Australia’s three most popular new vehicles in June - perennially the biggest sales month of the year - were all pickups/utes.
Clearly there were a lot of buyers taking advantage of end of financial year deals and incentives, and perhaps capitalising on certain tax breaks (such as fringe-benefit claims).
Top of the pops was the Toyota HiLux with 5787 units, ahead of the Ford Ranger on 4768. However, in the lucrative 4x4 ute sales race it was the Ford on top, 4236 versus 4032.
Australia’s new vehicle sales in June this year couldn’t quite match the record tally over the same month in 2017, but 130,300 units over 26 selling days is nothing to sneeze at.
The June haul takes annual sales at the half-year mark of 2018 to 605,522 units, up 1 per cent on last year’s high-water mark. Low interest rates, LCV tax breaks and hyper-charged competition driving down prices will do that…
Volkswagen has teased its new T-Cross baby SUV this week in a designer sketch along with a new video posted on YouTube.
The single rear image shows a rather muscular crossover, complete with a tail-light arrangement that spans the width of the vehicle.
Contrasting bumpers and wheel arch cladding complement the skid-plate style rear treatment, and 'T-Cross' lettering adorns the lower portion of the tailgate. Naturally, the production car will be a watered-down version of this sketch.
Tesla has built 5000 Model 3s in a week – thanks in part to a hastily-erected tent in the brand's Fremont factory parking lots – marking the completion of an Elon Musk promise.
The strong Model 3 output, combined with good demand for Model S/X, drove second-quarter production to 53,339 vehicles, a new record.
The Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has launched a campaign encouraging car buyers to stump for the newest possible car, asking 'who would survive' a head-on collision between a 1998 and 2015 Toyota Corolla to illustrate how far passive safety has improved over the past two decades.
“This is the first campaign of its kind, where the vehicle is profiled as being the life-saving factor in a crash,” said ANCAP chief executive, James Goodwin.
