Articles by Paul Pottinger

Based on the C Platform of the new Focus and C-Max, it is light years from the dowdy, aging model it will replace. The compact Vertrek goes into North American production this year after which it replaces the popular Kuga in Europe. While Asia-Pacific release details are not finalised, the Vertrek’s chief designer Kemal Curic inadvertently let slip to Australian journalists that it will be known in our part of the world as the Escape. In line the Ford’s North American strategy, the Blue Oval’s local arm will market the Escape in a two model SUV line-up positioned under the renewed Territory. While the Vertrak concept seen this week in Dearborn, Michigan, is highly stylised, with only four seats and no B-pillar, Curic says: "You’re not going to see all the details, but let's say 80 per cent will be in the production vehicle." Touches unlikely to reach us include seat accents "inspired" by the leather shorts sported by Bavarians at the October Fest. Those that will include a steering wheel, switchgear and centre console similar to the new Focus, which is due in Australia in the third quarter of this year. With its dual shoulder lines and the low profile, Curic says the Vetrek is intended to evoke both a "sport utility and a sport car. I think it is cool." The Escape will be built in the US, China and Europe with Australia-bound models sourced from the latter, at least initially. Engines will certainly include one of the new Eco Boost four cylinder, direct injection turbo-charged units, such as the one scheduled later this year from the Falcon. The automatic transmission choice would be a six-speed twin clutch. Ford communication manager Mark Schirmer says: "really it makes sense to have a two (SUV) strategy. Here you can only buy the Explorer (the next size up from Escape) with seven seats." The Escape will be one of 10 models Ford will build off its C Platform as the company rationalises its global passenger vehicle line-ups.

Widely praised in Europe where it was launched early last year, the Giulietta will not gain the Fiat Group's twin clutch TCT transmission until the third quarter of this year.  Even then, the topline Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) remains manual only. Alfa Romeo Australia general manager Andrei Zaitzev admits this is a particular obstacle for a direct competitor to Volkswagen's all-conquering Golf GTI in a market "where three from four buyers choose DSG", VW's version of the increasingly popular twin-clutch auto. The Giulietta is nevertheless expected to sell 500 units this year, 350 of them being the entry-level 1.4 MultiAir, priced at $36,990 plus charges and options. The QV, with an impressive 173kW/340Nm 1.75-litre turbo petrol engine, is priced from $41,990. Zaitzev says a 2.0-litre diesel variant will arrive later in the year. Though equipped with cutting edge Euro 5 compliant powertrains, the Giulietta's task of bolstering Alfa's flagging local sales a paltry 914 in 2010 is made more daunting by the local line-up being reduced to three model lines. With the Spider convertible and Brera coupe in run out, there will remain only the Mito small hatch, the Golf-sized Giulietta and the 159 medium sedan and sportwagon. Zaitzev says the company is "desperate for new product" but the 159's replacement, the Giulia, has been "pushed back until the 2012 and we won't see it before 2013," by which time the range will be eight years old.  A much-needed SUV would be unlikely to see the light of day before that. Would this be of interest? "Hell, yes," Zaitzev says. "You'd be mad not to participate in the sector of the market that grows consistently."  Asked if such a gambit would diminish Alfa's image as maker of sporty cars, he says: "It would only erode its image to a very small number of people but introduce it the best selling segment." The Giulietta is the replacement for the 11-year-old 147 hatch. Though bigger in all dimensions, it weighs in at 1242kg for the 1.4, 1320kg for the QV. The MultiAir returns a claimed 5.6 litres per 100km in combined running, the QV 7.6L. The QV is distinguishable by its traditional four leaf clover badge, lowered suspension and dark 18-inch alloys. Both variants are well equipped with standard features including the Q2 electronic differential and the DNA selective drive switch that enables drivers to choose between dynamic, normal and all-weather modes.

