The car has recently completed the vehicle homologation process, allowing it to enter FIA competition.
Skoda’s Motorsport factory team will compete with two crews: Czechoslovakia’s Jan Kopecký with Petr Starý (co-driver) as one, and Finland’s Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula as the second.
The Fabia S2000 carrries a 2-litre, four-cylinder engine that develops 245Nm of torque, with a six-speed sequential transmission driving all four wheels.
Video footage shows the car in hard testing on dry and snow-bound tracks.
After just 888 sales and a range of setbacks, including a safety recall for an engine failure, Toyota Australia has killed its TRD division.
The decision to close the go-faster shop has cost an estimated $20 million in research-and-development, dealer facilities and a production tie-up with Prodrive in Melbourne although the 17 staff at TRD will be moved to other jobs within Toyota Australia.
The final TRD Aurion and HiLux models will be produced before the end of March and stocks are likely to be cleared early in 2009.
Toyota denies any embarrassment over the TRD failure, its first since ending Daihatsu sales in Australia, but admits it was not making money and had little chance of a black-ink bottom line.
"It was costing us more than it was returning. Our forecast was that we would have had to continue to invest for a period of time, a number of years not a number of months," admits Peter McGregor, who was responsible for TRD.
"We're talking about an operational change to the total Toyota business. We've had to make some tough decisions."
McGregor says the current economic situation has also put pressure on TRD, which is not making its projected sales results.
"It was working reasonably well. HiLux was selling 50 to 60 units a month, and we were doing about 34 Aurions, although that is slightly below what we originally thought we would do."
The numbers are far below the results achieved by Holden Special Vehicles and Ford Performance Vehicles, and TRD critics are already claiming a success in the brand's failure.
They say go-faster Toyotas were never going to succeed in Australia, despite the company's investment in supercharged V6 engines for the Aurion and HiLux.
The TRD operation was planned as a way of winning new buyers to Toyota showrooms, as well as converting younger customers, by adding some spice to cars which are known for their vanilla flavour.
"Vanilla can be quite nice if you get the right brand. And we have the luxury brand in Lexus," says Mike Breen of Toyota Australia.
The TRD operation will be closed after less than two years and the decision means there is no need to continue development of a third TRD model.
"There definitely won't be a third model. Although there were a number under consideration," says McGregor.
All TRD vehicles will continue to be covered by Toyota's warranty.
The failure of TRD has been offset this week by an upcoming record for Toyota Australia.
It has hit an export milestone, shipping more than 100,000 vehicles overseas in a single year.
The record car was part of a shipment of 2100 vehicles which left Melbourne on Christmas Eve.
Toyota Australia is now forecasting total exports of 101,563 for 2008, an industry record, up from 96,688 in 2007.
Its production at Altona is now overwhelmingly focussed on exports, with local sales of the Camry and Aurion only totalling around 40,000 cars.
"This is Australia's biggest automotive export program, generating
$1.8 billion a year in export revenue," says Dave Buttner, Toyota Australia's senior executive director of sales and marketing.
The jazz star and major car enthusiast is the new host of the Aussie version of the TG down under after a major off-season shake-up.
Officially, former host Charlie Cox is returning "reluctantly" to the UK for "business reasons".
Unofficially, the whole TG on-air team has taken a hammering from critics who say the show lacks the spark of the British original.
Cox was never going to match Jeremy Clarkson, who has become a worldwide superstar, but he still struggled to be sharp or insightful. And his driving ability, reflected in a couple of Bathurst 1000 starts in the late 1980s, was never exploited for TG.
"It seems best to leave the show," Cox says.
Morrison cuts in alongside the surviving on-air talent, Warren Brown and Steve Pizzati, with a huge reputation - and not just as a jazz musician.
He has a personal car collection closing on 100 vehicles, was the presenter for a previous Aussie TV program, has raced and rallied - including a couple of massive forest crashes - and ridden motorcycles.
Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Hawkins, Sandra Sully and Ian Thorpe all drive shiny new Audis, Laura Csortan has a Cadillac, Jim Stynes and Matt Shirvington drive Volvos and horse trainer David Hayes has a BMW.
But none of them pays.
It cost Michael Clarke more than $250,000 to slide Lara Bingle into a raunchy new Aston Martin V8 Vantage but car brands are so keen to connect to potential buyers that they are happy to loan cars to A-list celebrities and sports stars.
Most of the cars are high-cost flagship models, from the Audi TT coupe and Q7 four-wheel drive to the Volvo XC90 SUV and the Cadillac CTS which goes on sale in Australia next month.
The list of occupations of the ambassadors is almost as long as the companies involved, including athletes, environmentalists, radio jocks and fashion folk.
Audi runs such a big freebie fleet that rival brands call it the United Nations - because it has so many 'ambassadors' - at an estimated cost of more than $1 million.
