Australia's Easy Reading New Car News Home | News | Road Tests NEWS INDEX:   July 2009 Home > News Toyota iQ Aston Martin “Cygnet” Inspired By Toyota's iQ 1st July, 2009 Toyota’s revolutionary iQ platform is about to reset traditional thinking, with plans that the world’s smallest four-seater will serve as the basis for a new luxury commuter car to be exclusively built for and sold to Aston Martin owners ..... more First Land Rover Showroom Opens in India 1st July, 2009 Land Rover's official entry to the fast-growing Indian car market was marked by the opening of a flagship showroom facility at Ceejay House in Mumbai by Mr. Ratan N. Tata ..... more Out the door: One Million VW T5s 1st July, 2009 Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles manufactured the one millionth vehicle of the T5 series yesterday at the Hanover plant in Germany ..... more Jaguar at Goodwood Festival of Speed 1st July, 2009 The fastest Jaguar ever (225.675 mph) will make its UK debut later this week at England's famous Goodwood Festival of Speed ..... more Morgan's New Aero Supersports Selling 1st July, 2009 The new Morgan Aero SuperSports, revealed at the Villa d’Este Concours in Italy in April has made a flying start in Australia, with two orders already received for delivery in 2010 ..... more Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni 1st July, 2009 For several decades, Valentino Balboni has had a distinct influence on the 'character' of the super sports car bearing the sign of the bull ..... more Ferrari at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2nd July, 2009 One of the world’s premiere classic car event, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance will host some of the rarest and most illustrious Ferraris ..... more Joss Nearly Ready To Jostle 2nd July, 2009 “From a business point of view we are providing a super prestige vehicle which will rattle the super car industry, outperforming most others in its class but with sharper performance and at a fraction of the cost.” ..... more Alfa Romeo at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2nd July, 2009 The 1968 Alfa Carabo concept marks a revolutionary stage in super car design, with its hydropneumatic-powered 'gull-wing' doors and multi-coloured one way glass windows ..... more BMW X1 Set For 2010 Arrival 2nd July, 2009 Appealing to significantly younger urban customers, with an active and varied lifestyle, the X1 promises a new driving experience in the premium compact SUV segment ..... more Porsche at Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd July, 2009 This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Porsche 917, the first Porsche to win Le Mans outright, and it is therefore appropriate that the theme of England's 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed ..... more Andy Green at Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd July, 2009 World Land Speed Record holder, Andy Green, will be experiencing a different type of thrust this weekend when he drives the all-new, 325 hp Vauxhall Insignia VXR up Goodwood’s hillclimb course at England's famous Festival of Speed ..... more Audi at Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd July, 2009 As well as the Audi sculpture, the Festival will showcase Audi’s most important cars and drivers from its illustrious century – from the days of the Grand Prix Auto Union ‘Silver Arrows’ ..... more Prodrive at Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd July, 2009 Prodrive will be displaying and running some of the cars from its 25 years in motor sport at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England ..... more Renault at Goodwood Festival of Speed 3rd July, 2009 The two most recent Renault concept cars, offering low or no emissions, plus a pristine 1959 electric Dauphine are all set to bask in England's Sussex sunshine and delight the crowds ..... more Vehicle Sales Improve For June 3rd July, 2009 Official VFACTS data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 102,847 passenger cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles were sold in June 2009 ..... more Beaulieu displays Grenville Steam Carriage 5th July, 2009 The latest exhibit to go on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (England) is the Grenville steam carriage, believed to be the oldest self-propelled passenger-carrying road vehicle still in working order ..... more Mugen To Build Honda Civic Type R Prototype 5th July, 2009 The car is being developed in Japan by MUGEN EURO – England's Northampton-based subsidiary of Honda’s long standing tuning partner MUGEN ..... more Morgans Mass for Silverstone 5th July, 2009 No fewer than twenty 4-cylinder Morgans – the largest number ever seen in one race – have been invited to compete for the Morgan Techniques Trophy ..... more HSV confirms E Series 2 Coming 5th July, 2009 HSV has confirmed the current E Series range will be given a major upgrade with new features, driver enhancements and visual changes for introduction later in 2009 ..... more Benefits Of Toyota's Local Manufacturing 5th July, 2009 Toyota Australia opened its manufacturing plant to dealers and sales staff recently to highlight the economic importance of the company's locally-made vehicles ..... more Fire and Ice for Land Rover 5th July, 2009 Land Rover is introducing two exciting new limited edition models of the iconic Defender 4x4 – the Defender Fire and Defender Ice. The new models will be available in just a few of the markets where Land Rover has a presence, although not Australia ..... more Nissan's Aussie Designer 6th July, 2009 Show Vehicle Specialist Andy Parkin is another Australian automotive export success story ..... more Mini makes 1.5 million 6th July, 2009 Just weeks after celebrating Mini’s 50th birthday, another milestone was reached in England today as the 1.5 millionth car rolled off BMW's Plant Oxford’s production line ..... more New VW Polo Released In Germany 6th July, 2009 The new Volkswagen Polo was released on the German market last week ..... more BMW's 4.5l/100km miser coming to Australia 7th July, 2009 The BMW 118d, which consumes just 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres, will arrive in the final quarter of this year. Carbon dioxide emissions are a very low 119 grammes per kilometre ..... more Power rises for Europe's Peugeot 407 Coupe 7th July, 2009 Launched in 2005, the Peugeot 407 Coupé is the latest in a long tradition of prestige Coupés produced by the French manufacturer, where style plays a key role, combining stature and refinement to provide a product capable of long-distance touring with comfort and high performance developments ..... more Viper to remain in Dodge line-up 12th July, 2009 Originally slated to cease production in December 2009, the Chrysler Group Conner Avenue Assembly Plant — the exclusive 'home' of Dodge Viper production since 1995 — will continue to build the V-10 powered sports car ..... more New Jaguar XJ unveiled in England 12th July, 2009 Sleek, sporting and sophisticated, the all-new Jaguar XJ brings a daring new spirit to automotive luxury - it offers a mix of striking design, breathtaking performance and engineering without compromise ..... more Alfa Romeo MiTo Released 12th July, 2009 Alfa Romeo’s combination of style and performance is now available to a new Australian market sector with the launch of the Alfa Romeo MiTo, which brings together the convenience, economy and low emissions of a small car with the style and performance of a 'regular' Alfa Romeo ..... more Holden Donates Vehicles for Emergency Training 13th July, 2009 Holden donated 55 cars to the Australasian Road Rescue Organisation (ARRO) for their annual Road Rescue Challenge which was held from Thursday until Sunday (9th - 12th July, 2009) ..... more Bentley to reveal Arnage successor in August 13th July, 2009 Bentley Motors is celebrating its 90th anniversary and has now confired that its all-new large saloon will be revealed - and named - in August at the Pebble Beach Concours D' Elegance in Monterey, California (USA) where the company is a featured marque ..... more 15 Years Ago Mercedes-Benz Presented ESP to the World 13th July, 2009 The German car maker presented its dynamic handling control FDR, a system jointly developed with Bosch in Arjeplog in Sweden in mid-March 1994. It had its market launch a year later under the name Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and represented a further milestone in the field of active safety ..... more AutoAlliance Thailand Inaugurates New Passenger Car Plant 13th July, 2009 The new plant will produce the Mazda 2 and Ford Fiesta compact cars for sale in Thailand and export throughout the Asia-Pacific region ..... more Two new hybrids for Honda in 2010 13th July, 2009 Honda has today announced plans to begin sales in Japan of the CR-Z sporty hybrid model in February 2010 and Fit (Jazz) Hybrid before the end of 2010 ..... more Peugeot 308 CC Released 13th July, 2009 The introduction of Peugeot’s most evolved CC yet marks the 75th anniversary of the company’s invention of the Coupé Cabriolet when the 401 Eclipse was launched in 1934 ..... more Lexus announces prices for new convertible 15th July, 2009 Lexus IS 250C will come to market with three model grades, starting at a sharp $79,900* for the Prestige model ..... more Land Rover expand Defender line-up 15th July, 2009 The 09MY Defender model line-up now includes five 110 wheelbase and three 130 wheelbase variants, offering features that apply to off-road users or heavy duty payload seekers ..... more Covers Come Off the New Audi A5 Sportback 16th July, 2009 A hatchback in this class of car is nothing new, having been seen in the 1980/90s in cars such as the Ford Granada, Rover 800 series and Saab 9000 although both Audi and BMW are reviving the concept for these contemporary times ..... more Out the door: 100,000 VW Golfs in Australia 17th July, 2009 The Volkswagen brand has just reached a significant milestone on the Australian market with the sale of the 100,000th