Articles by Chris Thompson

The 2026 Geely EX2 hopes to come to Australia and take the lead in the small EV space. In fact, it sold in enough numbers in China last year that it alone would make up close to half of Australia’s total annual new car sales. We took the EX2 for a first-impressions drive around Sydney's northern suburbs to see if the little EV has what it takes.

Let’s get a couple of things out of the way here.First, we know electric cars are fast, Tesla fans haven’t stopped talking about this since the mid-2010s and there have been countless videos with evidence of the Model S leaving supercharged V8s in the dust at drag strips.Even ‘slow’ EVs feel quick due to their instant application of torque from stand-still. An electric car with a 0-100km/h time of 6 seconds can feel fast because of it.And since I’ve mentioned 0-100km/h, that’s the method we’ll be using to rank which of the electric cars available in Australia is fastest - not their top speed, given you’ll almost never be able to do anything with that.Finally, we are talking about production cars currently available through manufacturers in Australia, so hypercars like the YangWang U9 or anything Rimac is cooking up are off the list.Some of you will be happy to know this means you’re not seeing a photo of the Ferrari Luce here.Conveniently, this means we have five electric cars with a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration figure in under three seconds. Porsche’s frontiering Taycan might soon be on the chopping block according to rumours of an incoming VW model cull, but for now you can still get to 100km/h in a couple of smidgeons over two seconds. That’s if you have almost $300K to spare, given you’ll probably tick one or two boxes on the options list over its $419,000 before on-roads asking price.The Taycan draws power from a 93kWh battery, making 815kW and 1340Nm for all four of its wheels, and even without the Weissach pack removing some weight it’ll manage the run to the tonne in 2.3 seconds.Only second on this list because of alphabetisation, the top-spec Audi e-tron (the Audi RS e-tron GT Performance to give it the proper name) hits 100km/h in a claimed 2.5 seconds, on par with another Porsche.You won’t be surprised to know the e-tron shares a platform with the Taycan, though its most powerful version isn’t quite as vicious - 680kW and 1027Nm draw from a larger 105kWh battery, and it’s not quite as pricey either. A relative bargain at  $309,900 before on-roads, in fact.Tied for second place is this absolute unit, two-and-a-half tonnes of Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen (built in Bratislava, Slovakia, though) capable of hitting 100km/h in 2.5sec thanks to some frankly silly numbers.Its 850kW and 1500Nm outputs are available from even less than the two cars preceding it on this list, $272,100 before on-roads, and the 113kWh battery means the family SUV can travel up to 623km on a single charge, Porsche says.An oil-cooled rear motor, active aero, a drag coefficient of 0.25 and even the ability to tow 3500kg make the Cayenne Turbo a one-of-a-kind family car.England’s Lotus has ruffled feathers by ‘going electric’, likely something that would indeed upset founder Colin Chapman, but staying relevant in the 2020s probably required moving on from popping superchargers on Toyota engines and using them to power (extremely dynamic) cars about the size of shopping trolleys.Lotus claims the top-spec version of the Emeya, a $259,990 four-door grand-tourer with 675kW and 985Nm up its sleeve, can hit 100km/h in a very specific 2.75 seconds. It does weigh around 2.5 tonnes, so imagine how quick it would be if you took the classic quote often attributed to Chapman “simplify and add lightness” to the Emeya.Apologies to anyone hoping for variety in this list - we’ve got three Volkswagen Group cars and two Lotuses with essentially the same specifications.The Lotus Eletre R is two tenths slower to 100km/h according to the manufacturer, but the SUV uses the same 675kW/985Nm dual-motor drivetrain and 112kWh battery, it’s just a little heavier thanks to its SUV shape.It’s also a little more expensive, asking $20,000 more at $279,990 before on-roads.

The 2027 BYD Seal 6 is a plug-in hybrid rival to the Toyota Camry with a competitive price and a long driving range available either as a sedan in Essential grade, or as a wagon (Touring) in Premium grade. The Touring Premium starts from $39,990 before on-road costs and comes with extra features and an upgraded drivetrain over the sedan.While the Essential comes with a decent amount of standard kit, including wireless phone mirroring, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats and a 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, the Touring Premium adds features like a panoramic sunroof and heated and vented front seats.It’s powered by a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that helps an electric motor drive the front wheels, drawing power from a 19kWh battery to deliver 163kW and 260Nm in total.The battery is good for 100km of electric driving under WLTP conditions, and when combined with a full 65L fuel tank means a driving range of well over 1000km overall. Consumption ranges from 0.8L/100km to 4.1L/100km with either a full or depleted battery.The BYD Seal 6 boasts a five-star ANCAP rating, with seven airbags and a safety suite including adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and automatic braking intervention.BYD has a six-year/150,000km warranty, plus an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery.Servicing is every 20,000km or 12 months, with the first five services totalling $2775, an average of $555 a visit.

