That set of attributes would have been more than enough for old Kia. But today’s Kia? It has some loftier ambitions, and it became fairly clear that launching a new Cerato would merely create a link to the past when it’s instead laser-focused on future aspirations.
To that end, say goodbye to Cerato, and hello to the Kia K4.
The Koreans hesitate to call it all-new, because the engines and some suspension components are carried over – but not a whole lot else is, so if you expect the K4 to look and feel like a Cerato, well, it doesn’t.
A big reason for that, for the time-being at least, is down to where the car is built.
We’re used to Ceratos being built in the Hwaseong plant in Korea, but this K4 hails from the Monterrey plant in Mexico. Because of this, at the moment, the prime export market for the K4 is the US – and if there’s one thing we know about Americans, it’s that they love a boot (or trunk) on their small cars.
Yep, the K4 will be a sedan only, right through to the tail end of 2025 when the factory is set to start building hatches.
It’s also a fairly big sedan: through a quirk in the way the FCAI categorises cars, the hatch version just squeaks into the ‘small car’ category, which applies to all K4 variants.
Nevertheless, at 4710mm long and 1850mm wide, it casts a bigger footprint than any pre-VN Commodore. Or, for a more contemporary reference, a Tesla Model 3. So it’s a sizeable hunk, more resembling a slightly shrunken Stinger than an upscaled Cerato.
Above this is the $35,190 Sport, followed by the $37,590 Sport+.
All are powered by the same carryover 2.0-litre naturally-aspirated engine, good for a rather breathless 112kW and 192Nm, sent forward through a six-speed auto. The car’s posterior is kept off the bitumen by a comfort-tuned torsion-beam suspension.
Kia expects the most popular version with private buyers to be the flagship $42,990 GT-Line, and this one’s a very different kettle of K4. Instead of the 2.0-litre wheezer, it sports a turbocharged 1.6-litre four, which develops a more satisfying 142kW/264Nm and upgrades its hind quarters to multi-link suspension for a tauter, more dynamic handling bias.
The old seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box is consigned to history too, with this new GT-Line one getting an eight-speed auto instead.
Naturally, Kia will point to the fact that the K4 is a bigger, safer and better-equipped car than its predecessor. The argument is not without merit, but it still means you’re expected to find at least an additional $3500 at the entry level and around $6000 at the top of the range when trying to align Cerato and K4 prices.
It’s worth something at least that these are national drive-away prices, rather than regional RRPs to which you’d need to add things like CTOP, stamp duty and registration.
Clear White is the only non-cost colour, and there are seven other paint finishes including Honeydew and Wave Blue which are new to Kia’s palette.
The Mazda3 sedan is also worth a look if sheer space is not the overriding criterion, while the quietly lovely Skoda Octavia Select ought to also appear on your shortlist for test drives.
The big hitter at the pice point is the Toyota Camry, which features a 170kW 2.5-litre hybrid engine for $39,990 in Ascent trim or $42,990 in Ascent Sport guise. That’s hard for the K4 to counter.
On all but the base S model, the fascia features two widescreen 12.3-inch displays with a five-inch ‘climate control supervision’ screen between them. The screen in front of the driver, which houses the clocks, is multi configurable so you’re able to select analogue-looking virtual dials or a more contemporary digital readout.
This ccNC architecture supports over the air updates and will also work with a Kia Connect app for your smartphone. Go for the entry-level S and there’s a smaller, more basic instrument binnacle.
While wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are part of the deal as standard, Kia has only seen fit to equip the range-topping GT-Line with a wireless charging pad – which means you’ll probably need to plug your phone in to charge with a cable anyway. Call it a rare instance of shortsighted cost-cutting in an otherwise well-judged cabin.
Given that the lack of safety gear on the base S means it’ll probably only net a four rather than a five-star safety score when ANCAP tests the car, we’d skip this one. The S Safety Pack is a far better proposition, adding the dual screens, dual-zone climate control, enhanced automated emergency braking with junction crossing detection and oncoming lane change detection. That’s an extra $2100 well spent.
The Sport swaps out the 16-inch alloys for 17-inch rims, adds native sat-nav, auto de-fogging for the climate control, lane change-assist and ‘level 2’ autonomy for the adaptive cruise control suite.
Don’t fancy cloth seats? In that case, you need to step up to the K4 Sport+ with its grey synthetic leather trim, and heated front seats too. It also features an auto dimming rear mirror, an athermic windscreen, rain-sensing wipers, and some upgraded trim details inside.
The GT-Line can be identified by its 18-inch wheels, high-gloss exterior styling, bigger brakes and glass sunroof, along with eight-speaker Harmon Kardon audio, black embossed synthetic leather seats with heating and ventilation up front, a heated steering wheel, ambient interior lighting, an alloy pedal set and a 10-way electric driver’s seat with memory function.
The front passenger still has manual controls, though, which seems a miss when you consider the price tag.
It’s a shame that Kia never saw to apply the more modern turbocharged unit across the range, because it would make the K4 a far easier car to recommend. As it stands, the 2.0-litre is loud when pressed, not particularly economical, and its torque shortfall vexes the six-speed automatic’s drive logic to such an extent that on any sort of open road, it starts mooing, unsure of what gear it should be in.
There’s a reason it sounds like a CVT. Kia’s ‘Intelligent Variable Transmission’ is a version of a CVT with artificially mandated gears. It’s adequately refined in low-demand scenarios, but drops its bundle somewhat when you ask a little more of it. That’s a shame because there are many other aspects of this K4 that are excellent.
The steering takes a moment or two to key into once you’ve managed to dial out the perpetually intrusive lane-keep function, but you quickly adapt to its slightly odd on-centre feel.
The 1.6-litre turbo GT-Line is a far more dynamic proposition, delivering the torque to drive the K4 out of corners convincingly. The ride is slightly compromised by the lower profile of its 18-inch tyres, although not unacceptably so.
