Car News

Mercedes-AMG will launch an EQ-branded battery-electric GT 4-Door by the end of 2020 with supercar performance, delivering on the promise implied by the concept version in March 2017. If you recall, the Mercedes-AMG GT concept that previewed the current six- and eight-cylinder production 4-Door models paired the familiar 4.0-litre biturbo engine with an electric motor driving the rear axle directly and with individual-wheel-variability.

Volvo Car Australia has introduced capped-price servicing across its range, addressing one of the biggest concerns about its SUVs, wagons and sedans. The new plans pull Volvo's maintenance pricing into closer alignment with BMW, although the German brand is still cheaper. Three years or 45,000km of servicing for the S60, V60 and XC40 is priced at $1595, and it'll cost $1795 to maintain the petrol XC60 and XC90. Servicing for the XC60, XC90 and V90 Cross Country diesels costs $1895.

This week Paul Maric, Alborz Fallah, Tony Crawford, Josh Dowling, and Mike Costello are broadcasting from the Volkswagen stand at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show. They discuss their hits and misses, and the lack of manufacturers present at the show. Plus, they cover some of the production models and concepts, including the Volkswagen ID.3, Land Rover Defender, Honda e, Mercedes-Benz EQS, and Josh's time with the Kia Soul.

Auto and tech companies which made bold assertions driverless cars are right around the corner underestimated the difficulties in producing them, and the industry should now be understanding how complex and remarkable human brains really are behind the wheel.

Volvo Cars has completed its line-up of plug-in hybrids, launching the XC40 T5 Twin Engine in Europe this week, ahead of an Australian launch before the end of next year. Like the model offered in China already, the XC40 T5 Twin Engine pairs the 134kW/265Nm 1.5-litre turbo three-cylinder petrol engine from the T3 variant with an 82hp(61kW)/160Nm electric motor.