UPDATE, April 26, 2022: 2024 Ram 1500 electric teased to rival F-150 Lightning

Ram has rolled out its guerilla marketing strategy to undercut its American rival Ford, sharing another teaser of its upcoming electric 1500 as the Blue Oval’s own EV pick-up enters production.

Although the fully-electric 1500 was announced last year, Ram has continued to tease the electric vehicle, this time by indirectly referencing the Ford F-150 Lighting in a Twitter post.

Time to steal some thunder. ?
Unleashing Fall 2022. https://t.co/epaaYdKHj9 pic.twitter.com/m4wB9AjYBp

— Ram Trucks (@RamTrucks) April 25, 2022

As production begins for the popular Lightning, Ram’s post of “Time to steal some thunder” shows the manufacturer isn’t pulling any punches against its main competitors, having previously said it expects its EV offerings to be better than its rivals’.

Ram is set to unveil its 1500 EV in late September.

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March 2, 2022: All-electric 2024 Ram 1500 pick-up teased again

The 2024 Ram 1500 electric pick-up has been teased again in fresh images shown at a presentation overnight.

Ram is demonstrating it is continuing to develop the battery-powered 1500 pick-up, showing off all-new LED light signatures in the concept sketches.

Roadshow journalist Daniel Golson discovered the files provided by Ram included some hidden design layers, revealing more details of the concept drawings.

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While the model is still years away – with exact specifications to be announced closer to its launch – the electric ute will be built on the STLA Frame platform, shared with other full-size SUVs and commercial vehicles from Stellantis’s sibling brands.

Ford and Chevrolet may have already shown off their electric pick-up trucks, but Ram has the advantage of being able to offer more attractive specifications, with Motor Authority reporting Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has promised the Ram will deliver better driving range than its competitors.

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January 10, 2022: Ram 1500 electric pick-up to outperform its rivals

Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares has said Ram might not release the first electric pick-up truck to market, but it will sell the best.

Subsidiary Ram is set to launch its all-electric truck in 2024 – two years after Ford debuts its F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet releases the electric Silverado – but that hasn’t stopped the American manufacturer from continually adjusting its prototypes to be better than its rivals.

In an interview with Automotive News Canada, Tavares said Ram is being reactive to what it’s seeing from its main rivals, not just Ford and Chevy but also recent upstarts such as Rivian.

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“We are preparing the EV pickup trucks for 2024, and we are doing it by adjusting the specs and adjusting the performance in function of what we see coming up from our competitors,” said Tavares.

“It’s a fact that we are coming slightly after them.

“But it’s also a fact that we have the opportunity to adjust the competitiveness and the appeal of our own trucks to what they are doing, which is a competitive game, which is a fantastic situation for the consumer because the real winner of this competition is the consumer.”

July 9, 2021: Ram to reveal all-electric 1500 pick-up

The market for electric pick-up trucks is set to expand soon as Ram announces its intentions of adding an EV to its range of trucks, the Ram 1500 BEV (battery electric vehicle).

Aimed at being a competitor to the upcoming Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV, the 1500 BEV will be built upon the same body-on-frame architecture as its existing internal combustion engine variants, though it will feature more modern, futuristic-inspired styling.

Released as part of the Stellantis EV Day presentation, Ram will fall in line with its parent company and its sub-brands in moving towards electrification across its range, having already adopting mild-hybrid technology in its ICE powered Ram 1500 truck.

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Set to be introduced in 2024, Ram CEO Mike Koval said the move to electric vehicles for the brand will be about introducing the right product at the right time, as well as listening to its customer base to deliver vehicles which suit their needs.

“It is our promise to serve the next-generation of Ram customers with a next-generation portfolio of products which delivers on their real-world demands,” said Koval.

“Challenging convention, we will push past what competitors have announced, past what the customer expects to a fuller portfolio of technology with more range, more power, more productivity and more convenience.

“The fact is our focus is on bringing the right product at the right time – research has shown us truck customers are open to electrification but are not willing to sacrifice power, performance or capability.

“There is no reason why electrification should limit the choice of solution we owe to our customers.”

