2008 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW
AUDI
Audi plans to attract attention at this year's Melbourne International Motor Show with a lineup that will include the 426kW, V10-engined RS6 Avant at a mere $259,000, the new A4 that will preview its local launch in April, offering the choice of 1.8-litre TFSI, 2.0-litre TDI and 3.2-litre V6 FSI engines, the new A3 soft-top Cabriolet to do battle with BMW's 1-series Convertible, and the tightly-wound TTS Roadster complete with 200kW and 350Nm from its 2.0-litre TFSI engine.
BMW
The Bavarian importer has gone for broke with its all-new 2008 Melbourne motor show stand which will feature first-time appearances of the new 1 Series Convertible and the X6 Sports Activity Coupé.
The new 1 Series Coupé, which goes on sale in May, makes its Melbourne debut, while the stand features the new twin-turbo 'sports' diesel, the X5 3.0sd, the new 320d and the rapid 335i Touring wagon. (more here)
BMW says its main theme will be "EfficientDynamics, whereby visitors will have the chance to learn about the company's efforts today, tomorrow and into the future with respect to reducing fuel consumption and C02 emissions."
BOLWELL
Some might think Mazda invented it, but local car-maker Bolwell was the first to come up with the "Nagari" name when it introduced a Lotus-inspired, Ford V8-powered two-seat sports car in the 1970s.
Now there's a 21st century Nagari, this time using a mid-mounted engine wrapped up in a lightweight chassis that spells, according to founder Campbell Bolwell, "ultimate performance in Australian road conditions."
The new car uses design cues from the neatly-styled original, including the Ferrari Dino style "tunnel back" and there are plenty of production-car touches such as the custom-designed windscreen and compound-curved, fully opening door windows. The original Nagari had fixed windows.
The dictionary tells us the word Nagari is an adjective derived from a Sanskrit word "nagara" which means "urban" or "city". Nagari is also a town in Andtrah Pradesh in India (Not to be confused with Mazda's Nagare -- a Japanese word meaning "flow and the embodiment of motion").
BUGATTI
Blink and you might miss it. The devastating Bugatti Veyron is a definite starter for the Melbourne International Motor Show, but only for three days.
The $2.7 million, 400km/h hypercar will be ushered in to parade coquettishly for show visitors on Friday -- from 5pm only -- and all day Saturday and Sunday before being whisked away to other destinations.
CHRYSLER GROUP
Jeep has an all-new Cherokee and it will be there for all to see at the Melbourne motor show this year. Available from March 1, the new Cherokee is based on the same platform as the Dodge Nitro -- except in this case it's a fair dinkum offroader complete with dual-range transmission and Selec-Trac II part-time all-wheel drive.
Urban offroaders will be pleased to note it also has hill descent control to take some of the sweat out of steep terrain, as well as hill start assist. Stealing a page from the Wrangler book, it also offers an optional full canvas sliding roof to give a greater sense of the great outdoors.
Chrysler's new Grand Voyager peoplemover made its Aussie debut at MIMS. Priced from $56,990, the three-row MPV offers a choice of 3.8-litre V6 petrol or 2.8-litre turbodiesel powerplants matched with six-speed autos. Look out for our launch review in April.
The Chrysler stand also features the new Sebring Cabrio, which can be had either with a fabric soft-top, or a coupe-convertible style folding hardtop.
The cabrio features a 2.7-litre V6 producing 137kW and 256Nm coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. The trick is in determining which model gets the folding hardtop and which gets the soft top: the upmarket Limited version gets the former, the Touring the latter.
E-VADE
The Melbourne show is no stranger to home-grown sportscars and the E-Vade -- a mid-mounted Nissan V6-powered two-seater -- joins a lineup that has produced its fair share of certainties and definitely-nots.
The E-Vade was developed by ex naval engineer David Walter and is being planned around two variants -- a 300kW road version and 500kW track version.
FORD
Ford's all-new FG Falcon will be the main reason many showgoers make the trip to Jeff's shed from February 29.
The new big Ford introduces a lineup with "three distinct faces" that include the base XT range, the "sports-luxury" G Series sedan range comprising G6, G6E and G6E Turbo variants, and the new XR range that includes XR6, XR6 Turbo and XR8 versions. Fairmont and Ghia disappear, although the FG prefix is said to honour their memory.
All FG Falcons come with "all-new exterior and interior architectures and designs, an all-new front suspension, new powertrains with more power, more torque and improved fuel economy, and an advanced safety package."
All Falcons get dual front and front side airbags, dynamic stability control, traction control and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist. Side curtain airbags are standard on premium sedans and optional on others.
Engines start at the 195kW 4.0-litre six -- up by 5kW -- with 391Nm (8Nm better) and matched to a new five-speed automatic. A ZF six-speed automatic is optional and there is a 156kW/371Nm E-Gas dedicated LPG engine with a four-speed auto.
