Articles by Matt Campbell

The all-new SsangYong Korando will arrive in Australia in the third quarter of 2019, and it will be available as a fully electric model that the brand is keen to sell Down Under.

The new-generation Toyota Corolla range could potentially expand to include hatch, sedan and wagon body-styles.  Toyota Australia has already launched the new-generation hatchback, and the sedan is due to arrive at the end of 2019. But the brand has currently ruled out the so-called ‘Touring Sports' wagon version of the Corolla range, primary because it's built in the UK for the European market. Toyota Australia product public relations manager, Orlando Rodriguez, told CarsGuide that as it currently stands, the Corolla wagon "is definitely off the radar", but that could change if production was available out of Japan instead of Europe. The Corolla hatch is built in Japan, while the current Corolla sedan comes out of Thailand - both of which are considerably more affordable than Europe when it comes to sourcing vehicles. The new-generation sedan will switch back to Japan. It's not a simple task to ‘switch on' wagon production ex-Japan, according to Rodriguez. He told us the factory would need to be modified to build the wagon. This news comes on the back of a new rugged-looking wagon version of the Corolla Touring Sports wagon, known as the Trek, which is set to make its public debut at the 2019 Geneva motor show in early March. The model is a tie-up with bicycle maker Trek, and the new model is said to appeal to "people who enjoy active lifestyles and outdoor pursuits". It gets a 20mm suspension hike, wheel-arch flares, new model-specific wheels, roof racks, underbody protection and rear privacy glass. There are Trek badges, too, while inside there are model-unique two-tone fabric seats and "wood deco" elements. It isn't the first time Trek has tied up with a car maker - in the late 1990s the cycle company aligned with Volkswagen for the Polo Trek, which came with a mountain bike included in the purchase price. As far as we can tell, there are no Trek bikes included with the Toyota. With Toyota set to introduce an all-new RAV4 model in May this year, the appearance of any rugged wagon in showrooms is slimmer than that of a standard version, were one to be made in Japan. We'll have to wait and see what happens on that front.

As the highest selling vehicle in the country, the Toyota HiLux doesn’t necessarily need more models to choose from - there are, after all, a staggering 34 variants available. But despite the recent addition of the Rogue, Rugged and Rugged X versions of the HiLux, the company is open to even more variants to help it push its lead out even further in the ute sales race. In 2018 Toyota revealed a GR Sport version of the HiLux in Brazil, which is aimed primarily at the Latin American market though it will also be sold in South Africa. That model included a number of exterior aesthetic adjustments, not to mention a retune of the suspension to make it a bit less of a load-lugger and more of a road-hugger. According to Toyota Australia product public relations manager, Orlando Rodriguez, the GR Sport is not necessarily on the menu for Australia because there is no “reasonable performance increase” included as part of that tune. But with Toyota’s GR product plan becoming increasingly clear, it isn’t beyond reasonable to expect a more performance-oriented HiLux is on the cards. In other model lines such as the Corolla hatch, Toyota is set to offer three different grades of GR models: the GR Sport, which is akin to a Ford Focus ST-Line; the GR, which sees mechanical enhancements (like a Focus ST); and the GRMN, which is a more hardcore offering (like the Focus RS). It’s unlikely we’ll see a fully-fledged Tonka model from Toyota. But it is possible that a mid-range GR model could be offered with some mechanical enhancements over the current HiLux, which runs a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 130kW/450Nm.  Rival utes like the Ford Ranger and Holden Colorado offer buyers more grunt (both have 500Nm of torque), but it’s unclear what would be under the bonnet of any potential future GR version of the HiLux.  Enthusiasts (the CarsGuide team included) would love to see a the Land Cruiser 200 Series’ 4.5-litre twin-turbo-diesel V8 under the hood - that powerplant churns out 200kW and 650Nm, which would be enough to quiet the competitors. According to Rodriguez, any HiLux range-topper to rival the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor would need to offer customers something more zesty under the bonnet.  “GR is starting off on the passenger side of things, but there’s an appetite in other markets, so it could go across to vehicles like the HiLux,” he said. “The HiLux GR revealed in Brazil last year was just aesthetic and suspension changes.  That vehicle is unlikely to come to Australia, given the amount of investment we’ve made in the HiLux Rogue, Rugged and Rugged X models.  “For us to offer any sort of GR HiLux, a noticeable performance would be ideal,” he said.  Toyota managed a staggering 51,705 HiLux sales in 2018, easily topping the model sales charts. Its next closest competitor was the Ford Ranger, with 42,144 sales.

