Around the Tracks: Dodge Vipers and Elon Musk

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When we’re not creating it ourselves, the CarAdvice team spends a lot of time finding and consuming motoring content from all over the world. Here’s a handful of the articles, videos and social media posts that most caught our eye last week. Some of them are brand-new, others have been online for a while. Enjoy them – just not too much, okay?

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2024 Toyota Yaris Cross updated in Europe with new tech, more hybrid power

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Europe’s Toyota Yaris Cross has received a mid-life update with more power, a revised look and new technology. Plans for the Australian version are yet to be announced. The updated 2024 Toyota Yaris Cross small SUV has been unveiled in Europe with an upgraded hybrid powertrain and new styling.  This is the first update for the Yaris Cross – the SUV sibling to the Toyota Yaris hatch – since it was first introduced to the Australian market in 2020.  Mirroring changes to the European-market Yaris hatch, the 2024 Yaris Cross in Europe brings with it mild styling changes to the exterior and interior of the SUV, improved safety features, and a more powerful hybrid system.  While pre-orders in Europe are due to commence this month, there’s no word on when we can expect to see the updates flow onto the Yaris Cross in Australia.  European-market Yaris Cross vehicles are manufactured in France, whereas Australian-delivered examples are built in Japan. Most ...
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Volvo ‘ES90’ electric sedan due next year

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Volvo’s largest luxury sedan appears set to be rebooted in Australia with electric propulsion and a new name. EXCLUSIVE The Volvo S90 limousine is due to be revitalised next year – and return to Australia – with electric power, as Volvo commits to sedan, hatchback and wagon body-styles in the battery-powered era. Confidential plans unearthed by Drive indicate development of an electric successor to the Volvo S90 sedan – the company’s rival for the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class , but which has not been available in Australia since 2019 – is well underway. It is believed the new vehicle – which could wear the ‘ES90’ name, if trademark filings are a guide – could arrive in Australian showrooms by the end of 2024. Drive understands the new ES90 electric sedan – a rival for the Tesla Model S , Mercedes-Benz EQE and more – will borrow heavily from – or share – its ‘SPA2’ electric-car architecture with the new EX90 large electric SUV. MORE: Volvo’s electric futu...
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New Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale supercar unveiled with petrol and electric power

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Alfa Romeo has rebooted the iconic 33 Stradale of the 1960s with a limited-edition, custom-built, multimillion-dollar supercar available with twin-turbo V6 petrol, or full battery power. The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale name has been revived for a new supercar, unveiled in Europe overnight ahead of first customer deliveries overseas due late next year. The new car is a modern reboot of the original 1967 33 Stradale, which was the road-going version of the Tipo 33 race car of the day, and is considered one of Alfa Romeo’s most iconic cars. Limited to 33 examples, all sold out, the new 33 Stradale will be available with an enlarged version of the twin-turbo petrol V6 familiar to Alfa Romeo performance cars today – or solely electric power, as the first battery-powered vehicle unveiled by the Italian car maker. With each vehicle to be custom-built to the customer’s specifications by boutique Italian ‘coachbuilding’ company Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera, prices are estimated to e...
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2024 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series facelift spy photo

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A blurry image found online appears to show an updated Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series. Is Australia’s oldest ‘new’ car about to get another facelift – or is this a retro-inspired model for Japan? A Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has been photographed in Japan with what appears to be its first makeover in more than 15 years – and it could be in showrooms by the end of this year. The blurry image – which appears to have been taken from a security camera, and shared by @oriba_lc300 and Kurdistan Automotive Blog on Instagram – shows a LandCruiser 76 Series wagon in Japan with a camouflage wrap over the front fascia and a new wheel design. Details are difficult to make out, but the grille appears to wear ‘ TOYOTA ‘ heritage script – similar to the 70th Anniversary special edition unveiled two years ago – and the headlights look to be different from the model in showrooms today. For now it is unclear if this new front-end styling will come to Australia – or if it will be a Japan ex...
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Ineos Grenadier gets converted into a camper with Australian-made pop-top

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Mere weeks after hitting the road in Australia, this Ineos Grenadier has already had the roof chopped and converted into a pop-top camper. Ineos Grenadier Pop-top camper The Ineos Grenadier four-wheel drive now has a pop-top conversion available , thanks to Australian company Expedition Centre. Based in Sydney, Expedition Centre has been making pop-top conversions for Land Rover Defenders and Toyota LandCruisers since 2009. But now with the Ineos Grenadier hitting the road in Australia, Expedition Centre has quickly turned its attention to the new, old-school four-wheel-drive wagon. Similar to conversions Expedition Centre has been doing on Defenders and LandCruiser Troopcarriers, the roof of the Grenadier is removed and modified to fit in a slatted 1.3-metre wide Fanello Bed. Hinged at the front and latched at the back, the roof can ‘pop’ open to create additional sleeping and living space inside the vehicle. The roofline of the Grenadier is raised by around 250...
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2024 Mazda 3 update due this year with technology upgrade – report

