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Alfa Romeo has rebooted the iconic 33 Stradale of the 1960s with a limited-edition, custom-built, multimillion-dollar supercar available with twin-turbo V6 petrol, or full battery power. The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale name has been revived for a new supercar, unveiled in Europe overnight ahead of first customer deliveries overseas due late next year. The new car is a modern reboot of the original 1967 33 Stradale, which was the road-going version of the Tipo 33 race car of the day, and is considered one of Alfa Romeo’s most iconic cars. Limited to 33 examples, all sold out, the new 33 Stradale will be available with an enlarged version of the twin-turbo petrol V6 familiar to Alfa Romeo performance cars today – or solely electric power, as the first battery-powered vehicle unveiled by the Italian car maker. With each vehicle to be custom-built to the customer’s specifications by boutique Italian ‘coachbuilding’ company Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, prices are estimated to e...

Subaru Australia has confirmed it will start taking orders for its first-ever electric vehicle in October ahead of deliveries before the end of the year. Subaru Australia is about to open the order books for its first-ever electric vehicle, the Solterra mid-size SUV, which is due in Australia before the end of the year. Subaru Australia’s managing director Blair Read told Drive the company expects to start taking orders for the electric SUV in October with local deliveries due to start before the end of the year. That would mean Subaru is scheduled to beat the Solterra’s near-identical Toyota BZ4X twin to the punch, with Toyota confirming deliveries of its version are not due to start until February 2024. The Subaru Solterra and Toyota BZ4X electric vehicles are twins under the skin. Both are built in the same Toyota factory with the only differences the badges, lights and bumpers. Both vehicles are likely to have been delayed as they wait for a technical update said ...

The Australian Grand Prix could set a new Melbourne crowd record for the third year in a row, after tickets for 2024’s race were snapped up in less time than it took this year’s race to be completed. Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images Race-day tickets for the 2024 Australian Grand Prix sold out within two hours of going on sale, with local Formula One fans hoping to see two Australians on the grid at their home race for the first time in more than a decade. The race’s organisers – the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) – announced its allocation of general admission (Park Pass) and grandstand tickets for the Formula One race on Sunday 24 March 2024 were exhausted shortly after the final release went on sale at midday on Tuesday August 29. In addition to the sold-out Sunday, grandstand tickets for Saturday’s action – highlighted by qualifying for the Grand Prix – have all been accounted for, while the AGPC claims only a limited number of Park Pass tickets remain a...

The world’s largest car-maker by volume has been forced to suspend operations due to a software glitch, delaying the production of more than 13,000 vehicles. A malfunction has caused operations at all 14 of Toyota’s Japanese factories to be suspended earlier this week, affecting 28 production lines. According to a written statement from Toyota , 12 of the plants resumed operations after the 24-hour halt, which the Japanese car giant says was “due to a malfunction in the production order system”. The company has apologised to its customers and suppliers for any inconvenience caused. Two of its factories remained offline for an extra eight-hour shift – one of which produces vehicles for the Japanese market – while the other is responsible for manufacturing Lexus UX, NX, ES, and RX models. All combined, the 14 factories account for approximately a third of Toyota’s global production, according to news outlet Reuters – with Toyota being the world’s largest car-maker by volume....

In 2002 we celebrated what was once a mainstay on our roads, the slightly space-age looking Toyota Tarago. Australians bought them in their tens of thousands. Original story by Pete Mackay published in Drive on 4 April, 2002. A vehicle that was part minibus, part goldfish bowl, part ‘chariot’ from Lost in Space , the Toyota Tarago was a pioneer in people movers – a craze that was spawned by the success of the legendary VW Kombi in the 1960s and a fad that was to reshape the motoring industry in the ’80s and ’90s. Released by Toyota in 1983, this manoeuvrable little beast, which could turn on a 20-Yen piece, became immensely popular with large families and at one stage was responsible for 49 per cent of all people mover sales nationwide. In fact, with the Tarago selling nearly 64,000 models here alone, its extraordinary success played a big hand in lifting Toyota from third to second, just behind Ford , as top dog in local sales in only its second year of production. Th...

More than 4800 new-generation Ford Rangers and Everests are affected by a low-battery charge fault, which could lead to the vehicle’s transmission selecting ‘park’ at low speeds. Ford Australia has recalled  4841 examples of its  2021-2023 Ranger and Everest twins, due to a low-battery charge fault which could cause the ute and SUV’s transmissions to engage ‘park’ while moving at low speeds. The recall notice , lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a software issue, under certain circumstances if the battery level drops below a critical threshold, the transmission may shift into park when the vehicle is travelling at speeds below 6km/h. “This may cause a sudden stop without the rear brake lamps illuminating as intended. “A sudden stop whilst driving at low speed and the rear brake lamps not illuminating as intended, could increase the potential risk of an accident, causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”...

Almost half of Tesla’s Supercharger network in Australia can now recharge electric vehicles from rival car brands, with its pilot program now extended to nearly every mainland jurisdiction. US electric-car giant Tesla has expanded the number of ‘Superchargers’ which can recharge electric vehicles from other manufacturers in Australia, with 30 sites now live across the country. In January 2023 , Tesla announced five of its approximately 50 Supercharger locations in Australia would support all electric cars equipped with a CCS fast-charging socket – which applies to almost every new battery-powered vehicle on sale locally, excluding the Nissan Leaf. MORE: Can I use Tesla chargers for other cars? Tesla has now added a further 25 Supercharger locations locally to the list, bringing its total to 30 of the 63 in Australia – with every jurisdiction except Tasmania and the Northern Territory now benefitting from the expansion. As previously reported, Tesla Superchargers can ...