Delivery Magazine Issue 37

AUSTRALIA’S GUIDE TO UTES, VANS, LIGHT TRUCKS & PEOPLE MOVERS

www.deliverymagazine.com.au ISSUE 37 AUG/SEP 2011 RRP: $7.95

HOLDEN’S NEW

Delivery Magazine is an AFMA Strategic Alliance Partner

COLORADO

AUSTRALIA’S BEST UTES

+ KANGOO & ECODAILY

NEWS UPDATE

Nissan Does the Van Thing It may not be available in Australia, but, in Europe, Nissan is flavour of the month amongst van buyers with the NV200.

With everything from satellite navigation to a more powerful engine for 2011, the NV200 features the standard fitment of Bluetooth connectivity and a rear-view camera. The new £13,585 (A$20,276) n-tec variant adds the popular Nissan Connect satellite navigation and communication system, along with cruise control and a speed limiter, plus air conditioning and Nissan’s advanced keyless entry and start system. Simply approach the NV200 with the key in your pocket and you can open the door and start the engine.

In addition to the existing 85 hp (62.52 kW) 1.5-litre dCi, a more powerful 110 hp (80.9 kW) version of the same engine will be offered. Compliant with Euro 5 emissions regulations, and available on all but the entry-level E-grade NV200, the more powerful engine’s CO2 output increases by only 2 g/km to 139 g/km. Opting for the range-topping engine also gives drivers the added flexibility of a six-speed manual gearbox.

As well as the cargo van variant, there are five and sevenseat versions of the NV200 Combi also available.

In other van news in Europe, Citroën has launched its most powerful LCV models yet - the new Euro 5 Relay 35 HDi 180 6-speed manual panel van and chassis cabs.

Following on from the introduction of the Euro 5 Nemo range earlier this year, this new Relay engine is the next stage in Citroën’s programme of introducing even lower emissions and more fuel-efficient Euro 5 HDi engines across its entire LCV range.

Renault has announced that British Gas will be its preferred supplier of vehicle charging points for its new range of 100 percent electric zero-emission car and vans in the UK. The deal builds on British Gas’ agreement with Renault’s Alliance partner, Nissan, to be the preferred supplier of charge points to their electric car in the UK. Market analysis suggests that British Gas will be the preferred supplier for 70 percent of the electric vehicle market in the UK in 2012.

The agreement with Renault, announced at the technical forum for the RAC Future Car Challenge at Imperial College London, means that British Gas will supply and install electric vehicle charge points in homes and businesses across the country. Renault launches the electric Kangoo Van Z.E. later this year, followed by a family of fully-electric cars – the new Fluence Z.E. and Zoe car models and an innovative tandem two-seater, the Twizy.

This announcement is further indication of the growing electric vehicle market in the UK. Experts predict that, by 2020, electric vehicles could account for approximately 10 percent of all cars sold in the UK. This equates to 260,000 UK households owning an electric vehicle. With 700,000 homes expected to have solar panels by 2020, there is major potential for those households with xsolar panels, electric vehicles and charging points to run their cars with free renewable energy. The average annual earnings, of up to £900 (A$1,340), generated by a standard-sized domestic solar panel installation can offset the average annual running costs of a zero-emission electric vehicle.

According to a National Transport Commission (NTC) report, carbon emissions from cars and light commercial vehicles could have been cut by over a third, in 2010, if Australians had made greener purchasing decisions.

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In Australia during 2010, new private vehicles had the lowest average emissions (202 g/km), followed by new business vehicles (222 g/km) and then new government vehicles (225 g/km).

In 2010, fifteen manufacturers sold 94 percent of new vehicles in Australia. Of these manufacturers, Volkswagen had the lowest average emissions (175 g/km) and Ford the highest average emissions (237 g/km).

In 2009, Australia’s carbon emissions from new passenger vehicles were 44 percent higher than in the European Union (210 g/km compared to 146 g/km). This is due to factors such as fuel prices and consumer preferences.

Sporty Transporter

The ‘Edition25’ Multivan is based on the current Multivan Comfortline and available in Candy White paint with ‘Nappa’ leather interior trim in grey and anthracite highlights.

Also standard on the ‘Edition25’ Multivan is the Lane Change Assist system, which identifies any vehicles in an area critical to the process of changing lane. LED lights in the wing mirrors provide signals to alert the driver to the potential danger. Standard equipment also includes cruise control and ESP.

The model can be recognised, above all, by its matte black roof and black 18-inch alloy wheels. Further features include: black handles on driver and front passenger doors; a black B-pillar; black decal trim on the back of the vehicle and the side sills; and matte black paintwork on the bottom part of the front bumper.

