After a new Ford, but not sure how long you’ll have to wait?

Issues such as semiconductor chip shortages, shipping problems and sickness and isolation have affected the ability of manufacturers like Ford to keep their production lines going over the last three years.

As such, all of the brand’s vehicles are currently experiencing some delays.

However, some models are in greater supply than others, with flexibility around powertrains, specification and vehicle colour likely to see a vehicle in your driveway sooner.

Overall, according to Price My Car, the average wait time for a Ford is 190 days – compared to 94 days in January 2022.

The quickest arrivals are four-cylinder examples of the closely-related Ranger ute and Everest large SUV, in most cases, at one month or less.

Specific grades and colours could incur a longer wait, so it’s worth calling around for dealer stock availability. Factory-fit options, such as the tow and touring packs, will also incur an extended wait time.

In fact, Ford Australia claims it has ample supply of the newly-launched four-cylinder Ranger and Everest – and less availability of the flagship six-cylinder models, due to strong demand.

The worst affected is the marque’s American-sourced Mustang sports car, with order books at capacity ahead of the next-generation launch in late 2023.

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“Due to overwhelming interest in the current Mustang, our order bank is now at capacity,” said Ford Australia.

“Therefore, we regret to inform customers that we are no longer taking any new orders for the current Mustang.”

In addition, order books for the Transit large van are temporarily closed due to the “global semiconductor chip shortage and supply chain challenges”.

Ford’s local arm has discontinued the Fiesta ST and Focus ST models as a result of the chip shortage and a “focus on emerging areas of growth”. Globally, the Fiesta hatch will be retired in June amid a shift to more-profitable vehicles and electrification.

Ford average model wait times 2023

NOTE: This information is current as of March 12, 2023. This article will be reviewed and amended as new details come to light.

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Ford Australia has launched a webpage outlining up-to-date delivery information across its entire vehicle line-up.

“We apologise to any customers who are facing longer than anticipated wait times for their new vehicles,” a Ford spokesperson said last year.

“We are working hard to get as many vehicles to Australia as possible, and reiterate that as the supply situation continues to evolve, we encourage customers to reach out to their local dealer, who is best placed to advise on local availability and wait times.”

With all of the above in mind, it is important to consider this article a guide only.

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has confirmed the successor to its popular Urus SUV will be all-electric come 2029.

“In ’28 and ’29 we will have our first two BEVs [battery-electric vehicles],” Winkelmann told Road and Track.

“We will have a fourth model… it will be the first one to be completely a BEV car in 2028. And then in 2029 there will be the new Urus.”

As per Lamborghini tradition, this new high-performance electric SUV isn’t expected to wear the Urus badge – as each generational model has its own nameplate.

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The mysterious Lamborghini electric SUV may ride on the Volkswagen Group parent company’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) underpinnings, which will be the base for the forthcoming Porsche Macan EV and Audi RS6 E-Tron.

Alternatively, it could opt for the eventual Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) ​​that’s expected to debut in 2028 and underpin all Volkswagen Group branded electric cars heading into the 2035 sales ban of new internal-combustion engine vehicles in Europe.

The current Urus rides on the group’s MLB Evo platform shared with the Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga luxury SUVs.

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Winkelmann claims its first two new EVs will reduce the ultra-luxury brand’s overall emissions by 80 per cent compared to today, as strict Euro 7 emissions regulations loom in 2025.

In the interim, Lamborghini will electrify its entire current three model lineup by next year – with a ludicrously powerful plug-in hybrid 2024 Aventador successor (codenamed LB744) leading the push.

A plug-in hybrid Urus hyper SUV will join the range sometime in 2024, after it was updated last year with new S and Performante variants, followed by a plug-in Huracán in late 2024.

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BMW’s first production hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) will likely launch by 2030, riding on the forthcoming Neue Klasse dedicated EV platform.

BMW Group’s manager of hydrogen technology, Jürgen Guldner, told Autocar the emergence of FCEVs is only “a matter of time”.

“[BMW is] waiting for the tipping point of the [refuelling] infrastructure,” Guldner said.

“The scaling for battery-electric cars will reach some limits and the limits will be different in different countries. It could be raw materials. It could be infrastructure.”

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Guldner admits the emerging technology is still prohibitively expensive, but the convenience and long driving range capabilities of FCEVs will be its key selling point – even though he predicts a “significant minority” of cars in Europe would be an FCEV.

Hydrogen tech has been mooted as the replacement for diesel-powered vehicles.

The executive expects manufacturing costs to decline with higher volumes and internal studies at BMW suggest cost parity with battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) is “absolutely possible” in the next decade, as it also isn’t as susceptible to rising market costs for raw materials, including lithium and cobalt, as FCEVs only need a small traditional hybrid-sized battery pack.

[Guldner] predicts a “significant minority” of cars in Europe would be an FCEV.

