2023 Ferrari SF90 Stradale (phev) Reviews

A Mustang is a wild brumby in the USA but also one of the all-time best muscle cars; the LandCruiser does just what the name says, even if the land is the worst of the Australian outback; and the Enzo is a tribute to the man who founded the world's best-know supercar company, Ferrari.But the name game can go badly wrong.  The Nissan Cedric was never going to be a hit in Australia with a name that creates a picture of an aging uncle Arthur in a cardigan, Taurus is tough in the USA but was always going to flop against the Falcon, and the Skoda Roomster has just been dumped after failing to find a home down under.Holden was careful to avoid the VD in its Commodore line, but why did it start with the VB and not the VA? And what about the Statesman, which went well as the WB but was never updated into the WC?  Just this week I was following a Citroen Jumpy delivery fan in Portugal, and wondering if the name was a reflection of the driver's behaviour or the way it runs on the road.The craziness goes on and on, like the Citroen Picasso people mover which is anything but an oil painting.  Today's showrooms also have cars whose names have more numbers and letters than a cryptic crossword, with just as much meaning. Who really knows the difference between an A7 and a C350?But head back in history and there are some absolute clangers.  Henry Ford named the 1950s Edsel after his son, but is now recorded as one of the biggest flops in blue-oval history.  Japan has given us everything from the Daihatsu Rocky and Rugger to the Honda Ascot and Acty Crawler and on through the Isuzu Big Horn to the Subaru Justy.Nissan created the Tiida name from nothing, even though it claims it has something to do with waves breaking on a beach, and Lexus is even a made-up brand name, in contrast to Mercedes which was named after an early Daimler customer's daughter.  Over in America, the AMC Gremlin was a flop, the Dodge Neon never went up in lights, Plymouth Reliant never lived up to its promise, and the Lincoln Town Car was so big it needed its own postcode.Even some of the names which have worked create more questions than answers about their creation.  The Kia Mentor is more likely to need one, the Honda Jazz is not much of a music machine and the Suzuki Cappucino was too frothy to sell in Australia.Some names also paint a picture because of their history.  Mention Celica and lots of people in Australia think hairdresser.  Ask about the Nissan GT-R and you'll hear about Godzilla.Camry is shorthand for fridge-on-wheels, Kingswood is classic sixties kitsch, and then there is the Goggomobil.  So, what's causing a Rukus today? The Toyota Rukus, for a start.We could also get the Nissan Cube, which is as boxy as its name, although Nissan Australia is also pushing for a return of the Pulsar badge which worked so well before the silly switch to Tiida.  Right now we have the Skoda Superb in Australian showrooms. If that's not a name which creates a serious expectation then we don't know our Falcodores.When Toyota was looking for a new name for a mid-sized car alongside the Camry it thought it had the ideal choice. It settled on Centaur - the mythical man-horse - because it sounded tough.  But no-one at Toyota Australia had taken into account a nasty incident in World War II during the battle for the Pacific.A hospital ship called the Centaur was sailing towards Brisbane when it was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine. The idea of a Toyota Centaur sunk even faster.  The Centaur badges were crushed, all the paperwork was changed and so was the advertising. The Centaur quickly became the Avalon for Australia.  How do we know? Carsguide made the call to Toyota to warn about the problem. Japanese cars have always led the way in the silly-names race.  How about the Mazda Bongy Brawny? No, not the name for an off-road tough SUV, it was the badge on the back of a city delivery van with a 1.3-litre engine.Everyone has heard the story about the Mitsubishi Starion, and whether the company's sales team actually meant to call the turbo coupe the Stallion.  And then there is the Pajero. It's called the Montero in Spain, because Pajero is the word for something usually done alone in private.

