Peugeot has electrified the 5008 7-seater SUV, calling it the E-5008, with an Australian launch expected in 2025.

When it arrives in Australia, the E-5008 will join the E-3008 due here later this year, and the existing E-2008 small electric SUV.

Built around the Stellantis STLA Medium platform, the E-5008 will launch in Europe with three powertrain options, opening with two single-motor models with 157kW/345Nm and 170kW/345Nm options.

Topping the range is a dual-motor all-wheel-drive variant that delivers 157kW/345Nm at the front, while the second motor provides an additional 80kW and 170Nm.

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Batteries, driving range and charging

Entry level models in the E-5008 range will carry a 73kWh battery pack, with an estimated range of 500 km in front-wheel drive.

An optional 98kWh long-range battery for the front-wheel drive configuration claims an estimated driving range of 660km, and all-wheel drive models will get that same larger 98kWh battery pack but with an estimated range closer to the 500km FWD models.

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Using a 400V electrical architecture, all E-5008 variants can fast charge up to 160kW using DC public chargers, allowing the big EV to recoup 100 km of range in 10 minutes and recharge from 20 to 80% in 30 minutes.

Owners can also charge at 11kW using the standard AC plug on three-phase power. A 22kW AC charger is optional.

Both batteries are lithium-ion with a nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry. Each is guaranteed for eight years or 160,000km, for up to 70% of its original charging capacity.

Hybrids too

Two hybrid drivetrains will also feature: a 48V mild hybrid rated at 101kW, and a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) rated at 145kW with 80km electric driving range.

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Interior

Inside the E-5008, there are seven seats, with the cargo space rated at 259L with the third row in use, 748L with the second row in use, and 1815L with the third and second row folded flat.

In the cockpit, a 21-inch i-Cockpit setup from the E-3008 is found, utilising a singular curved display to display instrumentation and infotainment. A row of ten “i-Toggle” switches are fitted along the dashboard, with the ability to be customised to the driver’s needs. Aluminium trim and customisable ambient LED lighting are fitted.

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Laminated front windows are optional for soundproofing. The front seats are “leather-effect and fabric” on Allure models, and ventilated, massaging Alcantara seats are fitted to the GT model. Adaptive cruise control, semi-automatic lane change and speed recommendation are fitted as standard.

Peugeot says it uses more than 500kg of ‘green’ materials throughout the new 5008, including ‘green’ steel and aluminium making up 60% of the total mass of green materials. There’s also more than 30 polymer parts made of ‘green’ materials, along with ‘green’ plastic in the bumpers, deflectors, storage bins, and carpets.

Peugeot doesn’t offer any clear details in its announcement of what constitutes ‘green’ materials.

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Dimensions

The E-5008 has an overall length of 4.79m, a width of 1.89m and a height of 1.69m.

Storage in the rear is fairly generous, with 259 litres available in seven-seat mode, expanding to 748 and 1815 litres with the third and second rows laid flat, respectively.

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Six colours will be available: Obsession Blue, Ingaro Blue, Okenite White, Pearl Black, Artense Grey and Titanium Grey.

On the GT variant, two-tone paint with a gloss black roof is standard. 19-inch and 20-inch alloy wheels in a geometric design are available as options across the range.

When will Peugeot E-5008 go on sale in Australia?

The E-5008 is expected to arrive in Australia in 2025, with Peugeot to confirm pricing and exact launch details.

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance F1 Edition was announced back in October 2022, to go on sale in 2023. That didn’t happen, but Mercedes-AMG has just confirmed limited numbers will go on sale in Australia in 2024.

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As its name suggests, the F1 Edition of the C63 features visual enhancements to emphasise links between the C63 and AMG’s Formula 1 operation.

Changes to the Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance F1 Edition over the ‘regular’ model are largely visual, selected to emphasise the race-bred technology of the C63 and links between Mercedes-AMG and F1.

