Articles by Jack Quick

Hyundai is reportedly preparing to discontinue its dual-cab ute. As reported by Automotive News, the South Korean carmaker is planning to axe the Santa Cruz unibody dual-cab ute and won’t replace it with a second-generation model. Hyundai Santa Cruz production was reportedly set to continue until the second quarter of 2027, however it’s now understood it’ll end a lot sooner. There were previously rumours the Santa Cruz would receive a major update introducing a hybrid powertrain 2027, though this puts doubt over that. No exact time frame has been given for when Santa Cruz production will cease entirely, though this quarter production is reportedly halving. Automotive News reports the earlier axing date is due to slowing sales of the Santa Cruz and a growing inventory that now spans nearly five months worth of stock. For context, the Ford Maverick, which is the Santa Cruz’s closest competitor, outsold it six to one over the course of 2025. The axing of the Santa Cruz will allow the Blue Oval to walk away with even more market share of this segment. Hyundai introduced the lifestyle-oriented unibody dual-cab ute primarily for the North American market in 2021. It’s essentially a stretched version of the Tucson mid-size SUV and features a tub. Despite large demand for dual-cab utes in Australia, the Hyundai Santa Cruz has always been off limits for a local launch due to its left-hand drive construction. As a result of ending Santa Cruz production, the South Korean carmaker will reportedly instead be able to add more production slots for the Tucson at its facility in Alabama. Tucson sales in the US reportedly rose 14 per cent last year, whereas Santa Cruz sales dropped 20 per cent. Although the Santa Cruz will reportedly soon be axed, Hyundai isn’t planning on leaving the dual-cab ute market just yet. It has already confirmed it’s working on a body-on-frame ute, though it’s unclear whether it will have any relation to the Kia Tasman. This will see Hyundai go up against the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. It’s understood this body-on-frame Hyundai ute will be ready to launch by the end of 2028 and likely will be coming to Australia. An SUV version of this forthcoming Hyundai ute is also understood to be on the cards. This will give Hyundai a rival to the likes of the popular Ford Everest and Toyota Prado. Additionally, Hyundai currently has a partnership with General Motors (GM) which will see it jointly develop five vehicles, including a mid-size pick-up for Central and South America. It’s unclear whether this particular Hyundai/GM ute will ever make its way to Australia.

The Polestar 2 was among one of the first electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia to break through to the mainstream and this latest update brings a number of subtle changes.

Mercedes-AMG is readying the next instalment of its ultra high-end Mythos series of vehicles and it will be an “extreme” take on the CLE coupe. This forthcoming and yet-unnamed Mercedes-AMG CLE Mythos is currently undergoing cold-weather testing in Sweden with heavy black-and-white camouflage to disguise the design features. Compared to the regular, V6-powered AMG CLE53 which is currently the most powerful version of this car, it has very aggressive front and rear fascias for additional cooling, wider wheel arches for the wider track width, as well as a large rear wing. As reported by Autocar, it will be powered by a new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine with a flat-plane crankshaft. Mercedes-Benz will also reportedly use this new flat-plane V8 in the facelifted version of the S-Class, which is set to be revealed later today. It will reportedly produce 395kW and 745Nm in the facelifted S-Class, however in this forthcoming CLE Mythos the outputs will be increased to over 484kW and 800Nm. For context, the AMG GT63 Pro with its cross-plane crank 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine produces 450kW and 850Nm. Flat-plane crank V8 engines are used in many Ferraris, McLarens, as well as the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and allow for a lighter and smaller overall package, higher revs and sharper throttle response. Mercedes-AMG’s first foray into a flat-plane crankshaft V8 was the limited-production AMG GT Black Series in 2020. Given the Mythos line of vehicles is similarly focused on exclusivity and limited production, this will likely make the CLE Mythos the most direct successor to the C63 AMG Black Series from 2012. Only 800 units of it were made globally. The first Mythos vehicle was the Mercedes-AMG PureSpeed which was revealed in 2024 and is a roof-less and windscreen-less version of the AMG SL roadster. Only 250 units are being made.

