The long-rumoured six-seater Genesis GV80 could soon become a reality for the luxurious Korean SUV.

According to The Korean Car Blog, the new six-seat layout will be introduced in the third quarter of 2021, when the 2022 model year update is unveiled.

A leaked image, seen below, shows the second row of the new SUV with two leather-wrapped captain’s chairs separated by a centrally mounted leather armrest and Genesis Touch Controller.

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The photo also shows two touchscreen infotainment units mounted on the backs of the front seats, which the Korean website says can be operated individually and play various media forms.

Both middle seats also appear to have both heated and ventilated capabilities and are powered, enabling tilt and slide functionality. Wireless charging stations will also feature in the middle seating arrangement.

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As for the third row of seats, not much is known yet. However, it is thought the third row could be very similar to the two third-row seats offered in the current seven-seater iteration of the GV80.

If so, they would be a compact pair of seats capable of being stowed away to accommodate more rear luggage space.

Will Australia will be receiving the 2+2+2 variant of the SUV when the 2022 update is released? It hasn’t been confirmed at this stage.

Wheels asked Genesis Australia, but a spokesperson for the Korean firm said it was too early to comment.

The Tasmanian State Government has announced it is ditching stamp duty on all new and second-hand electric vehicles for the next two years.

The initiative came into effect yesterday, July 1, with the Liberal government pushing hard to match recently unveiled EV initiatives from both New South Wales and Victoria.

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“Today, the Tasmanian Parliament has approved changes to the Duties Act 2001, meaning Tasmanians will pay no stamp duty when they purchase an EV,” Peter Gutwein, Tasmanian Premier and Minister for Climate Change, said in a statement.

“This will reduce the initial higher purchase costs of EVs by around $2000 on average, providing a significant boost to encourage interested Tasmanians to make the switch and support this growing market in Tasmania.

“Tasmania is ideally suited to benefit from the transition to EVs with our clean, low cost and reliable renewable energy, while at the same time reducing our dependence on imported fuels.”

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According to Michael Ferguson, Tasmania’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the stamp duty waiver will equate to the average EV purchase being around $2000 cheaper.

The Government announced it will also offer free registration for electric vehicles purchased by automotive rental companies and coach operators for the first two years.

“We are supporting the tourism industry’s goal to become a carbon-neutral destination by waiving registration for electric vehicles purchased by car rental companies and coach operators for two years as well,” Ferguson said.

The Government’s own automotive fleet will also transition to a 100 per cent electric vehicle line-up by 2030.

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Tasmania’s temporary EV stamp duty abolition is also unique, as it comes without condition.

Conversely, Victoria offers a $3000 subsidy for EVs valued up to $68,740, while New South Wales is scrapping stamp duty, but only for vehicles valued up to $78,000.

Unlike Victoria’s contentious new EV tax, which sees electric vehicle owners charged 2.5c for every kilometre they travel, and PHEV owners charged 2c for every click, Tasmania’s State Government has no current plans to implement a similar tariff.

“The Tasmanian Government is committed to supporting the uptake of electric vehicles, because of their environmental, social and economic benefits, and has no plans to introduce a road user charge on electric vehicles at this time,” a spokesperson told WhichCar.

“However, the Government is also cognisant that electric vehicles are not subject to the same fuel excise as other road users, a source of revenue which contributes to essential road maintenance, and will continue to monitor proposed road user charging arrangements in other jurisdictions.”

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The news of Tasmania’s EV initiative has been welcomed by both automotive brands and industry bodies alike.

“While New South Wales clearly leads the nation on EV policy, Tasmania’s initiative is, on the face of it, well-considered and therefore welcome,” a spokesperson for Volkswagen Australia told WhichCar.

“Waiving stamp duty to encourage take-up is only logical while EVs comprise less than one per cent of sales.

“The contrast with the Andrews’s Government’s ham-fisted cash-grab excuse for an EV policy could not be more stark.

“Nor does NSW or Tasmania discriminate against customers of plug-in hybrids, who, in Victoria, must pay a road user charge and fuel excise.”

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Tony Webster, Chief Executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, said the announcement was a positive step in automotive tax reform.

