The fifth and smallest member of the Suzuki family is already on sale in Europe and hits local dealers late this year.
Although prices have not been set, the Alto is expected to come in under the $16,490 Swift hatch.
Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers says the Alto will represent “outstanding value for money”.
However, Suzuki spokesman, Andrew Ellis, says exchange rates will play a big part in determining the car's pricepoint.
The Alto will be available in two specifications.
The entry level gets six airbags, air conditioning, CD stereo system with MP3 auxiliary input, remote central locking, anti-skid brakes and six airbags.
The top specification Alto adds alloy wheels, foglights, a tachometer and electronic stability control.
At 3500mm long, the Alto is almost 200mm shorter than a Mini Cooper.
It is slightly narrower than a Mini but 63mm higher and has a wheelbase of 2360mm, 107mm shorter than the Mini.
Powering the Alto is a three cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine producing 50kW and 90Nm mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.
A four-speed automatic will be optional.
The Euro IV-compliant engine delivers fuel consumption of just 4.5L/100km and produces only 103g/km of CO2 emissions.
Manufactured in Suzuki's Manesar plant in India, the Alto was designed by Suzuki engineers and tuned for European customers based on an extensive test drive program.
Already on sale in Europe, the little hatch has returned fuel economy figures of just 4.4 litres/100 km and CO2 emissions of just 103 grams a kilometre.
“Alto is the answer for people wanting a quality vehicle offering great performance, high levels of safety and outstanding fuel economy,” Devers says.
The front suspension is a MacPherson strut type while the rear is a three-link rigid axle.
The Mondeo wagon was first shown at last year's show as a toe-in-the-water exercise to solicit consumer feedback.
That feedback was good and the Zetec wagon will provide buyers with an alternative mid-size load-lugger, according to Ford Australia president and CEO, Marin Burela.
The Zetec wagon is powered by a 118kW/208Nm 2.3-litre Duratec four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels.
It is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential sports shift.
The Zetec wagon comes with the same high level of standard features as the Zetec hatch and sedan, including 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, dual zone climate control, a premium Sony audio system, automatic headlights, rain sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, capless refuelling and follow me home lights.
It also has a safety package mirroring that of its hatch and sedan siblings.
Key safety features include an enhanced Intelligent Protection System (IPS) complemented by an anti-skid brakes, brake assist, electronic stability control, an automatic hazard warning light and seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag and full length side curtain airbags.
Key wagon features include an impressive load carrying space, which provides a luggage capacity of 542 litres with the rear passenger seats in the upright position, increasing to a capacious 1733 litres with the rear passenger seats folded flat.
Prices will be released closer to the car's launch date.
The wraps came off the new-look SY Territory MkII range at the Melbourne Motor Show this morning.
It gets a much-needed visual update, revised model lineup new equipment.
Two Territory models, a Territory Ghia AWD and a Territory TS RWD, are on display at the motor show to give customers a first look at the SY Territory MkII line-up, which will go on sale next month.
The Territory TX now gets side curtain airbags, cruise control, 17-inch alloy wheels and a full body colour package for the bumpers, door handles and mirrors as standard.
The TS is also fitted with the full body colour package, along with a reverse parking camera, front fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel, handbrake and gearshift, and a third row seat.
Ghia models also gain a third row seat as standard equipment, along with a rear Alpine DVD system, side steps, rear privacy glass, body coloured door handles and 18-inch alloy wheels.
The top-of-the-range Ghia Turbo picks up the same list of additions, along with a new wheel design for its standard 18-inch alloy wheels.
Inside the cabin gets some new trim materials and colours but the dashboard carries over largely unchanged.
The TS and Ghia have the option of a no-cost option of a cashmere interior.
The proven 4.0-litre in-line six-cylinder carries over.
Prices have risen between $500 and $1000 depending on the model.
The entry rear-drive TX now costs $39,490, a $1000 price rise.
The RWD TS is $44,490 and Ghia $52,490.
The AWD TX is $44,490, TS $49,490, Ghia $57,490 while the AWD Ghia Turbo is now $66,420.
The Territory has been an outstanding success for Ford since it was launched in 2004.
More than 86,000 have been sold and the car has won a multitude of consumer and industry awards.
Ford Australia announced this morning that it will add a hybrid-beating turbo-diesel Fiesta to its lineup later this year.
Unveiling what he describes as one of the most fuel-efficient hatches available, Ford Australia president and CEO Marin Burela, said the Fiesta ECOnetic was “an economy car without compromise”.
