The new WRC season starts this weekend. Here are five reasons to get excited.

The End of Sebastien Dominance

It’s been 11 years since someone other than a Sebastien won a WRC title, but there are strong signs 2015 could be the year the drought breaks.

New regulations this year mean the field will run in championship order on Days 1 and 2 (previously it was only the first day), making it virtually impossible for the championship leader to win on a gravel rally.

Reigning two-time champion, Sebastien Ogier, is understandably furious about the new rule, designed specifically to stop one driver (i.e. him) dominating, but it’ll undoubtedly make for closer rallies.

That said, with the return of nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, it’s long odds that anyone other than a Sebastien will be leading the championship after the first round.

A Close Title Fight

Even without the new anti-Sebastien regulation, there’s plenty of evidence 2015 would be a vintage year regardless. Ogier’s VW team-mate, Jari-Matti Latvala, continues to get stronger, beating the Frenchman on pure pace in Argentina and Finland last year.

With a full season behind him, Citroen’s Kris Meeke has established himself as the VW pairing’s toughest rival, while Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo have both proved they can win if the circumstances are right, though they might have to wait until Hyundai’s new car arrives in the second half of the season.

New Machinery

Every manufacturer has major upgrades planned during 2015, but it’s Hyundai that has most to gain, with an all-new car arriving in the second half of the year, based on the brand new i20.

Citroen has “the biggest changes we have done since 2011” planned for its DS3, with engine upgrades from its WTCC program first to arrive, followed by major suspension and aerodynamic updates throughout the year.

M-Sport also has major upgrades planned, though its new car isn’t due until the fourth round of the championship. VW is much more guarded about its development plans, but like all other entries, its Polo will benefit from the reintroduction of paddle gearshifts for the first time since 2010.

Far more exciting is the introduction of the R-GT Cup. Consisting of Rallye Monte Carlo and Deutschland, as well as three European Rally Championship rounds, the R-GT Cup allows the return of the Porsche 911 GT3 to the WRC stages.

While not as fast as the World Rally Cars, in terms of sound and spectacle the R-GT cars will be firm fan favourites.

Young Blood

M-Sport boss, Malcolm Wilson, is no stranger to having young talent in his team. Petter Solberg, Markko Martin, Mikko Hirvonen and many more all served their WRC apprenticeship behind the wheel of Ford machinery, and this year it’s the turn of 26-year-old Welshman Elfyn Evans and 27-year-old Estonian Ott Tanak.

Big things are expected of Evans following a promising debut year, the highlight of which was fourth in Germany. Tanak drove for M-Sport in 2012, but a trail of heavily bent cars led to him losing his drive. Both have the potential for regular podiums, if they can keep it on the road.

Also in the M-Sport fold is ex-F1 driver Robert Kubica. In only his third year of rallying, Kubica continues to show unbelievable speed given his level of experience. While blighted by continual accidents, the Pole will only continue to improve. Don’t rule out a podium on tarmac in 2015.

Better Coverage

Launched in mid-2014, the online subscription service WRC+ has finally provided a decent level of coverage to starved rally fans. Providing live stages, complete onboard footage from every driver and regular special features, it’s a long way from the substantial television coverage the sport received in its late-’90s heyday, but leagues above the recent meagre offerings.

Keep an eye on the website throughout 2015 for coverage.

THE imported replacement for the Aussie-built Commodore will still be called Commodore.

General Motors international operations boss Stefan Jacoby has confirmed that the iconic nameplate – which replaced Kingswood in 1978 as the brand’s local large car – would live on once local manufacturing ceases by 2017.

“We will continue with the Commodore nameplate,” Jacoby told journalists at the 2015 Detroit motor show, before adding that the announcement was embargoed to coincide with a dealer announcement and marketing campaign.

“There will be a Commodore successor. The Commodore successor will have the Commodore name.”

Jacoby said the heritage and history of the model – as well as the increasing need to reassure Australians the Holden brand was here for the long haul – was behind the decision to continue with the Commodore nameplate.

The announcement ends months of speculation triggered when the marketing department admitted Commodore could be shelved once the model is imported.

