Automotive news

• 2024 BYD Sealion 6 price and specs: New plug-in hybrid family SUV undercuts Mitsubishi Outlander rival

  16-05-2024 00:00 via drive.com.au
  BYD’s new plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 mid-size SUV is priced below the popular Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.2024 BYD Sealion 6 pricing and specificationsTwo variants of the plug-in hybrid announcedUp to 92km of electric driving range claimedPriced from $48,990 before on-road costsThe 2024 BYD Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) – the Chinese car giant’s Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander rival – has entered showrooms priced from $48,990 before on-road costs, and is tasked with do
  
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• MG confirms Toyota Camry rival for Australia next year

  12-06-2024 12:30 via drive.com.au
  MG Australia has changed course on the MG 7, a turbocharged rival for the top-selling Toyota Camry sedan, that has been locked in for local showrooms.Growing brand MG is due to introduce a rival for the top-selling Toyota Camry – the MG 7 sedan – in Australia sometime next year.Sales of mid-size sedans that aren’t the Toyota Camry – or popular Tesla Model 3 electric car – now account for a fraction of new-car sales in Australia, and many former favourites have alrea
  
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• 2024 MG 3 price and specs: New model brings $8000 price hike, hybrid option

  12-06-2024 12:30 via drive.com.au
  There are no more new cars available in Australia for less than $20,000 drive-away, after a circa-$8000 increase in the price of the cheapest MG 3 with the larger, better-equipped new model.2024 MG 3 pricing and specificationsNew city hatch bring significant price risePetrol or hybrid power for the first timePriced from $23,990 before on-road costsThe 2024 MG 3 city hatch has arrived in Australia with a price rise of about $8000 – and it is no longer the cheapest new car on sale.The signif
  
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• 2024 MG 3 Hybrid+ review: Australian first drive

  12-06-2024 12:30 via drive.com.au
  MG has released its first closed-loop hybrid in Australia. The MG 3 hatch will gain new safety and technology but carry a hefty premium over the previous budget-oriented model. Let’s find out if it’s still value for money.
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn-road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety Next steps
  2024 MG 3
  After almost eight years of being on sale locally, the MG 3 is finally getting a much-ne
  
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• Can you drive a two-wheel-drive car in the snow?

  12-06-2024 08:44 via drive.com.au
  Heading to the snow this winter? If you’re wondering whether you need an all-wheel-drive vehicle, here’s what you need to know.
  It’s well and truly ski season in Australia, and if you’re tempted to hit the slopes but aren’t sure whether your car is up to the task, it certainly pays to prepare.RELATED: Our top tips for snow drivingLast year, Victoria Police turned away or fined thousands of drivers at Mount Hotham alone “for failing to carry the mandatory snow
  
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• Victorian number plates ’20’ sell for record-breaking $2.54 million – UPDATE

  12-06-2024 06:04 via drive.com.au
  A low two-digit Victorian number plate combination has broken a new record for the most amount paid in Australia.UPDATE, 12 June 2024: A new record for a two-digit number plate combination has been set in Australia, with Victoria ’20’ selling for $2.54 million.The heritage vitreous enamel number plates surpassed the previous record by $270,000, set by Victoria ’14’ when it sold for $2.27 million in May 2022.The latest auction for ’20’, held by Trading Garage,
  
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• 2024 Ford Tourneo review: International first drive

  12-06-2024 06:00 via drive.com.au
  Ford is back in the people mover market after a 34-year absence with the van-based Tourneo. Is it a Kia Carnival beater?
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn-road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety Next steps
  2024 Ford TourneoIf you’re in the market for a people mover in Australia, the answer is more than likely to be a Kia Carnival.Three in four people movers sold last year were Carnivals, and it has single-han
  
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• Video: Next-gen Apple CarPlay detailed – multi-screen, highly customisable and better integrated

  12-06-2024 05:16 via drive.com.au
  Apple reveals more of its new highly customisable software, but some car brands are already going their own way.Apple has shown more info on the next generation of its CarPlay multimedia interface set to make its debut later in 2024, with Aston Martin and Porsche to be the first brands to offer it in showrooms.Apple CarPlay was first introduced in 2014 and has become commonplace – along with rival Android Auto – in almost every new car on sale in Australia.The Californian company ann
  
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• New LDV D90 seven-seater SUV edges closer to Australia

  12-06-2024 04:18 via drive.com.au
  The heavily-updated D90 SUV, LDV’s answer to the Fortuner and Everest, could be on local roads by the end of the year.The new-look 2025 LDV D90 is one step closer to Australian showrooms, with the model expected to launch in right-hand-drive markets later this year.LDV Australia has been coy about the new D90, despite lodging certification documents more than six months ago with the Federal Government – typically a sign that a vehicle is just weeks or months away from being unveiled.
  
