CAR ADVICE

Volkswagen Australia has issued a recall of 16,098 of its model-year 2012-2014 Golf (in hatch, cabriolet and wagon body styles), Jetta, Passat, Polo and Caddy models affected by an issue with their seven-speed dual clutch automatic 'DSG' transmission. Affected vehicles were sold between 1 June 2011 and 1 June 2015. As this article was published Volkswagen said no Australian vehicles had suffered a failure and the recall was being done as a preventative measure. Above: 2013 Volkswagen Golf

Ram Truck pick-ups imported from the US and remanufactured to right-hand-drive have outsold stablemate Jeep in Australia for the first time. Official new-car sales figures for March 2020 show Ram Trucks reported 262 vehicles as sold – the majority of them the Ram 1500 Express and Ram 1500 Laramie – while Jeep’s monthly tally across all models was 258.

New vehicle sales took a hit in March, as you might expect, although it wasn't the cataclysmic drop some might have projected. VFACTS data compiled by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries released today shows that car sales fell by 17.9 per cent compared to March last year, to 81,690 sales. You have to return to 2009, at the height of the global financial crisis, to find a lower figure for March. That year there were 75,650 new cars sold.

The US Government has completed a rollback of emissions targets in an attempt to support the car manufacturing industry – and it appears China may follow suit, according to reports from Reuters. Renewed emissions targets in the US will see the proposed mandatory five per cent annual increase in efficiency until 2026 – introduced by the previous Obama – reduced to just 1.5 per cent.

Renault Australia has announced it will offer a seven-year warranty – with unlimited kilometres – across its Koleos SUV range for a limited time. As this article was published, the Renault website said the seven-year warranty offer applied to Koleos models ended on 31 March 2020 "or while stocks last". However, a bulletin sent to media this week said the offer is being extended through April.

With the winter months approaching, social distancing measures firmly in place and ways to spend your spare time rapidly dwindling, it's likely cars could prove our saviour. But when you tire of road trips with no destination, weekend working bees around the house or even just sitting in the driver's seat of your car to get space from your spouse, there's always Netflix, Stan or the host of other streaming services at our fingertips.

The 2020 Audi Q3 Sportback has joined the growing list of coupe-like SUVs as an increasing number of buyers move away from conventional hatchbacks. Based on the new-generation Audi Q3 five-seat soft-roader that went on sale locally late last year, the Audi Q3 Sportback takes the same ingredients but packs them into a sleeker body with a unique interior. Although it looks familiar, the Audi Q3 Sportback body is lower, longer and slightly wider, with a coupe-like roof tapered at the rear.