Australia auto news

Video: Mugen-powered Honda Jazz rally car looks Fit for the purpose

Honda took a Mugen-powered Jazz (better known as the the Fit here in the U.S.), sent it to Italy to be engineered for rallying by JAS of Milan, then flew it to Australia to be prepared for Oz's 2012 rally series. Honda's been competing in the series with Civic Type R racers for the last two years, but this year, it decided to press the Fit into service for G2 class spec.

Up front is a 245-horsepower Mugen powerplant with 142 pound-feet of torque. Honda says this "may well be the fastest Jazz in the world," and it will start challenging the six rounds of this year's championship in March with driver Eli Evans and co-driver Glen Weston. You can read about it in the press release and watch it kick up dirt in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Mugen-powered Honda Jazz rally car looks Fit for the purpose

Report: Nissan entering V8 Supercar series in Australia

Nissan is headed back to the Australian V8 Supercar Series. The Japanese Automaker was famously ousted in 1993 when the sanctioning body behind the series adjusted the rules to require all entries be V8-based. Nissan had dominated the series for three years with the company's GT-R, laying waste to the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive dinosaurs from Holden and Ford with a high-tech combination of all-wheel drive and turbocharged six-cylinder fury. In 1991, the company set a top-speed record at the Bathurst 1000 that wouldn't be touched for nine years. The following season, the company was forced to carry 100 kg of weight and run reduced boost pressure. It didn't matter. The GT-R still cleaned up.

Nissan is entering the series under the fairly new Car of the Future program, which was designed to make the series more attractive to competitors and sponsors. Interestingly enough, the Car of the Future Program was started by none other than Mark Skaife, the man who piloted the GT-R to many a win in the early '90s. Nissan's racer will be forced to use a generic V8 drivetrain to conform to the rule book, so don't expect to see any more turbo sixes dotting eyes on the track. Likewise, the all-wheel drive of the GT-R will be off the table.

Still, any amount of diversity in a series that's been Holden versus Ford for so long is a step in the right direction. As far as we know, four cars will carry the Nissan badge in the 2013 season and be campaigned by Kelly Racing. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Nissan entering V8 Supercar series in Australia

Official: Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva

This is the new Chevy Cruze station wagon, which will debut at next month's Geneva Motor Show and then arrive in European showrooms this summer. At 184 inches, it's longer than both the Cruze sedan and hatchback (by three and seven inches, respectively).

Inside, there's 17.6 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and up to 52 cubic feet with the seats folded. Drivers will get to choose from a range of gasoline (1.6, 1.8, and 1.4T) and diesel (1.7 and 2.0) powertrains, and the long-roof Cruze arrives with Chevy MyLink available.

Australians will get a Holden-badged version, but as for us? Sorry, guys. Don't expect anything in the near future. Chevrolet spokesman Michael Albano says, "No plans on bringing the wagon to US at this point. But we'll continue to evaluate market as needed."

The official press announcement is pasted after the jump, and you can click on the image above to see a larger version.

Continue reading Chevrolet Cruze station wagon unveiled ahead of Geneva

Report: Why haven't you seen many new Chevy Caprice police cars? GM delays.

The sun has long since set on the Ford Crown Victoria and the big sedan's Police Interceptor variants, but many parts of the country still haven't seen the next-generation of pursuit vehicles take to the street. In the case of the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle, that's because General Motors has hit a delay in providing the Holden-based sedans. According to the DuPont Registry, the delay is two-fold. Shipping from Australia is taking longer than expected, and Chevrolet dealers aren't outfitting the vehicles quickly enough to satiate demand.

The report quotes Deputy Chief Jeff Undestad of the Largo Police Department in Largo, Florida as saying his office waited more than eight months for GM to deliver their Caprice Patrol Vehicles to the dealer. Undestad should consider himself lucky. A neighboring department waited 10 months for its new patrol cars. Chrysler, meanwhile, usually takes two to three months to deliver its police-duty Dodge Charger models.

GM, meanwhile, says that the company is working to address the shipping issues. The company now has a pool of Caprice Patrol Vehicles at port, which should help trim the wait time.

Report: Chrysler considering entry into Australia's V8 Supercar series?

Wherever you find General Motors and Ford going at it, Chrysler is seldom very far behind. Except in Australia. The Land Down Under has its own unique touring car championship in the form of its popular V8 Supercars series, but the only contestants these days are Ford (with its FPV Falcon) and GM subsidiary Holden (with its HSV Commodore). That, however, could change in the near future.

Word on the Aussie street is that Chrysler Group Australia is entertaining the possibility of jumping into the popular series, likely with a vehicle based (however loosely) on the 300. Because V8 Supercars teams - which budget around $10 million to run two cars for the season - are by regulation independent of any manufacturer, Chrysler would need to woo a few away from their current Ford or Holden partners, but several have reportedly approached the Pentastar automaker about the possibility.

The addition of a third manufacturer to challenge Ford and Holden would mirror a similar move made this season by BMW to challenge Audi and Mercedes-Benz (which was also rumored to be considering a V8 Supercars entry) in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). Chrysler previously supplied the V8 Supercars series with the first-gen 300C SRT8, which serves as the pace car for several years.

