Tag: EV

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IONIQ 9 CALLIGRAPHY A CRUISE-LINER ON DRY LAND

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Hyundai Heavy Industries is the largest shipbuilding company in the world, pumping out bulk carriers, street-length oil and gas tankers and Lego-like Leviathan container ships, so it’s not out of the question that its skills should translate to producing road-going vehicles of prodigious dimensions. Take, for example, the Korean company’s flagship Ioniq 9, a three-row all electric sports utility vehicle that delivers prestigious lounge-like space and comfort, plus a range of up to 600 kilometres on a single battery charge. At the pinnacle of EV technology, the Ioniq 9 is… Read more

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BYD SEALION 6 ESSENTIAL PHEV … IMPRESSIVE

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BYD’s Sealion 6 is one of the new breed of super hybrids. So called because they are plug-in hybrids with larger batteries that deliver greater electric only range. These PHEVs are starting to gain traction in the market, with a 136 per cent increase in sales in recent months. Fully charged, with a range that exceeds 100km in some cases, they can be used in electric-only mode for the weekday commute. For longer trips, their combined petrol and electric range exceeds 1000km, removing any lingering fear of being stranded with… Read more

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LEAPMOTOR LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH ITS C10 ELECTRIC SUV

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Ding-dong hell! What is the automotive world coming to, with in-car audible alerts and warnings all the go in EVs, especially, adding to the cabin cacophony, all that’s missing is Road Runner – beep-beep! Seriously, the family and I have just spent a week with the Leapmotor C10 SUV butting in to our conversations to tell us all was far from well with our driver, vehicle, road conditions, or the state of the Aussie dollar. No luck with the latest Lotto numbers, but. I digress. The C10 is an electric… Read more

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NISSAN ARIYA -THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

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Already long in the tooth Nissan’s second fully electric vehicle Ariya takes up where the LEAF left off in Australia. And might we just say thank goodness for that, because LEAF was never one of our favourite automobiles. The Ariya could be though. The production version of Ariya was unveiled in 2019, but its launch was delayed because of the global chip shortage caused by COVID. This delay has allowed competitors to get the drop on the car and it will be tough playing catch up, but Nissan is no… Read more

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CHERY PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ITS NEW OMODA BRAND

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It’s getting quite difficult to keep track of the constantly evolving brands and sub- brands within the giant Chinese Chery group. The most recent development is the establishment of what is effectively a new sister brand to Chery called Omoda Jaecoo, a premium brand that operates independently of their shared parent company. We recently reported on the two Jaecoo models (J7 and J8) that are currently on sale in Australia. This time we’re reviewing the first of the dedicated Omoda vehicles the Omoda 9 that went on sale here in… Read more

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EYE ON THE FUTURE – INSTER IS HARD TO IGNORE

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Ever been eyeballed by a car? Recently, while picking up a Hyundai test vehicle, I had the strange feeling the eyes (aka round headlamps with a ring of LED daytime running lights) of the Inster all-electric light SUV were following me. On top of this, positioned below was a wide grille with the superior look of a knowing smile? Creepy? The maker sees things differently, explaining the ethos of the Inster by saying the set-up makes for ‘a futuristic yet playful first impression.’ All flippancy aside, Hyundai’s smallest and most… Read more

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VOLVO LOOKS FORWARD TO A FULLY EV FUTURE WITH THE EX90 SUV

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Volvo has been given a hand-up to total automotive electrification in a big way by its bosses at Geely, the Chinese automotive group that is the parent company of the Swedish luxury marque. Both companies are involved in electric vehicle development, including the flagship large luxury Volvo EX90, which shares some of its technology and the Polestar 3 platform. Geely also produces its own vehicles, such as the Geely Starray Em-1, and sells a range of accessories for the EX90 through its Geelyevs website. However, is the swish seven-seater too… Read more

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BYD SEALION 7 PREMIUM

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Back in 2022, BYD was one of the first Chinese vehicles to enter the Australian EV market. It started as a one-car brand imported by the private company EV Direct with the Atto 3 compact SUV. Although popular with early EV adopters it didn’t make much of an impact on overall sales. Atto 3 was followed in 2023 by the Dolphin EV hatch and Seal EV sedan. The first BYD plug-in hybrid, the Sealion 6, arrived in 2024. A mid-sized SUV, it attracted strong sales and quickly became the top-selling… Read more

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NISSAN QASHQAI TI E-POWER .. A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE HYBRID

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Qashqai is the not so small member of the Nissan lineup, sitting between the Juke and X-Trail, and sharing a platform with X-Trail. Originally known as the Dualis in Japan and Australia when it was launched way back when, it was called Qashqai in every other country where it was sold. The second generation, launched in 2013, was not sold in Japan and lo and behold was badged as the Qashqai everywhere this time, except that is for the United States where it was known as the Rogue Sport. Confusing?… Read more

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MG S5 EV SETS A NEW BENCHMARK FOR ELECTRIC SUVs

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New vehicles from Chinese manufacturer MG are coming thick and fast. On the new and upcoming schedule are the QS seven-seat SUV, ES5 small electric SUV, MG7 large sedan, HS plug-in hybrid and the first offerings from the IM luxury sub-brand. The QS has just arrived and we’ll be reviewing it shortly but this time we’re looking another small-medium fully-electric SUV, the MG S5. While the name is new the S5 is effectively the replacement for the electric variant in the market dominating ZS range but, unlike the ZS EV… Read more