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The Bavarian automaker is currently testing out the powertrain with its recently introduced iX5 Hydrogen fleet – featuring two 700-bar high pressure tanks able to hold six kilograms of hydrogen, a fuel cell, and fifth-gen electric motor borrowed from its current BEV models, such as the i4 liftback, iX SUV, and i7 limousine.

BMW claims refuelling the hydrogen SUV takes three to four minutes and delivers a claimed WLTP driving range of up to 504 kilometres.

“We’re going to develop tanks that look different to [the T-shaped tanks inside the iX5] and that will fit in the design space of the battery of a battery-electric car,” Guldner told Autocar.

While it’s unclear whether the series-production hydrogen-powered BMW model will be a medium SUV as per the iX5, it will ride on the company’s much-anticipated Neue Klasse EV platform due in 2025.

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There are currently two publicly-available hydrogen refuelling stations in Australia, with the Toyota Mirai sedan and Hyundai Nexo SUV available to lease by approved organisations only. Of course, to make the most of the cars, those organisations will also need to be based near the refuelling stations.

Toyota even unveiled a Corolla Cross H2 Concept last year – a hydrogen-combustion vehicle that uses the engine from a GR Corolla hot hatch to burn hydrogen to power the electric motors and charge the battery, instead of using a fuel cell.

The European Commission is set to ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles in the 26-country EU from 2035 – but Germany has delayed the vote as it seeks to have explicit concessions to support hydrogen fuel-cell and synthetic eFuel engines.

Chery has confirmed its small SUV will be followed by a pair of larger vehicles in the third quarter of 2023.

Following the Omoda 5’s recent Australian release, Chery has said the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Pro will come from the brand’s older ‘Tiggo’ line of vehicles – which have been on sale in South Africa, South America, and South East Asia since 2020.

Although the release of a ute was rumoured initially, Chery declined to comment on the possibilities of commercial vehicles to rival the GWM Cannon ute.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CotiGdwA3-X/

Petrol-only power is the flavour of the moment, but plug-in hybrid options may become available down the track – depending on demand.

Ergo, they should be looking for a more seamless introduction than the Omoda 5, after the dealer network and Australian public have learned a little more about the Chery name.

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What is the Tiggo 7 Pro?

The Tiggo 7 is larger than the Omoda 5, measuring 4.5 metres long, and would compete in the medium SUV category locally. It’s based on a previous generation ‘T1X’ platform that also underpins its larger Tiggo 8 sibling.

It was initially launched in 2020 and is the second global generation. Under the bonnet is the same 115kW/230Nm 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine found in the Omoda 5, and it sends grunt to the front wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with nine stepped ratios.

A power tailgate, 10.25-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, touch HVAC controls, leatherette upholstery, and a “spacious, agile trunk” that promises 475L of cargo capacity all feature.

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Exact safety systems are hard to pin down, but Chery promises adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and six airbags.

Expect Australian pricing starting in the mid-high $30K region for an entry-grade model, potentially climbing into the low $40K area. It’ll have to be priced sharply to compete with the popular Chinese-built MG HS and Haval H6 or be an excellent drive to rival the established Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5.

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What about the Tiggo 8 Pro?

The three-row Tiggo 8 is 222 millimetres longer (4.72 metres) and offers three rows of seating as well as more luxurious tan-coloured upholstery.

It’s built from the same T1X platform as the Tiggo 7, but the AWD Tiggo 8 uses a larger 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder that promises a bit more grunt – 147kW/290Nm – and is allied with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

In China, Chery offers the Tiggo 8 Pro E+ plug-in hybrid – which boasts 100 kilometres of EV-only driving range, 1L/100km fuel consumption, and a 0-100km/h sprint in 7.0 seconds.

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With five seats in place, the larger Tiggo 8 boasts a 1179L boot, though no figure is claimed with seven seats in action. It’s also fitted with the same safety features as the smaller Tiggo 7.

With Tiggo 8, Chery has a unique opportunity. MG and Haval don’t currently offer a direct rival (though that might change with the introduction of Dargo).

That means if the Tiggo 8 can land with a price in the $50K region, it could be a tempting option next to established names’ base models, such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, and Kia Sorento.

The Tiggo pair is expected in Australia in the third quarter of this year, with pricing, models and specific timing yet to be confirmed.

Crash testing authority ANCAP has warned the Government that only electric vehicles worthy of getting a five-star rating should be available for incentives or else it risks compromising the safety of our national fleet.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program said it understands the Federal Government’s desire to drive up the number of EVs being bought locally, but contends it shouldn’t be done “at the expense of safety”.

“ANCAP recognises the Australian Government’s intention to increase the rate of introduction of electric vehicles and other alternatively-powered vehicles (EVs) and to deliver the environmental benefits through de-carbonisation of the transport sector,” said ANCAP’s Chief Executive, Carla Hoorweg.

