A Hamilton car collector is "thrilled" to have won an auction at $500,000 for a rusty car he has to spend another $500,000 to restore.

A German woman on holiday in New Zealand to visit her daughter was killed in a crash in Matakana, north of Auckland, yesterday.

One person died after a crash in Matakana and a school bus slid off the road in Manly as five incidents caused traffic chaos in the Auckland region yesterday.

A parking operator has defended giving $65 penalties to drivers who overstay by a few minutes, saying $25 of the fee represents its average losses.

A second Kiwi team has taken up the challenge of driving more than 16,000km across Europe and the Middle East for an international charity rally.

With self-driving cars set to become a reality in the not-too-distant future, Josie Ensor looks at some of the problems that will need ironing out first.

Will 2015 be another record year for new-car sales like 2014? Time will tell, but what is clear is that there is no shortage of intriguing new metal coming our way in the next 12 months. Here, we preview some of the hottest new models landing in New Zealand for 2015. Photos / Supplied

Four Kiwi mates will travel 16,500km together across 20 countries, five mountain ranges and three deserts in a "farcically small" car as part of an international charity event.