Articles by Chris Thompson

Nissan’s new Navara lands about a year after the Triton it’s based on, but some extra local engineering work on the ute sees the brand calling the D27 generation of this model more suited to Australia. We head to its local launch in Canberra to see if that really is the case.

Nissan Australia is waiting for more information before making any guesses about what the increasing conflict around the Persian Gulf might mean for Australian deliveries of its iconic 4WD.The new-gen 2026 Nissan Patrol is anticipated to be extremely popular in the Gulf region, in particular the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in line with its historic popularity there.But given the increasing effects of the US-Israeli war on Iran, there’s a possibility the UAE won’t be as interested in the full-size 4WD when it launches later this year.It raises the question as to whether, even though the UAE is a left-hand drive market and Australia a right-hand market, Nissan might shift its priority to supply Australia as the other major destination for the Patrol until the demand for Patrol in the Arabian Peninsula is clear.Nissan’s outgoing Managing Director for the Oceania region, Andrew Humberstone, told CarsGuide he doesn’t foresee the conflict affecting Australia’s supply of the Patrol yet.“In theory? No,” said Humberstone.“In theory, we have a product line that's coming, left-hand drive market, right-hand drive market.“So it's planned for when we're getting our product, the unveil is officially around September, October, end of the year.”In 2025, the ageing Y62 Nissan Patrol was the second-best selling model behind the Toyota HiLux, with 16,769 sales to its name. In Australia, 6263 sales over the same period saw it tail the Toyota LandCruiser by half alone excluding the 70 Series pick-up.Given the anticipated demand for the new-gen Y63 Patrol and the larger historical sales volume in the UAE, even a slight shift could mean much more comparative supply for Australia.“Is there a chance to anticipate ? I would welcome it. As a market, we would welcome it. “Yes, there's a lot going on in the Middle East. There's a lot of volume in the Middle East. “If that allows us additional productivity, let's see if they can do anything quicker.”While Humberstone didn’t foresee major changes to the plans already in place, he added the caveat that a protracted war in the region would obviously mean different circumstances that he wouldn’t be drawn to estimate.“But it's early days. It's only six-seven weeks. If it becomes three or four months, it'd be a different conversation, too early for me to say, and it's way above my pay grade. “But I would welcome the idea.”

It’s been a minute since the only cars we would regularly see wearing a strip of blue and white Sillitoe tartan down the side were the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and sometimes Toyota Camry.The world of police cars and vehicles has broadened — Ford Rangers, Hyundai Santa Fes, Volkswagen Passats, the list goes on. All must be practical, of course, and for different purposes.But there are new things to consider now, like hybrids and EVs, new ute options and of course which cars will be the PR show cars, the ones that don’t really have to work too hard. Here are five suggestions from across the spectrum.BYD Shark 6Something about a ute in white with police decals and a bullbar on the front just works. Our digital artist Thanos Pappas has rendered the Shark 6 as a police car both in the red dirt of rural Australia, and in the Sydney CBD.Australia and its vastly different environments could be the perfect place to see if the innovative BYD Shark 6 has what it takes to ‘keep the streets safe’ as it were.While its electric ability would make it ideal for city and suburban patrols, its petrol power means range anxiety on longer routes isn’t a concern.The big question surrounds its ability to off-road - CarsGuide’s off-road guru Marcus Craft deemed it suitable for “light to moderate off-roading” only, though we’re not sure how many police chases end up requiring rock-crawls and hill-climbs.Still, it looks good in the livery, and isn’t that the most important thing about policing? Right? Isn’t it?Kia TasmanPerhaps a little closer to reality is the idea of a Kia Tasman police car. Not only is there already a strong relationship between Kia (and Hyundai) and many police services around the country but there’s even a mock-up Tasman cop car already.During 2025 there was even a period that around Australia “multiple jurisdictions considering and are interested” in using the Tasman for policing.Whether that comes to fruition is yet to be seen - a lot of testing has to be done before a car is deemed suitable for police work, perhaps one reason a couple of other cars on this list may fall short in certain areas.Ford MustangThe Mustang is one such car that might have a couple of downsides - the inability to to detain someone safely being one - but police have often had high-powered highway patrol cars or community engagement vehicles that aren’t really built for your everyday patrols.It wouldn’t be the first time this has come up - about ten years ago the NSW Police Force was considering a Mustang GT for highway patrol, but the previous generation car was struggling with some overheating issues under hard testing.The Ford Mustang seems like a good choice given it’s an easy design to admire, it’s actually a very capable sports car, and it’s got a link to the former FPV patrol cars in the form of its Coyote 5.0-litre engine, on which FPV’s Miami V8 was based.Toyota RAV4This might seem like a boring, obvious answer, but the incoming Toyota RAV4 would make a really sensible car for Australian police.The hybrid of it all, not to mention Toyota’s long history of supplying police cars and its reputation for reliability.That and if the current RAV4 is anything to go by, the new one should be a fairly capable and easy-to-use thing.Genesis G70Victoria Police announced in 2017 it would add dozens of BMW 5 Series highway patrol cars to its fleet, so why not a similar rear-drive sports sedan from the sibling brand to Hyundai, models from which police have been using for some time now.A 3.3-litre twin-turbo engine with 274kW and 510Nm, plus some decent handling and dynamics alongside a design I reckon would suit the blue and white (and yellow in highway patrol form).