Winnebago marketing manager Max Mayo says while most campervans are designed to cater for two people, these ones will be patterned after the space and comfort of the larger motorhome styles."Our new campervans take comfort and versatility to a new plateau and both models will cater for four people in style," he says.The Escape is a 6.4m campervan on a Fiat Ducato three-litre turbo diesel, while the Diversion is built on a 7.3m, long-wheelbase Mercedes Benz Sprinter van. There are no prices yet for the Diversion, but the drive-away price of the Escape is $105,929.They feature an electric roll-down bed which drops from the ceiling and can sleep two adults. There are other beds for two more people.Both will be displayed for the first time at the Queensland Caravan Camping Touring and Holiday Show from June 9 to 15 at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.While most campervans do not include bathroom and toilet facilities or have a small shower recess, the Escape and Diversion have an expanding bathroom system with a flushing toilet.There is also a large "garage" area in the rear of the campervans made by storing the electric double bed against the ceiling and folding up the two single beds against the wall. The space created can hold a motorbike or two, a quad bike, bicycles, surfboards fishing rods and more.During the week, the Escape can double as mum's car or as a tradies truck with optional checker plating installed for the tool box. On the weekend, it can be used as a self-contained campervan. Winnebago claims the Escape has the biggest bathroom of any campervan and features a fold away external table.The Diversion is highlighted by leather armchairs, well-equipped kitchen, a sofa bed which converts electronically into a large comfortable bed and large awning. It also features roof and cabin air-conditioning, an LCD 12 volt TV with DVD player inbuilt , awning, microwave, two gas bottles and the largest campervan bathroom on the market.Both campervans have kitchen drawers that can be accessed from outside.

But it is the European brands who are trumping the locals with a range of concepts and production cars intended to tap into the sales boom and gold rush in China. Mercedes-Benz shows its Shooting Break wagon, Volkswagen has the new Phaeton flagship, Audi has a long-wheelbase A6, BMW has a new four- door coupe and Ferrari has its F599 GTO to make the running.The 45 local brands are doing their best - with Great Wall alone showing nine new models - but they are the entree for the main course choices from Europe. The big news from the Chinese carmakers - including Australian start-ups Chery, Geely and Great Wall - is a strong emphasis on green cars, mostly fully-electric plug-ins but with a smattering of hybrids.A total of 95 alternate-energy vehicles are spread through the nine giant, pulsating, colourful stands at the Beijing Exhibition. Even Volkswagen is using China Auto 2010 to push its electric strategy, promising to start local production of plug-ins between 2013 and 2014."As China becomes Volkswagen's most important market around the world, achievement in the electric-vehicle segment in China is key," says Martin Winterkorn, global chief of VW.Holden is helping GM make a Beijing splash with the latest version of the Volt, a boxy five-door SUV concept, which was built by the design crew at Fishermans Bend. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of the biggest motor show in China, as first-quarter sales in the country rocketed to 4.7 million vehicles this year.Most full-year sales forecasts for 2010 are set in the 16.2 to 16.5 million range, well ahead of the USA and fueled by overall economy growth which continues to run in the 8-9 per cent, year-on-year.

Just as things are calming after Toyota's eight-million-vehicle mistakes in the USA and Europe, Mazda is hit with a 90,000-car recall in Japan and China.Australia has again dodged the recall, which only applies to a specific model of the Mazda3 not sold here, but things are looking tougher for even the world's most-admired brands. "The Mazda3 is not affected in Australia," says company spokesman Steve Maciver. "It's only the 1.6-litre engine, which we do not get here."But Toyota Australia was forced to recall the latest Prius hybrid for tweaking of the braking system; elderly Daihatsus have been recalled - ironically, under the Toyota banner; and Great Wall was forced to recall the first batch of its Chinese twin-cab utes to rectify a seat belt problem.Even Suzuki, which has one of the lowest warranty-claim rates in the country, was forced to recall the baby Alto because of a problem with wiring to the stoplights. Suzuki Australia is still sourcing a replacement stoplamp switch and will contact owners.Then there is Toyota USA, which is hit with another cloud over the Lexus GS460. It's a heavyweight SUV which is built up from the Prado and, thanks to an unsafe rating by the influential magazine 'Consumer Reports', sales have been stopped while the company conducts safety tests. It is responding to claims the car can develop a tail slide, leading to a rollover, in an emergency situation. Once again, Toyota Australia is responding with a 'no panic' reply."The Lexus GX460 is not and has never been sold in Australia. Toyota Motor Corporation Japan has advised us that Prado is not affected by the sales stop. It has a smaller engine and significantly less weight overall, particularly over the front wheels, says Toyota and Lexus spokesman, Mike Breen. Toyota is even putting a positive spin on the Lexus development."This is firm evidence of Toyota’s stated intention to respond even more quickly to ensure quality and customer satisfaction. It shows that Toyota is taking the matter seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue that was identified," Breen says. "Having done that, Toyota Motor Corporation has adopted its normal approach of conducting further tests on other SUVs. These vehicles have already undergone extensive testing and Toyota is confident they meet its high safety standards. Toyota is therefore conducting these tests as an additional measure to ensure customer confidence."And it's not just cheap-and-cheerful car brands that get caught up in recalls. Ferrari is also suffering after recalling more than 2000 of its F355 model fitted with a single fuel pump system and sold in the 1990s. Ferrari says it will be contacting known owners so their cars can be checked for a problem with the fuel system pipes.Porsche, meanwhile, plans to recall 152 of its all-new Panamera flagship, which sells from $270,000 to $365,000. They have to be checked for faulty seatbelt mounting points.

