This is a new Subaru electric vehicle. In this part of the podcast, they’re mainly talking about what it looks like and whether the price makes sense in Australia.
Car
Subaru Salterra
The Salterra is Subaru’s earlier electric car. They’re comparing it to the Uncharted to explain what’s similar and what’s different.
The bZ4X is another Toyota electric vehicle. They’re saying the Uncharted is related to it—sharing the same basic platform—and they compare how they look.
The Toyota C-HR is a small SUV meant for everyday driving. It’s mentioned because the same basic idea has an electric version in some markets. The podcast is connecting that to how EVs are expanding beyond just new designs.
On-road price is what you actually pay to get the car registered and ready to drive legally. It’s usually higher than the base price because it includes fees and taxes.
CATL is a company that makes EV batteries. They’re saying this Subaru EV uses a CATL battery, which is part of why they think the overall package is worth the money.
All-wheel drive means the car can send power to both the front and rear wheels. That can help it grip the road better, especially in rain or on loose surfaces.
This segment is talking about a proposed/imagined Ferrari called the Ferrari Luce. They’re saying it’s an electric Ferrari with four motors and a hatchback body, which would be a big change from the usual Ferrari look and feel.
Term
center scoot
They’re talking about the layout in the middle of the car’s cabin. EVs often have a different center area because they don’t need the same mechanical parts as gas cars.
An instrument cluster is the dashboard display the driver looks at for things like speed. They’re debating whether it’s a real physical dial or a digital screen.
This is the curb weight (roughly the car’s mass ready to drive, including the battery and fluids). For EVs, battery packs can make weight high, so comparing mass helps explain why some EVs feel quick or heavy even with strong motors.
The Nürburgring is a very famous race track in Germany. People use it to compare how fast and capable cars are because it’s challenging and tests more than just straight-line speed.
They’re using the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra as an example of a newer EV that’s very fast on track. They also suggest it might have a smaller battery, which matters because battery size affects both weight and range.
The Yangwang U9 is an electric vehicle that’s meant to be a high-performance, premium option. The podcast mentions it as something that’s coming. It’s included to show how many different EVs are being planned for the market.
Jaguar is a British luxury car brand. The hosts bring it up as an example of a car concept or redesign that didn’t land the way it should, and they use it to compare against Chinese EVs that they think look better.
The Beijing show is a major auto show in China where car companies show off new cars and concepts. The hosts are using it as a reference point for Chinese EV designs they think look great.
BYD is a big Chinese company that makes electric cars and batteries. In this discussion, they’re using BYD-related brands as examples of EVs with designs they think look better than the Ferrari they’re criticizing.
Brand
Denza Z9 GT
Denza is a Chinese EV brand associated with BYD, and the Denza Z9 GT is a model name the hosts use as an example of “gorgeous” design. They’re contrasting it with what they believe Ferrari should have produced, suggesting Chinese EV styling is winning attention.
Z9 is a name used for a car model being discussed in the podcast. The conversation is mainly about how good it looks and how it compares to other design-focused EVs. The key point is that it’s part of the EV lineup people are considering.
The Tesla Model S is a well-known electric car from Tesla. The point being made is that when it first launched, some people weren’t sure about the styling, but it ended up looking great over time.
The Ferrari LaFerrari is an extremely expensive, very high-performance supercar. It uses a hybrid system, meaning it combines an electric component with a traditional engine. The podcast brings it up when talking about Ferrari’s design and history.
The Ferrari F40 is a classic, iconic Ferrari supercar. The host is using it as a reference point for what many people think of as classic Ferrari design.
The Ferrari Enzo is one of Ferrari’s most famous supercars. The hosts mention it to talk about what “classic Ferrari design” means and how future designs might compare.
V8 and V12 are types of gas engines with different numbers of cylinders. The hosts are saying EVs can’t be built the same way because the battery takes up space that gas engines don’t.
The Audi S6 is a sportier, higher-performance luxury sedan compared with the standard A6. In the podcast, the S6 name is brought up while talking about new or changing model offerings. The main point is availability and lineup updates rather than deep technical details.
For EVs, “range” means how many kilometers you can drive on one full battery charge. Higher range usually means fewer charging stops.
Term
dry variant
They mention a “dry variant,” which sounds like a different version of the car’s battery setup. The exact meaning isn’t explained here, but it’s basically a different configuration than the main one they were talking about.
Car
MG S6
They’re talking about the MG S6 as an electric car. They mention it can be had with either rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), and those options cost about $7,000 more or less than each other.
AWD means the car can drive all four wheels. In this discussion, it’s one of the MG S6 options, and it costs more than the rear-wheel-drive version.
Car
MG S5 Excite
They’re saying the MG S5 Excite version is going away. Fleet buyers might still find it, but regular private buyers will only be able to get the Essence trim.
The Audi S5 is a sportier Audi model, usually meant for drivers who want more performance than the standard version. In the podcast, the key point is that a certain S5-related variant is being removed from the lineup. That matters because it changes what trims are available to buy.
The Zeekr 7X is an electric car model being discussed as a possible option. The podcast focuses on its price and suggests it may cost less than some alternatives. That matters because lower prices can make EVs easier to buy.
“Drive away pricing” means the full price you can drive off the lot with. It usually includes extra government and paperwork costs, not just the car’s base price.
The Sealion 7 is an electric car model, and the podcast talks about its price. They mention “drive away pricing,” meaning the amount you pay to have the car ready to drive. It’s compared to the Tesla Model Y to show how the costs stack up.
A “77 kilowatt hour battery” is how big the EV’s battery is. Bigger batteries usually mean you can drive farther before needing to charge.
Term
all drive
“All drive” probably means the car has power going to more than one set of wheels. That usually helps with traction, especially on wet or slippery roads.
Term
0 to 105 seconds
This is talking about how quickly the car accelerates from a stop. The exact target speed is unclear in the transcript, but it’s basically an acceleration time comparison.
WLTP is a standardized test used to estimate how far a car can go on a charge. When someone says the WLTP range is good, they mean the official test result looks solid.