Nissan Australia has confirmed sweeping changes to its model line-up effective immediately, as formerly key models are axed in favour of a more hybrid-focused product mix.The 2026 Nissan Pathfinder large SUV and the Nissan Juke small SUV will be the last of their kind sold in Australia indefinitely, while the brand is also putting a hold on the arrival of the new Nissan Leaf electric small SUV until further notice.Along with dwindling sales, the models’ powertrain options make them incompatible with Nissan Australia’s hybrid-heavy plan, the outgoing regional boss has said.Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone told CarsGuide the Pathfinder and Juke are being given the axe while the new Leaf, which in its new form is a small SUV, won’t arrive in showrooms for the foreseeable future either.That plan, he said, involves a lot more e-Power electrification to, presumably, balance out the effects of the incoming diesel-powered D27 Nissan Navara ute and the rather large Y63 Nissan Patrol in terms of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which bring fines for models that pollute more and award credits for selling low-emissions vehicles.With Juke and Pathfinder out, Nissan’s line-up is down to six badge names: Qashqai and X-Trail, the small and medium SUVs with hybrid ‘e-Power’ options, Navara and Patrol which fall under the light commercial vehicle category, plus the electric Ariya and the low-volume Nissan Z sports car.“We're going to see a natural dispersion between product and what's coming in, what's going out,” Humberstone told CarsGuide, “so we have to manage that in order to make those tough decisions now for the future.“Juke will no longer be in market, Pathfinder will no longer be in market. Leaf, we're going to, in essence, indefinitely delay at this moment.“We’ll continue to bring in, obviously Navara, which is more NVES-appropriate than the previous version, as is the new Patrol.”Behind Mazda Australia, Nissan is in second place for the largest looming fines as of the most recent February 1, 2026 figures.According to the NVES Regulator, Nissan Australia racked up $10.76m in potential fines between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Nissan must offset this by selling more low-emission vehicles, or buy credits from other manufacturers, in order to avoid the fines becoming a reality.The plan, according to Humberstone, is to create a model line-up that consists of mostly hybrid variants, thus the introduction of the e-Power-only Qashqai range last year.In addition, a more affordable version of the Nissan X-Trail is set to arrive with 2WD e-Power hybrid in the hopes of increasing hybrid sales of the model.“In addition to that, in the bridging strategy we're focused on when we see circa 75 per cent of all the registrations being, which is within the EV/hybrid space, and that's where we're putting all our energy in the short-term.“So that means the full range of Qashqai now is coming with e-Power technology, which is our hybrid. We’re seeing it with X-Trail… we now want to expand that with a 2x4 hybrid version.”Nissan’s financial situation has been the subject of much speculation, but Humberstone says one of the final things he leaves Nissan Australia with before his departure to a posting in France from April 2026 is this plan to future-proof the model line-up.He said the tumultuous state of the industry means difficult short-term decisions are needed to put the business in a better position in the medium- and long-term.“I would say even within the next six, seven months, you're going to start seeing the benefits of the work. The natural cleansing needs to be done. The sooner you do that, the better. “I believe our timing was perfect, given the volatility of what's been going on all over the place, and the number of competitors and more recent stuff that's going off at the moment around the globe.“We're here to stay in Oceania, and we're committed to the market. There's product investment being made. It's done. So there's no speculation on that.”Humberstone’s replacement is Steve Milette, who was President of Nissan Canada for more than five years, and is currently Division Vice President for Dealer Network Development, Customer Resources, Training and Customer Experience for Nissan and Infiniti’s entire North America region.He takes up the much shorter title of Managing Director of Nissan Oceania on April 1, and is expected to continue overseeing the plan to increase Nissan Australia’s hybridisation of the model range.

