Month: October 2019

Fisker has confirmed its plans to join the Australian new car market as of 2022, and the launch program is set to be spearheaded by an electric ute to rival the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. The brand’s executive vice president of strategic communications and marketing, Andrew de Lara, told CarsGuide that the company is…

Audi’s second-generation A1 city hatch has finally arrived in Australia with a choice of three variants after being revealed over 12 months ago in June 2018. The A1 also debuts a completely new styling language, doing away with the retro lines of the previous car to instead offer a sporty angular look. Its tech suite…

If you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for Suzuki to produce a ute version of its too-cute off-roader, we’ve got bad news for you; a tray-backed version of the Jimny “is not on the agenda”. Speaking on the floor of the Tokyo Motor Show, a Suzuki spokesperson told CarsGuide that a tray-back version…

Ford will roll its new-look Sync 4 multimedia system next year, which will likely make its Australian debut in the new-generation Escape mid-size SUV due in the first half of 2020. Boasting twice the computing power of the Sync 3 system, Ford claims the new multimedia technology will “help make navigation, music and connection your…

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will take Mazda to court for alleged “unconscionable conduct” and “false and misleading representations in its dealings with consumers”. The ACCC cites three customers who bought vehicles that began supposedly exhibiting faults within the first 24 months of ownership, including an unexpected loss of power and deceleration while…

American tuning-specialist Hennessey has created the Maximus 1000, which is described as “the ultimate Jeep Gladiator” thanks to a supercharged 6.2-litre Hellcat petrol V8 heart transplant. Making its public debut next week at the 2019 SEMA show in Las Vegas, the name Maximus 1000 references its 1000 horsepower power output, which translates to 756kW. Maximum…

There has been such unprecedented demand for the latest-generation Toyota RAV4 Hybrid models that the brand has decided to offer a subsidised rental car program to tide over customers until their SUV arrives. The wait time for the top-spec Cruiser hybrid RAV4 – which won our mid-sized AWD SUV comparison earlier in 2019 – is…

A new automotive giant could be formed with reports Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot-Citroen are in merger talks. The Wall Street Journal reports Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and France’s PSA Group are discussing an all-share merger of equals which, if successful, would potentially create a US$50 billion company to rival Toyota Motor Corporation and the…

Lexus can’t keep up with the demand for some of its hybrid models, with demand far outstripping supply for the UX compact SUV and NX mid-size model. According to Lexus Australia, the company’s hybrid sales rate is currently at 27.35 per cent for the year, to 30 September 2019. And it’s the SUV range which…

Audi Australia has upgraded its S3, S4 and S5 performance models with more standard equipment for 2020, two of which go without corresponding price rises. The S3 remains available in three body styles, with the five-door Sportback hatch, four-door Sedan and two-door Cabriolet unchanged in price at $64,200, $65,800 and $73,400 plus on-road costs respectively…

These illustrations may give away the yet-to-be-revealed Genesis GV70 medium SUV ahead of its Australian launch in 2021. Russian publication Kolesa.ru has used spy photographs to render the new South Korean high rider, which will go to battle with the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5 when it hits local showrooms. A prominent yet…

Hyundai’s environmentally focused Ioniq has lost the title of Australia’s most affordable electric vehicle (EV), with the 2020 model year overhaul ushering in an increase in price, as well as a new look, increased standard equipment and extended range for the battery electric variants. The base battery-electric Ioniq Electric Elite has jumped $3500 in price…

Lexus has confirmed it will offer a semi-autonomous highway driving system known as Teammate on models sold from 2020 onwards. The new Lexus Teammate system is designed to allow drivers to hand over control of their car on the highway – having been developed on the raised roads of Tokyo, fine-tuned using real world data and Artificial Intelligence (AI).…

When the Citroen C3 launched in Australia in 2018, it came with an innovative safety technology option known as ConnectedCAM – a dash cam built into the windscreen. But that clever item – which cost customers an additional $600 – is no longer available. As with most aftermarket dash cam systems, the camera would constantly…

Bringing Mazda’s first ever production-ready full-electric vehicle to Australia may make no sense, but the fact is it’s almost certain to go on sale here anyway. Globally, Mazda has already said that the all-new MX-30, unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last week, will only go to markets where it makes sense as a tool…

The all-new version Toyota Yaris 2020 model is to bring a range of technology and safety upgrades over its predecessor – but the brand says it will remain a budget-friendly offering in the city car market. The all-new model has been confirmed to offer new safety tech previously unseen in the Toyota range, let alone…

EV Automotive is a new Australian importer, which has tasked itself with the bold undertaking of launching a range of electric-only vehicles into the local market. The importer will bring in a range of EVs initially sourced from Chinese brand Dongfeng. Dongfeng is one of the largest manufacturers of EVs in the booming Chinese market…

There’s a lot of talk about the next-generation Toyota LandCruiser SUV – the model that will replace the ageing 200 Series has big shoes to fill, after all. But Toyota Australia vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, was offering no official word on what to expect when we spoke to him at the…