CAR ADVICE

It’s no secret the Australian new vehicle market is struggling, after enduring 11 successive months of negative growth compared to the corresponding month in the preceding year. With factors like a weak housing market pinned with much of the blame, it should be no surprise luxury car brands are battling more than the more popular brands at the cheaper end of the market.

"What the hell is that?" That sentence, or something like it, was a common refrain from my week in the unusual-looking SsangYong Musso, though not always said with scorn. To answer the question, it's Korea's only dual-cab ute and is produced by the SsangYong brand, which has recently returned to Australia – this time as a factory-backed distributor with the intention of fixing parts shortfalls that hurt it the first time around.

Like something of a blank canvas, over the last 30 years the Mazda MX-5 has become the launching point for all manner of modified motoring fantasies. You’ll find them crammed full of GM V8s, Ford V6s, Mazda’s own rotary engines, or a massive variety of turbocharged and supercharged upgrades.

It’s rare that we get to take a journey over several years with a single model, even in this business. Mostly it's either an international or local launch, and then we move on to another new car launch, while another colleague takes up the reins with other events that might follow with said vehicle.

Geneva motor show is known for its crazy car designs. To stand out in one of the world’s richest cities you really need to go above and beyond.

If you want to know what we’ll be driving in the near future, these Geneva concept cars all hold large clues.

McLaren Special Operations (MSO) has revealed a bespoke version of the 720S Spider at the Geneva motor show, which the company says "emphasises the cutting-edge aerodynamics" of the drop-top variant. Finished in a main coat of Meteorite Grey, the 720S Spider by MSO features accents that use a tri-tone paint, dubbed Coriolis, in the aero work – Cerulean Blue, Burton Blue and Abyss Black.