Car affordability is at its best level in 35 years, according to new research from Commsec

A person on the average wage would need to work for around 30 weeks to purchase a new Holden Commodore Omega auto or Ford Falcon XT auto; this figure is approximately 2 months less work than 10 years ago - and it should be noted that the amount of standard features on a car have increased dramatically.

While affordability has certainly been enhanced by the strong Aussie dollar and reduction of tariffs, improved technology and competition between car manufacturers has also played key a role.

The suspension of a Victorian car dealer should serve as a warning to other dealers to keep  their businesses in order.

Nazzareno Xerri, director of Cheltenham Truck Centre Pty Ltd, faced a disciplinary hearing in the Victorian and Civil Adminstrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a number of breaches of the Motor Car Traders Act 1986.

Xerri was found to be in contravention of sections 17, 20, 82A and 82AR of the Act (each section links to corresponding legislation).

Hyundai's new diesel Accent CRDi is claimed to be Australia's most affordable diesel car - with the manual variant starting at $19,490, and the automatic an extra $2000.

The new U-II 1.6 litre VGT CRDi diesel engine achieves a combined fuel consumption of 4.4l/10km through the use of common rail direct injection (CRDi) and an intercooled variable geometry turbo. Power is delivered to the ground via a six-speed manual or four speed automatic transmission.

The Accent CRDi is avaiable in both hatch and sedan form, and in only one trim level - 'active'.

Two new vehicles have been awarded 5-star ratings in recent ANCAP safety tests - Toyota's Camry and Subaru's new Impreza and XV.

Camry scored an overall total of 36.27 points out of a possible 37. In the offset crash tests, 15.26 points out of 16 were scored. 16 out of 16 points were received for the side impact test. A further 2 points were scored in the optional pole test, which a vehicle may take if it has head-protecting side airbags.

Subaru's Impreza and XV variants received overall identical scores of 35.33 out of 37 points. 14.3 points out of 16 were scored in the offset crash test, and 16 out of 16 for the side impact test. An extra 2 points were scored in the pole test.

AP Eagers, the largest listed automotive group in Australia, have revised their annual profit estimates following a strong fourth-quarter.

The company's pre-tax profit  we be approximately $61 million, up on the $54-57 million estimate made in October.

The Australian automotive aftermarket conference - the only dedicated conference of its kind in the country - is returning after a break of eight years.

The event will be held on Thursday March 15, 2012 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition centre.

The theme for the one day conference – run by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA) - will be “harnessing technology to ensure a sustainable future".

The National Road Safety Council (NRSC) has appointed Dr Soames Job to the role of executive director.

Job brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge; he is a previous deputy chairman of the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), the past national president of the Australasian College of Road Safety, and has held  senior positions at the University of Sydney and the NSW Centre for Road Safety, within Roads and Maritime Services.

Roger Cook, chairman for the NRSC, says Job has been a vocal and prominent campaigner in reducing road deaths and serious injuries, over more than three decades, and brings exceptional experience to the position.

Toyota has confirmed the city-cycle economy of its incoming Prius C hybrid, a figure of 3.7 l/100km.

This makes it the thriftiest non-plug in car for city driving in Australia, which is exactly where Toyota say the car will be used most and indeed, the C stands for city.

The standard Prius takes second place with 3.9 l/100km.

62% of consumers seek word of mouth advice when buying a car, making it the most talked about topic, followed closely by restaurants on 61%.

The figures are from the latest Roy Morgan word of mouth survey and show Australian's tend to be predominantly info-seekers. Out of that 61% 49% of people have gone to their friends/family for advice compared and 27% have provided advice to their friends/family.

“Marketers have always understood the importance and value of word of mouth to promote their products," says John La Rosa,   industry director - of agencies for Roy Morgan Research.

Mini has announced pricing on its new Roadster, which is set to join its 2-seater Coupe counterpart in late February.

Roadster will start at $45,500 for the Cooper S model and follow through to  $55,100 for the range-topping John Cooper Works variant. These figures represent a premium of $2510 and $2500 over their respective Coupé siblings.

Powered by a 1.6l 4cylinder petrol turbo, the Roadster will output 135Kw with 240Nm available from 1600rpm, allowing it to complete the 0-100km/h spring in 7.0 seconds - and following on to a top speed of 227km/h.