CAR ADVICE

A study released this week conducted by iSeeCars.com, a US car search engine website, found the Toyota LandCruiser was the most likely vehicle to reach over 300,000 kilometres on its odometer.

We usually talk about electric vehicles (EVs) as vehicles that need plugging in. But wireless charging pads are also being used commercially, and have great potential. One issue with these pads, though, is that they are traditionally unable to charge as quickly. Another is that a receiving vehicle’s underbody charging plates must be precisely aligned to receive airborne charge.

If you were a child in the '90s, you may remember Micro Machines. The tiny plastic toy cars were a third of the size of a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car and were affordable, light, and very easy to lose. 33 years after originally being released by Galoob in 1987, Micro Machines will be racing back into stores - this time made by Hasbro - after a first viewing at the 2020 New York Toy Fair this week.

Tuner Brabus has unveiled its crazy 800 Adventure XLP, based on the Mercedes-AMG G 63, before its slated debut at the 2020 Geneva motor show. After adding about 50cm to the G-Wagen's wheelbase to make space for a true pickup body, and adding a tough widebody-kit and front winch, Brabus got to work on the mechanicals - with extreme off-roading in mind.

It’s rare to find the design of a sedan more appealing than its hatch equivalent, but it can be true when it comes to the Mazda 3. Of course, everyone has different taste, but let’s face it, the Mazda 3 hatch has been polarising since its release in 2019, with its droopy rear and large C-pillar.

The BMW X5 M was one of the pioneers of the super-fast SUV segment, but cars like this are still an engineering marvel. How anyone can make a 2.3-tonne lump of metal slip through the air like a teardrop – even though it has the aerodynamic efficiency of a block of flats – boggles the mind.

The BMW X5 M was one of the pioneers of the super-fast SUV segment, but cars like this are still an engineering marvel. How anyone can make a 2.3-tonne lump of metal slip through the air like a teardrop – even though it has the aerodynamic efficiency of a block of flats – boggles the mind. And then you look under the bonnet and discover what’s been done to counteract the laws of physics.

Fancy yourself a car enthusiast? While being an enthusiastic car owner and a good driver are both part of your overall street cred, a lot of it comes down to being able to talk the torque. And where many of us can come undone when showing off our automotive prowess is butchering the pronunciation of brand or model names as badly as Kim from Kath & Kim used to pronounce 'chardonnay' (she said 'kar-don-aye', for the record).

People who drive expensive cars are less likely to yield for pedestrians crossing the road, a new study out of the United States has found. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Las Vegas, found the cost of a car was a significant predictor of whether or not a driver stopped for a pedestrian.

The creator of legendary racing simulator Gran Turismo believes the electronic power-assisted steering (EPAS) systems fitted to modern road cars could be improved by technology used in his video games.

The 2020 Geneva motor show has been cancelled, following a ban by the Swiss government on gatherings of 1000 people or more. The ban was enacted tonight in response to the growing risk of a coronavirus pandemic in Europe, with hundreds of confirmed cases and over a dozen dead already confirmed in northern Italy. France has also suffered two deaths so far, with 17 confirmed cases.

EXCLUSIVE US car giant General Motors has flown in a man who has closed more dealerships globally than anyone else in the company, as Holden showroom owners prepare to negotiate the terms of their compensation packages in the wake of the iconic brand's shock shutdown announcement.

Delivery vans driven by electric motors and batteries instead of internal combustion engines will grow in market-revenue share almost 10-fold and account for 2.4 million sales annually by 2030, according to UK market research firm IDTechEx.

BMW’s iNext SUV has completed its summer testing as the all-electric model moves closer to a slated 2021 release. New photos released by BMW show the iNext being put through its paces in Kalahari, South Africa to ensure reliability of the electric drivetrain, safety features, exterior and interior parts in extreme heat environments.

Genesis has taken first place in J.D. Power’s 2020 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) in the marque’s first year of inclusion in the study. J.D. Power is a United States-based automotive consumer analytics and car reviewing publication that devised the VDS to focus on vehicle dependability in a more practical time frame of vehicle ownership.

This week, you are joined by Mandy Turner, Mike Costello, and Kez Casey. In car news, Nissan Patrol Warrior is looking good for Australia, Volkswagen is seeking ‘aggressive’ climate activist to bypass internal bureaucracy, 2020 Ford Escape pricing and specs, and a study reveals ride-share services like Uber produce more carbon emissions than private cars.

The current-generation Audi Q7 is holding its age well, even though it went on sale five years ago. While not everyone is a fan of its bold design, there’s no mistaking its road presence. Fortunately, the box-like shape is an efficient way to create a lot of space. The Audi Q7 is huge, and a genuine seven-seater that can carry a full load of occupants and their luggage.

