Car news, 4 November ’24: LDV facelifts now petrol-only D90 SUV, Nissan builds drift ute for SEMA, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Monday 4 November 2024. Notably in car news today: LDV Australia has facelifted its D90 SUV for 2025 and has dropped the diesel offering, and Nissan has created a one-off drift ute for the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Browse this issue:

• LDV D90 facelifted, diesel dropped for petrol 
• Nissan creates supercharged drift ute for SEMA 
• Ayrton Senna Netflix series coming November 29
• Ram announces Yellowstone edition of its 2500 pickup
• Reviewed: 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid long-term wrap

LDV D90 facelifted, drops diesel for petrol 

• Australian pricing has been revealed for the facelifted LDV D90 body-on frame large SUV.

• LDV has dropped the 160kW/480Nm twin-turbo-diesel in favour of a sole 184kW/410Nm 2.0L turbo-petrol which has received a boost to its outputs.

• The six-speed automatic has been swapped for an eight-speed unit, with upgrades also seen to payload, ground clearance and some towing figures, though the maximum available capacity has dropped from 3100kg to 3000kg braked.

• The D90 also features new styling with a full suite of LED lights and a large 12.3-inch touchscreen inside the cabin, which now features Android Auto.

• Pricing has also crept up by around $4000 across the range with the entry-level ‘Mode’ RWD costing $43,147 driveaway, with the RWD and 4WD ‘Executive’ commanding $47,358 and $51,042 respectively

Nissan creates supercharged drift ute at SEMA

• Nissan America has arrived at Sema with a highly modified version of its Frontier ute known as the Tarmac Concept.

• Designed in conjunction with Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg, the dual-cab is significantly lower on Nismo suspension with drifting in mind.

• Under the bonnet, the Frontier’s 3.8L petrol V6 has been adorned with a water-cooled roots-style supercharger producing 328kW and 542Nm.

• The ‘D41’ Frontier is based on the last-gen ‘D40’ Navara but updated for the American market in recent years.

New Netflix series based on Ayrton Senna to premiere November 29

• A new limited series on the life and career of famed Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna will debut on Netflix on November 29.

• Produced with the help of Ayrton Senna’s family and the Institute of Aryton Senna, the mini series will star Brazilian actor Gabriel Leone.  

• Senna is respected as one of the world’s greatest Formula One drivers, having won three championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. 

• The Brazilian racing driver had fierce rivalries with drivers including Alain Prost which was well documented in the Asif Kapadia documentary Senna (2010).

• Senna lost his life at the Italian Imola racing circuit in 1994, passing away at just 34 years of age.  

Ram Trucks announces Yellowstone Edition of its 2500 pickup

• Ram has announced it will build a special edition of its 2500 pickup called the Yellowstone Edition … and yes it’s named after the popular TV show starring Kevin Costner. 

• What do you get as part of the special edition? Yellowstone graphics on the cargo tub, Yellowstone badging, black badging, mirror casings and front grille and lastly, black 18-inch alloy wheels. 

• The Yellowstone Edition is powered by a 6.7-litre Cummins straight-six turbo-diesel engine that produces 276kW/1152Nm.

• The model also features a 12-inch touchscreen, leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats and adaptive cruise control as standard.

• Pricing for the Yellowstone ute has been locked in at $177,950 before on-road costs and is currently in production in Melbourne. 

2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid long-term wrap up

• Chasing Cars journalist Zak Adkins’ long term wrap up of the 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid was published, including his final thoughts on his tenure with the vehicle over a three month period.
  
• Zak found the Sportage to have one of the best hybrid systems in the market, had comfortable ride quality, a premium interior and well-tuned safety systems.
  
• However, Zak also found the hybrid Sportage to have a few negatives, such as the fact it’s only available in front-wheel drive, it’s more expensive than some all-wheel drive hybrid rivals and that the Kia’s hybrid system was not as efficient as it claimed.
  
• All in all, Zak had an enjoyable time with the Kia Sportage Hybrid over the three months and ultimately recommended it as a smart, comfortable family hauler in 2024.
  

READ: Link to written review 

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 5 November at 4.30pm Sydney time.