Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Wednesday January 8th 2025. Notably in car news today: LDV Terron 9 spotted in Sydney, Honda 0 Series to enter production in 2026 and Ram 1500 Australia’s top selling US pickup.
Yesterday, Chasing Cars staff spotted the camouflaged prototype of the forthcoming LDV Terron 9 ute on the streets of Sydney.
Appearing to be undergoing on-road testing, this prototype mule is the example that has been spotted testing around various Aussie locations over the past few months.
Spotted in the wild for the first time, the LDV Terron 9.
Details on this exact vehicle are thin; we do know it is painted shade of green under that wrap, and is the same vehicle that has been used in various LDV media materials.
Specs we know so far show the LDV Terron 9 has a tare weight of 2580kg and a GVM of 3500kg. This is a diesel-powered Terron, which is expected to feature a 2.5L single turbo-diesel making 164kW. An electric version called eTerron making 200kW is also expected to launch locally in the coming months.
Honda 0 Series to enter production in 2026
It has been confirmed that Honda is putting its 0 Series EVs into production in 2026. This comes after concept vehicles were displayed in Las Vegas last night.
Two vehicles, one a low-slung four-door coupe called the 0 Saloon and the other a midsize crossover called the 0 SUV, were displayed at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA.
Honda 0 Series will go into production in 2026
It has been reported that Honda’s 0 Series base powertrain comprises a single 180kW electric motor rear-wheel drive. An all-wheel drive twin-motor configuration will be an option, with a claimed 359kW of electric power.
While US production dates have been revealed, it’s not yet been announced if we will see these vehicles in Australia. North America is the first market to receive these electric vehicles, followed by Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
Ram 1500 top-selling US pickup in Australia for seventh year running
The numbers are in, and it seems Australian’s are smitten with theRam 1500. This is the top-selling US-sourced pickup locally for the seventh year in a row beating the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado numbers wise.
In 2024, Ram Truck Australia moved 3239Ram 1500s. In comparison, Ford sold 2428 F-150s and GM sold 2389 Chevrolet Silverados.
Ram 1500 is the favourite US pickup in Australia for the seventh year.
If we look at the physically smaller mainstream dual-cab utes sold in Australia, these numbers aren’t as impressive in comparison. Ford sold 62,593 Ranger utes, Toyota delivered 54,499 HiLux utes and Isuzu moved 30,194 D-Max utes.
Ram has sold over 30,000 vehicles in Australia since 2016, and employs over 200 production workers and 50 engineers. They remanufacture the Ram 1500 for our right-hand-drive market by converting imported left-hand-drive pickups at Melbourne based Walkinshaw facility.
For 2025, the Touareg received a midlife facelift, with changes to styling and some more luxurious inclusions.
Olek was left impressed by the air suspension as well as the powerful turbo-diesel V6 engine that produces a claimed 210kW and 600Nm.
The asking price has also been dropped significantly across the Touareg range. Will this be enough to push Volkswagens flagship SUV to where they once were sales wise in a competitive market?
