Corvette sub-brand due in 2025 with electric SUV and sedan – report

General Motors may be about to square off its Corvette brand against the Ford Mustang, with reports of an electric SUV and sedan in development.

After years of speculation, plans appear to be firming for General Motors to launch a Corvette sub-brand.

US publication Car and Driver reports a new range of Corvette-branded electric cars is due to launch from 2025, including a four-door and SUV – the latter of which will compete directly with the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Drive first reported the possibility of a Corvette sub-brand in early 2021, following information leaked by company insiders to business news agency Bloomberg at the time.

In August 2022, an overseas report referencing insiders revealed an electric four-door model would be launched “by mid-decade” wearing a Corvette badge, with the Porsche Taycan firmly in its sights.

But while General Motors may be targeting the Taycan – as well as the forthcoming electric sedan from Lotus – the latest source told Car and Driver the four-door Corvette would be more of a coupe shape with a liftback (rather than a traditional boot lid).

Despite competition from the Porsche Taycan and Ford Mustang Mach-E, the report claims the four-door and the SUV are “copies of nothing”.

MORE: Chevrolet Corvette – Electric future confirmed for V8 icon

These digital illustrations by artist Aniket Kamble (above and top) provide an idea at what a Corvette SUV could look like (based on a Lamborghini Urus) when it reportedly launches in 2025.

In 2021, former General Motors executive Bob Lutz explained there was room for the US car giant to build on the Corvette name.

“What I can tell you is that Corvette is an extremely strong sub-brand, capable of being carefully expanded,” Mr Lutz told Drive at the time.

“Logically, [the Corvette SUV] would have to be low and more dynamic-looking than the Mustang [Mach-E].”

While unconfirmed reports of an electric Corvette SUV have been circling for some time, word of the electric four-door ‘Vette have only recently surfaced – coinciding with the release of the Chevrolet FNR-XE Concept last week (below).

MORE: 2022 GMC Hummer EV quick drive review

Designed for the Chinese market, the four-door concept is based on GM’s ‘Ultium’ electric vehicle architecture – the same that underpins the Chevrolet Silverado EV pick-up and GMC Hummer EV.

This concept is not a Corvette-branded vehicle, but its design cues are sportier than those on many other sedans in the General Motors global line-up.

If the electric Corvette four-door does make it to production, it could mark a new era of competition between the group of US carmakers known as the ‘Big Three’: General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis – the new name for the parent company of Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, and Jeep (among many other brands).

In early November, reports suggested Dodge could be planning to bring the four-door Charger back with electric motors and a battery pack, despite the Charger Daytona SRT being unveiled in concept car form as a two-door coupe.

Talk of a Ford Mustang sedan dates back to 2018, but it was an official sketch from the Blue Oval’s senior exterior designer Christopher Stevens in September 2022 that fuelled further speculation about a four-door model.

Joining the petrol-powered Mustang coupe and electric Mustang Mach-E SUV, an electric Mustang sedan would position Ford’s pony-car line-up directly against the reported Corvette line-up.

MORE: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT electric SUV review

Above: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former GM executive Bob Lutz in 2011. Credit: Joe Corrigan/Getty.

“Just‎ about every [electric car], regardless of body style, can offer neck-snapping acceleration,” Mr Lutz told Drive in 2021, “so, what will make cars like the Corvette or 911 or Ferrari ‘special’? Glad I no longer have to deal with issues ‎like that!

“[Talk of an electric Corvette] is all speculation on my part, because I know nothing specific about GM’s plans. I do know GM has the deepest well of battery, [electric vehicle] and autonomy talent of any car company on the planet, and will surprise the world,” he noted.

“If I were Elon Musk, I’d start taking tranquilisers.”

The post Corvette sub-brand due in 2025 with electric SUV and sedan – report appeared first on Drive.

Dear Drive… Will we ever see a hybrid LandCruiser?

Just about every other Toyota has a hybrid option available. And there’s a chance that the iconic LandCruiser could be Australia’s first proper four-wheel drive with hybrid power.

Dear Drive… Where we answer reader, viewer, and listener questions. Something on your mind? Call us on the radio show or email us at contactus@drive.com.au.

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Randall asks:

I’ve been driving a Mitsubishi Pajero over the last 16 years, and when I wanted to buy a LandCruiser, they were around $20k more expensive. My question is, will we ever see a hybrid LandCruiser?

