Car news today: Budget ute gets a boost, Toyota’s electric car saviour, sleek AMG arrives in Australia and Tesla’s Euro sales woes

Thanks for joining us on February 26th 2025. LDV gives budget Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton rival  towing and safety boost, Toyota teases incoming EV saviour, AMG’s sleek coupe priced and Tesla’s fall from grace in Europe. 

Browse this issue:

• Budget ute gets a boost: 2025 LDV T60 scores crucial towing and safety upgrades
• Toyota’s all-new electric car wants to right the bZ4X’s wrongsSporty C- and E-Class coupe replacement lands in Australia
• Sporty C- and E-Class coupe replacement lands in Australia 
• Tesla’s fall from grace in Europe out of sorts with soaring EV popularity
• 2025 BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe review

Budget ute gets a boost: 2025 LDV T60 scores crucial towing and safety upgrades

• LDV’s answer to the GWM Cannon and Mitsubishi Triton scores mid-life tweaks including now ADR-mandated autonomous emergency braking (AEB). There’s also adaptive cruise control and electric power-assist steering on all trims and a 500kg boost in braked towing to 3500kg. 

• The extra safety equipment means the end of the manual transmission — so auto is now standard — and a circa-$2000 price increase. ABN holders can get into the new entry-level LDV T60 Max Pro for $42,990, drive-away. 

Toyota’s all-new electric car wants to right the bZ4X’s wrongs

• Toyota has teased a new model it hopes will take Europe by storm. Claiming to be ‘all-new’, the as-yet-unnamed new model should sit below the existing bZ4X to compete with the Hyundai Kona electric, Renault Megane E-Tech and Volvo EX30.

• The shadowy teaser cuts a similar silhouette to the 2022 bZ Compact SUV concept; Toyota is promising “elevated driving dynamics and surprising space”. More range, better cabin technology and faster charging should be on the checklist if it’s to have more success than bZ4X. 

Sporty C- and E-Class coupe replacement lands in Australia 

• Mercedes-AMG’s C and E-Class coupe replacing CLE 53 has arrived in Australia priced from $158,900, before on-road costs. The two-door four-seater will sits below the yet-to-be-revealed AMG C63 version and above the CLE 300. 

• At the AMG CLE 53’s heart is a twin-turbo straight-six petrol engine with mild-hybrid boost, punching out 330kW and 560Nm. All-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, adaptive dampers and 20-inch alloy wheels help manage the grunt. 

• To aid stability and grip, the tracks are 58mm (front) and 64mm (rear) wider than the non-AMG CLE. 

Tesla’s fall from grace in Europe out of sorts with soaring EV popularity 

• In the ever-evolving story of electric car sales growth, the worm has once again turned in Europe with a 37 percent increase in battery electric car sales last month, according to figures from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

• Tesla is bucking the trend, though, with sales dropping 45.2 percent in Europe fronted by huge drops in Germany (59.5 percent) and France (63 percent).

• It’s hard to pin down the exact cause but it is possible customers may be waiting for the Model Y ‘Juniper’ update to begin sales. Controversial boss Elon Musk may have some part to play in the sales slowdown, too. 

Sub-3 Series ‘sedan’ grows up: BMW 2 Series Gran coupe 2025 review

• Stephen Dobie heads to Europe to sample BMW’s smallest four-door, the 2 Series Gran Coupe. Tweaks to engines, underpinnings and looks headline the mid-life update for the 1 Series relation. 

• Dobie praised the 2 Series GC’s sharp transmission, premium interior and the handling precision of the go-fast M235. 

• Less impressive was a lack of practicality, some ergonomic shortcomings, muted Australian colour line-up and the fact this BMW is front-drive based. It’ll arrive on our shores this year. 

Full review: read here

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Thursday 27 February at 4.30pm Sydney time.