“11 kilowatt AC” is how fast the car can charge when using an AC charger (like many home setups). Higher number usually means you can add energy faster.
The MG4 is an electric car, and the podcast talks about it as part of MG’s EV range. They mention a specific version called “Urban.” The conversation also hints that another MG EV is still coming later.
A “10 year warranty” means the company promises to cover certain repairs for about ten years. The exact coverage details matter, but it generally makes ownership feel less risky.
NMC is the type of lithium battery chemistry. It affects things like how much energy the battery can store and how it behaves as it ages. The host is pointing out that this EV uses a battery type that’s not the usual choice.
LFP is a common type of lithium battery. It’s generally valued for lasting a long time and being safer/steadier under heat. The host is comparing it to the NMC battery chemistry used here.
“Blade battery” is BYD’s name for a particular LFP battery design. The idea is that it’s packaged in a way that helps with safety and efficiency. The host brings it up to show what’s “normal” versus what this car is using.
A heat pump helps the car warm the cabin more efficiently. Instead of using lots of electricity to make heat from scratch, it transfers heat, which can save battery range. The host is saying their tests showed a big efficiency improvement on another MG.
Car
MG4
The MG4 is an MG electric car. The host brings it up because they tested it and saw that having a heat pump can improve efficiency. It’s used as a benchmark for what to expect from the next MG they’re discussing.
This is a way to measure EV efficiency. It tells you how many units of electricity (kilowatt-hours) the car uses to drive 100 kilometers. Less electricity per 100 km usually means better efficiency.
They’re talking about how government budget decisions can change EV sales. If the budget changes incentives or fees, it can make EVs cheaper or more expensive to buy and lease.
They mention Nevada leasing because lease rules can change how affordable EVs are month to month. If the rules change, it can affect how many people choose to lease EVs.
A road user charge is a government fee for using the roads. The host is saying it didn’t get much attention in the budget, but it could matter later for EV costs and sales.
The Alpina B10 is a high-performance version of a luxury sedan. The podcast mentions it because there’s been a price change and it has a feature called “elite mode.” The focus is on what you get and how much it costs.
The Mercedes-Benz GLE is a luxury SUV designed for comfortable everyday driving and long trips. In the podcast, it’s mentioned because Mercedes has given a timeframe for something new or updated. That’s important for people deciding whether to buy now or wait.
Apple CarPlay lets you use certain iPhone apps through the car’s screen and controls. It’s basically the easiest way to get navigation and music working in the car.
The BMW X5 is a luxury SUV that’s designed for comfortable family or long-distance driving. It’s known for having lots of tech features, including phone integration like Apple CarPlay. The podcast brings it up when discussing what’s available in the SUV market right now.
The BYD Atto 3 is an electric SUV. The podcast is asking whether a newer “EVO” version is arriving, and the answer given is that it doesn’t look like it’s coming. That matters because it affects whether you should buy now or wait.
Evening peak periods are the times when lots of people use electricity at once. That’s usually when power is most expensive, but batteries and solar can help reduce that spike.
Battery discharge just means the battery is giving energy back out. The hosts are saying that when people use the battery in the evening, it affects how expensive electricity is at that time.
It’s basically saving extra solar power from daytime and using it later. That can help when electricity is more expensive or harder to supply in the evening.
“Flash charging” means charging an EV very quickly. The idea is you can get a meaningful amount of battery back in a short time compared with normal charging.
BYD’s Yuan Plus is an electric car. The hosts are talking about how it’s tied to a newer fast-charging setup (“Ato III”), and they also note it’s a different, bigger car than the previous one.
DPAL SO5 is a car model the hosts are waiting to hear about—specifically, when it’s coming. They mention it in the same breath as other versions and pricing, so it sounds like the release depends on what’s happening with the earlier cars.
The Toyota Hilux is a pickup truck that people use for work and everyday hauling. It’s mentioned as one of the main truck options people compare. The podcast is basically talking about what alternatives are out there.
The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck, meaning it has a cargo bed for hauling things. People buy it for practical use like work, towing, or weekend projects. The podcast mentions it as a common option people compare when looking at trucks.
The Subaru Trailseeker is a Subaru model that the podcast says hasn’t been released yet. They mention that changes were happening even before it officially arrived. That’s important if you’re waiting to buy one because the final version may differ from what people expected.
“Long game” means a company is thinking long-term, not just trying to sell cars right now with big discounts. They’re aiming to build a customer base and market presence over time.
Right-hand drive means the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Some countries need that layout, and it can make it harder for new EVs to arrive quickly.
Electric car adoption means more people deciding to buy and use EVs. It’s not just about the car—it’s also about whether charging is easy in real life. That’s why they talk through how charging works.
Charging infrastructure just means the charging network for electric cars. It includes public chargers and how easy they are to find and use. If there aren’t enough chargers, EV ownership feels harder.
Apartment charging means charging an electric car when you live in an apartment and can’t plug it in at home. People may use shared chargers in the building or nearby parking areas. It’s important because it affects how convenient EV ownership is.
Public charges are the charging stations you can use outside your home. They’re for anyone with an EV. If you can’t charge at home, these public chargers become really important.
A “granny charger” is a nickname for a slower, simpler way to charge an electric car. It’s usually meant for everyday top-ups rather than quick charging. It can be convenient, but it typically takes more time than fast chargers.
The Dodge Charger is a car that’s built for strong acceleration and a sporty feel. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as something you can drive more calmly than its reputation might suggest. It’s basically a performance sedan people associate with power.
LIVE
Music
Greetings everyone, I'm Tom, this is Joy. Hello. Welcome to another Wednesday night
on the EV show by Ludacris Fee. Thanks for joining us. Today is indeed Wednesday the 27th of May,
2026. Can you believe it? We are almost halfway through the year. Crazy times. Crazy times.
Hope you're all staying dry on the East Coast, wherever you might be. And I believe there's
a little football game or rugby league game on this evening. I was just going to say I think
there's a bunch of people who are definitely not staying dry at the moment. No, that's all right,
we'll catch up with the scores later on. But thanks for joining us this evening
as we talk all things EV on a Wednesday night. Let's welcome our co-host for this evening,
of course, the one and only Mr Riz Akhtar himself. Hello Riz, how are we?
