Every important car news story breaking today, in one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Thursday 3 October 2024. Notably in car news today: Toyota has reached the top of the September sales charts with its RAV4 midsize SUV, and Hyundai has confirmed it’ll bring an updated i20 N hot hatch to Australia beginning in November.
Australians took delivery of 97,020 new vehicles in September, with Toyota the dominant brand and the Japanese auto giant’s RAV4 midsize SUV claiming top spot for the third month in a row.
A total of 5182 new RAV4s rolled into customer driveways last month, followed by a top-ten list consisting entirely of utes and SUVs, which commanded around 80percent of all new vehicle deliveries.
Toyota was market leader once again, leading the new car market year-to-date with 183,606 new vehicle deliveries and a 19.8 percent market share, ahead of Ford (74,564), Mazda (73,487), Kia (62,473) and Mitsubishi (56,998).
Hyundai i20 N facelifted, available in Oz from November 2024
Hyundai Australia has announced specification and pricing for its updated 2025 i20 N hot hatch.
Enhancements have been made to the model, with new design 18-inch alloy wheels, revised front grille, refreshed Hyundai badging and new LED lighting inside the cabin.
Hyundai’s cracking i20 N has had some minor changes for 2025
The Hyundai i20 N has been priced at $35,500 before on-road costs, or $510 more than before.
The smallest N car’s 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine is unchanged for 2025, meaning it produces 150kW/275Nm and is mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission.
The updated i20 N will be available in Australia from November. Australia remains the only market globally to offer a full range of N models.
Chery’s Tiggo 4 Pro officially goes on sale in Australia
Chinese automaker Chery has announced itsTiggo 4 Pro is now on sale down under, priced from just $23,990 driveaway for the base Urban grade, while the high-spec Ultimate has been priced from $26,990 driveaway.
Standard specs for the Tiggo 4 Pro include 17-inch alloy wheels, dual 10.25-inch displays, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, seven airbags, 17 different active safety systems and rain sensing wipers.
This is the budget-friendly Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
The Ultimate trim grade adds larger 18-inch alloy wheels, 360-degree camera, six-speaker Sony sound system and heated front seats.
The new model from Chery uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 108kW/210Nm and is mated to a CVT automatic transmission.
You can now pre-order the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro on the brand’s Australian website.
First Caterham electric car to use Yamaha motors
Caterham, the maker of lightweight, fun-to-drive British sports cars, will delve into the world of electric mobility with a new model called the Project V.
Interestingly, the new project will see a collaboration between Caterham and Yamaha, the latter of which will supply an electric motor to be mounted on the rear axle.
The 2024 Caterham Project V will use Yamaha electric motors
While the Japanese company currently builds a wide variety of products, from pianos right through to outboard boat engines, it’s not the first time it has become involved in electric motors.
Yamaha has also developed hyper motors for a Subaru STI E-RA race car that produces more than 1000hp (735kW).
Expect Caterham to use the lightest possible setup for the Project V. It’s unclear when the model will reach full production.
Volkswagen Amarok Style TDI500 reviewed
Zak Adkins recently tested the Volkswagen Amarok Style TDI500
Chasing Cars journalist Zak Adkins’ written review of the 2024 Volkswagen Amarok Style TDI500 was published, including his findings on Volkswagen’s mid-tier ute offering.
Adkins praised the utes car-like ride and handling, punchy bi-turbo drivetrain, high level of standard technology and great seats.
Things that Adkins thought could be improved included the lack of rear USB ports, buried climate control within the touchscreen and its 2.0-litre engine is not quite as frugal as claimed.
Adkins concluded the review by saying “the Style offers power, practicality, car-like ride quality and a lifestyle focus that would suit a lot of Aussie buyers”.
