Articles by Jack Quick

Stellantis has begun road-testing an electric vehicle (EV) prototype with a new battery technology that’s aimed at making its EVs more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective. Developed in partnership with French battery technology company Saft over the last few years, the Peugeot E-3008 electric SUV is fitted with Intelligent Battery Integrated System (IBIS) technology. It embeds the inverter and charger functionalities directly in the battery pack, regardless of the chemistry or application, which in turn saves space and reduces complexity. It still offers both AC and DC charging capabilities, while still being able to power the vehicle’s 12V system. Stellantis claims this IBIS technology improves the energy efficiency by 10 per cent, according to WLTP testing, and improves power by 15 per cent with the same battery size. Additionally the weight is reduced by 40kg and there’s 17L more volume available, allowing for more design flexibility and better aerodynamics. Early results have shown that there’s a 15 per cent reduction in charging time. When plugged into a 7kW AC charger it only takes six hours to fully charge, rather than seven. Lastly IBIS technology is claimed to allow for easier servicing and maintenance, plus once the battery has reached the end of its usable life in a vehicle, it can be reused as a stationary unit. “This project reflects our belief that simplification is innovation,” said Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer Ned Curic. “By rethinking and simplifying the electric powertrain architecture, we are making it lighter, more efficient, and more cost-effective. “These are the kinds of innovations that help us deliver better, more affordable EVs to our customers.” Stellantis isn’t the only carmaker working on this kind of technology. Porsche is also working on a ‘modular multi-level inverter’ that combines multiple electric components into one unit. At this stage Stellantis has said it’s aiming to introduce this battery technology into its production vehicles by the end of the decade.

Toyota will introduce its first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in Australia in the first half of 2026, the RAV4 PHEV, and it hasn’t been shy on saying more will be coming down the track. Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said PHEV technology is “scarily convenient”. “I think plug-in hybrid is going to be a tremendously big seller over the next five years and with battery technology evolving, it offers a big, broad scope of capability,” said Hanley. While Hanley didn’t give any specific examples of what the additional PHEV models will be, he noted they’ll likely be SUVs or passenger cars. “ think less in the commercial space, more in the SUV, passenger space,” said Hanley. Globally Toyota offers plug-in hybrid versions of the Prius liftback, C-HR SUV, Crown Sport crossover and Crown Signia wagon. At this stage it doesn’t offer any plug-in hybrid commercial vehicle, with Hanley noting hydrogen will likely be better suited for these types of vehicles in the long term. “Not to say it’s impossible, but I think hybrid technology in those vehicles is probably better at the stage suited. “Then I think ultimately in that 10-year horizon … it’s hydrogen. That’s the ultimate for those heavy commercial vehicles.” Hanley hasn’t been afraid to say that hydrogen will likely overtake diesel in the future. However, PHEVs are currently surging up the sales charts even though the Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) exemption for novated lease buyers ceased earlier this year. In the first eight months of 2025, a total of 33,550 PHEVs have been sold, which is up 47.3 per cent year-on-year. This is primarily thanks to emerging Chinese players like BYD, Chery and GWM. The BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute, for example, cracked the top 20 best-sellers list in August 2025. When the Toyota RAV4 PHEV arrives next year in new-generation guise, it will be far from the first in the segment to have this kind of powertrain technology, but this mid-size SUV is already incredibly popular. Earlier in 2025 it was tracking to be the best-selling vehicle in Australia, however now the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux utes are outselling it. Toyota is set to offer the RAV4 PHEV on two trim levels and with two different configurations. A front-wheel drive version available only on the mid-spec XSE trim pairs a 2.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor producing a system output of 200kW. Then an all-wheel drive version available on the XSE and top-spec GR Sport trims gains an additional electric motor on the rear axle boosting the system output to 227kW. All RAV4 PHEVs get a 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack. EV range and claimed fuel consumption hasn’t been confirmed yet.

Aussies love diesel-powered four-wheel drives but Toyota is set to mix things up with its petrol-electric LandCruiser Hybrid. Is the classic formula still intact?

The sales charts in Australia have been shaken up over the past year with more and more Chinese brands emerging. However, Toyota still firmly is the best-selling brand in Australia. Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said the company continues to be extremely strategic despite its success. “It’s competitive. Never take position for granted,” said Hanley. “Every day you wake up, it’s a new challenge. Every day you wake up, it’s a new way of thinking. “The automotive industry is evolving and moving like every other industry. Quick rapidly. “So to say it’s business as usual would be an incorrect statement. But we’re certainly not panicking. “We certainly feel confident and we feel in control of our destination. We have a good purpose. We have a great team of people and dealer network that’s working towards that purpose. “We’ve been very clear strategically for the last 10 years on what the next 10 years will look like. “So therefore, when you’ve got a common goal and a purpose that people buy into, including consumers, then you can be confident about your future, but it’s not business as usual. “The fact is we work hard all the time to try to get it right and there are times when we don’t get it right. We’re not perfect. “What I love about Toyota is when we don’t get it right, god, we try hard to get it right. We don’t hide from it. We face up. “In my 38 years , that’s the reason why Toyota is one of the most trusted brands in Australia and why it’s the most trusted automotive brand . In the first eight months of 2025, Toyota has sold a total of 163,491 new vehicles in Australia. The next best-selling brand is Mazda (63,208 sales), followed by Ford (62,581 sales). While sales for these established mainstream brands are all down slightly as this year is forming as a cooler year for overall new car sales, brands such as China’s BYD and Chery are experiencing astronomical sales growth. GWM has also asserted itself as a top 10 player in the new car sales charts. It plans to be in the top five by 2030. Despite the influx of emerging Chinese brands, a vast array of Toyota vehicles remain at the top of their respective segments. These include the Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Prado and LandCruiser. Where it has lost its footing is on the budget end of the spectrum with vehicles such as the MG3 overtaking the Yaris, the Mazda CX-3 outselling the Yaris Cross and the GWM Haval Jolion outperforming the Corolla Cross. Sales for its bZ4X electric vehicle (EV) are a splash in the pan compared to top-selling rivals like the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7. Over the next 12 months Toyota is poised to introduce another EV in the form of the larger bZ4X Touring. It will also introduce a new-generation of its top-selling RAV4 mid-size SUV with the inclusion of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power option for the first time in Australia. Toyota is launching a new petrol-electric hybrid version of the LandCruiser 300 Series in the first half of 2026 to sell alongside the existing turbo-diesel variants.

