Arise Racing GT survives tricky Queensland conditions
And while they didn't add to that tally at the Willowbank circuit, they still have a strong lead in the Pro-Am Driver's Championship.
'I think if this is a bad weekend, then it's not so bad,' said Schutte after race two.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
'Overall we'll take this weekend and move on.'
The team's #26 crew took their Ferrari 296 GT3 to a third-place finish in the opening race of the weekend, but could only manage fifth in race two, as uncharacteristically wet weather caught out many drivers in the field, resulting in a disjointed, safety car-filled affair.
The team's second entry, the #77 Ferrari, had an eventful weekend that included a major change prior to action getting underway. Jordan Love stepped aside from his usual co-driver seat with Steve Wyatt and was replaced by his brother, Aaron. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
No stranger to racing, Aaron Love began the season in Supercars and has experience racing in Porsche Carrera Cup in Australia and France.
Despite limited time in the Ferrari, Love took little time to adapt and he and Wyatt managed to claim fifth place in the opening race. They then improved in the second race, finishing in fourth, ahead of their teammates.
'First weekend done and dusted, second race is done,' said Aaron Love. 'Second time in the car for myself in dry conditions. It was a heap of fun, managed to snag fastest lap and make up a few positions. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
'Steve jumped in the car, a good driver swap, popped out second and couldn't quite hold off a few of the cars. A few of the safety cars probably helped us out there and we came home fourth.
'A few things went our way and few things didn't go our way, but ultimately it was a good, fun weekend.'
Evans and Schutte's championship rivals, Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, claimed victory in race one and then backed it up with third place in race two. Supplied Credit: CarExpert
While that closed the gap in the driver's standings, the Arise Racing GT duo still hold a 22-point advantage with three more rounds to run.
The team also has a five-point lead in the Team's Championship, as it looks to add to the silverware it claimed in its debut season.
The next round of the GT World Challenge Australia series will be at Melbourne's Sandown Raceway on July 25-27.
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
2025 Jeep Gladiator price and specs: Only one variant left, but it's cheaper than before
The Jeep Gladiator has received a raft of updates for model year 2025 (MY25), but the dual-cab 4×4 ute has actually received a price cut. There are two caveats here: the price-leading Night Eagle variant is now dead, leaving only the flagship Rubicon; and it's the before on-roads price that has been reduced. The Rubicon has dropped from $87,250 to $82,990 before on-roads, though examples of the MY23 Rubicon are still being offered for $76,000 drive-away… and earlier this year it was even cheaper at just $70,000 drive-away. The refreshed Gladiator Rubicon is arriving in showrooms this month. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Jeep Gladiator. Click here to get a great deal. Externally, the MY25 Gladiator is distinguished by a new grille with improved cooling performance, and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design. The antenna has also been relocated to the windscreen, which now features Gorilla glass, and the Gladiator has picked up an additional underbody skid plate. Jeep has also made the old Lifestyle Adventure Group standard, bringing lockable under-seat storage, an auxiliary switch bank, 240-amp alternator and Bluetooth speaker, plus a spray-in liner and trail rail system for the tub. Also newly standard are body-coloured fender flares, though a body-colour hard top remains optional. Inside, the changes are even more apparent. The 8.4-inch touchscreen has been replaced with a new 12.3-inch unit, with full-array local dimming technology for improved visibility when the Gladiator's roof is off, and it has been upgraded from the Uconnect 4 infotainment system to Uconnect 5. Other interior upgrades include curtain airbags and Nappa leather upholstery for both rows of seats, and 12-way power-adjustment for the front seats. Jeep also notes the Gladiator has a new urethane dash panel and a hard seat-back panel, though the new instrument panel features soft-touch surfaces and contrast accent stitching. It also says it has made improvements to noise, vibration and harshness. The updated Gladiator has been a long time coming, having first been revealed in the US in September 2023. The ute – Jeep's first since the Comanche, never sold here, exited production in 1992 – was launched here in 2020. It's closely related to the Wrangler, though it has never been offered with the V8 and plug-in hybrid powertrains available in the SUV in the US. There