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MOUNT WAVERLEY, Australia – January 6, 2009: Mazda Australia retailed 79,826 new vehicles in 2008, eclipsing the previous record of 77,734 set in 2007.

Mazda retained its position as Australia’s fourth biggest automotive brand and best-selling full-line importer with a 7.9 per cent share of the new vehicle market (up from 7.4pc in 2007). Mazda’s 0.5pc market share growth was the one of the highest posted by a top-ten brand.

Mazda ended 2008 with a new December benchmark (6,641 retails, 8.7pc share) and tightened its grip on fourth outright.

“This is a strong result for Mazda, especially in such challenging times,” said Mazda Managing Director Doug Dickson.

(Read the full post about ‘Mazda’s Finishes 2008 On a Record High’…)

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LAVERTON NORTH, Australia – January 6, 2009: Suzuki continues to be a shining star in the Australian automotive market after recording its sixth successive increase in annual sales.

Suzuki sold 1730 vehicles in December, boosting its total sales for the year to 22,523.

The record sales figure was a 4.4 increase on what was a record 2007 result, and continued the company’s remarkable run of six straight years of increased sales.

Since 2004 the company has more than tripled retail sales to cement its reputation as one of the fastest growing vehicle brands in the country.

“This is another record breaking year for Suzuki in Australia, and given that Suzuki cars compete in less than half of the market segments, our 2008 sales figure represents an outstanding result”, said Suzuki Australia General Manager Tony Devers.

“Suzuki was one of just a handful of manufacturers to boost volume over 2007.

(Read the full post about ‘Sixth Straight Sales Record for Suzuki Australia’…)

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Genesis narrowly outpoints Lexus ES 350 to take top spot

YONKERS, N.Y., January 5, 2009: The Hyundai Genesis outscored four competitors to become Consumer Reports top-rated vehicle in the competitive “Upscale Sedan” category. The Genesis, which achieved an “Excellent” overall road test score, now outranks 12 vehicles from Lexus, Acura, Lincoln and others including the Lexus ES 350.

The Genesis’ performance in CR’s battery of tests solidifies the automaker’s reputation as a builder of high-quality vehicles in several diverse automotive segments.

(Read the full post about ‘Hyundai Genesis Outscores Competitors, Becomes Consumer Reports’ Top-Rated ‘Upscale Sedan’’…)

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TORRANCE, Calif., January 5, 2009: Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported year-end sales of 2,217,662 vehicles, a decrease of 15.7 percent from the same period in 2007, on a daily selling rate basis.

Toyota Division recorded year-end sales of 1,957,575 vehicles, down 14.9 percent from the prior year. Lexus reported sales of 260,087 units in 2008, down 21.2 percent from 2007. Scion Division reported sales of 113,904 units for the year.

TMS reported December sales results of 141,949, a decrease of 36.7 percent from the same period last year.

“Our New Year’s resolution is to shift the focus back to where it belongs, to the consumer,” said TMS President Jim Lentz.

(Read the full post about ‘Toyota Reports 2008 and December Sales’…)

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Auto Express Car Reviews By Jack Rix06th January 2009 Hold onto your hats, the most powerful Bentley convertible ever has blown in! We brought you spy shots of the Bentley GTC Speed back in October, but these are the first official pictures of the 200mph drop-top.The GTC is the third Bentley to receive the ‘Speed’ treatment, following the GT coupe and the Continental Flying Spur. They all share a pumped-up version of the 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, the most compact 12-cylinder in the world, producing 600bhp and an astonishing 750Nm of torque. Despite weighing in at a hefty two and a half tonnes 0-60mph is despatched in 4.5 seconds, while a 200mph top speed is possible with the roof in place, 195mph when it’s stowed. (Read the full post about ‘Bentley GTC Speed touches down - Bentley GTC Speed’…)

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by Jonathon Ramsey on Jan 5th 2009 at 2:30PM Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi R8 V10 The Audi R8 claimed a number of world firsts – that is, walking away with magazine awards and journalists’ hearts the world over. The Audi R8 V10 is about to claim a world first in technology: it will be the first car to offer high and low beam LED headlights as standard equipment. (Note: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum was the first vehicle in the world to offer all-LED headlamps.) You can buy the package as an option on the regular R8, so it’s only fitting that the bigger and more expensive beast gets more tricks.Audi trumpets the inclusion as an energy-saving measure – LEDs use a quarter of the energy of halogen headlights, and that number will only get better as LEDs evolve. (Read the full post about ‘Audi R8 V10 will be all LED, all the time’…)

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CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Subaru says its U.S. sales crept higher in 2008 on strong demand for Forester and Impreza models. The Japanese company is set to be the only major automaker to post an increase in yearly sales.

Subaru of America says its December sales fell 7.7 percent to 17,287 units from 18,739 units last year, as a big increase in Forester sales failed to overcome declines in its remaining models.

But Subaru’s sales for all of 2008 crept higher by 0.3 percent to 187,699 vehicles from 187,208 in 2007 as customers snapped up its Forester and Impreza models.

Subaru is the first automaker to report December and full-year sales today.

(Read the full post about ‘Subaru posts slight 2008 sales increase in U.S.’…)

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CIRENCESTER, United Kingdom – January 5, 2009: In a market where the global economy is in turmoil and some car manufacturers are close to bankruptcy and cutting production volumes, Mitsubishi Motors in the UK has today announced an extensive package to help its dealers through these hard times.

Jim Tyrrell, Mitsubishi’s UK CEO said that, “Our new shareholder, Mitsubishi Corporation, is one of the biggest companies in the world and it is at times like these that having a big, strong parent really pays off. They are taking a very sensible long-term view and want to ensure that our dealers make a profit with a positive cash flow in 2009.

(Read the full post about ‘Mitsubishi Gives Its Dealers Hope For 2009 In Continued Tough Times’…)

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The next generation E-Class coupe was caught again. This time at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Maybe the car is taking the backroads to its premiere at March’s Geneva Motor Show?

This latest shot continues to suggest that this coupe will use the CLK-inspired deleted B-pillar design to achieve a stylish hardtop convertible look. When the production car arrives in 2010, we expect Mercedes to offer a wide variety of V6 and V8 engines, including a 525 hp 6.3-liter V8 for the E63 AMG model.

Tags: Mercedes, cars, car news, toyota

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by Jonathon Ramsey on Jan 5th 2009 at 8:57AM Click the rendering for high-res images This is the sketch that follows an earlier rendering of the third generation Hyundai Equus, due in 2010. As far as sedans are concerned, it looks like Hyundai is moving toward the Aston Martin school of design — make something everyone loves, and then make it a little different and give it another name. The coming Kia luxury sedan started it, and beneath the cartoonish anger of this Equus sketch there’s a Genesis on a bad batch of nandrolone.Underneath and inside, the car won’t be lacking in either power or pleasures. Pushed by the rear wheels this time, an Equus first, initially it will be offered with the Genesis’ 4.6-liter V8 and Hyundai’s in-house eight-speed automatic transmission. (Read the full post about ‘Next Hyundai Equus is one angry stallion’…)

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