New Vauxhall Astra priced from £15,675

Astra hits showrooms in December

WE like the Astra in the UK. It's built here. And the UK takes 30% of the production. And there's a neat all-new model with prices starting at £15,675 for the Astra 1.4 87PS Exclusiv model. This does represent a £270 rise above the current same model Astra, but adds air conditioning and CD player with aux port as standard.

An ecoFlex Astra with emissions of just 109g/km joins the line up by summer 2010 – which means it will qualify for both a 100% writing down allowance; and a 13% company car tax banding.

However, fuel-saving stop-start is off the agenda until autumn 2010 when the Corsa receives it; so expect it on Astra by 2011, when there will be an even more fuel-efficient ecoFlex Astra with emissions of just 99g/km.

You can view a video of the new Astra by going to our new Business Car Manager community area.

Audi launches R8 Spyder

Roadster version of Audi R8 sports car

IF you have your hair left, here's a way to get the wind through it – fast. Audi has opened up its 525PS V10 R8 sports car to the elements with a Spyder version.

There's a lightweight fabric roof with auto operation and a new seatbelt microphone system for the hands-free phone. Available to order from November, deliveries for the R8 Spyder will be in Q1 2010. Prices: £111,955 (manual); £117,155 (six-speed R tronic automated manual).

iQ gets funky

Sporting version of Toyota tiddler

HERE'S something a little bit different: a souped up version of Toyota's innovative city iQ car, which would certainly enliven any neighbourhood. Alas, it was a show car only...

New three-door VW Polo

Sportier looks for 'mini Golf'

THERE'S a more aggressive appearance for VW's smart Polo with a new three-door model. Expect first deliveries in early 2010. There will be four trim levels - S, SE, Moda and SEL – with prices from £9,400 to £14,000.

Low-emission VW Golf

Bluemotion version promises low company car tax

APART from the three-door Polo featured above, Volkswagen also showed a low emission Golf Bluemotion. With CO2 emissions of just 99g/km, the efficiency-tweaked Golf qualifies for a 13% company car tax banding. It will also qualify for 100% first year writing down allowances, too. There were also Bluemotion versions of the VW Polo (CO2 emissions of 87g/km) and VW Passat (CO2 emissions of 114g/km). All Bluemotion cars go on sale early 2010.

Cars should tell a story says Jaguar's Callum

Design class for new Jaguar XJ

JAGUAR'S design director, Ian Callum, presented the new XJ luxury saloon. "Every car should tell a story," said Callum. "The rear of this new XJ says you won't forget me." Quite right, too.

This is fabulous British craftsmanship. And good to see Jaguar has rediscovered its sleek roofline appearance too, giving this big car – ideal for the chauffeur trades - such a sleek, progressive appearance.

From toy story to reality

All-electric Trabi

HERE'S a nice show oddity. If your impression of Trabants was as an east European two-stroke car with plumes of smoke billowing out of the exhaust...then think again. Here's what Trabant would like to do in the future: an electric version, the Trabant nT. An electric motor provides a range of 160km (99 miles); and it can be recharged overnight.

But there's more to this story. In Germany, the Trabi has become something of a cult car - a symbol of unification. When a toy car maker, Herpa, produced a 50th anniversary special of a Trabi - its own design - it proved so popular that the real thing was commissioned: and here it is - the nT. There's more at www.trabant-nt.de.

Rolls-Royce unveils new Ghost

Luxury at the top end

AN all-new Rolls-Royce, the Ghost, was unveiled by the British luxury car maker owned by BMW. Shown as the 200EX at the Paris Show, this is the final production version featuring what Rolls-Royce calls ‘Yacht Line' styling. According to the interior designer, Alan Sheppard: "Ghost is designed to be an escape from the outside world."

Practical luxury with new E-Class estate

Mercedes launches fifth-generation E-Class

The estate version of the new Mercedes E-Class will arrive in the UK in 2010. For business users with a family, the car will have huge appeal. On the stand was the E220 CDi diesel model fitted with EASY-PACK automatic powered tailgate and EASY-PACK Quick Fold rear seats. The rear occasional seats provide seven seat capacity and work in the time-honoured way of folding up from the boot floor – a beautifully engineered solution that has yet to be surpassed.

