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Skoda has made a pledge to invest billions of dollars into electric-car development, aiming to introduce three new zero-emissions vehicles by 2026. Volkswagen-owned Czech car-maker Skoda has announced its plans to launch three new electric cars by 2026 – four years ahead of its initial projections. Skoda declared its electric-car plans overnight alongside the unveiling of its Vision 7S SUV concept, a potential electric equivalent to the Kodiaq large SUV. Skoda’s CEO, Klaus Zellmer, said the company will invest €5.6 billion ($AU8.18 billion) into electric car development, resulting in three new models by the end of 2025. “We’re significantly accelerating our e-campaign and will be launching three additional all-electric models by 2026, with more in the pipeline,” said Mr Zellmer in a media statement. “This will put us in an even stronger position for the decade of transformation.  “In addition, we’ll be investing a total of €5.6 billion ($AU8.18 billion) in e-mobility...

The arrival of four new sports cars within 12 months of each other is about to create a sales surge in a market segment that has been in free fall for five years. The new Nissan Z Coupe, the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 twins – and the next-generation Ford Mustang – are poised to create their own momentum and deliver a boost to the struggling sports car category which has been in decline for more than half a decade. Sales of sports cars tend to taper soon after their arrival because enthusiast buyers embrace new models, but then quickly lose interest.  Sports cars have previously been described as having “a half life”, whereas most vehicle categories tend to sell more consistently over a longer period of time. Figures show sales of sports cars in Australia are down by 29 per cent so far this year alone, in an overall market that has declined by 4.5 per cent over the same period. After a sales surge driven by the arrival of the Ford Mustang in late 2015, sports car del...

The BMW Z4 M40i’s run as an auto-only model could be coming to an end, with plans for a manual variant of the performance convertible reported online. The BMW Z4 M40i looks set to be offered with a manual transmission from 2024, according to an insider from the German car maker. Since its global launch in 2018, BMW’s flagship Z4 M40i variant has been sold exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission – shared with its Toyota Supra twin. However, as reported by BMW Blog , an information page for the BMW Z4 M40i on the company’s Dutch website now lists the option of a manual transmission. It follows a report from respected BMW insider and BimmerPost forum user ‘ynguldyn’, who claims production of the manual BMW Z4 is due to begin in March 2024 – roughly 18 months from now. A spokesperson for BMW Australia told Drive it has no plans to announce a Z4 M40i manual. This could mean a manual may be available for the BMW Z4 globally and not coming to Australia, or ...

An engineer from electric hypercar maker Rimac claims its world record zero-to-100km/h time of 2.1 seconds could be halved in the future – providing it can build a car capable of the task. Croatian electric hypercar specialist Rimac claims a 0-100km/h time of less than one second is possible in the future – enabling such a vehicle to accelerate to the speed limit in less than half the time as a Formula One car (which takes about 2.6 seconds to hit 100km/h). When US publication The Drive asked Rimac’s chief engineer, Matija Renić, what acceleration times could be achieved, the response was quick. “Below one second,” said Renić. To put this in perspective, the world’s fastest-accelerating production car – the Rimac Nevera – is capable of achieving 100km/h from a standstill in just 2.1 seconds. A Formula One car takes closer to 2.6 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100km/h. A Volkswagen Golf GTI can complete the sprint in 6.3 seconds. Should Rimac be capable of produci...

The world’s biggest carmaker is spending billions to ensure it can supply the batteries it needs in the future. Toyota has announced it will invest ¥730 billion ($AU7.7 billion) towards electric vehicle battery manufacturing in the US and Japan. Breaking ground in 2024, Toyota says it seeks to increase battery production to 40GWh (gigawatt-hours) in both countries, ensuring crucial supply as the company continues the roll out of its electric-only models in global markets. That’s equivalent to about 560,000 batteries for Toyota’s first mass-produced global electric car, the BZ4X medium SUV. “Toyota intends to continue its efforts to build a supply system that can steadily meet the growing demand for BEVs in various regions, including the supply of automotive batteries from its partners,” the company said in a statement. This week, images of the Japanese car giant’s second dedicated electric vehicle – the BZ3 sedan – emerged online, expected to follow the release of...

A manufacturing defect may result in an electrical short circuit, according to the recall notice. BMW Australia has recalled five examples of its  2021-2022 BMW iX and i4 electric cars, citing a manufacturing defect which could lead to an electrical short circuit. According to BMW , three examples of the 2022 iX electric SUV and two examples of the 2021-2022 i4 electric sedan are affected. The recall notice , lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a manufacturing defect, the high voltage battery does not meet specifications and may result in an electrical short circuit. If this occurs it may result in a vehicle fire. “A vehicle fire may increase the risk of serious injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and bystanders, and/or damage to property.” Date of recall notice 23 August 2022 Make BMW Model iX, i4 Year 2021-2022 Vehicles affected Five VIN list Click here to download the list of affec...

A new special-edition Volkswagen Tiguan pairs black styling accents and a popular petrol engine with fewer features for a lower price – and fewer delays. 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Monochrome, Tiguan Allspace Monochrome pricing and specifications New editions add black accents, new 19-inch wheels Leather seats, big screen, blind-spot monitoring, etc removed to improve supply Priced from $53,390 plus on-road costs, $3900 to $4100 less than donor variants Volkswagen Australia has rolled out another special-edition version of its Tiguan family SUV, the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Monochrome and 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Monochrome . Now available to order ahead of first deliveries in January, the Tiguan Monochrome editions – powered by ‘162TSI’ petrol engines – drop a range of features fitted to standard models – in exchange for prices about $4000 lower, and a host of new black styling touches. The Monochrome editions – like other Tiguan special editions also available for ...

Volkswagen adds a pair of ‘purist’ high-performance SUVs to its range, with fewer features and lower prices to help navigate component shortages. 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R Grid, Tiguan R Grid pricing and specifications $5000 saving compared to regular T-Roc R and Tiguan R R Sport seats added to Tiguan R Grid with cloth/microfleece trim Blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert among removed features Priced from $54,300 before on-road costs Volkswagen Australia is set to revive its Grid nameplate on special-edition versions of the new 2023 Volkswagen T-Roc R and 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R performance SUVs. Using a name applied to a limited-edition Golf R hot hatch in 2018, the T-Roc and Tiguan R Grid editions strip away certain luxury features to lower the purchase price – and allow Volkswagen to reduce delivery delays caused by semiconductor shortages. The Volkswagen T-Roc Grid keeps the same mechanical package as the regular T-Roc R, including a 221kW/400Nm 2.0...

Skoda’s new electric-car concept is due for launch by 2026 as the company’s flagship SUV, with a driving range of more than 600km. The Skoda Vision 7S concept has been revealed overnight, previewing the company’s future flagship electric SUV. Owned by German car giant Volkswagen , Czech company Skoda is aiming to differentiate itself from other companies within the VW Group with a new design language previewed by the Vision 7S electric SUV. Due to be released before 2026, the Czech company says the production version of the Skoda Vision 7S concept could offer more than 600km of claimed driving range from an 89kWh battery pack. It could serve as an electric successor to today’s Skoda Kodiaq large SUV, which was launched in 2016 – and based on normal model cycles, is due for replacement by a brand-new model in 2023 or 2024. According to Skoda, the Vision 7S will be one of the company’s last models to be based on Volkswagen’s MEB electric platform – currently used by the Sko...