Toyota Corolla 2008 News

Almost 20 years to the day since he won his first Bathurst 1000, Australia touring car great Tony Longhurst has won his first tarmac rally in a Castrol sponsored 2006 Subaru Impreza STi.Following his recent retirement from touring cars, the Queenslander has been keeping his racing eye sharp in a number of tarmac rallies, including last weekend’s Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge, aka Rally Burnie, in Tasmania’s north-west.Over the two day event, Longhurst and navigator Jahmeil Taylor finished second in heat one and first in heat two in the trying wet conditions, resulting in a tie for first place with local Tasmanian driver Jamie Vandenberg.Longhurst has seen a number of podiums at different tarmac events over the previous years but this is the first time he’s stood atop the podium, and the gap between significant victories made it even more special.Longhurst tells: “I was standing on the podium and thinking it was a little odd that I’d win my first tarmac rally today, because it’s been 20 years since I was on the podium when I won my first Bathurst.”Though the 2008 Bathurst 1000 is on this weekend, in 1988 it was held one week earlier.He added: “To win my first tarmac rally is a really special feeling – it’s been a long time coming. We probably should have been on the podium at Targa Tasmania this year, except I put the car off the road, but to finally get the win is great.“I tried a lot harder today and was really committed to the pacenotes. It’s been an incredible tussle with Jamie (Vandenberg).“Yesterday was my first time on Dunlop tyres, and with more confidence in them today, I was a lot more comfortable to push harder.”Longhurst won the 1988 Bathurst 1000 with Tomas Mezera in his Benson & Hedges sponsored Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500. Longhurst also won the 2001 Bathurst 1000 with Mark Skaife in a Holden Commodore.The Tasmanian Tarmac Challenge was held in conjunction with round five of the Australian Rally Championship. It was a rare crossover event that occurred when the ARC (normally held of gravel surfaces) introduced its first all-tarmac round.While Longhurst and Vandenberg shared the victory spoils, Toyota Corolla driver Neal Bates and Coral Taylor used their tarmac rally and race driving experience to win both heats of the ARC section, extending his lead in the 2008 championship with one round to go in Coffs Harbour on Nov 15-16. 

Every Australian new-car buyer would be hit with a carbon tax based on their car's greenhouse gas emissions under a new proposal from Mercedes-Benz.The luxury brand argues it is time for the Federal government to get serious about CO2 emissions and follow the global move towards emission-based taxation.It would mean a $1250 price rise on the top selling Holden Commodore in the first year and about $750 on a Toyota Corolla.Mercedes put its carbon tax proposal in a submission to the Senate inquiry into the proposed increase in the Luxury Car Tax from 25 to 33 per cent, but argues that the move — which would raise more than the $400 million over-three-years target for the LCT — was not just a counter-proposal to negotiate a re-think on the budget proposal."It's not to give us an advantage. It's based on good public policy,"the managing director of Mercedes-Benz Australia, Horst von Sanden, says."It is time to get everyone thinking about CO2 and exhaust emissions.We have simply moved past the point where we can ignore it. Money is a very good pressure tool and peoeple are not doing enough about it."Certainly, the discusssion about the Luxury Car Tax has given us a bit of a wake-up call, to be honest. There are people who say we should have thought about it a long time ago, but it's a human thing to do one thing at a time."We acknowledge the goverment has the right to look for new revenue streams. But we decided instead of just arguring against the tax we should come up with a new proposal."Most major car brands presented arguments against the LCT increase, and were joined by industry bodies including the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.Mercedes-Benz compiled its carbon tax proposal with a staged introduction which would more than offset the potential gains from the LCT. It also believes that the downturn in luxury car sales since the end of June means the proposed increase could easily be wiped out, just as an increase in the 1980s was revenue negative and eventually reversed.Mercedes says the carbon tax, similar to one in Britain, must be introduced to force buyers and carmakers to think green.It believes the threshold should be set at 119 grams of CO2 per kilometre by 114, with a gross polluter level set at 200 grams. Many luxury and performance cars today are at more than 300 grams."Some of the politicians might doubt us at the moment, but it is a genuine approach to finding a solution to the biggest challenge the automotive industry will face for the next 10-15 years," von Sanden said."We have had informal discussions with our colleagues and find a fair bit of support there. Judging from some immediate reactions from the politicians there is a fair bit of interest."Mercedes already offsets the emissions of every car it sells for the first six months by 115 per cent and is pushing hard for greener models in coming years, including a plug-in electric Smart car from 2010.Von Sanden admits the Federal government could easily come back with a double whammy, with both an LCT increase and a new carbon tax, but backs his submission on the green road."Of course, we believe it. We put our name to it. Carping from the sidelines is not very attractive," he says."You can disconnect the discussion, and I think you should. If we stopped all of a sudden on the carbon tax that would be a pretty opportunistic approach."The result of the Senate hearing is expected on August 26 and Mercedes is hoping for a move on a carbon tax by next year."We would basically like to see it starting next year. We made a proposal of phasing out the LCT, and replacing it with the luxurycar(bon) tax," von Sanden says.But he says the impact of the proposed LCT increase had already hit luxury brands."We had a drop in the order intake of nearly 40 per cent since the start of July."You could call it a disaster, but to be honest we didn't see it only in cars above the threshold. It was across the range."There is a concern from the impact of interest rates and concern about the economy. All of us talking about the LCT and its inequity has reminded people there is a luxury car tax."When you put import duty, GST and LCT together it's compounding at the rate of 10 per cent, 10 per cent and 25 per cent. There is a resistance to paying such a high percentage of the purchase price to the government." 

