best new small cars in 2012

Automotive Dealer - best new small cars in 2012 ;

Alfa Romeo

The Italian brand will expand its Giulietta model range in February, adding a self-shifting, twin-clutch transmission to its 1.4-litre petrol model, and introducing a new 2.0-litre diesel model, also matched to an auto gearbox. Alfa is only selling manual versions of the Giulietta at the moment and the company believes the two new models will eventually make up 85 per cent of sales.

Aston Martin

The Toyota-based Cygnet city car still hasn't been confirmed for Australia and Drive believes it's unlikely, which is hardly surprising given it's more Toyota than British supercar. The controversial Cygnet was initially confirmed but it's understood some are pushing back through fear of damaging the brand with a circa-$60,000 hatchback.

As for the rest of the range - the V8, Vantage and Rapide - expect updates to some models that will bring additional value and, possibly, some styling tweaks.

Audi

Another potentially crucial model for Audi's sale chart hopes launches in Q2, the new A1 Sportback. The five-door version of Audi's smallest car was unveiled at the recent Tokyo motor show. It will be available with either four or five-seats, and boasts more space in the back seat than the current three-door thanks to a higher roof.

Citroen

Citroen has a busy year lined up as it continues to roll out a new DS line of more upmarket offerings.
The DS4 hatch, a more luxurious version of the C4 with a longer equipment list, is scheduled to arrive in February. The local line-up will include three models: a 115kW, 1.6-litre petrol automatic version, an 82kW 1.6-litre turbo diesel auto and a range-topping 170kW 1.6-litre petrol model matched to a six-speed manual.

Fiat

Fiat's diminutive 500 and 500C models will get an engine update in the first quarter of the year. The new TwinAir engines are just 875cc, but put out a respectable 63kW and 145Nm. They also use less fuel than the Toyota Prius hybrid, sipping just 3.6 litres per 100km.

Fiat claims performance is on par with the 1.4-litre engines they replace, but with 30 per cent better fuel consumption. The engines will be matched to self-shifting gearboxes and will be available on both the hatch and 500C cabriolet. In other news, the Abarth 500C is now available with a self-shifting gearbox.

Ford 

Reports that the tiny Indian-built Figo city car were due here in 2012 seem to be false. Ford Australia says it has no current plans to introduce the price-leading cheapie during 2012.

Geely

Already on sale in Western Australia, Chinese brand Geely was due to roll out across the Eastern seaboard late in 2011, but the brand's importer John Hughes Group says that Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are not likely to see Geely cars on their roads until late in 2012.

Other Geely news includes the cancellation of the tiny Panda city car, which was due on sale in Australia in 2011, but the plans have been abandoned by Geely head office.

In its place, Geely will bring the CE, a Corolla-sized sedan and hatch that replaces the MK which is currently on sale in WA. Both of those cars are due in the third quarter of 2012.

Great Wall Motors

Great Wall will also bring a new small car - either the Yaris-sized C10 city hatch or the Corolla-sized C30 sedan/hatch - which will be offered with both manual and CVT transmissions late in the year.

Holden

A sedan version of the Barina light car will slip into the range without fanfare in February or March featuring the same simple one-model, two-transmission choice as the hatchback already on the market.

Honda

After a relatively quiet 2011, this year is a big one for Honda.

It starts in March, with an all-new Civic sedan arriving, powered by traditional petrol engines as well as an updated hybrid drivetrain. The ninth generation of the small car will include software that will help drivers save fuel, much like the car maker already does in its Insight hybrid hatchback.

Later in the year will mark the arrival of a new hatchback version of the Civic. The car maker will be hoping this generation of the British-built car will have a stronger market presence than its predecessor.

Interestingly, the version of the car that will go on sale in Europe is expected to offer diesel and hybrid engines.

Nothing yet is confirmed for Australia.

Hyundai

February marks the start of an important year for the Korean car maker with the arrival of the funky Veloster three-door coupe in February.

It's a bit like the Mini Clubman, in that it has a rear-opening suicide door on the driver's side to give access to the rear seats. It won't have the fireball under the bonnet to match the looks, as it's likely to use the already familiar 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to either a six-speed auto or manual gearbox.

It's not confirmed yet, but 2012 could just herald the introduction of the Veloster wearing a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. It could add the sparkle under the bonnet to back up the svelte lines of the compact coupe.

About half way through the year we can expect the second-generation i30 small hatchback. Essentially the Elantra sedan without the boot, the i30 fills an important hole in the Hyundai line-up as one of the biggest sellers for the brand.

