Car News

One of the most keenly anticipated dual-cab utes, the Renault Niagara, will not come to Australia – at least, not any time in the near future.This is despite distributor Ateco Automotive initially expressing strong interest several years go in importing the likely successor to the Renault/Dacia Oroch (which is what the Niagara seems to be), as well as the previous Nissan D23 Navara-based Alaskan that eventually went out of production last year.According to Renault Australia General Manager Glen Sealey unexpected hurdles have hurt the business case for all utes, including the Niagara, for our market.“If you'd asked me five years ago if I would like a pick-up, or ute, I would have said yes,” he told CarsGuide. “But, today, that's a very crowded, tough market (that) we'd be entering.“I think it's pretty grubby market, to be honest, at the moment. That pick-up 4x4 segment today starts at $35,000 drive-away for a fairly well-specified pick-up 4WD ute. And that's a hard market to compete in.”With Chinese brands (including LDV that Ateco also distributes, ironically for Renault) entering the bottom end of the ute segment last decade with models like the Great Wall (now GWM) Stead, the chances of a new, premium competitor like the Alaskan succeeding was deemed too great a risk by the time Ateco took over Renault distribution here after Nissan Australia relinquished it in 2021.This is especially true when you consider that the Alaskan was only available from Europe despite being of Japanese heritage.“You’re never going to get (competitive pricing against the Chinese brands) out of the supply sourcing that they we are utilising, which for the Alaskan, came out of Spain,” he elaborated.“So, I think (Renault HQ) realised that, and certainly for us to participate in that market, it would have to be a very sharp, aggressive product, because that is a sharp, aggressive segment today.”In the coming Niagara’s case, insufficient right-hand-drive sales volume forecasts, along with its expensive sourcing from Argentina, have knocked it out of contention for Australia.Unveiled in 2023 in concept guise, the Niagara will be unveiled in final production form in early September. It will again be a monocoque car-based pick-up, but is set to be larger and far-more technically advanced, with much higher safety standards, to better take on rivals like the highly-successful Ford Maverick.It is likely the successor to the ageing, car-derived monocoque ute spin-off of the previous-generation Romanian Dacia Duster, known as the Oroch, which never had sufficient safety to ever be seriously considered for Australia.And what about other utes made in Asia by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance?The Mitsubishi Triton-based D27 Navara is off the table as well, despite its more-cost-effective Thai sourcing, and so is the completely unrelated Navara Pro plug-in hybrid ute from China co-developed with Nissan-Dongfeng.“Today, (a Triton-based ute) not an option for us,” Sealey revealed… “and we’re not getting the Dongfeng.”

Mercedes-Benz is preparing to stave off the impending onslaught of China's large luxury SUVs by updating its range in Australia. The brand has shuffled around its GLE and GLS model lineup Down Under, introducing new engine choices and pricing.The GLS is the German giants’ flagship three-row SUV that directly competes with the BMW X7 in the ultra-luxury high-riding space.It will soon have some serious, and much cheaper, Chinese competition in Australia.The GLS is facing an impending battle against electrified rivals such as the XPeng GX and highly-anticipated Zeekr 8X and 9X duo, among others coming in the next months. These cars boast powerful fully-electric and plug-in hybrid set-ups that will give the petrol- or diesel-powered GLS a run for its money. The GLS range now kicks off with a new petrol-powered 450 grade that starts from $181,900, before on-road costs. This makes it $7000 cheaper than its diesel-powered sibling that used to occupy the entry level position in the lineup.The GLS 450 has a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine, producing 280kW and 560Nm, representing more power but less torque than the diesel unit.The AMG 63 S high-performance grade has experienced a price hike of more than $6000, now starting from $313,900.The range-topping Maybach 680 has seen its price boosted by $5000, with a starting price of $424,900. Both variants receive a 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol engine that pumps out 450kW and 850Nm.2027 Mercedes-Benz GLS pricing Australia (before on-road costs)The smaller GLE two-row SUV has also undergone a reshuffle in Australia as it continues to take on the BMW X5.The range kicks off with a new, more expensive 350d grade, replacing the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with a more powerful 3.0-litre six-cylinder (210kW/650Nm) unit. It will cost nearly $6000 more than the outgoing 300d, starting from $142,300. Next up, the GLE 450 now costs $160,400, which is more than $3000 cheaper than it was before, but it will only be available with petrol power.The AMG 53 and V8-powered AMG 63 S have both increased in price by nearly $4000, with starting prices of $187,900 and $277,900, respectively. 2027 Mercedes-Benz GLE pricing Australia (before on-road costs)These cars show-off the luscious and supremely comfortable interiors you'd expect for their price points, including Mercedes-Benz new 'Superscreen' multimedia system, comprising of three connected 12.3-inch displays.Pre-orders have opened for the GLE and GLS models, with the AMG range and the Maybach GLS expected to arrive early next year.

