Articles by CarsGuide team

Performance car enthusiasts are set for a treat with Australia’s own supercar company, JOSS Developments, announcing it is set to unveil a few surprises at the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS). On its AIMS stand, JOSS Developments will show its evaluation vehicle, a wind tunnel model of the future production car (internally codenamed JP1), and componentry from selected technical partners. For showgoers however the most anticipated of all will be a sneak computer generated preview of the new JP1 production car. JOSS Developments Technical Director, Matt Thomas, admitted that a second motor show appearance had been a long time coming, but JOSS Developments had not gone away. “We had an amazing reception for our JT1 prototype in Melbourne several years ago, but building a car business is very involved. So JOSS Developments has spent the last few years working on the business: building investment, working with our technical suppliers, and putting in place the right people so that when we launch JP1 the company will be geared up to deliver a great product to the market” Mr Thomas said. “JOSS is about the best of the best, and the best takes time. I think visitors to AIMS will see that for themselves.” The JOSS JT1 was first shown in prototype form at the Melbourne Motor show in 2004. In 2009 JOSS Developments opened its Technical Centre in Melbourne where the production JP1 is well into its development. “JOSS Developments is in a very good place at the moment. We now have significant investment and a team of technical partners – several of which will have JOSS components on our stand for everyone to see – the envy of the industry,” Mr Thomas said. The Australian International Motor Show opens at 6pm on Friday 1 July and runs through until Sunday 10 July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.

First unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the successor to the hugely successful Murcielago, redefines super sports car parameters. The Aventador boasts brutal power, outstanding lightweight engineering, and phenomenal handling precision to deliver an unparalleled driving experience. Named after a particularly courageous Spanish Bull, this beast boasts a 6.5-litre V12 engine and produces a phenomenal 515kW of power and 690Nm of torque. The spectacular looking coupe, complete with the Lamborghini scissor doors, has been described as an avant-garde work of art with its extreme razor sharp lines and taut surfaces. Inspiration from modern aeronautics is evident from the front spoiler to the rear diffuser on the exterior while the interior boasts a next generation TFT-LCD instrument display. The carbon fibre monocoque chassis ensures extreme rigidity and outstanding driving precision and safety. The exceptional lightweight engineering of the monocoque ensures that the kerb weight is kept to just 1575kg resulting in some mind blowing performance figures. Through its permanent four wheel drive system the 7-speed Aventador accelerates at 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 350km/h. “The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is two generations ahead in terms of design and technology.” Andrew Smith, managing director of Lamborghini Melbourne said after driving the car recently on the Vallelunga circuit near Rome. “The Aventador is a truly exceptional package of design, style and technical perfection. Its performance is simply astonishing and is unrivalled in the super sports car arena.” Mr Smith said. “The Aventador looks amazing in photographs, but this is nothing to seeing it in person. I’m sure the visitors to the Australian International Motor Show are going to love it.” Australian International Motor Show event director Russ Tyrie says that the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is the sort of vehicle that motor shows are traditionally about. “There is no greater drawcard for a motor show than a spectacular, brand new, never-seen-in-Australia super sports car” Mr Tyrie said. “To have such an important and impressive supercar unveiled locally so soon after its global unveiling is very exciting for the Australian International Motor Show.” The Australian International Motor Show opens at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at 6pm on Friday 1 July, and runs until Sunday 10 July.

Obama's presidential limo may be bomb proof, but has shown itself to be far from beach proof during the President's stay at the US embassy in Dublin.

The company was keen to downplay the incident, but witnesses initially reported seeing the car on the circuit at high speed, then hearing a crash followed by sightings of a lorry leaving with a damaged – but covered – car on its tray. Other unconfirmed reports detail MP4-12C hitting the guard rail hard during a high speed curve. McLaren has allegedly indicated the car has been badly damaged but that the driver escaped major injury. There has been speculation that the attendance of a medivac chopper suggests the situation was more serious, but it’s possible the helicopter was the one being used for a camera crew filming the car on the track.

Make fellow campers do a double-take in this full-sized replica of the cult classic 1960’s Volkswagen camper van. Just like the original VW Kombi, an average person can stand up inside it. It’s also generous in size – sleeping up to four adults. All that's left to do is bust out the incense and dream of paisley. Visit Firebox.com for more information.  

