car-makers warming to new economy...

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P remium Go Auto News EDITION 95 MARCH 16, 2018 THE BUSINESS PAGES OF GOAUTONEWS LPG Hybrid Camrys can save $6000 a year Cost savings highlight new push to promote Australia’s only domestic automobile fuel Success starts with you. New KPMG training programs inside Change and opportunity ahead for Aussie dealerships Macquarie says the market outlook holds plenty of promise for car retailers, but prepare for change Car-makers warming to new economy tests But car clubs want to conduct their own ‘real-world’ fuel economy tests on Australian soil

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Page 1: Car-makers warming to new economy testsgoautomedia.cdn.on.net/gan_premium/GoAutoNews_Premium_Newslet… · comparing the new scheme to NEDC on 18 car models. All new cars being

PremiumGoAutoNewsEDITION 95 MARCH 16, 2018 THE BUSINESS PAGES OF GOAUTONEWS

LPG Hybrid Camrys can save $6000 a yearCost savings highlight new push to promote Australia’s only domestic automobile fuel

Success starts with you. New KPMG training programs inside

Change and opportunity ahead for Aussie dealershipsMacquarie says the market outlook holds plenty of promise for car retailers, but prepare for change

Car-makers warming to new economy tests

But car clubs want to conduct their own ‘real-world’ fuel

economy tests on Australian soil

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ISUZU GROWS TRUCK NETWORK IN TOP END

CJD becomes Isuzu dealer and support specialist in two Northern Territory locations

Page 19

GERMANS TO MAKE BATTERIES IN THAI PLANTS

Tax breaks lure BMW and Mercedes-Benz to build separate battery factories for Asia

Page 20

Car-makers warming to new economy tests

But car clubs want to conduct their own ‘real-world’ fuel

economy tests on Australian soil

Page 3

PremiumGoAutoNews

PUBLISHER: John Mellor

EDITOR: Neil Dowling

JOURNALISTS: Tim Nicholson, Tung Nguyen,Ron Hammerton, Ian Porter, Terry Martin, Robbie Wallis, Justin Hilliard, Daniel DeGasperi,Tim Robson, Byron Mathioudakis

PRODUCTION: Luc Britten, William Vicente

EMAIL: [email protected]

LPG HYBRID CAMRYS CAN SAVE $6000 A YEAR

Cost savings highlight new push to promote Australia’s only domestic automobile fuel

Page 6

CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITY AHEAD FOR AUSSIE DEALERSHIPS

Macquarie says the market outlook holds plenty of promise for car retailers, but

prepare for change Page 9

SHELLHARBOUR CITY UPGRADESNew building, new expansion plans for Honda and Hyundai in Shellharbour

Page 12

HOLDEN’S PARODY PLAYComedian mimics celebrities on the way to

selling Equinox to women

Page 14

WA FIRM JOINS WITH YANMARFormer auto suspension design used in

concept boat that remains steady in rough seas

Page 16

VALE: BERT SERREFormer Ford Australia PR boss dies

suddenly in Canada

Page 18

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TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By NEIL DOWLINGn THE Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has joined the ground swell of advocates for more transparent fuel economy figures from OEMs, with the push set against the background of Volkswagen’s dieselgate scandal, an ongoing class action court hearing and the growing impatience of the Australian

Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to find accurate consumer information.

This week the AAA announced the results of its privately-commissioned “real-world” fuel testing – a comprehensive report first started in May 2016 that has only just now reached publication – on 30 car models.

Developed by the European

Joint Research Centre and with parallels to PSA (Peugeot Citroen) Group’s own real-world testing that was published in late 2016 and early 2017, the AAA test was modified to suit Australian roads, traffic controls and topography.

The testing, carried out by Melbourne-based engineering consultancy ABMARC, did not surprise

many people when it found that the discrepancy between official OEM fuel consumption and that recorded by its own tests averaged 23 per cent higher and that the most recent vehicles – which have to meet more stringent Euro 6 emission rules – had the greatest variance.

The testing was the first major operation in

Australia to examine the difference between OEM fuel consumption claims and those experienced by owners.

It follows a similar program by PSA in France in 2016 and 2017 that was triggered by Volkswagen’s diesel scandal and the belief by customers and regulators that car-makers were not disclosing true fuel consumption data.

Continued next page

But car clubs want to conduct their own ‘real-world’ fuel economy tests

on Australian soil

Car-makers warming to new economy tests

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Continued from previous page

PSA, which said at the time that it was the first car-maker to test and then list real-world fuel-consumption figures, found the figures were comparable with those reported by customers who were involved in independent surveys and the website logbook.

