FVP Falcon GT Black Enters Limited Production

Remember the murdered-out GT Black Edition concept revealed by Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) at the Australian International Auto Show in Melbourne back in June?
Well, responding to what the company describes as overwhelming customer feedback, Ford Australia's in-house tuning division has decided to give the green light for a limited production run of the GT Black Edition.
"We were totally blown away by the positive feedback received from fans and show-goers on our Concept," said FPV General Manager, Rod Barrett.
"We knew we had a winner with the black paintwork and we wanted to action something immediately. The public spoke and we listened and I am just thrilled we have been able to put the GT BLACK into production so quickly," Barett added.
The Black Edition is based on FPV's GT model, itself a high-performance version of the rear-wheel drove Ford Falcon sedan powered by a 5.0-liter supercharged Boss V8 delivering 449-horses (335kW) and 570Nm (420.4 lb-ft) of peak torque.
The special treatment starts with Silhouette black paintwork on the body enhanced with matt black stripe decals on the bonnet, rear wing and bodysides.
The black paint treatment continues with the fog lamp bezels, the exhaust tips, and the new five-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels finished in gloss black with black wheel nuts.
The same color theme continues inside with black leather trim throughout, a black finish around the Interior Command Centre (ICC) unit, tissue box and door spears, and a unique black gear shift badge on manual transmission models. Each vehicle will also feature its own unique build badge and certificate of authenticity.
While the concepts study also featured certain performance modifications such as the upgraded suspension and braking system components, FPV did not pass these changes onto the production model.
FPV said it will build 125 examples of the GT Black, each priced at AU$74,290 (US$77,675 at the current exchange rates).

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New Mazda BT-50

When the new generation of the 2012 Ford Ranger’s Japanese sibling, the Mazda BT-50 pickup truck, goes on sale in Australia later this year, it will be available with a wide variety of locally designed and built genuine accessories, the company said today.
Mazda noted that the 2012 BT-50’s Chief Designer, Ryo Yanagisawa and a group of the firm’s top-selling dealers in the country were involved in the design of the accessories, which will include among other parts, two fully ADR compliant bull bar options, a sports bar, a nudge bar and side steps.
The Japanese company stated that all exterior parts have undergone multiple crash test scenarios are “fully airbag compliant”.
The bull bars seen in these photos will be offered in both polished aluminium and powder coated black steel designs.

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The Price of Parking

The results of Colliers International’s 2011 Parking Rate Survey are in for the U.S., Canada and the rest of the world, and there are few surprises.

The U.S. national median monthly parking rate is US$155.22, with the highest being midtown Manhattan at US$541 and Renoa at US$45 the cheapest. In Canada, Calgary topped out at US$486 followed by Toronto at $342 USD and Montreal at $305 USD.

Globally the most expensive cities to park are London, England at an average of US$1,084 a month (no doubt brought up by a few £200,000 parking spots); Zurich, Switzerland at US$822; Rome, Italy at US$719; Hong Kong at US$745; Tokyo, Japan at US$744 and Perth, Australia at US$717.

Ross Moore, Colliers’ chief economist had this to say about the results:

"This year's parking rate survey reflects a moderately improving economy and better office leasing fundamentals. Despite these improvements, operators are still holding the line on parking rates. The long-term trend is still for rates to move higher, but any near-term movement will be dictated by the vigor of the economic recovery.”

In the U.S., median monthly parking rates have dropped 0.2% since 2010 and most cities were found to have between “fair” and “limited parking, with few exceptions.

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2011 Australian International Motor Show Photo

Even though it’s not as famous as its Frankfurt, Paris, Tokyo or Detroit counterparts, this year’s edition of the Australian Motor Show, which takes place in Melbourne from July 1 to 10, has some interesting debuts including the Mad Max Concepts pictured above as well as a number of new production and prototype models from the local divisions of General Motors (aka Holden) and Ford.

You can take a look at all the vehicles in our comprehensive photo gallery right after the break. For those of you interested in learning more about the Ford-badged Mad Max Interceptor prototypes

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Volvo S60 Performance Concept

Volvo’s Australian arm has pulled the wraps off a conceptual performance version of its S60 sedan. Based on the S60 T6 R Design, the S60 Performance Concept is an Australian initiative and utilizes two partnerships within the Volvo family - Polestar and Heico - for some very discreet upgrades.

Polestar, which handled the performance tweaks, fine-tuned the electronic software of the T6 engine increasing output by 24HP to 330-horses and torque by 40Nm to 480Nm (354 lb-ft).

Like the R Design models, the S60 Performance show car features a lowered sports suspension that includes monotube damping at the rear, 15 per cent stiffer springs and the bushings that are 20 percent stiffer compared with the dynamic chassis in the regular S60 models.

Exterior modifications are limited to the 19-inch Heico wheels shod in Pirelli tires and the quad exhaust tail pipes.

No changes were made in the cabin, which retains the production S60’s R-Design features including the sports seats with firmer side bolstering, leather clad three-spoke steering wheel, dials with blue surrounds and aluminium ridged pedals.

“The S60 T6 already boasts excellent performance credentials and the S60 Performance Project takes that even further,” said Volvo Car Australia Managing Director Matt Braid. “With the extra power, torque and unique wheels and exhaust system the S60 Performance Project really is a very special edition S60.''

Volvo has declined to confirm whether it plans to build the S60 Perfomance Concept, but sources within the company said that if there is a positive customer reaction and demand, then it might enter a limited production.

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New Toyota Yaris Wears a Sport Kit

After its world premiere in Japan last December as the Vitz, Toyota is gradually introducing the new generation of the Yaris in other markets around the world. Now, with the European version out of the way, it’s time for the Yaris to make its first appearance in Melbourne at this week’s 2011 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS).
Revealed in show car form, the Yaris is fitted with a TRD-like sports kit comprising of a honeycomb grille, a restyled front bumper with larger openings and a chrome trim around the lower grille, side skirts, chunky alloy wheels and a new rear bumper with a diffuser plus a roof spoiler.
In Australia, the new Yaris is scheduled to arrive in local showrooms during the final quarter of 2011.

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