New Lotus Evora Priced from $149,990 in Australia

Lotus has confirmed Australian pricing for its all-new Evora sports car a few months ahead of the coupe's market launch scheduled for the third quarter of 2009. The entry level two-seater version of the Evora will be priced at $149,990 AU (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges) which is about $119,000 US or €85,000. Bizarrely, there seems to be some kind of a new law in Australia that prohibits official websites from publishing new car prices -we're not kidding- so unfortunately we can't compare the Evora's price to other sports cars sold Down Under.

Along with the Evora 2+0, Lotus will also sell a 2+2 seater version of the coupe that will be priced from $156,990 (again, recommended price before statutory and delivery charges). Rear seats aside, this version adds a host of luxury appointments both standard and optional including Alpine audio system, reversing camera and cruise control.

Both models are powered by a Toyota sourced 3.5-liter V6 engine producing an output of 206kW (that's 276 in good ol' horsepower) and 342Nm of torque. The naturally aspirated V6 is matted to a 6-speed manual gearbox while Lotus also offers a sportier, close-ratio transmission. For those that insist on buying a sports car for all the wrong reasons, an automatic version is in the company's future plans.

With the stick shift, the Evora goes from standstill to 100km/h (62mph) in just over five seconds while returning an average fuel consumption of 8.7l/100km (combined highway/urban cycle).

VIDEO: Race Driver Fast Laps NZ Circuit in New Volvo S60 Blindfolded!

And you thought your latest weekend track race was adrenaline-filled... Enter the realm of Jonny Reid, one of New Zealand's top racing drivers. The 27-year-old Kiwi put a brand new 2011 Volvo S60 to the test around Hampton Downs raceway in Auckland. Nothing spectacular there you say? How about if we told you that he did it blindfolded? Yes, that's right; the young racing driver couldn't see a thing.

According to the promo event's organizers, it took Reid more than one try but in the end, he managed to return a lap time of 1:28 with a top speed of 193km/h (119 mph). "He was guided only by the feel of the car, his knowledge of the track, and co-driver Earl Bamber's voice," said Volvo. Pretty neat, though we're not sure who was the bravest of the two; the driver or the co-driver... Scroll down to watch the clips.

GM Says Holden is Safe from Bankruptcy Proceedings, will be an Important Part of 'New GM'

It appears that -at least for the time being- Holden has escaped unscathed from the bankruptcy of its parent company, General Motors. As stated by the American automaker, Holden will continue normal operations in Australia and New Zealand as the company is not directly affected by GM's bankruptcy process in the US. "We don't anticipate this decision will have any direct impact on Holden's workforce, dealers, or suppliers," said Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss.

"Holden is a subsidiary of GM but we are a corporate entity in our own right – an independent company under Australian law. Beyond that, GM has indicated that Holden will be an important part of the New GM," Reuss said.

According to Holden's chief, the automaker will continue to maintain its focus on the planned product programs and activities. "That means technology improvements to our best selling Commodore range, launching the all-new Holden Cruze this month, and the introduction of our locally-built fuel efficient, four cylinder small car next year," he added.

Alfa Romeo MiTo Confirmed for Australia, Sales Start in July

Alfa's new sporty hatchback, the MiTo, will be arriving on Australian shores this July, the Italian automaker announced today. In order to maintain a certain sporty pedigree, Alfa has decided to offer the MiTo in Australia only with the 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol engine, that will be available in two guises with 120HP (88kW) and 155HP (114kW), both matched to six-speed manual gearboxes. While the Italian carmaker has yet to announce pricing, the firm states that Aussie buyers will be 'pleasantly surprised".

"We cannot release the prices and specifications yet," said Edward Butler, General Manager for Alfa Romeo in Australia Edward Butler. "But Alfa Romeo has a real value for money reputation across its range, so not only do I think people will pleasantly surprised when we announce prices and specifications in July. I think anyone looking for a car that offers the blend of style, performance and luxury that sets all Italian cars apart from the rivals should wait until to July for MiTo."

In Europe, the MiTo is offered with a broader range of engines that include two entry level - yet asthmatic- 1.4-liter gasoline units with 78HP and 95HP as well as 1.3- and 1.6-liter turbodiesels producing 90 and 120HP respectively. Alfa's future plans include the introduction of a GTA model with a 240HP 1.8-liter turbo engine that was previewed in concept form earlier this year.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

VIDEO: Bahrain Soccer Coach Makes Goalkeeper Protect his Range Rover

There are plenty of ways of motivating a goalkeeper to work really hard during training, but some ways are more extreme than others... Skip the jump to watch this amusing commercial that was created for the Bahrain national soccer team and its forthcoming game with Australia in June for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Ford Kills American Ranger after 2011, New Global Ranger Still a Go

Due to the impending death of the American compact truck market, Ford has officially decided to not sell the next generation Ford Ranger in the States after 2011. Instead, the Blue Oval will concentrate on making its half-ton F-150 an all-around contender with a broader engine range. Apparently Ford doesn't think the compact pickup truck market in the States is too important (and at 2%, it really isn't).

Ford's decision to kill its American compact pickup has a couple reasons behind it: competitors offer better options that would cost too much to compete against, and more importantly, the segment is simply dying and not worth investing in. By canceling the US Ranger, Ford will be shutting down its St. Paul, Minnesota assembly plant.