The incoming D24 Nissan Navara ute may not be the only ute model in Nissan Australia’s line-up for long, according to suggestions from the local arm’s top brass.Nissan Australia has only just launched the new-generation 2026 Nissan Navara, but there’s an international sibling waiting in the wings to join the Australian-focused ute.The Chinese-built 2027 Nissan Frontier Pro, which borrows the Frontier name used for the Navara in the US, has a possibility of joining the new Navara here to fill the electrification gap currently seen in the ute space.With the popularity of the BYD Shark 6, it would also make sense for Nissan to offer a rival plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute here in Australia.The Frontier Pro is a similar PHEV ute, developed by Nissan’s Chinese partner Dongfeng, which sells it in China as the Z9 GE.Rather than replacing the diesel-powered (for now) Navara, it seems there’s room for both models in Nissan Australia’s showrooms.Outgoing Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone says the strength of the Navara nameplate is just some of the reason there’s scope for the two products to coexist.“Navara as a nameplate is very strong, it’s like Patrol,” he told CarsGuide. “The powertrains can potentially change, but the product name Navara and its heritage here is very strong.”“There’s five generations… it’s got a long history. It’s a trusted brand on its own. We’ve built Warrior on the back of that as well, so we have a real Australian heritage with what we’ve done with this one.“The strength of Navara is something I would not underestimate. If I could use the Navara name or the Patrol name over another name I almost certainly would.”But with Nissan Australia not yet fully committed to the Frontier, it’s unclear whether the brand will look to bring that model here or wait for electrification in the Navara to be a possibility.Even if Navara does end up with hybrid (or any other kind of electrification) in its line-up, Humberstone says the two utes aren’t a case of ‘one or the other’.“I would see them as very different products… if you look at the design. Could those run parallel? Potentially, yeah, there’s no commitment on that product coming in yet, but at the national partner meeting we did discuss it at length.“We think it’s a great product, there’s lots of investment committed to that product. Going forward the markets will be named that are getting that within the next two to three months. And then once we have that we can potentially share more details.”Humberstone has previously said - in mid-2025 - he would like to see both models land Down Under, but this more recent suggestion that both would work in the line-up as parallel offerings shows the brand is gathering more information while keeping it on the cards.

