Ending months, and perhaps years of speculation about its future, Holden, has announced it would cease production operations in Australia from late-2017.

The Proton Exora is touted as Australia’s cheapest (sorry, “least expensive”) seven-seater. Does it have more to offer than a price advantage?

When ex-Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh, heard how many people died each year on our roads she was spurred into action. Tony Bosworth caught up with the actress and model turned safety evangelist when she visited Australia to hand out awards at the Australian Road Safety Foundation.

It looks like a Barina on steroids, but is the new Holden Trax small SUV really as good as its looks suggest, asks Tony Bosworth.

Developed in conjunction with Toyota, the Subaru BRZ offers an intoxicating blend of aggressive looks and razor-sharp handling at a price that won’t bust the budget. Indeed, we’ve been waiting a long time for a car like this: a low weight, low price, compact sports car.

People movers are miracles of clever packaging, says Paul Murrell and the Kia Rondo is a seven-up wagon no bigger than a Corolla.

It’s reckoned to be the world’s biggest and glitziest car show, and Frankfurt certainly didn’t disappoint this time round as the wraps were taken off a host of new and exciting cars, many of which are headed this way, reports Tony Bosworth.

The Fiat 500 has never really been a serious choice for Australian motorists, but with a price cut and cute looks that might be about to change. It also makes a strong case for itself against the other “retro” contenders such as the VW Beetle and Mini, which are bought more for image than any compelling practical reasons.

At $16,000 driveway for the base model, the Fiat Punto is well worth a look on price and equipment alone. It’s a decent-looking car and the fit and finish is impressive, as are the standard five doors, nice manual gearbox and roomy, airy interior.

If you’re in the market for a highly sensible new car with all the attributes of a small car but the space and practicality of a mid-size car, the Nissan Almera almost stands alone. You’ll miss out on a few of life’s little luxuries, but you shouldn’t get too many complaints from the back seat.

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak sits right at the top of the Ranger tree and is being marketed here and around the world as being more of a car than a work-day truck. The Ranger is a product of the ‘One Ford’ strategy and its development was led by Australians with the project based here too.

When the original Mazda MX-5 was launched back in 1989 it arrived like a bolt out of the blue delivering fun, open-top motoring thrills to the likes of you and me. It was affordable and attractive and gave us something we hadn’t had since the demise of the gorgeous Lotus Elan. This new variant is more purposeful than ever before.

The 2013 Mazda CX-5 line-up adds a new 139kW/250Nm 2.-5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine borrowed from the Mazda6. Until now, the diesel variants were the pick of the range. So can the 2.5 petrol take over the mantle?

if you’re after something that matches the Germans (read: BMW X3/X5 and Audi Q5/Q7) for drivability and offers a fair dollop of exclusivity without costing the earth (relatively speaking), then the Infiniti FX37 S might just be the car for you.

The Hyundai i30 offers good looks (inside and out), an impressive list of standard equipment for the money, good ride and handling with a level of refinement neither the Toyota Corolla or Mazda3 can match, and enough room for a family of four.