Sedan News

Love or hate them, electric cars are the future of personal transportation - just look at how many new EVs will be made available in Australia in 2024!

Holden may be gone, but – as Opel/Vauxhall’s recently-announced Frontera reminds us – it’s clear that a handful of the old names survive. They grace other, inevitably newer models from both within and beyond the broader GM family that once, of course, also included Holden. What do they look like today? Would fans of their Australian namesakes even recognise any sort of connection?

Peugeot and Citroen have announced huge price cuts on select models until July 31, 2024.Discounts include more than $25,000 off old stock of the Peugeot 508 plug-in hybrid sedan, $17,000 cut from the Citroen C5 X’s price, $15,000 for the C5 Aircross Sport and even up to $14,000 cut from MY24 Peugeot 3008s. These latest offers follow a massive $20,000 price cut on Peugeot's e-2008 electric car which cleared remaining stock within days – not weeks or months – ahead of the facelift’s introduction.The 508 can be had for $57,990 drive-away instead of the $76,990 before on-road costs price at release in 2022. The same car today with an unchanged 165kW PHEV that provides 55km of electric-only driving range lists at $81,610. Peugeot only has MY22 508 liftbacks on offer and none of the wagons. Peugeot sold 130 508s in 2022, 156 in 2023 and has registered 37 so far this year. The facelift is expected to arrive this year.  Citroen’s quirky C5 X Shine’s price has been slashed down to $45,990 drive-away, roughly a $17,000 saving over its $57,670 list price. It uses the same powertrain as petrol 508s, a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol with 133kW and 250Nm. In 2022 61 C5 X examples were registered, climbing to 68 in 2023 and sitting at 26 so far this year. A plug-in hybrid MY24 model is available via special order only.It is strange that Peugeot and Citroen have such dated floor stock in the country when companies like Toyota and Mazda are only just catching up with post-COVID demand. CarsGuide has contacted Peugeot Citroen Australia for comment.Citroen's more conventional mid-size SUV to rival the Toyota RAV4, the C5 Aircross, is on sale as well. MY23 examples are available from $44,990 drive-away, about a $15,000 saving on its $55,990 before on-road costs list price. Peugeot’s take on the same underpinnings is the 3008. It comes in three variants (unlike the sole-trim models above) with varying savings – in this case, they’re all on new MY24 models. The entry-level Allure can be had from $46,990 drive-away, that’s down about $7700 but it includes the $5990 Luxury pack (with Nappa leather, sunroof and more) for that price, bringing total savings to nearly $14,000.Other trims, including the GT ($50,990) and flagship GT Sport ($62,990, both drive-away), have more modest discounts of around $6000. The 3008 GT plug-in hybrid remains priced at full whack: $82,915 before on-road costs. Various discounts on vans – including more than $15,000 off the pre-facelift e-Partner electric van – are available. Even one of Peugeot’s freshest models, the 308 GT hatch, can be had for less than list with a circa $1000 saving thanks to a $46,990 drive-away price. 

I recently saw the new BMW i5 electric sedan and… zzzzzzzzzz Sorry, I fell asleep because the new i5, like so many modern electric sedans, is pretty dull to look at. Apologies to BMW because there are plenty of other homogeneous four doors on the market today, starting with the Tesla Model 3 as well as the Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS, Genesis G80 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 to name a few.

While electric cars and traditional hybrids have exploded in popularity, plug-in hybrids have remained a relatively niche alternative. By the middle of 2024, though, sales are up 130 per cent, from 3582 sales in 2023 to 8223 thanks to more models becoming available and improved vehicle supply. Driven by the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and new BYD Sealion 6, the plug-in hybrid landscape is only going to become more populous in the coming months, including when BYD launches the first PHEV ute to be sold in Australia. Plug-in hybrids offer a unique combination of electric mobility but without range anxiety. Their battery packs, typically between 10-20kWh in capacity, offer between 50-150km of electric-only range, matching early electric cars. There is the added benefit of a combustion engine that can kick in when you run out of battery. This means long distance road trips, like Sydney-Melbourne, require less charge stop planning than in a battery electric car. The technology is only improving, too. Manufacturers are fitting larger battery packs, more efficient motors and adding DC fast-charge capability to their plug-in hybrids. BYD is heavily invested, releasing its fifth-gen Dual Motor intelligence (DM-i) system in China with claims of 2100km total driving range and nearly 200km from the battery alone. It is not a perfect solution. Owners need to be diligent with charging to get anywhere close to the official fuel consumption ratings, typically below 3L/100km. Dragging the extra battery weight around often means similar fuel consumption to a petrol vehicle when out of charge, too. In its first month on sale, the new BYD Sealion 6 medium SUV notched up a healthy 482 registrations – it’ll be quick to challenge the established Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2422) and Eclipse Cross PHEV (1482, both year-to-date).Following the mainstream nameplates come some more premium options, including the Mazda CX-60 (460 to end of May), Volvo XC60 (390), Cupra Formentor (313), MG HS Plus EV (307), Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid (304), Audi Q5 (301), Lexus NX (175) and Mercedes-AMG C63 (163).Expect plug-in hybrid sales to easily reach beyond 15,000 this year. That’s still a long way off projected electric car (100,000) and hybrid (160,000) sales, but it is a big increase for the powertrain style. Also helping to drive sales are the current FBT exemptions for novated leasing on plug-in hybrid vehicles making them more attractive to buyers. This benefit will end on April 1, 2025. Hybrid hero Toyota sells a selection of plug-in hybrid models overseas, including the RAV4 and Prius Prime. Having committed to a 100 per cent hybrid or electric passenger car line-up (excluding GR) in Australia, Toyota may also join the fray. “As we evolve and battery technology evolves, there will be certain benefits that PHEV can offer that will also fit into those top three categories. Eventually, we'll have plug-in hybrids. What variants? We will have to decide,” Toyota Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in May.

Audi is changing the way it names its cars. Kicking off with the new Audi Q6 e-tron electric car, Audi will ditch the numerical references  to power outputs (such as 30 TFSI or 40 TDI) that defined which variant was which, as well as altering the assignment of model numbers like ‘A4’ or ‘Q5’ depending on drivetrain.

It's telling that the number of launches for hatchbacks, sedans in and people movers 2024 is not huge. But what's more telling is the sheer number of them that are for EVs or plug-in hybrids.

Our ultimate list of hybrids worth waiting for in 2024.

BMW has revealed a second mid-life update  for its iconic 3 Series sedan, with more range for plug-in hybrid models, new technology and extra grunt for M models.

The Skywell Skyhome could be the most luxurious little electric limo not much money can buy