Car News

Nearly 4000 examples of the current Mercedes-Benz Vito work van have been recalled in Australia, over concerns of a fire risk. Affecting 3542 examples of Vito vans in the 2015 to 2019 model years, the recall centres on the auxiliary battery installed beneath the driver's seat. Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia reports the battery "may not include a seat base cover", which could lead users to mistake the space for a storage compartment.

German tuning houses and Porsche specialists, Gemballa and RUF, have revealed off-road versions of the iconic 911. Gemballa’s Avalanche 4x4 has only been teased with renders, however what’s even more ambitious than the concept is that the model is slated for release within the next two years. Built on the underpinnings of a current-generation Porsche 911, the Avalanche 4x4 receives major modifications to suit an off-road environment.

Japanese carmaker Nissan is looking to leave a venture fund created with alliance partners Renault and Mitsubishi, as reported by Reuters. The ‘Alliance Ventures’ fund was created by ex-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to invest in various startup firms working on technologies relevant to the manufacturers.

Mercedes-Benz has drastically improved the driving range of its battery-electric eVito Tourer people-carrier by installing the more luxurious EQV’s 90kWh battery pack, capable of more than double the energy storage of the MY19 model’s. The eVito Tourer is designed to be a hotel shuttle or ride-share taxi in Europe. Paired with the 90kWh battery in the platform is the EQV’s 150kW/362Nm motor driving the front wheels, a fixed-speed transmission, and integrated cooling and power electronic units.

Electric car specialist Tesla is looking for a new location in the US to build a factory dedicated to producing the Cybertruck – and it could be in North America’s pick-up heartland. Tesla boss Elon Musk said on Twitter: “Scouting locations for Cybertruck Gigafactory. (It) Will be central USA”. In a separate message, Musk wrote: “Model Y (compact SUV) production for east coast too.”