Mazda 3 2008 News

The eyes of the world turned to Sydney as the stylish and dynamic new-generation Mazda3 sedan was revealed at the show today to coincide with world embargoes of the images.

In a swiftly changing motoring environment carmakers are searching for new ways to cut fuel use and emissions and improve efficiency.Among the hundreds of concepts and new and updated models on display at the Paris motor show over the next 15 days are some definite standouts. Renault has combined gull-wing doors, comfort, refinement and a slippery design with a hybrid diesel engine and plonked it all on massive 23-inch wheels in its range-topping Ondelios concept car (cover picture).It's 4.8m long and has a hybrid 150kW version of the 2.0-litre dCi engine.There are also two 20kW electric motors at the front and rear to provide extra boost recovered during braking.Mercedes is unveiling one of the world's fastest cabriolets. The SLR McLaren Roadster 722S has 478kW of power and accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 335km/h.Just 150 of the two-seater supercars will be built. It complements Mercedes' other show star the ConceptFascination, a wild two-door sportswagon. It's a modern version of the old British “shooting-brake” where a wagon tail has been planted on a sporty saloon.Citroen's crossover concept, Hypnos, hasa 150kW engine that boasts miserly fuel efficiency figures of 4.5-litres per 100km.However, it what's inside that is different. An extremely colourful rainbow light show highlights its sleek styling.Honda is using the Paris show to highlight its green commitment. Star of its stand is the new Insight Concept, a dedicated petrol-electric hybrid car in the vein of Toyota's Prius.It is expected to go into production within the next few years.From the US, GM will debut a close to production version of its revolutionary Volt electric car. Chevrolet is showing its new crucial small car the Cruze, plus its first seven-seat multi-purpose family car, the Orlando show car.A form of SUV-family van and wagon crossover, it has a 2.0-litre diesel engine.Alfa Romeo is unveiling its little MiTo compact which is due to come to Australian the middle of next year.Fiat is showing the MiTo's likely competitor in the super-mini category, the 120kW 500 Abarth EsseEsse (SS) plus its PUR-O2 eco-range of cleaner, greener 500s. New technology includes the ability for the engine to turn itself off while idling and back on to continue driving.Mini will show its all-wheel-drive Crossover Concept, while BMW will premiere its X1 wagon. The Mini is intended for adventurous twenty-somethings, while the Concept X1 will go into production as a safe, practical family car.Chasing a similar small, sporty car market is Audi with its new A1. The near-production version will be a feature of its stand.Saab is exhibiting its 9-X Air concept car, while Volvo is debuting its production-ready ultra-safe XC60 crossover which is headed for Australia.Porsche has several new models in the911 range plus the go-anywhere Cayenne S Transsyberia super-4WD.Mazda's all-new Kiyora urban compact four-cylinder concept car will sit alongside the world debut of production cars, the new generation MX-5, the Mazda6 with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine and the Mazda2 1.6-litre diesel.Lamborghini has joined the rush to GT supercars with its four-door Estoque concept.Like Porsche's Panamera, Maserati's Quattroporte and Aston Martin's upcoming four-seater, the Estoque, brings a new versatility to one of the world's most uncompromising sports marques.Lamborghini stresses that although there are no production plans for the AWD Estoque it has been developed as fully production capable.Toyota has three world premiere vehicles ranging from its little four-seater city car, the iQ, to the all-new Avensis sedan and wagon and the 1.4-litre diesel-engined Urban Cruiser All Wheel Drive.Ford is debuting the all-new Ka city car with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litrediesel engines, the hot Focus RS and the new economic Fiesta.Volkswagen will show off its latest Golf GTi. The hot hatch for 2009 is cleaner, smoother and much more refined than earlier cars.It will still come with a 155kW turbo petrol engine and the promise of a 7.2-second sprint to 100km/h, but is missing the wild body bits of earlier GTi road runners.Nissan's debuting Nuvu concept is just three-metres long. It only has two normal seats plus a third that folds down for luggage and groceries. The city car has solar panels on the glass roof.Ferrari will debut its chic two-seater V8 California sports car.From Korea will come Hyundai's i20 small car and a 2.4-litre engined hybrid SUV.Kia is showing its Soul range of urban crossover concepts that come with either petrol or diesel engines. There's also a hybrid version. Additional reporting by Kevin Hepworth and Paul Gover. 