Sales of cars and trucks were down 2315, or 2.7 per cent, last month compared with July last year, according to VFACTS figures released yesterday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.In total 83,976 cars, trucks and buses were sold last month, with Toyota still No 1 on the sales chart.But new vehicles sales are still strong for the year at 626,671 — up 16,004 on last year's record.FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar blamed fuel prices, interest rates and the wider economy for the buyer slowdown last month.Large sedans and luxury cars took a beating, while interest in the small and medium segments slipped as well.Sales of luxury cars slumped 33 per cent in July from June, while large sedans under $70,000 were down 9.5 per cent last month and more than 15 per cent year-to-date.Many luxury importers reported brisk business in June as buyers tried to get vehicles ahead of the LCT increase.European importers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz expect the softening in sales to continue.Mr McKellar said the proposed tax hike has had a devastating impact on new car sales.Mr McKellar predicted that, if the downturn in luxury sales continued, the Government would not receive the extra revenues it had projected — and there was a risk it would cost jobs.Sales in most of the passenger car and sports utility vehicle (SUV) segments were down last month except for light cars (up 1.0 per cent), SUV medium (up 8.1 per cent) and SUV large (up 7.4 per cent).One bright spot was light commercial vehicles, which increased 6.3 per cent (897 vehicles) compared with the previous July.Toyota remained the top-selling make last month with 24.4 per cent of the market, followed by Holden on 13.3 per cent and Ford 11.3 per cent.Year-to-date Toyota leads the race with 147,961 vehicles sold, followed by Holden on 78,271 and Ford 63,933.Solid marketing and competitive deals on its HiLux, Corolla and Yaris has put Toyota at the forefront. 

They relegating Neal Bates, who'd won all three national rounds so far this year to the bottom step of the podium.Bates and co-driver Coral Taylor in their TRD Corolla still lead the Australian Rally Championship on 283 points but Eli Evans-Chris Murphy have closed the gap to be on 226 points and defending champions Simon Evans with wife Sue as co-driver have jumped into third place on 187 points.It was not only a 1-2 in the SA round for Simon and Eli respectively - Simon's much needed first-round win of the year after crashing out of the Queensland round last month - but also 1-2 in yesterday's Heat 2 led by Eli over Simon.Conditions on the dirt tracks in the Barossa Valley and Hills yesterday were even more tricky than in Saturday's Heat 1. At one stage dust was coming from wheels on the dirt then it rained a number of times and eventually hail came.Eli Evans as a privateer in a Subaru Impreza WRX took a stangehold on heat 2 with a blitzing Stage 18, called Floodways. The 23.3km stage was the longest of the rally with fast flowing roads, dips, crests and crossing many floodways. He was a full 15sec quicker that his brother on the stage alone.“It was tough today,” Simon Evans said of the conditions. “Eli did a fantastic job. He's nuts!”Heat 1 on Saturday was won by Simon Evans by 40.9 sec from TRD team-mate Bates with Eli Evans third another 40.2sec back and Spencer Lowndes-Chris Randell fourth in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. "The weather nade it extremely tricky,” Simon Evans said. “All I could do was drive smart.”Michael Guest - David Green (Subaru) had a heavy crash into a tree on stage 5 on Saturday but were uninjured. 

