No one seems to have posted it yet, so I thought I might tonight.

Latest news concerning the 380 on the sales front is lukewarm. Total sales for March 07 totalling 1,022 - down from 1,210 for March '06. No doubt helped somewhat with the excellent fleet deal done with Avis, so far sales have been fairly consistent this year to date:

Jan: 1,041
Feb: 1,017
Mar: 1,022
TOT: 3,079

Compared to last year:

Jan: 719
Feb: 1,011
Mar: 1,210
TOT: 2,940

In other news, some of you will have seen that the upcoming 2007 update is a go, confirmed now by MMAL to be 380 S3, to go on sale in July. See link:

http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384,21505702-21822,00.html

No surprises really, only a mild update with mainly cosmetic changes, exterior AND interior (primarily seat trims), new colours, new wheels (standard 18s for VRX :pray:) and model realignment so the range makes more sense (expect GT to be dropped).

Drivetrain remains unchanged, so 3.8L SOHC with 175kW and 343Nm standard fare, mated to either 5sp man or 5sp tippy. This should not be a surprise, next year will be the year for drivetrain advances etc.

Pricing to remain very much the same, with entry model 380 ES manual starting at $27,990.

I think that it's keeping it's sales above 1,000/month so far is promising with the update almost around the corner.

they do seem to be becoming more popular. Slowly.

I saw a cop 380 on the side of the M2 the other day, he was doing a good job, making sure the people stuck in traffic doing 10km/h, weren't speeding

Good to hear. 18s on the VRX sounds the goods. Wonder what style rims they are. I guess we'll have to accept power will always remain at 175kw. Mitsubishi always playing catch up.

Good to hear. 18s on the VRX sounds the goods. Wonder what style rims they are. I guess we'll have to accept power will always remain at 175kw. Mitsubishi always playing catch up.

Stupid question, But This S3 is this like a TJ Series 1, 2, etc? (as in Same model but just a "newer" version?) Becuase they might just be waiting for the next major model to be released to further improve sales figures with a revised engine GB etc...

they do seem to be becoming more popular. Slowly.

I saw a cop 380 on the side of the M2 the other day, he was doing a good job, making sure the people stuck in traffic doing 10km/h, weren't speeding
Yes, I am now seeing many more 380s on the road than when I bought mine almost a year ago.
And just last week I saw my first 380 cop car!

Hah, MMAL sold more Pajeros.

Top 20 passenger cars and 4WDs
1. Holden Commodore 5752
2. Toyota Corolla 4029
3. Ford Falcon 3249
4. Mazda3 3182
5. Toyota Yaris 2702
6. Toyota Camry 2574
7. Toyota Aurion 2037
8. Hyundai Getz 1895
9. Holden Astra 1771
10. Honda Civic 1685
11. Ford Focus 1595
12. Mitsubishi Lancer 1575
13. Nissan Tiida 1527
14. Honda CR-V 1454
15. Toyota RAV4 1406
16. Ford Territory 1383
17. Toyota Prado 1314
18. Suzuki Swift 1251
19. Mazda6 1232
20. Mitsubishi Pajero 1213

Top 10 Manufacturers
1. Toyota 21,390
2. Holden 13,454
3. Ford 10,074
4. Mazda 7,140
5. Mitsubishi 6,201
6. Honda 5,936
7. Nissan 5,811
8. Hyundai 3,804
9. Subaru 3,613
10. Volkswagen 2,265

Hah, MMAL sold more Pajeros.

Considering the Pajero is dead sexy and is up against the Prado I don't see why it wouldn't. I've seen alot of them around as well, very very nice looking, particuarly the front end.

what people forget to realise is that 1000 cars a month is actually a pretty darn respectable amount of cars to sell! Its just that MMAL predicted much higher sales and thats why there is so much talk of only 1000 sales

Considering the Pajero is dead sexy and is up against the Prado I don't see why it wouldn't. I've seen alot of them around as well, very very nice looking, particuarly the front end.

Yeah Pajero is a very nice car. I test drove a Petrol GLX last Saturday. Awesome engine and nice styling. I am thinking of placing an order on a VRX, Mitsu is throwing in a $3000 traveller pack for free (side/Curtain air bags, dvd player & rear park assist). My local dealer has offered a change over of $47k (normal Pajero VRX driveway price is $68k, with extras like tow bar nudge bar & plastic protectors) for my 02 KJ Verada (low 70000 ks). Is this a good deal?

Yeah Pajero is a very nice car. I test drove a Petrol GLX last Saturday. Awesome engine and nice styling. I am thinking of placing an order on a VRX, Mitsu is throwing in a $3000 traveller pack for free (side/Curtain air bags, dvd player & rear park assist). My local dealer has offered a change over of $47k (normal Pajero VRX driveway price is $68k, with extras like tow bar nudge bar & plastic protectors) for my 02 KJ Verada (low 70000 ks). Is this a good deal?