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With a range of up to 805km and fast charging of 150kWh, the 1500 BEV will rival its ICE siblings for power and torque, as well as compete with the offerings from Ford and Chevrolet to try and claw back sales to the all-conquering F-150, America’s best selling vehicle across all segments.

Ram has adopted a new motto in its quest for total electrification by 2030, saying it is “built to serve a sustainable planet”.

The Mitsubishi Express Van is set to be taken off sale in Australia, as the Japanese manufacturer announces production of the van is being wrapped up.

Having returned to the local market in 2020 as a badge-engineered sibling to the Renault Trafic, Mitsubishi has shifted just 2779 examples of the Express Van from its reintroduction up until the end of March this year, with the commercial vehicle sitting fifth in the segment, holding a market share of 6.5 per cent.

In 2021, the Express Van took an unwanted piece of Australian motoring history by being the first vehicle to receive a zero-star ANCAP rating, with the crash test authority claiming it “lacks basic safety features that consumers have come to expect in a newly released model” at the time.

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A recent safety comparison of commercial vans by ANCAP showed the Express Van and its Trafic twin were “not recommended” based on their lack of active safety technology, managing a score of just 11 per cent.

Mitsubishi says production of Australian-bound short wheelbase Express Vans will continue until May, although availability of the long wheelbase is limited by remaining supply through the manufacturer’s local dealership network.

The entry-level Express GLX SWB will remain at its list price of $39,040 before on-road costs, with the entire Express range still covered by Mitsubishi’s 10-year warranty and capped price servicing program.

Datsun is dead once more after Nissan announced it would pull the plug on its budget brand globally.

After coming back in 2013 for developing markets such as Indonesia, Nepal, South Africa, India, and Russia – at the behest of former Nissan CEO and international fugitive Carlos Ghosn – Automotive News reports the Japanese marque has once again been shown the door – this time for good.

Despite the brand only expanding into the aforementioned countries again in recent years, its manufacturing operations in Russia and Indonesia closed in 2020, and this week its presence in India shut down too.

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In 2021, Datsun’s sales in India dropped by 40 per cent compared to the year prior to 4296 units – a significant fall from 40,443 examples shifted in 2017.

“For many thousands of owners worldwide, Datsun continues to provide an engaging driving experience, peace of mind ownership at the right price and great value,” Nissan said.

“As part of [our] global transformation strategy, Nissan is focusing on core models and segments that bring the most benefit to customers, dealer partners and the business.”

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Launching in Australia as a sub-brand to Nissan in 1961, the manufacturer found success amid the oil crisis of the 1970s before folding internationally in 1986.

Its rebirth was planned to position the brand as an alternative to other low-cost marques – similar to fellow Alliance manufacturer Renault with its Dacia sub-division – but low sales curtailed plans for Datsun to go global again.

The price of entry into a 2022 Audi Q5 has been reduced, with the addition of a more-affordable 35 TDI Limited Edition variant.

Priced from $68,350 before on-road costs, the 35 TDI Limited Edition is the first Q5 sold in Australia to exclude Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system, with power exclusively sent to the front wheels.

The addition of a Q5 variant priced below $70,000 comes just over two months after Audi increased prices for the second time in six months, with the cost of the Q5 40 TDI rising from $69,900 to $72,700.

UPDATE, June 24 2022: Q5 35 TDI driven!

The Q5 35 TDI is now in Australia, and we’ve driven it. Catch our story at the link below.

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Story continues…

Audi Australia claims the 35 TDI is the “most-efficient diesel SUV available in the Australian market”, sipping 4.8L/100km on the combined cycle with a driving range of up to 1400 kilometres.

Despite arriving on Australian shores as a special-edition variant, the 35 TDI is expected to join the Q5 range as a permanent addition in the coming months to undercut the Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3, with both priced above $70,000 – though no diesel option on the former.

The German marque has also launched two Sport Limited Edition grades based on the existing 40 TDI Sport diesel and 45 TFSI Sport petrol, with buyers saving up to $1400 on the latter powertrain.

Additional equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels and privacy glass.