It’s a truism that the Alfa Romeos eulogized by the Alfisti, the marque’s hardcore fans, tend to be at least 40 years old.Sadly, for this was a once great auto house, the impact of recent Alfas has been minimal; 914 local sales in 2010 tell its own sad story. But then, apart from a few worthy variants of the unfairly overlooked 159, Alfa hasn’t deserved much better.Named for an old classic, the Giulietta, a medium hatchback that in Europe has been favourably compared with Volkswagen’s perennial Golf, represents nothing less than the most important car in the brand’s 101-year-old history. If it doesn’t succeed, Alfa Romeo sinks.No pressure then.The newcomer is remarkable for excelling in those areas recent Alfas haven’t, dropping the ball in one which Alfa usually has, but mainly in providing what few Alfas the past decade have so much as hinted at: substance.VALUETwo variants are available now, both with cutting edge turbo petrol engines. A diesel follows later in the year, as does a twin clutch automatic transmission.The sole gearbox to be going on with is a six-speed manual, which will retard sales as surely as if the cars all came painted pooh brown. Pity, because the engine transmission match is great.The 1.4 TB MultiAir retails at $36,990; the 1750 TBI with the famous Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) four leaf clover badge at $41,990. The latter stands visually apart for that prominent emblem, lowered suspension and dark 18-inch alloys.Both variants are well equipped with standard features including the Q2 electronic differential and the DNA selective drive switch that enables drivers to choose between dynamic, normal and all-weather modes.A premium pack (including radio/mobile controls on the steering wheel, folding door mirrors and parking sensors) is optional on the 1.4 and standard on the QV. So too is the sport pack with smokey alloys, 10mm lowered sports suspension, aluminum pedals, leather steering wheel and upholstery.TECHNOLOGYA tour de force. Or is that “forza”? Whatever, the latest DNA setting is no gimmick; all modes are genuinely unique and useful, though you’ll be poking the switch to dynamic at every opportunity. Optimum fuel consumption occurs in Normal, to which the Giulietta defaults when the ignition key is turned.Using turbo-charging, a twin overhead camshaft and direct injection, the 1750 TBi’s seemingly small capacity outstrips almost all four cylinder engines to obtain nigh on three litre performance for four pot economy. Using scavenging technology to make optimum use of the turbo charger, it produces its maximum 340Nm torque from only 1900rpm.The supposedly lesser engine is arguably more impressive; one Alfa claims is as important to petrol engines as the common rail it developed for diesels. An electro-hydraulic variable valve actuation technology controlling air intake, it produces 125kW and 250Nm, the latter from barely above idle, but emits only 134g/km.Propeller headed as all this appears, the result is instantaneous performance that belies capacity. The cost is measured in premium unleaded petrol.DESIGNSo fine without. So poor within.This is one great-looking, completely distinctive five door. Even better in the metal than on the page, there’s not an angle from which the Giulietta, especially the QV, doesn’t work.Coupe lines, accentuated by hidden rear door handles, mean quite some compromise in rear passenger space (do not option the panoramic roof if you intend to transport adults), but the days of Alfa’s driving position being for orangutans (ludicrously long of arm and stubby of leg) are over.What a weeping pity the interior design isn’t matched by materials of quality.Around the eye line, it’s not bad, but too many surface materials are substandard, even downright cheap. The switch controls are sweetly ’60s retro, but you don’t for a moment believe they won’t snap off at some point.In the QV, with its handsome leather thrones, the cut-price nature of the lower cabin plastics isn’t so obvious; in the MultiAir it’s glaring. Surfaces are too easily marked and give no confidence as to long term.In our 1000km-old QV, the bonnet release handle came off in our cameraman’s hand. In our MultiAir, the driver’s wing mirror pane vibrated not quite to the point of falling out.  At this money things needs to be better. At half the money there is better. It makes me think long and hard about spending my money.SAFETY The good news resumes with best in class ratings in European crash testing. It’s down to fixtures including collapsible pedals and steering column, progressive chassis deformity, double front seatbelt pretensioners to curtail “submarining” and removing the need for driver’s knee airbag, and enhanced side impact protection.Add to this daytime running lights and the full raft of active safety acronyms. Go forth in confidence.DRIVING And when you do, rejoice in a choice of two such brilliant engines.  