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The
[front page]
carries current 4WD articles. The
4wdnews
index and archive is
[here (click)].
| <<<Jan 2001<<< |
>>>July-Sept' 2000>>> |
December 2000: Take a [look back] at 4WDs in 2000.
31 December 2000: An Audi R8 won the `Race of 1000 Years' in [Adelaide].
December 2000: The [Australian Four Wheel Drive Radio Network] http://4wdclubs.sofcom.com/au/an4wdrn/ (AN4WDRN) has a new [email] address info@vks737.on.net.
December 2000: "In one of the most difficult announcements in GM history, General Motors announced today that the Oldsmobile Division will be phased out over the next few years." [-GM]
December 2000:
[Wolfgang J. Verwuester]
General Manager of
26 December 2000:
Jean Paul Desgaches of France sends news of his
two wheel drive motorbike
which he would like to commercialise.
December 2000:
Kia has the new naming rights to the
Australian Formula 1 Triathlon Series which starts
in January 2001. Right, in front of the Sydney Harbour bridge and a Kia
Sportage
4x4, Olympic silver medallist,
Michellie Jones, and Kia Automotive Australia's Managing Director, Ric Hull,
celebrate Kia's sponsorship of the Kia Formula 1 Series.
Round 1 - January 7, Geelong, Vic',
Round 2 - February 3, Manly, NSW,
Round 3 - February 25, Gold Coast, Qld [-Kia]
December 2000: stay safe over Christmas: The Victorian road death toll is headed to be something like 10% worse than 1999, and police will be out in force with booze busses etc.. Also coming to a street near you, a new speed camera using high-speed film which does not require a flash-unit and will therefore be less likely to be spotted.
December 2000: The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that new car registrations fell by 1.8%, seasonally adjusted, in November but are still 4.5% up on November 1999, as the after effects of the GST-boom wear off.
December 2000: Great Australian Roadtrains, in a newsagents near you for $7.70.
22 December 2000: Temperatures fell, and so did rain, up to 50mm in some parts of Victoria - some flooding.
21 December 2000:
Temperatures in Victoria have been hovering around a pleasant 27°C,
until 40-ish heights in the N.W. yesterday.
However, 40°C is forecast for Melbourne today, and the CFA has imposed
a day of total fire ban across the state.
Earlier in the week, fire-fighters controlled two major fires
in the west - at Mt. Helen near Ballarat, and at Stawell.
20 December 2000: Fuel prices should fall in coming weeks, as the price of crude oil is now under US26/barrel, and the Australian dollar has strengthened against the US$. But what's the betting that prices will stay high over the holidays?
December 2000:
Globalization has another victim - General Motors
Vauxhall (UK) is to close its
Luton car building plant in 2 years.
GM has several factories in Europe, has a new "buddy"
in Fiat, and Luton is old, cramped and has below average productivity.
Luton builds the small to medium
Vectra
which is due for replacement (in Europe) soon, so that's that.
Prime Minister Tony Blair is not pleased,
particularly after the
Rover hiatus,
and with Ford recently deciding to end car production at Dagenham
(see [earlier]).
Vauxhall has another factory, at Ellesmere Port,
which builds the small
Astra;
the workers are said to be nervous.
Frontera 4x4
will continue to be built at Luton (for how long?).
Meanwhile, GM Holden has begun importing a 2.6 litre V6 Vectra
into Australia
December 2000:
VFACTS figures for November
show Toyota (.au) in a total of 15,160
sales, ahead of GM Holden on 14,860.
Sales for the year to November are 140,671 and 139,105 respectively.
At the luxury end, 606 Mercedes Benz
C-class
were sold in November. The company total being 1,132 for the month, and
8,738 for the year to the end of November.
December 2000: Some [news] of new vehicles for the Detroit Motor Show in January 2001.
12 December 2000:
GM Holden is expected to announce tomorrow a new engine
plant in Melbourne to build a world V6 engine for GM cars.
13th: They did.
And the Holden Coupe first seen
in 1999
is set to be called the Monaro -
was there ever any doubt?
December 2000: The Ford Transit van (4x2), right, arrives in Australia this month. These are very popular delivery vans in the UK and Europe.