A sports chassis and strengthened anti-roll bar make the special model even more agile on the road. The ‘Edition25’ Multivan also features front fog lamps with cornering lights as standard, daytime running lights, tyre pressure indicator, assisted final-closing (latching) for side and rear doors, and rain sensor.

The height-adjustable, ergonomic seats for driver and front passenger, and the individually adjustable, sliding rows of seats in the back, enable passengers to enjoy the high level of comfort that has been associated with the Volkswagen Multivan.

The special ‘Edition25’ model is powered by the 2.0-litre biturbo engine with 132 kW of power at 4000 rpm. At engine speeds as low as 1500 rpm, the biturbo delivers an impressive maximum torque of 400 Nm, which remains constant at this level up to 2000 rpm. With a Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), the ‘Edition25’ Multivan is available in Australia from $66,990.

VW is celebrating 25 years of production of the Multivan by releasing a special edition Transporter.

The height and angle of the multifunctional leather steering wheel can be adjusted, thus guaranteeing driving comfort for drivers of all heights. The ‘RCD 310’ radio, fitted as standard in the special model, has a total of eight loudspeakers, plays MP3 files and interfaces with USB and other devices.

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FEATURE

THE BEST OF

THREE If you are in the market for a new ute, which way do you turn?

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t the end of this year you’ll witness a great flurry of activity as manufacturers such as Ford and Mazda launch their new Ranger and BT50 products into our market. They’ll be joined by Holden with its new Colorado and Isuzu with its new D-Max, each keen to outdo each other and take on the HiLux which has traditionally held this market segment by the nuts and bolts of tradies’ preferences.

Right now the big question we hear is which is the best ute for me? Well, it all depends on what you are going to do and how you want to do it.

Here’s our pick at Delivery magazine for the current “Best of Three” ute models in our market segment.

The choice is actually made easier when you split workhorse from show pony and include a preference for either a manual gearbox or automatic transmission into the equation.

the Amarok is now coming off the assembly lines in Germany as the company gears up for its increasing global demand.

Buying an Amarok though brings with it certain current design constraints that will only be solved by the passage of time. If you want an Amarok you can only currently have a crew cab version with a 2.0 litre, four cylinder diesel matched to a six-speed manual gearbox. The single cab version and the automatic transmission option are coming but their availability is still months, or possibly over one year away from being available in Australia.

If the features of the Amarok appeal, you’ll find the brilliance of the

VW AMAROK

The Delivery magazine of the year award for 2011 went to the Volkswagen Amarok and here you’ve got a tremendous leap forwards in terms of technology and design.

Originally only built in Argentina,

Amarok is packed with class leading technology but currently only offers a six-speed manual gearbox.

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THE BEST OF THREE Navara with its 550 Nm of torque is a perfect match for a seven-speed automatic transmission.

NISSAN NAVARA

ST-X 550

technology that comes with the vehicle for off road travel is quite outstanding. Its highly sophisticated traction control systems enable the Amarok to get in and out of situations off road that would generally have been thought impassable. Even the 2WD version has a downhill descent control and as the only ute currently on the market with a five star ANCAP rating it’s got everything going for it, including all the usual stability programmes that are normally only found in the latest sedans.

On road driving is a breeze and certainly with all the safety inclusions it corners and handles without the usual truck-like feel of some of its competitors.

Not everyone wants to change gear and in our view the best automatic ute currently available is the Nissan Navara ST-X 550. Nissan Australia has been hugely frustrating through its variety of product offering that up until this year included a range of three diesels with differing power and torque outputs and a 4.0 litre petrol V6.

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French TESTED

Renault may not yet be cooking up a storm, but with a new focus on the Australian market we can expect to see more activity, especially in the van segment

A

couple of weeks spent driving, firstly, a petrol Kangoo and, subsequently, a diesel-powered version, has reinforced the impression that this French mini-shifter has appeal and ability.

It was sensible of the French importer to offer both petrol and diesel options, although transmission selection is limited to a four-speed automatic for the former and a five-speed manual gearbox for the latter. You don’t get to choose, it’s just the way the French do things.

The engine decision largely comes down to that of vehicle application. If you are to spend your day running around the city, then the petrol auto makes sense. It gets a little breathless when cruising out on the highway and it’s more at home when toddling about in the city during heavy traffic.

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Heading down the freeway in the diesel simply serves to show how, with another gear in the transmission, the revs drop during cruising, and the fuel economy improves.

Fuel consumption is actually quite interesting, as the petrolengined automatic returned a consistent 9.3 l/100 km in our combined testing, not quite matching the claimed 8.3 l/100 km from the manufacturer. A switch to the diesel version with a five-speed manual immediately dropped the fuel consumption to a consistent 7.1 l/100 km, still some way above the manufacturer’s stated combined figure of 5.2 l/100 km.

