Articles by James Cleary

Nissan Australia has shown just how good hybrid cars are after completing a 1300km lap of Tasmania on a single tank of fuel in its Qashqai e-Power hybrid.It’s a shot across the bows of $40-55K hybrid rivals the Honda HR-V e:HEV, Hyundai Kona Hybrid, MG ZS Hybrid, Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Cross, which all deliver a driving range of 1000km or less.  The Qashqai e-Power is a Range Extender Electric Vehicle (EREV), with its 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine operating as a battery generator only.Its official fuel consumption figure of 4.1L/100km and 55-litre tank convert to a theoretical range of 1341km, so the Tassie lap confirms that distance between fills as a real-world possibility.Nissan said the journey began with the car brimmed in Geelong, Victoria before boarding the Spirit of Tasmania car and passenger ferry for the trip to Devonport on Tasmania’s north coast.According to Nissan no ‘hypermiling’ techniques were applied, with the subsequent fuel stop-free clockwise lap including a mix of open road running, urban congestion “and a number of challenging hillclimbs” all covered in accordance with posted speed limits.Highlights included Launceston, the Bay of Fires and Freycinet to the state’s capital Hobart, the Huon Valley on the southern tip and a return to Devonport via the wild west coast.The Qashqai e-Power’s trip meter sat at 1209.2km when it arrived back in Geelong and ultimately travelled 1303km before refuelling. Indicated average fuel consumption was 4.5L/100km (which can vary from an actual pump-to-pump figure).Commenting on the exercise, Nissan Oceania Managing Director Steve Milette said, “This trip isn’t laboratory testing, this is the real world and real conditions.“Now more than ever Australian drivers are looking for fuel efficiency that doesn’t compromise driving enjoyment, and this 1300km real-world journey shows the Nissan Qashqai e-Power delivers,” he said.

Kia’s wild looking Vision Meta Turismo concept looks set for full production as a futuristic, pure-electric successor to the Stinger sedan.As reported by Autocar, the Korean brand’s Executive Vice President and Head of Global Design Karim Habib has said the only thing stopping Kia putting sleek the GT in showrooms is evolving model line-up strategy."At this point, it is more strategic. It's a pure EV and the price of doing a high-performance EV is what is slowing us down.“Hopefully, the upward movement of EVs keeps going. I think there will be more openness to this car. At least that's what we're betting on," he said. Kia said the Vision Meta Turismo has been developed around “three core experiences” - performance driving, lounge-like space and comfort and immersive digital interaction - expressed as ‘Speedster’, ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Gamer’.A production version of the luxurious four-door would likely be underpinned by the Hyundai Group’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).Its 800-volt electric architecture enables dual-motor performance and ultra-fast charging, with the current EV6 and EV9 charging from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes on a 350kW pylon.This would put it on a collision course with some of China's latest and greatest, such as the Xiaomi SU7 and Denza Z9GT performance sedans.On the car’s potential role as a Stinger replacement Habib added, “We have a small history of doing cars like the Stinger and that's something we don't want to give up on. “The Meta Turismo is our idea of a sports sedan for the gamer generation. A few years ago, we started thinking about what could we do beyond SUVs?“We do produce and sell a lot of SUVs, which is good, but we also believe that there's more than that," he said. Headline features from the concept car unlikely to make production reality in their current form include an augmented reality head-up display that “distorts the surrounding space as speed intensifies”, a slide-away steering wheel and a series of game-style controllers including a central unit integrated into the front console structure.