The results were significantly at variance with its laboratory-based results.

The 60 models tested by PSA – from Peugeot, Citroen and

DS – were found to have an average discrepancy between the original laboratory fuel figure and the real-world experience of 2.5 litres per 100 kilometres for the petrol cars, and 2.4 L/100km for the diesel models.

In its report to the AAA, ‘The Real World Driving Emissions Tests’, ABMARC this week said it conducted its Australian tests with different cars on the same route, in similar traffic conditions, in similar

weather patterns and with similar driver behaviour.

It said there could be a variance in future tests of the same vehicle of up to three per cent.

Now the AAA wants local testing on all new cars to show consumers a more accurate fuel-use figure based on real-world driving conditions.

“An Australian real-world test program would allow consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions, and allow policy

makers to ensure that regulatory settings reflect real-world conditions,” the AAA said in a statement.

“The AAA argues that there is no point in introducing tougher vehicle emissions standards in a laboratory setting unless information on real-world performance is in the hands of consumers.

“For less than $3 per new vehicle sold in Australia, within two years, Australian consumers could have access to real-world testing

information for 60 per cent of new cars available on the Australian market.

“This is a very low-cost way to empower Australians to make better informed choices that suit their family budget, health, and their concern for the environment.”

Yet such an animal exists in Europe and, as testing expands after starting last month, it could be this test that would make Australian-based testing irrelevant.

Continued next page

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Continued from previous page

The Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedures (WLTP) was introduced in Europe last month to incrementally replace the current New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) tests, introduced in 1970 and updated on two occasions.

NEDC has been criticised by OEMs as being outdated and often misleading, saying the figures from the laboratory tests are unachievable in reality.

In a statement supporting the end of NEDC and the introduction of WLTP, Mercedes-Benz said the change “can be compared to a currency reform”.

“Although the vehicles will not change technically, they will simply be measured by new standards,” the car-maker said.

Automotive data company JATO has researched the change to WLTP and found that fuel economy claims will fall by 13-18 per cent after comparing the new scheme to NEDC on 18 car models.

All new cars being homologated in Europe for launch from February this year must meet the new WLTP rules, with a delayed reporting system meaning all cars on sale by September 1, 2018 must be tested.

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

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TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

Cost savings highlight new push to promote Australia’s only domestic automobile fuel

LPG Hybrid Camrys can save $6000 a year

By NEIL DOWLINGn TAXI companies have made the switch to Toyota Camry hybrids following the demise of Australian-built Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons have discovered a lucrative bonus lying in wait for them when they add liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into the mix.

According to reports from the taxi industry, taxi owners

have found that fuel cost savings from the Toyota hybrid drive system in the Camry were about the same they were getting by using LPG.

But, when some taxi companies commissioned the development of LPG conversions to fuel the four-cylinder Toyota petrol in the hybrid powertrain, they discovered even greater

economies that may, as a by product of this search for cost savings, be providing governments with convincing evidence that LPG is not dead yet.

Information from LPG experts in Australia shows that by running on gas, a new hybrid LPG taxi can have annual fuel savings of between $6000 and $8000.

Given that taxis are replaced

about every six years, the cost recovery of $36,000-$48,000 can buy a replacement car.

The industry says that the savings are such that they can recoup their LPG conversion costs within six months.

The fuel cost savings of LPG over petrol in the hybrid are said to be around 45 per cent with the added appeal that the LPG is sourced entirely from Australia.

Despite this, Australians have shown a declining interest in LPG – after the end of the local manufacturing of dedicated- gas Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons – despite an increasing reliance on importing petrol and diesel and despite the largely unknown fact that Australia has only “weeks” supply of imported transport fuel.

Continued next page

Camry Hybrid

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Continued from previous page

But ownership cost issues with conventional fuels and a growing concern about Australia’s reliance on importing petrol and diesel fuel have now brought a renewed campaign to revive gas as an inexpensive, home-grown, low-emission and complimentary fuel to existing internal-combustion engines (ICEs).

Spurring the campaign is the recently opened LPG Autogas Centre of Excellence, a Melbourne institute aimed at

promoting the cost benefits of gas and marketing it directly at fleet operators.

The new centre was conceived after an ABMARC study identified demand for 160,000 new autogas vehicles between 2018 and 2025.

