Another strong year of sales has confirmed the position of the Phantom as the world’s leading super-luxury car. Its international appeal has attracted buyers from more than 40 countries around the world in the last twelve months, including a number of emerging markets. In total, 796 cars were retailed, an increase over 2004 and a 15 year high for Rolls-Royce.

Customers from countries including Brazil, Nigeria, Chile, Bulgaria, Algeria, Poland, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan became Phantom owners for the first time in 2005, as well as from the more established markets. Worldwide, the top five dealers were spread across four continents. Beverly Hills was number one for the second year in succession, followed by Tokyo, London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively.

Chairman and CEO Ian Robertson said, "We have enjoyed another strong year, with the Phantom now clearly established and the foundations laid for the launch of our new products over the coming months, further extending our lead over the competition."

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars showed the extended wheelbase version of the Phantom at this year’s Detroit Motor Show, with the intention of launching it in North America by the end of 2006. This is the second model to be built at the company’s headquarters at Goodwood, England, and will be joined by a third - the new convertible - in 2007.

The new extended wheelbase Phantom offers additional interior space for the rear occupants, while maintaining the elegant exterior looks of the standard length Phantom and its first class driving performance. An extra 250mm (10 inches) has been added to the standard Phantom, behind the B-pillar, to provide a car with an even more generously proportioned rear passenger compartment. The extra space lends itself perfectly to the addition of bespoke features – the specialist items crafted specifically for individual customers.

Ian Robertson said, "While the extended wheelbase model is a highly specialised car we have already seen significant interest from North American buyers. We look forward to launching it here later this year."

35th success for the Porsche 911 at Daytona
30th January, 2006
With the GT class victory in their TPC Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race car, Ian Baas, Randy Pobst, Spencer Pumpelly and Michael Levitas (all USA) secured a record 35th win for the Porsche 911 at the traditional 24 hour race at Daytona ..... more

Audi R10 Proves To Be A Sensation At Sebring
28th January, 2006
The impresive Audi R10 with a V12 bi-turbo TDI engine, has proven to be a huge sensation at Sebring’s “Winter Test” of the American Le Mans Series ..... more

Porsche Achieves Record in Germany
24th January, 2006
Porsche AG, Stuttgart, posted another new record for registrations in Germany in 2005. A total of 16,565 Porsche vehicles were registered ..... more

Extra Statesman Luxury Now Standard
20th January, 2006
Holden Statesman buyers receive even more luxury features as standard with the WL series 2006 Statesman International, on sale from this month ..... more

Jaguar XJ Wins UK's First Award Of 2006
20th January, 2006
The Jaguar XJ has already collected its first award of 2006, topping the Luxury Car category at the Fleet Excellence Awards, voted for by readers of Fleet Week and Fleet Management magazines ..... more

Land Rover G4 Challenge UK Finalists
20th January, 2006
Counting down to one of the world's toughest driving and multi-sport adventure challenges, Scotsman and 2003 Land Rover G4 Challenge veteran, Tim Pickering, last week visited the Land Rover Experience in Dunkeld, Perthshire to administer some gruelling training on the three 2006 UK finalists ..... more

Audi Unveils Three Firsts in Detroit
19th January, 2006
Audi treated visitors to the 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit with its presentation of three world firsts ..... more

25 new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars Arrive
16th January, 2006
Carrera Cup racing in Australia will shoot for a world record for the most number of brand new race cars of the same type ever to line up on a starting grid when 25 of the new 997-based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars take to the track in Adelaide in March ..... more

Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart’s Sixth Successive Dakar Rally Win
16th January, 2006
Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team driver Luc Alphand and co-driver Gilles Picard clinched victory in the 28th Dakar Rally yesterday (Sunday). The feat marked a record-breaking 11th win for the Japanese automotive manufacturer ..... 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

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

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

Jaguar Posts Strong Finish to 2005
11th January, 2006
Jaguar Australia's December sales result was the strongest for three years. According to VFACTS, Jaguar delivered 104 vehicles in December 2005, thus putting a positive spin on the year's sales results ..... 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

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

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

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

Twin-turbo Diesel For Jaguar S-TYPE
6th January, 2006
Jaguar Australia confirms the Jaguar S-TYPE Diesel for an April 2006 arrival ..... 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

New Audi RS 4 Supercar
27th December, 2005
Audi’s high-performance range will feature as the hero models at the 2006 Melbourne International Motor Show, with the company displaying its new RS4 supercar alongside the superlative new Audi S8 ..... more

Audi S8 is Show-Stopper for Melbourne 2006
23rd December, 2005
Audi will pull out all stops for the 2006 Melbourne Motor Show, displaying its superb S8 sports limousine for the first time in Australia ..... more

Maybach 57 S Coming to Australia
23rd December, 2005
DaimlerChrysler has confirmed that the latest addition to the Maybach model line-up, the newly developed 57 Special, will be available in Australia from mid 2006 ..... more

Discovery 3 S – Amazing Drive Away Pricing
22nd December, 2005
Land Rover Australia has announced outstanding drive-away prices on the Discovery 3 S model in both V6 and TDV6 ..... more

