The smaller G-Class will be offered exclusively with battery-electric power when it goes on sale later this decade.
Mercedes EQG concept.
The new ‘baby’ Mercedes-Benz G-Class will not be offered with petrol or diesel power when it arrives in showrooms in 2026 at the earliest.
While there was some suggestion a petrol or diesel version could be developed, Mercedes-Benz technical boss Markus Schafer told UK publication Autocar the smaller sibling to the G-Class would be electric-only.
The new model – expected to be closer in size to a Jeep Wrangler than a Suzuki Jimny – is set to use heavy-duty ladder-frame underpinnings derived from the full-size G-Class, rather than use the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) shared with the new CLA, as previously anticipated.
This is because the ‘Little G’ – its final showroom name has not been announced – needs to offer the genuine off-road capability of its larger sibling, with Mercedes having previously said the Little G will offer similar ability.
It will be the third member of the ‘G’ family alongside the full-size petrol and diesel G-Class, and this year’s upcoming electric EQG, which was previewed by a ‘near production ready’ prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.
The G-Class department at Mercedes-Benz has effectively become a sub-brand within the company, such is its importance.
The EQG at 2024 CES – first shown in a concept in 2021 and tested by Drive in 2022 – uses a modified version of the G-Class ladder-chassis with four electric motors, with each motor able to control the speed of its individual wheel for enhanced off-road capability.
The ‘Little G’ is also expected to use an 800-volt electrical system for ultra-fast charging times, and offer a driving range of approximately 500km between recharges, according to reports out of Europe.
Mercedes-Benz teased the silhouette of the ‘Little G’ last year, confirming it will look much like its full-size sibling.
Authorities warned the woman she could be fined for not moving the stolen Opel after they found it upside down on a dried-out marsh in Spain.
A French woman has been left surprised and angry after Spanish authorities informed her they found her stolen Opel Kadett upside down in a dried-out swamp – 26 years after the theft occurred.
Authorities then threatened her with a fine if she didn’t remove the car from the area.
Emi Carrasco said the vehicle was stolen during a family outing at a beach in Spain on 5 August 1997, and immediately reported the car missing.
With no further information from authorities at the time, Ms Carrasco claimed she forgot about it until local police told her they found the vehicle on 17 January 2024 in the Riudecanyes marsh – located in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia.
The car remained submerged underwater for more than 20 years until a drought exposed the land, revealing the stolen car.
In a turn of events, Ms Carrasco was told she could be fined if she didn’t move the stolen vehicle.
“I thought it was a joke,” she said in a media statement.
To avoid paying the surprising fine, Ms Carrasco claimed she showed authorities the original stolen report – which was filed when she informed police the Opel Kadett missing.
The France native said it had some sentimental value to her as it was the first vehicle she bought and shared with her husband Manolo after their wedding – the car also contained the original documents, as well as some personal belongings.
Local police said they are opening an investigation into the person responsible for the theft.
The largest electric SUV from Hyundai has lost much of its camouflage in its latest sighting in the US, ahead of showroom arrivals later this year.
The upcoming Hyundai Ioniq 7 seven-seat electric SUV has been spotted with less camouflage than ever before, ahead of its Australian arrival by the end of this year.
An image posted to Instagram by @kindelauto confirms the production Ioniq 7 – the Hyundai twin to the Kia EV9 electric SUV – will borrow heavily from the 2021 ‘Seven’ concept.
The light design borrows cues from other new Hyundais – including the Staria people mover and Kona small SUV – with a large strip running across the width of the bonnet.
The contouring of the camouflage suggests there is likely to be the black plastic cladding around the wheel arches, while retractable door handles, a glass roof, and a pair of roof rails can also be seen.
Underpinned by the same E-GMP electric-vehicle platform as the Ioniq 5 and 6, the Ioniq 7 is expected to share its 76.1kWh and 99.8kWh batteries with the Kia EV9.
Specifications are yet to be revealed, but Hyundai has previously indicated the Ioniq 7 will have a claimed electric driving range of more than 483km in its most efficient form.
The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 7 is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, ahead of Australian arrivals by the end of this year.
The Dodge Omni GLH and GLHS were every bit as good as the poster children for 1980s hot hatches, the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Peugeot 205 GTI
When we think of the countries that produced – and continue to produce – great hot hatches, our minds drift to the tuning houses of Germany, of France, Italy, Japan and more recently, South Korea. We do not think, and never have, of the United States of America.
