WhichCar By Wheels

The Mazda MX-5 has received a mild update to keep it up to date in the 2018 market.

Adding more safety features, adjusting the handling, and improving every-day driving were the focuses of the update, though slightly higher pricing has followed as a side-effect.

The ND MX-5 now features ‘NVH improvements’ to reduce noise in the cabin, with more sound insulation found in the transmission tunnel and rear-wheel housing.

The rear suspension has also been adjusted according to “knowledge gleaned from the RF’s development.”

MORE Mazda MX-5 ND v NA

Mazda lowered the soft-top’s rear suspension’s upper link bushings, as well as lengthening the rear bump-stops so that they’ll be reached earlier.

Pricing for the MX-5 hasn’t changed drastically, though a few hundred dollars here and there are noticeable.

Any MX-5 with cloth trim costs about $100 more, while leather-clad interiors hike the price up by around $1350.

The cheapest in the range, a manual 1.5-litre soft-top, now costs an extra $100 at $33,440. In GT spec, that becomes $39,660, up from $38,340.

“The MX-5 carries a promise of fun, and the upgraded fourth generation model certainly upholds this,” says Bhindi.

“The enhancements and added equipment are another phase in its constant evolution, which is testament to Mazda’s endless pursuit of achieving driving pleasure.”

In the market for a new car and want to be informed about what’s around the corner? Or do you simply want to know when your favourite brand is releasing a new model? Whatever the reason, be sure to bookmark this page to stay abreast of all the new metal that’s headed into Australian showrooms.

| READ NEXT: The new car buyer’s checklist

Our journalists in the field are constantly pestering car companies for information regarding future models, and this is where we’ll compile our running list of what’s coming onto the new car market. It’s an evolving list too and we’ll be updating this page each month to keep it up to date, so make sure to check back regularly.

| READ NEXT: Mistakes you need to avoid when buying a car

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Lexus’ big LandCruiser-based LX luxury SUV is now available with Toyota’s twin-turbo diesel V8.

The Lexus LX 450d joins the Lexus LX 570 petrol V8 at the top of the brand’s premium-SUV range as a more economic option for travellers wanting to see Australia in style.

The 450d’s 200kW/650Nm 4.5-litre diesel engine is coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission and full-time all-wheel drive. It shares the LX 570’s 3.5-tonne towing capacity but with considerably thriftier fuel use rating of 9.5L/100km – about 5.0L/100km less than the big 5.7-litre petrol V8 – and a potential topped-up tank range of 1000km.

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The 450d loses the eight-seat 570’s third row to seat five comfortably, with about 400-litres of boot space to the top of the second-row seats.

The reduced seat count also helps bring the 450d’s retail price down to $134,500 – $6000 less than the 570 – but it’s still generously appointed, with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, satellite navigation, premium audio system, digital radio, head-up display, quad-zone climate control with a pollen filter, partial-leather heated front seats, rear-door sunshades and a three-spoke leather/woodgrain steering wheel with paddle shifters.

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Exterior features include 20-inch alloy wheels with 285/50R tyres, LED headlights and LED daytime running lights.

It also features Lexus’ pre-collision system (auto braking) with pedestrian detection, radar active cruise control, lane departure warning, adaptive high-beam system, 360-degree blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert.

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The LX 450d also has five drive mode settings, variable gear-ratio steering and adaptive variable suspension, while off-road-orientated tech includes active height control, multi-terrain anti-skid brakes, crawl control and a four-camera monitor with panoramic view to help see every obstacle.

2018 Lexus LX pricing

The KTM X-Bow isn’t something you’d normally consider for a trip to work, but at least now there’s a version with a windscreen.

The X-Bow GT is the ‘every day’ version of the otherwise hardcore beast built in Austria, using an Audi engine and a racing-derived carbon fibre tub.

And now you can buy one in Australia, thanks to Simply Sports Cars.

The differences are subtle, aside from the wrap-around windshield, but they’re noticeable if you look closely.

The VW Group-sourced 2.0-litre turbo-four engine still produces 220kW and 420Nm, but it now weighs 847kg, up 57kg from the R.

Speed, however, is catered for. Despite the extra weight, the X-Bow GT will hit 100km/h in just 4.1s, and top out at 231km/h, at which point more than 100kg of downforce is exerted onto the car.

Simply Sports Cars chief executive officer Lee Knappett says the X-Bow GT suits the dealership’s customer base, even if it’s a little less traditional than the Lotuses it generally deals with.

“It’s the ‘everyday’ version of an X-BOW with its amazing windscreen design protecting you from the elements in what is basically an open wheel sports car.

