Articles by Chris Thompson

The Toyota GR Corolla is aiming to strike a balance between daily runabout and rally-honed hot hatch with some updates to boot. Is Toyota's rival to the VW Golf R up to the task?

The car that really kicked off Toyota's GR performance sub-brand is back and better than before, or so Toyota says. We put that to the test on the road and on track.

Word has come from the top brass at Mercedes-Benz — eights are back.During the financial reporting wrap up from the executives at Mercedes-Benz, a few hints at future plans were sprinkled in, including mention of a new, next-gen V8 under development.Under one of the core approaches Mercedes is planning to follow, “building the most desirable cars”. Merc said it aims for its AMG performance sub-brand to “outgrow the performance market”.This is apparently coming thanks to “a heavily refreshed model lineup from 2026 onwards and a strategic evolution of its portfolio,” but the biggest news is that moving forward means moving back in a sense.The plans include what AMG said is “a next-generation, high-tech electrified V8” as well as “dedicated “ performance EVs based on the AMG.EA electric car platform.The timing of the announcement comes following a gradual slowing in the increase of EV uptake almost worldwide, but particularly in Europe.In addition to this, poor reception to the shift from V8-power to a hybridised four-cylinder engine in the brand’s iconic AMG C63 sedan provides more ammunition for the brand to refocus its resources and efforts into the V8 space.It was reported in 2023 via a correspondent for US outlet Car and Driver that senior engineers at AMG believed only minor bodywork changes to the new C-Class (and E-Class) would be required to accommodate a V8 engine.At the time, it was also stated the hybrid four-cylinder powered C63 would remain an option.Whether the V8 now being developed was born from the existing one isn’t clear, as AMG still retains V8 power for models such as the AMG GT or even as a plug-in hybrid in the GT S E four-door where it produces 620kW and 1400Nm.Even without electrification, the 4.0-litre twin-turbo unit makes 430kW and 800Nm in the GT 63 sports coupe - nothing to turn your nose up at. Given AMG has already confirmed the next-gen V8 will be electrified, the ceiling for performance will surely be even higher than before.

Two cars built on the same platform, sharing a powertrain, but with slightly different intentions... does one of these Chinese-built, Euro-targeting EVs come out on top?

Mahindra’s cut-price off-roader, the Scorpio, will miss the March 1, 2025 cut-off of for being imported to Australia without autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

Jaecoo is set to launch in Australia imminently, but we've had a little preview steer in its first model, the J7 mid-size SUV. Can it shake up the establishment with premium styling and an expected sharp price?

The premium ‘sibling’ brand to Chery, called Jaecoo, is about to launch in Australia.

Chinese car brand BYD has made a bold claim at a recent conference, with executives confirming BYD plans to have mass installation of solid-state batteries into electric cars by 2027.The move is a step towards what Chinese auto media is calling ‘large-scale installation’ by 2030, which is when BYD expects to be able to bring solid-state batteries for electric cars into the mainstream.Sun Huajun, CTO of BYD’s Lithium Battery Company said the hope is that solid-state and traditional batteries will be close to each other regarding price by the end of the decade, according to CarNewsChina.It comes after Lian Yubo, BYD’s chief scientist and automotive engineer, said in terms of solid-state batteries, “three years will be difficult, and five years will be more realistic”.Sun Huajun said between 2030 and 2032 will be the period in which solid-state batteries see mass uptake, after winding up from 2027 onwards."These batteries are expected to be incorporated into mainstream EV models by 2030," said Sun as reported by China Daily.As well as BYD’s outline for the future, Wang Deping, Chief Scientist of Chinese state-owned FAW Group, said small-scale introduction of solid-state batteries is planned for 2027.It’s a bold claim that, if true, could see electric car driving ranges increase significantly, though the industry seems to remain split on whether solid-state batteries are truly achievable for mainstream (i.e. affordable) use.Last year at the launch of the Audi Q6 e-tron, senior drivetrain engineers told CarsGuide the technology wasn’t likely to be feasible for ‘everyday’ cars in the foreseeable future due to the miniscule manufacturing margins of error required.It seems unless there’s a major manufacturing breakthrough, some brands foresee solid-state batteries being limited to the upper echelons of the electric car market.