“However, this should not be done at the expense of those safety improvements already delivered, or continued improvements expected from improving vehicle safety technology.”

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The safety body also said it does not support any move to relax standards around the importation of second-hand EVs from overseas, claiming “the safety specifications of vehicles delivered in an overseas market can be substantially different to the Australian model with the same name, and there is no practical way to be able to evaluate their safety or provide an ANCAP safety rating.”

It believes EVs brought into the country under concessional arrangements, such as the Specialists and Enthusiasts Vehicle Scheme (SEVS) – which was opened up to more vehicles when the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (MVSA) was replaced by the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA) in mid-2021 – should not be included in any possible fuel-efficiency standard as it may encourage carmakers to use them to meet their emissions targets.

“ANCAP does not believe that attempts to mitigate the safety concerns of second-hand EVs will be successful,” said Hoorweg in a letter to the Government as part of ANCAP’s response to the National Electric Vehicle Strategy consultation.

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“In theory, special safety criteria could be developed for second-hand imports to comply with – however no viable mechanism exists to assess and verify, in order to provide consumer information, on the safety performance of the features fitted to these vehicles.

“For this to be successful it would require technical information from the original manufacturer, regarding specifications of the individual vehicle (by VIN). The variability between vehicles sold under the same model name adds significant complexity to the level of information required. In ANCAP’s experience, it is very difficult to obtain information from manufacturers regarding the specifications of vehicles sold years before and this task is not one that ANCAP is equipped to undertake.”

ANCAP’s view is supported by other key industry players, such as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) – which represents vehicle manufacturers.

“In our view, grey imports should be restricted to specialist and enthusiast people, they should be extremely rare and limited in their volume because they should not be part of the mainstream market,” FCAI Chief Executive Tony Weber told Wheels last year.

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However it is not supported by all, with EV-importer The Good Car Company saying the Government should remove restrictions on second-hand imports by amending the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 to allow all late-model, low-mileage EVs.

It will, it says, this year increase its supply of imported electric cars into Australia from 200 to 2000.

“This would, in our view, accelerate the path to a larger secondary EV market sooner, thus enabling more Australians to have much greater access to a broader range of high-quality EVs at lower prices and with better after-sales support. These factors would assist in speeding up the electrification of transport in this country,” the company said.

“Policies that promote the uptake of independently imported new and second-hand vehicles can fast track the EV transition.”

Last year, Wheels exclusively revealed thousands of overseas vehicles flooding into Australia under new import laws could also pose a different safety risk due to flaws in the way they are recalled.

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But this is also something The Good Car Company believes can be mitigated for by; connecting VINs of vehicles to a national recall database, allocating legislative responsibility for recall monitoring to either a) the dealership or b) the owner, ensuring each dealership that imports a vehicle maintains a recall monitoring and advice system, and imposing an import age limit of no older than six years.

In September, the Federal Government launched a consultation for its proposed EV Strategy, which it says is designed to “improve the affordability, supply and uptake of electric vehicles”.

The deadline closed for submissions on October 31, with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water receiving more than 500 entries – which covered over 1200 organisations and 1500 individuals.

The outcome of the consultation, and form the Strategy will take, has still yet to be revealed.

The lane-change witches’ hats on the Lang Lang skidpan looked impossibly tight and narrow, seemingly arranged for a go-kart, as the Nissan Qashqai approached.

The speedo read 100km/h – way too fast for a compact SUV. Every sinew – every cytoplasm – screamed “brake”, “what the hell are you doing?”, and at least six different expletives.

A swerve left, a quick swerve right, and then left again, a couple of graunches of ESC later and it was all over. No witches’ hats harmed, no Qashqais on its roof. In fact, the small Nissan SUV had sliced through the slalom like it’d found a loophole in the laws of physics.

Dynamics of these high-riding vehicles are not what they used to be. SUVs are Australia’s most popular type of passenger vehicle, and last year more than 574,000 SUVs hit our roads, more than 53 per cent of the total new-car market.

It makes sense, then, that of the 17 vehicles fronting COTY 2023, 10 should be SUVs or crossovers.

WHEELS CAR OF THE YEAR 2023

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And for the SUV category itself, the bookies would have struggled with pre-event odds.

The six we have here – we’ve split the battery ones off into an electrons-only section – are the cream of the SUV crop from the last 12 months.

With the hybrid e-Power delayed for Australia, two variants of the new, third-generation Qashqai fronted COTY: the mid-spec $37,890 ST+ and range-topping $47,390 Ti (prices before on-road costs), both petrol front-drivers. Their blade-like exterior styling conceals a smartly appointed and richly equipped interior dominated by a generous 12.3-inch central infotainment display.

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“Cabin design and quality is one of new Qashqai’s biggest strengths,” reflected Inwood on behalf of all the judges. “The Ti feels properly posh.”