Mini has globally detailed a technical update to its all-electric Countryman E and SE variants ahead of its European on-sale date of March 2026. The Mini Countryman E and SE now both receive a slightly larger 65.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is up from the 64.6kWh unit in the current model. Mini also claims to have integrated a new silicon carbide (SiC) inverter to improve energy efficiency and minimise power loss, as well as introduce friction-reduced wheel bearings on the front axle. As a result of all of these changes, WLTP-claimed range in the single-motor Countryman E is now up to 501km, whereas WLTP-claimed range in the dual-motor Countryman SE is now up to 467km. This is up 39km and 35km, respectively, over the current Countryman E and SE. Beyond this, it’s understood the electric Countryman line-up remains unchanged for the time being. Charging from 10 to 80 per cent is still claimed to take less than 30 minutes, indicating the peak DC fast-charging rate is the same at 130kW. The electric Mini Countryman line-up launched alongside the petrol counterparts in 2024 and hasn't received an update locally yet. We’ve reached out to Mini Australia to find out when this update to the Countryman E and SE will launch locally. We’ll update this story once we hear back. In Australia both the Countryman E and SE are offered. The E comes in Core, Classic and Favoured trim levels, whereas the SE comes in Classic, Favoured and JCW Sport trim levels. Australian pricing for the electric Countryman line-up starts at $64,990 before on-roads for the Countryman E Core and extends to $77,990 before on-roads for the Countryman SE JCW Sport. Power in the Countryman E comes from a single, front-mounted electric motor which produces 150kW and 250Nm of torque. It’s claimed to be able to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.6 seconds. The Countryman SE on the other hand has a dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up with total system outputs of 230kW and 494Nm. It’s claimed to be able to do the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds. Last year Mini grew its sales in Australia by 37.7 per cent year-on-year with a total of 5485. The Countryman was relegated to second place this year (2235 sales) as the smaller Cooper just overtook it (2263 sales).

Volvo is reportedly looking to make a new flagship SUV to sit above the XC90 and EX90 due to rising demand for such vehicles in the US and China. As reported by Autocar, Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson said “bigger SUVs are something we’re looking into”, however the company has “still not made any decision on going there”. “Especially in China and the US, the real three-row SUV is a growing segment and an interesting segment, but so far we have the 90 which covers the three-row,” said Samuelsson. Samuelsson didn’t mention any specific details on what form this new flagship SUV could take, though he did note that the customers in the US and China “probably at least for the next few years would be more interested in a hybrid” and that US production would be likely to minimise tariffs on US vehicle sales. Volvo already has a production facility in South Carolina and currently builds the EX90, along with the related Polestar 3 there. It’s reported this new flagship Volvo SUV could use the Zeekr 9X as a base. Zeekr is another brand that falls under the Geely umbrella and the company is known for sharing its tech between brands. Measuring in at 5.24-metres long, the Zeekr 9X is longer than the circa-5.0-metre Volvo EX90 and XC90. It also has a more overt luxurious focus. The 9X is based on Geely’s SEA-R platform, which is a version of the SEA platform but for large plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or range-extender (REEV) vehicles. It’s set to form the base of the forthcoming Lotus For Me, which is a REEV version of the Eletre SUV. Power in the Zeekr 9X comes from 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine along with three electric motors for a humongous total system output of 1030kW and a claimed 0-100km/h sprint of 3.1 seconds. Depending on the variant there are two battery packs available, a 55.1kWh unit which offers up to 235km of range, or a 70kWh unit which offers up to 302km of range, both according to lenient CLTC testing.   It’s unclear whether this type of vehicle will ever come to fruition, nor what name it will receive. Previous reports have indicated it could potentially be called the EX100. In mid-2025 digital artist, Sugar Design, mocked up what this new flagship Volvo SUV could look like with current Volvo exterior design language. This includes the iconic ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights and a full-width rear tail-light set-up with Volvo script written out on the tailgate.

China’s XPeng has been in Australia for more than 12 months and the company has had rapid growth to establish itself from nothing locally. So far the company has 18 dealer locations nationwide and has sold more than 2000 vehicles, despite currently only offering one vehicle, the Tesla Model Y-rivalling G6 electric mid-size SUV. Speaking with CarsGuide, Jason Clarke, who is the CEO of XPeng’s local distributor, TrueEV, reflected on the past 12 months and shared what he wished happened differently. “The only thing I have is I wish we could have moved faster,” said Clarke. “So we’ve had real bursts of productivity and promotion, and then we haven’t, and we’ve been able to source locations and partners, and that doesn’t always work as fast as you want it to happen. “So if I could ask for anything for Christmas, it would be more speed to market and for more models to please more categories for customers.” In 2026 XPeng is finally set to introduce the updated version of the G6. It’ll launch locally late in the first quarter with the first customer deliveries coming onto tap in the second quarter. Additionally the X9 electric people mover is set to launch in the second quarter of 2026 and the G9L large electric SUV will launch in the third quarter of 2026. “To have one model is difficult because you’ve got … different types of customers and a range builds confidence as well with consumers to see what else is there,” added Clarke. “XPeng has so much to offer with its tech and its range. We really would have liked to have promoted that earlier. “It really just comes down to the cost of complying with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) is large. “ got to make sure the demand is there or else the capital outlays are just not going to be worthwhile. “I really believe that they're the only reasons for that, just assessing demand. “So we've got the X9 and the G9 coming in, and forecast for another three models. “We don't know exactly what they are, but, you know, we would be pushing for a smaller SUV, maybe sedan.” XPeng has previously expressed interest in bringing in passenger car models like the P7 and Mona M03. Although Clarke told CarsGuide in June 2025 XPeng would want to take direct control over its Australian operations as soon as late 2025, it’s now unclear when this might happen. “We've been in discussions with XPeng most of this year on how we can optimise the brand in Australia and work together to make that happen,” said Clarke. “It was announced over a year ago that we have a five-year agreement with XPeng, so it's how we work together to expand the footprint, bring in more models and support our customers with best-in-market aftersales. “We're still working through that, but we're pretty close to a formal announcement now on what that looks like moving forward.”

