Articles by Andrew Chesterton

You have to feel for the good folks at Toyota. The executive team spends years downplaying EVs for Australia – suggesting they’re not the right fit for most Australians, are too expensive, and can’t do all the things ICE engines can do – and then they have to go and bloody launch one. I was at the launch of the bZ4X in 2024, the brand’s first-ever EV, and so was on hand to see the spectacular verbal gymnastics on display. One of the brand’s then-most senior executives had described EVs as “impractical”, suggested that “hybrids can have a greater impact than full electrification”, and – if you go back as far as 2019 – said he had no plans to launch EVs in Australia at all. "I always get concerned when pure electric vehicles turn up at fairly big prices, and people instantly think people will buy them and they'll take off," Toyota’s then VP of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley told me back then. "But if there's one thing I've learned on the hybrid journey it's that they have to be affordable. I get frustrated when people say electrification isn't being taken up in Australia as quickly as it should be. Well, who is going to buy these small cars for $50,000?" And then here we were, launching the bZ4X — the brand's big push into the EV space — which started at a cool $66,000. And yes, there was other stuff holding the Toyota back. It was probably too expensive, it didn’t travel far enough on a single charge, and it arrived at a time when Chinese EVs were turning up offering more for less, increasing competition in our market seemingly daily. But surely at least part of its sluggish sales performance (in 2025 the brand shifted 1041 examples, compared to the Tesla Model Y’s 22,239 sales) is down to the fact that Toyota had spent so long telling its customers to ignore EVs, right before trying to sell them one? The good news for Toyota is that the tide is now slowly turning. This new and improved bZ4X is finding new buyers, with the brand already doubling its 2025 total over the first seven months of 2026. The brand is investing in advertising to increase awareness, and its EV fleet is growing. The Touring (or wagon) version of the bZ4X has already arrived, and the electric CH-R will arrive next year, too. Also here, but less relevant, is the Toyota HiLux BEV, which is aimed fairly squarely at mining companies, but you can in fact buy one if you really want to. “The (new) bZ4X is, from a value point of view, compared to the previous one, you can see that sort of step up. And the bZ was doing really well even before the sort of fuel crisis spike of demand,” Toyota’s new VP of sales and marketing, John Pappas, told me at the launch of the Touring. “Now what we're seeing is, we just launched bZ4X Touring, we're already seeing that the normal increased run rate of the bZ with the Touring has literally doubled the run rate of the family. “So that's a really good step for us, right? Now, into the future, yes we've got the Hilux BEV as well, but next year we're bringing the C-HR in a BEV in the middle of 2027.” Toyota has another ace up its sleeve, too. There is no other brand, and certainly no newcomer, that can offer the depth of coverage Toyota does from a dealership perspective. Trust is important when you’re dropping big money on a new car, and Toyota has a ton of it. Don’t rule Toyota out of the EV game yet. It has a heap of work to do to chase down its rivals in the space, but the brand appears to be at last beginning to take that challenge seriously. If you’ve read any of my long-term dispatches on the bZ4X you’ll know that I think it has the goods to take on Tesla and BYD in the electric SUV space. Now Toyota just has to convince its customers that it cares about EVs in the same way it cares about hybrids.

Could Mitsubishi's new Pajero spawn a lust-worthy three-door version. We certainly hope so, with the internet producing 'Shorty' renders that have us drooling. We know that Mitsubishi has plans for the Pajero family to grow beyond the Triton-based 4WD that will launch in Australia soon. In fact, the brand says that: “In addition to the "Pajero" to be launched this year as a model that embodies the DNA of Mitsubishi Motors-ness, we will introduce additional new models going forward as part of the 'Pajero' series.” Could one of those models be a smaller, three-door variant, like this hopeful render that has appeared on AutoEvolution? International media certainly thinks so, with sites like Japan's BestCar confirming a smaller variant is coming. It would be one of three Pajero models, including the one we've seen, a smaller mid-size SUV offering, and a third LandCruiser FJ -style 4WD, according to reports. For now, the new Pajero looms, and will arrive in Australia sporting a 150kW/480Nm 2.4-litre turbocharged diesel engine — a version of the Triton's well-known donk. Unlike the Triton, though, the Pajero's power is fed through an eight-speed automatic, which should help with both fuel use and refinement. It also has a wider track and more advanced suspension than its ute sibling, too. It arrives in three grades – the GLS with five or seven seats, the Exceed and the flagship GSR – with pricing spanning $68,490 to $84,990. “For four generations, the Pajero has defined Mitsubishi. It has stood out for its capability, comfort and sheer dependability, showcasing the best Mitsubishi has to offer,” says Mitsubishi CEO, Shunichi Kihara. “The All-New Pajero takes the Pajero backstory and modernises it. It maintains its flagship position in the global Mitsubishi hierarchy, combining Pajero’s core attributes and applying it in a way that defines modern ‘Mitsubishiness’.