Kia

From mid-February Kia will add two new body variants of its recently launched Rio light car. A three-door hatch and four-door sedan will join the five-door with the choice of three familiar trim levels: "S", "Si" and "SLi".

Mercedes-Benz

April will also see the arrival of the all-new B-Class hatch. Said to be priced from around $40,000, the longer, wider and roomier B-Class will be offered with the choice of petrol and diesel engines. It will also come standard with an anti-collision warning system typically seen in far more expensive vehicles.

At the other end of the economy scale, the production version of the diminutive A-Class will make its global debut at September's Frankfurt motor show before arriving in local showrooms sometime between late this year and early 2013.

The A-Class will be a dramatic departure from the tall, one-box design of its predecessors and feature low, sleek styling and a more upmarket cabin.

Mini

Mini will introduce a pair of new models in February. The Mini Coupe and Mini Convertible - not to be confused with the Mini Cooper and Mini Cabriolet - boast slightly more slippery styling and are aimed more at the performance-focused end of the market.

The "helmet-head" coupe will be priced at $42,990 in Cooper S guise, powered by a 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder producing 135kW and 260Nm. A more powerful and faster John Cooper Works version is also due to debut, expected to be priced about $50,000.

The Convertible version is due on sale at the same time and while pricing isn't yet confirmed, you should expect it to cost at least $2000 more than the Coupe in both Cooper S and JCW guises.

Mini will also reveal a production version of the high-riding three-door Paceman concept - a more compact version of the Countryman SUV. While it will be unveiled in the first half of the year, the new crossover may not make it here in 2012.

Mitsubishi

The discontinued Colt city car will be replaced by an all-new model, reviving the once-popular Mirage nameplate.

Revealed at the recent Tokyo motor show the five-door hatch has a strong focus on fuel economy. There will be two engine choices, a 1.0- and a 1.3-litre three-cylinder petrol, both mated to a CVT gearbox to keep fuel consumption low.

Although the company hasn't revealed official figures it has declared it intention to hit 3.3L/100km in the Japanese-spec model. If the local version achieved the same number it would make it the most fuel-efficient petrol car in the country.

Nissan

The Japanese brand is set to have a big year for small cars in 2012, with the highly-acclaimed Leaf electric car buzzing in around June.

The plug-in hatchback won the 2011 World Car of the Year award, with the Corolla-sized five-seater offering a range of about 160km on a single charge. It's purely electric drivetrain produces 80kW of power and 280Nm of torque, and Nissan says it can charge in about 8 hours from a standard 240V plug.

The Leaf will be priced from $51,500.

Mid-year will also see the arrival of Nissan's new Almera city sedan. It may be offered with a choice of 1.2-litre three-cylinder or 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines as are currently seen in the Micra hatchback on which it's based. The Almera will compete against four-door versions of Ford's Fiesta, Hyundai's Accent and Kia's Rio. Expect it to start under $20,000.

Nissan is also expected to revive the Pulsar nameplate in 2012, with the new small car due to arrive late in the year, available in sedan and hatchback body styles. Pricing and equipment details aren't available as yet, but Nissan Australia says it hopes to offer a performance-tuned Nismo version - which may bring back the iconic SSS nameplate - as part of the new Pulsar lineup.

Opel

A massive year is in store for the new-to-Australia Opel, the German-based arm of US carmaking giant GM.

Several of its products have been here before wearing Holden badges, so the company will leverage some badge recognition - especially for the well-known and fondly remembered Astra model - while also facing the challenge of convincing customers to pay premium prices for cars that previously sat at the more affordable end of the market.

Opel will hit the market hard early in the second half of the year with a launch that includes hatch and tourer (wagon) variants of the small Astra, three- and five-door versions of the light Corsa (which once sold in Australia as a Barina).

The newly-formed local arm is also keen to secure the Astra GTC - a turbocharged three-door performance model - as a "hero" car for its launch, but is yet to lock it in.

Peugeot

Peugeot will reveal the 208 city hatch at the Sydney motor show in October. The replacement for the tiny 207 is expected to offer fuel-efficient three-cylinder petrol engines plus at least one diesel option, and variants will be priced both below and above $25,000.

Proton

The Malaysian carmaker will offer a facelifted of its bargain basement light car, the S16.

The S16 will be facelifted early in the year, finally adding a second (front passenger)airbag as well as standard anti-lock brakes and stability control. Pricing is not confirmed but will be more expensive than its current $11,990 sticker.