“This is the kind of action we need to see from our leaders in Australia to encourage environmental improvement, taxation reform and the introduction of new technology,” he said.

“As the future of mobility continues to rapidly transform, now is the time for Governments to relieve motorists of a myriad of outdated, confusing and inefficient charges and replace them with a simplified road user charging approach.”

Ford’s Mach 1 Mustang has answered our prayers for a properly track capable pony car, but there’s also a healthy dose of drag racing heritage bundled into the historic nameplate.

Among the raft of changes to the most dynamic Mustang yet, sits a slightly-massaged 345kW/556Nm output sourced from a glorious naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8.

Enter the 285kW/500Nm Toyota Supra. It’s a familiar rivalry that spans generations: a brutish old-school American muscle car sits at the traffic lights, and along comes a younger Japanese-flavoured coupe that trades cubic centimetres of swept capacity for force-fed pounds of boosted oxygen.

Whatever shall happen when the lights go green?

To simulate the experience, we headed out to Heathcote drag strip and pit the two sports coupes against each other in a variety of circumstances, from a launch control race mode start, a rolling start, and a comfort mode street start.

Both rear drive coupes risk devolving into wheelspin off the line, and require a dash of finessing to cleanly get off the mark.

Immediately, the lighter Supra finds a traction advantage – still spinning its wheels into third gear – but lunging ahead of the Mach 1 Mustang which struggles to overcome its own might.

Turning all assistance systems back on, and lining up for a comfort mode street start sees the Supra slow to react as the Mustang jumps ahead. A seemingly well-calibrated ESC system earned its keep in the Toyota, with the light flashing all the way up until 125km/h – clawing its way back and edging out the Mustang for a photo finish.

A roll race in automatic mode saw the Supra’s ZF gearbox decisively kick down and power on, while the Mach 1’s ten-speed gearbox took a little extra time to skip down from fifth to second and climb its way back – giving the Supra a fairly convincing win.

For a Mustang desperate for redemption, we repeated the roll race in manual mode locking in a second-gear rollout. It was a harder-fought battle, but the Supra was able to edge away to cross the line with barely a car length to spare.

By day’s end, the Mustang bested a 0-100km/h time of 4.86 seconds, clearing the quarter mile in 12.89 seconds at 185km/h.

The Toyota Supra was easier to launch, and managed a best time of 4.49 seconds from 0-100km/h. It crossed the quarter mile marker four-tenths ahead of the Mustang, at 12.55 seconds and 187km/h.

So is a 3.0-litre turbo inline-six better than a big old-school naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8? At the drag strip, maybe. But the noise, and what it does for the soul? For some, that’s worth the price of admission alone.

Comparisons can be odious.

We didn’t like the Audi S2 because it wasn’t an ur-quattro.

We didn’t like it because it was heavy.

We didn’t like it because it had no motorsport pedigree.

We didn’t like it because the Bosch Servotronic power steering weirded us out.

Above all, we didn’t like it because it seemed cynical. Here was Audi carrying over the old 20v engine into new bodywork and glomming off the legend of the Quattro S1 rally car with the badge. We just didn’t like it.

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And yet now, some 20 years later, we like this car a lot. Few sports cars are quite so rehabilitated in their appeal after an initial savaging by press. The Porsche 964 Carrera RS might be the one that springs to mind as having suffered a similar critical resurrection.

The steering still takes a bit of getting used to, but what’s interesting is how Audi presaged many modern vehicle development directions with the S2. That Servotronic rack now feels way more communicative than the EPAS systems we use today, while a kerb weight of 1420kg is lighter than modern hot hatches like a Focus ST or an i30 N.

And that motorsport history thing? Audi copped the flak and, a year later, BMW rode in on the coat tails with the E36 M3.

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The S2 was faster, cheaper, better finished and rode better than the last of the ur-quattros yet you can pick one up for less than half the price of a WR quattro 20v, should you be able to track one down.

Look under the bonnet and you’ll see that the slant five wasn’t an easy fit. The radiators, oil cooler and intercooler have been creatively shoehorned in, while the inlet and exhaust manifold display similar creative thinking.