The modern direct-injection 1.6-litre diesel Fiesta ECOnetic achieves a fuel economy figure of just 3.7 litres/100km with a C02 emissions figure of just 98 g/km.
The ECOnetic is powered by a 1.6-litre TDCi diesel with a particulate filter that develops 66kW at 4000 revs and 200Nm from just 1750 revs.
“The Fiesta ECOnetic will enable customers to drive a mainstream, fuel efficient and low CO2 emitting vehicle that is also stylish and affordable,” Burela said.
“By launching a specific model, with dedicated Ford ECOnetic badging to designate its ultra-low CO2 results, we will be able to offer a clear alternative for those customers who prioritise low emission performance.”
The Fiesta ECOnetic could also pave the way for other ECOnetic models.
“Fiesta ECOnetic looks and functions just like conventional Fiesta, using conventional diesel powertrain technology,” Burela said.
“Yet it has the potential to deliver best-in-class CO2 emissions compared to the current crop of competitive vehicles, as well as against today's most popular hybrids.
The car uses a combination of the latest generation common rail diesel powertrain, together with low rolling resistance tyres, aerodynamic aids, longer final drive gear ratio, 10mm lower suspension and specially calibrated diesel.
As well, the driver gets a green shift indicator light in the instrument cluster, which signals the optimal point to change gear to maximise fuel economy.
The car gets a tyre mobility kit rather than a traditional spacesaver space to help further reduce weight.
Full local specifications and pricing will be released at a later date.
However, the UK-spec five-door ECOnetic costs $1000 less than the five-speed manual Titanium 1.6-litre petrol hatch, which closely equates to the Australian-spec $20,990 Zetec 1.6 five-speed.
Now the Korean carmaker is focusing on April's Seoul Motor Show, where it will unveil the new Sorento off-roader, codenamed XM.
Probably the biggest news about the new Sorento is that it will move from a traditional body-on-frame construction to a unit-body design borrowed from the Hyundai Veracruz, which is sold in North America.
Visually it is clear the Sorento has grown up, with a more refined and car-like design to distance itself from the more agricultural current model.
The new look is more muscular, following some of the same themes as the contemporary looking Cerato, also design by Kia chief designer, Peter Schreyer.
The off-roader is expected to have both turbo-diesel and petrol engines.
Its engine line-up is expected to include the next-generation 150kW/435Nm 2.2-litre R-diesel engine delivering an impressive 7.0 litre/100km, a 2.4-litre Theta II petrol four cylinder and a 200kW 3.8-litre in-line petrol six.
Engines will be coupled to a new six-speed automatic transmission.
The Focus goes on sale next month and like the current car, will be available as a five-door hatch and four-door sedan.
Prices have risen $300 and $1500 depending on the model but buyers get more equipment and improved safety levels.
The new LV-series will be available in four core models, entry CL, LX and TDCi and Zetec.
Anti-skid brakes are standard across the range while electronic stability control and traction control are standard on LX, TDCi and Zetec models.
Apart from the refreshed exterior, Ford has answered criticism of the car's low-rent interior with vastly improved quality and enhanced comfort levels.
There is a black soft-touch dash pad, along with the soft-touch upper door trims, contrasting with a tan coloured inner roof lining to visually lighten the cabin.
The dark dashboard is designed to reduce reflection in bright conditions common in Australia.
In front of the driver is a large-face tachometer and speedometer set deeply into individual binnacles.
Positioned above are small-face water temperature and fuel gauges, with each surrounded by a silver bezel.
And LCD information screen displays time, outside temperature, trip meter and odometer.
The LCD screen also has a trip computer.
The revised centre console and redesigned window and mirror switches accompany intuitive controls for air conditioning, heater and ventilation system.
At night, the centre stack controls are illuminated in soft red light which is more soothing,versus the stark white of the previous generation Focus.
The centre console is more user friendly with a sliding armrest, two cupholders and storage cubbies.
The 107kW 2.0-litre Duratec engine carries over and can be mated to either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission.
Ford is also debuting its innovative six-speed PowerShift automatic in the TDCi, in combination with the potent 100kW/320Nm 2.0-litre Duratorq turbodiesel engine.
The TDCi with Powershift returns a fuel economy figure of 5.9 litres/100km.
Subaru has just joined Mitsubishi and Smart in the push to put effective, affordable plug-in electric cars on Australian roads.
It is using its stumpy Stella city car as the teaser, with preview drives and a high-profile appearance at the Melbourne Motor Show so people will know it is serious about effective battery-powered green cars.
