Subaru Australia managing director, Nick Senior, credits the Impreza with having driven sales, particularly since the arrival of a sedan model earlier this year.
Next week the range will get another boost with the updated 2.5-litre WRX sedan and hatch.
Senior says that despite the recent new car sales slowdown, Subaru is on track to achieve its 11th consecutive record sales year.
The Impreza is a big contributor, he says.
“We've seen Impreza sales up 7 per cent this year in a small car market that is up only marginally up year to date and that is despite the fact that we haven't had a sedan, which accounted for 50 per cent of our sales in the previous Impreza,” he says.
“We launched the Impreza sedan in May and next week we launch the 2.5-litre WRX in sedan and hatch variants.
“We are anticipating that our WRX sales will also increase.”
Senior admitted that the past six months had been difficult but the company was performing solidly on the back of the Impreza and new Forester.
When the Impreza was launched last year it pushed sales up 7 per cent without the added bonus of the sedan by attracting new buyers.
“We had a thorough look at Impreza and in terms of a pure marketing campaign it has been a success in attracting those new audiences, particularly the professional womens' segment... female buyers from 25-30 right through to 50-55 that are working business professionals,” he says.
“So we have grown that audience despite not having a sedan model.”
Subaru will go into 2009 with the existing Liberty and Outback range, which is not due to be replaced until the end of the year.
Senior says the company is also close to signing off on the Exiga minivan.
“We're having a look at Exiga,” he says.
“We've done clinics here.
“There's one running around at the moment doing some preliminary work on testing.
“We haven't pressed the button on it, yet, that's probably going to come after a few more discussions in late January.
“So I imagine in January we'll be making a decision and if it is coming it's probably late next year.”
Senior says unlike Japan, which has both turbo and non-turbo Exigas, only one normally aspirated model will be available here.
That is expected to be a 2.0-litre four cylinder.
In Japan that engine produces 108kW at 6000 revs and 191Nm at 3200 revs.
Widely praised as the best car ever made in Australia - and the first locally-manufactured car to be awarded a maximum five-star safety rating - the spearhead of the FG Falcon family car range swept a field drawn from around the world. More...
People's choice
But not only was the Blue Oval entrant the judges choice, it was also your favourite, taking out the people's choice award by a large margin. More...
Best green car
Determined to not let the Falcon snatch all the glory, Audi's A3 1.9 TDi e has been awarded carsguide's best green car, showing that common sense and clever engineering can turn an existing model into a highly efficient eco-friendly package. More...
Porsche ran its own back-to-back tests with the Japanese company's GT-R supercar and said it could not get within 25 seconds of Nissan's claimed record time of seven minutes 29 seconds in April. It also found its 911 Turbo and GT2 were both quicker than the GT-R.
Porsche said it took a standard GT-R, running on regular road tyres, and clocked the GT-R at 7:54.
The German sports car maker was initially protective of the exact lap times, which were run during a program when Porsche also compared its upcoming four-door Panamera with a range of potential rivals.
But Porsche eventually revealed its team clocked the GT-R at 7 minutes 54 seconds, with the 911 Turbo managing 7:38 and the GT2 getting down to 7:34.
The laps were not run by Porsche's usual hot-lap specialist, former world rally champion and race winner Walter Rohrl, but one of the company's chassis development engineers who is an expert on the Nurburgring.
Now, Drivers Republic in the UK has chimed in, with Ring veteran Chris Harris taking both a Nissan GT-R and a Porsche GT2 around the track.
Both vehicles were stock, except that the limiter was removed from the Nissan and it had Bridgestone tyres rather than the Dunlops used when the car set the 7:29 time.
Which vehicle proved the point? Drivers Republic has offered us their story and the video of their laps.
And they’re happy for you to leave comments here for them to respond to.
New-car buyers have a unique opportunity to bargain with dealers as the industry weathers a perfect storm of plummeting demand, rising costs and fallout from the credit crunch.
“Right now, it's an epic fire sale. We'll never see this repeated,” Channel Nine motoring expert and consultant John Cadogan said.
“If you've got the money, now is the time to buy. It won't be this good again.”
Some brands are offering huge incentives, including extended warranty, free on-road costs and price reductions running from $1000 to more than $10,000.
Mr Cadogan said that for a determined buyer these were merely the beginning.
“The basic formula for getting a discount is to ask for the drive-away price, subtract 15 per cent and offer that,” he said.
“If they won't be in it go somewhere else, because some dealer somewhere will trade in for that sort of discount. Be prepared to compromise on colour and trim if you have to.
“And even if it's not the make you want, you will get the same sort of car.
“The only caveat is that the car has to be in stock.
“When it's on the floor, the dealer is paying the finance cost of owning it because he has to buy it from the manufacturer.”
AMP chief economist Dr Shane Oliver said car sales were “in the process of falling off a cliff”.