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However, the standard panoramic sunroof fitted to the Q5 Sport is excluded from the Sport Limited Edition range.

Due to the global semiconductor shortage, Audi notes blind-spot alert, rear-cross traffic alert and exit warning are currently unavailable to order across the Q5 Limited Edition range, although these features are listed as standard.

A spokesperson for Audi Australia said, “the majority of first arrivals have these standard features equipped”, however, examples currently in production “are temporarily unavailable [with the features] and customers are compensated.”

They remain available across the regular Q5 line-up, but production delays can be expected.

The standard wireless phone charger is also currently unable to be fitted across the entire Q5 line-up, while an electronically adjustable steering column is temporarily unavailable on the flagship 50 TDI S line grade.

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2022 Audi Q5 Australian pricing

Prices exclude on-road costs.

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2022 Audi Q5 features

Q5 Limited Edition

Q5, in addition to Q5 Limited Edition

Q5 Sport Limited Edition, in addition to Q5 Limited Edition

Q5 Sport, in addition to Q5

Q5 S line, in addition to Q5 Sport

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Engine, drivetrain and fuel economy

The newly-added Q5 35 TDI is powered by a detuned version of the familiar 2.0-litre 12-volt mild-hybrid turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 120kW of power and 370Nm of torque.

It is matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, sending power to the front wheels.

Audi says the 35 TDI will complete the 0-100km/h sprint in nine seconds.

Stepping up to the existing 40 TDI boosts outputs to 150kW/400Nm, with a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.6 seconds. It includes the Quattro all-wheel-drive system as standard.

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The petrol-powered 45 TFSI features a 183kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. It can reach 100km/h in 6.3 seconds.

Meanwhile, the flagship 50 TDI includes a 210kW/620Nm 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine, with a 0-100km/h time of 5.7s.

All Q5 models feature a 70-litre fuel tank.

Fuel economy figures can be found in the table below:

Safety

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The Audi Q5 range is covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted in 2017.

Eight airbags (dual frontal, side chest, side curtain) are standard.

Each variant includes the following active safety equipment as standard:

Dimensions

The Audi Q5 has a wheelbase of 2819 millimetres, and is 4663mm long, 1893mm wide and 1659mm high.

Warranty and servicing

As per the wider Audi range, the Q5 is covered by the brand’s newly-introduced five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, along with a roadside assistance program initiated by scheduled dealership services.

Service packages of up to five years are offered across the Q5 range, at a cost of $3140 for each variant.

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Availability

The updated 2022 Audi Q5 is now on sale in Australia.

UPDATE, May 11, 2022: Australian pricing for the new 2023 Nissan Z has now been announced. Get all the details at the link below.

The story to here

Nissan is gearing up for the launch of its latest Z-car, and those thinking about buying one over the Toyota Supra might end up with a $10,000 advantage.

Unveiled to the world last year, pricing for the eponymous Z has been revealed in its native Japan, with Nissan’s rear-wheel drive coupe starting out at ¥5,241,500 (AU$57,150) for the base six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic variants.

While the entry-level offering represents a significant discount over Toyota’s ¥7,313,000 (AU$79,750) GR Supra, the trend continues up to the Z Proto Spec, the premium grade of the range, which has gone on sale for ¥6,966,300 (AU$76,650).

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In Australia, the GR Supra GT starts at $87,303 before on-road costs with the GTS incuring a $10,000 premium, bumping its price up to $97,303 – although the hero car could soon get cheaper with a six-speed manual on the way to accompany its existing eight-speed auto offering.

Taking into account the extra cost of the Supra locally, the new Z could still land at under $70,000 in its base form with the Proto Spec potentially remaining close to the $80,000 marker before on-road costs, although drive-away pricing will likely still be affected by the luxury car tax.

The outgoing 370Z, which the Z replaces, was last on sale in Australia for $50,490 in its base manual guise, with the model topping out at $64,490 in Nismo form – however, even the cheapest Z is expected to offer significant performance upgrades over its predecessor.

Nissan expects the new Z to be on sale as a single variant in Australia alongside a limited-run launch edition, both of which are expected to hit showrooms in the second half of the year.