These exclusive features, not available on other C63s, include Manufaktur alpine grey paint, carbon fibre trim elements, F1 Edition badging, and red highlights including rim flanges to match the official 2022 F1 Medical Car (a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4MATIC+).

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The C63’s technologically advanced F1-inspired hybrid powertrain – the most powerful production four-cylinder engine in the world – remains unchanged.

The E Performance technology was developed “with inspiration from technology transferred directly from Formula 1″, according to Mercedes-AMG, with knowledge shared between the High Performance Powertrains engine shop of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team in Brixworth, UK, and Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach, Germany.

The four-cylinder engine plus an electric motor mounted at the rear axle produce a class-leading 500kW and 1020Nm.

Red highlights contrasting on black give the C63 F1 Edition interior a racy feel (LHD model shown).

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Pricing

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance F1 Edition package in Australia is priced from $187,900 before on-road costs – marking a $14,900 premium over the regular model.

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Being one of only 16 people to have occupied the editor’s chair at Wheels magazine is an enormous privilege.

There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t remind myself of that fact. Yet there is one part of my job that fills me with dread. When I accepted the role, I asked to put my email address on subscriber renewal letters. If a subscriber was ever to stop subscribing, they could perhaps take a moment to drop me a note and let me know why.

These letters take three forms. Occasionally, somebody will let me know that a reader has passed away. Then there are those letters from obvious screwballs who think we’re pushing some sort of woke agenda because we had the audacity to mention tailpipe emissions.

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The vast majority are more considered. Forgive me for paraphrasing but they usually go something like this.

“My name is Reg and I’m 77 years old. I drive a Holden Statesman and I also have an LX Torana SL and a Ford Focus ST. In the past I’ve owned an HT Monaro GTS (I wish I hadn’t let that go). While I still find Wheels well written and entertaining, I have to admit that the content no longer interests me.

“I’m never going to buy an SUV or an electric vehicle, and my Statesman will last me until I pop my clogs. Why you devote so much space in your magazine to electric cars when they account for seven percent of sales in Australia is beyond me. Thanks for all the great work down the years. I really loved Peter Robinson’s stuff. Yours, Reg.”

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As an editor, I’m hardwired to hate losing readers. I’ll drive home and think of Reg chuckling to himself as he drives past Tesla owners queuing at a Supercharger.

I’ll be watching the box in the evening and I’ll start idly musing why a Holden man bought a Ford Focus. Was the Astra VXR that bad? These letters sit with me.

Wheels has always been a magazine that reports on the new car market. Until fairly recently, that has been a comparatively gentle meander. But the loss of local manufacturing, the rise of the SUV, the influx of new brands, and the push to electrification has made the last decade one of enormous and, in some cases, disorienting disruption.

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Some will find this exciting while others will draw solace from the familiar.

When I drew up a chair at Wheels around a decade ago, you’d search in vain for the likes of BYD, Cupra, Genesis, Ineos, LDV, Mahindra, MG, Polestar, Ram or Tesla. Of course, we’ve seen brands like Holden, Proton, Smart, Dodge, Chrysler and Infiniti depart in that timeframe. Some we’ll miss more than others.

More importantly, the make up of what’s in the product pipeline is changing, and fast. Yes, electric cars make up a small proportion of Australia’s car sales right now, but they comprise an enormous percentage of the contents of our new-car launch list.

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Although some do their best to deny the facts, many large manufacturers have cut internal combustion engine research and development budgets enormously and, in some cases, to zero.

The car world is changing. I have every sympathy for readers like Reg who perhaps quite liked it the way it was. Current subscribers can bathe all they like in nostalgia with their complimentary online access to the entire Wheels archive dating back to 1953.

It’s an absolutely incredible resource and a document like no other, charting the unique and uniquely fascinating culture of Australian motoring across more than seven decades.

For the rest of you, all I ask is for you to be open-minded and retain your level of wonder because the next few years are going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen. As much as it’s a privilege to sit in charge of this storied magazine, it’s a greater one for me to witness the most exciting time to ever be a car enthusiast. Stick with us. After all, it’s said the curious mind never gets old.

