Directions - The future of motoring

We petrol heads here at the Web Wombat Motoring channel feel pretty lucky to be around at this stage in history.

Granted, there are a lot of concerns in society today on both local and global scales - in economies and in the environment.

But perhaps cars help in some small way - a diversion of sorts, if you will - in making our lives just that little bit more interesting and, dare I say it, even fun.

And don't the automakers know it.

Looking forward to next year - we're talking 2003 - there are a lot of exciting things coming. Obviously, and quite importantly, there's the local showdown between Ford, Holden, and perhaps even Toyota and Mitsubishi. And when will Honda join the fray with a well-priced large six-cylinder. Perhaps never?

In Australia, things will hit boiling point during the big-spending Christmas holiday period. Holden's marketing machine will be in full swing, promoting the new VY Commodore, while at the same time working to combat a revitalised Ford.

With the new Focus almost ready for sale, and Ford's highly anticipated Falcon also in the wings, Ford is hopeful of a resurgance after a dorky-looking AU Falcon did them few favours.

Toyota's all-new Camry, with a more upmarket Lexus-inspired look, will also generate big interest, while Mitsubishi gives its current Magna yet another facelift before a full-on update in 2004.

Which camp will you be supporting? We don't want to play favourites here, so we can't say either way... "Go Ford"

The old rumour mill has been quietly revolving too, with some whispering that Ford's new-look Falcon could be a big export model in the next few years, even.

Outside of the busy local new car scene, things are hotting up overseas too. Of course Holden's new deal to supply Potiac with almost 20,000 LHD Monaro's is huge news for the Yanks, while in Italy Ferrari's new Enzo is being tipped to break more than a few production car records.

Holden's parent company, General Motors, is almost ready to show off its all-new C6 Chevy Corvette in the USA. It will get an all-new look and feature a bevy of new engines, likely to filter down to Holden in the coming years for use in its Commodore and Monaro variants. Expect a new 283kW pushrod V8 to headline the new 'Vette.

Moving along to Europe now, and speaking of another classic Italian, Alfa Romeo has recently shown off a couple of images of its MY05 Spyder. Just when you thought Alfa couldn't get any more cutting-edge, the new-look 2005 Spyder shows what a little flair can do.

Both the new Spyder and 2004 GTV have been designed by Pininfarina, while the new Spyder is expected to come packing 2.8 and 3.2-litre sixes. Word on the street is that Alfa may have even signed a deal with Maserati to use it's red-hot Ferrari-developed 4.2-litre V8. Hmmm, food for thought!

Moving to Germany, of which many call it the home of the motor car, and Volkswagen is currently revamping a number of its global big-volume sellers. To all use the same redesigned platform, codenamed PQ35, the new Golf, Bora and Passat will arrive from 2003, with the new Golf 5 to be first out of the bag.

The new Golf 5 will likely ship with its flagship VR6 model, expected to shift some 171kW to the front wheels. Interestingly, there is also talk of a VR8. Other engines on offer will range from 1.4 to 2.0-litres in capacity and will be of the usual inline four-cylinder configuration. A seven-seater stretched Golf is also on the cards.

Porsche is currently working behind closed doors, deciding on whether or not to create a new super-hatch, which would rival the likes of the VW Golf VR6, Alfa Romeo 147 and yes, even a few Japanese hot-hatches too. The artists impression of such a hatchback sports coupe (left) wouldn't be on the roads until 2006 - around the time of the German Soccer World Cup.

Porsche's prototype Carrera GT will go on sale in late 2003, which marks a first for a modern Porsche - V10 power. It is expected to reach 100km/h in under 4.0 seconds and will top roughly 320km/h, packed with oodles of delicious carbon fibre and titanium.

From Britain, we can expect a flurry of new short-wheel based Range Rover's, to capitalise on the huge boom in compact 4WDs/SUVs. To be called the Range Sport, the new tiddler will come in multiple variants, including a two-door model (pictured). The new baby Range Rover is expected to pack some heavy-duty ponies in the form of a 4.2-litre V8. Take that CR-V!

But with all these new model launches - year in, year out, there are more and more cars on the roads, from Brisbane to London to Tokyo. While many marques openly complain about forthcoming emmissions standards, claiming it will be impossible to create spirited cars, the impending flood of hydrogen fuel-cell cars will be upon us perhaps sooner than we think.

And what will this spell for the hundreds of millions of petrol-powered cars out there when this shift to 'green' power sources happens? For a lot of people, such issues don't bear thinking about, yet the automaker who creates the first hydrogen fuel-cell car is likely to go down in history as one of the pioneers of a new wave of thinking.

Will it be the Germans? How about the French? The Italians, even? No. We put our money on the Hondas and the Toyotas from the East, who seem to be already trading blows to see who can create the most fuel efficient car.

Still, the old combustion engine is still being refined even to this day and, as long as car makers keep inspiring drivers with unique designs and intriguing feats of engineering, the motor car, whether being fuelled by petrol or kryptonite, will still make us smile.