The QV is almost atypically Alfa; controlled, composed and refined to the point of being inaudible. Where’s the fizz, the crackle, the brio?Some (any) aural indication would be welcome, because the QV can accelerate seamlessly from high gear at low speed to a license shredding extent and you’d hardly know it. Like the truly well sorted car it is, it seldom feels as fast as it’s travelling.Yet, more atypically, the ride is completely accomplished, even on 18s and lowered suspensions. Transferring torque to the front wheel with most grip, the electronic Q2 diff seems almost to claw you around corners. If you’re not horrified by the notion of changing gear for yourself, here’s a worthy rival of the all too common Golf GTI. It’s not better or worse as such, rather it’s of a different flavour, as though the hatch body was incidental and you are driving a five door compact grand tourer.Though the QV makes the 100km/h mark from standing a second quicker at 6.8, the MultiAir is its equal if not better, not least in terms of ride and getting the output it has to the tarmac. Can an Alfa be this indifferent to road irregularities? It has the composure of something bigger and softer, yet the intimacy and chuckability of something smaller and more fun. Super direct electro-mechanical steering abets the game.VERDICTAlfa gets there at last.ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTAPrice: $36,990 (MultiAir); $41,990 (QV)Engines: 1.4L 4-cylinder turbo petrol  (125kW/250Nm); 1.75L 4-cylinder turbo petrol (173kW/340Nm)Transmission: 6-speed manual; front wheel driveThirst: 5.6L/100km (MultiAir); 7.6L/100km (QV)

There is nothing remotely good looking about the German company's upcoming Roadster 23 - even its camouflage is ugly.  Then again, Roding is not aiming to win any design awards. It just wants the Roadster 23 to match the performance of a Porsche 911 GT2 turbo.Carparazzi caught the prototype of the Roadster 23 during hot laps at the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, where the company is fine tuning the car to match its performance claims.Those targets are a top speed of 280km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 3.9 seconds. Once the ugly camouflage is stripped away the car will compete against stripped-down road rockets such as the KTM X-Bow and Ariel Atom. Roding only intends to build 23 cars, to match its name.Carparazzi says the Roadster 23 is fitted with a tweaked six-cylinder engine producing 225 kiloWatts and 400 Newton-metres of torque and will weigh just over 900 kilograms, with seats for two and absolutely minimal bodywork.

A top 10 sales finisher in 2010, the three-year-old CJ series Lancer continues to it for those who want four cylinders, but must have four doors just like a "real" family car. There's a slash-backed Lancer hatch too, but the sedan's the one you tend to see on the street.This makes some kind of sense, especially if you're a Mitsu man for whom the brand's locally made V6 family car is a lamented casualty of the times. The so-called Aspire, which sits atop the naturally aspirated Lancer range (then there's the turbo charged Ralliarts, and, ultimately, the Evolution series), is a sort of downsized Verada to the lesser Lancer's mini Magna.But with its barmy boy racer bits, the VRX, which is priced fractionally beneath the Aspire, is a sort of faux Evo for half the dough and a fraction of the ability.VALUEA large helping of fruit and a smart sticker price sees the VRX right among the top echelons of its, mainly Japanese, small-to-medium sized rivals. Buyers of lesser variants are encouraged to stretch that bit further financially.For this model year, Mitsubishi says it has fitted an improved sound insulation system. There's a USB port, colour LCD display and welcome lights on all variants. Bluetooth is standard with the VR, VRX and Ralliart. i-Pod cables are offered on all variants when coupled with the option of Mitsu's rather good multi-media system.Could I make my i-pod work? No. Let's ascribe that to ineptitude.A warranty of five years/130,000km approaches the Koreans and makes you wonder why the rivals won't offer the same. A half-decade of manufacturer protection is of itself a compelling reason to purchase. The drivetrain is covered for 10 years/160,00km.Yes, you'd think about it alright.TECHNOLOGYVRX variants get the 2.4-litre atmo petrol engine, good for 125kW at 6,000rpm and 226 Nm at just over 4000 revs. Useful, but not inspiring, at least not when coupled with an automatic that takes the form of a continuously variable setup, augmented with six manual presets best accessed by paddle shifters.DESIGNAn amiable spell can be passed identifying the other makes from which the Lancer's myriad design cues were borrowed. A bit of Volvo here. A dash of Alfa Romeo there. Whatever. It sort of works. And the punters love it.Which must explain the affront that is the rear spoiler. On an Evo it might be acceptable. Less so on a Ralliart. On a front-wheel-drive trundler with sporting pretensions, never. When driving, it makes you feel like a word we can't use but which rhymes with and is nearly spelt "clock". And if it doesn't, it ought to.Against that the 10-spoke alloys, around which are wrapped grippy 18-inch rubber, look especially handsome set off against the dark metallic paint.The bogan bling thing continues within. The Lancer's cabin is pretty grim. The cod-carbon fibre accents, silver shifting paddles and leather wrapped wheel only emphasize the very ordinary black plastics. It's decidedly inferior to an equivalent Mazda3, conspicuously so to, say, the Mark VI Golf.And why, given the trouble taken