My brother-in-law owns a 2008 TRD HiLux 4000SL, which acts as a regular reminder of Toyota Australia’s attempt more than a decade ago to tempt newer and younger customers to the brand. Or, as the company might as well have also said: to eradicate the disparaging “white goods on wheels” comments associated with its cars.

Things don’t get much simpler in the Toyota C-HR range than this entry-level model refreshed with a midlife update for 2020.

Citroen has revealed its 2020 Ami, a micro-electric vehicle (EV) designed for accessibility in European cities. While some see increased battery pack output and driving range as a make-or-break for electric vehicles (especially in larger countries such as Australia), Citroen has focused its attention on the other end of the spectrum.

The electrified Skoda Octavia RS iV PHEV has been teased one last time before its world premiere next week. The range-topping derivative in the new-generation Octavia family “points the way towards a sustainable future” for the badge.

Did you miss out on one of the rare and exclusive Track Editions of the Lexus RC F that was released last year? That’s okay, Lexus now offers something potentially even better: the regular RC F. Okay, ‘regular’ might be oversimplifying things a little. Spec your RC F the right way, though, and you can get near enough to the Track Edition experience, albeit without limited-numbers exclusivity.

Australian electricity and gas retailer Red Energy has offered a freebie to its customers who own an electric vehicle (EV). It says it will provide free electricity usage between noon and 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays for those with EVs, and a smart or interval meter. Red also "guarantees" that for every unit of electricity a customer uses, it will match it by generating one unit from a renewable source.

Volkswagen has revealed details of its new Golf GTE and GTD models ahead of their official debut at the 2020 Geneva motor show next week. The GTE plug-in hybrid (PHEV) pairs a familiar 1.4-litre, 110kW turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an 85kW motor and 13kWh battery. When combined, maximum power is raised to 180kW and 400Nm. These figures are on a par with the 2020 GTI for power but 30Nm up on torque.

BMW is set to debut the i4 – its first electrified Gran Coupe – at the 2020 Geneva motor show in March, the German carmaker has confirmed this week. Key figures confirmed for the i4 include a powerful 390kW electric motor and a large 80kWh battery pack. BMW claims these figures should be good for a 0-100km/h dash in approximately four seconds, on its way to a top speed of over 200km/h.

Infrastructure Australia (IA) has identified the development of a fast-charging network for electric cars as one of Australia's highest national priorities over the next five years. In its Infrastructure Priority List 2020 – a guide to the investments required to "secure a sustainable and prosperous future" – the independent advisory body cited a lack of access to charging stations as a major hindrance to the uptake of electric cars.

A giant, ferocious-looking, "home-made" Batmobile has been confiscated by Russian traffic police on the streets of Moscow over concerns the privately-made vehicle was not roadworthy. The vehicle, owned by an unidentified 32-year-old Moscow resident, was seized on February 22, 2020, and was found to be not registered with the relevant authorities, not approved for participating in traffic and possessing dimensions in excess of "acceptable norms".

The latest iteration of what is regularly Australia’s top-selling hot hatch, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, has been revealed ahead of a world premiere in Geneva set for next week. The GTI version of Volkswagen’s eight-generation Golf is billed as “an agile, raw, efficient and high-tech compact sports car for the digital age”, which is “newly designed and engineered, fully digitalised and networked… fit for the modern era”.

The Federal Government will launch a Senate Inquiry into the sudden announcement that Holden will exit the Australian car market by the end of this year. The Senate Inquiry – which has been supported by both sides of politics – was announced 24 hours after a delegation of Holden dealers met with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Canberra on Wednesday.

Subaru Australia's new range of hybrid SUVs has hit the ground running, with their initial allocations of Forester and XV SUVs selling out until May 2020. Subaru has received over 4000 registrations of interest for its new hybrid SUVs, which are now going out to customers and dealerships around Australia.

Buyers looking to snap up a new-car bargain – driven by discounts of up to $17,500 – are running out of time and choice as Holden dealers sell out of stock faster than expected. An investigation by CarAdvice has found most Holden dealers are keen to clear their remaining stock as quickly as possible, and some are now likely to run out of vehicles “within weeks”, while a small number of outlets are trying to stockpile and keep trading for a few months.

Subaru has revealed pricing and specification for its 2020 Impreza, set for local delivery in early 2020. Subaru will offer the 2020 Impreza in four trims: 2.0i, 2.0i-L, 2.0i Premium and 2.0i-S. All variants are available in sedan and hatch bodies. Pricing will start at $23,740 for a 2.0i sedan, with the top-spec 2.0i-S coming in at $31,360 for a hatch body type (both prices exclude on-road costs).

