In February 2004 I wrote this in the NZ Herald: ‘In the 1980s and 90s, Mazda pretty much went from one conservative passenger car to another, with the exception of the brilliant MX-5 sports car. ‘Its mainstream models were well built but largely lifeless. An outsider could be forgiven for thinking that Mazda executives wore cardigans, carried cut lunches and sat around … [Read more...] about Skyactiv-X: 16 years on, Mazda paints another picture of itself
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Kia lines up seven new EVs as global battery market powers up
The global battery market to power EVs and consumer electronics and to store renewable energy on power grids will be worth about $NZ175 billion a year by 2030, up from around $NZ42 billion now, according to Bloomberg research. South Korea is one of the countries leading the way in developing the technology for the EV era. The others are China and Japan. By 2025 all three … [Read more...] about Kia lines up seven new EVs as global battery market powers up
2021 Toyota Yaris hits high point with safety firsts
Toyota NZ has equipped its 2021 Yaris with significant safety firsts in a bid to inject renewed interest in the small car. Yaris, like the rest of its five-door, town-and-around hatchback rivals, has been pushed aside in the last decade by the growth of compact SUVs. In 2013, for example, small cars (21,511) accounted for 26 per cent of an overall 82,355 NZ Transport … [Read more...] about 2021 Toyota Yaris hits high point with safety firsts
Exhaust gases: combustion engine looks for answers
One hundred to one – that’s the ratio of petrol- and diesel-powered to hybrid or all-electric SUVs registered with the NZ Transport Agency since the beginning of 2017. It’s actually closer to 100/0.5. In theory, a single hybrid/electric SUV would still be in bits and pieces on the assembly line by the time the 100th conventional SUV was logged with the NZTA. Of the … [Read more...] about Exhaust gases: combustion engine looks for answers
Counting down to time when fossil-fuelled cars will be limited
New Zealanders will sooner rather than later find the range of new mainstream petrol and diesel passenger cars is shrinking as carmakers ramp up production of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery-electric vehicles (EVs). It won’t necessarily be because global demand for such EVs has overnight gone through the roof, but environmental lawmakers in the European Union will have … [Read more...] about Counting down to time when fossil-fuelled cars will be limited