Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Friday April 5th 2024. Notably in car news today: BYD has teased its anticipated new ute with bright camouflage, and Audi has announced new Competition Plus packages for its RS4 and RS5.
BYD ute teased with bright camouflage, due in 2024
This is the BYD ute with some bright colours!
BYD has teased photos of its upcoming ute, which is set to launch in Australia during 2024.
With bright camouflage, a boxy design and headlights not unlike the ones found on a Ford F-150 Lightning, the BYD ute will initially launch with a DM-I plug-in hybrid system.
Likely to be called the BYD Shark, the new ute is very likely to use a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine mated to two electric motors to produce around 135kW-150kW of power.
A pure-electric variant will launch at a later stage, however the PHEV variant could beat the Ford Ranger PHEV to market here in Australia.
A towing capacity of around 3000kg has been claimed by online sources, however exact specifics have not been confirmed at this stage.
Competition Plus packages for Audi RS4 and RS5 due mid 2024
Audi has announced a Competition Plus Pack for its RS4 Avant and RS5 Sportback
Audi Australia has announced it will bring a limited number of Competition Plus packages to our local market for the RS4 Avant and RS5 Sportback models.
Priced at an additional $13,990 (or $15,290 with RS bucket seats added), the Competition Plus pack includes manually-adjustable race-style coilover suspension, an RS sports exhaust system, up to 20mm lower ride height and increased top speed of 290km/h.
The Competition Plus pack also sees the removal of some interior sound insulation that yields an 8.0kg weight reduction.
For those wanting to do more track experiences with their performance Audi, the brand will also offer RS front bucket seats finished in Dinamica (microfibre).
More details announced for GWM’s new Cannon Alpha
This is the 2024 GWM Cannon Alpha ute
GWM Australia has provided more detail about its Cannon Alpha dual-cab ute, but has stopped short of announcing local pricing.
The Cannon Alpha ute will be available in Australia with two engines: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo hybrid petrol setup with 255kW/648Nm, and a 2.4-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine with 135kW/480Nm. Both engines will use a nine-speed automatic transmission.
Rated towing capacity is 3500kg, or 500kg more than the rest of the Ute Cannon range. Inside, standard equipment will include a new 14.6-inch central touchscreen and 12.3-inch instrument cluster, plus a 10-speaker sound system.
As for size, the new Cannon Alpha is slightly longer and wider than the existing Cannon XSR, but the latest GWM ute is far from a Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado rival in size.
Expect more details in the coming months before the ute goes on sale mid 2024.
Polestar 2 to become Polestar 7 in the future
The Polestar 2 will be called the Polestar 7 in the future, its maker says
Polestar’s chief executive officer, Thomas Ingenlath, has confirmed to Autocar that the next Polestar 2 will not keep the 2 name in the future and will instead be called Polestar 7, instead.
But the Polestar 2 might not retain the same look and feel as it has currently, with Ingenlath saying “what type of car and how we will do it, we can discuss when it’s time”.
The Polestar 2 is set to live on until at least 2027, reports say, meaning that the model will have been on sale for seven years.
Polestar will continue its chronological naming structure, with the 7 following after the streamlined 6 supercar.
This naming convention is very different to most other automakers which have held onto iconic names such as Golf, 3 Series, i30, Corolla and more, rather than changing the name entirely with each new generation.
Chasing Cars editor Tom Baker’s walkaround review of the 2025 Hyundai Tucsonwas published, including important details and key facts about the facelifted model.
Baker’s walkaround detailed relatively subtle exterior changes and comparatively much more significant interior changes for the Korean crossover rival to the likes of the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and the Toyota RAV4.
As well as this, Baker detailed the new hybrid variant that’s set to come to Australia, the wider engine lineup, and more – including a look at the more rugged XRT variant, which is expected to come to Australia.