Tom and Joy, good to be on. Look, I'm not going to pick sides tonight. I used to be up in Queensland,
work up there for a couple of years, although also in Northern New South Wales. So not picking any
sides tonight, but I'm sure we'll hear about it with our audience as we proceed through the rest
of the live stream. Riz, I thought we were friends. It's New South Wales or nothing, sorry.
Well, that's why I had to move to Victoria. Neutral. Okay, fair enough. Play a different
overbore game over there. All right, let's say hello to our sponsors to start with this evening.
Thank you to Kalu, I think it is, Dada to empower Australia's EV revolution.
That's us at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year. Yes, good times that was.
Let's say hello to some of our regulars this evening. Hello, Tetron. Hello, thanks for joining us
still running up here on the Gold Coast. Hello, Jim from the Burbs. Hello, EVAs, watching from
New York. What time is it in New York at the moment? Hopefully it's a reasonable hour.
And hello, Wavehead. Hello, Steve from the Central Coast. Hello, Gene. Hello, Lightning Ozzy. Nice
to see you all. And we must also say that Roland, who normally is our co-host, sends his apologies
this evening. He has family commitments. So stay safe, stay dry. Roland, we'll see you next time on
the show. All right, well, I thought we'd just kick off this evening, guys, with a quick nod to
Subaru, who invited us this evening. Was it this afternoon in Sydney? Shout out to Sutton's
Chalora in Sydney as well for giving us some time with the new Subaru Uncharted. You can
see behind us there in the showroom. And for the first time, I dare say that Subaru has created
a nice-looking EV. I'm sorry. I mean, yeah, the Salterra... I mean, it's not the best-looking car,
is it? But this one is. I really like the look of this one. Yeah. I mean, Salterra kind of shares
its some blood with the BZ4X, which is not the prettiest-looking car. But look, I think the
Uncharted doesn't look too bad. And it's a smaller car as well. And we didn't get to drive it, but
we got to look around it. And hopefully we get to drive it soon. Riz, what do you reckon? Is this
an upgrade or in terms of how it looks compared to the Salterra?
Yeah, I guess you can call it that. But it reminds me of another car, Toyota car,
which I think it shares a lot of stuff with the CHR, which is available as electric in other
markets. So what do you guys think? $60,000 too much? $59,980 before on-road, $65,000 on-road.
It is on the high side, but don't forget, you do get all the drive as well with that. So
I figured some people want that Japanese heritage. The Made in Japan premium, I think, is justified,
you know, to a certain extent, as opposed to it was another one that's... There's another brand
that's Japanese, but not actually Made in Japan. I'm not sure you can justify that one. But I think
this one, this one you can. Yeah. So I got a Chinese battery CATL, so you're kind of getting
best of both worlds in some way. So yeah, it's actually on the same platform as the BZ4X and
Salterra too. Which isn't... Yeah, the main thing is that it's all wheel drive. That's right, all
drive. All right, we'll stay tuned. We'll hopefully get a drive that soon. So Riz, we talk about the
price of the... What do you call it? The... What's my train of thought? That car we just saw, the
Uncharted. Thank you. I was in Uncharted territory for a second. My mind just blanked. But with that
car, you know, you can ask the price. But with some cars, if you have to ask the price, you
definitely can't afford it. And this is possibly one of them right here. So this is, if I'm pronouncing
this wrong, please correctly, Ferrari Luce. It sounds Italian enough, Luce. Marinello's first ever
fully electric car designed by Ex-Apple designer Johnny Ife. There it is. I can't tell whether this
is a render or the real thing. It's probably a bit of both, possibly looking at the design. But
let's just scroll through some of the picks in front of us. There it is. I mean, look, it's got
the prancing horse. It's got the red. It's got a bit of black. It's Ferrari. It's Ferrari red,
not just red. Yeah, it is the Ferrari red. I mean, I don't know, leave your thoughts in the comments.
What do you guys think of the shape? It's very different to the Ferrari that we know, I suppose.
Let's put it this way. I mean, the interior looks very modern for a Ferrari too.
It's got that center scoot through that a lot of EVs have as well, which is nice. It's good to see.
Yeah, but it's got some old school cluster, instrument clusters as well with a speedometer.
I wonder if that's digital. That's a real, well, you know, real dial. It's hard to know, is it?
Surely it's digital. Surely, right. This day and age. Yep. I will read some information
about this car summarized. Let's see if I can go through this with you. So there we go. So this
is the first fully ever electric Ferrari Luce, which is Italian for light. And as I said, designed
from, with Love From, which is led by Ex-Apples Johnny Ive, ex-designer. It's actually a five-door
hatchback, believe it or not, hatchback body, five meter car. So very long. It's got four motors,
one for each wheel, and zero to 62 miles an hour. So roughly 100 kph in about 2.5 seconds.
That's not fast enough for you. It's got a top speed of 192 miles per hour. So something like 350 ks.
Yeah. Five seat Ferrari. Interesting, isn't it? You always sort of consider a two seat Ferrari.
Never thought I'd see the day. Can someone guess how big the battery is? This was quite
impressive actually, I thought, in terms of the size. It is. Probably over 100 kWh, which is sort of
the norm in this sort of space. And yeah, it's very different to all the other Ferraris. And
I think a lot of Ferrari fans around the world are probably thinking, I mean,
there weren't pro EVs to begin with. But after seeing this, I think they'd never want to buy an
electric car. But we'll see what happens. We'll I mean, stranger things have
happened. But even just those performance things, I know I'm not a performance expert. That's Roland.
Roland spec vehicles. I think, you know, we'll have to wait and see what Roland says, because
that's what really matters on this car. Yeah. I mean, I'll have to compare with all the other
Ferraris I've driven and sat in. All zero of them. But yes, the shame Roland isn't here to comment.
