Time for the Car of the Year award – the 2016 gong, not 2017. I figured back in December that I would put off naming the 2016 winner until January. January sort of came and went. So did February and March. Now it’s April. So to honour the international procrastinators’ motto – ‘Never put off till tomorrow what can be done the day after tomorrow just as well’ – I’ll fall into … [Read more...] about Skoda Superb: time’s on its side for Car of the Year award
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Kiwis buy up big – record new vehicle numbers in first quarter of 2017
New Zealanders wrapped up the 2016-17 financial year by buying up big, this time setting record numbers for new vehicles for the month of March. Motor Industry Association (MIA) figures show 13,869 new vehicles were registered last month, a number that puts March 2017 among the five strongest months since records began in 1975. The record sales month in the past 41 years … [Read more...] about Kiwis buy up big – record new vehicle numbers in first quarter of 2017
Toyota recruits Edge to help battle Jedi master, Ford Ranger
Two years ago this week, the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux were neck-and-neck in the first three months of the 2015 sales race: Ranger had registered 1310 utes, Hilux 1298. The Nissan Navara was in third place, a distant 500 units away on 800. Two years on, the Ranger continues to gather its forces to become the Jedi master of the one-tonners. At the end of last month 2214 … [Read more...] about Toyota recruits Edge to help battle Jedi master, Ford Ranger
Ssangyong to open order book for new Rexton SUV at Fieldays
The order book for the new Ssangyong Rexton SUV is expected to open at Fieldays in June, where the New Zealand distributors are likely to have a left-hand-drive example as a drawcard. Staff from Taupo-based Ssangyong distributors Great Lake Motors will tell punters at Fieldays that the NZ-spec model will arrive here around October. Like the left-hooker on show, it will be … [Read more...] about Ssangyong to open order book for new Rexton SUV at Fieldays
Toyota’s Tonka Hilux concept is no toy, but it’s still just for show
Don’t expect the Toyota Hilux Tonka concept to appear in New Zealand showrooms anytime soon, so we won’t dwell on it other than to run plenty of pictures on this page. Briefly, Toyota Australia built the one-off concept to honour the ute’s sales success across the Tasman last year. That and to celebrate a couple of birthdays – Toyota’s 80th and US toymaker Tonka’s … [Read more...] about Toyota’s Tonka Hilux concept is no toy, but it’s still just for show