Car News

Every month, the latest VFACTS report sends CarAdvice into meltdown. Last month, the HiLux and Ranger maintained their spots atop the sales charts, continuing Australia's love affair with the dual-cab ute. But it wasn't always this way. Here's a look at VFACTS data from January 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013 for a better understanding of how the average Australian buyer's preferences have changed.

European registrations of alternative-fuel vehicles grew 35.1 per cent in Q4 of 2017, contributing to impressive 39.7 growth over the whole year. A total of 227,378 alternative-fuel vehicles (AFVs) were registered in the European Union during Q4, accounting for 6.7 per cent of total sales. Pure-electric cars (dubbed electrically-chargeable by the EU) accounted for 1.9 per cent of all vehicle registrations over that period.

Mercedes-Benz Australia is hoping local interest in its all-new 2018 X-Class translates to sales when the high-end ute goes on sale locally in April. A Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson confirmed the company had already received 8000 expressions of interest for the premium-badged dual-cab, the German marque’s first foray into the highly lucrative segment.

The Volkswagen Amarok Dark Label special edition has been confirmed and detailed for the Australian market, ahead of a local launch in April. Limited to 500 units nationally, the Dark Label is positioned between the Highline and Ultimate variants of the German ute, though pricing is yet to be confirmed.

Sometimes, advertisements are the only thing keeping us engaged in the Super Bowl. Thankfully, the on-field entertainment was up to scratch in yesterday's Philadelphia Eagles win. In this writer's opinion, yesterday's crop of automotive ads were a bit, well, flat. One piece will be remembered for being a bit tone deaf, and for using words deeply out of context. That award goes to Ram, which used an anti-capitalist sermon from Dr Martin Luther King, Jr as its hook.