The good ol’ US of A has its own unique performance car formula, one where brute force triumphs over finesse. There’s no replacement for displacement, goes the old aphorism, as evidenced by an American back catalogue of iconic muscle cars dating back to the 1960s. In the US, if you wanted high performance out of your car, you needed a V8. Preferably, a big one.
The idea of a four-cylinder buzzbox taking on and beating legendary American Iron is anathema to this well-established culture. After all, bigger is always better, right?
But, for one brief shining moment, a US carmaker built a hot hatch, and a genuine one at that, one whose performance would not be put to shame against Europe’s finest. And one which could more than hold its own against American muscle.
A regular Dodge Omni, before Carroll Shelby got his hands on it
The genesis of America’s hot hatch dates back to 1973 and the OPEC-led oil crisis, a series of events that had lasting impacts on the world.
In America, the crisis triggered alarms in its domestic automotive industry, an industry that had been dominated by big, heavy, V8-powered cars with, unsurprisingly, terrible fuel economy.
With the oil crisis in full swing, American new car buyers abandoned their beloved gas guzzlers in favour of smaller, more economical cars, imported from Japan and Germany and France and Britain. Seeing money walk out of American dealerships into foreign-owned new car forecourts sent ripples of panic through the Big Three – Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
All three rushed through engineering and production of small cars designed to appeal to this new fuel-miserly cohort of buyers.
Ford leant on its European division to bring the Fiesta to the US
Ford leant on its European division and began importing German-built Fiestas while Chevrolet hurried through the development of the Chevette which would form the basis of its global ‘T-car’ (it formed the basis of many models around the world including our own Holden Gemini).
But it was Chrysler who really took the rabbit by the ears, so to speak, developing its own front-wheel drive, four-cylinder hatchback, and one that had the mumbo to take on the European and Japanese imports so favoured by American buyers.
Launched in 1978, the Dodge Omni – and its Plymouth Horizon twin – proved an affordable alternative to the best-selling Volkswagen Rabbit (known as Golf to the rest of the world) which had won the hearts and wallets of a budget-conscious American public.
The Volkswagen Rabbit, known as the Golf to the rest of the world, provided the inspiration for Chrysler’s hatchback
The story goes that Chrysler went so far as to buy 79 VW Rabbits for its engineering team to evaluate. There were so many of the German hatchback getting around Chrysler’s Highland Park headquarters at one point, employees used to joke about the Rabbits breeding like, well, rabbits.
Cue the Dodge Omni, which launched in 1978, an affordable, spacious five-door hatchback with a Volkswagen-sourced 1.7-litre overhead cam inline four making 56kW and 122Nm. Transmission choices ran to either a VW-sourced four-speed manual or Chrysler’s A404 three-speed automatic.
While 57kW and 122Nm weren’t anything to crow about, the Omni’s slender 982kg frame meant the combination proved not only capable, but according to contemporary reports, ‘quite perky’. And it was an instant hit, the Omni/Horizon twins flying out of Chrysler dealerships, some 200,000 in the first year alone. And it was good enough to win Motor Trend’s Car of the Year gong in 1978.
Only in America… a run-of-the-mill Dodge Omni with the ‘woody’ treatment
The success of the Omni and Horizon twins came at the right time for the automaker. Chrysler had been teetering on the brink of financial ruin until the introduction of the Omni, which not only became the company’s best-selling car, but also helped secure it crucial government funding, shoring up its future.
So much so, that by the mid-1980s, Chrysler was looking to inject some fun back into its range after a decade of conservative engineering. And it turned to none other than American tuning legend Carroll Shelby.
By 1984, the Shelby-designed and conceived Dodge Omni GLH hit showroom floors, the first genuine US hot hatch. Shelby took the bull by the horns when developing the GLH, stuffing a Chrysler 2.2-litre inline-four under the bonnet, good for 82kW, a considerable bump in power over the regular hatchback. Shelby’s modifications didn’t end there, with stiffer suspension, better brakes as well as grippier rubber all making their way into the GLH.
The Dodge Omni GLH, America’s first proper hot hatch
Things got even better in 1985, with Shelby adding turbocharging to the 2.2-litre four-pot, now good for 108kW, almost double what the original Omni’s 1.7-litre pumped out.
And it sold in decent numbers too, with over 10,000 of the little hot hatches finding new homes in 1985-86.
Things were about to get better still for lovers of fast fours, despite Chrysler pulling the pin on the Omni GLH at the end of the 1986 model year.
Shelby, ever the thinker and tinkerer, brokered a deal to buy the last remaining 500 of Chrysler’s stellar hot hatch. He shipped them to his California workshop where work got underway to turn the Dodge Omni into something else altogether. As was so often the case with anything Shelby turned his hand to, a legend was about to be born.