to tart up the cabin, hasn't the VRX been given steering wheel reach adjustment?SAFETYNo complaints here, with Mitsu's version of electronic stability backed up actively by anti-skid brakes with brake force distribution and brake assist. Most of the Lancer's rivals can't match its seven airbags (including driver's knee), which ensures five-star ANCAP safety rating.DRIVINGOnly the helplessly naïve could imagine those tacked on go fast bits could equate to superior dynamics. Actually, the big wheels almost get in the way, ensuring an all-to frequently unsettled ride, if decent grip.It isn't quite a case of the looks writing cheques the drive can't deliver. If not so sharp as a Mazda3 the VRX is a decent enough device through sweeping bends, if not tighter corners. The stability program takes the slightest provocation to flare. At least part of its initial feeling of inadequacy is overcome once you get used to ignoring the whining CVT and plant the accelerator to overcome the lack of lowdown torque.Less easily overcome is a driving position that, for taller pilots, is fairly wretched. Hard to drive fluently when your arms are outstretched and your lower body is concertinaed.VERDICTNeeds less show and more go.  MITSUBISHI LANCER VRXPrice: $32,490Engine: 125kW/226NMTransmission: continuously variable automatic; front wheel driveThirst: 7L/100km (tested)

"See You" reads the centre console when you jab off the Aspire's power button. After a week in the top model of Mitsubishi's ASX you want to tell it not to be so presumptuous.But that's only if you're feeling especially polite.Though an appalling euphemism (and inaccurate acronym) , the "Active Sports Crossover" is not a particularly poor car - or soft roader, urban shopping vehicle or whatever you want to call it - as much as it is pointless. Contrived (and that's the word) to bridge the barely perceptible gap between the Lancer sedan/hatch range and the Outlander SUV, its validity is further clouded by there being any number of better alternatives.Still, it looks nice in blue.VALUEDubious at this end of the range for this kind of dough. For the likely intended use - that'd be the shopping centre and school run - I can't help but think the basic $26K front-wheel-drive jobbie would be ASX enough.But if you can't forgo fruit, the top level Aspire is a pleasant place to be: leather upholstery, chrome bits, USB/Bluetooth, a particularly good touchscreen sat-nav screen, reversing camera and resonant Rockford Fosgate sound systems. Entry and ignition are keyless.You'll do the Westfield trip in some style.TECHNOLOGYThe manually switchable four-wheel-drive, though of limited application here, adds some surety if, say, it's been raining on the upper storey of the carpark. A frontie in normal circumstances, you can select on demand 4WD or lock it in.The continuously variable transmission from the Lancer has six manual presets grabbable via steering wheel shifting levers.DESIGNThe Lancer's striking if derivative exterior is the chief reason for its sales success. That works too for the ASX, essentially an elevated Lancer wagon. Sweet looking thing, especially, as we say, in its signature "Kingfisher" blue.Front and back row occupants won't whine about space and the driver gets a fully adjustable wheel for ease of positioning - as long as there's only four all up and they're not toting too much stuff. It's so often the case that quasi-SUVs offer little or no advantage over a Golf-sized hatch and that applies here: 416 litres rear seats up, 1193 down. Not heaps.As is true of the top level Lancer, the above mentioned bling goes only so far toward lifting the cabin ambience. There's some ordinary lower level plastics.SAFETY Again like the Lancer, active and passive measures are to the fore of the small-medium class. Seven airbags, anti-lock brakes with discs front and rear that have a nice amount of travel in the pedal before the ABS bites.The best electronic stability programs intervene in a manner you'll barely notice. You'll notice the ASX's but, as we'll see, that's not the fault of the program.DRIVINGFor any but the least demanding driver, the ASX is a non-starter. The 2.0-litre four is yesterday's papers in terms of sophistication and performance, especially inadequate moving off the mark through the flaring transmission. It can do only so much with 1440kg plus me to haul, hence fuel consumption approached double the claimed figure in 380km of open road and suburban driving.Activating AWD does little to redeem dull dynamics and an unresolved ride. Taking the mildest corner at the recommended speed has the Dunlop tyres squealing and the weight shifting in a way that would cause dismay in much a larger, less wieldy SUV. Not that cornering is to be eagerly anticipated with steering this slow and unresponsive. Open road or parking lot, you seem always to be in need of more lock.Cosseting from the road's imperfections might reasonably be expected in something so soft, but the ASX wallows exaggeratedly in response to undulations. Nor is it especially pleasant in straight ahead running. Tyre roar threatened to drown the Test coverage, though this could be seen as an act of mercy. I wouldn't care to be seated in the back where cacophony would be more apparent.The diesel variant, which comes only with a manual transmission for the moment, is altogether more gratifying with its emphatic 110kW/300Nm engine, whose heavier weight makes this more planted ASX. Bizarrely, though, our loan car was afflicted with an indicator noise so piercingly, chirpingly irritating I seriously considered resorting to hand signals.VERDICT"See you"? Not me. Buy Kia's Sportage Platinum.MITSUBISHI ASX ASPIREPrice: $36,990Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder; 110kW/197NmTransmission: continuously variable auto; AWDThirst: 8.1L/100 (claimed)