China’s Geely has signed a joint venture with Ford to begin shared production at the American carmaker’s production facility in Spain.The Chinese carmaker has conditionally agreed to acquire a 34 per cent stake in Ford’s Almussafes production plant near Valencia, Spain for €221 million (~A$360 million), per a filing with the Hong Kong Exchange.This newly established joint venture will begin in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approvals, and allow for renovations to boost annual production capacity to 500,000 vehicles.As it currently stands, this Spanish production facility only produces the Ford Kuga, which was previously offered in Australia as the Escape. Production of this mid-size SUV will continue.Beyond this, Ford has confirmed it will produce a new, European-focused “member of the global Bronco family” at the Spanish production facility in 2028.Little details are known about this new European-focused Bronco model, but previous reports have indicated it will be smaller than the full-sized model and potentially offer both electric and hybrid options.Geely also plans to begin production of two electric SUVs at the Spanish production facility in 2028.At this stage it’s unclear what these models will be as the only electric SUV the Chinese carmaker currently offers in Europe is the E5, which is called the EX5 in Australia.Lastly, a new “multi-energy family crossover” designed by Ford and jointly developed with Geely will launch in 2028.No details about this vehicle have been announced yet, but Ford says it will be engineered with its “signature capabilities and driving dynamics”.Geely over the past few years has been scaling its operations in markets outside of China, including in Australia. In the first half of 2026 it sold a total of 474,228 vehicles in overseas markets, which is up 158 per cent year-on-year.In Australia the Chinese carmarker sold a total of 10,970 vehicles in the first half of 2026, which is up 494.6 per cent year-on-year. It is now the 18th best-selling brand Down Under.Geely is far from the only Chinese carmaker that has been acquiring unused production capacity from legacy carmakers.Chery recently signed a non-binding agreement with Nissan to explore contract manufacturing at the Japanese carmaker’s production facility in Sunderland, UK.Stellantis, which owns brands like Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Ram, among others, decided earlier this year to share its manufacturing plants in Spain and France with its Chinese partners Leapmotor and Dongfend, respectively.

XPeng is going hard in Australia with its new factory-backed operations, but the brand has said it doesn’t see itself as a rival to BYD.Instead, the Chinese carmaker, which has been championing the use of so-called physical AI, positions itself a key rival to Tesla.“Globally now, of course, Tesla is one of the competitors [to XPeng],” said XPeng Head of International Development Alex Tang to CarsGuide.Both companies currently offer electrified vehicles with semi-autonomous driving capabilities in certain markets, plus they are both developing humanoid robots.Tesla already offers its Full-Self Driving (Supervised) technology in Australia and XPeng is planning to roll out its version, called VLA NGP 2.0, in 2027.Additionally, XPeng is planning to introduce its humanoid robot, called Iron, to its dealers and eventually make it available to other businesses during 2027.“So far we do have some markets that we outsell Tesla, frankly speaking, and some markets, of course, Tesla has more sales,” said Tang.“But at the end of the day, what we are trying to create is affordable technology for all.“Physical AI for all, is our slogan, but it’s also our mission that we want more customer access the brand to the latest technology.“So we are not only targeting at some niche market, but mainstream customers that can afford the best technology.”“Further speaking, we have some customers that come from the premium brands,” added Tang, specifically calling out Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.“We really don’t think BYD is our competitor, not only in China but globally because we do have different positioning,” said Tang.“Not only the brand, but also the products and the customers are always different.“We are really trying to lead the development of the AI car segments that supply the best technology from the global to the local customers.”As noted above, XPeng is now a factory-backed operation in Australia, having taken over from the previous distributor, True EV.There are still ongoing legal disputes however between XPeng and True EV and a trial is set to begin locally in October.Despite this, XPeng has confirmed it plans to launch five new or updated vehicles in Australia over the next six months.Including the updated G6 electric SUV and the X9 electric people mover, the Chinese carmaker will launch the L03 coupe SUV, G9L large SUV and L05 mid-size SUV.XPeng has also confirmed the GX flagship large SUV will be coming to Australia, however concrete launch timing is yet to be locked in.