According to Australia's The Age, SRT brand CEO Ralph Gilles reportedly likes the idea, but stopped short of committing to any impending program. The prospect, however, could be made more feasible by a new, more cost-effective "Car of the Future" being implemented in V8 Supercars, much as the "Car of Tomorrow" was in NASCAR and the "Next-Generation Touring Car" was in the British Touring Car Championship. Another plus is the expansion of the series outside of Australia to locations like India, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and - most crucially - the United States as a support race for the upcoming U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race in Austin, Texas.

Video: Why taking an axe to your friend's car is a bad idea

We've said it once and we'll say it again: When it comes to pranks, we defer to the infallible wisdom of the prophet Vincent Vega, who once said, "Don't f*** with another man's vehicle." The reasons are innumerable and shouldn't require listing here, but in case you need a refresher, allow us to direct your attention to the video after the jump.

A prank war in Australia escalates in spectacular fashion when one warring party plants an axe in the roof of the other's car. Understandably, this doesn't sit well and prompts the be-axed car's owner to blow his entire life savings on the sweet nectar of revenge.

He enlists the help of four metal fabricators who took over a month to construct a massive 42-foot-tall axe of his own. The Paul Bunyan-style weapon of minor destruction weighs in at over a ton, and as you might guess, has no problem cutting the offending prankster's Holden nearly in two.

Now, this video is awfully well produced to be some spontaneous bit of prank revenge, and the acting is spotty at best, but that doesn't make the video any less entertaining. Hit the jump to check out the carnage for yourself.

Continue reading Why taking an axe to your friend's car is a bad idea

Report: Rear-wheel drive Falcon gets five-year committment from Ford

Fans of the rear-wheel drive Ford Falcon can breath easy, at least until 2016. According to Australia's CarAdvice.com, Ford has announced that automaker will invest $103 million to sustain both the Falcon and Territory SUV through the next five years. The news came courtesy of Ford Australia president Bo Graziano and Ford Asia Pacific president Joe Hinrichs at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Ford is expected to unveil refreshed versions of both the Falcon and the Territory in 2014. The automaker is expected to use the investment to improve the vehicles' efficiency and safety. The cash injection should add around 300 jobs, as well.

Ford Australia will likely focus on aerodynamics, tire adjustments and transmission improvements to eke out better fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions. A new six-speed automatic gearbox is expected to debut with the new models.

And what happens after 2016? Ford isn't saying, though the company has made it clear Australia will receive a new large car based on a global platform. That vehicle will likely offer buyers both front and all-wheel drive configurations, thereby putting an end to the long-standing rear-wheel drive Falcon lineage.

Video: Traveling across Australia's Outback by Mercedes-Benz G-Class

If you've ever taken a good long look at the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and wondered just how tough the leather-lined SUVs are compared to their military-grade counterparts, Inside Line has the answer for you. Corespondent Alistair Weaver joined up with a Mercedes-Benz convoy in a G of his own as the company took off across Australia's infamous stock route. The trail is little more than a dusty path scrawled across the outback. Weaver braved vicious washboard roads, insects, snakes, dead camels and heinous heat to make the trek. How did his G Wagen handle the rough roads and deep sands? Let's just say there were a few issues.

For starters, the washboard dirt tracks made short work of the AMG's Bilstein rear shocks, forcing mechanics to pull the pieces altogether for one short stint before replacements could be flown in. Likewise, the spare tire carrier and both side-view mirrors suffered cracks along the way. Not surprisingly, the military-spec edition suffered no ills over the course of the trek. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

If that's not enough fun in the Australian sun for you, click back and take a look at Motor Trend's trek across the continent in a Subaru Outback.

Continue reading Traveling across Australia's Outback by Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Video: Watch the story of the flaming Lamborghini that won this year's Targa High Country

Not too long ago, we caught the dramatic finish to the Targa High Country in Australia. The last stage of the event featured one very on fire Lamborghini Gallardo piloted by Jason and John White as the duo sped to the finish line. Why didn't the team stop and put out the fire? For starters, White notes there were more fire extinguishers at the finish line than there were in the car. Additionally, the teammates beat out their closest competitor by just 10 seconds. That may be a lifetime on a track, but in targa, ten seconds can be come and go in an instant.

Now the Whites have released a video of the events that led up to the race's dramatic conclusion. The short clip follows the team through the more dramatic moments of the 2011 Targa High Country, including multiple tight passes, wide open driving and tight, technical stages. Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading Watch the story of the flaming Lamborghini that won this year's Targa High Country

Report: Massive auto parts price fixing probe spreads to four continents

Investigators are currently expanding the scope of an automotive component price fixing probe. Officials in Australia, the U.S., Europe and Japan are collaborating to discern the breadth of the issue. So far, 20 automotive suppliers have been identified as being part of the investigation, though it's thought that authorities are looking into a significantly larger number of companies. In fact, a government official has already declared this investigation the largest such probe in U.S. history. Those that have been identified so far are publicly traded and must disclose such investigation to their shareholders by law. Private companies have no such obligation. According to Crain's Detroit Business, the companies in question supplied parts to both automakers and the aftermarket.

So far, only one company has been convicted of price fixing in the investigation. Furukawa Electric Company of Japan has been handed a fine of $200 million and three U.S.-based executives are headed toward incarceration. Sentencing has yet to occur for those workers.

The report says the scandal spreads across automotive systems, and subpoenas have been handed down for raids against at least 19 suppliers over six supply sectors. Even so, those subpoenas may be aimed at securing evidence against a company's competitor, not the manufacturer itself.