The Qashqai’s 429-litre boot is almost best-in-class, despite packaging a multi-link rear-end to rivals’ torsion beams.

Despite a slightly anaemic 1.3-litre turbo-petrol inline-four pumping 110kW through a CVT – the Qashqai won’t win many drag races – it carved up the handling circuit with a delightful eagerness. “Feels like a car designed and engineered by the English for the English, ie, those who like to drive fast on narrow B-roads,” said Law.

Big early ticks for the little Nissan, and unfortunately the same couldn’t be said of the Corolla Cross, the Qashqai’s crossover foe.

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Continuing the SUVification of Toyota’s range, two variants took on COTY 2023 – the $33,000 GX petrol front-drive base model and – a casual $16,050 up the road – the top-spec $49,050 Atmos Hybrid AWD (prices before on-road costs).

One with a 126kW atmo 2.0-litre, a postage-stamp-esque 8.0-inch infotainment screen and a torsion beam rear-end. The other with a 146kW petrol-electric powertrain, independent rear suspension and a that’s-more-like-it 10.5-inch infotainment display.

In GX spec, the Corolla Cross makes you feel like you’re on holiday – as in, you’re picking up a hire car from the airport.

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The conservative interior is classic, appliance-esque Toyota like they’ve brought back the team from 2005. Jump from the GR86 into a Corolla Cross, and you’d wonder if they came from the same company. A dollop of C-HR in the Corolla Cross cabin would not go astray.

Lucky, then, the handling is anything but conservative. On the Lang Lang loop, the Corolla Cross had one of the best-judged passive damper set-ups of any vehicle in the entire field, expertly balancing ride and handling. The judges also heaped praise on the crossover Corolla’s steering and pedals which were an unusual joy to use.

“Corolla Cross follows the current trend for fun-to-drive normal Toyotas,” said Spinks. Its active chassis safety systems were also among some of the most advanced feeling in the field, resulting in an impressive performance through the lane-change and on dirt.

“Corolla Cross delivers ride suppleness combined with expertly judged rebound” – Jez Spinks

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Jumping from the Corolla Cross into the great satin gold Range Rover was like walking from Jetstar economy through to Emirates first class.

Indeed, the all-new, fifth-generation Range Rover stuck out like a sore thumb at Car of the Year – a perfectly manicured, bejewelled thumb. A thumb powered by a thumping 4.4-litre twin-turbo BMW-sourced V8. (So, more like a fist, then.)

As you’d hope, the new Range Rover is a first-class seat on wheels. Four first-class seats on wheels, in fact, our lone-entrant P530 First Edition boasting the optional Executive Class Comfort Plus rear seats including Chauffeur Mode, which folds down the front passenger seat when not in use, allowing partial reclining for the person behind. Nice.

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The Range Rover sits you upright, like you’re Prince Philip on a drive of Balmoral, with an almost oversized-feeling steering wheel. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front – to a comical 7.3 degrees for outside observers, like the car is broken – to make full-lock U-turns a breeze for such an enormous car.

Bury the throttle pedal into the deep carpet and the Range Rover squats heavily as the V8 smoothly yet greedily rips through its gears. There’s also plenty of dive and roll. It’s certainly entertaining.

The Rangie excelled, as you’d hope, on dirt. And the air-suspended ride quality, despite being on 23-inch wheels, was the best of the entire field. “It just feels absolutely enormous,” grinned Fisk. “It is the ultimate boy’s toy.” The enormity continued in the braking and lane-change exercises where the British brute didn’t quite like what you were doing to it – as reflected in its results.

For lazy cruising, however, at the end of each day (and they’re long days at COTY), this was the vehicle everybody thought up increasingly spurious excuses to drive back to the COTY Hilton. Hot-rock massage seats will have that effect.

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They might be approximately the same size, but where the Range Rover is a Prada handbag, our next SUV wannabe, the Ford Everest, is a heavy-duty phone case. You won’t find any massage seats here.

As close to an Australian car as we get in 2023, the Ranger-based Everest was designed and engineered in Australia, by Australians, and honed on the same roads as the Falcon was for decades. If the Everest was a bloke, it’d drink Carlton Draught and visit Bunnings every Sunday, like a church.

Ford sent two Everests to COTY 2023, the Trend 2.0-litre four-cylinder and the Sport V6, both diesel, both four-wheel drive. The former kicks off at $65,290 and the latter $69,090 (both before on-road costs) – very sharply priced.

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Immediately, despite its hulking size, the Everest wooed the judges. An intelligently designed 12-inch vertical touchscreen takes pride of place in the dash, while the Everest itself bristles with thoughtful touches such as the smart placement of interior door handles (in the grab-handle itself). The turning circle, for a large four-wheel-drive SUV, is also impressive.

