New Qashqai’s sharper street strength

Development of this key crossover has reached the point where prototypes are being spotted in public – but how soon before it reaches sale?

IMAGE: Josh Byrnes

RECENT sightings of relatively lightly disguised examples undergoing testing in Europe have delivered opportunity to create a photorealistic render of how the next generation Nissan Qashqai will eventually represent in the showroom.

But when might that be?

The current iteration is nearing retirement; it dates back to 2013 and has been plodding along in the New Zealand market for the past couple of years, achieving 2590 examples last year and 1190 this year, as at end of August. Not a bad run, if also not enough to snatch the spotlight from from more popular crossovers.

With prototypes buzzing around in development – those here being spotted in Spain – might suggest the replacement is almost ready to go; certainly, a 2021 release has been the speculation for some time. 

However, just a couple of weeks ago, the story seemed to change, with reputable news sources Britain’s Autocar magazine and the Financial Times newspaper saying it now it seems more possible the car will not be hitting the world’s roads until mid-2021.

If that’s true, then it’s not great news for Kiwis. We’re generally six to eight months behind primary markets so, conceivably, it could be a 2022 car for us. Keeping relevant in the interim will be a big ask of the current model.

According to the FT, this delay is largely due to the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, which has hindered development and changed the company’s priorities. The delay could also give Nissan more time to figure out what to do in case Britain doesn’t secure a post-Brexit deal with the European Union. 

Current Qashqai accounts for two thirds of the 500,000 cars produced annually by Nissan at its giant factory in Sunderland, the United Kingdom, the birth place of the Juke crossover that is just starting to filter into NZ, albeit at low volume thanks also to Covid disruption.

So what do we know about the new Qashqai? The picture is far from complete, yet enough has come from Nissan to indicate the car will continue to use the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF platform, which is also used for the Renault Kadjar and the larger Nissan X-Trail.

 The current line operates a 106kW/200Nm 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, which drives the front wheels only via a continuously variable transmission.

Same for the new? It’s a good question. It’s hard to imagine the line not continuing with at least one wholly fossil fuel-fed choice, simply to achieve a good price placement, but it’s also equally likely range of electrified powertrains will also feature. 

A 48V mild-hybrid option seems likely and there’s been lots of talk about it achieving a plug-in hybrid powertrain based on that of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

It is unlikely, however, that the new Qashqai will be offered in electric form, with Nissan having now brought out the Ariya, a bespoke electric SUV on the Alliance’s new CMF-EV platform. 

However, it clearly sorely needs more battery-involved product to keep in tune with changing global demand and also to support its sole offer, the Leaf, whose progress in New Zealand in brand-new form has been utterly wrecked by the influx of used import cars, often with older technology. 

When revealing Ariya in May, Nissan suggested it will expand cooperation with Mitsubishi for plug-in hybrids in Asia and Renault for EVs in Europe.

 Japan’s Yoiuri Shimbun newspaper has also reported month that Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi Motors plan to strengthen their alliance by jointly developing electric vehicles. The three-company alliance will increase the number of models to be launched through joint development. By 2023, the alliance would create a range of electric vehicles, including subcompacts, small cars and SUVs of various sizes.

For its part, Mitsubishi is also to focus on plug-in hybrids and its one-tonne ute, the Triton, under the new business plan.

As for what we may expect from a visual standpoint? Well, continuing with an established platform means proportions to its predecessor, but as the render shows, it will also adopt Nissan’s latest design language, meaning a more angular aesthetic, as seen on the latest Juke.

The Byrnes’ look delivers plenty of exterior highlights - boomerang-style LED headlamps that flank an angular interpretation of Nissan’s “V-Motion” corporate grille, crisp front and rear haunches and a shapely back end with chiselled LED tail lamps and trapezoidal tailgate pressings.

Perhaps the biggest (and most needed) change arrives in the form of a thoroughly redesigned interior, with an emphasis on improved materials and user interface experience. Whilst exact features and specifications won’t be known until closer to launch, the redesigned X-Trail and the new Juke surely serve as useful guides? 

Items likely to filter down from the new X-Trail include a customisable digital instrument cluster, heads-up display, 9.0-inch tablet-style touch screen display with wireless Apple CarPlay, surround view monitor and wireless charging.  

Nissan’s enhanced ProPilot assist might well arrive, if just the top end edition, bringing adaptive cruise control and improved lane-keeping abilities which use navigation-based data to pre-emptively reduce speed for motorway curves and junctions. It’s a level of driver-assist functionality often only found in the luxury sector.

Additional reporting Richard Bosselman

BMW M3 and M4 announced

Competition editions only for NZ market.

SOMEWHAT large grille you say?

Well, we hadn’t really noticed. 

Okay, so the second of those sentences isn’t true.

But so much has been said so often already about the controversial new vertical twin kidney grille that seems set to hit all future BMW cars from now on that it’s highly questionable anything fresh can be added to the discussion.

So, yeah, basically, you’ll like it enough to live with it. Or you won’t.

In respect to that, however, it’s interesting that BMW New Zealand has used today’s global unveiling of the next M3 and M4 as an opportunity to remind how Kiwis hold a special place in their hearts – and driveways – for Munich’s performance models.

When measured by per capita, the take-up is impressively strong. At the moment we rate at No.2 in the world, according to the Auckland-domiciled national distributor. 

Is that a swipe at Mercedes-AMG and Audi’s RS, which have in the past claimed similar representations based on per-head-of-population calculation?

If so, it’s worth raising one point. When it makes this claim, BMW here is basing its sums on marrying M and M Performance sales.

Fair to do? Well, while the first is rather more serious than the second, it’s also true the latter is less ‘sort-of’ sporty than it once was. Then again, it’s not how certain other German makes care to do it.

But, anyway, when they are counted as one, then it allows BMW New Zealand to claim one in four BMWs sold in the country carry high-performance badges and credentials.

Beyond that, the new M models are of deep interest because the distributor is only taking them in their sharpest and strongest form, badged as the Competition. That derivative is also the most expensive option but, hey, price has never seemed to be a burden in the past. 

Today’s international reveal while doubtless whet the appetites of those looking forward to signing up for the variants arriving in the first quarter of next year.

The M3 – which is the sedan, of course – and the M4 both run the same powerplant, a  twin-turbo six-cylinder in-line  petrol, creating 375kW of power and 650Nm of torque, against 353kW/550Nm in the standard format that Aussies can also take. 

Fans of manual gearboxes are out of luck. For NZ the mill is paired solely to an eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. But that hardly hurts acceleration. BMW cites a 0-100kmh sprint time of 3.9 seconds, which is 0.3s faster than the standard versions, with 0-200kmh completed in 12.5s – 1.2s faster than the non-Competition cars. 

They’ll be offered in rear-wheel-drive initially, but M xDrive system – a first for BMW in this segment - becomes available later in the year. 

BMW claims the newcomers will deliver significant dynamic advances made over their predecessors, these arriving as result of a rigorous M development and tuning processes conducted in part alongside testing for the new BMW M4 GT3 race car.

They ride on adaptive M suspension with electronically controlled shock absorbers and M-specific kinematics and elastokinematics for the front and rear axles and have variable ratio M Servotronic steering and an M-specific version of the integrated braking system not only helping to boost stopping power, but also allowing the driver to customise the brake feel between two different settings.

Speaking of fine-tuning. BMW has followed Audi’s lead in provisioning two steering wheel-mounted buttons providing direct access to the driver’s preferred driver set-ups which they can configure themselves and save.

Like the 3 and 4 Series models they are based on, the new M3/M4 have grown considerably compared to their predecessors, mainly in length – where there’s a 108mm gain – but also a touch more in width (up 26mm) and height, by 8mm. The coupe meanwhile shares its overall length with the sedan but measures is slightly narrower and lower. They both put on weight, too, by 83kg for the sedan and 140kg in two-door form.

 Both models come as standard with Park Distance Control with sensors at the front and rear, Front Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning, plus the Speed Limit Info road sign detection system.

Options include the Driving Assistant Professional, complete with the Steering and Lane Control Assistant, Active Navigation function, Emergency Lane Assistant, BMW Drive Recorder and the latest generation of the BMW Head-Up Display with M-specific content.

The optional Parking Assistant comprises functions such as the Reversing Assistant.

Standard equipment including three-zone automatic climate control, LED interior lighting including ambient lighting and a hi-fi speaker system.

BMW Live Cockpit Professional – with its fully digital display grouping, cloud-based navigation system BMW Maps and the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant – is standard.

Additionally, updated smartphone integration enables the use of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto via the car’s operating system.

A steel roof with integral glass tilt/sliding sunroof is available as a no-cost option for both models as an alternative to the standard carbon-fibre version.  

A new M Race Track Package, meanwhile, brings about a targeted reduction in vehicle weight.

This package includes M Carbon ceramic brakes, weight-minimised M light-alloy wheels (available as an option with semi-slick tyres) and the M Carbon bucket seats.

Current BT-50 to keep selling beside new

The old and new models will be side-by-side for at least five months.

OLD will remain selling beside new when Mazda here releases the latest BT-50.