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• Ferrari to keep V12 engines alive until they’re banned

  12-06-2024 03:00 via drive.com.au
  V12 power will remain in Ferrari showrooms for as long as it’s legally allowed – and without turbochargers or hybrid technology.Ferrari has committed to the V12 engine for as long as it is legal to sell it, despite rolling out smaller turbocharged V6s and V8s with hybrid technology across its showrooms.It recently unveiled the 12Cilindri, an all-new Ferrari supercar with a screaming 6.5-litre V12 capable of revving to 9500rpm, despite the pressures of stringent modern emissions rules
  
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• 2025 Mini Cooper 5-Door petrol hatch revealed, due in Australia this year

  12-06-2024 02:19 via drive.com.au
  The five-door petrol Mini has been revamped with new exterior and interior styling – but as with its three-door sibling, it is a heavy update of a 10-year-old car.The 2025 Mini Cooper five-door has been unveiled, ahead of Australian showroom arrivals expected by the end of this year.The five-door Mini Cooper is billed as an all-new car, but it would be more accurately described as a significant update of the current petrol-powered model on sale for a decade – built in the UK.There wi
  
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• 2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 electric SUV price and specs

  12-06-2024 02:00 via drive.com.au
  Meet Australia’s most luxurious electric SUV, the Maybach version of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV – with airline-style seating and champagne glass holders.2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 SUV pricing and specificationsLuxury SUV gets the Maybach treatmentPower-operated doors, two rear seats, champagne glass holdersPriced from $328,067 before on-road costsThe 2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS680 SUV has opened for orders in Australia as the most luxurious electric vehicle to wear a Mercedes badge, w
  
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• Queenslanders asked to nominate problem roads

  12-06-2024 01:00 via drive.com.au
  Local driver knowledge is being utilised by the RACQ to help establish which roads in Queensland need to be fixed.Motorists in Queensland are being asked to identify roads around the state which have fallen into disrepair.Run every two years, the RACQ has launched its Unroadworthy Roads Survey, which asks drivers to utilise their local knowledge by nominating areas with potholes, rough surfaces, poor shoulder lanes, and stretches with minimal overtaking opportunities.Dr Michael Kane, RACQ’
  
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• Queensland Fire and Emergency Services receives first electric fire truck

  12-06-2024 00:00 via drive.com.au
  An Australian-made battery-electric fire truck has been added to the Sunshine Coast Fire and Rescue fleet with a biofuel truck running on vegetable-oil beginning trials in Townsville.The first electric fire truck has been delivered to the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) for deployment at Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.The electric heavy-duty fire truck – a Volvo 6×4 FMX Heavy Duty Electric Prime Mover (FMX Electric) – was manufactured at the Volvo Trucks Austral
  
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• Do we need a screen on the steering wheel? German safety giant reinvents airbag to make it possible.

  11-06-2024 23:00 via drive.com.au
  Game-changing steering wheel concept allows the latest technology to be incorporated without reducing driver safety standards.An automotive tech company has redesigned the centre airbag steering wheel – universally fitted to new cars in Australia for decades – to allow more smartphone-like features without compromising safety.German-based ZF Lifetec has designed an airbag that is deployed from above and behind the steering wheel – instead of through it – inflating between
  
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• I drove the electric Kia EV9 around Australia – here’s how it went (honestly)

  11-06-2024 22:30 via drive.com.au
  Can you drive around Australia in an electric car? Trent Nikolic spent one month and 15,000km on the road to find out.
  Let’s take an electric vehicle on a lap of Australia… seems like a realistic idea, doesn’t it?Especially given more than a few people have already done it, it’s not exactly trailblazing.
  RELATED: 2024 Kia EV9 pricing and specificationsRather than attempting to prove it can be done, then, our lap was a clockwise run around this massive continent to explor
  
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• Peugeot slashes price of its other electric car by $13,000

  11-06-2024 22:00 via drive.com.au
  After a $25,000 cut to its electric BYD SUV-competitor, Peugeot has slashed the price of its electric van by around $13,000.Australia’s most affordable new electric van has had its price slashed by around $13,000 – to $49,990 drive-away – ahead of the expected arrival of a facelifted model.A month since run-out stock of the Peugeot e-2008 electric SUV sold out nine days after a $25,000 price cut, Peugeot has now slashed the RRP of its other electric vehicle in showrooms, the e-
  
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• The EU and US are suspicious of Chinese EVs. But that makes Australia an 'attractive market'

  11-06-2024 20:37 via abc.net.au
  
  Chinese-made electric cars are gaining popularity as a cheaper alternative to brand names like Tesla, and Australia is benefiting from the increased supply.
  
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• Cheaper Chinese electric cars are making their way into Australia, but it's not all good news

  11-06-2024 20:37 via abc.net.au
  
  Chinese-made electric cars are gaining popularity as a cheaper alternative to brand names like Tesla, and Australia is benefiting from the increased supply.
  
