Subaru reckons it will top 3200 sales in New Zealand in 2017, up from 2660 last year. That’s a 20 per cent hike, six percentage points better than the overall market is doing. “We’d be silly not to predict more sales this year, because the market is growing,” said managing director Wallis Dumper. The Motor Industry Association (MIA) numbers tell the story: 63,244 new … [Read more...] about New Subaru XV about to raid the sub-$40k SUV segment
Pontiac Firebird, Smokey and the Bandit, 40 years on …
Actor Burt Reynolds reckons 12 Pontiac Firebirds were destroyed during the making of Smokey and the Bandit, the car-chase/truck-chase movie of 40 years ago. But the story goes that the head of Pontiac at the time didn’t mind because the brand’s stock price rose around 70 per cent after the film’s release. A stock standard Pontiac Firebird Trans Am back then cost around … [Read more...] about Pontiac Firebird, Smokey and the Bandit, 40 years on …
Lord, Mr Ford – one of the great songs about cars …
There’s been plenty of songs about cars, but Jerry Reed’s Lord, Mr Ford is one of the best. The story above mentions the role and the song he sung in Smokey and the Bandit. Reed also appeared in the whacky 1998 movie The Waterboy, with Adam Sandler. Reed died in 2008, aged 71. This video has him singing Lord, Mr Ford on an American TV show in the 1970s … … [Read more...] about Lord, Mr Ford – one of the great songs about cars …
American website’s view of Ford Ranger in NZ – see video
American motoring website Autoblog sent reporter David Gluckman to New Zealand to drive the Ford Ranger ute, in part because a revised version of the Ranger goes on sale in the US in 2019 and Autoblog wanted to find out what Americans had been missing. Gluckman writes for his US audience: “Why New Zealand, you might ask? Because it's beautiful, because we wanted to go there, … [Read more...] about American website’s view of Ford Ranger in NZ – see video
American website tests Ford Ranger in NZ …
The Ford Ranger badge was last sold in the United States in 2010. Since then Ford has built the Ranger for pretty much every other market expect the US. That changes in 2019 when a refreshed version of the ute will be available in North America. Meantime, US website Autoblog sent a reporter to New Zealand to drive the Ranger and find out what Americans had been missing. The … [Read more...] about American website tests Ford Ranger in NZ …