Subaru has confirmed final powertrain specifications and details on its new XV and Forester hybrid variants, each model marking a first for the brand in Australia. Keen buyers should note, however, that the range is now already sold out until May. Details here. Both the (small) XV and (mid-sized) Forester SUVs employ the same hybrid drivetrain. The new system, which works in conjunction with Subaru’s existing 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer engine, was developed by Subaru.

Japanese carmaker Toyota has invested big into an autonomous driving startup company with hopes of keeping up with rivals in the autonomous vehicle field, as reported by Reuters. Autonomous driving startup Pony.ai has announced $701 million raised in funds for development, with $607 million of the sum coming from Toyota. Pony.ai is Silicon Valley-based with origins in China, marking the investment as the biggest Toyota has ever made into a Chinese-background autonomous driving company.

Who could resist another Design Review of a stylish American concept car from the past? This time we've chosen the Chrysler K-310 - the first in a series of concepts designed by Virgil Exner (1909-1973) during the 1950s, also known as 'idea cars'. But before we move on to the design of the K-310, let’s run a quick background check on its designer.

Nissan Australia is looking to expand the ‘Warrior’ program it runs with Premcar and has picked out its other 4X4, the Patrol, as an ideal candidate. Fresh off a facelift, the Patrol is Nissan’s only other proper 4X4 that can follow in the wheel-tracks of the Navara with increased off-road ability.

Ride-sharing or ride-hailing services like Uber contribute more CO2 emissions to the atmosphere than their private car counterparts, according to a new scientific report. In the paper Ride-Hailing’s Climate Risks: Steering a Growing Industry Toward a Clean Transportation Future, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) found the use of these services in the United States creates an estimated 69 per cent more pollution than the trips they displace.

The Volkswagen Group is on the lookout for a young climate change campaigner to “aggressively” aid and facilitate the marque’s environmental initiatives, as reported by the Financial Times. Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess believes the company is hindered by internal bureaucracy and is slow to react in the shift towards electric vehicles. “We have so many ideas,” Mr Diess said. “But they take too long to implement in our big organisation, so I need someone really aggressive internally.”

The 2020 Nissan Patrol arrived in Australia late last year with a facelift and a revised standard equipment offering. We didn’t get some of the features we would have liked after seeing the international spy shots, but its value-for-money equation remains as sharp as ever.

First versions of the new Land Rover Defender 90 short-wheelbase (SWB) will hit Australian driveways during October, just a few months after first iterations of the longer 110 lob in August. The first batch of Defender 90s will comprise 100 cars, all in a specification called P400 First Edition, painted Pangea Green with a Fuji White contrasting roof for maximum retro appeal.

Kia has announced a special Night Sky Edition of its sports liftback Stinger GT for the Australian market. As the name suggests, Kia will only offer the Night Sky Edition of its Stinger GT in nocturnal hues for the exterior. Customers can choose from Micro Blue, Deep Chroma Blue and Aurora Black Pearl paint. Inside, the Stinger Night Sky Edition receives a special light grey Nappa leather-trimmed interior to contrast the exterior.

The top-selling Mercedes-AMG A 45 S hot hatch and its CLA 45 S four-door coupe twin have both hit the market, priced at $93,600 and $111,200 (before on-road costs) respectively. That’s a leap of between roughly $15,000 and $18,000 over the predecessor models which cost $78,240 and $93,070. However, Mercedes-AMG GmbH claims the impost is more than justified.

EXCLUSIVE A veteran Holden car dealer has been admitted to hospital after reportedly suffering a heart complication on the way to a meeting with General Motors to discuss compensation for axing the brand in Australia. The long-standing Holden dealer, whose identity is known to CarAdvice but we have chosen to not publish, was on his way to find out how much money US car giant General Motors was going to offer after ending its current franchise agreements more than two years early.

Mercedes-Benz is set to debut its all-electric EQA at the 2020 Geneva motor show after the model completed its winter testing near Sweden's Arctic Falls. The EQA will enter the Mercedes-Benz line up as an electric alternative to the GLA small SUV, built on the same MFA II platform as the A-Class, B-Class, GLA, GLB, and CLA variants. Externally, the EQA appears almost identical to the 2020 GLA.

The Hyundai i30 - Australia’s second top-selling passenger car - has been revealed in its mid-cycle updated form today ahead of a world premiere in Geneva next week. The company has revealed the MY20 versions of all three i30 body styles offered in Europe: hatch, Fastback, and wagon. It has not revealed the updated, rage-topping i30 N Performance hot model with its expected eight-speed DCT automatic, as yet.

French marque DS will launch its new Chinese-built luxury saloon flagship DS 9 model this year after teasing it all the way back in 2012. Owned by the PSA Group, DS's luxury saloon will share Peugeot architecture with the comparable wheelbase 5008 model. This follows on from the DS3 Crossback which borrows a platform from the Peugeot 208 and the Peugeot 3008 GT Hybrid4 that lends its underpinnings to the DS7 Crossback E-Tense 4x4.