Talk of at least some variants from the present model family remaining on sale for months beyond the new rig’s arrival has been tacitly confirmed by the national distributor.

 While Mazda New Zealand isn’t keen to discuss specifics of how and when everything will unfold, it has confirmed the two generations will sit together and also not denied this is planned to occur from November until next March. 

Conceivably, it’s a strategy that seems to be mainly to answer demand for models other than those in a dual cab configuration, which is the only format the new vehicle will initially provision in.

Thought that the distributor might also be undertaking a plan to lessen the sticker shock that has come with the new model’s sister ship, the Isuzu D-Max, seems less likely now that BT-50 pricing for Australia has been released.

Assuming – and it’s sometimes not a good idea to – that our neighbour’s positioning has some relevance to what will happen here, then the Mazda would seem to be in stronger position than the Isuzu models. 

On today’s exchange rate, the 11-strong BT-50 line starts at the equivalent of $NZ47,694, for a dual cab chassis four by two in XT automatic form, and tops at $64,889 as a dual cab pick up four-wheel-drive auto GT.

The Isuzu line runs from $49,990 to $75,490 here. 

Mazda NZ product and sales planning manager Tim Nalden has indicated that NZ market pricing is still being sorted.

“We’re still obviously working through that as it’s coming out toward the end of the year.”

He did not want to go into the details of the product strategy, beyond acknowledging the current and incoming vehicles will be together for a while.

“We just think there’s potential for the current model.”

What helps Mazda NZ with this is that the new BT-50 and the existing vehicle come from different plants in Thailand.

The one incoming built in Isuzu’s plant in Thailand, off a line that has been dedicated to making the Holden Colorado and the previous D-Max.

The present BT-50, of course, was developed with Ford, and comes from the AutoAlliance factory which will continue to make the Ranger for the next year.

One potential selling point for the D-Max is the impressive score it achieved in crash testing by an independent assessor recognised and funded by our Government and the New Zealand Automobile Association.

Ironically, that five star accreditation meted the D-Max after it flew through a tougher test than older utes faced to achieve their equivalent scores won’t be of use to Mazda.

Although the BT-50 and D-Max and identical in technical make up and are sure to be closely related in their engineering, it is understood by Nalden that the Mazda will have to undergo an entirely separate crash test so as to achieve a wholly bespoke rating.

31,000 fewer registrations in 2020 predicted

Mazda NZ’s boss disagrees with some recent assessments but also holds belief that the new vehicle market is in a rough ride.

david Hodge: Mazda is in good shape to weather tough conditions.

 NEW passenger and commercial vehicle sales in 2020 will likely be down 20 percent over last year, a drop of almost 31,000 registrations. 

 This assessment is from Mazda New Zealand’s boss, who holds that crunch time is coming.

If David Hodge’s prediction for this degree of calendar year-on-year decline is realised, it will represent the biggest drop since 2009, when new car sales plummeted 28 percent as the local economy tanked amid the global financial crisis.

Last year’s accrual of 154,479 new passenger and light commercial vehicles was already a decline, being 4.3 percent off the 2018 tally.

Regardless that the last three months has seemed rosy for registrations, the market year to date was down 24 percent at the end of August, Hodge notes.

It will remain tough though he also contends his own brand is in good shape, all things considered, to weather what’s ahead.

For one, he says, his make has steered clear of an emerging national stock shortage scenario of concern to the distributors’ representative body, the Motor Industry Association. 

In respect to the surge in registrations over the past three months that has hastened the depletion of the national new vehicle stock pile to apparent verge of exhaustion, Hodge reminds that some of this is down to orders from April and May – when the industry was frozen by the national lockdown - coming to fruition.

The BT-50 is Mazda’s next new model here and is considered a crucial vehicle.

He respects the MIA’s reasons for offering a view about the increasingly parlous state of stock availability, and doesn’t absolutely question the accuracy of figures being bandied, but says it isn’t representative of his own brand’s status.

According to the association, new vehicle distributors normally carry up to 100 days’ stock for vehicles and large parts, but this has reduced by around 50 percent, to just over 11,000 units – the lowest in at least eight years and half the tally held in April. The situation for commercial models is said to be worse, that stockpile have quartered to under 5000 vehicles by the end of last month.

“Maybe 100 days is right as an industry average, but it’s not our situation. We have a shorter pipeline (for stock) against, for instance, the European brands.

“We are comfortable with our stock levels. We are lean, yes, but our stock pipeline is full, absolutely chocka.

“We have no problem at all with the number of vehicles coming to us.”

He wondered if Mazda had advantage over many other makes, or at least those unable to source from Japan, where production was virtually back to normal, or as close as it could be with working conditions being adjusted for coronavirus safety measures.

Mazda NZ takes cars from two plants in Japan and the BT-50 is from Thailand.

“Our plants are as close to 100 percent as is possible. The Japanese plants lost a shift the other day because of a typhoon, but other than that they are at full shifts.”

Hodge says Mazda production been relatively unaffected by coronavirus so the supply pipeline is full.

The commercial sector is now of high interest to Mazda NZ, as it plans a November release for the new-generation BT-50, by and large a doppelganger for the Isuzu D-Max that goes on sale on October. 

That model comes from the Isuzu plant in Thailand where, Hodge says, the impact of Covid-19 has not been huge. Also, the local workforce was in good readiness.

“They are accustomed to wearing masks, so that wasn’t unnatural for them, and they (Thai people) are not hand-shakers, so there’s another factor that probably makes them safer.

“I think the Thai plant did shut down for a while but that was demand-driven, not health-driven.” 

Hodge says the country going into lockdown in April was a stress for the motor industry and enforced that the car business at distributor level was essentially a “big money go round, money in, money out. 

The ‘money’ in suddenly curtailed “and it was a hard stop. But the money out kept happening as we still had a pipeline of cars and a commitment to the plant for vehicles we ordered and had to pay for.

“It was an issue of liquidity and we worked hard with local banks here. We had strong backing relationships and that’s what saw us through that initial shock.” 

After that, it was a waiting game. “We carried on work from home and though we didn’t sell anything we had a launch (the CX-30) at that time.” It also maintained a parts supply, initially to emergency services but gradually to the general public as shutdown conditions eased.

“Once we got out of Level Three, then to Level Two it was rally business as usual and when we got to One it was ‘yay, everything is back to the way it was.’

“But during April and mos of May the industry basically stopped. It didn’t go in a decline or anything, it was a hard stop. Same for the entire economy.” 

The tourism, aviation and hospitality sectors had a “bloody good stomp” and were still quite sore, still, he suggested, “but the rst of the economy basically has largely carried on.” 

The apparent rush in new vehicle sales in June, July and August was more perceived that actual, he suggested. The April and May activity also had influence.

“A lot of the sales in June, July and August were people who were going to buy in April and May. That has just helped top up those months.” 

Holden taking stock

If you’re up for a new Holden fresh off the boat … then, good news.

SOME have moved on from the franchise, many have pulled down the signage – but for the few yards still sticking by Holden, there are still cars to sell …. including a surprise final shipment.

Talk about a last-minute consignment of Astras and a couple Commodores from Opel has been circulating the traps.

It’s thought these are cars Holden tried to cancel, only to be told by the Germans ‘you ordered ‘em, you’re getting ‘em’.

They should have been here well before now but had been further delayed by Covid-related assembly and shipping issues.

What happens next to the cars has not been made clear. Unsold Holdens here already are subject to clearance sale. There’s talk that this stock might be registered by the end of the month, then on-sold – perhaps firesaled – as used vehicles. 

It’s no use asking Holden New Zealand: That operation is down to skeleton staff and one of the first out the door, at the end of June, was its corporate affairs manager. It was just how the redundancy schedule rolled.

All this occurs as Holden goes into its death throe. While the brand doesn’t officially cease until December, the new vehicle sales side might well have resolved by then.

Certainly, quite a few franchises have also moved on. The country’s oldest Holden outlet, Wagg Motors in Masterton, is now selling Hyundais. The Auckland and Wellington retailers have pulled down their hoardings. It’s thought fewer than 10 franchises are still operating as sellers of new Holden cars. 

The special vehicles operations responsible for the Chevrolet Silverado truck and incoming product including the Corvette and – according to rumour – a hot Cadillac sedan, has yet to transfer from Holden Special Vehicles to new operator General Motors Special Vehicles. Some current HSV dealers in this country are already lining up to be GMSV agents. And GMSV has already appointed a general manager for New Zealand.

Appointed by GMNZ in August, Matthew Taylor is a former Holden NZ employee. HE joined that operation on 2017 and was product marketing manager then national sales manager. Prior to that, he was with Bayford Group and had positions with BMW and Volkswagen in Australia. He has declined to be interviewed.

In Australia, meantime, the winding down process has included the sale of the iconic GM Holden Proving Ground at Lang Lang in Victoria to Vietnamese automotive maker Vinfast, which has employed a number of Holden engineers.

Also, here and there, Holden's customer-facing website has dropped all references to its vehicles and now delivers the most basic information about the brand, including warranty and service information.

The company’s Melbourne head office has been silent about plans to farewell the brand internally. 

The upcoming Bathurst 1000 will mark the last Supercars race where Holden will feature as a factory team.

