Tesla Model Y, Mercedes-Benz EQA, Lexus UX300e, Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW iX and other new premium electric cars heading to Australia

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A few weeks ago, we looked at what electric vehicles are coming down the road from Australia’s biggest-selling brands. But what if you prefer a prestige model? Well, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect from Australia’s major luxury car companies in the short to mid-term.

As with our first story, we’re focusing on EVs that have either been confirmed, announced or are considered a lock for production within the next five years. In other words, no radical concepts that you’ll never be able to park in your driveway.

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The Italian brand is set for yet another major shake-up only six years after the launch of its current Giulia, which was meant to serve as a renaissance model. With Alfa Romeo now falling under the Stellantis umbrella, it’s up the previous Peugeot-Citroen management to try and return Alfa Romeo to its glory days.

To that end, the ‘Giorgio’ platform that underpins the Giulia and Stelvio will be phased out in favour of the new electric-capable STLA Medium and STLA Large platforms. According to the company’s recent EV Day presentation, the former will be capable of running up to 700km from its battery and the latter up to 800km.

Stellantis also confirmed it will offer a range of modular powertrains with a 400-volt electrical system with electric motors making between 125-180kW or an 800-volt system with motors making between 150-330kW.

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The brand with the four rings is set to go big on EVs in the next few months, with four models due in Australia by the end of 2021 and more set to follow. 

Joining the already launched e-tron wagon and Sportback ‘coupe’ will be the sportier, more dynamic e-tron S and e-tron S Sportback. These new additions will make 320kW/808Nm from its triple-motor powertrain, with the ability to boost to 370kW/973Nm for eight seconds on overboost.

Also coming soon is the brand’s electric sports sedan, the e-tron GT and its high-performance variant, the RS e-tron GT. The former will be packing 350kW/630Nm and the latter 440kW/830Nm. Closely related to the Porsche Taycan, the e-tron GT and RS version will be equipped with an 800-volt electrical system that will offer ultra-rapid charging, adding approximately 100km of range in just five minutes.

While not confirmed for our shores yet, given Audi Australia’s desire to be on the front-line of the EV revolution, it’s highly likely both the new Q4 e-tron and production version of the A6 e-tron concept will be added as soon as possible. The Q4 e-tron could be here as soon as 2022, and while the A6 e-tron is expected to make its debut as a production car next year, it won’t hit showrooms until 2023.

Another as-yet-confirmed electric addition will be the Q6 e-tron, which is tipped to sit on the same platform as the upcoming Porsche Macan EV (more on that later) and expand Audi’s line-up of SUV EVs.

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The Bavarian brand was arguably the first established premium brand to take EVs seriously, launching the i3 city car back in 2013. While it had appealing qualities, it failed to be the kind of sales success BMW management envisioned and so it is being phased out like its i8 sports-car sibling.

In its place BMW has prepared a new wave of ‘i’ models, beginning in 2021 with the launch of the iX SUV and continuing early in 2022 with the arrival of the i4 sports sedan.

The iX is due in the fourth quarter of this year, with BMW already confirming specification and pricing. The iX xDrive40 will kick-off the range at $135,900 and be joined by the xDrive40 Sport and xDrive50 Sport before a flagship M performance version, the iX M60 arrives in 2022.

A dual-motor powertrain underpins the iX range, with the xDrive40 duo making 240kW/630Nm, while the xDrive50 Sport makes 385kW/765Nm and can run 0-100km/h in just 4.6 seconds.

The 4 Series based i4 is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter of next year with two options - the eDrive40 and the M50; the latter is expected to beat the M60 to market, which will make it the first electric M division model on sale in Australia.

The i4 eDrive40 has a single motor, rear-wheel-drive set-up which is good for 250kW/430Nm, while the M50 has a pair of motors (one on each axle) for all-wheel-drive performance, making 400kW/795Nm.

Also due to arrive before the end of 2021 is the iX3, although BMW Australia is yet to release pricing and specifications of the X3-based EV. 

BMW has previously indicated it will launch nine EVs by the middle of the decade, with i5 and i7 sedans expected as well as a new iX1 compact SUV that will effectively replace the i3.

 

The British brand recently announced it will ‘Reimagine’ not only its EV plans, but its entire philosophy as a brand. Having launched the I-Pace in 2018 and planned for an all-electric replacement for the XJ luxury limo, recently installed Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bolloré announced a major shake-up.

The electric XJ was scrapped, only months ahead of its unveiling, and instead Jaguar will introduce an all-new range of EV models and stop trying to compete with the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz on volume, and instead focus on profitability as a more niche luxury brand.

While Jaguar has announced exactly which models will remain, it will introduce a new EV platform, known as the Electric Modular Architecture (EMA), that will be used for all models.

