Porsche is expected to release a facelifted verson of its manual-only 911 GT3 homologation special locally by late 2009, which will miss the facelifted 911's headline act: the PDK dual-clutch auto. Nor will the revised GT3 feature direct-injection due to European racing legislation disallowing this feature.

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Audi will fill the gap between the A4 sedan and A5 two-door coupe with another mid-sizer - the new five-door A5 Sportback hatch. Two models – 2.0-litre turbo petrol and 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel – will slot between $80,000 and $90,000. The A5 Sportback has two extra doors, higher roofline and hatchback practicality.

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The funky “sardine-can-top” Fiat 500C convertible, will go on sale in Australia in January priced at $28,990. Appealing to fashion-conscious city-slickers, it will be available in both five-speed manual and five-speed semi-automatic guises. With a no-frills sliding soft-top, the 500C lugs about 40kg more beef than the roofed version.

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Lotus Cars Australia has announced a $162,990 starting price for its all-new range-topping Evora coupe. The $169,990 2+2 version – the world’s only four-seater mid-engined coupe – is claimed to offer child seat capability as well as a 160-litre boot. Evora is powered by Toyota’s alloy 3.5-litre V6 engine.

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BMW’s X5 M is due to hit local showrooms in January 2010, with a pricetag of $172,900. Powered by a 408kW/680Nm high-performance twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre petrol V8, the X5 M blasts to 100km/h in a supercar-like 4.7 seconds as BMW's answer to Porsche's Cayenne Turbo and Mercedes ML63 AMG.

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