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A new multi-billion dollar deal between the Victorian Government and a consortium will outsource VicRoads operations for the next four decades. The Victorian Government has announced a $7.9 billion deal which will outsource the operations of licencing, registrations, and number plates for the next 40 years. While the Victorian Government will retain ownership of VicRoads, its operations will be a joint venture between the state and a consortium made up of Aware Super, Australian Retirement Trust, and Macquarie Asset Management. Victorian drivers are in line to benefit, with a 25 per cent discount to be introduced for those who have not incurred demerit points or committed road safety offences in the three years prior to their licence expiring. Learner permits and probationary licences will also be made free under the deal, along with online testing – saving new drivers hundreds of dollars. There’s no word yet on registrations, but in August 2021 independent state body In...

The first dedicated electric car from Genesis will cost over $20,000 more than its siblings from Hyundai and Kia, with the flagship model nudging past $110,000. Australian prices for the 2023 Genesis GV60 electric car have been revealed early, ahead of an official announcement and first showroom arrivals in the coming weeks. Details published in a third-party industry pricing guide suggests two all-wheel-drive GV60 variants will be offered in Australia: an entry-level ‘Lux’, priced from $103,700 plus on-road costs, and a flagship Performance, from $110,700. While Genesis Australia is yet to confirm the prices, they’re understood to align with price estimates shared with customers in recent weeks. A formal announcement is likely in the coming weeks, when the first cars hit showrooms. The prices mean in equivalent, circa-230kW all-wheel-drive trim, the GV60 will cost $20,000 to $27,000 more than its twins under the skin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. The GV60 ...

The manual transmission might be dying across most new-car segments, but Porsche buyers – high-end ones, at least – continue to show a penchant for three pedals and a gear stick. Buyers of high-end Porsche sports cars continue to buck the trend of declining demand for manual transmissions – and the German sports car maker is happy to oblige. Despite the increasing rush to automatic transmissions across the industry, around 50 per cent of all six-cylinder Porsche 718 (Boxster/Cayman) and flagship 911 GT3 orders are for cars with a manual gearbox, Porsche Australia says. Look through the monthly sales figures, and you’d be forgiven for thinking the days of the manual gearbox are already well and truly numbered – particularly as the increasingly electrified and autonomous future of motoring approaches. Even traditional sports cars, where a manual was long the preferred option, have either killed off the manual entirely, or seen buyers move to slick-shifting automatics, like ...

The next-generation Chrysler 300 due by 2026 will switch to electric power, information found by Drive reveals – though a return to Australia is yet to be locked in. The next-generation Chrysler 300 sedan looks set to go electric , with underpinnings good for 800km of driving range – but there’s no confirmation of whether it would return to Australia. Insider information uncovered by Drive reveals development of a new Chrysler electric sedan has commenced, twinned with a new four-door model from fellow Stellantis group subsidiary Dodge – with the models rumoured to go on sale in 2026 and 2024 respectively. While the mystery Chrysler is yet to be confirmed as a replacement for the 300 , recent comments from CEO Christine Feuell indicate the brand will continue to compete in the 300’s ‘upper large’ sedan segment, albeit with electric power. Chrysler has confirmed it will introduce its first electric vehicle by 2025 – speculated by some to be a production version of the Air...

Another 130 examples of Hyundai’s retro-cool Ioniq 5 electric vehicle will go on sale in most regions of Australia in a fortnight’s time. The 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car will become available to order again on Wednesday 13 July , as the largest allocation available since orders first opened in September last year. The new Ioniq 5 allocation is set to be available online from 1:00pm AEST on July 13 for buyers only in the capital cities of every state/territory except the Northern Territory – in other words, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart. Approximately 130 cars will be available, marking the largest single allocation of Hyundai’s electric car since the first in September last year, and bringing the total number of cars offered since then to just under 700. As with the May batch, all cars in the July allocation will be pre-built – though Hyundai Australia says there’s a “good spread of colour and variant” choices to suit different c...

A trio of Chinese electric cars by brands Leapmotor, BAIC and GAC are for sale in Australia. A trio of Chinese electric evaluation vehicles has been spotted for sale by Queensland-based auction house McDonalds Australia. The three vehicles – a 2019 Leapmotor SO1, 2020 GAC NE AiON.S and 2019 BAIC EX5 R500 – are being offered as written-off salvage vehicles due to being “smoke damaged” by a fire. None of these vehicles are currently on sale in Australia. It’s understood the three electric cars – alongside the listings for multiple other Chinese-imported electrified vehicles – were owned by an Australian engineering firm until the incident occurred. Usually, left-hand-drive vehicles imported into Australia by a manufacturer under strict test and evaluation criteria must be either crushed, donated for research (such as to a TAFE, fire brigade or university) or exported off-shore. However, as parallel private imports, these vehicles are understood to be immune from ...

I’m in my late 60s and had been considering an SUV, because of the ease of getting in and out and the elevated driving position, for some time. What we love Space and practicality Excellent all-round vision and safety Build quality Ride and comfort What we don’t Foot-operated park brake Space-saver spare NOTE: Editorial images used as none provided by the writer. The Nissan X-Trail wasn’t on my radar until I drove one, my son’s ST 2.5-litre seven-seater, which impressed me. So when I saw this one advertised, I bought it without a second thought. I like the styling, which I think is purposeful and ‘clean’ without unnecessary creases and folds, and the dimensions translate into plenty of space inside. The high roof line adds to the feeling of space and airiness, unlike some other makes with their sloping/lower roofs. Outward vision through the large windscreen and windows is very good, but I have found myself needing the blind-spot monitorin...

The Tesla Model 3 Performance and Long Range have had their driving ranges cut by between 2.0 and 3.5 per cent in Australia, due to a new system computer. UPDATE, 30 June 2022: Tesla has explained why the driving range of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range (and Performance) were cut earlier this year. In a message to customers in the queue (posted to Twitter by VedaPrime ), Tesla said the addition of a new, more powerful processor required more energy that otherwise was used for propelling the car. “We have updated Model 3 vehicles to optimise the touch screen experience with our new car computer. This hardware change requires more power, resulting in a minor drop in range. Your Model 3 range [for a Long Range variant] is now 602 kilometres WLTP,” the message reads. As reported in February, the Model 3 Long Range was cut from 614km to 602km WLTP, while the Model 3 Performance dipped from 567km to 547km. Our original story continues unchanged below. 17 February 20...