Tag: HEV

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SUPER HYBRID CHERY ON TOP

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The Chinese continue to carve off a sizable slice of the automobile cake worldwide, and with Chery on top, it’s hard to see this changing anytime soon. Last month the company claimed 3305-unit sales, putting it in the top ten Down Under. Now the fastest growing brand in Australia, Chery has done this on the back of the success of the Tiggo 4 and 7 SUVs, recently joined by the Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, capable of travelling up to 1200 kilometres on one tank of fuel and a single charge…. Read more

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TOYOTA YARIS HYBRID … CHEAP LOW EMISSIONS TRAVEL

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Toyota’s small but practical Yaris is often overlooked in the rush to buy larger more powerful models. But for environmentally conscious buyers the hybrid-powered pocket rocket offers a very real alternative to fully electric vehicles. The three cylinder hybrid powertrain offers super low fuel consumption and with it incredibly low engine emissions. In many ways, you could say it is the perfect city car. STYLING Yaris has come a long way since the debacle over its name when introduced as the Toyota Echo back in 1999. It is now one… Read more

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LATE-COMER SPORTAGE HEV CATCHES UP WITH CURRENT TREND

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There is no question that the Sportage Hybrid came late (almost three years to be precise) to the table of electric power for Kia’s popular mid-size SUV. A shortage of cars only compounded the matter. Now, says Kia, things are on the move, with the petrol/hybrid expected to sell 300 a month, 20 per cent of total sales Down Under, and another step in the company’s progress of increasing electrified options to the Australian market. The Sportage HEV is available in two trims – SX front-wheel drive automatic and GT-Line… Read more

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PEUGEOT 3008 GT – PRICE IS THE HURDLE

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Peugeot’s latest 3008 mid-sized SUV is not just stylish, it’s a veritable work of automotive art. Finished in gleaming Obsession Blue (looks green guys) the styling is just a preamble to what you will find inside. The long, curved free-standing infotainment screen reminds us of a computer monitor, but that’s okay because in reality that is of course what it is. A centre console, shaped like a hockey stick, angles away from the driver, topped by a string of quick access buttons that remain just within reach. The surface of… Read more

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CIVIC SERVICE INTO THE FUTURE

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With a heritage of more than half a century there is lots that can be said about the Honda Civic. No navel gazing here, though. Far from dreamy reminiscences about its-once popular product, the maker says the company is looking strictly to the future with the updated model as a bridge to total electrification of its vehicles. The entry-level petrol engine has been given the shove, with the new Civic e:HEV L hybrid filling the position, while the e:HEV LX variant is still available. Performance buyers have not been left… Read more

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CAMRY ASCENT A LONG TREK TO HYBRID HEIGHTS

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In Australia it was the halcyon days of the big ‘six’ family sedans from Ford and Holden when Toyota muscled in with Camry, a four-cylinder mid-size sedan, blowing the Falcon and Commodore off course. Fast forward to the late 1990s when the Japanese automobile giant pinned the future of the electrification of its vehicles on hybrid petrol/electric power with the Prius. Now a lost legend, the so-popular Prius was to become the staple of taxicab fleets around the world. Since, Toyota has stayed on script by backing hybrids across the… Read more

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MG3 ESSENCE

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The MG3 is a light hatch and the smallest model offered by the company. It’s a car built very much to a price, targeted at first time drivers and those who haven’t got much to spend. Although the latest model scores the same disappointing three stars for safety as its predecessor, ANCAP which tests the cars reveals it narrowly missed out on a four-star result and its comments are encouraging. With a little work perhaps, the company may be able to turn the result around (although the whole safety thing… Read more

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QASHQAI E-POWER TAKES THE HIGH ROAD

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Back in the ‘noughties’ the Pulsar hatchback was not pulling its weight in Europe, so the maker Nissan decided to beef it up and give it a new name: in this case the Qashqai, and a new identity, the compact SUV. Down Under it became the Dualis, before following in Euro-fashion with the Qashqai moniker. Now it has gone hybrid … but, Jim, not as we know it. While the popular petrol/electric hybrid these days uses both power sources to drive the vehicle, Nissan’s e-Power system leaves the internal combustion… Read more

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MIGRATORY SWIFT LANDS ‘HYBRID LITE’

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Among a plethora of petrol/electric powertrains – pure electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid – allied to automobiles, Suzuki has taken a different flight path with ‘hybrid lite’, an integrated starter generator for its fifth generation Swift. Unlike in some other EVs, where the electric motor can drive the wheels independently, the ISG in the top-selling compact swings into action to give the internal combustion engine extra shove when the accelerator is pressed. Taking power from a lithium-ion battery recharged when the brakes are applied, the ISG also kicks in under… Read more

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WINNING WAYS WITH SORENTO ENHANCEMENT

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Some sports utility vehicles are just big, others are bold. The 2024 Sorento PE, for Product Enhancement, taking a lead from the EV9 World Car of the Year, veers to the latter, cementing its place in Kia’s modern pantheon. The MY24 stays true to the outgoing model relying on the existing range of four powertrains. The 3.5-litre petrol front-wheel drive and 2.2-litre diesel all-wheel drive variants are available across four trim levels – S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line – with the last, home for the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. The… Read more