Car news, 2 September ’24: Polestar slashes pricing on 2 and 4 models, Audi’s third-generation Q5 SUV makes its global debut, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Monday 2nd of September, 2024. Notably in car news today: Polestar 2 update and new Polestar 4 both get price cuts, and Audi debuts the new third-generation Q5 midsize SUV.

Browse this issue:

• Polestar drops 2 and 4 pricing by $5K apiece
• Third-gen Audi Q5 midsize SUV debuts
• Honda “refreshes” HR-V small SUV for 2025
• Hyundai planning ‘extended range’ EVs marketed as hybrids

Polestar cuts pricing for updated 2 and new 4 models

• Polestar Australia has dropped the pricing of all three 2 variants for 2025 by $5000, while adding in more standard equipment, including safety tech features.
  
• In the MY25 Polestar 2 range, the Standard Range Single Motor now starts from $62,400 and features the previously optional ($3500) Pilot Pack now as standard equipment. The Long Range Single Motor kicks off at $66,400, while the Long Range Dual Motor starts from $71,400. 

• The pricing adjustment means that all MY25 variants can now be had under the Luxury Car Tax threshold. It comes as Polestar offers an aggressive long-term discount on MY24 Polestar 2 stock
  
• Meanwhile, the new Polestar 4 electric SUV has also received a price cut just as the two-variant newcomer model hits local showrooms for the first time.
  
• The entry Long Range Single Motor version of the 4 has dropped by $3000 against earlier published pricing, now from $78,500. But the flagship Long Range Dual Motor gets a deeper chop by $4700 and is now priced from $88,350 before on-roads.

Audi’s third-generation Q5 makes global debut

• Audi has whipped the covers off its third-generation Q5 midsize SUV, debuting globally in both petrol and diesel forms (where odd number nomenclature now designates internal combustion models).
  
• The replacement of the seven-year-old second-generation is treated to Audi’s latest exterior design language, featuring slim-line headlights, a broad grille and cues first seen on Audi’s electric models such as the E-Tron GT. 

• Overseas the Q5 will debut with a choice of turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol or diesel engines, both offering 150kW with the oiler offering 400Nm against the petrol’s 340Nm. Adopting a seven-speed DCT, the petrol offers front- or all-wheel drive, while the oiler is exclusively quattro driven. 

• This time around, the performance SQ5 fits a petrol 3.0L V6 bringing 270kW and 550Nm.

• Timing and pricing for an Australian release is yet to be revealed by Audi’s local arm.  

Honda updates HR-V small SUV for 2025

• Honda Australia has “refreshed” its HR-V small SUV for 2025, including a variant shake-up that will include a new cut-priced hybrid version called the e-HEV X.

• The e-HEV X will sit under the flagship e-HEV L, both featuring Honda’s novel two-motor single-axle hybrid drive, while the entry point to the range, the Vi X, will maintain petrol power exclusively. 

• Minor styling revisions, a selection of new paint colours, selective upgrades to the Honda Sensing suite and new equipment in (hybrid-only) traffic jam assist and adaptive driving beam are all changes for 2025. 

• The updated HR-V is due to land locally by the end of the year, though Honda Australia has not yet revealed exact timing.
  

Hyundai pondering “extended range” EVs marketed as hybrids

• Reports are that Hyundai Motor Company is planning to bolster its fully electric and petrol-electric hybrid ranks with ‘EREVs’, or “extended range electric vehicle” technology.
  
• In an announcement at the company’s recent 2024 CEO Investor Day, HMC explained a mid- to long-term strategy to introduce EVs that adopt internal combustion to charge/recharge the onboard batteries, an application similar to Nissan’s current e-Power format.

• Said to be aimed primarily at the Chinese and North American markets, EREV technology is claimed to offer up to 900 kilometres of range on a single charge and when fully fuelled.
  
• The system, currently proposed in a dual-motor AWD format, is said to be underpin HMC’s plans to expand its existing ‘hybrid’ lineup across Hyundai and Genesis brands and is set to debut globally in select markets in 2027.
  

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 3rd September at 4.30pm Sydney time.