Car News

Volvo may have committed to an expansive roll-out of hybrid models, but its CEO has said the brand could switch solely to battery-electric models if demand is high enough. Just last year, the Chinese-owned Swedish brand announced its aim to have battery-electric vehicles account for 50 per cent of all global sales by 2025. Beyond that, CEO Hakan Sammuelson has told Auto Express it’s a matter of “when” not “if” Volvo chooses to axe internal-combustion engines.

A wrongful death suit alleges the driver of a Tesla Model S died because emergency responders were unable to open his Tesla’s flush door handles. According to US industry journal Automotive News and news agency Bloomberg, Omar Awan, a 48-year-old anaesthesiologist, died of smoke inhalation when a fire broke out in his 2016 Tesla Model S, after he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The crash occurred in February of this year in Davie, Florida.

Toyota Australia’s (TMCA) hybrid rollout continues at pace, with one-in-five vehicles it sells here next year expected to be petrol-electric. That’s equivalent to 40,000 cars. Moreover, the company’s local arm — which sells about double the number of cars as its closest competitors Mazda and Hyundai — says it continues to lobby government to formulate more stringent regulations on CO2 output across industry.

The Hyundai HDC-6 Neptune fuel-cell truck has been teased ahead of its release at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta. Hyundai has positioned itself as a leader alongside Toyota in the hydrogen fuel-cell world. It currently offers the Nexo fuel-cell crossover overseas, and will be bringing 20 to Australian roads as part of a trial involving Canberra government staff.

Toyota has recalled the 2019 Tarago over concerns about the boot door stay damper. According to the company, the plating process for the damper in the gas struts supporting the boot might have been conducted at the wrong temperature. If that's the case the gas in the damper may leak, and the strut might not correctly support the boot. A total of 86 vehicles are included in the campaign – a VIN list is contained within the recall notice here.