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The Mazda 3 small car is slated to receive an upgraded interior with a larger infotainment screen in the coming months, according to a new report. The current Mazda 3 pictured throughout. An updated 2024 Mazda 3 small car is coming soon to showrooms with improved technology, according to a new overseas report. Japanese website Creative Trend reports the Mazda 3 hatchback and sedan range is slated to receive a moderate upgrade in the northern spring of 2023 (Australia’s autumn, from March to May) – about four years after the current model went on sale. Leading the updates is said to be a larger infotainment screen, now measuring 12.3 inches in top-of-the range models – up from 8.8 inches today, and matching Mazda’s newly-introduced CX-60 SUV. This update is expected to serve as the mid-life ‘facelift’ for the Mazda 3 – which went on sale four years ago – but unusually, the Japanese website says there are “no major changes to the interior and exterior design” p...
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Donald Trump’s Lamborghini Diablo sets new auction price record

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The 1997 Diablo VT Roadster – custom-ordered by the now-former US president – has smashed records after selling for more than a million dollars at auction. UPDATE, 1 February 2024: A 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster previously owned by former President Donald Trump has set a new record for the Italian supercar. Bidding pushed up the hammer price for President Trump’s Lamborghini to $US1.1 million ($AU1.67 million), far exceeding the average auction price paid for Diablo models at $US277,000 ($AU407,000). According to auctioneers Barrett-Jackson, bidding exceeded the $US1 million mark in just 90 seconds. According to Classic.com , the average value of the Lamborghini Diablo has risen almost 80 per cent in just three years. The original stories continues unchanged below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barrett-Jackson (@barrett_jackson) 13 January 2024: A 1997 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster reportedly on...
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Honda confirms NSX successor in the works

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Honda boss has again confirmed the car maker is working on an electric sports car which may see the hallowed NSX badge return to showrooms. A successor to the Honda NSX supercar is coming, after Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe once again confirmed the car maker is working on a new halo electric sports car. Mibe told UK publication Autocar that work was ‘progressing’ with a ‘good analysis’ on an electric sports car being carried out by the Japanese brand’s research and development department. “We have not decided on mass production or timing but, personally, I would like to make it happen.” Honda – which began in September 1948 – has hinted that it would have a halo sports car in showrooms to celebrate its 75th anniversary year. Honda teased two electric sports car concepts in 2022 , seen as successors to the S2000 and the NSX, as it announced a $AU53.7 billion (five trillion Japanese yen) investment in electric technology. Honda also said it would introduce 30 electric cars by...
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Europe’s vehicle emissions haven’t changed in more than a decade, say officials

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Despite the increase in electric vehicles, officials say vehicle carbon emissions have failed to drop in Europe, thanks to more powerful – and heavier – new cars. A new report from the European Union has revealed CO2 emissions from vehicles are the same as they were 12 years ago – despite the adoption of hybrid and electric cars. According to the European Court of Auditors, real emissions from cars – which account for three-quarters of new motor vehicle registrations – have not dropped. While petrol cars have “marginally decreased” by 4.6 per cent over the period, diesel cars have remained constant, it says. Despite improvements in engine efficiency, the scathing report claims this technological progress has been undermined by the average weight of cars rising by approximately 10 per cent, as well as engines increasing in power by 25 per cent. “The same applies to hybrid cars, whose real-world CO2 emissions tend to be much higher than those recorded in the laboratory,” the...
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Singer DLS Turbo: 1970s racer inspires reimagined Porsche 911

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The Singer DLS Turbo is the Californian company’s most powerful Porsche 911 recreation yet – combining 1970s racing looks with a 520kW twin-turbo engine. California-based classic Porsche restoration firm Singer has revealed the ‘DLS Turbo’ – a sports car inspired by a racing 911 from the 1970s. The Singer DLS Turbo’s design draws inspiration from the Porsche 934/5, a racing variant of the iconic 911 sports car which won six out of the eight races it competed in throughout the 1977 Trans-Am season in North America. As with all of Singer’s ‘reimagined’ Porsches, the DLS Turbo is based on the chassis from a 964-generation 911, though its bodywork is bespoke – blending elements of the 934/5 with more modern offerings. MORE: Singer reveals its ultimate Porsche 911 Singer’s latest creation is its first model to mate the company’s 3.8-litre air-cooled flat-six engine – developed by Formula One team Williams and found in the ‘standard’ DLS – with two turbochargers. Th...
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