The GWM Tank 500 might look like a big and bruising off-road-ready SUV, but it’s actually a time machine. How else to describe it? In a world in which the uptake of electrification is booming (so far this year, some 207,000 vehicles with a diesel engine have been sold, compared to 334,000 with some sort of electrification), GWM has fitted its Tank with an all-new and newly developed diesel engine, swimming strongly against the tide in the process. But GWM makes the very solid point that 207,000 is still a very big number, and in the segments this new 3.0-litre four-cylinder engine will compete (it is also fitted to the Cannon Alpha ute), the numbers are even stronger. In fact, the brand’s data shows that, in 2025, some 92 per cent of the large body-on-frame SUV segment was diesel, along with 86 per cent of the ute market. And yes, those numbers have been falling in 2026. But it’s still a big prize. "I know it'll drop, but in that core space there's still an incredible amount of diesel customer base out there. Based on either geography, or how they use it, or their budget, they still want to do it, they still want to drive diesel. And we believe we'll have a technical advantage over many of those brands that have owned that segment for a long time,” says GWM Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, John Kett. "We know that there are still customers there, and even though it's almost a sin to talk about, they're still buying.” All of which is why we find ourselves behind the wheel of this new and diesel-powered Tank. The new engine arrives in two Tank 500 variants, the Lux, currently $65,990 drive-away across the country, and the top-spec Vanta, which costs $71,990, also on the road. GWM says that, given the relatively small jump between the two, most people will end up springing for the flagship. The obvious big rival here is the Ford Everest, in which you can have the entry-level Active with the smaller engine on the road for around $60k at the moment. Everything else though – from Sport all the way to Platinum – will cost you from $70k to more than $90k on the road. It’s hard to accuse GWM of skimping on the features, either. Check our detailed price and features story for the details, but you get a heap of stuff across both grades, and especially in the Vanta. The biggest part of this story, though, is the engine, with the 3.0-litre, four-cylinder unit producing 170kW and an impressive 620Nm. That’s a lot of torque for a four-cylinder engine, too, and while the on-the-road performance doesn’t quite live up to the spec sheet promise, it never feels underpowered, either. To further extol the virtues of diesel donks in this segment, this new powertrain has had exactly the impact on the other critical capability benchmarks you might expect; towing is now 3.5-tonne braked for the first time, and the driving range (helped by the choice of one or two massive fuel tanks) is between 1098km and 1845kms. And with proper low range and twin diff locks, it will go about as far off road as you want to take it, too. Another unexpected perk is GWM’s ability to dodge AdBlue, with the additive simply not required here. Fuel use is a promised 7.1L/100km, which is impressive for a car this size, too. Behind the wheel, the first thing you notice is the level of refinement. I’m sure there’s an office block’s worth of sound deadening on board here, but it works, with this diesel feeling smoother and often quieter than some petrol and even hybrid powertrains I’ve driven recently. Yes, it makes its presence known when you really plant your foot, but if you’re used to diesels being loud, clattering, clanging things, you’ll be pleasantly surprised here. The Tank 500 has been fettled by GWM’s Aussie ride and handling ace, and there is definitely a refreshing sense of cohesion to the drive experience. It feels heavy in places, sure. And the steering can be soft in that way that makes you want to telegraph your inputs a bit, but the body control is strong, and the ride good at smoothing out country bumps and imperfections. In fact, on those sort of flowing, not-too-tight corners, you can pretty easily forget your steering a big bruiser at all. Sharp inputs are never your friend in a car like this, and if you get too aggressive with the steering wheel you can certainly feel yourself