Articles by Stephen Ottley

It’s not the size that counts, it’s how you use it.I’m talking about electric vehicle batteries, of course, because I believe the time has come for us to re-think range. Car makers are racing to provide more and more driving range on a single charge, with anything less than 400km now seen as inadequate. But is that really the case?So-called ‘range anxiety’ has plagued EVs since they first arrived. And as someone who drove those early EVs, when there was little to no infrastructure to recharge them away from home, I can perfectly understand why 150-200km was not enough from a battery.But there have been some major changes since then that mean we need to collectively re-think exactly how much range does our next EV really need.Having more range is nice, of course, but not everyone drives a Toyota LandCruiser with a 1000km range because they don’t need it. And not everyone needs the long legged 108kWh battery in a BMW iX3 or the 100kWh unit in a Zeekr 7X.Many people buy smaller cars, with smaller fuel tanks and that’s perfectly acceptable, and we simply need to change our way of looking at the situation.I’ll give you a real-world example of what I’m talking about. My cousin recently purchased a Honda Super-One, the Japanese brand’s ultra-compact, urban-focused EV. At $36,900 drive-away it’s far from the cheapest EV he could have bought, but he likes the looks and Honda’s reputation.But, in part because of its compact size meaning only so many batteries can be fitted, it has a claimed driving range of ‘only’ 253km. That is a best-case scenario, so a real-world return closer to 200km is likely.I put the only in inverted commas because ever since the reveal of the Super-One the discussion within our industry has often centred on that seemingly limited range figure. For my cousin, 253km or even 200km, will be more than enough to handle his approximate 10km daily commute.And that is likely the case for so many EV buyers, their daily commute will not only be well below what any modern battery can manage, but even a week’s worth of driving around will likely be covered.At the other end of the spectrum, Chinese brand iM Motors, MG’s luxury spin-off, is working on a semi-solid state battery capable of 1000km of range (Skoda is also claiming four-digit range with its new Peaq flagship). On paper that seems like the perfect solution for range anxiety, but according to the executive I talked to about it back in 2025, the reality is very different.“I drive day and night and I’m exhausted but the battery’s still alive,” explained Stephen Xu, sales and marketing director for overseas markets at iM Motors.“Just from my point of view, the battery is, you know, to have long range is useless when you’re in the urban environment]. So that may not be the best choice. You put a very big battery but only use it in the city.”What Xu was saying was that a battery capable of 1000km isn’t a bad idea, but rather that such a battery is only a good idea for specific applications. My cousin, for example, doesn’t need 1000km of driving range to cover his 10km roundtrip.Like I said earlier, the time has come to re-think range. There are now EVs available with range stretching from 250km to approximately 800km, with plenty in between. So depending on what you need, you can choose an EV with a suitable range.You likely wouldn’t buy an eight-seat Kia Carnival if you’re a single person who always drives alone, right? Or you wouldn’t buy a ute capable of towing 4500kg if you live in the inner city and only ever put your supermarket shopping in the boot. Or try to buy a Ferrari if you hate driving above 80km/h and are embarrassed when people stare at you.Basically, we have to take a horses-for-courses approach to EVs and stop insisting that every example must have the longest range possible. If you do a lot of driving and enjoy a weekend road trip or similar, then something with 500km or more is probably best. But if you live in the city or suburbs and rarely go beyond that, 250km is probably fine.This is just another mindset change that we need to adapt to, and many already have judging by the sales success of smaller EVs like the Super-One and BYD Atto 1 and Geely EX2. The days of demanding ever-increasing range from every new EV should be behind us, in my opinion.It’s not how big your battery is, it’s how you use your EV that really matters.

