Audi sedan hits showrooms
The first Audi S3 sedan is on sale in Australia. Combining the sporty proportions of the A3 sedan with the performance credentials of the S3, it’s aimed at a
new legion of admirers in the compact luxury sports sedan market. The S3 sits 25mm lower than the A3 sedan and has a slightly shorter wheelbase (6mm) for responsive handling. It weighs just 1450kg, making it the lightest sports sedan in its class. The $62,200 S3 sedan is powered by a 2.0 TFSI engine that develops an impressive 206kW and 380Nm. Acceleration performance is just as noteworthy, reaching 100km/h from
rest in just 5 seconds.
Beefed-up Beemers
BMW Group Australia has announced pricing and specification details for the latest version of the company’s mid-sized performance sedan, the M3, and its M4 Coupé sibling. Both cars have more than $8500 of extra specifications and features than the previous models. The M3 sedan begins at $156,900 and the M4 Coupé at $166,900 – a small increase over the predecessor that’s made up for with inclusion of new standard features.
More features for Honda City
The new Honda City is now available in two variants. The VTi has a manual transmission and CVT, and the VTi-L has CVT as standard. The 1.5-litre SOHC four-cylinder engine delivers 88kW of power at 6600rpm and 145Nm of torque at 4600rpm. The engine is coupled with the all-new CVT with torque converter from Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology series. Key features of the new Honda City include plenty of interior space with more head, leg and shoulder room, advanced technology and safety features, stylish design, great driving dynamics, exceptional fuel economy and a quality finish unlike any other in its class. The 536-litre boot is even bigger than its predecessor and most large sedans. The efficient car is competitively priced from $15,990.
Jaguar restarts E-type project
Jaguar will build six perfect reproductions of the race-bred Lightweight E-type that was created in 1963. The new cars are the “missing” six vehicles from Jaguar’s Lightweight E-type project, which started in February 1963 with the objective of building 18 special GT E-type cars.
Only 12 of the aluminium-bodied Lightweight E-types were eventually built, the last in 1964. The remaining six designated chassis numbers have lain dormant, until now. The new cars, to be hand-built by Jaguar’s finest craftsmen,
will include the original 3.8-litre straight-six engine. Jaguar expects high demand for the vehicles. Established Jaguar collectors, especially those with historic race car interests, will be given priority.
Award for eye-catching Kia
Kia’s oddly-named Pro_cee’d GT has been awarded an Australian Good Design Selection accolade, making it eligible for
a prestigious Good Design award when
the final winners are announced in
Sydney later this month. Judges were
taken by the Pro_cee’d GT’s “elegant balance between beauty and aggression
in the overall styling … the end result is
a car that looks fast even when standing still”.