The big Audi five-speed from the ur-quattro didn’t fit without a lot of sheet metal changes, so an uprated version of the B-series unit found in 80/90 series cars was chosen instead. This had a torque limit of 310Nm, so boost pressure was dropped from the 200 quattro’s 0.85 bar to 0.75.

The plus side? Second gear ran to 100km/h for better acceleration times.

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1991 Audi S2 specs

Engine: 2262cc inline 5, DOHC, 20v Power: 162kW @ 5900rpm Torque: 309Nm @ 1950rpm 0-100km/h: 5.8s Weight: 1420kg

Tesla is being taken to a Californian court by an owner who claims he had to pay to charge his car – despite being told it would be ‘free for life’ to do so.

According to Bloomberg, Kevin Shenkman was an early adopter of Tesla’s vehicles and purchased his car while the company was offering free Supercharging for life – an incentive designed at getting motorists out of fossil-fuel vehicles by reducing the running costs of an EV.

However, Tesla has now imposed a ‘Supercharger idling fee’ on owners who do not return to their vehicle within five minutes of charging being completed in a bid to reduce congestion at its stations.

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While the actual charging of the vehicle is free, the idling fee is applied for every minute past the five minute grace period after it is completed where the vehicle remains plugged in to the Supercharger, essentially billing owners for using the parking space rather than the charger itself.

Tesla only applies the idling fee charge if the charging station is above 50 per cent capacity, with owners incurring a cost of 50c per minute after the five minute period, the cost increasing to US$1 a minute if the station is at full occupancy.

Mr Shenkman is suing the American automaker in an attempt to recover costs and claiming damages, as well as to stop Tesla from imposing the idling fee on other owners.

“When a customer has been promised free Supercharging for life, and then refuses to pay such ‘Supercharger fees,’ Tesla cuts off Supercharging access entirely, thus disabling a feature for which customers paid thousands of dollars extra to obtain,” said Mr Shenkman.

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The Tesla mobile app notifies owners when their vehicle is in the final 20 per cent of its charging cycle, as well as sending a notification when the vehicle is finished charging, starting the five minute period where the idling fee is waived.

Tesla began charging customers to use its Supercharger network in 2017 but those who had purchased vehicles between 2012 and 2016 were exempt from charging fees.

WhichCar has contacted Tesla for comment but the company has not responded.

For Lexus buyers, there’s good news this week… and there’s bad news.

Lexus Australia CEO Scott Thompson confirmed during a presentation of the new Lexus NX in Melbourne that Lexus will be culling three models from its range from November 2021.

With a new Australian Design Rules requirement regarding side pole impacts (number 85/01) coming into play in November, Lexus will no longer offer its CT, RS, or near-new IS models – none of which would be certified in time.

With the current-generation IS sedan having only arrived in 2020, this further confirms the midsized model’s architecture is closely related to that of its predecessor.

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The current RC coupe and CT hatch have been around for several years each – indeed, the CT dates back to 2011 – and neither car is the strongest seller in the Lexus range.

With a vast majority (around three quarters) of Lexus’s sales coming from its SUVs, the loss of these models won’t be devastating to the brand. The ES, LS, and LC remain on the ledger for the foreseeable future, with the refreshed ES due here by October.

The ES will herald a string of four launches from the brand, one per month starting with the electrified Lexus UX300e in November.

The small electric SUV will share the same 150kW and 300Nm battery-electric drivetrain as found around the rest of the world, though further local details are yet to be confirmed.

Next, expected in December, is the new-generation Lexus NX, revealed only weeks ago.

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The NX will arrive in Australia in NX 350h, NX 350 and NX 250 guises, with an NX 450h+ PHEV still not confirmed for Australia. Lexus Australia is strongly considering it, however, with at least one in the country for evaluation.

Lexus wouldn’t confirm the January and February 2022 launches, though one is certain to be the new LandCruiser twin, Lexus’s LX. This will closely follow the reveal of Toyota’s new 300 Series flagship off-roader.

When Wheels queried Thompson about the likelihood of the semiconductor shortage affecting the rollout of these models, particularly the ever-popular NX, he admitted there would be some balancing needed with supply and demand.

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“The semiconductor shortage doesn’t appear to be affecting us as much as some other brands at the moment…but we do believe supply and demand will be challenging for us to balance.