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2023 Nissan Z Japan pricing

Prices exclude on-road costs.

UPDATE, February 2023: New-gen C43 driven in Australia

The new-generation AMG C43 is now on sale in Australia, and we’ve driven it. Get the full story at the link below.

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Story continues…

The 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 has been previewed in a teaser clip posted across social media.

Mercedes-AMG posted the 19-second video to its Instagram account, with the performance C43 showing off its trick new LED headlights.

While the video has an audio file, it’s actually silent – likely pointing to the new model using a turbocharged four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain, allowing the car to drive for a set number of kilometres in fully-electric mode before the internal-combustion engine kicks in.

A prototype of AMG’s C-Class was filmed undergoing testing at the Nurburgring in September, sounding similar to the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine fitted to the A45 S hot hatch.

It’s expected an electric motor powering the rear axle will give the C43 all-wheel drive, while also providing increased performance, or a relaxed electric-only driving for daily commuting.

The 2023 Mercedes-AMG C43 is expected to be revealed soon, with the C63 flagship to make its debut at a later date.

We all wanted to love the Subaru Outback, and how couldn’t you? Few cars outside of Falcon and Commodore are regarded by Australians as affectionately, with more than 150,000 Outbacks finding local homes since 1996. For sure, it would have been a popular COTY winner.

But it was not to be.

It’s not to say the Outback isn’t a fine car. Being built on Subaru’s new Global Platform means the Outback is future-proofed with hybrid and electric capability. Neither powertrains of that ilk are available yet, with Subaru instead offering a lone 2.5-litre naturally aspirated boxer-four with a CVT, doing away with the petrol and diesel boxer sixes of the previous generation.

UPDATE, September 2022: Refreshed MY23 range and new turbo models

The updated 2023 Subaru Outback is now on sale in Australia, debuting a turbocharged XT model and a number of key infotainment upgrades.

Get the full story at the link below.

Original story continues

2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Subaru Outback

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Things have stepped up inside, a new 11.6-inch central portrait touchscreen now dominating the dash and containing most controls, like a Tesla or Volvo. The spacious cabin itself is well-packaged and well-appointed – especially in $47,790 top-spec Touring guise as per our test car – if with a rugged and stoic ambience that might impress an owner of the previous Outback, but perhaps less so someone coming from, say, a VW Tiguan.

And much as the judging panel wanted to see the Outback excel, it was with mere skilfulness rather than excellence it navigated the torture test that is the proving ground. Refinement has improved appreciably, especially from the Subaru boxer-four, an engine traditionally quite loud. Ride quality was also plush in a new way for a Subaru.

And for sure, if COTY occurred only on unsealed roads, ladies and gentleman, we’d give you our winner. On our rutted and corrugated unsealed loop, the Outback bombed along without a hint of fuss. It also distinguished itself as one of the better brakers – again on dirt – from 80km/h to a halt.

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“Has clearly had a lot of development on unsealed roads” – Daniel Gardner

Even though it’s not an SUV per se, the Outback is still a jacked-up wagon, and its softness, height and heft meant it was only competent through the lane-change. But then it was surprising to discover more than a bit of dynamic flair up the Five Percent Gradient road. It’s not even a stretch to say the new Subaru Global Platform, even in Outback form, has a whiff of BRZ about it.

It’s a shame, then, the powertrain left a little to be desired. “The Outback’s weakest link – missing a turbo engine option,” said Jez, while Alex added: “Engine is hollow-sounding and uninspiring. CVT combo does nothing for keen drivers.”

With its as-tested 9.42sec to 100km/h from rest, the Outback had the undistinguished privilege of being the slowest car of the entire field. It was also narrowly beaten by the lumbering LandCruiser for being the worst-performing vehicle from 100-0km/h in dry braking. Not great.

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For what it’s made to do – 500,000km, probably with a chunk of that on dirt – it’s a big tick for the Outback. It also bristles with technology thanks in part to its innovative EyeSight stereo windscreen camera system, while eight airbags improve the safety credentials further. However, at 7.3L/100km it’s hardly an efficiency leader in its segment.

