Automotive news

• The most exciting new cars spotted testing in Australia this year

  02-05-2024 23:00 via drive.com.au
  It’s been an exciting start to 2024 for Australian car fans, with an unprecedented number of sightings of new models soon to hit our shores.It looks like 2024 is shaping up to be a good year for Aussie car spotting. Just five months in, we have already glimpsed a series of exciting models testing on local roads. RELATED: Will the Tesla Cybertruck ever come to Australia? Here’s why it’s unlikelyEverything from hybrid utes to full-electric sports cars have been spotted eithe
  
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• 2024 BMW 118i and 220i Gran Coupe get Sport treatment, lower prices

  02-05-2024 23:00 via drive.com.au
  Drive-away pricing for the new 1 Series and 2 Series Sport Collection models adds value ahead of their next-generation replacements.BMW Australia has given two new models the Sport Collection treatment with lower drive-away pricing and higher equipment levels, with the current generation is set to be replaced in the coming months.The 2024 BMW 118i hatchback and 2024 BMW 220i Gran Coupe are the second and third Sport Collection special models – after the 330i and X3 XDrive30i – with t
  
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• 2025 Chery Omoda 7 plug-in hybrid revealed

  02-05-2024 22:00 via drive.com.au
  Chery’s newest SUV brings a fresh design and plug-in hybrid powertrain with a 1200km claimed driving range.The 2025 Chery Omoda 7 has been unveiled at the 2024 Beijing motor show ahead of its official global launch next year – and a potential arrival in Australian showrooms.The plug-in hybrid Omoda 7 is yet another SUV from the Chinese car maker using the ‘T1X’ platform underpinning all four Chery SUVs currently in Australian showrooms – the Omoda 5, Omoda 5 GT, Tig
  
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• 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe review: Australian first drive

  02-05-2024 16:00 via drive.com.au
  Genesis unleashes its ‘couped-up’ version of the GV80, but does it offer anything more than a stylistic difference compared to the brand’s flagship luxury SUV?
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn-road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety Next steps
  2025 Genesis GV80 CoupeYou need a few ingredients to be a proper premium player. It’s got to be comfortable, it’s got to be luxurious, it has t
  
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• Is the Toyota 86 or Subaru BRZ a good first car?

  02-05-2024 08:00 via drive.com.au
  The Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ sports cars are high on the list of young car enthusiasts looking for their first car. But are they a good choice?Ever since Toyota and Subaru joined forces in 2012 and released their 86 and BRZ models respectively, the P-Plater crowd has gone wild for them.RELATED: Can P-platers drive modified cars?Both the Subaru BRZ and GT86 are powered by a 2.4-litre (2.0-litre in the earlier GR86 and BRZ models) Subaru four-cylinder, naturally aspirated boxer
  
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• Government to force states and territories to give up secret crash data or risk road funding – UPDATE

  02-05-2024 04:50 via drive.com.au
  The Federal Government has agreed to link state funding to a requirement to share road crash data in a bid to save lives, following a lengthy industry campaign.UPDATE, 2 May 2024: The Australian Government has agreed to link the funding it gives to the states and territories for transport to a requirement to share previously secret data about the causes of road crashes, it has been announced today.The purpose of such a move, following an extensive campaign mounted by the Australian Automobile As
  
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• 2025 Audi A3 review: International first drive

  02-05-2024 04:04 via drive.com.au
  Mid-term revisions sharpen the case for Audi’s small hatch and sedan, although refinement remains a little disappointing.
  2025 Audi A3We know that buyers are moving away from hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs, but Audi hasn’t given up on the A3.
  In Australia, the outgoing version outsells both the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and BMW 1 Series by a comfortable margin, with a midlife facelift set to sharpen the Audi’s case for a few more years. We should make the most of it while we can
  
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• 2025 Audi A3: International first drive

  02-05-2024 04:04 via drive.com.au
  Mid-term revisions sharpen the case for Audi’s small hatch and sedan, although refinement remains a little disappointing.
  2025 Audi A3We know that buyers are moving away from hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs, but Audi hasn’t given up on the A3.
  In Australia, the outgoing version outsells both the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and BMW 1 Series by a comfortable margin, with a midlife facelift set to sharpen the Audi’s case for a few more years. We should make the most of it while we can
  
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• Updated 2025 Kia EV6 electric car teased, coming to Australia

  02-05-2024 04:00 via drive.com.au
  A facelift for the Kia EV6 electric car is around the corner, with design cues from newer models – and likely a larger battery pack.The 2025 Kia EV6 electric car has been teased ahead of its unveiling later this month, and an Australian arrival due in the second half of this year.Two just-released images show the updated EV6 will adopt new, angular headlights inspired by Kia’s latest electric-car concepts, split by a new notched trim panel akin to the K4, the replacement for the Cera
  
