Category: News

No comments

TOYOTA TUNDRA COMING DOWNUNDER

  By ,

Toyota Australia has announced details of its full-size Tundra pick-up truck which, subject to a successful local evaluation program, is likely to go on sale here in 2025. If it does come here it will compete against vehicles such as Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500. Built at Toyota’s factory in San Antonio, Texas the Tundra has been around since 1999 but only in left-hand drive. An initial batch of 300 vehicles will come here and be converted to right-hand drive by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group in Clayton South,… Read more

No comments

LUXURY LEXUS LM PEOPLE MOVER NOW ON SALE

  By ,

After the public got an early preview of the Lexus LM at last month’s Melbourne Cup the luxury people mover is now on sale The name-tag stands for Luxury Mover and it certainly lives up to that description. While it’s technically a people mover, its price range of $160,888 to $222,000, means that its far more likely to be used for chauffeur-driven executive transport rather than on the family school run. There are two variants, the seven-seat LM 350h Sports Luxury, available in either two- or all-wheel drive, priced from… Read more

No comments

VOLVO XC60, PLENTY TO SAY . . . MOSTLY GOOD

  By , ,

What’s in a name? Plenty for Volvo, the Sino-Swedish car maker with its new mid-size luxury SUV, the XC60, tagged with a string of descriptors to separate each model from one another. Take, for example our test vehicle, the Volvo XC60 Ultimate B5 Bright: phew! And that mouthful comes without mentioning vital specifications such as the powertrain – in this case 2-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine, plus eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. ‘Ultimate’ relates to the trim level, B5 to the engine, a turbocharged petrol motor enhanced by a… Read more

No comments

FORD CUTS PRICES OF MUSTANG MACH-E

  By ,

In response to increasing competition in the premium EV market Ford Australia has announced significant cuts in the prices of its all-new Mustang Mach-E fully-electric SUV range. Commenting on the news, Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia President and CEO said: “This price reduction is a major positive for our customers and demonstrates our commitment to delivering the best products and great value to our customers. As the EV market continues to evolve, we are responding to it.” Although it shares a name with Ford’s famous pony car, that’s where any similarities… Read more

No comments

FIVE-DOOR SUZUKI JIMNY IS FINALLY HERE

  By ,

Over the years, the Suzuki Jimny compact SUV has become something of a cult figure with its retro looks and its semi-serious off-road ability. To date it’s only been available with three doors and so limiting its potential buyer base but now the long-awaited five-door version has arrived. Built in India, the new five-door Jimny joins the ongoing three-door Jimny and Jimny Lite and comes in a single variant, tagged XL – as in extra-large – although at 3820 mm long it’s hardly that. It is however 340mm longer than… Read more

No comments

FOUR-CYLINDER ENGINE AND AUTOMATIC TRANMISSION FOR NEW 70-SERIES LANDCRUISER

  By ,

Whenever you travel around the great Aussie bush every second vehicle seems to be a Toyota 70-Series LandCruiser. Some in much loved condition, others that have led a rough life – but all are still going strong and hard, even with too little maintenance. One reason for its popularity is that it has been developed specifically for the Australian environment, with a tough ladder-frame chassis, live-axles, impressive ground clearance, part-time 4×4, powerful yet efficient engine, excellent load-carrying capacity and long touring range. Until now all 70-Series variants have been powered… Read more

No comments

WIRELESS EV CHARGING A GAME CHANGER

  By

Just as wireless charging is a boon to mobile phones, it will be a game changer for electric vehicles. German auto parts manufacturer Mahle reckons it has developed a positioning system that allows an electric vehicle to be simply, reliably and precisely aligned above the charging coil in the floor. The Mahle positioning system DIPS (Differential Inductive Positioning System) represents a paradigm shift in the field of e-mobility. It is based on a magnetic field and automatically establishes a connection with the controlled charging point as the electric vehicle approaches…. Read more

No comments

ANCAP CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY

  By

  The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Established in the early 1993 as just the second New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) in the world after the United States, ANCAP and its star ratings have become synonymous among Australian and New Zealand new car buyers, vehicle manufacturers and fleet operators as the independent and trusted voice on vehicle safety. ANCAP began as a two-year campaign to shine a light on the comparable levels of safety offered by Australia’s most popular selling models. It has… Read more

No comments

WAIT IS NEARLY OVER FOR THE NEW MITSUBISHI TRITON

  By ,

Mitsubishi Australia has announced additional details of its new sixth-generation Triton utility due to arrive here in February 2024. Larger than before, the sixth generation Triton has been completely redesigned for the first time in nine years and comes with a more powerful and cleaner engine, a new ladder frame, upgraded interior and extra tech and safety feature. Not surprisingly, these improvements come at a cost with price rises of between $3250 and $7600 before on-road costs. As before there are four equipment levels: GLX, GLX+, GLS and GSR available… Read more

No comments

NEW-LOOK TUCSON ON THE WAY

  By ,

It’s two decades since Hyundai Tucson entered an emerging SUV segment. In that time, it has gone on to evolve into a global bestseller. Now a new-look Tucson is on the way. It’s the first update for the car since the launch of the fourth-generation Tucson in 2020. Due to make its European debut in early-2024 it will arrive here midway through the year and will include a hybrid variant for the first time. A more dynamic appearance is said to embody the company’s progressive vision for future mobility although… Read more