Egads! A Bentley SUV!

So, after many false rumours and car magazine hype over the last eight years, Bentley has announced an SUV concept at the Geneva Salon. Reaction ranges from ‘ghastly’ to ‘great’ - but let me tell you, regardless of the purist view this vehicle will sell like crazy to new Bentley aspirants - especially in China and the Middle East. Plus more than a few current owners as well.

Also, I think Bentley’s timing is excellent. The brand has matured to the point where it can extend into niches like this, and capture another dimension of Bentley ownership.

Ten years ago this idea would have horrified Bentley owners, employees and purists, but that was ten years ago. Volkswagen Group has been supportive and patient and has backed Bentley’s trials and tribulations throughout the GFC, and it deserves to realise improved returns on investments it has made in the brand.

Bentley was a pretty wobbly enterprise back in 1999 when VWAG Chairman Ferdinand Piech made his first visit to Crewe to assess the Group’s new acquisition. Thanks to Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen’s sensible guidance, and VWAG’s continued support, Bentley made it through the GFC and with great new products like the V8 Continental and the Mulsanne it now looks to be on the springboard to better sales, regaining the ground lost via the economic downturn.

When you add rapidly-growing markets like China, Russia and the stalwarts like the USA, the EXP9 F SUV looks, in my opinion, like the new chapter in Bentley’s history that the current Chairman, Wolfgang Durheimer, was talking about at the splashy intro in Geneva.

As far as I’m concerned the purists need to understand that this is a business, not just a dream factory for diehards.

Portfolio - Azure Como

In 2006 Bentley Motors hosted media groups at the spectacular Villa Passalaqua on the western shore of Lago di Como, for the launch of the new Bentley Azure convertible. The villa has a long history of famous occupants, both owners and renters, and its position above Lake Como commands a fantastic view of one of Italy's most beautiful lakes.

Just down the hill is the village of Moltrasio, which is where actor George Clooney has his gorgeous villa.

The group enjoyed cocktails on the terrace overlooking the lake, and then a sumptuous dinner served in the villa's kitchen by the chef.

It was fairly simple and honest Italian cuisine, the difference is that it was prepared with passion, enjoyed with good company, and that combination made it taste just that much better.

Next morning we departed on the car ferry to Varenna and an inspiring drive, planned by my good friend Emanuele Bedetti, through the Italian and Swiss Alps to St. Moritz.

The ferry captain took personal charge of the unloading of the Bentley Azure convertibles.

Then, it was a great drive back to the villa for another terrific Italian meal.

Portfolio - The Cape from the Air

PORTFOLIO is to be a selection from the masses of photos residing on my hard drive. They remind me of great cars, great people and great events. When I look at them, it's a joyful reminiscence, and in the next few posts I will endeavour to unearth some which have been hidden from my view for far too long.

In 2002 Bentley Motors launched the new Arnage T saloon to the world's media in and around Capetown, South Africa. I've previously written about the event, but the most memorable experience happened on the last day, organised by our European PR Manager at the time, Jean-Philippe Coulaud.

Leaving the restaurant after the final lunch, we were flown to the international airport by helicopter from the grounds of the restaurant, on the outskirts of Capetown.

Two helicopters lifted our party up and out to sea, to enable some great photos of the coast line and notable sights.

Capetown, and Table Mountain

This is a great shot of Seal Rocks, and shortly after this we all missed the shot of the day. As the pilot turned back out to sea to head for Cape Point, below us a Southern Right Whale (roughly 15 metres long) was cruising on the surface, however as the pilot descended for us to capture this magnificent sight, the whale (sensing the downdraft from the rotors) suddenly dived vertically and was swiftly out of sight.

I offer a view of what we missed from the Google Image Library.

Then we hovered over Cape Point, which is a promontory at the south-east of the Cape Peninsular. The Cape of Good Hope is on the south-western edge. Interestingly neither one is the southernmost tip of Africa. That honour goes to Cape Agulhas, which is further to the south and southeast of the Cape Peninsular.

Cape Point, and the Cape of Good Hope

Optimal Package: Kia's Optima

First up, I am seriously impressed with this car. As I approach it I think it’s a bit gaudy, but maybe it’s the ‘Bling’ that appeals to today’s younger car buyers. It’s certainly contemporary, and rakish.

That’s all down to the man who has revitalised the Kia brand, via the stylist’s pen – Bavarian Peter Schreyer. Schreyer has impressive credentials. He worked with Audi first as a student in 1978, graduating in 1979 with his Industrial Design degree.

Peter Schreyer

Subsequently, Schreyer won the Audi Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art, London from 1979-1980. He went on to contribute the major styling influence to the outrageously successful Audi TT.

