Holden And Ford Drive All Four Wheels Into The Future
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday March 1, 2002
The two Australian makers have unveiled big, bold off-roaders. Despite the hype, they have much in common, says Bob Jennings.
Holden and Ford have chosen their home city to slug it out with their visions of the Great Aussie Future.
At the Melbourne motor show which opened yesterday, the makers revealed concept cars which indicate the direction of their future models.
Despite the hype, the makers appear to be thinking in parallel, and it's fascinating that Holden appears to have taken a leaf from Ford's design book, while Ford has headed off in a different direction.
Holden played its cards close to its chest, keeping details quiet until yesterday. Ford ensured the media knew about its four-wheel-drive wagon by distributing photographs and information earlier in the week.
Holden says its all-wheel-drive Cross8 is more than just a concept; it's a working prototype of the company's locally built AWD model to go on sale next year.
However, the Cross8 is a crew-cab ute, similar in its overall execution to Ford's R5 concept, revealed at the 2000 Sydney motor show. A 4WD R5 appeared last year.
The Cross8 shares its long-wheelbase chassis with the Commodore wagon and ute and the Statesman.
"As the name implies, this is a crossover car - a four-door, all-wheel-drive which can accommodate five people in sedan comfort, carry a light duty load and deliver trademark V8 performance," said Holden chairman and managing director, Peter Hanenberger.
"It previews a new model range that Holden will be releasing early next year ... the all-wheel-drive factor is a forerunner of more good things to come."
Ford doesn't say whether its R7 wagon concept is a pointer to the styling of its locally built AWD production vehicle. Rather, it says it is "the first vehicle to give an indication of future automotive design direction in this country".
Ford Australia president Geoff Polites said: "It's an exciting concept developed by Ford Australia's design team as an answer to what our consumers are looking for.
"[It] crosses the current boundaries and definitions between traditional cars and sports utility vehicles."
The show continues until Monday week, enabling Australian audiences to view up-to-date models and concepts from the most recent international shows.
Piquing the interest of sporting enthusiasts is the latest Nissan Z concept. A production version will go on sale here early next year, powered by a 190-plus kW 3.5-litre V6.
Touted as one of the most glamorous cars of last year's Frankfurt show, the Lamborghini Murcielago is another Melbourne showstopper. It vies for attention with another Frankfurt highlight, Jaguar's R-Coupe concept.
Chrysler has an intriguing AWD version of the Voyager people-mover. Improved handling and traction on slippery surfaces such as snow come at a price - the sticker will be $74,590 - but equipment includes power sliding doors and tailgate, heated leather seats with power adjustment, load-levelling suspension and three-zone air-conditioning.
At the upper end of the 4WD market, the new Range Rover - designed by BMW before Ford took over the company - is joined by the latest cross-over vehicle, a turbo diesel version of the Audi quattro allroad. The first Audi diesel sold here, it has a 132kW 2.5-litre engine and will go on sale in May, priced at $85,000.
Subaru's new Forester and Kia's big 4WD, the Sorento, are more affordable.
It's hard to see much of a theme at the show; rather, there's a broad range of vehicles from luxury to sporty to new-wave practical.
At the premium end are Bentley's Arnage T and the long-wheelbase version of the recently introduced BMW 7 Series, the latter to go on sale in July.
BMW also has the 3 Series Touring (a wagon to others) and the supercharged version of the Mini, the Cooper S.
Production models include the Citroen C3, Mazda 6, three-door Peugeot 307, Alfa Romeo V6 Spider and six-speed 156 V6, Daewoo Kalos, VW Polo, Mitsubishi Ralliart Magna, Audi A4 Cabrio, Mercedes-Benz SL500 and Honda's upgraded NSX.
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald
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