12 December 2000: The remains of tropical cyclone Sam are inland near the WA-NT border, bringing rain to Alice Springs.
10 December 2000: Mitsubishi Ralliart driver Tommi Makinen won the 2000 Race of Champions on the Canary Islands. It is knock-out event of head-to-head runs for rally drivers in a variety of cars over three heats, ending in a final between the two fastest drivers.
8 December 2000, Neil Linger tells us about a UK company,
Prodrive, which has developed a torque distribution system.
Active Torque Dynamics (ATD) uses wheel sensors, 4WD and
front, rear and centre differentials to direct torque
to each wheel as appropriate to control understeer or oversteer.
...and... Honda is to show an SUV concept vehicle
at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2001.
The Honda Model-X (~Gen' X etc.) has
aspects of the Hummer (H2) about it.
8 December 2000: Tropical Cyclone Sam strengthened to category 5 (top of the scale) as it cruised around off the NW W.A. coast. This is very early in the season for a such a strong cyclone. It may cross the coast soon.
December 2000: North American car makers report
lower sales -
which is consistent with a slowing of the US economy and, some say,
a possible recession coming up, or not.
[Economist (defn): Someone who can predict the past 50% of the time.]
Anyway, DaimlerChrysler's profit for one is looking "not good" and
their shares which have traded as high as US$78+ in the last year have
recently been around US$38 or $39 (E46 something).
December 2000: British workers at Ford's
Dagenham plant are resigned
to the loss of car production there, not going on strike.
Ford intends that Dagenham will become a major diesel engine plant.
(See bad news for Vauxhall Luton
[later].)
December 2000: There are reports, or rumours,
that Mercedes Benz
is planning a four wheel drive version of the
C-class
to compete with the
Audi Allroad,
Volvo Cross Country
etc.
Mercedes have done this sort of thing before,
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30 November 2000: Another petrol dilution scandal has broken out in Australia with reports of fuel being dilued with e.g. Naptha which attracts no duty, and of leaded petrol being diluted with unleaded petrol. Such practices can lead to major engine damage e.g. by lowering the octane rating. There have been calls for random testing of fuel quaility.
November 2000:
Jim Murcott's Advanced Driving Centre is again conducting its annual pre
Christmas Safe Driving Clinics.
For the past 18 years, the Centre has conducted the Clinics at Sandown
International Raceway, Springvale [Victoria]
at huge discounts to encourage motorists -
young and experienced - to increase their knowledge and understanding of
driving.
Normally priced at $225.50, the full-day clinics are offered on set dates
for $143 (GST inclusive)- a discount of $72.50 (incl. GST) - during
December. [...]
The Clinics, backed by 3AW and Holden, must be pre-booked and will be held
in December on Saturday 9, Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13, Thursday 14 and
Saturday 16.
Inquiries and bookings can be made to
Jim Murcott's Advanced Driving Centre
on 03-9804-3400.
(Philip Bernadou has recently been appointed the Centre's General Manager.
He was instrumental in founding the Porsche Owners Racing
Association (PORA) in 1987 and
became Chairman/ Administrator from 1987-1994 of the Australian Porsche Cup.
In 1995 he was appointed Assistant Clerk of Course of the
Challenge division of the Mobil 1 Round Australia Trial.)
28 November 2000: Mitsubishi (au) has announced a capital injection of $172million ($au) by its Japanese parent in the Adelaide (au) car building plant, so the latter's future is probably secure for at least 3 to 4 years.
27 November 2000: Warming up - the first 40°C day of the season at Mildura in N.W. Victoria, with more of the same forecast for tomorrow.
26 November 2000: Walgett in northern New South Wales is expected to experience heavy flooding before the end of the week as water from the heavy rain in southern Queensland and N.E. NSW moves down-stream [-ABC].
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November 2000 by email: Vescoflex is a range of heavy duty shackle bushes for off road use in 4x4 vehicles, made by a small South African company. Where they have suitable sizes, they would be happy to air parcel post them to people around the world, or alternatively provide material for do-it-yourself machining.
