Car news 13 Mar ’24: Toyota goes hybrid only for Corolla and Yaris in Australia, luxury version of Nissan Patrol to gain 330kW turbo V6, and more

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Thanks for joining us this Wednesday March 13th 2024. Notably in car news today: Toyota Australia has announced it will only sell hybrid Corolla and Yaris variants going forward, excluding GR products, and the next Nissan Patrol is almost certain to get a new 330kW twin-turbo V6 thanks to new details surrounding the related upcoming Infiniti QX80.

Browse this issue:

• Toyota Australia will only sell hybrid Corolla and Yaris variants locally
• Nissan’s luxury Patrol, the QX80, will gain 330kW/698Nm turbo V6
• Maserati announces Australian pricing for Granturismo and Grancabrio models
• Apple Car reportedly cost the company USD$1 billion per year

Toyota Australia axes petrol Corolla and Yaris, only taking hybrid orders 

• Toyota Australia will no longer sell petrol versions of its Corolla and Yaris small cars, and has advised dealers to only accept orders for hybrid versions.

• This means that the entry price for the Corolla now jumps to $32,110 before on-road costs, and for the Yaris, $30,190 before on-road costs. 

• GR variants will continue to be sold alongside the hybrid versions of both cars. 

• Toyota says the change is due to natural changing consumer demands and has not been driven due to upcoming (NVES) efficiency standards
  

Infiniti QX80, the luxury Nissan Patrol, will gain 330kW 3.0-litre V6 engine

• Infiniti, the luxury arm of Nissan, has revealed that its upcoming QX80, or the more premium equivalent of the Nissan Patrol, will gain a turbocharged V6 engine with more power than the outgoing 298kW 5.6-litre V8 engine. 

• Set to use a 330kW/698Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine, the QX80 will make its official debut on March 20.

• We understand that the 2025 Y63 Patrol is now almost certain to gain this same engine, retiring its existing 5.6-litre V8 for good.

• The QX80 has been confirmed to use a nine-speed automatic transmission and will also feature air suspension, but it’s unclear at this early stage whether or not the next-generation Nissan Patrol will have the same suspension setup. 

Maserati announces Australian pricing for new Granturismo and Grancabrio

• Maserati Australia has announced local pricing for its new Granturismo and Grancabrio models.

• Pricing starts at $375,000 before on-road costs for the entry Modena, and $450,000 before on-road costs for the high-spec performance Trofeo.

• The convertible version, known as the Grancabrio, has been priced at $475,000 before on-road costs and will only be available in Trofeo spec. 

• Powering the new Maserati models is the 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged Nettuno V6 engine that also powers the MC20. Power is rated at 365kW for the Modena, and 410kW for the Trofeo.

• The luxury models are available to order now. The fully-electric Folgore is due in Australia in 2025.
  

Apple Car project reportedly cost the company USD$1 billion a year

• The saga of the highly covered axing of the Apple Car continues with more info coming to light, according to Automotive News Europe and Bloomberg.

• Apple reportedly discussed plans for a car with several major automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, Ford, BMW, Volkswagen and even McLaren.

• Apple also considered buying Tesla before it was valued at more than $30 billion, then reportedly spent around $1 billion a year on the project, and even purchased an ex-Chrysler proving ground in Arizona

• The tech giant reportedly planned to start sales in 2020, calling the project Titan, and aiming for a price band around USD$85,000 (AUD$128,000).