electric

There's a grand plan afoot to bring automotive manufacturing back to Australia, with the announcement of a new $700 million facility in New South Wales dedicated solely to the local production of electric cars. The facility will be owned and operated by Nexport, an electric bus company launched in 2018 that's currently working to assist the NSW government with its plans to electrify the state's 8000-strong public bus fleet.

The price of the Tesla Model 3 has dropped substantially for the Australian market, in line with upgrades to the electric sedan's interior and exterior design and technology features and claimed electric range figures. The base Standard Range Plus model is now priced from $66,900 before on-road costs – representing a decrease of $7000 on previous pricing – while its quoted range has received a 30km boost, now extending to 490km on a single charge (according to the NEDC test).

A new electric SUV from Chinese brand BYD, dubbed the 'Tang', has been spotted in Sydney by CarAdvice. The car has an unregistered vehicle permit attached to the window, which suggests it has been previously driven on public roads. In May 2019, BYD announced it would bring its vehicles to Australia through a deal with local company Evant, however it is yet to make inroads.

The all-electric 2021 MG ZS EV will make its Australian debut in either November or December – a full year since pre-order pricing was announced and two years since its global unveiling. A limited run of 100 pre-order slots were made available in November last year, with drive-away pricing set at $46,990. MG says it has now sold its initial allotment, although it is not clear how quickly those places were taken.

Nissan Australia has confirmed a longer range variant of its Nissan Leaf electric car will join the local line-up in early 2021, with the incoming Leaf e+ set to offer buyers a bigger battery and more power. First unveiled globally in January 2019, the Leaf e+ will expand the Australian Leaf range to two offerings when it joins the sole variant that's been available here since August 2019.