Car News

UPDATE, August 1: The updated Clio RS is now also on sale in Australia. Details here. The updated 2017 Renault Clio range has hit Australian showrooms this week, bringing a revised look, added features and sharp pricing. Starting at $15,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Life manual and stretching to $22,990 for the Intens and GT-Line range toppers, the new Clio starts over $2000 cheaper than the model it replaces.

Pininfarina could expand beyond its current work as a design contractor, and become a supercar marque in its own right. Anand Mahindra, the Mahindra Group's chairman, told MarketWatch, "We're exploring right now the potential of building an electric supercar, which will be branded Pininfarina". If this car gets the go ahead, it will be targeted at the American market first, with the possibility for Chinese sales further down the track.

A small UK-based study has found programming a satellite navigation app to be more distracting for drivers than texting. Undertaken by UK road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) RoadSmart and UK publication Auto Express, the experiment focussed on determining which common ‘behind-the-wheel distractions’ have the most potential for disaster.

Australia is now the world’s largest export market for Isuzu’s light commercial and SUV range, comprising the D-Max ute and MU-X wagon. Isuzu Ute Australia’s 23,377 sales last year — the eighth consecutive year in which it posted double-digit growth — allowed it to overtake Saudi Arabia, and best a further 120-odd nations. Only the Thailand market, where Isuzu Motors International Operations produces all its vehicles, accounts for a greater proportion of the company’s volume.

The 2014 and 2015 model-year Maserati Ghibli and Quattroporte have been recalled for a possible fuel leak, with 339 units affected. In the notice, the Italian marque reports that fuel may leak from the fuel delivery pipe, posing a hazard to other road users if fuel leaks onto the road. A VIN list for the recalled units can be viewed here. Above: Maserati Quattroporte, Top: Maserati Ghibli