When Mercedes launched their A-class in 1997 it took the world by surprise - a baby Mercedes-Benz? Mercedes immediately came under fire when they launched the A-class.

Saab didn’t start off as a car company. The acronym SAAB translates as Swedish Aeroplane Company, and in 1939 it was set up to build aeroplanes for the Swedish Air Force in World War II.

The C63 Saloon was launched in spectacular style at Mount Panorama, Bathurst earlier this year, giving current AMG customers a great taste of what this fantastic piece of German machinery is capable of.

Nissan had no real reason to rethink or rework its X-Trail compact four-wheel drive; it's been doing well. 2003 sales figures were leading in its class, and have kept it in the top three with the Toyota RAV-4 and the Honda CR-V every year since it came to Australia in 2001.

Moving into its second generation, the Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class roadster has retained its retractable hardtop but adopted a different front end, with a large three-pointed star in the centre and small grilles on each side. Inspired by Formula One race cars, the new SLK-Class was presumably meant to resemble the automaker's SLR McLaren supercar.

You may have thought you could pigeonhole an engine depending on whether it was petrol or diesel. Well, think again. Choosing between a petrol and a diesel engine for your new VW Golf is not easy.

It was around ten years ago that the last Nissan Micra was sold on our shores - back then, petrol was 71 cents a litre and the Aussie dollar got you 77 Yen.  The exchange rate is now hovering at around 100 Yen, which has allowed Nissan to bring this little car in at a starting price of $14,990.

The rebirth of the MINI was much more successful than BMW originally envisaged at its 2001 launch.

Less than a year after it was launched here, the Subaru Tribeca has been given an extreme makeover.