New recall notices have been issued, affecting Isuzu, Subaru, Porsche and Lamborghini vehicles.

The details of each recall, as published, are posted below.

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• What is a recall?
• What to do if your car is recalled
• Why a car recall isn’t all bad news
• What is a vehicle identification number (VIN)?
• All ANCAP & vehicle safety stories

The Santa Fe is one of only two enduring, continuous nameplates since Hyundai made things official locally in 2003 with an Australian subsidiary.

(In case you haven’t guessed, the other is Sonata; while Tucson still exists, it was interrupted between 2010 and 2015 by the ix35.)

Looking like a big SUV that’s just escaped from Minecraft into the real world, the rectangular, fifth-generation Santa Fe is the latest Hyundai to demonstrate just how far the Korean brand’s confidence has come in a couple of decades.

JUMP AHEAD

• How big is big?
• Boot space comparison table
• Interior space and comfort
• Premium feel
• How does it drive?
• Hybrid only!
• Powertrain comparison table
• How much will the new Santa Fe cost?
• VERDICT
• Specifications

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How big is big?

It’s not only bolder looking, but bigger.

The fifth-gen Santa Fe is 4.5cm longer than the outgoing model (which is still selling strongly), including a 5cm stretch to the wheelbase, and height is up by 3.5cm.

It brings more interior space to a large SUV that Hyundai says is better equipped than ever before for transporting families around the suburbs and into the great outdoors. There’s extra practicality before even jumping inside, however.

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To the side of the rear doors, a small panel can be pushed inwards to create a handle to lift yourself up onto the rear tyre to better access the roof rails or roof stowage.

At the rear, although vehicle width is unchanged from before, the tailgate has – through cleverly packaged, upright struts – been widened by 12.5cm for significantly improved boot access. Boot space increases by a useful 91 litres with the third-row seats down.

The latest Santa Fe, now 4.83m long, doesn’t look as large in the metal as it may in pictures, but the Land Rover Defender inspiration feels just as strong. (Make that borderline copycat if you consider the Santa Fe XRT concept unveiled in August.)

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Mini matchup: Boot space

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There’s plenty of original thought, however, to Hyundai’s second-largest SUV after the Palisade – not least the H-pattern LED headlights and tail-lights.

Our test car for a few days in Korea is finished in a new bronzy metallic hero colour called Earthy Brass. It’s a top-spec model that may retain the Highlander badge in Australia but could follow the Palisade’s switch to Calligraphy for its flagship nomenclature.

The powertrain is a hybrid that will return to Australia, though our market will take it in all-wheel-drive ‘H-trac’ form rather than the front-drive set-up currently offered and found on our tester.

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Seven seats for Australia & more space

Another key element missing from our Korean example: it’s a five-seater only, where all Australian Santa Fe models will continue as seven-seaters.

That rules out assessing a claimed improvement to third-row space, an area where the Santa Fe certainly trailed the rival Toyota Kluger.

Hyundai says 2024 Santa Fe legroom has increased by 1.5cm, while benchmark headroom is claimed through a 6.9cm increase – helped by that taller roofline as seating height has increased by 3cm. There’s a little extra shoulder room, too, we’re told.

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The rear doors open wide for convenient ingress/egress, and there’s increased legroom – 2cm for the petrol-electric Hybrid and 3.5cm for petrol-only models.

A sliding 60-40 bench enables tailoring of legroom/boot space.

There’s decent headroom even with the dual-pane sunroof of our ‘Highlander’ spec, the floor is almost flat in the middle to help comfort for middle-seat occupants, the bench’s under-thigh support bodes well for long-distance comfort, and the seatbacks recline.

Each seatback incorporates coat hooks, elasticated map flap, and USB-C port. Two cup holders are integrated into the rear doors, above a large bottle pocket, in addition to the two available when lowering the centre armrest.

B-pillar vents deliver cool/warm air, while manual window blinds are another ‘Highlander’ feature.

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There’s one feature that most obviously highlights Hyundai’s extra consideration of middle-row passengers: a ‘bilateral’ centre console cubby with a lid that opens from the rear as well as the front.

A drawer gives those behind the front row another option for accessing contents in the cubby.