Normally when top-leaked secret information glides across the carsGuide desk, it is in the form of camouflaged photos.But what was thought to be renderings of the next-generation Mazda3 accidently put on the web by a Japanese toy maker are believed to be real images owned by Mazda.However, if that's the case, Mazda Australia spokesman Glenn Butler is not spilling the beans.“The sheer interest in the number of speculative renderings that have surfaced recently are a clear indication of the keen interest consumers have in next-generation versions of Australia's third best-selling passenger car,” he says.Nor would Butler be drawn on whether Mazda owned the images.The newest Mazda is not officially due to go on sale here until mid-next year.It is expected to be displayed at the Detroit Motor Show in January.As the white renderings show, the newcomer looks more evolutionary than revolutionary.The hatch's design follows the successful contemporary theme of the current car. However, some of the new curves clearly follow the latest Mazda6, particularly the flared front wheel-arches and eyebrow headlight design.The new “family” front end is even expected to grace the facelifted MX-5 next year, according to carsGuide's Japan correspondent Peter Lyons. The new Mazda3 will ride on the next-generation global Ford Focus C1 platform and is expected to be slightly longer and wider than the current model.The entry model is expected to retain the 2.0-litre four-cylinder, but might be massaged for more power.The 2.3-litre four-cylinder in the SP23 is tipped to get a lift in displacement up to 2.5-litres, like the Mazda6, with a corresponding increase in power by about 20kW.Test prototypes have revealed the four cylinder will get a single exhaust. The high-power model is expected to get dual exhausts.It also remains possible that Mazda could use direct injection on both engines. Buyers can also expect a turbodiesel in the range.The Mazda3 has been one of Mazda's most successful cars.Globally, one out of every three Mazdas sold is a Mazda3. It also represents about 40 per cent of Mazda Australia's volume.Last year Mazda sold more than 34,000 Mazda3s and this year has already sold more than 20,000, putting it on track for its best sales year since going on sale in 2004.

Car sales were at record levels for the first half of the year, but that isn't expected to last.As Ford and GM Holden struggle with their toughest challenges in more than 25 years, there is no sign of any overall slump in new-car showrooms.The Commodore and Falcon are doing it tough, but small-car sales are booming, compact four-wheel drives are going well and there is a growing trend towards work-and-play pickups by Tuppies - or Tradie Urban Professionals.The Tuppie trend is as obvious as the showroom total for the Toyota HiLux, Australia's No.2 seller in the first six months of the year. It even beat the Commodore, though the baby Corolla did best, to record its first half-year term as overall No.1.Toyota continues to power ahead and has experienced the best results in its history, helping to drive a string of records for the overall motor industry."We're up 9.4 per cent for the year. But we always want to do better and while we're running well ahead we're happy," the head of sales and marketing at Toyota Australia, Dave Buttner, says.The overall figures at the half-time break in this year's showroom battle include record sales figures for June, a record for the year so far and a record performance for a financial year of 1,068,301.But things do not look as bright for the second half of the year, even though all industry analysts are forecasting a full-year total of about 1,060,000."There will be a lot of competitive pressures. Prices are likely to stay where they are," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar says."The June figures need to be seen in a broader context. We have come from a situation where the market was growing at about twice the rate of the national economy ... we have seen growth rates fall from 8.9 per cent to 3.5 per cent this year."This is much more in line with growth in the general economy and a much more sustainable position."So there are plenty of winners, but there are losers, too. Nissan and Honda trail last year's half-yearly totals. They have held their places in the top-10 sales chart but clearly need new models to compete with their rivals, as Honda's