New SportsCoupe C30 Volvo

Volvo breaks 100% writing down allowance barrier

VOLVO has smashed through the 100% writing down allowance barrier with its new C30 SportsCoupe DRIVe model. Having reached 104g/km in the current C30 DRIVe, the new SportsCoupe has emissions of 99g/km CO2. That means a full writing down allowance and 13% company car tax. The SportsCoupe also features an upgraded chassis for sharper performance, as well as fuel-saving start-stop technology.

Now and then: motoring revolutions

The past meets the future at Mercedes

KARL Benz's pioneering 1886 patented motorwagen that started the motoring revolution was on display at the front of the Mercedes hall along with its 21st century interpretation: the 2009 F-CELL. Propelled by an emission-free fuel cell, the F-CELL was the work of 150 Mercedes apprentices and students.

Super practical Venga supermini

Kia's Honda Jazz challenger

THE Venga is Kia's new supermini. Kia wishes to avoid calling it an MPV, preferring to position the Venga as an alternative to small hatchbacks such as the Honda Jazz. It's taller than a Jazz and certainly has more of a mini MPV profile than anything else. Available from February with 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines and a 1.6 diesel.

New Saab 9-5

Striking new executive saloon

ALL-NEW Saabs don't come along very often. So when they do, you have to be there. Boss of Saab Automobile, Jan Ake Jonsson, did the honours, using words like 'unique, 'progressive' and 'sporting' to describe the new 9-5. It's certainly all of those in a very Swedish sort of way. I particularly like the rear pillar treatments; and the fact that the starter button is where the ignition should always be on a Saab – located on the floor between the front seats. It should be on sale in Q1 2010; engines include a 1.6T turbo petrol.

Design your own DS3

New Citroen ups the style stakes

ALL you need is a dash of creativity, and the car does the rest for you. This is Citroen's DS3 – the three-door model of its new C3 supermini – except you can style this to your heart's content: from roof motifs to colour-coded wheels. The DS3 looks strikingly like a Citroen MINI but it's longer, with a more usable boot and better interior space. A fascinating new departure for Citroen.

BMW hatches GT

New 5 Series hatchback

BMW had the world premiere of its new 5 Series Gran Tourismo. It's a big car with a useful sized hatch. There's seating only for four. But BMW reckons it has a big future with upmarket small business chauffeur firms.

Skoda estate speaks volumes

New Superb estate is large load carrier

THE Skoda Superb is already a big car. But add an estate on the back and it becomes a very useful load carrier indeed. Even better, there's no lip, so large items can be easily pulled out of the boot area.

New Hyundai aims for low CO2

Hyundai ix35 replaces Tucson

HYUNDAI gave its debut to the new ix35 SUV – a replacement for the outgoing Tucson – and a car Hyundai sees taking on more mainstream hatchbacks in the same way Nissan has done with the Qashqai – as well as outgunning similar SUVs on fuel economy. On sale next year.

SEAT goes all Ecomotive

Three new low-emission models

SEAT showed three low emission Ecomotive versions of existing car models using stop-start technology: in descending order, the Altea (119g/km); Leon (99g/km); and Ibiza (98g/km).

Fast-moving fastback

New S5 Sportback from Audi

THE recently launched Audi A5 Sportback gained a new edition – the S5. A quick one, too: 0-62mph in 5.4seconds thanks to its 333PS supercharged V6 which delivers a whopping 440Nm of torque. As you might expect, quattro four-wheel drive is standard.

Fiat's very own Ferrari

Special edition 500

IT'S red, so it must be Italian. Providing a break from all the German metal was this special Fiat 500 – the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari.

Ford C-MAX gets a dose of style...

...plus a Grand C-MAX

LOOKING very much like the Geneva concept Iosis Max presented earlier this year in Geneva, Ford showed its new C-MAX. And it gets a welcome dose of style the car always needed. There's also a new seven-seater Grand C-MAX version with sliding rear doors for easy access.

A bit of glamour

...well, it is a motor show?

PHOTO credits: Headlineauto; Newspress; Ralph Morton; United Pictures.