A car slides wildly sideways, belching white smoke from the rear tyres as the driver battles to keep it from spinning into the scenery. It's the sort of scene playing out on far too many nightly news bulletins as another hoon goes for an anti-social Saturday speed.There are far too many of them on Australia's roads today, risking their lives and threatening others.But there is a time and a place for the sideways skills in the sport of drifting.“People who try drifting on the road, it always comes back to bite them on the bum. They damage their car or they get busted by the cops. Or worse,” says Beau Yates, the 2006 Australian Drift champion.Assemble a field of top-class cars and champion drivers, put them head-to-head on a closed race circuit and they work magic.They run side-by-side and head-to-head in a sport judged on the car's speed, commitment and how well and how long they can hold a sideways slide.Which, more often than not, is until the rear tyres give out.“We're out of control, but still under control,” says Yates.He started in the sport by thrashing his road car, a 25-year-old Toyota Corolla.He would drive to the track with some spare tyres, have a fling to get the speed out of his system, then potter off home.It's the same for thousands of Gen-X car fans who have been hooked by a sport that began in Japan and was exported along with the cheap, second-hand performance cars they often use for their off-street fun.“How hard is it? It's something that doesn't come naturally to a driver, to upset a car in such a manner,” says Yates. “Once I got over the fear factor it got a lot better.”Yates and his partner Rebecca put everything into their drift work, like many other committed young couples.The difference is they spend their days planning to compete, working on the car and even towing the hot-rodded Corolla across the country. His success — Yates even stars as himself in a computer game with a drift twist — earned them some backing from Toyota Australia through the TRD performance network. But he is just as passionate about the sport and how it can help to tame the tearaways on the road.“You can express your driving talent on a track in a safe way,” he says.FIRST DRIVEDriving the speedy, smoky Corolla Drift car is fast and furious. Yates is fast, I am furious. He is wickedly quick and spectacular and totally in control and I am furious because I can't control his sideways slider. Beau throws the wheel, pitches the car sideways, then steers on the throttle and works hard to keep the back tyres spinning. He does it easily at 140km/h on dry bitumen.It's the total reverse of the usual motorsport rule — slow in, fast out. When I try, a tame pet Corolla becomes a rampaging monster. I can get it sideways, but can't keep the slides under control. I spin into a gravel trap, drop the nose off the Corolla and decide to park, beaten.“I don't know how Beau does it,” says Australian rally champion Neal Bates.“I eventually got a handle on it, but spun a few times and ripped the side skirts off.” 

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. 

