Articles by Jack Quick

The top-selling Kia Carnival people mover will gain two new more affordable hybrid variants as part of a 2026 model year (MY26) update.These new Carnival S Hybrid and Sport+ Hybrid variants will supplement the existing range-topping Carnival GT-Line Hybrid.According to pricing database RJ Pound, they’re priced from $56,100 before on-roads and $68,330 before on-roads, respectively.This is around $5500 more expensive than the corresponding V6 petrol variant and $3300 more than the corresponding turbo-diesel variant.This entry-level Carnival S Hybrid is more than $20,000 cheaper than the flagship Carnival GT-Line Hybrid.The rest of the petrol- and turbo-diesel-powered Carnival range has received a price rise of $270. A full pricing table is at the bottom of this story.Kia Australia has confirmed there are no specification changes to the Carnival range for the 2026 model year, besides the addition of the new hybrid variants. They're due to start arriving at local showrooms during May.The fourth-generation Kia Carnival launched in Australia during 2021 and it received a mid-life update in 2024.Still offered in both V6 petrol and four-cylinder turbo-diesel powertrains, the petrol-electric hybrid powertrain joined the lineup a few months after the mid-life update arrived.The Kia Carnival has dominated the people mover sales chart for years now. In the first four months of 2025, a total of 3213 examples have been sold, which is up 36.5 per cent year-on-year.For context, the next best-selling people mover is currently the Hyundai Staria with only 357 sales. That’s almost 10 Carnival sales to one Staria sale.With the addition of these new Carnival Hybrid variants, it remains to be seen whether Kia Australia will introduce more hybrid variants to other models in its lineup.It currently offers the Sportage SX and GT-Line Hybrid variants, the Sorento GT-Line Hybrid, as well as the Sorento GT-Line PHEV.

The BYD Sealion 6 is already Australia’s cheapest plug-in hybrid (PHEV), but it could soon get a new variant that increases the amount of electric-only range.According to government approval documents, a new version of the Sealion 6 is approved for sale in Australia to sit alongside the existing front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants.Dubbed the BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic Extended Range in the approval documents, it features the same 72kW petrol engine and 145kW front-mounted electric motor as the existing front-wheel drive Sealion 6 Essential. Total system output is 160kW of power.The big difference, however, is the high-voltage battery pack. The approval documents don’t specify an exact battery capacity, but the Sealion 6 Dynamic Extended Range is 53kg heavier than the Essential, with a tare mass of 1958kg.Given the extra heft and its name in the approval documents, it’s expected this new extended-range version has a larger battery pack.BYD already offers the Sealion 6 with a larger 26.6kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery in certain markets. For context, existing versions of the Sealion 6 have an 18.3kWh LFP battery.This version of the Sealion 6 is already on sale in the UK, which means the car is already being produced in right-hand drive.Thanks to the larger 26.6kWh battery pack, it gets a longer electric-only range of 125km, according to WLTP testing. With the regular 18.3kWh battery pack on the other hand, the car gets 80km of electric range, according to WLTP testing.With well over 100km of electric range, this version of the Sealion 6 has considerably more EV range than rivals like the Jaecoo J7 SHS and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.One of the few PHEVs with more electric range is the GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV, which has a stonking 35.4kWh battery pack and an electric range of 180km, according to lenient NEDC testing.Beyond this, little else is confirmed about this new extended-range Sealion 6 in the approval documents. It has a braked towing capacity of 750kg and 19-inch alloy wheels.Although it’s called the Sealion 6 Dynamic Extended Range in the approval documents, it’s unclear whether it will actually launch in this trim level.BYD moved away from the Dynamic trim level name when it introduced the new entry-level Essential variant across a number of existing models like the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal and Sealion 6.If BYD did reintroduce the Dynamic trim with this new extended range Sealion 6, it would sit between the existing Essential and Premium variants.These Sealion 6 variants are currently priced at $42,990 before on-roads and $52,990 before on-roads, respectively.We’ve reached out to BYD’s local distributor, EVDirect, about the prospects of this new Sealion 6 variant launching in Australia. We’ll update this story once we hear back.

Volvo is discontinuing one of its electric SUVs in Australia, after only a few years on sale.

