Car News

As Australian sales of electric cars continue to rise and industry bodies urge the Federal Government to make charging infrastructure a national priority, it appears EVs (electric vehicles) have progressed beyond buzzword status to present-day reality.

The hail storm that lashed Canberra in late January has delivered a boom in new-car sales as the rest of the market hit the brakes. Official figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries for March show sales of new cars in the Australian Capital Territory increased by a staggering 77 per cent compared to the same month the previous year (from 1700 to almost 3000 vehicles) – as the overall market nationally fell by 18 per cent.

English sports car maker Lotus has announced a limited edition, Australian-exclusive Exige Sport 410 Targa Edition to pay tribute to the Targa Tasmania tarmac rally competition. The Exige Sport 410 Targa Edition is priced from $174,990 before on-road costs, with only 10 examples to be produced with a unique, numbered interior build plate.

The owner of a McLaren 600LT has been filmed driving the car across a flooded road in the United States, leaving the $455,000 supercar stranded amid rising floodwaters. Footage of the incident emerged on Twitter, showing the car's owner following a pick-up truck across a main road amid heavy rain in the city of Charleston, South Carolina.

Japanese car giant Toyota has passed another major milestone, producing its 15 millionth hybrid car since the first Prius hit the road in 1997. The company estimates the 15 million hybrid cars over 23 years have saved more than 120 million tonnes of CO2 compared with equivalent petrol vehicles which use twice to three times as much fuel. In Australia, Toyota has sold more than 134,000 petrol-electric hybrid cars, after passing the 100,000 mark 11 months ago.