http://www.aussiemotoring.com News and Reviews From the Australian Motoring Scene Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:32:47 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If Ford's plan for taxis comes to pass then the taxis that we are so familiar with are about to undergo a major face lift that will see the end of the usual sedan in many areas. Ford's Transit Connect Taxi is built on a dedicated commercial vehicle platform that's been ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/10/fords-new-look-taxi/ Based on the 2010MY LS variant, the RX Outlander adds distinctive features not found in the current model. The exterior of the Outlander RX features a redesigned front bumper and fog lights, 18 inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, along with unique side and rear air dams. Finishing touches include silver painted ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/10/mitsubishi-outlander-rx-special-edition/ With Honda CR-V sales plummeting (down over 25% last month) and Honda Accord sales down as well Honda must be wondering what they have to do to attract the buyers here in Australia ... especially when they can win awards in other parts of the world. The Honda Accord and ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/10/honda-accord-and-honda-cr-v-named-best-in-class-in-the-united-states/ Subaru is releasing a limited edition Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive Impreza R with leather trim. Available with the choice of five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, in both sedan and hatch, 1000 Impreza R limited editions will arrive in April with a price premium of just $500 over the standard Impreza R. Impreza ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/09/limited-edition-subaru-impreza/ Concept cars are often way-out looking machines that really push the limits of design and visual appeal but that's not the way the 5 by Peugeot comes across. Peugeot will unveil the new 5 by Peugeot concept car at this month’s Geneva Motor Show, with the launch of the 5 by ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/04/5-by-peugeot-concept-car/ The Honda Civic Type R of Eli Evans and Glen Weston missed a podium position by mere seconds to finish overall fourth place at least weekend’s Rally of Tasmania. It was an impressive debut for the JAS Motorsport built, Mugen powered, Tankformers backed Evans Motorsport Honda Civic Type R. On Friday’s first ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/04/honda-civic-r-rally-car/ Automotive recalls seem to be something akin to a virus these days ... they're going around and everyone seems to be catching them. This week it's Nissan and GM who are churning out letters ... a lot of letters ... to people who have bought their products. Nissan Nissan is recalling over ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/04/recalls-recalls-and-more-recalls/ Sometimes you have to wonder about Limited Editions ... here's one that gets a special badge, some extra metal and a leather steering wheel and that's all it takes to make it special. Still, the price for the limited edition Mitsubishi Lancer ACTiV is attractive. Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) will ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/04/mitsubishi-lancer-activ/ If you're into small city cars then the new Nissan Micra is going to be of some interest to you. This is the fourth generation Nissan Micra and Nissan's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, unveiled it today at the International Geneva Motor Show. The new Nissan Micra is a very important vehicle for ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/03/new-nissan-micra/ Sales of new cars in February rose again with 82,219 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in February, up 17.1 per cent (or 11,978 vehicles) on the same month in 2009 and an increase of 7,355 vehicles on sales in January according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/03/new-car-sales-rise-again-in-australia/ Volkswagen plans to strategically bundle its competence in electric traction and extend it step-by-step. It has now established a clear launch schedule for its E-traction products. Prof. Dr. Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG explains: “Volkswagen will be taking E-mobility to mass production. In 2011, we ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/02/volkswagens-electric-vehicles/ Now correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Channel 9 say that they would not cut any bits out of the Top Gear episodes just so they could squeeze them into 52 minutes and have time left for crappy ads? Well here I sit watching only the second episode of Top ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/02/top-gear-and-channel-9/ Subaru's popular Sports Utility Vehicle will add a super-efficient diesel engine to the range in early June, with the launch of the Subaru Forester 2.0D. Subaru has confirmed there will be two diesel variants, the Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive Forester 2.0D and 2.0D Premium. Nick Senior, Subaru Managing Director, said: “Given the level ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/02/subaru-adds-a-forester-turbo-diesel/ The New York Times is reporting that Chrysler has agreed to recall around 312,000 Minivans in the United States due to corrosion that's affecting bearings in the airbag deployment system. It seems that the corrosion can get so bad that the airbags don't deploy in an accident. Chrysler didn't want to ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/02/chrysler-and-mazda-recalls/ What I liked: Very cheap on fuel … it’s bigger and more powerful than my own car but uses half the amount of petrol. Easy to drive … it’s high-tech but you wouldn’t know it when you’re behind the wheel. Automatic wipers … it’s the first car I’ve tested or driven that ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/03/01/hybrid-camry-road-test-her-thoughts/ Every year the roads around Tasmania come alive with exotic machines and lots of high-adrenalin tarmac rallying when Targa Tasmania is unleashed. This year Targa Tasmania is running from April 27 through to May 2 and Mazda is in the mix of competitors with it's new Mazda3 MPS. Whiel the Mazda3 ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/02/26/mazda-and-targa-tasmania/ There are times when I’m sure that the designers of high-tech motor cars do things just to embarrass wannabe motoring scribblers and there are times when they achieve that aim very effectively. I know that they certainly caught me with the new Toyota Hybrid Camry. Let me just set the scene ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/02/25/toyota-hybrid-camry-road-test/ It seems that GM's sale of Hummer to the Chinese company Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines is off. General Motors gave no reason for the sale going sour but there are some suggestions on the Web that the Chinese Government intervened to stop the deal. GM now says that it will ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/02/25/hummer-sale-off/ The sale Holden Commodores into the United States ... where they were to be marketed as the Pontiac G8 ... was canned last year during the General Motors meltdown despite the fact that around 35,600 G8's had been sold in the previous 18 months. Of course that was quite a blow ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/02/25/holden-commodore-sales-to-the-us/ Has Hyundai blotted it's copybook and joined the recall ranks? Reuters is reporting that Hyundai has halted sales of it's 2011 model US built Sonata due to "potential faults in the front door latches". The number of 2011 Hyundai Sonata vehicles affected by the recall is thought to be around 1300. Hyundai's share ... http://www.aussiemotoring.com/2010/02/24/hyundai-halts-sonata-sales/