... Mercedes-Benz has released selected official pictures of the 2011 C-Class Estate to accompany the purloined pictures.  Merc calls the "new" C-Class, due here mid-year, a "comprehensive modernisation", with redesigned front and rear, upgraded dash and interior materials. More strikingly, the company claims a 31 per cent reduction in fuel consumption due to enhanced seven-speed auto transmission and Eco start/stop function. There's also 10 new driver aid systems ranging from Attention Assist drowsiness detection to Distronic Plus proximity control. "With numerous high-grade features in the interior that remind one of the new CLS, the C-Class sets completely new standards in its segment with respect to perceived value and quality," says Dr Joachim Schmidt, Merc's sales and marketing director man. A total of more than 2000 new components distinguish the latest generation of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class from its predecessor, he says.  Visibly, though, the changes are hardly dramatic, though four- and five-door have a new aluminium bonnet, which contributes to weight reduction and the all important reduction in fuel consumption.The 2011 version of Merc's mainstay has a new front fascia, with LED daytime running lights, LED indicators, a new front grille, and a slightly re-designed rear section. There will certainly be interior upgrades too. As ever, it's a case of visual evolution, not revolution, the main changes being mechanical, not least in the iconic C 63 AMG. The 6.2-litre V8 is likely to be superseded by Merc's 5.5-litre biturbo unit whose possible power of 380kW exceeds even the output of the one-off Jaffa special made for the Australian International Motor Show. Petrol and diesel V6s are also up for power increases, to some 225kW and 195kW respectively.  Elsewhere, the ever pressing need to lower the fleet consumption and emission average will see new BluTec diesel powertrains and engine stop-start systems, as well as more direct-injected models and the possible end of the five speed auto in those models that retain it for seven-speed transmissions. Rumours persist of  the first C Class hybrid.  The 2011 C-Class is expected to have its global premier this month, going on sale later in the year. Though it starts just south of $60,000 here, the C-Class was one of Australia's best-selling midsize imports in 2010. In November it was second outright only to the locally-produced fleet favourite Toyota Camry. The four door Merc has left behind not only obvious prestige rivals such as BMW's 3 Series and Audi's A4, but also at times high-quality offerings from Japan and elsewhere in Europe that start as much as 50 per cent under the tristar car.

Carsguide has sorted the genuinely new from the merely tarted up, the noteworthy from the non-entities and the relevant from the rest so families car buyers can chart the year ahead with certainty. More conventionally, the latest VW Jetta's arrival in the third quarter with twin clutch autos and direct injection turbo petrol and diesel engines should finally cement its identity as something other a Golf mitt boot. Meanwhile the Golf Blue Motion provides slighter consumption than the Prius. Romance language accents are lent by Citroen's C4, with its frugal diesel HDi engines, and rapid DS4 variant in September. Kia's Optima, due next month, mightn't be as big as either of the formerly top two big two, but the sizeable and stylish Peter Schreyer designed sedan is bigger than its predecessor Magentis and about 100 times easy on the eye. The make or break Alfa Romeo Giulietta is here in a few weeks, likely to be (over) priced against Audi's A3, with sophisticated MutliAir engine but only manual transmissions for now, twin clutch jobbies coming later. Petrol electric propulsion Lexus style should be relatively affordable - some $50,000 or less - with the imminent arrival of the CT200h hatchback, which might look a bit like a Mazda3 but runs along Prius lines. Volvo's V60, the five door counterpart to the allegedly "naughty" S60, is here in March. Unless it includes a spare tyre, don't bother waking us.  The family car market doesn't mean fleet fodder Falcodores. Due in the second quarter, VW's Passat, especially in wagon form, gives very little away to the big Aussies size - or price-wise, and leaves them behind with its cutting edge drivetrains. That said, Falcon's first ever four - a 2.0L turbo petrol unit - is eagerly awaited. Competition comes in July in the form of Peugeot's 508. As its first full size sedan in yonks, it'll be interesting to see how the big Frog fares in a big pond. The French accent grows more pronounced with the Renault Latitude, a replacement for the unloved Laguna.

