Articles by Dom Tripolone

Nissan has confirmed its incoming Y63 Patrol will have six variants to choose from in Australia.The carmaker confirmed the line-up after it accidentally sent placeholder information live on its public website but has since been taken down, according to a Nissan Australia spokesperson.Images of the six-tier line-up were shared on social media showing the potential choices.“While the content was not intended for public release and included placeholder information used during website development, we can confirm the all-new Patrol will be offered in six well-specified grades in Australia,” said a Nissan spokesperson.“The grade names may not be exactly as shown in the screenshots, and some of the information is placeholder content rather than final product details. “We'll share the official model lineup and key specifications later this month.”It is no coincidence that it matches the six-tier Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, with the two expected to go toe-to-toe for Australian 4WD customers.The Patrol appears to top out with a luxury focused version, with the more off-road focused Pro-4X variant one rung down.This flips the script on the LandCruiser, which tops its line-up with the rough-and-tumble GR Sport grade with the full fruit Sahara ZX next variant down.There is no Nismo version, which is available in the US and the Middle East, shown in the leaked line-up. And Australia is expected to gain a Warrior version created by local outfit Premcar in time.CarsGuide spotted an uncamouflaged version of the Patrol was spotted driving through Melbourne CBD this week ahead of its early 2027 launch date.This is after numerous sightings of covered-up versions undertaking local testing ahead of its on sale date.The brand confirmed order books for the new 4WD will open before the end of August, with prices and full specification to be reveal then.Nissan swaps out the Y62’s 5.6-litre eight-cylinder petrol unit for a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol making 317kW and 700Nm, or 19kW and 140Nm more than before.The Y63 Patrol is built on a new platform and is bigger in almost every way. It is now 5205mm long (+35mm), 2030mm wide (+35mm), though the 1955m height remains unchanged.It’s also bigger in the third row, thanks to the rear section and boot being 30 per cent wider than in the Y62.It’s got some high-tech suspension too, with the air suspension system allowing the car to raise up an additional 70mm. This helps improve approach and departure angles when tackling properly tough terrain.

Chery’s new Stockman diesel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute is arriving soon, but we’ve been given a hint about what to expect from its follow-up act.The Chery Stockman will initially arrive with the headline-grabbing 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine with an electric motor set-up, which will deliver 350kW and 800Nm to all four wheels.It can drive up to a claimed 100km under electric-only power and is packed full of tough off-road hardware.But this is just the beginning according to Chery Australia’s Chief operating officer Lucas Harris.Harris has told CarsGuide previously the Stockman will add a petrol plug-in hybrid to its line-up in 2027.The new petrol plug-in ute promises to match the diesel’s capabilities with a 3500kg braked towing capacity, which matches the BYD Shark 6 Performance.It will likely be a more urban-focused ute, while the diesel option will be better for off-roading and long-range touring.But we now have an idea what might be lurking under the bonnet of this petrol plug-in hybrid, thanks to one of Chery’s many sub-brands.Jetour is Chery’s tough, off-road focused sub-brand and it has a new petrol plug-in hybrid ute based on the Stockman.Dubbed the Jetour F700, it has been revealed in China with an enticing price equivalent to about $63,000, and the petrol Stockman will likely use its plug-in hybrid set-up.The F700 packs a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine matched to two electric motors - one on each axle for all-wheel drive - that combine for a monster 665kW and 1135Nm. That leaves the BYD Shark 6 Performance’s 350kW/700Nm in the rear-view mirror.It can drive up to 150km on electric power, but this is calculated on the generous CLTC cycle. Expect closer to 100km on the benchmark WLTP test.It can drive a claimed 1300km on a full battery charge and tank of petrol.A front and rear locking differential shows it can handle the rough stuff and it will use an off-road battery developed by Chinese battery giant CATL.

