Every important car news story breaking today, in one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Friday 23 August 2024. Notably in car news today: Nissan Australia has announced pricing and specification for its new N-Trek variant in the X-Trail family, and Clarkson, Hammond and May set to premiere their final film together in the The Grand Tour on September 13.
Nissan Australia confirms X-Trail N-Trek price and specs
The new Nissan X-Trail N-Trek variant
Nissan’s local arm has announced pricing and specifications for its latest X-Trail offering: the N-Trek.
Priced at $47,290 before on-road costs for the five-seater and $50,390 before on-road costs for the seven-seater, the N-Trek trim features several new specification highlights.
Included in the N-Trek are specific 18-inch alloy wheels, water resistant leather accented seat trim, unique front and rear bumpers, a unique grille and LED fog lights.
Inside, the N-Trek gains a 12.3-inch centre touchscreen, 12.3-inch instrument cluster and a 10.8-inch head-up display as standard.
The Nissan X-Trail N-Trek is now on sale in Australia.
Original TopGear trio’s final The Grand Tour film to premiere September 13
The curtain is finally closing for the ex-TopGear trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, with the upcoming The Grand Tour film to be their final production together.
The three presenters first appeared together on TopGear in 2003 and had those roles until 2015. They then presented The Grand Tour from 2016 through to 2024.
The Grand Tour series reportedly cost as much as £4.5 million per episode, or the equivalent of AUD$8.7 million.
The Grand Tour: One for the Road will premiere on Amazon Prime on 13 September, 2024.
Zeekr bringing back the wagon with electric 007
Imagine this 007 sedan with a wagon bodystyle!
Zeekr, the Chinese electric car automaker that is owned by Geely Holding, will build a wagon, even as buyers have been moving away from this body style.
The 007 will be brought to market as a sedan, but a new wagon has been confirmed by the automaker and will launch in China next year.
Although we are yet to see the model in official pictures, the wagon will very likely share the same underpinnings as the regular 007, which means that the wagon will use a 100kWh CATL battery pack and adopt either rear- or all-wheel drive.
Expect more news about the Zeekr 007 as the brand launches in Australia in the very near future.
Acura developing possible NSX successor
The teaser of Acura’s next supercar which will be electric
Acura, the luxury arm of Honda, could give the NSX another life thanks to the upcoming Honda 0 Series platform.
According to Automotive News, the next NSX could be put into production around 2027 and is expected to be purely electric.
This is a stark contrast to the last NSX that used a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine supplemented by three electric motors to form a hybrid powertrain.
Power outputs for the model were rated at 427kW/550Nm, so expect even more than this if the next NSX makes it to production.
Hyundai Inster prototype reviewed
Chasing Cars journalist Olek Novak’s first drive of the 2024 Hyundai Inster was published, including his very first impressions of Hyundai’s smallest EV.
Novak praised the surprising spaciousness of the Inster, as well as its easy-to-drive nature and flexible, practical cabin.
Some of the downsides Novak experienced with the prototype car in Korea included plenty of hard interior plastics, firm ride on its 17-inch alloy wheels and the fact that it’s not very sprightly when it comes to acceleration.
Novak concluded his review by explaining that the Inster could have the likes of MG and BYD a little worried and that he is excited to see Hyundai bring the cheaper electric car to Australia in the very near future.
