Articles by Jake Williams

Skoda has teased a pick-up based on the Kodiaq SUV, which is the latest in a line of apprentice-built concept vehicles that the brand has showcased over the past six years.So far, only a rear end teaser image of the ute has been released by the company, which shows the concept’s shortened body, which appears to feature offer two seats, versus the regular Kodiaq’s seven-seat layout. Designed by 35 students as from the brand’s school of mechanical engineering, the one-off Kodiaq pick-up will use large off-road wheels and tyres, as well as a reworked body with “sharp edges”, bright orange paint and a black sports bar above the traybed. Previous efforts from the Skoda apprentice design team include a convertible version of the Citigo city car, a Fabia ute, a coupe version of the Rapid hatchback, an electric Citigo and a convertible based on the Karoq, which was called the Sunroq. The design concepts have been built solely to showcase the Skoda team’s depth of talent, though none have been put into production as yet. Maybe a Skoda ute could be a different story.

American Special Vehicles has updated the Ram 1500 for the 2019 model year with a bold new nose and rear badging, revised pricing and newly available features.

Porsche has revealed a coupe version of its Cayenne SUV, which has been confirmed to go on sale in Australia in early 2020 priced from $128,400 plus on-road costs.Based on the standard Cayenne but with a tapered rear profile, the first-ever Cayenne Coupe will go up against the Audi Q8, BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe in the world of large swoopy-roofed luxury SUVs. The Cayenne Coupe sits 20mm lower than its SUV sibling at 1676mm tall. Its rear shoulders are 18mm wider for a more muscular look, while its overall 4918mm length and 2895mm wheelbase are unchanged compared to the standard version of the Cayenne. Boot space has been reduced to 625 litres for the Cayenne and 600 litres for the Cayenne Turbo, down from 770L in the standard versions. Seats down, up to 1540L is available (down from 1710L).Initially the Cayenne Coupe will be offered in two variants - Cayenne and Cayenne Turbo. The Cayenne is powered by a 250kW/450Nm twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol six, and the Cayenne Turbo uses a 404kW/770Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8. The Cayenne sprints from 0-100km/h from a standstill in 5.9 seconds, while the Turbo is a full two seconds faster, at a claimed 3.9 seconds. The Cayenne hits a top speed of 243km/h, and the Turbo 286km/h.More engine variants for the Cayenne Coupe are likely throughout its lifetime, including a more powerful Turbo S, and a 500kW/850Nm plug-in hybrid V8 from the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. As with the standard Cayenne, no diesel models will be offered. Priced $15,000 higher than the Cayenne SUV, Porsche says that the increased price for the coupe includes more equipment, as well as an adaptive rear spoiler that raises at above 90km/h, a four-seat layout which positions rear passengers 30mm lower than the regular Cayenne and, of course, the new look. Standard equipment additions over the regular Cayenne include upgraded sports steering, 20-inch alloy wheels for the Cayenne and 22s for the Turbo, adaptive dampers, a panoramic glass roof and the Sport Chrono Package with a Sport Plus driving mode and both a digital and analogue stopwatch.A carbon-fibre roof is also available optionally for the first time, which Porsche says lowers the car’s centre of gravity and increases overall ride and handling. The Porsche Cayenne Coupe is due to arrive in Australia in early 2020, and is priced from $128,400 plus on-road costs. 2019 Porsche Cayenne Coupe pricing (plus on-road costs): Cayenne Coupe: $128,400Cayenne Turbo Coupe: $254,000

After being teased one month ago, Hyundai has fully revealed the new Tucson N-Line, which applies a number of sportier styling cues to the brand’s popular medium SUV. While not the full N treatment, the N-Line sits in the Tucson range like the i30 N-Line by enhancing the car’s visual appeal and sharpening its driving dynamics. In the case of the Tucson N-Line, a sportier appearance is also bolstered by dynamic changes. The N-Line’s front, side and rear styling is more aggressive than the regular Tucson, while large 19-inch alloy wheels in black feature as well.The Tucson N-Line also sits on a stiffer suspension - five per cent at the rear and eight per cent at the front - as well as revised power steering for a more direct and linear feel at the wheel, ensuring that the Tucson N-Line feels even sportier for those who want it.Inside the N-Line are sports seats in black leather with red stitching, while a sportier steering wheel, alloy pedals and a sports leather gear knob also feature for a sportier look and feel. European models have the choice of two new mild-hybrid drivetrains based on the 136kW 2.0-litre diesel we receive locally, or a 100kW 1.6-litre unit. These attach a 0.44kWh 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack to a mild hybrid starter generator and supposedly reduce the Tucson’s fuel consumption and emissions by up to 11 per cent. Australia won’t be receiving these drivetrains for the time being, and if the N-Line is offered locally, expect it to be offered on only the 130kW 1.6-litre turbo-petrol and 136kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.While the Tucson N-Line is reportedly under consideration for local sales, it is yet to be confirmed for Australia. Direct competitors such as the R-Line variant of the Volkswagen Tiguan are popular in the medium SUV market, drawing newcomers like the Ford Escape ST-Line in to join them.While the N-Line is the sportiest Tucson yet, an even sportier Tucson N is understood to be in development to farewell the current generation of the car. It will develop around 250kW from a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, and also come with a whole host of performance upgrades such as adaptive suspension, a trick exhaust and a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.    

