Author: Max Davies
As a flock of latest Chinese brands gear as much as stake their claim Down Under, a few the country’s more established brands locally are fighting for the title of Australia’s most cost-effective SUV. Chery returned to Australia in 2023, and in October 2024 introduced the Tiggo 4 Pro – a small SUV wearing a similarly small price tag of $23,990 drive-away in entry-level Urban guise. This allowed the Tiggo 4 Pro to undercut key segment players just like the Kia Stonic, Mitsubishi ASX, MG ZS, and GWM Haval Jolion and take the crown of Australia’s most cost-effective SUV. One month…
Small SUVs continued to sell well in Australia throughout 2024, and that meant there have been loads of them for us to review. Nissan Qashqai Ti e-Power As we proceed recapping our 2024, we’re compiling the highest-rated cars from across Australia’s hottest latest automobile segments into a listing to indicate you what we liked best. We’ve done mid-sized SUVs and utes up to now, which implies small SUVs at the moment are as much as bat. For this list we’ve kept it to the sub-$45,000 segment on the VFACTS sales charts, as they’re rather more approachable for people wanting to…
The facelifted BYD Dolphin has been revealed in a Chinese government filing, featuring subtly tweaked styling and a brand new electric motor option. A Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) filing has detailed the Dolphin’s minor changes, with photos showing its revised front- and rear-end styling. Given it has appeared in a government filing, an official reveal is probably going imminent regardless that BYD has already detailed full pricing and specifications for the 2025 Dolphin on its Chinese website. There are currently only 70kW and 150kW drivetrain options available, with prices across the lineup starting from ¥99,800 (A$21,507)…
Chinese giant BYD has launched a fleet pricing program that can bring discounts across its range, helping it progress towards its ambitious sales goals in Australia. Operated along side Australian distributor EVDirect, BYD is offering fleet discounts across its entire range of electrical vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) including the incoming Shark 6 ute. The fleet pricing comes after BYD outlined its sales targets for the rest of 2024 – 25,000 units in Australia – and the years to come back, which incorporates ambitions to double its figures annually. That will mean 50,000 Australian units in 2025 after which…
A pair of Recent South Wales councils will soon receive recent noise detection cameras in a bid to crack down on loud cars and hooning. As a part of the trial, on account of begin before the tip of 2024 and run until late 2025, noise cameras will roll out within the local government areas of Bayside (surrounding Botany Bay) and Wollongong to find out their effectiveness on reducing anti-social driving. In line with a NSW Government tender, the sphere trial of the noise camera system will happen “under controlled conditions” and is meant to guage whether the cameras “will…
Australian insurance provider AAMI has released a report on crash statistics over the past decade, revealing the country’s most dangerous crash hotspots. The Decade of Driving Report forms a part of the annual Crash Index and is compiled by analysing greater than 4.3 million motor claims across Australia from 2014 to 2023. It’s intended to supply insights into road accidents and driving behaviours and the way they’ve modified. AAMI motor claims manager, Leah James, says while there have been changes and enhancements to automotive technology and vehicles typically, driving attitudes and behaviours haven’t modified in the identical way. “What we…
Cost-of-living pressures are seeing some automobile owners delaying servicing for his or her vehicles and even attempting to do the work themselves. That’s in accordance with a study commissioned by servicing provider mycar, which found 60 per cent of car owners were changing their maintenance habits amid economic pressures and 77 per cent were performing some type of automobile maintenance themselves. The inaugural mycar Mobility Index was prepared to point out how Australian drivers are managing their vehicle’s maintenance requirements, while also examining the uptake of electrical vehicles (EV) and the role of technology in cars. Of the 2004 vehicle…
Delays with Volkswagen’s upcoming Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) and its electrical architecture will mean the next-generation Golf will reportedly launch later than expected. In response to German publication Manager Magazin, the market launch of the upcoming all-electric ID. Golf – as it could be called – has been postponed by 15 months to 2029. A big electric SUV on the SSP platform called the T-Sport has reportedly been delayed even further, to 2031 – three years later than originally planned. While the delay reportedly applies mostly to Volkswagen models, it might also affect some Audi vehicles. That might mean all…
Eclectic automobile brand Rezvani is adding a brand new member to its ranks: the beefy and borderline over-the-top Arsenal. The US firm, known for all the things from lightweight sports cars to six×6 utes, has once more used the Cadillac Escalade as a base for a fortified SUV. Just like the 2022 Vengeance, the Arsenal cloaks Escalade mechanicals under radically different styling. Unlike the Vengeance, nonetheless, the corporate’s latest model is meant for the civilian market reasonably than military and paramilitary applications. The Arsenal can seat seven or eight, and there’s real armour protection meaning its tough looks aren’t only…
Lexus is about to launch a supercar rival the likes of the Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT, powered by a V8 engine producing as much as 450kW. Autocar reports it’ll be called the LFR and it’ll be a spiritual successor to the V10 LFA, though this time around it’ll be a road-legal version of a full-blown race automobile and never a standalone supercar model. We’ve covered Toyota’s GT3 GR concept automobile because it was first revealed in 2022, which has most recently been seen as a prototype testing in camouflage at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It’s expected to be ready…