Carmakers are looking to save costs and the environment, which means they will be using more recycled materials in their vehicles.This is being further reinforced by new European Union regulations, which require a minimum amount of recycled plastics used in cars and key battery materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, among others.This means more and more carmakers will be diving into the skip bin to grab crucial materials to put into your next car.The German giant is the latest to tout its recycling handiwork, reducing CO2 emissions from production of its new X5 SUV by using second-hand materials and renewable energy.A big part of this is electric arc furnace steel (EAF), which sounds absolutely badass, and it is. It effectively uses electric currents to melt scrap metal into new liquid steel that can be reshaped into car parts.BMW uses recycled materials in a range of components such as wheel rims, rear axle supports and brake calipers. The doors consist of 35 per cent reused materials and the headliner is made of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles.In the electric iX5 60 XDrive, about a third of its weight, or 940kg, is made up of recycled materials.BMW has reduced the materials it sends to landfills by 88 per cent in the past 20 years.Toyota is aiming to have its range of vehicles be at least 30 per cent built from recycled materials by 2030.The brand flags 19 parts including catalytic converters, bumpers, EV batteries and motors to be designed to be easily removed from scrap vehicles and deconstructed future range of vehicles.Toyota’s Gosei plastics manufacturing subsidiary has developed materials with a 50 per cent recycled plastic content and performance equivalent to newly-made plastics, which it says is a world-first. Examples of this material being used are in the glove box and grille-backing material in the new Euro-market Camry.Other new Toyotas using recycled plastics include the incoming new-generation RAV4 and the Crown Sport SUV.

Chery is tapping a local engineering firm to sharpen its incoming Stockman ute into a real-life Toyota HiLux and BYD Shark 6 smasher.Aussie outfit Premcar, which already turns Nissan Patrols and Navaras into 4WD beasts, will undertake extensive local testing and validation to get the Stockman ready for Aussie roads and adventures.Chery Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris previously said the brand had one chance to get the ute right, and it appears it is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it to make it a proper success."Australia is one of the world's most demanding ute markets, and we know our customers expect a vehicle that performs confidently across everything from urban streets to highways, construction sites and remote off-road tracks," said Harris.Premcar boss Bernie Quinn said Chery had very clear vision on what it wanted from its Stockman ute.“Chery has gone the extra mile with its first-ever Stockman ute,” he said.The move to undertake a comprehensive ride and handling program is a change of course for the brand, which previously told CarsGuide it doesn’t need to tune its cars in Australia to get a better result.“I think as long as we have the intelligent and educated input, whether we do that work in China or Europe or North America is irrelevant,” Harris said previously.“As long as the request is right of the spec we want and how we want it to behave and then a local validation of whether we got what we asked for. You don’t need a facility here to do that.”The importance of getting the Stockman right for Aussies appears to have changed that.The Stockman is due to go on sale by the end of the year, and will be powered by a diesel plug-in hybrid set-up. Not even Toyota - the master of diesel utes and hybrids - has delivered this set-up.The Stockman combines a 2.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine with an electric motor to deliver 350kW and 800Nm sent to all four wheels.It can drive up to 100km under electric-only power, but this is calculated via the more lenient NEDC test cycle. Expect closer to 80km when tested to the benchmark WLTP cycle.A petrol plug-in version will join the range in 2027.The Stockman will be a proper work truck, with leaf spring rear suspension paired with more sophisticated double wishbone hardware up front.It will have a 750kg unbraked and 3500kg braked towing capacity. Chery has not revealed payload yet.The Stockman will wear all terrain tyres as standard and will have 247mm of ground clearance.It is a big unit measuring 5450mm long, 2010 wide and 1890 tall. It’s wheelbase is a large 3250mm. The tub is 1560mm long, 1560mm wide and 500mm high.Chery has also previously said it would have front, centre and rear diff locks, and it should have low gearing for proper off-roading.