The three companies with Australia in their sights - Great Wall, Chery and Geely - are all expected to unveil new value-driven compacts and SUVs at the country's biggest annual motoring event.  Great Wall is the only brand with vehicles already in local showrooms, a dual-cab ute and SUV, but Chery and Geely will both hit the road down under before the end of 2010.BYD, a technology leader for China, is also planning to reveal its first plug-in electric cars in Beijing although it currently has no plans to sell overseas.  All 47 of China's manufacturers are expected to have something new at the show, with a move away from the copycat designs of the past - everything from the Rolls-Royce Phantom to the BMW X5 was either parodied or duplicated - to unique Chinese designs."They will all show their new export cars," says Ric Hull, the Ateco Automotive executive responsible for the Great Wall and Chery brands.  Hull says the Chinese car industry is advancing so rapidly it is hard to keep tabs on the new-model action."I think everything has to be seen in the context of the market. The Chinese made and sold about 13.6 million vehicles last year, and the US was 10.4 million," he says.  "They have not only eclipsed the US, they have gone way beyond them. In good years the US is 17 million, but the Chinese are there already."In the first quarter of this year, they have sold 4.6 million vehicles. So you're now talking 18 or 20 million a year. It's just gone bezerk.  "The thing that fascinates me most is how anyone can lift production to those levels. I don't believe the Japanese could do it, or even the Koreans."Hull says Ateco is already on track with additions to the Great Wall range including a single-cab ute, with Chery to hit first with a compact SUV.  "We'll launch Chery in August. It has just been an agonizing process to get the compliance issues in place, but it will be fine."I'm hoping to launch a RAV4-kind of vehicle at a really good price.  "Great Wall are talking about a 1.5-litre car that we'll introduce before the end of the year. They are getting there and getting there awfully, awfully quickly."Hull says he is expecting rapid improvement in Chinese vehicles, with quality and safety as top priorities.  Great Wall is just about to face its second ANCAP crash-test barrier in Australia and, following the miserable two-star result for the ute, Hull is hoping for a four-star rating for the brand's SUV."We took a hammering from NCAP on the utes but Great Wall reacted and they have made a lot of changes," Hull says.  Car sales in China are so important that all the world's major makers will be displaying in Beijing.Even though many skipped last year's Tokyo Motor Show, previously the world's equal number one with Frankfurt every two years, no-one can afford to miss the biggest motoring event in China.  There were more than a dozen world previews at the last Beijing show and a lot of the action is at the upmarket end of the business in 2010.Ferrari is unveiling its new go-faster flagship, the 599 GTO, and Mercedes-Benz will reveal an update of the $1.5 million Maybach ultra- luxury limousine.

The Maranello-based company has confirmed details of the 599 GTO ahead of its official launch at the Beijing Motor Show later this month. The road-ready street car is based on the experimental 599XX track car. It has already proven its race-track credentials too. The 599 GTO set a record lap time at the company's Fiorano test track in Maranello with a time of 1:24. Developing 500kW at 8250 revs and 620Nm at 6500 revs, the six-speed GTO hits 100kmh in just 3.35 seconds with a top speed of more than 335km/h. Despite the increase in power over the 599 GTB Fiorano, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions improve slightly to 17.5 litres/100km and 411 g/km respectively. Widespread use of composite materials and components from Formula 1 have kept the car's overall weight down to 1605kg - 80kg less than a Holden Commodore Omega.To match the performance, it gets the latest, second-generation carbon-ceramic brakes which are lighter and offer better performance. There are also new aerodynamic innovations, such as the wheel doughnuts which increase aerodynamic efficiency and improved brake cooling. A different tyre set-up with wider front tyres helps improve roadholding. Ferrari has thrown in what it calls the "virtual race engineer'' device, which provides the driver with instantaneous information on performance. Apart from new springs and a stiffer rear anti-roll bar, the car also features Ferrari's second-generation magnetic suspension system. Local prices and specifications will be announced when the car arrives next year. In Europe the GTO costs $461,238 but its local price is tipped to be significantly more. However, the size of your bank account will not guarantee pole position behind the wheel of Ferrari's newest sportscar. "Cars will only be sold to Ferrari's most valued customers worldwide," according to Edward Rowe, a spokesman for Ferrari importer Ateco Automotive Ltd. Rowe says many of these customers will already have a stable of Ferraris in their garages. Even though 10 Australian and New Zealand customers have expressed interest in the new 12-cylinder 599 GTO, not everyone will be able to walk into a showroom and order Maranello's latest weapon. With just 599 being made, many already have customer names to them. Australia has not been allocated a specific number of cars but only a handful are expected to arrive early next year. "We have no definitive number of the car we'll get," Rowe says. The GTO gets its first public airing at this month's Beijing Motor Show - recognition that China is emerging as one of the brand's strongest global markets.

