Car news, 4 Oct ’24: Electric vehicle sales down in Australia as hybrids surge, Cadillac prices Lyriq EV SUV from $117K, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Friday 4 October 2024. Notably in car news today: EV sales down in Australia as hybrids surge, while Cadillac prices its electric Lyriq SUV at over $100K.

Browse this issue:

• EV sales down; hybrids up as car market softens
• Cadillac Lyriq pricing and specs confirmed for Australia
• Mahindra XUV700 Black Edition coming 
• Hyundai Inster EV’s UK pricing locked in
• Reviewed: 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E long-term test wrap-up

EV sales down; hybrids up as car market softens

• Australian new vehicle deliveries have soared this year – marketing the first time sales have exceeded 900,000 by the end of the third quarter – but growth is slowing, particularly for electric vehicles.

• September saw Australians take delivery of 97,020 new vehicles, down 12.4 percent on the same month in 2023, however the decline for EVs was larger, down 59.6 percent month on month from 8821 to 3561.

• Year-to-date, the decline isn’t as drastic with 61,262 new EVs pulling into Aussie driveways, a decline of 6.8 percent from the same period last year.

• In contrast, sales of hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles are up 87 percent and 120.5 percent respectively, year-to-date.

Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV priced for Australia

• Cadillac’s Australian arm has announced the price and specs of its highly-anticipated first electric model to launch in Australia, the Lyriq. 

• Pricing will start at $117,000 before on-road costs for the Luxury variant and $119,000 before on-road costs for the Sport variant

• Power will come from a dual-motor electric setup that produces 388kW and is powered by a 102kWh battery pack. Both variants share the same powertrain, with a maximum claimed electric range of 530km (WLTP) locked in. 

• Standout features will include a 33-inch display, a 19 speaker sound system, 21-inch alloy wheels and a full glass roof. 

• At that price point, the Lyriq goes up against key rivals such as the Audi Q8 E-Tron ($140,600)  and BMW iX ($135,900) but is $36,100 more expensive than a top-spec Tesla Model Y Performance ($82,900). 

Mahindra teases XUV700 Black Edition for Australia

• Mahindra is teasing a Black Edition of its XUV700 midsize SUV, which is coming to Australia.

• Interested buyers can now register their interest on Mahindra’s Australian website, which reveals further details on what the specification will include. 

• Outside, the Black Edition features blacked out features including grille, chrome side trims and 18-inch alloy wheels.

• Inside, Mahindra says the Black Edition will include features such as ventilated front seats with active cooling, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a black interior trim, and a memory outside rear view mirror. 

Hyundai’s cutest EV, the Inster, has been priced in the UK

• Hyundai UK has announced pricing for the Inster small EV, with the model set to start from just £23,495, or the equivalent of AUD$45,000.

• Unlike other Hyundai/Kia electric vehicles, the Inster is not built on the E-GMP platform. Instead, the model is built upon the Hyundai K platform and uses an electric motor on the front axle sourced from Borg Warner. 

@chasingcarsaustralia

The Hyunder Inster has been unveiled at the Busan International Mobility Show! What do you think of the design? #hyundai #inster #ev #cars #casper

♬ original sound – Chasing Cars | Car Reviews

• The electric model is set to have a range of around 350km (WLTP) and will produce outputs of 71kW and 147Nm. 

• You can learn more about the Inster here at Chasing Cars with Olek Novak’s first prototype drive. 

Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium: long-term review wrap-up

• Chasing Cars production specialist Tom Place’s final wrap-up video on his Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium long-term test car was published, giving his final verdict on what the EV was like to live with for three months and almost 5000 kilometres of driving.

• The Ford Mustang Mach-E has been on sale in Australia for almost a year now and despite a couple of major pricing cuts the Blue Oval’s electric figurehead has failed to find favour with local EV buyers.

• In part one of our wrap-up, Place covered off his hits and misses on interior space, build quality, driveability and ride quality of the vehicle, but now it’s time for part two where Place gets into the nuts and bolts of his likes and dislikes, focusing more keenly on its real-world EV credentials. 

• Is Tom happy to say adios to the electric Ford or would he happily drive off into the sunset in the Blue Oval’s family-focused EV? 

READ: Full long-term written review

WATCH: Long-Term Intro

WATCH: Long-Term Wrap-Up Part One

WATCH: Long-Term Wrap-Up Part Two

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 7 October at 4.30pm Sydney time.