Articles by Tim Gibson

BYD's global sales numbers are in trouble as Geely makes up ground in a changing Chinese market, making export locations like Australia more important.

Geely has updated its EX5 small SUV, with it now featuring a bigger battery and more driving range. It will start from $1000 more than the previous model at $41,990, before on-road costs. The up-spec grade of the car has also increased by $1000, starting from $45,990. The EX5 is significantly cheaper than one of its key rivals in the Hyundai Elexio, which starts from $58,990, before on-road costs. The Elexio features a more high-end level of trim than the EX5, but Hyundai will launch a new entry-level Elexio landing in Australia in Q2 2026, with a sharper price point.The EX5 remains more expensive than the BYD Atto 3, which has a starting price of $39,990, before on-road costs. The EX5 offers a more affordable price point, and its newly-upgraded 68.39kWh battery and 475km (WLTP) driving range adds to the package.It continues to offer more driving range than the base Atto 3's 50kWh battery and 345km (WLTP), while the Elexio bests it with a 88kWh battery offering 546km. On the power front, the EX5 is about on par with the Atto 3 and the Elexio, producing 160kW and 320Nm from a single front-mounted electric motor. Other changes to the latest EX5 include a faster charging cable and a cargo blind as standard, while the popular jungle green colour is now available as a premium paint option.The EX5 had a strong first year in the Aussie market, as one of the best-selling EVs for 2025, beating that of the Atto 3. It will look to chase down the Kia EV5 in 2026, which was the best-selling small EV SUV last year, with a starting price of $56,770, before on-road costs.  2026 Geely EX5 pricing Australia 2026 Geely EX5 electric motor and efficiency 2026 Geely EX5 standard features Other standard features includeHeated front seatsPowered front seatsKeyless entry and startRain-sensing wipersSatellite navigationInspire grade adds19-inch alloy wheels16-speaker premium audio system13.4-inch head-up displayPower tailgateAmbient lightingVentilated front seatsMassaging front seatsMemory driver seat  2026 Geely EX5 safetyThe Geely EX5 has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.  Standard safety features: Rear parking sensorsAuto emergency brakingAdaptive cruise controlFront cross-traffic alertRear cross-traffic alertLane keep assistTraffic sign recognitionLane change assistBlind-spot assistEvasive manoeuvre assist  2026 Geely EX5 dimensions2026 Geely EX5 warrantyThe Geely EX5 comes with a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and eight-year/unlimited-kilometre battery warranty. There is also up to seven years of roadside assistance available. 

BYD is one of three Chinese brands which have broken into the world’s top 10 best-selling automakers, according to end-of-year financial figures.The brand finished up in sixth place on the list, selling more than 4.6 million units in 2025. BYD was not the only brand to make serious sales progress last year, with SAIC and Geely also pushing into the top 10 for global sales.Chinese brands’ successes globally have come at the expense of established players, such as Ford, with the Blue Oval dropping to eighth overall, and Honda just holding onto 10th position.BYD has had other success, including surpassing Tesla at the top of the electric car sales charts for the world at more than 2.2 million in 2025.The Chinese giant has experienced a similar sales increase in Australia, being the eighth best-selling brand in 2025, with more than 52,000 vehicles sold.The brand narrowly trailed rival Chinese carmaker GWM last year, which has been in Australia for much longer, while having around 10,000 units more sold than MG.It lines up with BYD’s ambitions to be "around top-three" in Australia by the end of this year, according to Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins.Among the best sellers for the brand Down Under are its all-electric Sealion 7 SUV and plug-in hybrid Shark 6 ute.BYD will strengthen its position further in the Australian market over the coming years thanks to its strong New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) position, compared to fellow big sellers such as Mazda.It will bring across several new models in 2026, such as the soon-approaching B5 and B8 off-roaders under its luxury arm Denza, as well as what appears to be the Seal 05 plug-in hybrid sedan and wagon pair.It is a different story for BYD in its home market of China, where the brand suffered a drop in sales year-on-year, as competitors grew.These challenges are likely to increase for BYD and other big brands in China, following the Chinese government’s recent banning of below-cost car sales domestically in order to end a years-long bruising price war.This will give smaller brands an opportunity to contest with larger automakers on price, which theoretically creates further competition.