The bottom line is that Ford can and has justified spending its money elsewhere. One example is moving some of its former Ranger fleet purchases to Transit Connects, which makes a lot of sense.

For all those compact pickup fans, there is an upside: markets that make use of small trucks will be getting a new Ranger very soon. The next, more efficient compact pickup will debut at Sydney's Australian International Motor Show. The truck was designed in Australia, which has been on a roll lately with great designs and ideas (e.g. the new Falcon GT and Cruze Hatchback).

The world's next Ranger should come with EcoBoost power and four and six-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines. As soon as we get some more info closer to its debut, you know where to come.

By Phil Alex

Source: USA Today

Ford to Unveil All-New Ranger Pickup Truck and FPV Falcon with Supercharged V8 at Sydney Motor Show

This year's Australian International Motor Show in Sydney, which runs October 15 -24, will see Ford taking the wraps off an all-new generation of its Ranger compact pickup truck. The new Ranger will be joined by Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) first-ever supercharged V8 Falcons, and the Aussie debuts of the current Focus RS and Fiesta Sedan.

The new Ranger, which has been developed in Australia and will go on sale in 180 global markets, is a sister model to the new Mazda BT-50 (also set to make its world premiere in Sydney). Ford said that the new compact pickup truck will be offered with a new family of engines with "impressive gains in power and fuel economy". More intel and photos will be released closer to the Sydney motor show.

Continuing with the rest of Ford's debuts, the 305HP Focus RS will be offered in the country in a limited number of 315 units, while the new Fiesta four-door sedan will be available in both diesel and petrol versions.

As for FPV's Falcon-based performance models, both the GT and GS cars get a new supercharged engine based on the Mustang's 5.0-liter V8 unit kicking out 449HP and 422HP respectively (read more here). According to Ford, albeit the base of the new FPV V8 engine is imported from the USA in component form, each unit is hand-assembled locally by FPV in Melbourne, using Australian-made components.

Australia: The Pricey World of Right-Hand Drive Conversions

Car buyers in Australia and other RHD countries have long got the short end of the stick in terms of American muscle cars. The reason is quite simple: they drive on the "wrong" side of the road.

Most manufacturers are unwilling to do right-hand-drive conversions on what are essentially specialist models: cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang and the like. There just aren't enough buyers to rationalize the cost.

Fortunately, a cottage industry (or rather a man-in-a-shed industry) has popped up offering RHD conversions of American muscle cars for eager buyers in countries like Australia, the UK and Japan.

In Australia, for instance, you can get just about anything from a AU$359,990 Corvette ZR-1 (or around three times as much as it does in the U.S.) to a AU$139,000 Chevrolet Camaro (or the same as an Audi S5 Cabrio in Australia).

Want a 2011 Mustang GT convertible? Be prepared to pony up AU$142,500 (the same as brand new Porsche Boxster Spyder) for that Pony. And it becomes even more laughable when you look at the U.S. prices for these same cars:

We do not claim to know the full details involved with importing a car and converting it to RHD, but it can't be so difficult as to demand the of a new entry-level Porsche 911...

So the next time you harrumph at some foreign nobody, whining about, "How good you bleedin' Yanks have got it" – spare a thought for the poor, cash-strapped Aussie... selling his 911 to buy a RHD Corvette ZR-1.

By Tristan Hankins

Here's where we found pricing information for the RHD conversions:

Corvette Clinic - makers of the RHD ZR-1
Mustang Australia - builders of RHD Mustangs
Performax - makers of the RHD Camaro and other cars

And Top Gear Australia magazine's August 2010 issue.

GM May Introduce Opel in Australia as VW-Rival and Stand Alone Brand

With Saab's recent sale to Spyker and the global financial crisis effectively killing plans to import the Cadillac CTS into Australia, GM Holden is contemplating adding Opel as a premium brand in order to go head-to-head with Volkswagen.

In more recent times and without forgetting cars like the Vauxhall Viva-based Torana and the Opel Rekord / Senator / Omega rooted Commodores, the introduction of the Opel-sourced Corsa supermini in 1994 marked a return to prominence for Opels down under. The Corsa was followed soon after by the Astra small car and Vectra mid-size sedan / hatch. The Astra was particularly successful for Holden, though it all came to a head with GM's purchase of Daewoo in 2001.

The marriage between GM and Daewoo saw the slow phasing out of Holden badged Opels, the last holdover being the Astra which was replaced by the Chevrolet Cruze in Q3 2009. Now, Opel wants back in.

Nick Reilly, Chairman of Adam Opel GmbH, has identified Australia as one of the key markets needed for returning the brand to profitability by 2012.

"For markets such as China, Australia and South Africa, Opel can be a premium brand," Reilly was quoted as saying, adding, "We have to be able to compete with Volkswagen."

Mike Devereux, Holden Chairman and Managing Director, has confirmed that Opel is under consideration for Australia:

"There's obvious synergy between Opel and Holden," Devereux told news site Go Auto. "There could be a niche for that kind of brand here in Australia. I don't know how we would position it, but we're looking at it."

Insiders say that the strong Aussie dollar and recovering economy make a good business case for Opel, and cars could arrive in showrooms as early as mid-2012.

Whether or not Opel can pull this off will have to be seen. Will style be enough to win buyers away from the established brands like Volkswagen? We welcome your thoughts in the comments section below.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Go Auto

Gallery: Opel's European Range