Everybody has a Christmas wish list, even when you’re a grown up there’s still stuff you hope someone buys for you each December 25. So what do we want under the tree this year? Well, I’m not sure it will fit down there because we have a list of five new models we’d love to see sold in Australia.
Ford F-150 Raptor R
Ford Australia has gone to all the trouble of creating a right-hand drive production line to convert the F-150 so it seems a shame to stop there. Given the popularity of the Ranger Raptor, why not add the high-performance option to the local line-up.
The range-topping Raptor R packs a 537kW punch from its 5.2-litre supercharged V8 and comes with suspension tuned in the Baja desert races – perfect for tackling Australia’s tough outback.
Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
Regular readers will know we’ve been a fan of Cadillac’s CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings for quite some time and believe they’d make the ideal spiritual successors to the HSV Commodore range that Australians so dearly loved. Unfortunately General Motors has opted for an all-electric line-up for Cadillac’s Australian expansion, but it’s Christmas so we’re dreaming.
The CT5 is Cadillac’s BMW 5-Series rival, so it would make the ideal replacement for the sports sedans Australian grew up on, but bring some added luxury to the table. The CT5-V Blackwing is powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 that makes 498kW and 893Nm, which is a lot of grunt and no doubt sounds better than an electric car.
Dodge Charger
Stellantis has had a difficult few years in Australia with the closure of Dodge, Chrysler and the struggles for Jeep and Alfa Romeo. So what better way to win back the hearts and sales of Australians than with a 410kW sports sedan and coupe double threat.
Dodge originally planned to invent the e-Muscle Car and swap to an all-electric line-up for the new-generation Charger, but thankfully for petrolheads it changed its mind. Instead the new Charger gets a twin-turbo straight-six engine (called ‘Hurricane’) that makes 410kW. While it’s not as powerful or sounds as dramatic as the old V8 ‘Hellcat’ it still feels like a better fit for a Dodge muscle car than an electric motor.
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota already has three very popular off-roaders – the LandCruiser 300 Series, the LandCruiser 70 Series and the LandCruiser Prado – so why does it need another? Because you can never have too much of a good thing.
Plus Australians love both big SUVs and the American-sized utes like the newly released Tundra. That’s converted to right-hand drive locally, so it would only make sense to add another variant to the mix.
The Sequoia is a massive SUV, sitting atop the Tundra underpinnings and powered by the same 325kW twin-turbo V6 petrol-electric hybrid as the i-Force Max version of the big pickup. That would set it apart from the diesel-powered LandCruiser 300 Series and give us Aussies more choice for our adventures.
Xiaomi SU7
When you have the CEO of a rival car company publicly praising the vehicles from another brand it must be good. Which is why I’d love to see the Xiaomi SU7, a new Chinese electric sports sedan, reach Australian roads.
While I still love the smell of petrol and the sound of V8, I can also appreciate the effortless performance of a powerful electric car. The SU7 has some serious performance potential judging by the 6m46s lap time its Ultra prototype did around the Nurburgring this year.
Ford CEO Jim Farley had one shipped from China to the USA to test it and admitted he liked it so much he didn’t want to give it up – which is high praise.
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