Car news, 5 November ’24: Welcoming Jez Spinks to the Chasing Cars helm, LDV Terron 9 ute inbound, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Tuesday 5 November 2024. Notably in car news today: Meet our new editor and head of Chasing Cars, Jez Spinks, and LDV Australia has locked in the new Terron 9 ute for 2025 local launch.

Browse this issue:

• A welcome to Chasing Cars’ new editor and head, Jez Spinks 
• LDV Terron 9 ute ready for the Australian market
• BMW bringing X3 PHEV to Australia Q1, 2025
• Electric Suzuki Jimny not likely: report 
• Ford to halt F-150 Lightning production for remainder of 2024
• Volkswagen Amarok breaks new Guiness World Record 

Welcoming Chasing Cars’ new editor and head, Jez Spinks

• The Chasing Cars team is very excited to welcome Jez Spinks as the brand’s new editor.

• Jez comes to Chasing Cars with a wealth of experience, having worked for Australian motoring media outlets including CarAdvice, Drive, and Wheels.

• While Chasing Cars founder Tom Baker has handed over the editor’s baton to Jez as he shifts his personal focus, he will very much continue to be a part of the Chasing Cars family as a contributor.

• “I’ve long been an admirer of the Chasing Cars team, with a special appreciation for the brand’s fiercely independent car reviews and comparisons, ” said Jez. “It’s exciting to be working with the team already as we have big ambitions for the future to give readers – and viewers – Australia’s best and most independent car review content across multiple platforms.”

New LDV Terron 9 ute approved for Australia 

• LDV will bring in a new ute to Australia in 2025 called the Terron 9 and it won’t just feature diesel powertrains.

• According to government approval documents, the Terron 9 will come to Australia with the choice of either a 164kW 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder, a 200kW rear-wheel-drive electric or a 325kW dual-motor electric variant. 

• This is a bigger ute than a Ford Ranger, measuring in at 5500mm long (the Ranger is 5370mm long).

• Expect to see the new Terron 9 on Australian roads next year. It’s unclear whether the model will be a replacement for the existing T60 ute currently offered here. 

BMW Australia bringing X3 30e plug-in hybrid in first quarter of 2025 

• BMW Australia has announced it will bring plug-in hybrid power to its X3 lineup in the first quarter of 2025, priced at $102,500 before on-road costs. 

• Badged as the 30e xDrive PHEV, the hybrid variant uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and 19.7kWh battery pack to provide up to 91 kilometres of electric-only driving. Combined system outputs are 220kW/450Nm, with power sent to all four wheels. 

• The X3 PHEV can be charged at speeds of up to 11kW AC and has a combined fuel consumption of 1.6L/100km. The X3 30e PHEV uses BMW’s fifth-generation hybrid technologies. 

• Standard equipment includes 20-inch M light alloy wheels, three-zone climate control, six-speaker sound system, auto tailgate, adaptive suspension, and BMW Live Cockpit Pro screens including 14.9- and 12.3-inch screen units. 

• The 30e xDrive PHEV is set to launch early in 2025. 

Suzuki unlikely to build an electric Jimny: report 

• Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki has told overseas media that electrifying the Jimny for hybrid or full electric, “would ruin the best part of the Jimny”. 

• Autocar also reported that Suzuki said that “the core strength of the Jimny is the right weight”. 

• The Suzuki Jimny in three-door guise currently weighs in at just 1095kg for a manual variant. Adding batteries, even at a modest 50kWh capacity, could add as much as 400kg to the Jimny recipe. 

• Suzuki Australia sells one electrified model in Australia, the Swift Hybrid, while the remainder of the range, including Jimny, S-Cross, Vitara and Ignis, remain ICE only offerings. 

• Suzuki will very soon introduce a pure-electric e-Vitara, its first electric vehicle, which will be built in India and will use electric all-wheel drive as standard. 

Ford to stop F-150 Lightning ute production for remainder of 2024

• Ford of America will bring the all-electric F-150 Lightning production line to a halt from mid-November to the end of 2024 as demand declines for the electric pickup truck. 

• According to Automotive News, production for the model will resume again on 6 January, 2025. 

• Ford has sold 22,807 units of its Ford F-150 Lightning so far in 2024. Prior to its April 2022 launch, Ford had reportedly amassed an estimated 200,000 orders for the electric pickup.

• Ford’s chief executive officer, Jim Farley, has openly compared the drastic change in demand to that of the Ford Model T, Ford’s first mass-produced model. 

• Ford’s American division is still developing a cheaper electric vehicle on a bespoke platform, but it’s not expected to launch until 2027 at the earliest. 

Volkswagen Amarok breaks second Guiness World Record in two months

• Volkswagen Australia has achieved a second Guiness World Record in just two months, this time conquering Australia’s 10 deserts.

• The record to drive the 10 deserts was achieved in six days and 17 hours with an accessorised Amarok V6 Style ute.

• The Amarok ute used 1199 litres of diesel and just half a litre of oil, while suffering just one tyre puncture.

• The trek started from Maree, South Australia and carried across the Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Tanami, Simpson, Gibson, Little Sandy, Strzelecki, Sturt Stony, Tirari and Pedirka deserts, finishing in Alice Springs after 6421km travelled.

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Wednesday 6th November at 4.30pm Sydney time.