A joint initiative between Unigas, Prixcar and Sprint Gas, the centre will provide Australian fleet operators with direct access to a low-cost, high-quality LPG installation service for new vehicles through port of entry or dealerships.

Its most tangible indication of the possibilities of a new-wave LPG revival is the tri-fuel Toyota Camry Hybrid sedans now being built for taxi operator 13CABS. This becomes the first fleet operator to use the centre.

Unigas senior business manager, John Coggins, said the centre provides a strict quality control at a similar standard to an OEM facility.

“It has highly experienced autogas system designers, manufacturers and skilled vehicle fitters that streamline

installation processes to ensure competitive conversion costs,” he said.

Mr Coggins told GoAutoNews Premium that LPG was under threat because of factors including the significant fall in large-car sales; the growth in diesel fuel use and its spread to a wider range of vehicles; the boom in small-car and small-SUV sales; stable petrol prices; and the increased fuel efficiency of all cars.

“There is still a strong role for autogas in Australia,” he said.

“With local supply and national infrastructure including 2700 autogas-enabled service stations, this cleaner fuel can provide strong fuel security and availability now and well into the future.”

Cost is still on the side of LPG, he said, adding that the fuel is cleaner, locally produced (so doesn’t increase imports) and readily available. Its biggest attraction, particularly for high-distance fleets, is the comparatively low fuel cost.

Continued next page

“We see autogas as a viable alternative of which Australia has substantial reserves. We

don’t have to import gas like we do with petrol and diesel so we’re not subject to overseas

price changes. And we have shown that the fuel can make huge advantages to lowering the operating costs of fleets - so much that a taxi operator, for example, can save enough over a six year period to afford a new car.”

- John Coggins

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Continued from previous page

“There is a big transition happening,” he said.

“About 18-24 months ago, manufacturers moved to direct-injection engines in a hybrid format with LPG. That puts autogas in a good space as a low-cost dual-fuel rival to diesels and petrol cars.”

Mr Coggins said prices have changed over the past decade and the gap between petrol, diesel and LPG had narrowed, however the gas is still about 45 per cent cheaper.

However, while he said LPG had substantial advantages, he felt the federal government was bypassing the gas as an alternative fuel.

“There is no doubt that future technology – mainly electric vehicles – is coming,” he said.

“There is a lot of work being done in promoting EVs. But the big question is the source of the electricity to run these electric vehicles.

“It’s still coming from, in the main, coal.

“We see autogas as a viable alternative of which Australia has substantial reserves. We don’t have to import gas like we do with petrol and diesel so we’re not subject to overseas price changes.

“And we have shown that the fuel can make huge advantages to lowering the operating costs of fleets – so much that a taxi operator, for example, can save enough over a six-year period to afford a new car,” he said.

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

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Macquarie says the market outlook for 2018 holds plenty of promise for Australia’s car retailers, but prepare for change

TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By JOHN MELLORn CAR sales across Australia got off to a strong start in 2018, following a record year in 2017.

According to VFACTS, total reported motor vehicle sales grew by 0.9 per cent in 2017 to a record total of 1,189,116 units. More broadly, experts at Macquarie believe that growth will continue in 2018.

Jon Moodie, head of Macquarie Leasing Australia,

said: “Looking at the big picture today, we’re in a relatively stable economy with low interest rates. In Macquarie economists’ view, there’s a slight chance the RBA might raise rates in the third quarter of the year at the very earliest, but there’s a possibility they’ll remain on hold this year. When rates do rise, it’ll likely be very gradual. The Australian dollar also looks to end the year

around current levels,” he said.

Recent market volatility aside, the Australian economy seems set for a good year - with the caveat that economic conditions can change quickly.

“You’ve really got to keep an ear to the ground and make judgements based on the best information you have at that time. That said, most indications at this stage are positive.”

According to Mr Moodie,

consumer confidence that had languished over the past few years is looking better. That confidence is being boosted by stronger labour market conditions.

“Wages growth in Australia has been weak in recent years, but appears to have stabilised. Emerging signs of slightly better wage growth might stir some who have put off upgrading their car to do so in 2018 – we’ll see,” Mr Moodie

said.Economic factors aside,

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) new flex-commission regulations will take effect this November 1. In January’s edition of GoAutoNews Premium, Macquarie’s Russell Bryant commented that Macquarie Leasing was working to support dealers in preparing for the changes.

Continued next page

Change and opportunity ahead for Aussie dealerships

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Continued from previous page

“As Russell said, we have a huge pool of experts and data to draw on. We’re using that to support our dealers, so they can prepare for ASIC’s reforms and make the most of the opportunities to improve both their processes and the experience they deliver to end customers,” Mr Moodie said.

