Car news today: Renault’s 400kW+ ‘mini-supercar’ detailed, public’s first Kia Tasman taste, and more – 17 March 2025
Lukas Foyle
Contributor
Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Monday, March 17th 2025. Notably in car news today: Renault 5 Turbo confirmed with 400kW+, Kia Tasman’s public appearance in police livery.
Renault confirms 400kW-plus for electric 5 Turbo “mini-supercar”
Renault HQ has revealed more official stats for the much-anticipated 5 Turbo 3E electric hatchback, bringing high-voltage credentials that has the carmaker describing the EV model as a “mini-supercar”.
In development with go-fast skunkworks Alpine, the compact four-metre-long 5 Turbo 3E will fit in-wheel motors capable of “540 horsepower”, or around 402kW. Renault’s official release promises “spectacular drift action” capabilities from this homage to 1980s 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 hot hatches.
Built off a bespoke 800-volt architecture, the 5 Turbo 3E brings 350kW peak DC charging power, with its maker claiming a “15-80 percent charge” time of just 15 minutes. Renault has thus far made no range claims or revealed actual battery size.
Only 1980 units will be offered globally, with reservations for purchase “open in the next few weeks”. The 5 Turbo 3E is not due in showrooms until 2027.
Kia Tasman on public display with Tasmanian Police livery
A police-livery Kia Tasman is on display at the 2025 Australasian Police and Emergency Services (AP&ES) Games. Fittingly, this year the games are being hosted in Hobart, Tasmania.
This is the first time members of the public have had the opportunity to see the Kia Tasman in person. The next opportunity to publicly view the Tasman will be at the Melbourne Motor Show on the 5th and 6th of April.
Image courtesy of Australasian Police and Emergency Services Games
Unique features of the police-spec Tasman include white chequered accents, roof-mounted police lightbar, and snorkel. No Australian police-force has publicly confirmed or discussed the future use of the Kia Tasman for active duties.
The Kia Tasman is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2025, and will be powered by a 154kW/441Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder mated to an eight-speed automatic and proper four-wheel drive system.
Non-Tesla EV owners will soon have the ability to pay for Tesla Supercharging with their credit or debit card— no Tesla app required. The feature is not yet available on all Tesla Superchargers.
Integrated card readers were first introduced in August 2023, as part of the V4 Supercharger roll out in the UK.
Tesla V4 Superchargers are the most likely to receive integrated card readers. Whispers of 500kW V4 chargers arriving in Australia could coincide with a roll-out of super-fast chargers with super-convenience.
The all-new feature is quietly rolling out in Australia, with no official announcement from Tesla. It is not certain how many chargers will be upgraded to accept standalone payment.
Facelifted GWM Haval H6 confirmed for right-hand markets
GWM has confirmed the facelifted Haval H6 will be available for right hand drive markets, with both HEV and PHEV options. An official Australian release date for the facelift is not yet known, but expected in Q2.
The Haval H6 facelift offers a dot matrix front grille, 19-inch wheels, and a new wrap-around style rear light. Initial images of the facelifted H6 show a Haval logo in the front grille, and GWM badge on the tailgate.
The Haval H6 Hybrid has a combined output of 179 kW / 530 Nm. The PHEV H6 has a bump more power, at 240 kW / 530 Nm. The PHEV H6 will be sold with a 27.54 kWh battery and NEDC range of 150 km. Interestingly, that battery is smaller than the H6 GT PHEV’s.
If the facelifted Haval H6 variants arrive in the Australian market, prices are likely to remain similar to the current model H6. Currently, the H6 hybrid starts at $42,490 drive-away, and the PHEV H6GT starts at $53,990 drive-away.
Mitsubishi Triton GSR reviewed
Chasing Cars production specialist Tom Place’s long term review of the 2025 Mitsubishi Triton GSR was published, and includes a detailed comparison to the more popular Ford Ranger.
Place was quick to address the elephant in the room: The looming presence of Australia’s most dominant selling ute, the Ford Ranger. The Triton GSR presents with better value, and a $17,000 saving over the Ranger Wildtrak.
Initial reception of the Triton GSR was spotty, due to overly invasive and poorly calibrated driver assist features. Place discusses if a software update from Mitsubishi, which promised to fix the woes from buyers, has really worked.
The Triton GSR proves to be more than capable off-road, and is equipped to tackle commercial duties on paper. The Triton has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, maximum payload of 1030kg, and 228mm of ground clearance.