swaying, but it's an overall impressive effort, with car matching engine and vice versa. Off the tarmac, the Tank 500 proved ready and willing, too. I’m no Marcus Craft, but with low range engaged and one or both diff locks activated, the GWM walked up every muddy, slippery, rutted climb we threw it at, even wearing its road tyres. The only question mark that remains is towing. A published towing limit is one thing, but how a vehicle feels pulling big weight is another thing entirely. But for that, we’ll have to wait and see. The other boon in the 500 is space, with the three-tow Tank delivering one of the better third-row experiences I’ve had lately. I’m 175cm, and I found that by shifting the second row forward, I had enough room in both rows to get genuinely comfy. I know the third row is mostly reserved for kids, but this is one SUV in which you could definitely get adults back there in an emergency. There’s a piddly 98 litres of cargo space with all three rows in place, but that grows to 795 litres with the second row folded. Drop both rows, and you get a massive 1489 litres. I won’t bore you with the details here, but safe to say all those acronyms you expect to see are present and accounted for, and after covering a heap of kays, none of them felt overly annoying. Its five-star ANCAP rating, earned in 2024, only currently applies to the electrified versions, but GWM is confident it will apply here, too. It’s also covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, with seven years of roadside assistance and seven years of capped-price servicing. Speaking of which, service intervals are pegged at 12 months of 15,000kms, and the first seven years of ownership will cost $3760, or $540 per service.

GWM says diesel has a huge role to play in Australia’s future, citing the 'incredible amount' of its customers demanding diesel in the ute and SUV space. The comments came at the launch of the brand’s new 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine, which made its Australian — and global — debut in the Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha this week. The engine in question is the brand's new 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, producing 170kW and an impressive 620Nm. The brand also says that it is one of the few diesel offerings in the market that doesn't require AdBlue. It marks a rare launch of an all-new diesel engine in a market in which EV and PHEV uptake is only increasing. GWM offers a range of electrified options, but says diesel still has a key role to play for many of its customers. “While the industry is celebrating the equal split between petrol, diesel, ICE and EV, in the ute segment, and in the body-on-frame segment where Tank plays, 75 per cent is still diesel," says John Kett, GWM Australia and New Zealand Chief Operating Officer. "Now I know it'll drop, but in that core space there's still an incredible amount of diesel customer base out there. Based on either geography, or how they use it, or their budget, they still want to do it, they still want to drive diesel. And we believe we'll have a technical advantage over many of those brands that have owned that segment for a long time. "We know that there's still customers there, even though it's almost a sin to talk about, they're still buying." GWM will soon have one of the most powerful large SUVs in Australia, with the brand at last confirming its newly developed V8 engine will launch in our market next year. The brand stopped short of confirming which model the engine would be fitted to, but it is almost certain to be the Tank 700, which has already been earmarked for V8 power globally. GWM hasn't confirmed full technical details, yet, but it will be a 4.0-litre V8, which is a popular size and used by high-performance brands such as Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin and more. GWM's GM of Marketing and Communications Steve Maciver said GWM is offering a wide variety of choice to Australians and it is paying dividends, so a V8-powered hero car makes sense. "Now, are we going to sell V8s in volume in this country? No. Would we love to have it as a halo car? Absolutely. There's a high- and a low-performance potentially coming, so yes, the V8 could go into a Tank, but it could also potentially go into a hypercar as well," said Maciver.

