point of difference. It shows we can be, and will be, a lot more diverse than we are today."

The LF-A roadster is familiar but different to anyone who knows the coupe.

The lightweight body uses a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre, and the car rolls on 20-inch alloy wheels.

It has the same 5-litre V10 engine, tucked just ahead of the two passenger seats but well behind the front axle line, and rear-wheel drive.

Lexus has given few details of the convertible roof, except that the basic body is just as rigid as the coupe.

And that it will have the same 320 km/h top speed.

There is no chance for anyone at the Melbourne Show to buy the roadster, or even put down a serious deposit, but Roca believes the LF- A project will produce a genuine production car sometime in 2010.

"I think the car has a future. I think we're getting closer to 'when', ahead of 'if'. But we still don't know when that time will be," he says.

"The million-dollar question is when. And, frankly, I cannot answer that.

"But the car for the show is real. It has a real V10 engine that actually works and makes all the right noises.

"The stats we're getting show that the car will hit 300km/h and that was one of the targets. The engine always had the right power but the Japanese wanted 200 miles-an-hour and there have been some improvements to the aerodynamics to get it to 300 kays."

Roca says the global economic meltdown will not affect plans for the LF-A, despite its potential impact on high-priced luxury cars.

"I think there is a market, even in this environment, for that car.

And also for our brand," he says.

"Having it here was too good an opportunity to showcase what Lexus can do. We had to get it. As a brand, we are expanding. It began with the IS-F performance model, and the LF-A will follow it."

And there is other new stuff on the Lexus stand in Melbourne.

The latest RX makes its first public appearance in Australia, and the luxury SUV will be displayed as both a regular petrol model and a hybrid.

"The real story for us ion Melbourne is the RX. And the reaction to that car has been very strong," Roca says.

"We have the regular 350 and the 450 hybrid. The hybrid is only a pre- production car, but that will be available this year so we have the choice of the 350 and 450 by the beginning of the second half of the year.

"The important thing about the RX is that it's a second-generation hybrid for us. It will eventually be followed by the HS hybrid, which was just displayed at the Detroit Motor Show.

"We were originally told the HS was only going to be left-hand drive, but it's now confirmed with right-hand drive so we have put our hand up. We are definitely going to request the car for Australia and it's a car that will slot right between the IS250 and the GS."

Herald Sun

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Japanese Cars, Roadsters, Lexus, Melbourne International

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Mitsubishi i MiEV Electric Car

January 29th 2009 08:20

The first plug-in electric car for Australia is the Mitsubishi i MiEV.

The tiny battery-powered city car has been confirmed this week for local trials in February, edging out upcoming electric contenders from Smart, Nissan, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

There is no firm sales plan yet, but Mitsubishi Motors Australia is keen to turn the i MiEV trial into much more than just a dummy run — with genuine local deliveries sometime in 2010.

"We are going to do this. We're the first ones to put it out there," says Rob McEniry, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors Australia.

"There is a lot of talk about electric vehicles, but this will test the true appetite. We'll see whether it is factual or just fluff.

"We are ready to go for 2010, if the price is right and the market is there."

The first i MiEV will be on the Mitsubishi stand at the Melbourne Motor Show from February 27, with a second car setting out soon after for a national tour of politicians, governments and major fleets.

McEniry says there will be an even bigger event before the end of the year before Mitsubishi decides if it will go ahead with sales in 2010.

"This is not a 'might be', this is a 'what is' from Mitsubishi. We'll have a car on the stand at the motor show and another ready for driving," he says.

"Later in the year we want to bring some more cars out for some customer evaluations. That will be fleets and things that can spend a bit of time with the vehicle. This is very much market testing. This will be the real thing that's in the market today in full trial in Japan."

McEniry believes there will be demand for the i MiEV — which can be charged from a regular household power supply — but is not sure yet on the reaction to buying and running a car in the real world.

"We're going to take the car around Australia and allow various groups to see the vehicle and give us some feedback. We're very interested in what they have to say," he says.

The big questions are the price of the car, the warranty back-up and the infrastructure needed to support any sort of serious fleet of electric cars. McEniry is well aware of the challenges and preparing to work through them in time to get the i MiEV into showrooms.

"We know the target price, but we won't talk about that for the moment. Initially it will need some support form the customer base, if it's a government department or fleet," he says.

"It depends on the demand. We might do it on a lease. We're really not sure yet."

While there is uncertainty on the showroom plan for the original i MiEV, a five-door hatchback based on a Japanese city car, Mitsubishi is pushing into the next phase of its electric car program.

It will unveil a second i MiEV, this time an electric sports car, at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The newcomer — called the i MiEV Sport Air — shows that the electric cars could become a whole new family for Mitsubishi, with the potential for more than just short-haul commuter work.

The Sport Air uses Mitsubishi's latest lithium-ion batteries and a high-torque engine for sports car acceleration.

It says the idea is to go beyond a green car to something people also want to buy for driving, thanks to low weight, strong acceleration and good cornering grip.

But Mitsubishi is keeping quiet on the details, beyond releasing two sketches which show the thinking behind the design of the Geneva Show car.

Herald Sun

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Posted By: Paladin - Category: Japanese Cars, Electric, Mitsubishi, Melbourne International, Other Shows

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