Articles by Laura Berry

No, you’re not imagining it. Car companies are walking back their plans to roll out electric vehicles. So what does this mean for the future? What will we be driving instead? And should you stick to petrol or diesel?

The MG HS Hybrid+ has arrived and we've spent a week with this new Toyota RAV4 to see how it shapes up.

The MG S6 EV has gone on sale in the United Kingdom giving us a clear look at the SUV ahead of its arrival in Australia.

Audi wants a hardcore off-road SUV to rival Land Rover’s Defender and it plans to do it with the help of the Volkswagen Group’s retro-revival sub-brand Scout.

GAC has launched its Aion i60 Toyota RAV4 fighter in China giving those of us watching from Australia a better look at the mid-sized SUV, which might make its way Down Under.Aion is a sub-brand of GAC and the i60 is RAV4 sized at 4685mm long and even has more than a passing resemblance to the popular Toyota SUV and it’s available not only as a hybrid but as a full EV as well.Details of the two powertrains have been revealed with the fully electric i60 equipped with a 75kWh battery with a range of up to 650km (CLTC), while the hybrid combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor offering up to an impressive 1240km in travel distance.Pricing for the i60 begins at A$24,000 for the entry grade i60 in China.The Aion V has similar styling inside and out to the Aion V, which has just launched in Australia. Both SUVs are five seaters and have the same wheelbase, but the i60 is a longer SUV overall and offers more boot space.The i60 will be available in six colours including Warm Velet Gold, Galaxy Blue and Holographic Silver.Whether the i60 makes it to Australia is uncertain. GAC has only recently arrived in Australia but has already announced several models cherry picked from its various sub-brands to go on sale locally. These include the Aion V, the M8 people mover and its Emzoom small SUV.The Aion i60 is just another model the gigantic GAC may choose next for an Australian launch.GAC’s arrival in Australia comes later than many other Chinese brands such as Geely, Zeekr, Leapmotor, BYD and Xpeng, but the company’s size and battery making ability could make it hard to beat.

Nissan has become the latest car manufacturer to announce a new focus on hybrid vehicles with the company’s global boss declaring a “full blast” of new models to come.Speaking to industry publication Automotive News at Nissan's headquarters in Japan last week the company's CEO Ivan Espinosa said that while sales have been flat a host of new products are about to be launched. “Next year we should be in a position to grow our sales,” Espinosa told Automotive News.“The fact that we have these new product lines coming in and having a full blast next year is definitely something that’s going to help.”Espinosa said Hybrid variants would be offered across Nissan’s range including the possibility of a V6 hybrid. “We should see offers in the C segment (medium sized vehicles), in the D segment (large), and likely in the B (small) segment. We see the hybridisation accelerating very quickly,”Espinoza also announced that Nissan’s production facilities in the United States will continue to operate due to the new tariffs and regulations overseas carmakers now face. Nissan has three plants in the US, which make the X-Trail and Pathfinder SUVs and others. “It will not make a lot of sense to stop a plant in the US when you have tariffs,” Espinosa said.Nissan has been struggling with profitability and closing the US plants was a possible way to cut costs but those plans appear to be on hold now and in a fortunate turn of events the factories have become advantageous to the company.  “What could have been seen as a problem 18 months ago, is now a strength that we have because of the presence and the capability that we have,” he said. “It’s a good position to be in.”Nissan has faced major financial difficulties in recent years. In May this year Nissan posted a loss of A$7B for 2025. The shortfall prompted the company to undergo an emergency restructure with potentially 11,000 job cuts and the closure of plants.Espinsosa became Nissan’s CEO in April 2025 and is faced with the considerable challenge to turn the company’s fortunes around and that may see joint ventures with other car makers. Only last week Espinosa announced he was looking at the co-development of engines with Honda.In Australia, Nissan has two hybrid vehicles already on sale —  X-Trail e-Power and Qashqai e-Power. Subaru also recently announced a focus on hybrid vehicles and a step back from its massive electric vehicle plans. 

Any hopes of seeing a much wider range of electric Subarus appears to be dashed with the Japanese car manufacturer becoming the latest brand to step back from plans to invest heavily in electric vehicles.

Has two months in the Skoda Kodiaq Sportline changed the Berry family's mind about this seven-seat SUV?

Hyundai appears to have listened to feedback and tweaked the design of its polarising Santa Fe seven-seat SUV, according to new spy footage of the yet-to-be-revealed update.The news comes via the Korean Car Blog website and the Woopa TV YouTuber who recorded footage of the upcoming Santa Fe testing and parked. While the new Santa Fe shown here is wrapped in padding to camouflage the new design, the small open areas that allow headlights and tail-lights to shine through reveal some big differences.The biggest news seems to be that the controversial horizontal low-sitting tail-lights have been redesigned to be vertically orientated, skirting the edges of the vehicle's tailgate running upwards.At the front it also appears the headlights and daytime running lights have also been restyled. Gone are the H-shaped LED DRLs and in their place appears to be horizontal and vertical strips similar to what's seen on Kia models such as the EV9. The headlights are now rectangular and sit lower, just above the top of the bumper.For now those are the main expected changes we can see to the updated Hyundai Santa Fe.The fifth-generation Santa Fe arrived in Australia in early 2024 and caused controversy with a completely new look that was more boxy, angular and upright then any previous model. Despite the divided views the Santa Fe has sold well in Australia with year-to-date sales (until the end of October) of 5370. That said, the seven-seat Hyundai is still lagging behind Kia's ageing Sorento which recorded 7588 in the same period.CarsGuide has reached out to Hyundai Australia to confirm local timing for the update.When the updated Santa Fe does arrive it will likely retain the current powerplants, including a 2.5-litre turbo-petrol variant and a hybrid version which combines a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor. Both variants are offered with front and all-wheel drive.A new plug-in hybrid, which is currently available in other markets, may also be added to the Australian line-up when the updated Santa Fe arrives.

LDV recently introduced a factory-built camper variant of its popular Deliver 9 van, and as of this month dealerships are taking delivery of the recreational vehicle.