Peter Schreyer joined Kia in early 2006. He now oversees design activities at Kia's design centers in Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Tokyo and the Namyang Design Center in Korea.

To say that one man’s influence has totally changed a company’s fortunes is to accept the dominance of vehicle styling in the market place. Schreyer’s new Kias are jumping from strength to strength, and establishing new sales records in every market where Kia operates. What a change from the early, rather clumsy designs which came out of Korea.

One of the most successful new cars is the latest Optima sedan. Working with the platform shared with Hyundai (for the Sonata/i45), Schreyer’s team has delivered a uniquely-styled compact sedan which has obviously captured the attention of compact car buyers in Australia, as well as Kia’s major export markets.

My test car, priced at $30, 940 (before on-road costs) is exceptionally competitive in its class, but it delivers in every area. At the moment the Platinum variant is the only model available, but Kia Australia says a new, Si-badged price-leader, will be introduced soon to expand the model’s appeal.

Because of the ‘Bling factor’ I think this car would look great in metallic black, or charcoal, but Snow White Pearl is what we’re driving, and at first introduction it delivers good performance, plenty of room, comfortable ride and terrific standard equipment.

As I settle in, the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone is fast, and easy. The USB connection to my iPod is a little less easy, because the car’s audio system works better with the factory-offered iPod cable (rather than the regular iPod USB connection). However, the sound system, featuring Infinity Audio is very impressive. Fiddling with the tonal balance delivers excellent sound.

So, we’re on the road, heading south out of Sydney on the Princes Highway to Bateman’s Bay. It’s a four hour drive and will deliver the challenges which Australia’s smooth freeways, and indifferently-surfaced highways throw up.

Initial impressions are that the 2.4 litre 4-cylinder engine is perky and responsive, especially mated to the six-speed Aisan-Warner automatic transmission. However things change when we get into typical touring conditions at higher speeds.

You need to use all the revs to get the Optima really moving, and keeping the engine 'on the boil'. With modest torque of just 250Nm (coming in at a very high 4250rpm) there's no 'lugging' potential, so you are grateful for all six ratios in the transmission.

City fuel consumption is advertised to be 11.2 l/100km; but I rarely saw anything less than 12.8 l/100km. In fact, most of the time (in anything but highway touring conditions) the fuel figure was closer to 13.5 l/100km. Once we cleared the city though, the combined figure of 7.9 l/100km was bettered, at 7.5 l/100km.

This is easily explained when you study the engine performance, related to the car’s power-to-weight ratio. At 1551kg kerb weight, with a power output of 148kW, this is a car with the odds against it in the city. On a flowing highway run the combination of the free-revving engine and the six-speed auto delivers far better economy.

Climbing out of Bateman’s Bay, on the Clyde mountain ascent through Nelligen and Braidwood, the Optima (in Drive) feels breathless and struggles to keep up. However, working the gearbox, using the paddles, produces acceptable performance, but then the fuel economy definitely suffers. Given the compromises however, the Optima is easy to drive (thanks to the paddles, and the ratios) and the handling is a joy. The car points confidently and tracks smoothly, with just a slight trace of understeer.

 Again, I have to comment that the secondary ride is very good. This is an aspect of ride quality which previously eluded Oriental car makers, but with European influence, they have certainly tailored the ride to more acceptable levels.

The dashboard layout is clear and logical, and the controls are intuitive and great for those of us who are a quick study (meaning I didn’t need to read the manual).

The steering wheel design should come in for special mention, because it’s very efficient when using the ‘paddles’ for manual shifting.

The weirdest thing about this version is its nomenclature. It’s the Platinum Gdi, which at first glance I would assume is a diesel-engined car – but it’s a petrol car – go figure!

In its class the Kia Optima is more than a match for its competition, and once the lower-priced model arrives, I think it will definitely boost Optima’s overall sales.

The Optima is comfortable, well-equipped, sporty to drive and has loads of both interior, and boot space. It’s a very competitive package, and given its sharp styling, I think it will sell well. I certainly enjoyed the 800km test drive.

Maxima Touring: SFO-LAX

It’s August 2010, and I’m heading to the USA for the annual automotive festivities on California’s Monterey Peninsular, which includes MotorWorks at the Monterey Executive Jet Airport; The Quail ‘A Motorsports Gathering’ at the Quail Lodge Golf Course; the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca; and of course the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – the world’s most fantastic annual tribute to automobile history!

The trip takes me from Brisbane to Los Angeles, then a short commuter hop to San Francisco. Sounds simple, but co-ordinating and catching the flights, along with the inevitable air traffic delays in American skies is a pain in the backside.