The second-generation Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S mega-SUV has been revealed ahead of its world premiere in Geneva next week and Australian arrival in the final quarter of 2020. Like its A45 AMG sibling, the hottest GLA is powered by the company's latest ballistic turbocharged four-cylinder engine, made by hand at AMG’s Affalterbach headquarters.

EXCLUSIVE The Prime Minister Scott Morrison is meeting with members of the Holden dealer council in Canberra this morning after all 200 showrooms nationally unanimously rejected General Motors’ initial compensation offer. CarAdvice understands all dealerships – from the biggest to the smallest outlets – have “roundly rejected” the first compensation estimates and are seeking the support of the Federal Government to ensure they are not short-changed.

Polestar, the all-electric performance brand spun out of the Volvo business in 2017, has unveiled a first look at its next-generation design and technology plans: the Precept concept. Focusing more on technology than performance, Polestar has previewed the Precept's style, aerodynamics and safety features over its drive systems – although something similar to the Polestar 1's 441kW, 1000Nm drive system may be lurking under the skin.

You can now be the envy of your friends and say you own and drive a Tesla Cybertruck. Hot Wheels has released a Cybertruck remote-controlled car in 1:10 and 1:64 scale, with its polarising exterior styling, and features accurately resembling the real thing revealed in November 2019.

Sources close to Subaru have claimed that the next generation of its flagship WRX STI will offer 298kW and 489Nm, as reported by Forbes. The 2021 WRX STI will reportedly utilise a 2.4-litre flat-four FA24 engine – the newest addition to the FA engine family which was originally co-developed by Subaru and Toyota for use in the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86.

The light-car segment in Australia is in a curious state of flux. The top-selling Hyundai Accent has been discontinued with no replacement, Toyota is preparing to roll out an all-new Yaris, and challengers like the MG 3 are on their way up. Then there’s the Mazda 2. This current generation is already six years old, which is very close to replacement time usually, but in this instance Mazda has rolled out what equates to a typical midlife refresh.

The 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo is almost everything your head and heart hopes a next-gen gran turismo berlinetta from Maranello should be in 2020. And not merely because it’s fast, thrilling and emotionally arresting: these things are givens for a two-seater Prancing Horse with a V8 perched behind your ears.

A new Ford Escape will hit the Australian market during the third-quarter of 2020 priced from $35,990 before on-road costs, giving the Blue Oval brand a more modern competitor to the nation’s most popular SUVs, including Mazda’s CX-5 and Toyota’s RAV4.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced today that Mercedes-Benz Australia knowingly failed to complete a compulsory recall of cars fitted with faulty Takata airbags in the required timeframe. The compulsory Takata airbag recall, which included 3 million cars in Australia, commenced in mid-2018 and has since seen recall completion rates of up to 99.84 per cent by some vehicle producers.

United States road safety regulator the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has scheduled a public hearing into the cause of a fatal crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot on March 23, 2018. The hearing will take place almost two years after the incident which saw Wei Huang’s Tesla Model X collide with a concrete barrier on Interstate 101 in Mountain View, California while the vehicle’s Autopilot mode was engaged.

There is growing concern around the Australian power grid’s ability to handle the increasing uptake of electric cars in the country, with electricity industry regulators and providers calling for precautionary measures to prevent future supply and demand issues. The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), which is Australia's peak body for energy policy, recently put out an issues paper highlighting potential problems and calling for submissions from key stakeholders.

Jaguar Land Rover's fifth-generation Range Rover has been spotted testing its winter chops on the roads of Arjeplog in Northern Sweden, ahead of its anticipated release in 2021. These spy photos offer a first glimpse at a long-wheelbase prototype of the car, which JLR is positioning as an even more luxurious vehicle capable of taking on upmarket competitors like the Bentley Bentayga.

There’s a new flagship Volkswagen Touareg plug-in electric (PHEV) derivative set to premiere in Geneva next month, but Australian enthusiasts will have to head to Europe if they desire one. The Touareg R is the brand’s first R-Line model with a PHEV drivetrain, and its third PHEV in Europe. Electrified versions of the Golf and Passat already exist, while its ID family of fully electric vehicles (EVs) are also being slowly revealed.

The association between the world's most famous fictional spy and Aston Martin is widely regarded as one of the most successful bits of product placement of all time, but it very nearly didn't happen.

China’s Geely claims to have taken more than 30,000 digital pre-orders for its brand new Icon small SUV ahead of the completely online product launch this week. The company - which has launched an online test-drive, sales and servicing portal, and which owns the subscription-based car brand Lynk & Co - also claims to have fast-tracked the fitment of a bolstered air purification system in response to the Coronavirus.