“NX is our most popular vehicle…it’s a big focus for us and will probably be a balancing act for the first 12 months after launch.”

Stay tuned for more information on Lexus’s upcoming Australian launches, including details of the fourth when they emerge.

Kia has announced it will take part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time in the Korean brand’s history.

To mark the occasion, Kia is bringing two special cars to take part in the fabled 1.86km hill climb.

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The first is the Seoul firm’s all-new electric crossover, the EV6, which will be taking part in this year’s ‘Electric Avenue – The Road to 2030’ event.

Electric Avenue will see a multitude of the latest and greatest electric vehicles take to the hill climb course in a display that’s meant to show off the diverse and interesting range of electric vehicles being produced now and into the future.

It’s not known which variant of the EV6 will be brought to the event at this stage, but the flagship EV6 GT is said to be capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 3.5 seconds and would definitely give Kia its best shot at competing against the rest of the electrified field.

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It’s not all about batteries and electricity, though. Kia is also planning on bringing a hotted-up version of its Stinger GT performance sedan, first revealed in 2019.

Dubbed the ‘Stinger GT420’, the one-off, in-house modified rear-drive weapon churns out 315kW and 560Nm thanks to a specially tuned version of its twin-turbocharged 3.3-litre V6 petrol engine.

That’s a power increase of 41kW and 50Nm over the standard Stinger GT, which is impressive and sure to translate to lots of smokey burnouts and drifts up the winding Goodwood course.

The GT420 is also equipped with a bespoke suspension set-up, several lightweight enhancements, and upgraded performance Brembo brakes.

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The running of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed marks the return of the celebrated motorsport event, which was cancelled last year to the coronavirus pandemic. It will run from July 8 through to July 11.

Sometimes in this business we like to damn cars, particularly from newer manufacturers, with faint praise.

We’ll call something an “attempt” at a compact SUV, which is a way of saying, “nice try, buddy, come back when you’ve had another crack”.

I was kind of expecting that for the Haval Jolion. Keep at it. See you in a couple of years.

But a dive into the spec sheet, a quick – and frankly frightening – look at its predecessor the H2 and a few days behind the wheel of the Jolion wiped the patronising smile from my dial. While still far from perfect, the Jolion is ready for prime time and will be even better once a few wrinkles are sorted.

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Pricing and features

There are three Jolion variants, with two already on sale. The range-topping Ultra will join the other two this month and all three have drive-away pricing.

If you’re wondering about the name, it’s a rough translation of the Chinese word chulian, meaning first love. A bit presumptuous, but there you are. Haval has some pretty wild names in the mix, as you’ll soon see.

Starting at $25,490 for the Premium (which isn’t at all confusing), you’ll find 17-inch alloys, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, cloth trim, analogue dash, four-speaker audio and a 10.25-inch media touchscreen. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are along for the ride.

For $27,990 the mid-spec Lux sells adds dual-zone climate control, 360-degree cameras, powered and heated front seats, leather steering wheel, LED lighting (including headlights, daytime running lights and fog lamps), a fully digital dash and a six-speaker sound system.

The final step is the $30,990 Ultra, which has 18-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging pad, head-up display and a bigger 12.3-inch media system.

Haval’s media system is a bit ho-hum but better than, say, anything in a Toyota. Every time you start the car it forgets to connect to Bluetooth, which is fabulously irritating if you don’t have a USB cable. Probably more annoying are the tiny targets on the screen that make it hard to use on the move. But as I say, streets ahead of anything from the world’s largest carmaker.

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There are two USB ports up front, one of which connects to the media system and they’re both hidden down under the console in the huge tray underneath, a bit like the flying console in the Hyundai Santa Fe. Another USB port in the housing for the rear vision mirror seems like an unlikely spot for charging your phone. Which it isn’t, it’s for a dashcam.

Also irritating are the climate controls. Laid out as soft buttons in a strip under the screen, whenever you reach over to use the touchscreen, you’ll brush these controls and turn off the air-conditioning or switch on the demister or whatever. Touching one of these also activates the on-screen display for the full set of climate control options.

