Big week

It's a mix of motor shows, motorsport, new-car arrivals and showroom selling silliness.  Already we've got news of new price leaders from Ford and Volkswagen, with a bottom line of $16,990 for the updated Thai-built Fiesta and a $21,990 Golf.

But the real action this week is in Paris, where the world's carmakers are gathered for the biggest motor show of 2010. Detroit in January was reasonably solid, and Los Angeles in November promises to be optimistic, but the Paris Auto Salon is all about the ongoing recovery of the big brands and the design enthusiasm of the major European makes.

Electric cars top the bill but there are also newcomers from Ferrari and Lamborghini and Maserati, all sorts of city runabouts, and technology that highlights the improvements we can expect over the next 10 years.  Carsguide has a full coverage of the show next week, with early news on www.carsguide.com.au, but by then we'll be into the build-up to The Big One at Bathurst.

This year's Mount Panorama classic promises to be an all-action event and no-one is betting against a sentimental victory by veterans Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes. The pair have already won the traditional Bathurst 1000 curtain-raiser at Phillip Island and have everything they need to take the V8 Supercar grand final.

But there are at least another six crews who are capable of fighting through the final hour, with James Courtney promising something special in his Jim Beam Falcon and two-time champion Jamie Whincup doing all he can to take maximum points in his fight for a third straight title with TeamVodafone.

Just days after the Bathurst 1000 the motoring spotlight shifts to Sydney and the first running of the Australian International Motor Show.  The first truly national show is looking like a boomer, with all sorts of previews and new releases. The calendar is so crowded that Toyota will reveal its show star, the FT-86 sports coupe concept, on Monday of show week, a full five days before the public opening.

Once the show is done the action gets back on track with the Gold Coast 600, a new-age V8 Supercar contest that promises to re-write the rules. Nineteen of the world's top drivers are coming to take guest spots with the the teams - including former world champion Jacques Villeneuve and transplanted Aussie stars Will Power, Ryan Briscoe and David Brabham - in an event that will revitalise what was previously the Gold Coast Indy event.

While all this is happening, Mark Webber is out fighting for the world championship.  The long-time Formula One underdog finally has a winning car in 2010 and has been doing plenty of good stuff, even salvaging third place - and defending his title lead - in the Singapore Grand Prix despite a weekend he describes as the worst of the season.

Webber is basing himself in Australia for the next few weeks, to make an easier time-zone transit to races in Korea and Japan, and is looking more and more like our first world champion since Alan Jones.