Car News

Official figures released yesterday have confirmed that, contrary to perception in our congested cities, the drop in new-car sales is not because motorists are switching to motorcycles. According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), sales of motorcycles dropped by 6.1 per cent last year (to 89,199) compared to the new car market which dropped by 7.8 per cent (to 1,062,877).

Volkswagen’s cheapest and smallest SUV, the T-Cross, has been confirmed for an April launch priced from $27,990 before on-road costs. The 4.1m long Polo-based crossover is pitched as a European-badged competitor to the likes of Mazda’s CX-3 sTouring and Hyundai’s Kona Elite. It also rounds out VW’s formerly under-indexed SUV range, which now comprises the T-Cross, just-launched T-Roc, Tiguan and Tiguan Allspace, and Touareg. For the brand, this is T-Riffic news.

All car manufacturers like to put a positive spin on things, but 2019 was a largely positive sales year for luxury brands worldwide. Most of the bigger players that have released calendar year sales figures showed growth, with the exception of Jaguar Land Rover. Mercedes-Benz recorded 1.3 per cent sales growth worldwide to 2,339,562 vehicles. This figure includes AMG models, plus the X-Class and V-Class, but not its work van range or heavy trucks.

Supercars are tested to extremes before they make it to showrooms, but this probably isn’t what General Motors had in mind when two engineers took a pair of yet-to-be-released Corvette C8s for a late night blast through the middle of the week. Police in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA – where the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette will be made – stopped two engineering test cars after they were allegedly street racing and exceeding the posted 45mph (72kmh) speed limit by more than 26mph (42kmh).

The rugged Wrangler will be the next Jeep to be electrified as the brand marches toward its goal of offering electrification across its range by 2022. The Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid was revealed at CES 2020 this week, sharing the spotlight with the previously revealed Compass 4xe and Renegade 4xe. Visually, it's distinguished from regular Wranglers only through some subtle blue accents, 4xe badges, and a charging port on the front guard.