Articles by Dom Tripolone

If you can’t beat them, join them. That’s the strategy of Toyota, which has long shunned high-tech features that are at the heart of new Chinese rivals, but it is preparing to catch up at break-neck speed. News outlet Nikkei Asia reports Toyota is now planning to turn all 50 of its current cars into software-defined vehicles. Software-defined vehicles is a fairly new auto industry buzzword, but it is taking the new and old guard by storm. It effectively means the vehicle has switched from being primarily a mechanical instrument to a software-powered device. This means software forms the core of the vehicle and enhances nearly all features — from advanced safety tech, autonomous driving, over-the-air updates, connected to everything, detailed vehicle telematics and intuitive software-powered comfort items. These features are easier to integrate into electric cars as they ditch many of the mechanical elements of petrol and diesel cars. The electric motors, battery management and transmission are all programmed rather than hardwired. Toyota has developed its own proprietary Arene software, which is already in use in the new Toyota RAV4, for example. The main function will be to roll out over-the-air updates, which have been a mainstay of Teslas and Chinese vehicles from BYD, GAC, XPeng and Zeekr, among others for years now. These over-the-air software updates work just like they do with a smartphone and fix bugs, roll out new features and enhancements while the vehicle is not in use. Nikkei Asia also reports the software will be installed in robots, homes, powerpoles and other infrastructure, which means if linked the car could turn on your house lights, open garage doors and start air-conditioning as you approach. It has previously been reported Toyota is looking to massively increase profit through post-purchase options, including software updates, a focus on genuine spare parts and used car sales. Toyota wants to boost its profit from outside new car sales by 40 per cent, and this is how they plan to do it. That means Toyota is planning to slug customers more than $26 billion annually for the services rivals - such as Tesla - give for free.

Volkswagen is under “enormous pressure” from Chinese competition, according to its boss Oliver Blume. The boss of Volkswagen Group, which includes Audi, Cupra, Skoda, VW and more, has called for help to support local manufacturing to compete with a new wave of affordable Chinese EVs, as well as evolving market demands, according to Reuters. Volkswagen is getting squeezed in Europe by ultra-affordable new entrants to the market. The German giant’s business model is to sell volume at low margin in Europe. "This business model is ⁠under ​enormous pressure in Europe," Blume said. The recent Paris motor show was awash with new Chinese brands looking to muscle in, with big dollar war chests and plenty of production capacity. This follows news that Chinese carmakers can build an electric car for $11,000 less than the equivalent European model, according to consultancy firm AlixPartners. This has squeezed European makers' margins, which limits the ability to fund the next generation of models. “Chinese brands have taken 10 percent of volume from Western manufacturers in just a few years, and in doing so have fundamentally reset consumer expectations on price, technology and innovation,” said Xing Zhou, AlixPartners co-head of automotive for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A similar storyline is more advanced in Australia where Chiense carmakers such as BYD, Chery and GWM are regular top 10 sellers, and new brands such as Geely and Zeekr are rising fast. The company has already agreed to cut its line-up in half, reduce model variants by 75 per cent and cut 100,000 jobs by the end of the decade to make itself leaner and more agile to stave off defeat. Now VW CEO Thomas Schafer has told UK publication Auto Express the model cull wasn’t really a problem and didn’t cause much drama. This is because it is a natural cycle of renewal driven by Europe’s 2035 mandate to cut emissions by 90 per cent. A natural cull will occur because Volkswagen won’t sell for example both the petrol-powered Polo and Tiguan and the electric ID.Polo and ID.Tiguan by that time, and this contraction of its line-up can be applied across its brands. He also said there will be a refocus on the most profitable products, meaning low-wattage niche vehicles will be gone. Volkswagen Australia already went through a similar cull, where it ditched the slow selling Passat and Arteon sedans to focus on SUVs and EVs.