BYD’s latest model to go on pre-sale in the UK previews a model likely coming to Australia in the form of a large plug-in hybrid SUV.The 2027 BYD Ti7, also called the FangChengBao Ti7 in China, isn’t officially on the cards for Australia, but a right-hand drive version launching in the UK and the existence of trademark filings for the model name here in Australia point to a strong possibility.The BYD Ti7 is now available to order in the UK with a starting price of £47,995 drive-away (A$92,000). It would likely be significantly cheaper if it arrives in Australia, due to our proximity to China and generally lower prices compared to the UK.It's a large SUV with plug-in hybrid power and a boxy silhouette that, due to its FangChengBao origins, departs slightly from BYD’s established design language.BYD says the first deliveries will take place from January 2027. The large SUV is a seven-seater with a turbo-petrol 1.5-litre engine helping power three electric motors with one at each axle for all-wheel drive. There’s also an all-electric version, though that’s not available in the UK for now.A 35.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery provides an electric driving range of 119km, and with its 300kW output, it can hit 100km/h in 4.8 seconds.Importantly, it’s the first BYD to launch in the UK with the brand’s DM-p powertrain. This means two electric motors at the front axle and one at the rear, though the brand says a balance of efficiency and performance rather than pure performance is the focus of the powertrain.In-cabin tech like a 15.6-inch touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital driver display, as well as adjustable seats in the middle row and standard leather upholstery mean the Ti7 should be a convincing luxury SUV as far as the showroom impression is concerned.Despite the trademark, BYD Australia has told CarsGuide the Ti7 isn’t currently on its radar.If it does launch here, the Ti7 will likely come in a high-spec grade even at entry, though pricing is hard to predict.It would also likely be sold under the BYD brand, rather than as a Denza here even though it fits the more rugged design vibe.UK outlet Autocar was told it’s sold as a BYD because its underpinnings are more on-road focused than the Denza B5, which is a FangChengBao Bao 5 in China.

The 2026 BYD Seal 6, not to be confused with the electric Seal sedan launched earlier this decade, is a plug-in hybrid rival to the Toyota Camry with a competitive price and a long driving range.The Seal 6 comes either as a sedan in Essential grade, or as a wagon (Touring) in Premium grade. The Essential starts from $34,990, making it cheaper than its medium sedan rivals and most plug-in hybrids on the market.The base sedan comes with a decent amount of standard kit:Wireless phone mirroringSynthetic leather upholsteryPower-adjustable front seats12.8-inch multimedia touchscreenIt’s powered by a hybrid system consisting of a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that helps an electric motor drive the front wheels, drawing power from a 10kWh battery to deliver 130kW and 210Nm in total.The battery provides enough juice for 55km of electric driving under WLTP conditions, though with its 65L fuel tank and either 1.1L/100km fuel consumption with a charged battery or 3.6L/100km with a run-down battery, BYD says the Seal 6 can top 1000km on a single tank and full battery.The BYD Seal 6 boasts a five-star ANCAP rating, with seven airbags and a safety suite including adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning and automatic braking intervention.BYD has a six-year/150,000km warranty, plus an eight-year/160,000km warranty for the battery.Servicing is every 20,000km or 12 months, with the first five services totalling $2775, an average of $555 a visit.