China's cheapie on Govt EV menu

MG Motor’s first electric car stands chance of becoming the pride of the state fleet.

GOVERNMENT has joined private buyers in showing interest in the first electric car offered here by a Chinese brand.

Getting onto the an all-of-Government fleet tender system, from which Government department drive choices are made, was recently acknowledged by Anthony MacLean, country manager for the car’s maker, SAIC Motor, and is a big green tick for the MG ZS EV.

The medium crossover will release in November for $55,990 plus on-roads, a sticker that will make it the country’s cheapest wholly battery-driven car – a title presently held by two contenders, the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf. Both currently listed at $61,990.

Though the price-leader status is not necessarily indicative of electrics suddenly becoming cheaper to build – in that this model is still almost double the price of the most expensive of the four petrol versions – the EV’s placement will surely hold appeal to taxpayer-funded fleets that have been tardy to follow policy to buy more electrics, mainly because it has struggled to afford them.

The five-seater model is from MG, which through its background of British birthright, prefers to see itself an international entity, though it’s ownership by Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) rates it as a pukka Chinese automotive industry success story.

As sharp as the launch price might seem, the car was even cheaper for the 120 Kiwis who pre-ordered. 

Fifty who put their dollars 12 months ago benefitted from an early bird $49,990 buy-in that achieved target within a fortnight of announcement. 

Conceivably, if the Government gives it a go, then the purchasing process will seek to extract an even cheaper deal. 

Expectation of discounts of up to 30 percent off RRP are often cited when the industry lets slip about the State’s bulk purchase processes.

The car is an intriguing opportunity. With a 44.5kWh lithium-ion battery, a 110kW/350Nm permanent magnet synchronous motor, and a NEDC-based electricity consumption of 13.8kWh per 100km, it seems set to offer reasonable performance.

Whether it will raise range anxiety has yet to be seen. In respect to how far it goes on a charge, with a factory-cited 262kms it tops the Golf but bows to size-equivalents the Leaf and Hyundai Kona.

MG Motor New Zealand itself has set a slightly lower range expectation of 250km based on driving in Auckland, mixing with urban traffic but excluding motorways, with the air conditioning on and with a driver and passenger. It says this trial was undertaken to validate real world range versus WLTP testing data, not to confirm or claim motor efficiency.

How it might perform at a steady 100km has yet to spelled out. But there’s good reason why the brand is reminding its customer base that the national recharging network is in reasonable shape, with a public charging point of some kind available every 70kms of main national highway on average.

The CCS Combined and Type 2 charging ports in the grille are compatible with the national charging infrastructure.  The car can be powered up to 80 percent in 40 minutes using a 50kW fast-charger, seven hours with a 7kW charger unit of the type that can be installed at home - or simply trickle charged using a standard three-point plug.

SAIC Motor makes its own charging boxes, but MG here has opted to use a third party supplier, TransNet, to supply and install a Wallbox range of home chargers in customers’ homes. 

MG has also announced a T edition of the ZS in 1.3-litre turbo petrol format, featuring the MG Pilot driver safety provision that packages a spread of assist functions, including forward collision warning, auto emergency braking, lane departure warning, a traffic jam assist and adaptive cruise with an intelligent capacity.

McLaren victory in enduro

The Hampton Downs Three-Hour provided plenty of excitement.

GEOFF Ridder was on duty for MotoringNZ.com when national level motor racing resumed in the North Island yesterday.

The opening round of the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series brought a Hampton Downs Three-Hour victory for Taranaki’s Glenn Smith teamed with Kiwi international racer Chris van der Drift in the SBT Motorsport McLaren 650S GT3.

The McLaren qualified on pole position and although dropping to third position in the opening hour, the team ran an untroubled race to build a two-lap advantage during the second half of the enduro to complete 162 laps.

Andrew Fawcett and Sam Fillmore finished two laps back in their Audi R8 LMS after completing a late race pass on the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Brazilian Alex Riberas and Kiwi drift star Darren Kelly. The Aston spent two stints leading in the opening 90 minutes of the race.

Behind the trio of GT3 cars the V8-engined Audi A5 of Matt Dovey and Jono Lester finished fourth. The 3-hour race had 18 starters with nine teams classified as finishers.

There was double Hampton Downs endurance success for McLarens with John de Veth driving Glenn Smith’s other 650S to victory in the 1-Hour race with Porsche GT3 racers Matt Whittaker and Callum Hedge completing the podium.

Now reduced to two rounds in 2020 due the Covid-enforced calendar changes, the North Island Series concludes at Pukekohe on Saturday October 24.

In between the endurance races there was also non-championship Best Bars Toyota 86 action and the completion of the 2019=20 Ryco 24.7 V8 Utes Series.

Series champion Peter Vodanovich was unbeaten in the Toyota 86 action with three narrow wins ahead of Connor Adam while Matt Spratt (two wins and one second) and Andrew Porter (one win, two seconds) shared the V8 Ute honours.

Sweet shift for Hyundai’s hotshot

One of the best hot hatches out there is finally coming up to speed in respect to transmission choice.

HARDLY ever seen but don’t be fooled – they’re out there.

Enough, in fact, to propose that were the owners to form an actual club, they’d struggle to call themselves ‘exclusive.’ 

Not with 100 cars on the register.

That’s the surprise count of examples of the best-reconciled (by far) sports model that Hyundai has yet created … with quite a lot of help from new friends recruited from one of the finer universities dedicated to the development of ‘everyman’ performance fare: BMW’s M Division.

Anyway, the tally of those who have bought into the i30N in its original hatchback and more recently-added liftback forms would seem to be worthy of acknowledgement and applause, given these are aimed at a relatively select audience.

Specifically, they ask owners to live with an ingredient most buyers of those cars no longer desire: An old-school manual gearbox. All manner of data in respect to this category show today’s buyer wants a two-pedal setup … not a full automatic (thank God), but a dual-clutch manual. It’s why the Volkswagen Golf GTi camp has a 98-point-something percent preference for DSG, and why the Renault Megane RS and Ford Focus ST have gone from stick shifts to paddles.

 In respect to that, good news from Hyundai, in two parts.

 First, i30 N owners to date aren’t afraid to exercise their left lefts and arms.

Says Hyundai NZ’s Kimberley Waters: “When we launched the i30 N in manual form we acknowledged then that we would only be playing in a small part of the sports hatch market …

“But in spite of only offering a manual transmission i30 N has exceeded our own expectations.”

So, a salute to those heroes. 

And now, a salvation for those hold-outs who love the car but have been awaiting the direct-shift alternate Hyundai and the N Division have been hinting at for at least 18 months.

It’s on the way. And with it, here’s hoping, a big increase in the fanbase for a car that’s definitely worth it … plus some stablemates, too.

Exactly when the updated i30 N will arrive has yet to be zeroed; all they’re saying for now is second quarter of 2021. These could be sleepness nights. 

As much as the “world-class wet clutch DCT”-  and, yes, in case you wondered, it IS the same eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox first put into the Veloster N, sold in North America – is the headline attraction, there’s more change besides.

Hyundai’s release of the carefully shadowed images here reinforce word that it will also arrive with some significant change to the styling.

A redesigned front end that gains a wider grille, bigger air intakes, and sharper-looking headlights with V-shaped LED daytime running lights are evident. Tweaks to the rear include a new-look bumper with a wider diffuser flanked by round exhaust tips. We’ve included an image of the current car to give an idea of the full extent of the change.

Also set to happen is that the hatch will adopt the revised and, yes, improved suspension tune that came with this year’s liftback.Also, the The 19-inch alloy wheels are now foreged alloys, for weight-saving, and wrapped in bespoke (hence the HN designation) 235/35 Pirelli P Zero tyres as standard.

What about some extra fizz under the bonnet? No word, sorry. Hyundai didn't mention if it's changing anything else under the bonnet. Power for the current i30 N comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine turbocharged 202kW and 353Nm, enough to crack 0-100kmh in 6.1 seconds. While nothing is official yet, the dual-clutch could allow the i30 to speed its way into five-second territory.

Assuredly there’s already building excitement within Hyundai NZ headquarters in Auckland.

“We can compete in the whole market and expand the appeal in a fun and exciting segment. We expect that the i30 N DCT will welcome more local performance enthusiasts to the N brand.”

And when that happens? Well, it’s a good impetus for thinking about other N product also coming to the boil, she assures.

 “Hyundai Motor continues to add to the N range, and as and when they become available in right-hand-drive we look at them on a case-by-case basis for the NZ market.”

In respect to that, she adds, the Kona N and i20 N do already seem to look … well, kinda ‘right.’ We could see them within 12 months.

Ranger line’s ‘king’ hit by special FX?

FX4 Max? Let’s just call it the working man’s Raptor.

GNARLY but not overly extrovert in look, Fox suspension all-round, 32-inch off-road rubber and plenty of other dirty work upgrades … yet retaining a 3500kg tow rating and one-tonne payload: Is this the Raptor you always really wanted? 

If so, then Ford has finally obliged, with the FX4 Max.