A new ute price war is forming as rivals pile in to battle the smash hit petrol-electric ute of the past 18 months.The BYD Shark 6 ute’s arrival in Australia in late 2024 was a moment in time for the local new vehicle market, with the petrol, dual-motor powered plug-in hybrid (PHEV) soon upsetting the seemingly rock solid Ford Ranger / Toyota HiLux duopoly at the top of the 4x4 ute category.Soon enough, Ford introduced its own take on the petrol-electric plug-in ute formula with the Ranger PHEV hitting showrooms mid-last year.But so far it’s barely made a blip on the new vehicle radar map, to the point where ‘MY25.75’ and prior examples have been marked down to a recommended drive-away price of $62,000, a chunky 14 per cent reduction from its previous sticker of $71,990. And that’s before taking into account the latter number did not include on-road costs.That price is available to private as well as fleet and government buyers and shifts cost-of-entry for a Ranger PHEV into the same ballpark as the mid-tier Shark 6 Premium (about $62,900 drive-away).The entry-grade Lux version of the petrol-electric GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV kicks off at $61,490, drive-away, and the just-released JAC Hunter is lining up for a super-aggressive “less than $50K drive-away”.Toyota, so well known for hybrid tech across its passenger car and SUV line ups, has so far only offered a relatively timid 48V mild-hybrid version of its diesel HiLux, starting at $57,990, before on-road costs.Which leaves a four-way PHEV ute cage fight between the BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger, GWM Cannon Alpha and JAC Hunter.But wait, there’s another combatant due to step into the octagon before the end of this year, the diesel-electric Chery ‘KP31’ - yet to be named, but Orca is looking likely. Get it? Orca, higher up the predatory food chain than Shark.And with a petrol-electric version set to follow sometime in 2027 there’s no doubt (given the way Chery has repositioned the small SUV market with its Tiggo 4) it will be priced to take a sizeable bite out of the opposition.GWM is also preparing a plug-in hybrid version of its cheaper and smaller Cannon ute for later this year to complement the Cannon Alpha workhorse.Stand by for further price movements and positioning tweaks in this ongoing PHEV ute conflict.

Year-to-date registration data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) show ‘electrified’ passenger and light commercial vehicles have crossed a significant tipping point to become a more popular choice than traditional diesel and purely petrol-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) options in Australia.To the end of April, sales of battery electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles stood at 50,976 units, a 79.2 per cent increase on the same four-month period in 2025 (28,448 units).At the same time, sales of ICE vehicles (including light commercials but not heavy trucks) have dropped 35.9 per cent from 64,991 in 2025 to 47,813 units this year.Tellingly, sales of pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have grown by just over 100 per cent, with key players BYD up 110.8 per cent (25,243 vs 11,974) and Tesla 49.9 per cent year-on-year (8485 vs 5660).Individual (higher volume) stand-out BEV models include the BYD Sealion 7 and Dolphin, Geely EX5, Kia EV3, Tesla Model Y and Toyota bZ4X.And when it comes to hybrids, thanks to better supply of the new-generation version, the ever-popular Toyota RAV4 has come up to its more usual monthly sales rate and has been joined by its big-brother LandCruiser 300 Hybrid.Add in other relatively recent hybrid arrivals like the Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid joining now established disrupters like the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha and hybrid sales are set to expand even further. Clearly, April 2026 marked a historical moment in time for the Aussie new vehicle market.

The price of Polestar’s premium, pure-electric Polestar 3 SUV has already been reduced in Australia this year, but the Swedish EV specialist’s global CEO Michael Lohscheller has indicated cost-of-entry will fall further thanks to a manufacturing switch from China to the USA.An updated version of the 3 arrived in here in March, boasting an 800-volt architecture, which Polestar claims has improved charge times by more than 25 per cent.And with a revised price of $116,700 (all prices before on-road costs) the ‘base’ Rear motor version represents a reduction of $1720 (-1.5 per cent) compared to the previous model.At $131,100 the mid-level Dual motor also dropped $1600 (-1.2 per cent), while the flagship Performance increased nearly $2280 (+1.6 per cent) to $146,700.But when asked by CarsGuide whether the change in Polestar 3 production for Australia from Chengdu, China to Ridgeville, South Carolina in the USA would make the car more expensive for local buyers Michael Lohscheller’s response was clear.“No. The other way around, because we had two production sites (for Polestar 3) and now we consolidate to one in the US. “So that lowers costs. It’s beneficial and very good news for us,” he said.And while acknowledging Polestar remains “in a loss-making situation” overall, Lohscheller added that, “Going forward I want to make Polestar more approachable also with cars which start at lower prices where you can then have access and you can walk up.“When Polestar was set up it was maybe a bit too high and too niche and maybe also a bit too expensive.“I want to make sure people can afford a Polestar 2 or Polestar 7 to come into the brand. So, instead of starting at €50,000 (~$80,000), maybe we start at €40,000 (~$65,000).“And that doesn’t mean we will not be premium anymore, but you have better entry into the brand,” he said.

