Above: Peugeot/Citroen CEO Carlos Tavares and GM's Mary Barra There are more questions than answers for New Zealand now that Peugeot/Citroen parent PSA Group has bought German brand Opel and British brand Vauxhall from General Motors. Firstly, will the PSA Group take Peugeot and Citroen in NZ and Australia away from the current distributor, Sime Darby? Secondly, will PSA … [Read more...] about GM sale of Holden donor Opel opens up long-term questions
Volkswagen's Piech
Registrations of new SUVs in 2017 are 51 per cent up on 2015
Twelve out of the 15 best-selling passenger cars in the first two months of 2017 were SUVs, a jump from 7 out of 15 for the same period two years ago. The only ‘cars’ in the mix were the Toyota Corolla, Suzuki Swift, and Holden Commodore, as the list here shows. In the first two months of 2015, Corolla, Commodore, Mazda3, Toyota Yaris, Holden Cruze, Honda Jazz, Mazda2 … [Read more...] about Registrations of new SUVs in 2017 are 51 per cent up on 2015
Tesla urges NZ government to ‘let EV drivers use transit lanes’
Buy a Tesla and you get to use transit lanes – that’s the incentive the US electric carmaker wants city councils in New Zealand to put in place to hasten the adoption of zero-emission EVs. Tesla began negotiating with Auckland Transport administrators about such a dispensation long before it handed over the first public shipment of Tesla Model S sedans to their NZ owners … [Read more...] about Tesla urges NZ government to ‘let EV drivers use transit lanes’
Jeep NZ eyes five-year warranty deal Aussies have put in place
Will Jeep move to a five-year warranty on its 2017-year range in New Zealand? Jeep Australia has, under an improved ‘Jeep There and Back’ warranty and service package. It was launched by the new boss of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia, Steve Zanlunghi. Now FCA New Zealand chief David Smitherman is boning up on the deal with Zanlunghi. “We are currently reviewing the … [Read more...] about Jeep NZ eyes five-year warranty deal Aussies have put in place
Updated Isuzu D-Max gets new engine with wider torque band
The updated Isuzu D-Max ute at first glance mightn’t look much different from the existing model, but there are significant changes, not least to the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine. Firstly, the old Euro4-compliant unit has been reworked to meet Euro5. Secondly, it retains the same 130kW of power but now delivers 50Nm more torque – 430Nm between 2000-2200rpm against the … [Read more...] about Updated Isuzu D-Max gets new engine with wider torque band