A special edition quite probably coming out now to keep Ranger interest on the boil as the current generation heads into a final year of full production before restarting all over – this time as a co-development with Volkswagen – this edition will be on sale from early 2021, for $69,990.

And that there’s another attention-getter: The price.

As massive as the Ranger fanbase clearly is – given it’s continually siting in the monthly stats as the top-selling one-tonner here and sometimes becomes our best-selling new passenger vehicle overall - the relatively modest percentage uptake that Raptor achieves in those tallies suggests it’s always been a bit too much of a sticker shock, when availed at full retail.

Argument for that $84,990 tag has always been aligned with proposal that Raptor gave so much more.

Which it kinda does… in that it looks super beefy and definitely is tuned to tackle tough off-road conditions. However, Raptor’s shift to a complex and clever independent rear end also significantly reduces the ute 101 of being up to tow and haul big weights.

Not so FX4. The Max part of the name is a good reminder it doesn’t shirk a load. It’ll take near as dammit an honest tonne (well 981kg to be exact) on the back and tow 3500kg (so, 1500kg more than Raptor) just like any other regular Ranger wellside. Hence why it comes with a tow bar. 

The secret to this isn’t steroidal. It’s simply through the F-trooper staying with the standard (so leaf-sprung) suspension. 

This regardless that it adopts those whizz-bang Fox shocks that, ahem, Ford also intimated back at Raptor’s release were also a reason why the top trumps truck carried such a premium. Maybe the exchange rates have improved. Or something.

To be fair, put the FX4 and Raptor together and the latter will still express as the more expensive truck insofar as content goes. The first is based on the XLT, so carries over that mid-grader’s blue collar trim.

Yet if you’re buying toughness over tech, then it’s hard to imagine why the FX4 isn’t going to win over plenty more friends.

Ford is certainly pushing the newbie’s merits by straight out saying the cheaper concoction’s upgrades are very much ‘Raptor-inspired’.

Of those extra ingredients, the most eye-catching are the 32-inch BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyres, attached to 17-inch dark grey alloy wheels.

With a width of 8.0 inches, the wheels feature an offset of +42mm, which gives the FX4 Max a 26mm-wider track than the normal Ranger line-up. For reference, the Raptor’s track is 150mm wider than the normal Ranger.

A full-size spare tyre with the chunky rubber has also been fitted underneath the rear tub. 

Squeezing the larger tyres under the wheelarches has been made possible with the fitment of Fox 2.0-inch shocks which creates a 20mm suspension lift, which combine with the tyres to provide 31mm-higher ride height over the XLT.

The bespoke suspension features a unique tune for the front coils and rear leafs (the latter of which scores remote reservoir shocks), while new lock-stop profile steering knuckles, front jounce bumpers and a 29mm front stabiliser bar are also included.

A number of exterior styling features have been borrowed from the Raptor, including the ‘FORD’ lettering on the front grille with dark grey surround, also included on the skid plate, exterior mirror caps, door handles, rear tray surrounds and wheelarch mouldings, which have been extended to fit the wider track.

It also muscles up for marketing purpose by taking a matte black tubular sports bar, lighting modules for the tray and body-mounted hooped side steps. There’s also a graphics pack for those who need even more attention.

Two colour options are available – Alabaster White pearlescent and Conquer Grey. Yes, the latter used to be restricted to Raptor. Talking about knocking a hero down to its knees, Ford. 

Like the Raptor, the FX4 Max is available exclusively with the 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, driving all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

Even though it isn’t as flash harry inside, the FX4 Max sounds like it’s putting on extra effort to dress for its extrovert crowd. 

The models features new seats with suede inserts and FX4 Max embroidery, Raptor sports pedals, leather-wrapped steering wheel, all-weather floor mats and a set of six blank auxiliary switches, designed to support accessories like light bars and winches – a Ranger-first.

 The new features join existing XLT kit such as an 8.0-inch SYNC3 touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist and reversing camera.

D-Max distributor in confident mood

If you’re a D-Max fan and wondering what justifies the incoming new line being so much pricier than before? Read on.

PAYING more will be worth it: That’s a local message that the D-Max’s distributor is confident it can get through to the model’s current followers. 

Technology enhancements and assertion from our national crash test agency that the new Isuzu is the “safety benchmark for the competitive ute segment” has emboldened Isuzu Utes New Zealand’s argument for why the model costs up to $10,000 more than its predecessor, depending on the model.

The cheapest incoming model, a rear-drive LX, starts at $49,990 while the flagship, called the X-Terrain, is entering the market for $75,490.

How well will the model’s traditional fanbase accept that, given they’ve accessed the line for considerably less until this changeover?

The old D-Max at full retail was positioned between $39,890 and $61,990, but an aggressive clearance over the last few months has delivered those editions for substantially reduced stickers.

The make’s sponsorship, events and public relations manager believes it won’t be too hard to convince the customer base why the rig has gone from budget placement to now siting directly against the highest-priced competitors in the class.

Kimberley Waters acknowledges D-Max’s five-star score from the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme, better known as ANCAP, announced two days after the pricing was made public adds more value to the ‘why buy’ argument. The score was achieved under the latest scoring regime, which effected just this year and has raised the bar considerably. 

“The … D-Max offers more in every aspect compared to its predecessor with the inclusion of a more powerful and efficient turbo-diesel engine, upmarket equipment and features, and new safety technology,” Waters says. 

“Gaining a five star safety rating from the hardest ANCAP test to date, making it the safest ute on the market, also reinforces Isuzu’s investment and commitment to providing its customers with the best safety tech. 

“Increasing the value to the customer has been a key driver behind the significant lift in the level of specification across the board,” she says.

So in respect to the price having jumped?

“The enhancements to the all-new D-Max has raised the bar … we believe our customers will see the value in what they are getting for their investment. We’re confident in the product and are already seeing some early positive signs with lots of enquiry by existing and new customers.

“We’re confident the all-new D-Max will be well received. It’s a game changer and a significant player in the ute market.”

The first phase of Isuzu Utes NZ’s marketing campaign has focussed on the vehicle arrival date and the ability to place a deposit now online to secure a unit.

Waters says this online ordering process is a New Zealand-first for the ute market. “We’ve been really pleased with the initial response.”

Once the ute is in dealerships next month “we’ll move onto the second phase of our marketing campaign which we are currently developing.”

In respect to that, we can expect to see the safety score being leveraged, she concurs.

Hello darkness my old friend

Mini pitches black.

LOOK up ‘Mini special editions’ on line and the list seems … well, endless.

And now there’s another.

Mini New Zealand has confirmed that some Nightfall Edition models are coming in.

The Auckland-centred distributor has secured 13; all but three in three-door John Cooper Works hatch format, for $70,990 apiece. The others are John Cooper Works convertibles. You’ll pay $75,990 for those.

They’re based on JCW variants, so have the 2.0-litre turbo producing 170kW of power and 320Nm of torque. The transmission choice is … well, no choice. Just the eight-speed automatic. Not having to change gear makes it easier to pose, right?

The JCW element is also about dress up, so a carbon-fibre bonnet scoop, brake package upgrade, bespoke 17-inch wheels, and branded exhaust surrounds. Not the fog-lights attached to the grille as pictured. Australian Design Rules has done for them.

The Nightfall Edition presents in Enigmatic Black Metallic paint and all the bits usually chromed are gloss black, as is the badging.

The interior also has more black elements, plus there’s a JCW steering wheel and handbrake, 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio, wireless phone charging and Apple CarPlay.

D-Max achieves ANCAP A-plus

Strong test rating makes new model the sector’s crash test champion.

HIGH praise for the new one-tonne ute co-developed by Isuzu and Mazda has come from the independent safety agency most relevant to New Zealand.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Programme, better known as ANCAP, is a New Zealand-funded crash test operation based in Australia.

The organisation has determined the Isuzu D-Max, which is about to release on sale here and will soon after provision as the Mazda BT-50, to be the one-tonne sector’s safety benchmark.

This results from it becoming the first ute to score a full five-star ANCAP rating to  2020 standards, which introduce more stringent measurements of safety than have previously applied.

The vehicle safety authority, whose primary backers on this side of the Tasman are the New Zealand Government and the Automobile Association, is satisfied the score applies to all variants of the new model.

According to ANCAP, the D-Max is the  “safety benchmark for the competitive ute segment.”

 “Our 2020 requirements again set the bar higher to promote further vehicle safety improvements and address some of the ongoing challenges on our roads,” ANCAP director of communications and advocacy, Rhianne Robson, says in a release.

The score reinforces the merit of the Isuzu Intelligent Driver Assistance System (IDAS), which is fitted across the range.

This uses a Hitachi-supplied twin-camera system mounted high on the windscreen and is critical for forward collision warning, AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection and turn assist, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning and automatic steering assist.

It also traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and emergency lane keeping, among further features.

On top of technology systems, Isuzu D-Max is also the first ute in the world to fit a front-row centre airbag as standard for added occupant protection and bringing the total number of airbags to eight.

Says Robson: “With the new challenges set by ANCAP from 2020, it is extremely pleasing to see manufacturers achieve good results against these increasing standards, and take responsibility by prioritising safety to provide their customers with the safest vehicles they can.”