Hard on the heels of a European price guide hitting the web for the yet to be launched Ferrari 599 GTO, images of the newest magic from Maranello have emerged.  And it is hardly surprising that the new GTO looks a lot like the 599XX, including the heavily ventilated bonnet. The ventilated bonnet is necessary to clear the engine heat from the worked over 6.0-litre V12.  Although official details are expected to be revealed on Friday, the GTO is tipped to develop close to 520kW and the V12 will bellow out to 9000 revs. The word is that the mean machine will hit 100km/h in around 3.2 seconds and have a top speed of more than 250km/h.  Ferrari is also said to have shaved weight out of the car, particularly the interior, by as much as 60kg. Only 500 examples are expected to be built for select Ferrari customers.  Leak details of pricing and equipment reveal that the car will cost the equivalent of $461,238 overseas, but by the time you add in the relevant taxes and charges it will be much, much more here.For the equivalent of an extra $11,222 you can get the entire engine compartment fitting out in carbon fibre while an upgraded leather interior will cost $6388 and a bespoke luggage set will cost $8632.

V8 SUPERCARS (After round 3/15)1 Jamie Whincup (Holden)  7712 Mark Winterbottom (Ford)  7143 James Courtney (Ford)  6964 Shane van Gisbergen (Ford)  6305 Lee Holdsworth (Holden)  5736 Craig Lowndes (Holden)  5527 Rick Kelly (Holden)  5308 Paul Dumbrell (Holden)  4899 Michael Caruso (Holden)  46210 Steven Johnson (Ford)  455(Next race, April 16-18, Hamilton, NZ)FORMULA ONE(After Melbourne, round 2/19)1 Fernando Alonso (Spain)  372 Felipe Massa (Brazil)  333 Jenson Button (UK)  314 Lewis Hamilton (UK)  235 Nico Rosberg (Germany)  206 Robert Kubica (???)  187 Sebastian Vettel (Germany)  128 Michael Schumacher (Germany)  99 Tonio Liuzzi (Italy)  810 Mark Webber (Aust)  6(Next race: April 4, Malaysia)NASCAR SPRINT CUP(After race 6 of 36)1 Jimmie Johnson (Chev)  8982 Greg Biffle (Ford)  8843 Matt Kenseth (Ford)  8824 Kevin Harvick (Chev)  8375 Jeff Burton (Chev)  7856 Kurt Bursch (Dodge)  7767 Jeff Gordon (Chev)  7738 Tony Stewart (Chev)  7709 Clint Boyer (Chev)  74710 Dale Earnhardt (Chev)  73929 Marcos Ambrose (Toyota)  543(Next race: April 10, Phoneix)WORLD RALLY(After Mexico, round 2/13)1 S#aacebastien Loeb (Fra) Citro#adien  432 Mikko Hirvonen (Fin) Focus  373 Jari-Matti Latvala (Fin) Focus  254 S#aacebastien Ogier (Fra) Citro#adien  255 Petter Solberg (Nor) Citro#adien  206 Henning Solberg (Nor) Focus  167 Daniel Sordo (Spn) Citro#adien  128 Matthew Wilson (UK) Focus  68 Frederico Villagra (Arg) Focus  610 Mads Ostberg (Nor) Impreza  4(Next rally: April 4, Jordon)WORLD SUPERBIKES(after Portugal, round 2/13)1 Leon Haslam (UK)  852 Max Biaggi (Italy)  693 Carlos Checa (Spain)  604 Michel Fabrizio (Italy)  465 Nori Haga (Japan)  436 Jonathan Rea (UK)  397 Sylvain Guintoli (France)  338 Leon Camier (UK)  329 Troy Corser  (Aus)  2910 James Toseland (UK))  25(Next race, April 11, Valencia)Australian MX(After Horsham, round 1/8)1 PJ Larsen (KTM)  602 Ryan Marmont (KTM)  562 Kirk Gibbs (Yamaha)  564 Cody Mackie (Kawasaki)  555 Michael Phillips (Honda)  436 Luke George (Kawasaki)  407 Daryl King (Yamaha)  388 Luke Styke (Yamaha)  379 Kade Mosig (Suzuki)  3510 Brendan Harrison (Yamaha)  34(Next race, April 18, Canberra)

But it will be more than enough for passengers on the world's first Ferrari rollercoaster, which opens in Abu Dhabi towards the end of the year. And there is also a chance for overtaking...The unique GT Rollercoaster is the centrepiece of Ferrari World, which is built alongside Yas Island's $1 billion Formula One racetrack. It's a two-kilometre course which sets two cars on a side-by-side run with a competition between each pair of Ferrari-shaped coaster cars. But it's not the finish at Ferrari world, which has plans for another rollercoaster - this one the world's fastest, with a top speed of more than 200km/h and cornering forces to approach an F1 racer. Ferrari World says the G-force experience will take passengers up through the roof of the building on a 