Car news this week: Top stories 1-7 May 2022

Each week we’ll keep you up to speed and bring you the ‘watercooler’ information of what has happened in the world of cars and motoring with the five-biggest stories we’ve covered. Here’s what you need to know…

If you were shopping for a new Lada in Russia last week, you could’ve purchased a base-model Lada Granta sedan for $AU15,700 – or, for one 727,900th of the price, 68 per cent of the entire company.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Renault has sold its majority stake in Lada’s parent company AvtoVAZ for one ruble, or $AU0.02 – albeit a nominal sum – to a state-backed institute. Click here for the full story.

New emissions regulations now in force in New Zealand – which penalise high-pollution vehicles, and reward buyers of those emitting little to no CO2 – have pulled the handbrake on ute and four-wheel-drive sales, sparking criticism from the automotive industry.

Chinese car maker Changan has revealed the Lumin Corn, a pocket-sized electric car designed to rival General Motors’ top-selling Wuling Mini EV. Click here for the story.

US start-up Nikola – which has faced multiple allegations of fraud over the past 18 months – has finally revealed its first production vehicle… but it’s little more than an Iveco truck with a new electric powertrain. Click here for the full story.

Australia’s top-selling new vehicle, the Toyota HiLux ute, is set for a round of technology upgrades later this year, including blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and 360-degree camera systems that will be available on the best-selling SR5. Click here for the full story.

These are the most read stories of the week. You can read all the car news covered by Drive on our news feed here.