CAR ADVICE

It’s the most powerful Type R ever offered on our shores, but Australia’s fuel quality means we miss out on a handful of kilowatts. Performance figures for the 2023 Honda Civic Type R hot hatch have been released ahead of the car’s launch early next year. Honda has announced the Civic Type R will produce 235kW and 420Nm from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine in Australia – an improvement of 7kW and 20Nm respectively over the previous ‘CTR’. Leaked information in July 2022 – and confirmed today by the brand – reveals the Type R is being offered with slightly more power in its home market of Japan, with a total of 243kW/420Nm on tap when it goes on sale there tomorrow. While our lower quality fuel is likely to blame for the 8kW power deficit, Australian-delivered cars still get the full-fat 420Nm of torque being offered on the Japanese variant. Despite the minor power difference, the new Civic Type R is the most powerful model ever sold i...

Skoda has made a pledge to invest billions of dollars into electric-car development, aiming to introduce three new zero-emissions vehicles by 2026. Volkswagen-owned Czech car-maker Skoda has announced its plans to launch three new electric cars by 2026 – four years ahead of its initial projections. Skoda declared its electric-car plans overnight alongside the unveiling of its Vision 7S SUV concept, a potential electric equivalent to the Kodiaq large SUV. Skoda’s CEO, Klaus Zellmer, said the company will invest €5.6 billion ($AU8.18 billion) into electric car development, resulting in three new models by the end of 2025. “We’re significantly accelerating our e-campaign and will be launching three additional all-electric models by 2026, with more in the pipeline,” said Mr Zellmer in a media statement. “This will put us in an even stronger position for the decade of transformation.  “In addition, we’ll be investing a total of €5.6 billion ($AU8.18 billion) in e-mobility...

The arrival of four new sports cars within 12 months of each other is about to create a sales surge in a market segment that has been in free fall for five years. The new Nissan Z Coupe, the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins – and the next-generation Ford Mustang – are poised to create their own momentum and deliver a boost to the struggling sports car category which has been in decline for more than half a decade. Sales of sports cars tend to taper soon after their arrival because enthusiast buyers embrace new models, but then quickly lose interest.  Sports cars have previously been described as having “a half life”, whereas most vehicle categories tend to sell more consistently over a longer period of time. Figures show sales of sports cars in Australia are down by 29 per cent so far this year alone, in an overall market that has declined by 4.5 per cent over the same period. After a sales surge driven by the arrival of the Ford Mustang in late 2015, sports car del...

The BMW Z4 M40i’s run as an auto-only model could be coming to an end, with plans for a manual variant of the performance convertible reported online. The BMW Z4 M40i looks set to be offered with a manual transmission from 2024, according to an insider from the German car maker. Since its global launch in 2018, BMW’s flagship Z4 M40i variant has been sold exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission – shared with its Toyota Supra twin. However, as reported by BMW Blog , an information page for the BMW Z4 M40i on the company’s Dutch website now lists the option of a manual transmission. It follows a report from respected BMW insider and BimmerPost forum user ‘ynguldyn’, who claims production of the manual BMW Z4 is due to begin in March 2024 – roughly 18 months from now. A spokesperson for BMW Australia told Drive it has no plans to announce a Z4 M40i manual. This could mean a manual may be available for the BMW Z4 globally and not coming to Australia, or ...

An engineer from electric hypercar maker Rimac claims its world record zero-to-100km/h time of 2.1 seconds could be halved in the future – providing it can build a car capable of the task. Croatian electric hypercar specialist Rimac claims a 0-100km/h time of less than one second is possible in the future – enabling such a vehicle to accelerate to the speed limit in less than half the time as a Formula One car (which takes about 2.6 seconds to hit 100km/h). When US publication The Drive asked Rimac’s chief engineer, Matija Renić, what acceleration times could be achieved, the response was quick. “Below one second,” said Renić. To put this in perspective, the world’s fastest-accelerating production car – the Rimac Nevera – is capable of achieving 100km/h from a standstill in just 2.1 seconds. A Formula One car takes closer to 2.6 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100km/h. A Volkswagen Golf GTI can complete the sprint in 6.3 seconds. Should Rimac be capable of produci...

The world’s biggest carmaker is spending billions to ensure it can supply the batteries it needs in the future. Toyota has announced it will invest ¥730 billion ($AU7.7 billion) towards electric vehicle battery manufacturing in the US and Japan. Breaking ground in 2024, Toyota says it seeks to increase battery production to 40GWh (gigawatt-hours) in both countries, ensuring crucial supply as the company continues the roll out of its electric-only models in global markets. That’s equivalent to about 560,000 batteries for Toyota’s first mass-produced global electric car, the BZ4X medium SUV. “Toyota intends to continue its efforts to build a supply system that can steadily meet the growing demand for BEVs in various regions, including the supply of automotive batteries from its partners,” the company said in a statement. This week, images of the Japanese car giant’s second dedicated electric vehicle – the BZ3 sedan – emerged online, expected to follow the release of...

A manufacturing defect may result in an electrical short circuit, according to the recall notice. BMW Australia has recalled five examples of its  2021-2022 BMW iX and i4 electric cars, citing a manufacturing defect which could lead to an electrical short circuit. According to BMW , three examples of the 2022 iX electric SUV and two examples of the 2021-2022 i4 electric sedan are affected. The recall notice , lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a manufacturing defect, the high voltage battery does not meet specifications and may result in an electrical short circuit. If this occurs it may result in a vehicle fire. “A vehicle fire may increase the risk of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property.” Date of recall notice 23 August 2022 Make BMW Model iX, i4 Year 2021-2022 Vehicles affected Five VIN list Click here to download the list of affec...

If you’re shopping for a small electric SUV, here are two options worth considering – the well-established Hyundai Kona Electric and the newest, most affordable EV in Australia. Which one represents the best first electric vehicle? Electric vehicles are an ongoing hot topic, more now than ever after the Australian Government announced plans to increase the range of affordable vehicles available down under. We’ve put an affordable newcomer against a well-established mainstay: the BYD Atto 3 versus the Hyundai Kona Electric Elite . Even though the BYD is an early example and is not an exact representation of what we’ll see on the roads in Australia, we were eager to see how it stacked up based on what we know so far. The Hyundai Kona on the other hand, needs no introduction, wearing a badge that represents reliability and quality. Both compete in an ever-growing segment rivalling against the likes of the Kia Niro and MG ZS EV . But, when focusing solely on the two, w...