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First Sight: Holden VE Commodore and Statesman

GM Holden last week launched its biggest program ever, the $1 billion all-new Holden VE Commodore range. Designed at Holden's Port Melbourne design center, the 4th generation Commodore is the first all-new model of the series to be fully designed and engineered in Australia. Previous generations of Commodore since 1978 have always been based on lengthened and widened Opel large car platforms of the day but since the demise of the European Omega in 2003, GM lacked a suitable rear-wheel-drive donor platform for a new Commodore, hence the clean sheet approach for the latest VE model.

2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid to start at $35,970

Nissan has released pricing for the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid range for the 2014 model year. The Hybrid version of the Pathfinder is all new for 2014, and it will be offered in a total of six versions. All Pathfinder Hybrid models use a supercharged 2.5-liter V6 gasoline engine paired with an electric motor, which draws power from a compact Lithium-ion battery.

Hyundai i40 Hybrid & i30 CNG: Paris 2014

The Hyundai i40 Hybrid & i30 CNG on the floor in Paris Hyundai is busy trying to find ways to reduce emissions and increase economy – just like every other car maker – and has arrived at the Paris Motor Show with a pair of economy-focused models – the Hyundai i40 mild hybrid and an i30 running on compressed natural gas (CNG). The Hyundai i40 gets a 48V mild hybrid setup just like the Kia Optima-T Hybrid, which means a 48V lead-carbon battery which cuts emissions from the 1.7 litre diesel by up t0 20 per cent by allowing electric-only running at low speeds and when cruising and, just like the Optima, the i40 hybrid gets a belt-driven starter generator for seamless restarting, which also contributes to engine power in normal running. The beauty of the system – apart from improvements in economy and emissions – is that it’s very light compared to a full hybrid – just 46kg – and costs 75 per cent less than a full hybrid system to install.