Unlike the 2.0-litre, it also gets wheel-mounted shift paddles if you’d rather take over the gear-changing duties yourself. Fortunately its Sport mode seems to do a pretty good job of selecting a gear by itself.
But, after driving both powertrain options, I reckon Kia has missed a trick: the chassis setup of the 2.0-litre offers the better everyday ride and handling balance for most target buyers, so a more cohesive line-up would have been to have started with a 2.0-litre S Safety Pack, and topped out with the existing 1.6 turbo GT-Line.
Between those two bookends could have been an intermediate comfort-spec trim with the 1.6 turbo engine, eight-speed torque-converter auto and the cheaper torsion-beam rear-end on 17-inch alloys.
Were that car to exist, it’d be my automatic pick of the range – and this line-up would likely have netted the K4 an across-the-board five-star ANCAP rating.
The boot’s claimed to measure 508 litres, which is vast, and beneath its rather flimsy-feeling floor there’s a space-saver spare.
Be a little careful if you’re ramming gear into its rear end, though, because the absence of a plastic trim panel on the upper section means bulky suitcases have the capacity to damage the rear speaker cones if they start moving around in the boot. There are a pair of pull tabs in the boot that can drop the 60:40 split rear bench for even more space.
The cabin features a decent amount of oddments space, with a generously sized pair of cupholders in the centre and a deep lidded console that’s flock-lined. The glovebox is a fair size and the door pockets are big enough for a fairly specifically-sized drinks bottle, and the rear door pockets are even smaller.
There’s decent headroom in the rear, and knee-room has gone up by a hefty 56mm over the old Cerato, thanks to a longer wheelbase. Rear passengers get a pair of USB-C ports to power their devices, but not a whole lot else in terms of amenity.
Materials quality is good throughout the cabin, but in the front there’s a fairly obvious bifurcation between the softer touch materials on the dash-top and the harder, scratchier plastics lower down, with the cheaper materials running across the top of the glove box.
The door handles are also very susceptible to smeary fingerprints, and a one-touch electric window is only fitted to the driver’s door.
All models get seven airbags, rear seatbelts are now fitted with pretensioners, and all models also get a driver attention monitoring system.
The steering wheel is an intriguing shape on the 2.0-litre models with a flattish top and bottom, a bulging centre boss with offset Kia logo and some nicely integrated controls.
The GT-Line gets a sportier-looking three-spoke wheel with the drive mode dial incorporated into the vertical spoke.
Visibility out of the car is helped by the rear-quarter windows, but the rear-view mirror peers back through a very shallow rear screen, making it necessary to rely on the camera system when reversing near obstacles.
Should you want to run that deal through a three-year / 30,000km ownership period, that would come to around $1200 for the 1.6-litre models and $1350 for the 1.6-litre turbo GT-Line.
Prefer a seven-year 70,000km deal to match the warranty? That’d tot up to around $3200 for the 2.0-litre and $3850 for the GT-Line. At the time of publishing, these figures are still subject to review from Kia, but don’t expect the final numbers to differ greatly.
Whereas the 2.0-litre engine will return 7.4L/100km, the 1.6-litre gets 6.7L/100km. Over 70,000km, those numbers would equate to 4690 litres of fuel consumed for the 1.6 versus 5180 litres for the 2.0-litre.
At a nominal $2 per litre, that’s a $980 difference, more than the $650 variance in servicing costs between the two engines.
The underwhelming and outdated 2.0-litre engine is a miss, and you need the firmer-riding and more expensive GT-Line flagship to get the engine and transmission that the K4 deserves. Maybe that’ll change when the inevitable hybrid version appears.
Until then, the K4 remains endearing and broadly capable, but ultimately underachieving. When the old Cerato comprised 20 percent of all Kia’s sales in Australia, that could be a short-term issue, at least until the hatch arrives.
As it stands, the K4 sedan is good enough to earn a recommendation for those who don’t demand too much – but, as we’ve seen time and time again, Kia is capable of so much more.
| 2025 Kia K4 GT-Line specifications | |
|---|---|
| Model | 1.6 GT-Line |
| Engine | 1598cc 4cyl, DOHC, 16v turbo petrol |
| Max power | 142kW @ 6000rpm |
| Max torque | 265Nm @ 1700-4500rpm |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic |
| Economy | 6.7L/100km |
| Weigh | 1433kg |
| 0-100km/h | 7.9s (est) |
| Price | $42,990 drive away |
| On sale | Now |
Beloved by both royalty and rap stars, Louis Vuitton is a byword for high-end luxury, the French retailer famed for both the heritage and craftsmanship of its fashion and accessories.
News that Louis Vuitton’s parent company LVMH had signed on as a Global Partner of Formula 1 for 10 years beginning in 2025 is now followed by the announcement ‘LV’ will be the title partner of the season’s first race in Melbourne.
At what will now be known as the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025, the famous brand will be highly prominent via trackside signage (a first for the brand) and its famous Louis Vuitton Trophy Trunks being presented to mark the achievements of the top three finishers. The new trunks will bear the iconic Louis Vuitton ‘V’ in a unique local colour scheme against the classic brown background.
The luxury brand has previously presented a Trophy Trunk at the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco between 2021-2024, and has also presented products to winners in other sports competitions including football, sailing, and the Olympics.
“We are thrilled to welcome Louis Vuitton as Title Partner for our first 2025 race,” said Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO, Formula 1. “The entry of Louis Vuitton not only enhances the experience of our sport, but celebrates the union of luxury, craftsmanship, and the highest expression of automotive competition.”
Founded in 1854 by French designer and businessman Louis Vuitton, the fashion house is renowned the world over for its invention of the ‘Art of Travel’ – its collection of luggage, bags and accessories designed to be both elegant and practical. In the years since its range has extended to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches, jewellery, and fragrance.
The Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025 gets underway in Melbourne March 13-16.
BMW has chosen the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race and its beautiful Mount Panorama backdrop as the place to unveil a new international model for the first time in Australia.
The BMW M3 CS Touring was revealed at the iconic circuit on Thursday, a new addition to the BMW M line-up of motorsport-derived CS models and a follow-up to the M xDrive launched in Australia in 2023.
The CS models boast increased engine power output, custom design features and reduced weight through the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) components.
The Australian reveal of the global model was justified by the presence of the BMW M Team WRT at Bathurst, in which a pair of BMW M4 GT3s will compete in the outright Pro class for a third successive year. Nine-time MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi will do shifts in one of the cars on his return to the mountain.
The all-wheel drive BMW M3 CS Touring features a 3.0-litre six-cylinder in-line engine utilising M TwinPower Turbo technology. Maximum power output is 405kW – a 15kW increase on the M3 Touring Competition with M xDrive – while peak torque is 650Nm.
The M3 CS Touring can achieve the standard 0-100km/h sprint in 3.5 seconds, and from zero to 200km/h in 11.7 seconds, with a top speed of 300km/h.
The use of CFRP for the car’s bonnet, front splitter, front air intakes, exterior mirror caps and rear diffuser, as well as interior elements such as the bucket seats, delivers a total weight saving of 15 kilograms compared with the M3 Touring Competition with M xDrive.
The exterior CFRP elements contrast with the available colours for the M3 CS Touring including British Racing Green, Laguna Seca Blue, Frozen Solid White and Sapphire Black metallic.
Inside, the performance credentials of the CS Touring are clear with electronically adjustable and heated M Carbon bucket seats for the driver and front passenger – complete with integrated head restraints and illuminated “CS” model badges – an M Alcantara steering wheel in a three-spoke design and additional CS badging on the centre console and sill plates.
A 12.3-inch instrument display and 14.9-inch control display deliver essential information and visual elements to the driver, from M Shift Lights to vehicle set-up, tyre pressure and temperature.
Customising the driving experience to match the conditions is achieved via the M-specific Setup button on the centre console for configuring the engine, chassis, steering, brakes and M xDrive. It also features M Drive Professional, integrating track-optimised functions such as M Drift Analyser and M laptimer. BMW Live Cockpit Professional and BMW Head-Up Display with M-specific content delivers cloud-based navigation system BMW Maps, smartphone integration and telephony with wireless charging.
Customer deliveries of the M3 CS Touring are expected in the middle of 2025, with pricing from $253,900 (RRP, includes GST and LCT but excludes on-road costs).
The remodelled BMW iX electric SUV has been revealed ahead of Australian arrivals later in the year with updated styling, faster charging up to 195kW and up to 700km of range.
The biggest upgrades to the facelifted iX are under the skin, where all models have been given a larger battery. The former 71kWh unit in the base model has been replaced with a new 94.8kWh unit, the 105.2kWh battery in the mid-spec model is now 109.1kWh and the 105.2kWh battery in the top-spec car has been replaced with a 108.9kWh unit.
The larger batteries, a new inverter for the power electronics system and “other efficiency measures” have boosted driving ranges by up to 40 percent: the entry-level xDrive 60 is rated for between 563km and 701km (WLTP) depending on wheel size – which is up on the former 550-631km rating of the xDrive50 it replaced.
The base-spec xDrive 45 is now rated at between 490km and 602km – up from between 372km-425km – and the top-spec M70 at between 521km and 600km, which is an increase from between 502km and 561km in the M60 that it replaced.
BMW has also added faster charging for all models – the xDrive 45 can charge at up to 175kW – up from 150kW – for a 34 minute 10-80 per cent charge, while both the xDrive 60 and M70 can now charge at up to 195kW.
Outputs have also increased: the xDrive 45 now makes 300kW/700Nm, the xDrive 60 400kW/765Nm and the M70 now at 485kW/1,100Nm.
Exterior changes include revised bumpers, wheel designs, the addition of BMW’s ‘Iconic Glow’ illuminated grille and new adaptive LED headlight signatures with the brand’s new vertical elements.
Buyers will have the choice of an M Sport Package for the first time with different bumpers and wheels, while there are new colour options and wheel designs up to 23-inches in size.
Changes inside the iX include the latest iDrive 8.5 infotainment software and new trims such as a synthetic leather-look in the M Sport package. Available features include a panoramic glass roof, either Harman Kardon or Bowers & Wilkins sound systems and soft-close doors.
BMW has also updated the iX’s safety systems, including a new level 2+ semi-autonomous driving system that can drive on dual carriageways at up to 130km/h, which also includes an automatic lane change function when the driver looks in one of the side mirrors.
BMW Australia will announce full pricing and specifications of the updated iX range in March ahead of local arrivals later in the year.
Mercedes-AMG will be the most prominent brand at this year’s prestigious Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour race, with eight teams fielding one car each in four different categories. The race will be held this coming weekend at Mount Panorama, commencing at 5:45am on February 2.
With Australia’s most iconic track as the venue, the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) starts the 2025 season with vehicles from nine different manufacturers and six classes of car for the race: Pro, Pro Am, Bronze, Silver Cup, GT4 and Invitational.
The two performance teams – Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing and Mercedes-AMG Team GMR, as well as 75 Express and Scott Taylor Motorsport – will be competing in the Pro class.
Grove Racing and Heart of Racing by SPS have entered two cars in the Bronze category, while Supabarn Supermarkets/Tigani Motorsport will enter in the Silver Cup and Team Nineteen in the GT4 classification.
The Bathurst 12 Hour is the first round of the 2025 IGTC, with four more rounds to follow this year: the Nurburgring in Germany and Spa in Belgium in June, Suzuka in Japan in September and the final round in Indianapolis in the USA in October.
