Hyundai Australia made the announcement yesterday evening, only hours after Hyundai Motor America revealed the Veloster Turbo would be put into production.

Hyundai Australia has not yet confirmed timing of the new model, although it is not expected to arrive in local showrooms until at least the second half of 2012.

Hyundai is expected to unveil the production version of the Veloster Turbo at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

The turbocharged model will join Hyundai Australia’s line-up after the local launch of the naturally aspirated Veloster in the first quarter of next year.

Although it is still to be confirmed, the Veloster Turbo will almost certainly feature Hyundai’s new Gamma 1.6 T-GDI powerplant which boasts 152kW of power and 265Nm of torque. The standard Veloster will be powered by a 103kW/167Nm 1.6-litre petrol engine.

A six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission will send power to the front wheels.

There is no word yet whether Hyundai will differentiate the design of the turbo model from the standard car, however, it has given us a look at the customisation potential of the Veloster at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where it currently has a number of unique designs on display.

Among those is the ARK Performance Veloster: a sleek grey/green rally car with 47 exterior, interior and mechanical modifications.

Then there’s the PM Lifestyle Veloster: a bold blue creation with a custom leather interior designed to be both “powerful and interactive”.

The hard-core Rhys Millen Racing 2WD Global Rally Cross Veloster will be the one for the true rally and performance enthusiasts. The RMR Veloster is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine with 224kW of power and 406Nm of torque.

#gallery-1 #gallery-1 .gallery-item #gallery-1 img #gallery-1 .gallery-caption

Note: Images show cars from the SEMA Show, not the upcoming Veloster Turbo.

It’s a compact city runabout car made in Japan by a company called Humanix with input from researchers at Hiroshima University, and it will be put on the market soon in its domestic market. It features an electric powertrain and has three wheels.

The quirkiest feature of the iSAVE SC-1 is the inflatable exterior. Every side of the car, except the roof and underbody, is fitted with impact-absorbing inflated pillows, particularly at the front and rear.

These airbags are able to absorb energy in the event of an impact. We’re not quite sure what would happen in a head-on accident at a reasonable speed, but iSAVE SC-1 drivers won’t have to worry too much about that, as the top speed of the iSAVE is just 50km/h.

The iSAVE SC-1 will hit the market with prices starting at around US$10,400. Take a look at the video below to see the iSAVE in action, colliding with a bunch of men standing up against a car.

The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers (APESMA) says at this stage it looks like the Commodore – an Australian icon for 33 years and Australia’s best selling car for the past 15 years – will be replaced by a front-wheel drive medium car before the end of the decade.

APESMA chief executive Chris Walton described the impending shift to overseas design and engineering of the Commodore as a “disaster” for the local industry.

“Senior management have confirmed to APESMA that it is highly likely that the 2014 Commodore will be the last one engineered in Australia,” Mr Walton told ABC News.

He said Holden and parent company General Motors were considering the shift to a global vehicle architecture and overseas engineering and design work for the Commodore-after-next.

“Unfortunately, we think it is highly likely they are going to make this decision.”

Mr Walton said as many as 350 jobs could be lost from GM Holden’s Fisherman’s Bend facility in Port Melbourne if Commodore development was shifted overseas, and insisted the flow-on effects could threaten thousands of local manufacturing and supplier jobs.

Holden says it has not yet finalised its decisions about future design and engineering work on the vehicle that will replace the 2014 Commodore.

“The issues being raised in the media today relate to decisions for the new products which Australians won’t see until closer to the end of the decade.

“We have been very open with our employees, unions, media and government about some of the options and the challenges we face in the local market, in terms of global competition for capital investment and the regulatory environment.

“But what we don’t do is comment on our EBA negotiations in the media, nor do we speculate about very long-term future models, and we certainly don’t intend to give our global competitors a free kick.”

GM Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux told ABC radio said the future of the 2014 Commodore is not in doubt.

“The next generation Commodore is an Australian car. We engineered and designed it in Port Melbourne. We’re going to build it in Adelaide,” Mr Devereux said.

“The Commodore is 100 per cent designed, engineered, manufactured in Australia today and the next Commodore 100 per cent designed, engineered, manufactured in Australia for many, many, many more years.”

Mr Devereux admitted the Australian automotive industry was a complex one, but he said Holden intended to be a big part of it beyond 2014.

