Audi flagship arrives
Audi has brought its new A8 sedan to Australia. The new model takes the philosophy of “unmatched levels of comfort, refinement and sophisticated luxury” a step further, adding more standard equipment and advanced features to get more bang for your six-figure bucks. The exterior has been thoroughly redesigned to give it a more sporty presence and features new technology, like the innovative Matrix LED headlights and electromechanical steering. It has a choice of long and short wheel base and 3L V6 and 4.8L V8 TDI engines. Prices start at $195,000. www.audi.com.au
New Cruzes
Holden is introducing two new models to the Cruze line-up. The Z-Series and SRi Z-Series replace the popular Cruze CDX and SRi-V models. These new additions have more standard features than their predecessors while retaining Cruze’s reasonable pricing. The 1.8-litre Cruze Z-Series, available on sedan models only, has the option of a manual transmission and offers standard features including a MyLink infotainment system, 7-inch colour touchscreen, voice recognition with Siri, leather seats, push button start, and reverse camera and parking sensors. The Cruze Z and SriZ have on-road prices from $21,990 and $26,490 respectively. www.holden.com.au
Sales growth
Despite talk of economic doom and gloom, several car groups report strong sales results for last month. These include the Fiat Chrysler Group, which posted total retail sales of 3162 vehicles and commanded a market share of 3.9 per cent – up from 2.4 per cent in April 2013. Jeep sales remained strong and the company’s Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands were again standouts. Mazda has continued its best-ever start to a calendar year, selling 7000 cars in April and a total of 34,785 in the year to date. The new Mazda 3 led the charge with 3057 sales last month. Holden sold 8017 cars in April, representing 8.1 per cent growth.
Ranger takes second spot
Ford’s award-winning Australian-designed and engineered Ranger is the second- most-popular ute, behind the Toyota HiLux. Ford has sold 7912 Rangers year-to-date, up from 6556 for the same period last year. The Ranger is ahead of the Mazda BT-50, Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok in this highly competitive market. www.ford.com.au/ranger
Yeti sighted
ŠKODA Australia has introduced a new-look, but still boxy, Yeti to its line-up. The new-look Yetis offer all the features of the popular, compact SUV in two different variants, split between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive ranges. The two-wheel drive features a new-look front and rear bumper design, while the four-wheel drive 4×4 Outdoor maintains a more rugged, off-road look. Prices start at $23,490. www.skoda.com.au
