Sedan News

Mercedes-Benz is working on a new in-car app that will help owners dodge car parks with high crime rates.

Jaguar has marked three decades since the closure of one Grand Prix racing’s most charismatic circuits – Circuit de Charade, Clermont-Ferrand - by setting a new lap record around its tortuously twisting layout.Established race ace and Jaguar SV Project 8 driver, Vencent Radermecker took the wheel of the special edition Jaguar XE 300 Sport to complete the first flying lap of the circuit in 30 years, setting a new production car record in the process.The 8.0km, 48-turn circuit, located near the Chaîne des Puys mountains in southern France, hosted the French Grand Prix in 1965, 1969, 1970, and 1972, but was finally closed in 1988 due to its modest run-off areas and regular rock falls from the nearby volcanic peaks.In the Belgian’s expert hands the 221kW/400Nm 2.0-litre ‘Ingenium’ (petrol) powered XE recorded a time of 4:09 at an average speed of 116km/h. For reference, Kiwi Chris Amon’s fastest lap in the 1972 French Grand Prix at Clermont Ferrand was 2:53 at an average of 168km/h.In an interesting side note, former Le Mans winner and current Red Bull F1 team advisor, Helmut Marko was at the wheel of a BRM in the 1972 French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand when he was hit in the eye by a rock thrown up from Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus, and never raced again.After completing his lap Radermecker said, “I set the production saloon record at the Nürburgring in the XE SV Project 8 last year and this lap was every bit as demanding. The longest straight is barely 600 metres, so I can see why drivers used to call this the French Nürburgring.”Australian pricing for the Jaguar XE 300 Sport is confirmed at $79,400, before on-road costs, with all 300 Sport models featuring unique ‘Dark Satin Grey’ details including the door mirror caps, rear spoiler and grille surround, along with 300 Sport badging on the front grille and boot lid. ‘Satin Technical Grey’ finish 19- or 20-inch alloy wheels are exclusive to the XE 300 Sport along with branded brake calipers. Colours offered are ‘Yulong White’, ‘Indus Silver’, ‘Santorini Black’ and ‘Caldera Red’.

Lexus Australia will release its new ES300h mid-size sedan this month, available exclusively with hybrid powertrains and offered in just two grades, Luxury and Sports Luxury.

RS 5 Sportback to bring the mid-size Audi RS tally to three, for the same price as the coupe.

Fifty examples of the rear-drive V6 Kia Stinger performance hatch will join the Western Australian Police force over the next 12 months, to replace outgoing Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons.

Volkswagen Group Australia will soon reveal its plans for a new line of all-electric models, which is expected to kick off with the Volkswagen ID small car in 2021.

Skoda Australia has introduced drive-away pricing for the Rapid small car, which is now priced at $24,990 drive-away, a change from the old recommended retail price of $23,990.

Lexus is claiming a production-car world first with the imminent introduction of rear-view cameras in place of conventional wing mirrors on its new ES large sedan that will go on sale in Japan next month.The cameras on door-mounted arms – in a similar fashion to regular mirrors – transmit images to two 5.0-inch screens inside the cabin at the bottom of each A-pillar.Audi has also signaled its intention to introduce the digital mirror system on its Audi e-tron SUV, but Lexus will beat the German company to the punch by putting it into production first.Lexus has no plans to introduce the re-imagined mirror set-up outside Japan, but the move might put pressure on road safety legislators to change rules that deem this technology unroadworthy.In Australia, the regulations would have to change before mirrors of this kind are to become commonly available, with Australian Design Rules (ADR) requiring mirrors with specific design parameters.In theory, Lexus could apply for an exemption to the rule, although the Japanese carmaker has given no indication it will try.Audi also might have to revert to conventional mirrors for e-tron when it arrives in Australia in the second half of next year. Alternative mirrors have been a common feature on concept cars in the past decade, but road safety administrators have deemed latency issues and low-light performance make them less effective than regular wing mirrors.Lexus says its camera shape resists raindrops and snow, giving a clearer rear view while also reducing wind noise and providing a less obstructed view through the side windows."The system automatically enhances the corresponding area – left, right or behind – when the turn signals are activated, or when the transmission is put into reverse," it says. "The view of areas around the car can be manually enhanced by the driver to obtain complete peripheral awareness of the area around the vehicle."

Aston Martin's first EV, the Rapide E, will be an all-electric rocket-ship with a near-tonne of torque and sprint to 100km/h of under five seconds.

If you're wondering just how much money you can save on fuel by switching to an EV vehicle, take note of Sylvia Wilson's epic trip around Australia in her Tesla Model S.