was a turbo-diesel V6 offered overseas, though unfortunately it was never offered in Australia and has been discontinued globally. There's just one engine available: a petrol V6 with idle stop/start. The body-on-frame Gladiator is offered in just one dual-cab 4×4 ute body style. The Jeep Gladiator is backed by a five-year, 100,000km warranty. Jeep offers five years of capped-price servicing. While it hasn't announced MY25 service pricing, the outgoing Gladiator costs $399 per visit for each of these five visits. The Jeep Gladiator has a three-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2019 of the related Wrangler. Standard safety equipment includes: There's now just one grade of Gladiator available. The Rubicon comes standard with the following standard equipment: A body-colour hard top is a $1950 option. The Gladiator is offered exclusively with a black interior. Bright White exterior paint is standard, with the following finishes costing an additional $1145: MORE: Explore the Jeep Gladiator showroom Content originally sourced from: The Jeep Gladiator has received a raft of updates for model year 2025 (MY25), but the dual-cab 4×4 ute has actually received a price cut. There are two caveats here: the price-leading Night Eagle variant is now dead, leaving only the flagship Rubicon; and it's the before on-roads price that has been reduced. The Rubicon has dropped from $87,250 to $82,990 before on-roads, though examples of the MY23 Rubicon are still being offered for $76,000 drive-away… and earlier this year it was even cheaper at just $70,000 drive-away. The refreshed Gladiator Rubicon is arriving in showrooms this month. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Jeep Gladiator. Click here to get a great deal. Externally, the MY25 Gladiator is distinguished by a new grille with improved cooling performance, and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design. The antenna has also been relocated to the windscreen, which now features Gorilla glass, and the Gladiator has picked up an additional underbody skid plate. Jeep has also made the old Lifestyle Adventure Group standard, bringing lockable under-seat storage, an auxiliary switch bank, 240-amp alternator and Bluetooth speaker, plus a spray-in liner and trail rail system for the tub. Also newly standard are body-coloured fender flares, though a body-colour hard top remains optional. Inside, the changes are even more apparent. The 8.4-inch touchscreen has been replaced with a new 12.3-inch unit, with full-array local dimming technology for improved visibility when the Gladiator's roof is off, and it has been upgraded from the Uconnect 4 infotainment system to Uconnect 5. Other interior upgrades include curtain airbags and Nappa leather upholstery for both rows of seats, and 12-way power-adjustment for the front seats. Jeep also notes the Gladiator has a new urethane dash panel and a hard seat-back panel, though the new instrument panel features soft-touch surfaces and contrast accent stitching. It also says it has made improvements to noise, vibration and harshness. The updated Gladiator has been a long time coming, having first been revealed in the US in September 2023. The ute – Jeep's first since the Comanche, never sold here, exited production in 1992 – was launched here in 2020. It's closely related to the Wrangler, though it has never been offered with the V8 and plug-in hybrid powertrains available in the SUV in the US. There was a turbo-diesel V6 offered overseas, though unfortunately it was never offered in Australia and has been discontinued globally. There's just one engine available: a petrol V6 with idle stop/start. The body-on-frame Gladiator is offered in just one dual-cab 4×4 ute body style. The Jeep Gladiator is backed by a five-year, 100,000km warranty. Jeep offers five years of capped-price servicing. While it hasn't announced MY25 service pricing, the outgoing Gladiator costs $399 per visit for each of these five visits. The Jeep Gladiator has a three-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2019 of the related Wrangler. Standard safety equipment includes: There's now just one grade of Gladiator available. The Rubicon comes standard with the following standard equipment: A body-colour hard top is a $1950 option. The Gladiator is offered exclusively with a black interior. Bright White exterior paint is standard, with the following finishes costing an additional $1145: MORE: Explore the Jeep Gladiator showroom Content originally sourced from: The Jeep Gladiator has received a raft of updates for model year 2025 (MY25), but the dual-cab 4×4 ute has actually received a price cut. There are two caveats here: the price-leading Night Eagle variant is now dead, leaving only the flagship Rubicon; and it's the before on-roads price that has been reduced. The Rubicon has dropped from $87,250 to $82,990 before on-roads, though examples of the MY23 Rubicon are still being offered for $76,000 drive-away… and earlier this year it was even cheaper at just $70,000 drive-away. The refreshed Gladiator Rubicon is arriving in showrooms this month. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Jeep Gladiator. Click here to get a great deal. Externally, the MY25 Gladiator is distinguished by a new grille with improved cooling performance, and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design. The antenna has also been relocated to the windscreen, which now features Gorilla glass, and the Gladiator has picked up an additional underbody skid plate. Jeep has also made the old Lifestyle Adventure Group standard, bringing lockable under-seat storage, an auxiliary switch bank, 240-amp alternator and Bluetooth speaker, plus a spray-in liner and trail rail system for the tub. Also newly standard are body-coloured fender flares, though a body-colour hard top remains optional. Inside, the changes are even more apparent. The 8.4-inch touchscreen has been replaced with a new 12.3-inch unit, with full-array local dimming technology for improved visibility when the Gladiator's roof is off, and it has been upgraded from the Uconnect 4 infotainment system to Uconnect 5. Other interior upgrades include curtain airbags and Nappa leather upholstery for both rows of seats, and 12-way power-adjustment for the front seats. Jeep also notes the Gladiator has a new urethane dash panel and a hard seat-back panel, though the new instrument panel features soft-touch surfaces and contrast accent stitching. It also says it has made improvements to noise, vibration and harshness. The updated Gladiator has been a long time coming, having first been revealed in the US in September 2023. The ute – Jeep's first since the Comanche, never sold here, exited production in 1992 – was launched here in 2020. It's closely related to the Wrangler, though it has never been offered with the V8 and plug-in hybrid powertrains available in the SUV in the US. There was a turbo-diesel V6 offered overseas, though unfortunately it was never offered in Australia and has been discontinued globally. There's just one engine available: a petrol V6 with idle stop/start. The body-on-frame Gladiator is offered in just one dual-cab 4×4 ute body style. The Jeep Gladiator is backed by a five-year, 100,000km warranty. Jeep offers five years of capped-price servicing. While it hasn't announced MY25 service pricing, the outgoing Gladiator costs $399 per visit for each of these five visits. The Jeep Gladiator has a three-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2019 of the related Wrangler. Standard safety equipment includes: There's now just one grade of Gladiator available. The Rubicon comes standard with the following standard equipment: A body-colour hard top is a $1950 option. The Gladiator is offered exclusively with a black interior. Bright White exterior paint is standard, with the following finishes costing an additional $1145: MORE: Explore the Jeep Gladiator showroom Content originally sourced from: The Jeep Gladiator has received a raft of updates for model year 2025 (MY25), but the dual-cab 4×4 ute has actually received a price cut. There are two caveats here: the price-leading Night Eagle variant is now dead, leaving only the flagship Rubicon; and it's the before on-roads price that has been reduced. The Rubicon has dropped from $87,250 to $82,990 before on-roads, though examples of the MY23 Rubicon are still being offered for $76,000 drive-away… and earlier this year it was even cheaper at just $70,000 drive-away. The refreshed Gladiator Rubicon is arriving in showrooms this month. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Jeep Gladiator. Click here to get a great deal. Externally, the MY25 Gladiator is distinguished by a new grille with improved cooling performance, and a new 17-inch alloy wheel design. The antenna has also been relocated to the windscreen, which now features Gorilla glass, and the Gladiator has picked up an additional underbody skid plate. Jeep has also made the old Lifestyle Adventure Group standard, bringing lockable under-seat storage, an auxiliary switch bank, 240-amp alternator and Bluetooth speaker, plus a spray-in liner and trail rail system for the tub. Also newly standard are body-coloured fender flares, though a body-colour hard top remains optional. Inside, the changes are even more apparent. The 8.4-inch touchscreen has been replaced with a new 12.3-inch unit, with full-array local dimming technology for improved visibility when the Gladiator's roof is off, and it has been upgraded from the Uconnect 4 infotainment system to Uconnect 5. Other interior upgrades include curtain airbags and Nappa leather upholstery for both rows of seats, and 12-way power-adjustment for the front seats. Jeep also notes the Gladiator has a new urethane dash panel and a hard seat-back panel, though the new instrument panel features soft-touch surfaces and contrast accent stitching. It also says it has made improvements to noise, vibration