Around the proving ground, the silky smooth powertrains surprised with their quietness. On dirt, the Everest felt at home with impressive ESC – even if its emergency stopping distance and lane-change performances were some of the worst of the entire field (thank all-terrain tyres for that). But among the judging panel, the Everest had strong support.

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So did the Cupra Formentor. Part of the VW empire, Cupra – a subsidiary itself of Iberian car-maker Seat – builds its cars in Spain.

The crossover Formentor sits on the same MQB Evo platform as the current Audi A3 and Mk8 Golf. It’s no surprise, then, that the Formentors feel very Golf-ish.

Three versions rocked up to Car of the Year 2023, two with dual-clutch transmissions mated to the ever-familiar EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four – the same one that’s powered Golf GTIs and Rs for generations. One front-drive, the 180kW, $53,790 VZ; another all-wheel-drive, the 228kW, $61,990 red-hot VZx (prices before on-road costs).

In between was the 180kW plug-in hybrid VZe combining a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four with a 13kWh battery and 85kW/300Nm electric motor. Cupra claims about 50km of electric-only driving range.

For the judges it was love at first sight, the quirky Cupras each offering their own personalities – and excelling around the Lang Lang proving ground. They’re ‘hundred-metre cars’ – vehicles you jump in and, after just 100 metres of driving, let you sense just how deep the engineering goes.

“Formentor VZ feels composed and alert. Very little handling compromise imposed by taller crossover body” – Andy Enright

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The fourth-generation T33 Nissan X-Trail, meanwhile, was more of a grower. Built on the new CMF-C platform also underpinning the Qashqai – and new Mitsubishi Outlander – two X-Trails arrived to do COTY battle.

At $46,290 before on-road costs the mid-spec ST-L pairs a 135kW/244Nm 2.5-litre petrol four-cylinder with a CVT driving the front wheels only; while the top-spec Ti-L e-Power is Nissan’s take on electric motoring.

Two electric motors send a combined 157kW/525Nm to all four wheels and are supplied by a tiny 1.8kWh battery, itself recharged by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder acting solely as an onboard generator. The thinking, we guess, is that a small internal combustion engine is a lot cheaper than a giant lithium-ion battery pack, helping keep the cost ‘down’ to $57,190 before on-roads.

Both variants’ interiors raise the bar for that of a Nissan, the ST-L offering an 8.0-inch central touchscreen to the Ti-L’s wider and smarter 12.3-inch unit. Richly specced, the Ti-L on test came with a black-and-caramel leather trim that reminded some judges of a Ferrari interior. High praise.

The X-Trails acquitted themselves well around the proving ground – even if the Ti-L’s ESC seemed a bit loose through the lane change. If we were giving feedback to engineers, it’d be to revisit this ASAP. Small yellow flag but overall the X-Trail had COTY judges on side.

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When it came time to pick finalists, the Qashqai was the first of the SUVs to bite the Lang Lang dust.

Affat almost damned it with faint praise: “A solid car with good fundamentals, and confident roadholding.” Its surprisingly eager dynamics came at a cost – especially on the 55-profile 18-inch wheels.

“Jostling ride over bumpy roads and generally too firm in either spec,” said Spinks. Question marks over high servicing costs also dented its chances. And so the Qashqai, while initially “one of the most convincing cars here” to Editor Enright, knocked on the door of finalist status – but wasn’t quite let in. (If this was SUV lane-change Olympics, however, the Qashqai would romp away with gold.)

This was as far as the Corolla Cross was going to come, too. Ultimately, the judges found it too conflicting a car. “It is simultaneously underwhelming yet it doesn’t actually do very much wrong,” said Fisk. Enright struggled with the $49,050 list price of the hybrid. “I’d pay for a RAV4 instead. A GXL Hybrid AWD is $3500 less and far nicer and more spacious.”

And so that was it for the Corolla Cross. “The best-handling fridge ever,” summarised Law.

Next to miss out on a finalist guernsey was the Range Rover. In its own niche way, it comes close to nailing its brief – big, smooth, comfortable, with effortless power and a rip-snorting V8. People who want it will love it. But it didn’t stand a chance in the context of Car of the Year.

With an all-electric version still in the pipeline, the as-tested fuel use of 13.5 litres per 100 kilometres from our sole V8 entrant did not cut the mustard. Neither did the $332,525 as-tested price. It had other foibles: “Hit my head getting into the back seats,” noted Enright, dryly. “Legroom unimpressive. Where’s the interior space gone?”

That left the Everest, X-Trail and Formentor – all having won over enough judges to graduate to the all-important finals. The rest were destined to head home on trucks.

MORE READING

Now that you’re done reading about these COTY 2023 contenders, you should go back to catch up on anything you might’ve missed. Check out the links below, or find it all at our COTY page.

