Chinese brand Great Wall Motors (GWM) is preparing to go hunting for the Toyota HiLux GR Sport and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior with a new version of its GWM Ute.
The 2023 GWM Ute is set to gain an off-road-oriented flagship variant to rival top-of-the-range Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok, government documents reveal.
The company has certified a new version of the dual-cab GWM Ute for sale – provisionally dubbed ‘Off-Road’ – with upgraded suspension, off-road bumpers and side steps, and taller all-terrain tyres.
GWM Haval Australia has been contacted for comment on launch timing for the new model, however the company typically introduces vehicles three to six months after they are certified for sale, if history is a guide.
Already on sale in China, the flagship GWM Ute gains off-road side steps, a snorkel, new front and rear bumpers with tow hooks, black wheel-arch flares, a black metal sports bar, and black 18-inch wheels with larger 265/65 R18 all-terrain tyres (vs 265/60 R18 on standard versions).
Ground clearance is listed as 34mm higher (now 228mm), while there is upgraded suspension with increased wheel travel, and 28mm-wider front and rear wheel tracks.
Specifications in China list approach and departure angles of 30 and 26 degrees respectively without a towbar, a 700mm wading depth, and 40 per cent maximum climb grade.
Features in China are listed as front and rear differential locks, multiple off-road driving modes, a front-mounted winch, and a ‘tank turn’ function that brakes the inner rear wheel to reduce the turning circle on loose surfaces.
There is also additional underbody protection, Cooper or BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres, nitrogen-filled shock absorbers, red-painted brake calipers and coil springs, steel front and rear bumpers, and roof racks.
Chinese models also gain a unique black and red interior, but it is unclear if this will be available in Australia.
There are no changes to the engine, which remains a 120kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, with an eight-speed automatic transmission and part-time four-wheel drive. Four-wheel disc brakes remain.
New South Wales is among the first Australian jurisdictions to impose fines on drivers of petrol and diesel cars who block electric vehicles from charging.
The New South Wales Government has discreetly introduced a new law which could see drivers of petrol and diesel vehicles fined up to $2200 for parking in an electric-car charging bay.
Nicknamed ‘ICEing’ – referring to the internal-combustion engine (ICE) powering petrol and diesel vehicles – the practice leaves electric-car drivers unable to charge at dedicated locations, potentially forcing owners on flat batteries to wait for long periods until the charging bay is no longer blocked.
Electric-car publication The Driven reports petrol and diesel car drivers can be fined up to $2200 for stopping in a parking area which has been allocated for charging electric vehicles – indicated by the signs below.
The most recent amendment to the NSW road rules – made in November 2022 – states a driver must not stop in a parking area which is designated for the charging of an electric car unless they are driving an electric vehicle which they intend to charge.
The maximum penalty for breaking the new law is 20 ‘penalty units’, which are worth $110 each in NSW.
While it does not accrue demerit points, the monetary fine for parking in an electric-car charging space is the same as being caught driving at up to 45km/h above the posted speed limit in NSW.
According to the NRMA, Victoria and Queensland are believed to be the only other Australian jurisdictions which fine non-electric-car drivers for parking in a charging bay.
Since December 2022, blocking an electric-car charger in Victoria has carried a minimum penalty of $99. In Queensland, non-electric-car drivers have faced $55 fines for the practice since February 2022.
Volvo’s electric-car spin-off Polestar is finding early success in its pursuit of market leader Tesla, but it risks infringing on the turf of its sibling brand. Why not embrace its origins?
“If I ran the company…” The Drive team play ‘fantasy football’ with the automotive industry and take turns in the top seat of the big brands. What would we do if we ran the show? This time, Alex takes over Volvo-backed electric-car upstart Polestar.
Polestar – the electric-vehicle (EV) brand owned by Volvo and its Chinese parent company, Geely – is on something of a collision course with its sibling. To explain, let me recap.
Polestar began as a Volvo racing team in the late 1990s – under a different name – but by the mid-2010s, it had become Volvo’s official performance tuner churning out hot versions of Volvo road cars, before being acquired by its parent in 2015.
But come 2017 the script had flipped. Polestar was spun off to become its own brand building standalone ‘electrified’ performance cars distinct from existing Volvo models – though admittedly using Volvo architectures and technology.
Polestar 3.
Polestar’s first two standalone vehicles – the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 coupe, and electric Polestar 2 sedan – were both revised versions of recent Volvo concept cars, on adapted Volvo petrol and hybrid-car platforms, albeit powered by drivetrains specific to Polestar (at the time of their launch).