So show me the 11 grand, already. I really want someone to explain the premium between Volkswagen's Mark VI Golf GTI five-door and its new Polo GTI and -- more to the point -- why I should pay it. Because I was thinking about it.I ask as someone who gladly forked out full freight for a Mark V Golf GTI five years ago. I remain firmly of the opinion there's only one car under $100,000 that does so much better, and that's a Mark VI Golf GTI.Or so it was until last week.The resolve that the only worthy replacement for our family car was another of the same crumbled to biscuit mix when Carsguide took delivery of a Polo GTI.The previous Polo GTI, appealing though it remains, was also just a bit contrived, something of an afterthought: the old VW group 1.8 turbo shoved in, a five-speed manual, a few badges stuck on and Heinrich's your uncle.The newbie, which arrives after two lesser Polos won Carsguide's Car of the Year and Best Green Car, was envisaged as a halo model -- if one priced under $28K can be so described -- from inception.Yes, it shares much with its milder siblings, most notably within, but is bequeathed the best of its bigger brother's bits.There's the same tactile GTI steering wheel, the red stitching, the standard tartan upholstery. The mesh grille is lined in red, the same 17-inch Denver alloys look bolder here and, if anything, the accents are more distinct and purposeful than on the too-discreet Golf.Similarly lowered, and with its own suspension settings, the Polo shares the Golf's XDL (extended electronic differential lock), which all but arrests understeer when the car is tipped hard into a corner.Some 200kg lighter, it gets the most powerful version yet of VW's 1.4-litre, direct-injection, twincharged engine, which seamlessly deploys a supercharger beneath a turbocharger to equal the Golf's performance and better its economy. It's a pocket rocket.Size is the essential difference. If you can live without the Golf's marginally bigger dimensions -- the Polo is about equivalent to a medium hatchback of a decade ago -- you'll lose nothing, and even gain somewhat, in the dynamics department.My chief caveat -- the lack of a manual -- is one that probably 75 per cent of GTI buyers would consider an asset. With the Polo version, you get the seven-speed version of the twin-clutch automatic DSG or nothing.Otherwise, as I say, show me where to look for that $11K.

Carsguide has sorted the genuinely new from the merely tarted up, the noteworthy from the non-entities and the relevant from the rest so families car buyers can chart the year ahead with certainty. A sizeable proportion of 2011's new car action comes in the comely shape of things like Suzuki's Swift. Due in February, the new Swift is slightly bigger and heavier, but runs leaner and cleaner  it's also likely to be slightly more expensive from around $16,500. If the work Kia's put in on its recent product is any guide, their new Rio will give the class leaders something to think about when it lobs mid-year with its six-speed transmissions and transformed fit and finish. Hyundai's Accent-replacing i25 is here shortly after.  Hyundai's on a roll with the i35 sedan, i40 wagon and possibility of a hybrid i45 sedan. The Daewoo Aveo (as the new Holden Barina is elsewhere known) gets here in five door form late in the piece, a much-needed replacement for the thoroughly outclassed current car. The new version of the car that once made the Barina badge worth buying, Opel's Corsa, lobs in the third quarter as the German company roll outs locally.  Holden's Cruze sedan starts local production shortly, with the five door joining it later in the year.  General Motors has two more shots in its locker with the new version of Opel's much-loved Astra making a welcome return alongside the bigger Insignia sedan and possibly wagon.   Ford's riposte, the handsome and crucial new Focus, arrives some time later.  The Mazda6 will gain the Sky-D direct injection turbo diesel that will challnge the Camry Hybrid for fuel economy, married to a new six-speed automatic transmission.  Be still our beating hearts - an "all-new" Toyota Camry is along later in the year.  And if not new per se, the market leading Toyota Yaris comes in for upgrades in the second half of the year.