Articles by James Cleary

Despite a huge onslaught of fresh competition in the Australian ute market, November new car registration figures show established players continue to lead the category by a healthy margin.

Nissan's new best seller is not what you might expect.

If you're not first you've got to be better, and given the Zeekr 7X follows a long list of pure-electric mid-size SUVs hitting the Aussie market recently it has a big job ahead in cutting through the new-car clutter. We've tested the dual-motor AWD Performance version to see if it has what it takes to hit that goal.

Nissan North America may call it a “bold design with premium touches” but even casual observers of the global car business will pick the new Nissan Rogue Plug-in Hybrid as essentially a rebadged version of Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV.Set for a formal debut at this month’s LA Auto Show (November 21-30) and a possible preview of Nissan's approach to its upcoming Mitsubishi Triton-based Navara ute, the ‘new’ mid-sizer is little changed from its corporate cousin save for small tweaks to the upper grille, some minor massaging of the tailgate and a black-out treatment for exterior elements including the lower grille, rear diffuser panel and wheel-arch fenders.Positioned as “an important step in Nissan's electrification roadmap” the Rogue PHEV is powered by the same twin electric motors, 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack and 2.4-litre petrol engine as the Outlander.According to the USA EPA standard the Rogue offers a 61km EV-only driving (against a claim of 84km for the Outlander in Australia) with claimed overall range at 676km.But combined power outputs are identical to the Aussie-spec Outlander at 185kW/450Nm, the powertrain seamlessly switching between pure-electric power, internal combustion drive and a combination of the two.The 2026 Nissan Rogue is offered in SL and Platinum grades with standard features including 20-inch dark-painted wheels, all-LED exterior lighting, soft-touch materials throughout the cabin and acoustically (laminated) front door glass with (available) leather-appointed seats, door illumination and aluminium interior highlight trims on the top-grade model. That said, early reports out of the US have noted the Rogue’s interior is as per the 2025 model year Outlander PHEV with a 9.0-inch media touchscreen and nine-speaker Bose sound, rather than the MY26 version which incorporates a 12.3-inch multimedia screen and updated 12-speaker Yamaha audio.CarsGuide contacted Nissan Australia to determine if the new Rogue (due to hit US showrooms in early 2026) is a candidate for inclusion in the brand’s local line-up and a spokesperson told us Nissan does not comment on future product plans.

According to overnight reports out of the UK, Mercedes-AMG is applying its modern muscle recipe to the recently released Mercedes-Benz GLC EV, the result being a ballistic tri-motor beast capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in under three seconds.

One brand sticks with 'no replacement for displacement' philosophy.

In a milestone market share breakthrough vehicles manufactured in China accounted for one in five new cars sold in Australia in October this year.

Speaking at Volvo Cars’ most recent investor briefing in Stockholm, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer Erik Severinson confirmed the upcoming EX60 mid-size EV SUV (scheduled for global launch on January 21, 2026) will be priced at the same level as an equivalent plug-in hybrid (PHEV).Severinson identified charging time and a purchase price premium as two of the strongest impediments to large scale EV adoption and claimed the all-new EX60 addresses both issues comprehensively.“With the EX60 (on a road trip) you will have a car where you will need to go to the toilet long before the battery runs out," he said.“And when you’re back from the toilet, the car is charged. “There will be no penalty for that one per cent journey you take two times a year to the Mountains. It will be as convenient as driving a combustion engine vehicle or a plug-in hybrid,” Severinson said. And in terms of pricing, Severinson added: “People will not get more money to buy cars just because we want to sell them electric cars. “The most sold variant for Volvo Cars in Europe right now is a XC60 T6 PHEV. We know there is a customer demand at those price points. So we will price this vehicle at parity where we are pricing our current best sold cars.“We need to find price points that are equivalent to where we are buying cars today and this car will be priced as a PHEV,” he said. For reference, in Australia the Volvo XC60 T8 plug-in hybrid starts at $92,900, before on-road costs for the Plus grade, rising to $101,990 BOC for the top-spec Ultra model.At the same time Volvo Chief Engineering & Technology Officer Anders Bell referenced some of the tech advancements he said will help facilitate the EX60’s aggressive price position.“My job is to lead Volvo Cars Engineering through the most profound technology shift in the history of automotive.  “On January 21 Volvo will launch the best electric vehicle in the world. An historic moment for us. Arguably the most important launch in the history of the company.“We believe SPA3 (underpinning the EX60) is the best electric vehicle platform in the world,” he said.Bell confirmed the EX60 project is “on time, on cost and on quality” allowing the brand to “scale all the company’s business needs in a completely new way from the smallest electric vehicle to the biggest electric vehicle”.“Whatever needs the (Volvo) team here will have in terms of size, price position (and) markets in the electric vehicle world, we have made a platform that we can deploy to meet those needs in a very clever way” Bell added the EX60’s ‘mega cast’ SPA3 platform replaced 100 welded parts and can be upgraded continuously over time.He said the integrated battery pack reduced cost by 25 per cent, it’s 20 per cent more energy dense and has a 15 per cent shorter charge time.The drive unit is claimed to be 18 per cent cheaper to produce while generating 35 per cent more power and being 11 per cent lighter than Volvo’s previous generation motor.And the software ‘track’ is now uniform across EX90, ES90 and the upcoming EX60 with all new Volvo models, including Gen 2 plug-in hybrids, run from the same ‘software master’.

Mercedes-AMG has dialled up the performance and racy aesthetic of its mid-size GLC43 SUV wagon and coupe with the introduction of a special ‘Carbon Edition’ model.

ANCAP turns gaze to big American pick-ups on Australian roads.