Car news, 18 Sept ’24: Toyota Supra to race Supercars Championship, Nismo celebrates 40 years, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Wednesday 18 September 2024. Notably in car news today: V8-powered Toyota Supras will race in the Repco Supercars Championship, Nismo celebrates 40 years, and more.

Browse this issue:

• Toyota to enter Repco Supercars Championship with V8-powered Supra
• Nissan’s Nismo performance division turns 40
• Lotus unveils Theory 1 concept 
• Tesla gives its 100th Supercharger a special Aussie flavour
• Reviewed: 2024 Skoda Kodiaq 132 TSI Sportline

Toyota to enter Repco Supercars Championship with V8-powered Supra

• Toyota Supras will line up against Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, as Australia’s biggest brand finally enters our premier touring car championship.

• The Japanese giant has appointed Walkinshaw Andretti United as its homologation and racing partner. It’s an obvious move as Melbourne-based Walkinshaw Automotive Group has performed right-hand-drive conversions on Toyota’s Tundra full-size pickups.

@chasingcarsaustralia

Massive news from Toyota this morning! The Supra will be taking on the Camaros and Mustangs of Supercars! #supercars #toyota #supra #v8 #racecars

♬ original sound – Chasing Cars | Car Reviews

• The racing Supra will use Toyota’s 5.0L naturally-aspirated V8 2UR-GSE engine, which has already found motorsport success in the Dakar Rally-winning HiLux in 2019.

• Two Supras will line up for the 2026 Supercars season, and Toyota’s employed top guns Ryan Wood and Chaz Mostert to pilot them. The ultimate plan is to field an additional two Supras, with another team to boost Toyota’s representation in due course.

READ: Extended coverage – Toyota enters Repco Supercars with V8 Supra

Nismo celebrates 40 years of going fast

• Overnight, Nissan’s Nismo performance division celebrated its 40th anniversary with a shindig at the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery, in Yokohama, Japan.
  

• On display at the event were touchstone race cars, road-going models and prized special editions spanning the four-decade providence, including the famed (BNR33) 400R GT-R, the R390 GT1 endurance racer and the legendary (BNR32) Calsonic Skyline GT-R Group A touring car.

• The collection assembled, which includes current Japanese domestic models such as the Ariya Nismo, Aura Nismo and Fairlady Z Nismo, creates an exhibition that will run at the NGHG venue through to the middle of October.
  

• Nissan is planning to continue the milestone celebrations at the 2024 Nismo Festival, to be held at Fuji International Raceway on December 1.

Lotus unveils Theory 1 concept 

• Lotus has unveiled the Theory 1, a high-performance electric concept car that it says “embodies the future of intelligent performance cars”.

• At just 1140mm high, the Theory 1 is a three-seater with a central driving position and passenger on each side behind the driver which Lotus says is inspired by motorsports to give the driver the “best possible visibility of the road ahead, as well as easy access to all controls.

• The brand says the new design language will “form the foundation for all future Lotus cars”, and features futuristic tech like adaptive “robotic textile material” that aims to communicate driving feedback to drivers and passengers.

• The Theory 1 also sports potent electric power, featuring a 70kWh battery and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up that generates 735kW, a top speed of 320km/h, and a WLTP combined range of 402km.

Tesla gives its 100th Supercharger a special Aussie flavour

• Tesla is readying its 100th supercharger in Australia for launch, and it’ll have a special Australian flavour.

• Located in Glenelg in South Australia, the Supercharger will proudly wear a green and gold design with a celebratory 100th badge designation when it is officially opened tomorrow, as shown in a snap taken by an X user. 

• Tesla is inviting customers to a launch event for the opening, with the brand celebrating the milestone which also happens to take place 10 years since the brand opened its first Supercharger location in Australia in 2014.

• The electric auto giant says more Superchargers are on their way, noting new locations opening in Bordertown, Norwood and Port Augusta. 

Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI Sportline reviewed

• Chasing Cars founder Tom Baker’s review of the 2024 Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI Sportline was published, setting out to find out whether this Czech SUV has saved its best ‘til last?
  

• After seven years building a reputation as one of the highest-quality mainstream SUVs on the market, the all-wheel-drive Skoda Kodiaq seven-seater is approaching final run-out before a new generation arrives on the near horizon.

• In this review, we have the 132TSI Sportline variant loaded with a $4600 Run-Out pack, which brings in lots of bells and whistles while making a strong value pitch for its circa-$61K driveaway ask.

• Baker revisits what makes the outgoing generation so good – and not so good – while assessing whether this run-out sweetener is worth buyer attention in this first generation’s twilight. Or if you should really wait for the new one to arrive in Aussie showrooms. 

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Thursday 19 September at 4.30pm Sydney time.