“Commodore is very much embedded into Holden, it’s part of the Holden history, it’s part of what Australian customers want to have and we listened to our customers,” Jacoby said.

But the first imported Commodore – a re-engineered, rebadged version of the Opel Omega – will be a very different beast to the driver-focused rear-drive models that have typified the breed since the original VB of 1978.

Jacoby effectively confirmed information from Holden insiders that the 2018 Commodore would be the first to power only the front wheels.

However, he said this would not be a problem, pointing to his experience with the VW Group, which had no problem selling a front-drive Audi against a rear-drive BMW.

He also noted that BMW, once a trenchant rear-drive company, would go front-drive with the next 3 Series model.

Jacoby confirmed the imported Commodore was already being tested locally at Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground.

He said GM is determined to maintain Holden’s presence in Australia, but stopped short of committing to returning the brand to the top sales position.

“We want to be the best,” he said Jacoby when asked if Holden could be the number one brand.

“With the brand Holden in Australia, we have the best platform … This brand is extremely strong and it’s part of Australia’s culture and history. It’s an iconic brand.”

THE next-generation Holden Astra has been caught in testing ahead of landing in Australia in late 2016.

The ice-clad five-door twins spotted in Scandinavia show GM’s Mazda 3, VW Golf and Ford Focus rival that’s been confirmed by Holden to join the local line-up, although it remains tight-lipped on precisely when the all-new version will land in local showrooms.

While these images show the five-door hatch, the new Astra will also be built as a three-door, wagon and – for the first time – a sedan. These images show the look of the new Astra will reflect the lower, pedestrian-impact friendly nose worn by both the Chinese-market Cruze and the Chevrolet Volt show car, shown at the Detroit motor show, with longer lines giving the car broader shoulders. It will appear much more substantial than the slab-sided Cruze it will essentially replace here.

The C-segment Astra will built on the same D2XX platform as the Volt – which is yet to be confirmed for Australia – and also used by the new Cruze that was launched in China in 2014. The new platform means that the new Astra will be considerably lighter than the current model, with the Chinese-market Cruze up to 125kg lighter than its predecessor.

Holden has confirmed that its European-sourced models will be treated to unique suspension tunes to cope with our rough roads. This is in line with its Lang Lang proving ground remaining open once its factories have been closed in 2017, and unlike the Opel-badged versions sold here in 2012 that were sold with their standard European suspension settings. German engineers have never seen anything as diabolical as Sydney’s Parramatta Road…

In terms of engines, Holden is yet to confirm which powerplants the Australian line-up will include. A new three-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre that’s currently on sale in the Ford Fiesta-sized Corsa will be fitted to the Euro spec Astra, while there’s also the choice of a turbocharged 1.4-litre mated to a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Two versions of the 1.6-litre diesel and a more potent 2.0-litre diesel will also be available in Europe. A hybrid version has been dismissed, with the Volt serving the same segment.

The performance models of the existing Astra line-up will arrive in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2015, with the Ford Focus ST and VW Golf GTI rivalling flagship Astra VXR the main drawcard, and hopefully given a warmer reception than its brief stint here badged as an Opel in 2012.

The next generation Astra is expected to be shown in 2016, arriving in Australia in the second half of the year.

Alfa Romeo’s much-anticipated 4C Coupe has arrived in Oz.

Ahead of its local February launch, Alfa has revealed a more hardcore Launch Edition version will be offered alongside a ‘regular’ variant.

While the base 4C is priced at $89,000, Australia has thus far been allocated just 75 examples of the pricier $109,000 limited-edition version aimed squarely at more performance-hungry buyers.

The $20K premium indulges a number of performance of upgrades that includes “racing suspension tuning” to the dampers and anti-roll bars, a “Racing” exhaust system and staggered 18-inch front and 19-inch rear forged alloy wheel design finished in matte black with Pirelli P Zero rubber.

Also exclusive to the Launch Edition are black microfibre sports seats, red brake calipers, front fascia and side air intakes and a host of carbonfibre accouterments such as Bi-LED headlight casings, rear spoiler, mirror caps and interior trim addenda.

The Launch Edition will be available in two colours, Rosso Alfa (red) and Madreperla White, with matched interior stitched depending on paint work choice.