The days of being a ‘Holden family’ and buying a new model from the same brand each year are gone.The increasing fragmentation of the Australian car market, as well as the on-going cost-of-living crisis is driving new car buyers to ditch brand loyalty in favour of whatever suits them best.It’s why some of Australia’s most beloved brands are enduring a difficult 2026, with the latest new car sales data showing Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Kia and Hyundai all suffering sales decline as the likes of BYD, GWM, Chery and other relative-newcomers lure buyers away.Hyundai Australia Chief Operating Officer Gavin Donaldson admits it is now the toughest time he can recall in the local industry.“Yeah, I think that's one of the biggest things right now,” Donaldson said.“It's important to try and maintain loyalty. There is some benefit of that, and that's obviously going to be really more driven, probably long-term, about your after-sales experience. It's easy, probably purchasing your car, driving it out, but then how you get looked after if there's ever issues or servicing is going to become more important.“Right now I think there's so much choice there for customers that they have the ability to pick and choose whatever it is. It's just competitive, the amount of brands that are in there now. The market size has also slightly grown."Like it's 1.2 this year. It's 1.15m, 1.2m, historically grown on the back of immigration more than anything. It's just so competitive at present time. And as we say, customers now have such a wide diversification of choice that it's difficult to get their attention.”Looking at the car sales data year-to-date to the end of August, Toyota is down 17%, Mazda down 15.9% and Ford 14.5%, while BYD is up more than 100%, Chery is up 64.3% and GWM has grown 15.%. It’s clear from these figures that despite the historical success of the likes of Toyota, Mazda, Ford and the other ‘legacy’ brands, the newer Chinese rivals are winning over customers.In that context, Hyundai’s drop of 2.0 per cent can be seen a relatively positive result, with Donaldson admitting brands will need to adjust to selling less volume. But he also doubled down on the idea that after-sales support, specifically the dealer and servicing experience will be the true test for longevity for both the legacy bands and the newcomers.“ There's no doubt the legacy brands are under pressure,” Donaldson admitted.“Most of them are losing share year on year. Does that mean you reset your future levels of share? I don't know. Because it comes down to, I've always said… it comes down to your product portfolio. You can launch cars that the Australian public might see as outstanding and rush to your brand. So for us it's about maintaining a certain level of scale, make sure our dealers are as profitable as they can be, which is also under pressure because of multi-franchising and all that at present time. It's just extremely competitive and I think customers have got great choice. But I think long-term, you've got to be able to provide the overall customer experience to ensure not only selling the car, but there's the long-term servicing as part as well.”Donaldson’s comments mirror similar sentiment from Skoda Australia Brand Director Lucie Kuhn, who recently told CarsGuide 2026 is shaping as a defining year for the future of the Australian automotive landscape.“ The industry will be recalibrating,” Kuhn said.“I think this year it has just started, but I think we have ahead of us another three years at least, maybe three up to five. We'll see when the entire industry will be, let's say, looking for its new normal. Seventy competitors in the market, yeah, it's a lot. And I think every brand will try to find not only its new normal, but find its new viable normal. And viable normal for all the stakeholders, because this is the most complex thing."It’s not just OEMs, importer, dealers, and still being competitive and attractive enough to the customer. This is what is ahead all of us, and it doesn't matter if it's a legacy brand, but it's also the Chinese entrants, they will have the same thing. Because running like that, it's simply a penetration strategy. It will end up somewhere… and then what?”But Kuhn believes that elements such as the actual driving experience, which is still seen as an advantage for the more experienced legacy brands, will remain a key selling point from Skoda and its like.“To actually meet the expectations of the customers… they expect a level of driving refinement,” she said.But Kuhn, like Donaldson, is resigned to the fact that the days of families being loyal to one car brand for their entire motoring life.“Customers don’t stick to the brands they used to… all their life,” she said.

