Sedan News

A new performance Passat is en route to Australia, with VW confirming a Golf R-powered version of its mid-size sedan and wagon will arrive in November.The all-wheel-drive 206TSI R-Line will headline the Passat’s MY17 model updates, landing Down Under with a $57,990 sticker price, or $59,990 for the wagon.The order books are now open for the 206TSI R-Line, powered by the 206kW, 350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre from the brand’s current performance powerhouse, the Golf R. The 206TSI R-Line is being touted by VW as the spiritual successor to the V6-powered R36 Passat, last sold in Australia in 2010. The performance Passat arrives with VW’s 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system as standard, helping propel the sedan to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds, with the wagon nipping at its heels in 5.7 seconds. Both the sedan and wagon will be equipped with VW’s six-speed DSG transmission as standard, along with an adaptive chassis control system with several driving modes.Outside, the 206TSI R-Line will wear the same 19-inch alloys and bodykit as the other R-Line variants, but arrives with dynamic LED headlights and new badging. Inside, you’ll find VW’s Active Info Display, along with leather-trimmed seats, alloy pedals and a flat-bottom wheel winged by paddle shifters. “The R-Line is a genuine performance car – not just a sports kit. It’s both a worthy successor to the R36 and a car to throw a fright into the prestige brands,” said General Manager of Sales for Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles, Ryan Davies.The MY17 updates will also see a number of smaller revisions to the Passat range, including new 17-inch Soho alloys and city AEB offered as standard on the 132TSi, while the driver’s seats in the Comfortline, Highline and Alltrack trim levels will get a memory function.The R-Line style pack will add Active Info Display, and will get different 18-inch Monterey alloys. Volkswagen is yet to confirm pricing on the rest of the updated Passat range. 

Tesla has launched a full-frontal assault on its supercar rivals, announcing a battery upgrade for the Model S that will produce a blistering zero to 100km/h sprint time of just 2.7 seconds.

Updated looks, improved spec and a more powerful diesel headline the facelifted CLA range.

BMW adds standard Remote Parking and Ambient Air functions for 2017 update to its flagship sedan.

Ford’s global chief Mark Fields made the bold statement overnight from the car-maker’s Silicon Valley-based research centre in the United States.“Ford will be mass producing vehicles with full autonomy within five years and that means there will be no steering wheels, no gas pedals and no brake pedals - a driver is not going to be required.“The next decade will be defined by automation of the automobile, and we see autonomous vehicles as having as significant an impact on society as Ford’s moving assembly line did 100 years ago. We’re dedicated to putting on the road an autonomous vehicle that can improve safety and solve social and environmental challenges for millions of people – not just those who can afford luxury cars.”The driverless vehicles will form an integral part of the company’s plan to offer a ride-sharing service.Ford said the cars will be level-four capable autonomous vehicles.The Society of Automotive Engineers classifies level-four autonomy as a vehicle with high automation that is able to perform all aspects of driving without human interaction. The most advanced cars currently on the road such as the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Tesla Model S are still only at a level-two stage of partial automation.To achieve its ambitious level-four ride-share goal Ford has acquired and invested in several research organisations and advanced tech companies including LiDAR sensor developers Velodyne; Israel-based computer learning operation SAIPS; machine vision researchers Nirenberg Neuroscience; and 3D mapping firm Civil Maps.In 2015 Ford announced its Smart Mobility plan, which includes autonomous vehicles, ride sharing and other transport services.Most recently Ford Australia made its move into the ride-share market by partnering with ride-sharing and parking service Carhood. The collaboration sees Ford providing vehicles to Carhood along with discounts to Ford owners who use Carhood.

Holden Racing Team moves to Triple Eight Racing for 2017, which will also build next-gen turbocharged Commodore Supercar.

NSW Highway Patrol evaluating high-power four-door replacements for Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.

Mercedes has confirmed the price of its new budget brawler, with the AMG C43 range to kick off from $101,900 (MSRP) when it arrives in Australia in October.

BMW has announced the price of a plug-in hybrid version of its flagship 7 Series limousine due to touch down in Australia towards the end of this year.The 740e will arrive wearing a $229,000 price tag, a $4800 premium over the petrol powered 740i (regular wheelbase) that it’s based on. This places the 740e in the middle of the Australian 7 Series line-up which kicks off at $217,500 and currently tops out at $312,700 foir the 750Li.When it arrives the 740e will be the third BMW iPerformance model to come to Australia with the 330e sedan and X5 xDrive40e SUV launching earlier this year.The 740e is powered by a 190kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four cylinder turbo petrol engine and a 83kW/250Nm electric motor with a combined output of 240kW. Performance will be impressive with its claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.4 seconds, 0.3 seconds quicker than the 740i.An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts the gears with the average fuel consumption coming in at just 2.2L/100km.As with the other iPerformance models the 740e has three hybrid modes: Max eDrive for electric-only driving; Auto eDrive which combines the engine and motor; and Battery Control which uses the engine only and charges the battery through braking.BMW says the 740e can travel 48km purely on electricity.The 740e shares the same standard features as the 740i. This includes 19-inch alloy wheels, 16-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, leather upholstery, sat van, reversing camera, auto parking, proximity unlocking, adaptive air suspension, M Sport package, heated and ventilated seats, and head-up display.As with the 740i, the 740e also comes standard with the Driving Assistant Plus package which brings some great advanced safety equipment such as AEB, active cruise control, lane-keeping function and rear cross traffic alert.The 740e will take on Mercedes-Benz’s S500e petrol electric plug-in hybrid which arrived in July, which sits above the C350e sedan and GLE 500e SUV plug-in hybrids.