Controversially, the Australian-spec 4C range is said to be 1045kg dry weight (1118kg kerb weight), around 130kg heavier than the Euro-spec 4C, largely due to structural reinforcements it shares with US-release versions to confirm with stringent crash safety standards.

Both base and Launch Edition 4Cs share the same 177kW and 350Nm 1.75-litre turbo four and ‘TCT’ six-speed twin-clutch transmission, with identical performance claims of 4.5sec for the 0-100km/h sprint, 1.1G maximum corner acceleration and a 257km/h top speed.

Audi has confirmed the long-awaited replacement for its flagship R8 supercar will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March.

And after all but killing off an all-electric e-tron branded version, the Ingolstadt marque will debut an electrified version to complement the 5.2-litre V10 that will carryover from the current car.

MOTOR came away overwhelmingly positive from a drive of the near-production R8 e-tron back in 2013, which boasted 280kW/820Nm and a claim of 0-100km/h in 4.6sec.

Audi’s only rear-wheel drive R8 model was, however, on production hiatus because of a lack of suitable range due to shortcomings in the battery technology engineers were pursuing in development.

The original stillborn e-tron, which claimed a slightly dubious electric ‘production car’ record around the old Nurburgring Nordschleife in 2012, could only manage a best-case range of 230km.

According to Audi’s technical development boss, Ulrich Hackenberg, the next-generation and now-production ready R8 e-tron will offer a range well beyond 400 kilometres on a single charge.

It is unconfirmed whether the electrified hypercar maintains the working concept car’s rear-wheel drive or whether Audi has adopted supplementary range-extender technologies.

The forthcoming R8 range, which will share much of its engineering DNA with Lamborghini’s recently launched Huracan supercar, replaces the current, now eight-year-old version.

ALFA Romeo’s gorgeous, lightweight 4C has finally hit our shores, but Aussie buyers are in for a shock – their cars will be 130kg heavier than 4Cs sold in Europe.

Trawling through the 4C’s Aussie spec sheet reveals a dry weight of 1025kg, a number well up on the 895kg Alfa has been championing in Europe. The official kerb weight for Australian-spec 4Cs, which includes fluids, is 1118kg.

Alfa Romeo Australia says our cars are the same specification as those sold in the US market, which gain an extra 130kg to meet stricter safety and design rules.

“The Australian vehicles include the same safety measures undertaken for the US market, which have resulted in a slightly heavier dry weight,” said Alfa Romeo spokesperson Lucy McLellan.

Click here to see official Aussie pricing.

The added heft comes from additional aluminium inserts in the 4C’s unique carbonfibre chassis, which is actually thicker than those in Europe to comply with Australia’s strict crash regulations.

It’s a nasty surprise for Aussie buyers, firstly because lightness is such a key factor in the 4C’s marketing, and also because in June last year Alfa denied local 4Cs will cop the weight gain.

No word yet on how the extra 130kg heft will affect performance – the official local launch of the 4C isn’t until mid-February – but Alfa insists local 4Cs will still match the car’s official European performance claims, which include a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.5sec.

“The information we have is that the car can absolutely achieve 0-100km/h in 4.5seconds,” McLellan said.

THE most anticipated Alfa Romeo in years, the 4C sports car, will start at $89,000 when it finally hits Australian roads later this month.

After extensive delays due to lack of supply, the first batch of 60 4Cs hit Melbourne docks last week, with Alfa expecting to sell at least 120 of the lightweight mid-engined sports car this year.

In addition to the the base 4C Coupe at $89,000, buyers will also have the choice of a limited-run 4C Launch Edition for $109,000.

Both cars boast a mid-mounted, high-boost turbocharged 1.7-litre four-cylinder petrol that sends 177kW and 350Nm to the rear wheels via Alfa’s own six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Launch Edition models receive bigger wheels (205/40 R18 up front and 235/35 R19 at the back) and stickier Pirelli P Zero tyres, a sports exhaust and a ‘racing’ suspension tune. Cosmetically, there’s additional lashings of carbonfibre trim, red brake calipers and an Alfa car cover.

Of the 120 4Cs expected to be sold this year, Alfa says 75 will be Launch Edition spec.