Does anything exemplify the demise of the hot hatch more gut-wrenchingly than the end of Renaultsport?

Yes, we knew that the writing was on the wall in 2021, when the technical assets were transferred to Alpine, but Alpine sold four cars in Australia in 2022 and drew a complete blank in 2023, so it’s understandable if Aussie hot hatch fans feel somewhat dudded.

The last batch of RS-badged Méganes were built in March last year and all are now in Australia, with just a handful of ‘regular’ RS and end-of-the-line Ultime special editions left in dealers. Choose between manual or dual-clutch models and be quick. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. What’s more, any putative replacement won’t be anything alike. It won’t have pistons for a start.

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In total, Australia received an allocation of 40 Ultime editions and these are likely to become collector’s items, despite packing no more power or torque than the regulation RS it’s based on.

The Mégane nameplate won’t completely die on these shores, but the baton has been taken up by the Mégane E-Tech electric crossover which, without labouring the point, isn’t quite the same thing.

As tasty as the prototype Alpine A290 Beta looks, it’ll be a while before this performance EV lands in Australian showrooms. ‘Maybe 2025’ is about as definite as Alpine is being right now, but the Mégane RS will be a tough act to follow for any electric Alpine.

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There have been three generations of Mégane RS and all of them have been excellent.

It took a little while for the bustle-backed Mégane RS to find favour – the original RS 225 models showing promise, though it took the 2006 RS 230 Renault F1 Team R26 to really show what this chassis was capable of, building on the added focus of the Cup chassis with the all-important fitment of a limited-slip diff.

That expression reached its zenith with 2009’s track-focused R26.R – the closest thing we’d seen at that point to a true superhatch.

The successor body arrived in 2010 with the Mégane RS 250. We expected the coupe to have grown a bit softer with age, but it was just the old car only better. The 265 and 275 models were incremental improvements, with the final 275 Trophy-R being especially prized.

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The third and last iteration of the Mégane RS debuted in 2017 and was initially offered in three flavours – 280 Sport, 280 Cup and 300 Trophy.

The Sport featured a torque vectoring by braking system up front, where the Cup got stiffer suspension and a Torsen LSD to more accurately address the tyres to the tarmac.

While the third generation never quite gained the cult following of the prior two iterations, it’s still a great steer. If you want one of the last great hot hatches, you know what to do.

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What’s next?

Given how good the revived A110 has been, perhaps enthusiasts should give Alpine a fair go.

Renault boss Luca di Meo has talked of a product roll-out that will first see the Renault 5-based A290, followed by a small SUV in 2026, an electric A110 coupe developed in conjunction with Lotus in 2027, and a few brand-eroding SUVs thereafter to keep the bean-counters on side.

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Two pedals or three?

I was fortunate enough to run a couple of long-term Mégane RS 280s for Wheels back in 2019.

The first was a Sport with the EDC transmission, the latter a Cup with the manual ’box. After some consideration, I felt that the best combination would have been the more supple Sport chassis and quick-shifting EDC transmission, but with the Torsen limited-slip diff of the Cup.

BMW has finally delivered a first look at what is likely to be its most important next-generation model: the 2025 iX3, previewed here in the form of the Vision Neue Klasse X concept.

As with the Neue Klasse sedan unveiled in 2023, this X concept combines futuristic themes with styling elements drawn from BMW’s storied past.

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The standout example of this execution is showcased at the front end, with long ‘grille’ and headlight sections that converge – unlike the sedan – on a narrow kidney design harking back to the original Neue Klasse (New Class) models of the early 1960s and the compact 02 Series that followed.

The forward-slanting ‘sharknose’ profile calls on the styling of Graf Goertz’s original vision in the 1956 BMW 507.

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As with its sedan sibling previewed last year, the Vision X Neue Klasse is designed around an advanced cell-to-pack architecture, loaded into a fresh low-drag signature wrapping.