The German brand currently has 18 ambassadors on its books, with Collette Dinnigan, Cathy Freeman, Sarah Murdoch, Grant Hackett and George Gregan among its other famous faces.
Volvo has environmentalist David Ireland on its books, as well as Shirvington and footballer Matt Giteau.
"It is another way of raising awareness of the brand. It helps us to break through into areas where we might not otherwise have had a foothold," says Volvo spokesperson Laurissa Mirabelli.
"Our assocation with Matt Giteau and Matt Shirvington takes us into the sporting world, which is a new area.
And she says Volvo has plans to sign more drivers.
"We will be expanding our program into other new areas," Mirabelli says.
At Saab, Sigrid Thornton is a long-term ambassador and chef George Calombaris has also come on board.
Sometimes the celebrity association goes beyond a car, with driver training as part of the package. And many A-listers get a taste for the deal through the Celebrity Race at the Australian Grand Prix, which has been backed in the past by BMW, Mini and Fiat.
Homegrown brands Holden and Ford are part of the program, with the red team backing Deborah Hutton and the Australian netball team and the blue-oval brand taking on cricketers Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, as well as Stephanie Gilmore.
But BMW has wound back from the days when Felicity Kennett, James Morrison and Ken Done flew its flag.
"People are much more savvy these days. Having ambassadors is less relevant when people are more interested in the value, the technical innovation and whether the brand is something they aspire to own," said BMW Australia spokesman, Toni Andreevski.
"Just because a celebrity drives a car does not make it any more relevant to their purchase."
And Mercedes' best-known brand rep, retired racer Mick Doohan, actually pays for his hot AMG Benzes - although not full retail.
"Mick is more of an enthusiastic customer," said David McCarthy of Mercedes-Benz Australia.
"Certainly, Mick's invovlement with AMG is very beneficiial when you see the reaction when he drives our cars in classic rallies. But, beyond that, we don't see much value.
"It's good to raise the profile, but how do you assess the value? The public is pretty aware."
Another motorsport legend, Sir Jack Brabham, has been getting cars and bikes from Honda for decades, and is now on a team with fashion designer Akira Isogawa, Geoff Cox and Suzie Wilks.
"We get good value for money from our celebrities," said Honda's Mark Higgins.
But Mazda has also wound back and only has Olympian Michael Klim, surfer Serena Brooks and radio personality Andy Lee on its books.
"It's very low-key. Everyone knows it's a commercial relationhip but we don't tend to use our celebrities like other car companies," said Mazda spokesman, Glenn Butler.
Hastily taken, grainy snaps of future models tend to pop up everywhere, as Nissan found out last week.
A quick-thinking person at a dealer convention in the Middle East fired off a few shots of the next-generation Patrol off-roader, which is not due out until next year.
As the photo shows, the big wagon borrows cues from the Terranaut concept show wagon with its upswept rear window and less boxy look.
The Murano-like front is sleek and the Patrol pays a passing complement to the Land Rover Sport with its mudguard air vents.
The Patrol is expected to carry over its body-on-frame construction with new more powerful engines and transmissions.
There is likely to be arange-topping 5.6-litre V8 with a seven-speed gearbox, as well as a V6 petrol and a 3.0-litre V6 dCi turbo-diesel powerplant shared with Renault, Nissan's partner.
Of all the brands, Land Rover's performance has defied the odds.
As the year winds down with plenty of its rivals seeing red ink, Land Rover sales are up almost 20 per cent over last year, largely on the back of the return of the Defender crew cab and wagon.
The volume-selling Discovery and Range Rover Sport have also done their bit.
Land Rover Australia product manager, Brett Lewis-Driver, says the Defender's success comes from a loyal customer base.
"There are a lot of repeat buyers but also a little bit of conquest from other brands there," he says.
"Defender also does tend to do quite well in a launch year."
The company expects to end the year with about 4500 sales, which will be up 1000 over 2007.
Going into 2009 though, Lewis-Driver, is more cautious.
"Because of the downturn in the overall market we are not alone in thinking things will be a bit quieter," he says.
He sees the next 12 months as a time of consolidation.
But to help entice showroom traffic Land Rover has just launched a refreshed Discovery, Range Rover Sport and range-topping Range Rover, each with more equipment and mild facelifts.
The Discovery gets a cleaner looking body-coloured front bumper as well as revised rear bumper, tungsten coloured side vents, new alloys and rear clear-lens indicators, Inside there are some trims changes.
The TDV6 S gains air suspension and terrain response and leather seats have now been made an option.
The SE gets Hi-ICE as standard, six-disc CD changer, 8 speaker Harmon Kardon speaks and steering wheel controls.
