Car News

Maserati has unveiled its first-ever hybrid vehicle – and promises it will still sound like a sports sedan, despite being powered by a four-cylinder engine. The 2021 Maserati Ghibli Hybrid will retain its distinctive exhaust note, but come with the fuel economy of a diesel car. Based on the V6-powered Ghibli sedan, the Ghibli Hybrid pairs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, petrol engine with a 48-volt mild hybrid system which recoups energy when the car brakes or coasts.

Audi is out to prove electric cars don’t need to be boring, or slow. The German car maker has released details on the Audi e-tron S electric SUV range ahead of its Australian arrival in the second half of next year. It promises sports-car performance – with a 0 to 100kmh time of 4.5 seconds – and has an “overboost” mode that delivers a phenomenal 370kW/973Nm output for up to eight seconds, designed for safer overtaking.

The new Porsche 911 Turbo promises to accelerate as fast as a Bugatti Veyron – formerly the world’s fastest car – when it goes on sale in Australia later this year. The Porsche 911 Turbo is claimed to be able to complete the 0-to-100kmh dash in 2.8 seconds – the same time recorded by a Bugatti Veyron in 2007 – and 0.1 second slower than the manufacturer claim of 2.7 seconds for the new-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Two men have been fined for breaching COVID lockdown rules when the car they were allegedly driving was found to be missing a tyre, according to Victoria Police. The front fender and much of the inside wheel arch of the Nissan Pulsar had been damaged by the deteriorated tyre, eventually leaving only the bare alloy wheel to be driven on by the teen. According to the report, neither occupant knew how to change a flat tyre, leading the driver to continue until the vehicle was inoperable.

The badges on Nissan cars of the future will switch to a sleeker design to reflect the next generation of hi-tech vehicles. Showrooms will also gradually switch over to the new design over the next few years. The new Nissan logo will debut on the upcoming Ariya – its first fully electric SUV – due in overseas showrooms next year, before it is rolled out on the rest of the range on new or updated models. (See our Ariya revealed story here.)