Articles by Dom Tripolone

V8 ute could return.

The mighty Ferrari is benchmarking its newest supercar against a Chinese upstart.A Xiaomi SU7 Ultra was seen leaving the Prancing Horse’s headquarters in Maranello.Ferrari bought the high-performance electric car for testing and development purposes as it prepares its first electric car next year, according to reports.The SU7 Ultra is the flagship vehicle from Chinese smartphone producer turned carmaker Xiaomi.It is the fastest electric car around the Nurburgring and delivers a bonkers amount of grunt.The SU7 Ultra uses three electric motors to make an insane 1138kW, which is about the same as 10 Toyota Corollas combined and more than the quad-turbocharged W16 engine from the Bugatti Chiron.  Those outputs are good enough to catapult it to 100km/h from a standstill in blistering 1.97 seconds on the way to a top speed of 350km/h.The SU7 Ultra weighs 1900kg, which makes it a relative lightweight by performance electric car standards and means it tips the scale at about 400kg less than the Taycan Turbo S.It’s a seriously impressive machine on paper, and one of the world’s most intense car makers has taken notice.The Italian supercar firm is in the final stages of developing its first electric car, which it will unveil on October 9 this year.If it is to be a proper Ferrari it’ll need to be better than the competition, and the most advanced electric cars are from China.Details of the electric car are scarce, but we do know that it will make an “authentic noise”, according to CEO Benedetto Vigna.A previous report by Reuters speculated its price tag could be as high as €500,000 (A$886,900), although this hasn’t been confirmed directly by Ferrari.Ferrari is slowly transitioning to low-emissions power, with models such as the plug-in hybrid GTS 296, GTB 296 and SF90 Stradale, making up 51 per cent of its sales in 2024.The company has no plans to ditch V12-power from its range until it is forced to by various governments.Meanwhile Xiaomi's SU7 sedan and new YU7 SUV have set the Chinese market on fire, with hundreds of thousands of orders well exceeding the electric upstart's capacity to fill demand.

A spate of recent electric car fires has forced one company to ditch EVs from its future plans.US shipping company Matson announced earlier this month it would cease to accept any booking to move electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to reports.“Due to increasing concern for the safety of transporting vehicles powered by large lithium-ion batteries, Matson is suspending acceptance of used or new electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid vehicles for transport aboard its vessels,” the company said, according to news.com.au.The announcement follows the sinking of the Morning Midas off the coast of Alaska, which was caused by a fire starting in an electric car.The car carrier was estimated to be transporting more than 3000 vehicles, which were a mix of electric, hybrid and petrol/diesel-powered cars.The Morning Midas was transporting the vehicles from China to Mexico before disaster struck and the crew abandoned ship and the carrier was set adrift.It's not known which car the fire started in, but Bloomberg reported GWM and Chery had vehicles onboard and the ship was chartered by MG’s parent company SAIC.This wasn’t the first cargo ship to be undone by an electric car fire.In 2023 the Fremantle Highway, which was carrying about 4000 vehicles, approximately 500 of which were electric, caught fire off the Dutch coast.Electric vehicle fires are rare, but when they start they can have devastating results.Electric car fires are extremely hard to put out and the fire can restart after it has been initially extinguished.Last year the city of Seoul, South Korea, banned the charging of electric cars beyond 90 per cent in underground car parks in response to an EV fire that destroyed or damaged at least 140 cars and forced some residents in the apartments above to move to shelters.The risk of an electric car fire is highly unlikely according to Australian data.EV Fire Safe, which is backed by the federal government, said there has been eight electric car fires since 2021 in Australia and only one is from an unknown cause with the rest the result of an accident, an external fire or arson attack.

