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AUDI A4 2008 – 2018

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2008 Audi A4 Avant

A major player in the trio of prestigious German cars Audi has become increasingly strong in its public image in Australia in the last decade or so. The Audi A4 is a midrange model that’s sold as a sedan, a two-door cabriolet and an Avant station wagon. A further variation is the A4 allroad quattro. Based on the Avant it has increased ground clearance, as well as added body and underbody protection. While the shape of the A4 was nothing to get excited about in early years, it leapt forward… Read more

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BENZ BIG GUNS HAVE SIGHTS ON CLOSE RIVALS

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Mercedes-Benz is wheeling out the big guns to take on the opposition, such as Audi, BMW, Range Rover, Volvo, Jaguar and Porsche, plus the odd Johnny-come-lately like Bentley and Maserati, in the premium sports utility segment. New from the ground up, the Mercedes-Benz in question, the GLE, comes to market in Australia with a fresh look and a range of new-generation engines, plus the innovative driver-vehicle connectivity of the Mercedes me Connect system. The fourth generation large SUV, which originally started out as the M-Class, has got bigger than the… Read more

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NEW NISSAN NAVARA SPECIAL EDITION

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Nissan Australia has upgraded its Navara ute with a new all-new Alliance In-Vehicle Infotainment (AIVI) system featuring the larger touchscreen and now with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its SL, ST and ST-X variants and also added a new special edition model called N-TREK. Navara N-TREK is based on the top spec Dual Cab 4X4 ST-X with enhancements that include a range of black Nissan genuine parts and accessories as well as a number of interior enhancements. Unlike recent limited edition Navara models like the SL-based Silverline and ST… Read more

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HAVAL H2-OH: THE WATERED-DOWN WAGON

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Haval’s ongoing improvement of the H2 sees the small sports utility vehicle pick up a range of advanced automotive systems. However, the Chinese-made compact SUV continues to fall short of the best in breed, such as the Mitsubishi ASX and Mazda CX-3. What it does not lag behind in is the pricing, which can add up to $5000 or more for the entry-level model – in this case the Haval City 2WD manual at $19,990. The automatic City on test adds $1000. Standard features include keyless entry and start, reverse… Read more

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FCAI PUSHES HARD ON TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL

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The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has noted the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) release of the latest quarterly Takata airbag recall rectification figures. Announced today, the June 30 2019 figures from the ACCC show the automotive industry is steadily completing the monumental task of rectifying more than three million vehicles with faulty Takata airbags in the Australian market. The ACCC has indicated there is a total of 537,000 vehicles still to be rectified, meaning the vast majority of impacted vehicles in Australia have had their airbags replaced…. Read more

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2020 PORSCHE MACAN S

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Porsche Macan is an excellent combination between SUV and full-on sportscar, not only in styling but also on-road handling and, believe it or not, off-road ability. Some Porsche purists may still not approve that “their” company – once famed for building nothing but pure sportscars – is now making SUVs saying these are not and never will be sports machines. They should be grateful that Porsche did choose to build SUVs – otherwise it’s likely the company would have gone bankrupt and the latest 911s would have never have come… Read more

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NISSAN TIIDA 2006 – 2013

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2010 Nissan Tiida

Nissan Tiida has come – and gone – from the Australian new-car market, on sale here only from February 2006 till February 2013. Were there problems with it? No, other than that it wasn’t called the new generation Nissan Pulsar and potential buyers were either confused, angry, or both. Marketing can be a weird business… The Tiida is far from being the best looking car ever sold here. But its boxy body results in a spacious interior. The front seats are almost as wide as those of a six-cylinder car,… Read more

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JAGUAR IS WORKING WITH BASF TO RECYCLE HIGH GRADE PLASTICS

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It’s estimated that the amount of waste plastic is predicted to exceed 12 million tonnes globally by 2050. Today, not all of this plastic can be recycled for use in automotive applications – especially in vehicle parts that are required to meet the most exacting safety and quality standards. However, working in conjunction with chemical company, BASF, Jaguar Land Rover is part of a pilot project called ChemCycling that upcycles domestic waste plastic, otherwise destined for landfill or incinerators, into a new high-quality material. The waste plastic is transformed to… Read more

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NEW AUDI A6 TO GET THE LATEST CONNECT PLUS INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM

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Audi has unveiled its latest infotainment system with a range of new convenience, safety and security features. Called Audi Connect plus it’s an upgrade of the previous Audi Connect system and it uses an embedded SIM card linked to the Telstra network to provide these features. To ensure that Audi connect plus was fine-tuned to specific Australian infrastructure requirements the system was incorporated into local testing of the upcoming Audi e-tron electric vehicles including travelling around 10,000 kilometres over a two-year period. The routes including both urban and regional areas… Read more

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MOTORCLASSICA 2019

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Australasia’s premier annual exhibition of rare, classic, collectible and significant cars and motorcycles will celebrate its 10th event this year, with dates confirmed for 11 – 13 October 2019. Motorclassica will once again be staged at Melbourne’s world heritage listed Royal Exhibition Building, its home since the inaugural event of 2010. This year’s Motorclassica 2019 will have an anticipated entry of 150 vehicles for 2019 on the polished wooden boards of the Royal Exhibition building. Outside, will be the club-based displays known as Club Sandwich, which will see a further… Read more