One-tonne truck market leaders Ford and Toyota are in the midst of signing off on right-hand-drive versions of their bigger North American market pick-ups for sale in Australia and New Zealand. Both companies are working towards the end of research and development – Ford with right-hook F-150 models engineered by Thailand’s RMA Group, and Toyota with the Tundra … [Read more...] about Ford and Toyota to deliver US pick-up trucks
GM keeps petrol alive with new V8 engines
The new right-hand-drive Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that will go on sale in New Zealand next year will almost certainly be powered by the last of parent General Motors’ current high-performance V8 engines. But it won’t be the last V8 from the US carmaker, which is keeping petrol power alive while investing heavily in electric vehicles (EVs). GM has announced it has … [Read more...] about GM keeps petrol alive with new V8 engines
How Holden’s top brass killed hybrid Commodore
Woulda, coulda, shoulda … the celebrated Holden nameplate might have survived if the carmaker’s board of directors in Australia had listened to its most senior engineer 23 years ago. It was the year of the Sydney Olympic Games. Holden and the Australian Government’s CSIRO – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – had developed a hybrid ECOmmodore … [Read more...] about How Holden’s top brass killed hybrid Commodore
Mazda’s rotary engine lives on in an EV
Five years ago this month, Mazda’s then North American chief Masahiro Moro confirmed what researchers had known for some time: the company’s rotary engine would be ideal as an on-board motor-generator for battery-electric (BEV) vehicles. “This is a very suitable engine to run a generator because it’s compact and lightweight, with no noise or vibration, and it has very good … [Read more...] about Mazda’s rotary engine lives on in an EV
Post-pandemic work/love shack
The pandemic-fuelled growth in work-from-home culture serves as the driving force behind the design of the NomadPro, a conceptual mobile workspace based on the Canter truck from Mitsubishi affiliate Fuso. It’s been designed for day and overnight trips, imagined as a temporary reprieve from the downsides of living and working in the same space at home . As society shifts … [Read more...] about Post-pandemic work/love shack