Articles by James Cleary

We already know the rumoured all-new fifth-generation Mitsubishi Pajero is set to shift a little further upmarket (to ‘Japanese Range Rover’ status) when it makes its scheduled debut in 2026.

There’s nothing like the floor of a motor show for catching senior automotive executives with their guard down.

With so many new brands and models entering what appears to be a softening new car market, what started as a price skirmish is quickly evolving into all out war, with BYD announcing further reductions on cost-of-entry to some of its most popular models.

In recent years the pointy end of the Australian new vehicle sales race has reflected our seemingly insatiable appetite for dual cab utes, with the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux locked in a fierce arm wrestle to determine the annual winner.

Toyota has pulled out all the stops at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon, unveiling three striking examples of its GR Yaris hot hatch under the banner of ‘Car-making at Nürburgring’.These include a competition test and research prototype designed to extend the car’s potential on road and track.The GR Yaris M Concept features a mid-mounted, 2.0-litre, inline turbo four-cylinder engine and a full race set-up enabling it to compete in 24 hour endurance events which Toyota has consistently used as test bed for new designs and technology, with company Chairman Akio Toyoda (aka ‘Master Driver’ Morizo) a regular competitor in around the clock races at (the Toyota owned) Fuji Speedway.In recent years the key focus has been development of a competition version of the GR Corolla powered by a 1.3-litre, three-cylinder combustion engine using hydrogen as a liquid fuel.And now, the GR Yaris M Concept looks set to join it, with a full-house GRMN (Gazoo Racing Meister of the Nurburgring) version a possible production car development.Toyota says the car will be “repeatedly driven to failure and then repaired in the extreme conditions of racing, with feedback from Morizo and professional drivers incorporated”.Question is, why? The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine is expected to be the brand's new performance halo that will invigorate its sports car line-up.The fact the engine is mounted mid-ship in the Yaris Mule suggests that, like MG did with a Metro van prior to the TF sports car's launch, Toyota might be testing its new MR2 layout in public. Interesting.Also on display is another “evolved”, although slightly more conventional, GR Yaris racing car. It features Gazoo Racing’s newly developed eight-speed ‘Direct Automatic Transmission’ (DAT).Toyota claims the DAT’s optimised software senses driver brake and accelerator inputs to anticipate optimal gear shift points before changes in vehicle behaviour occur.To be run by Toyota Gazoo Racing (in collaboration with Rookie Racing) in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series (NLS) this competition Yaris will mark Toyota’s return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race after a six-year hiatus.The final member of the GR Yaris trio is an Aero Package prototype road car featuring six body elements including strakes in the nose, vented fender flairs and a variable rear wing (with “situation-responsive” adjustable angle).

The recent arrival of independent, pure-electric Chinese carmaker Xpeng in the Australian market has been built around the G6 EV SUV, a mid-size, coupe-style, five-seater specified and priced ($54,800, before on-road costs) to take the fight up to Tesla’s market-leading Model Y ($55,900).With order books open and deliveries scheduled to start imminently, the G6 will soon be joined by the larger G9 SUV and three-row, seven-seat X9 people mover.And now CarNewsChina has unearthed spy pics of an XPeng pre-production prototype of the upcoming G7 crossover.Via the brand’s Australian importer/distributor, TrueEV, XPeng HQ in Guangzhou, China has confirmed the car pictured is the G7 and that it's scheduled for domestic release in April this year.TrueEV CEO Jason Clarke also told CarsGuide, "We'll assess local launch timing in the light of demand for existing models, but (the G7) will be available for a 2026 arrival." Although heavily camouflaged in these images, it's believed the five-door will follow the design direction led by the sleek P7+ sedan launched in the Chinese domestic market late last year.It’s worth noting former Audi, Ferrari, Genesis and Lamborghini design lead Juanma Lopez joined Xpeng as head of design in 2024 and this newcomer will no doubt reflect his input.Likely to measure up between the 4.75m long G6 and 4.89m long G9, the G7 will almost certainly ride on the same ‘SEPA’ platform as the G6 and P7+, which means 800V electric architecture for ultra-fast charging (10-80 per cent in 20min).This also points to a single-motor, rear-wheel drive configuration with a choice of standard or long-range batteries, although the company's public relations chief's recent statement that a “very powerful car” will be publicly listed by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) this week strongly suggests there will also be a dual-motor, AWD variant.At the same time XPeng is embracing AI-driven driver-assistance systems and CarNewsChina believes the G7 is likely to be the brand’s first model to use a ‘self-developed’ smart driving chip supporting its ‘XNGP’ ADAS tech. 

Having expanded its line-up from one model to four, on the way to huge year-on-year sales growth in 2024 (+114 per cent), Chery Australia has confirmed it is bringing no less than three hybrid SUVs to the local market around the middle of this year.

It’s a year that will likely go down as an historical turning point for the Aussie new car market. With local manufacturing now a tiny spec in the rear view mirror, the long-predicted new wave of Chinese challenger brands built into an automotive tsunami in 2024.

One of CarsGuide’s primary drivers is keeping in-market buyers informed on the performance of recent arrivals in the Australian new vehicle market.To that end we go ‘beyond the test drive’ by thoroughly exploring a new model’s pluses and minuses at its local launch, subsequently spending at least a week behind the wheel and occasionally living with it for three months or so on a long-term evaluation.We’ll also apply a different lens where appropriate. For example, as the name implies, a FamilyGuide review puts extra emphasis on day-to-day practicality, safety, economy and everything else that makes for a great family truckster.And so it goes for AdventureGuide (for off-roaders and the ‘off-road curious’), TradieGuide (light commercials for business users), EVGuide (hybrid and pure-electric options) and UrbanGuide (city and suburban dwellers).Our Top 10 most popular reviews from this year are spread across the Guide sections representing an interesting mix of traditional favourites from established makers to ground-breaking newcomers from recently arrived challenger brands.  Here are the reviews that hit the target hardest with CarsGuide readers in 2024.

In reviewing a new model, CarsGuide looks at eight key criteria — Price and features (value), Design (form and function), Practicality (space and tech), Under the bonnet (engine/motor and transmission), Efficiency (fuel/energy consumption and range), Driving (impressions behind the wheel), Safety (active and passive) and Ownership (warranty and servicing).And each car is assessed in the context of its market segment and key competitors. Hence our Guide segmentation. As the name implies, a FamilyGuide review emphasises day-to-day practicality, safety, economy and everything else that makes for a great family truckster.And so it goes for AdventureGuide (for off-roaders and the ‘off-road curious’), TradieGuide (light commercials for business users), EVGuide (hybrid and pure-electric options) and UrbanGuide (city and suburban dwellers). So, for example, a two-seat supercar wedge like the McLaren 750S is never going to be as practical as the Kia Carnival people mover. But the real question is, does it match — or better — the likes of a Ferrari 296 GTB or Porsche’s 911 Turbo S? And while the Carnival won’t come near the Big Mac for performance, the more relevant yardstick is a Hyundai Staria or VW Multivan.So, with that in mind, and close to 450 new product reviews done and dusted across all segments for 2024, which cars came out on top? Here are the Top 10 (plus one) cars for the year as judged by our panel of expert reviewers.