Ducati first showed off two Scrambler-based concept bikes, the Motard and DesertX, at its world premiere event in Italy in 2019. The frenzied reception the DesertX received prompted the company to prepare the Dakar-inspired adventure bike for production in 2021. It went on sale in New Zealand last year, priced at around $25,000. Now Ducati has tweaked it … [Read more...] about Audi and Ducati get it together
Ford and Toyota to deliver US pick-up trucks
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