When Polestar was spun off, the picture contemporary reports painted was for Polestar to be the pioneering electric-car brand – with a focus on performance – while Volvo would gradually move away from petrol power as it rolled out its own electric vehicles.
But since then, Volvo has announced plans to cease sales of petrol vehicles globally in 2030 – or in Australia four years earlier – and has accelerated its electric-car plans to the point that it already has a larger range of electric vehicles than its EV-only sister brand.
Polestar 2.
Executives say cars from the two companies will stand on their own, and will be differentiated through performance and styling. But their latest models, the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90, share electric motors and batteries, and although they wear unique bodywork, look rather similar for brands trying to tread their own paths.
Future Polestar cars due from 2024 are set to be based on the company’s own underpinnings, move further away from Volvo design, and take a step up in performance.
But nonetheless, the company will increasingly find itself in an odd spot competing on the same turf as Volvo and vying for a similar buyer – without one of its main differentiators of an electric-only model range.
The solution? Steer back towards Polestar’s roots as Volvo’s speed shop.
The model I’m proposing is very similar to that of Volkswagen’s Spanish subsidiary Seat, which spun off its 20-year Cupra performance division into a standalone brand in 2018 – to great success.
This would mean a showroom comprised of Polestar’s standalone electric models – which would compete in sportier segments that Volvo doesn’t play in – plus a host of high-performance versions of electric Volvos.
Whereas Polestar today is attempting to start fresh and build its own identity – but perhaps remaining a bit too close to Volvo – my Polestar of the future would embrace its Volvo roots, while doubling down on performance as its unique selling point.
As part of Polestar’s remodel, all top-of-the-range, high-performance versions of Volvo’s current electric cars would ditch Volvo badging – becoming the Polestar XC40, C40, EX90, etc – leaving the Volvo range to consist of cheaper, less potent versions.
It’s the same strategy that sees Seat’s Volkswagen Golf sibling in Europe, the Seat Leon hatchback, sold as the Cupra Leon in high-performance trim, and hot Fiat 500 hatchbacks marketed as Abarth 500s.
Yes, it will technically make the most powerful models with Volvo badges slower, as the previous flagship models would become Polestars.
But if the Swedish marque aspires to be a top global luxury carmaker, I’d argue it still needs a proper BMW M or Mercedes-AMG rival to sprinkle the fairy-dust on standard models in its range – even as the world moves to electric cars.
What a Polestar EX90 could look like… (illustration by Drive).
How will the Volvo-based Polestars be distinguished? In the same way as any M or AMG car – more power, stiffer suspension, larger brakes, sharper dynamics, and a sportier look, including the company’s hero Rebel Blue (later Cyan Racing Blue) paint.
Volvo’s current electric cars have one or two electric motors – and power up to 380kW – but the top models in the repositioned Polestar line-up would need closer to 500kW to rival Tesla’s fastest offerings, which could be delivered by three or four electric motors.
Don’t think Polestar would stop developing its own standalone cars. There’s still room for Polestar cars that don’t have a Volvo equivalent, on two criteria – they don’t cannibalise sales of equivalent Volvo models, and they’re offered primarily in high-performance trims.
So there’s a future for the Polestar 3 and 4 SUVs – which are lower and sleeker than equivalent Volvos – and the upcoming Polestar 6 roadster that’s gunning for the Porsche 911.
However, executives may need to choose between the upcoming Polestar 5 and Volvo ‘ES90’ sedans, and consider rebranding entry-level, single-motor versions of the Polestar 2 sedan as the Volvo ‘ES40’.
Unlike Polestar’s current strategy, which guns for Porsche, these new cars would compete at the level of German rivals Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW. Geely already has the Lotus brand as its challenger for the maker of the 911.
Polestar’s ‘Optimisation’ packs for existing Volvo petrol and hybrid cars – which are essentially software tunes that boost power and torque – can stick around to complement the new electric range.
New Zealand’s Australian V8 Supercars and US IndyCar star Scott McLaughlin beside a Volvo S60 Polestar, taken when Volvo raced in V8 Supercars.
If there’s money left in Geely’s bank accounts, why not consider a proper return to motorsport? Perhaps not another entry into Australia’s V8 Supercars series, but if Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Porsche race in a mix of Formula One and GT sports cars, surely there’s a suitable race series out there for Polestar?
