Oh dear, motoring media continues to grope its way blindfolded into another day by continuing to parrot press releases, this time from Subaru NZ. The PR piece said Subaru NZ had received two awards from head office in Japan, one for a new sales record in 2016 and the other for outstanding sales growth – “117.2 per cent compared to 2015.” Wow! Subaru NZ managing director … [Read more...] about Motoring media swallows story of Subaru’s ‘117.2% growth’ in NZ
Highlights
Go-fast future is petrol-electric and super batteries, says AMG chief
The glory days of naturally aspirated petrol engines, the big-banging V8s and V12s, are history – at least for go-fast house Mercedes-AMG. And it doesn’t matter that technology has made petrol engines so efficient … there is no place in the future for a return to naturally aspirated, even with an electric motor to help things along. That’s the word from Mercedes-AMG chief … [Read more...] about Go-fast future is petrol-electric and super batteries, says AMG chief
Toyota’s off-road concept for town-and-around ‘millennials’
Under the theme ‘Let’s go places’, Toyota has unveiled a four-wheel-drive adventure concept aimed at making last-minute adventures for city-slickers as easy as possible. It’s called the FT-4X, or ‘Future Toyota Four-Wheel-Drive Crossover’. The buyers Toyota’s marketing people have in mind are ‘millennials who are fond of the outdoors, but operate almost always … [Read more...] about Toyota’s off-road concept for town-and-around ‘millennials’
C-HR – a Toyota SUV that is most unlike a Toyota SUV
Toyota NZ sales manager Steve Prangnell (above) reckons SUVs in the compact segment are “drab looking compared to our car.” He’s talking about Toyota’s new C-HR, a look-at-me five-door designed under instruction from the big boss in Japan, company president and CEO Akio Toyoda. It’s what Toyoda wants from his styling studios. He said it himself: “Cars that people want to … [Read more...] about C-HR – a Toyota SUV that is most unlike a Toyota SUV
Holden to deliver Commodore wagon to rival all-paw Subaru Outback
Holden NZ confirmed this week what automotivenews.co.nz said two months ago – that a variant of the next-generation Commodore Sportwagen would go head-to-head with the likes of the Subaru Outback in New Zealand and Australia. This website was given the 'good oil' in January. Early in February, Holden on both sides of the Tasman played down a higher-riding version of the … [Read more...] about Holden to deliver Commodore wagon to rival all-paw Subaru Outback