Sedan News

Mazda has never been a company to follow other auto makers and the updated Mazda3 is a prime example of this.

New vehicle market slips by almost 40,000 units in July as new financial year rolls in

New tyres and tech should give the 2017 Hyundai Sonata more traction in the highly competitive mid-size sedan segment.The Sonata, as with all Australian Hyundais, is fitted with suspension specifically tuned for local roads. However, reviewers lamented the lack of adhesion — particularly in the wet — when the vehicle was launched last year.Now Hyundai has rolled out Continental rubber on versions with 17-inch rims and is fitting Michelins on variants with 18-inch wheels.Hyundai Australia spokesman Bill Thomas defends the launch tyres, noting the comparison testing — conducted with Hyundai's World Rally Championship driver Chris Atkinson — showed the Kumho and Nexen tyres had good grip in the dry."The grip started to fade as the tyres heated up and it's fair to say the European tyres outperformed them in comfort and quietness," Thomas says.Local product engineering head Hee Loong Wong says the company was happy with the Sonata's suspension set-up — including the tyres — when it launched."However, earlier this year Hyundai head office in South Korea gave us the option of testing the Continentals and Michelins and we jumped at the opportunity," he says. As well as the new rubber, 2017 Sonatas get paddle-shifters for the six-speed automatic.The mid-spec Elite has rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats and electric park brake.The top-spec Premium picks up blind-spot and lane-departure alerts, rear cross-traffic alert, lane change assist and adaptive cruise control.

Waiting for a new car is never easy. It could be a week or it could be a year — even longer — but a delivery hold-up still means delayed satisfaction.

The first of Ford's final special edition Falcons has gone to a Sydney man who bought the car to bolster the spirits of his ailing brother.Sydney man Dave Pearce paid $92,500 - $30k more than its list price - for the the #1 badged special edition XR8 Sprint at an auction to raise money to fight diabetes.Pearce said the health of his brother Mark had been deteriorating rapidly and he now only had 18 percent lung function.  "To lift Mark's spirits, the Falcon Sprint, was a 'must-have' to add to our Ford collection which also includes a restored 1978 Falcon XC which was the car my brother learned to drive in," he said.The limited edition XR6 and XR8 Sprint models sold out within weeks of their reveal.The cars feature significant suspension improvements and high-performance tyres to match their dynamic ability.Being the last of their kind they are sure to occupy a special place in Australian motoring folklore.The XR8 Sprint in question was donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF) by Ford Australia to raise funds to support the Artificial Pancreas Project.Led by Professor Tim Jones the project is looking at ways to automate insulin pumps and deliver improved therapies that will ultimately deliver a 'technological cure' for type 1 diabetes (T1D).As well as the car, Ford has also signed off on another $60,000 towards the program, together with $13,000 that employees raised in 2015."We are thrilled by Mr Pearce's generous contribution and shared commitment to Australian communities," Graeme Whickman, president and CEO of Ford Australia, said.

There is a lot this new car can do by itself -- including changing lanes and steering -- just don't call it autonomous.

BMW marks three decades of M3 with a limited run of special-edition sedans.

Styling, safety and drivetrain tweaks set for revised 3 sedan and hatch range.

Australia’s environmentally conscious billionaires will be pleased to hear that Mercedes-Benz has announced the price of its S500e plug-in hybrid limousine ahead of its local launch later this month.

The future has slipped quietly into Australia with Mercedes-Benz announcing the arrival and pricing of the first of its plug-in hybrid models.