This week on Chasing Cars: Navara Warrior unleashed, Lexus’ woes and Skoda’s EV plan

We thought it was at least five-ish years away but I think right here, right now, we are seeing the beginning of the end for the combustion engine – at least for accessibly everyday cars.

The reasoning is it costs money to make a new ICE car, and it costs even more if you want to make a good one and, frankly, all that cash is being dumped almost entirely into the EV space right now.

Skoda CEO Thomas Schafer outlined this exact fact this week as he regrettably stated a Fabia RS hot hatch was unlikely to happen this generation as it was hard to justify as the company shifted towards electrification.

Lexus had similar reasoning when announced it had to kill off several models in Australia this week as it stared down the barrel of an EV future that is coming faster than we thought.

That’s not to say it’s all bad news for those who enjoy the suck, squeeze, bang and blow symphony; with the Navara Warrior, facelifted Volkswagen Polo GTI and the stripped out Jimny Lite all coming to Australia.

So as we head towards an electric future at a pace faster than some are comfortable with and much slower than others would hope – we can’t say it was slim pickings before the sun finally set. 

Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior by Premcar

Top-to-bottom Aussie manufacturing may be long gone but with an immense amount of talent still available, it’s no surprise we keep seeing locally tuned models like the new Navara Warrior.

We haven’t driven it yet but it looks to be bloody good and the folks at Aussie tuning house Premcar promise it will be the toughest Navara yet.

Backing up this claim is the fitment of a winch compatible bullbar and wider 275mm Cooper Discoverer all-terrain rubber matched with some fender flares that give the Navara an extra 30mm in width. 

Most importantly, the engineers have fitted a 3mm bash plate at the front and suspension that sits 40mm higher and can take a right beating when you go off road.

Lexus culls IS, RC and CT from Australian lineup

In undeniably the worst news this week, Lexus Australia has been forced to cut the IS sedan, RC coupe and CT hatch from its lineup.

While Lexus didn’t expand on why it cut the RC and CT from the lineup, they said the IS sedan had to go due to issues with a new Australian Design Rule that relates to side impact protection.

Australia has introduced this rule some three years ahead of the European market, while Japan and the US haven’t even set a date yet, so it would be difficult to justify reengineering the IS purely for our market.

Driving this point home further is the fact Lexus is prepared to launch its EV lineup that will shape its entire future, with the UX 300e small SUV the first to make it to our shores.

Skoda lays out EV future:

The Skoda Enyaq iV SUV has now made its debut in the European market and this week we found out what will follow. 

Tom Schäfer, Skoda’s CEO, said the funky midsize SUV would be followed by three new EVs and while he didn’t specify what those models would be he said there was an appetite for an electric Octavia and small car – but ruled out an EV Fabia so it will likely be something a bit larger like the Scala.

While EV’s may be the future, Mr Schäfer refused to name a death date for the ICE models with the main reason likely to be the company’s expansion into the Indian market where an EV infrastructure is still lacking. 

Mr Schäfer said the company is well prepared to support ‘both sides’, meaning both ICE and EVs, as the company takes on a world running at different speeds. 

Other car and SUV news we covered this week:

• Following hot on the heels of the new Navara Warrior, Premcar announced they are already working on a Patrol Warrior that will give a similar treatment to the off roading beast.

• Toyota raised the white flag to the overwhelming demand for the GR Yaris after struggling to find enough supply, forcing them to temporarily suspend future orders until existing orders are filled. 

• The Volkswagen Polo GTI was revealed in facelifted form this week and is expected to land in Australia early next year with more safety and driver assistance tech.

• Skoda officially announced prices of the Kamiq small SUV would start at $32,990 (before on-roads) as the lineup switched to using beefier 110TSI engines as supply of the more affordable 85TSI option ran dry.

• Suzuki also put a price on the Jimny Lite which starts at $26,990 (before on-road costs), some $1,500 cheaper than the main model but loses a bunch of goodies, it goes on sale on August 1.

• Porsche launched its first SUV ‘GT’ model in the Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT and promptly sent it around the Nurburgring to prove its worth. Prices will start at $336,100 before on-roads when it arrives in Australia later this year.

• Skoda said there was little hope for a full-fat Fabia RS this generation as the figures just didn’t add up – thankfully a Monte Carlo version is coming which will add a bit more spice to the hatch. 

• Lexus revealed the top-spec version of its midsize SUV, the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid, was under consideration for Australia with a prototype version actually undergoing local testing as we speak. 

• Chargefox announced it would quadruple the size of its current EV charging network, adding around 4,000 plugs in total including a range of ultra-rapid 350kW chargers but wasn’t keen to state exact numbers just yet.

• Speaking of chargers, Tesla looks to sharing its charging network with all EVs as part of a deal in Norway, no confirmation yet if the move will follow in Australia. 

• Peugeot confirmed the 2008 will get a new GT grade that fills a $9,000 void between the top and bottom grade and still keeps a lot of features like a 10-inch centre touchscreen and blind-spot monitoring.   

• New car sales data showed that Australia’s top ten sellers emit 60 per cent more CO2 than those sold in Europe. You won’t be shocked to find out there aren’t many dual cabs on their list. 

• Isuzu announced the MU-X will go on sale as of August 1, with the full reveal to take place the day before where we will learn more about the added safety and luxury features.

• Genesis is adding a 2.2L turbodiesel four-cylinder engine option to the G80 large sedan’s lineup in Australia, making it a rare beast in the luxury sedan segment that has largely abandoned diesels.

• Honda detailed its new strategy that will include nationwide driveaway pricing and a new online configurator to help create a better experience for buyers.

And that’s all for this weekly’s wrap up, see you next time!