The most distinctive front-cabin feature must be the upper glovebox that doubles as a sterilisation compartment for items such as smartphones or wallets – which, at the touch of a button, bombards them with bacteria-battling UV-C light.

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You can then place not just one but two smartphones on the dual charging and germ-eradicating pads in the console.

The flatter and more spacious centre console, with a large storage area beneath, is created by a more steeply raked climate control panel and a change from transmission dash buttons to a shift-by-wire steering wheel stalk.

A completely horizontal dash with a curved (or bent, more accurately) display combining dual 12.3-inch screens – one for instruments, one for infotainment – does the hard yards in giving the Santa Fe a significantly more contemporary interior design.

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Premium feel

Quality is a step up, too. At least in this high-spec model.

There’s a velvety trim for the pillars and headlining, soft sides for the upper centre console, thin LED strips spread across the dash, and horizontal brushed-metal upper door sections incorporate wood inserts, handles, and buttons for seat memory and (in this spec) massage functions.

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How does the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe drive?

Having spent a couple of days driving the Santa Fe, including more time than we’d like in horrendously jammed Korean traffic, we can attest to the comfort of the front seats. They also borrow the fully reclining ‘Relaxation seat’ feature first seen in the Ioniq 5.

Ride and handling assessment is trickier as the Australian-market Santa Fe will use a different suspension tune to the Korean-market setup.

The test car also featured relatively small 18-inch wheels, where they could be either 20s or 21s on the local Highlander/Calligraphy.

For what it’s worth, South Korea’s Santa Fe – already on sale with plenty about – generally rides well, getting jiggly only on the poorest of surfaces. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that the new hybrid retains the smoothness of the outgoing model.

A revised steering setup seems to have brought some extra accuracy around the straight-ahead position, while the turning circle is also excellent – making this 4.8-metre-long vehicle an absolute doddle to manoeuvre in tighter spaces.

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Hybrid only for Australia: No diesel, no V6!

Big news on the powertrains front: the current 2.2L turbo diesel and V6 petrol engines are out.

Our test car was a hybrid variant, which will be the sole drivetrain offering initially for the local launch – again combining Hyundai’s 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine with an electric motor, and again part-time all-wheel drive. Total output is 169kW and 350Nm.

Throttle response is doughy in Eco mode but can be sharpened with Sport mode that keeps the petrol engine permanently running. Sport might be preferable for twistier country roads, otherwise Eco makes sense as the default setting for a hybrid. An Energy Monitor is again available on the driver display to see when the petrol and electric motors are in action, and remains strangely addictive.

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As with a Kluger Hybrid, it’s not difficult to keep the Santa Fe running around town solely on its electric motor only and, when the engine does kick in, it’s quite seamless.

Also promising is something we didn’t notice at all: Hyundai’s Lane Keeping system. This has so far proven at times to be an annoyingly intrusive bit of technology on the latest Hyundais (and Kias) in Australia, so the hope is that the group has finally found a fix for the calibration.

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Mini matchup: Powertrains & fuel

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How much will the new 2024 Santa Fe cost in Australia, and what will it come with?

Current price trends are likely to push the Santa Fe Hybrid’s starting point from the existing $63,000 to nearer $70,000.

If so, plenty of Australian families will be hoping for quick confirmation of an entry-level powertrain to sit below the Hybrid. The Santa Fe range currently starts from $46,050 for the 3.5 FWD petrol model and $49,550 for the 2.2L diesel AWD.

The smart money for a more affordable entry model is on a 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine borrowed from the Sonata midsize sedan, already planned to be available in other markets.

Producing healthy outputs of 207kW and 422Nm, it would also, ideally, send power to all four wheels rather than just the front tyres. The auto is an eight-speed dual-clutch auto, where the hybrid utilises a six-speed torque converter automatic.

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2024 Hyundai Santa fuel economy figures are yet to be confirmed, and they may be one of the areas where the big family SUV doesn’t improve.

The bigger SUV has piled on the pounds – up by about 240kg to 2225kg for the Hybrid. Balancing that, however, are more slippery aerodynamics despite the Santa Fe’s blockier shape. The coefficient of drag is improved from 0.33Cd to 0.29Cd.

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VERDICT

This all leaves some important questions hanging for Australia next year: pricing, fuel economy, and third-row experience.