The demand for torque, when cruising down the freeway, sees the 1.5-litre diesel four-cylinder producing 200 Nm at 1,900 rpm, a significant increase over the 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder that’s pumping out 148 Nm at 3,750 rpm. What it gains in the difference in torque output it drops in terms of power, with the petrol engine producing 78 kW at 5,750 rpm against the diesel with 63 kW produced at 3,750 rpm.

FRENCH CUISINE

Both engines are rated at Euro IV levels, in terms of exhaust emissions compliance, meaning that sometime in the future we’ll be seeing an upgrade to Euro V, either by modifying the engine exhaust and fuel system, or by slotting in a replacement engine from the Renault/Nissan stable.

Weighing in at around the 1,300 kg mark, the Kangoo provides a pleasant everyday working vehicle, which is easy to spin around town. Its 10.2 m turning circle isn’t outstanding, but it’s easy to drive and offers more space in the front part of the cabin, for the driver and passenger, than occurs naturally in some of the competition.

Just how much weight you carry is also going to dictate engine preference, as, when powered by diesel fuel, you can haul around 800 kg of cargo, but this drops to 650 kg if you opt for petrol power.

The typically Gallic design influence of the Kangoo is intended for a market where people drive on the left hand side of the road and has resulted in the rear doors being offset dimensionally. The widest door is on the left and the narrower remaining door is on the right. This works well when the pavement is on the offside of the van as it forms a natural barrier between the person at the rear and the passing traffic. On our road network, though, is becomes annoying as it creates a barrier between the van and the kerb that the driver has to work around. It may not sound significant, but it becomes annoying every time you open the back door and have to work your way past it to reach the pavement.

There is, of course, an alternative when loading or unloading, and that’s to opt for a tailgate or to use the nearside sliding door, which provides a good degree of access into the cargo area. Inside you’ll find a full three cubic metres of cargo volume available, and this will probably get most couriers through their working day without applying too many constraints to the types of load they can accommodate. If you need a sliding side door on the offside, it’s optional. The maximum floor length is 1,731 mm, reducing to 1,476 mm at waist height, with a width of 1,218 mm between the wheel arches expanding to a maximum of 1,462 mm. The interior height is 1,251 mm.

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PREVIEW

GLOBALLY

YOURS

The next generation Holden Colorado is already destined for global success

W

ith Australia being the world’s second largest market for ute sales, after Thailand, it made sense for the global operation of General Motors to look to Australia for design input.

Buried somewhere in the Holden enclave of Port Melbourne is a tight-knit team of over 100 people working out of Australia’s largest automotive design studio. Apart from fulfilling its fundamental brief to design Holden vehicles

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for Australian and export markets, Holden Design plays an increasingly vital role as a genuinely innovative and creative contributor to major General Motors vehicle programmes worldwide. It is the centre of advanced design for GM in the Asia Pacific region, and its expertise in advanced and production design is tapped by GM affiliates in North and South America and Europe.

The Australian design centre contributed to the reborn Chevy Camaro, originally created as a 60s homage concept by GM designers in the USA and later approved

GLOBALLY YOURS for production. The rear-wheel drive VE Commodore platform best suited the project, and Holden designers and engineers took on the complex task of transforming muscle car concept into reality.

“As a show truck, it’s designed to whet the appetite for another chapter in the Holden product renaissance – a series of new, world-class vehicles that are making people sit up and take notice of our new generation cars.

The next generation Holden Colorado is another design exercise that has its origins at Port Melbourne, where it fell to Melbourne-born designer, Ben Last.

“Without doubt, the new Colorado will be the biggest and toughest member of the Holden family– equally at home as a workhorse or active lifestyle vehicle,” said Mr. Devereaux.

Aged 26 years, Ben went to school in Doncaster and now lives in Fitzroy. He joined Holden as a co-op student in 2006, while completing a degree in Industrial Design from Monash University. The same year also saw Ben win two Premier Design Awards for his earlier work on redesigning the public trams and track system.

The Melbourne Show was certainly an attention grabber, but it should be remembered that this was in the final stages of the morphing from concept car to reality. Although the machined aluminium details to the vehicle, including side steps, bumpers, rear step plates and side mirror attachment arms, may make it to the final specification sign-off, the 20-inch satinfinished wheels fitted with Cooper Zeon LTZ 285/50/R20 tyres may remain strictly an aftermarket fitment option.

In his role as Creative Designer – Exteriors, at Holden Design, Ben was responsible for designing an all-new Colorado concept. He describes the concept as “refined ruggedness” – a vehicle you’d be proud to be seen in, that’s as good looking as it is practical.