It has become the great debate in the car industry - have we reached peak ute?Put simply, has the ute market hit its sales limit in terms of volume or can new models and variants attract new buyers to the segment? The answer to these questions is crucial to the future success or failure of some of Australia's most successful new vehicles, as well as highly anticipated newcomers.Looking at the data, it seems like there is a limit on just how many utes Australians are willing and able to buy. In 2025 the ute segment grew only 2.7 per cent over 2024, despite 12 new entrants from several new brands - including Kia, BYD, MG, Foton and GWM.Things have not improved in the first eight months of 2026, sales of utes remain down, especially in the 4x4 segment which has recorded an 13.6 per cent drop.This ‘peak ute’ debate began in January 2025 thanks to comments from then-Toyota Australia boss, Sean Hanley, who admitted he wasn’t confident that more utes arriving would equal more sales overall.“I’m not necessarily sharing a view that it's going to grow astronomically because of the new entrants,” he said. “It may, I could be wrong, but it’ll be interesting to watch.“Looking towards the future, we already know that the number of ute models available to Australian buyers will expand rapidly.“They’ll be competing for an overall ute market that is likely to remain steady, which suggests that the average sales per model will come down as a result.”However, Hanley’s comments have naturally created some push back across the industry, and Volkswagen is the latest brand to weigh in on the debate. Michael Cenci, Volkswagen Australia Product Manager for the Amarok, suggested that Toyota’s perspective on the ute market is driven out of concern for how the latest generation HiLux will perform, as it is an updated, rather than all-new model.Cenci was talking at the introduction of the new Amarok W600, the locally developed special edition of the German brand’s ute built in partnership with Walkinshaw Automotive Group.Positioned as a ‘driver’s car’ rather than an off-road-focused ute like the Ford Ranger Raptor, Mitsubishi Triton Raider and Nissan Navara Warrior, Cenci believes it gives the brand a chance to find clear space in the segment.“ It's a tricky question,” Cenci admitted. “I personally think that wasn't said from a position of strength. I think since that comment was made, there's been so much innovation in the segment, and so many new players, that I don't think you can honestly say that peak ute was reached three, four years ago, however long it was."There's always something new. There's always new avenues to explore. We're exploring one right now. We've created a zig instead of a zag, as you said. We're doing stuff that no one else is doing and that's what innovation in the space is all about. So I don't think we've reached peak ute.“In terms of sales numbers, and as you spoke about before, cutting the pie thinner and thinner. Maybe that's one perspective to look at it, but I don't think that was the intention of the comment. I think the comment was more to do with the actual vehicle offering itself. And I don't believe that's true, no.”Cenci is seemingly referring to the success of newer models like the BYD Shark 6, a plug-in hybrid ute from a Chinese brand with no history in the segment which has still managed to become a sales force. This could be interpreted as an opportunity for other brands to broaden their appeal by offering newer, more efficient powertrain choices than the traditional turbo-diesel engine.But it also explains Volkswagen’s attitude towards the Amarok, specifically the W600, which is designed to be deliberately different from its would-be competitors. “That's the exciting part of the automotive industry,” added Annette Moelhoff, Volkswagen Australia Senior Communications Manager. “It's ever-evolving, ever-changing. I don't think there is such a thing as peak because there's always fresh new ideas and innovative approaches like we've taken with the W600.”

Chery’s in the middle of a rapid expansion and has no plans to slow down.Chery relaunched in 2023, but the Chinese automotive group has added Omoda and Jaecoo already, has confirmed Lepas will start sales in October and confirmed both iCaur and Freelander will follow soon.What makes it more confusing to many, is the company has a very different approach to its multi-brand strategy than most rivals, with a significant amount of crossover in terms of both vehicles offered and pricing.Lucas Harris, Chery Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, explained the thinking behind the company to CarsGuide.“ So I think one of the differences in our approach to the brands is that established brands' way of thinking, because there are established brands that have multi-brand arrangements, they typically stack them on top of each other,” Harris said.“This one's volume, this one's kind of premium mainstream, this one's luxury, this one's a supercar. And they segment them and separate them really just by price.”“So our approach is less about pricing and much more about trying to create a unique brand image and a unique brand feeling. And, product is a big part of that and you can see quite a big difference in the design of our products across the brands. The idea is to try and have different brands that speak to different sub-sets of consumers.”Freelander will be the first brand to break that mould, with the Jaguar Land Rover joint-venture to be a genuine luxury brand, priced above Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas.“It's very much a luxury car and is going to be in that luxury segment and have fit and finish, and be priced accordingly. So totally different from our existing products,” Harris confirmed.The introduction of so many brands does have one major challenge - finding enough dealerships to sell them. Omoda and Jaecoo models may be similar to Chery underneath, the different design has seen the brands operate in separate showrooms.For Lepas, Harris said he hopes to add up to 50 new dealerships by the end of the year, which is changing the way dealers physically carve up the space they have available on the showroom floor.“ Look, when we launched with Chery three and a half years ago I think the timing we were fortunate with, in that there wasn't as many new brands competing for showroom space at that time and so that was good,” Harris said.“And Chery really has been the catalyst for our other brands to come through and have good support from our dealers. So if we look at Lepas, maybe two-thirds of it are existing dealers that want the additional franchise and they like operating and dealing with us. And so they're pretty enthusiastic to put their hands up to get the extra brand.“It is also quite good timing that whilst some of those established brands are now not what they once were. They can't command the same 800 or 1000 square meter showrooms that they used to. And it's becoming increasingly expensive for dealers to do business in Australia."The cost of everything's gone up from, the cost of wages and marketing, the cost of electricity, the property and rent costs are through the roof. So it's really hard for any brand, particularly a suffering established brand, to support those kinds of facilities anymore.”Which is why he’s confident he can find so many new dealers willing to sell Lepas, Freelander and potential future brands Chery Group could add.“ I would say at least every second day I get a phone call from a dealer that I've not dealt with who would like a franchise,” Harris claimed. “And I don't know, obviously they're getting my number from other dealers who are dealing with us. But yes, there's a lot of interest in working with us and it's very flattering.”