Stellantis has had a rough trot.The European-American conglomerate is the parent company of big names such as Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and more, and it hasn't been doing too well of late.In 2025 it posted a loss of more than €22 billion (about $36B), which was the worst performance to date for the company.Now it has posted two straight quarters of profit. In the past quarter it switched from a $3B loss from the previous year to $465 million into the black this year.A huge turnaround that shows Stellantis is having the last laugh.It’s not a new type of car, EV or hi-tech alternative, it’s just big utes.“The Ram 1500 was a key driver of both volume growth and profitability in the quarter, with strong demand for the reintroduction of the legendary Hemi V8 engine,” said Stellantis boss Antoino Filosa, according to Autonews.It is not only success by utes, but big, high-polluting and powerful utes.“Building on that momentum, we are now shipping the highly-profitable Ram 1500 TRX SRT to customers, just six months after its unveiling. This is the first off-road product from our SRT performance division, which we relaunched only one year ago,” said Filosa.The brand is focusing on the Jeep, Ram, Peugeot and Fiat brands, with a renewed focus on the US market.It is also deprioritising electric vehicles and pouring resources into hybrids and petrol cars.Stellantis’ success doesn’t stretch to Australia.Not a single brand in its portfolio has posted positive growth in the first six months of this year.In fact, two brands have stopped importing cars altogether, which could be a precursor to them waving goodbye to Australia for the foreseeable future.Peugeot’s importer Inchcape handed back the keys to the selling rights earlier this year, with no takers so far to continue selling the vehicles.Fiat, which is controlled by Stellantis Australia, has stopped importing its passenger cars with no confirmation if it will restart in the near future.It is understood this isn't the end for Fiat cars in Australia, but a break to work out the models in its line-up that would best suit the local market.“As part of Stellantis Australia's ongoing portfolio and product planning process, the availability of specific models can vary over time as we assess market demand and future product opportunities. We remain focused on ensuring the vehicles we bring to Australia meet customers’ expectations,” said a company spokesperson. Ram sales are down slightly, but Ram Australia doesn't sell the V8-powered models. Not yet, at least.Alfa Romeo sales are down 50 per cent this year. Jeep is down almost 70 per cent. The once high-selling US brand only sold 26 vehicles in June. Its range has shrunk massively in the past few years.Citroen, another Stellantis brand, also left the country in 2024.

The days of the sub-$20,000 small car were thought to be long gone … but they’re back for a limited time only.MG has slashed the price of its MG3 small hatchback, with it now starting at $19,990 drive-away for the MG3 Vibe with a CVT automatic transmission.The MG3 joins the smaller and manual gearboxed Kia Picanto in the sub-$20,000 price range for now.It also is significantly cheaper than the entry point for the similar-sized Mazda 2 ($27,290 before on-road costs), Suzuki Swift ($24,490 drive-away) and Toyota Yaris Hybrid ($29,190 before on-road costs).This is a return to a popular price point at the turn of the decade, with Hyundai successfully pushing its i30 hatchback for that price years ago.Since then inflation, increased safety tech and the disappearance of the manual transmission makes the MG's price even more impressive.The limited time offer ends at the end of the month, but car brands often extend popular deals to boost sales during tough market conditions.The MG3 Vibe is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that makes 81kW and 142Nm, which is paired to a CVT auto driving the front wheels.MG claims it drinks 6.0-litres per 100km, and it also runs on regular unleaded for further cost savings.It comes with a 10.25-inch multimedia screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is paired with a seven-inch driver’s screen.It wears 15-inch steel wheels, has halogen lights and cloth seats to help keep the cost down.It is fitted with plenty of safety tech as standard and it has a reversing camera.MG also backs its vehicles with a 10 year/250,000km conditional warranty, with owners required to only service their vehicles at an MG dealership or it reverts to a seven year/unlimited km guarantee.Chinese brands are rapidly filling the entry-level segment exited by the Korean and Japanese car brands several years ago.BYD’s little Atto 1 is the cheapest electric car in the nation, starting at $23,990 (before on-road costs).Chery has found success with its Tiggo 4 small SUV starting from $23,990 drive-away, and the slightly more plush — but mechanically related — Jaecoo J5.MG is getting aggressive with its discounts as it tries to reverse its sales slump for the past few years. Nearly every model in its line-up has some sort of offer applied to it.It appears to be working. Sales for the Chinese brand are up about seven per cent for the year with the MG S5 and MG4 Urban EVs leading the charge. Its core range, including the MG3 hatchback and MG ZS small SUV, continues to struggle. This points to more discounts in the near future.

