Articles by Jack Quick

The Mitsubishi Pajero is soon coming back and it will have plenty of stiff competition to go up against.The Japanese carmaker is set to reveal the new-generation Pajero at some point during 2026 and it will likely make its way to Australia shortly after.Mitsubishi has officially teased this new “cross-country” SUV and we’ve already spied prototypes being tested here in Australia so it’s clear the reveal is imminent.As previously speculated, it’s understood this new Mitsubishi SUV will be called just the Pajero, dropping the Sport suffix altogether.This will see the iconic and original Pajero nameplate revived for the first time since it was retired in 2021.What platform will the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero use?There is still a lot of speculation regarding what the new Pajero will be based on. The Pajero has historically been its own vehicle, however the Pajero Sport (formerly known as the Challenger) has always been based on the Triton ute.Previous reports have stipulated the new Pajero will be based on the current Triton, which launched locally in 2024. This is a massive change in formula and means it will be body-on-frame.Historically, the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame chassis, but later versions from the 2000s onwards were built on a monocoque platform, like the current Land Rover Defender.What engine will the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero use?Given the Triton bones, it’s expected the new-gen Pajero will likely share a version of the 2.4-litre bi-turbo-diesel engine. It produces 150kW and 470Nm in the Australian-specification Triton.It’ll likely also receive Mitsubishi’s latest version of its Super-Select four-wheel-drive system which allows for full-time four-wheel drive on sealed surfaces.Locally the Triton is only offered with a six-speed automatic transmission, however the outgoing Pajero Sport was offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It’s unclear if Mitsubishi will offer this new-generation Pajero with a similar eight-speed automatic transmission.What will the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero look like?In terms of styling, previous prototypes have shown it’ll have a big, boxy and bluff silhouette. From some angles it even looks like the Nissan Patrol Y63.Although we haven’t seen the design in full yet, it’s expected design cues like a large grille, headlights that cascade down the front fascia, plus bonnet bulges will feature.At the rear there is no tailgate-mounted spare wheel, likely meaning it’ll be mounted under the vehicle.The interior design is yet to be revealed though it will likely share a lot with the Triton. Five- and seven-seat configurations are likely.When will the 2027 Mitsubishi Pajero go on sale?This new Mitsubishi large SUV can’t come soon enough as the Japanese carmaker axed a number of models, including the Pajero Sport, in 2025 as they didn't meet new Australian Design Rule (ADR) standards which stipulated specific requirements for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems.As a result Mitsubishi’s largest SUV is currently the mid-sized Outlander, which is also its best-seller by far. Certain trims are available in seven-seat form.

There’s now officially a new best-selling Chinese brand in Australia.

Ford is still investigating the possibility of creating an ultimate Raptor for the road.Speaking to Australian media, including CarsGuide, Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley said a production version of the Raptor T1+ Dakar racer is being studied.“I don’t want to go into it too much, other than say, Kumar and the team really under that the invisible line between off-road and on-road supercars is blurring and with partially electric powertrains and digitally controlled damping and torque vectoring, you can now imagine a digitally enabled super vehicle that on-road and off-road is equally capable.“What the silhouette looks like all the details … we’ll continue to look at, but if there’s a company in the world that would break the rules and do something like that, I think it should be Ford.”This follows commentary from Farley in August last year where he discussed the potential of a 1000hp supercar that he sees eventually competing in the Dakar Rally.Ford currently competes in the Dakar Rally with the Raptor T1+ which is a purpose-built off-road racer. It’s powered by a 5.0-litre Coyote V8 engine, has 37-inch off-road tyres, as well as 400mm of ground clearance.Previous reports indicated that Ford is plotting a Mustang Raptor that could sit at the top of the Raptor line-up, above the Bronco Raptor, Ranger Raptor and F-150 Raptor R.It’s unclear if the Mustang will be used as a base for this potential off-road supercar, though Ford did recently create the high-performance Mustang GTD to rival the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.In the aforementioned interview with Bloomberg in August 2025, Farley noted this potential off-road supercar, if it’s actually produced, will be different to vehicles like the Porsche 911 Dakar and Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato.“The on-road performance hierarchy is very simple to see and the very top is over-served in my opinion, but no one’s ever done off-road supercar,” said Mr Farley.“Let’s see how long it would last on the Baja 500 course.”It’s now been years since rumours of an ultimate Raptor supercar being produced, so for now we still need to wait and see whether it will actually eventuate.