Also, the dreary landscape of the long term parking lot near San Francisco Airport is hardly a location to glamorize an automobile described by its maker as a four door sports car - which is how Nissan North America labels its latest Maxima.

Settling into the bumper to bumper stream of southbound peak-hour traffic on Highway 101, you just get to take in the interior view, and quickly come to grips with the comfort and convenience features in this smart, compact car.

Splitting from the inland freeway to join the fabulous Skyline Drive, we hit the coast at Santa Cruz. There’s time to stop for a Starbucks coffee (yuk!), and study the exterior as we pause by the Pacific Ocean. Immediately the word ‘sculpted’ comes to mind, and this latest version of the US Maxima certainly looks a whole lot more visually interesting than the rather bland version we get Down Under.

In fact the American Maxima is a pretty snazzy-looking car.

Nissan’s Maxima has been its mainstay in the hotbed of the American medium car market since it debuted in 1976, based on the ‘Bluebird’ platform, and in fact was called the Bluebird 810. It was a pretty ordinary front-drive-wheel sedan with a two-litre four cylinder engine, and it was also a pretty ordinary drive too. Talking of ordinary, Toyota’s competitor, the Cressida, was a car that gave ‘bland’ a bad name. Distinguished it was not! However, by 1984 the Maxima featured a V6 engine, and a fresher-looking exterior and interior styling job, but the first serious makeover came in 1989, when it was launched in Europe and Australia.

In 1995 the Maxima in Australia and the USA became a V6 only model, and sales began to increase.

After a number of facelifts engineered in Japan, Nissan North America won the right to redesign the Maxima for its own market, and in 2000 a new model, designed at Nissan’s La Jolla studio in California was born, resulting in two different Maxima model lines. The US model shared its platform with the smaller Nissan Altima and Murano SUV, whilst the Australian Maxima sat on the existing platform, and continued to be sourced from Japan.

The most recent restyle of the US Maxima has been dramatic and well-received in the American marketplace. However, styling-wise it’s a bit of a three card trick. The car sits on the same underbody dimensions, but the ‘sculpting’ of the external panels has given it an apparent greater substance.

It’s significantly wider than the previous model, but the interior package remains the same. It’s not ‘squeezy’, but not as generous inside as some of its competitors, nor its exterior shape might suggest.

However, in equipment terms the Maxima is a class leader. The standard car comes with iPod/MP3 connectivity, SatNav, Bluetooth and a great stereo, with Bose speakers. The transmission is one of the best-developed CVT types I’ve tested, and the Maxima even has steering column-mounted transmission paddles!

The transmission is very smooth in operation, and most drivers would be unaware they were driving a CVT-equipped car. Whilst the change is nowhere near as fast as a twin-clutch type, it performs admirably when driven on the ‘paddles’.

Nissan seems to have achieved its aim, in separating this car from its (mostly) Japanese competitors, and endowed it with a powerful and quite frugal V6, the snappy CVT transmission, excellent ride comfort and passably good handling.

The US Maxima still exhibits more understeer than I’d like, but it’s very responsive and the rack and pinion steering has quite good feel, thanks to a very ‘fast’ steering box ratio.

After taking in the auto festivities in Monterey and Pebble Beach, I headed east along Route 68 and then across to Highway 101 South. This freeway is the main (and most direct) link between LA and northern California. Leaving Highway 101 just north of Santa Barbara I climb into a mountain range, and pass through the village of Solvang, which is one of those backwoods oddities you find sprinkled around the USA.

Solvang is what you might call ‘Little Denmark’ and is populated by Danish settlers who began arriving in America between 1896 and the early 1900s. Solvang was established in 1915, and the restaurants, cuisine, architecture and customs have created a pocket of Danish culture high in the hills of the Santa Ynez mountains.

Using all the standard equipment gear like SatNav, Bluetooth and the iPod connector is easy, intuitive and very welcome - there are no mysteries to befuddle the pilot, whilst concentrating on driving. The drive south heading towards Los Angeles along Highway 154 is just the right sort of road to test the “Four Door Sports Car” and the Maxima did not disappoint. There’s no point comparing this car to a dedicated sports sedan like a BMW 5 Series, or an Audi A5, but the Maxima points precisely, performs well, rides comfortably and inspires confidence.

The suspension is very well sorted, and the secondary ride quality is outstanding for a Japanese-designed car. Rarely have we encountered such an excellent ability to handle small deflections as well as this car does.

Okay, truth is, it’s not a sports car, but who are we to argue with the success of the ad agency’s campaign. The American Maxima is a neat package, well-sorted and we believe is streets ahead of the model Australians have been offered.

