Articles by Chris Thompson

The next Mazda 6 will not be built in Japan.

One of Porsche’s top executives has weighed in on the solid-state battery debate, saying he doesn’t see them happening any time soon.

If you’re even a sliver interested in cars, you’ll know the name Nurburgring. It’s a 20.8km circuit cut into a forest in Germany, and it’s considered by many to be motoring Mecca.

MG4 gets significant interior upgrades.

The Mazda 6e is a while away from launching in Australia, despite the brand having already made a production-spec car available for test drives.

There’s good news for fans of Porsche’s iconic two-door sports cars.

BYD has opened the door for a hybrid wagon renaissance in Australia, with a launch in the UK for its long-range hybrid Seal Touring.

Well into its second generation, the Mercedes-Benz GLE remains a key player in the luxury large SUV space. In its category, there are however plenty of badges with the power to lure buyers away: Audi, Porsche and Range Rover. Even non-Euros like Genesis and Lexus. A week behind the wheel around and out of the city should reveal whether the GLE still has a strong-enough USP in 2025.

If you’re worried the new Porsche Cayenne Electric is a sign of the end of the combustion Porsche era, the head of the Cayenne model line has some reassuring words for you.Petrol power will be around for “a long, long, long, long time”, says Michael Schaetzle, Porsche’s Vice President of Product Line Cayenne.Schaetzle says the internal combustion engine (ICE) Cayenne, which is still the model’s third generation, will be sold alongside the fourth generation Cayenne Electric. On top of that, he says there’s still more to come for the petrol Cayenne.“We are working on the ICE as well, and the development will go further with the ICE,” Schaetzle says.“And we really want to give the customer a real choice between these cars. So don't be afraid, in several years it will be possible to buy a very good ICE from Porsche in the Cayenne segment.Unsurprisingly, Schaetzle is very excited about the Cayenne Electric, but says there’s still an overwhelming demand for combustion-powered Cayennes.“We saw that a lot of people are not accepting EVs at the moment. We think, in the beginning, we will sell more ICEs now than the EVs.”Schaetzle also admits that he would like to see more EVs being sold due to the emissions regulations in Europe and in other markets worldwide.“We are happy about every customer buying the EV because of the CO2 regulations. We think in the 2030s, things will change, and will sell more EVs than the ICEs.“The Cayenne is special, because at the moment you’ve got both.”

New-to-Australia brand GAC, which has operated in China since the 1990s, has launched with a pricing tactic contradictory to many Chinese brands Down Under.Speaking to CarsGuide ahead of the launch, Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang said the brand won’t chase low prices to attract customers.The thinking behind it is that GAC believes it has a product not directly comparable to rivals, and lowering its sticker prices would devalue what it believes to be higher-quality cars.“We are not chasing the same outright, aggressive pricing strategy as has been seen in the market recently, as we feel this undermines the quality and level of innovation,” Liang told CarsGuide.One of the key reasons GAC won’t be dropping pricing to the floor, Liang said, is that the brand has worked closely with Toyota and Honda in China for the last two decades, meaning it has learned plenty from the legacy Japanese brands.“In terms of our existing manufacturing facility, we have had exceptional partnership with Toyota and Honda to build and manufacture their vehicles for the domestic market. “We have learned a lot from them, and we believe that the customer will have a different experience by driving GAC.”The other main reason, Liang says, is GAC has already tested and tuned its three key offerings for Australia.“When we picked the models, we came to Australia. We have, we have already done the Australian test,” Liang confirmed.“All the models have already been sent to Australia one year ago to do the road test, and we got some feedback after finishing the test."The Aion V mid-size electric SUV, the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover, and the Emzoom compact SUV will all arrive with Australian-specific tuning.“What we believe is the vehicle price and value, always depends on what the customers need."“GAC would not always be the cheapest one, even in other countries, but most of the customers who have owned a GAC… they were impressed by the quality of GAC. “We hope that our price will match the value that we can bring to the customer.”The GAC Aion V, which should be a big-volume car for the brand, starts from $42,590 before on-roads, while the Emzoom small SUV kicks off from $25,590.The M8 plug-in is pricier at $76,590, but also more feature-packed.GAC M8While pricing for the Emzoom isn’t the lowest for its class, the Aion V’s starting price puts it very low for an electric mid-size SUV. It sits with the Geely EX5 ($40,990) and smaller BYD Atto3 ($44,990) for pricing.But don’t bring that up with GAC, as before pricing was confirmed Liang specifically said the aim wasn’t to battle other brands on price.“We don't want directly compared with other brands. What we want is, we hope, the customer to feel that the value and the price are equal.”All three of GAC’s models are available to order now.