Lexus’ latest high-performance offering flew off the shelves when it first launched, but now a new influx of stock means wait times have been slashed.According to Lexus Australia, there is now only a wait of up to three months for a LBX Morizo RR, which is down from the circa 12-month wait as reported in November 2025.“The LBX Morizo RR proves that high‑performance and sophisticated luxury can coexist in a compact SUV. The current wait time is up to three months, depending on the choice of colour and trim,” said a Lexus Australia spokesperson.It’s unclear how much LBX Morizo RR stock is coming in this latest allocation, or if stock is more free-flowing now.It’s understood only 100 examples of this hot SUV were allocated to Australia for the first year of production and all of these sold out quickly, creating a backlog of orders.The LBX Morizo RR is based on the regular LBX SUV but is also essentially a more sophisticated and high-riding version of the Toyota GR Yaris and GR Corolla.It’s a personal favourite for former Toyota Motor Corporation President and CEO Akio Toyoda, whose nickname and pseudonym as a racer is Morizo.At the heart of this hot, pint-sized SUV is a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine that produces 206kW and 390Nm.This engine also features in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla but it’s slightly detuned. In those aforementioned cars the engine produces 221kW and 400Nm.The only transmission option offered in Australia is an eight-speed torque-converter automatic. However, a six-speed manual is offered in Japan.Pricing for the LBX Morizo RR is currently $76,490 before on-road costs. This is almost $20,000 more than the top-spec version of the regular LBX Hybrid. It’s also $6000 more than the top-spec GR Corolla GTS automatic.

Renault is soon set to reveal a new concept car that will preview a potential urban compact SUV targeted at the Indian market.The Renault Bridger concept is set to be revealed on March 10 and it will measure under 4.0-metres long. Cars in India that are under this threshold receive tax breaks as they have a smaller footprint and are generally more fuel efficient than larger cars.Vehicles like the Mahindra XUV3XO, Hyundai Venue and Suzuki Fronx are all under 4.0-metres long.Ahead of its official reveal, the French carmaker has revealed some teaser photos of the Bridger concept.It appears it will have a boxy and squared-off exterior design with a prominent spare tyre mounted on the tailgate. This gives it a similar look to the Suzuki Jimny XL.No other details about the Bridger concept have been announced yet. Given it’ll be a concept, it’s unclear whether there will be any details surrounding its powertrain, nor its off-roading potential.Renault typically reveals a concept show car a year or so before it reveals the production counterpart. However, it’s unclear just yet if Renault actually intends to do a production version of the Bridger concept.In India, Renault currently offers four vehicles and they’re all made domestically – the compact Kwid that is rebadged as the Dacia Spring for European markets, the Triber small people mover, Kiger small SUV, and the new Indian-specification Duster which is notably different from the Romanian-sourced, Australian-spec Duster.It’s unclear whether a production version of the Bridger concept, if it ever actually happens, will be offered outside of India.No Indian-made Renault models are currently offered in Australia, though there is a growing demand for small crossover SUVs. The Chery Tiggo 4, for example, is climbing up the sales charts in Australia.The smallest SUV Renault currently offers in Australia is the Megane E-Tech which is an electric crossover. The Captur small SUV currently isn’t offered locally and it’s unclear if it will return in facelifted guise.This also means the most affordable Renault you can currently buy in Australia is an entry-level Duster, which is priced from $34,990 drive-away.If the production version of the Bridger concept comes to Australia it could serve as a new, entry-level Renault model for the French brand.

Geely has officially teased its hardcore four-wheel drive rival to the Land Rover Defender ahead of an expected reveal later in 2026.Photos of the 2027 Geely Galaxy Starship, which has also previously been referred to as the Geely Galaxy Cruiser or Battleship, have been published online showing the four-wheel drive’s production body work.It has a boxy silhouette that’s reminiscent of BYD’s premium Denza B5 and B8 models, as well as the GWM Tank 300, Mercedes-Benz G-Class and Ford Bronco, among others.Little information about the Starship/Cruiser has been confirmed just yet but it’s understood to be based on a version of the platform that already underpins the Zeekr 9X and Lotus Eletre PHEV.According to Autocar, power will come from three electric motors which are fed by a hefty 70kWh battery pack, allowing for an electric range of over 350km, according to lenient CLTC testing.There’s also a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine which acts as a generator to top up the battery pack.Geely revealed the concept version of this off-roader back in 2025 at the Shanghai Motor Show and earlier this year the UK Marketing Director Tianxiao Yan confirmed the production version will eventually launch in the UK, seemingly confirming right-hand drive production.Speaking to UK media, the marketing boss said Geely will “definitely launch that car in the UK.” Given the brand’s apparent keenness to increase its presence in Australia, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the model here in the future, too.“While we cannot confirm the addition of any new models to the Geely Auto Australia line-up at this stage, we continuously assess market trends and consumer behaviours to ensure our product portfolio reflects the preferences and needs of local customers,” said a Geely Auto Australia spokesperson back in January 2026.Geely’s namesake brand launched in Australia during 2025 and it already offers the EX5 electric SUV and Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid SUV.In the second half of 2026 Geely will also launch the EX2 small electric hatchback to rival the likes of the BYD Atto 1, GWM Ora and MG4, among others.It’s worth noting that all the Geely vehicles currently in Australia or soon to launch in Australia are part of the brand’s Galaxy line-up in China.This further fuels speculation that eventually the Geely Galaxy Battleship will come to Australia as a flagship offering.

