Car News

EXCLUSIVE Holden’s national network of 185 dealers – operating 203 showrooms – have appointed law firm HWL Ebsworth and forensic accountants KPMG to negotiate with US car giant General Motors over compensation offers they claim are “grossly inadequate” and not a fair reflection of the financial impact on their businesses and staff.

Honda has withdrawn its sole electric vehicle (EV) offering – the Clarity, which is also sold as a plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicle – from the United States market after only three years of sale in the region. The Clarity name will continue but with a plug-in electric variant and hydrogen-powered variant – the latter only available in California. According to a report from Statist, there were approximately 245,000 full-electric vehicles sold in the United States in 2019.

Mercedes-Benz Vans has given its Vito a substantial mid-cycle update to keep it sharp against the Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit Custom, and Renault Trafic. Australian examples to be sold from the first quarter of 2021 will get a new frontal design, a touchscreen in the cabin, and more active safety features including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and active cruise control.

Toyota Australia’s move to broaden its petrol-electric hybrid range is paying off, with the company hitting a new high-water mark despite the ongoing drop in car sales as a whole. Toyota has reported 7957 of its hybrid cars as sold this year, 166 per cent up over the first two months in 2019. Almost a quarter of cars sold by the company this year are hybrids.

The Toyota GR Yaris hot-hatch could cost as much as $60,000 when it goes on sale in Australia at the end of this year – if pricing out of the UK is a guide. Toyota UK pricing for the rally-inspired all-wheel-drive GR Yaris released last week, lists the base-model GR Yaris (the variant due to be sold in Australia) at £29,995 (AU$59,955) including on-road costs.