The results of Ben’s expertise, and understanding of the Australian psyche surrounding the traditional Aussie ute, were displayed in a preview at this year’s Melbourne International Motor Show.

Different versions of the new Colorado design have already been previewed in Bangkok, Thailand, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, and give a strong indication of how the final vehicle will look when it debuts in Australia in 2012.

Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said the new generation Colorado represented Holden’s most significant play in the growing light commercial segment.

“Although this is a show vehicle, the fundamental design and proportions are true to form for the production version of the Colorado hitting Holden showrooms next year,” Mr Devereux said.

The Colorado’s exterior is further enhanced by unique LED head and tail lamps, custom rear-vision mirrors with integrated turn signals, hard tonneau cover, and a brilliant Red Rock metallic paint finish emphasising its strong surfaces.

Holden Design’s Colour and Trim team created an equally impressive interior treatment for the Colorado, with strong dark tones, such as steel and black, teamed with a rich dark blue leather wrapped instrument panel and seats with red stitching.

Of particular note, designers used paper-thin lighting, known as electro luminescent film, to light the Colorado’s lasercut metal circuit graphics on the front and rear door appliqués.

The Colorado show truck is powered by an efficient 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, with a broad torque band for cargo and towing capability. It is one of a number of engines that will be offered when it goes on sale in Australia next year.

When it goes on sale in Thailand, it will be badged as the Chevrolet Cornado, which will be built at the GM factory in Thailand, and hit the Thai market earlier than its on-sale date

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PROJECT

PROJECT NAVARA Take an old ute,

Bring it Back to top

spec standards and you’ve got great looking transport on a

low Budget

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T

his is part two of our Project Nissan feature where we investigate the alternatives available to an apprentice, looking for a decent work truck, without the benefit of an income large enough to just walk into a dealership and lay a deposit on a new vehicle.

Having bought our 1995 Navara 4x2 dualcab, with a genuine 349,000 kms on the odometer, for the princely sum of $1,000, we started the refurbishment by looking at what we considered were safety items that needed attention.

Starting with the tyres, a full set of Continental Vanco 2 light truck radials immediately sorted our concerns about the performance of the existing tyres which, in our opinion, were only just legal. Our views were shared by Ian MacRae, of Bowral Tyrepower, who carried out a four-wheel balance of the new tyres fitted onto the original rims.

With new tyres totally altering the way the ute performed in the wet weather, we headed for suspension specialist, Pedders, at Campbelltown. For just $14.00, Pedders completes a 28-point check and report of the underbody components, which is undoubtedly the best way to determine the safety levels of the suspension, steering and brakes.

Branch manager, Scott Cawley, completed his analysis of the ute and made his recommendation of parts that needed further attention and rectification before the ute could gain a full bill of health for safety. Several items needed replacement, including the two front shock absorbers, there was an oil leak from the power steering, a rear oil seal leak from the transmission, the front nearside disc needed skimming and the same for the rear nearside drum.

After rectification of the faults by the Pedders’ team, the difference in roadholding, steering and brake performance was, frankly, outstanding. The brake pedal was now firmer, and braking was much more predictable and efficient. The new front shock absorbers controlled the rebound tightly, preventing the previous tendency to wallow over a bumpy road. New steering bushes and attention to a few other minor items transformed the directness of the steering, bringing

PROJECT NAVARA the control back towards the level you’d expect from a new vehicle. Thanks to a repositioning of the offside torsion bar, the ute now sat level on the road, perhaps for the first time in several years.

The attention to detail shown by the Pedders team revitalised the handling of the ute, and, having tightened up a few loose bolts around the vehicle, the reduction in rattles and road noise was also noticeable. In all, the bill came to $1,051.40 for parts, and labour costs of $585, which we reckoned was extremely reasonable to bring back safety levels to near original specification.

With the underbody components well and truly checked out and faults rectified, we had to do something about the external appearance of the body. Fortunately, the Navara appears to have avoided any serious body damage in its life, and, without any rust evident, we turned to the experts in body repairs and painting at BPS Autobody.

The BPS name stands for Body Perfect Smash Repairs, and, with fully equipped workshops at Bankstown and Narellan, the company is acknowledged for its excellence in standards. It’s a preferred repairer for Mazda and Subaru and is the holder of the Paint and Panel Bodyshop of the Year Award.

Warren Renno, of BPS Autobody, evaluated the body condition of the Navara and immediately got behind the project, suggesting that a typical apprentice would not be able to respray an entire vehicle if cost was an issue.