Macquarie believes that, on balance, most dealerships

should have another successful year. The scale of that success - within the context of the current economic climate and regulatory change - will depend on their ability to prepare for, and adapt to, change.

“With change comes opportunity,” Mr Moodie said. “We’re helping the dealerships we work with and their customers to seize that.”

Next weekJon Moodie further explores how property prices, interest rates, household debt and wages are impacting consumer confidence and Australia’s dealerships in 2018.

Consumer confidence

Interestrate

Affordability Householddebt

University Connect

kpmg.com/au/enterprise

Western Sydney University Enterprises Pty Limited ABN 44 003 474 468 trading as Western Sydney University The College (CRICOS Provider Number 02851G, RTO number 90319) is a wholly owned entity of Western Sydney University

© 2017 KPMG, an Australian partnership. All rights reserved. N15719ENT_NOV

kpmg.com/au/enterprise

Western Sydney University Enterprises Pty Limited ABN 44 003 474 468 trading as Western Sydney University The College (CRICOS Provider Number 02851G, RTO number 90319) is a wholly owned entity of Western Sydney University

© 2017 KPMG, an Australian partnership. All rights reserved. N15719ENT_DEC

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Brian Fellowes KPMG Enterprise Director +61 409 241 503 [email protected]

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New building, new expansion plans for Honda and Hyundai in Shellharbour

Shellharbour City upgrades

TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By NEIL DOWLINGn BURGEONING car sales and the need for new corporate identity branding for its two franchises has led to a major redevelopment of Shellharbour City Motors Honda and Hyundai in NSW.

The ground-up redevelopment, started midway through last month, will result in expanded sales and workshop zones for the dealership – one of three operated by one of biggest independent automotive

groups in regional NSW, the City Motors Group.

The major upgrades, expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2018, incorporate new showrooms each for Honda and Hyundai with distinctive designs to visually

separate the two brands.There is also new corporate

identity for each brand. The Hyundai style now has a bronze showroom fascia and the Honda corporate identity features a bolder red tablet set on a silver fascia.

The new showrooms will be able to accommodate up to 16 vehicles – a big increase on the current space for seven vehicles – and the buildings have much greater exposure to the adjoining Princes Highway.

Continued next page

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Continued from previous page

Increasing vehicle sales have required a new service centre with 10 extra workshop bays and, to cope with the volume, the workshop has been relocated to the rear of the property.

City Motors Group spokesman Chris Hyde said because of sales and service demand, the company would now look to increase staff levels following the completion of the refurbishment, including more salespeople, service advisors and mechanics.

He said there would also be new positions

created including guest service hosts and dedicated delivery coordinators to further improve customer satisfaction.

Shellharbour City Motors was awarded the 2018 Customer Service Award for Highest Satisfaction by Hyundai Eastern Region earlier this year.

The City Motors Group represents new-vehicle franchises of Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz passenger car and Mercedes-Benz vans across three dealership locations including North Wollongong and Albion Park Rail.

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By NEIL DOWLINGn AUSTRALIAN comedian Celeste Barber is at the satirical centre of Holden’s new digital advertising campaign to get Equinox onto female car buyers’ shopping lists.

Barber, an Instagram success story known for satarising famous women on Instagram in a series of parodies, is being used to lure women to Holden’s mid-size SUV with a campaign developed by

Bauer Media’s new content marketing division, Story54.

It has already been a hit for Ms Barber, with more than 760,000 views in the first 24 hours as it was shared with her 3.2 million Instagram followers.

The first of four planned series shows Ms Barber doing a sexy car model interpretation.

The plan is to make the car more appealing to women and follows on from work

by Holden’s ad teams on Equinox’s ‘Nothing to Prove’ television campaign, and the Holden Commodore ‘For Sure’ branding.

Bauer Media’s general manager of Story54, Jane Waterhouse, said in a statement: “Women as consumers are recalibrating what’s appropriate in advertising communications”.

“They are responding to brands that are abandoning stereotypical and predictable

communications and want to be spoken to in a more authentic language that shows truth in their lives.

“We couldn’t think of a better creative partnership for the Holden Equinox than one with Celeste Barber. Quite simply her work says it all. She has nothing to prove.”

The push to female buyers isn’t new to Holden – Astra and Spark had tailored advertising – but it shows a different approach than

that employed when the car-maker promoted the Equinox predecessor, Captiva.

