New Zealand rally star Hayden Paddon wrote this after he crashed during the first stage of the Monte Carlo rally. A spectator near the crash site died. This is Paddon's unedited statement. Hi everyone, Upon reflection, I wanted to issue a statement about yesterday’s events. Firstly, our thoughts are with the family and friends of the spectator involved. No matter the … [Read more...] about Hayden Paddon on crash death: ‘Please don’t speculate’
Volkswagen's Piech
NZ tourist boom – rental sales up 47.8 per cent in three years
Registrations of rental vehicles in New Zealand in 2016 totaled 19,607 units, making the segment on paper the fourth biggest after commercial utes, small cars, and medium SUVs. The biggest sector was the 31,538 two- and four-wheel-drive utes, followed by 21,473 medium SUVs and 19,193 small cars. The smallest was the 185 upper large cars, predominantly the Audi A8, … [Read more...] about NZ tourist boom – rental sales up 47.8 per cent in three years
Mercedes-Benz puts giant G-Wagen pick-up through its paces
Here is one Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen that won’t spend most of its life in and around cities, like the G-Wagens do in New Zealand. It’s another version of the G500 4x4² (²=Squared) unveiled at the Geneva motor show in 2015, this one believed to be a double-cab pick-up, the rear bed in these spy pictures hidden behind heavy masking. Like the 2015 G500 4x4² (pictured at the … [Read more...] about Mercedes-Benz puts giant G-Wagen pick-up through its paces
2016 NZ car sales: winners, losers, slow-coaches
Chinese commercial vehicle company LDV was the high-flyer in New Zealand's new vehicle market last year in terms of percentage sales gains over 2015. Motor Industry Association (MIA) figures show 1032 LDV vans were registered in 2016, up from 475 in 2015. That's a year-on-year percentage hike of 117.2%, a reflection of the demand for commercials in an all-time record sales … [Read more...] about 2016 NZ car sales: winners, losers, slow-coaches
Tesla battery factory will be as big as 200 rugby fields
Electric carmaker Tesla is about to step up production of lithium-ion battery cells at its ‘Gigafactory 1’ in the US state of Nevada for use in its Model 3 cars and home energy products. Tesla says the mid-sized Model 3 will go into production later this year and be available in New Zealand in 2018-19. The company has already opened its NZ order book for its current … [Read more...] about Tesla battery factory will be as big as 200 rugby fields