Tesla Model Y 2023 News

Here are two facts. For over 60 years Nissan has been on a rollercoaster. And for the remaining six years of this decade, Nissan is set to be on a roll. Not that you’d know it with the Japanese brand’s long-term shrinking market share and – until late last year – a worthy but dull and dated core model range.

Ford's huge globe-spanning 'strategic motorsport strategy' shown alongside its F1 partnership announcement will yield some next-level EVs.

This past week we’ve seen chaotic scenes of Tesla customers in China storming the electric vehicle brand’s showrooms in protest that price reductions weren’t being passed on to buyers who had already placed orders for cars. 

Tesla is bucking the trend by making its most popular cars more affordable, but it faces increased competition over the course of 2023.

Diversity has been the keyword for car makers for the past decade (or more), with increasingly small gaps in seemingly ever-expanding model line-ups. But some brands are demonstrating that a little can go a long way.

The safest new cars that went on sale in Australia in 2022 have been announced, with three cars awarded best overall safety and others ranking highly in specific criteria.

Electric is all the rage right now, with demand surging for the most popular cars, like the Tesla Model Y, BYD Atto 3, and MG ZS EV.

The Toyota HiLux reclaimed its crown as Australia's best-selling vehicle in November, holding off the new Ford Ranger to finish in first place.

Volvo has brave plans to accelerate its electrification plans, specifically in Australia to go all-electric early, but measuring itself against newcomers to the space is key to its success.The plan to go all-electric by 2026 will be backed by five new model launches, as the brand endeavours to replace or electrify all of its current nameplates.Obviously, it will face stiff competition from its traditional rivals, like BMW’s i range or Mercedes-Benz with its EQ division, but Volvo’s Australian managing director, Stephen Connor, said to succeed, the brand must pitch itself against EV newcomers.“We’ve got to move away from measuring ourselves against these traditional rivals,” he said. “We need to benchmark ourselves against newcomers, more like Tesla, BYD certainly. Why wouldn’t we see these brands as competitors? As a threat? We have to look at both the tech sector as well as the premium sector.”To that end, Volvo’s current EV strategy is notably in contrast from its premium rivals. The XC40 Recharge fully electric for example, starting from $72,990 before on-road costs is priced more closely a to Tesla Model Y (from $72,300) than the equivalent Mercedes-Benz EQA (from $78,513) or BMW iX1 (from $82,900).Targeting new-age rivals doesn’t just stop with the likes of Tesla and BYD though, Volvo Australia even considers its sister brand Polestar a rival in Australia.“Polestar is a competitor,” Mr Connor said. “We don’t discuss our product plans with them - their product strategy is different from ours and vice versa.“We don’t scrimp on safety for example, and our model range is simplified. There is one fully specified Recharge variant. In fact, we are even heading towards one powertrain, we could take out single and just sell the twin, C40 pre-sale is around 90 per cent twin motor. Simplicity is where we’re heading.”In contrast to the C40 or XC40 Recharge which is sold in just one variant with all the equipment included in either single- or dual-motor form, the mechanically related Polestar 2 starts with a much lower entry price (from $63,900 for the base Standard Range Single Motor), but requires a $3400 safety pack to match the Single Motor Volvos on active safety equipment.Volvo also plans to back its electric car strategy with an infrastructure play, installing fast-charging locations at all of its dealerships.“These will be free for our customers,” said Mr Connor. “Free coffee, tea, and our plan is for these locations to be 24/7.”While this might not provide as many locations as are offered by Tesla with its healthy list of ‘destination’ and ‘Supercharger’ locations which are mostly exclusive to Tesla owners, it does help to take the stress off for potential buyers worried about the lack of public charging locations available currently.Volvo says its fully electric move will also boost its volume, with Mr Connor claiming the brand can climb from its current 12,000 yearly units sold to 20,000 units by 2026.“By 2025 we predict we’ll be 70 percent electric anyway. We’re confident we’ll have the supply to meet our targets by 2026. If our product was available today we’d do it today. Our consumer is ready,” he said.Volvo’s next fully electric model will be the EX90, which will replace its popular XC90 large SUV. It is due to be revealed next week, for an international launch in 2023. Expect to see it in Australia some time in 2024, although Mr Connor hopes the Australian division’s new accelerated strategy may see our market prioritised for new model launches.

After years of trying and failing with worthy attempts like the i3 luxury hatchback and i8 supercar, BMW Australia seems to have finally found the right formula for electric vehicle (EV) success with the coming iX1.