You can have your fancy pants limited-edition Lambo, or your stonking new LaFerrari, even the McLaren P1; we’re not really interested. The car of Geneva, for us, is the Porsche 911 GT3. That’s the one we’d like to take home and get intimate with. And so begins the second and final part of our Geneva Motor Show image gallery. There’s over 120 new images to see and enjoy.
Well done Australia, for the first time on record you’ve bought more than 1 million new vehicles before the end of November. The year-to-date figure at the end of last month was 1,016,605, a 10.9% increase compared with the same time frame last year.
As always, string demand for SUVs in the private sector has fuelled the growth, but so too has a resurgence in sales of passenger vehicles.
Meanwhile, Government fleet sales have dropped off by a total of 35.1% compared with November 2011 and by almost 21% since the start of the year.
The top three selling brands in November were Toyota (19,312), Holden (10,354) and Mazda (8,732). While the three best selling models were the Toyota Corolla (4,190), the Mazda3 (3,703) and the Toyota HiLux (3,059).
Congratulations to Mazda, too, who has recorded its best ever annual sales results, with a month still remaining in the year.
It’s becoming boring to keep reporting that SUV sales are once again behind a strong monthly sales result. But VFACTS figures show SUV sales havr increased by 28.6% so far this year, and contributed 25,737 sales towards the October total of 95,584 new vehicle sales.
Year-to-date numbers show a total of 918,258 new vehicles have driven off showroom forecourts in 2012, a healthy increase of 9.7% compared to the same time last year. Interestingly, government sales are down 10.9% for the year, while private sales, up by 11.7%, have covered those losses.
Toyota continues its unassailable lead as the country’s top seller, registering 18,584 sales last month. They were followed by traditional bridesmaid Holden (10,239) and Ford (8,379).
The Toyota HiLux was the highest selling model in October, with 3,403 sales, followed by the Mazda3 (3,342) and the Toyota Corolla (2,977).
The monthly update from VFACTS brings word that 94,627 vehicles were sold in September, an increase of 9% (7,808 vehicles) on the same month in 2011.
Increases in the sales of hybrids helped to boost the result, so too the ongoing demand for SUVs. While government sales remain on the decline.
Toyota remains miles ahead of anyone else in overall sales, thanks to its 17,300 buyers. Mazda, though, has cracked the 10,000 monthly sales barrier for the first time (10,093) and found itself as the country’s second best selling marque last month. Holden (8,955) was demoted to third.
Year-to-date figures show 822,674 new sales have been recorded in 2012, 9.4% increase (70,546 vehicles) compared to the same period last year.
The high selling Mazda3 was Australia’s favourite purchase, with 4,276 September sales. The Toyota HiLux (3,479) was in second on the sales charts, ahead of the Hyundai I30 (3,144).
New footage from Jeremy Foley’s crash at the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been posted to YouTube by his Evolution Dynamics team and it gives us sobering view of the wild ride. Foley and co-driver Yuri Kouznetsov rolled their Mitsubishi Evo VIII 14 times before coming to a peaceful rest.
Both Foley and Kouznetsov, who suffered a dislocated shoulder, have been interviewed by the Today show on US network NBC. The two videos are available after the, erm, jump, and we recommend watching both.
[via Autoblog]
After seeing the demise of one race-prepped Mistubishi Evo today it’s nice to bring you a story with a happy ending. Although, as you’ll see, the difference between happy and sad was ever so close.
Clearly, we’re big Formula 1 fans here at AUSmotive, but we did chuckle when we read the following comment from this video’s YouTube comments section: “Lifting off is for F1 drivers!”
[Thanks to Vanja for the tip]
Holy shit! That’s about all you can say after watching this monumental crash at the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. At the wheel was Jeremy Foley, with co-driver Yuri Kouznetsov.
Despite virtually every panel of their 560whp Mistubushi Evo VIII being destroyed we can report, thankfully, both men are okay. Foley confirmed this himself when he posted the following message to his Facebook page: “I thought I posted already, but Yuri and I are OK. A little beaten up but nothing major. Thank you so much to everyone for the kindness and support! What a wonderful feeling to feel so loved!”
Oh yeah, that’ll buff right out.
