Articles by John Law

Kia has brought a facelift of its breakthrough electric car to Australia ahead of its official release.  The new-look Kia EV6 is on display at the Australian Open tennis tournament and gives a glimpse of what to expect come the second quarter of this year.

Mazda’s new seven-seat family SUV has scored full marks in safety testing.  The 2025 Mazda CX-80 received five stars from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) against the latest 2024 criteria. 

Last year was massive for China’s vehicle manufacturers with total exports swelling 19.3 per cent to five million vehicles, but analysts are forecasting a much slower 2025.Next year, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) predicts exports will grow by a much smaller 5.8 per cent.Keeping in line with softer global sales, electric vehicle exports from China dropped 10.4 per cent in 2024 while plug-in hybrids exploded, the country exporting 190 per cent more than in 2023. This is partially down to customer demand, there is also the tariff situation in Europe. A Reuters report found China had told carmakers to lower or pause investments in European nations that voted in favour of tariffs on electric cars, which could further impact exports in 2025. Other regions are welcoming investment from Chinese carmakers, with BYD working to set up production in Mexico. There are many other examples in Latin American countries as well as in the Middle East and South East Asia.Additionally, Chinese domestic sales are expected to climb by 4.7 per cent to a staggering 32.9 million units next year. That is 30 times more sales than Australia and twice the size of the European and USA markets. Old car trade-in schemes and incentives to buy more fuel-efficient combustion vehicles and EVs are helping bolster sales at home. Electrified car sales in China are expected to slow down in 2025, though, with market share of what China calls ‘new energy vehicles’ (PHEVs, range extenders and BEVs) predicted to drop from 35.5 per cent to 24.4 per cent. In Australia, China’s previously meteoric rise saw a similar pause in 2024, the country shipping 8.9 per cent fewer cars Down Under compared to 2023. In contrast, imports from Japan were up 9.8 per cent and Thailand — the home of ute production — up 3.0 per cent. This is despite a flotilla of new Chinese brands and models arriving in Australia last year. As a mature market, this country only has so many new car buyers and it is set to contract further this year, according to market leader Toyota. Chinese manufacturers will need to target emerging segments, as BYD is doing with the plug-in hybrid Shark 6 ute. It has 6000 orders already which is enough to bump PHEV sales by 25 per cent alone after they doubled in Australia last year. While China still looks to be a powerhouse in new-car sales in the next decade, its ascent in the Australian market may not be as rapid as first imagined. Discounting to move stock is already rampant and, in a contracting new-car market, it’s likely there will be corporate casualties.

With many European brands feeling the sting of slowing electric car sales expansion and intense competition from China, Japan is doing things differently.  Mazda is no stranger to thinking outside the box and at this month’s Tokyo Auto Salon car show, boss Masahiro Moro declared Mazda “will not give up on [combustion] engines," according to a report from BestCar.

The car industry is based on constant model renewal. Cycles have been getting shorter and shorter, with the main industry settling on between six and eight years as the norm. 

Electric car giant BYD has just announced a new cut-price model for the UK market.  Known as the Atto 2, the electric small SUV slips between the popular mid-size Atto 3 and Dolphin hatch in the right-hand-drive market. Australian plans remain unconfirmed. 

GWM has announced a discount on one of its new models before it has even arrived. The incoming GWM Haval H6 GT plug-in hybrid is on offer for $53,990, drive-away. That is a $2000 discount compared to RRP.

Previous reports on the next-generation Toyota Corolla suggested a shrink in body style choices, but the latest news from Japan is just the oppositeCompletely unconfirmed but with some background from inside Japanese carmaking giant Toyota, Japanese outlet BestCar believes there will be an astounding number of versions of the 2026 Toyota Corolla and it might be Toyota that saves the interesting wagon after all. Not only the hatch and sedan, a wagon version is expected and the latest news points to the revival of a lifted Subaru Outback-like wagon — the ‘Carib’ — and a Caldina GT-Four revival. Because neither of those badges have ever come to Australia, a bit of explaining is in order. In the late 1990s and early ’00s, Toyota offered a Carib version of the Corolla that, like Subaru’s Impreza Gravel Cross that morphed into today’s Crosstrek. A new version imagined by BestCar can be seen in yellow. The Caldina was based on a Corolla but was a performance-focused MPV, quite a strange vehicle, but it used the running gear from the Toyota Celica GT-Four sports car, including its turbo-petrol four-cylinder and clever all-wheel drive system. It is the white BestCar render.Why does BestCar suspect these revived names? Apparently, a cryptic email from a Toyota insider came back: “Carib = Caldina = Corolla”, that was all. For driving enthusiasts, the rebirthed Caldina GT-Four is most exciting. BestCar speculates the new model could use the GR Corolla’s 221kW 1.6-litre three-cylinder and torque splitting AWD system. The engine is getting plenty of runs on the board already, also featuring in the GR Yaris and new Lexus LBX Morizo RR. It is also expected to feature in the next GR86 sports car. The Caldina GT-Four is likely to take a closer shape to the Corolla wagon this time around, rather than the original that was a peculiar people mover. A rival to the Skoda Octavia RS, the only other true performance wagon for under $100K. As for the Carib, the much-loved Subaru Outback is soon to take on a more SUV-like form factor. That could leave the door open for Toyota to swoop in with a lifted wagon, but that’s a big stretch in Australia. Like the regular 2026 Corolla range, the new Carib is expected to use Toyota’s new down-sized Euro 7-compliant petrol-electric hybrid engines. In the Corolla’s case, a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre that will cut fuel use by 12 per cent is mooted.  A plug-in hybrid version with over 1000km driving range thanks to a BYD-supplied Blade battery is on the cards, too. Inside, expect a larger touchscreen, revisions to the cabin layout, higher quality digital instrument display and improved connected services. The new Corolla is expected to launch in 2026, around a similar time to Toyota’s new RAV4 and after the HiLux, with the small car battling the Mazda3, recently-updated Volkswagen Golf Mk8.5 and Kia's new Cerato-replacing K4. Whether additional variants like the wagon, Carib and Caldina GT-Four will come to Australia, it seems unlikely. They are not confirmed for production in general. That said, Toyota is on a roll reviving names from its back catalogue right now, including a new LFA, Celica sports car, Starlet minicar, MR2 sports car and mini Landcruiser FJ. There are also plans for new-generation GR86 and Supra sports cars in the works, so it is possible.Let us know in the comments below if you would be interested in one of Toyota’s new takes on the Corolla wagon. 

Looks like the new Toyota HiLux might not be so fresh after all.  Despite hopes that Toyota’s new most popular ute would jump onto the brand’s advanced GA-F platform, it looks like the workhorse will continue in a similar guise to its current shape, following new pictures from Thai outlet Headlight Magazine.

Following the delayed Australian launch of the 2025 Skoda Enyaq in September, the Czech brand has just revealed a new look for its popular mid-size SUV.