Speaking at the sedan’s unveiling, BMW Group design chief Adrian van Hooydonk described his team’s latest efforts as “sporty, compact and elegant. A set of characteristic lines and surfaces compiles a subtle and unpretentious shape with nicely balanced proportions.”

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Despite BMW’s home city of Munich being broadly known as a conservative foil to cosmopolitan Berlin, van Hooydonk adds…

“We consider ourselves to be the southernmost German car manufacturer – which explains why the Neue Klasse strives to capture the cool ease and expertly crafted lightness typical of the great Italian design houses like Giugiaro, Frua, Bertone, Michelotti and Pininfarina – all of whom have done work for us in the past.”

For now, as with the Vision Neue Klasse sedan, the Vision Neue Klasse X is revealed mostly as a preview for the next iX3’s styling.

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Full technical details are still to come, although BMW has previously confirmed an 800V architecture, enabling charging speeds that should deliver around 300km of driving range in 10 minutes.

When it’s unveiled later this year and launched into the market in 2025, trademark applications suggest the second-generation iX3 will be offered in sedan-style iX330, iX340 and iX350 forms – a new approach to BMW’s SUV model naming that will be mirrored in the petrol X3 range with X320 and X330 variants.

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When will the next iX3 come to Australia?

BMW Australia is unlikely to talk local timing until the production version of the new iX3 is unveiled, but its 2025 production schedule suggests a late 2025 or early 2026 launch in Australia would be likely.

Watch for more to come in the months ahead.

March 28: K4 sedan and hatch revealed in New York

The new Cerato-replacing Kia K4 has now been unveiled to visitors at the New York motor show, in both sedan and hatch form. Which do you prefer?

Get the full details below.

STORY CONTINUES: K4 sedan revealed online

This is the new Kia K4, and if it looks familiar, you might be having flashbacks to the smaller K3 unveiled in August last year.

But, while the little Rio-replacing K3 won’t come to Australia, the K4 we see here is likely to replace the Cerato for Aussie buyers sometime in late 2024 – if the Korean brand’s recent reveal-to-launch timing is anything to go by. (Which would also be right on cue, following last June’s spy photos…)

Kia Australia, for its part, has yet to offer any official word on its plans for the K4, but the brand’s local arm has a reputation for taking every car it believes it can sell. With more than 185,000 Cerato sales since 2004, this new model would seem a shoo-in.

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That’ll be good news for sedan fans, with more and more brands abandoning the venerable passenger car format in favour of SUVs of all shapes and sizes.

And, while not revealed tonight, a hatch version of the K4 is expected to follow. Perhaps a GT, too?

In its sedan form, the Cerato-succeeding K4 appears to mix aspects from the stylish but sadly retired Optima and Stinger sedans with the brand’s more recent SUVs and sedans, which have all adopted a long hook-like lighting design at both ends.

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As an inter-group counterpart to Hyundai’s heavily angular i30 Sedan, the K4 leans to more classic lines through the profile, complete with a faux RWD look delivered by widely flared rear guards. A hot GT version of this new sedan, if we get one, should look decidedly mean.

“Every contour, curve and detail of the K4 has been carefully considered and crafted to adhere to Kia’s design philosophy, Opposites United, bringing together clean faceted surfacing and technological details in a bold, cohesive statement,” says Karim Habib, Executive Vice President, and head of Kia Global Design.

“With the design of the K4, we are building on what we’ve learnt and making those values accessible to even more people, by bringing a product that is relevant and meaningful, to inspire the way they think, move and live.”

He definitely said a bunch of words, there.

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Moving into the cabin, the K4 again continues the styling themes of the wider Kia range, revealing yet another new-design steering wheel (both Kia and Hyundai have around a dozen different tillers to choose from) with a unique offset logo position on the horn pad. Very Volvo 240.

A dual display arrangement features in the dash, pairing what look to be two 10-inch screens with a narrow climate control display between – an idea that started with the big EV9 electric SUV.