The IGTC has been held since 2016 and is in its 10th year.
In addition to Mercedes-AMG, teams using cars from brands such as BMW, Porsche and Ferrari all feature in the championship.
Mercedes-AMG has previously claimed this race three times: in 2013, Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jäger, Alexander Roloff drove a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 to victory for Erebus Motorsport; in 2022: Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Martin Konrad, Luca Stolz triumphed in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Triple Eight Race Engineering; and in 2023, Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz won for SunEnergy1 Akkodis ASP Team in a Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Mercedes-AMG will also host 200 of its customers trackside at the Rydges hotel as qualifying gets underway on Saturday before the race on Sunday.
These speculative renderings by Photoshop wizard Theottle – based on spy photos published by enthusiast site BMW Blog – suggest we can expect the new 3er to share some key design cues with its electric counterpart.
Key among them is BMW’s retro-inspired new-look face, following the 2023 Neue Klasse concept’s throwback styling.
It’s expected the new i3 will skew much closer to the Neue Klasse in its final design, as imagined by Theottle not long after concept’s unveiling,
However, the regular 3er – likely to be known as the G50 – looks set to wear a more conventional skin but with its own take on the Neue Klasse grille and headlights.
This thinking may have been made more concrete in a recent interview, too, with BMW’s chief development officer Frank Weber telling Green Car Reports: “We can only have one design, there is no difference between an ICE car and a battery electric car”.
Perhaps in reference to the distinct design differences between the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the electric EQE (among others in the range), Weber added that brands styling their EVs differently to their conventional models is “probably one of the biggest mistakes some of the competitors were doing”.
BMW isn’t exactly immune to the ‘errors’ it claims of others, though, with the iX electric SUV standing apart as an anomaly in the range.
And, as the below side-by-side photos show, the new 3 Series and i3 appear to have unique bodies with only the front (and rear?) styling to connect them.
But how will it look? With the introduction of the new retro-styled 2024 Prado, Toyota effectively has two, maybe even three new-era design themes running in parallel.
More than that, what can we expect from its powertrains and overall equipment offering? Here’s everything we know so far.
The image, posted to Chinese social network Weibo and spotted by Japanese blog creative311.com, shows an SUV with styling cues that evolve the look of the current RAV4 with front-end elements that evoke the new Camry sedan.
It remains to be seen if this image is indeed the new RAV4, although its design does match photos of a camouflaged SUV that were posted to Spanish forum Cochespias in December 2024.
It’s a logical evolution for the RAV4, given its role as the SUV companion to the popular Camry.
Tell us in the comments below!
YouTuber Q-Cars has imagined the 2025 RAV4 with styling cues borrowed from the bigger Kluger and the compact Yaris Cross. Both SUVs look ‘right’ in their own skins, but is it a look that translates well to the midsized RAV4? You tell us.
Check it out at the linked story below.
Earlier this month, Toyota confirmed its existing Corolla and Yaris models will be available exclusively in hybrid form, reflecting a general preference among buyers – and a need to get ahead of coming emissions regulations.
Likewise, the new-generation C-HR is a hybrid-only affair, hinting that we could be seeing a pattern emerge for all future Toyota line-ups. And, given the RAV4 is most popular in its petrol-electric hybrid guise, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Toyota make the same decision for the next-gen model.
Would you miss the petrol RAV4 if Toyota were to axe it?
Driving range. Mitsubishi would tell you the Outlander PHEV’s 84km of EV range is bang-on for value and what most drivers need, but Toyota thinks otherwise.
According to local sales boss Sean Hanley, Toyota buyers won’t be well served by a PHEV that doesn’t offer at least 200 kilometres of pure-electric driving.
“As battery technology evolves, I think that could be possible. It’s not going to be tomorrow, but I think it could be possible,” Hanley said. “And that, therefore in my own thinking, is a perfect solution for the Australian market to get the best of both worlds.”
Could we get that with the next-generation RAV4? It’s possible, but price will be the big question.
This time around, we’ve gone for a look that is again retro-inspired like the new Prado while also pushing the model further into the future with a few ideas borrowed from Toyota’s own sketchbook.
Of course, when we say ‘retro-inspired’, our version of the new RAV4 takes its cues from LandCruiser heritage, just as the new Prado does. After all, a new RAV4 that throws back to its own legacy wouldn’t be quite as appealing. Well, that’s what I reckon – what do you think? Jump into the comments!
We’ve largely matched the rear – and we reckon it fits perfectly – but for headlights and bonnet we’ve leaned on earlier sketches rather than the final settled look of the Compact Cruiser concept’s face. That means there’s a taller look to the bonnet, diving down at the front to meet a new letterboxed look to the headlights.
The lower bar is largely identical, however, and again we reckon it’s a good fit for a more edgy take on the next-gen RAV4.
Inspired by the retro stripes on the road quarter of the UK market’s LandCruiser 250 First Edition, we just went ahead and created a little LandCruiser sub-brand with some very cool yellow, orange and red bars. Why not?
To give the side badges a special home, we also crafted a little strut molded into the front cladding, reaching out over a newly added impression in the front door – again borrowed from the Compact Cruiser’s earlier sketches, but perhaps a little Wrangler-inspired too.
We’re still fairly confident the next RAV4 will skew more towards Toyota’s other new look – that worn by the new Prius and Camry, among others – but we’d sure love to see this one hit showrooms.
We’ve already had a crack at imagining the new 2025 RAV4 – see the September update for this story, further down – but how might a hero-ish GR Sport version look?
We don’t expect a flagship RAV4 GR to be introduced, but a sportier model with GR Sport trim will very likely top the line-up, just as it does in Europe now.
As with our previous images, we’ve had a go at imagining the new RAV4 in GR Sport guise – with a twist! We’ve reimagined the tail lights, this time taking inspiration from the big 300 Series Land Cruiser and the new Prado – mixing concepts from the two to create a new look, perfect for this Prado-inspired RAV4.