The Suzuki Vitara nameplate is edging towards 40 years in the Aussie new-car market. And as it’s grown in size and sophistication over four generations, so has the depth of competition it faces.Small SUV heavy-hitters like the Chery Tiggo 4, GWM Haval Jolion, Hyundai Kona, MG ZS and Toyota Corolla Cross outsell it by ratios of up to 60 to one (in the case of the Tiggo 4).So, this just-released Turbo Hybrid variant is an important addition to the Japanese maker’s line-up, aimed at snatching extra market share in a hotly contested segment with what Suzuki promises is “enhanced fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and refined on-road performance”.We spent a week with the top-spec ‘AllGrip’ all-wheel-drive version to see if it has what it takes to steer you away from the big guns. If you asked someone to describe a ‘typical’ small SUV, I’d argue the Suzuki Vitara would perfectly align with their response nine out of 10 times… and be pretty close on the 10th.Launched here way back in 2015, the current Vitara received a ‘Series III’ update earlier this year, which included the hybrid’s introduction, and its clean, neatly-wrapped exterior design stands up well, although it’s not as adventurous as more rugged rivals like the Subaru Crosstrek or Toyota Corolla Cross.Inside, there’s a slightly larger 9.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, but things like analogue instruments, a single USB-A socket (in the front) and a manual handbrake still date the car.And then there’s the elephant in the room... hiding behind a dollar sign. The price.This flagship Vitara Turbo Hybrid AllGrip will set you back $45,990. Okay, it’s a drive-away deal, but that’s enough for a Hyundai Kona Premium 1.6T N-Line AWD, Kia Seltos GT-Line AWD, Mazda CX-30 G25 Astina AWD or Toyota Corolla Cross Atmos Hybrid.And the Suzuki struggles to match that competitive set in terms of equipment bang for buck and perceived quality.Standard feature highlights include 17-inch alloy wheels, auto LED headlights, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, a reversing camera, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control and climate control. But that bundle‘s pretty much cost-of-entry when you’re in upper-$40K territory.And the air-con is single-zone, the audio system has six speakers, and the car’s general look and feel isn’t spectacular.That old adage of kicking the tyres and slamming the doors when shopping for a car is relevant here, because the Vitara’s doors feel insubstantial, quivering slightly when opened and closed.  And while soft-touch material across the dashtop is fine, hard plastics on the doors don’t sit well with the price tag. But things pick up once you get underway. The 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine has enough oomph to get the 1275kg five-seater off the mark cleanly and allow it to keep its head above water in traffic or on the highway.Power delivery is linear and the ‘mild-hybrid’ set-up incorporates a 48-volt integrated starter generator which takes some of the ancillary load off the engine and tips in an extra 50Nm of pulling power when required. Overall outputs are 81kW and a handy 235Nm.The strut front, torsion-beam rear suspension does a great job of keeping this compact and relatively light SUV composed over bumpy urban surfaces. Electrically assisted steering is accurate and road feel qualifies as excellent. When you need to push into the upper rev range engine, exhaust noises start to make their presence felt in the cabin. But overall, the Vitara Hybrid is a surprisingly comfortable ride.At just under 4.2 metres long, the Vitara is a ‘small’ small SUV and while the front part of the cabin is reasonably roomy with plenty of storage options, the back seat ranks as okay in the context of the category. Sitting behind the driver’s seat set to my 183cm position, legroom is reasonable and headroom is generous but best not to try folding three full-size adults in there too often. There are no adjustable vents, power outlets or a fold-down armrest for back-seaters, and getting in and out is an effort.Boot volume is a reasonable 362 litres, available with the 60/40 split-folding backrest up, that figure expanding to 642 litres with it folded.And there’s a range of thoughtful bins, anchors and hooks back there, as well as a 12-volt outlet and an adjustable floor for the option of a flat load space plus a space saver spare underneath it. Bravo.When it comes to fuel efficiency the Vitara Turbo Hybrid’s official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) figure is 5.9L/100km and over a week of mainly urban driving with some highway running thrown in we saw a real-world average of exactly that – 5.9L/100km. That’s pretty handy in the current fuel price era, but bear in mind the minimum requirement is 95 RON premium.The Vitara is currently ‘unrated’ by ANCAP but includes a decent suite of ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) crash-avoidance features including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), adaptive cruise, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and front and rear parking sensors. And it all behaves well in operation.The airbag count runs to six (dual front, front side and side curtain) and there are three child seat top-tether points across the second row with ISOFIX anchors on the outer positions. All to be expected in the category and at this price point.Service is recommended every 12 months/10,000km, which is relatively frequent in terms of distance, but an average of $397 per workshop visit for the first five years is far from outrageous.