[Source: Motor Authority]
UPDATE: Two pics of the wreckage have been added below. Lucky boys!
[Thanks to Paul for the tip]
In this video Warren Luff talks about his winning 1:25.02 lap record from last weekend’s World Time Attack. Also interviewed is Chris Eaton, owner and builder of the Project Nemo Evo VII.
Eaton reveals the inspiration for finding Nemo was the hope that his son could one day drive his dad’s car in the Gran Turismo Playstation game. Luff also lets in on the corner speed through Sydney Motor Sport Park’s Turn 1; let’s just say it’s pretty damn quick!
We’re still yet to see onboard footage of the winning lap, which is a very tidy 3.8 seconds faster than the 2011 WTAC winner. We’re guessing that’s being saved for the YouTube channel of the event’s sponsor and will update you when it comes to hand.
A wild-looking time attack car that produces more aerodynamic downforce than a Le Mans prototype will be the centre of attention when it makes its debut at the World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park on Friday.
The Queensland-built Project Nemo is the result of a two-year program to develop the ultimate time attack car by using what its owners describe as an integrated approach.
“Other teams you’ll see at World Time Attack started out with a road car and added different bits along the way,†said driver and team manager Chris Eaton.
“From the beginning, our car has been a definite effort to integrate the aero with the suspension and driveline. Our goal has been to produce something with the best ability in every area.â€
Based on a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, Project Nemo’s extraordinary carbon fibre bodywork was designed by American aerodynamicist and data engineer Andrew Brilliant.
His Japan-based company AMB Aero has applied experience gained in the Indycar, American Le Mans and Japan Super GT Championships, and American Time Attack, to create a shape that will generate the highest-possible downforce through Eastern Creek’s sweeping turns.
Not content with May’s sales figures—an all-time record for that month—Australian car buyers have now set a new record for any month, registering 112,566 vehicle sales in June. That’s a staggering increase of 16,409 sales compared to June 2011.
Year-to-date sales total 547,854 vehicles and you’d suggest that means Australia will once again top one million annual sales.
The Toyota HiLux was the country’s highest selling model in June with 4,308 sales, ahead of the Mazda3 (3,924) and Toyota Corolla (3,804).
It’s no surprise, then, to see Toyota continue their stranglehold as the best selling manufacturer. They sold 21,649 vehicles last month, compared to 10,632 by Holden and 9,672 for Hyundai.
Figures from the FCAI reveal 97,616 new vehicles were sold in March. Comfortably the best month of the year to date, it’s also a 3.9% increase on numbers from March 2011.
Seems we’ve still not come to our senses and continue to buy SUVs at a rate of knots. “SUVs continue to dominate Australian car sales, accounting for 28 per cent of all new car sales so far this year,†FCAI Chief Executive, Ian Chalmers said. “Combined with small passenger cars (23.6%) and light passenger cars (13.0%), these three segments make up 64.6 per cent of new cars sold this year.â€
Toyota, Holden and Mazda were the three best selling marques. Although it’s a bit scary that Toyota sold almost as many cars as Holden and Mazda combined last month.
Australia registered over one million new vehicle sales in 2011 the latest FCAI press release reveals. The final tally of 1,008,437 represents the fourth time the country has passed one million sales in a calendar year.
Despite dropping more than 27,000 sales (-2.6%) on 2010 numbers, FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers reminds us this is still something the motor industry should be proud of.
“2011 full year sales are an exceptional result given the effects of natural disasters both at home and abroad throughout the year,†Mr Chalmers said.
“The uptake of new vehicles was impacted early in the year by economic uncertainty, closely followed by natural disasters in the key markets of Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland.
“Sales were further subdued by Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, with a resulting shortage of export vehicles from that country a secondary outcome of the extreme loss of life experienced by the Japanese people.â€
The top three highest selling brands in 2011 were Toyota (181624 sales), Holden (126,095) and Ford (91,243).
Illustrating the continuing demand for smaller cars in the local market the Mazda3 was the highest selling model in Australia last year with 41,429 sales. Traditional volume seller Holden Commodore (40 617) was close behind and the Toyota Hilux (36,124) maintained its recent grip at the top of the sales charts.
More detail and 2012 forecasts from FCAI after the break.