Tag: Australia

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Renault

Renaultsport Clio 197 image gallery

Renaultposrt Clio 197

The highly regarded Renaultsport Clio 197 is set to go on sale in the first week of August. The 197, based on the Clio III platform, is the only model in the current Clio range that will be coming to Australia and is expected to be priced in the mid-late $30K bracket. While we wait for more information from Renault have a read of this article from the Courier-Mail. AUSmotive.com will be sure to test this French masterpiece which now has beauty to go with its razor sharp brawn. In the meantime enjoy these images and be sure to click on each pic for a 2000px wide image. The cutaway image at the end is very cool!

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Formula 1

Mark Webber on front row for British Grand Prix

Mark WebberAustralian Mark Webber has celebrated his contract extension with Red Bull Racing by setting the second fastest time in final qualifying at the 2008 British Grand Prix. Webber lapped the Silverstone circuit in 1:21.554, but was no match for McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen who blitzed the field winning his maiden pole position with a time of 1:21.049. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen qualified in third (1:21.706), ahead of McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (1:21.835) and BMW-Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld (1:21.873).

In the post qualifying interview Webber acknowledged Red Bull Racing, “It’s a credit to the team, they’ve worked hard. We’re based just down the road so it’s like a home Grand Prix for us.” This will be the first time since 2006 that Webber has started a Grand Prix on the front row—the first time for Red Bull Racing—and he knows the serious work lays ahead, “Only five per cent of the job is done, it could be wet, so there’s a long way to go.” The Australian’s Red Bull has been at the pointy end of the field all weekend and this was also the case in the third qualifying session, despite the blustery conditions making it difficult for all drivers, “I felt comfortable in the car and in my second run I got a lot better lap, Heikki got the pole and I’m happy for him.” News of Webber’s second qualifying position will no doubt create a lot of enthusiasm down under and he is raring to go, “I can’t wait for tomorrow, I wish the race started now!”

Webber has had a lot of success at Silverstone with good results in Formula Ford and Formula 3000. Let’s hope this trend continues with a trouble free run in tomorrow’s race.

Categories
News Top Gear Australia

Top Gear Australia magazine – now on sale

BBC Magazines, the publishers of Top Gear magazine, have done a deal with Australian Consolidated Press to bring an Australian version of the mag to our newsstands. Edited by Ewan Page, the launch issue is on sale now. Looks like they have the finger on the pulse as far as humour goes.

Source: CarAdvice and TheGuardian (Thanks to Paul for the tip.)

Categories
News Volkswagen

Volkswagen Australia confirms MkVI Golf plans

Volkswagen logoNewly appointed General Manager of Press and PR for Volkswagen Group Australia, Karl Gehling, has denied claims that the MkVI Golf will not be coming to Australia. A recent report suggested that the MkVI Golf would not be sold in Australia due to currency and return on investment concerns. In 2007, the MkV Golf was Australia’s best selling European car. That trend continues, with sales to the end of May 2008 up 25% from the same point last year.

Golfs delivered to Australia are built at Volkswagen’s Uitenhage plant in South Africa, with the exception of all R32 models and three door GTIs, which are built at Wolfsburg in Germany. Volkswagen plans to shift all MkVI Golf production to the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. The MkVI will debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show in October and should be at your local Volkswagen dealer in the second half of 2009. Keep reading AUSmotive.com for more.

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News Volkswagen

Have Australia’s Golf prospects been sunk?

Will the MkVI Golf make it to Australia?Reports have emerged suggesting that the upcoming Volkswagen Golf MkVI will NOT be sold in Australia. You can read the original report, in German, HERE, or alternatively see autoblog and germancarblog for reports in English. To highlight the gravity of these suggestions, it has been said that the United States and Brazil will also miss out on the MkVI Golf.

AUSmotive.com contacted Volkswagen Australia earlier today, but at this stage no comment has been made to confirm or deny the Australian future of the MkVI. However, the suggestion of the next generation Golf not being sold in Australia is one that warrants close attention. The reports suggest it is the profitability of the MkVI that concerns Volkswagen chief Martin Winterkorn. On a global scale it would be hard to argue that Australia is a vital market for Volkswagen. But in a local context the current MkV Golf is sinking plenty of long range putts for Volkswagen Australia.

In 2007 the Golf was the highest selling car in Australia for a German manufacturer. VFACTS figures show 10,982 Golfs were sold in 2007. Well above the next best—the BMW 3 Series with 8716. In fact, even if you add 1 Series sales to the 3, the combined sales tally for the two BMW models—10,497—they still fail to overtake the Golf.

Peugeot’s entire model range couldn’t match Golf sales either, with a total of 8807 sales last year. A similar tale is told for stablemate Audi, with 7225 sales across the range in 2007. Subaru’s Impreza was another unable to match it with the Golf last year, although they were about par, with 10,853 Impreza sales.