If you’ve been holding out for the arrival of Toyota’s newest toy, the GRMN version of the Corolla hot hatch, you’ll need to dig a little deeper than you expected.Pricing for the 2027 Toyota GRMN Corolla has been announced in the US, and it’s in prohibitively expensive territory.Toyota USA this week confirmed an MSRP of US$64,360, which directly converts to A$91,500. But that’s not how much you should expect to pay.While pricing between markets can be hard to predict before confirmation, looking at similarly priced cars in the US can provide some insight into the likely cost of the limited number of GRMN Corolla expected for Australia.In the US, the GRMN Corolla sits around the same price as the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Audi S5 and BMW M2, as pointed out by US outlet Road and Track.In Australia, the Mustang Dark Horse costs $104,990, the standard Audi S5 $114,900 and the BMW M2 is $128,100.Previous Australian estimates had put the GRMN Corolla in the range of around $80,000 to $90,000.This isn’t a confirmation the rare hot hatch will crack six-figures when it lands in Australia, but it would be surprising to see its price start with a ‘9’.Confirmed in early June for a limited Australian run, the Toyota GRMN Corolla is a dialled-up GR Corolla, with the same 221kW but more 8Nm torque (total 408Nm) at the driver’s disposal thanks to the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine (a.k.a the G16E-GTS). The high-output engine sends power to all four wheels via an adjustable rally-like all-wheel drive system which has also been retuned for the GRMN.Aero elements, suspension and chassis components, and the styling and interior have all been revamped and upgraded for the GRMN Corolla, to some extent justifying the exorbitant price.Developed both on the Nurburgring but also through Toyota’s participation in Japan’s Super Taikyu endurance racing series, the GRMN Corolla will be built in a run of only 730 units worldwide.It will be available in Australia in a currently unknown number of cars from 2027.‘Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring’ is a bit of a mouthful, but it is an elevated tier of Toyota’s performance car division that leans even more on Toyota’s motorsport experience.Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda has said that any car wearing the GRMN badge can’t just be a sportier version of its donor model, but that “if it bears the GRMN name, it must be able to run the Nürburgring properly”. Significant testing on the Nürburgring is part of the development process, and usually a limited production run is the result of said development.The GR Yaris had a 500-unit run of GRMN editions with increased outputs and upgraded aero and chassis components in 2022, while before the GR Yaris existed a ‘Yaris GRMN’ was built two limited runs (2013 and 2017) and used either a turbocharged or supercharged engine.

A big change is coming for one of the most iconic sports cars in the world, with the next generation of Mazda’s convertible to go electric.Masahiro Moro, CEO of Mazda, has confirmed the fifth generation of the Mazda MX-5 must be able to forgo a combustion engine in order to be viable."The successor must also be ready for a scenario without a combustion engine,” the CEO told German outlet Auto Motor und Sport.The surprise confirmation raises one of the biggest questions regularly asked in regards to electric sports cars: what about the weight?Moro says the goal weight is between 1000kg and 1200kg. That would keep it close to the low weight of the current ND MX-5, which weighs around 1100kg, depending on the variant.“The challenge for us is to make the basic structure lighter without using exotic materials like carbon fiber.”Earlier this year Mazda’s General Manager of Global Sales and Marketing, Manabu Osuga, told CarsGuide electrification was unlikely for the fifth-generation MX-5.“At the moment, electric is going the opposite direction of fulfilling the MX-5’s (core) concept, as it needs to remain a lightweight sportscar, and electric means heavier,” he told CarsGuide in Melbourne.“We want to make the weight less than one tonne before additional equipment, then with additional equipment 1.1-tonne, but we don’t want it to exceed 1.2-tonne (in total) if it is to be a lightweight sportscar.”European outlets report similar statements from executives, with Christian Schultze, Director of Research & Operations at Mazda Motor Europe telling Dutch publication AutoRAI in February the same thing.“The moment you go fully electric, you fundamentally change the car’s architecture. That means different proportions, a different weight, and a different balance,” he said.An electric version of the fifth-gen MX-5 - which we expect to follow the generational NA, NB, NC and ND names of the first four - is coming, but it won’t be the only drivetrain available.Earlier this year, Mazda also announced the MX-5 would use the upcoming Skyactiv-Z engine, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine with hybrid capability.A mild-hybrid would more easily allow Mazda to equip the MX-5 with a manual gearbox, as heavier electrification complicates the system and automatic transmissions become preferred.We won’t see the fifth-gen MX-5 until at least next year, for a launch likely sometime in 2028.

The 2026 BYD Seal 6 has arrived, and not just at a lower starting price with a more electrified plug-in hybrid drivetrain, but with a wagon option, too. In fact, the Seal 6 Touring Premium wagon is the halo variant of the Seal 6 range, and its price matches the Camry’s entry-grade. Should Toyota be worried? We attend the Australian launch of the Seal 6 Touring to find out.