The make’s national distributor has welcomed the score, which Conceivably puts the model above even other other utes that have achieved five star status, as their scores were decided under less stringent circumstances.

The previous D-Max was a less satisfactory performer in ANCAP testing.

However Isuzu Utes New Zealand general manager Sam Waller believes customers can “reassuringly drive away knowing this D-Max is equipped with cutting-edge safety systems to keep them out of trouble at a moment’s notice.

“Given double cab utes are proving a popular family vehicle, receiving one of the highest scores awarded by ANCAP for Child Occupant Protection will no doubt be very comforting for families.”

The score’s release comes in the same week of the distributor releasing the new line’s pricing, which brings a steep increase over the outgoing editions’ positioning, with $8000 to $10000 added to stickers when recommended retails are compared, and the gap widening significantly more when the special runout tags attached to the old model are considered.

Isuzu Utes NZ has yet to respond to an invitation to discuss the pricing, which elevates what was previously the sector’s budget buy into the same premium sector as the popular Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, albeit with more safety equipment than those rivals pack.

GR to Rallye to WRC cause

A special edition of Toyota’s upcoming GR Yaris sounds tasty … as does our neighbour’s incentive programme for this new hottie. We might see one, but probably not the other.

AN even wilder version of Toyota’s super-heated GR Yaris is heading into production.

Set to be available in the first half of 2021, the GR Yaris Rallye – the white car seen here - further enforces the maker’s assertion that this three-door racer was not only born from Toyota’s success in the heat of motorsport but will have a credible ongoing homologation role with Toyota’s World Rally Championship programme.

The Rallye’s status with the emergent Gazoo fanbase will also be elevated through it being a limited-edition car.

 The difference between it and the ‘regular’ edition (represented by the black car) arriving in New Zealand soon isn’t defined by outright performance but by enhancements elsewhere.

Specifically, the Rallye will have circuit-tuned suspension, Torsen limited-slip diffs for both the front and rear axles, 18-inch forged alloy wheels from BBS, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and red brake calipers.

Naturally enough, those ingredients have been developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing in collaboration with Tommi Makinen Racing, the team that took the original Yaris WRC to a world title in 2018, 12 months after the car entered competition.

The Rallye’s additional content is undoubtedly more than window dressing.

Makinen’s outfit is now developing the new road car into their contender for the 2021 season and beyond – undoubtedly those extras will some way or another prove useful for the motorsport process.

The Rallye – which also restricts to just three paint colours; black, white and red – maintains the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine in the same tune as the standard GR and also keeps the six-speed manual gearbox.

With 200kW and 370Nm the engine is the most powerful triple in production and gives both editions of the car an ability to sprint to 100kmh in just 5.2 seconds. The Rallye’s edge will undoubtedly come in the corners and under braking.

Talk of the Rallye has emerged with Toyota in Australia announcing a pricing plan for the GR Yaris that perhaps might leave New Zealand enthusiasts wondering how they might find a way to secure the model there and ship it back across the Tasman.

Toyota New Zealand’s announced sticker of $54,990 has been undercut by our neighbour – and massively so during a programme designed to elevate the Gazoo image across the Tasman.

Toyota Australia’s car, which seems to be kitted identically to that coming here, will only be $1200 less expensive than here at full recommended retail – but to ensure it gets off to a smart start, the first 1000 sold will only cost $NZ43,400 drive away. A huge $11,590 undercut.

The Rallye is not included in that programme and how much of a premium it will carry over the GR has yet to be announced.

Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, says the launch price was to incentivise support for the Gazoo Racing brand, which is probably newer to our neighbour than it is here.

The NZ awareness programme began even before the first GR car, the Supra, landed last year as it was used in a sponsorship association with the international single seater Toyota Racing Series since the end of 2018.

As for a discount start here? It doesn’t sound likely, from the tenor of comment from TNZ chief executive Neeraj Lala.

His thought about what’s going on across the Tasman?

Says Lala: “Toyota New Zealand has not offered a Recommended Retail Price in New Zealand for the past 2.5 years to avoid this situation.

“This means our Toyota Driveway Price (TDP) provides our customers with an up-front and transparent transaction price which includes on-road costs and subsidised servicing.”   

BTW, he declined to comment on the potential of the Rallye coming here.

The GR Yaris is the first homologation special since the Celica GT-Four, the car that was used to find WRC rally success when Toyota was last involved in international rallying, becoming the first Japanese maker to win the WRC manufacturer’s title, in 1993. 

Toyota’s plan is for the GR Yaris to be an even hotter ticket for road use than the Celica and the hope is it will establish the same street status as such stage-to-road greats as Ford’s RS Escort Cosworth and Subaru’s Impreza WRX.

Hey, it’s the new Z!

Nissan has unveiled a concept offering an early look at what will be the first new version of its most famous two-seater sports car in more than a decade.

 SO how many can you see?

References to past Z-cars, that is.

Let’s just agree there are plenty. Which is the irony in Nissan’s claim for the Z-Proto. 

This concept pointing to “a new generation of the legendary Z car” seems unable to break away from the type’s past. Which probably pleases the fanbase greatly yet might also disappoint those expecting something a little more creative.

As much as this is a design study – sorry, a "development study vehicle" in Nissan-speak -  and despite its maker being reluctant to share very many technical details, Nissan has identified what we see here is a "near-production protoype," and confirmed it will outfit with a twin-turbo V6 engine – the first since the 300ZX - and manual transmission.

As is patently obviously, the styling is clearly reminiscent of many old Zs.

Basically, every old Z. And that’s a few, given the sporting sub-brand has a 50-year history. 

The front-end with teardrop headlights and long bowed bonnet is from the 240 and 260 Z era.

The side profile? Just like that of the original. Look at the rear end and tell me you don’t see the 300ZX? The bootlid appears to feature a Fairlady Z badge – a name used for the original in Japan and the US, but often seen here as well, thanks to the used import trade. The pod gauges on top of the dashboard (one for turbo boost pressure) and door handles? Clear links to the 370Z. 

Easy peasy so far. But perhaps the reason why it has teardrop-shaped LED headlights will sort the regular fan types from the hardcore. Answer? They reference a particular rarity, the Japan-only 240ZG of the 1970s.

The yellow paint used is also an ode to popular paint choice colours for both the original S30 and subsequent Z32 generations, according to Nissan.

It’s not all backward-looking. The rectangular front grille, 19in alloy wheels and carbonfibre side skirts aim to modernise the look, the brand expressed during today’s international, on line reveal.

Nonetheless, the make’s head of design, Alfonso Albaisa, has conceded that the process to determine this design very much involved “making countless studies and sketches as we researched each generation and what made them a success.”

 “Ultimately, we decided the Z Proto should travel between the decades, including the future.”

The cabin is finished in black Alcantara-like material, yellow stitching highlights and has a fully digital 12.3-inch display dash for the driver.

There’s still a vintage aesthetic in that, as with every Z car, the design is centred around the driver with dials and gauges facing from the centre towards the most important seating position in the car.

The car measure 4382mm long, 1850mm wide and 1310mm high, and rides on 19-inch black alloys wrapped in special 255/40 front and 285/35 rear rubber.

The engine seems likely to be the unit found in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport, where it creates 300kW of power and 475Nm of torque. Enough to give rivals like the Toyota Supra a real run, right? Particularly since the sports car should be significantly lighter than Infiniti. 

When is it coming to our market? No date has been provided for the launch of the production car, though chances of it achieving showroom status within a year would seem as safe a bet as the proposal it’ll be called  ‘400Z’. 

 Nissan New Zealand has yet to offer any comment.

Pandemic, sales rush depletes new vehicle stocks

New car sales have been running hot … but at what ultimate cost? Brands are running short of stock and the industry says buyer demand is racing ahead of ability to supply.

New vehicle stocks held in New Zealand are diminishing fast … and replenishment has slowed.

NEW vehicle distributors are facing a new Covid-19 crisis – not enough vehicles to sell for at least the remainder of this year.

An unexpected rush in sales over the past few months has accelerated the issue of diminishing stock availability, a ripple effect from Covid-driven global assembly line shutdowns that occurred months ago.

It’s a double-whammy that is leaving showrooms running low on stock with no easy respite in sight.

The organisation that speaks for the new vehicle industry has declined to cite any brands or cite any specific models and is cautious when discussing the severity of the situation.

The Motor Industry Association does, however, acknowledge there are now insufficient vehicle numbers to meet present buyer demand.

Says chief executive David Crawford: “I wouldn’t describe the situation as catastrophic … but it is lumpy.”

Talk at retail and distributor level is certainly awkward; popular models are becoming harder to secure and orders taken now might not be fulfilled until next year, while impending new products are being delayed and allocations being reduced.

One big provincial yard for a top make last week suggested the cars it held in its showroom could not be easily replaced. A metropolitan outlet for a popular premium brand also recently said ready availability of two core models has also been in jeopardy. The distributor for that make did not respond to questions about this.

New vehicle distributors normally carry up to 100 days’ stock for vehicles and large parts, but this has reduced by around 50 percent.