“Given the urgency with which some dealers need to get rid of their stock rather than have it repossessed, there are bargains out there,” Dr Oliver said.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew Mackeller said brands are “doing what they can to clear the decks. There are excellent deals to be had on 2008-plated stock.”
The window will not be open for long.
The Australian dollar's dramatic plunge against major currencies will soon bite hard, forcing prices to rise.
For the moment, dealers disadvantaged by the credit crunch and the market downturn seek to urgently shift stock.
This buyer's market has been brought about by a downturn in car sales so dramatic that Holden has suspended production at its Adelaide plant for the first three months of 2009.
New-car sales for October were down by more than 10,000 units on the same month in 2007.
Dealers have also been hit by the withdrawal from the car market of financiers GE Money and General Motors Acceptance Corporation. This has caused a funding shortfall of about $2 billion which affects as many as 30 per cent of the nation's dealerships.
10 TIPS TO A GREAT DEAL
* Look for slow-selling models
* Look for 2008-build models
* Compare prices from dealers
* Go for a car that's in the showroom _ these are the ones the dealer needs to get rid of
* Big, thirsty cars are unpopular, but the savings on the purchase price can equal a year's worth of fuel
* Demand the driveaway price and offer under that
* Demand extended warranty and on-road costs
* Lean hard on the dealer to include optional extras
* Compromise on colour and trim and even make in order to save big
* Be ready to walk away there's no lack of competition out there
START HERE AND THEN OFFER 15 PER CENT LESS ...
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Though it had ruled out a diesel — once saying: "a Porsche that doesn't rev beyond 5000rpm isn't a Porsche" — the change of mind was spurred by new European tax incepntives for diesel vehicles.
It was further swayed by its majority shareholding in one of the world's biggest diesel-engine makers, Volkswagen.
From next year the Cayenne will be offered with an Audi-derived 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with 176kW and 550Nm of torque. It is fitted only to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission.
Porsche claims 9.3 litres/100km and 244g/km of CO2 emissions.
It is the second Audi engine to be fitted to the Cayenne after last year's launch of the 3-litre petrol V6 and now brings to four the SUV's engine options.
Porsche will also make the Cayenne with a hybrid powertrain from 2010.
In a statement, Porsche revved up the diesel by stating: "The spontaneous throttle response and high torque characteristics of this diesel engine deliver the required performance levels for an athletic all-terrain vehicle such as the Cayenne."
What should have been the main attraction in the car world was reduced to a sideshow as the heads of America's Big Three sat down in Detroit on the same day to beg for the billions they need to stay in business.
There was plenty of shiny new stuff but all the talk was doom and gloom, even from car chiefs who do not have the same live-or-die pressures as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.
"I think it is fair to say this is the worst we have seen," the head of the world's fifth-largest carmaker, Carlos Ghosn of the Nissan- Renault alliance, says as he delivers the keynote speech at the opening of LA '08.
"And we are not certain. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?", Ghosn says of the critical cash crisis which is affecting nearly everyone in the car world.
Still, there is plenty of new stuff and news on the strangely subdued stands in downtown LA.
The latest Ford Mustang, for a start.
And then the world debut of the latest Mazda3 and Lexus RX, the great looking new Nissan 370Z, the updated Porsche Cayman and Boxster, and even a droptop Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4.
It's no surprise, either, that some of the special impact in LA is reserved for cars which are chasing the elusive path to a future beyond petrol that satisfies American lawmakers' deepening desire for transport without emissions.
The Mini E is the obvious champion, but LA also has the electric Mitsubishi i-MIEV which is likely to become Australia's first plug-and- go volt car, and all sorts of new-and-old battery-powered concept cars from the Big Three and a growing number of hybrid production cars including the Mondeo-sized Ford Fusion.
As well as the radical looking Honda FC Sport Concept, which was done to prove that a hydrogen-powered future car does not have to look as boring or family as the company's upcoming Insight or the benchmark Toyota Prius.
The show is a mis-hit for General Motors, which canned its concepts and parties, although Ford stays totally committed with a Mustang which makes the running for an event which typically draws around one million visitors in a city which is the car capital of the USA and, by extension, the world.
"I think there is a mixed emotion at the show," says J Mays (SUBS: CORRECT), the design director of Ford Motor Company.
"You still have to try and tug hard enough on the heart strings that people forget about the purse strings. It's a yin-and-yang situation."
Looking over at his Mustang, and across to the Honda FC, Mays expresses what many people are thinking. Even at a time when it is more politically correct to attack the car chiefs, and their private- jet flights to Washington, than to talk about a show which takes another important step towards the world beyond petrol.
"Automobiles are escapism. It's not just transport," says Mays.
"People ask if it's appropriate to launch the Mustang at his time. Damn right it is. It puts a smile on your face and enhances your quality of life."
