CAR ADVICE

Volkswagen customers are the most loyal in Australia according to a new survey by Roy Morgan, putting the German brand ahead of other non-luxury marques like Toyota, Mazda and Subaru. According to the June quarter's edition of the Automotive Currency Report, 61.5 per cent of Volkswagen owners said they would be looking to buy their next car from the same brand, ahead of Toyota (59.6 per cent) and Mazda (57.5 per cent).

A team of Volkswagen Australia apprentices has made the Arteon 206TSI into a sub-4.0-second car, as a showcase for the World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park. The modified five-door, dubbed ART3on, makes 360kW and 600Nm from its 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, up from 206kW and 350Nm. That extra grunt has been liberated by a raft of 'Stage 3' parts from RacingLine, including software tweaks and hardware changes like a bigger turbocharger.

Nissan Australia has completed its triumvirate of Nismo performance models after raiding the last production run of the Nismo Juke crossover. The Nissan Juke Nismo RS is a different proposition to the GT-R Nismo and 370Z Nismo sports cars, but aims to capitalise on the stampede towards SUVs. It’s also by far the most affordable Nismo model, priced from $37,790 in standard six-speed manual (front-wheel drive) form or from $41,490 for a CVT auto all-wheel-drive variant.

The GT-R and 370Z sports cars made completely natural subjects for go-faster treatment from Nissan Motorsport – or NISMO as it’s better known as both company and badge. A funky-looking crossover is something different. Yet that’s what we have here with a performance version of the half-hatch-half-SUV Juke.

James Murdoch, ex-CEO of 21st Century Fox, is leading the race to replace Elon Musk as chairman of the Tesla board, according to a report from the USA. Reporting from the Financial Times, citing two people briefed on the discussions, places Murdoch ahead of Antonio Gracias, a long-time investor in the company and current lead independent director. The report also says external options are also being considered. Tesla, Murdoch and 21st Century Fox haven't provided comment on the matter.

Citing health concerns, Israel plans on banning the sale of new cars and trucks using either petrol or diesel engines by 2030. Dr Yuval Steinitz, the energy minister, said the country will make "a gradual transition to electric cars and [compressed] natural gas trucks" with "an absolute ban on the import of cars with polluting fuels" starting from 2030.

Production of Ford Transit vans with electric drivetrains have begun in Europe as part of a partnership with Deutsche Post. Dubbed StreetScooter, these vans start life as a standard Transit chassis built in Turkey. They are then fitted with unique bodies and drivetrains at a site near Ford's European headquarters in Cologne, Germany. The venture project employs around 180 production staff, and can make 3500 electric vans per year.