But, even without those points known, the fifth-generation Hyundai Santa Fe undoubtedly feels like a step up over the outgoing model in more than just size.

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Sales of electric vehicles in America that aren’t Teslas are “not taking off”, according to Mazda’s global CEO.

Masahiro Moro told Fortune that Tesla accounts for more than half of America’s electric car sales and that other brands are struggling due to low demand and a lack of charging infrastructure.

“EV is absolutely an important technology and we are developing it,” said Mr Moro. “But [in the U.S.] EVs last year [were] about six percent of the market. This year it is eight percent. And out of the eight percent, 57 percent was Tesla. Other EVs are not taking off, inventory is piling up.”

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Moro’s comments follow reports earlier this year that Ford was struggling to move units of the Mach-E and F-150 Lightning in America as demand for its EVs started to cool.

Reports of heavy discounting for the F-150 Lightning also emerged and there was talk that Ford planned to cut production at its Dearborn factory from three shifts down to two. Ford has also scaled back its plans for a $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan due to slowing demand and rising labour costs.

Analysis of US EV sales data by Reuters also support Moro’s comments that EV makers outside of Tesla are competing for a tiny slice of the pie. According to Reuter’s figures, Tesla outsold its next 19 competitors by 10 to one in the first half of 2023.

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There are striking parallels between America’s emerging EV market and electric car sales here in Australia.

Like the US, electric cars make up around eight percent of total Aussie sales and Tesla is the dominant player with around 55 percent of that market.

Mazda currently only offers one electric car in Australia, the Mazda MX-30, which had notched up 12 sales so far this year to the end of October. Tesla, meanwhile, is on track to deliver almost 50,000 units in Australia this year.

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Mazda doesn’t sell any electric cars in America currently.

Tesla’s domination isn’t stopping other brands from investing heavily into electric cars Down Under, however. MG, GWM and BYD are all gaining sales momentum In Australia and other more established brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, Polestar and Subaru all have major EV launches planned over the coming months.

The Omoda 5 signalled Chery’s return to Australia in March 2023 after a nine-year hiatus.

The small SUV arrived sporting technology and stylish looks at an affordable price and Chery’s larger Tiggo 7 Pro now offers a similar promise in the popular medium SUV segment.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Omoda 5. In our initial road test, we noted multiple problems with driver-assistance systems, including the lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and driver monitoring.

Chery says it’s been hard at work ironing out kinks in the Omoda 5’s systems – though we’re yet to verify those claims – and will continue with incremental software updates to improve the driver-assistance systems for Australian roads.

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There’s more in the pipeline, though, as Chery looks to Australia as an in-market proving ground that’ll aid in increasing global success. That means Aussie suspension tuning – as Hyundai, Kia, and now Mitsubishi carry out – is in the works.

Chery aftersales and product director Lucas Harris – previously the national service operations manager at Subaru Australia – told Wheels that we’ll have to wait for Omoda 5 and Tiggo 7 Pro facelifts to see these changes implemented.

“It’s unlikely that any of our first MYs of the models we launch will have that dynamic handling tuning applied to them, really just because of the rate that we’ll be launching those cars”, said Mr Harris.

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In the short term, Chery will continue to work on niggles that are present in its current models using software updates.

“Some of the obvious [work] is around the local adaptability and verification that we’ve been doing… we’ve put a renewed focus and effort into that to try and step it up another level and we’ll keep doing that and taking feedback that we get from external sources and see what we can do with it”, Mr Harris told Wheels.

He also described the almost alarming rate at which the engineers from China will address these issues. If there’s an urgent fix needed, two teams of engineers split time into day and night shifts to work around the clock identifying and implementing solutions, says Lucas.

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In the medium-term (think mid-life facelifts), Lucas confirmed we could see changes to tyre specs, damper and spring settings, and steering calibration to make the vehicles safer and more rewarding to drive on Australia’s give-and-take roads.

“Fortunately, our friends at headquarters in R&D are incredibly open-minded. So it’s really going to be based on feedback from local experts as to what is needed”, said Lucas. “Some things might come out of the box pretty close to the mark or, exactly what we need, so we’ll focus on the areas that could do with some improvement to suit our conditions.”