But yes, 122 kWh battery. It's a huge beast. Huge beast of battery. Despite that though,
the weight is only 2.2 tons. Like there are certainly EVs heavier than that than this car.
So they've managed to keep the weight down somehow.
They have. And you know, if we're talking electric cars only, you have to sort of
give the credit to Tesla. Model S Playa was way ahead of its time. 2.1, 2.2 ton faster than this
in terms of pure straight line acceleration, probably faster than this on the Nurburgring.
And now we have the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra doing crazy laps and crazy speeds.
I think Xiaomi's got a smaller battery than this as well. So
yeah, I mean, you must really love Ferraris to add this to your collection.
But at the same time, I guess for first attempt, we have an electric Ferrari,
which a couple of years ago, most would have thought would never happen.
I think some people are wishing it hadn't. It's possibly sacrilege for some.
I wonder whether Nick Politis will get one of these too. I mean, he's got a
Yang Wang U9 coming, right? So why not add a luce to his portfolio?
I'm pretty sure I had like a stapler in high school that looked similar to this.
Yeah, good point, Joy. Someone, one of my friends who's a regular viewer of the show,
he mentioned to me that it reminds him of his parents, like those VHS tape winders
that you could put the VHS tape in. And then there was not memes. There's like,
you know, computer mouse and gaming mouse you can buy that are a little bit like that.
Unfortunately, we are old enough to say I remember having a tape winder when we were very
young and you could probably buy like Ferrari shaped tape winders. So it's probably not too
far from the truth. Yeah, I mean,
why do the wipers stick up like this? This is unusual, right?
That's a unless it's in the opposition, but that's kind of weird too.
There you go. It's a yellow one just in case you wanted the yellow one.
I'd probably still go red surely you buy red Ferrari, right?
I don't know about this one.
I'm not sure who this is supposed to appeal to because as he said is I don't think it's going
to appeal to your standard, you know, Ferrari driver as it is.
Yeah. Wipers for arrows as Jean. Okay.
This is true that the Ferrari stock did tank just on the lawn to this too.
That's right. So we're not alone in our dubiousness.
I mean, I think, you know, you think about these cars go through like a whole design phase and
reviews like design reviews stages.
Who is sitting there in Ferrari or anywhere?
They're thinking this looks like it's going to sell.
Like if you make something, you make it different.
This reminds me of that Jaguar concept or the one that's supposed to be the new thing coming,
the reimagined Jaguar, like where all the designers gone, the Chinese must have pinched them all.
Like all the good ones. And you look at like, you know,
Tom and Joe, you had the Beijing show photo on at the Beijing show,
Fung Ching Bao, which is one of the BYD brands.
And I think we touched on this on the live stream a couple of weeks ago.
They came out with some stuff that it's just looks gorgeous.
That's what Ferrari should have made.
Even like the Zika 7 GT or the Denza Z9 GT, I mean, they're great looking cars, right?
I mean, look to be fair, maybe they're thinking was okay.
Look, we can't make something that looks like a Ferrari.
Otherwise, they'll just be an uproar. We need to go completely different.
At least the uproar is, you know, you're not touching the traditional Ferrari look.
The hate will go towards something new.
And maybe in 20 years time, people will be like,
this was groundbreaking and it's beautiful.
You know, it's just like when you see it for the first time, it just,
didn't they say the same thing about like, even like the Eiffel Tower and, you know,
everything like that.
It's just like when people first see it, they're like, oh, what's that?
And then, yeah.
But then again, the Tesla Model S has said the first Model S,
which is the same generation as my one, looks great.
When it first came out, I was like, wow, that's a stunning car, right?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I'm not, I'm also on the fence about this one.
I'm not sure.
But we shall see.
After the stream, we'll put our deposit on and we'll let you know.
Real world review, you know, a few years time.
Uh, yeah, James, what, what happened to Ferrari's design?
The Enzo F40 LaFerrari?
Yeah, I mean, yes.
That's a beautiful car.
Isn't that right?
The one we saw in Tailum Bend a few months ago.
Oh, that's a gorgeous car in the foyer there.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, I don't know.
I guess we'll see.
Anyway, let's look.
It's, I guess it's a step forward.
It's a step, right?
Regardless.
So that's good.
X-Pank 7 plus, P7 plus, I assume you mean Tony?
Looks like it's coming.
That would be hard to beat on price.
Is that how much it is?
640K?
That's still less than the Spectre, I think it is.
Yeah.
Look, I can see, I think the Spectre overall has been a success for Rolls Royce.
Just because, you know, that's the type of vehicle a lot of customers are looking for.
And I think any luxury brand that makes like Bentley and the rest, when they make theirs,
they're going to be, it's going to be pretty nice.
In the sports car space, you know, there's a, major issues.
The battery pack being heavy, you need quite a bit of space for it.
You can't package the cars in the same way you've been doing with your,
you know, high performance V8s and V12s.
So understandable that they had to go down a path.
But I guess we will see with time.
But yeah, 640K, I think, yeah, it's USD.
So it's going to be close to a million bucks here.
Yep.
Yep.
And to be fair, I think they did re-engineer it.
It's like, I think Ferrari's mid-body, I'm not really sure.
I'm just talking about the other side here.
But that's what I read.
And this has been placed somewhere else that's more balanced as far as I know.
So there you go.
That's the Luce.
I think I pronounced that okay.
Luce.
We'll see.
We'll keep touching base.
I mean, this will hit Riz's garage very soon.
So we'll head over to his place.
That's exactly right.
So I'm going to have to wall off three of the four sides of my glass garage
so I can just look at the rear of this car
because I think that's the only nice thing.
Because it reminds me of Need for Speed 2
where they had the actual Ferraris in the rear end of the Ferrari
with those circle tail lights.
But yeah, so if anyone's interested, come to my garage next year.
You'll just see this image.
To be fair, the tail lights with the prancing horse,
that's very quintessential Ferrari, right?