At the end of last month, the national inventory of new passenger vehicles was just over 11,000 units – the lowest in at least eight years and half the tally held in April – and it’s been worse for commercials, that stockpile have quartered to under 5000 vehicles.

Most distributors, at best, are carrying no more than about a month’s stock, according to the MIA, which has been collating information from factory-appointed new vehicle importers.

At retail level, this means an increasing count of outlets are keeping up their business by taking customer orders on understanding those buyers may have to wait until early next year before their purchases arrive.

Crawford suggests a combination of market forces and temporary vehicle supply constraints will continue for most of 2020.

While shipments keep arriving, there are now likely to be long wait times for some makes and models and customers who have pre-ordered will have priority over walk-ins.

“Supply of vehicles remains affected by reduced factory production in various geographic places due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“Distributors are also facing challenges predicting how much stock to order and hold.

“It has to be admitted the industry got caught by a strong June and July, once the Covid restrictions eased,” he says.

“The industry didn’t entirely anticipate the level of demand for new vehicles.

David Crawford, Motor Industry Association chief executive: “The industry didn’t entirely anticipate the level of demand for new vehicles.”

“We didn’t factor in that people who were unable to travel overseas on holiday, would decide to purchase a new vehicle instead – just like others would have decided to renovate a kitchen.”

Though already braced for a slowdown in sales when the year began, the new car market was nonetheless in good shape, having had a series of highly-profitable bumper years.

Coronavirus rendered all forecasts worthless. Assembly plants all around the world were forced to shut down – some for several weeks, some for up to two months - because of the pandemic.

Though most are back in business, many have yet to achieve full production. Even when assembly lines are back to full steam, delays from components suppliers are common.

The supply chain also hasn’t recovered. This is particularly the case with product coming out of Europe, which even under normal circumstances have to be ordered up to six months in advance.

However, it seems probable all makes and sourcing points have felt impact to some extent.

Also hurting New Zealand is the modest size of our market – there have already been instances were other countries more important to makers have been given higher priority.

All this means that as much as recent months of emergent retail frenzy was welcomed, it has also been a sting because it was unexpected.

While the MIA warned as early as in March it would be inevitable that the shock wave from Covid’s impact on global car making and the parts industry was inevitable, it didn’t predict that consumers would go into such a buying frenzy these last few months.

Data shared by the MIA for this story reveals how NZ’s relatively healthy vehicle stockpile before Covid has pretty much gone.

At the beginning of this year the national new passenger vehicle inventory stood at 16,049 vehicles.

new vehicle production has largely resumed .. but plants are rarely operating at full-scale pace and makers are sometimes steering product to bigger markets than New Zealand.

This rose to 20,327 vehicles in April, but the countrywide Level Four lockdown, then meant cars that landed but could not be retailed – hence, despite 5625 vehicles being cleared by Customs in April, only 707 vehicles were registered in that month.

Since then, the figures have been sliding as supply of vehicles built and in transit before the factory closures started to dwindle.

May’s inventory was 18,888, this reduced to 15,088 in June, to 12,593 in July and to 11,057 last month.

August’s count was the lowest in at least eight years but stock numbers are expected to reduce even further for at least the next two months.

Meanwhile, the import clearances are continuing at history low levels as they slowly recover to some normality – 2858 in May, 4619 in June, 4327 in July and 5405 in August – but they are not meeting the growing consumer demand. That’s at least 50 percent higher.

The commercial vehicle inventory that sat at around 12,000 vehicles in April and May had reduced to 4817 vehicles by the end of last month.

Since then, consumer demand has increased to the extent there were 3533 registrations in August – way ahead of the 962 vehicles that had cleared Customs. This means that for the remainder of the year there is virtually no fat in the commercial vehicle inventory.

Parts supply is also being severely affected by the pandemic. Prior to Covid-19, parts were transported to New Zealand by both air and sea, but air freight has now become too expensive due to reduced numbers of flights, and this has forced more use of sea freight which has much longer time frames, Crawford says.

The flow-on from the drop in new car availability is also being felt in the used car sector, with a commensurate drying up on late model pre-owned stock from fewer trade-ins occurring.

# Additional reporting by Richard Bosselman

New Tucson gets local provider excited

Striking new design, heaps of new tech, a hybrid to match the RAV4 and a seven-seater option.

 POTENTIAL that Hyundai’s best-selling model here might emulate its big brother and format in a seven-seat option is not being discounted by its seller.

 In offering comment about the 2021 Tucson unveiled for global scrutiny (via a livestreamed online presentation) by Hyundai head office in Seoul today, the make’s national distribution has indicated it is giving consideration to taking the car in a new long-wheelbase format – that avails a third seating row – in addition to continuing with a five-chair layout that continues into a fourth generation.

The potential for the longer version – which measures 4630mm in length (so up 150mm on the short wheelbase), 1865mm in width (plus 15mm) and 1665mm in height (up 5mm), riding on a 2755mm (plus 85mm) wheelbase – is not being discussed by Hyundai New Zealand, though it has reminded that Tucson already strikes a strong chord with Kiwis, the model having achieved 23,000 sales since the nameplate arrived in 2004. 

Brand boss Andy Sinclair says he expects “the new model to attract even more customers with its striking new design and safety, comfort and convenience technology.”

Any decision will surely have to be fast-tracked if both are intended to be available for local usage from local launch, as Hyundai New Zealand says it intends to have the new model line here in the first quarter of 2021.

In addition to relaying its thought about the seven-seater, the Auckland-domiciled distributor has also said it will also look at a new N Line trim level the maker has also revealed.

As for powertrains?  It’s also casting an eye over the mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid options that are also coming into production, these based around a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and producing a combined 171kW/350Nm.

New generations of the familiar 1.6-litre turbo petrol, 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol and 2.0-litre diesel turbo, now selling under a Smartstream designation, are also cited. The first might now receive a pump up from 130kW to 145kW, as per the Kona. Outputs for the latter are 122kW/205Nm (petrol) and 136kW/400Nm (diesel). 

What of the new 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine delivering 141kW and 246Nm? Sorry, no comment on that one.

The model will continue to avail in both front and all-wheel drive. The latter this time adds mud, sand and snow modes to the comfort, sport and eco-driving modes. The derivatives heading here seem set to have ride and handling tuning sorted by Hyundai Australia’s engineering team.

It’s heavily loaded on the safety front. Aids available include Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with pedestrian detection, Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Blind-Spot View Monitor, Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW), Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA) with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA), Advanced Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with Stop and Go, Safe Exit Warning (SEW), Surround View Monitor, Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist (RPCA), Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA), High Beam Assist (HBA) and Driver Attention Warning (DAW). 

Tucson’s new exterior styling is bound to raise plenty of comment. Hyundai says it expresses an evolving Sensuous Sportiness design identity and embodies what its designers call ‘parametric dynamics’ with “kinetic jewel surface details that emphasises Tucson’s distinctly different identity in a crowded segment.” Translation? There are a lot of sharp edges.

It fronts up boldly, too: The grille is filled with LED lights which only reveal themselves when illuminated. The rear will also make an impressive; it has a connected LED light bar sitting across the beltline and joining two clawed LED taillights.

The interior also seems set to be a lot more plush and futuristic. Most ‘hard’ controls, such as dials and buttons, are gone. So too the gearstick.

The top treatment features a centre console stack flowing as one continuous design piece with flush buttons and a wide 10.25-inch digital touch display screen. It has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an optional Bose sound system. The cabin ambience is set with a 64-colour mood lighting system with 10 levels of brightness.

Digital technology includes a key that uses a smartphone app to operate commands such as locking and unlocking the car, using Near Field Communication to detect authorised users from up to 27 metres away. In some markets the smart key can be tuned to control smart appliances at home (as you do) and  driven remotely without anyone in the driver’s seat – albeit very slowly and basically for parking purposes.

D-Max joins utedom's business class

The new D-Max is weeks from launch, but pricing is out now. We knew those extras would have to add to the bottom line, but … gosh.

TECHNOLOGY enhancements surely set to elevate Isuzu’s D-Max’s status in ute-dom have also delivered with a hefty price rise.

Announcement today of the model range and prices for an eight-strong line-up reaching the showroom next month suggests the new derivatives will cost between $8000 to $10,000 more than their equivalents in the previous range when full retails are considered, and much more if comparison is made against the old models’ runout pricing.

The cheapest incoming model, a rear-drive LX, starts at $49,990 while the flagship, called the X-Terrain, is entering the market for $75,490.

The increases were always in the wind; they’ve hit in every market where the rig sells and reflect how much change has come to the model, through its makers – not just Isuzu this time, but also Mazda – seeming to determine it’s time to create a more direct rival for the sector’s big guns, Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux.

Yet the end cost of the effort necessitated to lift its game might nonetheless still come as a big shock to D-Max’s traditional customer base, which has been used to be spending much less.

It might also titillate Hilux and Ranger faithful, who will note that some D-Max models seem to be more expensive than comparable models in the Toyota and Ford lines.

The old D-Max at full retail was positioned between $39,890 and $61,990, but an aggressive clearance over the last few months has delivered those editions for substantially reduced stickers.