Car companies must get used to surviving on fewer sales, even the biggest names in the industry.So says two leaders of such brands, with both the local Audi and Skoda bosses admitting the influx of new competition and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is putting them under pressure.Among the top 20 best-selling brands across the first half of 2026 only two non-Chinese brands experienced sales growth - Kia (up just 0.5 per cent) and Honda (up 2.2 per cent). The rest of the long-popular brands, including Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Mitsubishi experienced double-digit sales declines.Meanwhile, the brands with huge sales growth in Australia were all the newer Chinese ones, with BYD, Chery, Geely, Omoda-Jaecoo and Zeekr all more than doubling their sales in the first seven months of 2026 compared to 2025.The overall market, the total number of cars sold, is almost exactly the same as the first half of 2025, with just 1459 sales difference. Which means that the metaphorical ‘pie’ representing the local market is the same size, but more people want a slice and some brands are commanding a very large slice.In this climate Lucie Kuhn, Skoda Australia Brand Director, admitted to CarsGuide she is accepting of her brand’s 3.4 per cent sales decline so far in 2026. In comparison to related-brands Volkswagen (down 18.9%), Cupra (down 31%) and Audi (down 14.4%), Kuhn is right not to be too unhappy with how Skoda is performing.“I think every brand would like to grow,” she admitted.“It's simply in our minds, and this is actually what moves the brands forward. This kind of, let's say, set-up. But unfortunately the market conditions are so challenging, and not just because of the new entrants."I think in general, interest rate, pricing and this kind of stuff. yes, actually being able to deliver the same volumes as the last year is actually a kind of relatively solid news, I would say.”When asked if 2026 will mark a turning point for the industry and which brands lead the sales charts, Kuhn admitted it is likely the case that the entire industry will recalibrate and established brands will have to get used to selling less volume.“ The industry will be recalibrating,” she said.“I think this year it has just started, but I think we have ahead of us another three years at least, maybe three up to five. We'll see when the entire industry will be, let's say, looking for its new normal."Seventy competitors in the market, yeah, it's a lot. And I think every brand will try to find not only its new normal, but find its new viable normal. And viable normal for all the stakeholders, because this is the most complex thing. It’s not just OEMs, importer, dealers, and still being competitive and attractive enough to the customer."This is what is ahead all of us, and it doesn't matter if it's a legacy brand, but it's also the Chinese entrants, they will have the same thing. Because running like that, it's simply a penetration strategy. It will end up somewhere… and then what?”Audi Australia Managing Director Jeff Mannering went a step further and believes the market is actually “overcooked” in terms of legitimate customer sales.“ I think the automotive industry, I think the whole economy is under pressure,” Mannering said.“I think that, as I said, the cost of living is going up. I think there's a lot of propping up of numbers through, you know, registrations of, there's a lot of fleet cars going into, like very cheap cars. There's a lot of manufacturer support. The number is probably, I reckon, about 20 per cent overcooked on what actually is a customer car, it's been like that for some time.”Mannering admitted that despite the arrival of a new Q5 e-hybrid and updated Q4, Audi is likely in for a difficult second half of 2026 in terms of pure sales.“Whether it's a bounce back or not we just need to make sure that we are working with our dealers and making sure that the customers are getting the information that they need to know about our products. It's gonna be a tough second half of the year,” he said.As for 2027 and beyond, Kuhn believes the car brands will simply need to adapt to a new normal, with a focus on profit over volume, regardless of the heritage of the brand.“Viable actually means that every brand needs to find a volume and price point. Yeah? That makes you profitable on the dealer level and on, obviously, the supply level; importer, OEM, whatever,” she explained.“So volume growth is not a priority. You're not pushing the volumes anymore. You simply find a balance between volume and profit, and this is what right now everyone will be looking for.”For both Kuhn and Mannering, they know they will need to fight harder for their ‘slice of pie’ in the coming years as more and more new brands arrive and further shakes up the local market. ”Yeah, true. Are we happy about it? I would say no,” Mannering said.“But if it eventuates, and if you just base it on maths, it probably will eventuate. It's our job to make sure that we shift with the times… fight for some more pie.” 