To put the 4C’s pricing into perspective, its key rivals, the Lotus Elise and the Porsche Cayman, start at $69,990 and $106,600 respectively.

While the 4C finds the middle ground between the hardcore, track-focused Lotus and the more refined Porsche, its $89,000 starting price is significantly higher than first expected.

At the car’s international launch in November 2013, Alfa said the 4C would start at $75,000 when it arrived Down Under.

However, while the price tag has grown due to a poorer Australian dollar, so too has 4C’s level of standard equipment, according to Alfa Australia spokesperson Lucy McLellan.

“We understand international comments have been made in the past, however the pricing that has been announced today reflects the high level of standard equipment we have in the car,” she said.

“The pricing provides outstanding value for a supercar available in the Australian marketplace.”

Asked whether Alfa expects the higher price to deter buyers, McLellan said: “FCA Australia gave indicative pricing at the Geneva Motor Show in March last year, which is aligned with today’s pricing announcement. This indicative range only increased customer demand.”

McLaren will use March’s Geneva motor show to lift the lid off its most outrageous, powerful and exclusive production car to date: the P1 GTR.

Named in homage to the first McLaren to wear the GTR designation, 1995’s Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, this 20th anniversary version boasts an incredible 1000ps, or 735kW.

That power is delivered from a race-tuned version of the ‘regular’ P1 road car’s electric-hybrid-boosted 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8.

While technical details are sketchy to date, the P1 GTR is confirmed to be fitted with drag reduction system (DRS) aerodynamic enhancements and energy recuperation system (ERS) push-to-pass functionality, both derived from today’s Formula One.

Unveiled as a design concept at last year’s Concours d’Elegance car show in Pebble Beach, California, it’s likely that McLaren used the event to court many on the short list of potential buyers of a production version.

Short list? To be invited to purchase a GTR version, you must first have ordered or taken delivery of the regular P1, with the production of GTR commencing in 2015 once the final and 375th P1 has left the McLaren factory.

Spotted currently undergoing testing in Europe and the Middle East, the P1 GTR is too extreme for road registration and doesn’t conform to any current race series homologation.

Instead, the $AU3.6million rocketship will built, run and maintained by McLaren Special Operation who will conduct exclusive ‘turn-key’ track days for buyers in a similar vein to arch rival Ferrari’s bespoke program for its XX cars.

According to McLaren, the P1 GTR ownership package includes “driving events at some of the world’s most iconic circuits”, vehicle support, access to McLaren’s race simulators, driver training and race fitness tuition.

More details will no doubt come to light nearer to March’s Geneva show.

Audi Australia has announced its new TT will cost from $71,950 when it lands next month.

This represents a $3500 saving over the current-model front-drive 2.0 TFSI model. Both six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions are available with the 169kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo four, with quattro all-wheel drive available at extra cost.

Audi claims 0-100km/h in just 5.3sec for the quattro dual-clutch TT, while claimed fuel consumption is as low as 6.4L/100km.

The new TT is built on a modified version of VW’s lightweight MQB platform, and also introduces Audi’s ‘virtual cockpit’, which replaces a traditional multimedia screen by housing all car, navigation and infotainment information in a TFT instrument cluster.

Later in the year (around September/October), the new 228kW/380Nm TTS joins the range, promising just 4.6sec to 100km/h and a circa $100,000 price tag. It’s unclear at this point whether it will retain its European power and torque figures or be slightly detuned a la S3.

A range-topping TT RS is expected to appear next year, with a 2.5-litre turbo five-pot producing in the region of 300kW/500Nm.

WHAT IS IT?

Supplanting Freelander 2 in Land Rover’s line-up, the Discovery Sport utilises a lengthened and updated version of its platform to maximum effect.

WHY WE’RE TESTING IT:

Land Rover is launching the Discovery Sport to international media in the white heart of wintry Iceland.

MAIN RIVALS:

Four-cylinder versions of the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and, when it arrives, the Mercedes-Benz GLC.

