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

Q4 BECOMES AUDI’S THIRD EV

Audi’s third and most affordable EV will be the Q4 e-tron in Australia. Q4 will join the Audi Q8 e-tron (formerly named the Audi e-tron) and gorgeous e-tron GT. It will be available as both SUV and Sportback form and is set to join the lineup by the middle of next year. The pair will be a key to the brand’s electrification strategy as they are parachuted into the rapidly growing compact SUV segment. First unveiled at the beginning of 2019 in Europe, the two EVs bring into series production… Read more

THERE’S AN AURA AROUND GWM ORA

Every now and then we get into a car that seems to grab attention wherever it goes. So it has been with the Great Wall Motors (GWM) Ora. Perhaps it was the combination of cute styling, a standout powder blue finish and then ew Ora badge that looks much like an exclamation mark. It drew comparisons with the New Beetle and old Nissan Micra and had us fielding questions throughout the week. Ora is GWM’s first EV and joins the growing list of affordable fully-electric compact vehicles to come out… Read more

PEUGEOT AMPS UP WOW POWER

Wow. Peugeot has transformed the mid-sized 3008 into an electric coupe and it’s ready to knock your sock off. The E-3008 stands out with fastback SUV styling, with a dynamic shape that is as aerodynamic as it is stunning. It is the first model to use the new Stellantis STLA Medium platform. The innovative platform has been designed to offer best-in-class performance, targeting customer demands such as range (up to 700km) and recharge time (down to 30 minutes). It’s also designed to provide performance, driving pleasure, efficiency and connected services,… Read more

MG HS +EV REVIEW

The MG HS +EV is a mid-sized SUV from the Chinese manufacturer that is making such an impact on the Australian market. The name can be a little misleading because it’s not fully-electric but rather a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and so comes with a petrol engine together with a battery that can be charged in the same manner as an EV. Plug-in hybrids are an excellent concept but in practice, at least at this stage of their development, they don’t make a lot of sense. Firstly, they are typically at… Read more

VW SHOWCASES ELECTRIC GOLF GTI

If you’re Volkswagen, the one thing you don’t want to get wrong is the iconic Golf GTI. They got it wrong with the launch of the Golf V back in 2003 and quickly went to a facing- saving update. Fast forward and the Wolfsburg-based carmaker has just taken the wraps off an electric version of the GTI which it has confirmed it will go into production. Fingers crossed. The world premiere of the electric concept took centre stage at this year’s IAA Mobility in Munich, exactly 48 years after the… Read more

BMW TO EXPAND ITS EV RANGE

  BMW Australia has announced details of three new EV variants due to arrive here  either late this year or early in 2024.   The three additions are i4 eDrive35, iX3 M Sport and iX1 eDrive20. All three will be  priced below $89,332, exempting them from both Luxury Car Tax (LCT) for fuel  efficient vehicles and Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) for fleet operators.   The BMW i4 eDrive35 and iX3 M Sport will arrive at the end of 2023 followed by the  iX1 eDrive20 in the first quarter of 2024… Read more

KIT TURNS MINI INTO POWERHOUSE EV

Conversion of classic cars to run on electric power has sparked plenty of debate in the past few years. The best solutions bolt in, with no chassis modifications required and so can so be removed at any time returning the var to its original condition. A UK-based outfit is offering just such a kit for the Classic Mini Minor and Mini Australia has hooked up with their local arm Felten Australia to show how it’s done. The first classic Mini to undergo this transformation in Australia is an eye-catching red… Read more