Tesla is flying high. Last year the company that re-invented the electric vehicle for the 21st century sold almost 485,000 EVs in the US alone, a 41 per cent increase on the number it delivered in 2021, in a market where overall vehicle sales slumped 11 per cent.

Tesla may have sold more EVs in the US last year than the rest of the industry combined, but the names underneath it on the sales charts are interesting. Ford was the number two EV brand in America in 2022, and Chevrolet number three. Next came Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Audi.

Of the 23 brands that sold EVs in America last year, only two other than Tesla were pure EV startups – Rivian, which came in at number seven with nearly 15,000 sales, and Lucid, which ranked 15th with almost 3300 sales.

Though off a low base, the year-on-year growth in the number of EVs being sold by established carmakers is impressive. Ford’s 2022 EV sales of 57,000 vehicles were more than double those of 2021. Kia’s 28,500 EVs was more than three times 2021’s total. The 11,400 Mercedes-Benz EVs sold was more than 30 times up on what the three-pointed star retailed in 2021.

JUMP AHEAD

These are the brands coming for Tesla’s EV crown. You can continue scrolling to read this story in full, or click one of the brands below to jump ahead.

• Ford
• GM
• Mercedes-Benz
• Stellantis

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This is just the beginning, says Stewart Stropp, an EV specialist at data and consumer intelligence company J.D. Power.

“I think it’s a matter of these other automakers getting inventory into the system and getting manufacturing ramped up accordingly,” he told Automotive News earlier this year.

“There is an appetite out across the new-vehicle shopper population for electric vehicles that are not Teslas.”

The key point is, what’s happening in America, where EVs last year totalled nearly six per cent of all new vehicle sales, almost certainly indicates future consumer trends in other countries, including Australia, as more battery-powered vehicles hit the market. Let’s look at some of the EVs from legacy carmakers that Tesla should be most worried about.

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Ford

With sales of just under 38,500 units, Ford’s Mustang Mach-E was last year the third best-selling EV in the US.

Although it was comprehensively beaten by both the Tesla Model Y and Model 3, it out-sold Tesla’s now ageing Model X and Model S by 16 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively. But the Mach-E is a sideshow compared with Ford’s real Tesla-killer, the F-150 Lightning pick-up.

Ford’s F-Series has been America’s best-selling truck for 46 years, and America’s best-selling vehicle for 41 years. Sales last year topped 640,000 units. Making an electric version was, therefore, a decision Ford did not take lightly; you don’t mess with that sort of success.

Ford took what seemed the quick and dirty option of wheeling an EV powertrain under the existing F-150 top hat, a task made simpler by its separate chassis.

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That not only dramatically reduced the time it took Ford to get the Lightning on sale – Tesla’s hideous Cybertruck is now years behind schedule, while both GM and Stellantis are still working on pickups based on dedicated EV platforms – but also allowed Ford to use many of its existing suppliers and to run the Lightning though the same paint shop and down the F-150 assembly line, ensuring fewer quality glitches.

Though production last year was slowed by the global semiconductor shortage, Ford says it is on track to build 150,000 Lightnings a year by 2024, roughly double today’s output. Intriguingly, Ford says 70 per cent of the early orders for the Lightning have come from customers new to the Blue Oval brand.

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General Motors

Full-size pickups are big business in America, which is why GM is spending big on an all-new EV architecture for its Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV pickups – both of which will go head-to-head with the F-150 Lightning.

GM believes a bespoke EV platform will deliver more range – 640km versus 515km for the longest-range Lightning – a higher towing capacity and four-wheel steering.

GM is also said to be working on a brand new electric pickup smaller than the Hyundai Santa Cruz. This two-door model will have a 1220mm to 1370mm bed and is aimed at lifestyle buyers. With a reported target price of under US$30,000, the pickup would headline GM’s range of affordable EVs, the most popular of which is currently the Chevy Bolt EUV crossover, almost 26,000 of which were sold in America last year.

Teslas are categorised in the U.S. as luxury vehicles, which perhaps explains why GM is devoting a lot of time, effort, and money to developing a range of Cadillac EVs.

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First of the new-age EV Caddys to hit the market was the Lyric SUV, which went on sale last year to generally positive reviews from the U.S. automotive media.

Halo model is the US$300,000 Celestiq, a huge all-wheel drive luxury sedan that will boast an estimated 450kW and 868Nm of torque, will hit 100km/h in about 4.0 seconds, and travel more than 480km, courtesy of a 111kWh battery pack. A 200 kW DC fast charging system will add 125km of range in 10 minutes.

The first hand-built Celestiqs will be completed in December, and will in 2024 be joined by three more battery-powered Cadillac models – an EV version of the Escalade, Cadillac’s flagship SUV, plus two electric crossover models, one sized just a bit larger than the Tesla Model Y, and the other bigger than a Tesla Model X.