The Holden Astra 2019 range has been reworked, with changes to the model line-up and car’s equipment, and the six-speed manual gearbox option no longer offered on mid-level R+ and RS models.Still priced from $21,490 plus on-road costs - though currently available for $20,990 drive-away - the 2019 Astra range has seen the deletion of the R+ manual and RS manual, but the R and RS-V manuals remain available. Typically manual models are kept to the base variant, often teamed to a lower-output engine, as is the case with the Astra. In R and R+ guise, it runs a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder, while the higher-spec RS and RS-V models have a more potent 1.6-litre turbo.  But Holden says it will retain the base manual R model, and offer a high-grade RS-V manual to appeal to enthusiasts."The rationale of sticking with a manual transmission in the RS-V was to cater for the ‘purist’ element of driving enthusiasts," said Holden spokesperson, Daniel Cotterill.There aren't many aesthetic changes, but R and R+ variants feature redesigned 17-inch alloy wheels and a slightly redesigned front bumper. Aside from the transmission offer adjustments, the 2019 Astra range continues unchanged in terms of mechanicals. The 110kW/240Nm (auto)/245Nm (manual) 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine continues to be offered in the R and R+, while the 147kW/280Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol is offered in the upper-spec RS and RS-V models. The 1.4-litre donk is rated at 5.8L/100km on a combined cycle, with the larger 1.6-litre engine rated at between 6.3L and 6.5L/100km.Standard equipment continues as before, with the base $21,490 (all prices below plus on-road costs) Astra R offering 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, automatic headlights with LED daytime running lights, a 7.0-inch multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and DAB+ digital radio.The $23,740 R+ then adds a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and Holden Eye, which includes autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning, lane departure warning with lane keep assist and a following distance indicator.The $27,240 RS adds the larger engine, as well as different 17-inch wheels, blind-spot monitoring, keyless entry and start, automatic parking with front parking sensors and heated and electric-folding mirrors.The top of the Astra range is the $30,740 RS-V, which has 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, LED tail-lights, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with inbuilt satellite navigation, dual-zone climate control, remote start for the automatic and LED ambient lighting. Available optionally on the RS-V is a $1990 Touring Pack with adaptive cruise control, high speed AEB and a sunroof. The previously available Matrix LED headlights have been shelved for 2019.So far in 2019, Holden Astra sales are up by 1.3 per cent to 1,845 units, commanding 7.0 per cent and seventh place in the small car segment. The small car segment has sold 26,302 units so far in 2019, which is down 20.2 per cent compared with this time last year. 2019 Holden Astra pricing (plus on-road costs):R manual: $21,490R auto: $22,490R+ auto: $23,740RS auto: $27,240RS-V manual: $30,740RS-V auto: $31,740

