Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Tuesday July 16th 2024. Notably in car news today: Kia’s Tasman ute stress-tested for Australian conditions, and Mini is unlikely to build any larger models than the Countryman in the future.
Kia Tasman undergoes significant Australian testing regime
Kia is continuing to tease its Tasman ute
Kia Australia has teased us with more information regarding its highly-anticipated Tasman ute, which has undergone significant levels of on- and off-road testing for our local market.
Kia states it has conducted 1777 specific tests and “over 18,000+ rounds of evaluation” for its new pickup.
The brand will showcase some of the Kia Tasman’s testing through a video series, with the first episode set to drop on YouTube on July 22nd.
The new ute is lined up to make its world premiere in the second half of 2024, with a global release to take place in the first half of 2025.
Australia will be a key market for the Tasman as one of the world’s highest-selling regions for utility vehicles.
Mini unlikely to offer an SUV bigger than new Countryman
Mini says they aren’t likely to upsize its current portfolio of vehicles
Despite sharing a lot of its underpinnings with BMW, Mini is unlikely to upsize its current portfolio of vehicles anytime soon.
Speaking with Chasing Cars and Australian media in Melbourne, Mini Australia’s general manager Alexander Brockhoff said in regards to the new Countryman, that “I think tapping into this market of families, which we haven’t been doing before, it’s still the mini version of a family car”.
With Cooper, Aceman and Countryman, Mini Australia seems satisfied with its current range of cars, though things might change in future if driven by consumer taste.
“The DNA is still there … we will now see how that goes for what the customer perception is,” Brockhoff said.
Mini will soon launch the Aceman electric SUV in Australia, but it won’t be any larger than the Countryman small SUV.
Tesla’s Robotaxi has been delayed, cheap Model 2 unlikely to happen: report
Tesla has previously teased a Model 2 small car (pictured)
Tesla’s upcoming self-driving Robotaxi program has already been delayed, according to Bloomberg’s sources.
The unveiling of Robotaxi has been pushed back by several months with reports indicating that the team needs more time to build prototypes. Some reports have even claimed the vehicle needed a key design or engineering change.
The news comes after Tesla pulled the plug on a cheap ‘Model 2’, with the Robotaxi project taking its place.
It’s almost certain that the Robotaxi will look like the proposed cheaper Tesla, but won’t be available for private consumers.
This means for now, the cheapest Tesla in Australia will remain to be the Tesla Model 3 rear-wheel drive which is currently priced from $54,900 before on-road costs.
Mini’s design is influenced by more than smartphones in the modern age
Mini says its inspired by more than smartphones when it comes to vehicle design
Mini’s interior design boss Sebastian Kroes has told Australian media that despite smartphone popularity, his team remains inspired by multiple factors when it comes to creating Mini products.
“I think it’s not just limited to a smartphone. It’s general consumer electronics, it’s architecture, it’s fashion design. We get our inspiration from many, many sections,” Kroes said.
“The smartphone is quite a personal thing and therefore we wanted to integrated it as much as possible.”
One of the Mini Cooper’s and Countryman’s big features is a 240mm OLED display, which also features a camera for selfies. But Mini isn’t just targeting the youth with its latest models.
Mini also offers for the first time a personalisation mode where owners can add their own background photos for the main screen.
Kia Sportage Hybrid 2024 long term report
Chasing Cars journalist Zak Adkins’ long-term introduction to his 2024 Kia Sportage GT-Line Hybrid was published, including his initial thoughts and plans for the next three months of ownership.
So far in his long-term evaluation, Adkins gave praise for the Sportage’s quiet and refined hybrid system, premium cabin and dual 12.3-inch screens, along with its impressive Harman Kardon sound system as part of the GT-Line package.
Points that Adkins found could be improved upon in the future include the extensive use of piano black plastic in the interior (which gets dirty and shows marks very easily), as well as the fact that the Sportage Hybrid is only available in Australia in front-wheel drive.
Stay tuned for updated two and three on the Chasing Cars’ YouTube channel where Adkins will explore much more about Kia’s first hybrid Sportage SUV.