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Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is committed to developing nothing but EVs from 2030, and the transition is well underway, with the electric-powered EQS and EQE sedan and SUV variants already selling well.

Its new EVs will further challenge the perception that Tesla is a true luxury brand.

The first of four EV model lines being developed on the new MMA compact and mid-range electric vehicle architecture will appear in late 2024-early 2025.

The MMA cars will feature e-motors designed and made by Mercedes-Benz, 800V electric architectures to ensure fast charge times, and batteries with new cell chemistry that promise longer driving range from smaller and lighter battery packs.

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The MMA cars will be available with a new version of the Hyperscreen with higher resolution displays and a new MBUX interface, and a driver assistance system that includes Lidar. Those who’ve seen an MMA prototype also say it is better packaged than the Tesla Model 3, with a roomier and much more luxurious-looking interior.

A Mercedes EV that will tempt the wealthier Tesla customers is the electric-powered G-Class that’s also due for launch in 2024.

Based on the existing W463 model this electric G-Class boasts a powertrain with an e-motor at each wheel that delivers not only thrusting performance on-road – it will be quicker than the thundering 430kW, 850Nm AMG G 63 – but off-road capability better than a Toyota LandCruiser or Range Rover.

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Stellantis

As with the electric G-Class, the electric version of the new Maserati GranTurismo, the Folgore, combines a legendary brand, old-school luxury, and distinctive style with a state-of-the-moment EV powertrain.

The Folgore is powered by three e-motors designed and engineered to Maserati’s exact specifications, controlled by a silicon carbide inverter, and wired into an 800V electrical architecture.

Each is capable of 300kW and 450Nm, though total power output in the GranTurismo Folgore is limited to 560kW at the wheels because its 92.5kWh battery has a maximum discharge capability of 610kW.

Even so, 560kW, working with 1350Nm of torque, is enough to get the Folgore to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds and to 200km/h in 8.8 seconds.

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Maserati is just one of 14 brands in the Stellantis portfolio, but CEO Carlos Tavares says each of them (Peugeot, Fiat, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, Ram, and Jeep) has a plan to transition to EV production, and US$36 billion has been set aside to make that happen. By 2030, says Tavares, Stellantis will have more than 75 EV nameplates and be selling five million EVs a year.

Tesla’s massive first mover advantage is under attack. The empire is striking back.

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⚡ More EV stories to help you choose the best car for your needs

September: ID.GTI concept revealed

The new ID.2all-based ID.GTI concept has made its debut in Munich at the IAA Mobility 2023 motor show.

The concept arrives as a move the German brand describes as “marking the next chapter in the iconic GTI legacy”. Details at the link below!

March 16: ID.2all concept unveiled

Volkswagen has pulled the covers from its new ID.2all concept, previewing the anticipated ID.2 hatch. It’ll be sold in Europe for around AU$40,000 – so it’ll be interesting to see how VW prices it in Oz, if it comes here. Get the full story at the link below.

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Volkswagen has published a mysterious video teaser for an event next week – and it could reveal the long-awaited, more affordable ID.2 electric hatchback.

The short 12-second video posted on Twitter has the #VWforthepeople hashtag and a voiceover stating: “This is a car – full of the latest innovation, ready to go out into the world. But it’s not a Volkswagen yet.”

Strangely, it displays the ID.4 and ID.5 electric SUV twins in the teaser (suggesting they’re not Volkswagens?), then counts down from four to two with the tagline: ‘More 2 come 4 you’.

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A separate post illustrates a variety of people’s faces in front of a light blue background, seemingly other text cut-out from the image, and indicates that it’ll detail Volkswagen’s new design language and vision.

It hints at Volkswagen going back to its roots with the famous ‘people’s car’ slogan used in the Beetle since 1937. The ‘world premiere’ event is scheduled for March 16.

Autocar reports the German automaker will only preview a new ID.2 concept car next week.

The production model set to go on sale overseas in 2025 with a targeted AU$36,200 (GBP£19,970) starting price, debut the evolved MEB-Plus platform, pack a cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, and could even wear the iconic Golf badge.

Previous rumours from the British publication have also pointed to a more rugged crossover SUV-like design variant, in addition to GTI and R hot hatch guises.

Both Cupra and Skoda are set to launch related city EVs around 2025, as previewed by the Cupra UrbanRebel crossover concept and yet-to-be named Skoda model.

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A more affordable and compact Volkswagen ID.2 EV has been rumoured since it previewed the boxy and retro ID. Life concept in 2021.

Volkswagen’s former design head Jozef Kabaň was recently replaced after being in the role for just two years.

Reports suggest the new Volkswagen cars CEO Thomas Schäfer had ‘significant disagreements’ with Kabaň over EV design decisions, and asked him to ‘rework’ the ID. Life concept to serve the more popular SUV market for the production ID.2 EV.

