Car News

The first concrete details about the Aston Martin Rapide E and its powertrain have been revealed by the British sports car maker. Developed in conjunction with Williams Advanced Engineering, the Rapide E will feature two rear-mounted electric motors delivering a total of 450kW of power and 950Nm of torque.

The quicker-than-usual development cycle for the fourth-generation BMW X5, and somewhat tardy arrival of the new Mercedes-Benz GLE, have combined to make their respective arrivals almost coalesce. Of course, we wouldn't dare determine which of these US-made luxury SUVs is superior without a proper comparison test, which we'll do as soon as both arrive on local shores: November this year for the BMW, and April/May next year for the Benz.

Annoyed you missed out on a McLaren P1 during the initial production run? Maybe you'll be a bit luckier this time around. Jenson Button is selling his one, complete with a few cool options to match its racing pedigree. With just 887km on the odometer, this particular P1 has barely seen the open road. Button said he's selling it because he simply doesn't get time to drive it, living in the USA and working abroad constantly. Ah, the tough life of a racing driver.

After sampling the manic and electric Tesla Roadster, Jay Leno has returned to good ol' combustion power in the latest instalment of Jay Leno's Garage. This week, he drives the Koenigsegg Regera with none other than Christian von Koenigsegg riding shotgun on the roads of Los Angeles. It's not completely 'old school', though. Power in the Regera comes from a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 partnered with three electric motors – one ahead of the crankshaft and two for each rear wheel.

Kia Australia has a new boss, Joonsu 'James' Cho, who immediately succeeds Woong Hur as the Korean brand's local chief executive officer. Mr. Hur has left the Australian division just nine months into his tenure as president and CEO of Kia's local arm, returning to the company's Seoul headquarters as leader of the North and Latin America Support Group. The move is part of a global restructure, according to Kia.