My mate just traded his 04 XR GTV in on a Rav4 and only got 16500 trade in. I think your deal is pretty good.

Huh, says the Camry and Avalon together sold nearly 4.5x what the 380 did, but I see bugger-all of them around. I figured they had dudded! (and looking at the rear of the Camry, I would have said "with good cause!")

trouble is the new lancer is almost the same size as the 380 :(
as is displayed in the sales its mmal most popular car
they need to shrink the lancer down and make the 380 a bit better to compeate with the falcon and commadore and camary

http://blogs.drive.com.au/2007/02/aussie_cars_out_of_excuses.html

trouble is the new lancer is almost the same size as the 380 :(
as is displayed in the sales its mmal most popular car
they need to shrink the lancer down and make the 380 a bit better to compeate with the falcon and commadore and camary

http://blogs.drive.com.au/2007/02/aussie_cars_out_of_excuses.html

Thats the sales figures for the current Lancer not the new one. Watch the sales figures rise when the new Lancer gets here. As for being the same size as a 380? Park them side by side and have a close look....

Thats the sales figures for the current Lancer not the new one. Watch the sales figures rise when the new Lancer gets here. As for being the same size as a 380? Park them side by side and have a close look....
The 380 does look deceptively small or mid-range. It clearly do not look to belong in the same class/field as Commodore, Falcon, Camry... etc, yet it does. Engine size & power is almost the same as the others too (standard models).
I noticed the boot lid looks very tiny, yet when opened its very big inside.
Though I think the 380 could definately make advantage of some higher powered models. The GT looks very nice, but for all that extra money you get the same power as a base model. Hopefully the TMR will fix this.

Seeing the new Lancers nose with the longer slim headlights maybe a guide to the new nose of the 380..... lets hope. The stumpy headlights add to the small look of the 380 as we all seem to agree it needs to look bigger that may just do the trick ala, the AU to BA Falcon changes.

Wonder if the 2.4 four pot will make an appearance, maybe even steal the old 240 monika from Datsun and lower the price of that model.

I doubt that the series 3 will have a Lancer style nose. Thats a MAJOR change. Most likely on the next major upgrade...DB to DC ?
I don't think that style would look good on the 380 although maybe I'll be convinced if/when they release pictures. :cool:
I will be getting (if possible) that 380TMR bonnet if it becomes available !

***

Also, I think MMAL is on the wrong track trying to compete with Falcon/Commodore directly.
Australia is made up of ingrained (*cough*meatheads*cough*) Holden and Ford people who will buy their traditional model no matter what. Why bother to compete with that.
In 2005 the 380 blew everything out of the water, and Australian's attitude was to shrug their shoulders and mumble something about "but...um...its not a Commodore/Falcon".

I like the fact the 380 is a touch smaller than the other 2, and think they should go a step further and make it a touch smaller again and put it in a class with essentially no other cars in it...bigger and WAAAAYYY more powerful than all the mid size cars out there, but smaller and more fuel efficient than the larger cars (which it would clearly be due to reduced weight if they reduced size a little). It'd be easier to move around in tight streets, shopping centers, etc as well...
Why does it even need to fit 3 in the back ? We live in a society where more and more people are only having 1 kid, not 3 as in 20-30 years ago (and a smaller 380 would still be bigger than the family car of 20-30 years ago...)
Personally, I'd buy a 2 door version if it was avaiable...but thats just me.

im the opposite i nearly didnt buy the 380 cause i thought it was a bit small. but on friday i had to pick up an EF fairmont interior (front + back seats and 4 door trims) and it all fitted in the 380 believe it or not WITH the front seat clear! ford seats fold flat so i put them 1 on top of the other, then the bench seat on top in the back seat. the rear backrest/ side bolsters and 3 door trims in the boot, with the 4th door trim across the back of the front seats to stop the stuff from flying forwards. if anything the boot should be bigger.

im the opposite i nearly didnt buy the 380 cause i thought it was a bit small. but on friday i had to pick up an EF fairmont interior (front + back seats and 4 door trims) and it all fitted in the 380 believe it or not WITH the front seat clear! ford seats fold flat so i put them 1 on top of the other, then the bench seat on top in the back seat. the rear backrest/ side bolsters and 3 door trims in the boot, with the 4th door trim across the back of the front seats to stop the stuff from flying forwards. if anything the boot should be bigger.

Thats pretty funny.
First time I read that wrong and thought you tore out the 380 seats and replaced it with Ford seats :D