Aussie Motoring

Newspapers in Japan are reporting that Toyota will have a new hybrid on the market by 2009. The new vehicle won’t be a replacement for the very successful Prius but will target the next level of engine capacity. It could even appear with a 3 litre motor.

… well according to the Vatican it is because arouses feelings of envy.

Photo courtesy of FlyingPete and Morguefile

Not surprisingly Ferrari begs to differ with the Pope on this one. Ferrari has been building objects of envy for the last 60 years and they’re not about to stop now.

It might be last year’s car but it certainly remains a real eye-catcher and now it’s hit the big time in the United States.

The announcement was made today at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn Michigan that the Efijy had beaten a field of 32 other concept cars and 11 pre-production models.

The photo was taken at last year’s Brisbane Motor Show

You can read more about the award here and you can see more photos and a little bit about the Holden Efijy by following the link

Toyota stayed well on top of the leader board during May despite a slight drop in sales compared to the same time last year. Holden, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda took out the minor placings

Photo courtesy of Newscom.com

Resurgent sales of Large cars and Sports Utility Vehicles have kept the Australian motor vehicle market on its record path.

Official sales figures for May released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 88,597 vehicles were sold - an increase of 5140 or 6.2 per cent over May last year.

The figures show that, for the year to date, the motor vehicle market is now up 32,567 vehicles or 8.4 per cent over the same period of 2006.

May sales of family-sized Large cars increased by 1020 vehicles or 9.3 per cent over the same month last year while Upper large sales grew by 284 or 52.0 per cent.

“It’s encouraging to see a consolidation in the Large and Upper Large segments which reflects both the introduction of exciting new product and the response of brands to the competitive challenges of the market,” said FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar.

Large cars sales are now up 5.4 per cent so far this year, while the Medium passenger car segment - which includes the Australian-made Toyota Camry - was up 6.6 per cent in May and 5.0 per cent year-to-date.

The SUV Market was up 2096 vehicles or 14.1 per cent in May, driven in particular by new model activity in the SUV Compact segment, which was up 1643 or 26.3 per cent.

“The resurgence in sales of SUVs and Large cars demonstrates that family-sized vehicles continue to meet the preferences of a significant number of Australian consumers because they suit their lifestyles and transport requirements,” said Andrew McKellar.

“There remains a substantial and legitimate market for these kinds of vehicles - and there always will be.”

Sales of Small and Light cars levelled off in May, falling 1.0 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.

Toyota was the top-selling motor vehicle brand in May with 19,371 ahead of Holden (12,902) and Ford (9571).

Year-to-date Toyota leads with 21.9 per cent share of the market ahead of Holden (14.8 per cent) and Ford (10.5 per cent).

Mazda (7.7 per cent), Nissan (6.3), Mitsubishi (6.1) and Honda (6.0) have all gained market share over the same period of last year.

The Daily Mail in London is reporting that from 2010 new cars will have a black box installed in them that will automatically call emergency services if the car is involved in a serious accident.

That sounds like a great idea but what if it also records how you were driving prior to the accident? What if it reports how you were driving even if you don’t have an accident?

And how long will it be before it arrives in Australia?

You can read the full Daily Mail story here.

Well you can spend an hour in a Pagani Zonda courtesy of Australian Car Advice if your the lucky winner of the competition they’re running at the moment.

Here is the link to the competition and all I can do is wish you luck - butt-ugly buggers like me aren’t allowed anywhere near a thing of beauty and power like the Pagani Zonda

Motorcycle sales continue to accelerate as more Australians turn to two wheels.

Official retail sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show that 38,331 motorcycles, scooters and ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) were sold for the first four months to April 30 – an increase of 6251 or 20.5 per cent over the same period in 2006.

Most of the growth was in the road bike market, which leapt 3753 to sales of 14,001, or up 36.6 per cent compared towith last year.

“These results are a continuation of the growth of the last few years and reflect an increasing trend towards the fuel-efficiency and convenience of motorcycles and scooters,” said FCAI Chief Executive, Peter Sturrock said.

The combined motorcycle, scooter and ATV market grew for the fourth year in a row in 2006, hitting a record of 119,210 – an increase of 16,969 or 16.6 per cent on the previous record set in 2005.

The sustained growth has also resulted from the growing diversity of available models that allows more buyers to find the right bike for their needs.

The major contributors to the growth of the road bike market were cruisers and sports bikes.

Cruisers accounted for 31.1 per cent of the total road bike market with sales of 4334, while sports bikes grabbed 20.3 per cent with sales of 2840.

Photo courtesy of sideshowmom and Morguefile

The scooter boom continues unabated, with sales rising 19.9 per cent to 4991 to the end of April.

Following the launch of several new models last September, Yamaha (13.2%) has zipped into second place in the scooter segment behind market leader Bolwell (17.7%).

Bug scooters sits in third with 13.2 per cent of the market, followed by Vespa (11.3%) and Honda (10.6%).

Total off-road motorcycle sales of 14,209 was enough to make it the largest market segment in the first quarter.

Sales of ATVs rose by 1.4 per cent to 5130 units, and the off-road motorcycle market grew by 15.2 per cent

The enduro four-stroke segment led the way with sales of 3979, followed by four-stroke motocross bikes (3185) and minibikes (3159).

“While the increase in off-road bike sales have been somewhat affected by the drought, scooters continue to rise on top of their incredible sales growth of 43 per cent in 2006 due to their proven fuel savings and ease of operation,” said Mr Sturrock said.

The strong Australian dollar means that retail conditions in the motorcycle and scooter markets will remain very favourable for consumers into the foreseeable future.

Yamaha increased its total sales by 27.2 per cent to 9105 to capture number one position with 23.8 per cent market share.

Honda achieved total sales of 8910 to claim 23.2 per cent of the total market.

With sales of 4518 (11.8% market share), Suzuki was the third top-selling selling brand followed by Kawasaki with 3174 (8.3%) and a fast-growing Harley-Davidson 2144 (5.6%).

Harley-Davidson, which grew 30.4 per cent compared with the same period in 2006, was second in total road bike sales behind Honda but ahead of Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

by Stuart Livesey

I guess it’s time to come out of the closet and admit to the world that I’m a big fan of the classic VW. There’s no car with more quirky character than the classic Volkswagen Beetle. No matter how much you tart up the latest version of the Beetle it still doesn’t have the same appeal as the old Beetle.

Photo courtesy of dantada and Morguefile.com

That’s probably why I just had to tell you about a new website out there - The Classic VW Beetle - a site that will take you through “the travails of an amateur Classic VW Beetle enthusiast.

If you want to see the Beetle in all of its quirky splendour then start with Thinking About Customizing Your VW Beetle. On that page you will find the VW flower pot, the VW helicopter, the VW Beetle crossed with a ‘57 Chevy, a stretched Beetle limo and other interesting variations on the theme.