We publish news of a ton of cars in the working week (70-odd as a rule), and it can be hard to keep up with everything – which is the reasoning behind this weekend’s list.
In short, here it is Something The main articles in our news desk have been summarized since Monday of this week, if you miss them at that time.
Raptor sales are going wild
Ford received 4,000 orders for the new $ 90,000 Ranger Raptor before launch, accounting for about a quarter of all Ranger pre-orders.
Demand is so high that those who place an order today will have to wait about nine months for delivery.
As reported separately, the Blue Oval brand recorded more than 19,000 orders for its combined next-generation Ranger UT and related Everest SUV range in Australia before hitting the showroom (18,000 Ranger, 2000 Everest).
Full story: The Ford Ranger Raptor has sold out by 2023
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Sony Vision-S -
Honda EV concept
Honda and Sony climb into bed
Sony and Honda are officially teaming up to sell “high-value electric vehicles” and “provide mobility services.” The company will be headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Sony Honda Mobility Inc. The first joint venture vehicles will be launched in 2025, with mobility services (possibly ride-hauling or car-sharing) being launched at the same time.
Honda looks set to take over the production and service segment of the joint venture, while Sony will lead the “development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunications, network and entertainment technologies.”
Full story: Details of Sony and Honda’s new EV joint venture
Toyota clever electric 4 × 4
Toyota has offered to take a closer look at its electric answer at the Suzuki Gymnasium.
The compact cruiser – or lightcruiser, as it is known – was unveiled in 2021 along with 15 other electric vehicles as part of a plan to sell 3.5 million electric vehicles annually by 2030.
More photos of the car behind its category win at the 2022 Car Design Awards in Milan, Italy have been released.
Full story: Toyota Compact Cruiser EV Off-Roader has been released in more detail
Self-driving cars are still not perfect
The U.S. government agency responsible for road safety reported 392 crashes between July 2021 and May 2022, responsible for SAE Level 2 driver-assisted active safety functions such as lane-centering aids and adaptive cruise control.
Two-thirds of these Level 2 ADAS incident reports, or 273, are correctly linked to Teslas, although there is a caution as to why the brand is responsible for so many accidents due to its more advanced telematics. It is followed by Honda (90) and Subaru (10).
The data was compiled about a year ago after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a Standing General Order.
Full story: Tesla is mostly responsible for US driver-assist crashes, but there is a caveat
The ridiculous load-lugar loom is big
BMW M3 Turing Still Not released, but it is already setting LAP records.
The first-generation M3 wagon lapped Green Hell in testing at 7: 35.060, shaving 10 seconds from the previous record set by a Mercedes-AMG E63 S wagon.
There are still 15 seconds left to do what the Lighter M4 CSL will do, but you won’t be able to get a Labrador behind the CSL.
Full story: The BMW M3 Turing Nurburging Wagon set a lap record
Chinese Ivy with hints of Hollywood
The electric MG Mulan is designed with the global market in mind and could land in Australia within a year.
A MG Australia spokesperson said: “We are currently reviewing the MG Mullen for the Australian market and exploring the different types.
“It is unlikely that we will see this model before H1 2023.”
Full story: MG Mulan EV hatch firm for 2023 Australian launch
No flake for this Maybach
Its previous generation models, the Maybach 57 and Maybach 62 (and their derivatives) have failed to make a global impact, with less than 3,000 sales in 16 years, for countless reasons.
The company’s latest creation, the V12 Mercedes-Maybach S680, is the pinnacle of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class family. Priced at $ 574,000 plus options and on-road, the S680 is 235 percent more expensive than the standard S.
By the Germans’ own confession, not driven by Mbach’s owner. The Maybach is a type of car that one would buy for its wide and highly advanced features. Features such as
Full story: Five epic features of the new Mercedes-Maybach S680
The Sting ‘in this story
Who says the big sedan is dead? Kia Stinger once again denied the market trend, setting an all-time monthly sales record in May.
Kia Stinger refuses to let big passenger cars die, with 428 sales in May marked the all-time monthly record.
As of May 31, the Kia Stinger has sold 1,371 units in Australia – an increase of 76 per cent over the January-May 2021 period.
Full story: Kia Stinger set a new sales record in May
The new Bimmer M2 belt could be the big brother
It’s no secret that the 2023 BMW M2 is right now around the corner – the company confirmed this week that it will use the engines of the new M3 and M4, will have manual and automatic transmissions and will have rear-wheel drive.
We’ve already seen numerous spying camouflage prototypes and a leaked image of the back, but now BMW has confirmed that the new M2 will be released in October 2022 before the April 2023 launch in the market.
BMW has confirmed that the upcoming M2 “boasts the same level of performance as the BMW M2 CS”, and has the same 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine.
Full story: 2023 BMW M2 released set for October, new information released
CarExpert EV Calendar
Sales of electric vehicles are on the rise in Australia, although from a very small base, all states and territories now offer incentives to purchase in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Lack of customer choice is a problem for those who want to get a new EV. There are many more electric cars for buyers to choose from in Europe, North America and many parts of Asia.
Many car brand executives in Australia say they are fighting to persuade their foreign bosses to allocate EV stock to us – because Australia lacks a CO2 emissions-reduction project.
Full story: All EVs are coming to Australia