New cars on sale in Australia: January and February 2017

The following two months will see a number of new cars either make their Aussie debuts or receive a major update, with the bulk of that activity focused on the ever-swelling SUV market.

There will be SUVs of all sizes going on sale between now and the end of February, kicking off with the pint-sized Suzuki Ignis that launches here next week. Suzuki’s chunky-styled compact crossover will also go up against the updated Holden trax in the small SUV segment, while Audi Q2, launching late Feb, will be a more premium offering than those two.

Joining the Q2 in Audi dealers will be the Q7 e-tron plug-in hybrid, which will compete against the Mercedes-Benz GLE plug-in that’s also arriving over these two months.

Peugeot’s all-new 3008 promises to deliver sales success for the French brand, which has struggled in recent times for compelling SUV product. Ford’s Kuga, meanwhile, will receive a modest update which will see it change name from Kuga to Escape.

Volkswagen’s recently-launched Tiguan mid-size SUV will also gain a high-performing 162TSI variant in late January.

As far as non-SUV arrivals are concerned, the Mazda MX-5 RF will add a retractable hard-top option to the fun-to-drive convertible’s model line-up. The Audi S4 launches at the start of February too as the sports-oriented version of Audi’s medium-sized luxury sedan.

New car variants on sale January - February 2017

• Audi Q2 and Q7 e-tron
• Ford Kuga facelift/rebrand
• Holden Trax facelift
• Honda Civic hatch
• Kia Rio
• Maserati Levante and Quattroporte facelift
• Mazda MX-5 RF
• Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
• Mercedes-Benz E300, E400 4matic, E350e and GLE-Class plug-in hybrid
• Peugeot 3008
• Volkswagen Passat Alltrack Wolfsburg

Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet

This is the first time there’s been a ragtop version of the AMG-badged C-Class, offering a four-seat open-roof theatre to drink in that sonorous 375kW/700Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. With a 0-100km/h time of about 4.1 seconds, the roof-up to roof-down sprint takes less than five times longer and at speeds of up to 50km/h. If your budget won’t stretch to the expected $170,000 price tag, there’s a milder, cheaper C43 version on the way.