Car News

Suzuki has previewed three custom cars ahead of this week’s Tokyo Auto Salon, although none appear at this stage to be destined for production. The mean Swift Sport Katana (pictured above) is the most dramatic of the three with its bulging fender flares, aggressive front fascia, and side-mounted exhaust outlets. It follows a tamer, though still attractive Swift Sport Katana limited edition shown in Europe last year.

One of the most iconic gas guzzlers and images of excess of the modern motoring era – the military-inspired Hummer brand – could make a comeback in the US a decade after being dumped. But there is a big twist: according to reports out of the US it will aim for a more environmentally-friendly image with a line-up of electric utes and SUVs.

Chrysler has resurrected its Airflow name with a new concept car, the Chrysler Airflow Vision, making its debut this week at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The original Airflow was an aerodynamic sedan introduced to the US market in the 1930s, but the 2020 take is an athletic, sculptural premium crossover vehicle with distinctive looks and a strong focus on user experience.

The Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger might have stolen the limelight in the end-of-year sales race, but there are still some bargains to be had at the bottom end of the market. There are normally slim pickings below $40,000 but a few special deals have emerged that provide buyers on a budget more options. Isuzu has given its base model D-Max SX tradie pack the limited edition treatment, creating the D-Max X-Rider.

In a two-and-a-half-hour press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of Renault and Nissan, has given a full-throated defence against the charges he was facing in Japan. Starting with an hour-long monologue to a packed conference room, Ghosn said he was detained in an "inhumane system of hostage justice" with a 99.4 per cent conviction rate.