Mitsubishi and Smart are pushing hard to have their cars on sale in 2010 but Subaru is taking things slower and there is no firm timetable yet for the Stella, or the plug-in cars to follow it.
"It's very much a long-term project. Subaru will have an electric car on sale in Japan this year but it won't come here in the short to medium term," says the managing director of Subaru Australia, Nick Senior.
"It's a domestic program for Subaru at this stage. They are telling is it is very, very low volume to start."
Even so, Subaru Australia wants people to know it has the technology to compete with the plug-in leaders and that the Stella - even thought it looks like a tiny box with a battery - is a genuine runner.
"It's an electric car. It's the future," says Senior.
"We are going to be one of the first companies in the world with an electric car on sale. We have brought the car here to show what is possible. There are challenges involved, but it's here and it's driveable."
Subaru planned a huge test drive program but was reigned-in by the Department of Transport and Road Safety, which ruled the single Stella could not be driven on public roads. Instead, the first drives in Australia were restricted to a go-kart track in Melbourne.
Senior says Subaru is already working on a business plan but is struggling to make the numbers work, at least for the Stella.
"We wouldn't even consider it at this stage. The cost would be prohibitive," he says.
"One of the biggest issues in the short term with these cars is that they are going to be expensive."
But he believes Subaru, which is working on exclusive battery technology, is pushing ahead quickly on plug-in technology.
"We need longer travel times and shorter charge times. This does only 80 kilometres between recharges."
Senior is only admitting to long-term goals with the Stella but believes it will lead to serious Subaru electric cars.
"Basically, if you turn off your fridge in the kitchen you can run the Stella," he says.
"But I wouldn't expect to see anything serious on sale before the middle of the next decade. There is a lot to be done to make it viable, starting with the charging infrastructure as well.
"But the industry is proud of meeting the challenges over the past 10 years on a range of fronts and it is responsive and aware of all the electric car issues. We'll get there."
...by saying the show required `specialist equipment’.
The accusations about fake vehicles were made after one of the suppliers to the show at Sydney’s Acer Arena spotted the cars backstage and became suspicious about what was under the bonnets.
During the show, fans looked on in wide-eyed wonder as three Ferrari F360s chased each other around the ring, missing each other by a few centimetres in a casual disregard for their $370,000 price tag.
Other eagle-eyed fans smelled a rat however when they spotted irregularities in the body work of the cars which were missing a rear air vent.
The music was so loud it was difficult to hear the noise of the Ferraris which ordinarily would be unmistakable.
The cars were actually Toyota MR2s fitted with body kits to look like Ferraris.
The same thing happened on the South African leg of the tour, but the producers fessed up to the substitution beforehand, explaining the cars were on their way to Australia.
Of course it begs the question what happened to them?
“Top Gear Live is a mix of the usual Top Gear fooling around, exotic cars and extremely exciting, live-action stunt driving,” the show’s spokesperson Gemma Courtenay says. “Stunt driving requires highly specialist equipment. In this sense Top Gear Live is no different from any cinema or theatrical production.”
Jeremy Clarkson and the Richard Hammond took Top Gear on the road in October, playing to some 250,000 people, with 67 shows in six countries.
A “local” filled in for missing presenter James May at each port of call.
For Sydney, it was Top Gear Australia’s Steve Pizzati, or Pizza Boy as Clarkson kept calling him.
There’s no mention of the Ferrari fiasco on Top Gear Australia’s website, just the news that anchor Charlie Cox has been replaced by jazz great James Morrison for the second series which goes to air later this year.
The sleight of hand strikes at the very core of Top Gear’s DNA which draws much of its excitement from the fact that’s it’s all real and that they don’t mind trashing the odd Ferrari or two in the name of entertainment – hang the expense. Or so everybody thought . . .
The fake Ferraris were in fact Ferrenzos, Toyota MR2s with body kits that are designed to look like the real thing for a faction of the cost.
After years of being in the styling doldrums, Kia looks as though it has seized the day with design.
It has followed up the C'eed and surprising new-look Cerato with the No3 concept, which will be unveiled at next Tuesday's Geneva Motor Show.
The No3 concept hatch, described as a multi-purpose vehicle, is one of three new Kias to be at the show.
Apart from the No3, Kia will show off a range of cars with what it calls ISG for “idle, stop and go”, as well as an innovative hybrid.
Kia executives say the No3 concept “redefines the small MPV genre by creating a beautiful car that is also fun-to-drive”.