The detailing and vehicle preparation division of BPS Autobody is called Niche Auto Systems. With its headquarters next to the main workshops, at Bankstown, the team at Niche spend much of their time returning vehicles to a high standard ready for sale. The services provided include removal of decals and full vinyl wraps, repair of minor body defects and overall cleaning of the vehicle prior to resale. More extensive or involved bodywork repairs move next door to BPS for rectification.

In trying to keep the cost of the restoration well within a minimum budget, we went with Warren’s judgement and let his team at Niche Auto Systems work their magic, without resorting to a respray.

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FEATURE a shame for Iveco that the company doesn’t directly make cars. In a sense it does, because Iveco is a subsidiary of Fiat Industrial, having been demerged from the Fiat group at the start of 2011. But in reality, there’s no car manufacturing brand to which Iveco can link its name to gain immediate recognition for its excellent van products amongst buyers more familiar with cars than trucks.

There’s nothing small and insignificant about Iveco.

The name itself is an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat (including Lancia and OM), Unic and Magirus. Annually, it produces a total of 200,000 commercial vehicles, and through Fiat PowerTrain Technologies, some 460,000 diesel engines. With 49 factories, it also boasts 15 research and development facilities, 840 dealers and 31,000 employees, and sells its products in 19 countries.

The Iveco range of commercial vehicles starts with the Daily van and cab chassis. In van and light truck circles it’s very much a “known” name, and received its first global recognition back in 2000 when it won its first European Van of the Year Award, while also celebrating the production of its one millionth vehicle.

Iveco isn’t in the small van league at all, so there’s nothing available that competes with Renault’s Kangoo, VW’s Caddy or the Peugeot and Citroen

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little load shifters. In medium van terms, it’s a direct Ford Transit competitor, also lining up against the Fiat Ducato, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter. As the size and cargo carrying capacities continue to increase to the large van with twin rear wheels sector, it moves into territory where GVMs dictate that a light truck driver’s licence is required. Also in the product range are single cab chassis versions and dual-cab chassis designs, capable of seating up to seven, including the driver.

There’s one significant difference about the Iveco Daily that none of the competitors mentioned, so far, can match, and that’s the chassis design. Under every Daily is a full light-truck-style chassis to which the body is bolted. While its competitors have stayed with monocoque body designs, where the suspension and other components are bolted into sub assemblies or direct to the body mounts, Iveco brings the whole process of truck and chassis design, found in heavier trucks, down to the medium and large van and cab chassis sector.

If you want to tow a trailer, then Iveco offers what others can’t, a towing capability that extends up to 3,500 kg for a braked trailer, all thanks to having a solid chassis underpinning the design.

In starting our evaluation of the latest ECODaily range we went straight to Sydney’s Iveco Truck Centre at Arndell Park, and to new truck sales specialist, John Karpis, and dealer principal, Steve Shearer.

Not surprisingly, John proved to be a very knowledgeable person, right from the start, as he’s the current holder of the Iveco National 2010 Iveco Sales Consultant of

DAILY DELIVERIES the Year. In his career selling the Iveco product, he’s put that ability to good use, introducing the Daily range to major fleets such as Valvoline, Chubb and Exide Batteries.

The Iveco Truck Centre covers the entire range of Iveco truck products, from the Daily right through to the Eurocargo, PowerStar, Stralis and venerable ACCO, offering an easy way for any commercial vehicle operator to deal with one centre for all their transport needs. With 32 service bays and fully trained workshops, there’s also very little that can’t be done by way of support, either on site or with a fleet of mobile breakdown vehicles, of course using Daily vans, that cover the ground on a 24/7 basis.

We’ll start our run through the ECODaily product range by looking at the cab chassis variants. The competition here starts with the VW Transporter and Ford Transit, and extends right through to the Japanese, Korean and Chinese light-truck segment.

The buyer, in this segment, has to decide what they want from a vehicle in terms of comfort and driving appeal, comparing a European designed product with the traditional flat fronted, cabover light truck that comes out of Asia.

The decision here comes down to what degree of sophistication do you want? Keeping it simple means you go for an Asian design. If you want higher levels of cab comfort, better across cab access, safety inclusions such as ABS, electronic stability programmes, traction control, hill hold and hydraulic brake assist, you take a close look at what the Europeans have to offer.

Safety options extend with the Europeans, such as Iveco, up the scale of importance to

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FEATURE

Illuminating Experiences There’s much more to Hella than just driving lamps, as Chris Mullett found during a recent trip to the company’s research and development centre in Germany

Almost

without exception, everyone who has anything to do with motor vehicles knows the name of Hella. It’s a company that’s known as being the first port of call for anything electrical where high quality lighting is needed.

