BMW Australia has announced pricing for the 3 Series GT. It’s still a while away from finding its way into local showrooms, but the biggest 3 Series money can buy will kick off proceedings with three engine options:
(Manufacturer’s list pricing)
The new Volkswagen Passat has just been released in Australia. There’s three models on offer, all available in sedan and wagon configuration. Pre on-road pricing for the sedan models start at $38,990 for the 118TSI, $43,990 for the 125TDI and $57,990 for the V6 FSI featuring 4motion. Add an extra $2000 if you want the added cargo space offered in the wagon.
There’s some impressive technology featured with the new Passat. It’s all stuff we’ve seen before in more expensive marques, but seeing such things as Fatigue Detection, Lane Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and City Emergency Braking filter down to more affordable models is welcomed.
Full details from Volkswagen Australia can be read after the break.
BMW Australia recently launched its new F10 5 Series Touring down under, albeit a little later than first expected. There’s two models to start the range, both with turbo charged engines, the 520d and the 535i.
The 2.0 diesel four cylinder in the 520d produces 135kW/380Nm and has a manufacturer’s list price of $92,800. While the petrol powered 3.0 litre straight six in the 535i has peak numbers of 225kW/400Nm and pricing starts from $138,900.
Euro Estate driving doesn’t get much better than a BMW wagon, but as you can see, you have to pay to play. You can access full Australian specs from this 4.2mb PDF. After the break you will find more pics and BMW Australia’s official press release.
A copy of a dealer bulletin for the 250kW 1M Coupé, produced by BMW Australia, has arrived at AUSmotive HQ. We thought it was only fair to share it with you and a screen grab of the email is shown in full after the break.
Included in the bulletin is the standard specification and options pricing for the entry-level M model. The official list price is not included in the email, however we understand BMW will price the 1M Coupé from $99,900 (plus delivery and statutory charges).
We expect BMW Australia to announce a limited run of 100 1M Coupés for local sale.
According to the email BMW Australia has kitted out the 1M Coupé with a comprehensive list of standard goodies. Just a handful of the included standard equipment reads Professional Navigation, Adaptive Headlights, harman/kardon Surround Sound, Voice Control and Internet.
The most notable item on the options list is metallic paint which will apply to two of three colours in the 1M palette. Only Alpine White is a no-cost option, while Valencia Orange and Black Sapphrie will attract a $1700 charge.
It looks like Audi will be giving BMW a free kick by not bringing in its comparable RS3, is BMW’s $100K price tag low enough to allow them to kick a few goals?
Audi Australia previewed the A1 at the Australian International Motor Show in October. Now, they have released full details on the local specification. Dealers around the country have been receiving stock over the last couple of weeks, as well.
To refresh, Audi will be kicking off the A1 with two offerings, both fitted with a fuel efficient 90kW/200Nm 1.4 TFSI. The entry level Attraction, with 6-speed manual, starts at $29,900 and the Ambition model is priced from $32,650. Buyers wanting the 7-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission will need to cough up an extra $2350. A 66kW 1.6 litre TDI will be joining the range in the middle of 2011.
Audi Australia has been a bit light on with images of its next big thing, so you’ll have to make to do with AUSmotive’s images from AIMS to start with. Following the Audi Australia press release is a gallery of images sourced from Audi UK. Keep in mind some of the details and specs in these cars may not translate directly to our market, but they do give a good feel for the A1 in right-hand drive.
A closer look at specifications and options pricing for the Australian market is available via two PDFs, which can be found following the presser.
Technical details of the New Stratos have been published on the car’s official website. They tell us the F430-based sportscar tips the scales at 1247kg and a staggering 540hp (375.4kW) is produced from its 4.3 litre V8 at 8200rpm. Peak torque is on offer at 3750rpm and is rated at over 500Nm.
Weight is distributed 44:56 front to rear providing an good base for well tuned chassis balance. The brakes are supplied by Brembo and there’s 398mm six-pots up front and 350mm four-pots at the rear.
The donor chassis has been shortened by 200mm and a roll cage has also been fitted. Body panels are carbon fibre, which has been used extensively for the interior, as well.
Performance figures—aside from very quick—are yet to be announced and will be coming soon. In the meantime you can read the full tech data after the break.
[Source: New Stratos]
Audi Australia has launched the RS5 with a manufacturer’s list price of $175,300. You’ll still need to pay a few statutory charges, but that’s about $4600 less than the AUSmotive prediction. A small saving, however, you still sense that price point is going to ensure Audi has to fight hard for every sale. Okay, it’s probably a bit tired to continually make this comparison, but you can bet the words BMW M3 will cross the lips of most RS5 buyers at some stage.
