Automotive news

• Colonial warns crowded vehicle market is ‘unsustainable’

  21-09-2026 06:27 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Colonial Motor Company expects consolidation among New Zealand vehicle brands as an influx of new entrants intensifies competition and puts dealership margins under pressure. The NZX-listed automotive group says more than a dozen Chinese automotive brands have entered the local market during the past two years, many with aggressive market share ambitions and expanding […]
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• Denza takes permanent Christchurch site as Harmony Auto opens second NZ showroom

  22-09-2026 00:57 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Manchester Street showroom, with the Denza service centre alongside. Image: Denza Denza will open a permanent showroom at 36 Manchester Street in central Christchurch this Friday, replacing the Northlands Mall pop-up it has run in recent months and giving BYD’s premium brand its second retail site in New Zealand. The Christchurch operation is run […]
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• NPDGull appoints Stefan Geertsema as chief financial officer

  21-09-2026 01:27 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  NPDGull has appointed Stefan Geertsema as chief financial officer as the newly formed fuel retailer expands its network and commercial operations.
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• BYD passes 15,000 vehicles in NZ, two thirds of them battery electric

  21-09-2026 00:28 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  BYD Auto NZ general manager Warren Willmot, left, with a Shark 6. File image. BYD has passed 15,000 vehicles on New Zealand roads four years after launching here, a total that splits 9,824 battery electric and 5,248 plug-in hybrid. The plug-in share is the number worth noting. The brand arrived in 2022 as an EV-only […]
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• ANCAP calls for stronger safety focus beyond passenger cars

  21-09-2026 00:19 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP Safety) is calling for greater attention on commercial vehicles, trucks and motorcycles following the mid-term review of Australia’s National Road Safety Strategy.
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• Tower lifts catastrophe cover as reinsurance costs fall

  21-09-2026 00:00 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Tower has renewed its reinsurance programme for the 2027 financial year, increasing catastrophe cover while reducing its expected premium expense. The NZX and ASX-listed insurer has secured protection across its home, motor, boat and commercial portfolios in New Zealand and Pacific markets. Its catastrophe limit increases from $915 million in FY26 to $970m, including a […]
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• Giltrap opens indoor Zeekr flagship on Great North Road, with 9X, 8X and 001 FR on show

  20-09-2026 23:37 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The 137 Great North Road site, in a render supplied by Zeekr New Zealand. Giltrap Zeekr opens to the public at 137 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, on Friday 25 September, a 550 square metre fully indoor showroom that puts the brand inside the Giltrap precinct a year after its New Zealand launch. The site […]
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• NZ Cheap Cars opens Mount Roskill four weeks after North Shore, with more sites in the pipeline

  20-09-2026 22:03 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Stoddard Road site ahead of Saturday’s opening. Image: NZ Cheap Cars NZ Cheap Cars will open its next Auckland dealership at 106 Stoddard Road, Mount Roskill, on Saturday 26 September, four weeks after its North Shore site opened on Wairau Road. The Mount Roskill branch is one of the two further sites the company […]
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• Turners auctions signed Liam Lawson F1 replica helmet

  18-09-2026 05:50 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Turners is auctioning a signed full-size replica of the helmet worn by New Zealand Formula One driver Liam Lawson during the 2025 season. The handmade 1:1-scale Bell HP77 replica carries Lawson’s Visa Cash App RB design and is one of only 12 produced for the season. Its pink and white livery features Māori-inspired motifs, a […]
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• Sena moves closer to 2 Cheap Cars takeover threshold

  18-09-2026 04:03 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Sena & Co has secured acceptances representing nearly 8.5% of 2 Cheap Cars Group’s issued shares as it pursues a full takeover and potential delisting of the NZX-listed automotive retailer. The bidder controlled approximately 76% of the company before launching its offer for all remaining shares and needs to reach 90% to begin compulsory acquisition. […]
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• Ford approves Armstrong’s takeover of North Harbour and John Andrew, effective 31 October