The concept looks almost production ready and could end up battling the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Mazda2, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Getz in the ultra-competitive light-car class.
The concept features an extended windscreen and panorama glass roof with a diagonal supporting bar, an automatic sun visor and the new Kia corporate grille treatment, headlights and brand logo in a new constellation.
At 4045 mm long, the concept is 95mm longer than a Ford Fiesta concept.
The No3 is finished in matt Titanium Grey with contrasting gloss-white accents.
The ISG system will be previewed in the Kia Cee'd.
It delivers about to 15 oper cent fuel savings in city driving.
The device is already on sale in many countries across Europe.
The system automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped in traffic and restarts the engine instantly when the driver moves off.
ISG cars are available with a choice of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre petrol engines.
The 1.4-litre ISG models at Geneva have a 137 g/km CO2 rating.
In keeping with an emerging green theme at Geneva, the Korean carmaker has built a fleet of prototype Kia Cee'd hybrids especially for testing and evaluation in Europe.
The Cee'd Hybrid uses an upgraded powertrain with Kia's Gamma 1.6-litre petrol engine, mated to a 15kW, 105Nm AC synchronised electric motor, CVT transmission and ISG.
The hybrid hits 100km/h in 11.8 seconds and has a top speed of 185 km/h.
The prototype achieves fuel consumption of 4.81 litres/100km and a CO2 figure of 109 g/km, a 25 per cent reduction compared to the standard 1.6-litre petrol Cee'd.
The 79th Salon International de l'Auto which opens next Tuesday.
The Lexus LF-A roadster could be the car of the future, or a car with no future.
The LF supercar program has been running for close to three years and is a headliner for the whole Toyota group, but has yet to produce a production car.
There have been coupe and convertible show cars, and a hardtop LF-A painted in flat-black camouflage competed at the Nurburgring 24-Hour race in Germany last year, but there is still nothing concrete for showrooms.
But that has not stopped Lexus Australia from landing the signal red LF-A roadster as it show star for Melbourne.
"This car shows us what we are capable of doing, as a brand," says John Roca, head of Lexus Australia.
"It shows we are not boxed into a vanilla future that only has hybrid cars as a point of difference. It shows we can be, and will be, a lot more diverse than we are today."
The LF-A roadster is familiar but different to anyone who knows the coupe.
The lightweight body uses a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre, and the car rolls on 20-inch alloy wheels.
It has the same 5-litre V10 engine, tucked just ahead of the two passenger seats but well behind the front axle line, and rear-wheel drive.
Lexus has given few details of the convertible roof, except that the basic body is just as rigid as the coupe.
And that it will have the same 320 km/h top speed.
There is no chance for anyone at the Melbourne Show to buy the roadster, or even put down a serious deposit, but Roca believes the LF- A project will produce a genuine production car sometime in 2010.
"I think the car has a future. I think we're getting closer to 'when', ahead of 'if'. But we still don't know when that time will be," he says.
"The million-dollar question is when. And, frankly, I cannot answer that.
"But the car for the show is real. It has a real V10 engine that actually works and makes all the right noises.
"The stats we're getting show that the car will hit 300km/h and that was one of the targets. The engine always had the right power but the Japanese wanted 200 miles-an-hour and there have been some improvements to the aerodynamics to get it to 300 kays."
Roca says the global economic meltdown will not affect plans for the LF-A, despite its potential impact on high-priced luxury cars.
"I think there is a market, even in this environment, for that car.
And also for our brand," he says.
"Having it here was too good an opportunity to showcase what Lexus can do. We had to get it. As a brand, we are expanding. It began with the IS-F performance model, and the LF-A will follow it."
And there is other new stuff on the Lexus stand in Melbourne.
The latest RX makes its first public appearance in Australia, and the luxury SUV will be displayed as both a regular petrol model and a hybrid.
"The real story for us ion Melbourne is the RX. And the reaction to that car has been very strong," Roca says.
"We have the regular 350 and the 450 hybrid. The hybrid is only a pre- production car, but that will be available this year so we have the choice of the 350 and 450 by the beginning of the second half of the year.
"The important thing about the RX is that it's a second-generation hybrid for us. It will eventually be followed by the HS hybrid, which was just displayed at the Detroit Motor Show.
"We were originally told the HS was only going to be left-hand drive, but it's now confirmed with right-hand drive so we have put our hand up. We are definitely going to request the car for Australia and it's a car that will slot right between the IS250 and the GS."
