Car News

A New Zealand Suzuki dealer is offering customers a ute version of its already-cutesie Jimny, as reported by Driven. For willing customers, the Whanganui dealer will chop the rear end to fit an enclosed flat-deck tray, revised tail lights and interior trim pieces to suit. The best part? The conversion is certified. However, what potential buyers might not find as cute as the finished product is the cost to get it there.

Mazda has recalled model-years 2014 to 2015 examples of its popular CX-5 SUV to address a problem with its LED light signature. Affecting 7443 vehicles, the recall centres on the CX-5's daytime running lights (DRLs), which could flicker while driving or fail to illuminate. In the event that the vehicle's headlights are not also on, inactive DRLs could reduce its visibility. Mazda Australia has confirmed it will contact affected owners to arrange inspection and free repair.

Volvo has been forced to recall roughly 750,000 cars worldwide over a fault in its Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems that could see them not deploy under certain temperature conditions. The recall pertains to 2019 and 2020 model year cars and Volvo Australia confirmed to CarAdvice that it has identified 9205 affected vehicles in Australia. The affected models are the XC40, S60, V60, V60 Cross Country, XC60, S90, S90L, V90, V90 Cross Country and XC90 – model years 2019-2020.

The Suzuki Swift Sport hot (ish) hatch has picked up an electrified petrol engine in Europe that cuts fuel use and CO2 emissions by six per cent, helping its maker meet Euro 6 requirements. It also appears to offer less power and more weight than before, countered in part by an additional slab of low-down torque through electric assistance that promises to make it as responsive in most situations, and smoother from idle.

Toyota has partnered with Momenta – a Daimler-backed Chinese autonomous driving startup – to aid in developing high definition maps, as reported by Reuters. Momenta will help Toyota develop its Automated Mapping Platform (AMP) – a technology crucial for autonomous driving. AMP is used to gather data for accurate and current mapping of areas that allows autonomous driving vehicles to place themselves in an environment.