  18-09-2026 00:00 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  From left: Ford New Zealand finance director Linda Yuen, Armstrong’s executive director Rick Armstrong, Ford New Zealand managing director Annaliese Atina, Armstrong’s Group chief financial and operating officer Michaela Shaw, Armstrong’s chief executive Troy Kennedy and Ford New Zealand network director Greg McDonald. Image: Ford New Zealand Ford New Zealand has formally approved Armstrong’s Group […]
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• McLaren confirms performance SUV as Abu Dhabi backs £500m UK expansion

  17-09-2026 00:38 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  McLaren retails in more than 40 markets. Image: McLaren Automotive McLaren Automotive has confirmed it will build a performance SUV, ending years of speculation, as part of a £500 million investment programme funded by its Abu Dhabi shareholder. The money comes from L’IMAD, a sovereign investor of the Government of Abu Dhabi, which took control […]
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• Ebbett to consolidate four Tauranga sites into one nine-brand Tauriko village

  16-09-2026 23:58 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  A render of the Tauriko site, due to open in late 2027. Image: Ebbett Automotive Ebbett Automotive will replace four Tauranga and Mount Maunganui sites with a single purpose-built development at Tauriko, bringing nine brands and two dealership businesses onto one property in late 2027. Ebbett Tauranga currently runs Hyundai, Isuzu, BYD, Forthing and Foton […]
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• Porsche celebrates 50 years in NZ with Auckland showcase

  16-09-2026 04:59 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Porsche will mark 50 years in New Zealand with a free public event featuring more than 200 vehicles at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre on Sunday, September 20. The anniversary showcase will run from 11am to 2pm and bring together road and competition cars spanning five decades. Its headline exhibit will be a Gulf-liveried Porsche 917 […]
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• Evnex reaches 20,000 EV charger installations

  16-09-2026 04:30 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Christchurch-based Evnex has passed 20,000 electric vehicle charger installations across New Zealand and Australia following a sharp acceleration in sales.
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• Sena lifts 2 Cheap Cars takeover offer

  16-09-2026 03:58 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Sena & Co has increased its takeover offer for the remaining shares in 2 Cheap Cars Group from 80 cents per share to 90 cents.
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• Motor vehicle spending slips in August

  16-09-2026 03:41 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  New Zealanders spent $194 million on motor vehicles in August, down $600,000 or 0.3% from July, according to Stats NZ. The category has remained relatively stable this year, ranging between $190m and $198 million during the first eight months of 2026, according to seasonally adjusted figures. Compared with August 2025, motor vehicle spending was around […]
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• 2 Cheap Cars posts $2.32m five-month profit

  15-09-2026 23:13 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  2 Cheap Cars Group has reported an unaudited net profit after tax of approximately $2.32 million for the first five months of FY27, releasing the update to keep shareholders informed during the current takeover offer. The NZX-listed vehicle retailer recorded an NPAT of about $330,000 in August, according to its unaudited management accounts. The result […]
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• Breaking: Embattled caravan manufacturer collapses into administration

  15-09-2026 06:49 via abc.net.au
  
  Sunshine Coast-based Australian Off Road has called in administrators after the company went dark last week, leaving hundreds of customers and suppliers in limbo.
  
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• ‘You can’t save your way to success’: Timperley tells dealers productivity is the only lever left

  15-09-2026 03:32 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Deloitte’s Stephen Timperley at AutoTalk Live! Christchurch. Dealers cannot cut their way out of a thin market, and every answer that matters sits with their people rather than their overheads. That was Stephen Timperley’s message to AutoTalk Live! Christchurch, delivering Deloitte’s Motor Industry Benchmarks to a room of dealer principals. Net profit to sales across […]
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• Cybercab tour reaches Auckland in 2027, a year behind the Australian stops

