Thanks for joining us this Thursday February 6th, 2025. Notably in car news today: Toyota RAV4 tops the Aussie sales charts for January, Geely EX5 to lob under $50K, Nissan/Honda’s proposed merger heading toward rocky waters, and more.
Toyota RAV4 beats out Ranger and Hilux in January sales
Toyota RAV4, regularly Australia’s top-selling passenger model, has beaten out commercial offerings in Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux to take the top of the sales podium outright in January sales.
The aging RAV4, once the victim of chronically lengthy delivery wait times, enjoyed 5076 registrations, with the usually dominant Ranger accounting for 4254 sales, supplanting Hilux to third place with its 3302 figure.
The booster to RAV4 fortunes is improving supply for what continues to be a winning midsize SUV formula for Toyota. RAV4 is also a top passenger car seller in other markets, such as the US.
A more emphatic January result was Toyota overall market share, with the Big T’s 18,424 sales result dominating over the also-rans in Mazda (8322), Ford (6,830), Kia (5720) and Mitsubishi (5681) to round out the top five.
Geely EX5 range set to kick off under $50K in Australia
Pricing for Geely’s debut model in Australia, the EX5 electric midsize SUV, looks set to enter at under $50K when it launches locally in the coming weeks, undercutting the likes of Tesla Model Y and Kia EV5, which are both mid-$5%K entry points.
While exact pricing is yet to be confirmed, the two-variant line-up kicks off with the Complete variant at what’s widely speculated to be around $49,000. The top-spec Inspire is expected to be priced around $5000-$6000 higher.
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Both variants fit 160kW/320Nm front-drive electric powertrains, use 60kWh LFP batteries, and offer up to 430km (Complete, WLTP) of range with 100kW DC fast-charging capability.
While Geely is far from a household name in Australia, it is one of the largest carmakers in China who owns many more familiar nameplates such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and another newcomer to local showrooms, Zeekr.
Merger talks slow between Nissan and Honda
News out of Japan is that Nissan is looking likely to reject the current conditions of a proposed merger with Honda, according to various Asian media reports and American outlet Automotive News.
Currently negotiations centre around Nissan becoming a subsidiary of Honda through acquisition, a proposal said to have been rejected by Nissan’s board of directors.
The sticking point is at odds with Nissan’s aspirations that both Japanese companies enter a deal to create a joint holding company, for more level pegging between the two marques in steering business and interests.
This rift arrives in the wake of a recent situation where Mitsubishi,as a third player considering a degree of participation in the merger, decided to opt out and remain fully independent.
Alfa Romeo launches Tributo Italiano variants across Aussie line-up
Alfa Romeo Australia has launched new ‘Tributo Italiano series’ variants across all three of its local models: the Giulia sedan ($80,450), Stelvio large SUV ($88,450) and Tonale midsize SUV ($79,000), the latter in plug-in hybrid guise.
Exterior features include a choice of three colours in homage to the Italian flag – Montreal Green, Alfa White and Alfa Red – all in two-tone with a black roof. All models get a sunroof and Italian flag themed mirror caps, while the two SUVs are treated to “distinctive” bodykits.
The Tributo Italiano interior upgrades include red-perforated black leather-accented seats and red stitching throughout the dash, seats and door panels. The front seat headrests also get special embroidering.
Active/adaptive suspension is offered in all three models, with the Tonale fitting dual-stage valve damping, while the Stelvio and Giulia get Synaptic Dynamic Control smarts as additions. The trio is available in dealerships in Q2 this year.
Dupriez introduces this specific midgrade variant, explains why we’ve got it for the next six months and (hopefully) 10,000km of custodianship, and explains why – on paper – the Korean looks the closest threat to the Toyota RAV4.
First impressions are that the turbo 1.6 hybrid powertrain is a slick operator and that the N-Line upgrade looks to show some sporty promise in the driving experience.
Initial downsides include the clear presence of some annoying driver safety and convenience systems that could well prove problematic in long-burn ownership.