“In a world where cars are getting faster, bigger, more technology laden, the X-BOW GT remains focused, pure and simple – it’s about driving, it’s very raw and it’s fun at 60km/h or 160km/h.”

The KTM X-Bow GT will cost $189,990 before on-roads.

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The Australian launch of the new Lotus Evora GT430 and Evora GT430 Sport recently took place at a new dealership in Melbourne.

On the launch night for the Simply Sports Cars (SSC) premises in Melbourne’s Southbank, an official Lotus dealership, the Sport variant was on display while the winged GT430 was unveiled by SSC chief executive officer Lee Knappett.

“Lotus has continued to deliver in that area and the Evora GT430 is no exception, this is a GT car with race bred underpinnings that you could live with every day, we are so glad it is finally here,” Knappett says.

The GT430 is named for its output in horsepower, which comes to 316kW, allowing it to reach a top speed of 305km/h, or hit 100km/h from a standstill in just 4.2 seconds.

Lotus Cars Australia chief operating officer Richard Gibbs says opening the Simply Sports Cars dealership in Melbourne provides more opportunities for customers to buy from and enjoy the Lotus brand.

MORE Lotus’ Macan-challenger SUV on the horizon

“We successfully delivered on our promises,” says Gibbs.

“We are probably one of the few brands who get involved and are hands on.

“The model lineup has never been stronger, and we enjoyed a good mix of buyers new to the brand as well as existing owners who upgraded to a new car last year.

“We can’t wait to get the new Evora range into Australia.”

JAGUAR and Google’s self-driving tech offshoot Waymo will team together to turn up to 20,000 of the British car-maker’s electric I-Pace compact SUVs into “driverless transportation” drones.

The “Project Liberty” partnership, announced overnight, will launch its first driverless I-Pace later this year, with the rest of the cars joining Waymo’s fleet by 2020.

“This long-term strategic collaboration will further Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover’s shared goals: to make cars safer, free up people’s valuable time and improve mobility for everyone,” the company said in a statement. “Waymo Jaguar I-Paces, equipped with Waymo’s self-driving technology, will start testing later this year. On-road testing and capturing real-world data will allow Waymo and Jaguar Land Rover engineers to refine technology and deliver optimum safety and reliability.”

Jaguar I-Pace
MORE Self-driving Uber fatally runs down pedestrian

“While we’ve been focused at Waymo on building the world’s most experienced driver, the team at Jaguar Land Rover has developed an all-new battery-electric platform that looks to set a new standard in safety, design and capability,” John Krafick, Waymo’s chief executive, said. “We’re sure Waymo riders will enjoy the safe, premium and delightful experience that the self-driving I-PACE will provide.”

Waymo’s head-first dive into self-driving tech comes in contrast to rival Uber, which has suspended all real-world autonomous testing in the wake of the death of a pedestrian last week, killed after she was struck by a test vehicle. It also comes as high-end computer graphics specialist Nvidia announced it would suspend all trials of its self-driving systems deployed in vehicles – the Uber car involved in the fatal crash was using hardware provided by the company.

Jaguar I-Pace

An inquiry into a 2016 crash of a Tesla Model S that failed to sense that a truck was turning in front of it – at the time believed to be the first death behind the wheel of a self-driving vehicle – found the driver, not the technology, was at fault.

Toyota announced in the wake of the Uber crash that it would voluntarily suspend public trials of its self-driving car program.

The Australian debut of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS coincides with two events.

One is the 70th anniversary of the first car to be registered with a Porsche badge, a Porsche 356.

The other is the 2018 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne’s Albert Park.

The Widowmaker, the Nürburgring record-holder since September 2017, was present in both red and silver, with Webber even giving F1 veteran Sir Jackie Stewart a look around one.

The 515kW/750Nm monsters present included the first of the GT2 RSs to be delivered to Australia, alongside seven other models from Porsche to celebrate its seven decades of sports cars.

These were a 1951 Porsche 356 Cabriolet, a 1969 Porsche 911 ST, ‘69 911 RSR, ‘78 935 K3, ‘93 964 RSR, ‘04 GT3 Cup, and a 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS which recently broke the Mt Buller Targa record.

MORE 911 GT2 RS hits 342km/h on the Autobahn

Of course, Webber will soon become the owner of his own GT2 RS, though the red one he drove on track, with Weissach pack, likely isn’t it.

Pricing for the Porsche 911 GT2 RS starts at an eye-watering $645,400 before on-roads, but 350kW-per-tonne is something few cars can boast…

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Honda has revealed its new 2018 Insight sedan, which will be available in the US with a single hybrid powertrain.

Yet to be confirmed for Australia, the Insight is positioned in size and price between the Honda Civic and Accord in America.