The range topping HSE gets Premium ICE with 13 Harmon Kardon speakers and Logic 7 sound system.
Prices remain largely unchanged, starting at $66,490 for the SE V6 and topping out at $92,990 for the HSV V8.
The Range Rover Sport also gets some mild exterior tweaks, new alloys and three new colours.
At the top-end of the Land Rover spectrum is the Range Rover Vogue Autobiography.
The Autobiography adds another level of luxury with leather dashboard, doors, seats and centre console as well as leather-bound floor mats.
The lavish attention to detail continues with acoustic and climate glass.
The acoustic glass reduces cabin noise, while the sun-reflective climate glass reduces heat build-up.
Outside the Autobiography has new 20-inch diamond-turned twin-seven-spoke alloys.
Both the TDV8 and Supercharged petrol models have diamond mesh grille and side vents, black and silver badging and stainless steel detailing on the pedals.
Range Rover Vogue prices start at $153,400 for the TDV8, with the Supercharged Autobiography costing $212,700.
Based on the Koup concept shown at New York Motor Show in March, the two-door coupe will join the Cerato.
As other carmakers take a backseat next year, Kia is planning to launch six new cars and variants, starting with the Cerato sedan next month with the coupe arriving in September.
"2009 will be the most model activity we have had for a while," Kia Australia spokesman, Jonathan Fletcher, says.
"We haven't had much new product over the past few years."
The arrival of the 2.0-litre four-cylinder Cerato is considered the most important launch for the company next year as it will showcase Kia's new corporate design direction and "H" grille.
The car will also play a big role at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.
Unlike the current model, which is available as a hatch, the Cerato will be a sedan-only model.
"Its principal markets will be North America and China, which favour sedans in this segment," he says.
The Koup is Kia's surprise package.
"We have never had a two-door model in that segment," Fletcher says.
"The two-door will attract those buyers who would have opted for a sportier hatch."
Although specifications are yet to be confirmed, the Cerato two-door will definitely be a sub-$30,000 car, he says.
The New York show car had a direct-injection turbo-charged 2.0-litre four cylinder engine with 216kW/391Nm on tap.
The arrival of the much-hyped Soul hatch in March will also generate plenty of interest, Fletcher says.
"There has been a lot of talk about Kia being a younger-focused brand and I think the Soul really illustrates that," he says.
The sharply styled Soul will be available in both petrol and turbo-diesel models, aiming at rivals like the Suzuki SX4.
The 2.0-litre petrol engine develops 94kW at 6300 revs and 156Nm at 2000 revs while the CRDi develops 96kW at 4000 rev and 255Nm at 2000 revs.
Although it will not have all-wheel drive, Fletcher says the Soul's chunky design would appeal to buyers who want a wagon that complements their active lifestyles.
Like the Mini, the Soul will lend itself to personalisation through many accessories, he says.
A new concept version of the Soul will be unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.
Kia says the concept is “more than just a package treatment, as it will demonstrate the flexibility of the original Soul design first shown at NAIAS in 2006.”
In the third quarter the next-generation Sorento four-wheel drive arrives, as well as the 103kW/305Nm 2.0-litre Rondo CRDi diesel to join the 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol model.
The Magentis sedan also gets a freshen in June.
The big question is exchange rates, which have already seen some makers lift prices from January 1.
Fletcher says he is hopeful exchange rates will hold between the Australia dollar and Korean Won.
"It's good at the moment and hopefully it will remain favourable," he says.
The one car Kia Australia would love to get, but has been ruled out on price, is the C'eed.
The C'eed is built in Slovakia for the European market and it is unlikely to be built in Korea, at least in the short term.
"The C'eed would be too expensive for us," Fletcher says.
"In pure freight terms alone, it would be $900 to $1000 more expensive than if it came from Korea."
Mazda's "zoom-zoom" catchcry may be seen by some as childish and overdone.
Yet, says Mazda's global design director Laurens Van Den Acker, the slogan immediately crystallised the company and illuminated its future path.
The Japan-based stylist this week opened his sketch pad in Melbourne to an intimate guest list and started by terming "zoom-zoom" as "Mazda's moment of truth".
Mr Van Den Acker says Mazda had to do more to create brand awareness before it became indistinguishable against similar design trends being adopted by — among others — Opel, Kia and Hyundai.
"I thought it was time to move on," he says.
"We needed some freshness yet didn't want to scare away customers. And we had to appeal to new customers as much as retain existing customers who were moving up to a new Mazda."
Part of the result of a clean-sheet approach is seen in the current Mazda6 and, from mid-2009, the next Mazda3.
But only part. The new design philosophy is called Nagare, a Japanese word indicating "flow" and, yes, one that could also seen to be childish and overdone. But that's part of Mazda's new definition.
