Car News

Ford Australia is expanding the Focus range with new variants and rethinking its marketing strategy, as it plots a sales revival for its small car. Focus sales have plummeted in recent years, with the model set to record its lowest annual figure since the model replaced the Laser late in 2002.

Public feedback contributed to Ford Australia’s decision to avoid reviving the Territory nameplate for the new large SUV it has released this month. The imported Endura joins the brand’s sports utility vehicle range just over two years after local production of the popular Territory ended. The 4.8-metre Endura is only a few centimetres shorter than the Territory, though there is no third-row seating option as offered by the only SUV to have been produced locally.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will next year slash up to 5000 jobs as part of its turnaround plan, according to new reporting from the UK. According to the Financial Times, the brand will announce a £2.5 billion ($4.3 billion) turnaround plan to deal with falling demand. Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, announced a cost-cutting plan after posting a £90 million loss in the third quarter of 2018, but declined to provide specifics.

BMW and Porsche have successfully demonstrated their first "ultra-fast" electric vehicle charge station in Bavaria, capable of delivering 100km of range in just three minutes. The station is suitable for any electric car with a CCS Type 2 charge plug, and can adapt its output to match a vehicle's onboard maximum.

Audi has formally appointed Bram Schot as permanent CEO, a role he was given on an interim-basis after the arrest of previous CEO Rupert Stadler. In announcing the appointment, Herbert Diess, head of the Volkswagen Group, said Schot had done a "convincing job in recent months... [in] pushing forward with the cultural change in his team and is effectively tackling the current challenges".