Hyundai Group's luxury brand, Genesis, is reportedly set to launch its first range-extender electric vehicle (REEV) in December 2026.As reported by Korean Car Blog, the brand’s first REEV will be a version of the GV70 built on a modified version of the E-GMP platform.Little information about this car is confirmed thus far, apart from it having a claimed pure electric range of 200km and total claimed range of 900km.The GV70 EREV will reportedly launch in North America, South Korea and parts of Europe. It’s unclear if it will come to Australia.REEV technology is claimed to bridge the gap between an electric vehicle (EV) and a series-parallel hybrid.It’s very similar to plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology as it prioritises electric power when there’s charge in the high-voltage battery pack.There’s also an internal-combustion engine, like a PHEV, but it only acts as a generator to recharge the battery when needed. It never powers the wheels directly.Genesis currently doesn’t offer any series-parallel hybrids in its line-up, unlike its mainstream Hyundai and Kia sister brands. It only EVs and internal-combustion vehicles.The brand did plan to go EV-only by 2030, but this no longer seems to be the case following recent comments from Genesis global head, Mike Song.“Hybrid, EV, ICE, everything is on the table. It is the customer who chooses the right fit for their needs,” said Mr Song in January.“Still there’s a market or customer who only wants ICE, then we will do it. Our product plan is based on our forecast of the customer demands, so we don’t delete anything,” he said.“The need for EV, including hybrid, is growing.“We still believe one day in the future, we don’t know when, it will be 100 per cent EV.“2030-2035 we think there is customer for ICE and hybrid, then we will do it. Even 2050.”

The mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette has received its largest update yet, though it’s unclear when it will arrive in Australia.

Volvo is following the recent trend of carmakers reviving previous nameplates as higher-riding SUVs, and the latest is the XC70.The new Volvo XC70 has been globally revealed and is set to launch in China later this year.At this stage it’s unclear if it will launch in Australia, though the brand has said it’s exploring potential additional markets “at a later stage”.This new Volvo model slots above the XC60 as a slightly larger and more spacious mid-size SUV offering, but still sits beneath the large XC90.It’s built on Volvo’s 'Scalable Product Architecture' (SPA) platform, like the XC60, XC90, S60, and S90, among others.Volvo dubs the XC70 its first “extended-range plug-in hybrid”.While the Swedish-Chinese carmaker hasn’t fully detailed the car’s powertrain, it claims it can travel up to 200km on electric power alone, according to relatively lenient CLTC testing.Accompanying the reveal is a handful of images showing the XC70’s exterior, with Volvo noting more details will be provided in the coming months.At the front the XC70 has a shield-like closed grille similar to the brand’s electric models, and features an active grille shutter.There is also the classic 'Thor’s Hammer' headlight design which features matrix LED technology. This allows the headlights to stay on high-beam for as long as possible, as it can dip certain portions of the beam when it detects oncoming lights oncoming or tail-lights ahead.The XC70’s side profile is distinctly SUV-like, and around the back there are vertical C-shaped tail-lights integrated into the rear window.Volvo is far from the first carmaker to revive nameplates previously used on spacious wagons or people movers, and relaunch them as SUVs.Recent examples include the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Renault Megane E-Tech and Scenic and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, among others.The Volvo XC70 nameplate originated as a high-riding and more off-road-focused version of the V70 wagon, much like the Subaru Outback.Initially called the V70 XC, the XC70 name was introduced in 2003 to align with the newly introduced XC90.It was sold in Australia all the way up to 2016 when the model was retired globally.

Toyota Australia has detailed a mid-life update for its Corolla Cross small hybrid SUV ahead of its arrival in local showrooms in the second half of 2025.

Hyundai has revealed its latest battery-electric SUV in China, though it’s still unclear whether it will be exported to other countries, including Australia.The Hyundai Elexio is a Chinese-market rival to the BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5, Kia EV5, Leapmotor C10, Tesla Model Y, and Volkswagen ID.4.It’s based on Hyundai’s E-GMP dedicated electric platform, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9, among others. This means it has an 800V electric architecture.Hyundai claims the Elexio has a range of up to 700km, according to lenient CLTC standards, and can charge from 30 to 80 per cent in 27 minutes.At this stage Hyundai has only detailed the exterior design, but it has an inoffensive SUV silhouette with black cladding around the wheel arches and pronounced roof rails. The charge port is also on the front right-hand quarter panel.There is no imagery of the Elexio’s interior, but Hyundai has confirmed it has a 27-inch head-up display and its multimedia system is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.On the safety front, the Hyundai Elexio features Huawei advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).According to the brand it will launch with automatic assisted driving and memory parking functions, though next year it will gain the ability to do Level 2+ autonomous driving in urban areas.Although the Elexio has just been revealed in China, a heavily camouflaged left-hand prototype was recently spied in Sydney, Australia at an EV charging station.A photo of this car was posted to the BYD EV Owners Club Australia Facebook group.According to a Hyundai Australia spokesperson, this car was in Australia for hot weather testing. Despite this, it’s still not locked in for a local launch.At this stage Hyundai Australia doesn’t source any cars from China.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has confirmed the Cupra Tavascan misses out on a five-star safety rating in Australia.

Toyota is reportedly set to roll out a mid-life update to its Corolla Cross small SUV in Japan that brings fresh looks and the addition of a new GR Sport variant.