Cars are getting smarter but our laws are not keeping up, which is putting Australian drivers' privacy and data security at risk.The Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) is calling on the federal government to take immediate legislative action to mandate strict data privacy laws for connected vehicles.New cars are increasingly connected to the internet, which means your data is at risk, but it is protected by an outdated and broad Privacy Act 1988 and some voluntary standards from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), according to the AEVA.The AEVA suggests 95 per cent of new cars sold by 2035 will be connected, and if nothing changes there will be an increase in national security risks and a further erosion of consumer protection.James Pickering, National President of AEVA, said consumers nationwide continue to be let down by insufficient data privacy legislation. “Instead of instigating fear and distrust in the connected vehicles we drive, policymakers have the power to make effective changes to protect drivers and consumer choice."Toyota Australia executive John Pappas previously told CarsGuide the time has come for buyers to be more conscious of who has their data and where it ends up.“ I think customers should really, really be aware,” said Pappas. “They really need to be aware of their data management. It's like when we go and buy anything, these days. We've really got to be aware of how the brand is managing our data.”The AEVA said some measures the government should mandate is local data storage to protect our national security. Cyber security experts have told CarsGuide previously that data stored in another country is at the whim of that government and not the carmaker.Pappas made it clear the data Toyota takes from Australian-delivered vehicles is stored on data servers based in Australia, but he added there are data back-ups in Singapore and the USA. “This is actually all about protecting our customers from a privacy point-of-view and we consider this paramount to our safety philosophy,” Pappas said.The AEVA also asks to align our laws with that already set-out in Europe, which will help with continuity.This will help protect against hacking and legally require carmakers to isolate functions such as braking and steering from multimedia screens to boost digital defences.It also asks for non-essential data collection to be switched off by default, with the user opting in if desired.“The only features in the vehicle that are by default when you get onboarded through the dealer are the crash notification, the paramount safety features and the SOS feature,” said Pappas.Pappas also said all telemetry and driver recordings are encrypted in the car and are not transmitted in any way.

We all secretly knew it, but now it's official: Ute and four-wheel-drive owners rarely use their vehicles as intended.Utes and rough-and-tumble 4WDs are some of the best-selling vehicles in the country, and if you have ever spent any time on the road you'll see it is dominated by Ford Rangers, Toyota HiLuxes and Pradoes and a range of newer vehicles such as the BYD Shark 6, GWM Tank 300 and Denza B5.Now new data from Continental tyres shows most high-riding and rough-road-ready vehicles rarely make it out of the suburbs.The survey polled 2000 Australian ute and 4WD owners across the country aged 18-years-old and above.Only 18 per cent of those surveyed said they had used their vehicle’s off-road capabilities frequently, while 22 per cent said they never went 4WDing.A further 21 per cent said they had gone off-road once or twice, and shockingly two per cent said they weren’t even aware of their car’s off-road ability.Of the drivers surveyed, 33 per cent said they take their vehicle off-road every few months, while 22 per cent said they never take their ute or 4WD off-roading. Twenty one per cent said once a year and only six per cent said every weekend,Surprisingly only 22 per cent of respondents said they bought their ute or 4WD for its off-road ability, with towing capacity (21 per cent) and space for the family (20 per cent) also the main reasons for the purchase.But if people aren't going off-road regularly, what are they using them for?The most common use of the vehicle was for grocery runs, with 57 per cent of those polled stating they do that on a weekly basis.This was followed by commuting to work (52 per cent) and weekend getaways (41 per cent).Only 20 per cent said they used the vehicle for camping or off-roading weekly.And the most common off-roading use in suburban areas was to tackle gravel or dirt carparks followed by grassed areas at local parks or sports fields.And the biggest challenge for utes and 4WDs? That’s parking in tight carparks and driving in poor weather conditions, followed by hitting a pothole.

