Hot New Content
IN THE NEWS
GM claims to be holding some 10,000 Camaro pre-orders, and a substantial number of them are of the V8 variety.
TMR ANNUAL AWARDS
The Motor Report is proud to launch its first ever ‘Best Drive, Best Value’ Car Awards. Click to see TMR's picks for 2008!
TMR COMPARO
They're both tough lookin', feature packed, family friendly softroaders, but which is best? Tony O'Kane is on the job.
TMR News and Features
Mazda is another manufacturer who has managed to turn what was a horrendous 2008 for automotive manufacturers globally into something of a positive. Mazda Australia has posted a 2.7 percent increase in annual sales, improving on its previous record, for a total sales figure of 79,826 vehicles sold.
The result cements Mazda as the best-selling full-line importer for a fourth consecutive year while also tightening its grip on fourth position outright.
Read Article
Toyota Australia has announced its sales figures for the year just gone, and while the global auto market endures shrinking demand and huge financial uncertainty, the local arm of Toyota Motor Co enjoyed unprecedented success in 2008.
This year of course - 2009 - will be more of a challenge.
Here’s a quickie for you, folks.
A GT-R owner over at mygtr.com by the name of MC, went and took a Nissan 370Z for a test drive, and figured he’d take a few shots of it alongside his own GT-R while he was at it.
Opinions in the TMR office are polarised by the styling of these two cars: some of us love the 370Z, others are not such fans of it; and the same again with the GT-R. Seeing them side-by-side certainly puts things in perspective.
Click through for a few more images, and a few of MC’s thoughts on the 370Z.
It’s often been said (by me, I’m not sure if anyone else has said it) that the reason nimble little cars like the Datsun 240Z evolve into their big wobbly successors, is because fat rich buyers see happy fit people zoom past in their Z and think, “Geez, I’d like one of those!”
Then they think, ” But I won’t fit in it. And how about some air-con? Cup holders? Power windows? Got room for my golf bags?” (Not that you’d fit any decent baggage into the 350Z – the missus excluded, of course.)
Now, clever Austrian artist Erwin Wurm has taken it upon his artsy self to capture my thoughts and craft them into these beautiful bulging cardiac arrests on wheels.
Click through for a few more examples.
Official VFACTS figures released today reveal that Fiat – only recently returned to the Aussie market – has had a stellar 2008, with Australian sales up 26.1 percent over the previous year. The figures show that there has been growth across the board, helping the brand record 2156 sales for 2008.
Out in front was the Fiat Ducato, maintaining its position as the best selling Fiat in Australia thanks to demand from the Australian Motorhome Industry.
Suzuki’s Kizashi sedan has been a popular concept here at TMR since we saw it unveiled at the 2008 Sydney Motor Show. We admired then its to-die-for bold styling and strong stance . We also liked the idea of a 220kW V6 powering all four wheels.
Unfortunately, the global economic downturn appears to have claimed it as another scalp. Originally slated to hit showrooms in 2010, Japanese business newspaper, the Nikkei, has reported that the production version of the Suzuki Kizashi has been postponed. Read Article
The FCAI has just released the end-of-year figures for 2008 and for only the second time ever, the magic one million sales a year was exceeded with 1,012,164 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles being sold in 2008 - down just 3.6 percent, or 37,818 vehicles, compared to 2007.
“This is a good result and shows that the car industry finished the year on a strong note,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.
However, the FCAI is forecasting new vehicle sales of only 880,000 units in 2009, a drop of over 10 percent when compared to 2008. This prediction comes on the back of flagging sales in the final months leading up to the 2008 year-end. Read Article
The fifth-generation Volkswagen Polo is due to drop later this year, and according to British car mag Auto Express, the range-topping GTI version should be one corker of a car.
Based on the same PQ25 small car platform that underpins the newest SEAT Ibiza, the 2010 Polo GTI will feature more power, more torque, more interior space and a far more modern exterior than the current model.
A turbocharged and supercharged 1.4 litre inline four will be responsible for the Polo GTI’s 133kW and 250Nm, while a six-speed manual is expected to be standard equipment. A lighting-fast seven-speed DSG gearbox is tipped to appear on the options list too, and if our prior experience with VW’s excellent DSG ‘boxes is anything to go by, then the humble Polo should be transformed by it.
TMR Poll
Loading ...Columns
Mates
- Automobiles De Luxe
Luxury, Classic and Performance cars covered passionately - Japanese Nostalgic Car
For fans of classic Japanese cars. - Japanese Performance Car News
The latest Japanese Performance Car News. - OzMazda
Australia’s premier Mazda community. - Trollhättan Saab
For the true Saab enthusiast.
