Fuel prices shape Motor Show

Volvo, Peugeot and Citroën have all announced that their hottest new models will make their local debuts at the show on 26 October.

Volvo's long-awaited C30 hatchback will take the brand into the growing premium small car segment for the first time.

C30 features a 162kW five-cylinder turbo engine and a distinctive glass tailgate that recalls Volvo's iconic P1800 sports car – as driven in television series The Saint in the early 1970s.

Volvo describes the C30 – which is tentatively slated for Australian sale in the first half of next year – as "a cool car that will appeal to a younger demographic with an intense urban lifestyle".

Peugeot has high hopes for its new 207 hatchback, which will arrive in Australia in the first quarter of next year. The 207 will be an all-new addition to the Peugeot small car range, selling alongside the long-running and highly successful 206.

"Sales of the Peugeot 206 are up 20 per cent this year – which is remarkable for a car that was launched here in 1999," said Peugeot Automobiles Australia's Public Relations Manager, Mathew McAuley.

"It's a testament to the enduring appeal and essential rightness of Peugeot's small car design philosophy – something the 207 continues."

Slightly bigger all round and more refined, the 207 features a range of engines up to a 2.0-litre four.

Citroën will use the Sydney show to whip the covers off the all-new C4 Picasso – the successor to a model that was never sold here due to huge demand in Europe.

The new Picasso features class-leading interior packaging that combines the best attributes of a medium-sized hatchback and a small people mover, combined with the fuel-efficient combination of a four-cylinder engine and a six-speed electronic gearbox.

"The original Citroën Picasso is one of the medium people movers that transformed the European car market, and it did so on the back of rising fuel prices," explained Miles Williams, General Manager for Citroën in Australia.

"The new C4 Picasso arrives in Australia right when we are facing fuel prices at record highs and 4WD owners are starting to look for vehicles that will maintain the space flexibility of a 4WD, but without the fuel penalty.

"The C4 Picasso could not, therefore, arrive at a better time for both Citroën and the Australian car market!"

According to figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), sales in the Light passenger car segment have grown dramatically – up 32.3 per cent in July and 21.4 per cent for the year to date.

Sales in the slightly larger Small car segment grew by 9.0 per cent in July and 3.7 percent for the year to date.

"In total, more than 15,000 additional small and light cars have been sold in Australia so far this year and that's clearly a trend that has been accelerated by rising petrol prices," said FCAI Chief Executive Peter Sturrock.

"We expect a lot of consumers to use the Sydney show to view the latest offerings in more economical cars and to research their next purchase."