Vehicle shapes keep on shifting; STEVE HUGHES rounds up the week's motoring news in nutshell

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Nov 16, 2007

Byline: STEVE HUGHES

WE ARE quickly nearing what will probably turn out to be the most significant year in the motor car's 110-year history.

Although the industry appears to be in turmoil due to crippling legislation coming at it from all directions it has never been more buoyant from a design point of view.

There are more new models destined to arrive in showrooms next year than ever before and some of them are quite simply stunning.

Jaguar will be unveiling the dropdead gorgeous XF model to replace the S-Type - and has just taken the wraps off a hideous concept to replace the sleek XJ saloon.

Whilst the XF is likely to sail out of showrooms, it is to be hoped that the awful Chrysler 300C lookalike will be drastically revised before getting the go-ahead.

In the case of the Chrysler the design works wonderfully well but in the case of XJ replacement concept it is a disaster.

No such problem for the forthcoming four-door Aston Martin Rapide, which is essentially a stretched version of the DB9 to do battle with Maserati's similar Quattroporte GT S, which arrives here in February.

Another costly newcomer will be the pounds 250,000 Bentley Brooklands, which measures a whopping five and a half metres in length and will be one of the world's most environmentally-unfriendly 185mph limousines when it arrives here in March.

Arriving during the same month will be Ford's hugely important new crossover vehicle, the Kuga, which will do battle with Nissan's massively successful Qashqai.

Also from Ford is the all-new Focus, which will be on a mission to maintain its position as our favourite car of all.

Fiat is hoping for similar celebrity status for its new city car, the Fiat 500, which is due to reach showrooms in just a few weeks. The Italian company will be adding a sporting Abarth version to its Grande Punto range in February with a price tag of pounds 13,500, while the company's sporting arm will introduce the new Alfa Romeo 159 GTA in March. This will be followed by the Alfa Junior and new Alfa 149 models in September.

Audi's important new A4 range arrives here in March, to be followed by the A3 cabriolet and Q5 crossover in July and then the A1 small car range in December 2008.

Other new cars coming next year include the BMW X6, M3 saloon and I-Series convertible, the Chevrolet CTS and Aveo small car in March, costing from pounds 7,000 plus the Chrysler Grand Voyager and Jeep.

There will be the new Citroen C5 in May, the C5 estate in August and the C3 MPV in December.

The new Daihatsu Sirion arrives here in July and the Dodge Journey will follow in September.

CAPTION(S):

GORGEOUS - the Jaguar XF replacing the S-Type; DUE SOON - the new Fiat 500 should be available in a matter of weeks