Author archive
True Road Safety: Where Is The Line Drawn?
Naturally, as part of my role as a vehicle evaluator, I’m out and about a fair bit. There’s smart road rules, there’s smart drivers (well, a couple….) and there’s just way, way, way, WAY too many bad ones. Australian governments tell us all about road safety, with the focus on all road safety deemed to be speed-centric.
I ask you: what’s truly more dangerous: travelling at 115 km/h on a freeway that is zoned 100 or 110 under sunny blue skies OR driving at late afternoon, mid winter, with cloud cover and rain with no headlights on….with your car a silver or dark colour. What’s more dangerous; driving along a straight, rural road, with clear vision, doing 80 and the road is zoned 70 OR being in a small car, changing lanes suddenly so you’re in front of a B double whilst not indicating then jumping on the brakes?
Today I was driving, in the company of a good mate, an example of Holden’s outgoing VE SS utes, the Z series with the dark grey five spoke alloys; the weather was cold but clear and traffic was moving well in all three freeway lanes. I’m in 
the right hand side lane, zoned at 110 km/h and travelling at a tick above that…the middle and left hand lanes were reasonably full and, inexplicably, moving at under the limit. Behind me there’s a flash; thinking it’s a sun reflection off a windscreen, I ignored it. A few seconds later, another. I look and here’s an example of Australia’s Got (No Driving) Talent; bloke gesturing to me that I should move left so he can pass. Completely ignored was the fact that for he to pass me he’d be closer to 120 km/h than I PLUS there was no room at the inn a.k.a the middle lane. Eventually he sidled past, on my left, at least 130 km/h and disappeared. Twenty minutes later, with no variance in my speed by more than a couple of km/h either way, we didn’t merely catch him, we passed him. Two more times, the same thing happened.
On the way back home, earlier than this, we passed a few Highway Patrol cars, with all but one sitting roadside, with an officer holding a radar. There was also a marked police car ahead of one with a Community Police signage….both of these changed lanes without indicating quite a few times. So while you, I and everyone else is being beaten senseless with the message “Don’t Speed”, there’s other avenues of safety being forgotten, or, possibly, exploited. Let’s not kid ourselves; safety in most states really is driven by revenue and is coated in a sickly sweet road safety sugar to make it easier for the populace to swallow. In real terms, the road toll is fairly static compared to the amount of extra drivers joining the road each year. Let’s also not overlook how many cars there are, on our roads country wide, that are equipped with ABS, airbags and so on. So our roads are becoming more cluttered, the cars we drive are far more safe yet two things stay the 
same: we’re being told that speed kills and no one mentions these two words….”driver training”.
If speed kills, there’s an awful amount of ghosts driving cars. If speed kills, then Craig Lowndes, Mark Winterbottom, Mark Webber, etc, must be bloody lucky. What’s that you say, they’re trained drivers? Thank you sir, my point exactly. And then there’s this: http://news.drive.com.au/drive/motor-news/1000km-at-130kmh–and-still-alive-20130620-2ok2x.html
In Australia’s capital cities there’s plenty of driver training companies; In Sydney, for example, there’s Ian Luff’s Drive To Survive. Brissie has SDT Safe Driver Training. Victoria picks up the Australian Driver Trainers Association whilst companies such as adrenalin.com.au run advanced driver training courses at racetracks, including Perth’s Barbagallo. Says a lot, doesn’t it, that companies such as these have to work over the entrenched attitude the government says we should have whilst forgetting the simple, the basic fact that better drivers drive better…..
Holden Out On Cuts For The Long Term
Today’s (June 18, 2013) announcement from Holden has sent another collective shiver through the automotive fraternity; with the feeling from many that the request for staff (and, allegedly, not including management) to cop a pay cut to reduce costs is a prelude to Holden announcing it will, like Ford, cease local manufacturing. Holden’s chief honcho, Mike Devereux, is quoted as saying that it costs, in Australia, $3750 more to build a car, than anywhere else in the world. The cut for workers, in the two plants Holden operates (Elizabeth in South Australia and Port Melbourne, Victoria), is said to be in the order of up to $200 per week, a substantial dent. It’s in order to continue and reinforce the building base Holden has, but it is more far reaching than that. Should Holden up stumps, it effectively condemns Toyota to do the same, as one local manufacturer simply cannot sustain Australia’s part supply industries. Devereux also said that some workers aren’t being paid what they’re worth, with many at management level not receiving a pay rise for over three years.
