The mighty MG Rover Group is going all-out for cleaner air, and has just announced a liquefied petroleum gas conversion option for new and used Rover and MG 1.8 models.

The conversion, which can switch between petrol and Liquefied petroleum gas at the touch of a button, uses the more widely available 1.8 litre K Series engine and covers Rover 45 and 75 manual models, as well as MG ZR/ZS manual models.

It is planned that the remaining petrol versions of MG and Rover cars will soon be progressively offered with approved Liquefied petroleum gas conversions.

The retail price of a LPG-equipped Rover or MG car, including installation, is an additional pounds 2,195.

But a rebate through the Powershift programme, which aims to help establish a sustainable market for alternative, clean fuel vehicles, will cover at least 50pc of the cost of conversion. This may rise to a 70pc rebate if the emissions results are fully certified.

Confirmation of MG Rover Group’s classification will be made available on the Powershift Register in the coming weeks.

Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of propane and butane that comes from oil refining and natural gas fields.

It is a cleaner fuel for the environment than petrol as it contains less contaminating components like sulphur and aromatic compounds.

The main advantage of Liquefied petroleum gas is its cost. It is cheaper than both petrol and diesel, partly because of the significantly lower fuel duty imposed by the Government.

The current average cost of Liquefied petroleum gas at retail filling stations is 36 pence per litre, compared to the typical cost of unleaded petrol at 75 pence per litre.

At present, there are more than 1,100 filling stations in the UK that supply Liquefied petroleum gas, and this network is growing at a rate of one per day.

To encourage the switch to more environmentally friendly methods of travel, the Government has introduced several measures: L Powershift Grants – customers who wish to convert their vehicles to Liquefied petroleum gas can get a grant towards the cost.

L Fuel Duty – the Government has promised to freeze the duty on Liquefied petroleum gas until the end of 2004.

L Congestion Charges – already London is set to introduce these charges. Under a European project called Alter, more than 30 of our cities and large towns will be introducing these schemes.

Liquefied petroleum gas vehicles will be exempt from these charges.

L Agenda 21 – this puts the onus on councils, public utilities and large companies to lower their emission levels. Liquefied petroleum gas helps them achieve this, and also save money.

Meanwhile, Toyota has announced plans to start limited marketing of a fuel cell hybrid passenger vehicle model in Japan and the United States from the end of this year, earlier than originally planned.

Initial FCHV units will be available only by lease, and to such entities as government bodies, research institutions and energy- related companies.

Toyota believes test-marketing an FCHV will contribute greatly towards greater market acceptance of hydrogen as a fuel.

The company expects full-scale commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles to begin in 2010 at the earliest.

WORLD Cup fever and the Jubilee celebrations helped bring a 20- month new car buying boom to an end last month. There were 207,330 new vehicles sold last month – 3.7pc down on the June 2001 total, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

But the figure was still the second best ever for June following last year’s record June, and year-to-date sales, at 1.34 million, are 6.2pc up on the January-June 2001 total.

SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan said: “The figures are extremely encouraging and it means that during all the celebrations, people were out buying new cars in droves.”

The SMMT said it expected demand for news cars to remain strong during the summer but to cool later in the year following exceptional growth in the last part of 2001.

The 10 best sellers in June were: 1. Ford Focus; 2. Peugeot 206; 3. Vauxhall Corsa; 4. Vauxhall Astra; 5. Renault Clio; 6. Ford Fiesta; 7. Ford Mondeo; 8. Vauxhall Vectra; 9. Volkswagen Golf; 10.Renault Megane.

Cars built in countries with low labour costs used to have an image problem. They were cheap, old- fashioned and badly built, and only people really desperate for a new car bought them.
They still have an image problem, but many cars from the same old manufacturers (Skoda, Lada) and newer ones in South-east Asia, are now well-built and reliable – and fantastic bargains when second-hand.

What makes them so good is the combination of Western or Japanese technology with Third World wage rates. It was Fiat that first unloaded obsolete designs on low-wage Eastern bloc countries which then inflicted them back on us at remarkably low prices. The Fiat 124 became the Russian- built Lada; a hybrid of the 124 and 125 models metamorphosed into the Polish FSO; and Fiat’s smaller 127 and 128 were transformed into Yugoslav Yugos. They were tough, but their ancient origins made them slow and crude, and indifferent build-quality meant that bits often fell off.
Not all Eastern Europe’s cars were Western derivatives. The Czech rear-engined Skodas have always been unique (and fun to drive), and Lada was first into the 4×4 fray with its Range-Roverish Riva.