Though it’s early days, the Equinox also has a tough job to catch the success of Captiva. Holden has sold 748 new SUVs in the first two months of this year, averaging about 375 a month compared with monthly Captiva sales in early 2017 of 840 units.

^ SEE VIDEO ONLINE

Comedian mimics celebrities on the way to selling Equinox to women

Holden’s parody play

Celeste Barber

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Former auto suspension design used in concept boat that remains steady in rough seas

WA firm joins with Yanmar

TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By NEIL DOWLINGn WEST Australian suspension developer and technology supplier to Toyota, Citroen and Nissan, Nauti-Craft, has diversified into the marine sector with a concept boat shown at the Japan International Boat Show.

Developed in conjunction with diesel engine and commercial and recreational GRP boat

manufacturer Yanmar, Nauti-Craft’s innovative marine suspension system was shown last weekend on a Yanmar 10-metre boat.

Nauti-Craft is the marine equivalent of the road suspension system developed by previous company, Kinetic Suspension Systems. Both products were invented by Chris Heyring, now chairman

of Nauti-Craft that is based in the south-west WA town of Dunsborough.

Kinetic, which has its technology on the latest Toyota 200 Series LandCruiser and Prado, Nissan Patrol and McLaren MP4, was bought by US aftermarket corporation Tenneco – parent of Monroe – in 1999 for $A55 million.

But Mr Heyring has adopted

the system to the water and started Nauti-Craft.

Yanmar, which aside from famously making a range of diesel marine engines has a substantial boat-building operation, will now test the craft with sights set on the high-end recreational fishing boat market and commercial applications.

Speaking with GoAutoNews Premium from the Tokyo

show, Nauti-Craft managing director and former managing director of Orbital Corporation Ltd, Ken Johnsen, said his company was working with a number of boat-makers.

“We are pleased that Yanmar is first boat-maker in the world to show a boat that incorporates Nauti-Craft technology,” he said.

Continued next page

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Continued from previous page

“This is a demonstration of Yanmar's desire to advance in the world of boat design and offer its customers safer and more comfortable products.”

Yanmar’s 10m boat shown in Tokyo is on a stand that demonstrates the movement of separate hulls of the boat as it “walks” waves. Coincidentally, the show displayed four vehicles using Mr Heyring’s inventions – a Toyota Prado and 200 Series LandCruiser, the Yanmar boat and a McLaren.

The show was attended by Mr Heyring, Mr Johnsen and Australian ambassador to Japan, former WA premier and owner of Perth boat retailer

Court Marine, Richard Court, son of Sir Charles Court.

Nauti-Craft claims that its marine suspension system has a reduction of up to 75 per cent in vertical accelerations (G forces) that passengers experience during travel in rough seas, compared with a boat without suspension.

It can also allow the deck to remain stable when passengers are getting on and off the boat in rough water. This has opened up the potential for the system to be marketed to wind-farm operators with offshore generators.

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By NEIL DOWLINGn FORMER public affairs manager of Ford Australia, Hubert (Bert) Serre, who was seconded to Ford Australia for the 1988 launch of the EA Falcon, has died at his home in Windsor, Canada. He was aged 74.

He leaves his wife of 53 years, Maureen, three children, and five grandchildren.

The French-Canadian started his career in the newsroom of his local radio station CKLW Windsor and then moved to Chrysler and Ford in public affairs roles.

He was seconded from Ford in Detroit to Australia for the launch of the all-new EA Falcon in early 1988 and remained for some months before returning to the US.

He was back in Australia in late 1989 and held the public affairs post for three years before handing the position over to Mike Jarvis and returning to Detroit. Mr Serre told one of his best friends, another ex-Ford PR man, Jim Bright, that the Australian stint was “his best ever”.

Back in the US, he held

senior posts with Ford including director supporting communications for product development, manufacturing, purchasing and supply, and the regional field offices. He then left the company to join an automotive supply company before retiring.

In December 2013, he fell from the roof of his house in Windsor, Canada, breaking 29 bones – including his right hip and all his ribs – and bruising a lung, damaging his kidneys and incurring concussion.

He spent 61 days in hospital

and staged a full recovery, however he became unwell and tests showed cancer.

He had an operation and was recovering from that procedure at home last Wednesday, dying unexpectedly the next day.

Mr Jarvis said he was a wonderful man and they remained good friends, both after working together in Detroit and later when they visited each other.

Mr Bright said Mr Serre was highly regarded in the industry and by news media in the US and abroad.