Plug-in hybrids aren’t the future - they’re the present.That’s the view of one car company leader, which is backed up by new car sales data from the first half of the year. Audi Australia Director Jeff Mannering believes the time is right for plug-in hybrids (PHEV) to take over from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. It has started already, with Mannering pointing to the latest A5 Avant, with the PHEV accounting for 85 per cent of all sales of the wagon.“ So the consumers answered your question,” Mannering told CarsGuide. “They're actually moving to that car because it’s a better customer outcome.” Industry-wide, PHEV sales are up 118 per cent in the first half of 2026 with more than 64,000 sold.Unsurprisingly, and despite Audi’s positivity, it is the Chinese brands leading the way.BYD, Chery, GWM and Geely lead the way in terms of PHEV volume sold. BYD has the three best-selling PHEV models - the Shark 6 ute followed by the Sealion 8 and Sealion 6 SUVs. Mannering is also seeing a change at the top end of the market. Audi Australia has also achieved price parity between its latest Q5 ICE and PHEV models, showing the closing gap between the two technologies.Mannering admitted the petrol-engined Q5 is likely to be dropped in the near-future, as it no longer makes as much sense to customers when you can by a more powerful but more efficient PHEV for the same money.One of the primary reasons for this is the impact of the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES), which has pushed car makers to offer more affordable low emissions vehicles, like PHEVs and electric vehicles (EVs).“ Yeah and that's why we fought for the price parity, and it was with NVES because we, as a brand, want to be NVES compliant because we don't want to be in a position of paying fines; it's not a great look,” Mannering said.“And we've got our directive to be compliant, and currently, because the levels go down it will automatically change. Now, what happens in the next five years with the government, who lobbies the government on if there's any changes to, what the level is, will determine the mix of all the segments or the mix of the powertrains.”Audi will also continue to push its EV offerings, with the refreshed Q4 SUV to launch in Australia in September.

The Renault Symbioz Esprit Alpine is the flagship model in the new small SUV’s line-up. Priced from $45,990, before on-road costs, the Esprit Alpine combines luxury and sporty touches to differentiate it from the Techno hybrid below it in the range.Naturally, the Esprit Alpine is loaded with the most equipment, including auto headlights, a wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel and automatic climate control. Plus there’s a 10.25-inch digital driver display as well as a 10.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen connected to a nine-speaker Harman Kardon sound system. Not only does it have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included, but also Google Automotive Services, which means it can act like an extension of your Android smartphone in many respects.Other niceties include performance seats that are heated and electronically adjustable and red, white and blue stitching on the steering wheel plus a power tailgate.The Symbioz is based on Renault’s latest design language, which gives it a distinctive European look. The Esprit Alpine gets some unique exterior design elements, including chrome exterior trim as well as a more muted grille and badge treatment.Inside there is a small ledge ahead of the stubby gear selector, with the wireless charging pad hidden underneath it. There are two cupholders and a small lidded console box as well, plus small door pockets, which makes for a very practical cabin.In terms of space for people, up front the seats are comfortable and roomy, while in the rear the back of the driver and passenger seats have been heavily sculpted out to create a good amount of kneeroom.The Symbioz Esprit Alpine uses the first hybrid powertrain offered by Renault in Australia, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor that makes 116kW of power and 265Nm of torque.With a 48-litre fuel tank and claimed fuel economy of just 4.7L/100km the Symbioz has a theoretical driving range of more than 1000km on a single fill.In terms of safety, the Symbioz Techno has a good level of active driver assistant systems that are better calibrated than many small SUV rivals, plus there is a single-button function to switch off the systems you don’t want to use. However, the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP and has a four-star (from a possible five) crash test score from Euro NCAP. The Symbioz Esprit Alpine is covered by Renault’s standard five-year/100,000km warranty, The company offers ‘Assured Servicing Pricing’ which covers the first five years or 150,000km, whichever comes first. This will cost you a total of $2715 for the hybrid during that time.

