Ram

American Special Vehicles (ASV) – the company responsible for converting US pick-up specialist Ram’s cars to right-hand drive for the Australian market – has issued a recall of 438 examples of its 2014-2019 model-year 1500 diesel pick-up due to a defective part that may increase risk of fire.

Foxconn, the contract electronics manufacturer most closely associated with the Apple iPhone, has confirmed in a filing with authorities it is planning to start a car-making joint venture with Fiat Chrysler (FCA). In the documents discovered by Bloomberg, the two companies are looking to setup a 50/50 joint venture to manufacture electric vehicles. Initially, EVs made by this new pairing will be targeted at the Chinese market, but exports may be considered further down the track.

New vehicle sales in Australia are down by 8.0 per cent (to 893,920 units) this year, summing to the lowest January-October tally since 2011. Not since the GFC has there been a more protracted diminution of sales here. But not all brands are battling. Be it through an array of new product (usually in the form of a compact SUV or two), sharp pricing, the right marketing, or simply coming off a low base, these are some of the minority group of car-makers bucking the trend.

Queensland's Maracoonda Automotive has issued a recall for converted Dodge Ram utes sold between 2004 and 2010 as part of the ongoing Takata airbag campaign. As with all Takata notices, a combination of high temperatures and humidity can cause airbag inflator propellant to degrade over time.