22 November 2000 Chrysler Group: the "2001 Jeep (r) Grand Cherokee has won one of the most prestigious awards in the four-wheel drive vehicle market segment, [USA] 4-Wheel & Off-Road's `4x4 of the Year' award." [...] "The competition included the Chevrolet Silverado LT 2500HD, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, the Ford F-150 Super Crew, the GMC Sierra 2500HD, the Mitsubishi Montero and the Nissan Frontier Crew Cab SC." [...]
November 2000: Ford Australia plans to begin importing "super duty" F250 and F350 trucks in mid 2001. Engines will range from a 5.4 litre petrol V8 to a 7.3 litre turbo charged and intercooled diesel V8. Two wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles, built in Brazil, will be imported. The F350 has a payload of 2500kg. Towing capacity is almost 4 tons. The F150 is not in the plan because the Ford Falcon ute has a similar (or better) load capacity.
21 November 2000: There is extensive flooding through NSW; check before you set off.
November 2000, Neil Linger points out that the Suzuki XL7 (?based on the XL6?) goes on sale in the USA in December from US$20.2K (4x2), ~$25K (4x4), with a 2.7 litre V6, and 110" wheelbase the biggest Suzuki 4x4 yet.
loa 184 in, track 59 in, 170hp, 178 lb ft -->17-26 November 2000: Sydney Motor Show.
17 November 2000: 350mm of rain in Mackay, Queensland has, as you might expect, caused flooding. There could be more.
14 November 2000: Independent driver Jean-Pierre Strugo, driving a Mercedes Benz ML430, won the "Marathon Trophy" drivers' title in the T1 group for "series cross country vehicles" group of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. There were nine events in 2000 involving France, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Russia, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates. In the FIA World Cup overall rankings, Jean-Pierre Strugo came fifth in a field numbering well over 100 drivers. [-M.B.]
11-12 November 2000: Historic Commercial Vehicles, Scoresby, Vic.
November 2000:
Gust
sends email about PREP
(Pressure Relieving Engine Protection) spark plugs.
Apparently these have a deliberately built-in weak link
so that they release pressure under a (calibrated)
combination of high temperature and/or pressure.
This is said to prevent damage from over-heating and,
of interest to four wheel drivers, from
hydraulic stalling.
(I must say that my preference would be to keep the water out
in the first place.)
November 2000: Mercedes Benz (Daimler Chrysler) has been developing alternative power systems such as the fuel cell (Necar 5) very strongly and hopes to have passenger cars on sale by 2004.
November 2000: Campers from
[Trakka]
(au).
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November 2000:
The motoring clubs - NRMA, RACV, RAASA, RACQ, RACT, AANT and RACWA -
have made their choices in the Australia's Best Cars Awards.
Mitsubishi's
new Pajero GLS
is the best 4WD, and the
Nimbus is the
best people mover.
"On the road, the Pajero delivers class-leading ride,
handling and steering, and braking, attracting consistently good
scores. In this respect it makes the LandCruiser feel like a truck." |
9 November 2000: The Korean car maker
Daewoo
was declared bankrupt
[more...].
Ford recently withdrew its bid to buy Daewoo but GM ~ Fiat are
still thought to be interested.
Holden (GM) in Victoria makes engines for Daewoo and
the company has "taken a holiday"
and is asking for 300 staff to "take the package" in
the wake of the Daewoo collapse.
November 2000: The Dodge Durango will get the option of a hybrid power system in 2003.
November 2000: Auto Ascii reports on the Toyota Kluger, a new 4WD SUV at the Tokyo Motor Show and based on the Toyota Harrier (RX300) 4x4 platform.
November 2000: The Daihatsu Terios, the (very) small four wheel drive, gets a make over.
7-9 November 2000:
Firefly Special Vehicles Limited are showing the
Firebex 6x6
at `
November 2000:
Neil Linger tells us that a
Kinetic
suspension system may yet be seen in a Merc' or a Jeep 4x4.
November 2000: Hyundai Santa-Fe (right) will challenge the Honda CR-V (currently the best selling 4WD in Australia!) and the like.
November 2000:
The Toyota LandCruiser
100 Series
has won the best petrol category and the
Prado TX
turbo-diesel has won the best diesel category of
Australian 4WD Monthly's Year 2000 Awards.
