Celine Nolan

Thanks for becoming a member of us this Friday, February 14th 2025. Significantly in automobile news at the novel time: Honda and Nissan discontinue merger discussions, Ford commits to building vary-extender EVs and more.

Browse this convey:

• Honda and Nissan discontinue merger discussions
• Ford says they are dedicated to building more vary-extender EVs
• Elon Musk denies $400 million armoured Tesla deal
• Nissan takes rapid bound to voice spherical performance woes
• Reviewed: 2025 Audi Q7 and Q8

Honda and Nissan discontinue merger discussions

• Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co hold made up our minds to terminate the MOU (Memorandum of Thought) signed by both events remaining yr in an strive and intertwine their firms.

• Sooner than the cancellation, many alternate choices were brought to the desk between the 2 firms to resolve how this kind of commercial integration would work, and what the long bustle would possibly per chance witness treasure below a merger.

• Resolution sparkling, in preference to a contract surrounding the forming of a construction the assign Honda will seemingly be the parent company to Nissan, the producers will instead collaborate on key projects the assign appropriate as independents.

• After robust conversations occurring since December remaining yr, official press statements from both firms were launched at the novel time confirming that negotiations had ceased and the MOU will seemingly be terminated.

Ford growing fresh vary-extender platforms to counter EV downturn

• Ford CEO, Jim Farley, said that Ford has begun growing prolonged-vary electric autos (EREV), in an strive and counter slowing sales of long-established BEV fashions.

• Sales of Ford EVs fell globally in 2024, down 9 percent in total when when compared with the earlier monetary yr.

• Differ extenders in actuality exercise a petrol engine as a generator to recharge batteries that energy electric motors, on the opposite hand petrol energy isn’t be required to ship drive to wheels. Whereas repeatedly (incorrectly) referred to as a ‘hybrid’, right here is technically an EV format.

• “Ford will seemingly be growing versatile body-on-body and unibody platforms that will seemingly be designed for those multi-vitality powertrains. The pleasure is even elevated because they are more practical for folk” said Farley.

Elon Musk denies $400 million armoured Tesla deal

• Controversy surrounding a doable $US400 million buck deal for the US authorities to obtain armoured Tesla Cybertrucks has been squashed after Tesla boss and (US) Head of Govt Effectivity, Elon Musk, publicly said that he had no belief about said deal.

• The US Division of Deliver has now eliminated any point out of Tesla from the listing of planned purchases that mentioned a proposed spending of $US400 million dollars on armoured autos.

• Musk did form a remark on the matter, with a put up on social media platform X (which he moreover owns), pointing out: “I’m quite particular Tesla isn’t getting $400m. Nobody mentioned it to me, as a minimum.”

• Two versions of this yarn were published on the division’s web role, with one model modified the day prior to this to eradicate the observe Tesla, changing it with “armoured electric autos” instead, and not utilizing a reference to a impress name or manufacturer.

Nissan takes rapid bound to voice spherical performance woes

• Following at the novel time’s announcement the merger between Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi has been terminated, Nissan launched its conception for 2026 in an strive and present spherical its fresh sales performance breeze.

• The major conception is to entire a fee savings of roughly 400 billion yen through a vary of fee-lowering measures.

• A restructure is in play, which is intriguing to head looking out global manufacturing reduced by 20 percent in an strive and optimise the personnel. This would perchance look a discount in autos made from 3.5 million units to a number of-million units.

• A refreshed automobile line-up is moreover expected to improve sales, with many fashions within the worldwide portfolio to ranking a facelift.

Reviewed: 2025 Audi Q7 and Q8

• Chasing Vehicles contributor Nathan Ponchard has fair returned from an Audi starting up tournament, with his article on the Q7 and Q8 going are residing.

• Nathan slash up his time between the 2 fashions, and came some distance flung from the tournament describing the Q7 and Q8 pair as a “Silver Fox luxury SUVs”.

• He praised the home and seat comfort, quality of the air suspension, interior fit and performance along with the typical styling.

• Nonetheless, with each and each automobile, there are negatives, the designate being the principle gripe, starting from $110,000 sooner than on-road prices.

READ: Link to written article

The subsequent convey of Car News On the novel time will seemingly be published on Monday 17th of February at 4.30pm Sydney time.

Thanks for joining us this Monday, February 10th 2025. Particularly in automobile files this day: Volkswagen’s slit-priced ID.1 is made up our minds for world birth in 2027 and the Australian authorities is made up our minds to impose a national tax on electrical vehicles.