In the weeks since we first published this story, Toyota Australia has also confirmed its interested in the RAV4 Prime – a plug-in hybrid EV that has yet to make its way here, and the company has rarely commented on its potential.
Speaking with Wheels in November, Toyota Australia’s vice president for sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said he thinks the potential for PHEVs is on the rise.
“I’m watching the market, not just for Toyota, I’m looking at it more broadly speaking and I think hybrid and plug-in hybrids in the next five years are going to come back into their own again,” he said. “I really do; I can see it a mile away.
A powered-up RAV4 Prime GR Sport could be just the ticket as a near-top ‘flagship’ model…
But how will it look? With the introduction of the new retro-styled 2024 Prado, Toyota effectively has two, maybe even three new-era design themes running in parallel.
Alongside the rugged Prado, there’s also the angular new C-HR, while the new Prius (no longer sold in Australia) wears similar headlights but a more curvaceous look through the body.
Which way the next RAV4 will go is anybody’s guess, but given the almost aggressive design of the current model, it’s plausible Toyota will continue that with the next generation.
Will it be mean in the sharp-lined way of the new C-HR, or simply more rugged – like the new Prado?
For now, we’re tipping Toyota will lean into the RAV4’s long-running marketing, which has always positioned the once-small, now-midsized SUV as a roadgoing wagon with off-roading aspirations.
It won’t be a complete overhaul, however: the next-gen RAV4 is expected to continue using its TNGA platform, with possible minor modifications.
Speculation from the US hints at a shift in powertrains; the non-hybrid 2.5-litre petrol engine could be replaced with the series-hybrid technology currently prevalent in most Australian RAV4s.
Learn more at the article below, and watch for more on the new RAV4 to come in the months ahead.
Called the GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle (MIV) Concept, it was displayed at the AMERON Davos Swiss Mountain Resort.
This is the third time Genesis has brought a concept vehicle to Davos, following the Genesis X Concept in 2023 and the Genesis X Snow Speedium Concept in 2024.
This year’s concept is based on the existing GV60 electric vehicle, which was just last week unveiled in its updated 2025 form.
Genesis says the concept is inspired by small unit support vehicles (SUSVs), with the best-known example probably being the Bandvagn 206 developed in the 1970s and its modern successor, the BvS10.
As part of its transformation to Thunderbird rescue vehicle, the GV60 MIV gets large carbon-fibre wheel arch extensions, a heavy-duty roof rack for more storage space, and a rear hatch rack with modular attachment points to accommodate more readily accessible gear.
It’s unclear if Genesis intends to make this version of the GV60 available to emergency services, or if it has any intentions at all to enter that industry, but we’d be keen to see it come over the mountain to our rescue.
Thinking time: that vital period when a CEO or senior manager is free to reflect, to contemplate the future, and hopefully come up with strategies that drive a company forward. Too many leaders fill their weekly schedule with endless meetings, responding to questions, solving staff issues and struggling with management problems. Anything but thinking ahead.
For Michael Simcoe, senior vice president of global design at General Motors – a position that comes with a staff of circa-2000 – thinking time is achieved not in his legendary, Eero Saarinen-designed office, but the shower. And, of more interest to us, while working on his classic bikes and cars in the garage at home in Birmingham, a suburb north of Detroit. His Corvette E-Ray lives outside. Currently, Michael’s rebuilding the front and rear suspension of his Lancia Fulvia 1.6 HF. And thinking.
Simcoe’s innate fine taste, his sense of style, and the importance of proportion couldn’t be better illustrated than by the exquisite Lancia B20 GT that fills one side of the garage. Living with aesthetic elegance, beautiful cars, like the original Lotus Elite that’s being restored in the UK, or the Aston Martin DB4 that’s back home in Australia, can’t help but positively influence his thinking. How do I know this? Eighteen months ago in an email exchange, Simcoe outlined his new design studios, and asked: “How would you like to be part of the new building opening with full access to the studios?”
Turning down such an offer was never an option. As the opening was delayed, my adventure grew to include GM’s design studios in California, the UK, and the revamped China facility. Now my problem is condensing the story of four studios into Mister Editor Enright’s 2000-word limit.
Simcoe set out to change the (GM) world when he assumed design leadership eight years ago. Under CEO Mary Barra and Michael’s direct boss, President Mark Reuss, a persuasive Simcoe has new advanced design studios in Pasadena, Leamington Spa and Shanghai, as well as a production studio in South Korea.
But not even Simcoe could keep Holden’s design studio open. It closed in 2020 and the wounds remain. GM won’t put a figure on the recent global spend on design – conservatively, it stretches to around A$4bn. Simcoe’s promotion to a Senior Vice President in December 2022 means that within GM, Design has more power than at any time since Bill Mitchell retired in 1977.
The evidence of Michael’s influence is all too obvious as he shows me through GM’s wondrous new Warren design studio. No details, of course, but good taste radiates the full-scale EV (and a few ICE) models and proposals: sports cars, GTs, crossovers, both luxury and sports sedans, SUVs and truck proposals.
Why Simcoe directs, not draws
Does Simcoe still sketch cars to make a point with his younger designers?
To remember, Michael pauses before answering: “Not in the last two years. There’s a danger of being seen as ‘The voice of God’. What’s the point – so many people are better (at drawing) than I am. I can get myself out of trouble if I need to. My job is to stave off the politics…I know I’m not easy to work for. I’m pretty demanding.”
Now, after decades of planning that began in the early 2000s, GM’s glistening low-slung wing flanks the famed Design Dome to unite more than 700 designers under one roof. Fully operational, Design West measures a vast 33,445 square metres, almost twice the size of the MCG, to transform the way GM designs cars.
