The new Nissan Qashqai will arrive in New Zealand around the middle of next year, a couple of months or so after the second-generation X-Trail. Both crossovers share the same platform, an arrangement that allowed Nissan production savings of 30 per cent on the Qashqai alone – money, it says, that was invested back into the quality of the car. Nissan says the Qashqai is … [Read more...] about Nissan highlights quality of new Qashqai
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New vehicle market heads for record year
New vehicle registrations after 10 months of 2013 are trending towards a record year of around 112,000 units – or more than 40,000 up on a hard-hit 2009. Commercial vehicles especially have contributed to the growth, with sales up 26.5 per cent over the same period last year. Passenger cars are up 6.7 per cent year-to-date over 2012. Motor Industry Association CEO David … [Read more...] about New vehicle market heads for record year
The life, death and resurrection of a Dino Ferrari
In the late 1970s, a group of kids were digging in the yard of a house in Los Angeles when they struck something that looked like the roof of a car. They flagged down a police patrol and a team of cops and men with a digger and shovels soon after uncovered a metallic green Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. On February 8, 1978, the Los Angeles Times reported that the car appeared to … [Read more...] about The life, death and resurrection of a Dino Ferrari
How the alphabetic devil wore down Prado
Toyota dipped into a bowl of alphabet soup when it named the facelifted line-up of fourth-generation Prado SUVs. There is the KJGA, KJXA, GJXA and KJLA, all 4WDs with either a 4.0-litre petrol or 3.0-litre diesel engine. The KJGA is Toyota-speak for the GX and uses the diesel engine. The KJXA is called the VX and uses the diesel too. The GJXA is also called the … [Read more...] about How the alphabetic devil wore down Prado
Factory backing for ambitious Volvo future
How do you go from selling 250 cars a year to 400 – all in the space of 12 months or so? Ask Volvo New Zealand general manager Stephen Kenchington, because that’s the target he’s set for his dealers in 2014, after a “disappointing year to date” in 2013. The new number boils down to growth of more than 60 per cent. Ambitious? You betcha. But Kenchington reckons he can … [Read more...] about Factory backing for ambitious Volvo future