Celine Nolan

Is this the following Nissan Micra?

Nissan has pulled the covers off its Thought 20-23, a diminutive electrical vehicle that continuously is the following iteration of the celebrated Micra diminutive vehicle.

With fearless racecar-worship styling and a extremely racing-inspired interior, the Thought 20-23 continuously is the most efficiency-ready Micra ever made.

With a 100kW electrical motor and sharing its recent CMF-BEV platform with the upcoming Renault 5 and Alpine mannequin, the Thought 20-23 is determined to respect an estimated 400 kilometres of electrical vary.

Being a diminutive EV, the theorem could be a severe rival for the likes of the Fiat 500e and the Mini Cooper Electrical hatch.

Pictures of the theorem exclaim masses of aerodynamic beneficial properties such as a rear soar and aggressive front splitters, while interior there are racing buckets and staunch harnesses to assist you in tight. Gullwing doors feature, staunch worship a Lamborghini Aventador.

Will the manufacturing vehicle look anything else worship the theorem? It’s unlikely to be as wild, however here’s a gigantic trace of what’s to come for the Nissan set within the following couple of years.

A manufacturing model is anticipated within the future in 2024.

Is the Micra serene offered in Australia and out of the country?

The third-skills K13 Nissan Micra performed up in Australia in 2016 and modified into once no longer replaced by the most most recent fourth-skills K14 mannequin as quiz for diminutive autos diminished.

The K14 modified into once powered by a combine of engines, in conjunction with a extremely diminutive 898cc turbocharged three-cylinder unit and modified into once constructed on the identical platform because the Renault Clio and Captur gadgets. It modified into once on hand in many European markets.

Essentially the latest K14 Micra, constructed in France, performed its manufacturing bustle in 2022, with the mannequin’s future uncertain.

On the opposite hand, this recent Thought 20-23 theory continuously is the revival that folk respect been looking at for.

What an Australian success story the Mazda CX-3 is.

It’s been our ideal-promoting gentle SUV since its January 2015 introduction; is the third ideal-promoting car in Mazda’s line-up and has elegant been proficient a refresh for 2024.

However there’s a fairly awkward elephant within the room.

The mannequin, in its fresh technology, is eight years feeble. That’s a lifetime in SUV world.

And a long way like the Mazda 2 it’s in conserving with (itself a 9-twelve months-feeble mannequin), while you happen to peep or seek knowledge from about knowledge on an all-unique CX-3, all you hear are crickets.

Australia loves the CX-3, but the leisure of the arena isn’t as enamoured. And that come Mazda’s head set of dwelling of labor appears to be like in no lumber to counsel a brand unique technology is nigh.

Might possibly well perchance even the mannequin of course be facing the tip of the boulevard? If Japan called time on the CX-3 it’d be a serious loss to our native line-up, but Mazda Australia can handiest promote autos Japan decides to gain.

Why is the Mazda CX-3 potentially under menace?

Those of us who’ve been around the industry a truly long time know that no news is on the total no longer staunch news by come of a mannequin’s survival.

The CX-3 used to be discontinued within the US and Europe at the tip of 2021, where the CX-30 used to be deemed its pure successor. In Australia, the pricier, roomier Mazda 3-essentially based completely mostly CX-30 diminutive SUV sells alongside the CX-3, with every returning carefully matched sales figures of around 1000 month-to-month.

In our market, appetite clearly stays for every.

Addressing every the Mazda 2 and CX-3, Mazda Australia’s product director Alastair Doak told Chasing Cars: “They’re the biggest segment of our line-up, and we’d like to give them for so long as they’re accessible to us.”

Doak mentioned he couldn’t resolution if unique technology 2s and CX-3s were in pattern, but mentioned in future “if they’re no longer accessible to us then we might discontinuance something varied.

We’ve got CX-30 there which is a pure step, and there’s some pricing crossover between CX-3 and CX-30, so we are in a position to quilt a few that already.”

As a outcome of its age, the CX-3 now has no ANCAP security ranking. It secured a maximum 5 huge title outcome in 2015, but ANCAP’s time limitations since the take a look at come this expired in December 2022. There are no longer any plans to re-take a look at one, either.

Is there scope for a CX-20 metropolis SUV?

The CX-20 badge would slot in nicely under the larger, more fresh CX-double digit SUVs in Mazda’s line-up.

Top Equipment within the Philippines, for instance, fair at this time reported the CX-20 title had been trademarked there.

As quite a lot of the buying world has an insatiable appetite for any create of SUV over a passenger car identical, there’s a bigger commerce case for a CX-20-form metropolis SUV over a less in-vogue Mazda 2 hatch and sedan.

The United States would seemingly swerve it. “The CX-3 used to be possibly viewed as bodily fairly diminutive for them,” Doak urged about its downfall there. However Europe, with its penchant for diminutive offerings, would seemingly embrace it.

The UK’s fresh Mazda 2 is fair a re-badged Toyota Yaris. Might possibly well perchance even the similar happen with a metropolis SUV? Perhaps a CX-3 or CX-20 moniker might land on a Yaris Unfavorable if the 2 Eastern brands proceed their automobile address-in.