The insight will be powered by a 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine, alongside a lithium-ion battery driving a single electric motor, with a total system output of 113kW and 267Nm.

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In typical driving conditions, the Insight’s powertrain will work as a ‘series hybrid’, with the petrol engine feeding the battery.

Steering-mounted paddles aren’t for shifting gears, as the electric motor means no transmission is required. Instead the paddles are for toggling through three levels of regenerative braking.

Sitting above the Civic in terms of size, the Insight has a 2.7-metre wheelbase, with 95cm of rear legroom and a 428-litre boot.

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Infotainment is controlled through a 7.0-inch TFT touchscreen display, while the seats are trimmed in leather.

An 8.0-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with seat heaters, can be optioned.

The entry-level LX and EX models ride on 16-inch rims, while the flagship Touring wears 17-inch alloys, and comes with LED fog-lights, rain-sensing wipers, a power moonroof, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav, and over-the-air updates as standard.

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Honda Sensing, with lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition is standard across the range.

The Insight will be built on the Civic platform in Honda’s manufacturing plant in Greensburg Indiana, while the hybrid battery unit will be assembled in the Marysville plant in Ohio, and the 1.5-litre combustion engine manufactured in Anna, Ohio.

WhichCar contacted Honda Australia for local information, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

THE 2018 New York Motor Show kicks off this week with a number of important global reveals, including a new version of Australia’s best-selling passenger car, the Toyota Corolla.

Its downtown Manhattan venue may not have the same scale and grandeur as the big Euro events such as Frankfurt or Geneva, nor the quirkiness of Japan, but it is still a significant staging ground for some of the most important new-car launches we will see this year.

Those launches will have relevance in Australia, too, with the Corolla joining all-new versions of some of our strongest-selling SUVs, Nissan’s next-generation passenger car, and as always, a surprise or two from the car makers that have design studios deeply embedded Stateside – here’s looking at you, Hyundai.

The 2018 New York Motor Show starts this week.

ACURA RDX

BMW X4 M40i M PERFORMANCE

CADILLAC CT6 V-SPORT

The Cadillac CT6 adds a V-Sport badge that denotes a small-block V8 underneath its bonnet. Not just a V8, but a twin-turbo 4.2-litre unit that will likely also power the mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette that’s in line for an Australian arrival around 2020. The 410kW/850Nm engine fires up the CT6’s rear wheels via a a mechanical limited-slip differential, with dynamic nous assisted by adaptive dampers and a 19-inch Brembo brake system. Watch for this powerplant to turn up in Holden’s upcoming V8-engined, rear-drive hero.

CADILLAC XT4

This is Holden owner GM’s luxo brand, and with the Aussie offshoot keen to kick its brand image more upmarket, the stuff happening inside the Caddy shack may one day have relevance to us. The XT4 is an all-new SUV that’s a distant cousin to the German-built Opel Insignia that’s rebadged and fettled to Australian tastes before it is rebadged as the Holden Commodore. It’s unlikely to come to Australia as we’ve already given a big tick to the cheaper Chevrolet Equinox, but some of the XT4’s underlying technology could one day make its way Down Under.

GENESIS CONCEPT

It wouldn’t be a motor show with at least one surprise. Hyundai, the company that spawned Genesis as a now-standalone luxury brand, surprised the world at Geneva with a Hyundai-badged concept car that could have easily worn the Genesis one. That hints at something special to blend in with all the town cars of downtown Manhattan. Watch this space.

LEXUS RC F SPORT BLACK LINE

LINCOLN AVIATOR

Ford’s luxury brand will launch an all-new midsize luxury SUV that revives the shelved Aviator badge. The Aviator will join the Navigator, a luxury-laden block of flats that last year reintroduced the Lincoln brand to the US, and potentially beyond.

MERCEDES-BENZ

2019 Mercedes-AMG C43 for New York

MINI

The British brand that once lured three quarters of ageing mega shock rock act Kiss out of semi-retirement to belt out a few tunes and headline the reveal of the Countryman – the most unMini-like Mini to ever wear a Mini badge – always seems to want to do something special at New York. The only model missing from the mix is a JCW-badged five-door. Wonder what Styx is doing that week …

NISSAN ALTIMA

SUBARU FORESTER

2019 Subaru Forester for New York

TOYOTA RAV4

After years of internal work, over a month of public testing, and then even more internal iteration, the biggest update in the history of World of Tanks is upon us!

World of Tanks 1.0 elevates the game to 2018 standards in graphics and sound with the switch to a completely new graphics engine, Core, and features 29 maps fully reworked in HD and new adaptive music.

For more information visit: www.tastetruepower.com/asia

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