Car News

The Baojun E100 electric two-seater has gone on limited sale in China for a startlingly low price. Powering the Baojun E100 is an electric motor with 29kW of power and 110Nm of torque that's capable of projecting the car to a top speed of 100km/h. The E100's lithium-ion battery pack is said to be good for a driving range of 155km, which GM says makes it "an excellent choice for many urban daily commutes in China". The car takes 7.5 hours to fully recharge via mains power.

Guilty until proven innocent? The Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) is this week shining a light on the most heinous practice of number-plate cloning, which it claims has left "numerous" car dealers fighting traffic infringement penalties. In one case, the VACC says, a Licensed Motor Car Trader was fined over $16,000 "for a single incidence of number plate cloning".

Kia has issued a recall for 106 vehicles across its previous-generation diesel-powered 2011 model-year 'XM' Sorento and 'SL' Sportage model lines over concerns a fuel hose leak could pose a fire risk. The Korean manufacturer reports that vehicles equipped with the Euro 5 'R' turbo-diesel engine may exhibit premature deterioration of the fatigue-resistance and oil-proofing of the fuel feed hose. If the condition occurs, Kia says there is a risk of a fuel hose leak, which could lead to a fire.

Porsche Cars Australia will undertake a voluntary recall of the 3.0-litre V6 diesel Cayenne SUV, following confirmation of similar action in Europe. Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority, Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), last week ordered a ban on registrations for the Cayenne Diesel, with Porsche agreeing to recall around 21,500 vehicles.

The new Australian distributor for Peugeot - extant Subaru importer Inchcape - has reduced the pricing of its 208 city car and 2008 crossover, almost three months into its tenure. Pricing for the 208 Active now kicks off at $22,190 before on-road costs, down $300. The Allure is reduced by $1300 to a more reasonable $24,990, ditto the GT-Line to $26,990. The GTi hot hatch remains $29,990.