So that's something at least.
Just look at the back of the car.
I think just to make yourselves happy.
All right.
So that is the Ferrari Luce to something a bit more affordable.
This is actually quite exciting.
This is the MG S6 which has officially been launched.
And we do have a video coming of this car.
We will drop it when the embargo drops next week.
But it's asking $49,990.
That is far more palatable.
I'm sure most of you all agree on the chap.
And has a decent range, 530 kilometers.
And importantly, all the dry variant is coming as well.
So...
Is my maths right?
You can get 20 of these for one Ferrari?
Potentially, yes.
That's right.
There you go.
Which one would you rather have?
Ferrari Luce or 20 of these?
I think I'd honestly rather have 20 of these.
Give them way like Oprah on the stream.
Like you can have a MG S6.
Yeah, I think we'd do a lot more good if there were 20 of these on the street.
And it's also a RWD, right?
So you know how much we love RWD.
And there's two trims.
Like I said, RWD and AWD.
They're $7,000 difference only essence.
And speaking of just a quick tangent,
I read today that the MG S5 Excite variant is going away.
Just streamlined their lineup.
So only the essence trim is now available for the S5.
I think because most people bought the essence trim anyway.
So the Excite was like, well, why should we keep selling this, right?
I think fleet buyers can still buy Excites,
but private buyers are confined to the essence trim.
Yeah, it looks good.
I think this will compete with the Tesla Model Ys of the world,
the BYDC, Lion 7s, the X-Pen G6, the Zika 7X potentially.
But far cheaper, right?
We're talking $10,000 to $20,000 cheaper.
I think the key here is the pricing is drive away pricing.
So that, you know, if you look at the, I think C-Line 7 is 55 or 56 plus on roads.
Model Y is 58 or 59 plus on roads.
So you're adding another 10% on top of that.
So you're sort of looking at a $60,000 to $65,000 cars drive away.
Where is this here?
It just starts at under $50,000 for a relatively large car.
And the specs are pretty decent too, right?
You know, it's a 77 kilowatt hour battery, I think, for memory.
The all drive can go from 0 to 105 seconds.
That's like Subaru and Uncharted quick.
And decent WLTP for the rural drive variant, 500Ks.
Can charge at 11 kilowatt AC, which is super,
because most, I think, MGs can only charge at 7 at this stage, 6 to 7.
And yeah, 4.7 meter car.
So it's a family, family size EV, which is good.
I mean, this is very exciting.
This is very good.
So the MG4, S5, S6, it's good.
MG4 Urban.
And the cyber stir is still lurking somewhere.
We have a 10 year warranty on all of these cars as well.
And I think they're close to 100 dealers Australia wide.
So I'm sure most people will be able to find a dealer.
Yeah, MG is a giant of the Australian market for sure.
So it shouldn't be any problems.
I think this is 7 standard.
I read like an extension to 10 warranty.
That's I've never seen that before.
Yeah.
That's one point I was going to bring up, actually.
Thank you, Kapiswada.
Yes, it's an NMC battery, which is a bit unusual.
Normally, well, I mean, BYD, for example, is LFP with the blade battery.
But maybe they just went for density
just to keep the weight down potentially.
Anyway, I think it's also got a heat pump.
And heat pumps do make a difference.
Huge difference.
We saw that with our MG4 test.
13 kilowatt hours per 100 Ks versus our MG S5,
which is sitting at 15, 16s normally.
So I'll see whether the heat pump also makes a difference for this car.
And look, we quite like the interior of S5.
So we'll see what the S6 looks like.
They've got kind of like a more sort of sensible
middle of the road kind of interior normally.
So I don't see why this one would be any different.
Yeah, if S5 is anything to go by, I had the MG for Urban last week.
And overall, it's a nice affordable car.
But for the S5 really has a better overall interior.
And I think if this, from memory, I saw it at the Melbourne Motor Show.
I think it's very similar, which would make sense.
So this would also be, will have some physical buttons as well as
obviously the screen and the rest.
So yeah, goodbye.
And HK says it's the first MG EV with a HUD head up display.
That's good.
It's like complete, really.
We, in a review, we should probably pick out what it's missing
compared to like the C-Line 7 or the Tesla Model Y or Zika.
They're more expensive cousins, right?
See whether, what are you compromising with the cheaper price?
I think that's probably what people want to know when they buy this car.
Here's a good question from only Penguin.
How is the federal budget going to affect EV sales?
Well, we did a video on Nevada lease and how the rules are changing.
I think that's probably going to be the biggest change.
There wasn't much on road user charge in the federal budget.
So I think that's probably, hopefully at least a couple of years away,
maybe after the next election.
But certainly, Nevada leasing is something we should look into
because the rules are changing from next year.
So check out our video in our catalogue.
Matt asks, are there any, is there any elite mode of B10 news
about from the price hike last month?
Was there something I missed?
Was there a price hike?
A slight increase from that price this year.
No, no other news.
I think so.
I think their hatchback was approved for sale a month or two ago.
So there is a hatchback.
I think I'm not sure what it's called an AO5, BO5, something like that.
Maybe BO5.
That's supposed to be going to global markets.
So that would be interesting to see.
But no, no news as far as I know on the B10.
I think we saw that in Beijing, but it was called something else,
like LaFo or something.
Yeah, LaFo 5.
Yeah, LaFo 5, yeah.
Yeah.
Now, speaking of Beijing and China, so this is also quite interesting.
This is going to affect us because, look,
there's a lot of hype around the GLEX2 best selling EV in China.
And very well priced in other export markets as well,
like South Africa and Malaysia.
Now, knowing China time, they have refreshed the EX2 now.
This is freshish news from a few days ago.
And it's a bigger battery.
So we are looking at, let's see, let me get my numbers right here.
So from 40, sorry, from 35 and 47 kilowatt hours respectively.
It's gone to 47.
Previously, it was, I think, the bigger battery,
which is what Thailand gets, was just over 40 kilowatt hours.