Hybrid power is likely to end up in the Toyota LandCruiser at some stage, but whether it makes its way to our diesel-dominated market is another question. Or at least, how long it will take to precipitate in Australia.

Of course, broad scale electrification of vehicles in Australia is for the most part inevitable. However, large SUVs, utes and four-wheel drives will hold onto their internal combustion powertrain for as long as anything else. This is because off-roading, towing and load-lugging is much more demanding on a powertrain, and the simple fact is a straight diesel powertrain is quite effective at getting the job done.

Back to the LandCruiser. You can get a snapshot of what Toyota can do with the LandCruiser by looking at the latest generation Tundra in the United States, which will eventually make its way to Australia.

The so-called ‘iForce Max’ powertrain in high specification grade Tundra models uses a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol engine, which is married to an electric motor for overall outputs of 326kW at 5200rpm and 790Nm at 2400rpm.

High power outputs, indeed. However, the hybrid Tundra also has a claimed fuel economy of around 10 litres per hundred kilometres, which is quite amazing for such a big vehicle.

That’s compared to 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm at 1600-2600rpm for the 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 in the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, along with a claimed combined fuel economy of 8.9 litres per hundred kilometres.

The current generation Toyota Tundra will be coming to Australia, and initial reports indicate that the iForce Max powertrain will be coming as well.

In order to maintain the same four-wheel drive system and off-road capability, the electric motor is wedged in between the engine and gearbox, which allows both power sources to run through a low-range transfer case to all four wheels. This is different to an all-wheel drive hybrid RAV4, for example which uses electric motors closer to the wheels.

Toyota has dined out by adding its fuel-saving hybrid powertrains to most of its broader vehicle portfolio, but it is yet to broach its four-wheel drives and commercial vehicles (in Australia).

One question is whether Toyota will look to marry up its proven hybrid-electric know-how with a diesel-fuelled internal combustion engine. This could be the perfect fit for the LandCruiser in Australia, where diesel continues to dominate the market in orders of magnitude.

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Subscription-based electric-car power increases banned in Europe

Offering electric-car power increases for an additional subscription fee has been banned in Europe – for now.

German car giant Mercedes-Benz is facing a legal battle in Europe over plans to offer a wifi-delivered power boost on some of its electric cars through a subscription that’s in addition to the cost of the vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz currently allows owners to increase the performance of the EQE or EQS in North America for an annual payment of $US1200 ($AU1800).

However, Top Gear Netherlands has revealed European laws don’t currently allow the practice.

For that money, owners of EQE350 4Matic and EQS450 4Matic models in the US get a time-limited performance boost of 45kW and 55kW respectively – an increase of about 20 per cent.

A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz told Top Gear the ability to offer the feature in Europe depends on “legal matters”.

Given BMW is currently able to offer heated seating on subscription, and Polestar is offering performance upgrades for its electric cars with a one-off fee – both of which are happening in Europe – it appears as if the predicament faced by Mercedes-Benz relates to power outputs.

The subscription trend has angered car buyers, but some auto giants are persevering as they try to create a new layer of profit – and ongoing revenue after the car is sold to the customer.

What has frustrated customers in particular is that, in many cases, the optional equipment or capability has already been fitted to the vehicle – but companies such as BMW and Polestar are still trying to charge extra for their use.

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BMW executive says motorists should stop buying new cars

A high-ranking BMW executive has encouraged motorists to spend their money on rejuvenating used cars instead of purchasing new vehicles.

A top level BMW executive says motorists should spend their money to keep old cars on the road, rather than replacing them with new vehicles – effectively undermining the German auto giant’s business model, and against the advice of road safety experts.

Although newer cars save lives and are more energy-efficient than older models, Monika Dernai, the head of BMW’s sustainability team, encouraged consumers to reuse and recycle products as long as possible to minimise waste. 

As reported by UK publication Auto Express, Ms Dernai told attendees at a business conference in London the future used-car market should adapt to encourage motorists to invest in their existing cars through upgrades to items such as interiors, instead of trading their vehicles for newer models.

“We really need to think about prolonging the life of cars; not having a used-car market where you sell cars to each other, but maybe take a car and extend its lifespan,” Ms Dernai said, according to Auto Express. “The idea could be that you could freshen up the interior.”

