Will Holden move upmarket and take on cars like the two-door Audi A5 and BMW 4-Series with a coupe of its own, a spiritual successor to the Opel Calibra that sold in New Zealand and Australia in the 1990s? That was the buzz at the Paris motor show after the General Motors-owned German carmaker confirmed it would fill about one third of Holden’s future line-up of models, … [Read more...] about New Holden coupe would be spiritual successor to the Calibra of the ‘90s
Motor shows
Lighter, faster Type R Civic possible – if demand is there, says Honda
Honda could make a go-faster version of the five-door Type R Civic hatchback it unveiled at the Paris motor show – if there is demand for such a flyer. It has admitted it is prepared to follow the example of French carmaker Renault, which uprated its three-door Megane RS265 to the RS275 Trophy R to set a lap record for a front-wheel drive car around the Nurburgring … [Read more...] about Lighter, faster Type R Civic possible – if demand is there, says Honda
Turbocharged Type R on Honda NZ wish list – ‘if we can get it’
Honda wants to set the fastest lap for a front-wheel-drive car around Germany’s Nurburgring circuit – and it’s about to show off the turbocharged car it reckons will do it. The storming new Civic Type R will be unveiled at this week’s Paris motor show and it promises to be the most performance-focused model in the 22-year history of the Type R. The latest high-performance … [Read more...] about Turbocharged Type R on Honda NZ wish list – ‘if we can get it’
Mercedes-AMG GT: First NZ-bound car has already been sold
Mercedes-Benz has broken with tradition by dropping the ‘Benz’ name from the go-fast coupe it calls the Mercedes-AMG GT. The new model and its twin-turbocharged V8 engine is a product of Mercedes-Benz and its wholly owned performance house AMG. The German carmaker dropped the ‘Benz’ handle because it wanted to give the new model its own identity, just as it did with the SLS … [Read more...] about Mercedes-AMG GT: First NZ-bound car has already been sold
New Sorento SUV headed to NZ: stronger, quieter, more refined, says Kia
Kia has promised that its next-generation models will be quieter and more refined, in part because of new materials in dashboards that ‘absorb’ noise from the engine bay. It is also making dashboards up to 30 per cent thicker to take advantage of the new materials. Other measures to cut noise include the use in its diesel vehicles of a special ‘wrapping’ for the exhaust … [Read more...] about New Sorento SUV headed to NZ: stronger, quieter, more refined, says Kia