The Week That Was: Volvo S60 Polestar, Opel Astra OPC Review, New Mazda3

Volvo hogged the headlines this week, with confirmation that the Swedish carmaker is back in Australian touring car racing. Garry Rogers Motorsport will spearhead the comeback, preparing the new S60 Polestar for battle in 2014.

Seems appropriate then that TMR should put the powerful new AWD road-going Volvo S60 Polestar through its paces; check out our review.

A picture of the 2014 Mazda3 showed up in the most unlikely place; a Russian Facebook page. The picture seems to match our earlier spy photos of the Mazda3, but it won’t be long until we have confirmation.

Mazda is planning to unveil the new model in New York on June 26, streaming the event online via Microsoft's XBOX Live service.

TMR reviewed the Opel Astra OPC hot-hatch this week and we liked it so much we gave it 4.5 stars. Amazing grip and yet a brilliant ride quality, plus the 206kW 2.0 litre turbo-charged four-cylinder engine made for a winning combination.

To learn more, check out our review.

In other news, Holden is looking to its workforce for solutions to cut labour costs, with boss Mike Devereux saying it is currently “too expensive” to make cars in Australia.

Good news for New South Wales motorists this week, with $5.1 billion for road projects announced in the state budget.

Over $5000 in added value was lumped into the BMW 1 Series hatch this week, thanks to a combination of lower entry prices and more standard features.

News surfaced this week that drive-off fuel theft is up 150 percent in Queensland and 76 percent in New South Wales. Despite this, seems service stations are reluctant to embrace pre-paid fuel. It also seems motorists are equally reluctant to attach number-plates with tamper-resistant screws.

And finally to the “I-buy-everything-online” generation, you can now purchase a new Smart ForTwo online as well, without setting foot in a car showroom.

And that’s… the week that was.