“It’s all one big barn, basically,” says Simcoe. “Essentially the building is open, there are no walls.”
When Eero Saarinen’s (the architect who chose Jorn Utzon’s design for the Sydney Opera House) technical centre was inaugurated in 1956, each of GM’s divisions had their own closely guarded studio. It was a time when the brands were in direct competition and secrecy was everything. No longer.
Design West houses all of GM’s “brand” studios: Cadillac, Buick, GMC and Chevrolet, in a vast, open area that’s laid out so the designers, plus the sculptors, strategy and brand people, and, crucially, the chief engineer are in one place. The ground floor is dedicated to exterior, interior, and clay modelling areas, including multiple flush-mounted modelling plates and 44 clay-milling sites for the full-scale models.
“It’s all about collaboration,” claims Simcoe. “Design has always been this place where the empire closes the doors. In recent years, we tried to open that up, but we didn’t have the space to bring in all the people we need. We can do that now.”
The mezzanine floor provides a viewing platform – no longer do designers need to climb ladders to get a plan view of their work – as well as offices and meeting areas. Under the mezzanine are the people who need to have a dark environment to the screen.
By their very nature, design studios are confidential, but here there’s an abundance of natural light, with floor to ceiling glass, and overhead strip lighting that can be varying in intensity so the designers can see their models in changeable degrees of brightness. Acoustic material helps isolate sound so it’s also quiet. This is a great place to work.
Among the building’s many highlights is a presentation room with a 55 foot (16.7 metre), 77-million-pixel power wall that splits screens and is used for global design reviews.
There’s also a hidden door that opens to reveal an area large enough for a full-scale model, perfect for Reuss’s weekly visits. One corridor stretches 305 metres. From Simcoe’s office to the extremes of Design West is 1.6 kilometres, or a US statute mile. Michael needs a pushbike, not his Ducati 900 SS that greets guests when they step into his office.
Simcoe is rightly proud of GM’s commitment to design. He knows design is the great differentiator in the EV age when generic SUVs, especially those from China, are commonplace. Assume grille-less, rounded-off shapes, slim headlights, flush door handles and rear diffuser.
The steady flow of impressive concepts – Buick Wildcat and Riviera – and production cars like the Cadillac Lyriq, the 2025 Escalade and Chevy Blazer EV continue. The Rolls-Royce-challenging Cadillac Celestiq sedan (which started in Design) and Sollei convertible, and the Opulent Velocity, prove GM is serious in reestablishing Caddy in the ultra-luxury class. At the other extreme, the affordability of EVs is becoming ever more significant.
It’s also clear that, despite sharing the same underpinnings, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac are establishing their own individual and easily recognised design languages. All clean and refined, and without the overwrought surfaces, lines and shapes of too many of today’s cars.
We all know any design teams’ work can only be as good as management allows. Seems under Reuss, Simcoe and fellow Australian Andrew Smith, who runs the advanced design studios, anything is possible. You need proof? Published reports by unofficial Corvette websites insist Corvette is to do a Porsche and expand beyond sports cars to include sedans and SUVs.
I couldn’t possibly comment.
GM’s presence in Southern California dates to the 1980s. The previous design studio in Hollywood was leased but, when that expired in 2021, GM decided to buy a much larger building in Pasadena, just eight kilometres from two schools important to recruiting future talent: the ArtCentre College of Design and CalTech.
“There’s always been a fascination with the automotive culture and the design thinking that happens here in California,” says Brian Smith, design director at GM Advanced Design California. “It’s very different logic to the rest of the world, and very different to where GM is in Detroit.”
“We really believe in physical models,” Andrew Smith explained. “We can do really detailed digital visualisation, but we believe in making models.”
Brian Smith adds: “We’ve got four clay milling stations versus one, which enables us to quickly make models from data. We’ve got six modelling plates versus the three we had in North Hollywood; two build plates instead of one; and we’ve also got more digital screens: two 16-foot LED walls, and a 20-foot portable LED wall. With full concept build capability on site, we can go straight from sketch to clay to a running vehicle in six months.”
“This studio is really going to be responsible for pushing boundaries,” says Andrew Smith. “Our job is to support the GM mission of zero emissions, zero crashes, and zero congestion, and in California we’re in the right environment of early adopters who are ready to embrace EV and AV technology.”
What of right-hand drive? We know the Corvette and various Cadillacs EVs are RHD from the factory. Most of the conversion issues are solved by steer-by-wire, a system that replaces the mechanical link between steering wheel and front wheels. Already fitted to the Tesla Cybertruck and Lexus RZ450e, drive-by-wire makes the change from left- to right-hand drive easy. However, Australian design rules state that cars must retain a physical connection between the steering wheel and front wheels to act as a redundant control in case of an electrical failure.
Designed and built in Warren, MI.
Yes, the Cadillac Celestiq really is the first car built on the Warren engineering and design campus since it opened in 1956.
GM invested over A$120,000 to create a small, purpose-built production line for the flagship sedan. The reason for this move?
An incredibly close bond between design and engineering was needed to bring this extraordinary and extravagant concept to life. As Celestiq design director Erin Crossley notes: “The level of detail that you can only get doing things by hand is incredible.”
One unintended consequence of GM selling Opel to PSA (now Stellantis) in 2017 was the loss of its European design centre in Germany. Time for a Simcoe think. Especially as GM’s gradual withdrawal from significant markets like Europe, India, Australia, South Africa and Russia, reduced the once globally dominant manufacturer (it’s now number five) to a regional car maker concentrating on the Americas and China.
Simcoe realised: “We needed alternative [design] options, fresh eyes, we needed the Europeans.”
Learning that Julian Thomson had resigned as head of Jaguar design, GM contacted the talented Brit and once his garden leave expired in December 2022, Thomson joined GM. With the help of designers poached from JLR and Aston Martin, he began work (from home) on two projects. The first: an alternative Corvette C9; the second: a secret project for GMC.