New Peugeot 307CC Lands in Time for Summer!
21st December, 2005
The first shipments of the new Peugeot 307CC (Coupe Cabriolet) have arrived in Australia; just in time for summer ..... more

Lotus Europa S - ‘Business Class by Lotus’
20th December, 2005
The new Lotus Europa S, a Grand Tourer (GT) inspired two-seater will provide Lotus customers with a spectacular sportscar with significantly enhanced levels of touring and cruising capability ..... more

Audi's Capital Expenditure To Remain High
19th December, 2005
Audi is to invest considerable capital in expanding its model range significantly over the next few years. The company plans to invest a total of EUR 10.8 billion between 2005 and 2010 ..... more

Mazda RX-8 Revelation
19th December, 2005
Mazda’s latest addition to its sports car line up is a limited edition RX-8. Known as the RX-8 Revelation, it exudes luxury and exclusivity, with the added enticement of only 100 vehicles available in Australia ..... more

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in a Class of its Own
19th December, 2005
It isn’t often that a car is made that is so superior that it is deemed to have no competition at all, but this year, the Automobile Journalists of Canada declared the Corvette Z06 to be just such a car ..... more

GM Engines Named Among Industry’s Best
18th December, 2005
Two of GMs newest engines – the 2.0-litre Ecotec Supercharged and 2.8-litre V6 Turbo – have been named among the industry’s 10 best engines of 2006 by Ward’s Communications ..... more

Audi To Compete With Diesel At Le Mans
14th December, 2005
Audi will become the world’s first car manufacturer to fight for overall victory with a diesel-engined sportscar in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours ..... more

Audi On Target For New Record
11th December, 2005
Audi sold almost 767,000 vehicles worldwide between January and November, an increase of 8.8 percent on the corresponding prior-year period ..... more

Nissan Releases the 2006 350Z
11th December, 2005
Nissan's iconic 36-year-old flagship sports car, the 350Z, has been released with new features including a more powerful engine and enhancements to its exterior and interior ..... more

Porsche Enjoys Continued Growth
9th December, 2005
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG enjoyed continued growth in fiscal year 2004/05 (to 31st July). The manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles once again succeeded in selling more vehicles ..... more

Small Cars Push Motor Vehicle Market Towards Record Year
6th December, 2005
Another record month of small and light car sales has all but ensured that the Australian motor vehicle market is heading for its fourth straight annual sales record ..... more

Peugeot 407 Coupé – 5 Stars for Euroncap
6th December, 2005
Elegance, power and outstanding handling and dynamics, the 407 Coupé is also distinguished by its high levels of passive safety ..... more

Safer car design has cut road casualties
4th December, 2005
Car makers deserve real credit for dramatic improvements in safety trends over the last 10 years ..... but there are duds, such as Landwind, a Chinese import into the EU ..... more

Morgan 4/4 70th Anniversary Model
3rd December, 2005
In 2006, the Morgan 4/4 celebrates its 70th Anniversary and to mark the occasion, the Morgan factory has come up with a unique Anniversary version of the iconic 4/4 model ..... more

Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary
3rd December, 2005
In April 2006, to mark the victory of a Peugeot 403 in the first Ampol Trial in 1956, Peugeot Automobiles Australia will sponsor the Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary Re-run ..... more

Volkswagen dominates "Auto Trophy"
1st December, 2005
This year's "Auto Trophy" produced some remarkable results: Volkswagen Group products were voted onto the podium 23 times by the readers of "Auto" magazine ..... more

Morgan "drive-away" Prices
30th November, 2005
Consistent with the ACCC’s desire for “drive-away” car prices to be advertised, prices of all Morgan cars have been adjusted to reflect the “drive-away” price in Victoria ..... more

Cayman S is now at German Porsche Dealers
29th November, 2005
The new Cayman S is revving up its engine: the sporty two-seater, developed from the Boxster series as a mid-engine coupé, started arriving at the 85 German Porsche dealers over the weekend ..... more

Top Safety Rating For Saab Active Head Restraints
25th November, 2005
Saab vehicles have been awarded top marks for neck injury protection by the UK’s Thatcham insurance research centre ..... more

Land Rover Announced as Best Cars Winner
24th November, 2005
Land Rover has accepted the prestigious BEST CARS "Best All Terrain 4WD" award for Discovery 3 Td V6 as announced at a ceremony held at the RACV in Melbourne ..... more

Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Bids
For Sixth Successive Dakar Rally Win
24th November, 2005
The Mitsubishi Motors factory team has entered four cars in the 2006 Dakar Rally, as it bids to become the first team in history to win six successive Dakar rallies ..... more

German Debut For Volkswagen Race Touareg 2
24th November, 2005
The new Race Touareg 2, with which Volkswagen will compete in the 2006 Dakar Rally, will be unveiled to the public in Germany at the world’s largest exhibition for sports cars and tuning specialists, the Essen Motor Show ..... more

Audi A6 TDI Is Australia's Best Luxury Car
23rd November, 2005
Audi’s A6 3.0-litre TDI has won ‘Best Luxury Car over $57,000’ at the annual Australia’s Best Cars awards. This is the third consecutive year that Audi has won ‘Best Luxury Car’ ..... more