The family favourite has been number one for more than a decade and has beaten down the Ford Falcon many times, but it currently has no answer to the Toyota Corolla.Like a Japanese David against the all-Aussie Goliath, the Corolla has cut down the Commodore as more and more people have turned against petrol-guzzlers in the face of unleaded prices that have surged beyond $1.60 a litre.The Corolla has turned occasional showroom victories over the Commodore in 2007 into a long-running pattern through 2008, building a 1092-car lead over the Holden at this year's halfway point.Holden is about to hit back with its VE Sportwagon, previewed in Carsguide today, but Toyota Australia is confident it will deliver 48,000 or more Corollas by the end of the year and is, finally, talking about taking top spot.“It's like cream rising to the top,” says Toyota Australia sales and marketing chief Dave Buttner.“If the large-six market continues in the direction it is now going, it will be a good result for us,” Buttner says.Toyota has been selling the Corolla in Australia since 1967 and has never done better than it has today. It delivered 24,415 cars through the first six months of the year, a 7.3 per cent improvement over the same period in 2007.But it is not just the Corolla. Small cars are booming and Toyota is riding a wave which has also made the Mazda3 the country's No.3 passenger car, ahead of Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, although it's the working-class Toyota HiLux which is second overall.“If you look at that segment alone, it's grown from 18 to 38per cent of the passenger car market,” says Buttner of the small-car sector.“It's a very competitive segment. If you look at small cars under $40,000 there are a lot of good cars and performers.”The Corolla is so good it sells without much effort, sitting comfortably at just below the 50,000 mark year-on-year and leading its class for eight straight years.“In terms of the marketing spend, we don't need to put as much effort into selling the Corolla,” Buttner says. “It has had a solid reputation over many, many years. The product offering, with value for money, quality, and reliability have made it an enduring product.”Globally, Toyota has sold 34 million cars since the Corolla was born in 1966, an average of one every 40 seconds. In 2008 the company builds a Corolla every 23.3 seconds at 16 factories for sales in 140 countries.But Australia almost lost the Corolla in 2007, when head office in Japan pushed for a change to the Auris name used in Europe. It was a similar program to the one which changed Echo to Yaris, and won a multi-million dollar compensation cheque for Toyota Australia, but it was rejected by the local management team.“Corolla is a name we fought to keep,” Buttner says. “Others around the world moved but we kept it.”He knows the Corolla will have a tough fight to the end of the year, particularly with Holden getting the Sportwagon to sell alongside its VE Commodore sedan. And he has a vested interest in big-six business, as Toyota also has its Aurion to build and sell.“I hope the Commodore wagon is successful. But it is selling in a segment where the large six is down another 16.2per cent this year. It's a segment that's in decline.”And he is hedging on the importance of a No.1 tag for the Corolla, even though it would match the one which Toyota has won repeatedly for overall sales leadership for several years.“As I've said in the past, it hasn't been a target of ours for Corolla to be No.1,” Buttner says.“We have strong availability for Corolla, so there is no reason why it cannot maintain its position for the rest of the year. If we can maintain this performance then there is a very strong possibility it could be No.1 for the year.” 

Most of the country's popular makes have shed sales during April.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' monthly market bulletin, to be released tomorrow, will reveal a 7.7 per cent contraction on March sales.More vehicles have been sold this year to date than last year, but the 84,296 new cars and trucks sold in April is almost 7000 sales down on March.This reverse follows record results for January and February this year and in 2007, when more than a million cars sold for the first time in a calendar year.“We're seeing the impact of all the interest-rate hikes, the continuing surge in fuel prices and the huge slump in consumer confidence,” AMP economist Shane Oliver said.“Car sales have held up pretty well, but all those factors are starting to catch up.“People can put off a decision to buy a car, but they can't put off rent or food or health.”The worst news is for local car-makers. Holden sold 650 fewer Commodores in April than in March. The company's mainstay car is 5000 units down for the year to date, compared with the same period in 2007.The one-time market leader was outsold by Toyota's Corolla, with 3722 of the imported four-cylinder compacts sold during April compared with the Commodore's 3325 sales.Toyota also lost sales, but extended its market lead. With almost 21,000 sales, it sold more than twice as many vehicles of all models as second-placed Holden.Toyota's Yaris, Camry, Aurion and HiLux models, as well as the Corolla, were among the 10 most popular models.Ford, whose new Falcon goes on sale soon, was third, with 8246 sales — its worst result.Mazda was next with 6749, then Mitsubishi on 5014.Ford and Holden's fortunes rely on large V6s, which continue to decline in popularity.The only Ford- or Holden-badged cars to improve sales during March were the Focus andthe Astra, both made in Europe and fitted with economical, four-cylinder petrol or diesel engines.Each of the top five makes lost about 1000 sales in April, but sales remain ahead of the corresponding period last year.A total of 347,749 new vehicles were sold to April 30, compared with 330,682 during the first four months of 2007.New-car sales had been forecast to pass the million mark again this year, but Mr Oliver said this was now unlikely.“Big-ticket discretionary items will be sacrificed, whether it's flat-screen TVs or cars,” he said.“The only thing that will help is tax cuts, but I would say they will be swamped by all these other factors.” VEHICLES SOLD IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS...........................March .... AprilToyota ............ 21,669 ... 20,842Holden ............ 11,203 ... 10,193Ford ............... 9206 ...... 8246Mazda ............ 7565 ...... 6749Mitsubishi ....... 6177 ...... 5014Other makes ... 35,465 ... 33,252Total new passenger vehicle sales of all makes........................ March .... April........................ 91,285 ... 84,296 (-7.7 %) 