Thousands of the recently-updated Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series have been recalled due to a transmission issue.A Department of Infrastructure notice confirms the recall relates to 11,019 examples from all variants of the 2025 model year LandCruiser 300 Series. “Due to a Transmission Control Module (TCM) programming issue, the transmission may rev faster than intended causing a loss of motive power and transmission fluid to leak,” the notice reads. “A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source could lead to a vehicle fire whilst driving.“A loss of motive power whilst driving and/or a vehicle fire could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants, other road users and/or damage to property.”A spokesperson for Toyota Australia said the recall was part of a global mandate from Toyota, with no incidents reported Down Under yet. Toyota will contact affected owners in writing to organise an appointment at a Toyota dealership to rectify the issue free of charge. The LandCruiser 300 Series recently had its price increased by $1000 across the range, with the starting price, before on-road costs, now $99,340 for the base GX variant.The updated model impacted by this recall was launched in the middle of 2025, with a hybrid model launching in Australia next month.A recall is also out for 569 examples of the Lexus LX500 and LX600 four-wheel drives in the 2025 model year.The Lexus LX is built on the same platform as the LandCruiser and shares many of its mechanical elements.  

Lamborghini has poured cold water on its prospects of an electric car again, according to reports. The brand has been working on a new model, which is schedule for production towards the end of this decade. There were rumours it would adopt a fully-electric set-up - a first for Lamborghini. The CEO of Lamborghini parent company Volkswagen Group, Oliver Blume, said early last year its EV set-up would produce 1491kW.The brand revealed a concept electric SUV in 2023 called the Lanzador.It now looks like this new Lamborghini model will feature a plug-in hybrid instead.The brands’ three other models feature plug-in hybrid powertrains, including the V8 Urus and Temerario along with the Revuelto coupe, costing almost $1 million before on-road costs. Lamborghini Chief Executive Officer Stefan Winkelmann reiterated his comments from last year, saying plug-in hybrids will continue to be part of the brand’s foreseeable future. He added there is insufficient demand for fully-electric models, with buyers favouring a petrol-powered engine complimented by electrification.“Investing heavily in full-EV development when the market and customer base are not ready would be an expensive hobby, and financially irresponsible towards shareholders, customers to our employees and their families,” Winkelmann told the Sunday Times earlier this week. “EVs, in their current form, struggle to deliver this specific emotional connection.“Plug-in hybrids offer the best of both worlds, combining the agility and low-rev boost of electric battery technology with the emotion and power output of an internal combustion engine.”These comments back-up what Winkelmann told CarsGuide in August 2025, when he said an electric Lamborghini would lack the characteristic emotion.“As much as we can, we want to keep these cars hybrid because the (BEV) technology and the emotion is not yet there to be a super sports car suitable for our customer," he said.“That’s because of the slowing down of the transition and the consideration of the customer because the emotion is not there.“So, when it comes to our super sports car and SUV we don’t see an electric competitor can be a real competitor.” 

The electric vehicle space in Australia continues to grow, with another competitor joining the battle imminently in the Hyundai Elexio.The Elexio will be Hyundai’s first car on sale in Australia which has been built in China, and it brings with it an important test for the brand’s future EV strategy. It will have to take on the three best-sellers of the electric SUV segment, including the top-selling Tesla Model Y along with the BYD Sealion 7 and Kia EV5.The Elexio will have to beat the best to be the best, so here is how it sizes up to its competitors, at least on paper.  The Elexio lands in Australia with an attractive introductory drive-away offer of $59,990, which is available until the 31st of March. From that point it is expected a cheaper entry-level variant of the Elexio will arrive in Australia, for around a similar starting price. The up-spec Elexio for under $60k appears to be a competitive deal compared to the base variants of its rivals, but when the drive-away deal expires, it will be the most expensive of the four, possibly more equivalent to higher-grade versions of each.It may be a different story when the cheaper variant of the Elexio lands in time for the drive-away deal’s expiry, offering a more fair comparison. Using before on-road costs pricing, the Sealion 7 is the cheapest of the bunch at just under $55,000, while the EV5 is available from $56,770. The Model Y is only slightly more affordable than the Elexio's introductory price at $58,900 before on-roads, making it more expensive by the time you're driving it out of a Tesla delivery centre.The Elexio shares similar dimensions to the Kia EV5, but it is slightly smaller than the Sealion 7 and the Model Y. The Elexio leads the way in the important driving range category, being the only car in this comparison offering more than 500km. This is mostly due to its 88kWh battery being bigger than the rest of the pack. It is significantly larger, for example, than the entry-level versions of the EV5 (64.2kWh) and the Model Y (62.5kWh). The incoming base variant of the Elexio is expected to offer the same if not a better driving range, as it features the same 88kWh and will likely have smaller wheels. It is a tight race when it comes to charging times, with the Elexio’s being the slowest at 38 minutes for 10-80 per cent top-ups, but all these cars boast times of less than 40 minutes. While all these cars have a single electric motor, the Elexio has less power than the Sealion 7 and the Model Y and the same as the EV5, with 160kW and 230Nm. The Model Y’s 255kW and 450Nm is the best of the category. The Elexio is not yet available with the option of all-wheel drive, while the other three cars can be in higher trim levels. The Elexio currently on sale has 20-inch wheels, which are the largest in this pack. Unlike the Sealion 7 and the EV5, it features a 27.0-inch display which spans across the dashboard as opposed to having separate sections. The Tesla also differs from the Sealion 7 and the EV5, with its 16.0-inch horizontal ‘floating tablet’ central screen and no screen real estate for a dedicated digital instrument cluster. The Elexio is similarly kitted-out with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation and wireless phone charging capabilities. This version of the Elexio also comes with a head-up display, something which along with phone mirroring is missing from the Model Y.All four of these cars received five-star ANCAP safety ratings with high scores in all categories. The enticing but temporary drive-away deal for Elexio makes it a strong prospect for buyers in the mid-size EV segment, especially with its comparatively superior driving range. This comes at a detriment to other aspects of the car, such as the power and torque figures, which trail that of the Sealion 7 and the Model Y. Its 27.0-inch display gives the Elexio a different flavour to the rest, while it has much of the same equipment levels as its rivals here.The Elexio will have a tough time dislodging the established trio of competitors, but in a time when EV sales are ever expanding, now might be the best time to pull it off. 