Volkswagen has confirmed a facelift for its ID.3 electric car which is set to be revealed next month. It will even have a new name to go with it.The 2026 VW ID.3 Neo is set to debut in mid-April this year as a facelifted version of the brand’s hatchback EV, along with a raft of updates for the rest of the brand’s ID line-up.The ID.3, which hasn’t yet launched in Australia to join the larger ID.4 and ID.5, was launched globally in 2020 as an electric spiritual successor to the Volkswagen Golf.VW hasn’t yet detailed the update, though expect significant design tweaks along with additions like “enhanced Travel Assist with traffic light detection” and the inclusion of one-pedal driving in the EV hatch.The ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7 have also received a tech update as well as the addition of V2L capability, though the ID.7 is also unavailable in Australia at this stage.VW’s head of Technical Development Kai Grünitz says the updates provide “more performance and an even better customer experience” for the models, and confirmed the next series of ID models to launch (ID. Polo, ID. Polo GTI, ID. Cross) will come with the same features.CarsGuide has contacted VW Australia for word on whether the announcement of the ID.3 Neo changes the brand’s decision not to bring the electric hatch to Australia.In 2025, Volkswagen Australia saw 1196 sales of the ID.4 and 386 ID.5s sold, though with the model still fresh to the market 12 months ago, early 2026 sales are difficult to use as a gauge of the brand’s EV success.

A tech website has accidentally leaked details of an upcoming SUV from EV maker Rivian, set to be globally revealed a day later.The 2026 Rivian R2, an SUV cousin to the Rivian R1S SUV and R1T pick-up, was accidentally unveiled by Ars Technica in what appears to be a scheduling error.Vitally, this model is the best chance yet that Rivian has for an Australian launch thanks to its signalled plans for the UK.While it’s since been unpublished, the page was captured and published to reddit, where the pricing has been confirmed as starting at US$57,990 (A$81,300).The first variants to launch will be the R2 Performance, with 530km of electric range and a 489kW/825Nm dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.Power comes from an 87.9kWh battery pack, which it will share with a less powerful R2 Premium variant coming later in the year. That one will come in at US$53,990 (A$75,600).Later down the track, there will be an R2 Standard with a smaller battery and likely less power, though details of that have not been revealed in the leaked information.The Rivian R2 is essentially set to rival the Tesla Model Y, though there are more rivals in that category available in Australia like the Zeekr 7X, BYD Sealion 7 and Kia EV5.While Rivian doesn’t have a presence in Australia, the R2 is set to be the first Rivian to be available outside North America, meaning if any model is going to make its way Down Under from the US brand, it’s this one.This comes after the brand confirmed the R2 will be available in right-hand drive for buyers in the UK, opening the door for RHD sales here in Australia, even though it’s unconfirmed.

Mitsubishi Australia has confirmed local pricing for the “significantly updated” Outlander plug-in hybrid (PHEV), launching immediately.The 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV update, which primarily consists of a small battery capacity increase and more power, sees prices rise as much as $3000 for one variant.Now starting from $58,990 before on-road costs, the base ES now costs $1700 more, while the top-spec Exceed Tourer is now $74,490, an increase of $2700.The mid-size family SUV now comes with a 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack, up from 20kWh, which increases its NEDC electric-only range from 84km to 103km. Under more widely used (and more accurate) WLTP testing, Mitsubishi claims its EV range is 86km.Claimed fuel consumption under NEDC testing drops from 1.5L/100km to 1.2L/100km, though the testing undertaken to achieve this would have seen full EV mode used for much of the driven distance.Mitsubishi also claims power output for the drivetrain system, which consists of a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and two electric motors driving all four wheels, is 221kW - this is up significantly over the previous 185kW.While the engine and motors' individual peak outputs are unchanged, the new system allows the trio to reach a collective peak power at a higher point. Mitsubishi doesn't quote a total torque output.Four drive modes, Normal, Charge, Save, and EV, also allow the driver to decide how much the Outlander is relying on the electric elements of its drivetrain.Australian-specific ride and handling changes have been made for the update, including a set of recalibrated shock absorbers at the front and rear, and an anti-roll bar with a smaller diameter. Power steering mapping has also been adjusted to “improve on-centre feel and linear turning response”.Cabin noise is reportedly helped by a new steel bonnet and front fenders, plus specific new Bridgestone tyres aim to lower road noise.Aerodynamics have been improved by some styling changes in line with the combustion variants, Mitsubishi says, while lighting has changed with the addition of rear LED lamps.Also key to the update is the changing of seating arrangements. The Aspire and Exceed have switched which grade is available with five or seven seats.Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s General Manager of Product Strategy, Bruce Hampel, says the Outlander PHEV is “more powerful than ever before, whilst simultaneously improving efficiency and pure EV range through Mitsubishi's latest generation PHEV powertrain”.2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Australian pricing 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Australian specifications 

