Car news, 5 Mar ’24: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance breaks cover, Lexus GX pricing, and more
Curt Dupriez
Deputy editor
Every important car news story breaking today, one convenient read
Thanks for joining us this Tuesday March 5th 2024. Notably in car news today: Facelifted 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance has been caught undisguised in Spain, revealing details about the much-anticipated dual-motor EV, and Lexus Australia has released official pricing for the forthcoming luxury 4×4 twin to the Toyota Prado.
Facelifted Tesla Model 3 Performance surfaces with details
Thanks to images leaked on social media platform X, we have the best undisguised look yet at the forthcoming Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Sporting new-look 20-inch wheels, subtle front and rear restyling, sport-look enhancements and bespoke seats, the go-fast dual-motor variant appears production ready in what’s reported to be a photo/video shoot in Valencia, Spain.
Undisguised images of the new Tesla Model 3 Performance have surfaced on social media
Reportedly to be badged the Model 3 Ludicrous in some markets, it’s expected that the dual-motor format will surpass the 393kW combined output of the outgoing Performance while improving on that model’s 3.3sec 0-100km/h acceleration.
Showcased in the footage in either red, white or black paintwork, the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance is expected to make its global debut, complete with production specification details, within the next couple of months.
Lexus GX luxury 4×4 SUV pricing officially revealed
Lexus Australia has released official pricing for its GX 4×4 SUV that starts from $116,000 before on-road costs for the entry GX 550 Luxury.
The three-trim lineup is bolstered by the mid-spec GX 550 Overtrail from $122,250 list, and topped by the flagship GX 550 Sports Luxury from $128,200 list.
Lexus Australia has confirmed pricing for its new GX 4×4 SUV
This ninth generation is the first time the GX will be offered in Australia, due on sale mid-year, offering both five- and seven-seat configurations, all boasting 3.5L twin-turbocharged petrol engines with 260kW and 650Nm.
Check out our reviews of Chasing Cars editor Tom Baker putting both the Overtrail and the Sports Luxury variants through their paces on- and off-road at the international launch of the much-anticipated Land Cruiser-derived off-roader.
Hyundai is developing cheaper performance EV models to sit under its $111,000 Ioniq 5 N and forthcoming, related Ioniq 6 N sedan.
Hyundai chief technical adviser Albert Biermann told Chasing Cars that cheaper electric N cars, priced closer to current ICE counterparts, is “absolute priority number one” in light of reports that petrol i30 N and i20 N models are to be axed from European sale.
Petrol powered Hyundai N-cars like the i30 N (pictured) will be axed from sale in Europe
The key metric for hot electric models in the works is the same “or even a higher level of driving fun” than the current Ioniq 5 N, Biermann says, “at a more affordable segment”.
To cap costs, it’s feasible that N skunkworks might opt for Hyundai’s Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) platform rather than the pricier E-GMP underpinnings, while adopting a more cost-effective 400-volt rather than the Ioniq 5 N’s 800-volt architecture.
Next-generation Subaru Forester on the way, but we’ll have to wait until 2025
Subaru Australia has revealed that an all-new version of the midsize Forester SUV looks likely to arrive down under in early 2025.
The importer promises that the Toyota-co-opted e-Boxer hybrid powertrain system will be available at launch, while stopping short on confirming turbocharged options or the fitment of the carryover 2.5L boxer and CVT format, as slated for imminent US market release.
Subaru revealed the design for the sixth-generation Forester (pictured) late last year
Officially revealed late last year, the new sixth generation is similar in size to the current gen five, sits on a mildly enhanced carryover platform and features an evolutionary ‘boxy’ exterior design and a significantly revamped interior.
Subaru Australia says its “working with the factory” about landing a long-awaited, all-terrain-augmented Wilderness variant for the local lineup.
Subaru Solterra reviewed
Chasing Cars journalist Olek Novak’s launch review of the 2024 Subaru Solterra was published, based on extensive on-road and sporadic off-road driving at the Australia model launch in Queensland.
Novak discovered that the driving experience is largely tuned for comfortable commuting and touring, though heart-pumping performance isn’t a priority for Subaru’s first-ever fully-electric model.
The all new Subaru Solterra has just launched in Australia
Solterra launches in two dual-motor AWD versions, in regular and high-grade Touring guises, each offering 160kW and 337Nm in total outputs while promising around 416km of peak range WLTP.
In summary, Novak found the Solterra a practical and predictable newcomer to the growing EV landscape, if one that offers Subaru loyalists an enticingly fresh twist to the brand’s deep-seeded traditionalist conventions.