“We need new skill sets in the aftermarket and to design cars so that the seat can be removed and a fresh seat can be moved in – then it’s a used car that looks like a new car. 

“It can have the same owner, who then doesn’t buy a new car, but we still have a business model as BMW and the whole of society benefits from that.”

Ms Dernai didn’t detail what interior upgrades would be required to keep a car up to date, nor how much motorists would need to spend before the economic and environmental benefits of buying new outweighed upgrading older vehicles.

BMW has recently launched its iDrive 8 in-car computer system which can receive over-the-air updates – allowing the software to stay up-to-date without any physical input – although this covers just one aspect of a car’s functions.

The BMW executive also did not mention when it would be more efficient and better for the environment to upgrade to a new car – which produces less emissions – rather than spending money updating older vehicles.

BMW has not said just how old a car should be before its owners consider replacing it with a new vehicle

Ms Dernai added there will always be a demand for new cars and private transport, given the spread of populations outside of cities and urban areas.

“Can we actually just move everybody to public transport? I think the answer is no,” Ms Dernai said. “You’re worried about the public transport in the UK, but if you look at the US it’s even more desolate. So I think there’s still a market for cars out there.”

According to a 2020 report by the Australian Government’s Climate Change Authority, transport accounted for 17 per cent of the country’s emissions. 

Cars alone contribute to 47 per cent of the transport figure – or less than eight per cent of overall emissions – while trucks and buses account for 21 per cent of Australia’s transport emissions.

In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency says 27 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the transport sector, with 57 per cent attributed to light duty vehicles such as cars.

The European Union has previously announced the production and sale of petrol and diesel engines will be banned by 2035, forcing BMW and other car-makers on the continent to invest in zero-emission vehicles.

As reported in September, Oliver Zipse has been critical of the proposed regulations, saying motorists need to be given a choice about what powers their cars.

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New Alfa Romeo Tonale to be measured on quality not sales figures, brand says

Alfa Romeo has acknowledged the perceived quality issues that have faced its previous-generation cars – something it aims to fix with the new Tonale small SUV.

Alfa Romeo claims quality is its number-one priority for the new Tonale – rather than sales or profits – as it looks to bust stigmas of poor build quality and reliability that have followed previous-generation Alfa Romeos.

Alfa Romeo global product boss Daniel Tiago Guzzafame told Australian media earlier this month the company acknowledges it has much room for improvement in the quality of its vehicles.

This is something the company claims it aims to resolve with its first new car in six years, the Tonale small SUV, due in Australia in February 2023.

“For Tonale, and I know it might sound a little strange, but the measure of success is quality,” Mr Guzzafame said.

“We need that much more than the sales to be consistent and credible in the switch to electric vehicles,” referencing Alfa’s planned switch to sell electric cars only by 2027.

Previous-generation Alfa Romeo vehicles have borne the brunt of perceived quality issues – something the brand is more than willing to acknowledge and fix as it moves towards electric cars.

“You can get a number of sales, but without quality you will not be credible for the next model,” Guzzafame said. “So we need to build up on that. Alfa Romeo has been very bad on quality for a number of years.

“In terms of public perception, how long that process takes to change, it will depend on how long it takes for us to get to the top of the surveys. If you get to the top of the public surveys, and as a consequence the media starts to speak about that, then the shift can happen as quickly as a few years.

“Of course if you are improving but not being at the top, it takes much longer,” he said. “The main challenges we have now, on sales we are almost on track everywhere, on the product we are on the good side, on after sales we need to improve.”

Alfa Romeo said it will put as much emphasis as it can on the after-sales (servicing and ownership) experience, where it believes it can capitalise on word of mouth and the support of owners after they have purchased an Alfa Romeo.

“Where we are now putting most of our energies, is on that, because it covers the majority of the people who are in contact with Alfa Romeo. Much more in order of magnitude than you can get with a new car like Tonale.”

“Because before getting the new Tonale, people are experiencing our hearing what people are experiencing with their current car or previous car.

“So, Tonale’s first KPI [key performance indicator] is that, quality. The second KPI is profit per car, for us it needs to be where we are today, and then third is of course market share.”

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BYD Dolphin, Seal electric cars delayed for Australia, orders to open 2023

The next phase of Chinese electric-car brand BYD’s roll-out in Australia has been delayed to next year.

