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New vehicle sales report – December 2012

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A round of applause for Australia’s car buying public who achieved an all-time record of 1,112,032 sales in 2012. It’s only the fifth time Australians have bought more than 1 million cars in a calendar year. Last year’s results represent an overall increase of 10.3% (103,595 sales) compared with 2011.

FCAI Chief Executive, Tony Weber, explained demand for a wider range of vehicles helped to fuel the record result. “Reduced tariffs as well as changing consumer preferences have contributed to making the dynamic and innovative automotive industry that we have today,” he said.

“The 2012 sales result bears that out. Customer demand has been high and the industry has responded with a wide range of vehicles powered by a range of different fuels.”

When you read the material after the break it seems that almost everyone’s a winner except Holden and Ford. The General returned a 9.1% drop in sales compared with 2011, but managed to hold its position as the country’s second-best seller. Although, Mazda is snapping at its heels. Meanwhile, Ford held station, to a degree, returning a 0.9% drop in sales against 2011.

However, when you consider market-leader Toyota increased its annual sales by 20.1%—coupled with strong improvements from other top 10 selling brands like Honda (+18.9%), Mazda (+17.6%), Nissan (+17.4%), Subaru (+18.2%) and Volkswagen (22.6%)—we can’t imagine there’s too many smiles in the boardrooms at Fisherman’s Bend and Broadmeadows.

Individually, the Mazda3 managed to top the charts for 2012, notching up 44,128 sales. Close behind were Toyota’s HiLux (40,646) and Corolla (38,799).

It used to be that one in every four cars sold in Australia was either a Commodore or a Falcon. Not anymore. The Commodore was the fourth-best selling model (30,532 sales), while the Falcon didn’t even make it into the top 10.

Despite 2012’s record result Tony Weber expects a small drop in annual sales for 2013. “During this election year, and with production now having caught up with back orders, FCAI forecasts a national automotive market of 1,075,000 for 2013,” he said.

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2012 Paris Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2012 Paris Motor Show

Here’s part 2 of our 2012 Paris Motor Show in pictures gallery, which brings you manufacturers from M–Z. Join us as we admire the McLaren P1, the Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupé, the Peugeot Onyx and the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo.

We’re wavering a little with our admiration of the Mercedes-Benz A Class, but nothing can hide our amusement at the Nissan Terra or Vauxhall Adam, which must be a huge practical joke. We’re also lamenting the fact Seat has lost its styling edge with the new Leon and that Skoda has taken a step back with the incredibly bland looking Rapid.

And, of course, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is the model we’ll probably take home in the future.

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Audi A3, Renault Clio & Volvo V40 among latest five star pupils

Audi A3

In the most recent test results published by Euro NCAP the newest Audi A3, Renault Clio and Volvo V40 models were all awarded the maximim possible five star safety rating.

The A3 scored 95% for adult occupants and was praised for its strong performance in the side barrier test. However, Euro NCAP state the A3’s bonnet design resulted in marginal to poor protection for pedestrians.

Renault’s fourth generation Clio rated best in the safety assist criterion with 99%, but registered only marginal protection against whiplash in the event of a rear-end collision.

A perfect score was recorded by the Volvo V40 for its safety assist systems. With a score of 88% for pedestrian safety the V40 was praised for its under-bonnet airbag.

Pictures and links to the full reports and videos can be found after the break.

[Source: Euro NCAP]

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508hp Volvo S60 Polestar revealed

Volvo S60 Polestar

Volvo’s performance partner Polestar has had another crack at fantasy football by stuffing 508hp under the bonnet of an S60 sedan. That’s not a typo—508hp—that’s near as damn is to swearing 380kW!

To achieve these lofty results Polestar has thrown out the standard turbo from the inline T6 engine and bolted on a kick arse Garrett turbo. Of course, a big turbo alone won’t provide smooth results, so a modified air intake and manifold have been added, along with an uprated head and cylinder chambers. A 3.5″ stainless steel exhust system rounds of the mechanical upgrades.

Power is transferred to the ground by a modified Haldex all-wheel drive system. We suspect it has to work damn hard to maintain traction while propelling the S60 Polestar to 100km/h in a claimed 3.9 seconds. Top speed is said to be beyond 300km/h, if you don’t mind.

