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Highlights

Under brakes at 190km/h – where Nigel Mansell is doing 300km/h

September 10, 2021 by Alastair Sloane

Lotus has talked for years about setting up in New Zealand with strong local support. Now it has finally done something about it. The Giltrap Group will open a Lotus outlet in Auckland next year, most likely with the last of the carmaker's petrol models, Elise and Exige, before the EVs arrive.  The following story first appeared here in 2015. Alastair Sloane revists it. The … [Read more...] about Under brakes at 190km/h – where Nigel Mansell is doing 300km/h

Reworked classic cars designed for whatever floats your boat

September 4, 2021 by Alastair Sloane

No, the Jaguar E-Type boat above isn’t a scale model – but it is a plaything of sorts. It and the others pictured here are products of Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini. He and his Floating Motors company are building watercraft based on some of the most iconic classic cars. The car/boats vary in size and come with a choice of battery-electric or petrol power. The … [Read more...] about Reworked classic cars designed for whatever floats your boat

Ex-Ferrari designers pen hydrogen-powered catamaran

August 25, 2021 by Alastair Sloane

Two former Ferrari designers borrowed the evocative look of one of Alfa Romeo’s most revered cars to pen a 55 metre-long catamaran concept powered by electricity from hydrogen fuel cells. The computer-generated twin-hull is named Migma, Greek for ‘mixture.’ It’s a product of Spanish studio Ruma, whose co-founders Mario Fuentes and Ruben Roldan – prominent automotive design … [Read more...] about Ex-Ferrari designers pen hydrogen-powered catamaran

Tesla Model 3 judged the most efficient electric car

August 19, 2021 by Alastair Sloane

The Tesla Model 3 has been judged the most efficient electric vehicle in a test conducted by UK magazine What Car?  The Model 3 sedan rated best in terms of energy efficiency but lost out to a juiced-up Ford Mustang E-Mach on distance travelled. Monthly publication What Car? got together 10 of the best or newest EVs on sale in the UK to find out which one travelled the … [Read more...] about Tesla Model 3 judged the most efficient electric car

New Audi RS3 heads to NZ with ‘quantum leap’ in agility

August 7, 2021 by Alastair Sloane

Expect Audi New Zealand boss Dean Sheed to highlight a technical triumph for the brand when the new RS3 sedan arrives in New Zealand next year. It’s a development of a Haldex differential that uses multiple disc clutches on each rear axle shaft to distribute the amount of torque sent to each wheel. It helped the 2022 RS3 set a compact car lap record at Germany’s … [Read more...] about New Audi RS3 heads to NZ with ‘quantum leap’ in agility

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The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

EU carmakers seek trade deal with Trump

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders:  “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

Diesel fuels EV concept for US military

A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

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Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin

https://youtu.be/NwHbJ7HN1sU

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