Articles by Jake Williams

Toyota Europe has launched a new compact van called the ProAce City, which goes on sale in European markets at the beginning of 2020. Part of a commercial tie up with the PSA Group, the ProAce City is based on the Peugeot Partner and Citroen Berlingo, and will be available in two lengths - 4.4 metres and 4.7 metres - as well as three bodystyles: a panel van, a crew cab van and a passenger van.Available with petrol and diesel drivetrain choices ranging from 63kW to 96kW and with either five/six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission choices, the ProAce City enters Toyota into a new segment: compact vans. Offering what Toyota calls the ‘Smart Cargo’ option, which allows the passenger seat to fold and part of the bulkhead to be removed for extra cargo length, the ProAce City offers up to 3.4 metres of cargo carrying ability in its load area. The ProAce City can carry up to 1000kg of payload. Standard safety kit in Europe includes AEB, forward collision warning, road sign assist, lane keep assist and cruise control with a speed limiter. Optionally available is adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, lane sway control and blind-spot monitoring. Despite strong credentials, the ProAce City won’t be offered in Australia. Brodie Bott, spokesperson for Toyota Australia told CarsGuide the company “hadn’t had much interest in the ProAce locally as it’s a Europe-only offering.” “While we are always reviewing our model line-up, at this stage we have no plans to introduce the Toyota ProAce into Australia,” he said.“We already offer the HiAce in the van segment and it has been one of our most popular commercial vehicles to date.”

Citroen is embarking on yet another relaunch in Australia, with the C3 Aircross to be the brand's focus until the larger C5 Aircross arrives later in the year. Does the C3 Aircross take the brand closer to the mainstream?

Citroen has embarked on yet another relaunch locally with a range restructuring, new product and even new dealership designs to win a larger share of Australian sales. Part of Citroen’s local rebranding is what the company calls La Maison, or ‘one’s home’, which will be a part of showrooms dedicated to Citroen with multiple available trimmings on walls, various paint shades on walls and a more bespoke approach to selling cars. The first Citroen La Maison has already opened at Peugeot Citroen Parramatta in Western Sydney. Part of splitting the difference between shared Peugeot and Citroen showrooms will be the mood on the Citroen side, which will be more colourful and light to reflect the brand’s fun positioning. Peugeot spaces will be darker and more design-focused than Citroen. According to Peugeot Citroen Australia's managing director Ben Farlow, the brand’s relaunch will start a new chapter for Citroen in Australia. “Our focus will be on being beautiful,” Mr. Farlow said. “Citroen will always experiment and we will rebuild this brand as non-conformists.”Part of the rebranding will be appealing to Citroen enthusiasts and owners with a new website called 'Citroen Origins', where owners and enthusiasts will be able to post stories and ownership experiences about their cars. Citroen has removed some models from its line-up, with the C4 Cactus and C4 Grand Picasso no longer on sale in Australia. The brand will now focus on three models: the C3 light car, the C3 Aircross small SUV and the C5 Aircross mid-size SUV. Each model will offer a more streamlined line-up with no optional extras, simplifying the ordering and stock process for buyers. So far in 2019, Citroen has sold just 17 cars - an improvement on 2018’s result of 12 cars - and while the brand has not set sales targets for this year, two new products in two of the most popular segments in Australia will likely help sales. 

Peugeot has standardised AEB on all its new commercial vehicles, starting with the Expert scheduled for local on-sale on sale from May 1st, 2019, priced from $36,490 plus on-road costs.To be followed by the smaller Partner and larger Boxer vans later in 2019, the standardisation of AEB continues the potentially life-saving technology’s spread across the commercial vehicle world. In all grades of the Expert, city speed AEB is accompanied by other safety tech including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, auto high beam, lane departure warning, speed sign recognition, four airbags, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera that mimics a surround view camera through memory. Competing with other medium-sized vans such as the Toyota HiAce , Volkswagen Transporter, Ford Transit Custom, Renault Trafic and Mercedes-Benz Vito, the Expert is one of two vans to currently offer AEB as standard across its range.Local pricing and specs for the Partner and Boxer are yet to be confirmed, though they’re both due to arrive later in 2019. 2019 Peugeot Expert pricing (plus on-road costs):85kW manual: $36,490110kW manual: $39,990110kW auto: $42,490110kW auto LWB: $44,190130kW auto LWB: $45,890

Peugeot has begun the relaunch of its light commercial vehicle (LCV) range in Australia with the Expert - first of three new vans - hitting local dealers on May 1st.

Ahead of a mid-2019 arrival, Citroen has released local pricing and specifications for its new C5 Aircross mid-size SUV. Priced from $39,990 plus on-road costs and offered in two local specifications - Pure and Shine - that will compete with cars such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Mazda CX-5 and its platform sharing cousin, the Peugeot 3008. Just one engine will be offered locally, a 121kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbo four that’s also offered in the 3008. An eight-speed automatic will be standard equipment on both models, and the C5 Aircross will be front-wheel drive only. Standard equipment highlights on the entry level Pure include AEB, blind-spot monitoring, wireless phone charging, a 12.1-inch digital driver’s display, automatic lights and wipers with LED daytime running lights, a 360º parking camera and the brand’s hydraulic cushion suspension, which promises the most comfortable ride in the mid-size SUV class. The upper spec Shine will offer a sunroof and other trim upgrades such as leather upholstery. Like the recently launched C3 Aircross, there will be no options available for the C5 Aircross aside from colour. The rear seat slides fore and aft to open up to 720-litres of bootspace, and split 40:20:40 for more practicality. The Shine is expected to be the biggest seller in the C5 Aircross range, with local Citroen execs suggesting that its superior value to the entry level model would win it more buyers. 2019 Citroen C5 Aircross pricing (plus on-road costs): 

Citroen has updated its C3 light car for the 2019 model year, with new equipment including AEB for the first time.

Due in the third quarter of 2019, Peugeot Australia has confirmed local pricing and specifications for its new 508 mid-sizer.

Citroen Australia has launched and priced the C3 Aircross, which is the first product in a new wave of product for the brand locally.

The 2020 Nissan Versa has been revealed ahead of its debut at the 2019 New York auto show with a brand new exterior design, a more modern interior and thanks to Nissan’s lack of willingness to participate in passenger car segments, won’t be headed to Australia. Essentially a new version of the Almera sedan, sold in Australia briefly from 2012 to 2013, the new Versa sedan will be one of the cheapest new cars in North America when it goes on sale later in 2019. Featuring the same four-cylinder drivetrains as before, the new Versa focuses on new styling and tech, rather than a new engine. And what a styling transformation the Versa is as well. No longer looking like an afterthought booted version of the Micra hatchback, the Versa is a modern looking sedan featuring angular headlights, funky alloy wheels and wide tail-lights to give a more planted look than before. According to the company, the Versa is looking longer, wider and lower than the previous model, and is powered solely by a 91kW/155Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that’s matched to either a five-speed manual or CVT auto. Standard equipment has seen a big improvement, the Versa offering front and rear AEB, lane departure warning and automatic high beam headlights as standard. Also on the safety front, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and driver attention alert will be available. Available tech includes LED lighting, keyless entry with push-button start, a part-digital driver’s display, climate control, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in-built satellite navigation and heated front seats. While the Versa’s fresh appearance in a largely dowdy segment would likely win it friends in Australia, Nissan Australia has told local media it won’t be sold locally.