Car News

Swedish manufacturer Volvo could soon feature engines from the Mercedes-Benz range, according to a new report out of Germany. Manager Magazin claims the German marque's parent, Daimler, is considering working closer with Volvo's Chinese parent Geely – it's also worth noting Geely's boss and principal owner, Li Shufu, owns a 9.7 per cent share in Daimler.

Update (20/4): Honda Australia has confirmed the Small RS concept, and the Brio it's based on, won't be coming here. The Honda Small RS Concept has been unveiled at the 2018 Jakarta motor show. With its prominent sills, spoilers, wheel arch vents, bonnet scoop, rear diffuser, and blacked-out wheels and grille, the Small RS Concept looks, at a pinch, like a squashed Civic Type R.

Mitsubishi Australia has recalled the 2003-2008 Lancer and Lancer Evolution as part of the ongoing Takata airbag inflator scandal. More than 35,000 vehicles are affected by the campaign, designed to rectify the like-for-like replacements fitted to those cars in 2015 as part of campaign 010093.

Tesla Australia has recalled more than 800 Model S sedans, over concerns about faulty bolts in the steering rack. According to the company, vehicles with Bosch steering racks exposed to long-term, high-corrosion environments could have corroded aluminium bolts attaching the power steering gear assist motor. If the bolts fracture, the power steering gear assist could move, causing the transmission belt (which connects the motor to the rack itself) to slip.

Alfa Romeo will bring the more powerful Stelvio Ti offered in overseas markets to Australia later this year. With power from the same 206kW/400Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine as the Giulia Veloce, the Ti sprints to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds – 1.5 seconds faster than the base petrol Stelvio, and 0.9 seconds faster than the diesel – on its way to a 230km/h top speed. Power will be put to all four wheels through the same eight-speed automatic transmission as the wider range.