My vision for Polestar would also see it change the way it sells its cars.
I would take Mercedes-AMG and BMW M’s lead in fostering a network of joint Volvo-Polestar showrooms – which cordon off a section of Volvo dealers for Polestar cars, with their own look and feel, and Polestar-specialised sales staff.
Polestar’s current retail shopfronts – known as Spaces – are good for a standalone brand, but if Polestar cars are to be repositioned as hot Volvos, vehicles from the two brands should be sold alongside each other.
Whether Polestar in its new form would still use the fixed-price, non-negotiable ‘agency’ sales model is up for debate, but it would likely stick around, given Volvo is already trialling the model in the UK and Sweden (though it isn’t planned for Australia for now).
Would this new strategy work? With only one model in showrooms, Polestar sold about 51,000 cars last year – compared to Volvo’s 615,000 – with 40 per cent of those cars delivered in the final 25 per cent of the year. That’s a solid result.
BMW M’s best-selling car last year was the i4 M50 electric vehicle, and sales of performance cars in general are on the up across the big three German luxury brands – so more choice in Volvo showrooms for fast-car buyers would only be a good thing.
Chery – the Chinese brand returning to Australia after eight years – has opened pre-orders for its Mazda CX-30 rival ahead of first deliveries due late next month.
Chinese car maker Chery – which returns to Australia next month after an eight-year hiatus – has opened pre-orders for its first new model, the 2023 Chery Omoda 5 small SUV.
Buyers can now place a $500 refundable deposit on Chery’s website (click here) to “secure their spot” in the queue, ahead of the Omoda 5’s official on-sale date on 23 March 2023, when orders are slated to open formally.
Pricing is yet to be confirmed, however Chery Australia confirmed earlier this month the entry-level Omoda 5 would cost less than $40,000 drive-away.
It is unclear how much cheaper than $40,000 the Omoda 5 base model will be – however as a guide, rival small SUVs from other Chinese brands with similar levels of standard features cost less than $35,000 drive-away.
According to a Facebook post by Chery Australia, buyers who pre-order will receive an upgrade to premium paint (valued at $500) and the first scheduled service (about $250 to $300), or a free premium paint upgrade and complimentary floor mats.
The company has “steady influx of interest and confirmed pre-orders,” Chery Australia brand manager Andrew Haurissa said in a statement to Drive.
The Chery Omoda 5 – a rival for the likes of the Mazda CX-30, Subaru XV, MG ZST and GWM Haval Jolion – will initially be available in two model grades, with 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines and front-wheel drive.
Due in the second half of 2023 are two further variants, with more powerful 1.6-litre turbo engines, and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.
As previously reported, Chery cars in Australia will be sold with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, through a network of 40 dealerships – focused initially in capital cities – with national drive-away prices.
For more details on the 2023 Chery Omoda 5 for Australia, click here to read Drive’s earlier story. Pricing information is due closer to first showroom arrivals in late March.
Porsche is set to bring back the 911 Speedster, with the covers reportedly due to come off the convertible in November ahead of deliveries starting in 2024.
A new Porsche 911 Speedster will reportedly be revealed later this year before going on sale in 2024.
The last 911 Speedster was revealed in April 2019 as a homage to the original Porsche 356 Speedster from the 1950s, while also farewelling the previous generation of the sports car – known as the 991.2 – before production of the current ‘992’ model started.
According to UK publication Car Magazine, the 992-generation 911 Speedster is due to be unveiled by Porsche at this year’s Los Angeles motor show in late November – which is slated to see the car maker put the best parts of the 911 GT3 track special into a convertible body.
In the past, the 911 Speedster has been powered by the flat six-cylinder engine from the Porsche 911 GT3 – the most recent version of which develops up to 375kW and 470Nm without turbochargers or electrical assistance.
The 991.2-generation Porsche 911 Speedster
Car reports the upcoming Porsche 911 Speedster will feature a steeper windscreen than the standard 911 convertible, lowered bucket seats, aerodynamic domes behind the seats, extra luggage space and a power-operated soft top.
Further details on the 2024 Porsche 911 Speedster are expected to be revealed closer to its unveiling later this year, including whether it comes to Australia.
When the previous-generation 911 Speedster came to Australian showrooms in 2019, it carried a price tag of $604,800 plus on-road costs – making it the second-most expensive Porsche sold locally to date behind the 991.2-generation GT2 RS, priced from $645,400 in 2017.