62-metre high-speed climb.There will also be racing simulators similar to the ones used by the Ferrari grand prix team, a 'flume' ride through the heart of a Ferrari engine and a driving school for juniors. The theme park is a world first for Ferrari, which has opened branded stories around the world - including one planned for Sydney's international airport later this year. The roof of the Abu Dhabi experience covers more than 200,000 square metres and the designers say it is the largest theme park in the world. It will eventually have more than 20 individual attractions, all linked to some part of the Ferrari motoring world.

Europe is back in business, celebrating the end of the global financial crisis that rocked the car world and drove the biggest of them all - General Motors - into bankruptcy.There were green shoots of happiness at the Frankfurt Motor Show in late 2009, but this week's Geneva Motor Show shows the same sort of excitement and promise of an early spring morning in Europe.Every carmaker has something new in Geneva, from full-blown production models to quirky concepts. The Swiss show is often dismissed as a sideshow but this time, with 25 new models as diverse as the Nissan Micra and Porsche Cayenne, there is serious action on every front.Carmakers are predictably focussed on green solutions to meet the challenges of fuel economy and CO2 emissions - with Fiat even showing a tiny two-cylinder engine for its funkoid 500 - but there is also room for fun.  How else do you describe a Honda city concept that looks like a 20th-century take on the unicycles used by Circe du Soleil acrobats?But even the green machines have turned mean as Ferrari shows its 599 Vettura Labratorio hybrid, although BYD from China balanced things with its fully-electric E6 hatch.Porsche also has its 918 supercar concept and both it and the Ferrari tap Formula One technology with KERS hybrid packs - that's Kinetic Energy Recovery System - to store energy for a quick, explosive boost of extra power.Porsche plans to put the 918 into production but, as yet, Ferrari is only using the super-special 599 - painted symbolically in green instead of the Italian brand's signature red - as a rolling labratory.  "We want to understand how to use this technology. We are not yet at the point to see it in a road going Ferrari," says Amedeo Felisa, Ferrari's CEO.The upbeat mood at Geneva is captured by the top man at Bentley, Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, who says the reaction to his company's Mulsanne and Supersports models has filled him with confidence after a shocking 2009.  "There is a feeling that it is behind us," Paefgen says as super-wealthy Bentley buyers emerge from their GFC-proof bunkers.Walking the stands at Geneva I see green machines that are more than just concepts and plenty of choices for small-car buyers, from budget hatches to baby prestige cars like the Audi A1.  The little Audi gets a rousing reception, Volvo wins praise for the safety and styling of the new S60 sedan and the Alfa Giulietta - replacement for the 147 - raises more questions about the often-promised renaissance for the brand.Lexus shows a compact new CT200h hybrid that brings petrol-electric power to a new group of buyers, Mini has the Countryman with extra ground clearance and the basics for a World Rally Championship challenge in 2011, and the Mitsubishi ASX crossover - test driven this week by Peter Lyon near Tokyo - heads the Japanese contingent.For Alfa fans, the Giulietta is pitched at the Volkswagen Golf with a range of 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines.  BMW’s new 5 Series and a 4-litre six-cylinder X5 diesel creates a predictable buzz among SUV fans.Kia’s head of design, Peter Schreyer, lifts the wraps off the stylish new Sportage, which is due in Australia later this year, with the promise of both turbodiesel and petrol engines, as well as front and all-wheel drive.  