Since March, Chery has shifted 4335 Omoda 5s, with its October sales just nine short of the Kia Seltos. While Chery didn’t name a sales target for the Tiggo 7, brand and marketing director Mark Vujoka indicated that the brand will be in full swing when it increases its dealer count from the current 60 to the target 100 across Australia.

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“We could have sold more cars had we had the number of dealers. But obviously also brand equity; we’re new back in this market a lot of people haven’t heard about [Chery] so it’s about creating a promise and then delivering on that promise – and getting people to try our products as well”, said Mr Vujoka.

Mark added that Chery dealers have noted a test drive-to-sale conversion rate of around 50 per cent, with current owners trading in more European vehicles than expected.

Following the Tiggo 7 Pro’s local launch – our review will go live on 1 December – the brand will launch a larger Tiggo 8 SUV followed by an electric version of the Omoda 5.

As the SUV trend took off in Australia, manufacturers started offering light and small SUVs as alternatives to traditional hatchbacks and sedans.

Capitalising on the success of its family-sized CX-5 and CX-3 models, Mazda introduced the CX-30 in 2020 to fill the gap between these SUVs, by creating a small SUV using the same platform as the Mazda 3.

The CX-30’s pricing starts at $32,990 for the base G20 Pure model and goes up to $47,390 for the high-end X20 Astina. All models comes equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.

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Pricing and Features

The Touring variant sits smack bang in the middle of the CX-30 grades and is available in two powertrains– a 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre petrol engine.

A 2.0-litre engine produces 114kW and 200Nm, using about 6.3 litres of fuel per 100km on a combined cycle.

The more powerful 2.5-litre engine gets you more power and torque at 139kW and 252Nm, using slightly more fuel at 6.6 litres/ 100km.

Both models are priced at $38,690 and $40,190 before on-road costs.

Nine paint colour options are available, with four of those costing an extra $595.

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For an extra $1800 you can add a Vision Technology option package which includes :

• 360° view monitor
• Driver Monitoring
• Front Cross Traffic Alert (FCTA)
• Adaptive cruise control
• 10.25-inch widescreen colour display

Safety

The Mazda CX-30, tested in 2019, has earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

It comes standard with seven airbags, including dual front, side, curtain, and driver’s knee airbags.

Even the entry-level model is equipped with advanced active safety features like autonomous emergency braking with vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and reverse detection, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention alert, and traffic sign recognition.

Additionally, all models feature a reversing camera and rear parking sensors. While the Vision Technology package adds more safety features at an extra cost, the base safety equipment is already comprehensive.

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Key Rivals

The CX-30 competes against popular small SUVS such as:

• Toyota Corolla Cross
• Kia Seltos
• Hyundai Kona
• Mitsubishi ASX

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Should I Put It On My Shortlist?

The Mazda CX-30 serves as a stylish and efficient small SUV, perfect for those who require more versatility than a typical hatchback or sedan offers, but don’t need excessive space.

It’s an attractive option for younger buyers or as a first car, especially the base G20 Pure model, which comes with a comprehensive array of equipment and safety features.

For those desiring slightly more luxurious amenities, the Touring variants are an excellent choice.

We already knew the wild-looking GWM Tank 700 was hugely powerful but now the brand has confirmed it actually has more torque than we first thought.

Packing a plug-in hybrid powertrain that combines a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 with a single electric motor, news out of the Guangzhou motor show reported the Tank 700 produced 386kW and 750Nm.

Few other details around the Tank 700 were revealed, beyond its basic dimensions which place it between rivals like the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol for size.

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Now, though, GWM has confirmed some new details to Wheels about the Tank 700’s powertrain and its chances of coming to Australia.

According to GWM head office in China, the Tank 700 “has a comprehensive power of 385kW and a torque of 850Nm.” That torque figure is 100Nm more than initially reported and further elevates the Tank 700 above the LandCruiser and Patrol for powertrain performance.

The LandCruiser 300 Series has 227kW/700Nm from its 3.3L turbo diesel, while the Patrol has a naturally aspirated V8 petrol that produces 298kW and 560Nm.

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Another new detail provided by GWM is the Tank 700’s 0-100km/h time which is “in the 5-second range”.