“We didn’t design a Ferrari or a Porsche and put a Corvette badge on it,” says Thomson. “We wanted to present a different point of view that didn’t duplicate the American work, but to be a positive influence.
In March 2023, the Corvette and GMC concepts were digitally presented to Simcoe and Mark Reuss. The British Corvette made such an impact that Julian, appointed design director, was immediately asked to establish Advanced Design UK, General Motors.
“We knew we had the right people,” Simcoe claims. “We knew we could build a studio around Julian Thomson – not to be better than the others, it just made good sense.”
Says Simcoe of the UK’s intriguing Corvette proposal: “It’s influenced what we’ve got, the proportions, but we don’t want Corvette to look like a European car, it’s very important that it remains American.”
Equipped with a large cheque book, plans for a technically advanced studio that drew on Design West, and an almost empty team sheet, Thomson started creating the studio in Leamington Spa, close to Coventry – the traditional home of the British motor industry. GM’s new studio, now home to 35 people, opened in October 2023.
It’s almost a mini version of Design West with its open plan, mezzanine viewing/office floor, two 20-metre-long modelling plates and six milling machines.
“We want to be complementary to the Mothership,” says Thomson. “We want to have projects with all the brands and design a diversity of models: SUVs, sedans, coupes, a hypercar.”
GM first opened a design studio in China, in partnership with SAIC, in 1998. Set up in Shanghai by former Holden design boss Phil Zmood, it’s now been replaced by a much-revamped studio. There is much to do. GM’s China sales slid by 29 percent in the second quarter of 2024, and its market share has dropped from a high of 15 percent to 8.6 percent last year.
GM (and all other car makers) face a near impossible task. How to compete with government-supported brands who put market share ahead of profitability? In China, the term 996 doesn’t refer to a Porsche model, but hours worked – 9.00am to 9.00pm, six days a week.
Cars – commodities like white goods in China – don’t need the same level of chassis sophistication. Nobody talks about the Nürburgring. What’s far more important is speed-to-market.
Stuart Norris, the Brit who runs GM’s Shanghai Advanced studio, says many of China’s circa-130 car makers have “development cycles of between 15 months [a new top hat] and two years [a new car].” That’s half the time demanded by rivals from elsewhere. Shorter development means the Chinese brands can more quickly incorporate the latest technology and changing consumer behaviour.
The recently renovated Shanghai studio incorporates new technology and has seen a doubling of the design team since 2021. The studio includes digital and clay modelling, a paint shop and, unlike the UK studio, has a CMF (colour, material, and finish) department. But the concept cars are built by local suppliers – just eight weeks from digital data to a full-sized model – and there is no mezzanine viewing floor.
Global studio tour over, I’m convinced that when, in 50 years, they write the history of GM design, the Simcoe era will rank with those of Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell as the most important in the corporation’s history. Michael’s thinking time has changed his (and GM’s) world.
When Toyota Australia recently discontinued the V8 in the 70-Series LandCruiser, it inadvertently endowed the Ford S650 Mustang with a dubious honour. It is now the only new vehicle you can buy in Australia that has eight cylinders, sends drive to the rear wheels and requires drivers to select their own gears. Sad, isn’t it?
Familiar Ecoboost and GT variants continue, but there’s a new hero at the summit of Ford’s seventh-generation muscle-car range, wearing a $100,000 price tag and the first new performance Mustang nameplate in two decades – the Dark Horse. Let’s face it, Under Dog doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
Paying six figures for a ’Stang isn’t without precedent for Aussie buyers, but whereas in the previous generation that bought you 522kW/827Nm of supercharged R-Spec, the Dark Horse only offers 350kW – a measly 5kW more than the standard GT – and a spec list that looks remarkably similar to the previous Mach 1. Is this a case of marketing selling a gelding as a stallion?
In a sense, it’s irrelevant. Every one of the 1000 Dark Horses coming to Australia has a customer’s name next to it, with plenty on the waiting list ready to capitalise should any drop out. History tells us that over the S650’s lifespan there will be other limited-edition specials – at the launch, Ford Australia rolled out an example of the Bullitt, R-Spec and Mach 1 that all appeared throughout the S550’s tenure – but if you specifically want a Dark Horse and don’t already have an order? Tough luck.
Nevertheless, there is hopefully some justification for the $22,000-plus premium over a standard Mustang GT, not that the spec sheet provides many clues. The naturally-aspirated V8 scores connecting rods from the Shelby GT500, added cooling and a unique calibration, but power only increases fractionally to 350kW at 7250rpm and torque remains static at 550Nm at 4850rpm.
MagneRide adaptive dampers are included as standard with a unique tune, there are different springs and the wheels are a half-inch wider at both ends (19 x 9.5-inch front; 19 x 10.0-inch rear), albeit with the standard tyres (255/40 and 275/40 Pirelli P Zeros front and rear respectively) stretched over them. A Torsen limited-slip differential is installed in the rear and there are rear subframe-mount bushings from the GT500 as well. But it’s the gearbox that’s the headline act here.
The GT retains the extremely long-legged Getrag MT82-D4 and a 3.55:1 diff ratio which results in the following speeds at 7250rpm in each gear: 83km/h (1st); 128km/h (2nd); 190km/h (3rd); 270km/h (4th); 332km/h (5th); 435km/h (6th). Obviously, the last couple of numbers are purely hypothetical, but on your typical 100km/h country road you’re out of speed limit at 5650rpm in second and 3800rpm in third.
Combine the Dark Horse’s 3.73:1 diff (manual only, the auto remains 3.55:1) with the Tremec TR-3160 from the Shelby GT350 and the resultant speeds-in-gear are: 79km/h (1st); 115km/h (2nd); 160km/h (3rd); 207km/h (4th); 257km/h (5th); 408km/h (6th). Suddenly, pretty much all of second and most of third is available without falling afoul of the law, and the intermediate ratios are much more closely stacked together – fifth in the Dark Horse being shorter than fourth in the GT.
