Car news, 21 Oct ’24: BMW’s next M3 will reportedly offer mild-hybrid powertrains, and Mitsubishi says “unprecedented challenge” lies ahead for auto industry, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Monday 21 October 2024. Notably in car news today: BMW’s next M3 will reportedly feature mild-hybrid powertrains in addition to full EVs, and Mitsubishi Australia’s boss says “unprecedented challenge” lies ahead for the auto industry.

Browse this issue:

• BMW’s next M3 to offer mild-hybrid and full EV versions: report
• Mitsubishi boss: “unprecedented challenge” lies ahead 
• Mazda unveils 35th Anniversary Edition MX-5 
• Ampol launches its first shopping centre EV chargers 
• Reviewed: 2024 Honda Accord e-HEV RS

BMW’s next M3 to offer mild-hybrid in addition to full EV versions: report

• The next BMW M3 will not only be available as a fully-electric high-performance car, but it will also feature petrol variants with mild-hybrid technology, according to an overseas report.

• BMW M’s head of development Dirk Häcker has reportedly told CarScoops that unlike the new BMW M5 which now features plug-in hybrid tech, a lighter 48-volt mild-hybrid system would feature in the new M3.

• The brand had previously confirmed that the next M3 would continue to feature inline-six cylinder power for its seventh generation so long as the demand was there, while working to ensure the latest generation of the high-performance model would comply with the latest emissions regulations.

• Mild-hybrid tech will theoretically allow for reduced emissions with fewer increases in weight as compared to a full plug-in hybrid electric system, however a fully-electric version of the M3 will also be available.

• The electric M3 will launch first in 2027, with both models riding on the BMW’s Neue Klasse platform that will also underpin the new iX3 SUV and also the regular variants of the new 3 Series, which are expected to launch in 2026.

Mitsubishi boss: “unprecedented challenge” lies ahead 

• Mitsubishi Australia’s managing director Shaun Westcott has told Chasing Cars that “the next 18 months are going to present a massive and unprecedented challenge to the [automotive] industry” in the face of an influx of new brands into the country.

• Speaking at a media drive of the updated 2024 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Westcott said: “there’s going to be a plethora of new brands who have economic troubles where they are [from], or excess capacity, who are going to look for [markets] to dump their cars, some of them doing it below the cost of production”.

• Westcott added that Australia is an attractive market given there is no local industry to protect, saying: “we don’t have any tariffs, we don’t have any barriers, we don’t have anything else, so there’s going to be a mass influx of cars”.

• The result of this, according to Westcott, is that: “we’re going to go into a period of excess supply and not everybody will survive that”, as well as an increase in the amount of discounting on vehicles.

• Westcott finished by saying that the law of economics dictates that the market “will correct itself”.

Mazda unveils 35th Anniversary Edition MX-5 

• Mazda has pulled the covers off a special 35th Anniversary Edition of its MX-5 roadster.

• Revealed at the Mazda Fan Festa at the Fuji International Speedway in Japan, the 35th Anniversary Edition sports a special Artisan Red Metallic paint familiar to Mazda buyers from the 20th Anniversary Edition Mazda 6 and also the CX-90 large SUV.

• It’s further enhanced by a tan coloured fabric roof for the soft-top, with tan leather throughout the inside of the soft-top and RF hard-top, as well as a host of other special accents including a 35th Anniversary plaque on the right-hand exterior side, special badging and matching red accents through the interior of the vehicle. 

• The MX-5 is no stranger to special edition models, with 10th, 20th, 25th and 30th edition models periodically released throughout the roadster’s history, and the 35th Anniversary Edition naturally expected for Australia, though timing is yet to be confirmed.

Aussie petrol-provider Ampol launches first shopping centre EV chargers

• Ampol, Australia’s largest petroleum company, has launched its first EV chargers outside of its petrol station network.

• Launched at Mirvac’s East Village shopping centre in Zetland, NSW, the AmpCharge network now has six new charging bays in inner Sydney. Peak charging speed for the chargers is 150kW. 

• Ampol now has 100 chargers across the country and aims to be “the leading EV charging network in Australia by 2030”. 

• Interestingly, Ampol’s first-ever AmpCharge station was built and launched in Alexandria, only a stones throw from the new Zetland sites and Ampol’s head office. 

• Ampol competes with Chargefox, Evie and BP Pulse here in Australia, among others. 

Honda Accord e-HEV RS 2024 reviewed

• Chasing Cars editor production specialist Tom Place’s review of the 2024 Honda Accord e-HEV RS was published, taking a close look at the single variant on offer in Australia for the 11th generation car. 

• The new Accord e-HEV RS promises hybrid frugality via Honda’s novel take on petrol-electric tech in a package injecting sportiness to what’s traditionally a luxury format.

• However, at $64,900 driveaway, the big sedan’s big ask also brings big expectations. 

• The new Accord faces stiff and often more affordable competition from the likes of the just released new-gen Toyota Camry, the Skoda Octavia and the Mazda 6, so does the Accord e-HEV RS measure up or miss the mark? Watch to find out.

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 22 October at 4.30pm Sydney time.