Australians love diesel-powered vehicles, but according to Toyota, it isn’t a fuel source of the future.

Last month Honda Australia reopened orders for the supply-limited Civic Type R hot hatch and the entire allocation was exhausted within an hour.

Hot off the back of the BMW iX3 reveal, the German carmaker is expected to reveal a new 3 Series sedan and then a new X5 large SUV.

Toyota doesn't rule out sourcing models from Chinese joint-ventures in the future for Australia.

Although it’s only just arrived in Australia, Nissan will axe the Ariya electric SUV in the US. As reported by Automotive News, the Japanese carmaker will pause US-bound production of its Tesla Model Y rival for the 2026 model year. “This decision enables the company to reallocate resources and optimize its EV portfolio as the automotive landscape continues to evolve,” said Nissan in a statement to Automotive News. An unnamed person with knowledge of the decision told Automotive News the Trump administration’s 15 per cent import tariff has hurt the profitability of this Japanese-made electric vehicle (EV) in the US. Federal $7500 EV tax credits are also set to expire in the US at the end of September, with EV demand anticipated to fall after this. It hasn’t helped that US sales of the Ariya have been slow ever since its introduction in 2022. There have been plenty of price discounts and incentives to get buyers over the line. Nissan Senior Director for EV strategy and transformation Trisha Jung told Automotive News the US market is currently undergoing a shift. “When you look at what’s going on between incentives and the value that the vehicle is bringing brandwise, and economically long term, the fact is has a different valuation today than it did before,” said Jung to Automotive News. “We have a major shift in the demand curve, so we’ve got to understand what that means in terms of customer demand, volume, price point. “We just need to make sure we have a setup that’s sustainable for the company, the dealers and the consumer.” At this stage it’s unclear whether the Ariya will ever return to the US market. However, Nissan could reportedly be pausing Ariya sales to redirect resources for the launch of the forthcoming, new-generation Leaf electric crossover. It’s due to launch in the US later this year. Battery shortages could limit supply of the new, Japanese-made Leaf for the US. An unnamed person told Automotive News that initial allocation for the US will be limited to 500 units per month. As noted above, the Nissan Ariya is only launching in Australia now despite being offered in other markets for three years. It was originally revealed in 2020. There are four variants on offer with pricing starting from $55,840 before on-roads and extending to $71,840 before on-roads. At this stage the new-generation Leaf is set to launch locally in the Japanese 2026 financial year (April 2026 to March 2027).

Tesla has officially launched its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) semi-autonomous driving function in Australia and New Zealand and it’s now available for public use. Australia and New Zealand are the first right-hand drive markets to receive FSD (Supervised). The EV carmaker had previously only offered it in left-hand drive markets, like the US. In order to use this technology you need to own a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y with the newest Hardware 4 (HW4) camera system. You also need to have purchased the $10,100 FSD (Supervised) package. A subscription option is also coming soon for $149 per month for eligible vehicles. If both of those boxes have been ticked, eligible customers will be able to enable FSD (Supervised) with an over-the-air (OTA) update when connected to WiFi. Using the on-board Tesla Vision surround-view camera system and a neural network, FSD (Supervised) “attempts” to drive to destinations by following road curves, stopping and negotiating intersections and roundabouts, making left and right turns. It’s also able to stop at traffic lights and stop signs, plus it reacts to other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists on the road. Like regular adaptive cruise control, it’s able to keep a set distance between a car in front. However, the system is able to conduct lane changes as well. Tesla stresses that FSD (Supervised) “does not make the vehicle autonomous” and it’s a “hands-on feature” that requires you to be fully attentive behind the wheel. You need to be ready to take immediate control of the vehicle. The car uses its cabin camera to read how much attention the driver is paying to the road ahead. Tesla claims it doesn’t require full visibility of the driver’s eyes in order to monitor attentiveness. This means the system stays fully active while wearing sunglasses, for example. If the cabin camera can’t see the driver’s hand and arm locations, the central touchscreen will prompt the driver to periodically apply slight force to the steering wheel. If a driver repeatedly looks away from the road, prompts will play saying to pay attention to the road. If these are ignored, they escalate in intensity, then display an alert message saying FSD (Supervised) is unavailable for the current drive. In the worst case scenario, the car will sound a continuous chime, turn on the hazard lights and bring the car to a complete stop. Tesla notes that drivers can be suspended from using FSD (Supervised) if improper use is detected. Five strikes are granted. At this stage Tesla hasn’t detailed how older vehicles will be able to receive FSD (Supervised) approval despite owners being able to buy the package for years. It’s likely a retrofit option will be offered eventually. Test drives of Tesla Model 3 and Model Y examples with FSD (Supervised) are now available at Tesla dealers around Australia.