Car News

Darcy Foster • Ever wanted to option your car with a fluorescent purple interior straight out the factory? Conventional car seat covers could soon be a thing of the past as Ford looks to implement '3D knitting' in its interior trimming. By experimenting with technologies prevalent in the manufacture of clothes and running shoes, Ford has created a way of using wool, polyester, or even silk to ‘print’ its own seat covers.

Lexus will unveil its first-ever electric vehicle in arguably the most important electric market in the world, China, on November 22. Set to debut at the Guangzhou motor show, it's believed the first Lexus EV will be based on an existing production model.

New vehicle sales in Australia are down by 8.0 per cent (to 893,920 units) this year, summing to the lowest January-October tally since 2011. Not since the GFC has there been a more protracted diminution of sales here. But not all brands are battling. Be it through an array of new product (usually in the form of a compact SUV or two), sharp pricing, the right marketing, or simply coming off a low base, these are some of the minority group of car-makers bucking the trend.

BMW has unveiled a racing cousin to the 2020 M2 CS, wrapping the road car's fundamentals in a race-ready package. Aimed at the VLN Endurance Championship and TC America racing series, the M2 CS Racing is powered by the same S55 inline-six turbo engine as the road-going model. Here, however, it only makes between 205kW and 268kW depending on the regulations of each race series.

Porsche has launched online sales in Europe, allowing owners to specify, order, and place a deposit on their vehicles remotely. Only the very last steps of buying a car – "customer authentication and final conclusion of the contract" – will take place at a dealership. Online sales will only be offered in Germany initially, before expanding throughout Europe in 2020.