CarPoint Confidential: week ending October 07, 2006
Every Saturday CarPoint Confidential features the latest news snippets and the good oil other sources either won't publish, don't care about or don't know. Heard an automotive rumour or new model tip? Then let us know at editor@carpoint.com.au
Fear and loathing in Paris
It's hard to overstate the concern established car manufacturers have regarding the sleeping giant that is China's auto landscape. Publicly their spokespeople talk of "huge opportunity", "an emerging super market" and "a wonderful chance to win the hearts and minds of new consumers". Privately they're more concerned with dodgy joint-venture partners, an almost unprecedented level of red tape and corruption and the difficulties of establishing distribution and dealership infrastructure.
Equally concerning is the almost complete disregard to the concept of intellectual property in the world's most populous nation. This was no better illustrated than the full-scale, full-house Land Rover Defender knock-off (pictured) displayed by one Chinese company at the recent Paris Motor Show. Indeed, even the Chinese car company's logos are often suspiciously similar to establish brands. (To check out some of them click here).
At least some semblance of original thought and design is emerging and legitimate Chinese manufacturers such as 'Great Wall' are now actually having a go at establishing their own design language. GW arrived in Paris with its latest, the Hover softroader (also pictured). Not unattractive and surprisingly well executed (GW even showed a strectch 'limo' version!), the Hover was a world away from the likes of the Holden Frontera clone displayed by rival maker Landwind (and made famous by horrific crash test results).
To Infiniti and beyond
No truth in the rumour that Nissan has appointed Buzz Lightyear as the new brand ambassador for its Infiniti prestige arm. It has, however, come close to confirming its plans for the Lexus-hunter's entry into the European market.
Already established in the USA, Infiniti (choose your own pronunciation) was launched into South Korea in 2005 and Russia this year. It goes to China in 2007 and Western Europe in 2008.
Speaking with CarPoint at the Paris Motor Show, Nissan honcho Carlos Taveras, confirmed that the maker would take on the Euros at home with a range of petrol V8 and V8-engined cars. It would take until 2010 before Infiniti could field diesels on the Continent he said.
Taveras said the company believes luxury car buyers needs and expectations were the "most aligned" internationally, though confirmed some tweaks such as an improvement in "perceived quality" would have to be made before Infiniti could compete directly with the likes of Mercedes-Benz.
With Europe not likely to see Infiniti dealerships until late 2008, it's increasingly unlikely Australia will see the top-shelf Nissan brand this decade… If ever...
Look out for the bird
Good ads are entertaining. Good car ads are sometimes golden... And when you get a couple of car companies feeding off each other, the result can be, well, the following speaks for itself.
The series of advertisements shown here reportedly stemmed from when the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists voted the Audi A3 Sportback 2.0T FSI manual the 2006 SA Car of the Year.
As a good corporate citizen BMW, winner of World Car of the Year 2006, congratulated Audi (see here). Polite in the extreme, Audi, winner of the 2006 Le Mans 24 Hour, thanked BMW at which point Subaru, winner of Engine of the Year, congratulated both of them. But it was left up to Bentley to punctuate the 'discussion' as only the bespoke Brit brand can.
We doubt 'the bird' was an official Bentley statement, but it works for us...
Truth in advertising: "Honest, we're lion"
Sometimes it pays to say the name of a new product, service or location out loud. Just ask Rex's brother, Mike. With the Supercheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst well and truly underway Holden Motorsport has launched its latest innovation, a podcast/webstream show with a name that sums up racecar drivers to a T!
Available for download, Lion Torque is a new section that boasts the thoughts of Team Red's best... And they're all there: Skaifey, Toddler, Murph et al, lyin' and talking... Oops
That reminds CarPoint Confidential of the old joke...
Q: How do you tell when a racing team PR manager is telling a fib?
A: His/her lips are moving...
To check out Lion Torque click here
GM no Survivor
GM has pulled its promotion and advertising support from 'The Survivor' television series. Producers of this season's 'Survivor: Cook Islands', which aired this week in Australia on Channel Nine, have been inundated by complaints US-wide that the reality show has become racist. This season contestants are divided into competing 'tribes' along racial and ethnic lines. Twenty new contestants will be divided into four teams of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Caucasian and Latino.
GM was one of the first sponsors of the show but says the decision to cut advertising has nothing to do with the public reaction to the show's format, rather: "It was difficult to integrate an automobile into a program that's set on an island". This is unusual considering how many previous Survivor shows have been set on an island...
Why the third-shift shutdown
Insiders tell us that Holden's closing down of the third shift at its Adelaide plant was not due to a fall in demand for Holden models when it seems there is no end to export opportunities for the new VE Commodore/WM Statesman. The reality was that the factory was never designed to run 24 hours without stopping and didn't have the back-up systems to allow preventative maintenance or repairs of vital production line machinery without suspending vital assembly processes. There was also little slack in the system to deal with major breakdowns.
Holden's current chief Denny Mooney was given the unenviable task of shutting down the third shift before the lack of preventative maintenance could discredit the whole operation. As soon as the third shift was abandoned, Holden used the extra time to work around the clock to get the VE build process right from Job 1. Global audits reveal that Holden has achieved one of the highest, if not the highest, quality levels for an all-new model in the history of General Motors, something that could never have been achieved with the plant running three shifts.
Diesel for Astra wagon
Peugeot's bullish intention to steal fleet sales from the traditional Commodore and Falcon wagons with its new six-speed automatic version of the 307 diesel wagon has created a few ripples. Holden is already looking at a diesel Astra wagon to undercut its 307 rival when it has a comparable diesel and six-speed auto already on sale in the Astra hatch.
The Astra wagon which is remarkably roomy and stylish for a small wagon has struggled to reach its full potential with the old Astra's 1.8 petrol engine and basic auto. Because Holden has already done the hard yards on the wagon suspension, a diesel Astra wagon would also challenge Peugeot ride and handling supremacy. If Holden can offer the auto with the Astra manual's more powerful 110kW diesel, it will steal a march in performance as a bonus. As a frugal alternative for rental, courier, rural and city fleet use as well as a growing 'grey power' market, an Astra diesel wagon could be a vehicle for the moment.