The sage- or pistachio-hued interior accents of the reveal car’s interior are an intriguing touch. Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Technical details for the K4 are still to come. Its proper unveiling is set for next week’s New York motor show, so expect to learn more then.

Huge leaps in powertrain technology are unlikely, however, with the K4 sharing its platform with the i30 sedan – suggesting we can expecting the same 2.0-litre naturally aspirated and 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engines, along with a 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid.

Watch for more detail to come next week.

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz electric van has been turned into a 21st-century Kombi GTI with a 250kW GTX flagship.

ID.Buzz becomes the latest VW EV to wear the sporty GTX badge, joining the ID.3 hatchback, ID.5 coupe-SUV and ID.7 Tourer wagon.

Volkswagen Australia is keen to add the higher-performance model to the ID.Buzz range that’s due to arrive locally in late 2024 and include the Cargo commercial van variant.

The ID.Buzz GTX features dual motors to become the first variant of the van with all-wheel drive, with a 210kW/560Nm rear electric motor complemented by an 80kW/134Nm front electric motor.

Its combined power output of 250kW puts it 100kW ahead of the regular, rear-drive ID.Buzz and 40kW ahead of the most powerful drivetrain offered on the long-wheelbase, RWD ID.Buzz.

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Volkswagen says the GTX will take about 6.5 seconds to sprint from standstill to 100km/h, which would make it just a tenth slower than the significantly lighter Golf GTI hot-hatch.

The time applies to both regular-wheelbase and long-wheelbase versions of the GTX being offered, with the 250mm-longer LWB adopting a larger battery – 86kWh versus 79kWh.

Another significant improvement is particularly pertinent to the Australian lifestyle.

Towing capacity increases by 80 percent for the standard ID.Buzz GTX, rated at 1800kg compared with 1000kg for the regular ID.Buzz. The long-wheelbase GTX’s braked towing capacity is slightly lower at 1600kg.

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The GTX will be offered with an exclusive Cherry exterior paint – either as a solid finish or as part of an optional two-tone paintjob combined with a ‘Mono’ silver metallic.

Other GTX exterior upgrades include a black honeycomb air intake, double-triangle daytime running lights, high-gloss black trim, ‘Vento’ 19-inch alloy wheels (with two 21-inch wheel options), while matrix LED headlights are standard.

Inside, the standard-wheelbase GTX is available as either a five- or six-seater, with the long-wheelbase variant adding a seven-seater layout.

GTI-style cabin cues include black headlining (exclusive to GTX), red stitching for the steering wheel, and red stitching/piping for the electrically adjustable ‘GTX’ fabric seats.

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A head-up display becomes an option for the first time on an ID.Buzz, while the long-wheelbase GTX is available with the largest panoramic sunroof in the VW stable.

The 1.5m2 ‘smart glass’ sunroof, also to be offered on the regular ‘Pro’ covers the front and second rows and can be electronically adjusted between clear and opaque thanks to a liquid crystal film integrated into the multi-layer glass.

VW says the standard GTX’s 79kWh battery can be recharged from 10 to 80 percent in 25 minutes using up to 185kW DC charging. The longer, 89kWh battery in the LWB GTX has 200kW charging capability though takes slightly longer – “just under half an hour” – for the same recharging process.

The ID.Buzz GTX isn’t the first time VW has played around with GTI cues for its commercial vans.

In 2021, Volkswagen gave its European-market Transporter commercial van a GTI-style maker for a Sportsline variant, with cosmetic additions including the trademark red-striped grille, as well as a rear spoiler, lowered suspension, and dark, sporty alloy wheels.

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Toyota was among the pioneering Australian brands to shape the trajectory of small car positioning. The decision boiled down to either offering an inexpensive, stripped-down vehicle or equipping it with essential safety features to meet ANCAP’s requirements, inevitably raising the price.

Ultimately, the brand introduced a facelift for the Yaris range in 2020, resulting in a nearly $7k price hike, pushing it far beyond the sub $20k category it once comfortably occupied.