"The Mazda3 was developed at the same time — 2006 to mid 2007 — as the first theories of Nagare were being developed," he says.
"We didn't know if Nagare would work even though we recognised that it had potential."
Taking the guest through the 2009 Mazda3 design by way of his drawing pen, Mr Van Den Acker shows a new grille — the "face" — that moves away from the current Mazda3's "traditional and tired graphic".
"In profile, the current Mazda3 is static. We wanted to make it more dynamic.
"So we start by adding RX-8 fenders," as he draws in the bold arcs over the front wheels, "and then sharper the rear, swoop up a line," drawing an arc through the rear door "to create a coupe look."
"The rear is still one of the most important parts of the car. We shouldn't walk away from that."
Mr Van Den Acker says the Mazda6 has been changed to reflect its mature appeal in the market. The Mazda3 now (for 2009) has been changed to attract a younger market.
He admits that when it comes to the cabin, "a lot of our rivals are running away from us".
"So we need some new features here, creating zones and making it a place for the customer who loves to drive.
"These customers aren't afraid of technology so we use technology in the dash.
"Some of our competitors have simplified the dashboard to the level of a (kitchen) appliance."
Above all, Mr Van Den Acker admits to falling for beauty.
"Beauty should rise above a vehicle's functionality to avoid being too German," he says.
"Styling is what sells the car. A beautiful car is one that people desire."
He says that Mazda was fortunate that it had a short history.
"We have nothing to look back to. We aren't burdened by 100 years of careful grille management so we are always looking forward.
"That's not the case in a car company that has a long history because you are always presented with opportunities to look back, to reflect, on previous design themes.
"At Ford (one of his previous employers), we used to look back a lot." The audience laughs.
No humour, however, in crash avoidance.
All safety authorities strive for the day when car collision and accident injuries and fatalities are abolished through sophisticated car-to-car communication.
For another reason, Mr Van Den Acker awaits the day with enthusiasm.
“I can't wait for the day cars communicate and we don't need all this stuff (protection for occupants and pedestrians)," he says.
"Imagine the weight and fuel efficiencies of that! Imagine if cars don't crash — our design future would be more exciting."
The future will also include new materials and here he looks at BMW's concept Gina that uses a textile skin that allows the body surfaces to move.
"The characteristics can change according to factors including speed and other specific situations," he says of Gina which has features including a spoiler that rises from the tail and changes shape on instruction from electronics that measures airflow.
Mr Van Den Acker moves on to show exciting future Mazda models based on the Nagare theme. I'd like to tell you but I promised Mazda I wouldn't.
Fuji Heavy Industries has released a teaser shot of the Legacy concept car - Liberty in Australia - destined for next month's Detroit Motor Show.
The good news comes as Subaru announced this week it's withdrawal from the World Rally Championship.
The Japanese firm moved quickly to off-set the disappointing announcement by pointing out that it has ambitious plans for the new Liberty and Outback.
Subaru expects to launch the new Liberty late next year.
Both the Liberty and Outback will grown in size, particularly rear legroom.
Like the Impreza and Forester, the Outback will be further distanced from its Liberty sibling.
Detailed specifications are expected to be revealed at Detroit but the Liberty is tipped to get an upgraded chassis and a further development of its trademark symmetrical all-wheel drive system.
Subaru is also believed to have upgraded its six-cylinder boxer engine, now 3.6-litres, and it is tipped to come with a new tiptronic six speed gearbox.
Both 2.5-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six cylinder boxer engines are expected to carry over and diesel buyers will be pleased with the arrival of Subaru's first 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.
The diesel engine has already gone on sale in the current model Outback in Europe with six-speed manual gearbox.
It develops 108kW at 3600 revs and 350Nm from 1800 revs. Fuel economy is sub-7.0 litres/100km.
The Liberty concept will debut almost 20 years to the day of the launch of the original Liberty.
Richard Browne lost control of his 4x4 vehicle while towing a trailer carrying three bullocks, an inquest in Cornwall, in England, was told yesterday.
He sped up to try to steady the vehicle as it swerved from side to side, but crashed.
Browne, 29, told police: "I just tried to accelerate out of it.
"I've watched it on Top Gear and they always say put the accelerator down and get out of it, the worst thing you can do is brake - so that's what I did.
"I tried to accelerate out of it, but it slowly got worse, and then all of a sudden it picked up and the back of the truck was being thrown from side to side. At that point, I had my foot on the accelerator, there was nothing more I could do, and all I remember is it just going."
Farmer Bill Tucker, 85, a passenger in the vehicle in October last year, suffered severe injuries and died soon after the accident.
Cornwall's Deputy Coroner Andrew Cox recorded a verdict of accidental death.
"It would be preferable if people who are going to drive trailers on the road take professional instruction before they begin," he said.
