Alfa Romeo Brera News

With the twin-built Toyota GR86 and Subaru Impreza carrying over their (albeit now larger) shared engines into the new generation, a conversation was sparked in the CarsGuide office about unexpected cars that share an engine.

Nevertheless, Australian car buyers are set to be spoiled for choice again. ALFA ROMEOFebruary will see the Alfa Brera 3.2 V6 and Spider 3.2 V6 available with six-speed autos for the first time, along with self-shifters for the 159 JTD 2.4 and 159 JTS 3.2 V6.And the cheapest petrol 159 JTS 2.2 goes half way along the auto path with the Selespeed sequential manual gearbox. A new entry-level 159 JTD model with a 1.9-litre diesel is also coming in February. ASTON MARTINThe middle of winter is hardly the ideal time to launch a $270,000 convertible, but the Vantage Roadster arrives as potentially Aston's best seller in Australia. The DBS will be launched in Europe later in the year — but it will be 2008 before the first cars are shipped to Australia. AUDIAnother busy year starts with the new Audi Allroad 3.0 TDI diesel in May and the Q7 4.2 TDI softroader in October. The two extreme ends of its performance range — the mild S3 and the wild Le Mans car-based R8 — are also due in June and September respectively, while the TT Roadster will land some timein the middle of the year. BMWThe lid will be lifted on the 3-Series Convertible in February before the new X5 four-wheel-drive lands in April. Then there's a wait until the fun starts again in November with the M3. CHRYSLERMeat and potatoes is on the menu for Chrysler in June with the Sebring sedan, but many customers will be more excited about dessert — the Sebring Cabriolet, which is scheduled to arrive in September. CITROENAbstract thinking is the go in February, with the C4 Picasso exhibition opening with petrol and diesel interpretations of the same theme. The Picasso is Citroen's new people-mover class car. DODGEThe production version of the Avenger concept car is a possibility for Australia in November following the company's return Down Under last year after a long absence. FERRARIA nice 60th birthday present for Ferrari could land on our doorstep in August, with the FXX test car likely to evolve into a top-of-the-range Enzo replacement. FIATFiat in Australia gets a second model in September following on from last year's Punto. The new model will be called the Bravo and represents the next stage in Fiat's renewed fight for Aussie sales. FORDThe Focus coupe-cabriolet model is due in November. Of course, the car Ford doesn't want to talk about is a Territory diesel, which is a possibility for later in the year. HOLDENCloak and dagger time also at Holden, which is vying with Ford for the title of Australia's most secretive car company. Holden is saying nothing but we expect utility and wagon versions of the VE Commodore to arrive some time around August. Also stamped Top Secret is the file marked Epica, a GM Daewoo-sourced replacement for the Vectra. HUMMERHolden's biggest import will be the South-African built Hummer H3, landing here in the second half of the year. HONDAOnly one newcomer for 2007: the new, larger CR-V. But it's a particularly important one, given the ongoing popularity in Australia of compact offroaders. It should even up the fight with the newest model Toyota RAV4, which was released last year. HYUNDAIHatch and wagon versions of the Elantra join the existing sedan in November. Hyundai is also promising the hatch will be more radical than the conventional four-door. JAGUARXF might sound like an old Falcon station wagon, but it's Jaguar's replacement for its mid-level S-Type. It should leap into Australian showrooms by October. JEEPThe new Wrangler arrives in March with four-door Unlimited and diesel models. Also arriving in March is the first of Jeep's compact softroaders, the Compass, to be followed by the Patriot in June. KIAA new entry-level Rio powered by a 1.4-litre engine that could sell for as little as $14,990 drive-away will kick off in February. But it mightn't be the cheapest Kia by the end of the 2007, with the tiny Picanto a chance to come to Australia if it can be sold for $11,990. At the other end of the line-up, Kia's two AWDs get diesel power — the Sorento (a 125kW 2.5-litre turbo-diesel) in April and the Sportage (a 103kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel) in July. The company is also weighing up whether to bring in a 2WD Sportage or the Carens people mover. LAMBORGHINIAs if it actually needed it, there is a boost in power for the top-of-the-line Lambo, the Murcielago LP640 (640hp, or 477kW) coupe to be launched in February, followed by the convertible Spyder version in October. LAND ROVERThe new Freelander arrives in July. The compact offroader goes up a step in size and price (likely to start from $50,000). The tough-as-old-boots Defender and the posh Range Rover are also upgraded later this year. LEXUSThe sensitive new-age millionaire gets his hybrid petrol-electric car, even if the electric motor is connected to a not-so-politically-correct, 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, when the long-wheelbase LS600h arrives in June.It follows the LS460 in May. LOTUSLotus goes mainstream, sort of, from February. The Europa is the first Lotus GT in decades, a car primarily for driving on roads, rather than a race car that can be steered to and from the race track. MAZDAGenerational change begins with the new Mazda2 to be revealed in Europe possibly in October. The Mazda6 should follow in 2008. MERCEDES BENZOnly two significant newcomers but one of them is the brand's most important car. The new C-Class arrives in June with new looks, new interior and possibly new engines. Of more interest to the mega-rich the new CL arrives in February. MINIThe new offering arrives here in March and it's even larger than the old one. MITSUBISHIAn exciting new Lancer and the 380 gets a facelift to keep it in the hunt with Toyota's Aurion and Holden's VE Commodore. NISSANThe tiny Micra is likely to return in November. Also arriving then is its AWD, known as Qashqai, in Europe but likely to get a better name before it is launched here. PEUGEOTIn mid-March it launches the 207 hatch range, followed by the 207CC coupe-convertible and 207GTi in June or July. PROTONA pill for Proton next month: the fizz factor rises with its Satria performance hatch. RENAULTGrand Scenic arrives in February, the sporty Megane R26 in March, the Megane diesel in May and Clio III in September. ROLLS ROYCEWhen the Queen visits next she will be able to enjoy the Australian sunshine. The as-yet unnamed convertible is here in October. SAABAlternative energy is the mantra at Saab, starting with the 9-3 diesel this month, followed by a bio-ethanol 9-5 mid-year, depending on the success of a trial program.The bio-ethanol car runs on petrol as well (the engine computer detects the mix and responds accordingly), so the company could bring them out to replace the regular 9-5 in anticipation of the availability of 85 per cent ethanol fuel. SMARTNext generation fortwo comes to a cafe near you in September. SSANGYONGThe Actyon 4WD wagon is launched in March, followed by the dual-cab ute in April. SUBARUThis year sees new Imprezas, including a new WRX. Best of all, they won't have the existing model's "propeller" nose. SUZUKIOnly one newcomer here for rejuvenated Suzuki, with its compact AWD, the SX4. TOYOTAProbably the most important new-car launch this year in terms of sales is the Corolla, in May. Other additions include Tarago V6 (February), RAV4 V6 (October) and Landcruiser LC200 (November). VWAfter the Eos convertible lands this month it will be a quiet year. Touareg gets a facelift in October and a sporty Passat R36, probably here in December. VOLVOThe brand's stalwarts — S40 and V50 — are available with a five-cylinder diesel from February, while the new small car, the C30, appears in April with three five-cylinder engines, petrol, turbo petrol and turbo-diesel. October sees the arrival of the V70 wagon and its AWD counterpart the XC70.