But while we sniggered at most of these efforts, things began to stir further to the east, where Koreans and Malaysians started building Japanese cars. Hyundai of South Korea has been the most innovative. Since the mid-Seventies it has combined Mitsubishi engines, Italian styling and – in the case of the Stellar – a Ford Cortina chassis. Another Korean company, Kia, has rebadged the superseded Mazda 121 as its Pride model.

In nearby Malaysia, they put a new nose and tail on the old Mitsubishi Lancer and called it a Proton. Even South Africa jumped on the bandwagon with the old-shape Mazda 323, now known as the Sao Penza.

When it comes to shopping for the old ex-Eastern bloc bangers, you can afford to have a laugh at people who bought them new. Depreciation is huge. At King’s Garage, a Skoda franchise near Dereham, Norfolk, I was offered a 130 GL saloon owned by a man who lived two doors away. A 1989 model with just 24,000 miles on the clock, it had been serviced on the dot, garaged and clearly loved, but the price was only pounds 1,995. Few new cars look as good, or go as well.

For pounds 1,000 more, there was a 26,000-mile, one-owner Favorit – the 130’s successor – parked on the forecourt. This is probably the best model to come from Eastern Europe so far: the engine is in the right place (at the front), the styling excellent, the performance lively.
But not everything at King’s Garage was such a bargain. A 1991 Yugo Sana with 1,500 miles on the clock, priced at pounds 3,995, might have appeared to be one; the Sana looks a Fiat Tipo, thanks to the Italian styling, but an ancient engine and indifferent assembly mean that it is a dog. Yugos are built in Serbia; the UN embargo prevents them from being imported, and the company that brought them here went bust. Only the seriously stupid would buy one.

Unfortunately, some owners of cheapo East European cars adhere to the J-cloth principle: use until ragged, then throw away. As a former FSO owner (for two months), I found out that the cost of getting the tired old Pole through the MOT exceeded what it was worth. I had paid pounds 80 for it, and I got pounds 10 from the scrapyard. The general rule for these cars is: anything over five years old and 40,000 miles is not worth the bother.

Which is why I popped into the Norfolk Trade Centre to look at a useful Lada Riva Estate. You cannot argue with a price below pounds 3,000 for a J-plate car with a 15,000 mileage that did not show.

Lada’s greatest hit, though, has been the 4×4 Niva, and at Fourdrive in Holbeach I found a top-of-the-range Cossack cabriolet for pounds 2,995. It had 53,000 miles, and all the bumper-bar bits comfortably to outpose – as well as undercut – the Suzuki Vitara.

The same cannot be said of the Romanian Dacia Duster, a crude Renault-engined off- roader whose only virtue is that it is cheap: I managed to find a 1990 example at pounds 1,500.

However, if you do not want too many compromises on quality and performance in your bargain, you have to look further to the east. This is precisely what the flat-cap over-50 brigade has been doing. The Proton has effectively taken over where the Japanese left off: while Toyotas and Hondas have gone profitably upmarket, the gap has been filled by this dull but superbly built and reliable version of the Mitsubishi Lancer. Private sellers are holding on to them, so prices of Protons are firm.

At Lambourne Motors in Goodmayes, east London, I found a flash, limited-edition “Prism” version with a sunroof and plenty of spoilers which almost tempted me. A 30,000-mile 1.3 GL at pounds 4,595 made more sense. Both cars were unmarked and drove like new: the best argument for picking up one of these sturdy saloons second-hand.

Just as hard to track down as the Proton is the Kia Pride: people who have bought these small hatchbacks are holding on to them. I could find none for private sale, but Greenways, the main agent for Norwich, did have one. This was a 1991 metallic-blue three-door model with 30,000 miles on the clock, but it was impossible to distinguish from the new, unregistered examples nearby. At pounds 4,995, why would anyone consider a tired old Metro instead?

