driving into the future
DESCRIPTION
Clipping from Quest Kudos Magazine - Issue 17TRANSCRIPT
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Quest Kudos 25
In 2002, Porsche set the cat among the pigeons with
their 4-door 4WD Cayenne. There was a predicable uproar
from purists, many from the same ranks who took
umbrage at the Pride of Stuttgart moving its engine out of
the rear. Now the scandal continues, but Porsche is not
alone. A new category of 4-door infuriator has emerged to
send sports car diehards into a spin: the 4-door saloon.
Four Door FuryThe Porsche Panamera first hit the market in 2009 and
has since become an “overnight” success. Porsche had
toyed with the idea of four doors previously with the
stillborn Porsche 989 concept in 1988 but decreed the
market was now right. Good call.
To get some perspective, we need to look back to 1963
when Prince Karim Aga Khan ordered a specially
designed four-door Maserati 5000. A four-door Maserati
(Quattroporte) has been an almost constant member of the
Trident-badged line-up ever since. The current model
(fifth generation) was introduced in 2004 and is powered
by a Ferrari family 4.2 litre V8.
About the same time as the Aga Khan picked up the
phone to Bologna, Aston Martin’s David Brown tried to
revive the Lagonda marque he purchased back in 1948
with a four-door version based on his DB4 chassis. Only
55 were ever produced.
futureDRIVING INTO THE
Anyone with even a passing interest in the automotive world will know that the global industry has been through the wringer. As new survival strategies evolve,
the market is seeing a wave of vehicles that are designed to last into the future, not just cash in on the latest fancy. Auto observer RODERICK EIME brings us up to speed.
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26 Quest Kudos Quest Kudos 27
In 1976, the Lagonda re-emerged and persisted until 1989
in four series. 645 vehicles were produced including a
(gasp!) station wagon. Often lampooned as an ugly goose
among the family, Aston Martin has emerged from the
styling studio with its most recent addition to this hair-
curling offshoot range of sports cars with an all-new Aston
Martin Rapide. No mention of Lagonda, this is
emphatically an Aston Martin, thank you!
Styled first and engineered second, this vehicle was going
to look right from the get-go and the critics agree.
Powered by a 350kW 6.0 litre V12, it can idle around town
like a limousine but out on the open road, it goes wild.
Interestingly, Aston Martin claim many new deliveries are
for women and first time owners.
Ferrari, meanwhile, is steadfast in its denial of a four door,
while Lamborghini has teased the market with its Estoque
concept shown to viewers of Top Gear.
A Tonne of DifferenceAs industry gets on with the job, the big manufacturers
recognize the worldwide demand for light, one tonne
utility vehicles in both two- and four-wheel-drive.
Traditionally dominated by the ever-present Toyota HiLux,
both Ford and GM are mustering their own brands in a
counter-offensive designed to unseat the dominant
Japanese workhorse.
Allied badges, Ford and Mazda, chose the Sydney Motor
Show as the launch venue for their latest offering. Ford is
attacking the “hard working” light truck market with
Ranger while Mazda are going the “Active Lifestyle” SUV
road with their BT-50. Both vehicles share the same basic
platform and drivetrains but are differentiated by subtle
cosmetic styling that will have car spotters making double
takes.
“Compact pickups are hugely important to customers in
many regions of the world,” said Jim
Farley, Ford Group Vice President,
Marketing, Sales and Service at the
launch. “For many, it’s the only
vehicle in a household headed by a
hard-working person others depend
on. These people need a truck that
can get the job done – and they’ll be
amazed how Ranger’s smart new
technologies make the job easier.
And increasingly, they’re also
looking for the kinds of features,
technologies, spaciousness and
refinement you’d expect in a car, and
Ranger is just as innovative here.”
Over at Mazda, Ryo Yanagisawa, chief designer of the All-
New BT-50, offered an alternative. “Mazda’s brand
message is Zoom-Zoom, which refers to the emotion of
motion first experienced as a child. With the all-new BT-
50, we aimed to express this emotion through the design,
and we drew a lot of inspiration from various ‘movements’
in the world around us.”
Across the road at GM there was big brand shake-up that
saw Isuzu and GM part company in 2008 with the
American giant selling its 7.9 per cent stake to raise
much-needed capital. Holden’s stalwart Rodeo was one of
the casualties. Isuzu, which owns the Rodeo name, chose
to retire it permanently. Holden then mildly restyled the
Isuzu-engineered utility and rebadged it Colorado, which
continues to be assembled at a separate GM plant in
Thailand.
Watch this space: Volkswagen will release their acclaimed
“best in class” Amarok diesel utility in 2011.
The Power of SilenceNot everything on wheels has to sound like a racing car.
In fact, some of the latest wave of eco-vehicles have been
criticised for being too quiet.
The familiar hybrid (part electric, part petrol) vehicles
we’ve come to know from Toyota and Honda have been
joined by some exclusively electric cars that employ the
latest zero-emission technology and free them from fossil
fuel dependency.
Nissan’s LEAF is about to go on a Victorian Government
trial. This battery-only medium size hatch is powered by
Lithium-Ion batteries and will have a fully charged range
of up to 160kms making it
ideal for smoke-less city
commuting and suburban
use. The LEAF (Leading,
Environmentally friendly,
Affordable, Family car)
starts selling in the US in
2010 and is expected on
sale in Australia by 2012.
And yes, it employs an
audible pedestrian warning
system. Excuse me?
Mitsubishi is also part of
this quiet race with
production of its i-MiEV
new-generation electric
vehicle (along with
concurrent production of
Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-
ZERO) at its Mizushima
plant. Full release date of i-
MiEV in Australia is
unclear, but several
examples are already in
long term trials with potential lease customers.
One of the hurdles for EV (Electric Vehicle) producers is the
establishment of a national charging network although
Australia should present less of a problem as many owners
are likely to have garages and off-street parking unlike
Europe. �
BASE MODELS
� Ford Ranger 4x2 XL Single Cab Chassis $24,4902.5l turbo diesel, 5-speed man
� Mazda BT-50 4x2 Single Cab Chassis DX $24,0792.5l turbo diesel, 5-speed man, a/c
� Isuzu D-Max SX 4x2 Cab Chassis $24,9003.0l turbo diesel, 5-speed man, a/c
� Holden Colorado LX RC $28,4903.6l petrol, 5-speed man,
� Toyota Hilux Workmate TGN16R $18,4902.6l petrol, 5-speed man
* Prices sourced from redbook.com.au
O N E T O N N E R S S O R T E D *
FOUR DOORWRAPAston Martin RapideAnnual production: 2000.Price: $366,280
Porsche Panamera20,000, from $193,000 (5 models)
Maserati Quattroporte 15,000 , from $286,000 (3 models)
Other 4-door supercars onthe market come frommanufacturers with awider backseat view.Examples: Audi A8 D4(from $188,000), BMW 7-series (from $198,800) andJaguar XJ (from $198,800).
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