MINI has released a special Sterling Edition of its 2020 Countryman Cooper S, specially produced for Australian and New Zealand markets. Limited to only 50 cars, MINI Australia receives 40 of the Countryman Sterling Edition models. Each vehicle comes with an edition badge immortalising the build number.

Renault has expanded its electric vehicle portfolio with the launch of the urban-focused Twingo Z.E, a tiny battery-powered runabout that’s ready for a future where combustion engines are banned in population centres.

The electrification revolution has made its way through hatchbacks to sedans and SUVs and now it has its sights set firmly on a new frontier: utes. As with most automotive industry showdowns, it was Tesla that kicked off this sparring match with its not-so-bulletproof Cybertruck, releasing a video showing the all-wheel-drive, all-electric pickup tugging a Ford F-150 up a hill.

Australia's new car market, it is fair to say, did not have a stellar year in 2019. Month after month, sales were down, with consumer confidence low and dealers struggling with significant changes to finance regulations.

EXCLUSIVE Holden’s priceless collection of up to 70 classic and historically significant cars – including the first and last vehicles it manufactured locally – will remain in Australia and not sent to Detroit, as some fans had feared. While Holden is yet to announce exactly where the vehicles will be stored and if the public will be able to view them, CarAdvice has been told there are no plans to export the vehicles to join the global General Motors collection in Detroit.

Geely-owned electric vehicle (EV) maker, London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) has forecasted major growth for 2020 following its 2019 sales figures. After selling more than 2500 of its hybrid TX taxi and shuttle variants across 2019 (up from 1300 in 2018), the marque has begun preparations for a projected further 50 per cent increase in demand in 2020. LEVC believes it will be selling into 20 markets globally by the end of 2020.

The new Audi A1 hatch brings next-level luxury to the city-car class, but in the same way a piccolo is a lot of money for a drink the size of a thimble, it comes at a price premium. Starting price for the base-model 2020 Audi A1 30 TFSI tested is $32,350 plus on-road costs, which in round numbers is about $35,000 drive-away. For that you can also get a well-equipped Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Corolla or Mazda 3 – cars from the next class size up.

Small SUVs. You might love the idea of a higher-riding hatchback, or you might think they’re a convenient way for car brands to sell ostensibly compact cars at a markup. Either way, ongoing demand means the market for this type of vehicle remains abuzz with new offerings. Australia is no exception. The market share of Small SUVs was 13.1 per cent in 2019, while in January this year the newly separated Light and Small SUV segments commanded 15.9 per cent combined share.

Mazda has performed a minor about-face, adding two versions of its CX-8 seven-seat SUV powered by a petrol engine option - for the first time since the nameplate arrived in June 2018. The company has also greatly expanded the range from three specification variants, to eight. Where it once previously offered base Sport and luxury Asaki grades, it now also offers Touring and GT spec levels between these bookends to make the spec ‘walk’ more palatable.

The latest example of Australia’s re-emerging local industry is this 40-strong team in suburban Melbourne, busy turning out Nissan Navara N-Trek Warriors.

EXCLUSIVE Anyone looking to buy a new Hyundai in the coming months may experience lengthy delays in taking delivery of their car. Australia’s third most popular car brand – behind Toyota and Mazda – is facing lengthy hold-ups in the arrival of new showroom stock due to parts shortages caused by factory shutdowns following to the coronavirus in China.

Not all Japanese sports cars fetch huge sums of money on the classic car market, but Toyota's 2000GT is one that does. The result of a partnership between Yamaha and Toyota (after Nissan passed on the project), the 2000GT marked Toyota's first venture into the world of sports cars, but only 351 units were ever built from its production debut in 1967 to its 1970 conclusion. Now, one of those units is coming up for auction via RM Sotheby's in Elkhart, Indiana, on May 1-2, 2020.

Audi has unveiled the next evolution in its coming electric vehicle offensive, in the form of the 2021 Audi e-tron S. Building on its standard 95kWh e-tron, the S will receive a third electric motor and subsequent performance boost. With that enhancement, the e-tron S offers 320kW and 808Nm in normal driving mode and 370kW and 973Nm when in ‘Boost Mode’. By comparison, the current model e-tron produces 300kW and 664Nm.

Along with three pedals and six ratios, this base-specification Amarok also gets a more ubiquitous part-time 4x4 system with a low-range transfer case compared to the single-range, all-wheel-drive automatic Amarok.

China’s Geely Auto - perhaps best known in the west as parent of Volvo Cars, Lotus and the London EV Company - has launched a proprietary, contactless online ordering platform that enables customers to buy and take delivery. It is also offering home test drives, booked by a potential buyer who is visited by their closest local dealer in a demo car.

