Automotive news

• 2026 BYD Sealion 8 review: First road drive

  10-02-2026 14:01
  BYD pours all it knows into the Sealion 8 – a seven-seat plug-in hybrid that aims to have you thinking twice about that Toyota Kluger or Hyundai Santa Fe.2026 BYD Sealion 8Who says you can’t have it all? That seems to be the mantra behind the development of the BYD Sealion 8. Here is a seven-seat SUV that, thanks to its plug-in hybrid powertrain, develops 359kW in AWD guise and yet returns a combined NEDC fuel consumption figure of 1.0 litre per 100 kilometres.Those two numbers and t
  
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• Yoogo Fleet puts sales and operations under Riches as general manager

  08-09-2026 03:29 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Yoogo Fleet general manager Dave Riches. Yoogo Fleet has appointed Dave Riches to the new role of general manager, bringing the fleet lessor’s sales and operations functions under a single leader. Riches joined the Speirs Finance Group business 18 months ago as general manager operations and started in the expanded role on 1 September. He […]
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• Petrol and diesel slip to 50.5% of Australian light vehicle sales

  08-09-2026 00:53 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  August 2026, passenger, SUV and light commercial. Source: VFACTS Pure internal combustion is now within half a percentage point of minority share in the Australian light vehicle market, with petrol and diesel accounting for 50.5% of August sales. Australian new vehicle sales reached 100,939 for the month, up 0.4% year-on-year, with year-to-date volume of 811,388 […]
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• Volkswagen to halve model range and cut 50,000 more jobs as Chinese pressure bites

  08-09-2026 00:52 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Volkswagen’s Emden plant, one of four German sites whose production cannot be guaranteed beyond the early 2030s. Image: Volkswagen Volkswagen Group will cut its model portfolio by around half by 2035 and shed around 50,000 further positions, under a restructuring its supervisory board approved unanimously on 3 September. The new cuts come on top of […]
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• Labour signals higher carbon price with ETS review pledge

  08-09-2026 00:45 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Labour leader Chris Hipkins. Labour would urgently review the Emissions Trading Scheme if elected, saying the carbon price is too low to drive emissions reductions, a position that points to a higher price being passed through at the pump. Leader Chris Hipkins and climate spokeswoman Deborah Russell say the review would look at ways to […]
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• Miles Toyota adds sales to Christchurch Airport site with new dealership

  08-09-2026 00:41 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  An artist’s impression of the Richard Pearse Road dealership. Image: Miles Toyota Miles Toyota will open a full-service dealership on Richard Pearse Road near Christchurch Airport in early 2027, adding vehicle sales to an operation that has been service-only for more than 30 years. The new store will offer new and used vehicle sales, finance, […]
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• Musk congratulates Tesla as EVs outsell ICE vehicles in Australian first

  08-09-2026 00:00 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Electric vehicles have outsold petrol and diesel vehicles in Australia for the first time, prompting Tesla chief executive Elon Musk to congratulate the company’s local operation. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for a record 24.9% of all new vehicle sales in August, while BEVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) combined took a 36% share. The milestone […]
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• Turners auctions Lawson’s race-worn Baku helmet

  06-09-2026 22:44 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Lawson’s signature on the Bell HP77 he wore at Baku. Image: Turners Turners is auctioning the helmet Liam Lawson wore at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the first race-worn helmet the New Zealand Formula 1 driver has put up for sale. Lawson qualified third and finished fifth at Baku, his best result to date, in […]
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• VIA welcomes ACT vehicle policy that mirrors its own submissions

  06-09-2026 22:43 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  VIA chief executive Greig Epps. The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association has welcomed ACT’s transport policy, which commits the party to scrapping what it calls unrealistic vehicle emissions settings and opposing age limits on used imports, positions the association has been putting to officials for some time. ACT’s Keep New Zealand Moving policy, released on […]
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• MITO reports 23% rise in on-job training enrolments

  04-09-2026 06:07 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New enrolments in MITO on-job training programmes have increased 23% compared with the same period last year, bucking a wider decline in on-job learner numbers across New Zealand. The increase covers programmes in the automotive, commercial road transport, extractives, drilling, gas and logistics sectors. MITO says enrolments are expected to continue growing as its industries […]
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• Vehicle arrivals fall sharply in August after July surge

  04-09-2026 04:30 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New Zealand vehicle imports fell sharply in August following a strong July, with 17,763 units hitting local wharves during the month, according to the latest New Zealand Customs figures. That was down 36.5% from the 27,980 vehicles imported in July, when arrivals reached their highest monthly level of the six-month period shown in the Customs […]
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• Final call for 2026 Australasian Fleet Champions Awards entries

  04-09-2026 02:26 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Fleet operators and suppliers have one week left to enter the 2026 Australasian Fleet Champions Awards, with entries closing on Friday, September 11.
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• Affordable EVs score five-star ANCAP safety ratings

  04-09-2026 00:44 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Two of New Zealand’s most affordable electric vehicles have achieved five-star ANCAP safety ratings under tougher testing criteria introduced this year. The Geely EX2, priced from $32,990, and Leapmotor B05, from $43,990, are only the second and third vehicles assessed under ANCAP’s new 2026 Stages of Safety protocols. ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg says the […]
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• August vehicle figures distorted by shipping disruption, MIA says

  03-09-2026 08:35 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Motor Industry Association (MIA) is urging caution when interpreting August’s new vehicle registration figures, saying typhoon-related shipping disruption affected vehicle arrivals and may have distorted individual brand and model results.
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• Battery health gap of 13.5% between identical used EVs, study finds

