Volvo Cars NZ general manager Coby Duggan was officially first made aware of the company’s proposed shift away from diesel engines at a recent conference of Asia-Pacific distributors. “When it was tabled, some markets voiced concern at the approach, whereas others were more relaxed,” Duggan said. “We are yet to see confirmation of timing, but what we do know is that a … [Read more...] about Volvo to drop diesel engines as emissions laws get tougher
Volkswagen's Piech
Amstrong to quickly update entire Peugeot, Citroen range
On March 7, in the wake of the Peugeot/Citroen parent PSA Group buying German brand Opel and British brand Vauxhall from General Motors, I wrote this: “Will the PSA Group take Peugeot and Citroen in New Zealand and Australia away from the current distributor, Sime Darby?” Two months later, on May 16, that’s exactly what happened. Maylaysian-based Sime Darby Motor Group … [Read more...] about Amstrong to quickly update entire Peugeot, Citroen range
How Facebook campaign lured buyers for Skoda’s new SUV
The first sign Skoda’s head office in New Zealand knew it was on to a good thing with its seven-seat Kodiaq SUV was when it posted on Facebook images of the vehicle itself, many months before it landed in the country. The ‘Likes’ came quickly, along with a favourable comment here and there. NZ general manager Greg Leet personally replied to each one. The first day on … [Read more...] about How Facebook campaign lured buyers for Skoda’s new SUV
Porsche builds one-millionth 911 with a salute to 1963 original
Porsche has given its one-millionth 911 a few design blasts from the past, including a wooden steering wheel with a 1964 crest and a manual gearbox with wood-capped gear lever. The Porsche 911 Carrera S number 1,000,000 rolled off the production line near Stuttgart painted in a deep Irish green and with its seats covered in a houndstooth cloth pattern. Porsche created an … [Read more...] about Porsche builds one-millionth 911 with a salute to 1963 original
Special Toyota Land Cruiser hits 370km/h – take a look at video
A Toyota Land Cruiser with a 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine modified to deliver around 1500kW via a special race transmission has become the world’s fastest SUV. The so-called Land Speed Cruiser was built by Toyota’s Motorsports Technical Centre in the US. It sprinted to an unofficial but GPS-verified top speed of 370.18km/h (230.02mph. The previous record was 340km/h … [Read more...] about Special Toyota Land Cruiser hits 370km/h – take a look at video