impressive effort in June - when it cracked 6000 sales for the first time in a month thanks to the new Accord and Accord Euro - prove.But what can we see in the results, beyond the inevitable stuff from Toyota?New vehicles are still up to 30 per cent less expensive to buy today than they were 15 years ago and strong competition, the growth of turbodiesels, improved safety and equipment levels are driving new buyer inquiry.June had a record 106,541 sales, up 1444, or 1.4 per cent, on the same month last year, and a record for any month in Australian motor-vehicle sales history.Toyota is now more than 60,000 ahead of its nearest rival Holden, with a tally of 127,440 sales.Last month it became the first company in Australia to sell more than 25,000 vehicles in a month when it recorded 25,600 sales.As it did in 2007, the Corolla is storming ahead, outselling the fleet favourite, the Holden Commodore, but it is the HiLux that has surprised pundits.In April the HiLux knocked off the Holden Commodore as the country's best-selling vehicle and end-of-financial-year deals helped push its sales to 4530 last month, with a yearly tally of 22,132.Toyota's success has a lot to do with its market clout and penetration in just about all vehicle segments.It has cars from the economical Yaris to the V8 turbodiesel LandCruiser off-roader and its split strategy of the Camry four-cylinder and Aurion V6 seems to be paying off, even if rivals refer to the Aurion as the Camry V6.Other Toyota strengths are its strong marketing, and knowing its buyers.But with rising fuel prices, tightening credit and interest-rate issues, it is not alone in predicting some softening in the run to December.But Toyota is buoyed by a strong order bank for many of its cars, including the HiLux and Corolla, and analysts say the company's pricepoints and reputation will hold up well against outside issues facing the car industry.The Corolla is the company's hottest property. It became Australia's best-selling car in the first half of the year, the first time Corolla, or any Toyota, has topped the country's new-vehicle sales chart at the half-way point of a year.Australian motorists bought 24,415 Corollas in the first six months of this year - an increase of more than 7.3 per cent on the same period last year.Corolla was the best-selling vehicle last month, with 5023 sales, followed by the HiLux, with 4530.The Holden Commodore was third last month, posting 4274 sales for a six-month total of 23,323 cars - 1092 fewer than Corolla.Yaris, 2770, Aurion, 2552, and Camry, 2261, were among the top 10 sellers last month. Prado, 1749, led the SUV market.Toyota's market share so far this year is 23.5 per cent, a slight gain of 1.3 per cent on the same period last year.Holden's overall share is down 2.1 per cent, which will be worrying the bean-counters.Despite having a strong sedan, ute and long-wheelbase line-up, the company's South Korean strategy has some holes in it.Sales of the Viva sedan and wagon are down more than 14 per cent, and the Barina is struggling.Only the Captiva and Epica seem to be working out.The Captiva has found 5633 buyers this year and even the lukewarm Epica has lifted numbers to 1332, up from 1096 for the same time last year.By contrast Ford's Euro small cars like the Focus and Fiesta have performed well, achieving sales of 8561 and 3866 respectively.Even its new mid-sizer, the Mondeo, has snared 2518, with Ford underestimatingd demand for the turbodiesel model.The late arrival of the new FG Falcon meant that June results of 3483 were about what the company expected.Ford's Broadmeadows factory is ramping up production of the G Series sedans after starting with the base XT model and dealers are reporting strong interest and growing orders for the G Series cars.Luxury-car sales, too, with the impending rise in the luxury-car tax, shot up last month.Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all report strong June sales in a pull-forward of sales before the new tax comes into effect.Mercedes-Benz sold 2054 vehicles, Audi 907 and BMW 2258.The arrival of the new Jaguar XF bolstered Jaguar's June result, with 124 cars sold; and even Land Rover shifted 491 vehicles. REPORT CARDSmall cars GOODCompact 4x4s GOODPick-ups GOODSedans POOR How the makes and models compareTOP 10 MAKES (June)1 Toyota 25,6242 Holden 11,9683 Ford 10,2864 Mazda 75245 Mitsubishi 83366 Nissan 53527 Honda 62178 Hyundai 54479 Subaru 411610 Volkswagen 3305 TOP 10 MAKES (YTD)1 Toyota 127,4402 Holden 67,1233 Ford 54,4694 Mazda 42,4935 Mitsubishi 35,1676 Nissan 30,8007 Honda 30,1688 Hyundai 24,4179 Subaru 20,80610 Volkswagen 16,407 TOP 10 MODELS (June)1 Toyota Corolla 50232 Toyota HiLux 45303 Holden Commodore 42744 Ford Falcon 34825 Mazda3 32866 Toyota Yaris 27707 Mitsubishi Lancer 26678 Honda Civic 26449 Toyota Aurion 255210 Toyota Camry 2261 TOP 10 MODELS (YTD)1 Toyota Corolla 24,4152 Holden Commodore 23,3233 Toyota HiLux 22,1324 Mazda3 17,4585 Ford Falcon 14,7816 Toyota Yaris 13,7047 Toyota Camry 11,7718 Toyota Aurion 11,3879 Honda Civic 10,89710 Mitsubishi Lancer 10,498 who's hotSUZUKIJune was the 19th straight month of cumulative increases for Suzuki, which has cemented a place as one of Australia's fastest-growing brands.A total of 2419 Suzukis were sold last month, making it the best month in the company's history with a 2.2 per cent gain over the previous high-water mark in June last year.Another record result confirms Suzuki is now being considered against the historical volume players in the Australian market, Suzuki Australia general manager Tony Devers says.Like so many others, Suzuki is cashing in on successful new models, including the SX4, though the baby Swift - a former CARSguide Car of the Year - is still the bedrock for the brand. It has also claimed a 21 per cent increase for Grand Vitara, and the tiny Jimny four-wheel drive, which has been relaunched in 2008, is up 35 per cent.Suzuki sold 12,140 vehicles in the first half of the year, an 11.3 per cent increase on last year."With rising petrol prices having a noticeable effect on customer choices, Suzuki is perfectly positioned to offer a range of vehicles offering great fuel economy, superb build quality and terrific value for money," Devers says. MAZDAMazda is well on track for an 80,000-plus year. Better than its most ambitious target.Last month it sold 7524 vehicles, up 8.5 per cent on the same time last year.The Mazda2's tally of 1540 is a record for the nameplate and even the ageing Mazda3 continues to perform well, selling 3284 last month.The Mazda3's year-to-date sales of 17,458 makes it the third best- selling car - not vehicle - in Australia behind the Corolla and Commodore. SUBARUAll-wheel drive continues to be Subaru's trump card.It achieved a record of 4116 vehicles last month, with an overall lift in sales of 6.4 per cent for the year so far.The new-generation Forester was a star performer, with 1668 sold, an increase of 13.2 per cent.Impreza continued its strong start with 1031 sales, up 16.0 per cent. The refreshed Tribeca also performed well, with 161 sales, up 47.5 per cent.Liberty and Outback sales of 788 and 468 respectively contributed to the impressive result. who's notSSANGYONGThis brand is struggling, with sales down 25 per cent this year despite a revamping of its model line-up.A lack of cohesive marketing, low dealer numbers and quirky styling continues to dog the brand. Only 920 have found homes so far this year. SAABWhat can we say?With only two models in the line-up, the 9-3 and 9-5, Saab needs an injection of product right away.It's coming, in the form of a new four-wheel drive and small model but they are some way off.With sales of only 806 so far this year, it makes you wonder why GM Premium Brands bothers with the Swede. RENAULTEven tough sales have improved 2.2 per cent overall this year, the French carmaker's typically arrogant attitude to the Asia-Pacific market is working against it.The new Laguna and Clio sports model give it some hope, but only if the French executives get out of their ivory towers in Paris and come have a look at our market for a better understanding of what it needs to survive and prosper. PEUGEOTThe model changeover from the 307 to the 308 may have upset Peugeot's strong run, but sales are off 17 per cent this year.The 207 is a strong card and once the 308 becomes more widely known for its quality and driving experience we suspect things will pick up.The 407 is in desperate need of some strong marketing. NISSANLook beyond the nameplate and there are some strong individual performers, like the the X-Trail and Navara.But the Tiida still mystifies people, a Pulsar by any other name really. The miniscule Micra is picking up some well-earned praise for its price and packaging, so there is some hope.The Dualis has fallen