ABOVE: John Cobb driving his Napier-Railton Special at Brooklands in 1935. The car was powered by a 24-litre W12 aero engine. British watchmaker Farer has launched three new mechanical chronographs, each in honour of daredevil pioneering speedsters. The timepieces – designed in the UK with Swiss-made internals – salute the UK’s John Cobb, Ernest Eldridge, and Henry … [Read more...] about British watchmaker salutes pioneering speed heroes
Volkswagen's Piech
Woman steering the growth of EVs in Norway keeps eye on NZ
The electric vehicle (EV) lobby often refers to Norway and its abundance of eco-friendly, hydro-electric energy as the guiding light to New Zealand’s emissions-free motoring future. Christina Bu (above) is the secretary-general of the Norwegian Electric Vehicle Association (NEVA), the most powerful EV owners group in the world. Alastair Sloane caught up with her at her office … [Read more...] about Woman steering the growth of EVs in Norway keeps eye on NZ
Car brands in NZ spent $1b over 11 years on advertising
Automotive brands in New Zealand spent NZ$1.0765 billion advertising passenger cars and commercial vehicles in the years 2007-2017, a research group document shows. The companies collectively spent an average of NZ$97.8 million a year in advertising dollars over the 11-year period. That works out at around $900 for each of the 1,217,680 new vehicles registered with the NZ … [Read more...] about Car brands in NZ spent $1b over 11 years on advertising
BMW registers almost 60% of new vehicles to itself
An instruction to rookie newspaper reporters in newsrooms many years ago went: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” In other words, get your facts straight. The motoring industry in New Zealand likes to blur facts. The problem with reporting on the strength or otherwise of new vehicle numbers is that there is no public record of actual sales, only … [Read more...] about BMW registers almost 60% of new vehicles to itself
Ex-All Black coach Hart’s daughter is new Ford CEO
Former All Black coach John Hart's daughter Kay (above) is the new president and chief executive officer of Ford Australia and New Zealand. Hart, 40, replaces Graeme Whickman, who has resigned to become the managing director of Melbourne-based GUD Holdings, an automotive parts group with earnings in the 2017 calendar year of almost NZ$60 million. GUD Holdings is listed on … [Read more...] about Ex-All Black coach Hart’s daughter is new Ford CEO