Polestar Australia has spoken out about how it doesn’t currently plan to rejoin Australia’s leading lobby group, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), citing “blatant scaremongering” on the effects of CO2 emission regulations. The Swedish electric vehicle (EV) specialist, along with Tesla, left the FCAI in early 2024 after it opposed the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which came into effect from January 1, 2025 and has tightening CO2 targets for each year until 2029. Polestar Australia Managing Director Scott Maynard said the company would not consider rejoining the FCAI until it changes its tune on the NVES. “We’d need to see the FCAI be truly representative of the entire industry, particularly the industry that’s growing so fast and starting to gobble up share,” said Maynard. “While we continue to see the FCAI speak out against programs like the New Vehicle Efficiency and continue to campaign government to alter something that was introduced for all the right reasons and only just catches us up with other markets around the world … we can’t suggest that the FCAI would speak for our brand. “Some of the headlines that have been posted of late about which are blatant scaremongering around extraordinary price rises that could cost Australian drivers billions of dollars, which don’t need to be true. “I can understand why they would feel the need to do that. That’s who pays them, those legacy brands major contributors to the FCAI. So they have to represent them, but they don’t represent us. “So many of these brands have a global catalogue of vehicles that would allow them to do that. It's just that Australia has been a convenient market to sell old technology and provide sufficient volume that they don't feel compelled to either introduce or develop new technology. “And so you could understand why at this point, that makes them quite upset, and they need to, they need to rail against it. “But there's a degree of inevitability that EV uptake will continue to evolve and grow, and that the share of electric vehicles sold in Australia will continue to increase. “And so I'm sure at some point, the FCAI, representing its brands and representing the wider industry, will need to change its position on it. be hard for them to do, but we'll watch.” “As the industry evolves, they'll have to evolve with it, but they seem to be a step behind at the moment, and certainly way behind us.” While the NVES doesn’t restrict the type of vehicles that can be offered in Australia, if the vehicle emits above the CO2 threshold for the specific category, the carmaker can be fined. Conversely, brands that sell vehicles that are under the threshold will be granted credits. These can be sold to other carmakers that aren’t meeting the CO2 targets at a price they determine. Maynard has previously told CarsGuide the company will be opting for the latter as it only sells electric vehicles (EVs) which don’t emit any CO2. However, it won’t be selling its credits to every car brand. As previously reported, the results of the first performance period will be published by the NVES Regulator in February 2026. This report will detail every carmaker’s so-called interim emissions value (IEV), which indicates whether it is either above or below the predetermined CO2 emissions target.

Renault has announced the Duster small SUV is returning to the Indian market in new-generation guise. This Indian-built version of the Renault Duster features some notable differences over the European-built, Australian-specification version. Most notable is slightly different exterior styling, including altered front and rear fascias, revised LED headlights, LED tail-lights that are connected by a rear light bar, ‘Duster’ script written out on the grille instead of ‘Renault’, all-black 18-inch alloy wheels, plus the availability of a panoramic glass sunroof. This Indian-specification Duster is launching in a special Launch Edition guise, which features green exterior paint with yellow highlights. Inside there is a larger 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system that has Google Built-in, interior ambient lighting, plus synthetic leather upholstery with front seat ventilation. Additionally there are new safety features such as adaptive cruise control with stop and go and a proper surround-view camera are offered. This is on top of the standard autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist and traffic sign recognition. In India three powertrains are set to be offered. A 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 74kW and 172Nm is mated with a six-speed manual transmission, a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine producing 119kW and 280Nm is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, as well as a 1.8-litre hybrid engine. It’s understood all three powertrains offered in this Indian-specification Duster are front-wheel drive only. In Australia the Duster is currently offered with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch and front-wheel drive, or a 1.2-litre three-cylinder mild-hybrid petrol engine with a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. "Renault Australia sources Duster from Europe," said a Renault Australia spokesperson. CarsGuide understands there are no foreseeable changes on this.  The European-built Renault Duster only launched in Australia in the middle of 2025. Two trim levels are offered – Evolution and Techno – with both powertrains offered on each. Until the end of 2025 a total of 207 examples of the Duster were sold. While this does place it at the lower end of the small SUV segment in terms of outright sales, it did outsell the Jeep Compass (147 sales) and almost the Renault Arkana (226 sales) even with only around six months of sales.

