Aston attack

John Mellor's
GoAutonews
COMMANDER QUESTION
SLOW sales and the fact the next-generation
Grand Cherokee will offer seven seats are
likely to spell the end of Jeep’s full-sized
Commander SUV.
US reports claim Commander, which was
introduced here in May last year, will be
discontinued by the end of the 2009 model year
due to fl uctuating fuel prices and Americans’
shift towards more fuel-effi cient SUVs. Jeep
sold just 86 Commanders in the fi rst two months
of this year, but US reports say Chrysler Group
is disappointed it has also cannibalised sales
of Jeep’s smaller fi ve-seat fl agship, the Grand
Cherokee. Jeep has confi rmed that model will
be replaced by a seven-seat model.
FULL STORY: CLICK HERE
MG: MADE IN CHINA
CHINESE manufacturer Nanjing Auto rolled
out its fi rst MG roadsters and sedans last week,
marking a return of the British brand after it
rescued MG Rover from fi nancial ruin in 2005.
The two inaugural Chinese-built MGs were
the TF roadster and the MG7 series sedan.
For the foreseeable future, the Nanjing plant
will be responsible for most domestic and
export production while MG Rover’s former
Longbridge plant in Birmingham, England,
will be reopened next month as an R&D centre
and for producing “high-end, value-adding
products”. Overseas reports this week have
also indicated that Nanjing is close to securing
a production deal for MG cars in the US. The
Chinese car-maker plans to sell 20,000 MG
cars per annum worldwide within fi ve years.
CHALLENGER HOPE
CHRYSLER Group Australia (CGA) claims it
is continuing to do everything it can to make
the right-hand drive Dodge Challenger coupe
a reality. Confi rmed for US left-hand drive
production in 2008, the born-again Challenger
nameplate is Dodge’s answer to the GM
Holden-engineered Chevrolet Camaro twodoor,
due on sale in the US in 2009.
CGA says the business case is proceeding,
and is being led globally by Australia, which
would be the biggest-selling Challenger market
ahead of the UK, South Africa and Japan. The
latter has confi rmed Chrysler’s coolest coupe
in decades will be imported in US-spec guise,
because LHD is perceived as having greater
cachet value in Japan.
CGA says its 300C Touring-based E490
concept has stirred new interest in the Chrysler
muscle-car market but that, if approved for
local sale, Challenger will not be seen here for
at least two years.
www.mellor.net
A PRIL 4, 2007 Page 16
GoAuto’s latest car review www.goauto.com.au
Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe
WHY you would simultaneously offer a retractable hard-top and a conventional vinyl-top version
of the same car is diffi cult to fathom. The answer to Mazda’s introduction of the Roadster Coupe
version of its iconic MX-5 can probably be found in the fact it’s likely to attract a slightly
different buyer. Indicating who that buyer might be is signalled by the fact that the coupe
is equipped at a higher level than the standard soft-top, with leather trim
and a Bose sound system fi tted as standard. The thought is that
coupe buyers just might savour the reduced interior noise levels,
as the soft-top makes any decent sound system redundant above
certain velocities. For a bearably small price and weight increase,
the Roadster Coupe offers a generally more comfortable, but
equally as stimulating experience. Hard to argue with that logic.
ROAD TEST: CLICK HERE
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BMW 3 Series Convertible
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Holden Epica sedan range
Jaguar XKR range
Lexus LS460 sedan
SsangYong Actyon SUV
SsangYong Actyon Sports utility
SsangYong Rexton SUV
New model diary: CLICK HERE
BMW 3 Series convertible
Holden Epica
TREKKER BACK
SUZUKI has reintroduced a Trekker limitededition
version of its Grand Vitara compact
SUV, adding a claimed $3000 worth of extra
equipment on to both three-door and fi ve-door
models (excluding Prestige variants).
Extra equipment onboard includes a Garmin
GPS navigation system, a 21-litre Waeco
portable fridge/warmer, a six-stacker CD
system, a cargo net and fl oor mat set. Outside,
there is a nudge bar, headlamp and bonnet
protectors and front weather shields. Pricing
starts from $23,990 for the three-door, rising to
$28,990 for the 2.0-litre fi ve-door and $30,990
for the 2.7-litre V6 fi ve-door. Auto is available
on fi ve-door models for an extra $2000.
Late last month the fi ve-door Grand Vitara
achieved a four-star adult occupant protection
rating from Euro NCAP, which was on a par
with most other compact SUVs but a rung
below the forthcoming Land Rover Freelander
2 – which was also tested last month and
became the fi rst in class to achieve fi ve stars.
CIVIC UPGRADE
HONDA has increased the retail prices for its
Thai-built Civic sedan range by $500 as part
of a minor upgrade for 2007. As a result, the
baseline VTi now starts from $21,490, rising
to $24,990 for the VTi-L and to $30,490 for
the Sport. Auto continues to add $2000. The
extra equipment includes boot lining and an
auxiliary input jack for using MP3 players
through the stereo. The VTi-L also gains 16inch
alloy wheels, while the Sport is now fi tted
with 17-inch alloys, including an alloy spare.
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