GWM will soon have one of the most powerful large SUVs in Australia, with the brand at last confirming its newly developed V8 engine will launch in our market next year. The brand stopped short of confirming which model the engine would be fitted to, but it is almost certain to be the Tank 700, which has already been earmarked for V8 power globally. In fact, the brand has two versions of the V8 engine in development. The first is a high-performance version that will live in GWM's first supercar. The other is being described as a "normal V8", which will find a home in the Tank 700. "This is completely opposite to the current environment or trend in China; it does not fit the Chinese market. We developed this V8 to meet the needs of more global users, in markets such as Australia and New Zealand," said company chairman Jack Wei earlier this year. And now we know the V8 engine has been locked in for a 2027 launch in Australia. Asked 'is it coming', John Kett, Chief Operating Officer GWM Australia & New Zealand, replied "Yes. Next year". "(We) will tell you after Christmas which car it is, because we can't announce them all now," he continued. Both models that will feature the V8 appear on the cards for Australia, with the brand's GM of marketing and communications, Steve Maciver, saying the company had its hand up for halo products. "We're very lucky, we've got a chairman who's a massive motoring enthusiast, who loves rallying, who loves motorsport. There's an ambition for GWM to be a truly global company, and that's been this ambition from the get-go," he says. "What we're seeing, and what is paying dividends for Australia now, is that ultimately we're not just petrol, we're not diesel, we're not hybrid, we're not just EV. So why not a V8? Why not a V8 supercar? "Now, are we going to sell V8s in volume in this country? No. Would we love to have it as a halo car? Absolutely. There's a high- and a low-performance potentially coming, so yes, the V8 could go into a Tank, but it could also potentially go into a hypercar as well." The brand is yet to confirm power outputs, but the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 in development is a popular size and configuration elsewhere, with models from Mercedes-AMG, Audi, Aston Martin and more all using a similar setup. It's not clear if the twin-turbocharging would make its way to the lower-output version.

Let’s skip to the good part. If you read my earlier dispatch on the Toyota bZ4X, you’ll know that, thanks to a big price cut, better driving range and more modern tech, it finally stacks up with the heavyweights of the electric SUV space, like the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. Well, on paper at least.  And now we are at last up to the exciting bit where I tell you if it stacks up in the real world, too. And... it does. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very different car to something like the Model Y, and I have no doubt it will appeal to a very different buyer. While the Tesla is all stripped back minimalism (sometimes annoyingly) and bleeding-edge tech, like Full Self-Driving (Supervised), the Toyota is the opposite.  It feels, and there’s really no better way to say this, like an electric Toyota. It’s familiar, the cabin layout is easy to immediately understand, and even though the tech on offer is high by Toyota’s recent standards, there are no lessons required in how it all works. You just get in, select Drive, and go.  That familiarity extends to the drive experience, too. While some EVs make a big song and dance about supercar levels of instant performance, the bZ4X does the opposite. It’s simple, steady motoring, and while the power and torque is ample, and it benefits massively from not having a modern and whiny continuously variable transmission (CVT), it feels sensible, and not overly exhilarating. The positioning of the electric motor in this two-wheel-drive version at the front tyres does result in some front-wheel slipping and scrabbling at times, but it’s further evidence of where Toyota positions this bZ4X – a sports car it ain’t. But there's still a sense of connection from behind the wheel that is always refreshing to find these days. Yes, it can be a bit jittery over bigger bumps, the ride can feel too firm in places, and it does feel heavy. It definitely lacks the kind of all-around polish and resolve of something like a RAV4 hybrid, for example, but there's still a lot to like about the way this car goes about its business. There’s something else it lacks in the RAV4 comparison, too, and that is boot space. Open the bZ4X’s boot and you'll find 452 litres of storage, which is down on the 500 litres-plus you'll find in something like a RAV4, despite the formers gargantuan dimensions. And because we can't really lower the seats because of the baby capsule, the usable space in the boot is important to us. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not tiny, it’s more that when we had our giant pram in there taking up most of the space with little room for anything else. The flipside, though, is that there's ample room in the backseat. That babyseat I mentioned has apparently been modelled on giants, and in some cars it can push the front passenger seat forwards, but that's not the case here. Two more quick quirks. Actually, the first one is almost a positive. The bZ4X has (mostly) one of the most unobtrusive safety systems I’ve encountered recently. No chimes, no alarms, no fighting the steering wheel. I’m sure they’re all there beavering away in the background, but I was blissfully unaware of them. Well, unaware of most of them. An almost deal-breaking feature is the backseat occupant alarm, which usually reacts when weight is sensed on the backseat, setting off an alarm so you don’t accidentally lock your bub or dog in the back. Sensible, important stuff. But the Toyota can’t distinguish between an empty baby capsule and one with my baby still in it, which means just about every time I lock the car the loud, multi-beep alarm would sound. I even removed the capsule for the final CarsGuide video (which you should definitely watch if you haven't already) with the bZ4X, and the alarm was still going off – it turned out to be a water bottle I’d left on the seat, which was enough to trigger the sensors. Quirk number two, and I grant you this is a bit of a weird one, is the fact the front doors catch on absolutely everything, and specifically I mean the thick plastic strip at the bottom, which has actually popped off a couple of times when I've gone to close the door over the course of my time with the car. Happily for me, and Toyota, it's easy to pop back in. Now, we get a lot of cars through the garage, obviously, and I don't recall it ever happening this much before, or at least at the frequency it happens with this. I think it's a combination of quite a big door and quite a low ride height that means gutters are really not your friend.  Still, the good massively outweighs the bad with the bZ4X, which I do really like. And given the size of Toyota's national footprint, and the fact that its specs and range and all those kind of things now really stack up, the bZ4X has definitely elevated itself into the conversation with brands like BYD and Tesla in the electric SUV space. For mine, this very car is the pick of the range. There’s no substitute for range in the EV world, and given the two-wheel-drive variant also never feels like it's lacking for grunt, it’s the one I’d be shopping for.   Acquired: June 2026 Distance travelled this month: 590km Odometer: 5257km Average energy consumption this month: 13.5kWh/100km

The Kia Tasman had big dreams in Australia, including spawning a proper ute-based 4WD SUV to do battle with the Ford Everest. Slow sales have stalled that plan, but could the ute's upcoming facelift reignite the plan? Let's hope so, because these new unofficial renders show how cool the Tasman could look if it cops the full SUV treatment.  Officially, Kia says the SUV plan is on hold as it pours focus into making the Tasman a success in Australia and abroad. Slower-than-expected sales here have forced Korea back to the drawing board in an effort to drum up interest. "We've been quite vocal, and we always have been with this car in particular," Kia has previously told CarsGuide. "We're very vocal with our superiors, and up front. We're definitely being very deliberate in what we think might be hampering its sales performance. "If we want to be a third of the total production volume, they've got to be receptive. But it's not necessarily going to happen at the speed at which you might feel the market might be thinking. "Because a major redesign; it's not simple. And when you've already invested in tooling for sheet metal and tooling for plastics, it's a multi-million-dollar process." It's that redesign that has paused the Tasman's SUV project, with a new ute required for a new SUV. Spencer Cho, Kia’s Senior Vice President and Head of the Global Business Planning Subdivision, has told CarsGuide that, while "there might be options", it wasn't on the priority list. "Well, there might be options, but at this point, we are trying to focus on what we can and what we can do better, and of course, we can give much more choices to the customers,” he said. “At this time, as you know, we have the ICE line-up, and we also have close to the full EV line-up as well." For now, then, the Tasman SUV is a pipe dream.