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Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passat R36 now in Australian showrooms

Volkswagen Passat R36

Volkswagen’s high performance Passat R36 has recently been spotted in Sydney showrooms and on the roads (see more on Flickr). The R36, the third in the ‘R’ range, was created by Volkswagen Individual, and follows the Golf R32 and the Touareg R50. With a 220kW (300hp) 3.6 litre six cylinder direct injection petrol engine the R36 sedan is capable of reaching 100km/h from standstill in just 5.6 seconds, while the seriously cool wagon takes 5.8 seconds. This makes the R36 the fastest accelerating Volkswagen available in Australia. The uber Passat is available with a six-speed DSG transmission only and also comes fitted with Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all wheel drive system.

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Categories
MINI

MINI John Cooper Works Australian pricing confirmed soon

MINI John Cooper WorksIt is expected that Australian pricing for MINI’s new factory built John Cooper Works models will be confirmed within the next fortnight. The John Cooper Works range will be available in both coupé and Clubman models and will offer a new high-performance version of the 1.6-litre Twin Scroll turbo engine, producing 155kW, the highest output ever offered in the new generation MINI range. Internet rumours suggest the Coupé’s list price, less on road costs and any options, will be under $49,000 while the Clubman will come in under $52,000.

The MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop model will reach 100 km/h in just 6.5 seconds, while the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman covers the same sprint in 6.8 seconds. Peak torque now increases to 280Nm courtesy of a high performance Overboost feature between 2,000 rpm and 5,300 rpm. In less frenetic driving, peak torque of 260Nm is available between 1,850 rpm and 5,600 rpm. Deliveries of the John Cooper Works models to Australian customers are expected before the end of the year.

Keep reading AUSmotive.com for more details as soon as they come to hand.

Categories
News Top Gear Australia

SBS announces Australian Top Gear presenters

Top Gear AustraliaUPDATE: Meet the Top Gear Australia cast (watch video)

Charlie Cox, Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati will form the Australian cast of Top Gear to air on SBS. The trio were selected after the show’s producers—including Andy Wilman, executive producer of Top Gear UK—went through an exhaustive 4000 applications. It is said the show will have an Australian flavour, although the stereotypical Australian ‘ocker’ won’t be featured. The Australian producers will model their version heavily on the extraordinarily successful UK version which stars Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

Charlie Cox, 47, is an ex-Briton with a background in motoring journalism. Forty-something Warren Brown is best known for his role as a cartoonist with The Daily Telegraph—expect him to have a sharp wit. While thirty-ish Steve Pizzati brings some genuine driving credentials to the set thanks to his experience as an advanced driving instructor and racer with Porsche Australia.

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MINI Challenge News

Australian MINI CHALLENGE management rights up for sale

MINI ChallengeMotorsport Event Management (MEM), the agency contracted to run the Australian MINI CHALLENGE, has been put up for sale by current owner Iain Sherrin.

In a statement issued today by BMW Group Australia, MINI National Manager, Justin Hocevar said, “MINI is confident that any sale of MEM will be to a suitable purchaser who will continue to manage the increasingly popular MINI CHALLENGE series exactly in line with the arrangements MINI put in place with MEM.

“MINI had a five year plan for MINI CHALLENGE and we see no reason to deviate from that plan with the new owner of MEM. Iain Sherrin has indicated his desire to sell the category management business and focus on his multiple race teams. His team – Sherrin MotorSport – manages six cars for a number of clients, with one added to the stable last week,” Hocevar continued.

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Safety Issues

Ever wondered how a crash test works?

If you have, then you’ll be interested in a current and upcoming stories on independent Australian website CarAdvice. They recently witnessed a live crash test at the RTA’s Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). The program responsible for crash testing cars sold on the Australian market to determine their safety credentials. The CarAdvice team saw a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer VRX being tested. Here’s a couple of quotes:

“The visual of this impact is alarming, far worse than you can ever imagine.”

“It’s a pity that every driver in Australia can’t witness what we saw today. If they did, you wouldn’t think twice about the need to purchase a car with curtain airbags.”

They also took part in some controlled testing on cars fitted with and without Electronic Stability Control (ESC). For those of you thinking of buying a car that offers this as an option, please, just get it. It may sound overly dramatic, but it could save your life. To the car manufacturers who offer such systems as an option only, lift your game and make these systems standard equipment across your model range.

Read the full CarAdvice article HERE.

Categories
MINI Motorsports

Eastern Creek MINI Challenge – TV highlights

Round 1 of the MINI Challenge kicked off in Australia over the weekend of 7-9 March at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. Here are three youtube clips from the highlights package which aired on Channel 7 today. This was the worldwide debut of the R56 MINI Challenge cars you can read more about the MINI Challenge by following the links below:

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MINI Challenge

MINI Challenge secures great TV package

MINI ChallengeThis is one of those rare articles on AUSringers that has a solely Australian focus. In some great news for MINI fans, the 2008 Australian MINI Challenge has secured a superb free to air TV package with Channel 7. There will be a total of seven hours of programming, with the majority being broadcast LIVE into households across Australia. The first event will be at Eastern Creek in just a few weeks with race 3 on Sunday 9 March attracting live coverage.

Read the official press release and broadcast dates below for more information.

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