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• 2024 Nissan Z Nismo arrives in Australia, now on sale through dealers

  02-05-2024 03:30 via drive.com.au
  The hottest Nissan Z sports car to reach showrooms is now on sale through dealers in Australia, after a sold-out online pre-sale late last year.The 2024 Nissan Z Nismo sports car is now available to order through Nissan dealers in Australia after the first 100 cars sold out online in 53 minutes late last year.The higher-performance version of the Z coupe can now be ordered freely through Nissan Australia dealerships – alongside the regular model introduced 18 months ago – with delive
  
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• 2025 Cadillac Optiq electric SUV launched in China

  02-05-2024 03:16 via drive.com.au
  The model is manufactured in Shanghai for the local market, with no plans yet for an Australian arrival.US car maker Cadillac has launched its new all-electric Optiq small SUV for the Chinese market.The 2025 Cadillac Optiq was rolled out at the 2024 Beijing motor show, with two variants on offer, but for China and the US only, with examples already arriving into local dealerships.The Optiq is a new nameplate for the Cadillac brand, joining a growing number of electric models in its portfolio, al
  
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• On this week’s episode of Drive Review: Jeep Avenger, Hyundai Santa Fe, and the McLaren 720S

  02-05-2024 02:28 via drive.com.au
  Tune in to Nine Rush this weekend to catch another episode of Drive Review. Episode 3 of Season 2 airs this Saturday at 4pm!Tune in to Nine Rush on Saturday, 4 May 2024, at 4pm to catch the third episode of Drive Review for Season 2.In this episode, Tom gets a sneak peek of Jeep’s first electric vehicle, Sam test drives the next-generation Hyundai Santa Fe, and Glenn speeds things up in the McLaren 750S.If you missed Drive Review Season 1 on Nine Rus
  
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• Spy photos: The Kia ute Australia won’t get

  02-05-2024 02:27 via drive.com.au
  The Tasman isn’t the only Kia ute in development. But the South Korean car giant’s other new pick-up won’t come to Australia – and will not be diesel-powered.Photo via The Korean Car Blog.An upcoming ute from South Korean car maker Kia has been spotted testing on US roads in heavy camouflage.But it is not the Tasman – a heavy-duty, diesel and electric Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival due in Australia next year – rather a larger electric Kia pick-up planned t
  
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• Dumb and dummy: Driver cheats carpool lane with mannequin

  02-05-2024 01:40 via drive.com.au
  The driver was handed a traffic infringement after police found him accompanied by a mannequin in the passenger seat.A driver in the US has been handed a traffic infringement for “multiple carpool violations” after police found the driver accompanied by a plastic mannequin dressed as a human.According to the California Highway Patrol Santa Fe Spring’s Instagram post, authorities stopped the motorist after they detected the driver crossing solid double lines on an unspecified ro
  
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• Drive TV: We take the Defender to the Flinders Ranges

  02-05-2024 01:14 via drive.com.au
  Tune in to Channel 9 this Sunday to catch James on a true adventure experience in the South Australian outback, piloting the iconic Defender.
  This Sunday, James tackles the South Australian outback in a more than capable vehicle, the iconic Defender.
  A trophy winner for four consecutive years in our Drive Car of the Year Awards, find out why it took the title of the 2024 Drive Car of the Year Best Luxury off-road SUV under $150k, by tuning in this weekend.
  Catch Episode 7 of Season 7 on Sunday,
  
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• Toyota reports record-setting annual sales of 10.3 million vehicles

  02-05-2024 00:50 via drive.com.au
  The Japanese car giant has set the record for the most sales in a year by any single car brand.Japanese car giant Toyota has reported a record 10.31 million vehicle sales (10,309,457) for the 2024 Japanese fiscal year, the most annual sales from any one car brand ever.
  The result, surpassing the 10 million unit mark in a financial year for the first time on record, is an increase of 7.3 per cent on Toyota’s FY23 sales result.
  The figures (which include Lexus models) note that 85.16 per cen
  
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• Call for care on roads as animal collisions rise

  02-05-2024 00:00 via drive.com.au
  The RACQ has warned of a significant increase in the number of cars hitting animals on state roads.An insurance provider is urging motorists to be extra vigilant on Queensland roads after claims for accidents involving animals rocketed over the last year.The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) said it has seen a 25 per cent rise in motor claims from animal-related collisions in the 12 months, to the end of March 2023 – with numbers peaking between May and October 2023.Overall there
  
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