29 September 2008, 10:17 AM
Holden’s popular mid-sized Captiva SUV has picked up an AutoChic Car of the Year Award, successfully winning the “Best Car for Mums” category.
More than 25,000 voters lodged their Car of the Year nominations online at autochic.com.au, a website aimed at informing female car buyers.
AutoChic website Founder and Director, Juliet Potter, said Captiva’s sporty good looks, flexible packaging and comprehensive line-up of safety features create a winning combination.
“With the Holden Captiva, yummy mummies can re
27 September 2008, 09:09 AM
On 28 September, Singapore will host the first ever night-time Grand Prix event in the history of Formula 1. As a taster to the exceptional event, a “500 Drive” will take place on 27 September, before the GP qualifying rounds. This will involve 12 Fiat 500 “F1TM Limited Edition” cars being driven round the same track by celebrities.
The drivers on board the special cars will complete a few laps of the brand-new circuit, a 5.067km stretch along
27 September 2008, 08:54 AM
Going out on the pull? The Hyundai i800 could be the perfect car for you according to expert judges - and you can bring eight friends in tow!
This type of pulling is more likely to take place on a campsite than in a disco though, as the i800 has won the The Caravan Club Towcar of the Year for the £16,000 to £20,000 category.
The judges put the i800 through its paces with tests of its ability at hill starts, braking, performance and acceleration. With a 2.5-litre four-cylinder CRDi diesel
27 September 2008, 08:49 AM
There are plenty of reasons to visit the Volvo stand at the 2008 Cycle Show which takes place at Earls Court between 10-12 October. Volvo will once again co-sponsor the very popular Mountain Bike Test Track and alongside displaying a selection of new Volvo models, there will also be a guest appearance from an Olympic Gold medallist sailor and the chance to win a weekend in the new Volvo XC60.Volvo has a long commitment to designing cars suitable for outdoor hobbies, such as cycling and while the Volvo range has bec
27 September 2008, 08:44 AM
Volvo’s extensive experience of designing and developing cars suitable for drivers that tow has again been acknowledged in this year’s Caravan Club Towcar of the Year Competition results, announced yesterday.
The Volvo V70 D5 AWD secured victory in the ‘Over 1800kg All-Wheel Drive’ category, beating rivals from Land Rover, Jeep, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Kia.
Judges praised the V70’s six speed automatic transmission, which made it an “exempla
26 September 2008, 02:10 PM
Vacationing families looking to beat the credit crunch with a budget-break in Blighty should consider the new Citroën Berlingo Multispace as their new caravan companion.
The cheeky MPV has just been voted the UK’s best value Towcar. In a gruelling competition that saw more than 38 cars competing in five different ca
26 September 2008, 02:04 PM
Nissan’s NV200 concept van was one of the undoubted stars of the Hanover Show – and designer Ryoichi Kuraoka found an unlikely inspiration for its innovative demountable pod system. “It’s based on Thunderbird 2, the one with the pod,” he said.
The inspiration isn’t recent either. Kuraoka has been with Nissan since 1981 – his CV includes the 1992 Micra hatchback – and he’s been a original fan of the British puppet sci-fi series since the 1960s, when he saw episodes on Japanese TV as a boy. “I had the Tracey Islan
26 September 2008, 01:56 PM
From the lightest vans to the heaviest trucks and buses, ‘green’ thinking was, inevitably, one of the main themes of just about every manufacturer’s display at Hanover.
“We face the question of how we can meet the growing demand for transport services while at the same time lowering emissions,” said Wilfried Porth, head of vans at Daimler. The company’s solution is a cross-brand initiative called ‘Shaping Future Transportation’, featuring hybrid vehicles, including a plug-in hybrid Sprinter v
26 September 2008, 01:45 PM
Volkswagen will next year become the first European automaker to enter the 1-tonne pick-up market with an original design.
The pick-up was presented at IAA as a concept called SAR (Search and Rescue). It's a smart crew-cab 4x4 pick-up, giving a clear indication of what a 'lifestyle' VW pick-up will look like. More
26 September 2008, 01:35 PM
As the van market fragments, manufacturers are looking for new niches. And an emerging niche at Hanover seems to be all-wheel drive versions of panel vans, with a number of manufacturers showing 4x4 vans.
Ford announced the Transit AWD, which marries an all-wheel drive system to a 140PS 2.4-litre TDCi diesel and a 6-speed manual transmission. It is available for all different body styles, roof heights and wheelbases on Transits in the 3.3 to 3.5-tonne weight class.
“The Transit AWD is mainly aimed at cust
26 September 2008, 10:04 AM
What better way to advance the development of crash prevention technology than to mimic some of the best proponents of collision avoidance in the natural world? Bees.
In a surprising project that will be unveiled at CEATEC, the humble bumblebee has given engineers at Nissan Motor Co.’s Advanced Technology Center a strategic hint at how to design the next generation of crash-avoidance systems.
Based on joint research with the Research Ce
26 September 2008, 09:50 AM
At the State Fair of Texas today, Dodge will introduce the all-new 2009 Lone Star Edition Dodge Ram 1500, a Texas-exclusive model in the 2009 Dodge Ram lineup. The new truck arrives this month with a truck-load of special equipment and enhancements.
“Texas is the single largest truck market on the planet for Dodge,” said Mike Accavitti, Director – Dodge Division, Chrysler LLC. “Texans love their trucks, and Dodge gives them more to love with a