The Toyota Corolla GR Sport 2019 model has been unveiled - but it's not the fully-fledged hot hatch we'd been hoping for. The new GR Sport version of the Corolla hatch is essentially a more sporty looking model, with a more aggressive design, two-tone paint and alloy wheels, a new grille, new front and rear bumpers a lower body kit, revised headlight inlays and new fog lights, and a model-specific colour known as Dynamic Grey. The interior is said to offer a few sporty changes, too - though no images have yet been released. The car will debut at the Geneva motor show in early March, and we'll add more pictures when they're available. That's not all, though - the Corolla GR Sport is said to see a raft of chassis changes to make it handle with a touch more agility. But the drivetrain options are set to remain the same, with a 2.0-litre petrol or 1.8-litre hybrid available.  So this isn't the rumoured Corolla hot hatch we've reported on, and according to Toyota Australia, the new Corolla GR Sport mightn't make it here, unless there is demand for a model between the regular Corolla line-up and a more serious hot hatch. "At the moment it's something we would need to study. But in general for our GR models we are looking to introduce GR models that offer a step up in terms of engine performance," said Toyota Australia product public relations manager, Orlando Rodriguez.  "It isn't to say we wouldn't look at bringing in a GR Sport model - but the business case would have to make sense," he said. According to Rodriguez, part of the problem would be that the Corolla GR Sport model is built in Europe, and the cost of importing such a model would be considerably higher than if it were built in Japan. "The business case always becomes a bit harder when we source vehicles from Europe," he said. "Suspension and aesthetics - that's probably part of business case. Do we think the market here wants something of that nature? Or does it want something with more credible performance increases?"  It's possible that this GR Sport model could be part one in a three-stage sporty Corolla strategy - a similar way to how Ford has Focus ST-Line, Focus ST and Focus RS models. So, if the GR Sport is step one - sporty looks and some minor driving enhancements - a GR model with a bit more zest under the bonnet could happen, and an unrelenting hardcore GRMN could sit at the top of the range.  "We haven't locked in what our strategy is going to look like," Rodriguez said of the Corolla GR range. "We can't guarantee the three-tier lineup will be offered, and there is some disparity between the strategies that are happening globally." "As models become available globally, we'll look at them on a case by case basis," he said.

General Motors Holden chairman and managing director, Dave Buttner, has vehemently denied speculation of a distribution takeover by UK-owned trader Inchcape.

The Holden Commodore and Holden Astra model lines are here to stay, according to General Motors Holden chairman and managing director, Dave Buttner.

Holden will put considerably more emphasis on its range of SUVs in a move to arrest a sales slide that has seen the company fall to record lows. The company held what it labelled an ‘SUV day' for media this week, ahead of a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign highlighting each of the SUVs Holden sells which will be rolled out over the coming weeks and months. That line-up starts off at the Trax, with the Equinox slotting in above it. For those who don't quite want to go all the way into SUV territory there's the Tourer, a high-riding wagon version of the Commodore/Calais, and the company offers a choice of two seven-seaters: the rugged Trailblazer (based on the Colorado ute) and the US-built Acadia (sold as a GMC in North America). Holden chairman and managing director, Dave Buttner, said the company is fully aware that it hasn't been selling enough of its SUVs to date, and asserted his hopes that 2019 will be the year of the SUV for Holden. "As you know, in Australia for year after year after year, Holden was known for its passenger vehicles. And as we've seen the decline of the passenger car market over the last few years – that's not just a trend in our domestic market, but more widely – we've seen the passenger segment decline and the SUV segment grow. "We have to ensure that customers in both Australia and New Zealand are aware of the portfolio of the products that we have to meet the market segmentation as it stands today," said Mr Buttner. "The key thing is to create awareness – what does Holden sell? – which then leads to consideration, so the customer will consider buying a Holden as their next car, which of course then leads to inquiry at the dealership. "We're unashamedly focusing on our SUV and LCV portfolio. It's where the market is, and of course they are more profitable product lines than others we have," he said. Despite that focus, Mr Buttner said Holden's remaining passenger car offerings – the Astra and Commodore – aren't under threat. Holden undoubtedly needs its SUV range to fire in 2019. For context, last year the brand managed 5433 sales of the Trax – which was down 27.5 per cent in a segment of the market that rose 17.2 per cent. The Equinox managed 4999 sales in its first full year on sale, which was just 2.9 per cent of the medium SUV segment, which tallied 174,259. The Equinox was outsold by the runout Captiva, which tallied 5100 units in its final year on sale. The Acadia only arrived late in 2018, so its sales were negligible at best, where the Colorado ute-based Trailblazer – which has been on the market for several years following a name change from Colorado 7 back in late 2016 – saw just 2606 sales, a drop of 21.1 per cent on the previous year. Mr Buttner is confident the new ad campaign will help right the ship when it comes to Holden SUV sales in Australia. "We've got to go step by step. We've got to focus on 2019 – I really see this as being a pivotal, watershed year. We will go back to our basics, get the fundamentals right, land the portfolio of products that we have, stabilise the business, and then we'll worry about where we go with share after that. "We said to our dealers very transparently, very honestly on Friday, we have to work together to get this year right."

There are many different ways to approach the SUV segment, but ute-based off-roaders is one part of the market that's gaining traction.

Goodbyes are never easy.

The Audi Q4 e-tron concept will showcase what the German luxury brand's first compact electric SUV will be like when it makes its debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show on March 5.