This update introduced a completely revamped model with a plethora of additional safety features compared to its predecessor.

Fast forward to 2024, and the Yaris is now exclusively available as a hybrid, signaling yet another price increase. Let’s delve into what the most feature-full Yaris available has to offer.

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Pricing and features

The Yaris range starts at the SX grade for $30,190 before on-road costs, with the ZR coming in at $33,260 ($3070 more).

Drive-away pricing lands the car at almost $39k based on a Melbourne postcode. That’s almost double what the Yaris was at its previous generation starting point.

The Yaris range includes 15-inch alloy wheels, a 7-inch infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, active cruise control, leather-accented steering wheel, fabric seats, keyless entry and start and LED headlights and daytime running lights.

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The ZR add everything the Yaris range has to offer:

It’s a zippy little runabout that sips just 3.3L/100km. That’s one of the lowest hybrid fuel consumption figures in the country. It outputs a decent amount for the size of the car at 85kW and 141Nm.

In terms of choices, Yaris buyers have the choice of 11 individual colours with eight adding an extra $600 to your drive-away price. Two-tone options will set you back $1400.

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Safety

The Toyota Yaris was awarded a five-star ANCAP rating with testing conducted around launch in 2020.

This is constituted by an 86% score for adult occupant protection, and 87% for children.

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All variants of the Yaris receive 8 airbags and plenty of additions in terms of safety.

The Toyota Safety Sense suite of features is available across the range, including active cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, intersection turn assist, lane keep assist, lane-departure warning and fatigue reminders.

You’ll also get additional safety such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

Key rivals

As the small car segment diminishes in scale, driven by the rise in popularity of small SUVs and the general trend towards larger vehicles, several brands have opted to withdraw from the segment, leaving a smaller pool of contenders.

Among the remaining players are the well-established favourites:

• Mazda 2
• Suzuki Swift
• Volkswagen Polo
• MG3

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Should I put it on my shortlist?

For drivers both new and old, the Yaris stands out with its great ramge and small convenient size. But it does come with a hefty price tag compared to similar cars, many of which offer regular petrol versions rather than more expensive hybrid powertrains.

This gets trickier in a market where some competitors are priced under $20,000 drive-away. Before, you could opt for a cheaper petrol version with just a slight difference in fuel efficiency, but that’s no longer an option.

Still, taking it for a quick spin shows off its fun driving and solid safety features. If you’re ready to splash out, the Yaris might just be the ride for you.

JAC Motors has been in business for a relatively short 59 years, and not all of that has been in vehicle manufacturing.

The Chinese carmaker only started building cars on the early 2000s, but it is catching up fast – and one area in which it wants to make up for lost time is in exports.

With the local preview of its JAC T9 dual cab 4×4 this week, the company laid out plans to become an embedded player in the Australian automotive landscape.

The company even brought out a team from head office led by the boss himself, JAC Group Chairman, Mr Xiang Xingchu, to lend support for the Sydney reveal of the new T9 ute.

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Mr Xiang said at the T9 presentation that for JAC, “Australia is strategic market”.

“We believe that Chinese auto brands with have more involvement in this market in the future. JAC aims to become a mainstream automotive brand in the Australian market,” he said.

While JAC is not the first brand to put a toe into export waters here — or the first Chinese one, for that matter — it also sees that if the brand can survive and thrive in our intensely competitive market, it can succeed in almost any other.

The local ambitions are bold, with Danny Lenartic, Deputy Managing Director of JAC local distributor LTS saying, “We are offering a vehicle with curbside appeal, excellent features and approaching European fit and finish.”

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One area JAC could have faced immediate headwinds is with the National Vehicle Emissions Scheme, expected by most industry commentators to follow the Government’s proposed ‘Option B’ when it is implemented on January 1.

JAC’s diesel ute is rated at 203g/km – just 3 g/km over the proposed commercial vehicle threshold limit – but Lenartic said this slight measure over the cut-off could be fixed with minor engineering.