The next electric cars to come from newly arrived Chinese brand BYD – the Dolphin city hatchback and Seal mid-size sedan – have been delayed, with order books not due to open until next year.

The Dolphin hatch and Seal sedan – as they are known overseas – were previously due to open for customer orders before the end of this year, ahead of deliveries between March and June 2023.

However, BYD’s local distributor EVDirect says orders – and subsequent first deliveries – for the Dolphin are now not due until the first half of 2023. Orders and deliveries for the Seal are due to follow in the second half of next year.

The Australia distributor of BYD claims it wants to reduce the waiting time between orders and customer handovers – and eventually have stock on the ground ready for immediate delivery.

The BYD Atto 3 currently has up to a seven-month wait between ordering and delivery.

“Both the Seal and Dolphin will be released for sale next year. We had hoped to put the Dolphin on sale this year but decided to hold the pre-sale date back to be closer to the actual delivery date,” EVDirect managing director Luke Todd told Drive this week.

“We want to move towards being a brand that can release models closer to the actual delivery date. Due to our massive production capability … 2023 will see us bridge the gap to most likely having stock ready to go when a customer orders.”

Few details for the Dolphin and Seal have been confirmed for the Australian market, however both cars are slated to be sold under different names locally.

Prices are yet to be announced, though the cars are expected to be positioned either side of the BYD Atto 3 small SUV – priced from approximately $45,000 to $50,000 drive-away in Australia.

If Chinese prices are a guide, the Dolphin could cost less than $40,000 drive-away in Australia, while the Seal could be priced from about $60,000 drive-away – in line with its main rival, the Tesla Model 3, which is priced from $65,500 before on-road costs.

The Dolphin measures four metres long – similar to a Toyota Yaris, MG 3 or Volkswagen Polo – and offers a choice of 30.7kWh and 44.9kWh batteries in China, good for up to 400km of claimed driving range.

@LudicrousFeed spotted a new EV is this the BYD dolphin? pic.twitter.com/o8IcEXTpKP

— Lachlan Smith (@smithy_dll) November 25, 2022

A right-hand-drive Dolphin has been spied testing in camouflage on Sydney roads by Twitter user Lachlan Smith.

Meanwhile, the Seal is a Toyota Camry or Tesla Model 3-sized sedan available with up to 700km of claimed driving range (in lenient Chinese testing), or up to 390kW/670Nm in a dual-motor performance model, capable of 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds.

The Dolphin and Seal follow the Atto 3 into showrooms, deliveries of which began in September – and is already among Australia’s best-selling electric cars, data sourced by Drive has found.

Two additional BYD models are planned for Australia – expected to comprise a mid-size SUV, known overseas as the Sea Lion, and a ute.

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Video: BMW runs red light, smashes into two cars and a pole

Shocking video has emerged of three cars being severely damaged after a BMW driver ran a red light in Victoria.

A dash cam has captured the dramatic consequences of driving through a red light, with a BMW seemingly written off after hitting two cars and a light pole in Victoria.

A video clip uploaded to YouTube by Crash Dashes shows a black BMW 3 Series approaching a red light at speed as two other cars enter the intersection on a green light.

While the ute closest to the BMW narrowly avoids the sedan, the Holden Commodore wagon isn’t so lucky – its front bumper clips the rear of the 3 Series, sending it into a spin.

The BMW loses control and hits a pair of traffic light poles side-on, impacting the rear portion of the driver’s door and the rear quarter panel, causing its rear window to shatter.

The BMW 3 Series knocked down one traffic light pole and bounced off another

As well as being showered with debris, the Jeep Gladiator pick-up at the front of the queue is nudged by the BMW in the final seconds of the crash, although what damage it sustained is unclear.

The YouTube video did not outline when the crash occurred or if there were any injuries.

While many drivers know driving through a red light is illegal – and dangerous – failing to stop at an orange light can also result in a fine.

As previously reported, police can issue a fine if they determine a driver had time to stop safely when approaching an orange light, even if it had not yet turned red.

Australian fines for not stopping at a red light

State/territory	Maximum fine	Demerit point penalty
New South Wales	$464	3
Victoria	$462	3
Queensland	$575	3
Western Australia	$300	3
South Australia	$496	3
Tasmania	$173	3

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