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Excited for cut-price Toyota Mini LandCruiser FJ? Don't hold your breath for sub $50,000 Toyota LandCruiser as Suzuki Jimny, BYD Leopard 5 and Ford Bronco Sport rival remains unlikely for Oz
By John Law · 01 Jan 2025
The Mini LandCruiser FJ could be the most hotly anticipated new car of 2025. As one of CarsGuide’s most read stories last year, it’s clear Australians are intrigued by a cut-price rough and tumble 4WD, but there are a few glaring problems for prospective buyers.In all likelihood, the Mini LandCruiser FJ will not be available in Australia.We’ll only know for sure when it debuts in the second quarter of next year, but reports from Japan's BestCar do not look promising for an Aussie arrival. The Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4-sized Mini LandCruiser Fj — as we’re calling it for now — will be built on the ASEAN-market focused IMV platform seen under the low-cost HiLux Champ and its wagon-bodied Rangga relation. Like the HiLux ute, the LandCruiser FJ will be built in right-hand-drive Thailand, which bodes well for Australia. However, only a 2.7-litre petrol four-cylinder will be available according to reports.The 2.7-litre petrol’s fuel economy isn’t great at 10.4L/100km combined, corresponding to 241 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. Introducing a popular model with this engine would hurt Toyota’s chances of being able to meet incoming emissions regulations in Australia. A more expensive hybrid would surely be necessary. That’s a shame, because with its ladder frame and expected 4WD with locking centre differential, low-range transfer case, six-speed automatic and rear ‘Torsen’ limited-slip differential, the Mini LandCruiser has everything needed in a capable off-roader. Bigger than a Suzuki Jimny but still much smaller than a LandCruiser Prado, the Mini FJ is said to be 4.5 metres long, 1.83 metres wide, 1.85m high and roll on a 2.75-metre wheelbase with a rear-mount spare tyre shown in BestCar’s renders for that authentic look. The other issues facing the Mini LandCruiser FJ in Australia and other countries are safety requirements.The HiLux Champ ute is not equipped with the usual litany of systems. It has two airbags, a pair of three-point seatbelts and anti-lock brakes with brake-force distribution. That means no daytime running lights, reverse cameras or auto emergency braking, and therefore no Australian compliance. The Champ also lacks a multimedia touchscreen. Toyota could, of course, add these features into the Mini LandCruiser FJ, but that comes at quite a cost, liable to take the expected price of entry from A$40,000 equivalent into the mid-high $50K region, and perhaps even higher. While there may not be as much demand for this size of car as a Prado in Australia, Suzuki has proven the Jimny recipe can be successful. The brand is on the way to selling 10,000 units of the tiny off-roader this year, beating Toyota’s urban-focused Yaris Cross in the sales charts. That said, Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley previously poured cool water on plans for a shrunken LandCruiser product. “The short answer is no. No, not right now,” Hanley told CarsGuide, before qualifying that means: “No in the sense that there are no plans right now that I'm aware of for Australia.” “I don't necessarily see a small cruiser right now entering the Australian market. You never say never, but there's nothing on the horizon,” said Hanley.  The ‘LandCruiser FJ’ name was trademarked both overseas and locally by Toyota and is distinctly different in trademark from the retro ‘FJ Cruiser’ sold in Australia from 2011-2016. Toyota is expected to reveal the LandCruiser FJ in Australian Spring. Expect more details — including its potential for Australia — by then. 
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Massive 1000km driving range family SUV detailed: Diesel dumped for 2025 Hyundai Palisade hybrid which vows to tackle Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder head-on
By John Law · 30 Dec 2024
Hyundai has detailed its largest combustion SUV, the Palisade, before it goes on-sale in Korea. Expected to arrive in Australia some time in 2025, the three-row SUV ditches its diesel powerplants for an all-petrol based offering, including a new powerful hybrid model with the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento and Nissan Pathfinder in its sights. The new-generation Palisade is bigger than its predecessor: 65mm longer (5060mm), 5mm taller and wider, riding on a 70mm longer 2970mm wheelbase. The Palisade rejoins a busy seven-seat segment with the brand also offering the Ioniq 9 electric car and smaller Santa Fe in Australia.In Korea, the Palisade is available in a nine seat configuration with a three-wide front bench. Normally, that would be unlikely for Australia but Hyundai has engineered a twin centre airbag for safety, so it may get in. It is otherwise a seven seater with two front, two middle ‘captain’s chairs’ and a three-wide rear bench.The interior has been completely overhauled in the style of the smaller Santa Fe, with upmarket trims such as Calligraphy getting twin curved 12.3-inch displays, with the centre working as the multimedia touchscreen. Upholstery comes in a variety of colours with top-spec variants getting the choice of black or brown leather in Korea. Huge 21-inch alloy wheels are available optionally. Helping keep the ride plush are the first adaptive dampers ever fitted to a non-N Hyundai SUV. The technology is borrowed from Genesis models. Under the bonnet you’ll find a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder in place of the old 3.8-litre V6, while the more efficient diesel is effectively replaced by the new hybrid system. Petrol alone, the Palisade develops 210kW. The hybrid’s 1.65kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motor bumps this to 249kW with combined driving range in excess of 1000km. Electric car-like features include vehicle-to-load (V2L) along with ‘Stay Mode’ that allows the car to idle for long periods of time without compromising on air-con effectiveness. Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed but in Korea, Palisade prices have jumped by up to 15 per cent. If we apply that same increase to the flagship Calligraphy model ($81,719) today, it’s possible a new AWD hybrid could be pushing $95,000 before on-road costs.
