Car News

The chance of the innovative Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid ever being sold Australia are fading fast, despite the Scandinavian brand showcasing a sporty new R-Design version of the diesel-electric wagon destined for Europe. The Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid R-Design gets a more stylish look than the standard version, with a sports aero kit and 18-inch alloy wheels differentiating it from the outside, while the interior gains sports seats trimmed in perforated leather and a black headlining.

Japanese luxury brand Infiniti says it’s time to get serious about taking on the German establishment. The Nissan-owned luxury brand, which was made an independent division of the Japanese company late last year, is planning to push a range of new models into production over the next six years – and Infiniti Americas vice president Michael Bartsch told CarAdvice at the 2014 New York auto show in frank terms that the company needs to prove it’s worthy of consideration.

The next-generation Mazda CX-9 SUV will lose its V6 petrol engine, likely in favour of a more efficient turbocharged four-cylinder. Mazda global head of sales and marketing, Masahiro Moro, indicated to CarAdvice at the New York auto show that Mazda is in a transition period away from the Ford-sourced V6 seen in the current CX-9.

A 2015 Ford Mustang Convertible is now on display 305m (1000 feet) into the Manhattan sky, atop the 86th floor observation deck of New York's Empire State Building. Celebrating 50 years since the iconic pony car first went on sale, the process of getting the new Ford Mustang onto the famous 443-metre-tall sky scraper's open-air deck mirrors a task first completed in 1965 with a prototype of the original Ford Mustang Convertible – a car 180mm shorter and 100mm narrower.

The next-generation 2015 Nissan Navara may spawn a rough-and-tumble off-road SUV. Nissan global chief planning officer Andy Palmer indicated to CarAdvice at the New York auto show that there's potential for a rugged seven-seat SUV in the vain of the Holden Colorado 7, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Challenger and upcoming Ford Everest and similar to the existing Navara-based Pathfinder which has been replaced by a softer, family-focused SUV.