I’m sure it’s one of those things you get used to, just a weird idea that probably looked great on paper. You also can’t see the shortcut functions in the strip because it’s not backlit, you can only see if something is on. Also, instead of air recirculation, Haval calls it “inner loop.” That tickled me, don’t ask me why.

The comprehensive safety package includes seven airbags – one of which is an ANCAP-baiting centre airbag – the usual braking and stability controls, secondary collision avoidance, forward AEB, reverse AEB, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, lane centring, emergency lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring with lane-change assist, two ISOFIX points and three top-tether points.

Forward AEB handles pedestrian, cross-traffic and cyclist detection while the rear AEB will handle cross-traffic duties.

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It’s a heck of a lot of safety gear at this price but, as ever, it has to be good. There is also a weird growth on the A-pillar that stares at your face. If you dip your head to look at, say, the transmission selector, it goes all Youth Pastor Rory on you and lightly scolds you for what it deems not paying enough attention.

It’s sensationally irritating but you can turn it off separately to the fatigue detection. Your driving-age kids will love it (they will not) although my resolutely non-texting-while-driving son (he goes off at me even when I’m parked and texting) will resent its accusatory tone.

There are six colours available, but only Hamilton White is a freebie. Azure Blue, Mars Red, Golden Black (another silly name), Vivid Green and Smoke Grey all cost $495 more. The car looks pretty good in the official photos but in the flesh, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the smaller alloys, it looks a mite awkward.

The grille is a bit overbearing when chromed up although the detailing in the lights is very 2021, an interesting cross between Audi’s E-Tron GT and Mitsubishi’s Dynamic Shield language.

In profile, the Jolion is derivative of most of its rivals and a scaled-down version of the H6, so it’s a bit blobby and generic as a result. The rear is reasonably coherent, apart from the ill-judged chrome on the lower bumper that serves to make it look like it’s riding much higher than it does.

The big Haval badge is quite unapologetic and the Renault-like C-shaped lighting signature looks good. It will be fun to watch Haval develop its own design language in the coming years.

The interior is rather more successful and worlds away from its cruddy predecessor’s. Lots of soft-touch materials, interesting textures and well-thought-out storage – as well as the jewel-like transmission controller – all look pretty good. The blend into the door cards isn’t as successful as perhaps the designers hoped, but I am impressed with the look and feel.

It doesn’t feel cheap like the outgoing and now much more affordable MG ZS (its updated ZS T form brings a marked improvement as a more direct rival on price), and the Jolion is better designed than the similarly roomy ASX – partly because the latter is a gazillion years old.

Like Peugeot, the upside of collecting most of the functions into the media screen means there are just six buttons in the cabin (that I counted), so it’s very calm and uncluttered.

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Comfort and space

The Jolion is significantly larger than the H2 it replaces. Starting from the boot, which offers an impressive 430 litres of capacity with the seats in place and 1133L with the rear seats folded.

The rear seat has a very impressive amount of legroom and as generous an amount of headroom. Six-foot-fivers can get into the back and at least have plenty of space for their knees and feet, as much as Honda’s very spacious HR-V.

You get two cupholders in the armrest (which folds flush with the backrest making the middle seat a little less unusable) and the doors each have deep pockets and big bottle holders.

Moving up the front the seats are quite comfortable if nothing special. The fake leather is perfectly pleasant to and there’s a reasonable amount of adjustment.

The centre console hosts a pair of lidded but differently-sized cupholders, a space for your phone to lay flat (on the wireless charging pad where fitted) and on one side of the rotary dial are slots for a really slim phone and on the other side a bigger tray for keys and odds and ends.

You can sling a small bag under the console in a big open-sided tray beneath and there are two USB ports and a cable run to organise your wires. And under the armrest is a deep bin.

Most of the materials are fine, with just a few scratchy plastic panels. The stitching on the inside of the steering wheel might annoy some people and, frustratingly, the steering column only adjusts for rake and not reach. That’s a bit of an own goal.

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On the road

The silly names continue. The Jolion rides on the Lemon B30 platform, which sounds like a complicated 30 Rock joke. The Jolion shares that platform with the brilliantly named Big Dog, which was the result of a public vote in China. That beats Car McCarface any day. The platform also underpins the larger but less entertainingly named H6.