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Are electric utes boom or bust? Ford F-150 Lightning production paused until 2025 due to low demand: Report
By Chris Thompson · 02 Nov 2024
Ford will pause production of the electric version of its F-150 for the rest of the year, reports say, as demand for the 'Lightning' isn't meeting production capability.Along with a week in which Ford's US production plants are closed for Christmas in Dec
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Hyundai to out-Toyota Toyota! Game-changing 'Extended Range' hybrids detailed that will leave the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Corolla Cross Hybrid in their dust as they take you from Sydney to Melbourne without stopping once to refuel
By Andrew Chesterton · 01 Sep 2024
Hyundai has confirmed the launch of its next-generation hybrid technology that promises to leave the current crop of conventional hybrids in its rear-view mirror.Billed as Extended Range EVs (or EREVs), the new fleet will act much like Nissan's e-Power vehicles, in which the petrol engine is used only to recharge the on-board battery.Only the electric motor, or motors, drive the wheels, so you get an EV-like drive experience, but with the convenience of being able to refuel at regular service stations.The result, promises Hyundai, is a fleet of vehicles able to travel more than 900km on a single tank, meaning Sydney to Brisbane or Melbourne to Adelaide on a single tank, and that act as a kind of long-distance alternative to a regular electric vehicle.The move is in a direct response to the slowing EV market, forcing a quick shift in strategy from the Korean giant.“Looking back the past year, there were major changes to the automobile market, with the rosy projections for the EV transition giving way to heightened concerns,” Hyundai CEO Jaehoon Chang said at a recent investor conference.“The shift to EVs is currently slowing down. And with the recent slowdown in the EV transition, the demand for hybrids has been picking up.”Essentially an EV with a range-extending petrol engine, the vehicles will be powered with a single or dual-motor layout – meaning two- or all-wheel drive – and they'll be fitted with a single-speed EV-style gearbox.And because the petrol tank is providing the charge while on the move, they can make do with much smaller batteries than a typical EV.And this, says Hyundai, will make them significantly cheaper than an all-electric equivalent – the batteries will be some 66 per cent cheaper – while the lack of a conventional gearbox will lower the price further still."The new EREV will combine the advantages of internal combustion engines and EVs," the brand said in a statement."Hyundai Motor has developed a unique new powertrain and power electronics system to enable four-wheel drive with the application of two motors. The operation is powered solely by electricity, similar to EVs, with the engine being used only for battery charging."The new EREV also offers price competitiveness over EVs through battery capacity optimisation and allows both refuelling and stress-free charging while offering a superior driving range of over 900km when fully charged."Hyundai plans to have the new technology in market globally by 2026, but there is no word yet on the models it will appear in first, or when it will make its Australian debut.
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Why iconic American electric car brand is here to stay: Cadillac says long-term lease shows commitment to Australia as it targets Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz with Lyriq EV launch in October
By John Law · 19 Aug 2024
Cadillac will open its first Australian location in Rosebery, an inner-city suburb of Sydney.  The grand opening should roughly coincide with the release of its first new model in Australia, the all-electric Lyriq, which is due by the end of October. The Lyriq is all-but confirmed to be followed by the Optiq and Vistiq electric cars. 