Due around the middle of the year, Proton will wheel out a larger replacement for its Persona small car, which it says will push the unnamed new model into the medium car class. It will arrive in sedan form only, with a hatchback version due in early 2013. Proton says it will also have competitive safety levels, expected to be demonstrated in a forthcoming ANCAP crash test.

Prior to the Persona's mid-year replacement, the company will launch the Persona Elegance in March. The range-topping model will feature a higher equipment specification including leather seats and a CVT transmission plus some cosmetic changes.

Skoda

The Fabia city runabout will get an automatic version in the second quarter, while a wagon variant and a hot hatch - the vRS - will launch in the second quarter.

The Fabia vRS is powered by the same 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged engine that powers the Polo GTI. The 132kW engine will be matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. Skoda says it will sprint from 0-100km/h in a lively 7.3 seconds.

Smart

Nothing new for 2012 but expect the all-new ForTwo in 2013, which should kickstart a revival of the city car brand.

Subaru

It's a big year for Subaru, with the arrival of the all new Impreza, hoped to lift the small car's standing in one of the most competitive - and, now, the largest - segments in the country.

Set to tackle the sales might of the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Holden Cruze and Volkswagen Golf, the new Impreza brings a new body and more upmarket interior as well as fuel saving features including an engine stop-start system. It will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine driving all four wheels.

Suzuki

Suzuki will launch the Swift Sport early this year - a higher-powered hero version of its small city car. When it arrives in March it will get rid of the low-out 1.4-cylinder engine seen in more civilised Swifts, replacing it with a 100kW 1.6-litre powerplant. A six-speed manual is already confirmed, but Suzuki has already hinted at a self-shifting version, too.

Toyota

Facelifted versions of the world's best-selling hybrid, the Prius, will arrive in March with revised frontal styling and extra standard equipment, but no increase in efficiency, which continues at 3.9L/100km.

Toyota's hybrid offering will be broadened with two new Prius bodystyles - the all-new compact Prius C arriving in March and the Prius V wagon from around May.

The Yaris-sized, five-door Prius C (as in City) will become the company's entry-level hybrid model and will target younger buyers. It is expected to use less than 3.0L/100km of fuel from its 1.5-litre petrol-electric drivetrain, which will make it one of the most fuel efficient cars on the market.

The seven-seat Prius V (for Versatility) uses a more compact and more expensive lithium-ion batteries to free up space for the foldaway third-row seats. Like the regular Prius hatch, the Prius V is powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce a combined 100kW while consuming 5.6L/100km in the US.

Finally, the 11th generation Corolla hatch will arrive in October to rival the giant-selling Mazda3 small car.

Toyota's volume-selling model is expected to continue to be sourced from Japan - at least initially before shifting to Thailand.

Volkswagen

The new model activity kicks off in January with dealerships receiving stock of the sporty Scirocco R two-door. Some cars arrived late last year, but this month will be the first full month on sale for the turbocharged sports coupe.

The car, which is powered by the same 188kW engine as the Golf R, was launched overseas in 2008 but local management originally baulked at importing it for fear of cannibalising sales of the Golf R three-door. With the hot three-door Golf now gone, the Scirocco R has been deemed suitable for local consumption.

Prices start at $47,490 for the six-speed manual and $49,990 for the six-speed dual-clutch auto.

The most significant new model for Volkswagen will arrive at the end of the year in the form of the diminutive Up city car. The car will be VW's cheapest model, with a circa-$15,000 price tag that will see it slot it beneath the Polo.

The car will initially be available as a three-door, powered by a tiny 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that will put out either 44kW or 55kW. No word yet on whether a five-door version of the Up will be offered here.

But that's not the end of the new model launches for VW.

A new, sportier Beetle will squeak in before the end of the year. Engine choices are likely to mirror those available on the Golf, potentially kicking off with a fuel-sipping 77kW, 1.2-litre engine turbocharged petrol unit and including 90kW, 118kW and 147kW petrol variants, as well as a 103kW diesel.

Dual-clutch autos will probably be the only choice of transmission. In Europe, the Beetle is priced below the equivalent Golf model, but whether that translates to Australia remains to be seen.

Volvo

It's a quiet year for Volvo following the arrival of new models and model variants in 2011. While the new Golf-rivalling five-door hatch - tipped to be called V40 - will be unveiled internationally earlier in the year, it won't arrive here until next year.

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