That means the Tank 700 — which is a hulking, body-on-frame LandCruiser rival don’t forget — is quicker to three figures than most hot hatches. Crikey.

GWM also provided some more detail around the Tank 700’s plug-in hybrid powertrain. Built on GWM’s fresh Hi4-T platform, the Tank 700 uses a ‘P2 hybrid’ system that features a single electric motor mounted between the 3.0-litre V6 and nine-speed automatic.

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As for the Tank 700’s chances of coming to Australia, GWM’s local arm provided the following statement:

“The official line locally is that Tank 700 is, at this stage, not confirmed for Australia,” said GWM’s head of marketing and communications Steve Maciver.

“We see the potential for multiple Tank products in the Australian GWM lineup but our focus currently is to continue the successful launch of Tank 300 and finalise the business case for a possible Tank 500 launch.”

Since 2022, all new models launched in Europe must be equipped with Intelligent Speed Limit Alert technology, while all existing new models must have them installed as an update by 2024.

Australia was expected to follow, and now the US could be on the same path.

As reported in our earlier coverage below, the technology was made law for Europe in 2019, with bolder plans ahead for those systems to not only alert the driver if they’re speeding, but also to slow the vehicle as needed.

Under the Morrison government of the time, Australia was understood to be preparing plans to follow Europe’s lead, but there has been no announcements or comment offered in the time since.

Nonetheless, a number of new cars coming into Australia are now equipped with these alert systems. In most cases, the alerts are visual only, while others like those from Hyundai and Kia will deliver an audible alert whenever the identified speed limit is exceeded – determined through GPS and camera-based speed sign recognition.

These audio alerts can be disabled or lowered in volume, but it must be done each time the vehicle is driven, as the driver preference will be reset after each trip.

A spokesperson for Kia told Wheels at the recent EV9 launch that this combination of visual and audio alerts is a Euro NCAP requirement for a 5-star safety rating, but the organisation’s assessment protocol is clear: “The warning shall be a flashing traffic sign used to communicate the speed limit or an additional visual signal adjacent to the traffic sign.” A Hyundai product manager has since told Wheels the additional audio alert is merely the company acting in the best interests of its customers’ safety.

In the United States, the country’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended all new models come equipped [↗] not only with alerts, but also the most extreme version of the technology, capable of slowing or stopping a vehicle as needed.

How far such a recommendation will get in “the land of the free” remains to be seen, of course, with many Americans holding their car keys as tightly in one hand as they do their firearm in the other. For its part, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet taken a position, and the NTSB does not have regulatory powers of its own.

What do you think of speed limiter systems being mandated to slow your vehicle if it detects you exceeding the limit? Tell us in the comments below!

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2019: Speed limiters coming to Australia

Just like the seat belt and electronic stability control, speed limiters, among other safety technology, will become mandatory in Australian cars.

Earlier this week, the European Commission confirmed it passed legislation that will see a range of safety systems compulsory for cars sold in the European Union. The systems include intelligent speed assistance, alcohol interlock installation facilitation, advanced driver distraction detection, AEB, lane departure warning, and an accident recorder ‘black box’.

Wheels can exclusively confirm that Australia is in line to introduce similar mandatory requirements.

The cogs are already in motion, with the government currently sorting out the proposal for approval. The legislation that will be introduced in Europe from May 2022 requires vehicles not yet in production to introduce the systems effective from that date, and vehicles which are currently on-sale to have the technology fitted by 2024.

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The legislation is not unique to the EU. As Wheels discovered, the proposal to introduce driver distraction-mitigation systems and speed limiters, which will warn the driver once the speed limit has been exceeded and have the ability to slow the vehicle down, has already been drawn up by the United Nations, of which Australia is a working group.

The list of requirements was described to Wheels as a ‘pick and mix’ for countries to choose from, though it is likely there will be a similarity between European and Australian requirements. It is also understood that the timeline for Australian legislation is close to that of the EU, through a staggered introduction.

Shared testing between ANCAP and EuroNCAP authorities has led to both cars requiring safety systems such as AEB and lane departure warning be standard equipment as part of the requirements to be awarded a full five-star rating. The European Commission estimates that at least 25,000 lives will be saved on European roads as a result of the legislation it is introducing.