It’s unclear if the new 911 Speedster will be based on the current, pre-facelift ‘992.1’ 911 – or a variant of the upcoming, facelifted ‘992.2’ model, which is due for unveiling this year.
However, given the timing of the unveiling – and that the previous 911 Speedster was a farewell to that iteration (991.2) of the 911 – the former appears probable.
The waiting times for a new Renault Trafic van stretch up to six months, however the Australian distributor is working with the factory to beat the June 30 financial-year deadline.
Customers in the queue for a Renault Trafic van face wait times of up to six months – amid stock shortages and production slowdowns affecting most of the car industry.
However, the Australian distributor of Renault vans says it is working overtime with the French factory to get a large allocation of vehicles to clear backorders before the end of the financial year.
The lead-up to June 30 is historically the strongest sales month for utes and vans as businesses big and small refresh their fleets for tax reasons.
While Renault Australia says there are pockets of Trafic vans available at some dealers in certain configurations, long wait times remain for crew versions, and the regular models with a ‘barn door’ tailgate.
“Every Renault Trafic van in the country is spoken for, everything is allocated out,” the boss of Renault Australia, Glen Sealey, told a recent media briefing.
“You could get lucky and find one of a handful of vehicles if you rang around, but the reality is our most popular variants do have wait times of up to six months.
“That said, we are working very hard with the factory to bring those wait times down, clear as many backorders as we can and get customers into their vehicles before June 30.
“We’re waiting (to hear back from the factory) on production now. If we get what we think we’re going to get, we think we’ll be able to deliver most cars by the end of June.”
Sales of the Renault Trafic dipped 31 per cent in Australia last year in an overall new-car market that grew by 3.0 per cent.
However, the distributor of Renault vehicles in Australia said severe stock shortages and shipping bottlenecks slowed deliveries – and that the company has a “healthy” order bank.
Deaths related to tailpipe gases could be far higher than previously estimated, with Australia’s emissions standards lagging far behind the developed world.
Tailpipe pollution contributes to the premature death of 11,105 Australians every year, according to new research.
The modelling from the University of Melbourne claims vehicle emissions in Australia are also to blame for more than 12,000 hospitalisations annually due to cardiovascular issues, along with almost 7000 respiratory hospitalisations per year.
The research also claims motor vehicle pollution is directly responsible for 66,000 active asthma cases annually.
The findings are based on an overseas study conducted by Environmental Health Intelligence New Zealand, which was scaled up to account for Australia’s larger population.
The claimed 11,105 deaths from vehicle emissions is almost ten times higher than Australia’s annual road toll, which took 1187 lives in 2022 according to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics.
“Like smoking, vehicle emissions contribute to childhood asthma and recurrent lung infections. Adults are at higher risk of premature deaths, stroke, diabetes, heart, and lung disease from exposure to vehicle emissions. Air pollution is another risk factor for poor health,” Dr Vicki Kotsirilos, Melbourne-based GP and Doctors for the Environment Australia spokesperson said in a media statement following the report’s release.
“I routinely assess patients on how much air pollution they are exposed to when they present with heart or lung problems such as asthma or recurrent respiratory infections,” she said.
“Children are particularly at higher risk of being harmed by traffic pollution from idling cars – at schools, shopping centres, and childcare centres – and how close they live to a busy road.”
While the latest study factored in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), previous estimates cited around 2000 deaths in Australia annually from vehicle pollution – but did not factor in harmful NO2 emissions.
Despite scaling up the findings for Australia’s population, the reality could actually be much worse in some inner city areas.
New Zealand’s most densely populated city is Auckland, with 2373 people per square kilometre, while the greatest population density in Australia belongs to Melbourne’s inner north, with 31,100 people per square kilometre.
The European Union is set to introduce ‘Euro 7’ emission standards from mid-2025, which includes a blanket limit on nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter emitted from cars – including fine particulates from tyres and brakes.
Australia currently only enforces ‘Euro 5’ emission standards for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (such as utes and vans), first introduced in Europe in 2009.
In June 2022, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) – the peak body representing all major car companies locally – renewed calls for the Australian Government to introduce stricter emissions targets for new cars.
Has your neighbour ever parked their car outside your house? This woman in the US has taken her retaliation to the extreme.
Footage of an angry driver pushing their neighbour’s car down the street – after it was parked in front of the “wrong” house – has gone viral on social media platform TikTok.