Seen as a crucial gap-filler for GM Holden's line-up and a head-to-head competitor with Ford's market-dominating Territory, the Captiva is a mid-sized machine, which will launch with a 3.2-litre Holden V6 engine.It is expected to be on sale in Australia in the second half of this year with diesel and four-cylinder engines on the horizon.Details of the local Captiva are still a little sketchy, but GM Holden confirms it will be available as a five- and seven-seater with an "active" (part-time) four-wheel-drive system, which feeds on-demand drive to rear wheels.GM Holden chairman Denny Mooney says there was extensive Australian input into the Captiva project that "covers the outside, inside and underneath to ensure it looks, feels and drives as a Holden should"."This has been a missing link in our product line-up," Mooney says.The Geneva show was the launching pad for new models ranging from production-ready family cars to exotic concepts.Saab stole a good deal of the limelight with its Aero X concept, which not only shows a new life in the Swedish manufacturer's design department but also highlights a new direction for green technology.Fitted with a BioPower turbo V6 engine that produces 298kW, it is being trumpeted as a hero car for the bio-fuel movement.The Aero X is also a looker and Saab has tapped its aircraft roots to add a fighter-style cockpit canopy which does away with doors, opening windows and even windscreen pillars. "It represents our vision of what a high-performance car from Saab could look like," says Anthony Lo, the director of advanced design for General Motors Europe. The Concept A on the VW stand is a good example of an idea getting very close to a production future.Rumours abound about a Golf-based small SUV under development at Volkswagen and the Concept A fits that scenario to a T. The concept combines a sleek coupe-style silhouette with the raised stance of an SUV.The drive train is VW's tried-and-tested 4MOTION system while the engine is at the cutting edge of the company's combined use of turbo and supercharger technology. A production schedule for the Concept A could become reality in months.Kia's sleek SUV concept, the Cee'd, is based on the company's C-segment passenger model which start production in Slovakia in December. European Design Centre chief designer Gregory Guillaume says the concept was "the starting point for the new design DNA for Kia". Cee'd incorporates a mixture of designs from the Sorento SUV to the small Picanto.On the more extreme end of the SUV scale sits niche Dutch manufacturer Spyker's D12 Super SUV. Powered by a W12 engine the Spyker retains the marque's trademark sportscar lines but sits on seriously puffed suspension. Staying in a luxury vein, Rolls Royce has again produced an "experimental" car in the 101EX. The car has been hand-built to "explore a potential design direction for a future coupe model".The 101EX uses the same lightweight aluminium construction that was developed for the Phantom, although the body is shorter by 240mm.Ferrari has unveiled its replacement for the 575M Maranello in the shape of the 599GTB. The Modena maestros have not spared the horses in the sleek-bodied 599 using the 485kW 6.0-litre V12 derived from the Enzo supercar powerplant and already in use in the 612. With its lightweight aluminium chassis and body, the 599 GTB promises to be an absolute rocket. It will be on sale in Europe about the middle of the year.GM has shown it hasn't given up on the idea of a successful soft-top model with the unveiling of the Opel GT. There is no indication of how far through the GM family the GT will spread but indications are that it will remain left-hand drive only.Mazda has revealed its Mazda3 MPS, following the success of its Mazda6 MPS and continuing on its promise to have a performance car in every model.Unlike its larger sibling, the 3MPS will not get an all-wheel drive platform, and will stay front-wheel drive. That should make the promised 186kW output an interesting test for Mazda's suspension engineers.It hasn't taken long for Alfa Romeo to follow up its Brera sedan with an even more delicious spider version of the car.The Brera Spider will be in production before the middle of the year.