Pure EVs are currently outselling PHEVs by better than eight to one. Indeed, EVs are running at 7.2 per cent of new car sales, year to date, and trended up to 7.7 per cent in November. No fewer than 80,446 EVs have been sold so far, compared with just 28,326 last year.
Most of the interesting new model action has been in the EV space too, even if most of those involved are struggling to make money. It doesn’t help that Tesla owns such a high percentage of the niche (55 per cent so far this year) or that, even at the elevated prices being asked, many EVs bring tiny margins to their manufacturers.
It’s going to be game over
There are still EV naysayers but I suspect few have driven a selection of the best new models. After only a few years of serious, industry-wide focus, the EV has in many areas surpassed the petrol-power car, with its near-140 years of development.
There are still improvements needed (less weight, faster charging, lower prices, better infrastructure) but with everyone working on EVs, they should be solved by the end of the decade, or even earlier. Then, for most types of new fossil-fuelled vehicles, it’s game over.
In league with the EV transition, 2023 accelerated the development of the so-called software-defined car, where the operating system and linked phone app (and in some cases, downloadable accessories) are playing a much bigger part in the ownership experience.
Kia’s EV9, the largest and dearest Kia ever, allows you to open and start the car with your fingerprint, and to access the car’s cameras via your phone, no matter where you are.
Some of the latest tricks will soon be forgotten, some not. Genuinely useful are the capability to remotely preheat and demist your car, check the battery level, track the position if you’ve forgotten which street you left it in, and receive an alert if it has been damaged while parked. Many of these were pioneered by Tesla and are becoming common.
However, reader Rodney King recently received an invoice from Mercedes-Benz for $489, covering an annual renewal of the “Excellence Package” on his GLC200. This bundle of app-based features was something he assumed he’d bought with the car.
“At no stage was I told I would be charged for these features.” Sadly, the software-defined, over-the-air connected car will require car buyers to perform an even more diligent reading of the fine print. As King asks: “What else will they want to charge for in the future?”
Special mention on the tech front goes to Hyundai Motor Group, which makes Hyundai, Kia and Genesis cars. It is pushing harder than most with forward-looking technology and advanced design. The resulting move upmarket (which includes the above-mentioned EV9, priced at up to $120,000), seems wise with the Chinese snapping at everyone’s heels.
EVs under $40k
On that front, we’ve seen the Chinese-owned brands (MG, BYD and others) make inroads into the middle part of the market. Their cheapest EVs are now under $40,000, well below traditional EV prices, though still a big premium over a similar-sized petrol car.
When someone launches a 20-something-priced EV, we’ll see major growth – and it’s a fair bet that will come from China too.
EVs continue to be spectacularly quick in a straight line: the $60,000 MG4 XPower, for example, will outpunch many ultra expensive sports cars. Many disappoint in the twisty stuff due to their added weight.
The lightest version of the MG4, the Excite 51, weighs 1635 kilograms, compared with a Hyundai petrol-power i30 at 1276 kilograms, though the MG’s rear drive, low centre of gravity and instant throttle response provide some compensation. The battery pack in the Kia EV9 is 567 kilograms on its own.
Rolls-Royce’s imposing and stunningly competent Spectre coupe is nearly 5.5 metres long, over 2 metres wide, and weighs a monumental 2890 kilograms. It’s such a niche vehicle that its environmental performance is largely irrelevant, but it shows the EV transformation is spreading right across the industry.
Porsche’s Taycan sedan still sets the standard for an EV driver’s car, but even things such as the Fiat 500e show that a small, light-ish EV can be sporty and fun to drive. The 500e is hampered by a high price and a modest driving range, but it would be easy to argue the delightfully cute Italian hatch followed you home.
The Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster ute has just entered production.
In terms of other eccentricities, the petrol or diesel-powered Ineos Grenadier – an unashamed rip-off of the traditional Land Rover – proved to be dazzlingly competent off-road, and initial demand has proven strong. A ute version – the Quartermaster – has just entered production.
Also among the oddbods are some really low-volume cars, such as the elegant Rolls-Royce Droptail (just three built), and the exquisitely styled Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale (just 33 to be produced).
The road ahead
Looking forward, the Cadillac Lyriq, which I drove overseas and was very impressed by, will be here late next year. The venerable (and often insular) American brand promises it will build all its new-gen vehicles in left- and right-hand drive “for the world”.
In mid-November, it pulled the covers off a smaller, SUV-style EV, the Cadillac Optiq, which will follow at a lower price point.
Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore all-electric sports coupe is lightning quick, from 0-100km/h in 2.7 seconds.
Maserati’s GranTurismo Folgore, an all-electric version of the company’s new V8-powered sports coupe, is also one to watch out for. The performance and handling are right up there with the very best EVs.
The Polestar 3 SUV and closely related Volvo EX90 will broaden the range of family-sized electric SUVs. Of even wider appeal, perhaps, is Volvo’s EX30, a high riding, small electric hatch that will start at under $60,000 and include in its line-up the fastest accelerating Volvo ever.
There will also be a flurry of new Chinese brands and models and, if they continue to improve at the current rate, the established players will need to be very much on their guard.
2023 has been a record-breaking year, with more than 1.1 million new cars sold already and six of the past seven months recording the highest sales for those months ever.
However, Tony Weber, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, sees storm clouds on the horizon. “As cost-of-living pressures hit, we may see a market cooling in the coming months, and we anticipate a more challenging 2024.”
When he isn’t in a new car, Tony Davis drives a 1952 MG TD restored by his father 40-something years ago.
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