Automotive news

• New Renault Master due in Australia next year

  07-05-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  A new generation of Renault’s largest van is on its way to Australia – after a two-year wait – as new emissions rules threaten the current model.The next generation of the 2026 Renault Master large van is due in Australia next year, pending any delays, as the current model nears the end of the road under new emissions rules in force later this year.And it may be the first Master in Australia to require AdBlue diesel exhaust additive, as it will need to meet more stringent Euro
  
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• 2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single Motor review: Australian first drive

  07-05-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  The Polestar 3 line-up has a new, more affordable, entry-level model with a single motor and 706km of claimed driving range, so of course we took it on a long road trip.
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn-road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety Next steps
  2025 Polestar 3 Long Range Single MotorIf ever there were a vehicle to dispel the myth that electric cars are not suitable for our big, brown, wide land, then this
  
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• The groundbreaking Honda called merely ‘adequate’ by Honda itself

  07-05-2025 21:00 via drive.com.au
  Critics raved about the Honda Z when it launched in Australia in 1971, but the company who made it described its creation only as ‘adequate’Original story by Tony Davis first published in Drive on 8 May, 1998Anyone who took even a brief look at the minuscule Honda Z would be hard pressed to believe the company that made it would one day be a dominant force in almost every branch of motorsport, and a respected maker of large luxury cars and Ferrari-like sports machines.Indeed, the cas
  
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• Tesla Model Y deliveries about to rebound after hitting all-time low last month

  07-05-2025 21:00 via drive.com.au
  A comeback is coming for Tesla Model Y sales after a break between old and new models, which saw deliveries hit a new low last month.Deliveries of the Tesla Model Y have hit an all-time low in Australia – down 76 per cent year-on-year – as part of the brand’s slowest month for new-car deliveries in close to three years.But the US car giant says the cavalry is right around the corner, as deliveries of the updated Model Y are days away from commencing in Australia, including an a
  
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• Don’t pay for a parking fine until you read this

  07-05-2025 08:00 via drive.com.au
  While no one likes receiving a parking fine, locals have accused one Melbourne council of handing out fraudulent traffic infringements.A Melbourne council has been slammed by a local couple after they were given a parking ticket, despite their car being at home at the time.For Michael and Caitlin, who have asked us not to use their last name, going on a routine Kmart shop in Camberwell in Melbourne’s inner-east has led to an ongoing dispute with the City of Boroondara council.
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• Mitsubishi gains Leaf electric car, Nissan scores Outlander PHEV in model trade

  07-05-2025 07:05 via drive.com.au
  Both Alliance brands will exchange key models to build out each respective electric-car portfolios, but the trade is limited to the US for now.
  Speculative illustration by Drive, not related to or endorsed by Mitsubishi.
  Mitsubishi and Nissan will leverage its Alliance relationship in a model exchange that will see the former sell the third-generation Leaf electric car, and the latter gain access to the Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).However, the rebadging trade will be ex
  
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• Mitsubishi’s new electric car will come from the makers of the iPhone, and will launch first in Australia

  07-05-2025 06:30 via drive.com.au
  In a bid to stave off cut-price competition from Chinese EVs, Mitsubishi will turn to Taiwan’s Foxconn to build its next global all-electric model.
  Speculative illustration by Drive, not related to or endorsed by Mitsubishi.
  Australia will be the first global market where Mitsubishi’s new electric vehicle (EV) will launch in the second half of 2026, with the brand tapping the Foxtron division of Taiwan’s Foxconn build a model it hopes to stave off fierce competition from C
  
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• 2025 Mercedes-Benz C350e plug-in hybrid price and specs: PHEV models return to Benz’s non-AMG range

  07-05-2025 01:48 via drive.com.au
  After an almost four-year hiatus, Mercedes-Benz has re-introduced a plug-in hybrid C-Class that’s not an AMG C63, offering over 100km of claimed electric range.2025 Mercedes-Benz C350e pricing and specifications230kW/550Nm combined system output104km claimed NEDC electric driving rangePriced from $98,200 before on-road costsMercedes-Benz Australia has added a plug-in hybrid version of the regular C-Class to the local line-up, supporting the high-performance plug-in hybrid AMG C63 S E Perfo
  
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• Jaecoo J7 plug-in hybrid awarded five-star ANCAP safety rating, but non-hybrid versions miss out

  07-05-2025 01:00 via drive.com.au
  ANCAP has awarded a five-star safety rating to the Jaecoo J7 plug-in hybrid range, but leaves the non-hybrid models without an official crash test rating.Chinese brand Chery’s new sub-brand in Australia has released its first ANCAP result for the Jaecoo J7 medium SUV, however, only plug-in hybrid variants carry an ANCAP rating. Petrol-only versions of the Jaecoo J7 remain unrated.Within ANCAP’s assessment categories, the Jaecoo J7 SLS plug-in hybrid scored an 81 per cent adult occupa
  
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• Volkswagen downplays need for fuel-saving mild-hybrid tech on Golf small hatch

  07-05-2025 00:00 via drive.com.au
  As Volkswagen prepares to introduce an updated Golf range in Australia, key emissions-reducing tech remains off the table for Australia.As pressure from the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) in Australia forces car makers to look to emissions-reducing hybrid technology, Volkswagen has skipped mild-hybrid technology for its latest Golf small car range.Mild-hybrid technology uses a small electric motor and 48-volt battery to assist the engine and trim fuel consumption, but it cannot power the
  
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