An electric arc between the charging plug and vehicle can occur if the operator removes the charging cable without cancelling the charge, posing a potential risk of injury or death. Due to this issue, close to 1,700 electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured in China will be recalled in Australia. Great Wall Motor (GWM), a Chinese automobile manufacturer headquartered in Hebei, will recall its GWM Ora 2023 in Australia. A recall notice was published on the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, and the Arts website on Dec. 4, impacting a total of 1,659 units.
GWM said it would contact all impacted owners in writing, requesting they make an appointment with their GWM dealer who will update the vehicle software for free. The car costs $42,583 for Victorian residents, with the price varying slightly by state, according to the GWM Australia and New Zealand website. Meanwhile, Mazda Australia is recalling nearly 9,000 diesel engine utes produced between 2021 and 2023. A total of 8,936 BT-50 (TF) 3.0 litre variants will be called back because of an issue that can cause fuel leakage and a vehicle fire.
Mazda will contact affected customers and advise them to present their vehicle to a Mazda dealer to have the fuel hose replaced at no charge when parts are available. A recall notice was also issued for 8,039 variants of the Isuzu D-Max 2021 to 2023 for the same reason. Nearly 30 recall notices have been issued involving multiple types of cars since Nov. 1, 2023. Electric vehicle sales in Australia have soared by more than 50,000 in the last 12 months, data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries states. EV sales accounted for 7.7 percent of monthly vehicle sales in the month of November in Australia, compared to 7.2 percent of sales in the year to date. Battery EV sales have risen from 28,326 in November 2022 to 80,446 in November 2023, the stats show. Car sales overall are on track to reach record levels in 2023, with Australians purchasing more than 1.1 million cars so far this year.