Sadly, there’s no road drive of the Dark Horse at the S650 launch, just a few laps of The Bend Motorsport Park to make our assessment, but according to Laurie Transou, the Mustang’s chief engineer, that’s exactly as it should be: “It was inspired by the track, it’s intended for the track, it’s tied to our Dark Horse R which is track-only. This is a street version of those track products [and] very focused on performance.”
A number of laps in a GT provide both a warm-up and a benchmark. It’s improved, not least because added cooling means it can do more than a lap without drastically cutting power, but from the moment you push the clutch in and select first gear, the Dark Horse feels different.
The Tremec requires more muscle and the throws are much tighter. Power might be more or less identical, but leaving pitlane the torque multiplication of the shorter gearing makes the Dark Horse feel far more urgent, the engine greedily chasing the redline. Sounds good, too. Selecting Track Mode firms up the adaptive dampers, backs off the stability control, sharpens up the throttle and helpfully alters the digital instrument cluster. The rev counter is now graduated, each 500rpm increment becoming wider so that you can time your shifts near redline with expert precision. Or at least you can if you’re not greedy and don’t run into the soft limiter.
At turn one, the first movement of the steering wheel provides further evidence of the changes, the Dark Horse diving towards the apex with a keenness the GT could only dream of. With the same tyres and similar steering (same ratio, different calibration), this increased response must be a result of the suspension alterations and they make the flagship far more accurate and easier to place.
The changes mean attacking The Bend’s West Circuit in the Dark Horse is a very different experience to a GT. Second-gear corners are now taken in third, peak speeds between turns are higher and you can up the commitment level, secure in the knowledge the car will support you. The most obvious difference is down the main straight – where the GT is labouring along in fourth gear, the Dark Horse is charging in fifth.
Braking remains a Mustang strong suit, the huge 390mm front discs with six-piston calipers, supported by 355mm rears with four-piston calipers, proving more than equal to the task of hauling up 1822kg, lap after lap after lap. This is particularly impressive as the rev-match function allows the brake pedal to be slammed at the last possible moment without having to worry about heel-toe downshifting – it always feels like cheating, but the system is so effective it seems silly not to use it.
According to the stopwatch, there’s 1.3sec difference between GT and Dark Horse around the 90-odd-secondWest Circuit, but the difference in enjoyment is greater.
The GT is honestly very good, but the Dark Horse obeys driver commands more effectively. There’s a suspicion, though yet to be verified, that the on-road experience might be even better again.
If you’re not a track aficionado, there is still plenty to get excited about with the Dark Horse, chief among which is the way it looks. While dimensionally identical to the GT, the larger bi-plane rear spoiler, unique front end and different wheel design give it plenty of presence, especially in the Dark Horse-specific Ember Blue, which changes from blue to purple to black, depending on the prevailing light.
An optional appearance pack adds a black roof, blue brake calipers, a unique hood graphic and blue accents for the seats. Snug Recaros are again optional, but selecting them deletes the heating and cooling functions so they’re of questionable value.
The equipment list largely mirrors that of the GT but that’s primarily because Aussie Mustangs come loaded to the hilt so there’s dual-zone climate, keyless entry and go, a 12-speaker B&O stereo, wireless smartphone mirroring and charging, a heated steering wheel, ambient and Mustang-logo puddle lighting, adaptive cruise control and a full suite of active safety features. About the only omission is a head-up display.
It’s a nicer interior than before, with better-quality materials, panoramic twin digital displays that could be lifted from a BMW, and a steering wheel that’s thicker and feels more premium. It’s still irritating that the handbrake and starter button remain located for left-hand drive, and you can add the lack of physical HVAC controls to that list, but the higher price tag does at least have a cabin to match.
There’s also plenty of ‘easter eggs’ for the trainspotters to get excited about. The badge is the first time a Mustang has had a forward-facing horse on it, there are silhouettes of all seven generations of Mustang at the base of the rear screen, and the digital instruments not only have different layouts for the individual drive modes but can be made to imitate the cluster of the original ’60s Mustang, ’80s Fox Body or 1999-2001 SVT Cobra. It might sound like a gimmick but it’s actually a great feature; hopefully more are added in the future as the S650 has over-the-air update capability.
‘More than the sum of its parts’ comes to mind when describing the new S650 range-topper. A glance at the spec sheet suggests that it’s at best a Mach 1 with a different name and at worst, a slightly tweaked GT with a huge price premium. But there’s a level of athleticism that’s never been present in an Aussie-delivered Mustang before. It turns out the Dark Horse is a bit of a, erm, dark horse.
Why don’t we get the ultimate hoofer?
The new dark horse is very good, but local versions aren’t as good as they could be. Blame Australian Design Rules.
In its homeland, the Dark Horse is available with an optional Handling Package that turns it into a proper corner carver.
It isn’t cheap at US$5495, but the footprint is massively expanded with inch-wider wheels at both ends – 19 x 10.5-inch front and 19 x 11-inch rear – wearing massive Pirelli P Zero semi-slicks 305/30R19 front and 315/30R19 rear. It’s like giving Black Caviar 20-percent bigger hooves.
In addition, there are bigger spoilers front and rear, stiffer springs, adjustable strut top mounts and further revisions to the chassis calibration. It’s difficult to imagine the tyres alone not being worth two seconds a lap around The Bend.
Sadly, that massive rolling stock is the issue, the US allowing tyre poke deemed unacceptable in Australia. Happily for local Dark Horse owners, Herrod Performance plans to offer the Handling Package parts, albeit with its own – still wider – wheel design to make sure they tuck under the guards.