As always, there’s two sides to every story; it’s rumoured that some Holden execs that have been with the company for less than two years are said to be on wages of over four hundred thousand dollars. That’s a fair bit of coin, considering Australia’s Prime Minister isn’t being paid much more. Having said that, if an average worker is being asked to cop a pretty decent pay cut and the subsequent adjustment to their living conditions, one would think it’s only fair that a commensurate reduction in wages and lifestyle adjustment be applied to the higher end of the ladder.
Bundled in with all of this is more human cost; around 400 workers at Elizabeth and 100 at Port Melbourne are scheduled to be made redundant, with the company hoping most will be from a voluntary basis. To add to the dilemma is the mooted reduction of automotive manufacturing support, by a half billion dollars, should the current Tony Abbott led Coalition win, as expected, the September Federal election. All politics aside, any reduction in support is a ludicrous idea; what should be scrutinised is Holden’s and the government’s business model. Coming off a loss of $152 million for 2012, it’s all well and good to look at the simplest form of saving money. Holden’s operation structure, its operating costs and just WHY it appears that Australia’s manufacturing costs are so comparatively high would, on the face of it, bear some deeper investigating.
Some of the blame for this may, in truth, lay within General Motors and Holden; with the rise of Hyundai and Korea, plus the dominance of brands such as Mazda, is it possible that Holden hasn’t reacted quickly enough to change the cars that people once bought to be the cars that people WANT to buy? Is it a form of hubris; Australia’s own, immortalised in the jingle “Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars” felt that people would buy a Holden BECAUSE it was a Holden? Advertising a car as world quality doesn’t necessarily mean that it is world class. The Cruze, as good a car as it is, does fall short against some of its opposition such as the Mazda3 or Hyundai’s i30, for example, and the Commodore can be said to have failed to match the Mazda6 or the i40. Large car sales have fallen, too, leading to Mitsubishi and Nissan closing their doors for local manufacturing, in part. Ford’s recent decision, although not unexpected, has the potential for Holden to mirror that. Regardless, today’s announcement is something Australia’s struggling car industry both needs…..and doesn’t.
Going to California: Holden Malibu
Holden has always had a contender for each of the categories that make up the Australian automotive landscape; some work (Commodore, Barina) and some don’t (Epica, Viva). Since the, well, epic failure of the Epica, the red lion’s presence in the medium car segment has been lacking. Cue, the Malibu.
It’s a physically large car, not far off Commodore size at 4865mm long, 1855mm wide and 1465mm wide and will come with a choice of two engines; a 2.4L petrol with 123kW/225Nm of torque or a 2.0L diesel (117kW/350Nm) with no choice for transmission 
but a six speed auto, with gear ratios adjusted to suit the different engine characteristics, with towing capacity at 1200kgs. There’ll be two trim levels and keeping with the majority of the Holden family nomenclature will be called CD and CDX. In reality there’s very little to differentiate between the two, with LED tail lights, some leather trim, fog lamps and rain sensing wipers the main standouts however the CD will get electrically assisting steering while the CDX gets hydraulic. The CD will roll on 16 inch wheels with the CDX getting 17s. As expected, safety is not compromised, with the usual suite of passive and active electronic aids, such as curtain airbags and traction control plus the new MyLink integrated entertainment system.
Under the long and shapely bonnet, the 2.4L aluminuim block gets noise reduction engineering and oil cooling jets on the pistons to aid in longevity whilst the German sourced diesel is refined and quiet, with a particulate filter standard to reduce emissions. Although a world car, the Malibu copped a substantial amount of Australian input, to deal with the variable quality roads (suspension) and driving requirements (engine and gearbox mapping) plus specifying tyres for our right hand drive environment. Even in the styling, Australia’s own had significant input, with Michael Simcoe (the Monaro from the early noughties) overseeing the project, including the fact that the Malibu’s rear end styling was originally slated to be used on the forthcoming VF Commodore.
Prices will start from $28490 plus ORCs for the CD up to $35990 plus ORCs for the CDX diesel; with deliveries to Holden showrooms due to roll out by month’s end, this could be a worthy contender in the medium car segment, up against the Camry, Mazda6 and, Kia Optima, Hyundai i40 and Mondeo.
Go here for more info: http://www.holden.com.au/cars/malibu
or here for Paul Gover’s review: http://www.carsguide.com.au/news-and-reviews/car-reviews-road-tests/holden_malibu_v_mazda6_v_kia_optima?utm_source=carsguide&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carreviewsroadtests
Holden's VF Commodore: What To Expect.
