The prickly reaction by two New Zealand car companies to crash test findings by the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) underlines partly why the facility will no longer be relevant once Australian carmakers shut down their manufacturing plants in 2017. The two carmakers are BMW and Kia. Why are they upset? They are not saying, but word on the street and among … [Read more...] about AA crash test reports get under the skin of BMW and Kia
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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
Global ‘green’ winner Ford plans tell-all campaign in NZ
Ford is expected to update its advertising campaigns in New Zealand to highlight its most recent success – being named No. 1 ‘green’ brand in the world, taking the top spot away from arch-rival Toyota. “Being ranked No. 1 on Interbrand’s 2014 list will assure our customers here in New Zealand that their Ford has been built in an environmentally responsible and sustainable … [Read more...] about Global ‘green’ winner Ford plans tell-all campaign in NZ
May sales: Suzuki Swift the most popular new car
The Suzuki Swift was the best-selling new passenger car in New Zealand in May, trumping long-time front-runner the Toyota Corolla. There wasn’t much in it, the Swift (above) and Corolla each sharing four per cent of the segment but Swift recording 272 registrations to Corolla’s 241. In third place was the Mazda CX-5 with 230 units, a continuing reflection of the strong SUV … [Read more...] about May sales: Suzuki Swift the most popular new car
What’s in a name? Kia tells all about its Pro_cee’d GT
It could be said that two things in New Zealand might count against sales of Kia’s new hot hatchback: one, that it has three doors and, two, that it comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox. There is little wiggle room in the market these days for three-door hatchbacks, let alone manual gearboxes. But Kia Motors NZ general manager Todd McDonald isn’t exactly going to flood … [Read more...] about What’s in a name? Kia tells all about its Pro_cee’d GT