Virtually every non-hybrid and electric Hyundai vehicle in Australia received a $750 price hike from February 1, 2026.Hyundai Australia explained this price hike is due to global economic factors, such as U.S. tariffs, as well as local policy, such as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).The $750 price hike applies to the Hyundai Venue, Sonata, Staria, Staria Load, as well as pure internal-combustion (ICE) versions of the i30, Kona and Santa Fe.It notably doesn’t include high-performance Hyundai N vehicles like the i20 N, as well as the i30 N hatch and sedan.Pricing tables for all the Hyundai vehicles affected by this price hike are at the end of this story.As recently revealed, Hyundai Motor Corporation Australia (HMCA), which includes luxury arm Genesis, was behind the target for the first NVES performance period which finished at the end of 2025.In fact it was the fourth worst-performing brand, behind Mazda, Nissan and Subaru and is at risk of paying a fine of over $4 million at the end of 2027 unless it can offset it by beating the tightening targets in following years, or buying credits from other carmakers.HMCA imported a total of 39,863 vehicles during the 2025 performance period and this equates to a fine of $106 per vehicle.As noted above, Hyundai is attributing this $750 price rise at least in part to NVES, therefore meaning some of the fine amount is being passed on to buyers.Hyundai is far from the first brand to admit this. Ford and Nissan have also had price hikes that are at least in part related to the tightening CO2 standards in Australia. 

China’s BYD has revealed details of the forthcoming Seal 07 EV sedan ahead of its imminent launch in the domestic market.The 2026 BYD Seal 07 EV is a fully electric counterpart to the Seal 07 DM-i plug-in hybrid sedan which is already offered in China.Slotting above the Seal and Seal 06 EV, the Seal 07 EV measures in at 4995mm long, 1910mm wide and 1495mm tall, with a 2900mm wheelbase. This makes it a fraction larger than a Toyota Camry.Power comes from a single, rear-mounted electric motor that produces 240kW and is fed by a 69.07kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) 'Blade' battery.BYD claims the Seal 07 EV can travel up to 705km on a single battery charge, according to lenient CLTC testing. It also has a CLTC claimed energy consumption of 10.8kWh/100km.For context, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD offers up to 750km of electric range and a claimed energy consumption of 12.5kWh/100km, both according to more stringent NEDC testing.In terms of design, the Seal 07 EV shares many of its highlights with the Seal 07 DM-i. These include a closed-off front fascia with narrow headlights, a full-width rear light bar, flush door handles, a panoramic glass sunroof, plus a roofline that plunges down at the rear.Inside there is a digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch central touchscreen multimedia system, wireless charger, dual cupholders and a row of physical buttons for key vehicle controls.At this stage it’s unclear whether the Seal 07 EV will ever come to Australia. BYD already offers the smaller Seal electric sedan which is more of a rival to the Tesla Model 3.However, BYD has previously been spied testing the Seal 06 DM-i sedan, as well as Seal 06 DM-i Touring wagon in Australia.Both of these are notably plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and were approved for local sale by the government regulator in January 2026. This approval usually happens only a few months before a vehicle goes on sale.BYD currently doesn’t offer any plug-in hybrid sedans or hatchbacks in Australia. It only sells the Sealion 5, Sealion 6 and Sealion 8 PHEV SUVs, as well as the popular Shark 6 PHEV dual-cab ute.

Subaru's high-performance STI division has a deep and rich history, but the name has never officially been applied to the low-slung BRZ two-door coupe. The top-spec tS is the closest we've got to date and this one is filled to the gills with STI-tuned accessories and goodies.

A number of popular car brands in Australia are at risk of paying fines in excess of $10 million for not meeting tightening emission standards if they don’t correct course quickly.