and harshness. The updated Gladiator has been a long time coming, having first been revealed in the US in September 2023. The ute – Jeep's first since the Comanche, never sold here, exited production in 1992 – was launched here in 2020. It's closely related to the Wrangler, though it has never been offered with the V8 and plug-in hybrid powertrains available in the SUV in the US. There was a turbo-diesel V6 offered overseas, though unfortunately it was never offered in Australia and has been discontinued globally. There's just one engine available: a petrol V6 with idle stop/start. The body-on-frame Gladiator is offered in just one dual-cab 4×4 ute body style. The Jeep Gladiator is backed by a five-year, 100,000km warranty. Jeep offers five years of capped-price servicing. While it hasn't announced MY25 service pricing, the outgoing Gladiator costs $399 per visit for each of these five visits. The Jeep Gladiator has a three-star safety rating from ANCAP, based on testing conducted in 2019 of the related Wrangler. Standard safety equipment includes: There's now just one grade of Gladiator available. The Rubicon comes standard with the following standard equipment: A body-colour hard top is a $1950 option. The Gladiator is offered exclusively with a black interior. Bright White exterior paint is standard, with the following finishes costing an additional $1145: MORE: Explore the Jeep Gladiator showroom Content originally sourced from:
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Tesla loses billion-dollar revenue source as US ditches fuel economy fines
For the first time in 50 years, automakers in the US will no longer be fined for failing to meet fuel consumption standards, significantly impacting a major revenue stream for electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla. US President Donald Trump's July 4 (2025) bill ended penalties for automakers that do not meet North America's world-leading CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, first introduced in 1975. It acts retrospectively, with automakers not liable for any penalties incurred from and including 2022. According to Reuters, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is 'working on its reconsideration of fuel economy rules'. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Supplied Credit: CarExpert The same bill also terminated US federal tax credits for new and used EVs of between $US4000-$7500 (A$6137-$11,507), which will end on September 30, 2025. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) describes CAFE's purpose as 'to reduce energy consumption by increasing the fuel economy of cars and light trucks'. It adds: 'When these standards are raised, automakers respond by creating a more fuel-efficient fleet, which improves our nation's energy security and saves consumers money at the pump, while also reducing greenhouse emissions'. The removal of fines is a boost for the bottom line of some of the world's largest car manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis – the latter of which has US brands including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge and Ram under its umbrella. Supplied Credit: CarExpert According to Reuters, Stellantis paid almost $US600 million (A$921m) in CAFE fines between 2016 and 2020, while GM paid $US128.2 million (A$196.7m) in penalties between 2016-2017. Tesla, on the other hand, has now suffered a major blow to one of its most important revenue streams. The EV company raked in $US2.76 billion (A$4.23bn) in 2024 alone from selling 'carbon credits' to other automakers, including credit revenue collected in other markets such as Europe. The company's 2024 credit revenue represented a 54 per cent year-on-year increase, yet it wasn't enough to prevent a fall in profit from $US15 billion (A$23bn) in 2023, to $US7.1 billion (A$10.89bn) for the 2024 calendar year, when the Toyota RAV4 also poached the title of world's best-selling car from the Model Y by fewer than 3000 sales. The EV brand was already under stress from the first recorded annual sales decline in its history – with deliveries sliding by 1 per cent in 2024 – even before the elimination of revenue from carbon credits. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'If things go bad for Tesla and they don't sell enough cars this year, they might not have enough credits for what they promised Stellantis and the others,' Peter Mock, managing director of the International Council on Clean Transportations (ITCC) told Politico in March. 