A fight is brewing over the newest Chinese ute earmarked for Australia, with the new Hunter a possible Mazda, Deepal or Changan. In fact, both Deepal and Changan already have a deferred trademark on the Hunter, while Mazda already partners with the latter on the 6e and CX-6e. The ute in question is the Changan Hunter K50 – a plug-in hybrid powerhouse that was recently updated with a bigger battery for a class-leading EV-only range. The latest update saw the K50 fitted with a 43.47kWh lithium-ion battery pack, promising an NEDC-rated range of 192km (estimated 150km WLTP), and a total range of over 1000km. It is a REEV, rather than a traditional plug-in hybrid, meaning its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine is used only to recharge the battery or provide power to the electric motor, rather than drive the wheels themselves. Providing the shove instead are dual electric motors, one at each axle, delivering a total 240kW and four-wheel drive. It was initially thought the Hunter could arrive in Australia as a Deepal, but in the months since its refreshed launch, Changan itself has set up an Australian office and is currently recruiting staff for a factory-backed operation of its own. Meanwhile, Mazda has delved deeper into its partnership with Changan in China to deliver two crucial electric models, the 6e and CX-6e. Given the popularity of electrified utes in Australia – with the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha, Ford Ranger Stormtrak and the soon-to-launch Chery Stockman all competing for sales – there will no doubt be all three hands in the air to launch the Hunter, though a renaming might now be on the cards in Australia, given the JAC Hunter exists here. The current BT-50, developed in partnership with Isuzu, launched in 2020, meaning a replacement could feasibly be due as early as 2027. One thing we do know is it won't be a Mazda solo project, with the brand on record as not developing its own ute. "Mazda does not produce trucks on its own," the brand has previously told CarsGuide.

Chinese players in Australia look to get even more aggressive as the country's automotive giants try to offset sales slumps in their own market with an aggressive export strategy to help shift excess metal. That's the latest analysis from automotive experts, who point to falling profits or soaring losses in China's saturated new-car market. To put the market there into perspective, there are now more than 130 brands, and there were more than 500 new models launched in the first six months of 2026 alone. “Such an aggressive rollout of new products was far beyond what the market was able to accommodate,” said Fu Bingfeng, secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, at an industry forum in July. New analysis from the US's Automotive News details the challenges facing some of the now-biggest car brands in the world. Many are booming in Australia, but it's a different story in their home market, where oversupply is crippling sales. According to the US site, July marked the seventh consecutive month of market decline in China, with sales down 24 per cent compared to the same period last year. The July result was even more stark, with month on month sales down 25 per cent. Several auto giants have released their six-month financial results, with Geely benefiting from a massive 158 per cent increase in exports to protect profits, which still dropped two per cent. BAIC, which partners with Hyundai on the Elexio, reported a net loss of 1.65 billion yuan (345m), while GAC is forecasting a potential full-year loss of 4.6 billion yuan ($958m). Changan, which will soon launch in Australia, and already has a footprint here through Deepal, says its first-half profit could slip by 68 per cent, while Great Wall Motor reports a similar, though slightly smaller, figure. Domestic pressure is fuelling an export boom, with a total 5.35 million vehicles shipped overseas from January to July, up more than 70 per cent on the same period last year. The export boom will likely increase competition and sharpen prices in Australia, which will be good news for consumers, and the opposite for legacy OEMs battling ever increasing Chinese headwinds.

A fleet of Y63 Nissan Patrols has been spotted in Melbourne as the launch of the hotly anticipated rival to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Mitsubishi Pajero inches closer. Spotted by an eagle-eyed commuter travelling down the Monash Freeway, a car carrier loaded with three examples of the Y63 was snapped this week. Interestingly, none of the cars wore any camouflage at all – not even the Nissan logo blacked out as it has been previously – suggesting these are launch cars that are literally ready to rumble. Adding fuel to that fire was the accidental publication of the Nissan Patrol line-up on Nissan's website earlier this month, revealing a six-grade range for the Y63 Patrol. “While the content was not intended for public release and included placeholder information used during website development, we can confirm the all-new Patrol will be offered in six well-specified grades in Australia,” said a Nissan spokesperson at the time. “The grade names may not be exactly as shown in the screenshots, and some of the information is placeholder content rather than final product details." The fact that these vehicles appear to be finished products that haven't undergone any kind of testing, and the Nissan site is now being updated with Patrol information, suggests the Y63 will be launching sooner rather than later. In fact, the brand has confirmed order books will open this month, but has remained coy on the actual on sale date. We now wouldn't be surprised to see the Patrol in showrooms in Q4 this year – an early mark on the early 2027 timing Nissan is suggesting. When it arrives, the Y63 will ditch the Y62's V8 engine for a newer and more powerful powertrain, with the headline act being a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 pumping out 317kW and 700Nm.