Every important car news story breaking today, in one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Wednesday 13 November 2024. Notably in car news today: The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is inching closer to launch with the Australian configurator now open, and Volkswagen has officially entered a joint venture with EV maker Rivian.
Toyota Australia has set its new Land Cruiser Prado live on its local website, displaying colour choices, variants and driveaway pricing.
In New South Wales, the GXL has been priced from $86,677, while the VX sits at $94,882. The Altitude has been priced at $100,205 and the flagship Kakadu at $108,102, with all prices being driveaway.
Several colours can be specced for the Prado, including Ebony, Glacier White, Eclipse Black, Frosted White, Dusty Bronze, Tanami Taupe and Ningaloo Blue.
All Aussie-spec Prados will use a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine that produces 150kW and 500Nm and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The system also uses Toyota’s mild-hybrid 48-volt setup. While the US market will offer the Prado with a 2.4-litre i-Force Max hybrid engine, this engine has not yet been confirmed for the Australian market.
Towing capacity is rated at 3500kg braked, up from the 3000kg offered on the previous generation.
Volkswagen officially enters joint venture with EV maker Rivian
The Volkswagen Group and electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian have formally launched a joint venture in a deal reportedly worth upwards of USD$5.8 billion (AUD$8.8 billion).
The aim is to use existing Rivian architecture not only for the upcoming R2 SUV, but also future Volkswagen products from 2027, according to Automotive News.
The upcoming Rivian R2 electric SUV
But it’s not all rosy. Reports indicate that Rivian is currently losing money on each and every vehicle that it sells and returned a net loss of $1.1 billion in the third quarter.
Although still unconfirmed, it’s very likely that the new Volkswagen-led brand, Scout Motors, could use some tech borrowed from the partnership with Rivian.
Founded in 2009, Rivian currently builds the R1T electric pickup and R1S SUV, but will also introduce R2 and R3 electric SUVs in the future.
Porsche reintroduces two variants to 2025 Taycan lineup
Porsche Australiahas announced it will reintroduce two variants to its electric Taycan family tree, the 4 and the GTS.
The dual-motor Taycan 4 will produce 300kW and 585Nm and has been priced from $184,500 before on-road costs.
The reintroduced Porsche Taycan GTS now produces as much as 515kW of power in overboost mode!
Meanwhile, the more powerful, 445kW/790Nm (515kW in ‘overboost’ mode) Taycan GTS has been priced from $260,300 before on-road costs.
The 4 and GTS variants will join the Taycan, 4S, Turbo, Turbo S, Turbo GT and Turbo GT with Weissach Package in Australian showrooms.
The two new variants will arrive in Australia in the first half of 2025.
New Peugeot 308 GT priced from $48,990 before on-road costs
Peugeot Australia has announced pricing and specification for its new 308 GT small car.
Now using a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol mild-hybrid engine that produces 100kW/230Nm, the 308 GT will no longer be offered in wagon guise. Only one variant will be available for 2025.
The Peugeot 308 GT is no longer available as a wagon
A very small 0.9kWh battery pack also features, but electric-only driving range is not stated, and likely to be very limited. Peugeot claims owners will be able to drive up to 50 percent of the time in 100 percent zero-emission electric mode.
Also new will be a revised six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The official fuel consumption claim for the Peugeot is 4.2L/100km, which the brand says is a 20.7 percent improvement over the previous pure combustion engine.
Standard equipment for the model includes 18-inch alloy wheels, 10-inch touchscreen, panoramic glass sunroof, a premium sound system and both LED headlights and tail lights. Pre-orders are now open, with the first cars set to land in the first quarter of 2025.
Caterham announces limited Seven CSR 20 model
Caterham, builder of what are essentially road-legal go karts, has announced it will build a limited run of new sports cars, badged the Seven CSR 20.
With just 20 to be built, the CSR 20 uses a naturally-aspirated Ford Duratec 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that produces 156kW/203Nm in a package that weighs just 620kg. That gives the sports car a frankly ridiculous power-to-weight ratio of 253kW/tonne.
Want a go-kart-like experience for the public road? Caterham has you covered
The special edition Caterham also features a five-speed manual transmission and ventilated front disc brakes with quad-piston calipers, along with fully independent rear suspension.
Standard features include a leather Momo steering wheel, Satin carbon dashboard, four-point road harness, LED front and rear lights, red brake calipers and 15-inch Vulcan alloy wheels.
The Caterham CSR 20 has been priced in the UK from £79,995, or the equivalent of $156,000 Australian dollars.
Honda HR-V e-HEV L reviewed
Chasing Cars journalist Zak Adkins’ video review of the 2024 Honda HR-V e-HEV L was published, including his thoughts on the Honda small SUV now that it has been updated.
Zak liked the Honda’s smooth hybrid powertrain, comfortable ride quality and frugal fuel use more than anything.
However, Zak found that the lack of a five seat configuration, a lower-than-average four-star ANCAP rating and no electric function or leather upholstery for the seats knocked down the HR-V to some degree.
All in all, Zak recommended the HR-V as one of the underdogs of the small car segment and that it’s a solid choice for the overall outlay.