How the brand intends to argue the defence remains unknown. Isuzu Utes NZ general manager Sam Waller and public relations manager Kimberley Waters could not be reached for comment and the press information sent out today steered clear of directly addressing this issue.

The new line’s equipment provision was detailed by MotoringNZ on August 16 (https://www.motoringnz.com/news/2020/8/16/d-heading-for-a-plus?rq=d-max).

Our story then suggested that this model and the Mazda BT-50 that derives from it are set to deliver enough advanced safety and technology to reset market expectations.

That has been further reinforced by today’s release of information that confirms that every single model in the incoming range – including the three LX tradie versions that arrive in singe, space and double cab configurations, in manual and auto and two and four-wheel-drive formats –will deliver with an advanced safety package, including class-first advances of perimeter sensing technology and a centre airbag.

Other improvements to the entry derivatives include a seven inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic lights and wipers and adaptive cruise control for automatic models.

The next level is the LS-M, which avails in double cab 4WD with automatic or manual transmissions. It adds to the LX provision by implementing LED head lights with LED daytime running lights, a plusher trim. It rides on 17 inch alloys.

The LS line above this goes to a nine inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate air-conditioning, rear parking sensors. This edition runs on 18 inch alloys.

The top rung of the ladder is occupied by X-Terrain, which purely formats in an automatic double cab four-wheel-drive configuration.

In addition to the active safety technology of the other variants, it includes a powered driver seat, leather trim, a smart proximity key with remote engine start, front and rear parking sensors, wheel arch extensions and gun-metal exterior highlights (wheels, grille, mirror caps, door handles and roof rails) as well as a matte black roller tonneau cover and under-rail tray liner.

This D-Max is a co-production with Mazda, whose own BT-50 version is also coming to NZ this year, though release details have yet to be divulged.

S-Class Kiwi kit-out getting lots of thought

We ask Mercedes Benz to give insight into how much of a smarty pants its S-Class will be in local spec.

HOW clever will Mercedes’ smartest car turn out to be in New Zealand conditions?

The new S-Class, the most advanced car the world’s oldest vehicle maker has ever placed into series production, is not set to land for another eight months. Yet assuredly it’s already a question the brand’s distributor is already giving thought to.

The news could be good – while loath to lock into any particular commitments, Mercedes Benz New Zealand is expressing confidence about delivering a smart product in every sense.

That potentially means a huge wow factor. This technology trendsetter is engineered to achieve big feats and has been loaded with many more gadgets and a lot of extra computing power than has gone into any previous model. or any other Mercedes production car.

Still, no promises yet, for good reason. In as much as initial international media attention and brand spruiking of the past few weeks has left impression the sky is the limit here, the reality is that for all the drum-banging, there’s no certainty every whizzo feature will be an immediate or even certain a starter in our world.

First, and most importantly, Mercedes itself has to decide which functions are relevant in which markets. Distributors do not have open slather; even factory shops cannot simply tick every box. The maker has to analyse and decide. That’s a historic practice that potentially becomes all the more relevant now, with a car in which some features are so advanced that there’s no regulation in some places to guide their usage.

The good news for New Zealand is that there’s little red tape to impinge here. We have remarkably few regulations that might conceivably restrict advanced tech – in theory, if a fully autonomous car were to turn up tomorrow (and don’t get excited -  it won’t), there are no rules to keep it from operating.

However, there’s also a catch. To the Germans, New Zealand and Australia are considered one and the same. For expediency the product choices are common, whatever we take also has to suit our neighbour and since they are the bigger and more important market, their decisions become ours to live with. 

Unfortunately, their determinations are not just down to taste but also having to abide by Australian Design Rules. Drawn up to protect a domestic car-marking industry that patently no longer exists, ADR nonetheless still impinges heavily over there and so, by proxy, impacts over here too.

ADR is a hefty rulebook containing thousands of fish hooks, some of which can catch out a maker for what would outwardly seem the most bizarre reasons. Aussie has signed for the S-Class and it would seem highly unlikely the world’s smartest car won’t sail through ADR without hindrance.

And, yes, that ‘smart drive’ portrayal is apt: On computing power alone, the S-Class makes others look dumb. The MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Interface) alone is 50 percent more powerful than the system found in present product because it will operate up to five screens in this car. 

The main one is a 12.8-inch portrait screen on the centre console, with haptic touch feedback and changeable OLED technology. It’s where you’ll access the majority of controls and functions, so 27 buttons have been removed as a result, and adds over-the-air update functionality to the S-Class for the first time.

Today’s story highlights some of the head-line features. MB NZ boss Lance Bennett was happy to share his thoughts about each one and the chances of local utilisation.

We started off by asking about the new Drive Pilot system. The big story is that it can drive itself more often thanks to adoption of  ‘level 3’ semi-autonomous driving - meaning ‘hands-off’ autonomous driving on motorways and in traffic where legally permitted. 

We already known Benz plans a staged introduction of the new system, which uses lidar among other sensors, and every suggestion is that export markets won’t get to use it until sometime after it is activated in Germany. And that’s not set to occur until at least mid-2021.

But are we in with a chance? Sorry nerds, Bennett isn’t going to commit, telling us only that: “ This feature will only be available in Germany once launched. At this stage, we cannot confirm which markets will be next.”

What about engine choices? Obviously there are still purely fossil-fuelled choices and we know the first derivative here will be one of those, being the six-cylinder petrol S450.

But we’re hearing about a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The new S580e promises an electric range of just over 100kms on the WLTP test cycle – so, more than double the range of its predecessor – sounds good.

Good news. Bennett concurs.  “Yes we will be looking to bring the PHEV S-Class variant to New Zealand, we cannot confirm timing at this stage.”

As for other engine choices?  “We cannot confirm which models will launch following the initial confirmed S 450 variant, but will be considering all AMG S-Class variants for NZ.”

(BTW, a full blown electric S-Class isn’t coming. But an equivalent will be, being the EQ-S, the top dog of the standalone EQ electric vehicle family).

There are plenty of other smarts announced for the flagship sedan that, in its seventh generation, takes inspirations from upmarket home interior design and luxury yachts.

The instrument panel is a step up from the already class-leading display now common to all Benz cars, in that it delivers a 3-D effect that manifests itself when the driver looks at the dashboard. Say what? No, seriously: 3-D and without the need for special glasses. And yes, it can be deactivated if that seems a bit too weird.

So, can we get it? Says Bennett: “(It) will be available to our market and we will confirm if standard closer to our local launch.”

In respect to visual projection, there’s more. A giant alternate version of the standard head-up display can now project augmented reality content onto the road ahead of you. Animated arrows that show you exactly where to turn and real-time information about the distance from cars ahead, overlaid directly on the real-world objects—among other nifty animations. 

The extravagant version of the now digital headlights also gets in on that idea. It has powerful LEDs that are capable of projecting warning symbols and lane markings onto the road ahead. And these will be high res, highly detailed motifs. The lights can display 2.6 million pixals. According to Benz research and development boss Markus Schafer: “You could play a movie in your garage with resolution.”

Again, stupefying. And for us? “(It)  will be available to our market and we will confirm if standard closer to our local launch.” So that’s not an outright no, then.

The same response goes for the following:

Interior Assist, which can recognise physical movements and enable selected vehicle functions - such as the passenger seat light illuminating if you reach over to pick something up from the seat. The dash display, climate and stereo preferences are also customised. To access your profile a driver "logs in" using facial recognition, voice recognition, a fingerprint sensor or a PIN.

The ‘energising’ system that puffs out nice aromas from an in-built perfumer has new scents - “Bamboo Mood” and “Cotton Mood” have been highlighted. The active comfort features are upgraded. It’s also now capable of adjusting the lighting, seating and air conditioning and is compatible with some smartwatches and phones. The system will measure your stress levels and adjust settings accordingly. Also, if the S-Class senses you're drowsy, it'll run an environment programme to wake you up, using lighting and those scents.

The ‘4-D’ Burmester audio system that uses 30 speakers and eight resonators – aka bass vibrators - to produce the sound experience. Mercedes puts two of the latter in the back of each seat, and they reproduce the “sound resonance” for even more “tangible” listening. The intensity of the resonators can be individually adjusted for each seat, in case your passengers aren’t feeling up to experiencing sound in the fourth dimension. 

The new parking camera. Instead of the usual bird's-eye view, the S-Class’s shows a chase-cam view, as if the car were being followed by its own personal drone. Swipe the screen and you can fly your view around the car, with quick, smooth animation.

Also, in respect to parking, it gets remote parking functionality, meaning the car can park itself or be summoned from a short distance via a smartphone.

Getting into parking spots will be even easier thanks to a new four-wheel steering system. At AMG level, the system is tuned for performance, with a 4.5-degree maximum steering angle on the rear axle, whereas less performance-oriented editions - called Executive Line cars - have a 10-degree steering system that reduces the turning circle to that of Benz’s smallest family car, the A-Class.

For us? “Will be available to our …” Etc, etc. You know the rest.

Same goes for E-Active Body Control suspension, which is surely going to be popular. It operates just like the system does on the GLE and GLS sports utilities, individually regulating the damping and spring forces at each wheel.