The concept car was debuted in Geneva earlier this year, and Melbourne will be just the second outing for a design study of what a sports version of the newly released Swift could look like. As with any Suzuki hot hatch, enthusiasts across the land will naturally cast their minds back to the iconic Suzuki Swift GTi from the 1990s. The recent Swift Sport also received much critical acclaim, ensuring that any new hot Swift model will be met with considerable anticipation. "Suzuki has an outstanding record of producing quality light cars," said Suzuki Australia General Manager Tony Devers. "The Swift S Concept draws on a performance heritage unrivalled in the Junior World Rally Championship, with three manufacturer’s and driver’s titles." The Swift S Concept is the embodiment of a premium, light sports car with no compromise on performance. Sitting lower and wider than its standard sibling, the aggressive look is enhanced by dynamic front and rear bumpers, 18-inch wheels and a rally-inspired rear spoiler. The interior features black and yellow leather Recaro sports bucket seats, a specially-designed carbon-fibre centre console, leather-wrapped sports steering wheel, alloy sports pedals and premium chrome highlights on the instrument cluster. Australian International Motor Show event director Russ Tyrie said the Suzuki concept was likely to be well-received in Melbourne. "Everyone loves going to motor shows to see the supercars and the latest technology," said Mr Tyrie. "However, hot hatches are often a person’s first taste of a performance car – perhaps their first step on the path to a supercar later in life. Certainly, many people will have fond memories of their younger years at the wheel of cars like the original Suzuki Swift GTi – they have a joyous and youthful spirit to them. Cars like the Swift S Concept will always be popular with showgoers – especially given this little Suzuki genuinely looks like a rally car for the road." The Australian International Motor Show opens at 6pm on Friday 1 July and runs through until Sunday 10 July at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Keep up to date at www.motorshow.com.au or via Twitter at #themotorshow.

It arrives with a two-model line-up featuring a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan.The new Focus is pitched at a wide audience from traditional budget-conscious buyers to whom price is everything to downsizers from larger more luxurious models who want luxury levels of convenience and comfort. This will be provided in the new Titanium model.Focus has been a big success for Ford internationally with over 10 million units sold since its introduction in 1998. Consumers like the combination of value, comfort and safety and that generally, Focus is fun to drive. The new model came to fruition under a global development program called "One Ford" that is designed to cut costs for Ford as much as to improve quality and value to consumers.Ford Australia is running hot on Focus saying it will "raise the bar and deliver a new level of standard and available content, enabled by its global scale."There's no doubt the car has a sleek and sporty design but is also packed with more affordable technologies and features than ever previously offered by Ford Australia.It was developed in Europe, for sale in over 120 markets worldwide with 80 per cent parts commonality. It uses Ford's new global small car platform that will underpin at least ten vehicles around the world and account for two million units of annual production by 2012.Australian Focus models will be sourced from the lead European assembly plant in Saarlouis.Smart innovations available on the all-new Focus for Australia include Active Park Assist, cruise control with Adjustable Speed Limiting Device (ASLD), keyless entry system with push button start and Adaptive Cruise Control.Active Park Assist is a semi-automatic parallel parking system that uses sensors around the vehicle and the new Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system to guide the vehicle into place. It measures the length and depth of the chosen parking space and then steers itself into position, while the driver controls the accelerator, brake and gear selection.The powertrain line-up includes a new 2.0-litre GDi (gasoline direct injection) petrol engine that combines high-pressure direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency A completely updated 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi common rail turbodiesel engine is also part of the line-up. Both engines offer significant increases in power and torque compared to the outgoing model.Both engines can also be matched to either a manual transmission a five-speed manual with the GDi engine or six-speed manual with the TDCi engine or the latest six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission, depending on the variant.A third petrol engine of 1.6-litres will be the fuel economy leader for the new Focus range, providing a reduction in fuel consumption of more than 15 per cent compared to the outgoing model.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Indi 500, Hot Wheels stunt drivers will make a record-breaking attempt for the biggest jump by a four-wheeled vehicle. Hot Wheels have let loose this teaser ahead of the May 29 event.

Throughout the lead-up to the event the motor show will conduct a number of competitions, with everything from tickets to unique opportunities up for grabs.