Honda Australia says 95 per cent of faulty Takata airbags have been replaced locally, but that more than 40,000 vehicles are still out there with potentially deadly airbags fitted.The completion high rate to date is undoubtedly a positive result, but Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said there’s much more to do to achieve the brand’s 100 per cent success rate goal. “The biggest challenge for us so far has been customer response,” he said. “We know the VIN numbers of the cars that are yet to be replaced, and have been actively trying to contact the owners so that they can get their airbags replaced free of charge. The faulty items are already responsible for one death and dozens of injuries in Australia. “We door-knocked every single person that was affected by the airbag recall, and that got a 30 or so per cent positive response. “Of those door-knocks, 70 per cent we found the car, and of that 70 per cent a third of owners booked their car in, a third said they understood but didn’t want to complete the recall, and the other third gave many excuses as to why they didn’t want to, including that they were busy, that nobody sits on that side of the car or that Honda was trying to sell them another car.“There is still 43,531 vehicles left to have their airbags replaced,” Mr Collins said.At the peak of the recall, Honda was replacing about 8500 airbags each week, but now is down to roughly 300 per week thanks to the reach of the campaign so far.Honda has again called for the Victorian Government to join every other state in Australia in banning registration for owners who are yet to have their faulty airbags replaced. Honda is still attempting to locate 34,000 airbag inflators in 26,000 cars, and 4200 of those have the highest risk 'Alpha' type, which - according to Honda Australia - has a 50:50 chance of death upon deployment.“It’s extremely disappointing,” said Mr Collins.“NSW has the most outstanding faulty airbags by a long way, but Victoria still has many to be replaced as well, and it’s a relatively simple measure that is not difficult to implement. There’s too much talking going on and not enough action.”Despite not reaching a 100 per cent success rate yet, Honda Australia is committed to completing the task. Because the airbags can still kill without a car even being switched on, the car industry has employed an outside firm to recover faulty airbags from junked cars in wrecking yards.“As part of the recall, we as an industry have a company who has a team of people searching through wrecking yards finding used airbags, taking them out of the system,” Mr Collins said. “At the end of the day our focus still remains to try and get them done. That’s our total focus.”If you’re not up to speed on the Takata airbag scandal, manufacturers including Honda, Toyota, BMW and Subaru are recalling millions of cars worldwide because potentially deadly airbag inflators made by Japanese company Takata were fitted to cars from as far back as 2002. This is the serious part: there have been multiple injuries and even deaths because of the faulty airbags. A Honda technician in the US died changing a faulty unit while a car was switched off. Despite the replacement being free of charge, there are still thousands of cars on our roads that are yet to have their airbags changed. If you are yet to have your airbags replaced, you are putting yourself and others in danger.

The Honda Civic hatchback will be facelifted later this year, arriving about nine months after the updated Civic sedan was launched with important safety equipment additions.The Civic sedan mid-life facelift has just launched in Australia, and the hatchback version is awaiting its own refresh thanks to that body-style's lifecycle lagging the sedan by about a year when it launched. Honda Australia director Stephen Collins confirmed to local media at an event in Sydney this week that the Civic hatchback update will be launched later in the year.“The Civic hatch is 9-12 months behind the sedan in updates and will be updated this year,” he said.“The full model change will be a few years away.”The Civic hatchback is aimed primarily at Europe, and was launched after the Civic sedan was already on sale in Australia, Asia and North America. Not many European markets receive the Civic sedan thanks to the popularity of hatchbacks.The delay to the Civic hatch line-up means that still only two models are equipped with Honda Sensing: the $33,590 VTi-LX and $50,990 Type R hot-hatch. The Civic sedan’s recent mid-life upgrade introduced Honda Sensing to cheaper RS and VTi-L models (in addition to the VTi-LX, which already had it). The VTi and VTi-S models in both hatch and sedan bodystyles are set to remain unavailable with Honda Sensing due to a lack of compatibility with the lower-output 1.8-litre petrol engine.If the Civic sedan is a guide to go off, other updates to the Civic hatchback will include a light styling refresh, new interior trim options, new multimedia and climate control buttons and a new range of wheels, including new 18-inch hoops on the Civic RS. Local pricing and specifications will be announced before the updated Civic hatchback’s release later in 2019.

The next generation Honda Civic Type R will be made in Japan after confirmation the brand's British production plant in Swindon will be closing in 2022. That's around the time the next-generation Civic will be launched, and with the British plant shutting down, production of European and North American-market Civic hatches - as well as all Type R hatches - will likely relocate to Japan. Despite a move in production source, Honda Australia will be completely unaffected by the switch thanks to sourcing the majority of its cars - Jazz, City, HR-V, CR-V and Accord - from Thailand, while the NSX is made in North America and the Odyssey comes from Japan. “The Civic’s full model change a is still few years away, and the Civic Type R will be re-sourced, possibly from Japan” said Honda Australia director, Stephen Collins. “Otherwise it has no effect on Australia.”Asked if the Civic Type R could potentially become cheaper because of its move to Japan and the free-trade agreement that exists between that country and Australia, Mr Collins suggested Honda Australia was happy with the Type R’s positioning.“We’re really happy with Type R in Australia. We’re happy with its price, we’re happy with how well it sells, and we just love the car in general, so making it cheaper isn’t on our radar.”The Type R brand is due to stay specific to the Civic model line for now, with no plans to introduce cars such as a Jazz Type R or an Accord Type R.“The Type R brand has spent a lot of time turning Civics into genuine sports cars, and for the foreseeable future will not move beyond the Civic,” said Mr Collins. 

Honda Australia has confirmed that the new-generation Accord sedan - on sale in North America since October 2017 - will finally be launched locally in late 2019 armed with both turbo-petrol and hybrid drivetrains.

Just revealed at the 2019 Geneva motor show, the Honda e Prototype has been marked as a possibility for Australian sales as part of a renewed local electrified push to include more hybrid models.