Back onto Highway 101 and it’s traffic tailbacks all the way into the northern approaches of the City of Angels. We join US 405 South (the San Diego Freeway) and pass by one of the most significant landmarks in LA today. Just near Brentwood is the fabulous Getty Museum, which opened in 1997, and definitely worth a visit.

On the lumpy, bumpy Highway 405 these are the conditions where the Maxima really shines. It’s comfortable, well-equipped and good value. What more could you want? If it’s brand caché, or European breeding you’ll pay a lot more, so Nissan North America seems to have made its mark with the Maxima.

Patience Pays Off - for Skoda

Can Skoda succeed in Australia for the third, fourth or fifth time? Short answer is, it has already. My prediction is that it will continue to prosper – for a very unusual reason – patience.

When Volkswagen Group Australia (VGA) announced Skoda’s re-entry into Australia in 2007 the new Chief Executive Matthew Wiesner was appropriately evasive about sales numbers, and the figure postulated by automotive journalists was 2,000 units a year.

Matthew Wiesner

The first year saw a modest 900 cars sold, the second was 1300, and in 2010 that number rose to 1700. That’s certainly slow and steady growth, but this has laid an excellent foundation for the future success of the brand. Skoda sells on quality and value, and the message seems to be hitting home with Australians.

It’s a position the Koreans, like Hyundai and Kia, could only dream about. It has taken them almost 20 years to land in this sweet spot of the market, where you can charge a higher price for a presumed ‘cheap’ car! And, get away with it.

Jutta Dierks

So, back to patience. In 2007 Skoda Australia launched into the teeth of the growing global financial crisis. Then-VWA Chief Jutta Dierks and Matthew Wiesner had made the initial commitment to Volkswagen AG in late 2005, so in effect given the turmoil created by the GFC there were no big expectations of a spectacular launch, and subsequent high sales.

Wiesner and Skoda Australia were thrown a lifeline of low expectations, and a period of grace to get the act together. It’s rare in the automotive industry that you get such a holiday from the demand for immediate results. The time has allowed the company and its experienced and energetic CEO to build the product line, the ownership proposition, the brand values, and the modest expectations, uninhibited by a clamour from Wolfsburg for better sales numbers.

Matthew Wiesner forecast in July last year that Skoda could sell 3400 cars in 2011, and in fact it bettered that number by 100 cars. Wiesner says he is looking for a market share of around 2.5% by the end of the decade. That’s still not outrageously ambitious for such a big (volume) division of the giant Volkswagen Group, but it’s in line with the performance to date, and the growing number and variety of models Skoda will introduce from this year on.

Skoda Australia’s market share in 2010 was 0.2% and last year it was 0.3% - so there’s a way to go, but look how the model lineup has changed since launch.

Octavia

Launching in 2007 with the Octavia sedan, based on the VW Golf; and the quirky, but highly practical Roomster, Skoda has added the Superb sedan and wagon, the Yeti SUV, the Scout allroad wagon, plus the Fabia small car - and there’s a good-looking concept car which appeared in Geneva last year, revealing a new design language to flesh out the future range with stylish, contemporary eye-grabbing appeal.

Roomster

2011 Vision D Concept Car

Skoda Australia is showing greater stability than similar-sized markets in Europe (but we know why they’re having trouble!), and with just 10 dealers handling the brand in 2007, there are now 38 at the end of 2011. That number will grow to 47 by the end of 2012, 60% of whom are joint VW dealers. That allows a good spread in the major metropolitan markets, without the marque being over-represented, meaning dealers are not cutting each other’s throats for a deal. Weisner is quick to praise them as being a big contributor to the firm establishment of the brand.

Much of this outcome however must be credited to Matthew Wiesner, who at 42 is a widely-experienced, and very smart operator. He is paying back Jutta Dierks' confidence when she  appointed him to this important brand development role.

His armory is sound, and he not only has excellent credentials, but also a wise head, developing the brand values backed by Volkswagen’s excellence in product development.

1955 Skoda

Since Skoda launched in Czechoslovakia in the late 1940’s (see separate history post), and after many unsuccessful forays into Australia, Skoda today now boasts a sound foundation based on distinctive European values, and advanced technology transfer from VWAG. Treating the re-entry of the marque to Australia like a completely-new brand, Skoda has now launched into sponsorships which link to its European background, as well as integrating with the Australian community.

Skoda Australia sponsors professional cycling, like the Tour Down Under, and if you watch the Tour de France and other European cycling events regularly, you’ll see Skoda support cars mixing it with the pelaton, and this represents a logical marriage for Skoda Australia. The company is also a foundation sponsor for the new Greater Western Sydney AFL team, which is a no-brainer for a company seeking low-cost of entry sponsorship, matched to highly anticipated interest in the performance of a new football club.