ANCAP has already begun scoring Australian vehicles for speedometer accuracy; a key component of ensuring speed limiting technology can be introduced within time. The ‘Intelligent speed assistant’ system uses GPS data and sign recognition to provide advice on the speed limit, warning the driver when it is exceeded, with the ability to reduce engine power.

Two hurdles are speedometers, which can legally have a variance from the factory of up to ten percent below the indicated speed, and GPS and sign recognition, which still has a number of variables that manufacturers need to overcome.

Speaking with Wheels, ANCAP Chief Executive James Goodwin said the safety authority fully supported the move to make vehicles safer. Goodwin said that ANCAP’s early adoption of technology such as AEB and lane departure warning – and being a harsh critic of vehicles that failed to introduce the technology – has been key to safer vehicles and lowering the road toll in Australia.

“ANCAP supports moves to mandate these important safety aids, but the regulatory process can take time,” he said.

“In the interim, the voluntary fitment of these technologies is already increasing quickly through ANCAP’s consumer and market influence, with many of these features already required in order to score a high ANCAP safety rating – whether it be a passenger car, SUV, van or light commercial vehicle.”

A brand-new Chevrolet Corvette has been involved in a multi-car accident that sent three people to hospital and caused traffic chaos in downtown Bondi, New South Wales.

Seven News reports the crash took place around 10am on Sunday morning and occurred after the Corvette collided with a Subaru Forester that was leaving a driveway.

The Corvette then smashed into several other vehicles and hit a red Vespa scooter, which had just been mounted by its owner.

The legs of the scooter rider, a 36-year-old called Franky, were crushed in the impact and had “bones breaking through” according to Seven News.

A total of five vehicles were damaged in the multi-car prang but ironically, the one car not damaged was the one actually owned by the 28-year-old driving the Corvette.

He had swapped out of his own Lamborghini Huracan Performante Spyder and into the Corvette to drive some laps of Bondi’s busy streets.

The owner of the Corvette told Nine News he had taken delivery of his new car just three weeks earlier and had only recently met the Lamborghini owner through a local car enthusiast group.

Witness accounts from the scene suggested the two drivers had been racing. “We just hear two cars racing then a massive crash,” one onlooker told Nine News.

The Corvette owner denied they were racing at the time: “No, I don’t want to make a comment,” he said. “I haven’t done anything, thank you for your time.”

The man driving the Corvette returned a negative blood alcohol reading at the scene and was taken away in the back of a paddy wagon for further police questioning.

The incident occurred on the main arterial heading to Bondi beach and caused heavy traffic delays. Anyone who saw the incident or has dash-cam footage of the crash are urged to contact Bondi police.

Wheels understands no charges have yet been laid.

An attempt to prove the superiority of Tesla’s so-called Full Self Driving system over Google’s driverless Waymo cars in San Francisco fails to instil confidence in Elon Musk’s preference for camera-only control.

In a video published to YouTube channel HyperChange, the host meets up with Tesla fanboy slash hypeman Omar Qazi (known on social media for his Tesla Whole Mars Catalog accounts) to compare the two systems.

The intention is to demonstrate that Tesla’s Full Self Driving system in the latest Model S update, which combines artificial intelligence with a camera-only object detection platform, is all you need for safe and capable autonomous driving.

The Waymo system, running in a fully driverless Jaguar I-Pace licensed to operate as a ‘robotaxi’ in San Francisco, combines cameras with radar and lidar systems, along with heavily detailed and regularly updated mapping developed specifically for autonomous operation.

Elon Musk has previously said his Full Self Driving system is “really the difference between Tesla being worth a lot of money or worth basically zero”.

? As he boasts of the Tesla system’s capability, Qazi’s Model S screams down one of San Fran’s steep hills (16m25s) and blows through a stop sign, hitting its bump stops as it crosses the level intersection.

As Qazi stumbles through acknowledging the error – “yeah that wasn’t good”, his YouTuber passenger admits to be “a little freaked out”.

After crossing the intersection, Qazi has to grab the wheel a number of times to keep it from driving into parked cars. “Holy shit, what’s going on here?” he exclaims before deciding to pull over and check the cameras, confirming they were clean and not obscured.

The video continues with no further major dramas, so if you can sit through the many dozens of “dude” and “bro”, check it out below.