A new small SUV is on the way to fill the smaller space below the likes of the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol, rivalling the popular Suzuki Jimny.The 2027 Renault Bridger concept has been revealed as a rugged small SUV set for production in 2027, with combustion, hybrid and electric versions on the cards.Not a lot has been confirmed about the small SUV, but its design and rough size seem to be pretty close to locked in, with Renault confirming the Bridger will come in at less than 4.0 metres long.Packaging looks set to maximise interior convenience, with 200mm of knee room and 400 litres of boot space both touted as strong figures for the category.Set to be produced in India in 2027, Renault says there will be a “gradual roll-out to other international markets.”Built on the Renault Group modular platform, or or 'RGMP small' to give it its new name, the Bridger is one of 12 new models Renault plans to launch in the next four years before 2030.Renault plans to increase its electrification across its line-up, using its E-Tech hybrid system, as well as building its larger cars on its RGEV medium 2.0 electric platform.To that end, Renault has also revealed its R-Space Lab concept, which it claims “redefines the in-car experience” by exploring new ways to lay out and fit out the interior.The front passenger seat can, for example, slide back to the second row, or the individual rear seats have their own backrests. Seats can be folded or moved to create space for cargo or people as needed.As Australia is a relatively small part of Renault’s global sales footprint, it’s unclear how many of the brand’s new models will make it Down Under in the next few years.Given the popularity of of the Suzuki Jimny and the fact Renault has already launched the seemingly niche Dacia Duster here under its own badge, the Bridger certainly isn’t off the cards.The biggest snag so far? No Indian-built Renaults have been offered for sale in Australia.

MG is on the verge of its line-up almost doubling in the UK and Europe, which could be good news for the brand’s local variety.According to reports, MG plans to take its offerings from 10 models to 18 in the region soon, which also leaves the door open for new models from its quirky sub-brands. CEO of MG Motor UK & Europe William Wang told Automotive News Europe the plan to expand its line-up includes a large plug-in hybrid SUV and an “electric four-meter-long small car” which will reportedly rival the BYD Dolphin.In Australia, MG currently sells the HS, ZS, QS, and MG 5S SUVs, plus the MG3, MG4, MG5 and MG7 along with the sporty Cyberster and the IM5 and IM6 from its sub-brand, IM.If MG is to expand its Euro line-up to around 18 models as the report suggests, this could see six new models land here if they are to be built in right-hand drive.One of these is the locked-in MG S6 EV, set to join the smaller S5 EV which has already arrived.Similarly styled but closer in size to a mid-size SUV like the Tesla Model Y, the electric SUV could significantly undercut the popular American EV.Also just-spotted in China is an SUV spin-off of the upcoming MG4 Urban as a potential price-leading EV SUV to replace the position once held by the MG ZS EV in the brand's line-up.The IM luxury sub-brand which already has two cars here could expand into the SUV space, too, with the 2026 MG IM LS9 having been detailed for the brand’s home market earlier this year.The IM LS9 is a huge Volvo XC90 or BMW X7-sized SUV with luxury appointments and sleek styling, though unlike some of the other models here, it’s not locked-in for Australia just yet.Further down the track, a boxy off-road-style SUV could make the 2025 MG Cyber X concept a reality, something of a Land Rover Defender rival but at a likely lower price point.The Cyber X was revealed last year at the Shanghai Motor Show, and is expected to be part of an expanded range of models under an emerging Cyber sub-brand which kicked off with the Cyberster electric roadster in Australia last year.