Ford's High Tech Revamp While Holden Workers Back Change
It’s tough times in the Australian automotive manufacturing field; Ford is looking to go out with a bang locally and Holden workers confirm a pay freeze to try and help extend the Adelaide based operations lifespan.
Ford released details (13 August 2013) about its revamped range of vehicles as it looks to provide Australian buyers some sort of joy before wrapping local building operations in 2016. Chief amongst this is confirmation the iconic Mustang name will spearhead the Ford range however the midsized Mondeo is slated to become the main seller, due to the continuing dropoff in large car sales. The new Fiesta range is also due before years end as is a new form of driver safety. Ford calls it “MyKey” and is intended to give parents more control over the driving habits of their children plus, should the worst happen (a crash) contact emergency services automatically. “MyKey is an industry-first technology that allows parents to program a key that limits top speed, reduces maximum radio volume, disables the radio until the seatbelts are fastened and prevents deactivation of driver assistance and safety technologies.”
New Cars For Finishing 2013 Out
There are still a number of exciting new models to come in 2013, and for car fans, like me, this is always going to be great news worthy of investigation.
Keep your eyes out for Aston Martin’s new Vanquish Volante. If you are into James Bond style cars, the open top Volante will be a hit. This should arrive at the end of the year.
On The Road: the New Volvo Driver Is…..
As a freelance vehicle reviewer, amongst other things, I spend a fair bit of time on the road. As a driver safety and education promoter, I look at the habits of other drivers because, as a good driver, you should always be watching what’s going on around you. There’s plenty of non indication; swapping of lanes all of a sudden, without planning the merge; the usual colour blind drivers that believe red is green and so on. What stands out, for me, is how often it seems to be the same “kind” of person that is involved in situations such as these.
I’d say, by now, we’ve all heard the term “soccer mums”; these are the mothers that transport their and other kids around in a people mover vehicle, invariably a 4WD vehicle and invariably it’s a Prado. On the long but dead end road on which I live is both a high school (at the end of the road and therefore truly bad council decision making)
and a child care, both bringing plenty of traffic morning and afternoon. The majority of vehicle are SUVs along the lines of Prados and Volvo XC90s (ironically) with a few station wagons for good measure. The ones that consistently exceed the 50kmh posted limit are consistently the soccer mum driven SUVs.
Extra Government Support For Australia's Car Industry…But…..
The FBT situation for Australia’s struggling local manufacturers hasn’t improved, even with the recent announcement of $200 million dollars going towards Ford, Holden and Toyota and a mere $7 million towards car suppliers, ignoring the areas that currently also needs assistance; the retail sector. The Victoria Automotive Chamber of Commerce has hit out against the Federal Government for ignoring the retail aspect, with brokers and suppliers feeling the backlash and laying off staff. VACC Executive Director David Purchase said “Our members are sick of so-called automotive industry discussions and decisions that fail to even consider the repair, service and retail sector. In this most recent example, the Federal Government has announced an automotive industry package, but failed to include the retail sector. The changes to the FBT system have hit car retailers hard and fast, with many experiencing cancelled orders and job losses. And yet, the Government’s response fails to even mention retailers, let alone compensate them.”
Level 2, 9 Help Street