Tag: hybrid

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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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BYD SHARK IS COMING FOR YOU

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It’s BYD’s Shark and it’s coming for you. At least it is if you’re in the market for a ute because the Shark, or Shark 6 to be exact, has been a runaway success for the Chinese company. BYD has sold more than 10,000 examples of the dual cab utility since launch 12 months ago and just to set the record straight, it’s not an electric vehicle — but rather a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). That makes the Shark rather special but not quite unique with competitors such as the Ford… Read more

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FRONX … A UNIQUE NAME FOR AN APPEALING LITTLE CAR

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    Not sure what to make of the Suzuki Fronx. It shares a platform with the Suzuki Swift, so it could be described as the crossover version of Swift. The Fronx name is a portmanteau of “Frontier Next”, which was trademarked by Suzuki way back in 2014. They are a bit slow off the mark but apparently the idea was to create an SUV that is widely accepted by the market with existing resources, which could explain some things. Suzuki describes Fronx as the most comprehensively equipped Suzuki model… Read more

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HISTORIC INSIGHT INTO HYBRID HONDA

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It’s not surprising that one of the world’s largest engine builders, in 1999, was among the first to bring electric power to the production automobile. What is surprising is that the company, Honda, persisted with its poor selling petrol/electric powered Insight, whereas rival, Toyota’s hybrid Prius went on to capture the world’s imagination and massive sales. The Insight limped on to a third generation in 2018. Based on the tenth-generation Civic sedan the new Insight used Honda’s third generation two-motor hybrid powertrain, featuring a 1.5-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine, combined… Read more

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LEXUS UX 300H REVIEW

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The Lexus UX range of compact SUVs has been on sale in Australia since 2019, originally as the UX 250 with the choice of petrol or hybrid powertrains. A fully electric variant was added in 2021 with the current UX 300 replacing the UX 250 and dropping the petrol option. The UX 300e was discontinued earlier this year. We’re told the name stands for Urban Explorer which, sort of, identifies its target audience. A compact SUV, the UX 300 sist on the same platform as the Toyota Corolla hatch, Corolla… Read more

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REAR VIEW IN FORESTER FOCUS

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The new Forester: Ah, that takes me back. While Subaru’s most popular model has taken up with the hybrid age, changes are mostly cosmetic, including cabin layouts that have not changed much over the past four years, no impediment to the many Forester fans of which there are many. Needless to say, there is an impressive list of standard equipment in the Forester, right down to the bargain basement. Things such as Subaru Intelligent Drive (Intelligent and Sport modes), X-Mode with hill descent, front cornering lamps and steering responsive headlights,… Read more

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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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LUXURY UP; AND DOWN THE LEXUS LBX LINE

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The boss said, ‘give me the best car in the world’. It was 1983 when Toyota president, Eiji Toyoda, challenged a crack team of 4000 highly talented staff to do his command. That’s how Lexus, a brand worth $US10.2 billion today, was born, with a luxury sedan, the LS400, generally accepted as a segment superstar, shading the best that Europe could make, including the best from Benz. It was a big day when the car came Down Under in the early ’90s. I was there. Since then, Lexus has pretty… 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