3 minute read
2024 New car magic awaits
by Boylen
For those needing a ‘workhorse’, BYD is expected to start deliveries of its hybrid dual-cab ute in the later part of 2024.
BYD is offering the hybrid powered version first, and an EV model next year. With range tipped to nudge up to 1200 km in hybrid mode, it’s sure to attract attention from regional customers.
BYD says that significant Australian input has gone into the design of the ute. No name as yet (maybe the ‘Roo’?) but we know the price will sit under $100,000. It’s kitted out with a dual-motor ‘DM-i’ hybrid arrangement with a 1.5-litre turbopetrol engine”.
Hot on the heels of last year’s arrival of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Cadillac will return to Australian shores after a multi-decade absence. It’s the Cadillac Lyriq, a large electric SUV made in the US.
It will be “the first fully-electric vehicle sold in Australia by a General Motors brand”, the Drive website reports. While there’s no news on price and range as this magazine went to print, apparently the sound of a didgeridoo is ‘layered into the Lyriq’s exterior sound’.
Australians love their bigger cars, so the advent of the Audi Q8 E-Tron as a large SUV in the luxury category with a ranging over 400 km is sparking interest.
Keeping to the SUV theme, Australia’s top selling brand –Toyota – will finally have an EV offering in the form of the bZ4X SUV
in 2024. It’s guaranteed to generate considerable interest, given the brand’s local status.
Mercedes-Benz will enter the market with its entry-level EQA and EQB electric SUVs, both of which have received facelifts - along with improved range - ahead of their release.
The BMW iX1 recorded solid sales in 2023 but it’s the new iX2 compact SUV that could be a hit with its ‘coupe’ styling.
In the sports car segment, keep an eye out for the MG Cyberster, as well as the much anticipated Hyundai Ioniq 5N. The latest in Hyundai’s N-car performance brand, which won the 2023 Top Gear car of the year award.
For luxury car brands, Porsche will be launching hybrid models of the Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne
Coupe SUV. Carsales.com reports that the “second generation 2024 Porsche Macan has turned to electricity for a high-tech EV power play set to shake up the mid-size luxury SUV segment, but it will come at a cost” – around $40,000 more than the previous petrol model.
For something different, the Polestar 4 is another vehicle that will turn heads. It’s a mid-size SUV with no rear window!
Tesla Model 3 is set to receive updates, Jeep’s Avenger is slated for a second-half introduction, and the list goes on. It’s going to be a big year for zero and low emission vehicles in Oz.
