SUV

Jeep rolling out more hybrids in key segments both in Australia and overseas.

The Chery Tiggo 8 Pro Max launches in Australia in three variants, and the Urban is the entry-level version.

Mercedes-Benz has unleashed its potent new AMG GLC 63 performance SUV. Gone is the brutish twin-turbo V8 and in its place is an even more powerful plug-in hybrid set-up.

Subaru has joined the electric vehicle market with its newest launch, the Solterra. Created in a joint partnership with Toyota, the Solterra still sees the adventuring heart of Subaru safeguarded with each Solterra model only being offered as an AWD. Is this long-awaited EV entry enough to whet the whistle for Subaru enthusiasts?

The Berry family has made it two months into their long-term test of the Kia EV9 fully electric seven-seater SUV but is it still the best car this clan claims it has ever tested?

Chery has a task in front of it shaking its rivals new and old, but is it putting its best foot forward with the Tiggo 8 Pro Max?

Jeep has announced severe price cuts for its Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L large SUVs, with discounts as steep as $28,000 for flagship Summit Reserve models.The price of entry has fallen by $12,500 for the Grand Cherokee Night Eagle five seater to $65,450, while the seven seater is $13,300 cheaper at $69,450, all before on-road costs.While it's typical for brands to offer discounts approaching the end of financial year to shift stock, it's rare to see such significant cuts.The Jeeps in question are 2023 plate vehicles though there are no specification differences between them and MY24 examples. The vehicle arrived in Australia in May 2022.The range is mostly powered by a 3.6-litre V6 developing 210kW and 344Nm.Saving for V6-powered Night Eagles are between $12,500-$13,300 (5/7 seat), the mid-spec Limited $11,000-$12,800, Overland $20,500-$21,300 and Summit Reserve seven-seat $28,000.Savings also apply to the five-seat Summit Reserve 4xe plug-in hybrid to the tune of $18,500.It uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and two electric motors powered by a 17.3kWh battery. The result is 280kW/637Nm and WLTP 52km EV-only driving range.When Jeep launched the fifth-gen Grand Cherokee range locally it planned to move upmarket. The vehicle is dearer than rivals such as the Hyundai Palisade (from $66,800) and Mazda CX-90 (from $74,400).Sales have slowed since the Grand Cherokee's introduction, with Jeep shifting just 254 examples down 43.8 per on last year.Jeep Australia did not specify an end date to the sale or communicate how many examples are in stock.It's the first major price cut for a combustion vehicle ahead of EOFY. Electric vehicle makers, including Tesla, BYD, Peugeot, Renault and Nissan, have all slashed prices lately.Jeep Grand Cherokee prices (before on-road costs, in stock MY23 models)Jeep Grand Cherokee L seven-seat prices (before on-road costs, in stock MY23 models)

Tesla has a target on its back as another Chinese brand launches a cut-price alternative.This time its emerging carmaker Nio and its affordable sub-brand Onvo taking aim at the electric car king.Dubbed the L60, the mid-size electric SUV has just gone on sale in China and is priced at the equivalent of about AUD$46,000.This undercuts the Tesla Model Y, the world’s best-selling EV, by about $12,000.The L60 brings Nio’s unique battery swap technology that allows owners to swap a depleted battery for a fully charged one at the brand's swap stations.A battery swap reportedly takes about three minutes, which shatters the time needed to fill up a battery via a DC supercharger.That’s not the L60’s only advantage.It’s battery can be topped up via a supercharger and its one of the fastest charging vehicles on the market.This is due to its 900-volt charging architecture, which trumps the 800-volt set-up used by Hyundai, Kia and Porsche that allow up to 350kW of juice to be pumped into the battery.The L60 has extremely long legs for an EV. There are three battery options - 60kWh, 90kWh and 150kWh - that provide a driving range of about 550km, 730km and 1000km respectively.These figures are calculated via the more generous China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC), rather than the widely used Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).It’s extremely aerodynamic, making it as slippery through the air as possible, which helps improve efficiency.There is no word yet on whether the L60 will be offered outside of China but Nio is one of the few Chinese electric car brands to sell vehicles in other global markets, having secured a toehold in Europe.Nio has been developing solid state batteries, too, which are thought to be the silver bullet to mass electric car adoption.Fully solid state batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid or gel used in conventional units.Solid state batteries are smaller, faster to charge and more energy dense than current lithium-ion batteries.Nio recently completed testing of a semi-solid state battery in its ET7 electric sedan.These semi-solid state cells use a combination of liquid and solid electrolytes to hold energy.It completed three test runs of more than 1000km on a single charge and the tests were conducted in a range of temperatures, travelled across significant altitude changes and had an average speed of about 80km/h. Low temperatures, hills and high speeds dramatically decrease an EVs range.

BYD has launched its answer to the Toyota RAV4 hybrid in Australia.Dubbed the Sealion 6, the mid-size SUV brings plug-in hybrid power to the brand’s range that has, until now, been electric-only in Australia. BYD will add its second plug-in hybrid model later this year in the form of the Shark dual-cab ute.The Sealion 6 will take the fight to some of the most popular vehicles in the country such as the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda CX-5.The numbers are impressive.Prices for the two-tier range start from $48,990 before on-road costs for the base Dynamic and $52,990 for the Premium variant.The Dynamic uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor fed by an 18.3kWh battery to send a combined 160kW and 300Nm to the front wheels.Step up to the Premium and you gain a turbocharged 1.5-lite petrol engine and a second motor on the rear axle providing all-wheel drive. Outputs jump to a beefy 238kW and 550Nm.The addition of turbo power and a second motor drops the Sealion’s 0-100km/h time from 8.5 seconds to 5.9.BYD claims the Dynamic can be driven up to 92km on pure electric power and the Premium can go up to 81km before the battery is depleted.The Sealion can accept up to 7kW of charge via an AC wallbox charger or 18kW when connected to a DC fast charger. It has a vehicle-to-load function that allows owners to plug in appliances via conventional household power socket in the car.Fuel use is minuscule at 1.1L/100km for the Dynamic and 1.4L/100km for the Premium.Those figures can be misleading, though, as once the battery has run out of juice the car relies solely on the small capacity petrol engine to drive the wheels and charge the battery, which would result in a big jump in fuel use. Both variants come with a basket of goodies as standard.There are 19-inch alloy-wheels, a panoramic sunroof, roof rails and LED lighting front and back.Inside there is a giant 15.6-inch multimedia screen paired with a 12.3-inch digital display for the driver’s instruments.Power adjustable seats are wrapped in synthetic leather as is the steering wheel. The front two seats are heated and ventilated, there are lots of USB ports, two wireless device charging pads and a 10-speaker Infinity stereo.All the safety boxes have been ticked with a wide array of active driver aids and seven airbags.

The Sealion 6 PHEV SUV is set to be BYD's bestselling model in Australia, as the Chinese brand chases volume in a big way.