List of Australian Car Clubs and Specialists, New Car Releases and Owners' Car Reviews for Aussie motoring enthusiasts
Toyota unveils the FT-EVÂ a fully electric concept car and says it will be here by 2012 – but the range is limited. “The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering […]
Now those of us who have driven a Scania truck or bus at some time in our lives know that they’re a fairly decent piece of machinery … and even the non-turbo versions can really motor … but just how much better might they go if Porsche was involved? Well it’s probably never going to […]
The Detroit Auto Show started today and GM is there in force with it’s hybrids and it’s electic concept cars. Among those concept cars is an electric Cadillac that displays some very nice flowing lines … and a range of just 64 kilometres. The Mini E will cover around 250km … obviously it’s a much […]
Without the US government bailout of GM and Chrysler, both are insolvent according to Sean McAlinden, Chief Economist for the Centre of Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan … just down the road from Detroit. McAlinden also suggests that GM is not in a position to meet the initial loan conditions set down by the […]
Sales of new cars in Australia in December were down by 11.3 per cent … a far cry from the 36 per cent drop in sales recorded for the same period in the United States … and we should expect a further decline during January. But then again maybe not for retail sales figures are […]
Even though it’s only lunch time there’s been some good and not so good news announced for Aussie car makers. In an announcement that must have stunned many in the car industry Toyota announced yesterday that it was going to close it’s plants for a total of 11 days in February and March because demand […]
If you’re heading up the east coast of Australia these holidays then be prepared to add an hour or two onto your travel time due to roadworks and increased speed restrictions. A couple of weeks ago we drove from Hervey Bay in Queensland down to Newcastle in NSW and here is what we found. Expect […]
Reports are coming in that Chrysler will “idle all its plants and operations until at least January 19th”. That’s not surprising … without someone to wave a magic wand Chrysler runs out of money at the end of December.
Subaru has announced that it will no longer compete in the World Rally Championship because of falling sales and the general financial crisis. This ends the company’s 19 year involvement in the World Rally Championship that saw it take out three titles in the manufacturers and drivers’ categories.
China’s first mass-produced hybrid car was launched today by BYD Auto. Based on their F3 model … a modest four-door sedan – this hybrid can even be charged from a power point in the owners home.
… it’s bigger in Queensland. You don’t have to live here in Queensland for long before you realise that the hype about everything being bigger up here is true. The steaks are bigger, the fish are bigger and the car registration fees … well they’re bloody HUGE … and they’re getting bigger. From July 1 […]
So the bail-out plans for the American car industry didn’t get through Congress? Well in the long-term that’s probably a good thing because it means that we could see a real change in the car industry world-wide. In the short-term it’s probably a good thing too because it really did look as though Congress wanted […]
This morning I woke up with my back locked solid at L4/5 but someone else down in Sydney had a much worse start to their week. My thanks to Twitpic and docbaty for the use of the photo
Reuters is reporting that Honda is offering it’s Formula One team for sale and if there are no buyers Honda will simply shut the team down. That’s an interesting move because it’s Formula One presence is a big part of Honda’s current marketing here in Australia.
New car sales in Australia in November dropped by over 22% compared with the same time last year. New vehicle sales fell in November, reflecting a further softening of economic conditions as a result of the global financial crisis. Official VFACTS data released today by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) shows that 71,647 […]
I have to admit that I missed this one … with all the talk of economic gloom and doom and the collapse of the motoring world as we know it I missed the announcement that Ford in the US has a survival plan. The plan is … well if you listen to Ford’s CEO the […]
Holden will soon be writing to the owners of 8792 Commodores to notify them of a potential defect in the driver’s side airbag. According to the recall notice “The driver’s side airbag attachment within the seat assembly may not be to specification and may allow the side airbag to become detatched.” According to one newspaper […]
The new Ford Mustang was released into the wild last week and from the outside it certainly is a nice looking piece of machinery. The front end has been refined to improve drag and reduce lift. The engine output has been increased by 15 horsepower and just to add a touch of class to the […]
Here in Australia the 2009 Brisbane Motor Show has been cancelled and in America more and more manufacturers are withdrawing from the motor show circuit. The Detroit show is considered to be THE motor show of the year in the United States but already Suzuki, Nissan, Land Rover, Rolls Royce and Mitsubishi have decided not […]
In a move that’s hardly surprising the organising committee of the Brisbane Motor Show has announced that the 2009 show has been cancelled. The organising committee says that the show will be back in 2010 but it seems that some exhibitors think that there are too many car shows and the cost of exhibiting at […]