Car News

Kia has revealed local pricing and specifications for its updated Carnival people mover (link opens in new tab), which now kicks off at $42,490 before on-road costs. Power comes from a choice of 3.3-litre V6 petrol or 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engines, both of which are hooked up to a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The petrol produces 206kW of power and 336Nm of torque, while the diesel makes 147kW and 440Nm.

Australia’s new vehicle market cooled off in April after a record first-quarter to the calendar year, with the industry’s VFACTS figures reporting 82,930 cars and trucks sold, down 0.2 per cent over the same month last year. One-third of the way into the sales year, the market tally sits at 374,468 units, up 3.3 per cent over 2017’s all-time record figure. So, this year is still set to be the biggest ever for sales/demo registrations.

The second-generation Mazda CX-5 has only been on sale since March last year, but the company has already rolled out a series of updates to keep the market's best-selling SUV at the top of the pile. With brand new Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester models coming, and a revised Hyundai Tucson near, it's a timely tweak, with the focus on cabin tech and drivetrain engineering.

UPDATE (3/4/18): The original version of this article stated there is no current six-cylinder E-Class All-Terrain available globally, however, an E350d 4Matic is offered in select markets like the UK. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain has been around for 18 months, but there's still no sign of a larger engine to sit above the current E220d in most markets – though that could be about to change.

Porsche has added a plug-in E-Hybrid version to the Cayenne range, complete with 340kW and a whopping 700Nm. Power in the E-Hybrid comes from a 3.0-litre V6 making 250kW, coupled with a 100kW electric motor for a 340kW combined power output. More importantly, 700Nm of torque is available 'just above idle' for instant response off the line.