Cupra, performance wing of Spanish marque Seat, will debut its new range of beefed-up Leons at the 2020 Geneva motor show. The Cupra Leon will be available in a five-door or Sportstourer wagon body, with a limited-run Cupra R hot hatch also available. Models of the sportier Leon will be available in front-wheel drive layout or 4Drive all-wheel drive. The Cupra R is only available in front-wheel drive.

The hardcore BMW X5 M and X6 M mega SUVs will rumble into Australian showrooms this May in their hardcore ‘Competition’ forms, delivering claimed supercar-like 0-100km/h acceleration times of 3.8 seconds. At the same time, buyers will have to fork over a fair chunk of change more than the (non-Competition-spec) previous generation models commanded. The brand new X5 M will cost $209,900 before on-road costs (up $24,000), while the X6 M will be $213,900 (up $19,200).

EXCLUSIVE US car giant General Motors knew at least four months ago that it planned to shut Holden – however industry insiders believe the management decision to leave Australia was made some time in the first half of 2019 but was kept a closely guarded secret in Detroit. CarAdvice understands even the most senior Holden executives in Australia were kept in the dark and not told of General Motors’ plan until less than a fortnight ago.

It was late 2014 and General Motors was about to wheel out one of the most important prototypes in the company’s history, deep inside one of its top secret US test tracks. One of the first running examples of a hand-built mid-engine Corvette prototype was about to do a shakedown run – hidden underneath what from a distance was supposed to look like a Holden Commodore ute. It was the perfect disguise, or so General Motors thought.

If you’ve read our previous 2020 Ram 1500 reviews, you’ll know we’re fans of the full-size US pick-up in RHD guise. Not for everyone, sure, but for the right buyer they make a hell of a lot of sense. If you’re towing, live in rural areas, or simply need the room afforded by a US truck, there’s nothing that compares.

As far as investments go, there's little doubt classic cars are one of the most fun. As it turns out, they're not too shabby as a financial decision too. According to a recent AXA XL Art & Lifestyle insurance report on the global classic car market from 2018 to 2019, classic cars have remained stable "against a backdrop of widespread depreciation in passion assets". Specifically, the AXA report noted "an escalation in demand for instant classic cars built over the last 10 years".

BMW’s newest iteration of its M5 has been spotted during winter testing before an expected unveiling later this year. As previously reported, the 2021 M5 seems to take many of its exterior styling cues from the most recent 3 Series, with slim headlights and LED daytime-running lights making an appearance. The new M5 also appears to have ducked the controversial new kidney grille design that's expected to dominate the front end on the new M4.

Volvo’s performance electric and hybrid brand Polestar has teased its new Precept model, before a dedicated unveiling event and 2020 Geneva motor show showing. The single image released by Polestar shows only the top-down outline of headlights and taillights on an otherwise obscured Precept. There is not a lot insofar as detail in the teaser, however there is room for speculation. Polestar’s parent company Volvo is slated to release its first electric model, the XC40 Recharge in 2021.

Craftsmanship and hand tailoring are the true marks of luxury in a world of mass consumerism, and Lexus wants to stamp its authority as an exclusive brand. To that end, as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Lexus LS line, the 2020 Lexus LS500 Inspiration Series shows off the brand’s fastidious attention to detail.

You don’t have to strain your eyes to see the Gran Turismo brand is becoming ubiquitous with motorsport and the automotive industry.

With the 2020 Geneva Motor Show almost upon us, the world's major automotive players are out in full force teasing, revealing or subtly hinting at some incoming new creations. Kicking off in the Swiss city on March 5 and running until March 15, the annual event will see striking electric concept cars debut alongside highly-anticipated SUVs and crossovers.

A tuning company in the USA has made the Shelby Mustang GT350 even more of a weapon, modifying its engine so it’s capable of reaching 100km/h in 2.5 seconds – one second quicker than standard. Fathouse Fabrications in Indiana uses a base car not available in Australia, the 2020 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 – and it's produced some incredible performance figures from the car's 5.2-litre V8 engine, naming the car Shelby GT350 1000R.

We talk a lot about niche cars. Four-door coupes, swoopy shooting brakes, sloping-roofed crossovers – they all exist to plug a very small gap in the market. But those niches pale in comparison to the niche filled by the 2020 BMW Z4 sDrive20i manual. Not only is it a premium two-seat convertible, it has a manual transmission. This isn't a mass-market warrior, it's quite possibly one of the most niche vehicles available in Australia. And it's going to make a small group of people very happy.

