Car News

Fiat Australia has recalled 143 examples of its Ducato van, citing a potential fault with the steering system. The affected vehicles were sold between 1 June 2019 and 30 November 2020, with all examples stamped Model Year 2019. The recall notice, lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), says: “The vehicle may have been fitted with incorrect steering knuckles during the production process and may not perform as intended.”

Volkswagen Group may be issued a fine of more than €100 million (AU$157 million) for missing its European fleet emissions target by 0.5 grams per kilometre in 2020. Despite cutting the average CO2 output of its vehicles by approximately 20 per cent last year, the European Union could still issue the penalty to Volkswagen Group for failing to miss its assigned target, news outlet Reuters reports.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer won't be coming to Australia, as the new large luxury SUV will be only produced in left-hand-drive. While going on the record as ‘very committed’ to expanding the range of right-hand drive vehicles coming to markets like Australia, global Jeep head Christian Meunier broke the news about the brand’s forthcoming large luxury SUV in a recent interview with CarAdvice.

UPDATE, 21 January 2021: Kia has announced the Stonic S will be the entry-level variant in the three-car range, available from $22,990 drive-away with a manual transmission. The story has been updated below. 19 January 2021: The 2021 Kia Stonic has arrived in Australia, offering buyers greater choice in the compact SUV market.

UPDATE, 21 January 2021: Anthony Levandowski was issued an 11th-hour pardon overnight by outgoing US President Donald Trump. The ex-Google and Uber engineer – sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence in 2020 after he pleaded guilty to stealing company secrets relating to autonomous vehicle development – was yet to spend his first night behind bars due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.