The 270kW (up 25kW) turbo six with 533Nm (up 53Nm) is standard in G6E Turbo and XR6 Turbo, while the XR8 gets the Boss 290 5.4-litre four-valve V8 producing 290kW and 520Nm.
It has been a slow seller to date, but Ford has high hopes for the Mondeo and is considering a wagon to join the range. Ford has given a Mondeo TDCi wagon pride of place on its stand in Melbourne, to test public reaction. The Mondeo was positioned dead centre, with different variants of the FG Falcon arranged around it. This car is quite important for Ford (more here)
HOLDEN
The Monaro lives... Sure, it's called Coupe 60 and Holden says it's a concept only, but the Aussie icon is back...
And not one member of the Melbourne International Motor Show crowd believed head designer Tony Stolfo's "concept-only" line as he stepped out of the sleek silver coupe on Friday morning.
"It's purely a concept car," Stolfo told the assembled media. "You can call it Monaro -- everybody will -- but we're calling it Coupe 60."
Built at a cost of $2.5m, the pillarless coupe is based on the Commodore sedan and shares its underpinnings but no panels. It is powered by an E85-capable AFM-equipped 6.0-litre V8 and is a runner, says Stolfo.
Read more news on Holden's Coupe 60 here.
HONDA
The only new car to appear on Honda's stand this year is the latest 'big' Accord, notorious for the fact it is primarily aimed at the US market. Comparisons with its predecessor reveal the new car is almost a category up on size, closer to Falcon and Commodore than Camry and offering four-cylinder 2.4-litre or variable-displacement 3.5-litre V6 engine choices.
The style is more resolved too, closer to the smaller but highly praised Euro Accord, and the dynamics sharper.
HYUNDAI
Frugal on one end of the Hyundai stand and fast on the other! Hyundai's attractive V8-engined rear-wheel-drive Genesis concept coupe made its Southern Hemisphere debut at MIMS and is an indicator of the strength and maturity of the Korean marque's design and engineering resources. Make no mistake, Hyundai's serious about building the car, which has reportedly been benchmarked against BMW's E46 M3.
In answer to customer demand Down Under, the carmaker has launched an auto version of the excellent i30 turbodiesel hatch. Hyundai claims it'll return 6.0L/100km for the combined cycle.
Also waving the turbodiesel banner is a new variant of Hyundai's midsizer, set to be launched mid-year. The Sonata's 2.0-litre CRDi powerplant matches the i30 for fuel consumption in manual form, but will also be available as an auto.
KIA
Kia's Rondo MPV -- or what the company describes as a "crossover" combining the features of MPV, wagon and hatch -- made its first Australian appearance at the 2007 Brisbane motor show and follows up on the Kia stand at Melbourne.
The Rondo is able to seat as many as seven passengers and can be converted to the point where it can double as a two-passenger light delivery van. With six airbags, ABS and electronic stability control, the Rondo has earned a five-star crash safety rating from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US.
The Kia stand will also feature a Sport Package version of the Picanto, complete with a new mesh grille, two-tone front and rear bumpers, and interior revisions including sports seating, a revised instrument cluster and alloy floor pedals. (more here)
LAND ROVER
Land Rover will be tickled pink with its successful efforts getting the baby LRX Concept SUV to Australia only a month after making its world premiere at the 2008 Detroit motor show.
Billed as a concept only, the LRX is nevertheless tipped to become a sub-Freelander offering, although an exact launch date has not been announced. The LRX is claimed to be a showcase for new technologies including lightweight design as well as a super-efficient hybrid turbodiesel powertrain. (more here)
LEXUS
Already previewed at the Brisbane motor show earlier this month, the Lexus LX 570 (more here), which is based on the 200 Series LandCruiser was on display once more at Melbourne.
Lexus also trotted out the self-parking LS600h which debuted at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney at the end of last year (see our launch review here) and the new GS 460 variant (more here).
For fans of hard-charging M3-style cars, the IS-F is also at Melbourne, with its unique eight-speed automatic transmission. Still no firm news on when the car will arrive.
MAZDA
Mazda presides over a large part of the Australian market these days and, flush with worldwide success, is turning out its fair share of concept cars.
The latest is the Hakaze Concept -- the third in the Nagare series and the second to come to Australia following the appearance of the Kabura at the Sydney motor show in 2006. Described as a "compact crossover coupe with roadster feel," the Hakaze is the product of Mazda's European design centre near Frankfurt in Germany.
Since the Hakaze's unveiling in Geneva last year, two more Nagare series concept cars have been unveiled -- the "radical" Taiki and the Furai racer at the 2008 Detroit show.
The company's stand in Melbourne also featured the Mazda2 Extreme, which has been rally-prepared and will contest selected rounds of the ARC.
Mazda's motorsport chief, Allan Horsley is aiming for a 20 per cent improvement in engine output from the standard state of tune. Suspension mods for this car have been carried out by well-known rally driver, Murray Coote. Features fitted to the Mazda2 Extreme include 15-inch alloy wheels, a three-inch sports exhaust system, driving lights and roll cage.
