Author: benzina

Lexus can’t keep up with the demand for some of its hybrid models, with demand far outstripping supply for the UX compact SUV and NX mid-size model. According to Lexus Australia, the company’s hybrid sales rate is currently at 27.35 per cent for the year, to 30 September 2019. And it’s the SUV range which…

Audi Australia has upgraded its S3, S4 and S5 performance models with more standard equipment for 2020, two of which go without corresponding price rises. The S3 remains available in three body styles, with the five-door Sportback hatch, four-door Sedan and two-door Cabriolet unchanged in price at $64,200, $65,800 and $73,400 plus on-road costs respectively…

These illustrations may give away the yet-to-be-revealed Genesis GV70 medium SUV ahead of its Australian launch in 2021. Russian publication Kolesa.ru has used spy photographs to render the new South Korean high rider, which will go to battle with the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5 when it hits local showrooms. A prominent yet…

Hyundai’s environmentally focused Ioniq has lost the title of Australia’s most affordable electric vehicle (EV), with the 2020 model year overhaul ushering in an increase in price, as well as a new look, increased standard equipment and extended range for the battery electric variants. The base battery-electric Ioniq Electric Elite has jumped $3500 in price…

Lexus has confirmed it will offer a semi-autonomous highway driving system known as Teammate on models sold from 2020 onwards. The new Lexus Teammate system is designed to allow drivers to hand over control of their car on the highway – having been developed on the raised roads of Tokyo, fine-tuned using real world data and Artificial Intelligence (AI).…

When the Citroen C3 launched in Australia in 2018, it came with an innovative safety technology option known as ConnectedCAM – a dash cam built into the windscreen. But that clever item – which cost customers an additional $600 – is no longer available. As with most aftermarket dash cam systems, the camera would constantly…

Bringing Mazda’s first ever production-ready full-electric vehicle to Australia may make no sense, but the fact is it’s almost certain to go on sale here anyway. Globally, Mazda has already said that the all-new MX-30, unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last week, will only go to markets where it makes sense as a tool…

The all-new version Toyota Yaris 2020 model is to bring a range of technology and safety upgrades over its predecessor – but the brand says it will remain a budget-friendly offering in the city car market. The all-new model has been confirmed to offer new safety tech previously unseen in the Toyota range, let alone…

EV Automotive is a new Australian importer, which has tasked itself with the bold undertaking of launching a range of electric-only vehicles into the local market. The importer will bring in a range of EVs initially sourced from Chinese brand Dongfeng. Dongfeng is one of the largest manufacturers of EVs in the booming Chinese market…

There’s a lot of talk about the next-generation Toyota LandCruiser SUV – the model that will replace the ageing 200 Series has big shoes to fill, after all. But Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, was offering no official word on what to expect when we spoke to him at the…

Toyota has for so long been derided as ‘whitegoods on wheels’, but Toyota is now riding high atop the Australian car industry and there seems to be no end in sight to its dominance. For decades Holden and Ford duked it out at the top of the sales charts, but as they focused on each…

The Subaru WRX is a performance icon, and like other performance icons – think Clint Eastwood – it’s getting a little long in the tooth in its current generation. And the current model is set to stick around until 2021 at least, before an all-new version of the WRX arrives in Australia. And that’s if…

Nissan wants a hardcore Navara Nismo to rattle the Ford Ranger Raptor, with the brand’s senior executives confirming a new tough truck would focus on off-road performance rather than on-road dynamics.  While Nissan’s performance brand has so far focused exclusively on road performance, a Navara Nismo will forgo tarmac dynamics in favour of off-road pace…

The 2021 Subaru Outback high-riding wagon is still about 12 months from launching in Australia, with the brand’s local arm currently working with Japan to figure out the intricate details of the all-new model. You may have seen the Subaru Outback 2020 model that has launched in the US – but that’s not the car…

Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBlue turbo-diesel engine is at the centre of a huge stop sale order due to complications with fuel-injection components that affects just over 2000 vehicles. Dealers have been ordered to stop selling and ordering the affected models, which include the popular Ranger ute, mechanically related Everest large SUV, Transit and Transit Custom vans,…

The future of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class still appears uncertain with the brand in Australia confirming the model is under “review”. While Mercedes says the premium ute plays a key role in Australia, it also concedes it has become a niche product globally, saying “we continuously review and analyse which further role the X-Class will play”.…

Subaru has remained fairly secretive on the new-generation WRX, but a preview of the next Levorg wagon this week gives us the best indication yet of what to expect from the brand’s next all-wheel-drive sports car. With the current Levorg and WRX sharing the same platform and 2.0-litre engine, it stands to reason much of…