Maptech I3 Navigator on 2040-parts.com

New car prices rise under cover of VAT rise

Price rise ? That's just down to Dave's extra Vodka. Well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs, as my Dad might once have said.

Holden Calais unveiled, previews Chevrolet SS

General Motors' Australian subsidiary, Holden, has revealed its new VF series Calais -- the rear-wheel-drive sedan that in top-of-the-line, V8-powered, left-hand-drive form -- will be exported to North America and sold as the Chevrolet SS. The new Calais sits at the top of what Holden describes as an “extensively upgraded Commodore” range, with right-hand-drive Australian sales set to get underway in June. The Holden Commodore and its more luxurious Calais derivative have underpinned General Motors' sales in Australia since its introduction in 1978.

Honda plans gasoline engine for the CR-Z

Honda is set to provide the CR-Z with an all-new four-cylinder gasoline-engine option as part of plans to broaden the compact coupe's appeal in key world markets, including North America. Currently available with just one engine option—a gasoline-electric hybrid system that mates a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a brushless electric motor—the CR-Z is also earmarked to receive a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine currently undergoing development in Japan. The new unit, which is also planned for the Jazz, the Civic and the Accord, forms an integral part of an engine downsizing program instigated at Honda.