Autoblog UK

We pitted the Caterham R300 car against the awesome Mitsubishi Evo X FQ360 in the ultimate test of weight versus power - but who will come out on top?

2005

Official Winner: Toyota Prius

Autoblog Winner: Toyota Prius

This is a tricky one. We don't think the Mark Two Prius was nearly as clever as Toyota claimed: in a back-to-back test we did against a Jeep Patriot diesel its real-world fuel consumption was no better than the Jeep. Why would we vote for it then? Because the Prius was a necessary stepping-stone to more efficient hybrid cars which are starting to appear now. Toyota got a lot of experience of making hybrid cars and solving their technical issues with this car. It was not Toyota's fault that more efficient lithium-ion batteries were not yet available.

2004

Official Winner: Fiat Panda

Autoblog Winner: Fiat Panda

Ok, for once we agree. The stylish new Panda was a fitting replacement for the original model, which had been in production for over 20 years. Strangely, Fiat did not want to call it "Panda", choosing instead "Gingo", which Renault justifiably objected to on the grounds that is was too close to Twingo. As Fiat could not think of another new name, it reverted to Panda, which most people would regard as a much better moniker, anyway

The Land Rover Discovery is a bit of an off-roading legend, and this new version is even more capable than ever before. It gets a raft of new technology and is plusher and more comfortable inside too. Check out our video road test of the new Land Rover Discovery 4.

Plunging car markets, collapsing car companies, famous brands tipping into the abyss, a government-induced small-car spending spree and glimpse at the brave new world of green motoring – all were features of 2009, a year that most, though not all, people in the car business would like to forget.

The two markets most savaged by the global recession were housing and cars, and the massive plunges in car sales, by over 40percent in some markets, soon uncovered the manufacturers with the shakiest business strategies. Suddenly, famous names the world over were in trouble. General Motors, Chrysler, Opel, Saab and even mighty Toyota, which had just toppled GM to become the biggest car-maker in the world, headed for the first loss in its history.

Closer to home, Jaguar Land Rover began ultimately abortive negotiations with the government for loans to tide it over – in the end, Indian owners Tata would raise money elsewhere - while Honda took the unprecedented step of stopping production at its Swindon factory altogether it order to avoid stocks of unwanted cars piling up. Ford put Volvo up for sale – though this was down to ex-Boeing chief Alan Mulally's plan to concentrate efforts solely on Ford's US brands rather than the recession – and Lamborghini, having unveiled a mighty-looking four-door saloon concept called the Estoque, said it would not now be building it. In Britain, the 2010 London motor show was cancelled for lack of support.

2003

Official Winner: Renault Megane

Autoblog Winner: Mazda 6 - at a push.

The idea of this badly made, soggy-handling heap being Car of the Year is beyond parody. Even Renault subsequently admitted that its design had been a mistake, which must be the first time a car company has been harder on its own product than the Car of the Year jury. It was hardly a vintage year, but the thoroughly-designed Mazda 6 would get our vote.

Ever parked your car in a pool? Under a giant rock? Ever got your caravan stuck in a giant pothole? Or drove your truck all the way to the Chinese take away till?

Some people have...

Audi's lowest emission model, the 99g/km A3 1.6 TDI, is available to order this week at a price of £18,005.

Available only as a three-door with a 105bhp 1.6 litre common-rail diesel engine, it features longer gearing, low rolling resistance tyres fitted to smaller 15in wheels, aerodynamic underbody modifications and a lowered ride height to achieve a combined fuel consumption of 74.3mpg.

These build on the engine stop-start and energy-saving alternator already fitted to most A3s, and allow this version of the A3 exemption from vehicle excise duty. Only the standard A3 trim level is available with this model, but it does include manual air conditioning, electric front windows, remote central locking and a CD-playing stereo.

No other luxuries are fitted because they add weight, and would prevent this version of the 1.6 TDI from scoring 99g/km. The A3 is the only premium-class small family hatchback to break the 100g/km Co2 threshold.

Michael Schumacher will come out of retirement to race in Formula One next season with the Mercedes GP team.

Rumours surrounding his potential return have been rife, but it has now been confirmed that the seven-time world champion, who turns 41 in January, will be racing again next season. Schumacher will partner fellow German Nico Rosberg in the team that won the 2009 drivers' and constructors' titles as Brawn GP.

Germany's Bild Newspaper has reported that Schumacher will be on a one year contract with Mercedes with the option of extending it futher depending on his performance. He is also expected to earn around 7 million Euros – a relatively small salary compared to the sports highest earners like Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton who earn around two or three times the amount.

"The motivation is pretty straightforward. I got a call from Ross (Brawn, team principal) at the beginning of November asking me to race again, telling me Mercedes were going to be involved, " said Schumacher.
"I've never left the race track, and after three years I regained the energy I'm feeling now. After playing around on motorbikes, I'm ready for the serious stuff."

You'd have no idea that there was a global recession on if you looked at nothing but a list of all the new cars launched during 2009. Supercars, superminis, sports cars, SUVs – they all poured out of the planet's car factories, even if many have been on short-time working or simply idle.

Why all this new product during such a savage downturn? Because cars take three to five years to develop, all these were conceived in the good times and it's generally cheaper to launch a new model than it is to kill it after the colossally expensive tooling has been paid for. That said, Honda strangled its NSX supercar at birth, figuring that such a machine sent out the wrong message in these straitened times.

That's quite a loss for car-nuts, but there were plenty of compensations, not least from Porsche, which announced the Panamera, upgraded the Boxster and Cayman and unleashed an assortment of 911 variations, including the superb GT2 and GT3, a new Turbo and the intriguing but over-priced Sport Classic. More exciting was the Boxster Spyder – and all this while it attempted to swallow VW. Instead, it has become a morsel for Wolfsburg.