A new adventure-focused SUV is now available in right-hand drive.The Jetour T1 from Chery's off-road sub-brand has gone on sale in Malaysia, a common stepping stone for Chinese brands on the way to Australia. The T1 is on the larger end of the mid-size SUV segment, measuring at 4705mm long, 1967mm wide, 1840mm high, with a wheelbase of 2800mm.It is dimensionally similar to the GWM Tank 300 affordable off-roader that has been a confident seller in Australia so far. The T1 could take on a similar mantra to the Subaru Forester as a boxy SUV for urban or all-terrain activities.This version of the T1 is equipped with either a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, producing 125kW/270Nm or a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit, with 180kW/375Nm. It will be available in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. Both are paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It is a scaled down version of its bigger off-road-ready sibling that is powered by a hefty plug-in hybrid set-up. The smaller T1 also features an electrically upward swinging powered tailgate as opposed to a side-hinged one. Inside, there is a 12.8-inch central touchscreen and 10.3-inch digital driver display as standard, along with an eight-speaker audio system and 50W wireless phone charger. The AWD variant upgrades cloth seats to synthetic leather and adds a panoramic sunroof.It also introduces a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 10.3-inch digital driver display, as well as a premium Sony nine-speaker audio system. The T1 has officially launched in Malaysia, but it is unclear whether it will make its way to Australia in the future. Jetour is scheduled to launch in Australia next year as its own operation. It will not be directly connected to the Chery Group set-up like Omoda Jaecoo and the incoming Lepas sub-brand.Its Malaysia arrival confirms it will be available in right-hand drive, which improves its chances of a local launch, but its petrol-only set-up could attract emissions fines.The PHEV T1 could be a better fit for our market.Expect more details on the T1’s potential Australian future in the next few months as Jetour gears up to tackle the market Down Under. 

The Mitsubishi Pajero has got an official launch window, with the brand promising the model will make its global debut in the Japanese autumn, so between September and November this year.That sets the clock officially ticking for the hugely anticipated model's arrival, as its chief engineer vows "this project will be successful".That's the word from Takaaki Matsumoto, the new Pajero's Chief Vehicle Engineer, who has published a series of statements in the lead-up to the Pajero's launch.In them, he promises the new model will be "amazing", and has already silenced doubters inside the company."When it was decided to take on this heavy responsibility as the person in charge of development, it was a strange feeling of a mixture of expectations and anxiety," he says. "You can design a model that symbolises Mitsubishi Motors. There is no more rewarding a job than this. At the same time, can it create something that exceeds the weight of Pajero's history, the thoughts of employees in various positions, and above all, the expectations of fans who are eager to revive around the world? I still remember well that various emotions were intertwined."The most difficult thing for the development was that all the staff involved in the development shared 'what Pajero should be like' and put it into a specific plan. Since you call yourself Pajero, there is a performance that must be achieved."Where do I need to rebuild to do that? It is a (difficult) process to check them one by one and move forward step by step while absorbing the company's policies. At first, some staff members would have been hesitant."However, as the skeleton of the design was decided and it was dropped into the parts, I felt that the development team was making something amazing. And when I felt that the development team was full of confidence when I saw the first prototype car, I was also able to be convinced that this project will be successful."The chief engineer went on to describe the feeling he wanted the Pajero to deliver, promising a car that blends comfort with capability, and that allows anyone to tackle off-road tracks. "In the development of the new Pajero, we aimed to inherit and evolve the vulnerability and comfort that successive Pajeros have been about," he says."This is the embodiment of Pajero, which developed the 4WD, which was for working cars until now, as an all-round 4WD that anyone can run comfortably on any road. On top of that, we worked together to make a big jump up in how to make this Mitsubishi Motors' flagship."In order to shape the designer's commitment to the interior, we considered various construction methods with the design and production departments. And with the skills of craftsmen, we were able to embody an elaborate design that is difficult for mass-produced cars."I can confidently say that the new Pajero has been able to raise both static and dynamic quality to a very high level. If you open the door and get into the car, you should want to stay in this car forever, drive forever, and own it forever."It's a thought echoed by Mitsubishi's chief product specialist, Kunitoshi Itagaki, who says the new Pajero will be ready for adventure."A sense of high-quality quality, as a Mitsubishi Motors SUV, the driving performance and reliability that anyone can go anywhere with confidence, and the fact that all occupants can enjoy moving comfortably. Each of these leads to a sense of security that this car is fine, and it boosts the desire to go with adventure and challenge, just like the Pajero so far," he says.Finally, Norihiko Yoshimine, the Pajero program design director, promises that the Pajero blends history with evolution, and will pull the brand from now on. "I aimed not only to inherit Pajero's design philosophy, but also to evolve it to lead to the future," he says."Since the start of development, we have accumulated inheritance and innovation, and we were finally able to put it together into one package called the new Pajero."The new Pajero will definitely be the one who will pull Mitsubishi Motors from now on. We would like not only those who know the successive Pajero, but also the younger generation to experience the new Pajero."

