Articles by Laura Berry

Three years ago almost nobody in Australia had even heard of BYD, but now the Chinese manufacturer is a top-five brand here, outselling big names Aussies used to flock to like Honda, Nissan and Subaru. All that now stands in its way is Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Kia and Hyundai. And all BYD has to do is add four new models to its range and it could leave those holdouts in its dust. But not just any models - these models.Rapid just doesn’t describe well enough just how fast BYD has grown in Australia. To go from zero sales in 2021 before it had arrived to selling 32,839 cars so far just in the first eight months of this year is overwhelming. Well, it has been for brands such as Nissan, Honda and Subaru, who haven’t sold more than 30,000. Even the big Europeans like Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW and Audi haven’t sold more than 20,000 this year. Hyundai doesn’t exactly have a comfortable lead either with 51,957 sales year to date, and neither does Kia with 55,554. Mazda might think it's safe with 63,208, but really only Toyota doesn’t have to panic yet with 163,491 until the start of September.Three or possibly four new models for BYD will easily reach 60,000 sales for the same period, catching Kia and Hyundai and possibly overtaking Mazda, too. But not just any models will do this, only the right ones will, but it's easy to see what they are from the sales data.Looking at the latest sales data from the first eight months of the year, it is clear what models BYD needs and it’s not more mid-sized SUVs, the brand has this covered with the Sealion 6 and Sealion 7, with the possibility of the Sealion 5 coming, too. BYD also has the big-selling Shark 6 4x4 ute. Having popular mid-sized SUVs and a ute are key ingredients for success in Australia as these are the largest-selling segments. Toyota is the king of this recipe with its HiLux ute and RAV4 SUV, and it’s why Kia has just launched its Tasman pick-up to help the Sportage SUV with the heavy lifting. But Toyota and Kia don’t just rely on these cars to succeed. BYD has such momentum and the attention of Australians now that if it places a model to rival Toyota and Kia in other key segments, it will gain ground. And it can absolutely do this - not only is the company financially secure, it has an excellent supply chain and production process, plus it has the models already made. First, and everybody can see this, BYD needs a large, off-road SUV, something that will rival the Toyota Prado. If BYD is able to make that happen, it could gain up to 20,000 sales a year. These are all very conservative numbers too, the potential for much bigger sales is there.After all, have you seen how many BYD Shark 6 utes are getting around with canopies? Stylish ones that make this hybrid 4x4 pick-up look like an SUV, similar to a Ford Everest or Toyota MU-X. Can you see where we’re going here? Yep, it’s going to happen. BYD’s answer to the Prado is its Denza B5. The B5 is a ladder-on-frame, large, off-road SUV that’s also a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine and two electric motors producing a combined 505kW and 760Nm. That’s slated to arrive late this year or early 2026, albeit marketed under a separate Denza brand that is owned by BYD.Next is a small SUV. BYD has the Atto 3 but at 4.5m long, it's almost classed as a 'small' mid-sized SUV. So something smaller to rival the Hyundai Kona or Mazda CX-30 is needed. We won’t have to wait long because by the end of this year the BYD Atto 2 electric SUV will launch in Australia. At 4.3m long, the Atto 2 is the size of a Kona. A smaller SUV like this could bring in 15,000 extra sales for BYD each year.Finally, BYD needs to bring a light SUV here the size of Toyota's Yaris Cross - but fully electric like Hyundai’s Inster. Again, BYD already has this - it’s the Atto 1. BYD doesn’t plan to bring the tiny SUV here. If it does, it could pick up another 5000 sales a year.Essentially, though, BYD needs the large, off-road Prado rival and the small Kona rival to start really worrying the brands currently ahead of it in the sales charts, and these models - the Denza B5 and Atto 2 are coming. It’ll be interesting to see what BYD’s year-to-date sales are this time in 2026 - 50,000? Very likely, at least, this by the looks of it. 

Mercedes-Benz has added a new plug-in hybrid variant to its mid-sized SUV line-up in the form of the GLC350e.

Hyundai Australia has issued an urgent recall for almost 20,000 examples of its i30 hatchback following the discovery of a fuel fault that could lead to a sudden loss of power.The fault affects only the i30 PD model made between 2020-2021 and involves 18,634 vehicles in Australia.Hyundai Australia has issued a statement explaining the fault is connected to the fuel supply which can cause the vehicle to lose power.“Due to a manufacturing defect, the fuel pump impeller may become deformed under certain environmental conditions, interrupting the fuel supply,” Hyundai’s statement reads. “If this occurs, the engine could stall resulting in a sudden loss of motive power.“Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted in writing by Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA), asking them to schedule an appointment as soon as possible to have the fuel pump impeller inspected and replaced, free of charge.”Owners who may be concerned are encouraged to speak to their local dealer or contact Hyundai’s customer care line on 1800 186 306.The i30 has long been in Hyundai’s top three best-selling vehicles. Sales of the i30 year-to-date to the start of September have totalled 7447 units. Hyundai’s latest recall follows another recall in March for the 8700 ix35 SUVs due to a brake fluid leak.