THE WHEELS VERDICT:

There’s a hot new contender in the premium compact SUV class…

PLUS: Style; interior design, space and flexibility; dynamics and traction; competitive prices MINUS: Engines will soon be replaced by JLR’s (probably better) new Ingenium family;

THE WHEELS REVIEW:

THE just-right proportions of Land Rover’s latest have been skilfully clothed and adeptly detailed to create a premium compact SUV that’s prettier than the rest. This much is instantly obvious. But are those who cannot resist the Discovery Sport’s visual charms destined for disappointment or bound for bliss?

Much tried and true hardware is used in the Discovery Sport. Think of it as a Freelander 2 replacement that’s been given a whacking with the pretty stick. Or, better still, as an enlarged, improved and more practical Range Rover Evoque (itself built on the Freelander 2 platform). All use the same transverse-mounted 2.0-litre turbo petrol and 2.2-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder engines, share basically the same front suspension and front-end body structure and all are made at the same Halewood, UK, Jaguar Land Rover factory.

Differences begin at the B-pillar. Aft of this point the wheelbase has been lengthened by 81mm compared to Freelander 2 and Evoque, and altered to accommodate a new multi-link rear suspension. The Discovery Sport is 89mm longer overall than the Freelander 2, and a whopping 234mm longer than the style-slave Evoque.

While the extra length and visual bulk of the Discovery Sport imply spaciousness, it’s only when you climb inside that you find that Land Rover has achieved more than expected. There’s room enough for $1990 optional, foldaway third-row seats, which don’t reduce the volume of the cargo bay. The second-row bench, which slides fore and aft 160mm to shuffle the ratio of passenger to cargo space, is excellent.

Ahead of the driver and front passenger the Discovery Sport’s instrument panel adheres to Land Rover’s trademark chunky look. It’s nicely finished and features a big new capacitive touchscreen front and centre. The driving position and front seats are good, but the passenger-side footwell isn’t spacious and the switch and button layout could be more user-friendly.

Land Rover chose wintry Iceland to present the Discovery Sport. It’s a magical place, but the snow and ice limits what can be learned. All the Discovery Sports lined up for us outside Reykjavik airport wore studded tyres. Noisy on snowless bitumen, they can find grip on ice, which is nice.

There will be a front-drive version of the Discovery Sport, but for now it’s all-wheel-drive-only. The engine line-up comprises TD4 (110kW) and SD4 (140kW) turbodiesels, and (177kW) Si4 turbo petrol. All are available with a nine-speed automatic, the diesels also with a six-speed manual. Equipment grades are base SE (all drivetrains), mid-level HSE (diesels only) and HSE Luxury (SD4 only).

Diesels are expected to account for the majority of sales in Australia, so we focused on the SD4, in top-line HSE Luxury auto form. While the 140kW engine is noisy but strong, the nine-speeder is hard to fault. The Haldex-clutched on-demand all-wheel-drive system is quick to find traction when required. Experimenting with the Terrain Response modes we found, weirdly, that the Sand setting often worked best for us on the snow and ice.

Land Rover’s engineers have done great work on the electrically assisted steering, which has more feel and weighting than the typical compact SUV. Ride comfort, too, seems better than average. The Discovery Sport feels responsive and well balanced on slippery surfaces, and it may feel equally competent on blistering bitumen, too.

In Australia, the Discovery Sport will undercut the starting prices of its rivals by a decent margin. Prices span a range between $53,300 (TD4 SE manual) and $68,990 (SD4 HSE Luxury auto). Of the 11 combinations of drivetrain and equipment grade on offer, seven are priced lower than the least costly versions of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

So Land Rover is keen to ensure Australians aren’t be turned off by too-high prices. This premium compact SUV also delivers fine flexibility, great space and above-average driver appeal to back its winning visuals. A definitive verdict will have to wait until we drive a Discovery Sport in Australian conditions, but it could just turn out to be the best of the breed.

2015 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT SPECS

Model: Land Rover Discovery Sport SD4 HSE Luxury automatic Engine: 2179cc 4cyl, dohc, 16v, turbodiesel Max power: 140kW at 4000rpm Max torque: 420Nm at 1750rpm Transmission: 9-speed automatic Weight: 1805kg 0-100km/h: 10.3sec Fuel economy: 6.1L/100km (EU) Price: $68,990 On sale: May