The Sportage could be major hit for the Korean brand, matching the impact of the Hyundai ix35, when it goes on sale with an opener in the sub-$30,000 bracket.Ford leverages the first European appearance of its new Focus hatch in Geneva by unveiling the Focus wagon, which at this stage is a Europe-only car. Europeans are big wagon buyers and the wagon is expected to account for one-third of all Focus sales there.But the Focus wagon is only the halfway point - the fifth of 10 proposed models - using the same basic building blocks and the future includes a Focus electric car. Currently, the wagon, hatch, sedan and C-Max and Grand C-Max all share the same underpinnings.“We are now using our global resources to develop cars for all countries, including Australia,” says Ford's technical chief, Derrick Kuzak.  He also reveals the current Europe-only Kuga compact SUV and North American Escape will be replaced by a single global car, which could head to Australia, and hints that a hot performance Focus with a more-powerful version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Ecoboost turbo engine will also be available in Australia.Lexus uses Geneva to showcase its critically important CT 200h hybrid, which it hopes to become a volume player.  But the CT 200h is not the only car to push the green theme at the affordable end.Hyundai has the stylish turbocharged 1.7-litre i-flow concept sedan, which uses a lithium-ion battery pack with six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and it is joined by the ix35 FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell car and Opel’s Flextreme GT-E.Apart from Ferrari, Porsche shows off its GT3 R Hybrid - also with KERS - and 918 Spyder, both exploring the outer limits of hybrid drivetrains for race and road cars.  The Cayenne, along with the VW Touareg, share their hybrid debuts as Audi uses the first appearance of its baby A1 to reveal a full-electric E-tron concept that joins earlier R8-based plug-in supercars.Apart from the conventional petrol and diesel A1, Audi also adds the RS5 coupe to its A5 lineup and a hybrid A8 sedan. The RS5 gets a powerful 335kW/430Nm 4.2-litre V8, quattro all-wheel drive and seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox.Like the BMW-built Mini, Audi has several distinctly styled A1s on its stand. It says owners will have access to so much customisation that no two A1s will be exactly the same.Audi has the Mini firmly in its sights with an expected starting price around $33,000 for the A1, with a three-door car to kick of sales with a five-door and cabrio expected. The range-topper is expected to be an S version with a performance-tuned turbo four cylinder engine.Citroen springs one of the few real surprises of the show with its hot-pink Survolt sportscar while Giugiaro teams up with Proton to deliver a stylish hybrid city car.  The Survolt is a pure design fantasy with no likely production expected. The showcar did not even have an engine and Citroen says it has been designed to go electric.Apart from the sleek Citroen, two Italian styling houses - Pininfarina and Bertone - have show cars based on Alfa Romeo mechanical parts. Bertone returns to Geneva for the first time in two years with the Pandion 2+2 concept coupe and Pininfarina shows the two-seater 2uettottanta.Apart from the twin concepts, Citroen has the DS3 Racing as well as its DS High Rider three door, a pointer to the next-generation C4, which is due to be launched next year as a five-door.  The company will only build 1000 versions of the DS3 racing and the head of local importer Ateco Automotive, Neville Crichton, says he would like to bring a few to Australia but will initially focus on launching the DS range.“It certainly is a good looking thing,” Crichton says.  Mercedes-Benz continues to create a buzz at Geneva with its SLS Gullwing supercar but the F800 Style, a pointer to the next-generation CLS minus its cantilever rear doors, dominates the Mercedes stand and shares the limelight with the E-Class cabriolet.Fitting in the quirky category in Geneva is Aston Martin’s Cygnet hatch, a remake of Toyota’s iQ city car. The $50,000 makeover model will only be sold to existing Aston Martin customers.  Aston Martin boldly has the Cygnet right next to its four-door flagship sports car, the Rapide.