Chinese carmaker Leapmotor has teased us with a hint of its sleek, small electric hatch the B05 ahead of its upcoming Munich motor show debut.

New and more affordable MG4 on the way, but Australia might not get next-gen battery tech.

Is Australia’s Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series about to face some serious competition from Chery’s Jetour G700? Going by the specifications being reported it looks likely the full-sized off-road Chinese plug-in hybrid SUV will be a tough rival.

Volkswagen’s new-generation T-Roc small SUV has made its world debut showing off its new shape, tech and powertrains ahead of its arrival in Australia.The T-Roc may be small but it's Volkswagen’s biggest selling car in Australia behind the Amarok ute. The small SUV is getting larger, though. This second generation T-Roc has grown 12cm longer in length, but it’s still a compact 4373mm end to end, which VW said translated to more cabin room and a bigger boot at an impressive 475 litres.As you’d expect of any new-gen model the exterior has been overhauled with the T-Roc now looking like a mini version of the Tiguan mid-sized SUV.Inside the T-Roc’s cabin has stepped further into more premium-looking territory with soft materials and ambient lighting,  which Volkswagen said added a ‘lounge-like atmosphere”. New cabin tech includes a larger 13-inch media screen and an optional head up display. What you can’t see is the MQB evo platform the new T-Roc is built on — the same architecture the Tiguan uses. The platform gives the new T-Roc some advanced tech capabilities including autonomous lane changing and improved self parking with remote smart phone control.New powertrains accompany the new T-Roc’s arrival with 1.5-litre turbo petrol mild hybrid variants in two states of tune — 85kW and 110kW — for front-wheel drive versions.A more powerful 2.0-litre mild hybrid will join the line-up at a later date, and will be fitted to all-wheel drive R variants. A T-Roc R is confirmed, too, and it will retain its crown as the angriest and quickest in the range with the most amount of grunt. You won't find any purely electric variants here, with Volkswagen keeping EVs for its I.D. range of vehicles. That said this generation of the T-Roc could be the last combustion powered version.New colours for the T-Roc range include Canary Yellow, Celestial Blue metallic, Flamed Red metallic, and Grenadilla Black metallic. The new-gen T-Roc launches in Europe this November, and CarsGuide has reached out to Volkswagen Australia to confirm timing and prices for a local launch here.Australian pricing and specifications will no doubt be announced closer to the new T-Roc’s arrival here, but expect it to be more expensive than the current version's $38,990 starting point.

GWM has upgraded the Tank 500 yet again.A new Smart Edition is now available in China bringing more advanced safety systems and luxury touches such as an on-board fridge and James Bond-esque thermal imaging, to the full size SUV.The Tank 500 Smart Edition brings GWM’s new advanced driver safety and navigation system Coffee Pilot Ultra, which uses a roof-mounted LiDAR system along with cameras fitted to the vehicle’s rear spoiler and side panels. A night vision thermal camera image shown in the instrument cluster also provides better visibility of pedestrians and wildlife on dark roads.The Smart Edition also showcases GWM’s new entertainment software — Coffee OS3 — promising faster processing and better graphics for the existing 14.6-inch central media screen and rear passenger display.Luxury touches coming on the Smart Edition include a 50W fridge in the centre console armrest, which can now keep items cool to -6C.    The new edition also brings updated exterior styling to the Tank 500 including the brand’s new grille, redesigned headlights, fixed sidesteps and a new green body colour.The new Tank 500 Smart Edition launched in China this week, and CarsGuide has reached out to GWM Australia to confirm its arrival locally.The current Australian GWM Tank 500 range has three grades: the Lux Hybrid, Ultra Hybrid and Vanta Hybrid with prices starting at $66,490 driveaway.The Tank 500 is a petrol-electric hybrid vehicle and it's also a capable off-roader with a ladder frame chassis and four-wheel drive making it a rival to the Toyota Prado for budget conscious buyers.In Australia the Tank 500 is offered with one powertrain — a petrol-electric hybrid combining a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor making a combined 255kW and 648Nm.Since the vehicle launched in Australia in 2024 the Tank 500 has undergone a host of upgrades to suspension, driver safety alert systems and exterior design.Australian sales of the Tank 500 this year have lagged behind its smaller Tank 300 stablemate. GWM has sold a total of 894 Tank 500s (until the start of August this year) compared to the 2810 for the Tank 300. 

New Chinese carmakers such as Xiaomi, Xpeng and Nio are leaving established manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan and Mazda behind when it comes to technology a new report has found, leaving doubts about whether the traditional players can ever catch up.

Mazda needs to spice up its line-up.