Volvo has put its money where its mouth is – its engine factory (above) in Sweden is now officially carbon-neutral. The carmaker switched to renewable heating on January 1, 10 years after it turned to renewable sources for the plant’s electricity. All heating supplied to the facility is now generated from waste incineration, biomass and recycled bio-fuels. The … [Read more...] about Volvo engine plant is the first to officially go ‘green’
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Kia aura – Stinger hits mark as new hybrid SUV appears
Like the US military’s Stinger missile, the Kia Stinger liftback (above) has made a similarly explosive impact on the car market in New Zealand. In all likelihood Kia will register around 100 Stinger models before the end of January. It has reportedly already sold 90. Kia Motors NZ general manager Todd McDonald was his usual reticent self about unofficial sales figures. … [Read more...] about Kia aura – Stinger hits mark as new hybrid SUV appears
Mazda rotary engine serves as generator for Toyota EVs
Toyota is to equip its future self-driving electric cars (EV) with Mazda’s rotary engine – as a generator to charge the battery and extend the operating range. Mazda patented the use of the rotary as a generator some time ago and last used the layout in the 2013 Mazda 2 RE prototype. Mazda North America chief Masahiro Moro told news agency Bloomberg the rotary engine was … [Read more...] about Mazda rotary engine serves as generator for Toyota EVs
Numbers game: the real story behind record 2017 sales year
If you believe the public relations guff, every distributor in New Zealand last year sold record numbers of new vehicles. But that wasn’t the case. Okay, it was an overall record year, with 159,871 new vehicle registrations. But quite a few brands didn’t do as well as the PR people claim. Press releases saying this or that distributor is gearing up in 2018 to meet rapidly … [Read more...] about Numbers game: the real story behind record 2017 sales year
SsangYong SUV advertising is ‘misleading’, says Mitsubishi
A complaint by Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ) about a rival distributor’s new vehicle warranty will go before the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Lawyers for MMNZ wrote to SsangYong importer Great Lake Motor Distributors (GLMD) on December 6 demanding it “immediately cease” by December 8 advertising that the SsangYong G4 Rexton SUV (above) has a “class-leading … [Read more...] about SsangYong SUV advertising is ‘misleading’, says Mitsubishi