This German company remains, to this day, privately owned, and has a long history of association with Australia, currently celebrating 50 years since it established a presence with a head office based in the outskirts of Melbourne that employs more than 360 people. Globally, the headcount exceeds 23,000 personnel employed in more than 70 locations in over 30 countries.

Jurgen Victor, a member of the executive board, Business Division, with responsibility for aftermarket and special original equipment spare parts, explained that the current downturn in sales for all three local car manufacturers was being monitored closely.

With Ford sales of Falcon down 40 percent, Toyota having reduced production quotas for Camry, and Holden running under maximum production capability, it might only take the withdrawal of one of the three carmakers to tip the scales of profitability from local assembly to full import status.

Hella has a strong commitment to support Australian vehicle manufacturing, and supplies lighting systems to Ford, Holden and Toyota. The light units are assembled in Victoria, and, in the case of Toyota, it’s a unique association that is not replicated anywhere else in the Toyota global operation.

“A typical European supply chain for Hella would result in us providing lights for a production level at Volkswagen of 450,000 units per year. Currently, the plans for Camry in Australia are for volumes of 100,000, with around 30,000 units each for Holden and Ford. It only needs additional influences, such as the recent Brisbane floods and Japanese earthquake and Tsunami, to radically alter the economies of scale,” Mr. Victor added.

The viability of local car manufacturing is something that regularly hits the Australian news media, and, for suppliers like Hella, the permanency of these supply chain requirements has to be constantly under review.

Mr. Victor highlighted the seriousness of the situation currently affecting the Australian car manufacturing industry, explaining that viability depended on the three manufacturers remaining in the market. If one carmaker decided to pull out

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ILLUMINATING EXPERIENCES of local manufacturing, the other two remaining companies would not justify aftermarket suppliers maintaining their current levels of local assembly in a support role.

“Fortunately the mining industry is a fast growing opportunity for Hella,” said Mr. Victor. “We have learnt that the heavy-duty nature of mining requires stronger and more durable lighting products, and we have focused our design abilities on providing lights and equipment that can stand up to the heavy-duty demands of this industry.

“We see the future for Hella in Australia as covering three areas - passenger vehicles, construction and mining. Our own future, globally, extends to increasing our product offering and moving into newer areas,” he added.

Although recognized for its aftermarket lighting systems and as an original equipment provider to major European prestige carmakers, Hella is, these days, diversifying into control systems, vehicle road safety initiatives and products for

brake systems, air filters and other components. This additional portfolio is marketed under the MANN Filter aftermarket filtration range, the Hella Marine product range, and Behr Hella Service for premium quality engine cooling and thermal management products.

The recent growth of the Chinese automotive industry has brought its own challenges, especially for leading technology systems’ manufacturers such as Hella. Companies such as Hella are constantly at risk of having their designs copied and patents infringed by competitors in China, over which Hella has no control.

It’s a very fair analogy to state that Hella’s research and development is what leads the lighting industry, and that many other competitors are lower technology copies that look similar but fail to deliver the same quality or durability.

“We take significant steps to investigate non-genuine parts and copies of our products, even employing detective agencies such as Pinkerton’s to maintain an overview of events in markets with suppliers such as are operating in China. Because we produce premium products, the major OE manufacturers don’t want to copy our patents,” said Mr.Victor.

If you’ve been watching recent developments in lighting technology, you’d be well aware of the increasing use of LED lighting systems. Using low current draw, and with vastly extended durability, LED lighting systems for marker lights and signaling lights are already becoming commonplace.

What you may not know is how LED development is continuing in new areas, and, as Jurgen Victor explained, in 10-15 years simple halogen lights will have all been replaced by LED units. Although costing more, the durability, performance and service life of an LED unit is vastly superior.

LED headlamps are already standard fitment, in the US, in the Cadillac Escalade, and in Europe, in the Maybach.

Audi has already made the move to LED headlamps with the A8, and other carmakers are keen to follow this trend, with Volkswagen expected to switch to a full LED headlamp on some of its products as early as within the next two years.

For the truck business, the North American market will see PACCAR as the first adopter of LED lighting systems, including headlamp assemblies, for its Peterbilt and Kenworth products.

Because of its ownership of DAF trucks, PACCAR has the experience of working with LED systems and can appreciate the benefits they provide. The release of these products onto North American aerodynamic designs is a natural extension of this higher standard for lighting systems.

Our visit to Hella included access to manufacturing plants where we viewed, at first-hand, the attention to manufacturing perfection where headlamp units are assembled in a dust-free and contaminant-free environment.