The Australian federal government is looking to potentially scrap or alter its electric vehicle (EV) tax relief but Polestar Australia has said this could prematurely stunt sales growth. Since July 2022, novated lease buyers of an EVs and previously plug-in hybrids (PHEV) under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles have been exempt from Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT). The policy will cost $1.35 billion this financial year, or 15 times more than originally forecast, according to the Australian Financial Review. As EV sales continue to gain traction in Australia, Polestar Australia Managing Director Scott Maynard said the government shouldn’t change things now. “This is not the time to change the settings that they've got on the FBT relief for electric vehicles,” said Maynard. “So the government's published goal is to see 50 per cent of the market buying electric vehicles by 2035. They're nowhere near that, and they're not tracking towards that. “So I fail to see how the program could be overspent when the results are underdone. The two simply don't line up. “It would suggest that the problem here is that it was under budgeted from the start. “It's great to see the electric vehicle share of the light vehicle market has now risen above 10 per cent for the year and continues to increase. “That's great, but at the first sign of success, I don't think that that would be the time to dismantle or even change the program.” As it currently stands, versions of the Polestar 2 and Polestar 4 are below the LCT threshold and can be exempt from FBT if you get a novated lease. Sales of Polestar cars also went up 38.5 per cent year-on-year during 2025, likely due in part to how the FBT exemption has helped spur growing EV sales. “If the government is seeking to rationalise its expense through FBT subsidies, I feel strongly that it should be looking at the money it's investing in the sale of dual-cab utes before it looks at electric vehicles,” added Maynard. “We all accept that electric vehicles present Australian drivers now with sufficient choice, a lower running cost, and vehicles that are fun to drive and easy to own, and we all accept that there's tangible and measurable health benefits to to the cleaner air that they that they will provide us, and yet we don't think twice about the billions of dollars is that the government is sinking into the sale of dual-cab ute to the point where now, where we're selling one and a half times the utes that we have tradespeople. “We're selling these things with an FBT subsidy of prices in excess of $200,000. That would seem to me to be a much easier win than going after a corner of the market that's doing good things and not enough of them.” Currently vehicles like a single- or dual-cab ute, van, hearse and taxi, among a few others are exempt from FBT provided they are for business purposes and have limited private use. It’s worth noting that utes are still among the best-selling vehicles in Australia and many are diesel-powered. These types of vehicles also have a more lenient CO2 target to hit as part of the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), though this will still get harder for carmakers to achieve as the years go on and the target is reduced.

Australians love high-performance cars and Polestar says more can’t come soon enough. Polestar Australia Managing Director Scott Maynard said he would consider bringing the brand’s BST high-performance offerings if development continues. “I think Australia is a market that loves high-performance product I'd love to see the continued development of some of the BST range,” said Maynard. “We've seen some real interest in that product when it was here previously, and I don't feel that we really gave it its head. “And so to be able to offer up a bit more of the BST line-up as a spin-off, to some of the vehicles that we've either got or are going to get, I think would be tremendous. “I'll take that.” Polestar’s BST line started back in 2022 and to date there have been two limited-edition versions of the Polestar 2 offered globally. Neither came to Australia though. Based on the Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor with the optional Performance Pack, both the Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 and BST Edition 230 gain features like a 25mm lower ride height, stiffer shock absorbers and a front strut bar. They also had unique designs. This is above and beyond standard equipment like the Brembo brakes with golden brake calipers and two-way manually adjustable Öhlins dampers. Power and torque from the dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up remain unchanged over the standard car. Total system outputs were 350kW of power and 680Nm of torque. It’s worth noting that the current 2026 Polestar 2 Long range Dual Motor with the optional Performance package now produces more torque at 740Nm. It can also do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.2 seconds. At this stage it’s unclear whether Polestar plans to create any more versions of the Polestar 2 BST to rival the likes of the Tesla Model 3 Performance and BYD Seal Performance, among others. The Polestar 2 is getting on in years now and originally dates back to 2016 when it was first revealed as a Volvo concept. It’s been on sale in Australia now since 2021 and already received a major mid-life update in 2024. It’s also unclear whether Polestar plans to officially give the BST treatment to any of its other vehicles. In 2024 Polestar revealed the BST concept which was a hotted-up version of the forthcoming Polestar 6 electric convertible. It featured a swan-neck rear wing, aggressive front fascia, dramatic rear diffuser, bonnet vents, as well as flared wheel arches to accommodate a wider track width. Although the Polestar 6 was previously slated for production in 2026, Polestar has no longer confirmed when it will begin producing examples. The Swedish electric vehicle (EV) carmaker also currently has the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 large electric SUVs and later this year is set to launch the Polestar 5 liftback in Australia. The latter is a Porsche Taycan rival that already offers up to 650kW of power and can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.2 seconds.