Nissan has revealed a sharp price for its newest performance-tuned electric car.The Leaf Nismo just hit Japanese showrooms as a performance grade of the strong-selling Leaf small electric car.Nissan relaunched the Leaf in January as an SUV, marking a shift from its two previous hatchback generations.Nismo is Nissan’s performance arm tasked will adding sporty credentials to its cars.The Leaf Nismo shapes up as a size-up rival to the MG4 XPower hatch.It carries 6.6 million yen (or roughly $60,000) price tag in Japan, which is about a 33 per cent hike on the standard Leaf.While the Leaf Nismo has the same 160kW/355Nm single electric motor front-wheel drive set-up as up-spec Leaf variants, it receives plenty of other technical improvements.Its rethought suspension system introduces new springs, stabilises and select member bushes to provide greater rigidity and improved steering response.The car has beefed up shock absorbers to reduce body roll during hard cornering in conjunction with a specialist-tuned chassis.It rides on 19-inch alloy wheels, fitted with special Michelin tyres, aiding grip and control. The Leaf Nismo sits on the larger end of the small SUV scale, measuring up at 4415mm long, 1810mm wide, 1550mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2690mm.It weighs just under 2000kg.It also has up to 135mm of ground clearance. The Leaf Nismo’s is equipped with either a 52kWh or 75kWh battery, offering a driving range of more than 500km, according to WLTP standards.The new-generation Leaf is not currently in Nissan Australia's plans.The brand postponed its introduction after it failed to meet the business case.This means it is unlikely we will see the Leaf Nismo in Australia any time soon.However, with EVs forming more important parts of brands’ lineups, it is not entirely out of the question for a future launch.If it arrives in Australia it will likely be a touch pricier than the $60,000 equivalent Japanese starting point, coming in more expensive than the MG4 XPower.

If you can’t beat them, join them. Volkswagen has long resisted the urge to add conventional, Toyota-style hybrid power to its cars, but not anymore.The German maker is rapidly expanding its petrol-electric range, diversifying from the petrol, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric options currently available.Now it has revealed European prices for the VW Golf hatchback and T-Roc SUV hybrids, which would rival the popular Toyota Corolla and Corolla Cross.Prices start at €41,400 ($67,000) for the Golf and €44,470 ($72,000) for the T-Roc. Both models are only available in the top-spec R-Line specification, and represent about a €4000 ($6500) premium over the petrol models.Petrol R-Line versions cost about $50,000 before on-road costs in Australia, so a hybrid version could cost about $60,000 on the road in Australia. That would put it about $20,000 more than the cheapest equivalent Toyota hybrids.Volkswagen Australia has previously been unable to confirm if the hybrid Golf and T-Roc will arrive in Australia, but the company said it is always evaluating opportunities for our market.The hybrid Golf and T-Roc combine a tried-and-tested 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, two electric motors and a 1.6kWh battery.VW claims this set-up produces 125kW/309Nm, a jump of 15kW/59kW over the petrol Golf’s 110kW/250Nm max outputs.It also uses about 4.6-litres per 100km of fuel, which is slightly more than Toyota's claim.Hybrid options are becoming increasingly important to brands in Australia as purely petrol powered vehicles are starting to fall foul of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).The NVES levels fines against carmakers for every gram of CO2 a sold vehicle emits over a certain threshold. This threshold gets lower every year until 2030.The fines can be offset by sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids.Purely petrol cars will soon become prohibitively expensive, with hybrids also attracting moderate fines in the coming years.The NVES is also putting Australia at the front of the queue for international brands to get low emissions or electric vehicles.Volkswagen Australia for years struggled to get its electric cars sold in Europe and other parts of the world, as our market wasn’t considered an emissions critical one that needed these vehicles. This is no longer the case.All this works in favour of Volkswagen bringing its latest hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles here.

