Car ad draws marriage proposals
When a West Australian man described his 1991 Subaru Brumby ute as "the most heroic form of transport since Apollo 11", he had little idea his classified ad would attract so much interest.
Final VE Commodore rolls off the line
The final VE Commodore – recently named by Wheels magazine as the “the best Australian car ever” – has rolled off the line at Holden vehicle operations in South Australia. This last VE built was an SS Z Series automatic sedan model, painted in ‘chlorophyll’.
Porsche management changes
Helmut Broeker will take over the leadership of Porsche's sales region which includes Australia and NZ, the 'overseas and growth markets' region (Australia/New Zealand, Middle East, Africa, India, South-East Asia, Japan and Latin America), effective July 1.Deesch Papke.
Trialling electric vehicles in Victorian car fleets
Organisations are again being invited to register their interest in trialling electric vehicles within their car fleets, as part of the Victorian government’s electric vehicle trial.
Budget is bad for business – VACC
The sixth Wayne Swan budget does not promise a better economic outlook for vehicle dealers, and small business owners – according to the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce.VACC claims a large deficit is discouraging to many small business owners, who know it must be repaid in the future."The spend on road and rail, as well as training and education is welcome and necessary, however this comes with strings attached that run far into the future," says the VACC.
SL Roadsters lead the bidding
Two SL Mercedes-Benz Roadsters led the bidding war at Shannon's autumn classic auction, held in Sydney on May 6 and featuring a 'sell rate' of 80%.The pair caught the eye of collectors both on the floor and phone, with $91,000 paid for the cream Australian-delivered 190SL and $89,000 for a red former Concours-winning 1964 'pagoda roof' 230SL - both comfortably above their pre-sale estimates.Bright 70s colours were also in demand on the night with a nicely restored ex-US yellow Porsche 911T 2.2 'Targa' selling for $45,000, followed shortly after by a blue Jaguar E-Type V12 Coupe, sporting chrome wire wheels, selling for $56,000.
Peugeot launches 7-seater
Peugeot's new 7-seater 5008 is available from $36,990.The company expects the vehicle to to be a popular model in the Peugeot range, and set benchmarks in the seven-seat family wagon category.The 5008 is available with the choice of either a 1.6-litre turbo petrol or a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine, both of which are teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Businesses feeling the pinch
Business confidence declined by 2.9 points in April 2013 to reach 120.0, down further from the recent peak of 123.8 reached in February this year, according to Roy Morgan research.The decline confirms that Australian businesses are under increasing pressure, even in Western Australia.The number of businesses reporting they were 'better off than last year’ fell from 27% of businesses to 24%, and the proportion of businesses reporting the next 12 months as a good time to invest fell from 58% to 55%.
Mercedes-Benz Financial gets ‘app-y’
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia has expanded its digital footprint with a new iPhone and iPad app.All iPhone and iPad users can now locate the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealer, contact a customer service representative, determine a monthly payment amount on a vehicle of their choice, and see current promotions from Mercedes-Benz Financial.“Designed to help customers in their purchasing processes, the app is a natural extension of our digital presence and a great step into the world of mobile technology,” says Steven Goodale, managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Australia.