So this is added from memory, I think, about 70 or 80Ks of range.
Which is interesting because, as we know,
GLE have told us quarter three for EX2, for any sort of pricing and specs.
So I wonder whether, I mean, is it wishful thinking to think
that GLE have delayed it so that we get the new ones?
Or am I going to be hit with reality
that we're going to be stuck with the older specs?
I don't know. That's the question, right?
We'll keep looking.
Don't know. I mean, if I was GLE,
I'd probably just give the export market the older cars to get rid of them.
But it would be nice to get the new cars, right?
Just a slightly increased range.
Salomon Malaysia has protons, which is what they do with...
E-Mass, something.
Yeah, E-Mass.
Yeah, yeah.
But it does look promising.
Let's have a look at this interior.
It is marketed as the Geoam in China.
But hopefully, it comes with the Apple CarPlay off the bat.
And we've got the GLE X5 extended range at the moment.
And yeah, it is a really good package, actually.
So they do interiors very well, GLE.
And the extra range helps, too.
It's just very good, sort of like all-rounder cars, isn't it?
Good value all-rounder car.
Yep. So last week, there's surpassed, I think, 10,000 sales in Australia.
GLE.
Yeah, GLE and majority of them are EX5, of course.
And then they've got the Star-A that came a bit later last year.
So yeah, this car, I think, could do really well for them.
Yeah, I think it will, too.
So anyway, we'll keep our fingers crossed.
And if I get a chance to speak with Gileo, we'll ask the question,
are you waiting because you wanted to bring the extended range
to Australia?
Would you regret it?
There's supposed to be a roadshow soon, right?
Or it's already underway?
Yes, I believe so.
Yep. Cool.
All right.
So fingers crossed, everyone.
Let's take some questions from James.
Any updates for Tesla FSD version 14?
I don't think so.
He's been told by Tesla another wedding in Victoria.
It's weeks away.
I think I was told the weeks away early this year.
But I'm betting later this year, quarter, three, quarter, four.
Weeks away is technically correct, no matter when it comes out.
That's right.
How many weeks it is?
Oh, Tesla's always two weeks later, right?
So, yep, weeks away.
Who knows?
Oh, JD is saying BYD Zhengzhou 5000 car carrier.
We talked about this last week.
It's just off the coast of Brisbane,
Brisbane on route to Melbourne.
And Riz will be running with his shoes to Port Melbourne.
I'll have him on.
I'll have him on.
And maybe I'll have some news on the next livestream.
Exciting.
Exciting.
Get some photos for us, Riz.
I'll try to.
Yes, exactly, James.
Inspired from Elon's words two weeks later.
Yeah, give me two weeks.
All right.
Right, right.
Let's push on.
And here is a local bit of news.
So, this is near Riz to us, Northern Sydney.
This is a new ampold charge site.
This is Jim who shared this with us at Macquarie Park,
New South Wales.
This is at a petrol station.
But I can see at least six stalls,
six spots with three chargers.
And is that the, oh, what's the name of that brand?
Riz, it reminds me.
Oh, Alptronic.
Alptronic, that's it.
That's right.
Trapezoidal shape one.
Okay, that's good.
That's a fairly good location.
A lot of traffic through there.
So, it's good for Northern Sydney.
Quite a tidy install as well.
And I don't think anybody will complain
they're taking away spots
because it's quite a big, big location.
Yeah, it's good.
Question from Toss.
Is the BYD ship bringing the ATO3 EVO?
As far as I know, no, because the configurator,
the configurator hasn't really been updated
last I checked the ATO3.
But yeah, fingers crossed later this year,
we will get that.
Yeah, that looks good too, the specs,
as we discussed a couple of weeks ago.
Jim, thank you for the picture.
It says Epping Road, big server.
It is a big server indeed.
And Leon, yes, new amcharge eight bays
at Water Gardens in Melbourne as well.
So, yes, send those pics over.
We want to see them.
We want to see new pics and encourage more chargers.
James says BYD stated, I assume you're talking
about the ATO3 EVO.
It's going to be a slow rollout, so it could be a while.
Yep, yep.
Yeah, the ATO3 is definitely due for a big,
big facelift, big update.
Look at the sales like in April there for doing really well.
So, maybe they think, hey, we can hold off on this.
Still more cars at Jameru, they need to get rid of, clearly.
Yeah, all right, let's push on a bit more.
And I thought we'd talk about this a little bit too.
So, a lot of batteries were installed in the last six months.
And surprise, surprise, the prices have stabilised
for peak periods in the evenings.
Not really a surprise, because as opposed to gasping the price indicator,
now battery discharge is now calling the shots,
which is great because you're essentially paying for solar
because it's stored solar mostly, which is good.
Who would have thought that taking the excess solar energy
during the day and then using it when it's needed
would help the grain.
It's mind-boggling.
Mind-boggling.
Geniuses, geniuses.
Genius, yeah.
And stabilise even coal-fired plants as well later in the day.
So, that's good.
I mean, look, it's a big outlay for a lot of people,
but it was subsidised by the government and it's worked.
Look at that policy working.
So, yeah, as a result, obviously there's less volatility
with wholesale providers now like AMBA,
but I think it's good for the community in general
getting sort of stabilised power prices, which is good.
HK saying New Zealand is getting the new Ato III flash charging.
Renames Ato V, really?
Wow.
So, at the moment, at the Beijing show,
they announced the new Yuan Plus, which is the Ato III,
but it's a different car.
It's a bigger car, or it's bigger than the current Ato III,
and it does have flash charging.
And I believe, yes, our friends in New Zealand have Warren Willmott
and I think others that are involved with the BYD space
have mentioned that there is potential
for a new model to come out, but yeah, likely next year.
Yeah.
Yes, the Kiwis have got the jump on us again.
We were kind of ahead with new cars and got the Ato III.
And the new X-Pang as well, the new G6.
That was an own goal with X-Pang here, unfortunately.
They just, but yeah, good to see the Kiwis
getting some nice new cars.
I think they've also got the box, what's it called?