“It is difficult today to do things in Australia, to continue to manufacture things in Australia with the economic and political climate that we’ve got, and we at Holden fight every single day for the right to continue to do the three things that we do here … design, build and engineer cars,” he said.

“There is definitely a role for Australia in the long term plan.”

Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr told the ABC’s AM that the Government expects the Commodore to be built in Australia until at least 2014, but admitted the future was less clear beyond there.

“This industry … is capital intensive, decisions are made on a long-term basis,” Mr Carr said. “We are in the process of discussion about these questions.”

Mr Walton told ABC News he did not believe Australians would accept a foreign-designed and -engineered Commodore as their own.

“I think Holden is likely to say that because a car is still bolted together in Australia, they may try and still argue that they are producing an Australian car,” he said.

“That would be simply conning the Australian community.”

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class will be the first proper model update since 2003, with the 2008 model getting a facelift to freshen up the front end and to blend in with the Mercedes-Benz design language of the time. Mercedes-Benz is in the final stages of testing of the new model, as hinted by the lack of heavy camouflage and almost-production-ready panels and trimmings.

At the front, the new SL will showcase a front grille design in tune with Europe’s tightening pedestrian safety laws, while it also features the new design Mercedes-Benz headlights and horizontally configured corner spotlight clusters. The new SL will also feature a completely overhauled rear end with a perched up boot and smoother lines.

As for the powerplants, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz will come in 3.5-litre V6 petrol guise, as well as 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 form. An AMG version possibly getting the new 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 is also on the cards.

The interior of the upcoming model will showcase a similar layout as seen in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. There will be a new, sportier three-spoke steering wheel and plenty of leather throughout.

All is expected to the revealed sometime in 2012. Stay tuned.

#gallery-1 #gallery-1 .gallery-item #gallery-1 img #gallery-1 .gallery-caption

Watch this video on YouTube

This first episode deals with Range Anxiety — the misconception that an electric car will run out of juice and leave you stranded. Research shows that more than 90 percent of Australian drivers travel less than 100km a day, which the i-MiEV can easily handle.

Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management, Paul Unerkov, said “As EV technology is new to many consumers, there is a wide range of misconceptions in the marketplace regarding electric vehicles. We developed the EVidence as a tool to help educate our customers about our newest product, the i-MiEV, and also to pave the way for our future electric and plug-in hybrid models.”

Enjoy the video and read our Mitsubishi i-MiEV reviews.

The soft-top Roadster becomes the sixth model in the born-again British manufacturer’s line-up, and will launch locally alongside the MINI Coupe hardtop in March.

BMW Australia’s Piers Scott confirmed the brand’s marketing department had decided to push back the launch of the Coupe – which was initially scheduled to go on sale in Australia about now – to align with the Roadster.

The two-seat Roadster is around 100mm longer than the four-seat MINI Cabrio and sits 20mm closer to the ground, giving it a low-slung appearance that is accentuated by raked windscreen and gradually rising waistline.

Despite the compact dimensions, the boot has a cargo capacity of 240 litres, and MINI has also included larger door bins, three cup holders and a cross-rack behind the seats.

Globally, MINI will offer four variants of the Roadster: Cooper Roadster, SD Roadster, S Roadster and John Cooper Works (JCW) Roadster. Mr Scott confirmed Australia would get only the two high-performance petrol models – S and JCW – and said MINI Australia intended to “spec them quite highly” to position them “at the top of the heap”. The MINI Coupe will be sold in the same two trim levels in Australia.

Although pricing is still to be finalised, Mr Scott said the best indication was that the Coupe models would be around $5000 more than their comparative hatches, and the Roadster variants would add another $1000 to $2000 on top of that.

The MINI Cooper S hatch starts at $40,700, suggesting the S Coupe will be priced around $45,500 and the S Roadster around $47,000. The MINI Cooper JCW hatch is priced from $50,400, pointing to a price of around $55,000 for the JCW Coupe and $56,500 for the JCW Roadster.

Official Australian pricing and specification details will be confirmed closer to the vehicles’ launch early next year.

The engines and transmissions will be familiar with the rest of the MINI range.

The S Roadster gets a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine producing 135kW and 240Nm. It sports a 0-100km/h time of 7.0 seconds and tidy fuel consumption of 6.0 litres/100km combined.

The JCW Roadster gets the high-performance 155kW/280Nm tune of the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine. It hits 100km/h from standstill in just 6.5 seconds and uses 7.3 litres/100km combined.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while the six-speed automatic gearbox is optional.

