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Despite the heavy camouflage it’s clearly visible that the new Swift will retain is rounded design with short front and rear overhang.

The new model will again be front-wheel-drive with some markets also receiving an optional all-wheel-drive system.

There will be a choice of petrol engines available ranging from 67 to 97kW along with a new 60kW diesel version while a hybrid variant has also been rumoured to follow in 2011 or 2012.

The highly praised Swift Sport will also undoubtedly be making a comeback as the flagship of the range, hopefully with the current model’s fun-factor intact.

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However, GM continues to have a dalliance with other contenders, including Italy’s Fiat and the Chinese carmaker Beijing Automotive.

Reuters Newsagency quotes sources close to the Magna deal as saying the company’s board of directors is scheduled to approve on Tuesday a business plan for the acquisition of GM Europe.

The Canadian car parts supplier and Opel parent General Motors have already clarified most of the major issues in weeks of tough negotiations and they expect to resolve the last few issues holding up the takeover by July 7, the sources said.

At the same time reports say Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation (BAIC) will unveil an improved non binding offer for Opel/Vauxhall.

The German newspaper cited sources close to BAIC for its story. BAIC declined to comment earlier on reports it was going to submit a bid in the coming days.

Meanwhile Reuters says the Magna business plan would serve as the basis for talks with lenders such as Commerzbank, which would finance the takeover, helped by an estimated 3 billion euros (US$4.23 billion) in European state loan guarantees.

Many of the major points still open were clarified at a meeting on June 25 between GM CEO Fritz Henderson, lead GM negotiator John Smith, Magna Co-CEO Siegfried Wolf and Magna Chief Operating Officer Herbert Demel, one source said.

“They came significantly closer to one another in the key points,” the source said.

Talks between GM and Magna have been slowed by disagreements over the use of GM’s technology and engineering designs, rights to Chevrolet in Russia and GM’s attempt to insert a buy back clause into the deal, media reports say.

“The only remaining issue is whether ‘New Opel’ gets the sales distribution rights to GM’s Chevrolet brand for the Russian market, but a solution should be achievable here,” another person close to the talks said.

Magna is the front-runner to take a majority stake in Opel/Vauxhall with a consortium including Russian state bank Sberbank and Russian carmaker GAZ.

Throughout the negotiations GM has said it continues to talk to other potential buyers for GM Europe, including Belgium-based holding company RHJ International and Beijing Automotive.

Once the financing is lined up, Magna and GM would draft a contract that could be signed by July 15.

Majority control over Opel, which also includes plants in Spain and Vauxhall factories in England, is being sold as a precondition to state aid for the German carmaker now that bankrupt GM can no longer afford to finance its foreign subsidiary.

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As its name suggests, the special edition model is available exclusively in the Ultimate Yellow exterior finish with 19-inch RAYS forged alloy wheels and the special livery completing the look.

Already a worthy adversary to Porsche in the performance stakes, it is inside where this version of the 370Z plays catch-up with integrated satellite navigation system, illuminated entry plates, special mats and a BOSE audio with eight speakers and a six-CD audio unit.

The upholstery is a mix of black leather and suede and features additional equipment such as heated seats, cruise control, speed limiter and all the other features from the 370Z GT Pack as standard.

Under the bonnet remains  unchanged with Nissan’s 3.7-litre V6 engine developing 243kW and peak torque of 366Nm.

The 370Z Yellow sprints from rest to 100km/h in just 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h when mated with the standard six-speed manual transmission.

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Passenger vehicle sales are down by 5659 units compared to the same time last year, or 9.2 per cent, while the SUV market decreased by only 4.5 per cent with a fall of 957 units.

In terms of branding, Toyota sits atop the manufacturer sales table on 21,410 units over nearest competitor Holden on 12,167. Ford sits in third place selling 10,194 vehicles for the month.

The standout in this table is Hyundai, while market share is again dominated by Toyota with a 20.7 per cent chunk of all new vehicle sales. Holden follows with 12.3 percent, Ford on 10.2, then Mazda in fourth place on 8.5 per cent.

Hyundai has been the only manufacturer to rise in standing this month moving ahead of Mitsubishi to secure fifth place with a 6.6 per cent hold.

For a more detailed breakdown of the the statistics for this month, click here.

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“HiLux was our best-selling vehicle in June with more than 4700 sales – an all-time record – on the back of the Federal Government’s investment allowance,” Mr Buttner said. “Two wheel-drive versions were particularly strong, gaining more than 15 per cent on the same month last year. There were also strong results in other segments of the market with the fuel-efficient Corolla also topping 4000 sales for an excellent month.”