It’s not long now (at the time of writing) until the Holden VF Commodore range hits showrooms around the country; it’s expected to be the last Commodore made, designed and engineered in Australia……unless it sells well enough to return as a wholly Australian car.
The outgoing VE Commodore finished up production in May after close to seven years of production. Although the exterior is still a good looker, the interior specification and the march of technology have left it behind. Make no mistake, the forthcoming VF IS world class.
Holden has streamlined the range slightly, dropping the Omega and Berlina and launching the Evoke. It’s still powered by the 3.0L V6 and six speed automatic transmission combination whilst the the rest of the range stays with the 3.6L SIDI engine or 6.0L V8. The range has undergone a substantial weight saving regime, with aluminuim panels such as the bonnet, plus extra wind tunnel testing has provided a more slippery and aerodynamic shape (drag is now down to 0.309 compared to the VE’s 0.330 Cd), 
aiding in fuel economy. The Evoke is rated at 8.3L per 100 kilometres, matching and bettering some four cylinder cars. Electric steering, an electric handbrake and other subtle revisions such as redesigned wheel wells have seen overall fuel usage reduced by 23% since the VE’s launch.
It’s a smarter car as well, with rear view camera and Park Assist standard across the range plus some models feature a rear radar system, providing a warning of oncoming sideways directional traffic. Also on board some models is a blind spot alert system and lane departure system. The Commodore is also the first GM large car to feature tech such as Park Assist, making it a world leader in its class. Keyless start becomes more common; however one form of technology that has been around for a while, HUD or Heads Up Display, is reserved for the Calais V and SS-V spec cars. It provides a comprehensive information package, such as speed, current transmission gear, phone information and more. These two also gain Forward Collision Alert technology, informing the driver if there is a obstacle or vehicle ahead that has come into the Commodore’s sensor range; operating at 40 kmh or above, the system increases the brake system’s hydraulic pressure if the sensors warn of a potential threat, reducing the response time for the brakes to activate. A new and quite intelligent addition is Remote Vehicle Start. Available for Commodores with an automatic transmission, the car can be started from up to 100 metres away plus will engage the aircon and heated seats (if fitted). Parking sensors are standard
, including on the ute.
Ride and handling have been worked on across the board; there’s Touring for the Evoke, Calais and Calais V, calibrated for a light day to day driving feel. Sports Tune is on board for the SS, SS-V and SV6 to provide more handling and steering feedback whilst the SS-V Redline series gets a Competitive setting for those that are more of an enthusiastic driving style, providing better feedback and steering input. Brakes have been uprated as have the suspension isolation points, working hand in hand with acoustical engineering to provide a quieter cabin whilst Hill Start Assist and Hill Hold Control add to the driver safety experience as does Trailer Sway Control, which cuts engine power and engages the brakes if it senses any instability from a towed item.
Much has been made of the VF’s revamped interior; with re-rated seat cushions, material and a redesigned console and dash. The aircon vents have been relocated whilst the centre dash cops a large multifunction touchscreen, varying between mono to full colour, depending on model. 
As mentioned, the VF gets an electronic parking brake, removing the jaded and unpopular hand brake design of the VE. Also, the centre console redesign moves the window switches to the driver’s door, another long overdue change. MyLink gives the driver/passenger more options for music, including Pandora and Stitcher (internet based radio services) plus enhanced interactivity with Siri EyesFree.
Finally, a price reduction, with up to $10K being slashed from the upper end whilst the well featured entry level model, the Evoke, has been reduced by $5k, with a starting price of $34990 and the Calais is certain to be a sharp bet with $39990 on the ticket. The Caprice exterior remains almost untouched but 
cops the Calais interior and some extra fruit to justify its $59990 (V series spec) asking price. Servicing gets capped pricing for the first four services over three years or sixty thousand kilometres with intervals at fifteen thousand kilometres or nine months.
With the majority of Holden and Ford large cars, plus a commendable number of Toyota large cars, sold for fleet purposes, Holden clearly hopes that the world class refinements, additions and better value per dollar will reverse the trend towards the Japanese and Korean opposition that have made such a huge dent in the segment’s numbers. Right now, it’s worth more than a second thought to go to Holden for your fleet purchase and assist in, potentially, keeping this iconic brand here.
Level 2, 9 Help Street