UK to ban ‘self-driving’ marketing, will hold carmakers accountable for incidents on the road

Meanwhile, earlier this month, King Charles and his UK government confirmed it will use a new Automated Vehicles Bill to ban carmakers from describing vehicles as “self-driving” or “driverless” unless their systems are approved under changes that will be included in the new legislation.

“While the vehicle is driving itself, a company rather than an individual will be responsible for the way it drives,” the government said.

In branding terms, Tesla’s Autopilot and (supposedly more advanced) Full Self Driving systems have the appearance of ‘doing what it says on the tin’, but Tesla specifies that they are officially assistance systems and the driver must monitor the road and the vehicle controls at all times.

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In most countries, including Australia, drivers must not merely monitor but actually keep their hands on the wheel and maintain direct control at all times.

Speaking with Reuters [↗], AXA insurance’s UK boss Tara Foley said, “for insurers, it also provides crucial clarity for establishing liability for self driving”.

Last year, Musk was quoted as saying: “In the US, things are legal by default. In Europe, they’re illegal by default. So, we have to get approval beforehand. Whereas, in the US, you can kind of do it on your own cognizance, more or less.

On an investor call in October this year, Musk said: “Obviously, in the past, I’ve been overly optimistic about this.”

This is far from Tesla’s first run-in with negative media when it comes to autonomous driving. See our stories below.

But hey, at least it’s doing this:

There are certain small indulgences that make life that little bit more tolerable. It might be a decent cup of coffee or the luxury of a weekend lie-in. The Kia Picanto GT always felt like one of those slightly giddy joys that felt so good it almost seemed illicit.

But, like most such petty vices, it’s not long for this world. When Kia facelifts the Picanto, the GT, with its three-cylinder turbo engine and manual gearbox, is set for the chop. The mantle of Australia’s cheapest performance car will pass from the baby Korean to the Suzuki Swift Sport, an uptick of about eight grand.

We’ll miss those caster-like 16-inch wheels, and then get slightly depressed when we’re reminded that Ferrari 308s used to look the business on sixteens.

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We’re not resorting to cheap hyperbole when we say that the Picanto’s five-speed manual gearbox had a shift quality that would shame a modern M3, although if we’re being really picky, the ratios were spread so widely that you needed to rev it until the valves were bouncing in order to plug it into the meat (okay, the carpaccio) of that 172Nm of torque.

What was so joyous about the Picanto GT is that you could feel as if you were wringing it to death on your favourite road, really involving yourself in the preservation of momentum, feet dancing on the pedals, only to glance into the rear view and see a bored-looking school bus driver embarking on a nasal excavation project behind.

But who cares? This was a cheap treat that hit the spot every time: the Dagwood dog of vaguely sporting cars. Yours for less than the price of ticking a box for ritzy paint on a Porsche Boxster.

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Reflecting how difficult it is to make money on small cars, the price of the Picanto GT was ratcheted upwards in the last few years of its life. The Wheels’ test of August 2019 saw it priced at $17,990, compared to its $20,790 sticker today. “We’re glad it exists”, summarised Byron Mathioudakis. That last line’s speared me a bit.

Although it seems to have been a fixture here in the Aussie car market for a respectable innings, this Picanto GT debuted as recently as January 2019, so it’s a comparative cranefly compared to the likes of the dismal Holden Barina, which somehow endured for 33 years.

There will be no like-for-like replacement. Kia has promised that the next-gen Picanto will be powered by either a 1.0-litre budget powerplant or a 1.2 which is “better for customers who want a little more power”.

Our advice is to bag a Picanto GT before it’s too late. It’ll still be under warranty in the year 2030, by which time twenty grand’ll probably just about cover a round of ristrettos. You owe it to yourself. We all deserve a small indulgence once in a while.

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How slow?

Granted, flat-out sprinting isn’t the Kia Picanto GT’s forte, but when we put it up against the clock on a sticky dragstrip at Heathcote back in 2019, it was the quickest of a trio that included 66kW versions of the Renault Clio and Suzuki Swift. The Picanto GT blazed to 100km/h in 9.4 seconds (versus a 9.9 sec factory claim) and smashed through 400m in 16.8sec at 133.2km/h. Just thought you’d like to know.

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