The RS5 has received extensive coverage on AUSmotive, so there’s no great need to go over the details again. The basics remain, that is the RS5 is powered by a 331kW 4.2 litre V8 driven by a quattro system featuring trick terms like torque vectoring and crown-gear centre differential. You can find out more on that technology here: quattro 101.
After the break you can read Audi’s press release and check out their latest gallery of images. It’s a great looking car, that’s for sure. Also included for download are the following items, all correct at time of publication:
Audi’s very svelte and very attractive S5 Sportback went on sale last week. Audi has set the list pricing for this car at $129,300.
For your money you get the same excellent 3.0 litre supercharged V6 engine from the S4 saloon. With that comes the same power specs, too; 245kW and 440Nm of torque.
It’s a ripping engine that offers plenty of poke through the entire rev range. In the S4, at least, it’s also well matched the the 7-speed S tronic transmission. Which is a good thing, because there is no conventional manual box on offer for S5 Sportback in the Australian market.
Mr Uwe Hagen, Managing Director of Audi Australia, said “the S5 Sportback is a great addition to our unique A5 Sportback range. It is not only practical enough for daily use, it is also sporty and fun to drive.”
Audi has modest sales expectations for the S5 Sportback, hoping to to sell around 10 per month. Full details and a nice gallery of local images have been kindly offered by Audi Australia and you can see them all after the break.
Volkswagen Australia have just released an Estate version to their volume selling Golf range. Known in Australia as the Golf Wagon, it will be initially offered in two model lines—Trendline and Comfortline.
Entry level pricing, before those nasty delivery and government charges, starts at $26,990. That gets you a 90kW 1.4 TSI Trendline with 6 speed manual. The top of the range model, 103kW 2.0 TDI Comfortline with 6 speed DSG, is priced from $36,490. The usual range of options is also available and a list of prices is available below.
Four engines will be available for those wanting the maximum 1495 litres of cargo space the Golf Wagon provides. Two 1.4 TSI engines, with either 90kW or 118kW are complemented by a 77kW 1.6TDI and a 103kW 2.0 TDI. The full gamut of Volkswagen transmissions is on offer, including 5 and 6 speed manuals in addition to 6 and 7 speed DSG offerings. At a basic level you can choose a manual or DSG with all engine choices, the numbers of cogs you get depends on the engine choice.
This is the first time we have seen a Golf Estate/Variant/Wagon in Australia and it remains to be seen how successful this addition to the Golf line up will be. I know one thing, though, they’d sell a lot more of them if they bothered to get Volkswagen to design the rear of the car. Instead, it looks like they just picked up some 1990s Honda Accord tail lights, stuck them on the back and thought, that should do it. When the rest of the Volkswagen range is, generally, so expertly styled—and of particular note here is the Passat Wagon—one has to wonder just how on earth they came to this conclusion.
Volkswagen Australia has released pricing and specification details for its new Golf range. Most dealers across the country currently have stock either on their showroom floor or in storage ready for display this weekend. The media launch took place in Byron Bay earlier today and you can expect to see initial reviews around the interweb before next week (in the meantime check out our reader review from earlier this month).
So, what is available in the Australian Golf VI range? There are three models on offer, each with a unique engine. The entry level model is the Golf 90TSI which is priced from $25,990. It is powered by a 1.4 litre turbo petrol engine, producing 90kW. Next is the Golf 118TSI, starting at $30,490, powered by a 118kW twincharged 1.4 litre. At the top of the current range is the Golf 103TDI, powered by Volkswagen’s familiar 103kW 2.0 litre diesel. Pricing for the TDI begins at $33,190. (A matrix of the engine line up, with fuel consumption figures can be seen after the jump.)
The prices mentioned are all for 6 speed manual. There is a DSG option available across the range for an extra $2500. For the 1.4 litre engines the DSG is a new 7 speed option, while the 2.0 diesel has the more familiar 6 speed dual clutch box.
You can expect to see new models added to the Australian lineup before the year is out, including, with any luck, the new GTI.
While the outside may not differ radically from the outgoing Mk5 model, the Mk6 introduces some new technology to the local market for its segment. Items such as Adaptive Chassis Control and Rear View Camera, to aid reversing, are generally found on more expensive cars.
Safety is one aspect Volkswagen prides itself on, and the new Golf is no different. The Mk6 has already been awarded a 5 star rating from Euro NCAP.
One would expect the sales charts won’t differ greatly from the Mk5, either. The previous model Golf has proven to be a sales success for Volkswagen Australia, and I think it is safe to assume the Mk6 Golf will follow suit.
Volkswagen Australia’s press release follows, along with full pricing (including options) and more pics from the Australian model range.