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Illawarra Mercury
Saturday October 28, 2006
Fuel prices are up, interest rates look set to climb and car sales have dropped compared with last year. Doom and gloom? Not as far as the Australian motor industry is concerned and definitely not a consideration at this year's Australian International Motor Show at Darling Harbour.
Running costs? Petrol alternatives are on offer. Interest rates? The cars are getting cheaper. Hard times? Nowhere to be seen as car makers prepare for a new model onslaught. In fact, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries forecasts this year's market will drop to 970,000 from last year's 985,000, still making it the second biggest sales year on record and 200,000 units ahead year-to-date on 2000, the year GST arrived. So let us see what the car makers have to offer on a stand-by-stand basis.Alfa Romeo From the sublime to the splendiferous, the Italian car maker showed two mouthwatering newcomers in the forms of the sexy Spider and the stunning 8C Competizione. At the very least, the Spider shows the versatility of the 159 platform which has spawned not only the 159 sedan but also the Sportwagon, the beautiful Brera and the Spider. If Spider is sexy, then the 8C must rank - stylistically at least - as pure indulgence. Little change from the concept car, the newcomer will be built as a limited production car with 16 already ordered by Australian buyers at a cost of $300,000 each. Audi France was in the air in Sydney with the lissom mid-engined R8, a two-seat, all-wheel drive, all-alloy sports car, fresh from the Paris Show. Along with Audi's Le Mans conquering R10 sports racing car, the R8 has a 0-100km of 4.6 seconds and runs to 250km/h. BMW The German car maker had American designer Chris Bangle along to do the honours revealing the 3-Series coupe, the two seat Z4 coupe and the M6 convertible, a worked-over version of the stylish 6 Series cabriolet. Costing around $300,000, the M6 convertible recently achieved fame when 50 examples offered by upmarket US department store Neiman Marcus sold out in less than two minutes. Citroen The artistry of Citroen design was present in Picasso, a mid-size, seven-seat people mover based on the popular C4 small car. Picasso is on sale here early next year offering, it is claimed, a number of features not generally available on many of its rivals. Ferrari If you have $600,000 to play with, like running from 0-100km/h in three seconds and think 330km/h is a reasonable top speed, then the F599 is for you. It does other things as well and the gearbox is apparently very similar to those used in Ferrari Formula One cars. Ford Coupe-cabriolet cars are the latest placings for manufacturers and an announcement by Holden that it will soon have one was overshadowed by Ford saying "so will we". In this case, it is a focus variant that gains the folding hardtop, leading Ford boss Tom Gorman to declare that, "This is the European car to be seen in". For those who want their Fords tough, the company also unveiled the Ranger, replacement for the Courier light truck and complete with a new family of diesel engines. Holden Do you want hot, heavy or heavenly? Regardless, Holden says it can supply them all. Start with the Astra VRX, a Holden-badged take on similar Vauxhall and Opel models and fitted with a 177kW, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Heavy? Holden will start selling the Hummer H3 here. A "small" car powered by a 3.8-litre inline five-cylinder engine, the right-hand drive Hummer will be built in South Africa and should be here in late 2007. Finally, there is the Astra Twin Top, a coupe-cabriolet replacement for the current Astra convertible. Honda If you want to see what the next generation Accord Euro will look like, then have a look at the Sports No.4 concept. Okay, you have to make some allowances for the full glass roof that blends into the rear window and the odd triangular exhaust outlets and even the four individual sunblinds, but squint and bend about a bit and you get the picture. Hyundai By the time you read this, the Arnejs concept car will be on display. The media couldn't see it because the airline shipping it here lost it in transit. We got to see a "suck it and see" Sonata concept. If enough people like it, Hyundai Australia might just do it. Kia Kia wants people to like its Picanto baby car and if enough do, it might just get a start here. If it doesn't, then there is always the new diesel-powered Sportage. Landrover Freelander used to be a kind of 4WD toy. Not anymore. The new model has grown up and adopted some of the styling features of Discovery. In other words, it's chunky. Landrover also showed off the new V8 diesel that will go into some Discovery and Range Rover models. Lexus Ultimate luxury? Lexus calls it LS460 and sings the praises of its 4.6-litre V8 engine and eight speed automatic transmission. There is also a chrome IS250 with a sexy Lexy bodykit among its nice bits. Lotus Malaysian-owned British sports car maker Lotus has spun a new model, the Europa S, off its Elise platform. Bigger, roomier and a little heavier, the car also has features that almost smack of creature comforts. Mazda The CX-7SUV is Mazda's biggest offroader to date and has some hints of RX-8 sports car in its styling. When it hits in a few weeks time, it will have a six-speed automatic and sub-$50,000 pricing. The Kabura sports car concept shows what a really sexy MX-5 with four seats (in a 3+1 format) might look like. Mercedes Benz Remember the G Wagen? Twenty-seven years on, it has morphed into the GL- Class and will debut here soon. Mitsubishi The Team Mitsubishi Ralliart 380 shows what Mitsubishi's big sedan can look like when the works rally team gets hold of it. It's a prototype but if enough people like it, it could become reality. Outlander showed its all-new face and it looks a lot more like an offroader than its predecessor. Watch for it to come here as a Mitsubishi soon and as a Peugeot next year, possibly reviving the old 404 nameplate. Nissan The Foria concept is supposed to show Nissan's future but actually picks up some of its past and those who remember the old Sylvia and Skyline models will see it. This concept is a four-door pillarless hardtop with rear-hinged back doors.Peugeot The French car maker revealed its 207 small car and we can expect it in February. Unfortunately, the diesel-electric Hybride did not make it for media day but should be there now. Peugeot claims Hybride is even more frugal than rival petrol-electric hybrids but don't expect to see it in production for a couple of years. Volkswagen VW claims its new Eos coupe-cabriolet is a world first, courtesy of its diesel engine and its origami-like folding roof that even has its own power-operated sunroof.Volvo Just as it did in Paris, Volvo went close to stealing the show with its C30 hatchback. It's due early in '07, will have one diesel and two petrol engines and a starting price somewhere in the low to mid $30,000 bracket.Want bigger? Volvo has a V8 engine option for its S80 luxury sedan and a diesel as well.
© 2006 Illawarra Mercury
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