Browse this topic:

• Volkswagen to birth ID.1 in 2027
• Australian authorities location to impose national EV tax
• BYD Atto 2 minute SUV probably coming to Australia
• Ford CEO targets extra vary-extender EVs
• …
• Reviewed: 2025 Jeep Wrangler Overland

Volkswagen to birth ID.1 in 2027

• Volkswagen is poised to birth its ID.1 entry-stage electrical automobile globally in 2027, with pricing kicking off at spherical 20,000 euros, translating to spherical $33,000 AUD.
• The ID.1 will apply the Polo-sized ID.2 which is attributable to be unveiled later this 300 and sixty five days, which is ready to feature a stamp starting spherical €25,000 (AUD $41,000).

• If Volkswagen can pull it off, the 2 hatchbacks will relate to be wanted to fight relief against life like Chinese language EVs that procure taken Europe and Australia by storm.
• The ID.1 is anticipated to be built on the same MEB Entry structure because the ID.2, a platform basically basically based totally on the same MEB platform underpinning the ID.Buzz but designed to be extra life like.

Australian authorities location to impose national EV tax

• The Australian Labor authorities is stated to be pursuing a national tax on electrical vehicles as a matter of precedence, though the policy probably won’t be launched except after the next federal election.
• Designed to profit procure the gap in tax income left by EV drivers no longer paying for gasoline, and therefore the accompanying gasoline excise tax.

• The measure has previously been proposed and even implemented on the assert stage in Victoria but was as soon as rescinded after a High Court location obvious the tax would wish to be imposed on the federal stage.
• Specialists procure previously criticised the proposed avenue person price as a disincentive on EVs that would possibly perchance damage off momentum by making EVs extra costly as automobile makers work laborious to drive down prices to make the fresh drivetrains extra appealing.

BYD Atto 2 minute SUV launched, probably coming to Australia

• China’s BYD Atto 2 has officially long gone on sale within the UK, sooner than the minute SUVs anticipated debut within the Australian market later this 300 and sixty five days.
• Because the title suggests, the Atto 2 is a itsy-bitsy bit smaller than the Atto 3 and is priced at an identical stage to the MG4 within the UK, which starts at spherical $38,000 in Australia.

• The entry-stage UK Atto 2 is fitted with a 50kWh LFP battery with the legitimate vary unknown, however the smaller 45.1kWh battery supplied in various markets has a unfold of 312km in step with WLTP trying out protocols.
• Regular aspects encompass a 10.1-bound rotating touchscreen that grows to 12.8-inches on bigger grades on the side of luminous phone mirroring utility, panoramic sunroof and 17-bound alloys.

Ford CEO targets extra vary-extender EVs

• Ford CEO Jimn Farley has expressed passion in pursuing extra hybrid and vary-extender EVs amid a world trot for EV demand.
• Talking in a Q4 2024 earnings call, Farley commented that wide pick-usaand SUVs are no longer suited to the battery electrical structure attributable to the added weight and value required.

• “A candy location that has emerged is minute and medium-dimension vehicles and utilities. And hybrid vehicles are a key enhance put for us,” he stated, in a reference to the US-market Maverick ute.
• Farley stated that EREV, or prolonged vary electrical vehicles, will most certainly be a level of focal level for the logo going forward.

2025 Jeep Wrangler Overland reviewed

• Chasing Vehicles off-avenue knowledgeable Evan Spence’s review of the facelifted Jeep Wrangler Overland was as soon as printed, with the mid-spec off-avenue iconic going under the microscope to search if it would possibly per chance perchance interpret its circa $98,000 driveaway stamp.
• Evan was as soon as extremely complimentary of the fundamental riding demeanor of the Wrangler and its abilities off-avenue despite lacking the hardcore upgrades fitted to the Rubicon.

• On the replace hand, he struggled to build up past the value, with the 2025 Wrangler vary serene seriously extra costly than it old to be and upgrades such because the facility-opening sunroof predict for $6000.
• While Evan stumbled on that the Wrangler Rubicon was as soon as an supreme wanting equipment the associated price was as soon as unjustifyable, declaring that Jeep has “lost the location with pricing in Australia”.

WATCH: Link to YouTube video

The following topic of Vehicle Data At the moment time will most certainly be printed on Tuesday 11th of February at 4.30pm Sydney time.

Thanks for joining us this Friday, February 7th 2025. Notably in automobile news this day: Jimny three-door and other Suzuki items retired attributable to ADR laws, Nissan hunting for new suitors as Honda merger deal falters, and extra.

Browse this disaster:

• Jimny three-door and other Suzuki items succumb to newest security regs
• Nissan taking part in the sector as Honda merger appears to be like an increasing number of unlikely
• Volkswagen Polo and T-Roc items bring together designate rises and updates for 2025
• CX-6e may perhaps presumably well effectively be Mazda’s no-brainer electric CX-5 midsize SUV
• 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-timeframe review

Jimny three-door and other Suzuki items plight for hiatus or axing

• The three-door Jimny and other items in Suzuki’s line-up, equivalent to the Ignis, S-Substandard, Vitara and Swift Sport, will rapidly be absent from local showrooms as new ADR laws reach into play.