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Tesla Model Y smashing new EV locked in: 2025 Smart #5 to be revealed in Australia with bonkers performance variant to match Hyundai Ioniq 5 N power and blow Kia EV6 GT and Polestar 2 Performance away
By Samuel Irvine · 07 Aug 2024
Smart will unveil its largest and most powerful SUV to date – the Smart #5 – at a global launch event in Australia later this month. It will be the first time the electric car has been officially shown to the public and follows the reveal of a concept version in April at the Beijing motor show. The launch event will take place on August 28 in Byron Bay where Smart has planned its domestic launch of the smaller Smart #1 SUV and Smart #3 coupe SUV models, both of which debuted in China last year.Smart has referred to the #5 as a “contemporary adventurer” that combines premium SUV comfort and style. The #5 is designed by Mercedes-Benz and will have off-road capability. Smart says the #5 has only slight variations from the concept model, which showed it as a fully-equipped off-roader. Patent filings earlier this year revealed the the top-spec dual-motor variant of the Smart #5 will have a staggering output of 474kW, blowing away the most powerful versions of the Smart #1 and Smart #3 by at least 150kW.For comparison, the Smart #5 will pack 44kW more than the red hot Kia EV6 GT and nearly as much as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance EV.The #5 doesn’t appear to get the same Brabus treatment – via Smart’s part-owner Mercedes-Benz – as the #1 and #3 receive. Full performance figures are expected closer to the vehicle’s official launch date, and it is likely the top-spec variant will be able to hit 0-100km/h in less than three seconds.There will also be a slightly less performance oriented dual-motor variant, which still outputs a hefty 431kW. Two rear-wheel drive variants with outputs of 250kW and 267kW will also join the line-up.Smart says its most efficient #5 will have a range of up to 700km.Exact details regarding the battery capacities for each model are yet to be disclosed, though Smart has stated that the model’s most efficient variant has a battery capacity of more than 100kWh, along with 800-volt fast-charging capacity.Measuring at 4705 mm long, 1920mm wide and 1705 mm tall, the Smart #5 is a similar size to the Tesla Model Y. Details on the vehicle's interior design are yet to be released, though given the vehicle’s exterior design is only likely to differ marginally from the April 2024 concept, it could be safe to assume the interior will remain largely the same.If so, you can expect two central OLED screens, a digital driver’s display, ambient lighting, a portable speaker integrated into the vehicle’s central console, a striking ‘X’-shaped glass roof, as well as heated, ventilated and massage seats. Pricing is expected once the vehicle is officially launched.The global launch will involve a drive program from Brisbane to Byron Bay, which Smart will live-stream to a global audience. It’s very rare for a car company to stage its global launch in Australia, though Smart says its decision was made based Australia’s proximity to China – where the cars are built and where the Smart team is based – and the company's commitment to the Australian market, having announced its return earlier this year. Smart is a jointly owned venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automotive conglomerate Geely, the latter owns car brands such as Polestar, Volvo and Zeekr among others. 
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Still the cheapest hot hatch? 2025 Hyundai i30 N pricing and features revealed but does it undercut the VW Golf GTI, Subaru WRX and Honda Civic Type R?
By Tim Nicholson · 02 Aug 2024
One of Australia’s favourite hot hatches has come in for an overhaul that adds some extra goodies, but it also comes with a price increase.
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More driving range for 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car, with updated Australian pricing confirmed for Polestar 2 and Tesla Model Y rival
By Chris Thompson · 23 Jul 2024
Hyundai Australia has locked in pricing for the updated Ioniq 5 electric car, which is available to order now with a small price bump over the 2024 model.The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 now starts from $69,800 before on-road costs, representing a rise of $2500 o
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Thousands of kilometres in a Corolla? Next-gen Toyota Corolla rumoured to get hybrid and plug-in hybrid tech with impressive range goals to storm ahead of Hyundai i30 and VW Golf - report
By Chris Thompson · 22 Jul 2024
The next Toyota Corolla might be on the way with a very impressive plug-in hybrid (PHEV) driving range if overseas reports are any indication.
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Massive $25,000 price cut for 4x4 ute! Jeep Gladiator prices slashed before facelifted version of alternative Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton rival arrives
By John Law · 19 Jul 2024
Jeep has announced a massive price cut as part of a drive-away campaign for MY23 Gladiator 4x4 ute stock ahead of the impending facelift.From $78,250 before on-road costs – about $86K drive-away depending on state – the base Night Eagle variant falls to $64,000 out the door.The flagship $87,250 Gladiator Rubicon (roughly $95,000 on the road) is being pushed out of dealers for $25K less, at $70,000.Jeep will replace the niche Gladiator later this year with a facelifted version that gets a new-look grille, side-curtain airbags a larger 12.3-inch Uconnect multimedia touchscreen (up from 8.4 inches), soft-touch cabin surfaces, and new alloy wheel designs.Pricing is yet to be announced for the new version but mechanically it is identical to the existing model.Both the Night Eagle and Rubicon are motivated by a 209kW/347Nm 3.6-litre 'Pentastar' V6 linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission with an active on-demand 4x4 system powering all four wheels.The Night Eagle has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, LED exterior lighting, keyless entry, a nine-speaker Alpine sound system and more.The off-road focused Rubicon, meanwhile, adds a tough steel rear bumper, 17-inch alloy wheels shod in 32-inch (255/75 R21) off-road tyres, thicker Tenneco dampers, a low-range 'crawl gear', front and rear differential locks and an electronic front swaybar disconnect system.Luxury also increases in the Rubicon with leather upholstery, leather-appointed steering wheel and shifter, heated front seats and steering wheel.The lifestyle ute, which can be considered a niche alternative to up-market versions of the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Mitubishi Triton, has been subject to multiple price increases as Jeep repositions itself as a premium brand in Australia.The Night Eagle was introduced in 2021 at $68,250 and has climbed $10,000 to today's list price with no major upgrades.Gladiator sales are down by a significant 63.8 per cent this year with just 467 registrations to the end of June.Jeep Gladiator run-out pricing 
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