Volkswagen has confirmed a battery size for its smallest EV will bring a new entry price with order books already open overseas.The 2027 VW ID.Polo brings a new 37kWh battery as an option, available in its base model Trend for as little as 24,995 euros (A$40,900). From 29,195 euros (A$47,760), it can also be had in higher specifications like Life and Style.The move by the German manufacturer is almost certainly an addition to retain sales in the lower-budget end of the market, where Chinese manufacturers have been increasingly popular despite EU tariffs on new Chinese cars.VW claims the new battery size provides enough driving range, 334km under WLTP testing, for daily use, and can be charged from 10-80 per cent in 23 minutes. Charging speed tops out at 90kW with a powerful enough DC charger.It’s also available in versions of the ID.Polo with either 85kW or 99kW, and is set to launch just weeks after the larger battery version with a 52kW unit.The ID.Polo is yet to be confirmed for Australia, but Volkswagen’s local arm has been considering similar models like the ID.Cross small electric SUV for some time now.The ID.4, ID.5, ID.Buzz and e-Transporter are the only EVs the brand currently offers locally.While there’s no guarantee the ID.Polo will land in Australia any time soon, its larger 52kWh battery would likely be more popular, with trim levels probably similar to the Trend, Life and Style versions available in Germany.The announcement comes as rumours of a significant model-cull circle the Wolfsburg brand alongside its continued mass-reduction in employee numbers around the world.

Recently, a realisation from behind the wheel of the current generation of a widely beloved rear-drive two-door coupe raised a question for me.Are sports cars doomed? The question came as I realised that because of the development of the car I was driving, the 2026 Nissan Z (specifically the Heritage Edition), underneath was essentially a Nissan 350Z that had been given enough surgery to be relevant in two decades later.But the last of the ancient platforms won’t be around for much longer, surely, and the cars built on them are, at least in two cases, some of the most-loved sports cars around.The other is the Ford Mustang, which rides on a platform closely related to one older than you might think.Back to the Z for a moment, because the platform it rides on comes from so far back that I was just getting into primary school when it debuted. The 2002 Nissan 350Z was released when I was in grade 2, about a decade and a half ago, when I was only allowed behind the wheel of one if it was on Need for Speed: Underground 2.Nissan recently celebrated 35 years of its Infiniti sub-brand, which kicked off with the G35 Coupe - a sibling car to the V35 Nissan Skyline - and gave the Front Midship (FM) Platform its flowers.The aim was to get a V6 nestled in just behind the front axle, which resulted in a 52:48 front/rear weight distribution. Slightly more weight over the front was a deliberate choice, according to the engineers.The FM platform would go on to carry the Z33 350Z to cultural relevance in the aforementioned Underground 2 and Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, before the Z34 370Z came along with a heavily updated version of the platform in 2009 and hung around for 12 years. The FM was just about old enough to vote in Australia when the 370Z was discontinued.The RZ34 is already coming up on four years old, and its platform is 20 years older than that.Even though its chassis feels heavy for something carrying a two-door coupe, it’s not alone in the world of heavy hybrid and electric ‘sports cars’, but it retains a level of engagement and trust in the driver that doesn’t rely on tricks and electronics.If Nissan built another platform for the Z, not only would it have possibly sent the company bankrupt, it might have lost some of its magic.Nissan’s FM platform is not alone in this. In fact, even though Ford probably could afford to create a new Mustang platform, you could argue the platform it rides on is even older than the Z’s. Depends who you ask. While Ford says the S550 Mustang is built on a ‘ground-up’ platform developed just for the Mustang in 2015, it’s to some extent based on the existing D2C platform that the Mustang rode on since 2004, itself an evolution of the DEW98 platform used from the late 1990s.While the Mustang’s platform is now different in a few key areas, including the addition of independent rear suspension for the S550 generation onwards, it’s still related to that of the early 2000s.And it’s still quite capable and really, really fun, just like the Nissan Z.I point all of this out because I’m a little worried about what happens to the other, even more affordable sports cars when it’s time for their next generations. Will the Mazda MX-5 or Toyota GR86 (and Subaru BRZ) hold onto their platforms until it’s no longer possible to release a car on them?We’re going to be waiting until after 2030 for a new Nissan Z according to Nissan Americas’ Senior Vice President Chief Product & Planning Officer Ponz Pandikuthira, though given he says the next GT-R will ride on a new platform the FM Platform might also be outta here.A new Ford Mustang won’t be around until a similar time, though Ford CEO Jim Farley has notably said the V8 would stick around “as long as God and the politicians let us”. The platform might need some more work by then if the brand intends to electrify the pony car, though it won’t go full-EV if Ford can avoid it.If you’re anything like me, you’d probably be okay with the next generations of each of these cars riding on a very similar platform to their predecessors.Of course evolution needs to take place, otherwise the Mustang would still have a solid rear axle and the likes of ANCAP would have thoughts about that.The current Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GR86 are two properly affordable sports cars, and if keeping them within reach of most people means a new generation on the same highly acclaimed platforms as before, I’d be all for it.