BYD’s 7217 Australian new car sales in March 2026 may not sound like a huge total when the brand is shifting around 400,000 units per month globally.But those vehicles sold locally last month were enough to give BYD its first top-three finish Down Under, making it the clear leader when it comes to Chinese car brands in the market.By most counts BYD is also the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer (overtaking Tesla in 2025) and sixth in sales overall.A Fortune Global 500 company, BYD claims to have a presence in over 400 cities, in more than 70 countries across six continents with annual revenue exceeding ¥602 billion (~$123B).So, why does the brand’s growing success in Australia matter in the broader context of BYD’s ambition of global automotive domination?  First, as it was for Japanese brands getting serious about exports in the late 1950s into the ‘60s, Australia is a unique test market with a car culture incorporating a multitude of diverse elements.A historical leaning towards large, powerful vehicles, often covering substantial distances. An appetite for innovation with a ready stream of early adopters lining up for whatever’s new and different. A broad population mix, an often challenging driving environment… and a million and one other things.But the biggest factor is that impressive, steady growth since BYD entered the Australian market with the groundbreaking Atto 3 SUV in 2022.And that’s in the context of the tidal wave of more than a dozen new brands from China arriving since, turning an already cut-throat car market into a white-hot cauldron of competition. When the car-retailing cage fight kicks off the first and often easiest lever to pull is price. But so far BYD Australia has relied on new product to top the opposition, with 2026 Q1 sales up a neat 100 per cent over the same period in 2025 (17,541 units vs 8767).At the same time, the Chinese giant is widely perceived as the instigator of an intense price war in its domestic new car market, designed to apply pressure to newer, more vulnerable players among the 100-plus brands currently active in China.But the aggressive strategy has impacted its own results with year-on-year sales down 7.8 per cent (to ‘only’ 3.55 million vehicles).Net profit and net profit margin have suffered and with high tariffs effectively putting the US market off limits for now, Australia becomes a centre of opportunity as well as a rare template for export strategy development.As they say in the car business, "You never go broke making a profit", and it will be interesting to see how far BYD can climb the local sales leaderboard from its current sixth position YTD (17,541 units), with fifth-placed Hyundai (19,101), Ford in fourth 20,172) and Kia in third (20,630) already within striking distance.  

BYD's off-roader and SUV brand FangChengBao, whose vehicles are badged Denza in Australia, has broken its own ‘off-roaders and SUVs’ mould with the unveiling of a collection of striking new models on the opening day of this year’s Beijing motor show.The Formula X Coupe, a low-set, carbon-tubbed, aero-influenced sports car with strong hints of Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren around its exterior.The minimalist cockpit-style interior seats two with scissor doors a tip of the hat to Lamborghini. Production launch is scheduled for 2027.Alongside the X Coupe, the performance-focused Formula Jaguar S is offered in sedan and GT shooting brake, while the larger SL sedan leans more into a luxury specification. All three measure more than 5.0 metres end-to-end with a wheelbase in excess of 3.0m.Provisional timing for the Formula Jaguar S’s Chinese domestic market launch is the third quarter of this year.And then, the Formula Leopard S is a sleek, fastback-style sedan featuring partially-concealed door handles and dramatic 21-inch rims.Also at the show is the Denza Z, a sleek pure-electric 2+2 GT to be offered in hardtop, convertible and ‘track’ form.With combined output exceeding 745kW (1000hp) and claimed 0-100km/h acceleration in under two seconds it is scheduled to make its dynamic debut at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed this July.With design development led by former Alfa, Audi and Lamborghini styling guru Wolfgang Egger, the Denza Z features steer-by-wire, magnetic adaptive suspension and all-wheel drive.In launching the car, Denza has pledged a Nürburgring lap record campaign with a time possibly already recorded given prototypes were spotted testing at the famous German circuit regularly in 2025.