Tesla has built a literal Batmobile that can hang upside down, fly and land, with edgy aggressive styling. This is the long promised Roadster, almost a decade after it was first shown in concept form. At a cult-like event at SpaceX's facility in Texas, Tesla's supremo Elon Musk, Head of Design Franz von Holzhausen and Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy put on a show of the "world's best driver's car". The Roadster can hang upside down due to extreme downforce, which Musk said makes it the best car to corner and will “crush every record”. Tesla demonstrated the Roadster flying, doing a barrel roll, or kick-flip as Musk called it, and landing successfully with the help of actual rocket thrusters. Tesla has harnessed the power of Musk’s rocket company SpaceX to build the Roadster. It doesn’t use rocket fuel to undertake its airborne acrobatics, instead it uses compressed air for its thrusters. “It can fly like a rocket, can roll, do gymnastics and takes the fun metre to 11 out of 10,” said Musk. Musk said the Roadster was “unlike any car you’ve seen before” and ”better than any James Bond car”. It is a two-seater, seats are built into the chassis and it uses steer-by-wire. Lars Moravy said it is meant to be the best driver’s car, and the company had broken the laws of physics and it can corner at more than 2.0G. Thanks to its compressed air thrusters it can break the speed of sound and can hit 60mph (96km/h) in under one second. It did it in 0.81 seconds during a live test. “This will be long-term the only manually-driven car that Tesla makes,” Musk said. “If you are going to have only one manually-driven car let’s take it way past the limits." It was first revealed in concept form back in 2017, along with the Tesla Semi truck. One of those is already on the road. Those who have put down a deposit on the Roadster, which cost more than $75,000 in Australia, only have a little bit longer to wait, with Musk revealing the start of production. “(It will) enter production in 2028... actually,” said Musk.

Buyers looking for a mid-size electric SUV are absolutely spoiled for choice these days, with a bevy of options from new, near-new and established brands. GAC is one of China’s biggest carmakers and the Aion V is its answer to the Geely EX5, Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y. The Aion V follows a familiar Chinese electric SUV formula with sharp pricing, high-tech features and mid-tier outputs and battery size. It does do something a little different, though. Its design is a break from the homogeneous silhouette of others, and its cabin is more family friendly than any other EV I’ve tested. It has been a slow seller, with 656 finding a home in the first eight months of this year. Things are picking up, with a third of those sales happening in August. It is still a long way off Australia’s favourites, with the Model Y selling more than 31,000 units through the same period, followed by the BYD Sealion 7 (17,277) and Geely EX5 (10,737). We’re about to find out if the Aion V deserves to be in more driveways through our long-term test. The range is simple, with just two grades to choose from and I’m testing the top-spec Luxury model. The base Premium starts at $42,590, before on-road costs, and the Luxury variant costs $44,590, BOC. That’s a competitive price, with the Geely EX5 line-up ranging from $41,990 to $45,990, BYD’s Sealion 7 starting at $54,990 and the Tesla Model Y costing upwards of $58,900. It also undercuts other Chinese rivals such as the Leapmotor C10 ($45,888), MG S6 ($49,990 drive-away) and Deepal S07 ($53,900). At its heart is a circa-75kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that feeds a single electric motor that sends 150kW and 210Nm to the front wheels. It can drive up to 510km between charges, according to the benchmark WLTP test cycle. GAC claims it can absorb up to 180kW via a DC fast charger and 11kW when plugged into an AC connector. All that puts it at the upper end of the scale for mid-size electric cars, and better than anything in the $40,000 range.  The Aion V comes with all the bells and whistles, and there isn’t a whole lot separating the Premium and Luxury grades. On the outside buyers can expect 19-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting front and back, folding side mirrors and roof racks. The inside is pretty swish but has a minimalist vibe favoured by so many Chinese-sourced electric cars. Inside some of the biggest highlights are a 14.6-inch multimedia screen paired with a 8.8-inch driver’s display and a head-up display that projects vital information such as travelling speed and safety warnings onto the windscreen in front of the driver. There are synthetic leather wrapped, power-adjustable seats trimmed in a mix of synthetic and genuine leather with a massage function in the Luxury Grade. All grades have heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. There is a spattering of USB-A and -C charging ports throughout, and a wireless device charger up front to keep all the family's devices fully juiced. A large panoramic sunroof lets the light in and it has an electric shade, which is a blessing in the hot Australian sun. The Luxury grade also gets a second-row tray table, sun visors with larger lit vanity mirrors, a car fridge in the centre console and a PM2.5 air quality sensor. The cabin is absolutely cavernous