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Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles produced the one millionth vehicle of the T5 series on 30th June at the Hanover plant. The vehicle is a Transporter Van 1.9-litre TDI (62kW) in Tornado Red.

“The T5 is and remains the number one in its segment for new registrations in Europe and Germany,” said Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “One million T5s – that means one million customers towards whom we have a particular responsibility. This number is, furthermore, the product of all employees at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: in Production, but also in Development and Procurement, in Quality Assurance, in Sales and everywhere in the brand and in our dealerships.”

“The colleagues have once again been successful with the T5 in building a vehicle where quality is assured! On the one hand this increases the image of reliability for our T5 with the customers and on the other hand we have been able to further our market leadership both in good times and bad,” said Heinrich Söfjer, chairman of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

Last year alone Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered approximately 178,000 T5s to customers. Alongside Germany, the most important markets in Europe include Great Britain, The Netherlands and Austria.

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“Basically, there are two pillars on which Škoda builds its international corporate sponsorship communication strategies – ice-hockey and cycling, two sports that efficiently complement each other in terms of covering the respective European markets and are seen as very powerful tools employed to enhance brand awareness, the product image, as well as brand and product visibility,” said Tour de France Head of Corporate Communications, Martin Lauer.

“Cycling offers great opportunities of presenting Škoda vehicles in the very heart of the competition where they are in close contact with racers, fans and potential buyers. Continuity in this aspect is very important, and we also appreciate the organisers’ efforts to expand the Tour de France to other countries, such as Spain and Switzerland where the Tour is also going to appear this year.”

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GM is seeking approval for the sale just one month after filing for bankruptcy protection. Judge Gerber asked GM’s attorneys to submit papers to him by Friday and is expected to rule before July 10, the date after which the government has said it could stop funding GM.

In court on Thursday, a group of dissenting bondholders urged Judge Gerber to block the sale, calling it the first attempt at “Chapter 11 nationalisation” and arguing the government was trying to circumvent the law.

However, GM’s lead bankruptcy attorney, Harvey Miller of law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges, told Judge Gerber that anything but approval of the sale would have “catastrophic” and “irreversible” consequences for GM and the auto industry.

“The objectors are asking your honour to play Russian roulette,” Mr Miller told Judge Gerber, in response to claims from the bondholder group that GM could pursue a more traditional Chapter 11 reorganisation plan rather than a fast track sale.

“These are assets that will deteriorate in value, and that deterioration will be felt by all stakeholders,” Mr Miller said, noting that June vehicle sales this week showed GM was losing market share to Ford.

This week GM’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, and Harry Wilson, a senior member of the Obama administration’s autos task force, told the court the sale was GM’s only option for survival. Mr Henderson said he did not expect GM to make money in 2009.

If the deal were approved, “New GM” plans to operate the best parts of the old company, such as Chevrolet and Cadillac, with a less-expensive workforce, smaller dealer network, and much less debt.

The “old GM,” which would include unpopular brands and unneeded factories and liabilities, would be liquidated in bankruptcy court.

Source: Reuters

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Today the fifth-generation 7 Series retains this illustrious position while at the same time continuing to prove itself as the benchmark car of its segment in terms of technical innovation, passenger comfort and driveline capability.

The model tested this week, the 740i, comes to us at an important juncture for in the 7 Series in Australia coinciding with the launch last week of the diesel variant, the 730d.

But as far as petrol powered models go, the vehicle as tested is the most economical – and the cheapest – in the current 7 Series line-up, making it an interesting variant to look at when you consider how close the competition is on price.

Stylistically the latest 7 Series is unmistakably BMW with enlarged kidney grilles and halo headlamps fronting a long, streamlined bonnet. An elegant yet subtle side profile with smooth flowing lines and high shoulders sit neatly above that broad, muscular stance that could only be unanimous with a top-shelf German luxury saloon.

But, perhaps strangely, these impressive outward proportions do not entirely justify the internally availed space. Rear leg room is rather tighter than expected when the front seats in their normal position, making the 7 Series iL (or stretched) versions a far more appealing prospect. Similarly boot space is also less than you’d expect in a car this size at a mere 500 litres.

Otherwise the cabin is suitably comfortable, as you’d well expect at this end of the price scale, and offers an incredibly quiet ride that is now also a great deal smoother than its predecessor thanks to a change in the front suspension set-up from MacPherson struts to a double wishbone arrangement.

The rear end features a multi-link arrangement that in conjunction with four driver adjustable settings (comfort-normal-sport-sport plus) can transform the car from a comfortable cruiser to capable tourer in an instant.

