New car market Aftersales conference News Showroom AM contacts Used car market News digest Recruitment By Tom Seymour Scrappage has elevated Hyundai's standing in the new car market and it needs to keep the momentum going with some new product. Luckily the ix35 has stepped in to mark another new start for the Korean brand as the first of its " fluidic" designed models. Subsequent Hyundai models will all feature this new hexagonal family face which gives the brand a bit more edge and identity. The main message for dealers is that this is a car which could be an alternative to a small SUV or even a family hatchback. This isn't a straight­forward Tucson replacement. It takes up the same amount of space on the road as a C- Segment hatchback and has prices to match. Hyundai has got the Ford Focus in its sights, as well as the Nissan Qashqai and Citroën C4 Picasso. Hyundai wants dealers to explain to customers that have been tempted into showrooms following the scrappage scheme that an entry- level Style model is less expensive to buy than a basic Ford Focus. Hyundai looks to build on scrappage success with ix35 Specification Price £ 16,495-£ 20,745 Engine 2.0- litre 161bhp petrol; 2.0- litre 134bhp diesel Performance 0- 62mph 9.4- 10.2 sec; top speed 112- 114mph Transmission 6- sp man Efficiency 37.7- 51.4mpg; 147- 177g/ km CO2 Rivals Nissan Qashqai, Ford Kuga, Ford Focus, Citroën C4 Picasso First drive: Hyundai ix35 - on sale now The model range only features a Premium trim in addition to the Style, but both are heavily specified with standard equipment. Customers can choose from a 2.0- litre petrol and 2.0- litre diesel, but there will be a new 1.6- litre petrol emitting 149g/ km CO2 and a new 1.7- litre diesel in the autumn. All models have six- speed manual gearboxes as standard. An automatic six- speed transmission won't arrive until the end of this year. Modest sales of 2,500 from launch until the end of this year are predicted, but Hyundai is expecting this to increase to 4,000 units over a 12- month period. The 2.0D Style will be the biggest seller and Hyundai wants the combination of style, specification and value to result in a no- haggle situation in the show­rooms. The five- year transferable warranty is also an additional bonus for customers.

Driven: Audi RS6 saloon - on sale now By Tom Seymour The RS6 is probably the least flashy supercar in existence. It might sound like a bit of an over­sight to describe the RS6 as a supercar, but this £ 76,160 572bhp V10- powered beast offers scary performance figures. It will hit 0- 62mph in 4.5 seconds and while most cars that powerful suffer from thrashy torque steer, the RS6 delivers it very smoothly. The appeal for customers in buying a car like this is that, other than petrol- heads, no one will assume they're trying to be overly flashy. James Bond wouldn't really be driving an Aston Martin in real life; he'd be driving one of these, the world's most powerful executive saloon. The interior isn't overly glitzy either. It's very similar to a standard A6 but features go- faster details like sports seats, carbon fibre inlays, engine start button, flat- bottomed steering wheel and sports dials. The multi- function display within the instru­ments feature a lap counter screen as well as turbo boost pressure and oil temperature read outs. The excellent sports seats not only look good, but offer superb support in all areas. The RS6 can do a manufacturer- quoted 20.3mpg, but real world figures are more in the region of 12mpg. But if a customer is looking at spending this much money on a car, diabolical running costs aren't really much of an issue. Audi sold 326 of the RS6 last year and just 81 were the saloon model as opposed to the Avant. There's no word yet on whether or not there will be a successor, but its intro­duction certainly won't be imminent, according to Audi. Showroom Powerful beast proves to be a scary performer Specification Price £ 76,160 Engine 5.0- litre 572bhp Performance 0- 62mph 4.5sec; top speed 155mph electronically limited Transmission 6- sp tiptronic auto Efficiency 20mpg; 331g/ km CO2 Rivals BMW M5, Mercedes- Benz E63 AMG