Even when these Asian cars get on a bit, like the Hyundai Stellar 1600L I found for private sale near Reading, they are invincible. It was D-registered, with more than 80,000 miles on the clock; the paintwork was fading and the interior sagging slightly; but it drove as though it would last for ever, it had a full MOT and tax, and it cost only pounds 795. If only all bangers could be like that.

Bangernomics: buying and running a car on a budget, by James Ruppert, is pounds 5.99 from bookshops or, including p & p, from Action Automotive Products, 27 School Road, Bradenham, Thetford, Norfolk.

Then code-named the J-WJ, it was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of 1997 but made its debut in UK showrooms last week.

This is unusually quick. And the new model has turned into production with surprisingly few changes from its original design.

But maybe they should have waited a little longer and spent some time thinking about its name.

Let’s face it, calling a car the HR-V is hardly going to set alight the imaginations of the “young and style-conscious” customers Honda is hoping to attract.

The marketing men must have picked up on this too.

For, in an advertising campaign being launched in cinemas over the coming weeks and which features cropped-haired 20-somethings driving around to the relentless beat of a techno soundtrack, the car has been dubbed the Joy Machine.

Now that’s better. Sorted.

The Joy Machine is not a bad description of the HR-V (which, by the way, stands for hybrid recreational vehicle).

Although it looks like a people-carrier from a distance, it has a sporty and fun feel when out on the road.

It is, in fact, more like a giant VW Polo. A hot-hatchback with height, if you like.

The handling is crisp, the body feels safe and rigid while the interior offers a host of features that are all in the right place.

Power steering, anti-lock brakes, driver and passenger airbags together with air-conditioning are all fitted as standard.

Add to this four-wheel drive versatility and excellent cargo space and you could do much worse for the pounds 14,000 a basic 5-speed manual HR-V will cost.

The car is powered by a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder, 16-valve engine which produces 0-60mph in 12 seconds and a top speed of 101mph.

This should ensure low insurance premiums. A smart move considering the car is being aimed at the young.

As well as the 5-speed manual, there is an automatic version featuring CVT – continuously variable transmission.

Now I don’t get on well with this. You get to the bizarre situation where the car’s revs stay static while the speed increases. It just doesn’t make sense.

And, with the HR-V, CVT severely limits the performance cutting both acceleration and top speed.

Honda has also fitted the same ‘on-demand’ four-wheel drive system used on the recent CR-V.

For the most part, only the front wheels are driven and it is only when they begin to loose grip that power is sent to the rear wheels.

It is not intended for serious off-roading but to add extra grip in light snow or on grass and gravel.

And it works. Over the different road surfaces I drove the HR-V on, it was consistently sure-footed and steady.

A two-wheel drive version of the car will be available later this year.

The HR-V is roomy and highly practical inside.

So with a split rear seat and the car’s extra length, there is plenty for room for, say, snowboards.

There is a double-decker glove box, plenty of pockets for mobile phones and CDs, and five cup-holders for tins of Pepsi Max and other high-energy drinks. And the bright blue dials on the dashboard are more likely to complement rather than clash with the street wear of its young drivers.

The HR-V has no direct competitors but will appeal to someone looking for something a little bit different.

Honda will do well to keep sales down to the 5,000 it expects to sell each year.

Honda HR-V

5-speed manual

How much: pounds 13,995 on the road

How quick: 0-62mph in 12.0 seconds. Top speed 101mph

How thirsty: Combined 32.8mpg

Engine: 16-valve, four-cylinder producing 105bhp

Insurance: Group nine

I like: The fresh design, the firm handling and the space inside.

I don’t like: The CVT automatic. But, then again, I hate automatics.

Toyota Motor Corporation uses a nickel-hydrogen battery manufactured by Matsushita Battery Industrial Company for its Prius hybrid model, as does Honda Motor Company. However, Hitachi Ltd., along with Nissan Motor Company rely on lithium-ion batteries.

Both batteries have their pros and cons. While nickel-hydrogen batteries have a lower energy density per quantity than lithium-ion batteries, they are considered cheaper and safer. But many believe that the nickel-hydrogen batteries will be the most widely used until 2010. Sanyo Electric Company recently announced that they will mass produce such batteries for hybrid cars.