The production-spec suspension and brakes have also been chucked out in favour of uprated gear from Ohlins and Brembo. Even the track has been widened to aid handling; 20mm at the front and 40mm at the rear.

For now this is a one off creation, but if there are enough cashed up punters screaming, “Hey, I want one too!”, then Volvo may consider building the car in limited numbers.

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Volvo V40 brings world’s first pedestrian airbag

Volvo V40 with pedestrian airbag

“People are soft and cars are hard,” says Thomas Broberg. He’s the Senior Technical Advisor Safety from Volvo and has been charged with overseeing the company’s current safety goal, which states: “By 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo.”

So, with that objective in mind, the thought of a pedestrian airbag makes a lot of sense. The technology will be fitted as standard equipment to all new V40s.

Broberg explains how the system works: “The airbag has two functions. Firstly, it raises the bonnet to create distance, and secondly it cushions the impact around the hard parts of the area near the windscreen.”

An airbag shooting up from below the bonnet seems a bit of a loopy idea when you first think about it, but we expect most leading manufacturers will employ similar concepts within the next few years. There’s more from Volvo after the break, including a video with Thomas Broberg talking us through the world’s first pedestrian airbag technology.

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Volvo Australia dances to Polestar tune

Volvo S60 Polestar

Back in January Volvo Australia officially announced the local release of the S60 Polestar (apologies for missing it at the time). Those playing at home will recall the Polestar name, which has a long association with Volvo, mostly due to racing and motor sport activities.

However, it was the crazy 405hp C30 Polestar Performance Concept in 2010 which really gained worldwide attention for the brand.

The S60 Polestar isn’t quite as extreme as that, offering a revised engine tune resulting in a more modest increase of 18kW/40Nm over the standard S60, boosting peak numbers to 242kW/480Nm. Enough to shave 0.3 seconds from the 0–100km/h time, down to 5.8 seconds.

Due to the success of the S60 Polestar, Volvo Australia will be adding Polestar engine tuning to the R-Design versions of the C30 T5, V60 T6, XC60 D5 and XC60 T6 as standard specification.

The S60 Polestar (pictured) also featured cosmetic enhancements, exclusive alloy wheels and a modified exhaust system from Heico Sportiv. It was limited to 50 models and when launched carried a $10,000 premium over the standard S60 R-Design.

Under Volvo’s new pricing structure (70kb PDF) the S60 R-Design will be priced from $75,490 (up $2500) and does not include the Heico Sportiv mods from the limited S60 Polestar.

The best news is fuel economy remains unchanged across the board and all Polestar enhanced models will feature a full three-year factory warranty.

Polestar performance enhancements

  • C30 T5 R-Design – 184kW/370Nm (was 169kW/320Nm)
  • S60 T6 R-Design – 242kW/480Nm (was 224kW/440Nm)
  • V60 T6 R-Design – 242kW/480Nm (was 224kW/440Nm)
  • XC60 D5 R Design –169kW/370Nm (was 158kW/440Nm)
  • XC60 T6 R-Design – 242kW/480Nm (was 224kW/440Nm)
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2012 Geneva Motor Show in pictures – part 2

2012 Geneva Motor Show

Here’s the second and final part of our 2012 Geneva Motor Show photo gallery, featuring manufacturers from L–Z (well V actually). Highlights include the Aventador J pictured above along with a reappearance of the stylish Mazda Takeri concept. The awesome Pagani Huayra is also on show, check the raw carbon fibre model, it looks sublime. Oh, we’d love to hear what you think of the Valmet Automotive Dawn, if it was a person it would no doubt be referred to as one weird cat.

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New vehicle sales report – June 2011

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Apologies for missing last month’s update and for those keeping score Holden actually pipped Toyota to the highest selling marque for May. A result largely due to supply issues in Japan following the tsunami earlier this year. Indeed the total sales for May were 77,406 a fall of 13.2% on 2010 figures.

And so it has remained in June. Holden still holds the title of highest selling brand (12,827) just ahead of Toyota (12,514). Ford has knocked Hyundai off the ever-revolving third place position on the sales charts (9,216).