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• ‘It’s a safety risk’: Authorities divided over narrow ‘half-roads’ in Western Sydney

  11-06-2024 09:45 via drive.com.au
  Local councils and the state government are pointing the finger at each other over some unusually narrow roads in the suburbs of Western Sydney.Residents in Western Sydney have raised concerns about a series of ‘half-width’ roads being rolled out as part of housing developments in the area.In a June 2024 report from the ABC, frustrated locals voiced their dissatisfaction at the traffic congestion and safety risks caused by the unusually narrow roads popping up around new developments
  
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• 2024 BMW i4 eDrive 35 review

  11-06-2024 08:00 via drive.com.au
  BMW is seeking to upset the apple cart with a new entry point to the electric i4 range that undercuts even petrol-powered models – does this make the BMW i4 eDrive 35 the smartest buy in the BMW showroom?
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety Next steps
  2024 BMW i4 eDrive 35How much is enough?In terms of food, a 200g eye fillet ticks the box. There’s enough to satisfy
  
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• Ferrari’s first electric car to make ‘authentic’ noise

  11-06-2024 07:30 via drive.com.au
  Ferrari is not exempt from the global shift to electric cars, but the Italian car maker says its first – due next year – won’t lean on quick acceleration only, nor will it be silent.The first electric car from Ferrari may not be the company’s fastest model – nor will it be silent.The Italian supercar specialist is set to beat rivals Aston Martin and Lamborghini to showrooms with an electric vehicle (EV), due towards the end of next year.Ferrari executives promised A
  
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• Young driver in Maserati caught at Mt Panorama, Bathurst, speeding at almost triple the limit during double demerits

  11-06-2024 06:39 via drive.com.au
  Police allege a Western Australia driver was detected driving at 174km/h in a Maserati, in a 60km/h zone at the famous Bathurst circuit – headlining over 4200 speed infringements recorded in NSW over King’s Birthday long weekend.A young driver has been caught by police allegedly driving at more than 100km/h over the speed limit at the iconic Mt Panorama circuit.According to New South Wales Police, officers from Bathurst detected a Maserati Ghibli allegedly travelling at 174km/h along
  
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• ‘May or may not ever happen’: Will fully self-driving cars actually make it to Australia?

  11-06-2024 06:25 via drive.com.au
  Cars with level-five autonomous technology are undergoing real-world testing in other parts of the world, but when will they be available in Australia? We find out.Though self-driving cars may have seemed like a science fiction dream decades ago, various advanced autonomous technologies are already appearing as standard in today’s cars.
  Whether it’s autonomous braking or lane change assistance, these systems can streamline daily driving by taking the guesswork out of manoeuvring, or
  
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• Work Cars

  11-06-2024 06:03 via drive.com.au
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• 2025 BMW X3 leaked

  11-06-2024 04:00 via drive.com.au
  Here is the new BMW X3 mid-size SUV before you’re meant to see it, ahead of a rumoured reveal later this month.The 2025 BMW X3 has appeared online in a leaked image, ahead of an unveiling reportedly due later this month – and a likely Australian arrival towards the end of this year.An undisguised image of the new X3 has been published widely on social media – including by Spanish website Cochespias – showing design cues inspired by other new BMWs, and previewed by spy pho
  
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• The Lap: The EV adventure continues across the Northern Territory

  11-06-2024 02:00 via drive.com.au
  The sixth episode of The Lap airs this weekend. Tune in this Saturday to catch the team on their journey across the Northern Territory.Tune in to Channel Nine this Saturday 15 June at 3:30pm AEST for the sixth episode of The Lap.The Lap around Australia in the Kia EV9 continues through the tropical heat of Broome and Kununurra, before the team makes their way across the Northern Territory. Navigating the vast, rugged roads, the team faces the true test of endurance in the Australi
  
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• Confirmed: MG Cyberster price to exceed $100,000 in Australia, pre-orders open

  11-06-2024 02:00 via drive.com.au
  The quickest car from MG will be its most expensive – and sold in limited numbers – when the Lamborghini-doored roadster arrives in showrooms later this year.The 2025 MG Cyberster electric sports car will be the quickest and most expensive vehicle ever sold by the growing car maker in Australia – capable of 0-100km/h in 3.2 seconds – it has been confirmed.The Cyberster will be sold locally in one top-of-the-range, all-wheel-drive model grade – with a 444km WLTP-rate
  
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• 2025 Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’ facelift not due this year – Elon Musk

  11-06-2024 02:00 via drive.com.au
  There will be no facelift introduced for the Tesla Model Y electric SUV this year, Elon Musk has confirmed – but what about next year?
  Model Y facelift imagined by Theottle.
  An expected facelift for the 2025 Tesla Model Y electric SUV – reportedly codenamed ‘Juniper’ – has been ruled out for a 2024 launch.Reports early in 2023 first suggested a heavily-revised Model Y – with updates similar to the latest Model 3 sedan – could enter production as soon as
  
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• Hyundai Inster: Budget-priced Casper electric car gets a name

  11-06-2024 01:30 via drive.com.au
  Hyundai is set to join the budget EV battle with a cheaper pint-sized electric vehicle tipped to cost less than $40,000.A budget-priced electric vehicle (EV) from South Korea aimed at a growing field of Chinese competitors will be known as the 2025 Hyundai Inster, and is expected to come to Australia.The Inster is based on the pint-sized, South Korea-only Hyundai Casper petrol hatchback unveiled three years ago, and promises up to 355km of driving range based on European WLTP testing.It is yet t
  
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