Car News

A US government agency is reviewing a petition that claims Tesla vehicles may unexpectedly accelerate. Reuters reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will review the petition, which cites 127 consumer complaints to the agency involving 123 separate vehicles. These complaints include 110 crashes and 52 injuries. The petition covers the 2012-19 Tesla Model S, 2016-19 Model X and 2018-19 Model 3, asking the NHTSA to issue a recall for a total of 500,000 vehicles.

A buyer in Japan has paid a record AUD$1.17 million for a rare 1970s Datsun. The hammer went down on the 1970 Nissan Fairlady Z432R in Tokyo last weekend and the selling price made it one of the most expensive Japanese cars ever sold. Known as the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan, and Datsun 240Z in other markets including Australia, the Z432R is the one that gets Japanese classic car enthusiasts hearts racing.

Skoda is one brand that always seems to generate more interest among our readers than its modest sales would suggest, so it's worth jotting down the company's 2019 deliveries for the record. The Czech-based brand chalked up 1,242,800 sales, the sixth year in a row where it's clocked over a million sales. Skoda's figure is actually 0.9 per cent lower than 2018's tally of 1,253,700 sales, a consequence of Skoda's reliance on the declining Chinese market.

The Nissan 370Z sports car is expected to have twin turbo V6 power when it eventually goes on sale some time in the next couple of years. Nissan dealer sources in the US, who have reportedly seen the new model, told Autoblog the next-generation Zed car – rumoured to launch in 2021 or 2022 – will use a version of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 from the Infiniti Q50 and Q60 Red Sport.

Join Mandy Turner, Mike Costello, and Kez Casey for the first podcast back for 2020! We chat with Mike Duff about his drive in the Aston Martin DBX prototype and discuss if it feels like an Aston Martin. Mike compares the 2020 Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 sedans. We talk to CarAdvice reader Tim about his owner review of the 2017 Holden Astra RS, which he bought new.