MINI says the Roadster will bring a ‘new interpretation’ of the traditional go-kart driving dynamics to the brand. A Sport button on the centre console allows drivers to adjust the car’s acceleration and steering responses, and also shortens shift times when the auto transmission is optioned. The Sport button is standard on the JCW and optional throughout the rest of the range.

The soft-top roof is opened and closed manually, and tucks away behind the seats to maintain the Roadster’s unique, clean profile.

The Roadster also incorporates an active rear spoiler, which deploys at 80km/h and retracts when the car’s speed drops below 60km/h. It can also be managed manually at the touch of a button.

There will be no shortage of interior personalisation options, with seven different trim strips, five Colour Lines and a number of other upholstery possibilities offered, depending on the market.

Stay tuned for more details of the 2012 MINI Roadster and Coupe in the lead-up to their Australian launch in March.

#gallery-1 #gallery-1 .gallery-item #gallery-1 img #gallery-1 .gallery-caption

The Repubblica newspaper in Italy reported Silicy police issued the head-spinning fine to the woman and her husband earlier this month.

The fine was supposed to be dated 2008, however a clerical error resulted in it being dated back to the year 208, leading to 1803 years of interest and late fees being compounded on top of each other.

Police were alerted to their mistake and reissued a revised fine for 102 euros ($135).

The woman was released from hospital unharmed. Her husband has since paid the revised fine.

The year 208 would have been an unfortunate one to cop a parking fine in the region. Ignoring the fact that cars were almost 1700 years away from being invented, 208 marked the year that Roman Emperor Septimus Severus led an expedition of 20,000 men across Hadrian’s Wall and into eastern Scotland. We think they might have had a few more important things on their minds.

Although this may not technically be the production version, it could represent what the new car will look like with a few accessories on it. These are likely to include the chrome stripe down the side and certain elements of the bodykit and other trimmings.

The interior of the Toyota FT-86 has also been revealed in this brochure, showcasing a sporty cabin with a three-spoke sports steering wheel and high transmission tunnel. The images preview two-tone seats offering heavy side bolsters for cornering support.

In the top corner of the interior shot you can just make out the instrument cluster displaying an optimistic 9000rpm tacho. However, this could be part of the accessories being advertised. The redline appears to come in at around 7500rpm in any case.

As far as engine details go, no information on the official specifications has been released yet. It’s understood the FT-86 will feature a 2.0-litre Subaru boxer engine producing around 150kW of power. The power will be sent through a six-speed manual transmission and into a limited-slip differential at the back.

The Toyota FT-86 is set to be unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show on November 30. CarAdvice will be on hand to provide all the coverage.

What do you think of the looks so far? Is it what you were expecting, even if accessorised?

The Soul led Kia’s recent design-based range revitalization. (Kia still refers to it as ‘outside the box’ … despite being the boxiest car in the Kia range, with a design that kicked off using a set square and a ruler before being all funked up.)

The Kia Soul might appear to be dripping with Gen Y appeal, and it’s certainly marketed that way. In Canada, where Kia Soul sales (and Kia sales generally) are off the Richter, the television commercial utilizes rapping hamsters that drive into inside a robotic warfare free-fire zone to inspire the combatants to peace. Really.

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when the ad agency pitched that commercial: “Okay, so the robots are really getting into it with their laser death rays, like totally annihilating one another, then the hamsters drive up and start rapping and, like, peace just spontaneously breaks out and even the robots start rapping and hi-fiving together…”

Despite all its purported youthfulness, the Kia Soul is also incredibly popular with buyers into their sixth decade and beyond (ie, 50+). Maybe it’s the underlying practicality (boxy shapes are very efficient from a space/efficiency viewpoint) or perhaps it’s the bung-hip-friendly seating ergonomics (you slide across into a Soul, rather than climbing up or down into it). Hell, maybe it’s the youthful connotations – buy a Kia Soul and drive yourself young. Whatever; if you’re middle-aged or beyond the Kia Soul seems to resonate just as well as it does with the young.

Beneath the marketing hype the Kia Soul makeover offers significant substance. For the first time in Australia there’s a 2.0-litre petrol engine in the range. (A 2.0-litre petrol was available earlier on, in other markets; we got the 1.6.) With peak outputs of 122kW and 200Nm the so-called ‘Nu’ engine raises the bar substantially on the previous 1.6-litre unit’s 91kW and 156Nm. The 1.6-litre petrol continues, though notionally with 95kW and 157Nm, as does the 1.6-litre CRDI diesel with 94kW and 260Nm.