'Tesla is under pressure.' With these credits disappearing in the US, the pressure on Tesla has now increased. Under CAFE, fuel economy (and therefore emissions) was averaged across all models sold by a manufacturer, with those exceeding the limits able to buy 'credits' from those that haven't. Doing so allows automakers in breach to lower their average fuel consumption figure to reduce or avoid fines. EV-only brands such as Tesla and Polestar were able to make considerable profit from US credits, while also 'pooling' credits with automakers struggling to meet ever-tightening emissions laws in Europe. Supplied Credit: CarExpert It's a similar arrangement to Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which was introduced this year with fines for automakers that exceed average CO2 emissions targets across their model ranges, in the form of penalties or credits for each sold vehicle under those limits respectively. NVES and the CAFE regulations have nearly identical goals, and have attracted the same arguments for and against on both sides. Likewise, NVES allows carbon credits to be traded between brands to reduce fines – although Polestar Australia boss Scott Maynard recently said their monetary value is debatable after Polestar announced its best start to a year with a 51 per cent global sales increase in the first half of 2025. In the first half of 2025, Tesla remained Australia's most popular EV brand, with the Model Y mid-size SUV being the best-selling EV followed by the BYD Sealion 7 medium SUV and Model 3 sedan in third. Tesla is due to announce its global sales figures for the second quarter of 2025 tomorrow (July 23). More: Everything Tesla More: What the first federal emission standard means for Aussie car buyers More: Polestar boss says new Australian emissions regulations 'didn't kill the weekend'
7NEWS
4 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Volvo XC90: Another generation confirmed for popular large SUV
Once slated to be replaced by the all-electric EX90, CEO Håkan Samuelsson has confirmed the Volvo XC90 will enter a third generation. During the company's latest call with investors, the CEO was asked about speculation Volvo would build the XC90 in its Charleston, South Carolina plant in the US from 2028. Given the current car was launched back in 2015, Mr Samuelsson stated 'one day we will need a new XC90'. Unfortunately the CEO didn't provide any further details, simply stating 'there will be more speculation about that before we can say anything more concrete'. For most markets the XC90 is built in Torslanda, Sweden. At present the Charleston plant builds the EX90 and Polestar 3. The XC60, Volvo's most popular model, will be added to the South Carolina factory by the end of 2026. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Volvo XC90. Click here to get a great deal. The XC90 is no stranger to longer-than-normal lifecycles. The first-generation model (above) launched in 2002, and it took until 2015 before the second-generation version began trundling down the production line. It has since received two facelifts, the first in 2019, and the most recent in 2024. The current facelift is more substantial with a new bonnet, headlights, grille, bumpers, tail-lights, and a dashboard tweaked to incorporate a larger touchscreen. Volvo had hoped this facelift would see the vehicle through to 2030 when the company planned to discontinue production of all cars with internal combustion engines (ICE). The XC90's electric equivalent and eventual successor, the EX90 (below), was revealed in 2022, but didn't enter production until 2024 due to a software issues. According to Mr Samuelsson, production of the EX90 is now ramping up after 'considerable improvements of the software quality'. The company made the commitment to go EV-only in 2021. According to Mr Samuelsson 'the electric market is not growing as fast as we thought some years ago, but it's still growing'. As such, Volvo has subsequently revised its target, hoping to have electrified vehicles – plug-in hybrid and full electric – account for 90 per cent of global sales by 2030. With the petrol engine's sunset pushed off to 2035 or later, in May Volvo launched its first new non-EV model in years: the reborn XC70. Based on Geely's Scalable Modular Architecture (SMA), the XC70 is a long range plug-in hybrid with either a 22kWh or 40kWh battery. It was developed in China as part of Volvo's plan to give its China, Europe and US arms more autonomy. The XC70 (below) is currently only slated for sale in China, but the company has left the door ajar for sales elsewhere stating it will consider 'potential additional markets at a later stage'. In the call with investors, Mr Samuelsson noted long-range plug-in hybrids as a pragmatic solution 'that we will need for some more years than we thought'. He also noted such drivetrains were 'something European consumers will want to have in the future', and that Volvo was 'looking at various possibilities to be in that market segment'. We don't know if he's referring to the new XC70 specifically, or, possibly, hinting the new XC90 will also go down this path. Given the company's need to satisfy Europe's tightening emissions rules, as well as appeal to Chinese consumers who have a growing appetite for long-range plug-in hybrids and extended range electric vehicles (EREV), it seems likely the third-generation XC90 will follow the XC70's template.
