Car News

The facelifted Volkswagen Passat sedan has been spied undergoing testing in the European Alps. Up front, the headlamp internals have been reworked, with the LED driving lights now forming a brow above the main- and high-beam units. The grille, at least on this prototype, has an egg crate-style design not too dissimilar to that used on the pricier Arteon.

Volvo Cars has joined a growing list of manufacturers pushing away from motor shows, instead focusing on more closely-tailored events showcasing its new products. The first casualty is the 2019 Geneva motor show, with no word on whether it'll appear at the 2018 Paris motor show this October. Unlike many manufacturers, who like to launch their vehicles at motor shows, Volvo used 2017 Milan Fashion Week to unveil the XC40, and revealed the V60 in a Stockholm driveway.

Elon Musk has taken to Twitter promising some 'full self-driving features' will be rolled out as part of an August update for Tesla's Autopilot driver assist system. At the moment, Autopilot is limited to Level 2 automation. Although stories about Tesla 'drivers' sleeping and sitting in the passenger seat – and, unfortunately, crashing while reliant on the system – abound, Autopilot is only meant to operate under constant driver supervision.

The updated Mazda MX-5 has been unveiled in Japan, where it has gained a more powerful 2.0-litre engine and a telescoping steering wheel among other changes. The MX-5's 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine has been massaged to deliver 137kW, up from 118kW. The redline has also been raised from 6800rpm to 7500rpm, and torque increased slightly from 200Nm to 205Nm.

The 2018 Nissan Terra isn't confirmed for the Australian market, but it's managed to take down the sales-leading Isuzu MU-X in our latest online poll. A not-insignificant 58 per cent of respondents preferred the seven-seat Nissan over the MU-X, which is currently topping its class for sales.