thanks the car’s boxy shape and long wheelbase - the distance between the front and rear wheels. Rear seat passengers are treated to hectares of leg, shoulder and headroom. I fitted two child seats in the second row — one forward and one rear-facing — with plenty of room to spare. Taller teens and adults would be able to sit comfortably on longer trip thanks to the flat rear floor and rear air con vents and large windows. The cabin fit out is fairly minimalist, with no physical buttons or dials, with every vehicle function controlled through the touchscreen. This is fiddly, distracting and screams of cost-cutting, but the worm has turned on this interior layout and many carmakers are going back to old school controls in their next vehicles. The cabin materials are pleasant enough, but they don’t feel of the highest quality. The two-spoke steering wheel was a particular annoyance. The homogenous nature of it meant you would lose where north and south were when undertaking three-point turns or parallel parking, meaning you'd have to take your eyes off where you were going to correct the steering wheel. There are plenty of handy storage options in the cabin, but the centre console fridge feels a bit like a gimmick. The boot is an okay size, but the lack of a spare tyre is a fail. You can get a space-saver as an optional extra, but it should be standard. A tyre repair kit is hard to use and doesn’t work on all punctures, and is a bad result for owners. GAC backs its vehicles with an eight year/unlimited km warranty and the battery is guaranteed for eight years/200,000km. That’s one of the best warranties in the business, only the conditional 10 year warranties from MG, Mitsubishi and Nissan trump it, but they require you to service your vehicle at that brand’s dealership every visit or it resorts to a shorter guarantee. GAC throws in five years of roadside assistance, too. GAC doesn’t have a capped priced servicing program, but has said it is planning to bring one in. It has recommended prices instead for its 15,000km/12 month service intervals, although they are not guaranteed prices. But if the service centre sticks to the recommended schedule it’ll set owners back $2446 for the first seven workshop stop overs, which is on the affordable end of the spectrum. Next instalment I’ll dive into how the GAC is to drive and how it handles daily life with a family of four. Acquired: July Distance travelled this month: 795km Odometer: 10,378 km Average energy consumption this month: 15.9kWh/100km

There is a sprint to the finish line as carmakers prepare for a tumultuous end to 2026. This year will be remembered as the point China ascended, but a few other storylines are developing. This is our prediction for the last quarter of 2026. That is a shocking number, that would have seemed impossible just four years ago when Aussies bought about 33,000 electric cars. The sheer breath of choice across all body  shapes, price ranges and brands is what is driving the EV revolution. Healthy incentives, such as the Fringe Benefits Tax exemption, are making the idea of an EV palatable to those that previously never would have considered one. Tesla is still the dominant force in electric cars, but it isn’t the only mover and shaker. BYD’s success has been driven by its range of EVs, and Geely and Zeekr are both selling their electric cars in big numbers. Even Toyota, which was firmly in the no camp for EVs just half a decade ago, has managed to increase sales of its bZ4X by more than 300 per cent this year. New Chinese brands are doing the heavy lifting, but mainstream carmakers are starting to leave their mark by converting their loyal base to zero-emissions vehicles. Toyota will be the best selling car brand this year and the foreseeable future. Despite all the commotion made about BYD’s barnstorming run up the sales charts, especially in the early part of the year, there was never any doubt Toyota would come out on top. Toyota has sold about double the cars of BYD, which is actually a mega effort by BYD and it is on track to sell more than 100,000 cars this year. Toyota has assured everyone it will finish the year strong, with an increase of supply for key models, including RAV4, HiLux, LandCruiser and bZ4X. Toyota is predicting more than 220,000 sales for this year, which means they would need to deliver about 23,000 a month through the last quarter. Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Volkswagen were once the first choice for a huge swath of Aussie buyers, but they haven’t had the vehicles buyers demanded in recent years. Now those once-loyal buyers have jumped ship to BYD, Geely, Zeekr and the like. It’ll be a hard fought battle to win those buyers back. All have some exciting models in the pipeline, with the new Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD, ASX VR-e electric hatch, Nissan Patrol, Nissan Navara Pro PHEV ute, VW ID.Tiguan chief among them. But it is likely the ship has already sailed as the tide has turned towards these new brands. They have the wind in their sails and recording eye-popping growth numbers. Zeekr is up 1500 per cent, Geely and Jaecoo are up more than 600 per cent, BYD is up 100 per cent, Chery is up more than 50 per cent and GWM 14 per cent. The momentum is in their favour and they also have a healthy pipeline of affordable and desirable vehicles locked in for the next 12 months.