The Nu engine lacks the latest direct injection technology, however, even though a direct injection 2.0-litre petrol ‘GDI’ engine is available elsewhere in the Hyundai-Kia stable.

Just as significant as the engine upgrade is the move to a new six-speed auto for 2012 Soul – a healthy refinement upgrade from the previous Kia Soul’s four-speed auto, as well as the probable source of the incremental fuel efficiency increases in the new model. Both 1.6-litre engines are available with the choice of six-speed manual or auto, while the 2.0 is a six-speed auto only proposition.

Also on the substance front, telescopic reach adjustment has been added to the steering, a real positive for getting the driving position just right. Vehicle stability management and hill start assistance has also been added, along with 18-inch alloys at the top of the range, wearing 225/45 silica tyres.

I drove the 2012 Kia Soul about 200km across the Korean peninsula recently, as a guest of Kia Motors. It’s a very comfortable drive, and the new 2.0 is happy to lope along on motorways all day long and normal highway speeds. No chiropractor is required, even after several hours behind the wheel.

Ride quality is above average, but you can’t help but think it would improve even more on 17-inch wheels and 55-series rubber instead of the 18-inch/45-series combination fitted. Overall, dynamically, the new Kia Soul doesn’t actually need the 45s – they’re a concession to style, mostly.

The driving experience itself is fairly benign – the vehicle’s intrinsic funkiness is limited to the styling department. (It’s uninspiring, but competent to steer, and the straight-line performance is at least acceptable.) That’s all not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for a car with real driver engagement/excitement, this isn’t it. Competence rules the Kia Soul’s roost, with the only real negative being a bit of a sideways lurch, occasionally, when you encounter a mid-corner bump. Other than that; plain sailing.

There’s some road noise, but it’s not excessive, and overtaking performance and refinement are vastly improved thanks to both the new engine’s uprated outputs and the fact that the six forward ratios allow far slicker transfer of power when more is required.

The 2012 Kia Soul is great value value. The Soul 1.6 MPI manual remains at the previous model’s price-point: just $21,490. The automatic adds $2200. Topping the range the Soul+ diesel is $27,990 (the automatic adds $2990) while the all-new 2.0-litre petrol is $26,990 with its standard six-speed automatic. The Soul+ models also gain 18-inch alloys, which you don’t really need and possibly hurt the ride quality a bit, but which look pretty cool.

According to ANCAP, the Kia Soul enjoys a five-star safety rating (the highest rating possible). The new Kia Soul continues to offer excellent occupant protection, with a long list of standard safety features, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, and front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags.

In the crash-avoidance department, the new Kia Soul comes standard with ABS, ESC, traction control, etc. – the ‘works burger’ of electronic safety aids, basically. The warranty is hard to knock, too, with five years and unlimited kilometres standard.

The 2012 Kia Soul is a positive upgrade for a car that’s funkier than a practical car should be, and much more practical than plenty of other funky cars. Drive it up against a Toyota Rukus just to make sure you’re in the right ballpark.

John Cadogan travelled to Seoul in South Korea as a guest of Kia to compile this report. The 2012 Kia Soul is due for Australian release before the end of 2011.

#gallery-1 #gallery-1 .gallery-item #gallery-1 img #gallery-1 .gallery-caption

The company was given until 11am yesterday to hand in its response to Guy Lofalk, who applied to have courts lift the Saab bankruptcy protection after he saw no possibility of Saab making a successful reorganisation.

Saab failed to make the 11am deadline, only just handing in its statement plea before 4pm when the court closed.

Saab owner, Swedish Automobile, asked Swedish courts to hold off for a few more days, saying that it is in “intense final negotiations” with investors. The company said in a statement,

“The final result of these negotiations, which can come more or less anytime, are conclusive for Saab’s ability to take a stance on the question that the court has asked Saab to comment on. Thus, Saab cannot, until the result is known, make any remarks.”

Meanwhile, Saab’s press officer, Gunilla Gustavs, recently said, “Just a few minutes before four o’clock, we sent a statement to the court that basically says ‘we recognise that we were given an opportunity to file an opinion. We have not done that because we were at the final negotiation stage with our financial investors’.”

A final decision from the court is set to be finalised today (local time), however, it’s almost anyone’s guess as to what will actually result.