What's going to be hot in 2012? (From The Northern Echo)

What's going to be hot in 2012?

5:46pm Monday 9th January 2012 in News By Nigel Burton

IF 2011 was a tough year for car manufacturers, 2012 is set to be even worse. Car companies have a host of new models on the way in a bid to tempt us to part with our cash. NIGEL BURTON looks at what’s going to be hot over the next three months...

JANUARY: USUALLY when a new model is introduced you can pretty much take things for granted that it will have more passenger room and a bigger boot.

So what’s Honda playing at with the new Civic which offers less rear passenger space and a smaller boot?

Honda’s new Civic looks very similar to the old Civic but the two share little in common other than their wacky looks. The new one is lower, wider and longer than its predecessor. Strangely, the wheelbase is shorter so it doesn’t have a purposeful “wheel-at-each corner” stance thanks to the overhanging boot and bonnet.

The truncated wheelbase also means there’s slightly less room for rear seat occupants. However, the old Civic was unusually generous and, thanks to clever packaging, the new one doesn’t feel particularly short-changed when measured against rivals like the Focus and the Astra. And the boot may be a shade smaller but it’s still the biggest in the class at 478 litres.

Of more importance, refinement and ride comfort are improved and there’s an impressive-sounding 1.6-litre diesel on the way later in the year.

Also in January, Renault will be unveiling the facelifted Twingo which is the first model in the recently truncated range to get a “sexy” new look. On the Twingo that translates to new bumpers and headlights. The Renaultsport version should be a cracker if you’re on the look out for a pocket rocket in 2012.

Others to watch out for in January are the latest Suzuki Swift Sport, the Audi A1 Sportback, the family-friendly Vauxhall Zafira Tourer, a hybrid Peugeot 3008 and the sensational Mercedes AMG SLK55.

FEBRUARY: THIS could be a tough month for the likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Volkswagen because it’s the date a new BMW 3 Series goes on sale.

Already lauded by motoring critics as the best all-round family car money can buy, BMW dealers can’t move for would-be buyers looking to place orders. The 3-Series already outsells the Mondeo by a big margin and the latest should cement its place as one of Britain’s top ten best-sellers for years to come.

If your budget can’t stretch to a BMW then news of a revamped Fiat Panda could be of more interest.

The Panda has come a long way since it started out as a car for peasant farmers. This new version promises greater refinement, lower running costs and better looks. Fiat may have an iff-y reputation for building big cars but it knows how to make little ‘uns and the Panda is set to be another hit.

If you’ve just won the Lottery then a Bentley Continental GT V8 might be more to your taste. Well-heeled performance car lovers will be looking forward to the mightly Nissan GTR MY12 this month.

MARCH: General Motors will be aiming to give rivals a shock when it debuts the Chevrolet Volt range extending electric hybrid this month.

The Volt runs on batteries and can switch to petrol when there’s not enough charge - giving drivers the best of both worlds, the range of an internal combustion engine and the low costs of an electric car.

If you can’t bring yourself to make the switch just yet, then the VW up! super frugal city car could be more interesting. Set to spawn a family of copy-cats from Skoda and Seat, the up! follows the conventional city car template laid down by the Citroen C1 - front wheel drive, small engine and lightweight - to make the most of every precious drop of fuel.

Also this month, Citroen will be hoping for big things from its DS5 family car.

The success of the DS3 has prompted the French giant to apply the same stylistic treatment to the C4 and the C5 in a bid to create a DS brand. The DS5 is the final piece in the jigsaw and will be the largest DS model to date.

Sportier looking than the rather flaccid DS4, the DS5 has some promising underpinnings (the C5 being Citroen’s most convincing stab at the family car since the Xantia nearly two decades ago) and could be something of a sleeper hit with Brits looking for something a bit different in 2012.

Other promsing newcomers due in March include the Subaru XV cross-over (crucial to the company’s presence in the UK market), the bizarre Renault Twizy electric car/scooter (unlikely to sell in any numbers outside of London), a facelifted Audi A4 (well they have to do something to answer the 3-Series threat) and a new Mercedes M Class soft roader.