The Shelby Omni GLHS was nothing short of sensational. Boasting a more powerful and bigger Garrett turbo, a larger throttle body, uprated Bosch injectors and retuned intake and exhaust manifolds, the Omni GLHS now pumped out 130kW and 237Nm, sent to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox.
The Shelby Omni GLHS tore up the hot hatch rulebook
With boost turned up, the GLHS could cover the US benchmark sprint from 0-60mph in just 6.7 seconds, mightily quick for its day. Top speed ran to a claimed 130mph (209km/h), and instead of Shelby replacing the incumbent dials of the GLH, Shelby simply removed the limiting pin on the speedometer located at 85mph, and added some stickers to showcase the GLHS’s new top speed. Quirky. Fun. Different.
Suspension modifications ran to adjustable Koni shock absorbers and struts, stiffer springs and rollbars while the Omni GLHS sat on unique to the model Centurion alloys, designed by Carroll Shelby himself.
Inside, a leather steering wheel took centre stage while each car bore a numbered and signed plaque on the dash.
Contemporary tests suggest the Shelby Omni GLHS was one of the fastest American production cars of its era, and to test this seemingly outrageous claim, American Hot Rod magazine put the little hot hatch to the test against another Shelby-fettled legend, a 1965 GT350 Shelby Mustang.
As per Hot Rod’s 1986 cover story: “The two cars took to the track looking as mismatched as David and Goliath. It was a growling V-8 against a muffled straight-four. A fat-rubbered, rear-drive, 3000-pound muscle car versus a gumballed, front-drive, 2300-pound shoebox. Surely Shelby was starting to sweat.
“The contest came up to speed in a hurry, as the GLHS took off in an effort to stretch an advantage, with the GT350 in hot pursuit. The gap opened to about 10 car lengths, where it remained for three rapid laps.
Carroll Shelby and his pocket rocket creation
“Much to our amazement, the GT350 showed no significant advantage anywhere on the course. It reeled in a few car lengths at the exit of the low-speed corners, but was held at bay down the remaining straights. The GLHS had slightly higher corner entrance speeds and was able to pull out a few lengths in the really tight stuff.
“Feeling a wealth of confidence, we backed off the throttle in the GLHS, letting [the GT350 Mustang] charge about 10 car lengths ahead.
“With both cars back up to speed, another three-lap ding-dong developed: this time the GLHS closed up. By mid-point of the second lap the GLHS was on the trunk of the GT350. To pass it would serve no point. The cars returned to the pits together. [Carroll] Shelby beamed.”
A legend was born.
We’ve saved the best part of this story for last. While the folks in Europe were usually adding GTI badges to their hot creations, Dodge drove a different road when it came to distinguishing its fast models from its everyday, run-of-the-mill and humble range of Omni hatchbacks.
At Carroll Shelby’s suggestion, the first hot Dodge Omni wore a GLH badge. But what is GLH, I hear you ask? Only Shelby could come up with Goes Like Hell.
And when the Texan boosted the Omni GLH’s performance even more under his own banner, he simply added an S to create the Shelby Omni GLHS, or in Shelby-speak, Goes Like Hell S’more. Legend.
What do you think? Is the Dodge Omni GLH (and GLHS) a forgotten great of the hot hatch genre? Let us know in the comments below.
The latest X2 model is due to arrive in Australia within the coming months, following a European rollout commencing in March, while the X1 received a significant update at the end of 2022, gaining more space, styling tweaks, and additional technology.
The BMW X1 was the best-selling vehicle for the brand in 2023, with BMW selling a whopping 4644 of its small SUV. In contrast, the current X2 model is at the end of its life cycle and, therefore, didn’t see as much success in 2023, with just 294 sold in total.
In a nutshell, the BMW X1 is cheaper, but the X2 is more powerful. When it comes to size, the X1 is taller but offers less boot space, while both vehicles sit on the same wheelbase.
Official fuel consumption figures for the X2 xDrive 20i are yet to be released, so we cannot disclose which is the more efficient of the two. Stay up to date with any further information about the new BMW X2 here.
If you’re trying to decide between the two BMW models, you’ll want to find out which is best suited to your requirements. It’s worth noting that the information below refers to the latest model of the BMW X2.
How much does the BMW X1 cost?
The BMW X1 range kicks off at $60,400 for the base model, sDrive 18i, with the range-topping M35i xDrive starting at $90,900.
How much does the BMW X2 cost?
The BMW X2 range kicks off with the xDrive 20i, priced from $75,900, with the top-of-the-range M35i xDrive starting from $92,900.
