Car news, 15 Oct ’24: Foton gears up for ute-focused Aussie relaunch, Renault reveals retro-inspired 4 E-Tech, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Tuesday 15 October 2024. Notably in car news today: Foton gears up to relaunch with two new utes in Australia, Renault reveals retro-inspired 4 E-Tech, and more.

Browse this issue:

• Foton gears up for Aussie relaunch, confirms timing for new utes 
• Renault reveals the retro-inspired 4 E-Tech EV
• Leapmotor B10 small electric SUV breaks cover in Paris
• Revived Honda Prelude won’t feature a manual – sad face!
• Reviewed: 2025 BYD Shark 6

Foton gears up for Aussie relaunch, confirms timing for new utes 

• Gearing up for its relaunch in the Australian market, Chinese manufacturer Foton has confirmed that the Tunland V7 and V9 utes will make their Australian debut in the first half of 2025.

• As part of the Inchcape enterprise, that also imports Peugeot, Subaru and soon-to-launch Deepal brands to Australia, Foton will introduce two utes that follow on from the arrival of the brand’s Aumark S light-duty truck, due to arrive by the end of the year. 

• While the utes feature different designs on the outside, the Tunland V7 and V9 are largely the same beneath the sheet metal, powered by 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines featuring 48-volt mild-hybrid tech and mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. 

• More details on Aussie specification and pricing for the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 competitors will be announced closer to launch, with registrations for interest open on the Foton Australia website in the meantime.

Renault reveals the retro-inspired 4 E-Tech EV

• Renault has unveiled a modern day reimagining of its iconic 4, the new all-electric 4 E-Tech.

• Showcased at the Paris Motor Show, the modern day 4 E-Tech now sports a boxy SUV design, with cues inspired by its original which sold some eight million units across 30 years.

• Sharing the same platform as the previously revealed and similarly retro Renault 5 E-Tech, the 4 E-Tech is bigger and roomier than its sibling, similar to the difference between a Clio small hatch and its larger Captur SUV cousins .

• Renault says that while the 5 is clearly aimed at urban customers, the 4, which has a claimed electric range of up to 400km, targets a broader audience with a greater focus on practicality and versatility.

• Neither model has yet been confirmed for the Australian market.

Leapmotor B10 small electric SUV breaks cover in Paris

• Leapmotor, the price-busting Chinese brand set to launch in Australia soon, has unveiled its new small-segment electric B10 SUV at this week’s Paris Motor Show.
  

• The B10 is smaller than midsize C10 previously confirmed for Australian release, the latter expected to be priced around the $50K. A logical rival to the likes of BYD Atto 3, the B10 could feasibly land around the $40K mark as one of the most affordable electric SUVs on sale.
  

• While details are slim, the B10 forms part of Leapmotor’s B-series lineup and adopts the brand’s so-called Leap 3.5 technical architecture.

• Partially owned by Stellantis (Jeep, Alfa Romeo, et al), Leapmotor is set to launch in Australia by year’s end with two variants of the midsize C10: an entry Style and higher-grade Design. Pricing is yet to be confirmed.  

Revived Honda Prelude won’t feature a manual – sad face!

• Honda’s confirmation that it is bringing back its much-loved Prelude sports coupe naturally got tongues wagging across the auto landscape, but now the inevitable news that many hoped would never come: there won’t be a manual, according to overseas reports.

• Overseas publication Motortrend reports that the news was confirmed by Honda’s global officer in charge of electrification Shinji Aoyama, who has also given further insight on the automatic that will feature. 

• It was previously confirmed that the new Prelude will have the same hybrid powertrain as found in the updated current-generation Honda Civic, however the transmission found in that car – which is a CVT – will reportedly be designed to shift differently, with a sportier tune. 

• Honda did previously offer a manual transmission in a hybrid sports car, the CRZ, last decade, however it appears that almost certainly won’t be the case when the new Prelude goes into production next year. 

BYD Shark 6 2025 Review

• Chasing Cars journalist Zak Adkins’ launch review of the 2025 BYD Shark 6 was published, taking a look at the Chinese auto giant’s long-awaited first-ever ute in Australia.

• BYD has beaten the likes of the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux to the punch in offering local pickup fans a plug-in petrol-electric alternative, blending a turbo-petrol 1.5L four-pot with two electric motors to yield 321kW and 650Nm of total system outputs.

• The upshots? Mid-five-second performance with the promise of combined fuel consumption of just 2.0L per hundred!

• The downsides? Both payload and braked towing capacity are relatively low against the class leading diesel, but the Shark 6 hopes to compensate in other areas. Check out Zak’s full written and video reviews to find out if it does.

READ: BYD Shark 6 full written review

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Wednesday 16 October at 4.30pm Sydney time.