Chinese electric cars are about to get more expensive, thanks to a cash grab made by the Chinese government. In a move that will help repair its budget, the Chinese government has slashed the export rebate for value added tax (VAT) on electric, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and range-extender hybrids (REEV) from 13 per cent to nine per cent, according to reports. This effectively means Chinese cars will become four per cent more expensive to send to Australia, but the good news is this doesn’t kick in until April 2027. This means Chinese brands might engage in a price war to grab market share before being forced to lift prices. China is the world’s biggest electric and low-emissions vehicle market in the world, and it exported more than 570,000 examples in September alone. Sales of Chinese-made cars have exploded in Australia, with 42,158 examples finding a new home in September. That is about 39 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia. That number smashes conventional powerhouses Japan, Thailand and South Korea. Not all Chinese-made cars are from Chinese brands. Almost every Australian-delivered Teslas is built in China, and an increasing number of carmakers are building their EVs there, such as the Cupra Tavascan, Hyundai Elexio and Kia EV5, among others. Chinese-built electric cars are starting to dominate the top 10 sellers list, with the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7 and Geely EX5 all amongst the top sellers for September. There are also a number of contenders knocking on the top 10, including the Zeekr 7X and Jaecoo J5. Even with a four per cent price rise across the board, Chinese cars will still undercut rivals from conventional carmakers. BYD’s Atto 1 is the cheapest car in the country at $19,990 — at least until its promotional drive-away offer ends in December. BYD isn’t alone in sharpening its pencil, with the Geely EX2, GAC Aion UT, GWM Ora 5 and Leapmotor B03X all lobbing in the past few months with price tags at about or less than $30,000. Tesla slashed $9000 of the price of entry into its Model 3 electric sedan, with a new based Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) variant priced from $45,900, before on-road costs. A price war is forming, but it might be slightly blunted by the incoming changes.