  03-09-2026 03:53 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The 40kWh Leaf recorded the lowest median battery health and the widest spread of any model in the study. Two used EVs of the same model and mileage can differ by as much as 13.5% in battery state of health, according to the largest independent study of used EV battery condition yet published, a spread […]
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• Honda appoints Frankton Automotive as Queenstown service agent

  03-09-2026 03:50 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Honda’s Service Store format, introduced in 2021. Image: Honda New Zealand Honda New Zealand has appointed Frankton Automotive 2025 Ltd as its authorised parts and service agent for Queenstown and Central Otago. The business begins trading as Honda Service Centre Queenstown from today, operating out of 170 Glenda Drive, Frankton. It is a parts and […]
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• ChargeNet takes over six Unison and Centralines EV charging sites

  03-09-2026 01:43 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  ChargeNet is taking ownership and operation of six electric vehicle charging sites previously operated by Unison Networks and Centralines across the central North Island. The sites are at Hastings City Car Park, Dickens Street Car Park in Napier, 1 Kaimanawa Street in central Taupō, Rangitaiki Lodge, McVicar Road on the Napier-Taupō Highway, and the Civic […]
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• GWM extends Warriors sponsorship for another three years

  03-09-2026 01:30 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  GWM New Zealand has extended its sponsorship of the One New Zealand Warriors for another three years, building on a partnership that began in 2024.
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• Vehicle loan demand rises as households remain cautious

  03-09-2026 00:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Demand for vehicle finance is rising in New Zealand despite an overall decline in consumer credit demand, according to the latest data from credit bureau Centrix. Auto loan enquiries increased 7.4% year-on-year in August, while overall consumer credit demand fell 7.3%, suggesting households remain cautious about taking on new debt. The increase in vehicle finance […]
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• Obituary: Tony Howard, the napkin deal that built Manukau Toyota

  02-09-2026 23:47 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Tony Howard and his daughter Ali Guise. Photo: NBR Tony Howard, founder of the Howard Group and the man behind what is now Manukau Toyota Group, died in the early hours of Monday 31 August. The group says his “determination, commercial instinct, independent spirit and belief in people” helped build one of New Zealand’s largest […]
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• Reserve Bank lifts OCR to 2.75%

  02-09-2026 04:25 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has lifted the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.75%, saying a gradual withdrawal of monetary stimulus is needed to bring inflation back under control.
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• GAC combines Oceania and UK operations under new regional structure

  02-09-2026 02:01 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  GAC International has combined its Oceania and UK operations into a single strategic region as the Chinese carmaker develops its presence across right-hand-drive markets.
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• Chinese brands near 20% of August new vehicle market

  02-09-2026 01:11 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Vehicle sales in August “defied economic and political uncertainty”, with a strong result driven by the passenger vehicle sector, the Motor Trade Association (MTA) says. Chinese brands continued their strong growth, accounting for 18.7% of new vehicle registrations during the month and closing in on a fifth of the market. BYD, Chery, Jaecoo and GWM […]
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• MITO celebrates industry training leaders at inaugural summit and awards

  02-09-2026 00:43 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  More than 200 industry, government and education representatives have attended MITO New Zealand’s inaugural Industry Summit and Awards at Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre.
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• Used imports post best month since March as commercial run continues

  01-09-2026 01:52 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Used import registrations totalled 8599 units in August 2026, up 9.9% on the 7824 recorded in the same month last year. Passenger volumes made up the bulk of the total at 8156 registrations, up 9.1% year-on-year. The result is the second-highest month of 2026 so far, behind only March’s 8230, and improves on July’s 8085. […]
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• Passenger gains lift August market as commercial slide continues

  01-09-2026 01:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New vehicle registrations totalled 12,216 units in August 2026, up 4.1% on the 11,736 recorded in the same month last year. As in July, the headline figure hides a split market, with a strong passenger result partly offset by another commercial decline. Passenger registrations rose 13% to 9137 units, from 8088 in August 2025, the […]
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• Govt scraps 2027 fuel tax hike as election battle intensifies

  31-08-2026 05:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Government has cancelled its planned 12 cents per litre fuel excise increase from January 2027 just days after after Labour pledged to freeze the tax for three years if it wins November’s election. Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Transport Minister Chris Bishop have announced there will be no fuel excise increase next year, with […]
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• Bapcor posts $431.6m loss amid turnaround push

  31-08-2026 04:20 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Bapcor has reported a statutory net loss after tax of A$431.6 million (NZ$522.7m) for the year to June 30, as significant impairment charges weighed on its FY26 result. The ASX-listed automotive parts group, which operates Bapcor New Zealand as well as its Australian trade, retail and network businesses, recorded A$442.4m in post-tax significant items, primarily […]
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• TrailLite sells six Roadcraft motorhomes sight unseen ahead of debut

  31-08-2026 03:18 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Roadcraft, TrailLite’s new locally built motorhome brand. TrailLite has sold six of its new Roadcraft motorhomes sight unseen, ahead of the locally built model’s public debut at the NZ Motorhome, Caravan & Leisure Show at Hamilton’s Mystery Creek from 18 September. Roadcraft is an entirely new brand of New Zealand-built motorhomes from the 70-year-old […]
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• Australian-developed dynamics tune coming to NZ JAC T9 PHEV

  31-08-2026 02:36 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The JAC T9 PHEV arriving in New Zealand is set to receive the complete Australian-developed vehicle dynamics tune created for the model known as the Hunter PHEV across the Tasman. JAC Motors Australia says the tune is the result of a multi-million-dollar engineering and development programme, with every recommendation from Australian engineer Michael Barber incorporated […]
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