Golf since the initial model introduction ..... more Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: a new electric sports car 17th July, 2009 With its new SLS AMG fitted with electric drive, the performance brand within Mercedes-Benz Cars is developing an exciting super sports car with zero-emission high-tech drive ..... more BMW 330d Arrives 17th July, 2009 BMW’s first ever six-cylinder diesel 3 Series arrives in showrooms ready to entice buyers with a wide-ranging list of standard features ..... more Revised Ford Mondeo Line-Up Released 17th July, 2009 Ford Australia has announced the release of a new MB series Mondeo range, headlined by the introduction of an all-new wagon bodystyle and an all-new, high-series model nameplate, the Mondeo Titanium ..... more Hyundai iLoad/iMax carries 4 stars 19th July, 2009 Now iMax and iLoad owners have even more of a reason for giving themselves a pat on the back for having made the right choice. In recent ANCAP tests, both vehicles (from March 2009-build onwards) scored a four-star occupant safety rating ..... more Kia Forte LPI Hybrid Revealed 19th July, 2009 Kia Motors has unveiled its first commercialised hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the Forte Liquid Petroleum Injection (LPI) Hybrid in Seoul ..... more Audi puts diesel in TT 19th July, 2009 The Audi TT Coupe 2.0 TDI quattro is the first series-production sports car in the world to use a diesel engine as its power source ..... more New cheap Audi TT arrives 21st July, 2009 The addition of the 1.8 TFSI with its sporty 6-speed manual transmission, means that the Audi TT range now has a new entry price point. The manufacturer’s recommended price excluding statutory charges and dealer delivery is $64,900 ..... more BMW X5 to gain an M in '10 21st July, 2009 The BMW X5 M accelerates from 0-100 km/h in a scintillating 4.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 250 km/h or 275 km/h with the optional M Driver’s Package ..... more Range Rover Vogue places first in Total Quality Index 21st July, 2009 The Range Rover Vogue has placed first in the luxury SUV segment of the Strategic Vision Total Quality Index, conducted recently in the USA ..... more New Toyota Camry Announced 21st July, 2009 The appeal of Toyota Camry - Australia's best-selling mid-size car for the past 15 years - has been boosted by upgrades that further improve its fuel-efficiency, styling, features and value ..... more Mazda 3 MPS Released 22nd July, 2009 The Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Volkswagen Golf GTI are way ahead of the new Mazda 3 MPS in virtually all areas that count towards desirability, just as the price suggests ..... more Rolls-Royce Ghost Figures 22nd July, 2009 Rolls-Royce power is entirely different to anything else in the automotive world. It is delivered free from stress and exertion but at the same time must engage the driver ..... more Two new diesels for Audi A6 22nd July, 2009 Audi’s fresher, sportier A6 sedan range now has two new 'siblings' this month with the arrival of the fuel-sipping 2.0 TDI and 2.7 TDI engines which boast excellent performance and exceptional efficiency ..... more Suzuki's tiny Alto arrives 22nd July, 2009 Suzuki is leading the way in eco-friendly motoring by pioneering a brand new vehicle segment to Australia with the eye-catching sub-light Alto ..... more Subaru Impreza WRX STI spec C released in Japan 23rd July, 2009 Subaru today launched the “Impreza WRX STI spec C”, a new addition to the current WRX STI line-up. The model goes on sale today through Subaru dealerships in Japan ..... more BMW upgrades 5 Series 23rd July, 2009 For the first time all 5 Series vehicles will be equipped, as standard, with Head-up Display, Professional Navigation with 8.8 inch monitor, TV and Voice Recognition ..... more Mahindra update their Pik-Up utes 23rd July, 2009 Mahindra today launched its new Pik-Up utility vehicle with additional safety features such as ABS and dual air-bags, numerous interior enhancements and a fresh new look ..... more X-Bow power upgrade endorsed by KTM 24th July, 2009 European KTM X-BOW owners wishing to take the extraordinary performance of their ‘Ready to Race’ sports car to the next level can now benefit from a significant power upgrade ..... more London Taxi made in China sold in Saudi Arabia 24th July, 2009 "Made in China", the world's least respected tag (according to Next Car's editor) is now worn by the famous London taxi ..... more Nissan readies to open its new global HQ Gallery 24th July, 2009 There are four themed-zones: "Product Zone" which highlights the newest models available in Japan; "Global Products Zone" which showcases the global product line-up; "Corporate Communications Zone," featuring the company's corporate activities; and "Heritage Corridor" that takes visitors back in time through its rich history ..... more Dearborn Doll - a unique Ford Mustang 24th July, 2009 Ford Motor Company has developed a truly one-of-a-kind vehicle, the Mustang AV-X10 “Dearborn Doll”. The