Yeti AWD SUV

All this makes perfect sense, and my prediction is that whilst Matthew Wiesner stays at the helm, and VWAG invests in him, and Skoda Australia with confidence and unstinting support, then this brand will continue to build a strong base of fans and owners Down Under. Wiesner wants Skoda’s models to eventually cover 85% of the market here, from Small/Medium, to Compact, to sub-Luxury, SUV and 4x4, and this will solidly extend its reach without overplaying it.

Skoda is mixing it with the established Japanese and Koreans, but given its sensible and patient approach I don’t think its anticipated market share, and sales performance, is in any danger of not being achieved.

Add to this the outstanding design, engineering and manufacturing quality at the heart of VWAG’s model development, and the company is definitely looking good for a solid place in the hearts of Australia’s Euro-centric car buyers, who are demanding value and quality.

Automotive Industry Road Map for Australia

This week’s announcements of Kim Carr’s success in Detroit in obtaining future funding from Ford and GM for their Australian manufacturing activities should probably be applauded. However, like the inevitable Greek debt default, it’s just kicking the stones a few more metres along the road.

Fairfax business journalist Ian Verrender is correct when he opines the Federal and State governments are tipping taxpayers money into a bottomless pit, but he’s a dedicated business journalist.

The Australian’s automotive writer, the respected Philip King takes a more balanced, albeit car industry-centric approach, when he writes that the death of Australian car manufacturing is not imminent, but that it is inevitable.

However, for the 60,000 or so people employed in dedicated car making, and the supporting automotive component parts industry, it is nonetheless welcome news. But those people, and the Federal and State governments need to start thinking right now, about what happens after 2017. Face the fact - after that date we will NOT be able to sustain full-blown car manufacturing. What do we do with all these experienced and talented people?

The governments are right to be worried about job losses, so they need to be developing a road map in concert with the major companies.

Here’s a plan. Last year the authoritative automotive newsletter Go-Auto devoted almost an entire week’s edition to highlighting talented, inventive and visionary Australians leading the technology advances in parts and components. We recognise that we already have those same skills in automotive design and engineering, residing inside the major car makers.

Why doesn’t Australia set itself a course for developing a series of small, niche automotive design, and production companies which could sell their expertise around the world? We have a hotbed of people with vision, expertise and energy who could fuel such a plan.

It is far easier for governments to support a range and number of small, specialist companies developing ideas and projects which would be of use to car companies in China, Japan, Germany, Italy, Korea and the USA, as well as in automotive countries like Brazil, India, Thailand and Indonesia.

Let’s admit that car manufacturing as we have known it since 1950 is going to die, and begin developing the strategies to absorb all these talented people into a globalised, high-tech group of companies creating ideas for future mobility. This also opens up opportunities for schools and tertiary colleges to develop upcoming genii to grow into jobs in this range of companies.

Many years ago in France I uncovered an overt plan between Automobiles Peugeot in Mulhouse, and the education decision-makers in the Montbeliard region, to ‘design’ their curriculums  to ensure the colleges and university turned out graduates with expertise and diplomas aimed at getting a job with Peugeot (or even other car companies). This marriage of needs and training worked fantastically. The car companies got graduates whose talents fitted their needs. The tertiary institutions grew, the car companies benefitted of course, but the community came out a winner too - by offering jobs which, more importantly, kept talented, increasingly wealthy young people in the region contributing to the local tax base.

My plan suggests that we don’t even need to localise this range of high-tech, niche companies in the accepted auto industry towns and cities. Indeed, they could be located anywhere in Australia, serviced by the fibre-optic NBN, and putting a lot of emphasis into an important part of the business community - ‘small business’.

There’s no reason Australian cannot remain deeply involved in the mainstream of the automotive industry of the future, not just in car-making - which we know is going to be dead here after 2017.

Let’s invest in people, and a diverse range of skills, ideas and innovation which makes Australia a really clever country!

LABOR'S CAR INDUSTRY CHAMPIONS

Senator Kim Carr is the latest champion for Australia's car industry of which the Labor Party can be proud. Some may think he's misdirected by pouring so much energy into retaining car manufacturing in Australia, but it's a fact he has worked tirelessly to try and protect thousands of skilled jobs.

Many years ago another Labor senator brought rational debate and innovative solutions to help that same thrust, protecting jobs, by defining a path for car makers which made them competitive and confident about investing in Australia. The man was John Button, and Australia should never forget the important contributiomns he made to this important industry.