Australian Car Industry News

Tesla has slashed the cost of its popular Model 3 sedan – by between $3000 and $9000 compared to the most recent round of price cuts. The Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus now starts from $59,900 plus on-road costs. It is the cheapest the Tesla Model 3 has been since arriving in Australia two years ago, in July 2019. The middle-of-the-range Tesla Model 3 Long Range now starts from $74,300 plus on-road costs.

Sales of US pick-ups from Ram and Chevrolet reached a new high in June 2021, with almost 900 examples reported as sold across both brands. The Ram tally of 581 sales in June 2021 was the second highest result for the brand, falling just shy of its record of 604 sales set in June 2020. However, when sales of Ram and Chevrolet are combined, both brands elevated US pick-ups in to a new high.

Porsche Australia has appointed Daniel Schmollinger to the position of CEO and Managing Director. Mr Schmollinger – who has worked for the Volkswagen sports car subsidiary since 2004, and currently serves as Porsche’s Vice President of Marketing in China – will relocate to Australia in late August, before officially taking the reins on 1 September 2021.

The management of Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Peugeot, and Ram Trucks in Australia is about to come under one umbrella even though the multinational brands are handled by different importers. In January this year, the European Commission approved the merger of two giant automotive groups – FCA which included Jeep, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Ram, and PSA which included the struggling French sister brands Peugeot and Citroen and ex-General Motors German brand Opel.

New-car sales continue to show signs of a strong recovery as the Australian economy bounces back from coronavirus lockdowns and border restrictions imposed through much of last year. Official new-car sales figures for May 2021 released today show demand for new motor vehicles has returned to pre-COVID19 levels, but it was the second-best May result rather than a record.