The XPeng G9L is the latest in a long line of mega SUVs preparing to take a super-sized bite out of Australia’s SUV-mad market. At 5120mm long, 1998mm wide, 1788mm tall, the G9L is bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser and giving giants such as the new Y63 Nissan Patrol a run for their money. It’s also a whopper on the inside thanks to its 3100mm wheelbase - the distance between the front and rear axles - which means the wheels have been pushed to all four corners to help liberate more cabin space. XPeng hasn’t confirmed when it would arrive in Australia, but expect it to arrive in the first half of next year. No word on price, either, but no Chinese car has broken six figures yet, so it’ll be cheaper than luxury rivals from Germany. The G9L is a range-extender hybrid, which uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine to charge its monster 63kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery that feeds two electric motors that drive the wheels. This gives it the driving prowess of an electric car without the range anxiety. The G9L’s set-up makes 370kW and 695Nm, and can propel the big unit to 100km/h from a standstill in 5.4 seconds. XPeng claims it can drive up to 287km on electric power only, which is calculated via the benchmark WLTP test cycle and it has a combined driving range of up top 1200km. Advanced 800-volt electrical architecture means it can absorb a generous amount of juice, with it able to go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in about 12 minutes. XPeng has made a big deal about how it is integrating AI into its cars, including the G9L. The company builds its own microchips, which allows it to have more control over its capabilities. AI is used as part of the energy management and adapts the energy flow depending on different driving scenarios. XPeng claims it has 24 energy flow strategies covering battery estimation, regenerative braking and thermal management. The G9L has the computing power to allow for full autonomous driving, and the company is preparing to roll out fully autonomous capabilities in 2027, where regulations allow. Australia does not allow that yet. For now the G9L has what it terms Next Generation Pilot, which is Level 2 driver-assistance tech. That is the same grading given to Tesla’s Full Self Driving (Supervised), so expect similar capabilities. Tesla’s tech can drive autonomously, but the driver needs to be in control and alert and ready to take control just in case. Future over-the-air updates will continue to enhance the tech. XPeng has just launched its Yoyo autonomous robotaxi service in China using its flagship GX SUV. The G9L is packed with kit. The cavernous cabin is festooned with premium materials and hi-tech features. The seats are wrapped in supple Nappa leather. The front pair are heated, ventilated, have adjustable side bolsters, massage functions and memory settings. Second row seats are power adjustable, heated, ventilated, massaging and have electric sunshades. Even the third row gets heating and power adjustment. There is a 26-speaker stereo, mini fridge, big multimedia screen, a slim driver display and head-up display. More details will be revealed closer to the G9L’s launch date.

Nissan is on the cusp of unleashing a torrent of Chinese-sourced vehicles, and this could be one of the next to arrive. Nissan has just confirmed it will bring the Navara Pro plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, which spawned from its partnership with China’s Dongfeng, to Australia next year. It has also hinted at more to come, with several prototypes undergoing testing in Australia. Nissan is preparing to launch the NX7 plug-in hybrid SUV in China later this year, which puts it on the timeline where it could be one of the prototypes testing Down Under. It has now been spotted testing in China. It looks typical of Chinese electric and PHEVs, with lots of rounded edges and a face that blends into a crowd. It measures 4785mm long, 1932mm wide and 1665mm tall, according to regulatory filings in China. This makes it longer and wider than its main rival, the Toyota RAV4. Underneath it features a monster circa-41kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, which is roughly double what is found in most mid-size PHEV SUVs currently on sale in Australia. There is no word on charging speeds, but it should have moderate DC fast-charging capabilities. It is claimed the battery provides an electric driving range of more than 200km, albeit via the more lenient Chinese test cycle, rather than the benchmark WLTP. It uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor, with combined power figures still under wraps. The Nissan Navara Pro PHEV is the first to come to Australia. It is a ladder-frame dual-cab ute with PHEV grunt. It uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor that makes a combined 300kW and 800Nm. It has four-wheel drive, multiple drive modes, can tow up to 3500kg and a payload of up to 1000kg. It will spawn a SUV, dubbed Terrano, which is also likely to come to Australia. Nissan’s N-Series of SUVs are also possible starters with the NX7 and NX8 bigger brother. The NX8 is an range-extender hybrid (REEV), which means it only uses its petrol engine to charge its battery and the wheels are driven by electric motors. This gives it the driving prowess and instant torque of an EV, with the total driving range of a hybrid.

