CAR ADVICE

Another mid-size family SUV from Chery is being prepared for Australia, but the company is remaining tight-lipped on if it is locked in for showrooms. The 2025 Chery Omoda 9 appears set to join the Australian line-up in the coming months. At about 4770mm long, the Omoda 9 is only marginally larger than the 4720mm Tiggo 8 Pro Max due in Chery showrooms imminently – and is half a size class larger than two other Chery mid-size SUVs, the 4500mm-long Jaecoo J7 and 4513mm Tiggo 7 Pro . Chery has submitted approval documents for the Omoda 9 with the Australian Government, pointing to a launch of the new mid-size to large SUV powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine producing approximately 183kW and 385Nm. It is likely buyers will be able to choose between front- or all-wheel drive, both using seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions – with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.9 seconds. Despite the official documentation, a spokesperson fo...

Spanish car brand Cupra has added two special editions to its line-up with new design details – and in one case, a lower price than the regular model. Two new limited editions have joined the Cupra line-up in Australia based on the Formentor SUV and Leon hatchback, which are due for major facelifts this time next year. The 2024 Cupra Formentor VZe Tribe Edition and 2024 Cupra Leon V Tribe Edition introduce visual changes and extra features to Cupra’s plug-in hybrid SUV, and base-model small hatchback. Only 150 examples of the Leon V Tribe Edition will be offered – with deliveries due from early June 2024 – while the Formentor VZe Tribe Edition is limited to 300 cars, on sale today (1 May 2024) and in showrooms from early July. Leon V Tribe. The Leon V Tribe Edition is priced from $47,888 drive-away – $1302 cheaper than the regular Leon V – and adds copper accents for the 18-inch wheels (rather than silver), a black rear spoiler extension, and dark aluminium-fini...

An obscene mobile billboard spotted in Melbourne’s inner suburbs has prompted motorists to question the legality of digital advertising on the road. A digital billboard advertising a Melbourne brothel has outraged motorists by displaying obscene images on a ‘blindingly’ bright screen at peak hour. Drive has spotted the vehicle twice, both times at around 8.30 in the morning on roads in and around the city’s CBD, and displaying a rotating slideshow of explicit imagery. RELATED: The Aussie road signs baffling tourists Other motorists have also sighted the vehicle at night, posting photos to Reddit with the question: “[I] was driving close to 12am behind this monstrosity, which felt blinding whenever we passed it. Is this legal?”. “Hurts my eyes looking at it in a photo while I have a 70 per cent blue light filter on my monitor. Couldn’t imagine driving behind it,” one user commented. Another wrote: “They’re distracting enough as a pedestrian, I couldn’t imagine what it’s l...

Mercedes-Benz’s van range – including the Sprinter, which accounts for 70 per cent of its sales – in Australia is about to receive an overhaul. Here’s what to expect. The Mercedes-Benz van line-up in Australia is about to undergo its most significant overhaul in some years to help recover a slowdown in sales since the X-Class ute was axed four years ago. Orders are due to open mid-year – ahead of first deliveries between October and December 2024 – for an updated Vito and Sprinter range, planned to offer diesel and electric versions of both line-ups. Updates to the Vito are headlined by upgrades to the infotainment and safety systems – while the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter range has gained new technology, and or the first time in Australia, a battery-powered eSprinter version. Unveiled late last year , the Vito and eVito gain the brand’s MBUX infotainment system, and upgrade to a 10.25-inch touchscreen and 5.5-inch digital instrument display as standard in Europe. In ove...

A Chinese company which produces batteries for Tesla and Volvo – among other brands – has showcased a new design at the Beijing motor show claimed to be capable of a 1000km range in certain vehicles. Chinese electric-car battery giant CATL has unveiled a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) unit claimed to be capable of providing vehicles with a driving range of up to 1000km on a single charge. CATL is the world’s largest electric vehicle battery maker and currently supplies power units for Tesla, Ford, Volvo and Polestar, among others. LFP batteries are cheaper to build than the nickel manganese cobalt units in most electric cars, and can be charged to 100 per cent more frequently without damaging the cells, but are generally not as energy dense, cannot charge as quickly, and do not perform as well in cold weather. Revealed during last week’s 2024 Beijing motor show , the ‘Shenxing Plus’ battery eclipses CATL’s existing Shenxing battery which already claims up to 700km of dr...

Increased dealer footprint and new aftersales manager to spearhead BYD’s efforts for buyers to come back to showrooms for servicing. BYD Australia will address one of the biggest criticisms of its aftersales support by moving servicing in-house to its expanded dealer network and away from Mycar, the independent servicing network formerly known as Kmart Tyre and Auto. That is according to David Smitherman, CEO of BYD ’s Australian importer EVDirect, who told Drive at a recent event the change would give BYD better control of the customer’s experience. “That’s an avenue for us in those areas where we don’t have dealers, a Mycar service is available. But if you go to our dealerships, by and large, there’s sales and services available,” he said. “Originally, Mycar was set up, but now we’re moving [servicing to dealerships]. “Mycar has served its purpose for us, and it’ll continue to be part of the business, but we want to make sure the customer’s always looked after.” When B...

Being told to ‘run in’ an engine used to be a common practice, but it seems to have been forgotten in recent years. So, do you still need to do it on modern cars? It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that you’d be encouraged to ‘run in’ a new car, or a car with a refurbished engine. RELATED: How many kilometres is good for a used car? Cars have many moving parts that take time to settle in before they can be subjected to more extreme driving conditions, such as sustained high revolutions per minute (RPM), extreme heat or cold or extended periods spent idling. Whether it be the piston rings in an engine, brand-new brake pads or even the seats, being gentle and easing into using a brand-new car was deemed to be the best way to preserve its longevity and reliability. As such, people used to spend the first 1000km of their new-car ownership being smooth on the accelerator, avoiding long journeys where the car maintained a single speed for a long time and holding back from plan...

Western Australia is enshrining ‘honesty is the best policy’ into law to protect car buyers. Car dealers in Western Australia will soon be hit with fines of up to $5000 if they do not notify a customer the vehicle they’re buying has been written off. New regulations are due to come into effect in June requiring dealers to advise customers if a vehicle they are selling has been written off, with high penalties for those who fail to disclose. From 7 June, WA dealers will have to disclose to prospective buyers if a vehicle less than 15 years old is a repairable write-off. If they don’t, they could be liable for a $2000 penalty, or even face a $5000 fine if they make any false or misleading claims in the paperwork. As part of the change, dealers must use amended Motor Vehicle Dealers Act (MVDA) forms, which include the addition of the Written Off Vehicle Register (WOVR) status of used vehicles on the Notice of Particulars. They must also make sure their systems are up to d...

UK prices have set the scene for the most expensive MG ever sold in Australia – whether under British or Chinese ownership. Evidence is mounting for the 2024 MG Cyberster electric sports car to wear a $100,000 price tag in Australia when local showroom arrivals commence by the end of this year. The Cyberster is the first MG sports car since the company came under Chinese ownership 20 years ago – and is tipped to be the most expensive vehicle ever to wear the octagonal badge in Australia. It has just gone on sale in the UK priced from £54,995 ($AU105,000) for the 250kW rear-wheel-drive version, or £59,995 ($AU115,000) for the 375kW all-wheel-drive model capable of 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.2 seconds. MORE: 2024 MG Cyberster electric sports car price revealed for China Chinese prices have given a similar forecast for Australia, as has MG Australia boss Peter Ciao, who told local media late last year that a $100,000 price for the Cyberster was a “good forecast.” Cars...