Category: News

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FORD RANGER XLS SPECIAL EDITION

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Pickup trucks are all the rage in Australia at the moment and Ford says it’s very keen to be the market leader in this important segment. Toyota HiLux has been a winner here just about forever, but Ford says Ranger can oust HiLux and take top spot on the podium. Ford is certainly coming closer by the month. A big ambition? Yes, but a smart one as the Ford Falcon will disappear from the Australian market in October this year and something has to fill its place and bring dollars… Read more

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JEEP CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

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The Jeep has been referred to as, “the car that won a war”. A strong call? Perhaps, but there’s no doubt the versatile little go-anywhere 4WD greatly improved the movement of the men, materiel and messages on all fronts during World War II. Though the USA didn’t enter the War until the Pearl Harbor attacks on 7th December 1941 American military strategists clearly anticipated the country would eventually become involved in the European conflict. Proposals for the small military vehicle that would eventually become the Jeep were called for on… Read more

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MAJOR CHANGES TO HOLDEN COLORADO

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Holden’s latest Colorado is a sure sign the company is moving in the right direction. Times change – and those who don’t change with them can get left badly behind. Holden stops making cars in Australia at a date yet to be announced in 2017. Simply shutting the doors in the factory and carrying on with sales of imported cars is not enough. The mindset of all in the company, as well as the Holden dealers, has to move with the times. New Colorado does just that; starting with a… Read more

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MAZDA3 IS SMARTER THAN EVER

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Mazda has never been a company to follow other auto makers and the updated Mazda3 is a prime example of this. While it has received a mild facelift, the main emphasis is on what you can’t see, with major changes to the steering and suspension systems. Safety, long a strong point with the Mazda Australia organisation, has been further enhanced. It has become customary for Mazda Australia to fly senior engineers from its Japanese head office for car launches downunder. A real honour to our local guys and gals that… Read more

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MASERATI INTRODUCES AN SUV, THE VERY STYLISH LEVANTE

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How times change. If you had asked us ten years ago if the iconic Italian sportscar maker Maserati was to design a diesel-power 4WD we would have laughed outright. Our laughter would have turned into shrieks of merriment if you had asked if you could buy that Maser for under $250,000. Yet here is exactly that vehicle, the Maserati Levante SUV will soon hit the roads – possibly even trails – of Australia. Even more surprising is the price tag. It starts at just $155,000 and tops out at $175,000… Read more

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HYUNDAI RELEASES 2017 SONATA

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Hyundai’s Sonata dates back to the late 1980s and is an excellent example the huge strides made by the South Korean automotive industry in the almost 30 years since its introduction. A medium-large car, Sonata is one of the many contenders starting to line up to replace the Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore and Toyota Camry when they disappear from the local car-making scene. Camry is the closest in external size to the Sonata. Inside however, the Hyundai’s use of front-wheel-drive means it’s not that much smaller than the big Holdens… Read more

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SUZUKI BALENO LAUNCHED ON SPACE MISSION

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Suzuki Baleno is bursting out of the light car passenger segment into the small car space while getting a spurt on in performance with its latest model. The Baleno comes in two specification levels – GL with a 1.4-litre engine, with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. A new engine, the 1.0-litre Booster Jet turbocharged variant, with six-speed automatic transmission has claimed fuel use of 5.2 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban / highway cycle. Low consumption is partly attributed to having a standard six-speed automatic… Read more

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NEW MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS

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In a move that’s likely to take its competitors by surprise Mercedes-Benz has given its new E-Class range a real sporty look. Obviously the success of Mercedes in the redhot competition that is Grand Prix racing in recent years has inspired the German marque to move right away from its lingering reputation of only making conservative cars for middle aged buyers. The shape of the E-Class’s dominant two-bar grille with the three-pointed star in the centre works nicely with the large foglight openings and is backed up by guards with… Read more

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HYUNDAI UPGRADES ITS i30 SR

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Hyundai is enjoying a boom period in Australia. Midway through 2016 the Korean importer is sitting in third place in the total vehicle sales race, having overtaken Holden, with only Toyota and Mazda ahead of it. Equally impressive has been a dramatic increase in sales of Hyundai’s top-selling i30 which has overtaken both Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 as Australia’s biggest selling motor vehicle. There’s little doubt that aggressive pricing ($19,990 driveaway) has been the main driver of the i30’s sales surge, but it has also established its credentials as a… Read more

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JAGUAR PICKS UP THE PACE WITH POLISHED PERFORMER

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Once upon a time Jaguar lagged behind other luxury automobile manufacturers by not offering a sports utility vehicle. The likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi and Lexus all boasted a prestige SUV. Even fellow Brit, Bentley recently got into the SUV scene, albeit at a hefty price. Now the advent of the Jaguar F-Pace has put the British marque into the thick of one of the most crowded markets in the industry. Jaguar thinks enough about Australia to have allowed its design chief Ian Callum to travel Down Under to… Read more