Volkswagen appears to be working on a powered-up version of its Arteon four-door coupe. A prototype snapped with big wheels and brakes, and an angry-looking exhaust system, is a strong indicator the car could get a proper performance flagship to sit above the 206TSI R-Line. The biggest indicators as to the Arteon's performance potential is the bigger brakes. The oversized rotors are drilled and the calipers are blue, the latter of which is a Golf R calling card.

American electric vehicle maker Tesla has received approval from German courts to continue land preparations for a ‘gigafactory’ near Berlin – however the future of the plant is still not confirmed. As reported by Reuters, the approval comes after German courts issued an injunction against Tesla’s site preparations for the plant earlier in the week. The German court stated its ruling was final.

Peugeot has revealed the 2020 Landtrek, a dual-cab ute digging deep into the parts bin aimed squarely at emerging markets Power in the Landtrek comes from a Euro 4 four-cylinder 1.9-litre turbo-diesel engine making 110kW and 350Nm, put to the road through a 4x2 or 4x4 system and six-speed manual. No automatic option is mentioned. The two-wheel drive variant hits 100km/h in 14.9 seconds, the four-wheel drive takes an even more leisurely 15.8 seconds.

Volkswagen has unveiled the 2020 Caddy van and people mover, with underpinnings borrowed from the Golf and a high-tech new cabin. Unlike its predecessor, the new Caddy is built on the Volkswagen Group's all-conquering MQB architecture. That opens the door for it to feature higher-tech engines, driver assists, and cabin features.

Volkswagen has released concept renderings of its new Golf GTI ahead of a Geneva motor show debut in March. Volkswagen's render shows a vastly different front end design for its GTI than what has been seen on the standard Golf. The 2021 GTI's front grille extends across the width of its bumper and features fog lights comprised of a quintet of (presumably) LEDs inside the honeycomb pattern.

Mandy Turner and Mike Costello are on the panel this week. We speak with Josh Dowling about the aftermath of the demise of Holden this week. You'll also hear Holden memories from the editorial team. Mandy attends a Toyota GR Supra dealership drive day and talks to soon-to-be- and current owners. Lastly, Mike talks to Mazda Australia managing director, Vinesh Bhindi, and marketing director, Alistair Doak, about the sales decline on the Mazda 3, and more about the MX-30.

The cheapest ticket into a V6-powered Volkswagen Amarok is finally here, after multiple international obstacles and hold-ups. It’s the 2020 Volkswagen Amarok V6 Core manual with a starting price of $49,500 drive-away. Along with three pedals and six ratios, this base-specification Amarok also gets a more ubiquitous part-time 4x4 system with a low-range transfer case compared to the single-range, all-wheel-drive automatic Amarok.

Advocate groups for the blind and vision-impaired community have renewed their calls for greater regulation of electric vehicles due to the safety risks they pose to pedestrians as a result of their silent drivetrains. In new submissions to a New South Wales Government inquiry into the use of electric buses, Vision Australia has highlighted research suggesting one in three vision-impaired pedestrians reported having collisions or near-misses with electric cars.

The 2020 Isuzu D-Max ute is due in Australian showrooms in July, will be powered by a revised version of its 3.0-litre turbo diesel, and all models will come standard with advanced safety technology to achieve an expected five-star rating across the range. While Isuzu Ute Australia is yet to confirm pricing or timing – and declined to comment on this story – the Isuzu dealer network has already been given a confidential briefing on the first completely new D-Max in eight years.

Hyundai Europe has revealed its brand-new i20 city car with claimed best-in-class safety and infotainment tech, and a 48V mild-hybrid engine. But it’s not coming to Australia, just like its predecessor. This situation feels incongruous given the first-generation model, sourced from India, was a regular top-seller here.

They’re twins under the skin and both famous nameplates. But if you’re after the best driver’s car for about $90,000, do you pick the German roadster or Japanese coupe?

Honda has revealed a more subtle version of its Civic Type R hot hatch, but it won't be heading for Australia. Although it maintains powertrain for which the Type R has been lauded, the Sportline is aimed at a slightly different market to the standard car or the Limited Edition released yesterday. For one, it ditches the oversized rear wing in place of a more subtle lip spoiler on the bootlid. The car is still no shrinking violet, but the more subtle look will no doubt broaden its appeal.

Nissan’s Navara N-Trek Warrior is the latest of a new breed: high-specification 4X4 utes with tweaked and modified components aimed at the improved ride, handling and off-road ability. It’s not the first of its breed, however; the Nissan enters an establishment of utes already vying for the top of the market. We’ve got two direct competitors for the Nissan to lock horns with: Ford’s Ranger Raptor and Holden Special Vehicles’ Colorado SportsCat.