How big is the BMW X1?
The BMW X1 sits in the small SUV class, rivalling the likes of the Volvo XC40 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
It measures 4500mm long, 1845mm wide, 1642mm high, and sits on a wheelbase of 2692mm.
How big is the BMW X2?
The BMW X2 also competes in the small SUV class, going up against its younger sibling in the X1, along with the Audi Q2 and Alfa Romeo Tonale.
It’s 4554mm long, 1845mm wide, 1575mm high, and sits on a wheelbase of 2692mm.
How big is the boot in the BMW X1?
The boot in the BMW X1 is 540L with the rear seats upright and 1600L with the rear seats folded – up on its competitors with the XC40 at 460/1336L and the GLA providing 435/1430L.
How big is the boot in the BMW X2?
The cargo capacity in the BMW X2 is 560L with the rear seats up, with the maximum capacity at 1470L with the rear seats folded.
In comparison, the Audi Q2 offers 355/1000L, while the Alfa Romeo Tonale offers 500/1550L.
How many seats does the BMW X1 have?
The BMW X1 is available with five seats.
How many seats does the BMW X2 have?
The BMW X2 has five seats. If you’re in the market for a seven-seater, you’ll need to upgrade to the X5, which offers the option of seven seats.
Is the BMW X1 all-wheel drive?
Yes. The X1 xDrive 20i is offered in all-wheel drive. It packs a 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder developing 150kW and 300Nm, sending power to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The claimed 0–100km/h time is 7.4 seconds.
The base-model sDrive 18i is a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder sending 115kW and 230Nm to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission for a 9.0-second 0–100km/h time.
The BMW X1 is also available in electric form. Both variants of the iX1 are offered in all-wheel drive.
Is the BMW X2 all-wheel drive?
Yes. All models in the BMW X2 line-up are all-wheel drive; this includes its electric version models, the iX2 Drive 20 and the iX2 Drive 30.
The BMW X2 xDrive 20i shares the X1’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (good for 150kW and 300Nm), which drives all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The M35i xDrive has the same drivetrain; however, it shares its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder ‘B48’ petrol engine with the X1’s same grade, developing 233kW/400Nm. BMW claims a 0–100km/h sprint time of 5.4 seconds, making it more powerful than its younger sibling.
Is the BMW X1 a hybrid or electric car?
Yes. The X1 is offered in electric form and is known as the BMW iX1.
Two electric iX1 variants are currently available – the iX1 ‘xDrive 30’ and the ‘xDrive 30 M Sport’. Both models are priced the same at $84,900 plus on-road costs, but the M Sport brings some of the sporty styling cues.
Additional features for this specification include larger front cooling inlets, a rear diffuser, black Alcantara/Sensatec upholstery with blue contrast stitching, and an aluminum ‘Hexacube’ dark interior trim.
Both are powered by dual electric motors, developing up to 230kW and 494Nm, with the German car maker claiming the SUV can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds.
There’s also a third variant due in Australian showrooms in the coming months. The iX1 eDrive20 will be the brand’s cheapest electric vehicle, serving as the new entry-level offering in the German automaker’s EV range.
Priced from $78,900 plus on road costs, the eDrive20 is powered by a single electric motor, capable of 150kW/247Nm, and has a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 8.6 seconds.
Is the BMW X2 a hybrid or electric car?
Yes. The X2 is offered in electric form and is known as the BMW iX2. The two BMW iX2 variants provide different levels of power, torque, and driving range.
The BMW iX2 eDrive 20 is powered by a 150kW/247Nm electric motor on its front axle, delivering a claimed driving range of up to 477km in European WLTP testing from its 64.8kWh battery pack.
The top-of-the-range iX2 xDrive30 scores dual electric motors producing up to 230kW/494Nm and is capable of a claimed 449km of driving range.
While the eDrive 20 offers more range, the xDrive 30 is more powerful and is equipped with ample standard features, including M Sport appearance package, power-adjustable, heated front seats, a head-up display, adaptive M suspension, M Sport leather steering wheel, ‘Veganza’ vegan leather-look upholstery, and acoustic-glazed windows, to name a few.
BMW has not yet confirmed features for the iX2 eDrive 20.
The eDrive 20 starts at $82,900, while the xDrive 30 kicks off at $85,700. Both prices exclude on-road costs.
Does the BMW X1 have a spare wheel?
No. The BMW X1 doesn’t have a spare wheel, rather it is equipped with run-flat tyres.
Does the BMW X2 have a spare wheel?