Volkswagen has broadened available powertrain options in two of its mainstay models with the introduction of full-hybrid versions of the Golf hatch and T-Roc small SUV.Scheduled for global release in the fourth quarter of this year the newcomers are ‘plugless’ hybrids powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine supported by a hybrid module consisting of two electric motors (one drive unit and the second acting as a generator), power electronics, a differential, single-speed transmission and an electronically-controlled multi-plate clutch used to engage and disengage the combustion engine.VW said the Golf Hybrid and T-Roc Hybrid have been designed to enable a higher proportion of pure-electric driving compared with existing ‘eTSI’ mild-hybrid variants and reduce charging complexity relative to plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models.Final specs for the electric motors and lithium-ion battery are yet to be detailed for the prospective Toyota Corolla and Corolla Cross rivals but VW has confirmed both will be front-wheel drive only with three operating modes available.The electric motor will be engaged exclusively at low speeds. Then, in ‘Serial drive’ the combustion engine is decoupled to act as an additional generator for battery charging. And, as the name suggests, ‘Parallel drive’ puts the engine in the primary position at speeds at or above 60km/h with the electric drive motor in support as a ‘booster’ when accelerating.Three driving profiles - ‘Eco’, ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’ also modulate maximum system output according to specific needs.Badged ‘eHybrid’ or GTE in more performance-focused variants, VW is positioning the new models as “a suitable drive solution for every usage scenario” in addition to its pure-electric ID. line-up.CarsGuide contacted Volkswagen Australia for comment on the potential for the new Golf and T-Roc hybrids joining the brand’s local range and a spokesperson said, "While Volkswagen Australia continues to assess future opportunities for the local market, we’re unable to confirm Australian availability or timing at this stage."

Ahead of this week's Beijing motor show, Smart has previewed the Concept #2 which the brand is positioning as “a reinvention of the iconic two-seater city car".The ‘iconic’ model that statement refers to is the Smart fortwo, which, as the name implies, is a tiny two-person urban runabout powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that was sold in Australia from around 2009 to 2016.This time around power is pure electric and although battery, motor and drive specs are yet to be confirmed, Smart says it envisions an electric range of close to 300 kilometres and DC fast-charging delivering a 10 to 80 per cent fill in under 20 minutes.Now a joint-venture operation between Mercedes-Benz AG and Geely Holding Group, Smart said it expects the production Smart #2 to debut at the Paris motor show this October.Riding on the brand’s new ‘ECA’ platform and developed by the Mercedes-Benz global design team, the Smart Concept #2 is aimed at delivering “uncompromised urban capability” measuring just 2792mm end-to-end and boasting a ludicrously tight 6.95m turning circle.Introducing the car, Mercedes-Benz Head of Design for Smart Kai Sieber said, “We believe a city car should be more than a problem solver; it should spark joy. “Carrying the heritage of the fortwo's iconic design, the Concept #2 translates our bold personality into a new era where 'Function becomes Fashion.'"It is not only about clever practicality but serves as a true extension of personal identity, “he said.Launching globally with the Smart #1 (hashtag one) compact electric hatch and Smart #3 small crossover-style EV SUV, the brand’s line-up will expand to five models in 2026 with the #5 mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV unveiled in late 2025 (it’s due in Australia later this year) and the China-focused (Merc E-class size) #6 sedan and the #2 city car in production by the end of the year.Smart Australia has confirmed there are no plans for the #2 to launch domestically at this stage.