From a driver’s standpoint this makes the car surprisingly enjoyable, and while perhaps that isn’t the specific aim of this car, smooth power delivery and strong torque availed from the twin-turbocharged, 3.0-litre, six-cylinder makes it feel very much more alive than its appearance would have you believe.

The engine’s entire 450Nm of torque is available from just 1500rpm and with 240kW on tap from 5800rpm, the car performs well across its entire rev range, a situation bettered by the super sharp ZF six-speed transmission.

An added bonus comes in the form of remarkable fuel economy with this week’s return of 11.7 litres per 100km an acceptable one given the car’s near two-tonne weight. It’s almost two litres more than that claimed in ADR testing, but given the size of the vehicle and the performance on hand, I think you’ll agree the balance is very acceptable.

The steering too is delightfully well balanced and very precise with a near perfect level of feedback, but the driving experience isn’t all this car is about for inside the 740i lies a wealth of technological achievement and just about every modern convenience available.

Standard options including cruise control, power windows and mirrors, electrically operated seats, self-dimming mirror, electric tilt and slide sunroof, six-stack CD tuner with TV reception, satellite navigation, dusk sensing bi-xenon headlamps, fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, auto wipers, four-zone climate control and heated leather trim the 740i certainly offers enough standard kit, but in case that’s not enough, a vast amount of ‘at cost’ kit is also available – even if it is quite expensive.

This particular vehicle, as an example, had some $14,250 worth of extras – or roughly a Holden Barina – on top of the $203,000 asking price. Thankfully should the price cause you to have a panic attack during your test drive the 740i also offers a full packet of airbags, ESC, Traction Control, ABS with CBC, EBA & EBD that afford the 7 Series top safety points as well.

In all the 7 Series is an absolutely lovely car to drive, and is with the few exceptions I’ve noted incredibly hard to fault. However, given that this is more likely a car in which you’re driven, rather than one you drive, I’m not sure it has quite hit the mark.

Ratings:

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Specifications:

• Engine: 2979cc DOHC six-cylinder (24 valve)
• Power: 240kW @ 5800rpm
• Torque: 450Nm @ 1500-4500rpm
• Induction: Twin-turbo & direct injection
• Transmission: Six-speed automatic
• Driven Wheels: Rear
• Brakes: Discs with ABS, CBC, EBA & EBD
• Top Speed: 250km/h (Electronically Limited)
• 0-100km/h: 5.9 seconds (Claimed)
• CO2 Emissions: 232 grams per kilometre (Combined)
• Fuel Consumption: 9.9 litres per 100km (ADR combined)
• Fuel Consumption: 11.7 litres per 100km (as tested)
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 82 litres
• Fuel Type: 98RON petrol
• EuroNCAP Rating: Five star
• Airbags: Dual front, side & curtain
• Safety: ESP with Traction Control
• Spare Wheel: None (Run Flat Tyres)
• Suspension: Wishbone (F) / Multi-Link (R)
• Cargo Capacity: 500 litres
• Tow Capacity: 2100kg (Braked)
• Turning Circle: 12.2 metres
• Warranty: Three Year / Unlimited Kilometre
• Weight: 1935kg (Tare)
• Wheels: Alloy 18 x 8.0-inch

Road Test the Rivals:

• Audi A8
• Jaguar XJ
• Lexus LS
• Mercedes-Benz S Class

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The last time the Camaro beat the Mustang in US monthly sales was October 1993, when Chevrolet sold 10,985 Camaros and Ford sold 5680 Mustangs – a comparable result considering the current economic woes.

According to Automotive News, an even rarer occurrence is the Camaro outselling the Mustang for a full year – a feat which has not been repeated since 1985 when Chevrolet sold 199,985 Camaros, while Ford moved 157,821 Mustangs.

Mark LaNeve, General Motors vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, has said strong demand for the Australian-developed Camaro has led to nearly every example selling at or above retail with sales doubling GM’s initial expectations.

The Camaro is currently in strong demand in California where there is only a six-day supply of the vehicle.

In some extraordinary cases, customers have been known to purchase their Camaro straight from the delivery truck – even paying as much as $500 over sticker for the privilege.

This represents the most unlikely of times for the most unlikely of cars to succeed in the US market, its just a shame there will be no financial repercussions for Australia, with the Camaro assembled in Canada.

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Featuring the jointly developed Hyundai-Kia automatic stop-start technology, the new crossover SUV will be powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine developing 130kW.

This will be mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission delivering power to all four wheels.

A diesel powerplant from Hyundai’s new R-engine range should also feature in the new generation line-up which should produce 137kW and 400Nm.

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