In all 96,157 vew vehicles were delivered in June, a healthy increase on May’s figures, but still down 11.6% on 2010 numbers; which was a record for single month sales.

FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said, “Manufacturers and distributors affected by the Japanese natural disaster are reporting a reliable return of supply. We would expect the effect to dissipate over coming months.”

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AIMS 2011 gallery: Volvo

Volvo at AIMS 2011

Not sure about anyone else, but this matt white diesel plug-in hybrid really floated our boat. Using the stylish V60 Estate lines as a base the paint and wheel combo really made the car stand out. Never mind its 1.9l/100km and 49g/km CO2 claims. Maybe it was brand ambassador Pia Miller telling us how wonderful the car is that brought us to attention. Either way, both models looked fantastic.

This made us think we need to take a closer look at the S60 R, which looks pretty neat in saloon form too. And when you see that smacked up C30 Electric you begin to appreciate that hitting solid objects at a modest 64km/h is not such a great idea.

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Shanghai 2011: Volvo Concept Universe

Volvo Concept Universe

Volvo has given us a tiny glimpse at their Concept Universe, which has just been launched in Shanghai. They’re sharing with us one photo, for now, and a light and fluffy press release. From what we can see, it’s a nice sleek looking unit, don’t you think. It certainly looks like it would have plenty of road presence.

This is Volvo’s attempt at competing with the established luxury players of the world. S-Class and 7 Series look out! It’s being based on the principles and success of Scandinavian design. Well, so says Peter Horbury, Vice President Design at Volvo Car Corporation, “We will compete with the best with our special kind of Scandinavian Design. It is unmatched in performance and technology, but without superficiality or complication.

“The Concept Universe is exceptionally refined, yet with all the simplistic assets that make Volvo champions of the uncomplicated. There is a growing appreciation for this ingenious blend of design and technology among modern luxury car buyers. This trend paves the way for our success. We are convinced that our special brand of luxury has a great future.”

Can Horbury and his, no doubt talented, team of designers and engineers produce a car that is close to, or equal to, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class? Possibly. Will a Volvo ever knock-off the S-Class as the default option at the premium end of the market? Not in our lifetime.

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Top Gear – Series 16 preview

Volvo C30 Polestar

Season 16 of Top Gear is scheduled to premiere on BBC2 on Sunday 23 January. The Top Gear website has just published a preview of what we can expect to see in the upcoming series [click here to watch].

While the Pagani Zonda R, Ferrari 599 GTO and Ariel Atom 500 V8 will be great to see in action. It is a Volvo that AUSmotive is most looking forward to. It’s not just any old Volvo, either, but the 400hp all-wheel drive C30 Polestar Concept. That’s it above; looks fantastic, don’t you think.

The equally wicked Ford Focus RS500 also gets a thrashing around the Top Gear test track, and seeing that benchmarked against the C30 Polestar will be very interesting.

Also previewed in the teaser clip is a retro shootout featuring the awesome Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, which should warm the hearts of Generation Xers who would have grown up with posters of these cars on their bedroom walls.

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E-Class surprise leader in “shaggin’ wagon” poll

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

A recent UK report has revealed that 54% of British motorists admit to having sex in a car. And it seems the older you are the more likely you are to find paradise by the dashboard light. Almost 40% of over 55s interviewed claimed sex in a car was fantastic, compared to just 13% of those aged between 18 and 24.

The raunchy research was carried out by the appropriately named Autoquake.com, an online retailer, and CEO Dermot Halpin says, “We’re surprised that so many of drivers have used their cars as mobile bedrooms, and impressed that the older generation are leading the way.”

A top 10 list of sexy cars was compiled as part of the study. The wide open spaces of the Mercedes E-Class Estate proved a worthy, if surprising, leader in the poll. Shaggin’ wagons have gone a bit upmarket since the 70s it seems. The full list is available after the break.

We’re sure readers won’t be surprised to learn no Toyota made the top 10. Which begs the question, just what is that feeling they keep going on about; loneliness, perhaps?

If you’ve enjoyed a few extra “services” between scheduled intervals, leave us a comment and tell us all about it!

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