Last year, new vehicles recorded an Australian average of 226.1g of CO2 emissions for every kilometre they travelled.That's down on the 2006 figure of 230.3g, and during the past five years the industry has achieved a reduction of more than 10 per cent in average emissions.By comparison, a Toyota Corolla produces 175g/km and a Holden Commodore 260g/km.In Europe, where strict emissions controls have been in place for longer than Australia, emissions levels have remained almost unchanged.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said the motoring industry was on track to meet its self-imposed target of 222g/km by 2010.Meanwhile, fuel economy has improved from an average of 10 litres per 100km in 2002 to about 8.8 litre/100km last year, heading toward the FCAI's voluntary 2010 target of 6.7 litre/100km.“These figures demonstrate that the industry is continuing to implement new technology to lower the impact passenger cars have on the environment,” Mr McKellar said.However, Mr McKellar said further improvements would rely on improved fuel quality with lower sulphur content, which was not yet available.The FCAI pointed out that passenger cars accounted for less than 8 per cent of Australia's total carbon emissions, which is about half of the emissions from agriculture.RACQ manager technical services Steve Spalding said that for motorists to reduce their emissions, they should reduce their fuel consumption.“We would suggest motorists buy the smallest car that will still do the job you need and then look for the most fuel efficient car within that category,” he said.He said the FCAI fuel and CO2 figures were reached under test conditions and not real-world driving. He added that if motorists wanted to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, they should also drive and maintain their vehicle correctly. 

Funny lady Julia Morris, who is singing up a storm with opera star David Hobson on Channel 7's It Takes Two (7.30pm Tuesdays), admits to being a latecomer to the joys of driving.  But few can boast having the late motor racing great Peter Brock as their "driving instructor''.Having recently relocated back to Australia with her Welsh husband, comedian Dan Thomas, and 15-month-old daughter Ruby Charlotte, the 39-year-old comedian/performer cannot wait to take them for a spin down the Great Ocean Rd, once she ditches the "rental'' and gets herself a new set of wheels.What was your first car?I was 28 when I got my L-plates and then bought myself a brand new Toyota Celica SX in gun metal grey with double back spoiler. Such a superb car to learn in, it was low and smooth. Grrr.What do you drive now?A rented "No Birds'' Toyota Corolla. We have only just moved home from the UK, so we are just easing in gently. I do have my eye on the Kluger though. I had better get saving.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?Now that we have a baby, we only get to drive short trips. But as soon as she is old enough we will be hurtling down the Great Ocean Rd so I can show my Welsh husband one of the more spectacular roads in our country.How far would you drive in a year?Sadly, with travelling so much it is likely that I only have the time for about 15,000-20,000km a year.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Having Brocky (Peter Brock) teach me to drive on the Grand Prix practice track to get my CAMS license for the celebrity race. What a great way to learn. I did stall three times at the start on the day, but hey I also indicated around the corners to observe safety first. But I needn't have worried . . . there was no one behind me.What would you buy if money was no object?A Bentley Continental Don't you think it would make every day seem like a special occasion?What music is playing in your car?My practice CDs from It Takes Two and, of course, Merrick, Rosso and Kate on Nova 96.9.How much is too much for a new car?Are you drunk? I have never heard such a question. Too much? It doesn't exist when it comes to a great car.What should be done to make driving safer?Compulsory fitment of reversing cameras. For as little as $300 we could save so many Australian lives.