Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Monday 3rd of February 2025. Notably in car news today: uncertainty surrounds the automotive industry as the Trump administration introduces wide-spread tariffs and Nissan has raised the bar on new car warranties in Australia.
US government import tariffs spark industry uncertainty
US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order that all goods imported from Mexico and Canada will be slapped with 25 percent tariffs, which are expected to greatly impact the motoring industry.
The order, which took effect as of February 1, 2025, has been met with retaliation from both Canada and Mexico, with the former announcing a 25 percent tariff on imported US goods while the latter may send its goods elsewhere.
Mexico is said to manufacture 42 percent of all automotive parts shipped into the US, while Canada accounts for a lesser, but still significant, 13 percent.
With core models like the Toyota Tacoma and the Honda Civic and CR-V entirely built in Canada or Mexico, experts are predicting a devastating impact on vehicle prices which could lead to higher pricing that make affected models uncompetitive.
A separate tariff of 10 percent was applied to China atop existing US protectionism, with the Asian nation promising a response of its own. Trump has said the measures have been introduced as a result of the three countries not doing enough to curb the import of illegal drugs and/or immigrants to the US.
Although none of these tariffs directly affect Australia, the likely hit to the bottom line of these major brands could see flow-on effects for local buyers.
Nissan has introduced Australia’s longest new-car warranty, offering a maximum period of coverage of 10 years or 300,000 kilometres, whatever comes first.
Similar to Mitsubishi, Nissan offers a baseline five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty which extends to 10 years if the buyer continues to service their car through official Nissan dealers (and presumably hasn’t hit the 300,000km cap).
The extended warranty is available to all new Nissans purchased in Australia after January 1, 2021.
A cheaper five-year capped-price servicing program and 10-year roadside assistance offer have also been rolled out alongside the new warranty.
Mitsubishi long held the title for Australia’s longest warranty at 10 years, 200,000km until it was surpassed by MG late last year with its 10-year, 250,000km warranty.
Facelifted GWM Cannon pricing revealed
GWM has detailed the updated pricing for its updated Cannon ute, with the facelifted model set to hit showrooms in February this year.
Priced from $40,490 driveaway, the Cannon is more expensive than it once was but remains cheaper than most rivals. The range tops out at $49,990 for the off-road-focused XSR.
Key upgrades for the Cannon ute include a large 2.4L turbo-diesel four-cylinder (up front 2.0L) bringing more serious outputs of 135kW and 480Nm.
The towing capacity has also increased to 3500kg, up from 3000kg on the pre-facelift model.
Mitsubishi adds cheaper Triton GSR Special Edition
Mitsubishi has expanded the Triton range with a GSR Special Edition, a grade that offers a handful of changes and a small price cut on the flagship trim.
Priced from $63,140 before on-road costs, the GSR Special Edition is marginally cheaper than the GSR ($63,840)
Changes to the special edition include a Graphite Grey grille with embossed Mitsubishi lettering, a black sports bar in place of the ‘sailplane’ design and the removal of the wider fender flares to make it easier to fit aftermarket options.
Rolling changes to the Triton mean that all automatic-equipped models will also feature adaptive cruise control capable of bringing the car to a stop instead of cutting off at 25km/h, in an effort to make it more traffic friendly.
2025 BYD Shark 6 reviewed
Chasing Cars editor Jez Spinks reviewed the BYD Shark 6, a midsize ute which has flipped the pick-up world on its head with its circa-$60K price tag and plug-in petrol-electric hybrid powertrain.
Spinks commended the value for money and all-round fit and finish of the Shark 6 which is currently only available in one grade known as the Premium. He also noted its segment-leading 5.6sec 0-100km/h performance.
He did note, however, that the Shark 6 suffered from some of the rough-riding characteristics common among body-on-frame utes and it wasn’t as good as that offered in rivals such as Ford Ranger or Volkswagen Amarok.
In short, Spinks was quite impressed with the Shark 6, which he gave an 8.5/10 as an overall score.
