Articles by Mike Ryan

At this year's SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) auto industry aftermarket trade show in Las Vegas, Mazda presented four customised CX-5 compact SUVs, with one of the quartet created for actor and race car driver Patrick Dempsey.

In the USA, Jeep's Wrangler 'Moab' edition has picked up the "4x4 of the Year" award presented by the editors of '4-Wheel & Off-Road' magazine. This is the second consecutive year that the Jeep Wrangler has won the prestigious award.

Jeep's Wrangler model has been awarded the 'Hottest 4x4 SUV' award at the 2012 SEMA auto industry aftermarket trade show in Las Vegas. This is the third consecutive year the Wrangler was recognized as the 'Hottest 4x4 SUV' at SEMA.

While Australia has witnessed 'Top Gear Live' before, it has never hosted a 'Top Gear Festival' - until now. In March, 2013, Sydney will be only the second southern hemisphere city to host a Top Gear Festival.

Holden used the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) for the first public showing of their new off-roader - the Colorado 7 - which will be available locally from December.

The transfer of the retired US space shuttle Endeavour to its new home made worldwide news, and Toyota was involved in the journey.

Kia have unveiled the restyled version of their successful Sorento SUV at the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), with the new version now available in Australia.

Volkswagen's Touareg came full circle at the Paris Motor Show, with VW using this year's event to mark a decade since the Touareg made its debut at Paris with a commemorative edition, the Touareg 'Edition X'.

For 2013, the all-purpose land Rover Discovery 4 will feature a number of new options and luxury features, but for serious aficionados, the most notable upgrade for the MY13 Disco is the new 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine.

The 2012 Australasian Safari concluded with a short dash along the beach from Kalbarri to Geraldton. At the finish, victory in the gruelling eight-day 3,500 km off-road marathon through Western Australia went to Safari veterans, John Hederics and Kees Weel.

The penultimate leg of the 2012 Australasian Safari saw no major changes at the head of the field, but some of those who had suffered time penalties in earlier legs made sure they ended their Safari on a positive note with some fast times and impressive driving across Leg 6's three stages.

At the end of five days of the 2012 Australasian Safari, John Hederics and Kees Weel in the Holden Colorado continue to hold a comfortable lead over Rob Herridge and Sam Hill's Subaru Forester, but the stars of the day were those who had been beset by mechanical problems earlier.