  15-09-2026 03:27 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The Cybercab tours Tesla locations from 21 September, reaching Auckland in 2027. Image: Tesla Tesla will tour the Cybercab through its Australian and New Zealand locations across 2026 and 2027, but New Zealand gets a single stop, in Auckland, and not until next year. The tour opens in Sydney on 21 September, then runs through […]
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• Six-year-old RAV4 or a new MG for the same money: MTA puts the shift to dealers

  15-09-2026 02:42 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  MTA head of advocacy James McDowall at AutoTalk Live! Christchurch. Twenty-five thousand dollars buys a six-year-old RAV4 with 100,000km on it, or a brand new MG with a 10-year warranty. MTA head of advocacy James McDowall put that comparison to dealers at AutoTalk Live! Christchurch as the clearest single picture of what is happening to […]
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• AutoTalk Live! Christchurch gets under way

  15-09-2026 02:37 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  AutoTalk Live! Christchurch is under way at Rydges Latimer, bringing automotive industry leaders together for an afternoon of market analysis, dealership insights and regulatory discussion. The half-day programme covers motor industry benchmarking, vehicle market conditions, artificial intelligence, customer enquiry response times, digital reach and dealer marketing. MTA’s head of advocacy James McDowall opens the day […]
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• Enterprise Motor Group backs golf as used car group takes NZPGA vehicle deal

  15-09-2026 02:36 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  An NZPGA-liveried Triton on the Enterprise Motor Group yard. Image: Enterprise Motor Group Enterprise Motor Group has been named official vehicle partner of PGA New Zealand, putting a used vehicle group into a sponsorship category usually occupied by the European premium brands. The group describes it as one of the largest sponsorships in its history. […]
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• Former New Lynn car dealer admits US meth charges, faces return to NZ prosecutions

  14-09-2026 22:31 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  The High Court in Auckland. File image. A former West Auckland used car dealer has pleaded guilty in the United States to drug charges carrying a maximum of life imprisonment, and is expected to be deported to New Zealand to face two separate police prosecutions once he has served his sentence. Andre Francis James, 49, […]
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• Cockram Motor Group takes on Crusader Caravans for the South Island

  14-09-2026 21:45 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Crusader builds full-composite caravans in Victoria. Image: Crusader Caravans Christchurch’s Cockram Motor Group has picked up the South Island franchise for Australian caravan manufacturer Crusader Caravans, taking the brand into a second New Zealand dealership through its CMG Campers arm. CMG Campers runs a showroom at Nga Mahi Road in Sockburn and already retails Swift […]
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• FleetPartners takeover battle intensifies

  14-09-2026 06:12 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  ASX-listed FleetPartners Group has received three revised takeover proposals valuing the Australian fleet management and leasing company at up to A$993.4 million (NZ$1.23b), while Canadian bidder Element Fleet Management has withdrawn from the sale process. Japan-based ORIX Corporation and a Japanese consortium comprising Sumitomo Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service have each offered A$4.65 per […]
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• Hyundai targets autonomous driving production for 2028

  14-09-2026 04:34 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Hyundai Motor Group plans to introduce production vehicles using Nvidia-based Level 2+ autonomous driving technology in the first half of 2028. Level 2++ models using the Nvidia system are targeted for the second half of that year, followed by vehicles equipped with Hyundai’s proprietary Atria AI technology during the second half of 2029. The timetable […]
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• Turners reports record uptake of employee share scheme

  14-09-2026 02:03 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Turners says 72% of its workforce now holds shares in the company following record uptake of its employee share scheme.
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• Vehicle FBT overhaul enters Parliament, ending the work-related ute exemption from April 2027

  13-09-2026 21:00 via autotalk.co.nz
  
  Revenue Minister Simon Watts. The first rewrite of the vehicle fringe benefit tax rules since the tax was introduced in 1985 is before Parliament, in a bill that replaces day-counting and logbooks with fixed categories of private use, ends the work-related vehicle exemption that has underpinned the double-cab ute, and applies lower valuation rates to […]
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