Articles by Jack Quick

Hyundai has detailed an update for its spaceage-looking Staria people mover and Staria Load commercial van in South Korea, while an electric version looms.The South Korean carmaker has confirmed the updated Staria will arrive in Australia during 2026 with local specifications to be confirmed closer to its local launch.There have been no major changes made to the Staria’s exterior besides a slightly altered grille and daytime running light (DRL) set-ups.The bigger changes are on the inside. A highlight is a bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia display (up from 10.25-inches) that runs Hyundai’s latest ccNC multimedia system.It offers an updated graphical interface, plus the ability for over-the-air software updates. It’s also expected to bring wireless smartphone mirroring capability.The touch-sensitive climate control buttons under the central touchscreen have been replaced by physical buttons and dials, while the rest of the centre stack has been redesigned to include more air vents and a repositioned wireless phone charger.There’s also a new steering wheel, plus certain variants get a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. This is up from the 10.25-inch unit currently fitted to the Staria.The Staria Lounge, which isn’t offered in Australia, gets a new shift-by-wire gear selector mounted on the steering column, like other current Hyundais, whereas the regular Staria sticks with a regular centre console-mounted gear selector.Other new features include Digital Key 2 access via a smartphone, a walkaway locking function, updated built-in dash cam and multi-zone voice recognition.Under the skin there is tweaked suspension for better passenger comfort and stability, extra sound-deadening materials, plus hydro bushings in the chassis in the top-spec Lounge trims.The powertrains remain unchanged. In South Korea the Staria comes either with a 3.5-litre V6 engine that runs on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid engine.In Australia the Staria currently comes with either a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine or a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.At this stage it’s unclear whether the hybrid engine will arrive with this update. It’s currently only built in left-hand drive guise.Additionally, Hyundai is gearing up to reveal its “biggest EV yet” at the Brussels Motor Show in early January. Slotting above the Ioniq 9, it’s understood this will be an electric version of the Staria.Hyundai hasn’t confirmed many details, however this new EV will have an 800V electrical architecture like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9.There technically is already an electric version of the Staria in the form of the ST1, which is an electric version of the Staria Load but with a box-body rear.It features a front-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW and 350Nm which is fed by a 76.1kWh battery pack. This allows for a claimed range up to 317km.The battery has a peak DC charging rate of 350kW, allowing for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes. There’s also vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to power appliances using the battery pack.It’s unclear whether Hyundai will make any changes to the ST1’s powertrain for this potential forthcoming electric Staria. It could gain a larger battery pack from the likes of the Ioniq 9.

Around six months after Toyota confirmed the LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid is coming to Australia next year, Lexus has followed suit with its luxurious counterpart.In the first half of 2026 Lexus will launch the LX700h as a new flagship engine offering, sitting above the existing LX500d turbo-diesel and LX600 twin-turbo petrol engines.Pricing for the LX700h starts at $196,000 before on-road costs and extends to $202,000 before on-road costs.The LX700h is $16,200 more expensive than the equivalent LX600 and $19,700 more expensive than the LX500d. A full table of pricing is at the end of this story.Powering the LX700h is the same 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol engine as the LX600 but adds a 36kW/250Nm electric motor generator into the 10-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.It’s worth noting that this set-up is the exact same as the Toyota Tundra pick-up, as well as the forthcoming LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid.Total system outputs for the LX700h are 341kW and 790Nm, which makes it the most powerful Lexus hybrid ever.Like the LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid, the LX700h retains a full-time four-wheel drive system with low-range gearing. There’s also the Multi-Terrain Select off-road traction control system with ‘Rock’, ‘Dirt’ and ‘Deep Snow’ modes.Notably the LX700h still has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg, like the rest of the LX line-up.Lexus claims the LX700h has a combined fuel consumption of 10L/100km, which is down from the 11.9L/100km figure the non-hybrid LX600 twin-turbo petrol offers. However, it’s down on the 8.9L/100km figure the LX500d turbo-diesel offers.It also offers a slightly less fuel capacity with a 68L main and 30L sub-tank, bringing the total to 98L. Non-hybrid versions of the LX offer 110L of fuel capacity.Locally the LX700h will be offered in two trim levels – Sports Luxury and F Sport. The former will be offered in five- and seven-seat configurations, whereas the latter will only come with five seats.This is a contrast to the forthcoming LandCruiser 300 Series Hybrid which is only being offered with five seats in Australia.Due to the hybrid components, boot space for the five-seat LX700h variants falls from 1109L to 889L, whereas the Sports Luxury seven-seat offers 833L with the third row of seats folded.It also features a “flexible deck board” which can be erected to create a flat cargo floor, or folded to maximise boot space. No imagery of this has been shared yet, but it is likely a similar solution to what seven-seat versions of the Toyota Prado have.The LX700h Sports Luxury and F Sport trims are specified similarly to the LX600 counterparts, however they gain a 1500W inverter with a standard power outlet to power appliances, a shift-by-wire gear selector, a semi-autonomous park assist and vehicle approach notice.Additionally, Lexus has announced it is axing the flagship four-seat LX600 Ultra Luxury in Australia, making the LX700h the new flagship offering.It is also making the optional Enhancement Package standard on the entry-level LX500d and LX600 Luxury trims. No price hike has been dished out.As a result these entry-level models pick up larger 22-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass sunroof and a hands-free power tailgate as standard.2026 Lexus LX pricing:

While this camouflaged prototype may look like the new Nissan Patrol Y63, this is something else entirely.Instead CarsGuide has spied the forthcoming successor to the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport for the first time in Australia.A number of similar-looking prototypes with thick black-and-white camouflage have been spied overseas for a while now, but this is the first time an example has been seen in Australia.It’s likely here for local tuning and testing ahead of its expected reveal at some point during 2026.This particular prototype was spied in Beaufort, Victoria, which is almost two hours west of Melbourne.It has a very boxy and upright design, which doesn’t look too far from the Patrol Y63, especially towards the rear. There’s a bluff front end with what appears to be a slotted grille and LED headlights with a cascading daytime running light (DRL) set-up.While there are no overt design features that label this as a Mitsubishi, a license plate search reveals it as one. Interestingly it only lists the spied prototype’s make and not the model name.It’s understood this new SUV could be called just the Pajero, dropping the Sport suffix altogether.This could see the iconic and original Pajero nameplate being revived for the first time since it was retired in 2021.There is still a lot of speculation surrounding what this new SUV is 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 new-generation Triton ute, which launched locally in 2024. This means a body-on-frame chassis is likely.Historically, the Pajero was built on a ladder-frame chassis, but later versions from the 2000s onward were built on a monocoque platform, like the current Land Rover Defender.If this new-generation Pajero is based on the Triton, this likely means it will share a version of its 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.This new Mitsubishi large SUV can’t come soon enough as the Japanese carmaker axed a considerable portion of its line-up, including the Pajero Sport, earlier this year due to them not meeting 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 can be had in seven-seat form.

Aussies love their diesel utes but with crunching emissions regulations coming into place, it’s unclear how much longer they will reign supreme.

2025 was certainly the year of the new car brand coming to Australia.

China’s XPeng is pushing further into export markets, especially right-hand drive markets, but a new deal could see this become even easier.The Chinese carmaker has set up a partnership with Malaysian manufacturing group EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) to begin localised production of vehicles in Malacca, Malaysia.The vehicles will be built using the semi-knocked down (SKD) model with mass-production currently aimed to commence during 2026.This new localised Malaysian production deal is the third time XPeng has set up overseas production collaborations. It already has deals with Magna Steyr in Austria and Handal Indonesia Motor in Indonesia, both also using the SKD production model.XPeng has noted the vehicles built at this new Malaysian production facility will be for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets, though it hasn’t explicitly said for which ones outside of Malaysia yet.Malaysia is a right-hand drive nation, like Australia, though it’s unclear whether any Malaysian-produced XPengs will be offered locally. All Australian-market XPengs are currently made in China."Establishing local production project in Malaysia is a significant milestone in XPeng's global strategy and underscores our long-term commitment to the ASEAN region,” said XPeng Vice President James Wu."EPMB's proven capabilities and shared vision make them an ideal partner."This initiative allows us to be closer to our customers, accelerate market responsiveness, and systematically introduce our intelligent technologies, driving forward our mission of 'Democratizing Technology' on a global scale."XPeng says its "sales and service network now spans 52 countries and regions worldwide".From January to November this year it claims to have delivered a total of 39,773 vehicles in overseas (non-Chinese) markets, which is up a claimed 95 per cent year-on-year.XPeng doesn’t currently report vehicle sales in Australia, though it launched locally in late 2024 and now claims to have more than 2000 vehicles on the road.The Chinese carmaker currently only offers the Tesla Model Y-rivalling G6 mid-size electric SUV, though that’s soon set to change.Late in the first quarter of 2026 XPeng will launch the updated version of the G6. It’ll bring tweaked looks, more power and torque, and a longer driving range thanks to a larger lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.In mid-2026 XPeng will launch the X9 electric people mover, with customer deliveries expected to commence in the second quarter of 2026.This will be a key rival to the likes of the Zeekr 009, Volkswagen ID.Buzz and LDV Mifa9. The local line-up, pricing, or specification details haven’t yet been confirmed.Lastly, in the third quarter of 2026, XPeng is expected to announce the next-generaton G9L large electric SUV for Australia. Customer deliveries will follow in the fourth quarter of 2026.Beyond these three new or updated XPeng models that are already locked-in for Australian launch during 2026, the company’s local distributor, TrueEV, has confirmed it has its eye on “two to three new global models” that are currently in “advanced development”.It’s unclear what these vehicles could be, though it offers a wide-ranging vehicle line-up. The company has previously expressed interest in bringing passenger cars like the XPeng P7 and Mona M03.

Ford has rejigged its electric vehicle (EV) strategy as it moves to prioritise hybrid technology for its larger models.

Geely’s namesake brand has confirmed it’ll launch a third model to its line-up in Australia during 2026.

This hatch is gone for now, but is it gone for good?

Tough-looking Haval gets off-road ready upgrades.