Kia Australia is “very happy” with local reception to the new-generation Niro crossover, but the plug-in hybrid version isn’t likely to rejoin the Australian range.
Kia’s local chief operating officer, Damien Meredith, told CarExpert he’s pleased with current volumes of the new Niro – and the Niro Plus purpose built vehicle (PBV) – but stopped short of indicated a return of the Niro Plug-in Hybrid.
“We’re very happy with the numbers we’re doing,” Mr Meredith said.
“[But] will we bring back Niro Plug-in Hybrid, probably not.”
Mr Meredith added that the original indicated figure of 100-150 units per month of the new Niro across both Hybrid (HEV) and EV models remains accurate for our market.
“It’s about that, yeah,” he said.
General manager of product planning, Roland Rivero, also reiterated the fact tight supply in Australia is largely down to the priority given to global markets with
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The Great Wall Motors (GWM) Ora Good Cat electric hatchback finally gets its official Malaysian market launch today, following the opening of order books two weeks ago and having collected more than 100 bookings on the opening weekend. In Europe earlier this year, this car was launched as the Funky Cat.
The Ora Good Cat arrives in Malaysia with two battery capacity specifications in two trim level variants – the 400 Pro and the 500 Ultra, priced from RM139,800 on-the-road, without insurance for the 400 Pro, and RM169,800 for the 500 Ultra.
Both trim levels feature the same powertrain configuration, which is a single electric motor producing 143 PS and 210 Nm of torque driving the front wheels. The 0-100 km/h sprint is done in 7.9 seconds and top speed is 152 km/h, according to Great Wall Motors.
GWM Ora Good Cat specifications list – click to enlarge
The 400
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Volkswagen and Walkinshaw’s fettled first-generation Amarok ute has officially reached the end of the road.
The 2600th example of the W-Series Amarok this week rolled off the production line in Clayton, Victoria, ahead of the next-generation Amarok’s arrival Down Under early in 2023.
The final car was a W580SE, of which 99 were produced.
In total, Volkswagen and Walkinshaw produced 1419 examples of the W580S, 458 of the W580, 599 of the W580X, 99 of the W580SE, and 25 pilot and development cars.
Although they haven’t confirmed the partnership will live on into a new generation, Volkswagen and Walkinshaw have signalled their interest in doing a version of the second-generation Amarok.
“This relationship has been hugely successful,” Volkswagen Commercial Australia director Ryan Davies has previously told CarExpert.
“[Walkinshaw is] a great partner to deal with, there’s a lot of mutual respect, and I think we can definitely make something
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Another Wednesday, and so it’s time for the usual weekly fuel pricing update, with the ministry of finance having announced the retail price of fuels for the coming week of November 24 to November 30.
As it has been for a while, there is no change to the price of RON 97 petrol, which continues at the RM3.95 per litre it was at last week. Indeed, it is now heading into the eighth week that the premium fuel has remained priced as such, from when its price dropped five sen from RM4 per litre on October 6.
Of course, RON 95 petrol remains at its ceiling price of RM2.05 per litre, as set by the Malaysian government in February last year. No change either to the prices of diesel fuels, where the Euro 5 B10 and B20 grades continue at RM2.15 per litre, and the Euro 5 B7 blend continues
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OPINION: Imagine my surprise at seeing the new-generation Toyota Prius when it was revealed this week.
The world’s biggest car company fretted over how to reinvent its hybrid icon in an era defined by full-electric vehicles, settling on giving it some newfound panache.
It looks great – sleek, stylish and entirely unlike what we’ve come to expect from Toyota’s longstanding eco leader. A new lease on life, as it were.
The old model was all creases and weird proportions, while multiple earlier generations were perhaps less awkward but also more boring, which is worse.
And yet it’s this latest version, which has me all starry-eyed, that will be the first Prius Toyota won’t sell in Australia.
In making this decision, it took the wrong lesson from the old model’s failure to resonate, and pulled the pin at precisely the wrong time.
It’s true that Prius sales plummeted of late,
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Geely has announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with ElectroMobility Poland to supply its Geely Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform to EMP to develop a series of electric cars for EMP’s new Izera brand. Geely will also be EMP’s technology partner for the project.
EMP is backed by the Polish government and essentially Izera will be Poland’s first domestic brand in generations. EMP’s website says Poland is the largest European sales market for new cars without its own homegrown car brand so the Izera brand can be a catalyst for the development of Polish auto part and component manufacturers. Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? Without a domestic brand currently, the auto parts industry is already the second largest industrial sector in Poland.
The first car that Izera will be developing on the SEA platform is of course a compact SUV, which is one of the most popular bodytypes
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We all know oil changes are a regular part of car maintenance. But do you know what an oil change and oil filter replacement does for your car? Your car’s engine is a complex system of moving parts and your engine oil and oil filter play an important role in keeping that operation running smoothly. Regular oil change services will help ensure a healthy engine, so be sure to consult your owner’s manual for recommended intervals from your car’s manufacturer.
Frequency Matters with Car Maintenance Like Oil Changes
Different cars have different recommended maintenance schedules. While the general rule of thumb for oil changes is every six months, some modern cars can go 12 months between oil change services. On the other hand, depending on your driving habits and the age of your car, you may need to get an oil change more frequently. The best way to know how
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Bugatti has put on its party hat.
It’s been six years since the French carmaker started production of its W16-powered Chiron hypercar, and it’s now celebrating the 400th example rolling out of its atelier in Molsheim.
The 400th Bugatti Chiron is a high-performance Super Sport variant with a bare carbon fibre body that has been tinted dark green.
On the inside the customer opted for a full leather upholstery with green and beluga black on the seats, and black on the rest of the interior.
There’s also a bare carbon fibre steering wheel, black anodised interior trim parts, and an optional Sky View roof.
It took 20 “craftspeople” around two months to hand-build this Chiron Super Sport from around 1800 separate components.
At the heart of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport is the company’s iconic 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engine which produces 1176kW of power.
Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission,
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Just a week more to go before the paultan.org Auto Car Expo (ACE) begins. If you’re not already aware of it, the sales-driven event takes place this November 5-6 at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC), and you can look forward to plenty of amazing deals on a wide variety of vehicle models. If you’re shopping for a new or pre-owned car, make sure you head on over to ACE 2022.
Aside from car displays, ACE 2022 co-sponsor Yinson GreenTech will have a booth showcasing Hyprdrive, chargEV and Oyika, some of the names in its wide portfolio as well as attractive promotions for these.
Hyprdrive offers EV corporate leasing programmes to businesses that plan to transition to electric vehicles, and its e-mobility solutions range from commercial to passenger vehicles. Register your company’s interest during the expo with a RM500 deposit, and you’ll be eligible for a special leasing
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