Yeah, Dong Feng.
Yep, and where was it?
Yeah, we got X-Pang also getting,
sorry, New Zealand getting the X-Pang G6, as Joyce said.
Yes, we kind of asked this question too last week
when we sort of talked about DPAL.
When is the DPAL SO5 coming?
When is Christmas coming?
I don't know.
Yeah, I think maybe they need to get rid of the SO7s first
with their crazy prices and then we'll talk.
I mean, that's a decent car.
Rural drive, LFP battery, so hopefully soon.
Yeah, Dean, I think that's kind of what Riz is saying, right?
One of the Ato V new beyond pluses being withheld
as C-Line 7 sales are so strong.
Yeah, potentially, potentially.
Question for you, Riz.
You survived the swimming with the sharks?
The car source boys seem to like it.
Yeah, so it was good.
I spent a bit of time with Jacob in the car as well.
We drove, we did the road test together from
near Melbourne Airport all the way down to Torquay.
And yeah, it was just, there's no other product like this.
And I'm really hoping there's a fully electric one,
but at the same time, I think it's good
that we've got alternatives to the Toyota,
Hilux and Ford Ranger.
Certainly seeing a lot more shark sixes on the road,
definitely, a lot in our neighborhood.
His question for the group says,
so Necro, with legacy makers launching cars
like the Subaru Uncharted, charging their legacy premiums,
do you think that will give Chinese brands
license increase prices?
That is a great question, great question.
Joy, I'll throw it at you first.
I don't think so, yeah.
I think the Chinese are normally pretty smart about
where they want to price things.
And it's normally kind of like a little bit under everybody else.
So it's either going to be the same price,
but you get more car for that same price.
Or it's, if it's like sort of like the same kind of specs,
it'll be a bit cheaper.
I think that's just, from what I've seen,
that's kind of like the pattern of Chinese pricing.
Yep.
Chris, do you agree?
Yeah, definitely.
I think the Chinese, I think they're running their own race.
Like it's very different to the legacy brands now.
I'm hearing whispers that a few in the legacy brand space
are finally waking up a little bit
and are actually a bit scared
of what the Chinese brands are doing now.
And are starting to pay way more attention.
But I think it's a little bit too late already.
Like if you, we saw this last week or the week before
with Subaru themselves, the Trailseeker hasn't been released yet
and they've already cut prices on it.
Yes, I saw that.
So it's like, I think that that free adjustment
is happening very quickly.
But as pretty much all of us here know,
this is just the beginning in terms of what's coming
at the price points.
We've touched on the MG S6 today,
one of the most popular segments.
We're getting a car that's under 50 grand drive away.
So I think very hard for a lot of the legacy brands
to even come close.
Toyota dropped 10 grand of their BZ4X late last year.
And that was with the announcement of the new model.
And even then they're giving between $5,000 and $10,000
some sort of finance offer going on for end of financial year now.
So yeah, it's happening very quickly.
Yeah, well said, Riz.
And I agree with Tony's comment here.
I think that the long game squeezes on China isn't playing around.
It's a long game, definitely.
It'd be silly for them to raise prices now.
They really need a foothold in this country
and other Western markets, other Asian markets too.
Yeah, I think they're playing a very, very long game.
They've got the tech.
They've got the economies of scale.
If anything, they can go lower.
They just don't need to.
So they've got more room to move if they needed to.
If they were going to move anyway,
I think it would be lower, not higher,
because they just want to get even more market share, I think.
And I think one quick thing is just thinking about the Chinese market.
And all three of us have been there
and we're seeing what's happening there.
The competition is so stiff.
Like, if they're selling a GLE X5 for about $21,000,
Australian dollars over there,
and they're selling the same car here, well, sorry,
maybe not the same car,
maybe a little bit more up-spec model here for,
starts at early 40,000s,
then there's room for them to move lower
if they really, really wanted to.
But I think that a lot are really happy
that a lot of them haven't cut prices.
Apart from the smaller brands like Deepel,
the bigger brands like GLE, BYD,
I'm glad they're not cutting prices
in terms of slashing actual recommended retail prices.
They're providing incentives to drive demand,
depending on how much stock they have.
So yeah, very good interesting topic.
I think for me, it would be nice
if we can get the cars very close to when China released them.
It still hurts a bit to get cars that are a year older
than what they are in China.
A lot of you will share that same sentiment.
But I understand we're still an export market to them.
And that being said, when we actually had the opportunity
to actually be there at the Beijing Auto Show
and you realized just how big they are
and how absolutely small and insignificant
the Australian market is,
and I'm just grateful that they actually even bothered
to send cars here.
Yeah, we're like the little tiny fish
or like the hobbit, isn't it?
But it's outlets like ours, outlets like Riz's, Carlo,
The Driven, Roland's Channel.
English-speaking outlets that talk about the brand.
So we are still a value to them and viewers watching,
they give very good feedback to their dealers.
I was going to say, I think one thing
about Australian drivers in general
is that they tend to be very specific about their feedback.
And I think that's actually very helpful for the brands.
They won't just say, oh, I don't like this car,
or I like the car.
But they'll actually specifically say
what it is they like about the car,
what it is they don't like about the car.
And people can actually take that and work with that.
So I think maybe that's the value of our market.
I think it's a testament to the educated population
that buy EVs, right?
Like you guys watching and comment on our channels
and comment on the publications.
You give justifications to why there's a problem
with this car or why you like this car.
It's not just, as Joey said, I don't like it.
There's a reason behind everything.
And that's great.
That's the feedback the Chinese need to improve.
And I think that point you touched on earlier,
Tom, around the delays between when the cars are launched
in China and what's happening in our market, for example.
I think I know one of the brands has copped a lot of slack
over the last probably 12 to 18 months
around having a new model in New Zealand
and not having one here.
Whereas, you know, that's XPeng.
But from earlier this year,
they've started to really launch models globally.
So when they announced the upgraded,
I think it was the P7 or the P7 Plus, one of them.
