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JUMP AHEAD
- Audi A3
- Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid facelift
- Hyundai i30 hatch facelift
- MG3
- Mini Cooper hatch
- Peugeot E-208
- Skoda Scala (update)
- Suzuki Swift
- VW ID.3 (electric)
LATER
- Cupra Born VZ (2025)
- Kia K4 (2025)
- Renault 5 E-Tech (🤔)
Audi A3 facelift – late 2024
Audi unveiled its facelifted A3 Audi A3 in March, with a revised design and updated tech – along with a jacked-up Allstreet hatch model ...that won’t come to Australia.
There are updates to the Australia-bound models, however, with new customisable lighting technology and a redesigned interior.
Hyundai i30 hatch facelift – October
Revealed in May, the 'facelifted' i30 hatch (overdue N-Line is really the only significant facelift), brings a number of powertrain updates, but very few changes in the interior.
The updated seven-year-old hatch will reach Australia sometime around October, sourced this time from the Czech Republic rather than South Korea – from which Australia was the only remaining market still taking the hatch.
Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid facelift – Q3
The wildly styled Hyundai i30 sedan was treated to revised front-end treatment and exterior tweaks as part of a mid-life update in 2023 and will see a hybrid powertrain taken from the Kona SUV join the line-up in 2024.
Available across entry-level i30, Elite and Premium trim levels, the hybrid pairs a 1.32kWh battery and 22kW electric motor with the i30’s 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine and six-speed dual-clutch automatic for a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 2.8L/100km.
The base i30 hybrid also gains multi-link rear suspension, dual-zone air-conditioning that the entry-level petrol version misses out on.
MG3 – Q1
An all-new version of Australia’s top-selling light car will use a new scalable platform dressed in a fresh design mixing visual cues from its MG 4 and MG 5 stablemates.
While details are yet to be confirmed, the new MG 3 – which may not be called that when it arrives – appears larger that its predecessor, with a more sophisticated interior that’s expected to offer a larger infotainment screen and capabilities such as wireless smartphone charging.
Under the sleek new bonnet, the MG 3 uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a battery and electric motor hybrid set-up, while it will also bring safety tech such as AEB, now mandatory in Australia.
The only problem is that may push above the current MG 3’s sub-$20k starting price, potentially reducing its bargain basement appeal.
Mini Cooper hatch – Q3
The new generation Mini Cooper almost looks like a cheap knock-off of the model it replaces, but a closer look reveals high levels of sophistication and edginess the Mini is known for.
The two-model Cooper E and Cooper SE line-up runs flush door handles and LED lighting with an interior dominated by the 240mm circular digital instrument cluster.
There’s also the new Mini Operating System 9, cutting edge colours and materials, while the electric only powertrains see Cooper E packing 135kW/290Nm and 305km range, with the SE at 160kW/330Nm and 402km range.
Peugeot E-208 – exact timing TBC
The French brand used to be a super-mini master, and the E-208 takes its smallest hatch – launched in Europe in 2018 – into the electric age with a striking design in what’s the best-selling light EV in Europe.
Slightly larger than the Fiat 500e it competes with, the Spanish-built E-208 – its country of origin a subject of debate in French parliament – packs a 115kW electric motor and 51kWh battery pack for a 400km WLTP range.
E-208 owners could potentially enjoy a battery-exchange program, with Stellantis testing a program with the 500e in Madrid, Spain, that may spread to other brands withing the group, including Peugeot.
The premium pitched E-208 would be priced lower than the E-2008 SUV that launched in 2023 at around $60k.
Skoda Scala – April 2024
Scala is Skoda’s answer to the Volkswagen Golf and gets a mid-life facelift and significant tech upgrade for 2024.
While it may not look much different at a glance, keeping the Scala fresh after four years on sale in Australia are slimmer headlights with L-shaped signature DRLs, revised bumpers –front angular fangs matched with sharper upwards flicks on the rear – updated alloy wheel designs and nine (!) new colours.
There are no alterations to the line-up with Scala’s turbo-petrol three-cylinder engines in ‘85TSI’ and ‘110TSI’ guises unchanged.
Inside, Skoda has added to the existing suite of physical air-con buttons, a welcome move as Volkswagen moves such critical functions into a touchscreen…
MOREEverything Skoda
Suzuki Swift – exact timing TBC
The fourth-generation Swift will arrive in 2024 with chunkier styling in a heavily revised version of the current model.
Wider, taller yet slightly narrower, the new Swift carries near identical styling to its motor show concept, with an evolutionary design.
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A 9.0-inch centre screen adds two inches over the current Swift, with options including climate control, paddle shifters and a 360-degree camera.
Australian details are yet to be confirmed, yet overseas models carry over the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with CVT auto, which now has a mild hybrid battery set-up incorporated – the 1.0-litre turbocharged triple of the existing Swift appears to have been dumped.
Upgraded AEB, funky colours and a yet-to-be revealed Swift Sport are expected.
VW ID.3 (electric) – Late 2024
The ID.3 will debut Volkswagen’s ‘ID’ electric sub-brand in Australia with a sub-$60k C-segment five-door hatch delivering up to 546km in range.
The ID.3 is closely related to the Cupra Born EV, but gets a new front and tail design to distinguish it from the Spanish alternative.
On sale in Europe since 2020, Australia will receive the ID.3 after it’s been given its first upgrade, which included improved cabin materials, but no change to the 10.0-inch touchscreen criticised for the number of physical buttons it has replaced.
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The ID.3 brings with 150kW/310Nm motor with a choice of 58kWh (Pro) or 77kWh (Pro S) batteries to endow it with a lower price tag and greater range than the 170kW Cupra Born.
Charging is up to 170kW and sees 80 per cent of range available in 30 minutes.
Acceleration is modest (0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds), making the ID.3 GTX high performance model – confirmed for Australia – all the more salivating.
MORESUV Buyers Guide
The Not So Distant Future...
Cupra Born VZ
Following news of the Cupra Born EV range passing 1000 sales in Australia since launching last year, the brand has now confirmed it is expecting to launch the hero VZ model here in 2025.
As the performance flagship, the rear-wheel-drive Born VZ offers 240kW and 545Nm to deliver a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds.
Pricing is still to be revealed, but with the current model already starting from $59,990, the hero could arrive with a price much closer to $70,000 – assuming the regular model doesn't get a price cut to make space.
Kia K4 (2025)
Kia unveiled its new Cerato-replacing K4 sedan and hatch in March, but a local debut isn't expected to occur until 2025.
That launch event will likely occur in sync with the Australian Open, where main sponsor Kia likes to show off its latest models. Learn more about the K4 in our linked stories above.
Renault 5 E-Tech EV (who knows?)
Renault unveiled its very retrotastic 5 E-Tech EV in early March – but, while its external Australian distributor is keen to have it, the carmaker has yet to confirm if we'll get it.
Read more about the very cool little electric hatch at the linked story above. Want it in Australia? Let your Renault dealer know.
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