Car News

As the sun sets on Australian manufacturing, we look back on three things we'll miss about the Australian creation: the Holden Commodore. The Commodore Ute was uniquely Australian, in the sense that Australia invented the ute. Of course, while the ute was Ford's creation, Holden made it fast and go around corners. This final Commodore Ute features independent rear suspension, plus a dirty big V8 engine — a 6.2-litre LS3 that produces 304kW of power and 570Nm of torque.

The 2018 Audi A8 will begin filtering into Australian showrooms and garages from the middle of 2018, and the company has announced some preliminary details about local specifications. Australian drivetrain options for this new fifth-generation A8 have yet to be locked in and confirmed, but Shaun Cleary, head of corporate communications for Audi Australia, says the two most likely engines to be offered will be the 3.0-litre turbo V6 petrol and 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel.

McLaren Automotive has today confirmed the upcoming BP23 'Hyper GT' will be joined by a track-focussed supercar in the company's Ultimate Series line-up. Sitting alongside the three-seat BP23 in the ultra-exclusive Ultimate Series range, the as-yet unnamed car will be unveiled early in 2018. Details are predictably scarce at the moment, but we know the car will have three exhaust tips and, although road legal, will sacrifice daily drivability in favour of all-out track performance.

The 2016-17 Fiat Ducato van has been recalled this week over concerns the exhaust recirculation system could break and cause a loss of drivability. According to the manufacturer, affected vehicles may be fitted with an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) pipe that breaks due to "potential non-conformity". Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) says if the pipe does break, there is a risk of exhaust gases escaping into the engine bay, rather than being contained within the exhaust system.

Volvo’s electric performance brand has today announced plans to build a competitor to the upcoming Tesla Model 3 with its Polestar 2, and to also take on the electric SUV market with the Polestar 3. Having unveiled its 2+2 high powered hybrid coupe in the form of the Polestar 1, the sub-brand of the Chinese-owned Swedish company said it will produce full-electric competitors to the Model 3 and X at its newly-built Chinese production facility in Chengdu from 2019.