KIA EV9 GT-LINE AWD

Sounds too good to be true, but it is. EV9 is Kia’s latest and greatest wunderkind, an EV that seats seven and can travel more than 500km on a single charge. In the early days of the modern electric era, it was suggested that families would have two cars: a compact battery-electric vehicle for city use and larger, hybrid SUV for inter-urban travel. A decade later they’ve had a rethink and EVs of different shapes and sizes are becoming an increasingly common sight on our motorways, but we’ve still got… Read more

GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO THE TRANSITION TO EVs

The Federal Parliament’s Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water has commenced an inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles. It’s taken far too long for Australian governments, both State and Commonwealth, to acknowledge the impact of EVs so the inquiry will be a welcome breakthrough and will hopefully address the numerous issues that new and future buyers are constantly raising. Chair of the Committee, Tony Zappia MP, said ‘Australian motorists are increasingly choosing EVs when purchasing a new car. The percentage of EVs sold is growing every… Read more

PEUGEOT e-2008 REVIEW

Launched here in September 2023, the e-2008 is Peugeot’s first fully electric passenger. A compact SUV, it joins the e-Partner compact electric van as well as the Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) versions of the 3008 SUV and 508 sedan. Future electrified models will follow in 2024 with the launch of E-208 hatchback, E-3008 mid-sized SUV, e-Expert medium van and 408 PHEV. The petrol-powered Peugeot 2008 has been on sale here since 2020. It comes in two variants, Allure and GT each with a PureTech 130 engine that generates 96 kilowatts of… Read more

MG4 EV SPARKS LINKS WITH ICONS OF THE PAST

While MG (Morris Garages), the iconic post-war British sports car maker, may have been mopped up by SAIC, China’s largest automobile manufacturer, it has not completely severed ties with the Old Country. The latest MG offering to come from SAIC, formerly the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, the MG4 all-electric hatchback, was designed at the company’s London studio in Marylebone. Furthermore, the vehicle sparks technological innovation traditionally found in sports cars from the early days. These include multi-mode driving and braking, as well as MG Pilot Driver Safety Technology and vehicle-to-load… Read more

SUBARU’S SOLTERRA EV AVAILABLE TO ORDER

Orders are being taken for Subaru’s first all-electric vehicle the Solterra. But it ain’t cheap, priced from $77,990 plus on-roads, with two grades to pick from. With two electric motors, one for each axle, Solterra delivers 160kW of power and 337Nm of torque, and has a range of 414km (WLTP). The 71.4kW battery can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes with a 150kW DC charger, while a single phase 7kW home charger takes seven or eight hours. Solterra is another vehicle that… Read more

IONIQ 6 UPGRADE ADDS VALUE AND EFFICIENCY

Hyundai Australia is now accepting orders for the upgraded version of its Ioniq 6 fully- electric sports sedan, with delivery planned for the first quarter of next year. The current Ioniq 6 arrived here earlier this year to join its sibling, the Ioniq 5 crossover SUV, in Hyundai’s electric vehicle sub-brand range. As before the 2024 Ioniq 6 comes with a choice of three variants but with a new entry-level model, just called Ioniq 6, replacing the previous mid-spec Techniq and joining the continuing Dynamiq and Epiq models. The addition… Read more

NEW KIA EV9 IS BIG, BOLD AND BATTERY-POWERED

  Kia’s commitment to electric vehicles has taken a major step forward with the arrival of its new fully-electric flagship EV9, a large and luxurious three-row SUV. The biggest and most expensive Kia model to date, the EV9 range will comprise three variants: Air, Earth and GT-Line with the Air and GT-Line on sale now and the Earth trim to follow early in the new year. Will the EV9 cost you the earth? Maybe not, but when it gets here the mid-range Earth will cost you $106,500, sitting between the… Read more

SPECIAL PRE-SALE DEAL ON NEW IONIQ 5 N

Hyundai Australia has set the scene for the upcoming release of its first-ever high- performance electric vehicle, the IONIQ 5 N with a number of pre-sale enticements. The online pre-sale on the Hyundai Australia website (hyundai.com.au) will open on September 15 for 12 hours, starting at midday and running through until midnight AEST. IONIQ 5 N will only be available to pre-order on this date, which coincides with N Birthday – the day the N brand was unveiled for the first time, at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Customers will… Read more

EV SALES EXPECTED TO DOUBLE THIS YEAR, REPORT FINDS

More than one in five cars sold in the ACT are now electric vehicles. That’s more  than double the figure for the other states and territories, led by NSW and Tasmania  where they account for nine per cent of the market. Australia-wide EVs account for  8.4 per cent of new vehicle sales, with a total of 46,624 sales for the first six months  of this year.   These are the findings of  the annual State of Electric Vehicles report by the Electric  Vehicle Council (EVC) which predicts sales of EVs… Read more

NEW AVENGER IS JEEP’S FIRST FULLY ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Jeep Australia has confirmed its all-new Avenger compact SUV will be coming to Australia in 2024 as the brand’s first-ever battery electric vehicle (BEV). The Avenger BEV is a key component in Jeep’s global electrification strategy with the goal of becoming the world leader in fully-electric zero exhaust emission SUVs. Built at the Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland, the Avenger has been designed as a Jeep vehicle from day one. Since it was unveiled in October 2022, the Jeep Avenger has taken out a number of awards including the European… Read more