short of the mark, though, and essentially Nissan still has to climb out from its tag as a four-wheel-drive brand if it wants to improve.Sales have slipped 4.3 per cent this year. LEXUSTreading water a bit with sales up only 0.3 per cent this year, the six-model range is strong on quality but short on driver involvement. The IS and GS are perhaps the exceptions. They are competent, but not engaging cars, and the volume RX series is due for replacement soon. It cannot come soon enough. CITROENAgain, the French! Some perky little performers in the C3 turbodiesel and C4, but it seems Aussie buyers prefer Japanese.Citroen sales are off 13.5 per cent on the same period last year.The Grand Picasso is the only interesting one to watch. ALFA ROMEONothing wrong with the product but others do it better and more aggressively.Alfa importer Ateco Automotive has sold 717 Alfa Romeos this year, down 25 per cent on the same period last year.The arrival of the sexy Mi.To could spur things on for the brand. 

With the Toyota Corolla storming up the sales charts, Mazda has sharpened its value pencil across its small-car range in an effort to stay in the game. The Mazda3 sedan and hatch gain value upgrades worth $1600 across the range and electronic stability control is now standard on the SP23.The Maxx has effectively been dropped. The range now consists of the Neo Sport, Maxx Sport, Diesel, SP23 and MPS models.Pricing for the 2.0-litre turbodiesel has been cut $1000 to $29,500 and the turbocharged MPS trimmed $1240 to $38,750.All models have minor cosmetic changes designed to keep the car fresh before the next generation arrives next year.The entry Neo Sport retains its $20,990 starting price but gains 15-inch alloys, electric windows and mirrors and an AUX jack for iPod compatibility. The car's interior trim has been upgraded. The Neo Sport retains a comprehensive list of standard features. They include dual front airbags, airconditioning and remote central locking. The driver's seat is height adjustment while the steering wheel is height- and reach-adjustable.The $25,500 Maxx Sport carries over its six airbags and now gets chrome outer door handles and redesigned 16-inch alloys. The interior cloth trim takes some inspiration from the SP23.The Neo Sport and Maxx Sport 2.0-litre four- cylinder carries over, developing 108kW at 6500 revs and 182Nm at 4500 revs. It mates to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission. The Diesel sedan and hatch have the same improvements and high level of specification as the Maxx Sport.Pricing for the 2.3-litre SP23 remains at $29,600, but it gets chrome outer door handles and electronic stability control with a traction control system, previously on the SP23 Luxury.The SP23 gets the same trim as the MPS. Interior highlights are in piano black. The turbocharged Mazda3 MPS gets similar interior upgrades and a new cloth trim with red highlights. 

Former World Rally Championship ace Alister McRae will join the team for next month's race.Finishing 10th outright last year fired up Mazda for a two-car assault on this year's event.McRae will join Rick Bates and the pair will drive matching Mazda3 MPS hot hatches.Targa Tasmania is Australia's premier tarmac rally and has always had a strong draw for manufacturers looking to show off new performance products.McRae, younger brother of the late Colin McRae, is now based in Perth and has been looking for rally drives locally.“Having competed all over the world in rallying at all levels, it's great to have a new challenge, and doing it with Mazda will be great fun,” McRae says.“Competing in an endurance event is completely new for me. But having driven in more than 30 tarmac events it will be a case of driving as usual and keeping in mind that it's not a flat-out sprint.“My strategy will be to ensure a finish, but I am competitive by nature, so I want to finish as high up the leader board as possible.”After his strong performance last year, Bates is confident the bigger team can go better this time around.“We got a great result last year, but to go one better is the aim,” Bates says.“Having Alister on the team will make for some good, healthy competition and I am sure we'll egg each other on.”Mazda's racing program will continue to be masterminded by Allan Horsley. He was responsible for the company's domination of the Bathurst 12-hour production-car race in the early 1990s. 

