Articles by Chris Thompson

The BYD Sealion 7 and the Xpeng G6 are both alternatives to the Tesla Model Y with comparable specs but a slightly lower price.If you're a bit apprehensive about that particular brand, these two could end up on your shopping list so we're finding out if one, both, or neither are up to the task.

GWM's made some big claims about the Cannon Alpha PHEV. It's able to tow 3.5 tonnes, it's got a range of more than 1000km, and it can actually tackle proper off-roading.But is it really going to be the best plug-in ute in Australia? And why is there a spare wheel in the back? We went on a road trip in one to find out.

Here’s a little peek behind the curtain for you. During a media launch event for a new car, journalists will often be presented with information about the new model and given the opportunity to ask questions of engineers and executives.

There's a new generation of Mini models here in Australia, and now the JCW performance variants have arrived to join them.To test out the new JCW range, we headed to a not-so-secret test facility in Queensland to do some silly driving in a bunch of cars that fortunately don't take themselves too seriously.

Utes, and to a lesser extent vans, are often the first choice when it comes time for tradies to choose their workhorse.

Long the domain of first-car buyers and suburbanites winding down on their driving years, the Toyota Yaris is now hybrid-only, and is a far cry from the $15,000-or-so cheap and cheerful staple it once was.Does more than $30,000 of light hatch really feel worth it once you're behind the wheel, or are you better off pocketing almost $10,000 to save on one of the thinning pack of rivals?

The Kia EV3 has only just launched in Australia with its first sales registered in March 2025, but Kia has another, smaller member of its EV family up its sleeve.The Kia EV2 is a Europe-focused, all-electric light SUV set to share a family resemblance with the EV3, EV5, EV6 and EV9.Given the popularity of small, affordable electric cars in Australia - and the fact Kia expects to sell the EV3 in its thousands per year - it would make sense that Kia Australia would be interested in a smaller, more affordable city-friendly electric car.After all, sibling brand Hyundai offers the Inster light electric SUV in Australia.At the launch of the Kia EV3 earlier this year, CarsGuide asked Kia Australia General Manager of Product Planning Roland Rivero about the local plan for the EV2.“We'd love to bring it in. The only issue we have with EV2 - and EV4 hatchback too for that matter as well - is it's produced out of Slovakia,” Rivero said. “Most of that production capacity is slated for Western Europe, for the European market.”Kia Australia has brought cars in from Slovakia before, most notably the Sportage SUV in 2013 when it aimed to get a more consistent supply than South Korea was able to provide.According to Rivero, the brand learned getting cars from Slovakia brought with it some hurdles. Kia Australia now sources the Sportage from the Gwangju facility in South Korea.“So one, it would be probably difficult to get some supply, because it's targeting Europe. And two, logistically it'll be difficult as well.“There's no port in Slovakia, so you've got to actually put them on a train to a port in Germany, and then it's transshipped to the west side via Singapore, for example.“So it's not the most ideal… and we've been through that with Pro_Cee'd GT in the past and SL Sportage.“It’s not easy to bring cars in from Slovakia. It’s just not practical at the moment.”The EV2 hasn’t been properly launched yet, while the Kia EV4 mentioned by Rivero is confirmed for Australia in sedan form only - not as a hatchback.The EV4 is similar in size to the brand’s K4, the replacement to the Kia Cerato, which is currently available in Australia in sedan guise.

The ‘green’ brand from Gaydon has a new toy, and it’s far from meek: Aston Martin has revealed a new flagship version of its DBX SUV to sit atop the range.The 2025 Aston Martin DBX S is the new halo version of the UK’s rival to the Ferrari Purosangue and Lamborghini Urus, and it’s got the chops to stand up to both.With its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine cranked up to 535kW and 900Nm, up from the 520kW in the almost-as-wicked DBX 707, the new top-dog DBX can hit 100km in 3.3 seconds, and go on to 200km/h quicker than most family cars even hit the ton: 7.2 seconds.The five-door, five-seat SUV could still function as a family car, for only the most unhinged school runs, but the DBX S comes with a host of luxury and performance features that would give any parent pause before letting a little one into its Alcantara-shod interior.Outside, design cues like black trim, chrome, ‘S’ badging and carbon fibre give the game away, while a staggered quad-exit exhaust might be the biggest tell.Inside, the ‘S’ theme continues with more Alcantara blended with leather, a herringbone seat design and specific trim elements, while the Alcantara can be replaced with entirely semi-analine leather.Importantly, weight reduction was a focus in developing the DBX S, with an optional carbon fibre roof “which, at almost three metres square, is by far the largest such carbon element ever fitted to an Aston Martin” saving 18kg from the highest point of the car. Furthermore, optional 23-inch magnesium wheels save 19kg of unsprung weight from the car.The DBX S is available to configure on the Aston Martin Australia website. Pricing isn’t yet confirmed, but given the standard DBX is $387,500 before on-roads and the DBX 707 comes in at $429,000, a DBX S with a couple of options ticked could easily nudge half a million.

Renault has opened the order books for the second batch of its bespoke EV hot hatch, with 500 units available to regions including Australia.

Mazda’s flagship CX-90 SUV, and one of its newest additions to the brand’s line-up, has been quietly treated to a price-drop of thousands of dollars.