carscoop: Australia

Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts

1967 Ford XR Falcon ZERO'D with 600hp V8 Diesel is Even Greener Than it Looks

Joining the local introductions and even some world premieres like the Lexus LF-LC II at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney this October will be a unique muscle car build from the Land Down Under.

Australia is known for its love of muscle cars and has a long tradition in the category with vehicles such as the classic 1970s Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, Holden Monaro and Torana V8s, and Valliant Charger R/Ts (Chrysler Group), as well as the contemporary offerings from Holden's HSV and Ford's FPV performance divisions.

Now, an Australian has come up with a green muscle car build – and we're not referring to its beautiful, rich exterior shade.

New Nissan Pulsar Sedan and 2013 Patrol to Debut at Australian Motor Show

The compact sedan we first came to know as the new Sylphy for Asia before Nissan told us that it will be named Sentra in North America, will be marketed as the new Pulsar in Australia, where it will debut at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney from October 19 to 28. Read more »

Opel Brand Opens its Wings and Launches in Australia and Chile

While Ford's European arm is trying to counter slow sales in the region through a product offensive, GM's rivaling Opel brand is going international launching in Australia and Chile.

In the Land Down Under, Opel's initial model range consists of the Corsa supermini, the Astra five-door compact hatchback and Sports Tourer (station wagon), and the Insignia mid-size sedan.

Ford Australia to Take Over FPV Performance Brand from Prodrive

Ford Performance Vehicles (more commonly knows as FPV), which was originally established as a joint venture between Prodrive (51%) and Ford Australia (49%), will be absorbed by the Blue Oval's local arm.

The announcement was made on Thursday with Ford and FPV, the maker of cars like the Falcon-based GT RSPEC and F6 high performance sedans, expected to complete negotiations shortly.

Lexus Debuts GS 350 F Sport Safety Car at Sydney Motorsport Park

Thanks to a long-standing partnership between Lexus Australia and Sydney Motorsport Park, track officials can now look forward to the ownership of a permanent GS 350 F Sport safety car.

CEO of Sydney Motorsport Park and the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club, Glenn Matthews, said that the GS was a great addition to the course in light of recent changes.

Less Than Meets the Eye: Ford Falcon XR6 Gives Birth to Conceptual Falcatron Transformer

As much as Ford's Australian division would have liked to see one of its models taking a role in the popular world of Transformers, this won't be happening any time soon.

For now, however, Ford will make do with a design for a conceptual Transformers character named the "Falcatron" based on the Australian market Falcon XR6 Turbo, which in real life sports a 4.0-liter turbocharged inline-six that generates 362hp / 270kW of power.

Mitsubishi Australia’s New CEO Doesn’t Know "Why People Buy a Mitsubishi"

Less than three months ago, Mitsubishi Australia welcomed their newest board member and CEO of the company, Mutsuhiro Oshikiri, and he already has some constructive criticism for the brand as a whole.

"The product is old…and the prices are too high," Oshikiri told Australian daily The Sydney Morning Herald during an interview last week.

Lexus Teases New LF-LC II Concept with AWD and Around 500HP Ahead of Sydney Motor Show Debut

We knew that Lexus is seriously considering a production version of its well-received LF-LC concept, first displayed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, and it looks like the company is nearing a decision.

On Monday, Lexus announced that it will debut a further development of the hybrid sports coupe, this time complete with a powertrain, as a world premiere at the Australian International Motor Show that takes place in Sydney from October 19 to 28.

"The Lexus concept is an absolutely stunning vehicle and is set to be one of the drawcards of the show," commented Lexus Australia Chief Executive Tony Cramb. "The concept will highlight Lexus' design and engineering expertise - marrying design with function to deliver a glimpse into the future of supercars," he added.

New Ferrari F70 V12 Hybrid Hypercar Through the Eyes of David Williams

No thanks to the extensive efforts of Ferrari's engineers to keep all prototypes of the Enzo's replacement (codenamed F70) safe from prying eyes, there's a lot of speculation about what Maranello's next top model will look like.

Independent artist David Williams from Sydney, Australia, whom we first heard about this past June through his Ferrari 365 Turin design concept, took a good look at Ferrari's test cars and put his imagination to work to create his own vision of the F70.

Before we let you check out Williams' well-executed renderings in the gallery below, we'll remind you that the new F70 is slated to debut before the end of the year and go on sale in 2013.

The rear wheel-drive flagship from Maranello will sport a hybrid powerplant linking a mid-mounted 7.3-liter V12 naturally aspirated V12 rated at around 800-horses to a dual-clutch transmission and a pair of electric motors with about 120hp for a total system output in excess of 900 ponies.

Volkswagen Touareg Treks From Melbourne to St. Petersburg in Record Time

Take note: 17 days, 18 hours and 49 minutes is the all-new world record for a trip spanning from Melbourne, Australia, to St. Petersburg Russia. The trip was performed with a Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI and spanned 23,000 kilometers (14,000 miles), nine different countries and over two major bodies of water. Read more »

All-New 2013 Toyota Auris and Auris Hybrid Unveiled In Advance of Paris Motor Show Debut

These are the first official images of the all-new 2013 Toyota Auris, a compact sized hatchback that will compete against the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, among other cars in the segment, and which will be sold in Europe and Japan as well other parts of the world including Australia where it will be marketed as the Corolla.