• The ‘short’ Jimny, a popular as a lot as date cult automobile, is plight for a hiatus as its single-camera self reliant emergency braking system doesn’t alter to ADR 98/00, which comes into enact March 1, bringing requires for added sophisticated performance.

• The ADR regulation commerce doesn’t occupy an impact on the extra no longer too long ago released Jimny five-door, which aspects a varied dual-camera-essentially based AEB system that does alter to new security laws. It’s expected the three-door version will re-enter the Australian market as soon because it adopts tech featured in the five-door variations.

• Meanwhile, the Ignis – with out a AEB in any procedure – as effectively as S-Substandard, Vitara and Swift Sport are regarded as too former of their respective lifecycles to warrant main technical ‘adjustment’. These will join an limitless need of Mitsubishi items and the Mazda 6 as modern items axed in gentle of the new ADR technical laws.

Nissan desirous to partner in other locations as Honda merger appears to be like unlikely

• Nissan is rumoured to be wanting on the chance of exploring unusual partnerships in other locations after negotiations to merge with Honda seem to occupy urge their course, per reviews from Bloomberg.

• The file suggests insider knowledge that Nissan is doubtlessly looking for suitors in the US, seemingly the most carmaker’s predominant markets, ideally from the “know-how sector”.

• A formal announcement of the train of the proposed Nissan-Honda merger, first revealed two months ago, is plight for some time in the approaching week.

• Both Nissan and Honda formally confirmed earlier this week that the pair occupy been wanting at plenty of merger alternatives, including the smaller Nissan company turning into a wholly owned subsidiary of (the larger) Honda, a proposal said to be unpalatable to the Nissan board.

Bigger pricing and revised aspects for Volkswagen’s MY25 Polo and T-Roc

• Volkswagen Australia has fitted extra commonplace tools and bumped pricing of every and every its Polo and T-Roc mannequin traces for 2025.

• The importer’s closing sub-$30K providing, the Polo Lifestyles, now begins from $30,790 (up $1300) and adds adaptive cruise and lane steerage as effectively as lane abet help. Meanwhile, the mid-vary Trend, at $34,790 (up $2250) adds button start, wi-fi phone mirroring and sat-nav. The unchanged GTI is now $41,790 (up $1400).

• In T-Roc-land, the heinous CityLife is now $38,990 (up $2000) and adds blind-space monitoring and rear-nefarious traffic alert. The Trend stays unchanged bar pricing at $41,990 (up $1400), while the R-Line at $49,990 (up $1200) gets a brand new leather-essentially based-certain wheel and physical buttons.

• Both the Polo GTI, now $41,790 (up $1400), and the T-Roc R, which now begins from $64,990 (up $1500), occupy viewed designate rises with none specification changes.

CX-6e may perhaps presumably well effectively be Mazda’s no-brainer electric CX-5-alike midsize SUV

• A Tesla Mannequin Y-rivalling CX-6e is being readied for Mazda’s big electric push from 2027, per a file from UK outlet autoexpress.co.uk that’s revealed the CX-6e nameplate has been trademarked.

• A fully electric midsize SUV trailing the debut of the next-know-how hybrid-powered CX-5, attributable to debut later this 365 days, makes sense. Truly, an SUV structure makes a extra logical EV debut mannequin than the already confirmed Mazda6e sedan, with which the CX-6e would absolutely portion technical architecture.

• The (confirmed) Mazda6e sedan, for its phase, is a three procedure partnership with Chinese language carmaker Changan and is determined to make employ of an in-dwelling developed Scalable Skyactiv EV platform, one which may perhaps perhaps presumably well perhaps no doubt underpin the rumoured SUV..

• A 2027 line-up consisting of a necessity of hybrid CX-5 and electric CX-6e makes sense and would plug Mazda’s portfolio firmly into the enlighten, where its increasing old ICE-powered CX-5 stays a key vendor in the midsize situation in the neighborhood.

2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-timeframe review

• Veteran Chasing Autos team journalist Zak Adkins takes his 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 long-termer in one of his closing tales to be revealed by our outlet.

• This month, Adkins took the Ranger camping, reporting that its roominess introduced rather about a long-weekend practicality and that its big V6 never fails to charm with its soundtrack or torquey thrust.

• On the downsides, Adkin reckons that the Ranger doubtlessly isn’t the supreme foil for family getaways, nevertheless a severely larger match for singles and couples for weekend trips to campgrounds.

• Handle tuned for Adkins’ closing long-timeframe installment of the popular Ford after he wraps up three months of custodianship and heads for the attain line.

The next disaster of Automobile Recordsdata At present time may perhaps perhaps be revealed on Monday tenth February at 4.30pm Sydney time.