But high battery prices still pose a challenge for automakers. Some industry analysts predict the next generation car will actually be fuel cells, which are powered by electricity generated by a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen and need a secondary battery to start up.

“Power lithium-ion batteries will have their turn (as a battery used to start cars),” said Tomohide Kazama, a researcher at the Industrial Consulting Department of Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.

Today, it’s different. It is too expensive for auto manufacturers to build a concept car just for show. There has to be a reason to have designers spend the time and money to build a concept car.

And while these shiny show cars are still called concept or show cars, many, if not most, eventually will become production cars. Three years ago, Plymouth introduced the Prowler concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This year, at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, Plymouth displayed a revised version of the Prowler and announced that it would go into production and would be on sale in a year.

The Prowler is a retro hot rod. It looks like a modified 1930s model vehicle that was transformed into a hot rod in the 1950s. It’s a two-seat roadster with a sinister-looking cut-down top.

The big difference is that it has all the safety features of a new car. It has dual air bags and side-impact protection. Chrysler will use the 3.5-liter V-6 engine from the LH sedans as the Prowler power plant.

The front-drive Autostick transaxle moves to the rear to make it a rear-wheel-drive car. The Prowler also will have a new-car warranty. It will be built alongside the Dodge Viper at the new Conner Avenue plant in the Detroit area. While Chrysler expects to build and sell only about 3,000 Prowlers each year, the car will do more than just highlight the Plymouth lineup.

Plymouth needs an image boost; in recent years sales of one of America’s oldest marques have been slipping. The Prowler should provide that boost. The Prowler also is expected to help Chrysler Corp. with its development of advanced materials and production techniques. Building only a few thousand Prowlers using aluminum, plastics and composite materials poses only a small risk if an unforeseen problem develops.

It allows the company to work out the kinks of using new materials before committing it to a run of 100,000 vehicles. With an expected price of $35,000, Chrysler says it will make money on each Prowler.

Let’s take a look at some of the concept vehicles on display at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show and see if there is a production line in their future. The Audi TT is a two-door, four-seat coupe that incorporates a large amount of lightweight aluminum in its design and construction.

In fact, the hood, doors, rear deck lid and front fenders are made of aluminum. Inside, polished aluminum is used as trim for a high-tech finish. “It’s an enthusiast’s car with great charisma,” said Herbert Dremel, chairman of Audi. The TT stands for Tourist Trophy, a name associated more with motorcycle racing than auto racing.

Power is supplied by a turbocharged 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 150 horsepower. The Audi TT was designed at Audi facilities in Ingolstadt, Germany. The design team finalized the basic concept of the TT in just one week. The prototype was completed in seven months. The TT could be on sale as a 1998 model.

Mercedes-Benz unveiled its All Activity Vehicle concept vehicle. This unique sport/utility vehicle will be built at the new M-B plant in Vance, Ala., and is scheduled to go on sale in the fall of 1997 as a 1998 model.

The AAV has a muscular, off-road look but is designed to provide a luxury ride and luxury interior as Mercedes-Benz buyers would expect. Early speculation is the price of the U.S.-built AAV will be in the mid-$30,000 range.

The concept vehicle was painted in a tasteful green-on-green color scheme and even had the Mercedes three-pointed star logo as the tread on the huge off-road tires. Crowd reaction at the show was mixed.

Most people loved the AAV and wanted to know how soon they could buy one. Some hard-core off-roaders said it was too luxurious to be a real off-road vehicle.

If you like the look of the stylish French cars of the 1930s, you will like the Chrysler Atlantic concept vehicle. It takes its styling cues from the famous French coach builders with long, flowing front fenders and elegant body style. Under that long hood is a 4-liter, straight-eight-cylinder engine that delivers 325 horsepower.

The wheels and tires are huge; the wheels are 21 inches in diameter in front and 22 inches in the rear. By comparison, most cars on the road today have 15-inch-diameter wheels.

Mazda first showed its Mazda SU-V sport/utility vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. It made its North American debut at the Los Aneles Auto Show. The minisport/utility vehicle is based on the chassis of a minipickup truck that is sold only in Japan. The SU-V is powered by a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine that delivers 135 horsepower.