No. The BMW X2 doesn’t have a spare wheel, rather it is equipped with run-flat tyres.
Is the BMW X1 safe?
The BMW X1 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Tested in 2022, it scored 86 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, and 94 for its safety assist.
The BMW X1 is equipped with the driving professional plus pack as standard, which includes adaptive cruise control with stop and go, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, front, and rear parking sensors, reversing assistant, and automatic parking.
Is the BMW X2 safe?
The latest model of the BMW X2 is set to arrive in Australia at the beginning of 2024; therefore, it is yet to be tested. The previous generation scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating when awarded a 90 per cent rating for adult occupant protection; however, it received a low score for its safety assist (70 per cent).
Standard across all models, the BMW X2 receives adaptive cruise control (with stop-and-go), lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, parking assistant, and a drive recorder.
Details of the first global battery-electric Jeep have been announced in the US ahead of its arrival in Australian showrooms in 2024.
The Jeep Wagoneer S SUV will go on sale in the US in the second quarter of 2024 packing 447kW and a 0-96km/h time of 3.5 seconds.
The first global electric Jeep is also the first built on the STLA electric platform, with the company confirming the timing of the Wagoneer S with a social media teaser and press statement.
It teased parts of the new electric SUV – which is similar in size to a Grand Cherokee L – including a single front-on image showing the trademark seven-bar grille lit up by LEDs.
The social media clip teased a little more, revealing front guard vents as well as polished alloy wheels with ‘Wagoneer’ centre caps.
One of three new electric SUVs – the others being the Avenger and Recon – Jeep Australia has not confirmed the timing for the Wagoneer S Down Under, nor the Recon, but has confirmed the electric smaller Jeep Avenger for the second half of 2024.
A concept proposal of the Wagoneer S was first shown in 2022 with the new images and video suggesting the production model is true to the original idea, but Jeep also confirmed performance credentials for the electric vehicle.
That includes a 600hp (447kW) power output and 0-60mph (96km/h) time of 3.5 seconds, consistent with claims made when the Wagoneer S was announced in 2022.
This matches the rumoured output of the electric Jeep Recon, and makes the Wagoneer S quicker than the yet-to-be-confirmed V8 Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler 392 Rubicon Final Edition – which has a 703hp (517kW) 6.4-litre engine and a 4.0-second 0-60mph (96km/h) time.
The Wagoneer S should also be capable of beating the Wrangler Final Edition’s 12.9-second quarter-mile time.
In addition, Jeep has previously said it is targeting a range of 443km on a single charge, also confirming the Wagoneer S will use the brand’s 4xe four-wheel drive system.
The Wagoneer S is not the first electric Jeep; the electric Avenger due in Australia in the second half of 2024 has that honour, having been on sale in Europe since 2023.
It will also be the first electric Jeep to be offered in the US as the company targets half of all vehicles it sells in North America to be
electric by 2030, and an all-electric line-up in Europe the same year.
The Jeep Recon – confirmed for Australia and previously expected in US showrooms in early 2024 – was set to be the first global electric Jeep, but the timing of the Wagoneer S suggests the Recon has been delayed.
Porsche doesn’t build an electric 911, but if you squint, this Chinese GWM Ora electric hatchback with a GT3 RS-inspired body kit could fill the gap.
If a $500,000 Porsche is out of your budget, a company in Thailand has given a GWM Ora electric hatch a Porsche 911 GT3 RS-inspired makeover.
Spotted by Carscoops, Thai company Lugma Design has unveiled a body kit for the Ora meant to look like a previous-generation ‘991.2’ series 911 GT3 RS sports car.
The details extend to the gills on the front wheel arches – which are shaped to work their way around the charge port on the passenger side – and a black strip on the front ‘bonnet’ to look like the vent on the 911 GT3 RS.
The circular headlights – which already had Porsche influences – gain black surrounds.
At the rear, the Ora gains dual spoilers on the tailgate and a more aggressive rear bumper with a black diffuser below. Larger aftermarket alloy wheels replace the standard units and are complemented by black side skirts.
Those looking to maintain a level of subtlety can opt for Lugma Design’s ‘Touring Package’ which deletes the wheel-arch gills.
No performance or handling upgrades have been compared to the regular Ora, meaning it retains a single 126kW electric motor powering the front wheels.
GWM Australia claims the Ora is capable to accelerating from zero to 100km/h in 8.4 seconds, which is around five seconds slower than the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.
The sportiest model in the showroom GWM Ora line-up is the GT, which adds red brake calipers and a body kit – but it’s not as extreme as this Porsche-inspired custom edition.
