CAR SPECS

Prices of Tesla electric cars in Australia have hit a new low – with $3900 taken off every RRP – as part of the third price cut this year. US electric-car specialist Tesla has dropped prices across its model range – the Tesla Model 3 sedan and Tesla Model Y SUV – to new lows, and customers in the queue may be in line for the reductions. From today (1 July 2023), recommended retail prices – which exclude stamp duty, registration, order/delivery fees and Luxury Car Tax, where applicable – have been cut by $3900 across all Model 3 and Model Y variants. Tesla continues not to include Luxury Car Tax (LCT) in its list prices for the models for the models it applies to, despite being industry practice to do so. However once LCT is included, the saving is up to $6955 on a Model 3 Performance sedan compared to the same vehicle ordered yesterday – due to the cut in the RRP, and an increase in the LCT threshold for electric cars from 1 July 2023, from $84,916 to $89,332 (plus on...

Dodge’s last-ever V8-powered muscle car helped raise $US700,000 ($AU1.06 million) for charity at auction – with the offer of tickets to a Keith Urban concert from Nicole Kidman helping to sweeten the deal. The final build slot for the last-ever V8-powered Dodge Challenger has raised $US700,000 ($AU1.06 million) for a children’s charity at an auction in the US – after the muscle car was sold twice in an unexpected twist. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the last of seven limited-edition Challenger coupes and Charger sedans models released to celebrate Dodge ending production of its V8 ‘Hemi’ engines, before the next-generation models sedan downsize to six-cylinder or electric propulsion. Dodge offered the final build slot for the Challenger SRT Demon 170 at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, announcing it would donate 100 per cent of the hammer price to Kristi House – a non-profit organisation focused on eradicating child abuse and child sex trafficking. Bidding f...

The Kia Niro hybrid and electric small SUV has received price rises of up to $1290 across the range, but only one model gets new features. Kia Australia has increased prices by up to $1290 across the 2024 Kia Niro hybrid and electric small SUV line-up for the new model year. Applicable to Model Year 2024 examples, the price rises amount to $260 for the electric Niro EV GT-Line flagship, $550 for both Niro Hybrid variants (S and GT-Line), and $1290 for the Niro EV S. Alongside the price rise the Kia Niro EV S gains the larger 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen from the GT-Line – replacing a smaller 8.0-inch screen – with embedded satellite navigation, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (rather than the smaller screen’s wireless connectivity). Kia Niro GT-Line touchscreen. The larger screen brings support for Kia Connect – which includes a smartphone companion app with features such as remote locking/unlocking, vehicle location, electric/fuel driving range stat...

The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Le Mans Centenary Edition pays tribute to the iconic endurance race, with all 72 examples set to be sold exclusively to French customers. German car-maker Porsche has unveiled a limited-run 911 sports car, celebrating the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race’s 100th anniversary – but don’t expect it in Australian showrooms. The 911 Carrera GTS ‘Le Mans Centenary Edition’ will be produced exclusively for Porsche customers in France, with its 72 examples reflecting the 72 continuous years the car-maker has competed in the iconic event. Revealed a fortnight after the 24 Hours of Le Mans celebrated its 100th anniversary – where Porsche was unable to score its 20th victory – the limited-edition variant is based on the 911 Carrera GTS variant, with a number of features harking back to the marque’s past successes in the event. The sports car’s ‘Le Mans Silver’ paint is bespoke to the Centenary Edition, inspired by the first Porsche to compete i...

The entry-level Tesla Model 3 may gain a larger battery pack to extend its driving range, according to a new report out of China. The most affordable – and most popular version – of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 is due to gain increased driving range with the arrival of an updated model late this year or early next year, a new report has claimed. Chinese media outlet 36kr – spotted by Chinese electric-car specialist website CnEVPost – claims Tesla is planning to upgrade the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive Model 3 with a larger 66kWh battery pack as part of a major update due in the coming months. This new battery is 6kWh larger than the 60kWh unit in the current model, and is said to increase driving range – by an unspecified amount – from the current claims of 491km in European WLTP lab testing, or 556km in more lenient Chinese CLTC lab testing. What the updated base Tesla Model 3 is expected to look like, based on leaked images (top of story). Applying the 10 per cent in...

Toyota Australia says it will not offer a track warranty the GR Corolla Morizo Edition – a two-seater, lightweight hot-hatch engineered for circuit work – even though the niche model is designed to appeal to amateur motorsport enthusiasts. Australian buyers of the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition – a two-seater, light-weight hot-hatch designed for track days – will need to take it easy in amateur motorsport events, after the company announced it will not offer blanket warranty coverage for cars used on racing circuits. Toyota’s decision is at odds with rival Hyundai – which does provide warranty coverage to “weekend warriors” who take speed off the street in models such as the i20 N and i30 N hot hatches, in the safety of a race-track environment. The call by Toyota Australia to not offer blanket warranty coverage on the hardcore version of the Toyota GR Corolla – and the GR Yaris, GR86 and GR Supra siblings – follows two high profile cases in the US in which GR86 coupe owner...

We put Volkswagen’s new ute through the ringer on-road, off-road, and with a big load test to see how it performs. Skip ahead: Introduction Running costs Price and specification Energy use Interior space and comfort On-road assessment Connectivity and infotainment Summary Safety 2023 Volkswagen Amarok PanAmericana The 2023 Volkswagen Amarok is a big deal. Not just for the German automotive giant, but also for the four-wheel-drive segment overall. Now sharing a platform with the class-leading Ford Ranger, this new Amarok picks up a trove of updates and upgrades the old model was screaming out for, while also holding onto a few key desirable features. There’s still a diesel V6 available under the bonnet, the tray is still wider than most of the competitors, and there’s still the ability for four driven wheels on the blacktop. However, this new Amarok now scores a more spacious and comfortable second row (with curtain airbag coverage), a bi...