A string of videos uploaded by TikTok user Joewella DeVille detail the act and aftermath of her unoccupied Toyota RAV4 SUV being pushed down her street in the US state of New York – after it is parked in front of an angry neighbour’s house.
In a follow-up video, the neighbour claims she has complained about DeVille’s car being parked outside her house “three times” – and that she “doesn’t want the car in front of her house.”
However, the social media user and videographer argues there are no restrictions on parking on their street – 24 hours a day and seven days a week – and calls her neighbour “insane”.
According to subsequent videos, the aggressor was charged with a ‘Class E’ offence – which is said to result in a fine of up to $US3000 ($AU44600, or at least a year in jail. The damage to the TikTok user’s Toyota RAV4 is said to amount to $US4500 ($AU6700).
“I have a good sport set up in my house so that I can film the whole thing… hopefully that juicy video of her being arrested will be coming soon,” the TikTok user said in a later video.
While having a stranger’s car (or even a neighbour’s car) parked in front of your house may be frustrating, there’s generally very little you can do about it.
In Australia, if the car is registered and parked legally (within permit restrictions), it can stay there for as long as the owner wants. If a car’s registration has expired, and the vehicle seems abandoned, you can contact your local council to request to have it removed.
If you are suspicious about a parked car, and it doesn’t belong to any neighbours, you can call the local (non-emergency) police station and flag it as a potentially stolen vehicle.
Should you ever take the law into your own hands? We say no, but what are your thoughts?
Demand in Europe for the petrol-electric versions of the Renault Captur city SUV and Renault Arkana small SUV will likely delay their arrival in Australia.
Fuel-efficient hybrid versions of the Renault Captur city SUV and Renault Arkana small SUV could still be years away from local showrooms even though they are already on sale in Europe.
“We think the hybrid version of the Arkana and the hybrid version of the Captur would be great additions to the Australian showroom line-up, but it will take time,” the boss of Renault Australia Glen Sealey told a recent media briefing.
“Timing will depend on European demand. We’re not expecting it this year. Hopefully, 2024, maybe 2024.
“If you have a look at the financials for Renault, they say every (hybrid) model in Europe today has a three-and-a-half month wait.
“So, for us to get (in-demand) product is highly unlikely until demand eases in Europe or supply ramps up.”
The Sono Sion – a solar-powered electric car with a €29,900 ($AU43,600) price – has been axed before the first examples hit European roads.
German start-up Sono Motors has cancelled plans to build the Sion – tipped to become the first mass-produced ‘affordable’ solar-powered electric car – after failing to secure funding for the project.
In July 2022, Sono Motors planned for Sion production to begin in early 2023, priced from €29,900 ($AU43,600) in Europe – approximately €20,000 ($AU29,000) less than an entry-level Tesla Model 3 electric car.
The Sion claimed up to 305km of electric driving range on a charge while the 456 solar half-cells built into its body panels could provide up to 245km of additional range per week.
However, in a media statement late last week, Sono Motors said it had “decided to pivot … to exclusively retrofitting and integrating its solar technology onto third party vehicles, and to terminate its Sion passenger car program,” effective immediately.
“It was a difficult decision and despite more than 45,000 reservations and pre-orders for the Sion, we were compelled to react to the ongoing financial market instability and streamline our business,” Sono Motors CEO Laurin Hahn said in a media statement.
According to Sono Motors, approximately 22,000 reservations for the Sion were made without payment as non-binding pre-orders by its existing business partners.
Sono Motors claims it had already received more than €330 million ($AU518 million) in funding for the Sion project, but its attempts to raise an additional €100 million ($AU157 million) to secure production ultimately fell short.
A third-party production firm in Finland reportedly built 18 Sono Sions before the program was axed, with the decision to not continue the project resulting in more than 300 employees being made redundant.
The Sono Sion’s axing marks the second solar-powered electric car to go out of production – or not make it onto public roads – within a month.
In January 2023, assembly of the Lightyear Zero – the world’s first road-ready solar-powered electric car – was paused after the company’s subsidiary responsible for producing the vehicles, Atlas Technologies, filed for bankruptcy.
Lightyear originally intended to build 946 examples of the €250,000 ($AU382,000) Zero solar car, though only a handful of finished examples rolled off the line before production was paused indefinitely.
While Lightyear previously announced plans to launch a more affordable solar-powered electric car in 2024 or 2025 – named the Lightyear Two – its debut is now in doubt.