As interest rates bite and with it consumer belt-tightening, some analysts predict a slowdown this year.But the first two months of the year showed strong gains over the same period last year.Light-car sales rose 2236, or 22.5 per cent, and the small-car segment rose 1645, or 8.6 per cent, over February last year, according to the latest VFACTs industry sales figures.The off-roader, or SUV market, grew by 3365 vehicles, or 22.6 per cent.These gains were partially countered by declines in the large-car segment, down 2488 or 19.9 per cent, and medium-car segment, down 383 or 5.1 per cent.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKeller says the runout of key models has affected volumes in the large and medium segments.The arrival of the new FG Falcon in May and expanding Holden Commodore line-up with its Sportwagon will help turn around sales figures in coming months, he says.Toyota was the top-selling brand in February with 20,703 sales, or 23 per cent of the market, ahead of Holden with 12,386 sales, 13.8 per cent, and Ford with 9405 sales, 10.5 per cent.For the year so far, Toyota leads Holden by 15,916 sales and remains market leader with a 22.4 per cent market share.Holden has a 13.1 per cent overall market share and Ford is third at 9.9 per cent.Among the light and small-car stars were the Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Getz, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Yaris, Honda Civic and Mitsubishi Lancer.Holden was large-car leader, selling 4313 VE Commodores, followed by Ford with 2520 Falcons and Toyota with 1855 Aurions.The announcement of the end of Mitsubishi 380 production affected February sales, the company sold only 471 380 V6s.Melbourne-based industry analyst Tony Robinson, of SurePlan, believes new-car demand will soften late in the year.There is usually a six to nine-month lag between spiking interest rates and its impact on buyer patterns, he says.But he is confident the market will still go close to one million sales this year. What's sellingTop 10 makes1 Toyota 20,7032 Holden 12,2363 Ford 94054 Mazda 70225 Honda 48006 Mitsubishi 54237 Nissan 51008 Subaru 33719 Hyundai 401010 Volkswagen 2883 Top 10 models 1 Holden Commodore 43132 Toyota Corolla 41913 Toyota HiLux 33254 Mazda3 28255 Ford Falcon 25206 Toyota Yaris 22807 Toyota Aurion 18558 Toyota Camry 17239 Mitsubishi Lancer 168210 Honda Civic 1665 

It doesn’t look like a Mazda3, but the Mazda Hakaze concept may share more than just its parentage with Mazda’s best-selling medium car.

