Lexus

McLaren to open NZ supercar outlet

August 31, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

McLaren, one of the most famous names in the motoring world, will soon open its sole New Zealand dealership in Auckland, selling road-going supercars. The outlet comes almost 50 years to the month in 1963 when Auckland-born race driver and engineer Bruce McLaren founded the Formula One construction company. The all-new operation will also be the 50th McLaren dealership in … [Read more...] about McLaren to open NZ supercar outlet

Lexus IS-F Coupe spy

July 25, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

We have captured the very first images of a Lexus compact coupe based on the new IS sedan for the 2014 model year. The car is not only the first IS coupe, but also a performance version that might be called the IS-F Coupe… or something else entirely.There has been a rumour that the IS-F nameplate will be discontinued and will be replaced by a new two-door model called the RC … [Read more...] about Lexus IS-F Coupe spy

Lexus trials compact SUV to rival Germans

June 27, 2013 by Alastair Sloane

Japanese luxury marque Lexus has the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and upcoming Mercedes-Benz GLA in its sights with a new crossover likely to be called the NX. The compact SUV has been spied testing at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany. If there is something familiar about it that’s because the test mule is fitted with the body of the Lexus CT 200h hatchback wrapped in stick-on vinyl … [Read more...] about Lexus trials compact SUV to rival Germans

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If you are in a position to shell out upwards of NZ$600,000 for the 60^thanniversary Porsche 911 S/T or optional Porsche 911 S/T Heritage, you’ll no doubt want the signature titanium watch that goes with it. That’s how Porsche figures it anyway. Or, if you want the watch you’ll need to get the car. Both the car and the watch are limited to 1963 units, the year the original 911 model broke cover. The watch – Chronograph 1 911 S/T and Chronograph 1 911 S/T Heritage – and the car carry matching edition numbers. The watch is priced at $US13,500, or around $NZ22,200. The car, says Porsche NZ, starts at $NZ608,000. A “strictly limited number” will go into production for NZ early next year.

Eight European Union countries are pushing to weaken new EU emissions limits for cars, saying they are overly ambitious and unrealistic for carmakers to hit. The eight countries – France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia – said in a joint paper that parts of the proposed Euro 7 regulation, including curbs on exhaust pipe emissions, should be scrapped entirely. They said the limits would force carmakers to invest in improving exhaust emissions performance, money which would be better spent on developing zero-emission vehicles. Taken together, the countries would have enough votes to block the proposal.

A go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move. The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque. The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.