The line-up is expected to completely overhauled within five years, and although Jaguar hasn’t confirmed it, this new-look range will likely consist of a new I-Pace (which will replace the E-Pace), an F-Pace replacement and a battery-powered sports car to fill the void of the F-Type and retain the brand’s dynamic image.

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While Jaguar is ‘reimaging’ itself completely, its more successful sibling brand Land Rover will make a more subtle switch to introduce EV and hybrid models.

To create separation between the two brands Land Rover will get its own platform, Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA), that will be suitable for both full EVs and hybrids. Land Rover is expected to launch its first EV in 2024 with five more to follow by 2026. 

However, while Jaguar’s future is unclear, Land Rover is expected to continue with its current line-up of nameplates - Range Rover, Discovery and Defender - but transition to offering more EV and hybrid powertrains within those models.

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Despite being a leader in hybrid technology the Japanese brand has been slow to make the switch to EVs. That is set to change in the coming years though, with Lexus announcing it will launch 10 new EVs, plug-in hybrids and more conventional hybrids by 2025.

Before that though we’ll get the UX300e, which is expected to hit local showrooms by the end of 2021. The new flagship for the UX range swaps the usual hybrid powertrain for an electric motor making 150kW/300Nm and driving the front wheels.

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The German giant recently announced plans to go all-electric by the end of the decade in some markets, and crucially it will introduce three new EV platforms in 2025 and stop development on its existing architectures.

But that’s the long-term future, in the immediate future the brand already has several EVs either in showrooms now or set to appear shortly. The EQC launched back in December 2019, in June the EQA arrived, the EQS is due by the end of the year and the EQB is coming early in 2022.

The EQA range currently only features one model, the EQA250, which is powered by a 140kW/375Nm electric motor, has a 426km range and is priced from $76,800.

The EQS is scheduled for a December release, and befitting its place as a luxury flagship, it will offer Mercedes’ latest EV technology to allow it industry-leading 770km driving range. It will be available in EQS450+ and EQS580 guises, the former offers 245kW/586Nm and the latter 385kW/855Nm.

The EQB may be based on the mid-size GLB SUV but will offer seven-seats and 215kW of all-wheel-drive performance. 

  

Anyone in doubt that EVs are the future only needs to look at what Porsche has planned. The fact that even a brand as steeped in performance cars is making such a major switch toward electric power is proof EVs are the future.

Following the successful rollout of the Taycan sports sedan, the Taycan Cross Turismo wagon is due to arrive before the end of the year, with pricing and specifications already announced. The Taycan Cross Turismo 4S will be priced from $201,000, while the Turbo variant will be $271,200.

While it may be a wagon, the Cross Turismo is still a high-performance offering as you’d expect from Porsche, with the 4S making 420kW/650Nm and the Turbo 500kW/850Nm, with the latter sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 3.3 seconds.

But that’s not all Porsche has planned when it comes to EVs. An electric version of the Macan SUV is due to arrive in 2022, and it will become the future of the brand’s smaller SUV, with the petrol-engine version to eventually be phased out as demand shifts.

Porsche has also begun talking openly about the possibility of electric sports cars, specifically the 718 Cayman and Boxster, with upcoming emissions regulations, and market demands, forcing its hand.

One model that won’t be switching to electric power anytime soon, though, is the 911. Porsche is keen to keep that petrol-powered for as long as possible, even investing into the development of carbon neutral synthetic fuels to extend the lifespan of the 911’s famous flat-six engine.

 

While it’s yet to launch a car in its native US market, Rivian has already made its intentions clear that it wants to be selling its R1T ute and R1S SUV in Australia as soon as possible. While Rivian is largely unknown outside the industry, it has attracted more than $US10.5 billion in investment from the likes of Amazon and Ford.

Both models are built on the same platform, which features a four motor set-up that allows for excellent off-road performance and the ability to ‘tank turn’ by sending more drive to one specific motor for extra manoeuvrability. 

Rivian is due to begin US deliveries by the end of this year with plans to enter the European market soon afterwards. While no specific timeframe has been set, expect Rivian to make it to Australian within the next three to five years.

 

Predicting when a new Tesla will arrive is always challenging, given the brand’s secretive nature and history of delays.

What we do know is that the Model Y will be the next addition to the American brand’s Australian line-up. It’s anticipated that our Model Y will be built at the company’s new Chinese factory, which recently began producing right-hand-drive models for the Hong Kong market. That could pave the way for the Model Y to join the Model 3, Model S and Model X by sometime later this year or early in 2022.

The much-hyped Cybertruck is harder to predict. Having been revealed back in 2019, the radical-looking ute has been delayed for a variety of reasons, including the ongoing semiconductor shortage. In a recent earnings update, Tesla appeared to admit the Cybertruck is still “in development”, which means it won’t launch in the US until at least 2022, which means it’s highly unlikely we’ll see it in Australia until ‘23 at the earliest – if at all.