While Lenartic said he did not want to commit to precise timelines, JAC’s Chairman Mr Jiang said the company plans “to introduce the T9 EV 4×4 and T9 PHEV 4×4 in the future” in Australia.

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JAC Automotive’s local distributor LTS Auto has committed more than $40 million to set up the Australian team and aftersales support for its all-new T9 model due in more than 50 dealerships by May.

The launch campaign will lean on an old favourite tune for its marketing, using the catchy Percy Mayfield and Ray Charles song, ‘Hit The Road Jack’. (Presumably the next line, “don’t you come back no more”, will be cleverly reworded… – Stevo.)

As for how Lenartic believes the T9 will perform on the sales chart, “the market will decide,” he says.

“We have priced it accordingly, based on a very aggressive position – given so much tech is in the car and what it offers – but ultimately the market will decide.”

The company has a dedicated JAC parts and accessories warehouse in NSW’s Lane Cove, which Lenartic said was established to ensure rapid parts supply as needed. “We want business owners to be confident parts are available”.

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Lenartic said he hopes smooth business practices from the get-go will ensure a strong reputation in the industry. “Our mission is to align our policies to be the easiest OEM to deal with.”

“I’m never going to hold the business to account for a [sales] number. What I’m going to hold the business to account on is the process. It’s the fundamentals: the investment in marketing, the team, customer support, and in the product. Get all of those right, and that builds success. Culminating with supporting the network. The number looks after itself.”

Which models does Lenartic hope the T9 will take sales from?

“All of them.”

He clarified that JAC, by keeping in its own lane, would find its own success. “I never focus on others, I only focus on ourselves. It’s like trying to control the weather. Today I wish it didn’t rain but it has; I can’t control that.”

Lenartic added, “We are starting from scratch; we have no legacy — so we should get it right from the start.”

The electric MG4 hatchback and ZS EV compact SUV now cost from below $40,000 drive-away, thanks to new nationwide drive-away pricing. Prices are up to $10,000 lower for specific models in certain states.

MG’s move follows an announcement this week that it supports the government’s proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which aims to encourage carmakers to offer more low- and zero-emission vehicles.

In the MG4 range, the base Excite 51 model previously had a $39,990 RRP but is now the same price with on-road charges included. Its Sydney drive-away cost had previously been about $43,000.

The same applies to the $44,990 Excite 64 (previously about $48K drive-away) and the all-wheel-drive MG4 X-Power at $59,990. The mid-range Essence 64 is $46,990 drive-away, down from a $47, 990 RRP and a (Sydney) drive-away quote of $51,200.

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The most dramatic change is found in the Essence 77 ‘Long Range’, which has been lowered from $55,990 before on-road charges to $52,990 drive-way – saving buyers nearly $7000.

MG’s entry-level MG4 is now cheaper than the rival BYD Dolphin, which starts from about $41,000 drive-away. The GWM Ora is currently Australia’s most affordable EV with a drive-away price of about $38,000 for the base ‘Standard Range’ model, although this is after a $4000 discount offer due to run out on March 31.

MG ZS EV

MG’s ZS EV electric small SUV also now starts from $39,990 drive-away, after previously costing $41,990 before on-road costs.

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The mid-range Essence switches from $44,990 RRP to $43,990 drive-away, while the flagship Long Range changes from a $51,990 RRP to $49,990 drive-away.

MG Australia said its pricing change is as much about encouraging more Australians to consider an electric vehicle as well as saving buyers money, noting the inconsistency of government incentives among the states.

“In a market where customers are becoming increasingly aware of their finances, providing transparency on the final cost customers will pay for buying an EV and for servicing is very important, that’s why MG has made the move to offer both to customers with no hidden costs,” said MG Australia’s CEO, Peter Ciao.

“Customers like choices. We want them to be empowered to have the freedom to drive a SUV or a hatch, which is why we are offering both the MG4 51kWh Excite and ZS EV Excite at under $40k drive away. Whenever we are able to pass price reductions like this onto our customers, we will make sure we do.”