VW CC NOW FOR FIVE

Volkswagen will now be offering a near-bench seating arrangement for the rear seats of the Comfort Coupe or CC. Launched almost exactly a year ago, the CC had initially been sold as a four-seat, four-door coupe.

Apparently customers liked the shape and value on offer, but were turned off

FORD FIGO ENTERS ENTRY-LEVEL MARKET

Ford’s new fun and fashionable compact car, Figo, has been developed and designed with the customer’s desires in mind. Figo derives its name from the colloquial Italian expression, which translated into English means ‘cool’. With its stylish design language and practical layout, the Figo is set to be a hit among South African consumers.  

The new Figo is based on proven global small car architecture. It is available with a choice of two of Ford's class-leading, fuel-efficient engines, the 1.4-litre petrol Duratec with 62kW

PORSCHE WILL BUILD 500KW 918 SPYDER

Thanks to overwhelming public support and demand, Porsche has decided the 918 Spyder Concept will be brought into full production. The car is a concept first unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, and then at Auto China in Beijing as a study in fuel efficiency, coupled with high-performance.

TWO MAD AMG BENZES DETAILED

New facelift versions of the Mercedes-Benz CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG have been detailed by their maker. But not only were the “faces” lifted, the engines and consequently performance, were also improved.

Starting with the CL 63 AMG, which is the baby of the couple, it gets a brand new 5.5-.litre twin turbo V8 worth a stonking 400kW and pulling power worth 800Nm. Think about the old 5.4-litre supercharged from the E 55 AMG and recall that it made 350kW and 700Nm. Merc is claiming a 4.5 second time from 0 – 100km/h and a top speed of 250km/h. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed gearbox is standard and features three different driving modes for different driving circumstances.

GEELY MOVES UP, PRICE STAYS DOWN

Geely South Africa, official importer and distributor of the Chinese-built Geely cars, has announced the appointment of a new CEO and the introduction early next year of a brand new high spec A/B class entry-level car that will retail for under R90 000.

The first new cars to be introduced by the new company recently reached dealer showroom floors and include the B/C segment Geely MK 1.5 and 1.6 Sedans for under R115 000 and a MK2 1.5 Hatch range at under R100 000.

AUDI A7 UNVEILED, HEADED FOR SOUTH AFRICA

The Audi A7 has been revealed. “The Audi what” someone might say? The Audi A7, a big four-door coupe with a length of almost 5 metres. Where does it fit in exactly? As the model badge points out, family-wise it sits between the A6 and the A8, but assumedly harbours sportier ambitions than both. Its main competitor is the Mercedes-Benz CLS but one or two of its models will also punch it out with the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide.

MINI RETURNS TO WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

MINI is making a comeback on the international rally circuit. From 2011, the brand will compete at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. This involvement is planned for several years.

RAIKKONEN HAPPY TO RACE AT HOME

For 60 years now, the 1000 Lakes Rally – which then became the Rally Finland – has been a classic fixture for all the crews. The event is often nicknamed the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ and it has featured seven times in the top 10 fastest rallies ever held in the history of the World Rally Championship. The quickest Rally Finland took place in 2005, with an average speed of 122.86 kph recorded on the event.

CHEVROLET CRUZE ADDS DIESEL VARIANT

General Motors South Africa has announced the addition of a 2.0 litre turbo diesel powered variant to the popular Chevrolet Cruze range. The single overhead camshaft, 16-valve, intercooled turbo diesel – with electronic control of the turbocharger – produces 110kW at 4000rpm with maximum torque of 320Nm delivered at just 2000rpm. Drive is via a 5-speed manual transmission.

SENSATIONAL FORD FOCUS ST SLATED FOR PARIS 2010

After officially unveiling the next-generation Focus, Ford has expectedly come under scrutiny from fans who want to know what the ST version will look like and pack. I’m also one of those, and so are the folks at AutoExpress in the UK.

The latter have apparently uncovered information that confirms that the Focus ST will break cover at the 2010 Paris Motor Show in October. That’s all very well and mouth-watering, but what you really want to know is, how much power is it packing, right? Me too!

VW'S CHAMPS FORCED OUT OF SASOL RALLY

It was a short and not so sweet affair for Motorite Racing’s Evan Hutchison and Elvene Coetzee in the national championship Volkswagen Rally in the Eastern Cape over the weekend.  The reigning class A7 champions were forced out of the fifth round of the Sasol SA Rally Championship when their VW Polo developed gearbox problems and they were only able to complete one special stage.

“It was an unfortunate - and much too quick - end to an event we were really looking forward to and which we were confident would deliver a good result,” said Hutchison.