Prestige & Luxury Cars

Why the boss of Lexus Australia says the sedan will be back.

The Porsche 718 Cayman is a good thing and the Style Edition makes it better, but there are a few home truths you should know before diving into ownership

Is there a particular reason that the 2023 Audi Q2 doesn't have electric seats? I was shocked the other day to test drive a Q2 with the dynamic black pack, and while, aesthetically, it's a beautiful car, I was massively disappointed at how far behind it was with technology. This version didn't have wireless tech, had manual seats and compared to most other models the touch-screen is still quite small. The drive in a 1.5-litre version wasn't anything special so I skipped on that purchase as it feels like you're buying the brand and how good the car looks.

You are looking at the BMW Vision Neue Klasse X. Vision basically means concept in BMW speak so this is a preview of one of the most important models in the Bavarian brand's long history.

The much anticipated Y63 Nissan Patrol has been revealed - well pretty much - with its upmarket twin - the Infinit QX80 - breaking cover giving us our best look at what to expect

Luxury Car Tax Loophole in Australia.The Luxury Car Tax is one of the most controversial topics in the car industry, and has been since it was introduced way back in 2000. It is, in simple terms, an additional tax that car buyers are forced to pay when they purchase a new vehicle over a price point the government, or at least someone at the ATO, deems is a luxury.At the time of publication (early 2024), the current 2023-24 threshold is set at $76,950 and $89,332 for fuel efficient vehicles - which is any vehicle that uses less than 7.0 litres per 100km. The LCT means you pay an extra 33 per cent of the value of the vehicle above the threshold amount.This means anyone buying a new car above the LCT threshold is paying an additional tax on top of the other government charges for a new vehicle, which already include GST and stamp duty.People who buy luxury yachts or luxury helicopters, luxury watches or luxury luxuries do not pay a luxury tax on those things. Strange.Naturally, as with most taxes, people are curious if there is a luxury car tax loophole and often ask how to avoid luxury car tax in Australia. Sadly, and in order not to ruffle any feathers at the ATO, we have to report there are not any easy, obvious and legal loopholes to avoid paying the LCT. And if there were I might be in trouble for knowing about them.In the past, however, there have been some, shall we say, questionable practices from some dealers, who would reportedly get the LCT refunded from the ATO and then re-sell that car without including the LCT. However, the ATO cracked down on this behaviour back in 2021.One possible loophole that remains is that the LCT only applies to cars that are two years old or newer, so if the car sits on the showroom floor for more than two years, in theory you can avoid paying the LCT as it is no longer considered a ‘new’ car. However, this does require owning a car dealership, or being prepared to wait two years for a car to sit on a dealer lot - which is unlikely to happen by accident.Yes, it’s quite easy. You just need to buy a car under the threshold and you will avoid paying any LCT.Unfortunately for those looking to save money on their tax bill the government and ATO have been quite clever in the way it they have implemented the LCT. It simply adds the additional tax to any and all vehicles above the threshold, which makes cheating the system nearly impossible.Ultimately, that means plenty of new vehicles not traditionally considered ‘luxury’ are hit with the LCT, which includes the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser, Hyundai Palisade and Ford Ranger.If those cars are luxury, I'm a helicopter.

Speed equals money - check out the list of the most expensive Bugatti cars ever sold...

I am having fuel pump problems in my 2007 Mercedes-Benz E200k.

Audi has unveiled its newest mid-size electric SUV, the Q6 e-tron, built on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture as the new electric Porsche Macan SUV.

Unlike some brands which have several vintage cars that have fetched very similar prices at different times, there’s absolutely no doubt what the most expensive model for the German brand is.