Gone are the times when a seven-inch round headlamp ruled the day, even though some North American truck makers still provide these as standard fitment. Freightliner Australia, with the Coronado, is a prime example, having failed to move forwards with standard lighting equipment. The company claims that the easy replacement of an incandescent globe more than outweighs the vastly superior performance advantages of a Halogen sealed beam or Bi-Xenon light unit.

Try explaining that reasoning to a truck driver crossing the Nullarbor on a dark night when he finds he is using technology that dates back to the introduction of the Halogen globe in 1962. Gas discharge Xenon lighting has now been available for over ten years and should be a first thought item for any vehicle that travels long distances at night.

The technology these days, in a headlamp unit, comes by way of the free-form reflector, or, in the case of a Projector lamp unit, from the lenses in front of the light source. Headlamp units now contain fans to keep the DELIVERY

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TESTED

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s the world focuses on improved fuel economy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the tyre industry is doing its part to bring down the cost of motoring and provide a cleaner environment.

In recent weeks, tyre makers have introduced new low energy tyres with lower rolling-resistance and improved wet weather handling capabilities – all aimed at giving better tyre performance, with longer tread life, and reduced fuel consumption.

The problem for the tyre makers is that not many of their customers really find tyres to be very interesting. Classified as a “grudge” purchase, tyres are a commodity that people have to buy in order to stay safe on the road, and are not something that generally excites the customer.

The tyre retailers have the task of trying to make the whole tyre buying experience something that their customers will actually enjoy. While the customer may not find it an exciting experience, it’s going to be a whole lot easier selling new tyre technology to a buyer if the communication of information can be made interesting, and the environment, where it takes place, is appealing.

One of Australia’s largest tyre retail chains is K-Mart Tyre and Auto Service. Owned by the giant Wesfarmers group, K-Mart Tyre & Auto Services started the ball rolling, recently, with the announcement of a major rebranding exercise across the nation for its stores in Australia. A new and brighter appearance with a revitalised image now forms the major part of a $26 million investment to attract new customers to try the K-Mart range of services.

“We are very much more than just a tyre retail network,” said Mark Spiteri, General Manager of Sales and Development for the company. “We provide a full service and maintenance option so that any customer can have total confidence in our ability to provide a one-stop location for all their requirements,” he added.

“In 1992 our image was centred more on a motorsport image. This has now changed to a store identity that is more focused on making the communication between our service and the customer easier to understand.

“It’s our aim to maintain easy communication with our customers as we take them through the journey of being able to find the right tyres for their car and to satisfy any service or maintenance requirements they might have.

The competition hots up as tyre makers showcase their latest products

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TYRE TORQUE “Fifty-five percent of our customer base is comprised of female buyers, and our customer service team is able to explain the link between what we recommend and how best we can service their exact requirements. We communicate clearly with every customer to explain what we are doing, what needs to be done, and how each problem can have a satisfactory outcome.

“Every car that comes into one of our 370 stores undergoes a complete safety check and mechanical evaluation at no cost. We can then explain what we find during the check and the various options and alternatives that are available, relating to the correction of the identified fault,” added John.

As a way of announcing the new direction for the company and its planned investment, K-Mart Tyre and Auto Service enlisted the assistance of Kumho Tyres for a tyre performance demonstration day in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Korean tyre maker, Kumho, currently manufactures 68 million tyres each year, and produces its new tread patterns and tyre compounds as a result of its research and development centres in Korea, China, the USA and United Kingdom.

As Kumho Tyres’ national sales director, Bill Sutton has the experience that comes from a lifelong career in the tyre industry, and started right at the beginning as a tyre fitter on the shop floor.

“We are growing our business in Australia and are currently ranked around third place in overall sales, matching those of Bridgestone and Dunlop, and with Michelin and Continental running in first and second place,” said Bill.

The objective of the drive day, for Kumho, was to highlight the performance and abilities of their range of tyres and to show, through a practical experience, that they compete on equal terms with other brands available from K-Mart Tyre and Auto Service.

Guests attending the driving evaluation included staff members from different K-Mart stores, fleet managers and major customers. Each driver was able to evaluate dry and wet weather handling and to compare directional stability

Established in Australia since 1974, the company distributes its tyres through five capital city warehouses. With a combined stock level of over 320,000 tyres, Kumho currently supplies Australians with 1.2 million tyres, annually.

Comparing Original Equipment fitment from GoodYear and Dunlop showed Kumho to be ahead on handling, wet weather performance and stability on identical Falcon XT sedans under test conditions.

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TESTED

S

itting in identical Toyota Camrys, side-by-side on a racetrack, waiting for the signal to go, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re in some sort of bizarre race. Yet, here we were at Queensland’s Norwell track about to rocket forward simultaneously, and on cue, to the scintillating speed of 20 km/h. Maintaining this heady figure until reaching a line across the track, we were to slip both cars into neutral at exactly the same time and coast to a halt. Yes, that is bizarre.