If you can’t beat them, join them. Volkswagen has long resisted the urge to add conventional, Toyota-style hybrid power to its cars, but not anymore.The German maker is rapidly expanding its petrol-electric range, diversifying from the petrol, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric options currently available.Now it has revealed European prices for the VW Golf hatchback and T-Roc SUV hybrids, which would rival the popular Toyota Corolla and Corolla Cross.Prices start at €41,400 ($67,000) for the Golf and €44,470 ($72,000) for the T-Roc. Both models are only available in the top-spec R-Line specification, and represent about a €4000 ($6500) premium over the petrol models.Petrol R-Line versions cost about $50,000 before on-road costs in Australia, so a hybrid version could cost about $60,000 on the road in Australia. That would put it about $20,000 more than the cheapest equivalent Toyota hybrids.Volkswagen Australia has previously been unable to confirm if the hybrid Golf and T-Roc will arrive in Australia, but the company said it is always evaluating opportunities for our market.The hybrid Golf and T-Roc combine a tried-and-tested 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, two electric motors and a 1.6kWh battery.VW claims this set-up produces 125kW/309Nm, a jump of 15kW/59kW over the petrol Golf’s 110kW/250Nm max outputs.It also uses about 4.6-litres per 100km of fuel, which is slightly more than Toyota's claim.Hybrid options are becoming increasingly important to brands in Australia as purely petrol powered vehicles are starting to fall foul of Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).The NVES levels fines against carmakers for every gram of CO2 a sold vehicle emits over a certain threshold. This threshold gets lower every year until 2030.The fines can be offset by sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids.Purely petrol cars will soon become prohibitively expensive, with hybrids also attracting moderate fines in the coming years.The NVES is also putting Australia at the front of the queue for international brands to get low emissions or electric vehicles.Volkswagen Australia for years struggled to get its electric cars sold in Europe and other parts of the world, as our market wasn’t considered an emissions critical one that needed these vehicles. This is no longer the case.All this works in favour of Volkswagen bringing its latest hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles here.

Another carmaker has stepped back to pause and consider what its future in Australia looks like.Fiat has announced it has stopped importing passenger vehicles into Australia, as it assess what its future line-up may look like.It wasn’t an extensive model range, with the Italian marque only selling the electric Fiat 500e and its sporty twin, the Abarth 500e.The company will continue to import and sell its range of commercial vehicles.It is understood this isn't the end for Fiat cars in Australia, but a break to work out the models in its line-up that would best suit.“As part of Stellantis Australia's ongoing portfolio and product planning process, the availability of specific models can vary over time as we assess market demand and future product opportunities. We remain focused on ensuring the vehicles we bring to Australia meet customers’ expectations,” said a company spokesperson. “Following Stellantis' recent confirmation of Fiat as one of its core global brands, we are excited by the opportunities the brand presents for the future. “Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e stock in Australia has now largely been sold through and, at this stage, we are not planning additional orders while we evaluate future product opportunities for the local market. “We continue to support our Fiat and Abarth customers and dealer network and look forward to sharing more information about Fiat's and Abarth’s future plans in Australia at the appropriate time.”Fiat has only sold 144 vehicles through the first six months of this year in Australia, which is down 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.Its range of commercial vehicles is faring better, and sold 139 in June alone.Fiat has an expanding range of SUVs overseas, including the Grande Panda and Grizzly. These models are both electrified and better suited to Australian tastes.Peugeot, which is also owned by Stellantis, also closed up shop in Australia earlier this month.The French brand’s local distributor, Inchcape, handed back the keys to its selling rights and there is no immediate taker to pick up where they left off.The writing was on the wall for Peugeot after a string of tough years that culminated in 373 sales through the first five months of this year, which was down 35 per cent compared to the same period last year.This follows a circa-29 per cent drop in 2025, and losing a quarter of sales in 2024.