Car news, 7 February ’25: Jimny and other Suzuki models get the chop, Nissan looks for fresh partner as Honda merger falters, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Friday, February 7th 2025. Notably in car news today: Jimny three-door and other Suzuki models retired due to ADR regulations, Nissan looking for new suitors as Honda merger deal falters, and more.

Browse this issue:

• Jimny three-door and other Suzuki models succumb to latest safety regs
• Nissan playing the field as Honda merger appears increasingly unlikely 
• Volkswagen Polo and T-Roc models get price rises and updates for 2025
• CX-6e could be Mazda’s no-brainer electric CX-5 midsize SUV 
• 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-term review 

Jimny three-door and other Suzuki models set for hiatus or axing

• The three-door Jimny and other models in Suzuki’s line-up, such as the Ignis, S-Cross, Vitara and Swift Sport, will soon be absent from local showrooms as new ADR regulations come into play.

• The ‘short’ Jimny, a popular contemporary cult car, is set for a hiatus as its single-camera autonomous emergency braking system does not comply with ADR 98/00, which comes into effect March 1, bringing demands for more sophisticated functionality.

• The ADR regulation change does not affect the more recently released Jimny five-door, which features a different dual-camera-based AEB system that does comply with new safety regulations. It’s expected the three-door version will re-enter the Australian market once it adopts tech featured in the five-door versions.    

• Meanwhile, the Ignis – with no AEB whatsoever – as well as S-Cross, Vitara and Swift Sport are considered too mature in their respective lifecycles to warrant significant technical ‘adjustment’. These will join numerous Mitsubishi models and the Mazda 6 as current models axed in light of the new ADR technical regulations.    

Nissan looking to partner elsewhere as Honda merger appears unlikely

• Nissan is rumoured to be looking at the option of exploring fresh partnerships elsewhere after negotiations to merge with Honda appear to have run their course, according to reports from Bloomberg. 

• The report suggests insider information that Nissan is potentially seeking suitors in the US, one of the carmaker’s most important markets, ideally from the “technology sector”. 

• A formal announcement of the state of the proposed Nissan-Honda merger, first revealed two months ago, is set for some time in the coming week.  

• Both Nissan and Honda formally confirmed earlier this week that the pair were looking at various merger options, including the smaller Nissan company becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of (the larger) Honda, a proposal said to be unpalatable to the Nissan board.

Higher pricing and revised features for Volkswagen’s MY25 Polo and T-Roc

• Volkswagen Australia has fitted more standard equipment and bumped pricing of both its Polo and T-Roc model lines for 2025.  

• The importer’s last sub-$30K offering, the Polo Life, now starts from $30,790 (up $1300) and adds adaptive cruise and lane guidance as well as lane keep assist. Meanwhile, the mid-range Style, at $34,790 (up $2250) adds button start, wireless phone mirroring and sat-nav. The unchanged GTI is now $41,790 (up $1400). 

• In T-Roc-land, the base CityLife is now $38,990 (up $2000) and adds blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert. The Style remains unchanged bar pricing at $41,990 (up $1400), while the R-Line at $49,990 (up $1200) gets a new leather-bound wheel and physical buttons. 

• Both the Polo GTI, now $41,790 (up $1400), and the T-Roc R, which now starts from $64,990 (up $1500), have seen price rises without any specification changes. 

CX-6e could be Mazda’s no-brainer electric CX-5-alike midsize SUV 

• A Tesla Model Y-rivalling CX-6e is being readied for Mazda’s big electric push from 2027, according to a report from UK outlet autoexpress.co.uk that’s revealed the CX-6e nameplate has been trademarked.

• A fully electric midsize SUV trailing the debut of the next-generation hybrid-powered CX-5, due to debut later this year, makes sense. In fact, an SUV format makes a more logical EV debut model than the already confirmed Mazda6e sedan, with which the CX-6e would surely share technical architecture.  

• The (confirmed) Mazda6e sedan, for its part, is a joint venture with Chinese carmaker Changan and is set to use an in-house developed Scalable Skyactiv EV platform, one that could undoubtedly underpin the rumoured SUV.. 

• A 2027 line-up consisting of a choice of hybrid CX-5 and electric CX-6e makes sense and would drag Mazda’s portfolio firmly into the present, where its aging ICE-powered CX-5 remains a key seller in the midsize space locally.  

2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-term review 

• Former Chasing Cars staff journalist Zak Adkins takes his 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-termer in one of his final stories to be published by our outlet.

• This month, Adkins took the Ranger camping, reporting that its roominess brought a lot of long-weekend practicality and that its big V6 never fails to charm with its soundtrack or torquey thrust.  

• On the downsides, Adkin reckons that the Ranger probably isn’t the ideal foil for family getaways, but a much better fit for singles and couples for weekend trips to campgrounds. 

• Stay tuned for Adkins’ final long-term installment of the popular Ford after he wraps up three months of custodianship and heads for the finish line. 

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Monday 10th February at 4.30pm Sydney time.