THOUGHT Government might be considering accelerating electric vehicle ownership by directly involving in their sale, potentially in partnership with a budget brand, has triggered alarm within the new vehicle industry.
Read MoreEXPECTED volume for the plug-in hybrid version of the Eclipse Cross might at least equal counts being achieved by a well-received big brother whose petrol-electric drivetrain it adopts.
That view is expressed by Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand’s head of marketing, Reece Congdon, who anticipates seeing the new 2.4-litre version of the brand’s compact crossover to achieve up to 50 sales a month.
Read MoreDOMESTIC demand for a Mahindra four-wheel-drive in the spotlight in Australia for looking too much like a famous Jeep is such it cannot be delivered to New Zealand regardless of whether introduction triggered a fight.
Read MoreWITH exception of the 911, it seems every car Porsche produces is set to wean off hydrocarbons and embrace electrification.
At same token, it seems the largest in the family isn’t set to go quietly.
Read MoreTHE only big American pick-up that benefits from electric impetus that Kiwis can definitely lay hands on has started to release in New Zealand.
The new DT series RAM 1500, which has just landed in $137,990 Laramie and $159,990 Limited crew cab formats, certainly doesn’t commit anything like as completely to battery-enhanced driving as the Lightning version of its long-standing Ford rival, the F-150, which unveiled to the world last week.
Read MoreINITIATIVES 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.
Read MoreThree heavyweight champs of the US pickup scene are in the news. But only one has immediate relevance to Kiwis.
Read MoreTHE 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.
Read MorePOPULARITY has apparently proven the undoing of the top-selling Kia in New Zealand last year, the Sportage.
That’s the gist of explanation from Kia New Zealand in respect to why it has determined to stop selling the current generation of medium SUV, which achieved 36 percent of Kia NZ volume last year, with immediate effect.
Read MoreAN update for the Toyota Camry hitting soon has refined the range to hybrid-only, in three trim levels, across a $8500 span, and given the brand opportunity to offer some mild criticism of a recent fleet announcement.
Read MoreAN 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).
Read MoreLATEST 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.
Read MoreHAVING 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.
Read MoreREALITY check – electric BMW cars are coming and the vaunted M Division is not excluded from the battery drive.
So, with that in mind, we know electrics can be made to go fast – and be remarkably quick off the block. The big hang-up with petrol-addicted purists is what they sound like.
Read MoreWHEN 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.
Read MoreSOME new vehicle distributors here are contemplating cutting back on some advanced supplementary safety features.
This from the head of the organisation that acts on behalf of the industry, speaking in respect to the local market impact of a global shortage of computer chips.
Read MoreFORWARD 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.
Read MoreCONSIDERATION 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.
Read MoreHonda NZ high-ups discuss the reasons for changes to the long-standing Price Promise policy and talk cars.
Read MoreANNOUNCEMENT 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.
Read MoreMotoringNZ reviews new cars and keeps readers up-to-date with the latest developments on the auto industry. All the major brands are represented. The site is owned and edited by New Zealand motoring journalist Richard Bosselman.
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