car will be sold at auction during AirVenture Oshkosh (EAA)..... more Suzuki SX4 ‘Monsters’ Pikes Peak 26th July, 2009 His 2009 SX4-based special boasts a turbocharged 2.7 litre V6, producing a phenomenal 650 kW of power and a massive 880 Nm of torque ..... more Porsche Sack CEO 26th July, 2009 The Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Stuttgart, together with Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking and Holger P. Haerter agreed upon their dismissal. Both Members of the Board of Management will leave Porsche SE and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG with immediate effect ..... more Volkswagen to gain a financially embarrassed Porsche 26th July, 2009 Porsche's executive management originally wanted Volkswagen at, seemingly, any cost and as a result burdened itself with massive debt in what became a ridiculous attempt to take-over the huge world-wide interests of Volkswagen ..... more All New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé Arrives in Australia 26th July, 2009 The powerful and striking exterior design of the new E-Class coupé features classic coupé proportions (long bonnet, sleek side flanks, flat roof line with downward sweeping curves, crisp ear styling). It naturally has hallmark Mercedes-Benz design characteristics: centrally positioned star in the radiator grille (not on top of the bonnet), no B-pillars, and fully lowering side windows ..... more New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan Here Now 26th July, 2009 This new model’s arrival sees the introduction of a variety of innovative technologies to this important Australian new car segment, offering customers the latest in safety, comfort, and driving performance ..... more Alfa Romeo Brera “Italia Independent” 26th July, 2009 This original Limited Edition of the Brera came about as a joint venture between Alfa Romeo and Italia Independent, a brand that operates within several goods sectors to package Italian style and innovation for a global vision ..... more New Fuel-Efficient Engines for Local Fords 26th July, 2009 Ford Australia announced on Friday it is investing $230 million to improve the fuel efficiency and environmental impact of its Australian-made models, including the first global application of Ford’s advanced 2.0-litre 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine in a rear-wheel drive vehicle, the Ford Falcon ..... more Lexus IS-F cops a Policing role in UK 28th July, 2009 The Lexus IS-F has a performance tuned 5.0-litre V8 engine capable of reaching 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds ..... more Volkswagen confirms Mexican investment 28th July, 2009 Construction work has already begun on the new production facilities which will start assembling a new model built exclusively in Mexico for global markets from mid-2010 ..... more Nissan readies its EV 28th July, 2009 Nissan has previewed its electric vehicle EV platform on a Tiida-based prototype to demonstrate the superior driving pleasure of a pure zero-emission vehicle ..... more An Edge for Toyota Yaris 28th July, 2009 The special-edition cars add value to the Yaris by providing more than $1,000 of added specification for just $500 ..... more Ferrari's new 458 Italia for 2010 29th July, 2009 Ferrari has announced details of its newest car, the Ferrari 458 Italia, which represents one of the largest leaps forward in technology, performance and emissions ever seen from the Italian car maker ..... more Limited edition Navara ute for Nissan 29th July, 2009 Nissan Navara Titanium Edition is available on the D40 4x4 Dual Cab model powered by the 126 kW common rail diesel engine and matched to a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissions ..... more M Package now available for BMW 7 Series 29th July, 2009 Now the BMW 7 Series may be further accentuated with the addition of the BMW M Sports Package providing both interior and exterior highlights and a truly unique look ..... more Kia's new premium sedan 30th July, 2009 The new model, currently known by its code name VG, was shown in concept form at the Seoul Motor Show earlier this year and is set to replace the existing Opirus ..... more Extra Value in Limited Edition Suzuki Swifts 31st July, 2009 Suzuki is offering customers the choice of more style and value – or increased safety – with the addition of two limited edition versions of the award-winning Swift ..... more Nissan adds an Adventure Edition to X-Trail range 31st July, 2009 Adventure Edition comes with a host of extra features including nudge bar, 16” alloy wheels, roof bars, cargo blind, rear privacy glass, and special “adventure edition” badging on the tailgate ..... more Hear Chris Goodsell Talk Motoring On Radio & Internet ..... more August 2009 News ..... here June 2009 News ..... here May 2009 News ..... here About | Car Clubs | Home | News | Road Ramblings | Road Tests | Subscribe | Top Drive ©   2009   All rights reserved.   Next Car Pty. 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