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The new chief executive, who was appointed in July 2022, has vowed to reintroduce physical buttons to address complaints about its simplified touch-focused technology approach that debuted in the ID.3 small car in 2019 under the helm of former Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess.

The forthcoming ID.7 large sedan will add illuminated touch-sensitive slider controls and launch a new 15-inch touchscreen with an improved software interface – which will eventually carryover to the recently unveiled ID.3 facelift overseas in 2024.

Mitsubishi has teased 16 new cars due globally in the next five years, including nine electrified vehicles.

As expected, it will introduce the next-generation 2024 Mitsubishi Triton later this year, with the teaser providing our first official glimpse at the all-new model. It is due in Australia next year.

The sixth-generation Mitsubishi Triton has been spied numerous times in the past 12 months. It will form the basis for an all-new Nissan Navara, and electrification is likely later in its lifecycle.

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But earlier this year, Mitsubishi Australia’s chief executive officer, Shaun Westcott, poured cold water on an electrified Triton – either plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or full-EV – at launch due to the inability to meet customer needs at present.

“There are people that develop show ponies and there’s a place for show ponies. That’s fine. But we understand who our core target market is, and that’s middle-income Australia, working Australia,” he said.

The forthcoming Triton will be followed by the fourth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero Sport – based on the Triton’s body-on-frame platform – and what’s believed to be a larger unibody three-row SUV to rival the Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Pathfinder in 2025.

By 2029, Mitsubishi will introduce an all-important battery-electric pickup truck.

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It is unknown if this model will be similar in size to the mid-size Triton, or a full-size rival to the Ford F-150 Lightning and Ram 1500 REV to boost Mitsubishi’s sales in North America.

The teaser image released this week suggests it won’t share a platform with the next-generation Triton, with a longer and wider body, and a larger tub – but it’s unclear if the computer-generated vehicle under the sheet is representative of the final version.

It could be based on a future all-electric Nissan pick-up, but Automotive News suggests the current full-size Titan could be axed by 2025.

A mid-size Nissan electric ute concept – the Surf-Out – was displayed in 2021, hinting at a future production model.

Meanwhile, a production version of the XFC Concept revealed in late 2022 will debut in the coming months; however, it is expected to be limited to developing markets, with the 13-year-old ASX small SUV soldiering on for at least another 18 months.

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While the future product line-up suggests a two-row small-to-medium SUV will join Mitsubishi’s range in the second half of 2024, it is unknown if it would replace the ASX, Eclipse Cross, both vehicles, or act as an entirely new vehicle.

It will offer a hybrid powertrain, either as the only form of propulsion or to complement an internal-combustion-only powertrain.

If Mitsubishi applied an identical method as the latest-generation Outlander launched in 2021, the all-new two-row SUV could be based on the Nissan Qashqai under the skin.

Both vehicles are underpinned by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi CMF-C platform, and are also heavily related to the Nissan X-Trail.

Two all-electric vehicles – a badge-engineered Renault for Europe and a badge-engineered Nissan for Europe and North America – will debut almost simultaneously in 2025, following the hybrid-only Renault Captur-based European-market ASX in 2022 and the Renault Clio-based Mitsubishi Colt in late 2023.

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The all-electric vehicles will be important for Mitsubishi’s growth markets – Japan, Europe, North America and China – but could reach local shores as the brand’s first modern EV in Australia, following the short-lived i-MiEV micro hatch sold between 2011 and 2013.

Other new vehicles confirmed include an internal combustion and hybrid MPV – tipped to succeed the current Delica available in Japan – and a second facelift for the Xpander, a small MPV popular in Thailand and Indonesia, with an available hybrid powertrain.

In addition, Mitsubishi plans to “enhance value chain” by monetising its Mitsubishi Connect connected-car service, providing vehicle data to insurance companies, expanding its after-sales revenue, and retailing used vehicle batteries.

Victorian Police are investigating the theft of a rare Brabham BT21 race car in Melbourne, which has been recovered with a damaged clutch.

There’s only six examples globally of this 1960s British-made open-wheel Formula One racing car.

It was stolen from a Hill Street property in the wealthy Melbourne suburb of Toorak, which was believed to occur sometime in the early hours of Thursday, March 9.

The vehicle was abandoned in Grange Road – just two streets away – and recovered by officers on the same day during the early hours of the morning, albeit with a broken clutch.

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The Brabham’s owner, Peter Williams, told ABC Radio Melbourne that the mechanical damage means it can no longer compete in the Phillip Island Classic race this weekend, but still hopes to restore it.

Williams said the one-seater race car was driven by Australian racing driver Sir Jack Brabham, the co-founder of the Brabham car manufacturer and racing team itself, and suspected the offender/s didn’t know how to operate the switches to turn it on.

The vehicle is painted in British racing green with a single gold stripe and number five livery.

Authorities are appealing to the public if anyone has information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online.