The boss of a major dealer group has told CarsGuide how competing forces and the state of the economy is taking its toll on the new car industry despite record sales in 2026.Mark Beitz, the managing director of Bartons Motor Group said the record registration numbers released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in its monthly VFACTs data wasn’t a true reflection of car sales in June as “excess inventory”, which was building up at an alarming pace on dealer lots gets cleared out.“There were a lot of cars which were already sold months prior being delivered in June, so that accounted for a massive spike, particularly in EV and plug-in hybrids,” he said.“There is an adoption trend for EV, we can see that - so for the first quarter you were seeing that natural sustainable growth in EVs.”But, referencing the wave of attention for electric cars in the last three months that stemmed from high fuel prices due to the war in Iran and Strait of Hormuz crisis, he said while dealer groups had "never seen anything like it" it wasn't a sustainable pace for EV sales in the long run.“People were only buying EVs for a month or so” he said.“There was a lot of aged EV stock in the country, this big surge, the panic buying, really cleared that up - but we sold those cars back in April and what we're seeing in VFACTs is deliveries.”“What we’ve seen since then - in May it started to wane and now new order intake is nothing like what we saw in April.”But with many global stockpiles of fuel, which were released onto the market to ease prices, reportedly set to run thin in the coming months, does Beitz think there could be a renewed rush on EVs and plug-ins?“My feeling is no” he said.“I think as a country what we’ve experienced is what’s going to happen - I don’t feel we’ll run out of fuel, there wasn’t Armageddon like people thought there was going to be, so I don’t see another huge surge. I don’t think we’ll see anything like that second quarter for the rest of the year.”“I think it will instead be an average of the first half of the year for the second half.”He said conditions going forward looked more bleak for the industry, as a combination of factors would make numbers seen in the first six months of 2026 more difficult to replicate going forward.“The industry is seeing some real challenges. The profitability is the lowest it’s ever been - overall the industry has had the lowest return in decades for the first half of the year - that’s unheard of."“There’s a number of factors. The economy is taking its toll - there’s excess inventory everywhere. You’ve only got to drive to the ports, there’s cars everywhere. So there’s an excess inventory issue that’s affecting our ability to retain revenue. Margins have fallen through the floor.”“The other thing which is a massive issue is that there are way too many brands, and only the same amount of buyers. Year-to-date there’s a small growth but it’s bugger all, and 65 per cent of the market is still ICE vehicles, and even there it’s declined.”But despite the intense competition and ultra-low price points coming to the market from new Chinese brands, Beitz was reasonably positive about the survival chances of so-called ‘legacy brands’.“They’ll find a way forward,” he said.“Nissan is a good example, they’ll have a portfolio, which resembles their traditional products like Navara and Patrol, but next year they’ll be bringing across a range of Chinese manufactured options.”He agreed that levels of interest for incoming Chinese-built cars from brands like Nissan seen across automotive media was being replicated by buyer interest at a dealer level.“I think they’re responding but they struggle to move as fast as the Chinese brands are arriving. But legacy brands are coming back, I think they might hold on to where they sit currently."However, he also added their footprint has likely permanently shrunk when it comes to retail space: “It will result in a re-allocation of already limited space for dealers like me.”Despite promising signs for EVs going forward - with many more younger buyers being attracted by lower price points from new brands, Beitz pointed out that non-EV market share is still 75 per cent of the total market, and 78 per cent for his network specifically.He believes combustion vehicles (including plugless hybrids) will continue to make up the majority of the market for years to come.

Toyota is getting serious about off-roading for its big ute. The updated Toyota Tundra hybrid full-size ute has been revealed with a special 'Trailhunter' package to boost its adventuring capabilities in the US.With this package, the car rides on specialist Michelin trail tyres and premium upgraded suspension from 4WD brand ARB. Upgrades under the skin include new off-roading features such as multi-terrain select with traction support, a crawl control and a locking rear differential.The Tundra has sharpened up its look from the outside, with an aggressively-poised stance and front recovery hooks. It has a brighter grille-mounted LED light bar. The ute can be purchased with powerful fog lights to further increase visibility. The Tundra will continue to offer vehicle-to-load capabilities via a 2.4kW inverter, enabling appliances and devices to be powered directly from the car.  Headlining the technology buff inside the cabin is a bigger 14.0-inch central touchscreen.Enhanced software capabilities offer a more intuitive smartphone-like design.This includes customisable home screen widgets and an improved voice assistant. The update also add a built-in dash cam that can monitor and record incidents for up to 20 seconds. Full details of Toyota’s new Tundra will be announced in September ahead of its North American launch.There is no official news yet on its potential Australian future.A spokesperson for Toyota Australia said the brand is always look at global updates for its models, but there is nothing to announce on the Tundra front yet. The Tundra has been on sale in Australia since late 2024 as a rival to other American imports the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150 and Ram 1500.The US-built undergoes an extensive remanufacturing process to convert it to right-hand drive for local roads, mirroring its competitors.The Tundra is an expensive choice in Australia, starting from $155,990, before on-road costs.It is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 plug-less hybrid set-up, producing 326kW and 790Nm.The Tundra has been subject to an aggressive advertising and pricing campaign over the past few months in Australia. It has experienced an improved 2026, with a near 50 per cent sales increase up to June 2026 compared to June 2025.