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The new Nissan Leaf
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Auto news: Dec 2022

We wrap up the latest developments in the car world, including the innovative 'Nissan Node' project taking off in Melbourne.

Fine food and fast cars return to Longford

The world-famous motor-racing history of Longford will be celebrated at a unique event in early 2023, designed to honour the town as a home of Australian motorsport, while providing insights into future mobility intelligence and other industry initiatives. Taking place on 11 and 12 March, the inaugural Longford Grand Prix Expo aims to build on the legacy of the Australian Grand Prix, Tasman Series and Australian Touring Car Championship races contested here from 1953 to 1968.

The events attracted huge crowds to witness the skills of renowned drivers like Sir Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Sir Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark, Bruce McLaren, Leo Geoghegan and Bob Jane, among others.

Chief Executive Officer of DX Industries and event organiser Jeremy Dickson says the goal is to create an internationally recognised event that will become a marquee visitor experience on the Tasmanian events calendar. “The event will feature a fully immersive adventure into motor vehicles and mobility, coupled with a range of educational, family-friendly and first-class hospitality activities,” he says.

The event is supported by the Tasmanian Government, Events Tasmania, Northern Midlands Council and the Northern Tasmania Development Corporation.

For more visit: Longford Grand Prix

Lotus Cortina at Longford Grand Prix
A 1955 Velocette MSS500

Nissan casting Australian plant

Nissan Australia is set to launch an innovative industry-first circular economy project in Victoria dubbed ‘Nissan Node’, in which the Nissan Casting Australia Plant (NCAP) will use recycled Leaf EV batteries to power part of its production facility. Located in outer suburban Melbourne, NCAP is one of Australia’s most successful automotive export facilities, supplying specialised cast aluminium components, including for the battery electric Leaf, to vehicle manufacturing plants around the globe.

By the numbers

  • 90,000

    The size in square metres of the NCAP facility in south-east Melbourne.

  • 2500

    The capability in tonnes of NCAP’s advanced high-pressure die-casting machines.

  • 100

    The percentage of recycled aluminium used in NCAP’s high-pressure die casting process.

  • 2.6 mil

    The number of metal castings produced at NCAP each year for export to vehicle assembly plants around the world, for Nissan models including Navara, Leaf, Qashqai, Pathfinder, Note, Serena, Frontier, Rogue, Armada, Patrol and X-Trail.

  • 15

    The tolerance in microns – less than the diameter of a human hair – that NCAP parts are produced to, in order to match precisely with parts made in Japan and elsewhere.

  • 60

    The number of individual components produced at NCAP that are critical to Nissan’s global business, including its growing EV fleet.

  • 1982

    The year NCAP was established, a decade before Nissan closed its Australian car-making facility.

  • 82.5

    The estimated amount in millions of Australian dollars of NCAP’s annual export sales.

  • 30

    The number of models made by Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi and Renault that utilise NCAP components.

The new Nissan Leaf

Turbo boost

Subaru Australia has launched two new turbocharged variants of the Outback AWD wagon, with first deliveries of the model-year 2023 (MY23) versions due before Christmas. Featuring the same five door body style as other Outback models, but differentiated via dual exhaust tips and LED fog lights, the new variants are badged AWD Sport XT and AWD Touring XT and cost $52,190 and $55,190 (MRLP) respectively – $5000 higher than equivalent non-turbo models, but packing a more powerful 2.4-litre direct-injection turbocharged Boxer engine that puts out a muscular 183kW/350Nm. That’s

45kW/105Nm more than the non-turbo 2.5-litre variants, although the turbos sip costlier 95 RON fuel at a rate of 9.0L/100km versus 7.3L/100km for the 91 RON non-turbos. The turbo Outbacks also boast a heftier 2400kg braked towing capacity, 400kg more than their stablemates, and shave a claimed 22% off the latter’s unspecified 0-100km/h time.

Credit: Subaru Australia

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Published
8 December 2022