Finally, Mazda has released a limited edition model based on the RX-8 with leather pack option. Celebrating 40 years of rotary engine production this year, the special RX-8 sells for $55,840 and only 200 units will be sold in Australia.
Additional features for the RX-8 Rotary Engine 40th Anniversary model include: unique leather and alcantara trim, leather-bound steering wheel, leather gear-shift knob, leather handbrake handle and exclusive badging. Bilstein dampers and foam-filled front suspension cross-member, 18-inch alloy wheels, silver engine cover, a floating rear spoiler, sunroof and blue reflector fog lights are also fitted as standard.
MITSUBISHI
Mitsubishi has leapt out of the blocks at the Melbourne International Motor Show, with performance Lancers, two limited edition models and a bold new design study, the Concept-cX (more here).
NISSAN
The brutal 353kW/586Nm Nissan GT-R was revealed to the Australian press in Japan in December 2007.
Apart from recording stellar lap times on Germany's Nurburgring circuit, the GT-R squeezes 353kW from its twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 along with a grunting 588Nm of torque to propel its 1740kg body to100km/h from standstill in 3.5 seconds. That rockets the circa-$160,000 Nissan into rarefied air indeed.
And you can buy from one from early in 2009.
PEUGEOT
World premieres of European cars are not common at Australian motor shows, but the new Peugeot 308 Touring is a notable exception.
The new wagon version of the recently-launched 308 hatch will go on sale here in the third quarter of this year and will include a standard panoramic glass sunroof. It will also be available in seven-passenger configuration, with a forward-facing third row of seats.
The 308 Touring is expected to be available with the same engine lineup as the hatchback, including 1.6-litre atmospheric or turbo petrol, and 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre turbodiesel.
PROTON
The Satria GTi hot hatch was an unexpected success for Proton when it became the company's aspirational car from 1999 to 2004. It looked good, went well and scored a certain amount of valuable street cred for the Malaysian importer.
Now there's a successor on the way and it might just have the goods. To be shown for the first time at the Melbourne motor show, the new Proton R3 Satria is still under development by the company's R3 special vehicles arm and some way from final production -- although that might not be as long as we think.
All Proton is saying at present is that the R3 (more here) will get a "significant" power increase over the standard 1.6-litre version. The Satria GTi used a 1.8-litre 103kW engine with a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Proton stand also features the new four-door Persona sedan, the Savvy light car, the Gen 2 hatch, the Satria Neo and the Jumbuck ute.
RENAULT
Renault is enthused about its Laguna Estate's scoring of the "Most Beautiful Car of the Year" award by the International Automotive Festival of Paris.
The slinky wagon was also gonged for having the "Most Beautiful Interior of the Year" at the same time. Local shoppers will have the chance to decide for themselves, as the new Renault will feature on the company's stand at this year's Melbourne motor show.
The Laguna is powered by a 2.0-litre dCi turbodiesel engine delivering 110kW and 340Nm, and driving through a six-speed automatic transmission.
The star of the Renault stand was the new Koleos softroader -- at least in concept form. The production vehicle, which shares X-TRAIL mechanicals, will be officially unveiled at Geneva show next week.
SUBARU
Fresh from its world premiere at the Detroit motor show in January, the new Subaru Forester arrives at the Melbourne motor show with more space, improved ground clearance and a more practical cargo area -- as well as a $1000-lower entry price.
Scoring a five-star ANCAP rating, as well as a three-star pedestrian safety rating, the new car -- like 85 per cent of all Subarus -- also comes with VDA Vehicle Dynamics Control standard across the range which comprises, as previously, X, XS and XT turbo variants.
Subaru also unveiled the Liberty GT Spec.B, tuned by STI. The limited volume model will go on sale in April, with no more than 250 units available to buyers (more here)
SUZUKI
Japanese small-car specialist Suzuki celebrates its 99th birthday at this year's Melbourne motor show with a lineup including the new Grand Vitara turbodiesel and the re-launch of the Sierra nameplate in the Jimny Sierra, complete with 1.3-litre engine and a degree of off-road performance for a smidgin less than $20,000.
Suzuki will also display the SX4 Sedan Concept complete with 18-inch wheels, bonnet scoop and rear spoiler, and inspired by the WRC car that has already gained points in the 2008 championship.
VOLVO
Volvo took the opportunity presented by the Melbourne International Motor Show to announce pricing for the V70 sportwagon, ahead of the new model's scheduled launch around the middle of next month (March).
Boasting a turbocharged inline six displacing 3.0-litres, the V70 develops 210kW of power and 400Nm of torque, driving through a six-speed sequential-shift automatic transmission. The price of the V70 sportwagon is $67,950.
As well as announcing the price of the V70, Volvo is also asking showgoers to provide some indication of consumer interest in the Heico Sportiv after-market brand.
The German company responsible for the S80 Heico concept displayed at the SEMA show in Las Vegas last year (more here), may be called upon by Volvo to provide upgrade components for the S80 model sold in Australia, followed by other models if the demand is there.
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