Alright, let’s dive straight into The Full Brief for today. We’re kicking things off with the hot topics of the day — First up...Shane Millar is joining MTF as their new national sales operations manager. Now, he’s a big name in the industry, and this is a brand-new role for MTF. Shane’s bringing over 35 years of leadership experience in both automotive and financial services. So, it sounds like he’s the right guy to help their franchise and dealer network thrive.Yeah, and Natasha Callister, their chief commercial officer, is pretty pumped about it, saying Shane’s expertise will be key as they scale up. Honestly, seems like a solid move.Agreed. Shane himself seems excited too—he’s called MTF a "great Kiwi organisation," and he’s aiming to make an impact right from the start.Next, JAC NZ is expanding its dealership network in a big way. They’re teaming up with Winger Motors and Bay European to double their number of sites. New locations are popping up in Auckland, Hamilton, and Napier.Right. And JAC’s general manager, Andrew Craw, said this is about "doing things right," which is why they’re partnering with experienced teams to rep the brand. With showrooms already in Auckland, New Plymouth, and Christchurch, adding these will definitely cement their presence.Plus, let’s not forget, JAC launched their T9 ute last year. Expanding the network is gonna mean more options for Kiwi buyers looking for both electric and diesel commercial vehicles.Alright. Pause there for just a second, because we’ve gotta thank the sponsors.Today’s podcast is brought to you by Autocheck. Stop paying too much for vehicle checks. Get your comprehensive vehicle reports for less!Check out Autocheck.co.nz, your trusted vehicle data provider.Back to it then. Now, the best of the rest for the day. First up, an update from Toyota.Nine Toyota and Lexus models have been recalled here in NZ due to a fuel pump issue. It’s not a blanket recall, though—most of the popular models like the RAV4 and Corolla aren’t impacted. They’re focusing on Japanese used imports from 2018 to 2020.Yeah, they say it’s a precautionary measure to replace the pumps since they can cause stalling or even crashes in rare cases. If your car’s affected, expect a letter from Toyota—it’s all free of charge.Next, BYD’s been spotted testing a new small hatchback. It’s right-hand-drive and looks kinda like a Kei car, so chances are we might see it here in the future.Also, a shoutout to the 2025 Collision Repair Apprentice Awards. Two apprentices, Lachlan Chatfield and Emma Simpson, stood out with major wins. Lachlan’s known for his professionalism, while Emma’s precision and leadership potential are pushing boundaries in the trade. Big congrats to them both.Absolutely. Moving on to Volkswagen NZ—they’re running out their T6.1 Transporter models right now with some hefty discounts, prepping for the T7 series coming later. If you’ve been eyeing a Transporter van, now’s the time to jump on it.And Cupra’s Tavascan electric SUV got a four-star ANCAP safety rating. Pretty solid across the board, though a couple of areas, like the dashboard and driver excursion, held it back from a perfect score.Let’s shift gears. In international EV news today, Tesla Cybertruck trade-ins are starting...and wow, the depreciation on these is something else. One owner’s seeing about a 34% drop in just a year!Finally, our one-liners for today. XPeng’s P7 could join the NZ market and take on the Tesla Model 3, and Toyota’s bZ4X Touring is on the horizon targeting Subaru’s adventure segment.Oh, and a $700k Lamborghini Diablo was spotted in Christchurch—it’s a mint 90s supercar, absolutely stunning.Plus, Renault’s new compact SUV concept looks ready for off-road action, and Subaru’s giving their limited BRZ tS models a name upgrade to Tsubasa. That’s Japanese for "wings."Last one—Porsche’s original 910 prototype is hitting auction with a $2.5 million buzz. A piece of automotive history right there.And that wraps The Full Brief for today! For more on any of these stories, head to thefullbrief.nz, where you can read the articles and subscribe to our daily email updates. Catch you tomorrow!

Episodes

NZ Automotive News - 21st May 2025