Car news, 29 Apr ’24: Mini confirms new Aceman will launch in Australia Q4, 2024, Chery’s Tiggo 9 PHEV claims huge 1400km range, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Monday April 29th 2024. Notably in car news today: Mini Australia has confirmed more details, including launch timing, for its Aceman electric small SUV, and Chinese auto manufacturer Chery is set to build a new Tiggo 9 PHEV model, boasting a range “beyond 1400km” .

Browse this issue:

• Mini confirms new Aceman model for Q4, 2024 
• Chery announces Tiggo 9 PHEV at Beijing Auto Show
• Land Rover to bring limited number of Defender OCTA’s to Australia
• MG hires former designer of the Bugatti Veyron

Mini confirms Australian arrival date for its new model, the Aceman

• Mini Australia has locked in launch timing of its next model, the Aceman, which is expected to debut in the fourth quarter of 2024. 

• The Aceman is a fully-electric small SUV measuring in at 4007mm long, 1750mm wide and 1500mm tall, and is positioned between a Cooper hatch and a Countryman. Two variants will be available, E and SE. 

• Powering the Aceman will be either the choice of a 42.5kWh battery, or a larger 54.2kWh for the SE. A single electric motor on the front axle will produce 135kW/290Nm for the base E, or up to 160kW/330Nm for the SE variant. 

• Standard equipment and features for the Aceman will somewhat mirror the new Cooper and Countryman and will include a full OLED 240mm circular touchscreen, Mini Operating System 9, 19-inch alloy wheels, 300 litres of boot capacity and maximum DC charging speeds of up to 75kW on the E and 95kW for the flagship SE. 

• Further information on pricing and specification for our market is expected in the coming months before the model’s launch.

Chery reveals the Tiggo 9 PHEV with 1400km of range 

• Chinese automaker Chery has pulled the covers off another model, this time at the Beijing Auto Show which occurred last week. 

• Called the Tiggo 9 PHEV, this hybrid SUV uses a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor that produces 165kW of power. Combined system output is 175kW/385Nm. 

• The big claim here is that Chery states the Tiggo 9 PHEV will use 5.2L/100km combined, with total range stated to be “beyond 1400km”. 

• Although unconfirmed for the Australian market, the Tiggo 9 PHEV could one day join the likes of other Cherys currently on sale in Australia, such as the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 Pro and the Omoda 5. 

Ultimate Land Rover Defender, called OCTA, will go on sale in Australia 

• Land Rover is building the ultimate twin-turbocharged V8 Defender and it will be called OCTA, which refers to an octahedron, or a shape with eight-sides. 

• Land Rover’s Australian arm has confirmed it will bring “less than 100 OCTAs” to Australia, but what exactly is an OCTA?

• OCTA is, in the words of Land Rover, a “high-performance all-terrain hero” which utilises a mild-hybrid, 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. This is almost certain to be an even more potent version of BMW’s S63 90-degree V8 petrol engine.  

• Although Land Rover is staying tight-lipped about power and torque outputs, expect the 4.4-litre V8 to produce at least 460kW/750Nm. 

• It’s set to make its official reveal on July 3 and Land Rover Australia is urging those interested to register at the local Defender website, to be then invited to a virtual viewing of the Defender OCTA in July 2024.

MG appoints Jozef Kaban, designer of the Bugatti Veyron, as VP of the brand’s Global Design Centre

• MG has announced it has appointed renowned designer Jozef Kaban to the role of Vice President of MG’s Global Design Centre.

• Kaban is perhaps best known for his design of the original Bugatti Veyron, a model which was, for some time, the fastest production vehicle on Earth.

• Kaban has also been an exterior designer for models including the Skoda Octavia, Skoda Superb and Skoda Kodiaq, to name a few. 

• The Slovak designer has previously had jobs at Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and Rolls Royce.

• The news about Jozef Kaban’s appointment comes as the MG brand as a whole celebrates its centenary this year. 

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 30th April at 4.30pm Sydney time.