The designers at Mazda have addressed the problem of what to do with the big, bulky spare tire; they have built a mini-Continental kit in the rear door to house the spare. The storage area keeps it out of the weather and away from thieves.

They also designed a clever fold-up step in the rear area that makes it easy to step up and load the roof rack. I had a chance to drive a right-hand-drive version of this concept vehicle last year and found it roomy and fun to drive. Mazda is gauging public reaction to this vehicle and, if the interest is there, it will most likely build it and sell it in America.

The U.S. auto industry has come to some kind of watershed, embarking on what appears to be a serious drive to market alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs). There has been some experimentation in AFVs – even some major investments – but in the past two months, something has happened in Detroit.

AFV announcements at the many auto trade shows over the past few months leave no doubt that U.S. automakers are ardently taking up the challenge to produce more efficient and reduced-emission vehicles.

Remember in the 1970s when the petroleum shortages came along and only Japanese auto manufacturers, which produce smaller, more-efficient cars, were ready to meet budding U.S. demand for smaller cars? U.S. manufacturers were still making gargantuan autos with extreme appetites for motor fuel, and it took some time to swing in the other direction.

U.S. automakers admit they became believers very rapidly then, although not before the Japanese and other makers of small cars captured a large share of the U.S. market.

Something like this happened again in Tokyo in October. Japanese automakers stunned other manufacturers by unveiling several very fuel-efficient, low-emission cars. Of particular significance was Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius, a hybrid electric/gasoline vehicle already on the market in Japan and soon to be introduced in other markets, including the United States. It gets 70 mpg. It will sell for $17,000, but costs twice as much to make.

U.S. and European manufacturers were still showing high-performance, high-fuel-consumption autos in Tokyo.

John F. Smith Jr., GM’s chairman and CEO, said the Tokyo Motor Show had made a profound impression on him, leading him to the conclusion that his company needed to embark on a strong campaign to develop leading technologies in the new era.

Smith said, “No car company will be able to thrive in the 21st century if it relies solely on internal-combustion (IC) engines. He reported GM was accelerating efforts to bring new AFV vehicles to market.

William Ford Jr., chairman of the powerful finance committee on Ford Motors’ board, said that a significant competitive advantage was at stake for the company that reached the market first with an affordable AFV.

Thomas Gale, Chrysler’s executive vice president for product strategy, said his company will introduce a plastic-bodied, electric-diesel hybrid Dodge Intrepid ESX2 capable of 70 mpg and emission reductions of 50%. High-volume production of the vehicle could begin by 2003 or earlier.

Ford announced it would introduce sport-utility vehicles and minivans this fall that pollute no more than passenger cars. Ford officials said the vehicles should help allay criticism that sport-utility vehicles are gas guzzlers that ought to be controlled more vigorously.

Ford recently committed $420 million to a partnership with Daimler-Benz of Germany to produce a fuel-cell vehicle by 2004. This appears to be the most advanced fuel-cell program so far, in partnership with fuel-cell developer Ballard Power Systems of British Columbia. What fuel will be used in Ford-Daimler-Ballard fuel cells is still up in the air.

Ford has also introduced a prototype family sedan that is 40% lighter than traditional cars and gets 63 mpg. The vehicle, known as the P2000, uses a direct-injection engine that burns natural gas. Ford is also developing electric-hybrid and fuel-cell versions of the P2000. This is part of the joint industry-government program to produce an affordable family vehicle that gets 80 mpg by 2004.

Chrysler said it supports use of gasoline as a hydrogen source in fuel cells because of its widespread availability. GM and Ford lean to methanol, although they appear not to have yet addressed the complex issue of fuel availability – a major obstacle to other fuels.

General Motors announced plans to produce a low-emission, hybrid-electric vehicle by 2001 and a fuel-cell-powered car by 2004 or sooner. Getting up to 80 mpg, it would be fueled by either gasoline, diesel or methanol.

GM, which has sold fewer than 300 EV1 electric autos since they were introduced in California and Arizona a year ago, plans to introduce an advanced battery that will double the range of the vehicles to 160 miles.

Conventional motor fuels will be dominant in the market for a long time to come, but it would be rash for marketers not to take seriously and keep abreast of the AFV trend.