The Alfa Romeo 159 has been awarded the prestigious five-star rating from Euro NCAP. It is an important achievement, which underlines yet again the great attention that Fiat Auto pays to all aspects of the protection of its drivers and passengers. The Alfa Romeo 159 was designed and built to embody uncompromising quality, a concept that guided the entire process of the car’s development, starting with the endless tests that the model was subjected to, right down to the manufacturing process. For the Alfa 159, quality also means an element of dynamism, obtained by careful calibration of the sophisticated suspension and the outstanding torsional rigidity of the bodyshell.

With the new “Alfa 159” project, the Italian carmaker intends to take a lead in passive safety. The Alfa Romeo engineers have designed a specific new “premium” floorpan which adopts high performance materials, multiply sheet metal and laser welding. The architecture of the bodyshell also benefits from numerous measures such as: the use of boxed elements that are connected rigidly both transversely and vertically, three load lines in the front, longitudinals that run the whole length of the car, built-in structures and a larger number of spot welds around structural nodes. The result is the excellent torsional rigidity of the bodyshell. The Alfa 159 also boasts as many as eight airbags (including special bags to protect the knees and sidebags that extend all along the window area), innovative restraint systems (pretensioners on the clasps and decreasing load limiters on the seat belts), and front seats with an “anti-whiplash” device that brings the head restraint nearer to the occupant’s neck in the event of a rear impact.

The Alfa 159 guarantees the extraordinary roadholding that is innate in all Alfa Romeo models. The merit goes to the new suspension (high double wishbones at the front and Multilink at the rear) and extremely precise steering. This new saloon also features numerous electronic systems that control the car’s dynamic behaviour, including a sophisticated Vehicle Dynamic Control system (VDC), Anti Slip Regulation (ASR), Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA) which cuts in during emergency braking, ABS complete with EBD, and a Hill Holder to simplify hill starts.

Altogether, these features make the Alfa 159 the new benchmark for its segment in terms of safety, certified by the five-star Euro NCAP rating which acknowledges that the car has sailed through the most difficult tests simulating all types of accident (head-on, side-on, overturning, rear impact and fire), taking into account the various speeds at which impact may occur, the different types of obstacles, and the need to protect occupants with very different physical characteristics.

Peugeot 207 – The Next Generation
13th January, 2006
Peugeot announces the Peugeot 207, the newest member of the legendary 2 series dynasty. When the Peugeot 206 replaced the legendary Peugeot 205, nobody could have known what a success it was going to be. With over 5.4 million Peugeot 206s produced, it has become the best selling Peugeot ever ..... more

Ford Shelby GT500: Most Powerful Mustang Ever
13th January, 2006
After 40 years, racing legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang are back together with the introduction of America's 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 ..... more

2005: 10th Successive Record Year for Audi
13th January, 2006
Audi was able to set a new record for vehicle sales in 2005 for the tenth year in succession: 829,100 vehicles (2004: 779,441)* were handed over to customers worldwide ..... more

Chevrolet Camaro Concept Car
13th January, 2006
Combining dramatic design and exciting performance, the Chevrolet Camaro Concept recaptures the spirit of one of the most popular sport coupes of all time and redefines the Camaro for new generations of fans ..... more

Passat "Individual" – Enhanced aesthetics edition
12th January, 2006
Europe's Volkswagen Passat "Individual" combines outstanding design and an exclusive equipment specification. From the outside the special edition already catches the eye with luxury chrome trim and 18-inch alloy wheels ..... more

Mitsubishi Concept CT at NAIAS
12th January, 2006
Mitsubishi has unveiled, at the Detroit Motor Show, the Concept-CT, a groundbreaking concept for a hybrid-powered small car that may influence development of future “Driven to Thrill” Mitsubishi models ..... more

Audi Hits All-Time Record in Australia
12th January, 2006
Audi has recorded an impressive 30 percent growth in sales during 2005, selling more than 4,800 units in Australia ..... more

Morgan 4-seater To Return
11th January, 2006
The Morgan 4-seater is coming back! The new model is due to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006. The new and significantly revised 4-seater ..... more

Audi Reveals New Roadjet Concept
10th January, 2006
Audi has taken the wraps off a brand new study car, called the Audi Roadjet Concept, at the North American International Automobile Show in Detroit ..... more

Mazda Kabura Concept Car
10th January, 2006
At this year’s Detroit Motor Show, Mazda is presenting Kabura, a compact sports coupe, to explore several fresh ideas that could appear in future production models ..... more

Aston Martin Rapide Concept Car
10th January, 2006
The Aston Martin Rapide concept is a four-door, high performance coupé of remarkable grace and poise. Based on Aston Martin's unique VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture, the Rapide combines the company's commitment to power, beauty and soul with space and practicality for every eventuality ..... more

A Decade Of Holden Commodore Leadership
9th January, 2006
Holden has finished 2005 with Australia’s best selling car for the 10th consecutive year, the most popular passenger car range and most popular light truck range ..... more

Porsche Announces Cayenne Turbo S
9th January, 2006
The second most powerful Porsche ever homologated for road use has been announced ..... more

Volkswagen GX3 Concept - Car Or Bike?
8th January, 2006
In a world premiere at the Los Angeles Motor Show, Volkswagen presented the GX3 – a completely new type of motorcycle. The GX3 was conceived by the Moonraker team and VW’s Design Centre in California, exclusively with the U.S. in mind ..... more

20 Years Of Saab Convertibles
8th January, 2006
Saab is raising the roof, celebrating two decades of convertible sales success by introducing an eye-catching 20th anniversary model, the Saab 9-3 Convertible Cerulean edition ..... more

Volkswagen 'Minivan' For America
8th January, 2006
DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group and Volkswagen will develop and produce a new van for the North American market ..... more

Lamborghini Miura Concept For Detroit
6th January, 2006
The House of the Raging Bull has brought back a legendary historical name with the introduction of its Lamborghini Miura Concept car, which will be shown at the Detroit Motor Show this month ..... more

New Car Sales Record For 2005
5th January, 2006
Australians bought more cars and trucks in 2005 than ever before to set an all-time annual motor vehicle sales record of 988,269 ..... more

Hummer: Here In A Year
1st January, 2006
The H3 is about a year away from its Australian release. The 5-cylinder SUV will provide Holden with another 4WD model ..... more