The latest Skoda Superb being trialled by the New Zealand Police will most likely end up with an office job rather than a Prime One role in the front line. Not because it’s a tenderfoot, more that the Superb iV is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) that – like all PHEVs – does what it does best pootling around city and suburban streets. That’s the beat where the … [Read more...] about Latest police recruit from Skoda likely to end up with office job
Volkswagen's Piech
Gov’t emissions penalty – NZ best seller hit with $4660 tax
The Ford Ranger ute, New Zealand’s best selling vehicle, could cost up to $4660 more from next year under the Government’s Clean Car Import Standard. That’s the number Ford’s boffins have come up with as they chew over the graduated effect the tailpipe emissions tax will have on the prices of the company’s fleet of cars and commercials. Ford's $4660 estimate is a … [Read more...] about Gov’t emissions penalty – NZ best seller hit with $4660 tax
Talk about collectables: here’s the last petrol car from Lotus
The end of the internal combustion era for Lotus is coming with the new Emira, the first new model from the British marque since 2009 and the last petrol-powered car it will produce. As Lotus promised earlier this year, the Emira acts as both a preview of its upcoming design language – seen also in the all-electric Evija – as well as a reference to current models the Elise, … [Read more...] about Talk about collectables: here’s the last petrol car from Lotus
New Subaru WRX is among last of affordable treasures
The market for the few petrol-powered performance cars that don’t cost the earth will heat up as carmakers move towards electric powertrains. An example of a future collectable is the fourth-generation Subaru WRX, partially seen above in the first teaser photo from Subaru. The car is due to be unveiled later this year and available in New Zealand in 2022. Already it and … [Read more...] about New Subaru WRX is among last of affordable treasures
Race driver puts foot down on deadline for hydrogen car
French startup company Hopium, founded by racing driver Olivier Lombard, has begun testing its prototype Machina, a sedan powered by a hydrogen fuel cell with a claimed range of 1000km. Lombard, the youngest class winner at Le Mans when he drove an LMP2 to victory in 2011 at the age of 21, plans to put the Machina into production in 2025 with an initial run of 1000 … [Read more...] about Race driver puts foot down on deadline for hydrogen car