Industry groups welcome Budget moves

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Industry groups welcome Budget moves

INITIATIVES for cleaner vehicles announced in today’s Budget have been welcomed by two prominent industry-aligned organisations, especially a funding that potentially points to an incentive scheme to help car buyers into electric product.

The Motor Industry Association, which acts on behalf of new vehicle distributors, and DriveElectric, a pressure organisation for adoption of electric cars, have spoken positively about provisions in respect to motoring.

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Tucson feeling same fire heat as Sportage

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Tucson feeling same fire heat as Sportage

THE Hyundai equivalent of a popular Kia sports utility, now pulling mainstream media interest as result of its recall, is also at risk of catching fire due to an electronic fault in the engine bay.

A remedial action for the current generation Hyundai Tucson sold here posted nationally in early April, so almost five weeks ago, though the brand was taking questions about it much earlier – MotoringNZ.com first publicised the matter in a story on February 11.

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Hyundai Nexo super-feat: Slow and steady re-sets record

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Hyundai Nexo super-feat: Slow and steady re-sets record

AN Australian team has, by driving a Hyundai Nexo fuel cell electric vehicle somewhat conservatively, broken the world record for the longest distance travelled in a hydrogen-powered vehicle on a single tank.

Brendan Reeves, an Australian rally driver, drove a production specification Nexo for a claimed distance of 887.5km, exceeding the previous world record of 778km set by a Frenchman, Bertrand Piccard, also at the wheel of a Nexo, and the manufacturer-claimed range of 666km (measured on the WLTP scale).

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Renault Megane RS: Bonjour … and adieu

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LATEST editions of an iconic French performance car just becoming available in New Zealand now seem set to be the last of an illustrious line.

Renault’s announcement of having officially dissolved its Renault Sport line, in favour of making a fresh start with electric cars with the Alpine badge, is hardly a hot timing for the make’s national distributor.

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VW Tiguan Allspace: NZ-confirmed update revealed

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VW Tiguan Allspace: NZ-confirmed update revealed

HAVING established the ‘regular’ updated Tiguan in markets including New Zealand, Volkswagen has now allowed a first proper look at the ‘plus-sized’ seven-seater edition set to arrive locally later this year.

The refreshed Allspace which starts local roll-out in the third quarter unsurprisingly achieves the same suite of updates applied to the regular five-chair variants earlier this year, including tweaks to the styling and cabin, a rejigging of the line-up and engines and more connected and safety technology.

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Elemental approach with Solterra

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Elemental approach with Solterra

WHEN it comes for a love of the outdoors, Subaru is right up there with the best of them – so quite fittingly, it has given its first electric car, a robust-looking compact crossover, a name that fits.

New Zealand is in line to see the Solterra, a tag that presents as a conjunction of the Latin for ‘Sun’ and ‘Earth’ and emphasise the car's environmentally friendly context.

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TNZ stock shortfall hits 11,000 vehicles

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TNZ stock shortfall hits 11,000 vehicles

FORWARD orders for new Toyota and Lexus models have reached 11,000 unites, effectively six months’ sales, and buyers are generally in for prolonged wait times.

An unprecedented accrual for Toyota New Zealand affects every model it represents, general manager of new car sales Steve Prangnell says, including one still to come, the next version of a traditional big seller, the Toyota Highlander.

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NZ-developed EV battery monitoring tool announced

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NZ-developed EV battery monitoring tool announced

CONSIDERATION into resolving perceived environmental problems related to the disposal of expended electric vehicle batteries has spurred development of an online tool called a ‘battery passport’.

Audi New Zealand, which has several cars in the premium EV sector with two more to shortly launch, has supported the concept and is encouraging other car brands to also involve.

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Van, SUV drive Ford’s EV promoter link

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Van, SUV drive Ford’s EV promoter link

ANNOUNCEMENT today of Ford New Zealand having joined the primary independent pressure group for electric vehicle uptake isn’t a signal it is any closer to including the Blue Oval’s first fully-fledged battery-compelled car, the Mustang Mach E, into its portfolio.

This today from the brand’s communications manager, Tom Clancy, who says there is still no clarity as to when, or even if, the five-seater sports utility might be sold here.

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Full confession on police deal

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Full confession on police deal

CASE closed: Skoda itself has shared key information, never disclosed locally, in respect to the police buy-up of Superb station wagons as front-line cruisers – exactly how many are coming and over what period.

In a release it sent out from its headquarters in Mlada Boleslav to celebrate to contract, the Czech marque has identified that the contract is to supply 2000 cars over the next four years.

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Kona EV recall will be a long haul

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Kona EV recall will be a long haul

POTENTIALLY more than half of the 800 electric Hyundai Konas so far sold in New Zealand are set to require a battery transplant, with surgery unlikely to start before August.

Even this is still something of a guesstimate for Hyundai New Zealand, with the Auckland-based distributor admitting it is still chasing up vital information from the factory, two months after Seoul announced a worldwide plan to replace the drivetrain-vital battery pack.

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Year-end landing for first Lexus electric

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Year-end landing for first Lexus electric

AN end-of-2021 local market arrival timing has been announced for the UX 300e, the first Lexus to be wholly reliant on battery-fed electric power.

Confirmation of the small SUV’s local availability comes more than a year after the local arm expressed interest and almost two years since its global debut at a motor show in China.

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