What a year it’s been!
2021 has most definitely been a year with many ups and downs.
While COVID-19 and semi-conductor shortages rattled the automotive industry, we were lucky enough to see important new vehicles such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, among others, being unveiled in 2021.
As we look forward to what 2022 has in store, here are the top five news stories that attracted the most attention this year.
2022 Ford Ranger and Everest: 15.5-inch Tesla-style screen spied, range to offer hybrid, V6, 360 camera
In July 2021 we published a series of images and a video of the 2022 Ford Ranger and 2022 Ford Everest on the streets of Melbourne thanks to CarExpert reader Austin.
This was the first time we got to see the new interior with its portrait-oriented touchscreen.
Since this article was published, the new-generation Ford Ranger has been officially revealed with a choice of 10.1 and 12-inch screens, depending on the variant.
The Everest has only been teased thus far and a Ranger Raptor is set to be revealed in February 2022 with V6 petrol power
Check out the story here plus all our Ford Ranger coverage here.
Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series leaked in full
The 2022 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series is another vehicle that has garnered a lot of attention during the year.
In April 2021 we published a series of leaked images showing the exterior of the flagship four-wheel drive in full.
Whether it was in a garage, on the back of a truck, or in a secure parking lot, leaked photos of the 300 Series LandCruiser were everywhere.
It showed the new LandCruiser was more of an evolution of the outgoing 200 Series with a squared-off silhouette and a more pronounced grille.
The LandCruiser has since been officially revealed with a range of six different variants including the off-road-focused GR Sport trim.
Check out the story here plus all our LandCruiser 300 Series coverage here.
Dodge Charger police car with Australian twist lands Down Under
In July 2021 we reported that two Dodge Charger Pursuit cars touched down in Queensland.
These cars were outfitted for police work and converted to right-hand drive by SCD Remanufactured, with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive and V6 or V8 engines.
The Queensland-based company has remanufactured versions of US vehicles such as the RAM 1500 TRX and Dodge Challenger through its AusMV business in Oceania and southeast Asia.
2021 Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series: Turbo V6 confirmed, interior spied
Before we got a proper look at the exterior of the 300 Series LandCruiser, in February 2021 we published leaked photos of its interior.
The spied model had a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that made its way into the LandCruiser 300 Series from the VX trim level and above.
We also confirmed the 300 Series would receive a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, although this powertrain isn’t offered in the Australian-spec LandCruiser range.
It will come here, however, in the LandCruiser-based Lexus LX600, where it produces 305kW of power and 650Nm.
Million-dollar HSV GTSR W1 Maloo ute becoming raffle prize
In January 2021 we published a story on a HSV GTSR W1 Maloo ute that sold at auction for more than $1 million.
After its auction, it was raffled off as a prize by Melbourne-based company LMCT+.
Only four of the special Maloo utes were produced, each powered by a 6.2-litre ‘LS9’ supercharged V8 engine with 474kW of power and 815Nm of torque.
We were lucky enough to film a video with the particular orange Maloo that was auctioned and then raffled off.