John Mellor, publisher of GoAutoMedia, said that Mr Serre established a strong working relationship with journalists as the company was emerging from a long era where public relations was conducted by a rigid form of palace guard that found that articles about Ford Australia and its products were largely unwelcome.

“Bert welcomed calls from journalists and was practiced in the fine art of giving enough to help the writer get the yarn done without giving too many of Ford’s secrets away.”

Former Ford Australia PR boss dies suddenly in Canada

Vale: Bert Serre

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CJD becomes Isuzu dealer and support specialist in two Northern Territory locations

Isuzu grows truck network in Top End

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By NEIL DOWLING n ISUZU Australia has expanded its national truck dealer network with two new locations in the Northern Territory, awarding CJD as the dealer in Darwin and as the operator of a sales, parts, aftersales and service support depot in Alice Springs.

According to Isuzu

Australia director of sales and marketing, Andrew Harbison, the new appointment was critical to the company’s national footprint.

“Regardless of where our customers live and work, we’re proud to be able to supply the very best in road transport, capital equipment and strong aftersales support,” he said.

“The Northern Territory is certainly a beautiful and diverse region with some testing terrain – the type of place where Isuzu trucks and equipment will be put through their paces and prove their value and reliability.”

CJD Isuzu dealer principal, Simon Cameron, said the partnership was a boon for local

customers in both locations.“Isuzu has an excellent

range and is well respected in the marketplace and we’re looking forward to distributing the product,” he said.

“CJD Isuzu will be offering the market solutions from light right through to heavy duty.”

Both CJD Isuzu facilities will be fully equipped with

a cross-section of Isuzu products across the weight segments and operated by sales and support staff with years of experience and specialised knowledge.

CJD started in 1974 as a truck dealer and construction equipment specialist in Western Australia, before expanding to 18 branches nationwide.

Andrew Harbison

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Tax breaks lure BMW and Mercedes-Benz to build separate battery factories for Asia

Germans to make batteries in Thai plants

TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By NEIL DOWLINGn BMW and Mercedes-Benz have announced they will independently make batteries for electric vehicles in Thailand, after applying for tax breaks in that country to build factories to supply future vehicles for China, South-East Asia and possibly Australia.

Reuters has reported that BMW is planning to spend

$A16.25 million to produce batteries for plug-in hybrid vehicles in Thailand, starting next year.

The company assembles four plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and thanks to domestic tax incentives in Thailand, 13 per cent of BMW sales in that country are PHEVs and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

This makes Thailand the third biggest PHEV-BEV market for BMW after Malaysia (56 per cent of total BMW sales), and Scandinavian countries (27 per cent). However, BMW expects its electrified ratio in Thailand to grow to 20-25 per cent this year.

BMW’s plans follows the announcement by Daimler to similarly make lithium-ion

battery packs for its Mercedes-Benz EV and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the same country, with its plant expected to be producing later this year.

The plans are related to reports that BMW would buy an unspecified amount of lithium from Western Australian producer Galaxy Resources to ensure supply of the metal for battery

production (GoAutoNews Premium February 22, 2018).

Both BMW and Mercedes-Benz expect strong demand for electric vehicles in the near future.

In a statement, BMW said global PHEV and BEV sales were 100,000 in 2017 and it expects this to rocket to 500,000 in 2019.

Continued next page

BMW i4 concept

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Continued from previous page

By 2025, it plans to have 25 electrified vehicles on sale, including group products such as the Mini BEV (2019), BMW X3 BEV (2020), and the next ‘i’ car, which was recently confirmed as the i4 (early 2020s).

This is not the first time that either company has entered direct manufacture of batteries, with BMW currently making most electronic components – including batteries – inhouse at its Dingolfing facility in

Germany.Mercedes Benz Manufacturing

Thailand has applied through Thailand’s Board of Investment for tax privileges and is expected to start making batteries from later this year.

BMW’s Thai business, BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand, has allocated 5000 square metres within its 45,000 sq.m plant in the Amata City Industrial Estate in Rayong for the battery production.

The company already assembles four plug-in hybrid

models – 330e, 530e, 740Le and X5 xDrive40e – at the factory and now aims to increase local content after negotiations with Thai suppliers.

Mercedes-Benz assembles 21 models in Thailand and has recently added the C43 and GLC250d. It is expected in 2019 to become one of the global producers of the GLC-derived EQC BEV based on the Concept EQ, first shown in 2016.

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BMW 330e

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