See the best car awards
[above].
4 November 2000: Torrential rain caused flooding in many parts of England. Peter Bradley writes from [Yorkshire...].
October 2000: Suzuki Jimny gets dual airbags and air-conditioning as standard, and a dohc engine.
October 2000: News of the Rainforest Challenge 2000, happening 25 November - 5 December 2000.
25 October 2000: It started raining in Victoria on Monday (23rd)
and it has been raining on and off ever since. This is not unwelcome
after a very dry year, with most dams only half full.
However, there has been some flooding, with the threat
of more in the NW when the run off from the alps reaches the plains.
If this keeps up, it is quite likely to put back the opening of
four wheel drive tracks in Victoria, most of which
are nominally scheduled to open on 2 November.
19-22 October 2000: National 4x4 Show, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Southbank (with Fishing and Great Outdoors Expo') includes the Hyundai Santa-Fe 4x4 and the new six cylinder Subaru Outback. Tom Kruse and his Badger are there (students of Australian history will know what that means).
18-29 October 2000: British International Motor Show, NEC Birmingham.
18 November 2000: Are we nearly there yet (dad|mum)? "REX (Rear Entertainment Xtreme) is a fully integrated system that offers a choice of a Nintendo games deck, video player or DVD. The system is linked to a rear-facing colour screen, located between the front seats and operated from a fully-integrated control panel. [...] A REX unit with the Nintendo games deck and video player will retail for $1995, while the DVD player costs an additional $800." [-Ford au, for Ford Falcon AU/AUII]
17 November 2000: The Australian dollar is down at US52c+something. This, together with the continuing violence between Israel and the Palestinians which has sent the oil price up, has lead to suggestions that petrol prices may rise by au5c/L shortly.
13-15 October 2000:
4WD and Adventure Show, Adelaide (SA, au) SW Parklands
13-15 October 2000: The Mitsubishi 4WD Owners Club of Queensland hosted the Mitsubishi 4WD Muster at Imbil, 1hr 45min north of Brisbane, all makes of 4WD being welcome. pambroadhurst bigp0nd c0m Garry --> [www]
... SUV.
It will be built at Saturn's Spring Hill, TN, assembly plant.
[-Neil Linger]
6 October 2000: The State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales announced an agreement to restore 21% of the original flow of the Snowy River from the Jindabyne Dam, part of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. It has often been said that the Scheme could not be built today, one reason being that it was begun with marginal legality, another that it would likely fail today's environmental impact studies. Despite its benefits, the Scheme's impacts have included turning the Snowy River into a vegetation clogged trickle, the current release from Jindabyne being just 1% of the original flow. Craig Ingram was elected independent member for Gippsland East at the last Victorian state election on the strength of his campaign for the flow to be restored to 28%, as recommended in a study of the river. Victoria and NSW hope that the water can be "found" by improving the irrigation network to reduce leakage and evaporation, thus not offending the powerful irrigation farmers - mostly in NSW. The agreement is yet to be approved by the Federal Government. which plans to privatise (i.e. sell) the Scheme shortly and an agreement on the Snowy is essential to this process. South Australia, which cops the salinity introduced into the Murray River by irrigation, is concerned that the plan may harm its water quality.
6-8 October 2000
Mid Atlantic Rally
[www],
a US (Land-) Rover gathering.
5 October 2000: Victorian (.au) truckies are threatening protests and possible blockades over what they say are low freight rates that have not risen in several years.
October 2000: Tibooburra and
Innamincka.
October 2000:
Bishop Steering Technology Ltd. reports that
it has granted a licence to Robert Bosch GmbH of Germany
to produce the
Bishop
digital Torque and Angle Sensor,
a key component of electronic power-steering systems
which are tipped to replace hydraulic systems in the future.
The
Australian company is already a major supplier of
steering technology and parts - such as variable rate steering
racks.
28 September - 15 October 2000:
Mondial de l'automobile - International Paris Motor Show,
e.g.
Audi
Steppenwolf,
>>>7-9/2000 News>>>
Go to the
Jan' 2001,
7-9/2000,
4-6/2000,
1-3/2000,
7-12/1999,
and
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