Bentley's bespoke division has given the Continental GT Convertible a makeover ahead of its 2020 Geneva motor show debut. The revisions made by Mulliner to Bentley's standard Continental GT Convertible appear mostly aesthetic. A quilted interior contains almost 400,000 individual stitches – up from the 310,675 in the 2019 Continental GT Convertible – in an embroidery process the marque says took 18 months to develop.

It’s amazing how quickly the good things in life become our new normal, and we soon lust after something better. When Ford introduced the Mustang in Australia at the end of 2015 – the first factory-made right-hand-drive in the pony car’s 50-year history – local fans were overjoyed. They couldn’t get to their nearest Ford dealership fast enough to put down a deposit on the car of their dreams.

We test MG's latest SUV offering and see how it performs in Australian conditions.

This year marks an important milestone in the rebirth of the MG brand, and without doubt, the 2020 MG HS is the best vehicle the now Chinese-owned company has offered to our local market. MG product has been getting more accomplished for some time, as our testing has indicated, but the HS is some measure ahead of anything we’ve tested before. In fact, I’d say it’s the best executed Chinese-built vehicle I’ve tested.

Hyundai and Kia have co-developed a new automatic transmission for combustion vehicles that can choose a suitable ratio by using map data, and by scanning the road ahead with radars and cameras. The claimed world-first is called the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Connected Shift System, and uses 40 major patents. Both companies plan to use the system in road cars.

Honda has unveiled a more focused, lighter version of its hot hatch hero, but prospective buyers will need to get in quickly. The Civic Type R Limited Edition will be available in "very small" numbers for Australia, and separates itself from the regular range with touches like 20-inch BBS alloy wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and modified dampers.

As the Evija enters its final stage of testing, Lotus Australia continues its efforts to get the $3 million electric hypercar here. First unveiled in 2019, the Evija will be the first fully-electric hypercar car to come out of Britain and the Lotus stable. The Aston Martin Valkyrie rival is set to begin production at Lotus’s new manufacturing facility in Hethel, Great Britain, in mid-2020.

The high-tech Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck will arrive in Australia next month, as Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) prepares to take on the strong-selling Ram 1500. HSV today confirmed the Silverado, which is converted to right-hand drive alongside the Chevrolet Camaro muscle car in Clayton, has been certified for Australia and New Zealand.

Sponsored by: Alfa Romeo When you hear the name Alfa Romeo, you most likely picture an Italian sports car; that while great to drive, might not be the most sensible solution for your daily life. But the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is a modern, functional SUV that still looks like a glamourous Italian sports car, remains great to drive, and makes much more sense on the school run.

Nissan has joined the ranks of carmakers offering a subscription service in the US market, with the announcement of Nissan Switch. The ‘Nissan Switch’ program will be offered initially to consumers living within a 32km radius of downtown Houston, Texas as a proof of concept. “This program provides more choice, convenience, and flexibility,” Nissan North America said in a statement.

I'm in Italy but Daniel Craig isn't. The British actor is somewhere else in the huge global logistics effort that is No Time To Die, the 25th officially sanctioned James Bond film, most likely delivering lines on a soundstage with the rugged understatement that has made him one of the better regarded 007s. He'll be here next week, in the spectacular city of Matera, much of which has pretty much been carved from solid rock - meaning that the second unit have a huge amount to get through before he arrives.

BMW will expand into diesel for its sub-M 3 Series range, with the reveal of the M340d xDrive ahead of its in-person debut at the Geneva motor show. Sitting alongside the M340i xDrive, the M340d is powered by a 3.0-litre inline-six engine augmented by a 48V mild-hybrid system. It promises 250kW, down just 35kW on its petrol stablemate, but packs a whopping 700Nm – 200Nm more than the petrol can manage. Above: The M340i xDrive from behind the wheel.

Lexus and Mazda cleaned up in the 2019 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction awards, based on findings from its single-source survey with a claimed sample size around 50,000 Australians. Lexus won the ‘Best of the Best’ award, given to the company with the highest average satisfaction of all 41 category winners. The awards do not merely focus on automotive, but various other sectors as well.

Aston Martin has put plans to compete in the burgeoning Le Mans Hypercar class on hold, amid rule changes and its recent commitment to Formula 1 for the 2021 season. The British brand had previously committed to running a racing version of its upcoming Valkyrie hypercar in the new Le Mans Hypercar class. However it says rule changes from the body that runs Le Mans have forced it to put those plans on hold.

Volkswagen has offered €830 million (AU$1.34 billion) in compensation to German vehicle buyers affected by its 2015 emissions scandal. As reported by Reuters, the offer comes after the Volkswagen Group – parent company for Audi, Skoda, and Porsche – failed to reach an agreement during negotiations with German consumer association, VZBZ. Volkswagen is now looking to settle with German customers directly, extending the offer to those who registered for compensation through the VZBZ.