By the end of the proving ground, however, the verdict was in. Undoubtedly Subaru’s made a better Outback – “should keep its loyal followers very happy,” said Richard – but it doesn’t challenge segment standards nor those of the greater motoring world at large.

And so while we wanted to love the Outback – and in a way we always will – in the context of Car of the Year 2022, it was merely liked.

UPDATE, April 26, 2022: 2023 Range Rover Sport reveal date set

The 2023 Range Rover Sport will be unveiled on May 11, the company has announced.

The new Range Rover model was teased on Land Rover’s Instagram account, showing a glimpse of the third-generation Sport ahead of its debut.

Other teaser images were also shown by the British carmaker, including a digital rendering showing the shape of the vehicle’s dashboard.

Further details will be available when the 2023 Range Rover Sport is unveiled in the early hours of May 11, Australian time.

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The story to here

April 21: A prototype of the 2023 Range Rover Sport has been caught undergoing road testing in the UK.

The new-generation Range Rover Sport will be underpinned by Jaguar Land Rover’s MLA-Flex architecture, shared with the recently-released full-size Range Rover SUV.

These images, posted to the Facebook page Unusual Cars UK, show the trademark sloping roofline of the Sport, together with a thin horizontal tail-lights – helping to further differentiate the model from its larger Range Rover sibling, which now features vertical rear lights.

For the first time, we can also see a vent-style feature on the front quarter panel of the Sport.

Like the Range Rover, it will feature dual shark fin antennas at the rear of the roof, allowing the car’s Pivi Pro infotainment system to connect to the internet for over-the-air updates, Spotify music streaming, and Alexa voice control, as well as providing satellite navigation.

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The new Range Rover Sport is expected to be offered with a choice of the company’s six-cylinder engines, while the high-performance SVR variant will reportedly use a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 borrowed from the BMW X5 M.

Expect to see the 2023 Range Rover Sport unveiled in the coming months, with deliveries likely to begin in late 2022.

The Australian arm of Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo has provided added incentive to local buyers, extending its warranty and roadside assistance offerings.

As of April 22, all new Alfas sold in Australia are now covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, replacing the three-year/150,000km offering which had previously been in place.

The new warranty coverage is also joined by a two-year extension to the brand’s complimentary roadside assistance package, now lasting up to five years as a fully transferrable offering if the vehicle is sold on.

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Alfa Romeo’s Director of Aftersales and Customer Experience, Stephen Lester, believes the renewed offerings will assure customers of the product’s quality.

“We are focused on fully strengthening our customer commitment in Australia and by introducing this competitive ownership proposition, we will ensure our valued customers benefit from added peace-of-mind, not only at the time of purchase, but for many years to come,” said Lester.

“Our cars represent a uniquely emotional investment and we’re making the experience more appealing than ever before with added value and increased reassurance.”

The announcement follows European rivals Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover introducing five-year warranties over the past two years, although BMW’s Australian division is still sticking with a three-year offering.

The Chevrolet Corvette is set to go electric, with General Motors announcing a two-stage plan to electrify its budget supercar.

As early as next year, the mid-engined Corvette C8 could gain a hybrid variant, with its V8 engine set to be paired with an electric motor to boost outputs as well as reduce emissions.

However, the hybrid Corvette will be eclipsed shortly after by a fully-electric model, as Chevrolet teased in an announcement video, featuring all-wheel drive for maximum traction.

Potentially adopting the E-Ray nameplate, the electric vehicle is set to be underpinned by GM’s Ultium battery platform which is also used in the GMC Hummer EV as well as the upcoming electric Silverado.

It’s worth noting Chevrolet could go down the same path as Ford’s Mustang by leveraging the Corvette name to sell a wider range of vehicles, with rumours of a Corvette SUV being reignited earlier this month to go up against the Mustang Mach-E.

The Corvette C8 recently took fifth spot in MOTOR’s Performance Car of the Year awards, with its naturally-aspirated LT2 V8 engine given high praise – leaving big boots for an electrified model to fill.