Developed by Haval’s parent company, Great Wall (or GWM as it prefers these days) the Lemon platform is billed as a “global high-intelligence modular platform”, so think VW’s MQB or Toyota’s TNGA. GWM says it underpins SUVs, sedans and MPVs and will take 24 different engine and transmission combinations, including series hybrid and PHEV.

For now, we get just one engine and transmission, the 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 110kW between 5600 and 6000rpm and 210Nm between 2000rpm and 4400rpm. The engine is one of the few things carried over from the very ordinary H2.

It’s front-wheel-drive only and has a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox operated by a very posh rotary dial on the console or plasticky paddles. The selector by far the best rotary dial selector I’ve used, reacting quickly in three-point turn situations. But, as ever, most passengers thought it was stupid and there were some arguments about it.

By the fairly pedestrian standards of the whole segment, the engine is fine for the job. It’s a bit buzzy under load but is smooth and quiet as you drive around normally. The drama is with the seven-speed twin-clutch.

The shift quality is quite good and it steps smartly between gears without fuss but its fondness for holding third while you’re moving along at a steady speed, such as when you’ve reached the speed limit off the lights, is perplexing. It’s the kind of thing a software update will sort, but it’s annoying.

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Also a little frustrating are the endless interventions from the safety systems. The frantic beeping from the blind-spot monitoring needs some work as you can just be sitting at the lights with the indicator on and it will warn you of the car next to you.

You have to override the lane-keep assist as well when you’re changing lanes but it does work out what you’re up to once you’ve left the lane safely. It’s better to have all this stuff than not, but like the old Subaru Forester’s wild-eyed EyeSight system, you just want to shut it off. Again, software adjustments will do it the world of good.

The front end is kept off the ground by MacPherson struts while the rear is a torsion beam arrangement. It seems like a lot of work has gone into the setup because it feels really good on the road.

Compression damping is excellent whether you’re going over a dip in the road or firing down a particularly lumpy bit of tarmac.

Its composure around town is excellent and unlike its Chinese compatriot, the whole car stops when you jump on the brakes – the MG ZS quivers on its springs like our dog when confronted with evidence of a foul crime.

Unexpectedly good body control sucked me into getting a bit more ambitious than I was expecting and revealed that the Kumho Solus tyres give up pretty quickly, but without any great drama.

The body might wobble on a quick change of direction, but not alarmingly so and body roll is kept in check. It’s not flat in the corners but there’s no heaving or porpoising.

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I thought the brake pedal feel was well-judged, too – there are plenty of cars from much more experienced car makers that can’t get that right. The steering is well-weighted if largely feel-free, although the lack of reach adjustment in the column meant I was never completely comfortable.

The front seats need to go down towards the floor a bit further, too, but they’re supportive if a bit odd feeling at first. I put it down to the wide space between the bolsters.

Haval says the Jolion will use 8.1L/100km on the combined cycle, which seems reasonable to me. I can’t tell you what the car thought because the steering wheel-mounted button to change the dash display didn’t work. And yes, I read the manual. Given I covered about 200km on about 40 per cent of the tank, I wasn’t far off the official figure.

Ownership

Haval offers a pace-equalling seven-year warranty, matching Kia’s efforts with unlimited-kilometre coverage. You only get roadside assistance for five years, though.

Service intervals are closely spaced at 12 months/10,000km. The capped-price servicing covers the first five services and cost between $210 and $450, for an average of $310, which slips just under some of its obvious rivals.

Only Toyota can really beat Haval on servicing value.

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VERDICT

Negative market perception is more powerful than compound interest. If scientists could harness it, it could solve climate change overnight. Every goose who asks, “who’s paying fifty grand for a Hyundai?” in the comments of every Santa Fe review would finally be making themselves useful.

Chinese brands cop a lot of stick in Australia and some of it is fair, some of it isn’t. The Jolion is not perfect and there are still some things that need ironing out. But the giant lift in quality, driveability and comfort compared to the H2 is marked and brings it into contention, particularly with the pricing.