In China, it was launched at the same time in Europe.
So I think what they're starting to do
is really do things at a global level.
I think the right-hand drive market stuff
does push us a little bit back on certain things.
But I feel as the UK market is becoming a bigger
and more important market for them,
it won't be a surprise if we start to get cars
within three to six months of it launching in China.
I remember Julie was saying that the way
they've positioned their R&D around the world
was so that they never have to shut down.
Basically, you know, if the China headquarter closes
and then the European one just carries on
with whatever R&D they're doing,
and then it just goes round and round like that,
so it's like 24-7.
And that's, yeah, it's pretty, yeah.
I don't know any more efficient market than China
in terms of manufacturing R&D at the moment.
It's very hard to compete, I think.
Look, I think A.J.M.s makes a good point.
Like, you know, there's no secret that these cars,
some of them are making money.
These car companies, like, they're obviously
getting a big boost from the communist government.
And I think that's, you know,
they're supporting the local industry,
which is not unreasonable.
Like, the US does it too, and I assume Australia
would do it if we had a manufacturing industry still.
But it's back to the fact that it's a long game,
a very long game, losing money now,
but with the hope of future capitalization.
So I guess we'll see.
Yeah, very interesting times.
Very turbulent, isn't it?
What's the chat about?
John, commentary about New Zealand,
not having their own rules like ADRs in Australia,
just going with EU standards.
I mean, it's got its plus and minuses.
I mean, making, you know, red tape and paperwork easier
definitely would make it easier for cars to get approved
in New Zealand for sure.
Yep, yep.
Yeah, I mean, I think it's probably good to run it over
with a fine-tooth comb here too.
But I guess it depends on how much you trust the NCAP
and their approvals, homologation and so on.
Harmonization, that's a good word.
Thanks, you.
Yep.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, is there anything else you guys want to talk about?
I shall put this up for Rist.
You wanted to chat about this, Rist.
This is an event coming up in the Yara?
Oh, yes.
So yes, the Yara City Council next week are holding,
basically, an information slash workshop session for anyone
that's interested in electric vehicles.
I'll be there talking on a panel as well as just sharing
general basics of EVs that people that are still driving
a nice car might be interested in learning about.
So if anyone happens to be around,
feel free to reserve a spot.
It's free.
And yeah, it will be held in Abbotsford,
which is sort of the in northeast, more closer to Richmond.
So if anyone's interested, if you just want to come and say hi,
feel free.
It's a free event.
I think the fact that Rist is there is enough.
He had me at Rist.
He's there.
So we won't have a lucha with me yet.
It's still coming.
But this is, but if anyone's interested, feel free to or share
a video family and friends that are in the area
that might be interested in or sitting on the fence
about getting an electric car.
And we talk about things like charging infrastructure.
And it's sort of an inner city area.
So a little bit about charging and apartment charging
and using public charges in the area as well.
That's great, Rist.
And these community events are great because obviously,
we live in a very high powered EV bubble
because we're so learned and knowledgeable.
But EVs are still very mythical and mystical to a lot of people.
So it's a lot of, there need to be truths to be learned.
Yeah, acts to be unearthed.
So good that Yarra Council's doing this.
That's great.
Yeah.
I think even just breaking down how like truly,
truly how would you do to a granny charger?
Like you get into it all and you can put a bit into the car.
Because it is actually completely different
from what you've previously done going to a petrol station.
So you kind of, it's nice to actually have someone
to kind of like talk through all the steps
so that you can kind of see it.
It's not to do with the digital levels.
I've got a very smart guy who is still
about going to DCT because he's never done it before,
even though he's had an EV for a year, right?
So it's just breaking it down for people,
regardless of their walk in life.
Yeah, but even like to be able to ask,
you know, like quite a question is like,
does it matter side I plug in first?
Like, does it matter to get into the first?
What does it matter to get into the wall first?
And like, am I going to get electrocuted?
Like, do we wear rubber gloves?
Like, like, like it's understandable.
People have never, you know, come across
like having to do any of this stuff before.
So there should be a safe place to ask,
you know, any kind of question that you want.
Yep, agreed.
So yeah, long to Yara and speak to Riz.
Oh, I think sounds cutting in and out.
Okay, well, in that case, we might end tonight.
And thank you to our host Riz for joining us tonight.
Thank you, Riz.
Thanks, Tom and Joy.
It's been good.
One thing keeping an eye out on,
I've got early data coming in.
I think May is going to be the biggest month
we've had so far.
Um, it's, it's, and we've got a couple of days left
still in the month.
And it's already looking like higher in terms
of the total sales compared to April.
So yeah, it's going to be interesting.
There's some big, big boats coming,
a little, quite a lot of stock coming in.
And I'm not hearing, you know,
those crazy COVID stories of 80 months for an EV.
So, um, exciting times and we'll have more to share.
I guess next on the next live stream.
Yes.
I think it could be borderline figures for next stream.
So we'll see.
We'll keep an eye on that for sure.
Thank you, Riz.
And thank you, audience.
Thank you, Joy.
And we shall see you all next week.
Hopefully we've rolling.
So until then it's, uh, bye for now.
Nope, not one.
There we go.
This one.
All right.
Thanks, Riz.
Thanks everyone.
Have a good night.
Take care.
Bye.
About this episode
Battery chemistry, charging access, and pricing pressure take center stage, from the Subaru Uncharted’s CATL-sourced pack and AWD to the MG S6’s under-$50k drive-away positioning and 530 km claimed range. Ferrari Luce sparks debate over EV packaging, four-motor layout, and whether designs should “look like a Ferrari” or evolve. China updates keep coming: Geely EX2 battery refresh to 47 kWh, BYD’s “Ato III” flash-charging naming, and fast-moving incentives vs Australia’s lag. Charging infrastructure updates land in Sydney and Melbourne.
Catch up on the latest in Electric Vehicle news from Australia and around the world! Hosted by Tom & Joy Gan of Ludicrous Feed, Riz Akhtar from Carloop and Roland Lam from Zapped