It includes adaptive dampers that work in tandem with processors and sensors located around the car. The system can monitor the road surface 1000 times a second and continually adapt the Airmatic air suspension.

This is primarily, but not totally, to ensure a plush ride. Mercedes says the level of adjustability certainly allows the car to be regally comfortable on poor surfaces, but stiff enough to hustle you so choose; as on the SUVs it can even lean the car into corners to help minimise body roll.

There’s a safety benefit, too: As an ingredient of the Pre-Safe safety suite, it will automatically raise the suspension by up to 80mm if the car is about to get T-boned, the idea being to put the side sill (which is stronger than the doors) in the path of the incoming car. There’s also a new central airbag that deploys to reduce the risk of a clash of heads in an accident. 

Finally, with the market shifting so rapidly to SUVs, it almost seems like an anachronism that the S-Class, rather than the GLS-Class is still Mercedes' flagship. So, what’s the volume expectation for the sedan?

Says Bennett: “For now, we see them as two very different customers, historically, more than half of the current customers see no alternative to the S-Class.

“This means, an S-Class customer does not even consider buying a different model which is very different when compared to the rest of our range.”

As for when the GLS might begin to adopt the same features as the kingpin car?

 Sorry, nothing to report on that one.

More electrics and fast, pressure group says

Temptation to buy into used fossil fuelled stock rather than electric vehicles will threaten environmental ambitions, an EV support agency says.

mark gilbert, of Drive Electric.

 AN electric car advocacy organisation that has had the Government’s ear has be driven to offer thought on policies relevant to this subject announced by two major political parties.

Mark Gilbert, who chairs Drive Electric, a not-for-profit established purely to promote the uptake of EVs in New Zealand, was speaking today in direct response to policy statements released by Labour and National this week.

Drive Electric has indicated it can see positives from each party’s policies. However, it also seems to think both are aiming too low.

National said today it would set a target of getting 80,000 EVs on the road by 2023. That target represents a fourfold increase on the number of EVs currently in the national fleet.

Gilbert however, says Drive Electric believes national intent to achieve legislated climate ambitions demands the national EV carpark to exceed more than 250,000 vehicles by 2025.

According, he says, what the country really needs “is an ambitious bipartisan roadmap to decarbonise the light fleet in line with the Zero Carbon Act, detailed in a New Zealand Motor Industry Plan.

“In New Zealand the light fleet constitutes more than 90 percent of the travel on New Zealand roads, and remains a growing component of our nation’s emissions. We can’t leave a transition to chance.”

The former managing director of BMW New Zealand says this country is an eager taker of automotive technology. But it could easily head in the ‘wrong’ direction.

“The future of light vehicles worldwide is carbon-free. Unless we have a consistent policy roadmap that deliberately moves New Zealand towards EVs, we will lock in the importation of second-hand fossil fuel powered cars from markets like Japan and the UK as they decarbonise. 

“We congratulate the National party for their policy announcement today, including specifying a target of 80,000 EVs on the roads by 2023. Hitting these numbers would mean progress. The proposal on FBT (fringe benefit tax), in particular, is a real step forward.

“NZTA data for 2019 shows that almost 60 percent of new passenger cars were bought by companies. Incentivising the corporate fleet to transition, through initiatives like this and access to bus lanes and high occupancy lanes, is a vital way to introduce EVs into the country.”

Drive Electric would like the next Government to go a step further and work with the industry to detail how New Zealand will then get to 250,000 EVs by 2025, and then move to decarbonise the entire fleet.

“We welcome Labour’s recommitment to the Clean Car Standard. However, this is just one element of a roadmap towards a light vehicle fleet that does not emit carbon.”

Gilbert says a standard needs to be supported by additional measures to enable businesses and consumers to move into emissions-free vehicles.

“Perversely, without actively encouraging consumers to switch to EVs through tax or other incentives, a clean car standard makes it more likely New Zealanders will buy cheap, second hand petrol cars exported from Japan or the UK, instead of EVs.”

This, he suggests, will lock in the number of petrol cars on New Zealand roads for longer, making it more difficult to meet our climate change ambitions.

“For New Zealanders, it’s fair that New Zealanders understand the future must be electric, so they can take this into consideration when they buy their next car.

“The abundance of renewable energy in New Zealand means the owner of an EV in New Zealand can charge their vehicle at home for as low as 30 cents a litre.”

Drive Electric recently announced five key policy platforms it suggests are required to decarbonise the fleet. That document can be found at: https://driveelectric.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DE-policy-discussion.pdf

Defender’s fours hit for six?

They knew the plug-in hybrid petrol drivetrain was coming - the shock news for Land Rover’s distributor in respect to the Defender is hearing the four-cylinder diesels that launched here less than two months are set to be retired soon.

 MORE information about the plug-in hybrid powertrain for the Land Rover Defender has come out, along with shock news – for the local distributor - that the four-cylinder diesels driving the model at present seem for the chop. 

In expressing thought about both, Jaguar Land Rover New Zealand’s top man says while the P400e (above), which blends 44km of pure-electric range with punchy 300kW petrol-fired performance, looks tasty, so much will come to price.

As for the apparent determination to axe the diesels that were front and centre at the national media event for Defender, staged just seven weeks ago? 

Well, that’s come as a shock to general manager Steve Kenchington and he’s been eager to get more information from JLR in the United Kingdom, which appeared to indicate this change in an overnight global release.

If that decision is valid, it’s not clear how much longer this market will be served by the D200 and D240 units that contain in all the launch derivatives.

What is known is that a six-cylinder diesel engine will be introduced in March of 2021. The national franchise already knew that this powerplant would arrive in top line D300 format. It’s the news, broken last night, of less powerful D200 and D250 variants of this unit that has come out of left field. Supposedly, these usurp the D200 four and D240.

Kenchington says there was no indication, when the car hit the market in July, that the four-cylinder option was set to disappear. As of today, he’s still not sure it will. Certainly, the reports have come as a complete surprise.

“It’s a real bombshell. I’m scratching my head on it to be honest. We actually haven’t had any formal notification that the four-cylinders are off the table for us.”

He thinks it all comes back to JLR’s focus on economies of scale and achieving less complexity. 

Defender has been selling brilliantly since release – demand is actually ahead of expectation and the likelihood is at least 350 units being ordered by next March, the end of the local arm’s financial year and just nine months away, when 300 were forecast for the entire calendar year.

He doesn’t think knowledge now that an under-bonnet change is going to diminish enthusiasm for the current engines. 

“If anything, it could be quite the contrary.”

Meantime, the idea of taking a PHEV alongside the current sole petrol choice, a 298kW three-litre six-cylinder (P400) that has 48-volt mild hybrid electrification.

As expected, the drivetrain is from the Range Rover Sport PHEV – so a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. The combined output of the two systems is 296kW and 650Nm, enough to help the Defender crack the 0-100kmh sprint in 5.6 seconds. It can also tow a trailer up to 3000kg in weight.

It can cover up to 44km on pure-electric power alone and, as electric drive is sent to all four wheels, there’s opportunity for zero-emission off-road driving.

The optimal fuel burn average - under the WLTP testing regime - is just 3.3L/100km, which is the same level as claimed for Toyota’s most efficient car, the Yaris Hybrid, while emitting just 74g/km of CO2. Topping up the battery using a 50kW fast charger, meanwhile, takes just 30 minutes for an 80 percent charge, or two hours using a 7.4kW wallbox home charger.

The diesel drive unwraps in an interesting manner. That the entry six-cylinder will continue with D200 badging might confuse, but has a logic, as it creates identical power as is generated by the current 2.0-litre, 147kW – even though torque lifts, from 430Nm to 500Nm. 

Retiring the D240 designation for D250 is logical, too, as it has 184kW, a 7kW lift, and a than the D240 delivers. Torque climbs to 570Nm.

The top state of tune from the six-cylinder in its flagship D300 tune, meantime, is 221kW and 650Nm. 

The big plus for the six-cylinder is enhanced efficiency, but more in terms of emissions - thanks to 48-volt mild hybrid tech, the D200 and D250 emit 250 g/km.

The story is different in respect to economy. Whereas the four-cylinders’ achieve optimals of 7.6 litres per 100km and 7.7L/100km, the D200 and D250 both average 8.7L/100km. The sixes are sharper in the sprint, though, with ability to hit 100kmh in 10.2 seconds (D200), 8.3s (D250), and 6.7s for the D300.

The new diesels also introduce Intelligent All-Wheel Drive to the Land Rover family: this allows up to 100 percent of engine torque to be diverted to either the front or rear axle if required.

Those engines avail in the current 110 and the incoming shorter 90 body styles, whereas the P400e is available only in the 110 wheelbase, with five or six-seat layouts. The PHEVs also come standard with air suspension and 20-inch alloy wheels.

In some markets, Land Rover has also introduced a new X-Dynamic trim that features a satin black finish for the front and rear bash plates, grille bars, recovery loops and alloy wheels. They also take illuminated tread plates and seats finished in hard-wearing Robustek fabric.

Land Rover has also released more detail on its commercial Defenders, named Hard Top, which maintain only the front seats and convert the remaining cabin space as a fully flat load floor and have a load area partition.