CAR ADVICE

While there are some great electric cars on sale today, there are even more just around the corner. Here are our favourite EVs set to land in Australia in the next 12 months… As mainstream manufacturers embrace electric vehicles, Australians are set to have an ever-expanding choice of makes and models available to choose from. From a handful of cars just a few short years ago, the next 12 months will see an influx of nearly 50 new electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles into the Australian market, including a number of cars that slip under the crucial $40,000 mark, making the barriers to electric ownership just that little bit easier to step over. From cheerful and cute urban runners to high-tech gadgetry on wheels, here are some highlights of what to expect from the electric world. These are the best new electric cars coming to Australia in 2023… BYD Dolphin – The price leader Priced from $38,890 before on road costs, the little BYD Dolphin is currently the most afforda

The first new Nissan Z sports car in 13 years has added a high-performance, track-ready Nismo edition with more power and sharper handling – but no manual transmission. The 2024 Nissan Z Nismo sports car has made its formal debut, ahead of first US deliveries by the end of this year – and Australian arrivals expected to commence in a similar timeframe. Premiered a month after a revealing teaser video – and two years after the regular Nissan Z’s debut – the Nismo edition extracts more power from the twin-turbo V6 engine and adds stiffer suspension, bigger brakes, more hardcore bodywork and visual tweaks. It has been confirmed for Australia, with prices and specifications to be announced closer to launch. Showroom arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however Drive understands it could arrive in Australian showrooms towards the end of this year, shortly after the start of US deliveries between now and December – pending any delays. Powering the Z Nismo is an

The human who was behind the wheel of the first autonomous car to kill a pedestrian has avoided jail time – while ride-sharing giant Uber has continued to dodge criminal responsibility for the fatal incident. Image credit: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images The ‘driver’ of an autonomous car – operated by ride-sharing giant Uber – which killed a pedestrian has reportedly been sentenced to three years of supervised probation, more than five years after the fatal incident occurred. In March 2018 , 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg was fatally struck by an Uber autonomous test vehicle in Tempe, Arizona – becoming the first pedestrian to be killed by a ‘self-driving’ car globally. In 2019, an National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found the autonomous car’s human ‘safety back-up driver’, Rafaela Vasquez, was not looking at the road as she was legally required to throughout the journey – instead alleging she was watching a TV show on her mobile

Car companies in the US will be forced to drastically reduce the average fuel economy rating of their model line-ups within a decade, if a proposal from the US Government becomes law. The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has put forward a proposal that would require all new cars to meet strict fuel economy standards by 2032. While it has yet to be enacted, it would require the average fleet of a car-maker to meet 58 miles per gallon by 2032 – or approximately 4.06 litres per 100 kilometres. For context, the latest-generation of the hybrid Toyota Prius (not sold in Australia) has an official fuel economy rating of 57 miles per gallon (4.13L/100km). Under the proposal – known as the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) for 2027 to 2032 passenger cars and light trucks – all new vehicles would require gradual improvements over the five-year period. The sliding-scale approach seeks a 2 per cent annual improvement in fuel economy fo

A Mitsubishi-badged competitor to the Ford Ranger Raptor is under consideration – and the upgrades could go beyond uprated suspension, tyres and looks. Mitsubishi has given the best indication yet there is an intention to launch a high-performance Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart ute to rival the Ford Ranger Raptor, Toyota HiLux GR Sport and Nissan Navara Warrior. Company executives say a high-performance variant of the new-generation Triton is “under consideration”, and plans are yet to be finalised for a flagship version of Mitsubishi’s all-new ute. The chief product specialist for the new Mitsubishi Triton now said a range of Ralliart variants are on the cards – from an appearance pack for the standard vehicle, to a full Ford Ranger Raptor competitor with more power than regular models. “In the pick-up we have a base [standard] model – we have different versions based on the customer. And then [we could have a] sports version, a rally version – a Ralliart maybe? I don’t kno