Articles by James Cleary

In May this year Toyota Motor Sales USA issued a recall notice covering in excess of 100,000 vehicles; specifically twin-turbo V6 petrol-powered versions of the Toyota Tundra full-size pick-up and Lexus LX600 luxury three-row SUV from 2022-2023.

We know the Smart brand is returning to the local new car market with a pure-EV line-up headlined by the Smart #1 compact SUV and #3 compact coupe-style SUV (pronounced 'hashtag one' and 'hashtag three') set to arrive in September.

Soon-to-arrive challenger brand Aion has formally launched the second-generation version of its Aion V electric mid-size SUV across three grades, seven spec levels and a wide price range.

You want an SUV with seven-seat capacity without the mega proportions that normally go with the three-row configuration. AWD for some light off-highway capability would be nice, but you don't want to spend much more than $50K. Enter the Nissan X-Trail N-Trek 7-seat family tested for your pleasure.

The Hyundai Tucson Premium (replacing the Highlander nameplate) is offered with a choice of two powertrains, both all-wheel drive. A 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder using a seven-speed dual-clutch auto at $55,600, before on-road costs, or the same engine in a petrol-electric hybrid set-up with six-speed auto for $59,600.

The Hyundai Tucson Elite is offered with a choice of three powertrains, a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder driving the front wheels through a six-speed auto transmission at $44,100, a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder in front- ($46,100) or all-wheel drive ($48,600) using a seven-speed dual-clutch auto and the same engine in a petrol-electric hybrid set-up, again offered in FWD ($50,

In confirming the importance of the new hybrid version of its updated Tucson mid-size SUV Hyundai Motor Company Australia’s Chief Operating Officer John Kett has already told CarsGuide, “The industry’s all about hybrid”. And the category target for the petrol-electric newcomer is clear. In the first six months of 2024 Toyota Australia sold more than 25,000 RAV4s, which puts its closest competitors in the medium SUV segment, Mitsubishi’s Outlander and the Mazda CX-5 in the shade with 14,443 and 11,920 registrations, respectively.And according to Toyota Australia roughly 95 per cent of those RAVs are propelled by hybrid powertrains, with the Japanese maker’s ‘Hybrid Synergy Drive’ tech established over multiple generations of the ground-breaking Prius before more recently filtering into the brand’s broader model range.Its hybrids have been so successful, in fact, Toyota Australia has recently confirmed along with a host of other SUV, hatch and sedan models, the RAV4 will henceforth only be available in hybrid form.Which begs the question, does the new Hyundai Tucson Hybrid have what it takes to put a dent in the RAV4 Hybrid’s market dominance?Hyundai Motor Company Australia Product Planning Manager Sam Dabestani is confident it can help Tucson win over a fresh batch of hybrid SUV buyers, telling CarsGuide, “Bringing a hybrid to our line-up answers a need in the market that a lot of our customers have had. We now have a very credible, very desirable product. “By fulfilling that requirement we are going to naturally attract a lot of hybrid buyers who maybe weren’t sold on certain competitor products.“ want the package Hyundai is offering in terms of interior design, safety, convenience, comfort; the whole package the Tucson offers but now with a hybrid powertrain. We feel that’s certainly going to attract new customers to the brand,” he said.John Kett agrees. Hyundai already offers hybrid variants of its i30 sedan, Kona and Santa Fe models but Mr Kett sees the Tucson Hybrid’s arrival as a significant opportunity.“It’s a great chance for us to up our competitive intensity in the hybrid space and at the moment people are willing to pay the price for those vehicles. So, we’re quite buoyed by that.“Why is Tucson so important to us? Because the second biggest segment in the market is mid-size SUV and if you don’t have a ute - and we don’t - the reality is this is the biggest segment for us to play in and it’s our centre of gravity in terms of us clawing back market share for Hyundai.“So, we’re really bullish on , bullish on the hybrid specification on this vehicle and bullish in terms of where Hyundai’s heading in its hybrid roll-out,” he said.

Unveiled earlier this year, Honda’s CR-V e:FCEV SUV combines hydrogen fuel-cell technology with a more conventional battery-based plug-in electric powertrain to transform the potential flexibility of a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

In the Australian new-car market it's increasingly a case of, no hybrid and you're out of the main game. Which is why a hybrid version of Hyundai's mid-size Tucson SUV is so important for the Korean brand. We've taken a first drive to see if it has the potential to steal buyers from Toyota's all-conquering RAV4 Hybrid.

So far in 2024 it seems like barely a week goes by without a new challenger brand from China announcing its impending entry into the Aussie new car market.