McRae's motor racing pedigree is world-class; he has contested more than 75 World Rally Championship (WRC) events and is a former British Rally Champion. McRae is the third WRC competitor to test his mettle against the 17-year-old tarmac endurance rally, which this year will be held from April 15 to 20.McRae and Bates will each be equipped with the latest performance car from Mazda, the Mazda3 MPS. The hot hatch is based on Mazda's best-selling model in Australia and comes with a turbocharged engine which belts out 190kW and 360Nm.Mazda Motorsport's eighth entry into Targa Tasmania follows the company's stunning result in 2007 in which Rick Bates finished a brilliant 10th outright in a near-standard Mazda3 MPS.Mazda's two-car team will be competing in the event's new Showroom competition, which is designed to put near-standard vehicles on an equal billing with highly-modified racing and rally cars.Perth-based McRae is charged about his first Targa drive, and is under no illusion of the challenge that lies ahead.“It's great to have a new challenge, and doing it with Mazda will be great fun,” says McRae.“Competing in an endurance event is completely new for me."“My strategy will be to ensure a finish, but I am competitive by nature, so I want to finish as high up the leader board as possible."McRae believes his biggest challenge will come from seasoned Targa competitors with numerous events under their belts.One such Mazda regular is team-mate Bates who has five Targas to his name.Bates says he's looking forward to some spirited competition with McRae.“We got a great result last year, but to go one better is the aim; having Alister on the team will make for some good, healthy competition and I am sure we'll egg each other on.”A professional rally driver, Bates' motorsport portfolio is loaded with circuit and rally accolades, including a win at the Panama-to-Alaska marathon rally, third at the London-to-Sydney and two top-10 finishes at the Bathurst 1000.Bates thinks the Mazda3 MPS is the ideal machine for Targa's notoriously tricky roads and unpredictable weather.“The Mazda3 MPS is an easy car to drive; its sure-footed handling inspires confidence, especially when you're pressing on. The car always feels strong, from the first competitive kilometre right to the last grueling day.”Mazda Motorsport chief Allan Horsley believes this year's Targa has the potential to be Mazda's best.“I could not be more pleased with our driver line-up; we really do have two top-class drivers. Last year's 10th outright is the goal I think we can beat, and I am also confident that both Rick and Alister will earn themselves a place on the Showroom podium.”The 2008 Targa Tasmania comprises around 1800 kilometres, 450 of those are competitive and spread across 39 challenging closed-road stages. The prologue is on April 15, with competition starting April 16. 

Less than 20 per cent of Australians are now buying Australian, with imported vehicles taking 81 per cent of the record 1,049,982 vehicle sales last year.The Holden Commodore was still the country's favourite car for the 12th straight year, but the swing to imports was reflected in the Ford Falcon's slide to a lowly fifth place in the ranking of best sellers.It was beaten by the Mazda3 and the Toyota Hilux pickup.The Mitsubishi 380 did not even make the top 10.The strong performance of imported vehicles came as many more Australians turned to small cars and four-wheel-drives, which rebounded after the fuel shocks of 2006, in preference to locally made family cars.Sales of 4WDs were up 16 per cent against an industry average of 9.1 per cent, while sales of light cars priced below $15,000 improved 10.2 per cent.Toyota dominated the new-car results last year, taking its run at No.1 to five straight years, with a margin of more than 90,000 over second-placed GM Holden and a 128,000-car gap over Ford in third.Toyota also lifted its sales to more than 200,000 and is aiming for 250,000 in 2008.The one-million-vehicle milestone was a first for the industry but is expected to be bettered this year with sales of at least 1,060,000, according the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which compiles the official VFacts sales results.“Last year the motor vehicle market grew at approximately twice the rate of the economy as a whole,” FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.“One million new motor vehicles in a country of 21 million people is an impressive achievement."“The Australian motor vehicle market has now grown in six out of the last seven years, driven by the strength of the labour market, rising asset values and improving vehicle affordability.”Though Australia's sales rate of about 1 in 20 people was even better than Britain's 1 in 25, Mr McKellar sounded a warning.“Although economic fundamentals remain strong and consumer confidence is proving to be robust, we think future growth will be more closely aligned with trends in overall domestic demand,” Mr McKellar said.The industry also faces a review of federal government policy this year, with local carmakers arguing for an extension of the existing arrangements, including support from the Automotive Competitiveness and Investment Scheme.They will point to the growth in exports in recent years, with overseas deliveries by GM Holden and Toyota now totalling more than $5 billion a year.Toyota said the domestic sales of its Camry and V6 Aurion, which totalled close to 50,000 cars last year, were easily beaten by exports of more than 90,000 cars.   Our top 10 favourite carsRanking 2006 2007Holden Commodore: 56,531 57,307Toyota Corolla: 46,256 47,792Toyota HiLux: 36,885 42,009Mazda3: 32,432 34,394Ford Falcon: 42,390 33,941Toyota Yaris: 29,663 27,990Toyota Camry: 24,221 26,336Toyota Aurion: 3380 22,036Hyundai Getz: 20,853 21,166Holden Astra: 19,364 20,588