KEY POINTS:
Freightliner's special division Sport Chassis (above) has just the answer for those who don't think a Hummer has quite enough "presence". The division makes trucks for "personal use", and its latest P4XL just shown at the huge SEMA auto show in the US allows the driver to look down over traffic from 3m. It has four-wheel drive and a Cummins diesel engine with more than 1300Nm of torque to help assert jurisdiction over your three parking spaces at the mall.
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Car sales have slowed all over. A sales website in Britain is offering a two-for-one deal on new Dodge Avengers, a promotion that it says reflects the dire state of the stagnant new car market. "Some manufacturers have five to six months of unsold stock," said Broadspeed director Simon Empson. "The motor trade is beyond desperate - it's in crisis." A spokesman for the AA in Britain described the offer as "almost unbelievable. Many within the industry will react with shock at this."
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Nissan is a minor player in the local van market compared to the likes of Toyota and Mitsubishi, but that may change as part of a global van programme. First up will be the NV200, designed for world markets, then a new series particularly focused on the European market. Nissan wants to have 13 new light commercials in its global lineup by 2012, including at least one hybrid.
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The car of the year awards season is looming and one of the more important, Europe's Autocar awards, will be announced today. The seven finalists are: Alfa Romeo MiTo, Citroën C5, Ford Fiesta, Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, Renault Mégane, Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Golf. The 2007 winner was Fiat's "retro" 500.
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So it's goodbye to Ford New Zealand's managing director, Richard Matheson, and hello to his replacement, Trevor Auger, who has moved up the ranks from sales manager. Matheson returns to troubled times at head office in Dearborn where he will be part of the North American field operations team. Auger takes over on December 1.
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Specialist sports car manufacturer Caterham is asking the public to design its next car online. To take part, people can join Project Splitwheel at www.splitwheel.com. Members can then submit ideas and concepts for every aspect of the car and discuss them with others, before voting on what makes it to the real vehicle. Besides acting as a liaison with Caterham's engineering team, Project Splitwheel will provide guidance and input from automotive industry experts. The resulting car could go into production in 2011. The often-quoted Euro NCAP vehicle safety ratings become harder for manufacturers to pass next year when the organisation introduces a much tougher and more comprehensive assessment. First results for vehicles tested under the new rules will be released in February.
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Victoria Police are now using one of the ultimate pursuit vehicles, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. It's a promotion vehicle in full police colours to be used as a feature at public events.