As Toyota's bestselling nameplate in Europe, the new Auris will make its world premiere at the upcoming Paris Motor Show at the end of September in both regular and hybrid trims.

The first thing Toyota tried to address with the new Auris is its predecessor's bland looks with a sharper and more distinctive styling that borrows the new “face” of the brand as seen on the Prius and the Yaris models. Whether or not it succeeded is something we'll let you decide and tell us in the comments section below.

According to the Japanese brand, the 2013 Auris has the distinction of sitting lower than any other mainstream C-segment model. It's also worth mentioning that its overall height is 55mm (2.2 inches) less than the outgoing model while it sports a lower front end design, both of which help it achieve a Cd0.28 drag coefficient.

New Falcon-Based GT RSPEC with Supercharged V8 is Fastest Ever FVP Model

While the future of the Ford Falcon as well as the Blue Oval's Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) division in Australia remains undecided, the company went ahead and revealed its fastest ever model with the GT RSPEC Limited Edition.

The Falcon-based model is said to have been developed to deliver "racetrack-inspired handling" and features an assortment of upgrades over the regular GT variants such as a significantly recalibrated suspension, new wider rear wheels with 275/35 R19 Dunlop Sports Maxx tires and, in an FPV first, Launch Control.

HSV Brings Back ClubSport and Maloo, Updates the Rest of the Range

Holden Special Vehicles, or HSV for short, is the high-performance arm of the GM-owned Holden brand in Australia. This week, HSV released details on its updated MY12.5 range that coincides with the company's year-long 25th anniversary celebrations.

The big story for the new model year is the re-introduction of the most affordable Commodore based V8 models, the ClubSport saloon and the Maloo ute, which is Aussie talk for a car-based utility vehicle (think Chevrolet El Camino).

Both models sit below their respective R8 level variants in terms of equipment missing out on HSV’s Enhanced Driver Interface (EDI) and in the case of the Maloo, the remote locking hard tonneau and performance sailplane as well, but do keep other goods such as the 20-inch wheels, performance seats, satellite navigation and Rear Park Assist with reversing camera.

Australia's Ford Performance Vehicles Reveals Limited Edition Pursuit Ute

Our Australian neighbors have just recieved word of a brand new Ute complete with an overhaul by in-house tuners Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) making its way into the Pursuit lineup.

The performance pickup car comes in a black finish with red highlights complete with Pursuit GT RSPEC light alloy wheels and newly painted front and rear bumpers and exhaust tips.

Hyundai Sells its One-Millionth Vehicle in Australia, 26 Years After Commencing Operations

Hyundai has reached an important milestone in Australia with the delivery of its one-millionth new vehicle.

The car in question is an ix35 (known as the Tucson in North America) that was registered on Thursday at John Hughes in Perth, which the company says, was the exact same dealership which sold the very first new Hyundai in Australia, some 26 years ago.

Holden Reveals New Chevy-Based Malibu Sedan, Goes on Sale in Australia Next Year

Australia's version of the new generation of the Chevrolet Malibu was official unveiled today by GM' local subsidiary, Holden, ahead of the mid-size sedan's 2013 launch in the market.

Holden said that it will complete the engineering work to tailor the vehicle to Australian customers’ tastes over the next few months through "extensive testing" at the brand's proving ground in Lang Lang and numerous verification drives on Victorian public roads.

All-New 2014 Kia Forte / Cerato Compact Sedan Closely Modeled After the Cee'd gets Teased

The Kia Forte, also known as the Cerato in some countries including Australia and Brazil, has only been in the market in sedan form since 2008, with the Coupe variant following in 2009 and the five-door hatchback in 2010, but the Korean automaker is ready to move forward and present its successor.

The new generation of the Forte sedan is teased in these official renderings ahead of a launch in its home market of Korea under the new name 'K3'(domestic market only) and possibly a U.S. debut either at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November or the Detroit Motor Show in January of 2013.

Kia said that after the Forte sedan goes on sale in Korea, it will appear in many overseas markets during the first quarter of 2013, and will be followed by the five-door hatchback and two-door coupe variants.

Ice Age's Scrat Spots an Acorn in the Peugeot 5008 MPV, 307 and Partner Tepee

As one of the most, if not the most, popular characters from the Ice Age movie franchise, Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel obsessed with acorns, plays a central role in the advertisement efforts related to the film series.

Peugeot, an official sponsor of the fourth installment of the Ice Age franchise dubbed "Continental Drift", has enlisted the help of Scrat to sell its vehicles across many regions around the world including Europe and Australia.

World's First Chrome Wrapped Lexus LFA Arrives in Australia

An Australian buyer will soon take delivery of what is billed by Lexus itself as the first chrome-wrapped LFA in the world (if any you have proof of another example, tell us about it in the comments section or send us an email).

The Lexus LFA No304 is one of only 10 examples of the V10-powered supercar destined for the Land Down Under, from a total worldwide production run of 500 vehicles.

First Drive: Toyota Camry Atara S Sedan

Toyota is one of the world's most successful automotive brands, and in the States, the Camry mid-sizer is their best seller. In Australia, it's easily the de facto choice in its class for rental and taxi companies, government fleets and private buyers. Join us as we take the Australian-spec Atara S for one of our weeklong road test and reviews. Read more »