Some news from Aus.

Holden has pulled the covers off it's next-generation 2012 Colorado concept ute at the Australian Motor Show in Melbourne.

The new Colorado was first shown in Chevrolet form earlier this year and Holden's version has kept with a similar curvaceous body design and 'dual port' grille. The concept Colorado is presented in a crew-cab form with the production model to be launched in New Zealand and other global markets in 2012.

Holden New Zealand Managing Director, Jeff Murray said Holden's most significant play in the growing light commercial segment is without a doubt the new generation Colorado. "Clearly this is a show vehicle however, the basic proportions and design are pretty much what you can expect for the production version of the Colorado which will arrive in Holden showrooms in this country in 2012," Mr Murray said.

The Colorado design project was led by 26-year-old creative designer Ben Last who worked closely with General Motors‟ Colorado homeroom and design studio in Brazil along with operations in Thailand and the US to develop the final Australian show theme.

The Colorado show truck was given it's unique Holden appearance through locally styled panels including the front fascia, bonnet, guards and tailgate. Other design features include LED head and taillights, integrated indicators and a 'Red Rock' paint finish. The interior uses steel and black accents with a dark blue leather wrapped around the instrument panel and the seats are stitched in red.

In terms of power the Colorado show vehicle uses a 2.8L turbo-diesel engine with a broad torque band for cargo and towing capability. It is one of a number of engines that will be offered in the production range when it hits New Zealand showrooms next year.

Check back again for more updates on the upcoming 2012 Holden Colorado.

http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/melbourne-motor-show/x7lhgnj?cpkey=acb6a22d-5bec-4aed-aa5e-26f3bfb0d1d3%7C%7C%7C%7C

The all-new 2011 Toyota Yaris has debuted at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne ahead of its local launch in the fourth quarter of this year.

The new Toyota Yaris hatch will be 100mm longer that the outgoing model, with half of that length added between the wheels. Toyota says the redesign has led to a “substantial increase” in cabin space, especially for rear-seat passengers.

The new Yaris scores styling updates inside and out. The exterior is much sharper, with bolder headlights, front bumper and intakes giving the car a more aggressive presence. The rear is also more muscular with stronger wheel arches and angular taillights.

The interior has also matured, while still maintaining a simple, clean and functional layout (overseas image shown).

New features for the Yaris include UV-reducing glass and a single windscreen wiper with an integrated washer nozzle.

Toyota Australia is yet to confirm local specifications for the new Yaris. Overseas, it is available with a 74kW/132Nm 1.33-litre engine as well as an 80kW/141Nm 1.5-litre petrol unit. A 1.4-litre diesel is also available overseas, although this engine is unlikely to be sold in Australia in the short-term.

Combined cycle fuel consumption for the smaller petrol engine ranges from 5.0 litres/100km to 5.4 litres/100km according to Toyota UK. Expect these figures to creep up marginally under Australian standards.

Toyota Australia is yet to announce information about the new Yaris sedan. Watch this space for developments throughout the day.

Full pricing and specification details of the 2011 Toyota Yaris will be revealed closer to the vehicle’s launch towards the end of the year.

I have some actual photos of the red 4-door Colorado, but not sure if I'm allowed to post them publically (the above pics are CG renders). It looks even better in real photos - pity it won't be hitting the market like this though

well at least now the yaris will be riced up a little more as OEM.

Give the thais a little less work to look crazy

And the Ranger.

The Colorado looks dam_n good in these pics!

__________________

wow an ugly riced up family style cruze as OEM

Glad holden isnt a thai company, surprised though.

The Cruze looks a Dam sight better looking than the Fiesta and Focus to me anyway.Holden is G.M by the way.Oh for a V8 Morano at Ozz prices here, or a Ford Falcon.That Utes a looker to a truck hater like me.Nice Pics OP.The New U.K Harris has GPS as Standard now.

wow an ugly riced up family style cruze as OEM

Glad holden isnt a thai company, surprised though.

The Cruze hatchback pictured is officially a concept car - a lot of the glitzy bits like the brake calipers and lighting will be toned down for the production model. Note that it's got nothing to do with Holden Australia other than badges - this is the same concept car shown at the Paris Motor Show in October 2010, and again at the Geneva motor show back in March this year..

Holden Australia has a bad habit of declaring models to be "Australian Designed" even when that actually only means the placement of Australian "Holden" badges, and some suspension re-tuning. They're also claiming that the new Colorado was "Designed in Australia", when in fact the only things changed for the Aussie Show version is again the badges, and a slighly different hood profile (the GMI-700 Colorado is the product of GM Brazil, with input from GM USA and GM Thailand).

The Cruze looks a Dam sight better looking than the Fiesta and Focus to me anyway.Holden is G.M by the way.Oh for a V8 Morano at Ozz prices here, or a Ford Falcon.That Utes a looker to a truck hater like me.Nice Pics OP.The New U.K Harris has GPS as Standard now.

Agree - the "Renault style" rear end gives the Cruze 5-door a very European look, but I'm not sure about the continuity of the design front-to-rear...

The Colorado is a sharp looking truck, but a lot of the deatils that set this concept apart from other offerings won't make it through to production - the 20's with Cooper M/T's, the drak gray skirt line, the integrated side steps, the alloy rear bumper/step, the daylight LED's, the alloy side mirrors and even the little vents on the side of the hood will all most likely be deleted for the actual production model

This link contains a short video clip with pans of a number of models soon to be seen in TH:

http://www.motoring....s-on-show-24986

Models shown relevant to TH are the new Colorado (2011), new Aveo (2011/12), new Ranger Wildtrak (soon), new Ford Focus (2012), Toyota "86" (2012), and the Range Rover Evoque (soon),

And the BT50.

Why do you think they displayed it loaded with all those extras

And this is what it could look like