In terms of percentage hikes, Suzuki, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Kia and Toyota topped the record 159,871 new vehicle registrations in New Zealand last year, Motor Industry Association (MIA) figures reveal. Suzuki’s 6983 registrations were up 31.4 per cent on the 5311 it did in 2016. Subaru up 25.5 per cent (3340-2660) Mitsubishi up 23.8 per cent (11,456-9251) Kia up 22.6 … [Read more...] about Who went up and who went down in year of record sales
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Hyundai confirms ‘serious’ hybrid sports car in its eco-friendly future
Hyundai’s surprise announcement at the Consumer Electric Show (CES) in Las Vegas wasn’t about its Nexo fuel-cell SUV (above), but that it is developing a hybrid sports car. The Nexo SUV and its high-tech equipment was expected but the news about the sports car wasn’t. The carmaker’s design chief Luc Donkerwolke told reporters at CES: “We are definitely doing it. I am … [Read more...] about Hyundai confirms ‘serious’ hybrid sports car in its eco-friendly future
How EVs will hurt car dealers’ reliance on after-sales service
Global consulting firm UBS Research last year tore apart two similar-sized five-door hatchbacks, a battery-electric (BEV) Chevrolet Bolt and a petrol-powered Volkswagen Golf. Its engineers and analysts had a two-fold aim: to count the moving parts in each vehicle and to see what the Bolt cost to make. They found the Bolt had 24 moving parts compared with the Golf’s 149, … [Read more...] about How EVs will hurt car dealers’ reliance on after-sales service
Feel-good simplicity of EVs: Hyundai Ioniq is Car of Year
It’s impossible to ignore the advantages of cars that run on batteries alone, especially in a country like New Zealand with its renewable supply of comparatively cheap hydro-electric power. One advantage is that average urban daily commutes are well within the range of every plug-in battery-electric car (BEV) on the NZ market. Another is the rollout of public charging … [Read more...] about Feel-good simplicity of EVs: Hyundai Ioniq is Car of Year
Sustainable NZ in right place for Toyota’s EV expansion
New Zealand is ideally placed to benefit from Toyota’s pledge to have electric vehicles (EV) available for every model type by 2025, says Toyota NZ chief executive Alistair Davis. “The high proportion of renewable electricity in New Zealand means that the conversion of the national fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles will make a big contribution to the country’s commitment … [Read more...] about Sustainable NZ in right place for Toyota’s EV expansion