Articles by James Cleary

CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited), the biggest supplier of EV batteries in the world, has confirmed details of a potentially game-changing sodium-ion battery chemistry that’s headed for high-volume production in 2026.

We know what it will cost, when it will arrive, even the colours it will come in. But now Ford Australia has detailed a staggering range of factory designed, tested and warranted accessories developed for its new Ranger Super Duty.From purpose-built trays, tool boxes and tanks to driving lights, scuff plates and rock sliders the list is immense, with pricing (including a recommended fitting allowance) detailed for almost all items.Approved suppliers including well known names like ARB, Warn and EVOm also get a look in with specialised pieces including bull bars, winches, roller shutters and more.Each official accessory comes with a five-year warranty when fitted to a new vehicle by an authorised Ford Dealer prior to delivery.The extensive range recognises the often unique uses to which a vehicle like the Ranger Super Duty will be put, as Ford Australia Customer Service Division Marketing and Sales Manager Brad Hogg said, "Our new line of Super Duty Ford Licensed Accessories offers a one-stop solution for customers, providing fully integrated, Ford-engineered products to prepare Ranger Super Duty for almost anything. “From the robust steel tray to advanced device integration, every accessory is built to meet the rigorous demands of Ranger Super Duty work and adventure," he said. A standard Ranger Super Duty is already equipped with fuss-free vinyl flooring and the seats are trimmed in what Ford describes as “hard-wearing cloth”. But an impressive number of included features means while tough it’s far from spartan. Factory prepared for customisation with an auxiliary switch bank for accessories and a 400W inverter the Super Duty also features a 12-inch ‘SYNC’ multimedia screen with built-in satellite navigation, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera view plus ‘Trail Control’, ‘Trail Turn Assist’ and more. An impressive safety suite is onboard as is a ‘Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Regeneration Control’ allowing customers to choose when their vehicle’s DPF regeneration takes place.A trio of accessory packs also bundle together useful extras for three distinct groups of potential owners or operators.The ‘Farm Pack’ consists of a tray (galvanised, body colour or matt black), water tank, tool box, an ARB Summit Bull Bar and All-Weather Floor Mats. The ‘Work Pack’ includes the same choice of tray as well as an ‘Integrated Device Mounting System’, all-weather floor mats, a top console mount, weather shields and wheel nut indicators. And the ‘Adventure Pack’ features the tray choice plus the all-weather floor mats, a Warn winch and rock sliders. There’s also a range of ‘Tray Packs’ with a toolbox and water tank thrown in until March 31, 2026. Ford Ranger Super Duty deliveries are scheduled to start in early 2026 with pricing (before on-road cost) set at $82,990 for the Single Cab-Chassis, $86,490 for the Super Cab-Chassis and $89,990 for the Double Cab-Chassis.   

Hyundai's Palisade is a three-row family SUV up against some heavy-hitters in the large SUV segment. It's second-generation model's party trick is a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain and we've had a brief preview drive of a pre-production version.

After years of on-again, off-again teasing, evasion and false-starts, recently-installed Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has confirmed a Ram Dakota ‘mid-size’ pick-up for North American production in 2027.

It’s been on sale in Australia for less than 12 months but already the Zeekr X EV SUV has been updated in China with a substantial power boost.

It broke the ice, unveiling the first Chinese passenger car to hit the Aussie new car market when its city-sized J1 hatch arrived here in 2011.

Ford to resurrect its Focus hatch as a hybrid and electric SUV?

Ferrari has unveiled a new twin-turbo hybrid supercar that resurrects one of the most iconic nameplates in the Italian maker’s storied back catalogue.

Hyundai’s just-released Ioniq 9, a large, three-row electric SUV, has come through independent Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety testing with a maximum five-star rating.Evaluated against the organisation’s latest 2025 protocols, the dual-motor, all-wheel drive six- and seven-seater 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 impressed across ANCAP’s four key pillars - Adult Occupant Protection (84 per cent), Child Occupant Protection (86 per cent), Vulnerable Road User Protection (77 per cent) and Safety Assist (85 per cent).In announcing the result ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said, “Consumers and fleet buyers can be confident the Ioniq 9 provides high levels of protection for occupants, as well as other road users.”Adopting test results from sister organisation Euro NCAP, ANCAP called out numerous Ioniq 9 safety highlights including a stable passenger compartment in frontal offset testing and maximum points for protection of the driver in the full width and side impact tests.At the same time maximum points were awarded for child dummies in the frontal offset and side impact crash tests, with head-protecting airbags extending to the third row.The car’s active bonnet, designed to minimise injury in a pedestrian impact, also came in for special mention as did “high levels of performance across a range of collision avoidance test scenarios – particularly detection and crash mitigation with cyclists and motorcyclists”.Further detail on the Hyundai IONIQ 9's safety performance is available at www.ancap.com.au.

Effectively an electric counterpart to the Karoq, the Skoda Elroq is the Czech manufacturer’s second EV SUV to arrive in Australia, following the larger Enyaq.