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Australian car makers must shift to greener vehicles - KPMG

Monday, March 12th, 2007

Filed under: Diesel, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Ford, GM, Legislation and Policy

Fuel misers like the Civic Hybrid have caught buyers’ eyes in Australia.

Global accountancy firm KPMG has said that the Australian federal government should offer Australian car makers tax incentives to build greener vehicles, including hybrid electric cars and clean diesel vehicles. With fuel prices expected to rise again, the firm has warned that consumer trends are shifting permanently towards more fuel-efficient vehicles, a market segment currently best served by imports.

Local vehicle manufactures already receive significant federal government assistance including grants for specific projects such as the AUD$52 million (US$40.6) to Ford Australia to assist in the development of a diesel Falcon. GM Holden have also received a recent grant of AUD$6.7 million (US$5.2) to improve the fuel economy of the recently released VE Commodore.

Traditional Australian vehicles like the six and eight cylinder Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons have struggled in recent times with a massive sales shift towards smaller and cheaper to run vehicles. Sales of SUVs and four wheel drive vehicles in particular have been heavily hit by rising fuel prices. KPMG’s global senior vehicle company executive survey overwhelmingly pointed towards hybrids being the growth sector of the auto industry over the next few years.

Analysis: Japanese car manufactures still have the lead in hybrid technology and are catching up quickly on clean diesel technology as well which puts them in a good to capitalise on recent Australian market shifts. Little has been done to bring hybrids or clean diesels to market by the local manufacturers and it looks like that could cost them dearly. Big, comfortable cars with lots of space and power are nice but people’s fuel budgets wont expand indefinitely to accommodate the extra convenience.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

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Posted in Uncategorized, hybrid, Ford, australia, Holden, falcon, federal government, imports, incentive, kpmg, local, manufacture, tax, tax break, ve commodore | No Comments »

In the Autoblog Garage: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

Wednesday, December 31st, 1969

Filed under: Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Toyota, Driving

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res pics of the Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6

For years, the large, family car market in Australia has been divided between the Aussie built GM Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon, both on the road and on the track. The large car market has been characterised not only by their size, but also by V6 or V8 powerplants running on rear-wheel drive platforms. For years, other competitors, including Mitsubishi with their Magna and more recently their 380 models, have tried to chip away at this virtual duopoly, with limited success.

The game is changing though. As the price of fuel has risen, the Australian car market has seen a massive shift away from large cars and towards more fuel efficient, medium sized models. The market is currently dominated by vehicles like the Mazda6, the Honda Accord, the Hyundai Sonata and in particular, the Toyota Camry. As Australia’s largest passenger vehicle brand, Toyota has long enjoyed segment-leading sales with the Camry, and although it’s not a sexy choice, Toyota’s mid-sized sedan represents a smart purchase, with high re-sale value, good fuel economy and Toyota’s reputation for outstanding reliability.

Continue reading the Toyota Aurion Sportivo review after the jump.

Gallery: Toyota Aurion Sportivo SX6