There’s been extensive talk of the slowing uptake of electric cars around the world, be it relatively realistic talk of sales levelling out or rather dramatic chat about the end of EVs.There’s a less commonly addressed effect of the same trend — China’s automotive export market.It seemed there would be a new Chinese electric car arriving in Australia every fortnight. New brands were popping up left and right, with new models coming in an EV landslide, but that also seems to be slowing down. So are the two trends related?Australia’s new car market sales data would certainly suggest so.In 2024, sales of electric cars were down 14.5 per cent when compared to 2023, and that trend is continuing into 2025. January’s EV sales this year are down a huge 38.5 per cent compared to January 2024.This is a pretty significant shift from the increase between 2022 and 2023, which saw EV sales up by a huge 161.1 per cent.The numbers would suggest the booming EV market had a relatively solid ceiling, for now at least.At the same time, Chinese imports were down 8.9 per cent between 2023 and 2024, after being up a huge 57.5 per cent the year before. Those numbers aren’t built from a small base, either — in 2022, 122,845 Chinese cars made it to Australia. In 2023, it was 193,433.But in 2024, that number dropped back to 176,159, and that’s not a result of a shrinking market, as Australia’s market as a whole was steady, up 0.3 per cent.The trend continued this year. Chinese car imports to Australia in January were down 6.9 per cent compared to 2024, from 12,902 to 12,018 units.That in itself isn’t enormous, but the shift from what was a meteoric rise in the years preceding is significant.The thing is, it’s not just Australia. As a country without tariffs on cars imported from China, it’s notable that even here things are slowing down.When it comes to much bigger markets like the EU and the US, the tariffs imposed on China have done some significant cutting into the nation’s exports.The US increased its tariffs in 2024 to 100 per cent, while the EU imposes different tariffs on different manufacturers, but they range from 17.0 to 35.3 per cent according to the EU.Sources said China’s exports for new cars still increased in 2024, around 20 per cent more than the previous year. The growth has slowed from the previous years, which “reached 59 per cent and 74 per cent year-on-year during January to October 2022 and 2023” according to Rhodium Group researchers.In further detail, China Daily reported the increase was mostly made up of traditional combustion exports: “fuel vehicle exports rose by 23.5 per cent to 4.57 million units, while exports grew by 6.7 per cent to 1.284 million units”The outlet points out the rise in NEV sales locally in China was up 35.5 per cent in terms of sales.So, while all this data is taken in the midst of a tumultuous time for the global new car market, changing politics and economics worldwide seem to have somewhat put the brakes on China’s exports of EVs, at least for now.Whether this will continue or something will change is yet to be seen.

Things could be looking Up for Volkswagen.It’s been a long time coming, but VW is nearing the reveal of its new ID.1 concept, the car it says will be a $30,000 electric hatchback.It's Volkswagen's future answer to cut-price electric cars such as the BYD Dolphin, MG4, GWM Ora, Hyundai Inster and Kia EV2.While a shadowy teaser was released last week, showcasing the front-on silhouette of the little EV, there are now sketched images showing off more of what to expect from the spiritual successor to the likes of the VW Up!.Volkswagen’s official global Instagram account along with Head of Design Andreas Mindt posted the sketches along with the caption: “Bold confidence meets timeless simplicity!”“With its compact yet spacious design, our new entry-level electric car blends functionality and style effortlessly,” the Wolfsburg brand went on, “From the charismatic front to the smiling rear end, every detail creates a joyful connection.”While it’s only the concept for now, it previews a production model set to arrive in Europe in 2027 according to reports, though a future in Australia is uncertain.“An affordable, high-quality and profitable electric Volkswagen from Europe for Europe,” Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer has called it, though too few details exist as of yet to determine if the car could be viable Down Under.The brand’s local EV plans have finally started to take-off, with the ID.Buzz people mover and cargo van the first electric models to launch for VW here.The ID.4 mid-size electric SUV is next, though its launch has been pushed back numerous times.