Month: August 2019

Hyundai will offer another destination for Australian buyers looking for a small SUV next month with the launch of its Venue crossover, which is poised to steal sales away from the segment-leading Mitsubishi ASX and Mazda CX-3. But doesn’t Hyundai already have a small SUV in the form of the quirky Kona? Measuring 4036mm long,…

Volkswagen has split its entry-level California Beach grade into two, the Camper and Tour, with the former fitted with a new fold-out kitchen and the latter with two sliding doors. Overseas, the California is available also available in higher-spec Coast and Ocean variants fitted with a full-row kitchen, while the food preparation area in the…

Volkswagen says developments to its 2.0-litre TDI engine offered in the Passat and Golf ranges will now have a new “Twin Dosing” system to drastically reduce harmful emissions. The “Twin Dosing” system adds a second selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system which is pre-dosed with AdBlue chemical additive at both points. Volkswagen says that while CO2…

Hyundai has refreshed its Kona small SUV line-up for 2020, adding the brand’s SmartSense safety technology suite as standard across all variants. As such, forward collision-avoidance assist, forward collision warning, lane keep assist and driver attention warning are featured from the base Go grade up to the top-shelf Highlander. However, the lower Go and Active…

Episode 98 – the American pick-ups coming to Australia In this episode, James Cleary, Andrew Chesterton and Marcus Craft gather in the garage to talk about all things motoring, including: More brands are sending big, American-style pick-up trucks to Australia, and Chesto walks us through the ones to look out for Crafty reflects on whether EVs are suitable for hardcore…

Recent reports out of China suggest that the superpower’s government is considering introducing “experimental no-go zones” for petrol- and diesel-powered cars. It could mean the first steps toward wider-reaching restrictions on combustion vehicle sales and manufacturing, as the Chinese government continues on its years-long campaign to cut down on its harmful emissions. China first announced…

Subaru has unveiled a facelifted Impreza sedan for 2020 in its home market of Japan. The updated sedan and hatch gets a new, more streamlined front fascia, bringing it more in-line with the updated left-hand-drive 2020 Liberty and Outback models on sale in the US. It also scores tweaked alloy wheel designs across the range.…

Italian digital designer Luca Serafini has imagined Ford’s upcoming Mustang electric SUV, which is expected to be officially revealed by the American brand before year’s end.  Mr Serafini’s take on the Mustang-inspired crossover shows familiar styling cues from the high-performance Bullitt special edition, in a tall and muscular, coupe-style SUV package. The rendering is reminiscent…

 Nissan Australia looks set to deliver on another highly specified Navara, with the Japanese company trademarking N-Trek Warrior as a nameplate, which could be used for a new grade that will go toe to toe with Toyota’s HiLux Rugged X flagship. The N-Trek Warrior trademark application – including nameplate and logo – was lodged with…

Suzuki and Toyota have announced that they have purchased stakes in one another’s companies in order to collaborate on electrification, autonomy and sales in developing markets. The mutually beneficial alliance agreement could see future Suzuki models benefit from Toyota’s significantly refined hybrid technology (in a similar agreement that sees Subaru seek Toyota hybrid tech), and…

Volvo Cars has found drivers and their dogs are much more stressed while travelling when the latter is unrestrained, with more than twice as much unsafe behind-the-wheel behaviours occurring. The study, conducted in conjunction with The Harris Roll, looked at the actions of 15 US drivers and their dogs while on the road, and tallied…

Volkswagen has provided a glimpse at its new-generation Golf hatchback, releasing an official image of a camouflaged prototype.  The German manufacturer says that the eighth-generation model, or Mark 8, is in its final testing phase, and will be officially unveiled sometime in the next three months. Performance-focused GTI and R variants are expected to break…

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its new-generation GLE Coupe ahead of its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month, and Australian release in Q2, 2020. Local pricing and specifications have yet to be confirmed, however, the vehicle will launch globally in three variants: the six-cylinder diesel-powered 350d 4Matic and 400d 4Matic, and the AMG-fettled 53…

Holden’s incoming Corvette Stingray could get three distinct power levels, with reports out of the USA confirming the blistering base-model cars are just the beginning. Yesterday reports surfaced – care of US outlet Automobile magazine – that Chevrolet was working on a new twin-turbocharged V8 good for 596kW of power and 950Nm of torque. As…

Volkswagen has just unveiled an updated version of its plug-in hybrid GTE Passat for 2020, but has confirmed to CarsGuide that no GTE PHEV model will make it to Australia with plug-in hybrids simply not on the agenda. The 2020 Passat range is due to land in Australia late this year, but the just-announced GTE,…

Great Wall has confirmed its all-new, completely overhauled and re-branded “P series” ute will launch in Australia late next year. With the confirmation, and last week’s unveiling in China, we thought we’d summarise a few reasons why this new truck is set to shake up our ute market, as well as a few reasons you…

Hyundai’s campaign to launch the Hyundai Palisade in Australia is gathering steam, with the brand “in talks” with its Korean HQ about delivering a right-hand-drive version of the seven-seat Toyota Kluger rival in its current generation. Internationally, the Palisade is known as Hyundai’s “flagship SUV”, with the jumbo seven- or eight-seater arriving with a 10.0-inch…

BMW Australia has confirmed a three-variant range for its third-generation X6 coupe-style large SUV, which will enter showrooms in the fourth quarter this year. Once again, the X6 line-up opens with the xDrive30d, which is now $2000 dearer, at $121,900 plus on-road costs. The mid-range xDrive40i mirrors the xDrive30d’s specification but charges a $3000 premium,…

Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia could finally introduce the Citan small van to local showrooms when the light-commercial vehicle enters its second-generation form around 2021. Though Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia was keen to bring the first-generation Citan Down Under, the rebadged Renault Kangoo small van was ultimately deemed unfit for the local market due to a lack of…