Volkswagen finally has the firepower to take on China, with its new ID.Tiguan electric SUV. The new ID.Tiguan will replace the current ID.4 and ID.5, which are currently still on sale in Australia. Both have been met with lukewarm success and have been comprehensively outsold by the Tesla Model Y, Zeekr 7X, Geely EX5 and more. The mid-size electric SUV moves to the company’s upgraded electric car platform, dubbed MEB+. This brings a number of updates including faster charging capabilities, better batteries and more efficient electric motors. The new ID.Tiguan brings more road presence than the outgoing ID.4 and ID.5. It looks less like it was designed to impress a wind tunnel and more to look good in a driveway. It has chunkier styling with a more boxy silhouette, with broad haunches and a blocky rear end. Sharp LED lights joined by a light bar that runs the length of the bonnet gives it a modern EV feel. There are just enough body creases to give it some visual appeal, along with various alloy wheel designs. Inside is where the magic really happens. Buttons, glorious buttons, have made a return to a Volkswagen interior. There are physical controls for climate functions underneath the central multimedia display, and the steering wheel has plenty of real buttons, not haptic feedback touch controls of cars past. This doesn’t mean the ID.Tiguan is old-school. The ID.Tiguan can come with three screens, including a 15-inch central multimedia screen, 10-inch driver display and a 12-inch front seat passenger screen. This means the screens run the length of the entire dashboard. It appears the austerity years that ripped out the high-end feel of Volkswagen interiors might be over, with the ID.Tiguan looking plush and comfortable inside. The ID.Tiguan is available in three layouts: two single-motor, rear-wheel drive and one dual-motor all-wheel drive. The base rear-wheel-drive version uses a 140kW motor and 58kWh battery delivering a WLTP range of up to 450km. A beefier 210kW rear-wheel drive version is paired with a 77kWh battery that provides a driving range up to 600km. The range is topped off with a 220kW all-wheel-drive version that uses the same 77kWh battery to push the car up to 560km. The bigger batteries can accept up to 165kW of DC power and the smaller version up to 105kW. All can absorb 11kW from an AC connector. The ID.Tiguan can even tow, with the smaller battery version capable of pulling up to 1800kg and the others can shift 2000kg. Volkswagen Australia has not confirmed if the ID.Tiguan will be sold in Australia, but it is almost certain it will arrive here to replace the ID.4 and ID.5. Pre-sales start in select European countries this month, but Australia is usually a decent chunk behind the continent. Volkswagen has just announced a series of substantial updates for the ID.4 and ID.5 in Australia, which will likely point to it being on sale for another year at least. So, expect it to arrive towards the end of 2027 at the earliest. In Germany it starts at the equivalent of about $68,000.

China’s premier car brand is headed to Australia. Hongqi, which is part of state-owned carmaker FAW, was originally the official motor vehicle supplier for high ranking communist party officials. Now it is China’s answer to Bentley, Rolls-Royce and the like. Now it has Australian roads in its sights, with the electric E-HS9 large SUV the first vehicle slated to arrive Down Under and it will be on display at the Melbourne and Sydney EV shows on 23-25 October and 6-8 November, respectively. It is a big, brash electric SUV with a dominant grille, blocky silhouette and a plush interior. There is no word on when it will arrive in Australia, and it hasn’t been approved for sale by the federal government regulator, which points to it still being at least six months away. We can gather some idea of what to expect by looking at fellow right-hand-drive markets such as Singapore where it is on sale. Hongqi’s Singapore website said it is 5209mm long, 2010mm wide, 1713mm tall and with a wheelbase of 3110mm. That makes it one of the largest passenger vehicles on Australian roads, and is bigger than a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and on par with the incoming Nissan Y63 Patrol. The enormous wheelbase - the distance between the front and rear axles - means it will also have one of the roomiest cabins of any vehicle in Australia. It uses two electric motors, in two tunes, to make a combined 320kW and 600Nm or 405kW/750Nm and provide all-wheel drive grip. Battery sizes range from 84kWh to 120kWh delivering a driving range of between 380km and 515km. The bigger battery and more powerful version is the one slated for Australia. It is fully kitted out inside, with heated, ventilated and power-adjustable massage seats up front, and a heated and ventilated second-row pew. Nappa and synthetic leather-wrapped upholstery is complemented by soft-touch and premium materials, 16-speaker stereo and a laundry list of other items. It has seating for six or seven, with the six-seat version using premium captain’s chairs in the second row and the seven-seat has a 2+3+2 layout.