The all-new Renault Symbioz small SUV range begins with a mild hybrid variant in the Techno trim, priced from $36,990, before on-road costs. The Techno mild hybrid comes equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, auto headlights, a wireless smartphone charger, heated steering wheel, automatic climate control and 10.25-inch digital driver display plus a 10.4-inch central multimedia touchscreen connected to a six-speaker sound system. Not only does it have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included, but also Google Automotive Services, which means it can act like an extension of your Android smartphone in many respects.Renault’s designers have created a surprisingly spacious and well-considered interior for such a small SUV. Up the front there are plenty of small item storage spaces. There is a small ledge ahead of the stubby gear selector, with the wireless charging pad hidden underneath it. There are two cupholders and a small lidded console box as well, plus small door pockets.In terms of space for people, up front the seats are comfortable and roomy, while in the rear the back of the driver and passenger seats have been heavily sculpted out to create a good amount of kneeroom.The rear seat slides to provide a trade-off between boot space and rear occupant space, so it does have an impressively large cargo capacity if you don’t need to take passengers.The mild hybrid Symbioz is powered by a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and makes 104kW of power and 245Nm of torque.The mild hybrid has a fuel economy rating of 6.4L/100km, which provides a theoretical driving range of more than 750km thanks to its 48L fuel tank.In terms of safety, the Symbioz Techno has a good level of active driver assistant systems that are better calibrated than many small SUV rivals. However, the Symbioz has not been rated by ANCAP and has a four-star crash test score from Euro NCAP. The Symbioz Techno mild hybrid is covered by Renault’s standard five years/100,000km warranty. The company offers ‘Assured Servicing Pricing’ which covers the first five years or 150,000km, whichever comes first, and the total cost for the period is $2695.

It’s no secret that Chinese car brands have managed to undercut most legacy brands on price, helping their sales surge. This has led to off-the-record accusations these prices are only possible thanks to subsidies and other financial assistance from the Chinese government.Chery is one of the fastest growing Chinese brands in Australia and also one of the most-affordable, offering some of the cheapest new cars on the market today.This includes the Tiggo 4 Pro, which is priced from just $23,990 drive-away and has already become the best-selling small SUV on the market.But any suggestion that these sorts of prices are unsustainable and only possible thanks to government subsidies is quickly dismissed by Chery Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris.“ I think if you account for inflation the short answer's, yes, I think it is sustainable,” Harris told CarsGuide.“If you work out and factor inflation on new car prices over the last 15 or 20 years actually, there hasn't really been a huge shift."The challenge, I think, that we've got at the moment is inflation's out of control. But I think cars in Australia are still quite affordable generally across the board, particularly if you compare to most countries in Europe.“Is it sustainable? I think so, yes. You hear all of these accusations around dumping and government subsidies I would love to see some actual evidence. I'd love a government subsidy, it would certainly help us out.”Instead, Harris said the Chinese brands are attracting Australian buyers not simply on price, but also a significant focus on technology.“ They just want everything to improve and to be better, and there's no sleeping or sitting on their hands and waiting for the next thing,” he explained.“They want to create the next thing. And so there's a huge amount of effort put into trying to understand the customers better and understand what the customers want and push the technology as far as they can. And there's certainly a lot of the reasons you gave before around why people are buying Chinese vehicles, it's not just about the price. I think it's largely driven by technology."I think it's fairly fair to say that if you want a car that is on the leading edge of technology, then you buy a Chinese car. The Chinese brands happen to make it more affordable and more attainable than some others.”In the same interview Harris also hit back at other off-the-record criticism that Chinese car brands are ‘dumping’ vehicles in Australia.“ I would be reluctant to speak poorly about any other particular brands or countries of origins,” Harris said.“And the only explanation I could think of why someone would want to do that is if they were fighting for their lives, and they knew that they couldn't win in a fair fight.” Unfortunately, the complexity of the Chinese car industry and its integration with various levels of government means only time will tell if Harris is right or if they will follow the same trend as their Japanese and South Korean rivals and increase prices over time.

Renault is back with an all-new contender in the highly-competitive small SUV market. The Symbioz brings European style and a polished driving experience, along with hybrid powertrains. But we review it to see if it has what it takes to compete against a diverse array of rivals from Chery, Hyundai, Mazda and more.