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a bike on a country road

New Triumph Tiger 1200 range expected in NZ in DecemberTriumph’s overhauled Tiger 1200 range is expected to reach New Zealand in December 2026, bringing more power, self-lowering suspension and a new suite of radar-based rider…

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi new smaller white mobile speed camera trailer, side view, with stabiliser legs lowered

NZTA adds smaller speed camera trailer to its fleet

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is adding a new, smaller mobile safety camera trailer to its fleet, alongside its camera-equipped SUVs and the larger trailers already in…

AI-generated NZ Autocar concept of a three-row SUV based on the Chery Stockman, front three-quarter view. Not a Chery design.

Chery Stockman platform built for a three-row SUV, and an EV is possible

Main image: our AI-generated Musterer concept, showing how a Stockman-based three-row SUV could look. It is not a Chery design. Chery designed the platform under its Stockman ute…

Volkswagen Amarok Walkinshaw confirmed for December arrival

Volkswagen New Zealand has announced the Amarok Walkinshaw will be arriving locally later this year. It follows in the footsteps of the Amarok W580, which was based on the…

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F1: Lawson extends points streak with top-ten finish in USA

Liam Lawson has now scored points in the last three F1 Grand Prix weekends as he managed a P9 finish in Austin, Texas. The race at the Circuit of the Americas track saw plenty of…

Chery Stockman chief engineer Mark Qi pointing out accessory mounting points at the base of the windscreen

Chery Stockman’s chief engineer explains why it’s a diesel plug-in

Chery Stockman chief engineer Mark Qi walked us around the diesel plug-in hybrid ute at the Chery Group User Summit in Wuhu, China, explaining the thinking behind everything from…

Orange BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute side view on a New Zealand rural road

BYD’s own fleet makes the case for charging your PHEV

BYD NZ press fleet data shows a Shark 6 PHEV charged twice emitted 205g CO2e/km, against 71g/km for an identical ute charged 59 times.

Chery International president Zhang Guibing answering questions at a media round table in Wuhu

Chery boss expects many Chinese carmakers to disappear

Most Chinese car manufacturers are losing money, and many will soon disappear, according to one of Chery’s most senior executives. Zhang Guibing, executive vice president of Chery…

Amanda McLaren accepting father's posthumous degree

University of Auckland’s $125 million engineering facility to honour Bruce McLaren

The University of Auckland has announced a new $125 million engineering facility, which will be named after Bruce McLaren. According to a report published by the New Zealand…

BYD cuts prices to below pre-July levels

BYD New Zealand has cut prices across most of its range until the end of the year, less than four months after it put prices up on every model it sells. The national campaign,…

Lepas Aura wagon concept on stage at its reveal in Wuhu, China

Lepas reveals Aura wagon concept

Lepas has revealed its first concept car, the Aura, in Wuhu, China, and it’s a wagon.

Stockman ute in green on a dusty road in the outback

Chery to tune its cars locally through Australian R&D centre

Chery is setting up a research and development centre in Australia, staffed by local engineers, to adapt its models to Australian conditions before they go on sale. Zhang Guibing,…

AMG explores petrol and electric futures for the next C63

Mercedes-AMG could offer petrol and electric versions of a future C63, with Mercedes-Benz’s technology chief confirming work on both powertrain directions. Chief technology…

WRX in blue

Subaru teases new WRX with STI six-speed manual

Subaru is preparing a new manual WRX for Japan, using the six-speed transmission previously fitted to the WRX STI. The company’s Japanese teaser site confirms a November 2026…

Benda Rover 500: Chinese motorcycle unveiled with curious name

While it might not be a household name, Benda is a Chinese motorcycle brand that looks to be expanding at an impressive rate. With a line-up consisting of 14 models, and currently…

Honda Triton digital impression front three-quarter

Confirmed: Honda’s first body-on-frame ute to be based on Mitsubishi Triton

Honda some speculation, Honda has confirmed its first proper body-on-frame ute will be built in collaboration with Mitsubishi. The two brands have reportedly signed a memorandum…

How Barry Crump’s grandsons are still flying the Hilux flag decades later

When talking about the Toyota Hilux in New Zealand, it’s hard to not bring up Barry Crump and his rich legacy. As well as being an icon of the outdoors, Crumpy gained local fame…

Volkswagen New Zealand weighs in on China-built models being sold locally

Volkswagen is preparing to sell models developed for the Chinese market in Australia, and New Zealand is likely to get them too. Volkswagen brand chief executive Thomas Schäfer…

Mercedes’ little G-Class to target new buyers with petrol and electric power

Mercedes-Benz’s smaller G-Class is expected within the next two years, bringing the off-roader’s recognisable character to a different group of buyers. The compact SUV, commonly…

EU compromise could extend combustion-car sales beyond 2035

European lawmakers have reportedly reached a compromise that would give car makers more flexibility to sell combustion-engined vehicles after 2035, further easing proposed…

Study suggests driving slowly off-road as thrilling as racing on a track

Off-roading at little more than walking pace can deliver high levels of excitement, according to a Castrol study exploring what makes driving enjoyable. Participants experienced…

Luxeed Stormax front three-quarter view

Luxeed confirmed for New Zealand in 2027, with no Huawei tech

Chery’s premium brand Luxeed is coming to New Zealand around the middle of 2027, and the cars sold here will carry no Huawei hardware or software.

Chery Stockman ute parked outside a building at Chery headquarters in Wuhu, China

Chery claims diesel plug-in Stockman will make light work of DPF cleaning

Chery says the plug-in hybrid system in its Stockman ute will reduce the diesel particulate filter problems that put many buyers off diesel. GWM had questioned how Chery would…

White iCAUR V27 with roof boxes and awning outside Chery headquarters in Wuhu

iCAUR rules out a ute and diesel

Chery Group’s iCAUR brand has no plans for a ute, a diesel engine or a ladder-frame off-roader. Its senior executives fielded questions on all three at a media round table at…

Su Jun on stage in Wuhu with the iCAUR V23, V27 and V25 on screen

Why iCAUR’s boss wanted a Bronco and a Tesla in one car

Dr Su Jun owns two very different cars, a Ford Bronco and an older Tesla Model S, and he says iCAUR (yes, you pronounce it eye-car) started out as his team’s attempt to build…

BMW New Zealand confirms pricing for new X5 SUV

BMW New Zealand has announced pricing for the new X5. The X5 40d xDrive goes on sale before the end of this year, with the plug-in hybrid and electric versions following in the…

White 2027 Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid facelift with new front grille on a wet test course in Wuhu, China

Updated Chery Tiggo 4 gets turbo hybrid power and a sportier tune

Chery’s facelifted Tiggo 4 hybrid is quicker, and the company plans to retune its suspension and driver-assist systems for drivers in New Zealand and Australia. The Tiggo 4 was…

orange merc crashing

What happens when two CLAs meet in a crash?

Mercedes-Benz has deliberately crashed two new CLA models into each other, with both travelling at 56km/h, to test occupant protection and the resilience of an electric vehicle’s…