That is definitely true of the Mustang, which still looks muscular and fresh despite a chassis which trails well behind the Ford Falcon, and the open-air Gallardo and even the second-generation Nissan Cube, which could just make it to Australia one day.
And the 370Z looks tauter than today's 350, with the promise of more go and much better cabin quality, and the Mazda3 is fresh and happy.
The Mini E looks just like the regular petrol-power car but is a milestone car which has the power and range to win people to electric.
"It's an important time in the history of the global car industry," says Carlos Ghosn.
He worries about the impact of the global recession, and the money pressures on carmakers trying to evolve faster than ever before, and the challenges of safety and emission regulations.
But, just like the cars on the LA Show stands, and the regular car people who flood in once the doors are open, he is bottom-line upbeat and bright.
"The one thing that is certain, absolutely certain, is that people will continue driving cars. Cars have no substitute. We have convergence on the issues, but divergence on the solutions," Ghosn says.
And that is pretty much the way things looked in LA.
The first picture of the four-door Porsche reveals a car which is clearly linked to the classic 911 but goes far further into the luxury world than the German brand has been in the past.
The Panamera will not hit the road for nearly a year, but the first official image opens the action on car which has been scooped and papped for years during development everywhere from Death Valley to the Nurburgring.
The picture shows the car much as it has been scooped, and still with its controversial rounded rear end, but with much cleaner lines and the sort of smooth detailing you would expect from Porsche.
It is only a side-on shot, and probably not the powerhouse Porsche's best angle, but it reveals the reality of one of the most-anticipated newcomers of recent years.
Why? Because Porsche is moving up and away from sports cars, and the giant Cayenne SUV which has been its cash cow in recent years, to give its existing owners a car for their greying years. It has space for a family but, just as important, will be easier to get in and out as well as giving a softer drive.
It also takes Porsche deeply into BMW and Mercedes-Benz territory for the first time, although its real rivals are much more likely to be the upcoming Aston Martin Rapide and Lamborghini Estoque which are also being produced as morph machines by sports car makers.
The first official picture of the Porsche Panamera comes just two months after a teaser shot from Porsche which only showed the car's nose, alongside the 911.
And there is no confirmation of anything technical, even though the Panamera is expected to come with either a familiar flat-six engine or a new 4.8-litre flat eight with up to 400 kiloWatts under turbo power.
However, Ford Australia boss, Marin Burela, has left the door ajar if a self-shifter becomes available.
"The fact is that 95 per cent of that market is automatic," he says.
"We don't have an auto in the Ka so that's the first problem. I'm not sure it would work (as a manual).
"I think what we'll do is see how we go with Fiesta first.
"Let's get some traction there and then we'll look at whether or not we need to complement Fiesta with anything underpinning it below the D segment."
Since taking the top job Burela has turned his focus on the light, small, medium and large car segments and believes there are opportunities to plug gaps.
A car like the new Fiesta-based B-Max, just announced in Europe, is one car that could fit into the local scene.
Ford of Europe has confirmed that production starts on the sporty B-Max wagon in Romania from 2010.
It will replace the slow-selling Fusion.
"I actually think Australia has an opportunity that hasn't been exploited," he says.
"If you look at the demographic changes and ageing population, one of the things that is missing is a stylish looking vehicle that gives you a high H-point with easy ingress/egress for older people.
"That actually doesn't exist."
Burela says older buyers are restricted to a big van or off-roader "but the other area in between could present an opportunity".
The Ka, which shares its underpinnings with the Fiat 500, was part of Burela's portfolio of European cars he was responsible for launching.
It's this car Burela thinks might have legs in Australia.
"It's an opportunity that has not been exploited here," he says.
"One of the things missing is a stylish bigger car with a high H-point (hip-point)."
Burela is also taking a close look at the local small car scene.
Like one of his predecessors, Tom Gorman, Burela has identified the Sydney metropolitan area as Ford's toughest market for Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo.
"In fact 50 per cent all car sales within the Sydney metro area are pretty much small to medium cars," he said.
"That's an area that we're not achieving the level of penetration that we'd like to and we're working with our dealers on how to change that dynamic.
"Some of it's driven by brand, some of it product offering and some of it's driven by way we actually go to market."
He says the Mondeo is "one of the best kept secrets".
"We have to get to work on how to make the Mondeo more relevant versus the Camry and the other competitors," he says.
It is expected to fetch between $230,000 and $280,000 when it goes to auction in London next month.
The white 1976 Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film starring Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, will be sold on December 1 at Bonhams auctions' annual motoring sale. It was one of two Lotus cars driven in the film by Bond.
It turns into an amphibious car for the movie, driven both on land and under water.
Meanwhile, the number plate AU1 from the earlier Bond classic Goldfinger is for sale in the same auction. AU1 was fitted to the Rolls-Royce Phantom III used by arch villain Goldfinger in the film.
AU is the chemical symbol for gold in the Periodic Table. The registration number is expected to fetch more than $185,000.
