New-vehicle sales at the end of November were up about 11 per cent over 1998, Land Transport Safety Authority figures show. But sales in November itself were down on those in October. The overall increase this year shouldn't be affected by December figures.
Some dealers are surprised at the buoyancy in a month which is slower saleswise than others. Toyota looks like ending the 20th century as the most popular carmaker in New Zealand, a position it has held since 1987. At the end of November, Toyota had sold 11,463 new vehicles (cars and commercials) for 17.2 per cent of the market against main rival Ford's 10,945 (16.4 per cent), but Ford had the edge in sales of new cars. Next came Mitsubishi with 7531 (11.3 per cent), Holden 7216 (10.7), Nissan 6867 (10.3), Hyundai 3665 (5.5), Honda 2778 (4.2), and Mazda 2382 (3.6). Sales of all other makes accounted for 20.8 per cent.
Packing its bags
Until recently the top-range Ford Mondeo ST24 came with two airbags, plus the usual safety devices like anti-lock brakes and seatbelt pretensioners. Now Ford New Zealand has added side airbags. This is a first for the company, which includes either one or two airbags as standard across its car and commercial range.
Conrad Healy, beating the company drum as brand manager for Mondeo, said the inclusion of side airbags showed how serious Ford was about safety. Indeed, the carmaker has written to owners of its four-wheel-drive Explorers warning them of a possible fault with the cruise-control cable. Seems it might stop the throttle returning to idle when cruise control is disengaged.
GM and Subaru sign deal
A couple of months ago, Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent company, said it was in no hurry to join forces with another company because it wanted to remain a niche carmaker of all-wheel-drive vehicles. "But if there are areas of new technology where Subaru can form co-alliances with benefits to both parties, it will do so," Fuji said.
Now it has just that. It signed a deal with General Motors last week to collaborate on design and development, focusing initially on sport utility vehicles and all-wheel-drive systems, Subaru's stock in trade. Part of the deal required GM to buy a 20 per cent equity stake in Fuji, costing $2.8 billion. Fuji remains an independent company with GM its largest shareholder. The other significant shareholder is Nissan, which owns 5 per cent.
Total traction
Mercedes-Benz is to take a leaf from the road-holding rule book of Subaru and Audi by adding all-wheel-drive to its high-performance AMG range. The first Mercedes-Benz model to get total traction is tipped to be the E55 sedan. All-wheel-drive is not exactly new in Merc land - its 4Matic system has been available on some E-Class models for years.
The judges' call
The Car of the Century will be announced this weekend. The Ford Model T is favoured among the 132 judges because it was the first genuine world car. The Volkswagen Beetle is at short odds because it was the most popular car. The Mini, with a wheel at each corner and a east-west engine, changed the way cars are designed. The Porsche 911, basically a re-engineered Beetle in the early days, is timeless. So too is the Citroen DS, a daring design with front-drive and a unitary chassis. You be the judge.
Drive to survive
More than 60,000 words have appeared in the Good Oil column this year. These are the last few, for those who might be in a hurry on the road over the holidays: Only when you see the way out of a corner have you found the way into it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Toyota leads the way
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