It genuinely punches on with established heavyweights in the segment and I think it’s better than the underwhelming but hot-selling ASX. It will get a bloody nose from a Kia, Hyundai or Mazda, but it will go down swinging. You can’t say that about previous Havals or any of MG’s current SUV range.

The pick of the three-variant Jolion range does look to be the Lux I drove – and I reckon it will be the top-seller – but the closely-packed pricing makes the choice hard. Spending under thirty grand in this segment is a big win, the Jolion is packed with stuff and is very, very spacious.

One thing about the Jolion is that you can’t write off someone who buys it as a cheapskate, because it’s a better car than that. I tell anyone who’ll listen that Chinese cars can and will be better. The Jolion might be the first of those.

2021 Haval Jolion specifications

July 20: GWM Tank 300 driven on-road and off

GWM’s Tank 300 is here, and we’ve had a proper run off-road. Get Tristan Tancredi’s thoughts here.

He mentions the Wrangler, like, SIX TIMES. Six!

May 30: GWM Tank 300 petrol on sale, hybrid delayed

A more-affordable petrol-only GWM Tank 300 has been announced, with deliveries to commence before the hybrid variants.

January 27: Tank 300 Hybrid driven in Australia

The final production-pready GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is now in Australia, and we’ve driven it. Get John Law’s first-drive take on the new Wrangler rival at the link below.

December 2022: GWM Tank 300 now on sale in Australia!

The new GWM Tank 300 Hybrid is now on sale in Australia, with a starting price of $55,990. It’s not cheap, but you get a lot of kit. Hit the link below for details.

REVIEW: Tank 300 driven!

Great Wall Motors (GWM) is aiming big in Australia. And not only for its sales targets, but with its cars too.

GWM says if the business case stacks up, this five-seat off-road SUV called the Tank 300 might land before the end of 2022.

As the Chinese company eyes off an expansion in the local market, it’s closely investigating the opportunity to import the Tank 300 alongside the Haval Big Dog to boost its product line-up. And, despite these almost comical names, GWM is serious.

So serious, it would establish a whole new brand in Tank for the 300. It even imported a left-hand drive pilot Tank 300 from China for us to drive at a press launch last week. The drive was very short but rugged – it took place on the short off-road obstacle course at Werribee, in outer Melbourne.

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Design-wise the Tank 300 clearly takes inspiration from key rivals. Its chunky styling hides a few clues. The clam-shell bonnet, round headlight shape and boxy guards smack of a Jeep Wrangler or Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Meanwhile, those daytime running lights conjure Ford Bronco thoughts, and the badge looks like a Lincoln’s.

When you think about it, aspiring after an American luxury brand like Lincoln makes sense for GWM. Tank is born from its luxury brand called Wey, which reasons why the 300 is surprisingly refined inside. The fit and finish is decent. And the interior has details on par, at least on first impressions, with an entry-level luxury manufacturer.

White-stitched black leather adorns the front power seats and doors, the speakers are caged in brushed metal. Knurled dials for the drive mode and HVAC vents are a nice touch, as is the screen that spans from the dash to the centre stack.

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Although we didn’t get time to properly explore the screen’s functionality or interface, we can vouch for its high-resolution graphics and useful 3D surround-view camera – especially on the off-road course. The latter helped us crawl over peaks more confident in where we’d point down the other side.

The 300 is based around the same ladder-frame chassis under the GWM Ute Cannon. It sports front double-wishbone suspension and a multi-link coil-sprung live axle at the rear, while locking differentials at either end further boost its bush-bashing ability.

Grunt comes via a turbocharged 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine that runs on petrol. A diesel engine is in development, we’re told, but the 167kW and 387Nm on offer do an admirable job of guiding the two-tonne Tank over the off-road course.

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The ZF transmission offers automatic and manual modes, activated by clicking the gear lever to the side. Peak torque is available from as early as 1800rpm, which helps maintain low-speed throttle response over most terrain without any drama. Despite its low-down response, it feels a bit light for torque. An Isuzu MU-X, for example, churns out 430Nm.

June 5, 2023: GWM’s Australian arm has now confirmed official fuel figures for the Tank 300 range, with the hybrid listed at 8.5L/100km and the petrol model at 9.5L/100km.

