Car news, 5 December ’24: Jaecoo to launch J7 PHEV in Australia, Toyota to update its LandCruiser 300 Series, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Thursday 5 December 2024. Notably in car news today: Jaecoo is set to launch its J7 PHEV SUV in Australia, and Toyota Australia has announced it will update its popular large SUV, the LandCruiser 300 Series, for 2025.

Browse this issue:

• Chery sub-brand, Jaecoo, to launch J7 PHEV in Australia 
• Toyota to update LandCruiser 300 Series in 2025 
• Xpeng experience centres to open to display new G6 model
• Genesis goes endurance racing with Magma Racing 

• Reviewed: 2025 Porsche Macan EV 

What is Jaecoo? Well, it’s bringing its first model, the J7 PHEV, to Australia in 2025

• Chinese SUV maker Jaecoo is set to launch in Australia very shortly with its first model, the J7 PHEV SUV, but what exactly is the brand?

• Jaecoo is a sub-brand of Chery and is focused largely on supplying SUVs to the global market. Jaecoo is a very young brand having only been founded in 2023. 

• The upcoming J7 PHEV will use a 1.5-litre TDGI hybrid engine with an electric-only range of up to 90km.

• The estimated combined range for the Jaecoo J7 PHEV is claimed to be an impressive 1200km. 

Toyota to update LandCruiser 300 Series for 2025 

• Toyota Australia has announced it will update its LandCruiser 300 Series for 2025, mainly in the areas of safety and technology. 

• While the exterior look and engine outputs remain the same, Toyota has updated the standard level of active safety equipment, now including lane trace assist with steering vibration. 

• Other improvements have been made largely to the GX and GXL grades, which gain updated touchscreens and instrument clusters (GX and GLX now get 7.0-inch cluster and 8.0-inch touchscreen).

• The VX grade now also gains eight-way power adjustment for the front passenger, a new powered tailgate and a HDMI port for entertainment. 

• The updated Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is due in Australia in the second quarter of 2025. Pricing and further specification is yet to be confirmed.  

Xpeng to open experience centres for new G6 model

• Xpeng is increasing its presence in Australia with three more experience centres as it prepares to launch its first model, the G6 SUV, in early 2025. 

• Three more centres will soon open in Woollongong, New South Wales, Port Melbourne in Victoria and North Coburg, Victoria.

• Xpeng will also very shortly open an experience centre in Sydney’s domestic airport.

• The brand’s first model in Australia, the G6 SUV, will be distributed through importer TrueEV and will start from $54,800 plus on-road costs. 

• Orders for the G6 are now open in Australia and can be done through the company’s Australian website. 

Genesis going endurance racing with new Magma Le Mans car and announces Magma Racing brand

• Genesis has announced it will enter endurance racing as soon as 2026 with a new hypercar called the GMR-001, under a new Magma Racing division.

• The Korean brand will support operations in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the ISMA Sports Car Championship. 

• The brand has also announced that it will have an LMP2 team competing in the 2025 European Le Mans Series.

• Although unconfirmed, it’s likely that some of the technologies used in the Magma Racing brand will trickle down to the Magma road cars, which have been confirmed will be available in the GV70, GV60 and G70 bodystyles in the near future. 

• But what is Magma? Well, think of Magma like BMW’s M Division, or even Hyundai’s N performance products.

Porsche Macan EV reviewed

• Chasing Cars contributor Iain Curry’s written and video reviews of the 2025 Porsche Macan were published, including his thoughts on the now all-electric SUV model for Australia.
  
• Iain enjoyed the Macan for its superb handling, silent urban manners and excellent electric driving range during the launch of the vehicle in the Gold Coast.
  
• However, Iain also noted some downsides, such as a lack of Porsche character, huge price increases and that the model feels heavy, especially during higher speed track work.
  
• In summary, Iain definitely enjoyed his time in the new Porsche Macan, stating that, “We should see this Macan as a separate entity. The old Macan was the benchmark petrol performance SUV, and this new one is certainly a high point in EV SUV land. The question is, are Macan shoppers ready to give up one for the other?”
  

READ: Link to written review

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Friday 6 December at 4.30pm Sydney time.