Then there’s the electrical ask. Would a diminutive Mazda SUV EV be the smarter offering within the fresh native weather, especially with Europe’s strict emissions targets in mind?

Does Mazda serene need cheap autos?

In 2019 you will aquire a front-power, manual transmission CX-3 Neo Sport for $21,790 forward of on-roads.

Four years later and the auto CX-3 Sport’s most payment-efficient at $26,800, that come you will now no longer power away Mazda’s smallest SUV for under $30,000.

These increased costs accompany the CX-3’s 2024 Mannequin twelve months updates, whereas the fluctuate has been trimmed to exclude manual and all-wheel-power variants.

That come fee of entry accurate into a CX-3 is up a corpulent $3290 over forward of.

Goodies like 16-crawl alloys, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and improved security tools are sweeteners, but metropolis SUV investors on a funds might now migrate to a Hyundai Venue, Kia Stonic or Suzuki Ignis, all of which is ready to now be had for around $5000 decrease than a CX-3.

If the CX-3 were to ultimately be culled, entry to Mazda’s SUV fluctuate might be the CX-30 G20 Pure at $30,610. This could potentially exclude many first car investors who’d no longer be ready to acquire the cash for a brand unique Mazda, scuppering the chance to contain designate loyalty.

“It (CX-3) remains to be top seller within the gentle SUV section, and we furthermore obtain out about with our have confidence inner knowledge it’s by a long way the most desired in that class for folks which indulge in possibilities at that fee point and dimension SUV,” Doak explained. “And it continues into the future, completely.”

However this might very nicely be out of Mazda Australia’s hands. They can handiest promote what Mazda builds, and the CX-3’s future appears to be like foggy indeed.

Toyota Australia will follow promoting the Granvia of us mover over the arguably extra luxurious Alphard of us mover that has been launched in Japan.

Sean Hanley, vice chairman of sales and advertising for Toyota Australia, suggested Chasing Autos that the logo will follow the latest Granvia of us mover offering.

“We were market leaders manner serve in time with Tarago … the market’s moved, we’re extra into the SUVs, the tremendous SUVs, Prados, Klugers.

“Kluger has potentially performed a characteristic in changing that dynamic for us,” Hanley acknowledged.

“We’ve bought Granvia, it does it’s diminutive bit, it’s no longer our biggest volume vendor however it indubitably’s a market”.

Year-to-date in 2023, Toyota has most efficient sold 81 objects of the Granvia, making the business case for the Alphard even extra potentially no longer.

When when put next, the Kia Carnival sells in powerful bigger numbers, promoting 7622 objects at some stage within the identical length of time, proving that there may well be certainly a marketplace for folk movers within the community.

The Granvia has been on sale in Australia since 2019 and shares powerful in basic with the Hiace commercial van, which unlike the of us mover enjoys solid sales success.

Alphard the extra luxurious offering over Granvia

We’ve beforehand reported on the modern period Toyota Alphard which is closely related to the luxurious Lexus LM of us mover, which is sure for Australia however will likely be priced from an extremely costly $160,000 and above.

Many Australians will know the Alphard because the gargantuan-grilled van most incessantly viewed by tremendous households who import the Alphard from Japan. It comes at a considerable cost too, with one importer charging between $85,900 and $115,000 counting on the specification.

Powered by either petrol or petrol-hybrid powertrains, the Alphard would streak head-to-head with the likes of the Kia Carnival and Hyundai Staria if sold down beneath.

A couple of of the Alphard’s typical equipment comprises a 14.0-roam central touchscreen, a 12.3-roam digital instrument cluster, pull down sunshades, premium nappa leather seats, 17-roam alloy wheels and a 14.0-roam entertainment veil for the rear occupants.

Now, on the different hand, bigger than ever, curiously the chance of an enviornment Alphard has well and if fact be told been and gone.

Audi Australia has formally confirmed it will bring its midsized Q4 E-tron electrical SUV to local shores.

The logo confirmed the records in all places in the first reputable see at the logo’s rebranded Q8 E-tron electrical SUV in all places in the Melbourne EV Note.

Having been on-sale in Europe since June 2021, the Q4 E-tron sits on the Volkswagen Neighborhood MEB platform that also underpins such vehicles as the Cupra Born and the Skoda Enyaq.

This new mannequin often is the third electrical offering by Audi Australia as it works to impress its hasty globally by 2033.

Audi Australia has confirmed that the Q4 e-tron will start within the center of 2024, and would be available in both SUV or Sportback body kinds.

What is confirmed to this point for the Q4 E-tron?

Audi says it hasn’t yet confirmed proper little print of specification, nonetheless in its predominant European market, the Q4 E-tron is currently available in 35, 40, forty five and 50 designations.

Usable battery measurement ranges from 52kWh to 76.6kWh, and energy and torque outputs of as a lot as 220kW/460Nm with a dual-motor setup are available.

The most electrical vary for the Q4 E-tron is 412km (WLTP).

True pricing for the Q4 E-tron in Australia is yet to be confirmed, but would possibly maybe well maybe also aloof be printed early subsequent year.