Multiple drive modes are available, including sand and snow, while four-high and four-low modes are joined by a two-high option that’s unavailable in the Ute Cannon. Traction in four-wheel-drive was virtually flawless over the mildly challenging course, helped partly by the Cooper Discoverer ATT tyres in 265/65 R17 size.

Nor did the Tank’s bodywork ever feel like it was in danger. Clearance is set at a Ford Everest-rivalling 224mm, while approach and departure angles are superb at 33 degrees and 34 degrees, respectively.

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The Tank spans 4760mm long over a 2750mm wheelbase. Another off-road family SUV like the Ford Everest, for example, measures 4892mm in length but can fit another row of seating (for seven seats in total) into its 2850mm wheelbase.

Will Australians like the Tank 300? It’s hard to answer that without spending more time with it. GWM says that initial research groups were on the fence about how it looks, but Australia has a soft spot for novelty. And given Tank will complement, rather than replace, the current GWM line-up in sales yards, its Chinese origins might help its left-field appeal.

The 300 costs AU$35K once its domestic price is converted. Although its impressive off-road ability remains provisional, its classy interior could make it an attractive outdoor lifestyle option even if it was offered for AU$50K. That’s the entry point for a four-wheel-drive Isuzu MU-X or Jeep Wrangler.

Family-hauling types might find its five-seat configuration limiting or want to wait for the larger 700 model. The seven-seat 4WD Ford Everest begins at $55,900 before on roads, for instance. But ultimately pricing and specification will decide its fate here, where value is proving king.

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Tank 300 specifications

Nissan has revealed it will build a £1 billion (AU$1.84 billion) state-of-the-art electric manufacturing facility.

Called EV36Zero, the EV hub will be built at Nissan’s existing facilities at Sunderland in the North East of the United Kingdom.

The factory is the result of a collaborative effort between Nissan, battery manufacturer Envision AESC, and the Sunderland City Council.

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Nissan says EV36Zero will comprise three initiatives – electric vehicle manufacturing, renewable energy, and battery production.

According to the Japanese manufacturer, the facility will result in 6200 ‘green jobs’ being created for both Nissan and the UK supply base.

The gigafactory will start with a 9GWh-capacity. However, Nissan has left the door open for Envision ASEC to invest a further £1.8 billion into the facility, which would generate up to 25GWh. The automaker claims that even 35GWh on-site could be possible by 2030.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the news signified the importance manufacturers still place on the UK’s highly skilled workforce.

“Nissan’s announcement to build its new-generation all-electric vehicle in Sunderland, alongside a new gigafactory from Envision-AESC, is a major vote of confidence in the UK and our highly-skilled workers in the North East.

“Building on over 30 years of history in the area, this is a pivotal moment in our electric vehicle revolution and securing its future for decades to come.

“Commitments like these exemplify our ability to create hundreds of green jobs and boost British industry, whilst also allowing people to travel in an affordable and sustainable way so we can eliminate our contributions to climate change.”

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The manufacturing hub will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to an onsite ‘Microgrid’.

Makoto Uchida, Nissan’s President and CEO, said the plant would be a beacon for the automaker’s carbon-neutral future.

“This project comes as part of Nissan’s pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire lifecycle of our products,” he said.

“Our comprehensive approach includes not only the development and production of EVs but also the use of on-board batteries as energy storage and their reuse for secondary purposes.

“Our announcement today comes out of lengthy discussions held within our teams and will greatly accelerate our efforts in Europe to achieve carbon neutrality.

“The experience and know-how gained through the project announced today will be shared globally, enhancing Nissan’s global competitiveness.”

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Nissan also announced that as part of EV36Zero’s £1 billion investment, up to £423 million of the funds would be put towards creating an all-new electric SUV crossover, which will be based on Renault-Nissan’s Alliance CMF-EV platform.

Whether this new model will be the upcoming Ariya SUV – revealed as a concept in July 2020 – or a new smaller model as reported by the UK’s Auto Express in April, is still to be revealed.

The Yokohama company believes its new facility could be capable of producing as many as 100,000 units of the new crossover, which will offer next-gen vehicle styling, efficiency and battery technology.