The aim of the competition was to see which car rolls the greatest distance. One Camry was fitted with its original equipment Dunlop SP300E and the other with Bridgestone’s latest Ecopia EP100, featuring innovative, low rollingresistance technology.

This spectacle was just part of several in an all-day tyre testing event showcasing Bridgestone’s latest high performance tyres, the Potenza S001, Adrenalin RE002, and, of most interest to Delivery readers, the EP100.

It was great to see the low rolling-resistance tyre technology showcased alongside a range of traditional, high performance tyres, a statement showing Bridgestone’s recognition that true high-performance these days is all about energy efficiency.

The vehicles on offer included the Camrys, several Subaru WRXs and a group of Mercedes Benz AMG C63s, plus some rather ingeniously designed tricycles, also fitted with the Ecopia EP100 tyres.

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I had previously heard that, in New Zealand, Bridgestone had put two VW Golfs, side-by-side on a ramp, 1.1 metres high, and then rolled them off to compare the original equipment tyre with the Ecopia – the results being viewed with a fair degree of cynicism. The Golf on its original tyres rolled 60 metres, and the one on Ecopias went 42 percent (yes, 42 percent!) further, to 85 metres. When you consider that tyre resistance is considered to be one of the most significant factors in reducing fuel consumption, and therefore emissions, this is indeed a significant result.

Tyre rolling resistance is often considered second only to vehicle mass in reducing fuel consumption, well ahead of aerodynamic efficiency and the typical mechanical improvements, like smaller engines. That’s because conventional cars are least efficient and most polluting in the city, especially at speeds below 20 km/h. Aerodynamic efficiency improvements become important only with speed, but are pretty useless around town. Likewise, small reductions in engine size or incremental improvements in fuel efficiency, rarely show as much gain as low rolling-resistance tyres, especially at low speeds.

The mass of the car is critical in stop-start conditions, because of the energy required to initially get the car moving, but only electric vehicles or true hybrids, which can run on electric power only, surpass the gains that can be achieved by attention to rolling resistance.

HIGH ROLLERS

Ed Ordynski Takes the Bridgestone Path

Bridgestone argues that, ultimately, tyres account for between 13% and 25% of fuel used, depending on driving conditions. A tyre that can roll 42% further has a big impact on that equation.

According to Bridgestone, wear life of the EP100 is not compromised, compared to conventional products, and is similar to its well known Turanza tyres, like the ER300 fitted to Commodores.

On the 20 km/h coast-down test with our Camrys, the one with original equipped tyres travelled 70 metres, which already seemed quite spectacular to me. However, the one shod with the Ecopia EP100s rolled on until the 100-metre mark!

The test was repeated with different drivers in each car, and the result was incredibly consistent and line-ball with the 42 percent NZ result.

The EP100 is Bridgestone’s flagship low rolling-resistance tyre, but the Ecopia technology is being applied, where possible, to the regular Bridgestones, to reduce the existing tyres’ contribution to energy consumption. The ER300 Turanza fitted to Holden Omega now carries Ecopia badging, for example.

Now, in case you think that rolling a couple of Camrys along a racetrack, or a pair of Golfs down some Kiwi’s rickety ramps, is not terribly scientific, Bridgestone stuck its reputation on the line by putting a Toyota Corolla, fitted with EP100s, through the ADR fuel consumption tests. The result of the independent testing, in accordance with ADR 81/02 (the one that delivers the results on the windscreen stickers), was a combined fuel consumption reduction of 5.7 percent and CO2 down by 5.8 percent.

That result helped earn Bridgestone a highly prized Planet Ark endorsement, Ecopia EP100 being the first tyre in Australia to receive the recognition. The cornerstone of the endorsement is ‘evaluation which demonstrates real environmental improvement’.

Ecopia EP100 is available in sizes to fit a wide range of vehicles, like Toyota’s Yaris, Corolla and Camry, Mazda 2, 3 and 6, Commodore and Falcon and premium vehicles like Mercedes-Benz C class and BMW 3 series. Sizes range from 175/65 x 14 to 225/55 x 17, with various other combinations like 215/45 x 17 for Subaru Liberty.

At Bridgestone’s tyre test day we also lapped at high speeds through various handling exercises in the AMG C63s and WRXs to give the latest Potenza S001 and Adrenalin RE002 a thorough workout.

The S001 is fitted as original equipment to cars like Ferrari 458 Italia, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi RS5 and Lexus LF-A, usually in massive sizes, like 305/30 x 20 for the Lexus. It’s a tyre for ultra high-performance vehicles.

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