The scent of a ute revolution is in the air.Carmakers far and wide are stepping back in time and embracing Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon car-based utes.Toyota is now the latest carmaker to be connected to an SUV-based ute, according to US-outlet Automotive News.It claimed sources said a Corolla-based ute would debut in 2027. This is after Toyota US’s Chief Operating Officer, Mark Templin, said: “We’re looking at it”, when quizzed about a small ute, according to The Japan Times."We could really do well in that segment, so we’re trying to do it,” Cooper Ericksen, a senior vice president in charge of planning and strategy at Toyota Motor North America, said in a separate interview with The Japan Times. "It’s a matter of timing,” he said.Ford has laid the blueprint for an SUV-based ute — rather than ladder-frame-based workhorses such as the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger — with its smash hit Maverick in the US. Hyundai has also found success with its little Santa Cruz ute in the US.Chinese brand Chery is also reportedly working on a SUV-based ute, which could land in Australia wearing a Jaecoo badge.There are several options for a Toyota ute, with it using either the Corolla’s TNGA-C or the RAV4’s TNGA-K underpinnings. The TNGA-K would make sense as it would line-up with the Maverick and Santa Cruz, which are both based on their mid-size SUV equivalents the Ford Escape and Hyundai Tucson.Hybrid power is almost a certainty and there is an opportunity for it to gain plug-in hybrid power borrowed from the recently revealed new RAV4, which is due on sale locally early next year.New plug-in hybrid versions of the 2026 RAV4 use a 2.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to make 201kW in the front-wheel drive versions and 227kW in all-wheel drive variants. A big 22.7kWh battery will provide an electric-only driving range of up to 100km according to Toyota.Conventional hybrid power is available in the new RAV4.It is available in two- and all-wheel-drive layouts and makes 143kW, which is 17kW and 20kW down on the current 2WD and AWD versions respectively. Toyota doesn’t provide total torque figures for its hybrid tech.Digital Artist Theottle on YouTube has given life to a RAV4-based ute in the  above images that show off what the new Toyota ute could look like.

Solid state one step closer to reality, but surprisingly not in China.

Chinese cars have conquered a lot of segments, but the next wave of vehicles is going after the best in the business. GWM has teased its Ferrari-fighting plug-in hybrid supercar, which is the latest in a line of a new breed of performance cars such as the Yangwang U9 and Xiaomi SU7 Ultra.

Volkswagen is giving the people what they want… more SUVs. Australians are gobbling up more SUVs than ever before and VW has reacted by slipping in its new Tayron large SUV in between the Tiguan and Touareg SUVs in its local line-up.

Hyundai has sharpened its strong-selling Kona SUV range.The brand has dumped pricier all-wheel drive and turbo-petrol versions from its Australian line-up and added a new mid-tier Elite grade.The new Elite variants are available with petrol or hybrid power, and it slots between the existing base Kona and top-tier Kona Premium.Petrol versions use a 2.0-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine that makes 110kW/180Nm and is paired to an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT).Hybrid Kona’s use a 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and small battery to pump out 104kW and 265Nm. It is matched to a six-speed dual-clutch auto.The hybrid drops fuel use to 3.9L/100km, compared to the petrol alternative’s 6.6L/100km.The Elite grade adds desirable items such as a leather-appointed upholstery, heated and power adjustable front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, anti-dazzle rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and rear privacy glass.The N Line pack is no longer available on the base version and is now reserved for the Elite and premium variants.This optional pack adds a styling and equipment boost. Some of the highlights include black side mirrors, 19-inch alloy wheels, twin-tip chrome exhaust, N Line specific exterior touches and upgraded LED headlightsInside there are alloy pedals, a black headliner, synthetic leather and Alcantara faux suede interior finishes, perforated grips on the steering wheel and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display.The Kona is a sales titan for the Korean brand, with it outselling all compact SUVs in Australia through the first six months of the year.Hyundai Australia boss Don Romano said: “Kona is the market-leading small SUV and we are confident the 2026 range will deliver even better value and choice to Australian buyers.”  “We are delighted to introduce the updated and improved 2026 KONA range, with the new Elite model offering a highly appealing mid-level option.”2026 Hyundai Kona pricing: 

The ultimate anti-EV might be making a comeback.

This feature was once a mainstay in luxury cars and a huge selling point for mainstream vehicles … not anymore. Renault is the latest brand to ditch leather from all its cars by the end of the year.