Toyota has announced details of the bZ4X Touring electric mid-size SUV in Japan, which is an expanded version of the standard mid-size SUV.It is significantly longer than the standard BZ4X, measuring at 4690mm long, while it is otherwise dimensionally similar, with a 2850mm wheelbase. The all-wheel drive variant of the car has a dual motor system, which produces 280kW, meaning it can shift from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds.The new SUV's 74.69kWh battery offers a top-end driving range of 734km according to Japanese specifications, while charging up to 80 per cent takes just 28 minutes. This represents a noticeable improvement in both power output and driving range over the standard bZ4X currently sold in Australia. The Touring version of the bZ4X has a similar exterior design to the regular bZ4X, and rides on 20-inch wheels. The interior is equipped with a 14.0-inch central touchscreen display, along with a floating digital driver display. There are two wireless phone charging pads in the centre console of the car. The new Touring version will start from 5.75m Yen in Japan, which is around A$52,000, while the all-wheel drive variant starts from 6.4m Yen, or roughly A$58,000.Expect this new version of the bZ4X to be a bit more expensive than its Japanese list price when it comes to Australia in the second quarter of this year, as export versions usually attract a significant premium over the Japanese pricing the time they make it here.However, it will give Toyota a new and larger rival to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6, as the Japanese brand looks to make a larger impact on the EV SUV space.In Australia, the standard bZ4X starts from $55,990 (before on-road costs), after Toyota slashed its price late last year by more than $10,000, down from $66,000.This new bZ4X Touring, which is built alongside its Subaru sister car the Trailseeker in a Subaru factory, is already confirmed to arrive in Australia in the first half of 2026. Stay tuned for more updates imminently.

The new Suzuki Vitara hybrid has been priced in Australia, as it looks to take on popular competitors in the compact SUV segment.

Specifications for the GWM Tank 300 plug-in hybrid off-roader have just been released, with the SUV joining as a new rugged rival. 

Chery has officially unveiled its QQ3 small electric hatchback in China.Chery Australia could not yet confirm whether the QQ3 was destined for Australia, but we know the brand is keen on the prospect. Local Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris has already signalled his desire for an electric hatchback to launch Down Under.“I think having a very small and then a small hatchback would be a game changer,” Harris said.“I think there’s a huge amount of potential in those segments, and at the moment I think those segments are a little bit stale and not that interesting.“So if we could bring something like the QQ, I think it’d be a huge amount of opportunity.”The QQ3 sits as a rival to other small budget EVs, which in Australia, would be fellow Chinese competitors such as the BYD Dolphin, GWM Ora and MG4 - all sitting around the $30k price bracket. Expect Chery's hatch to sit in a similar price bracket, if not even more affordable, if it comes to Australia with it being positioned generally as a budget EV. It would likely need more power than its entry-level 58kW output from its single rear-mounted electric motor as debuted in China to be competitive in our market. There is also a 90kW set-up, but that also seems a touch under-powered compared to rivals.Its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery options offer a driving range of either 280km or 401km, but that is calculated using the lenient CLTC testing cycle. More-accurate-to-real-world WLTP numbers are often noticeably less than that.On the inside, the car has a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and dual 50W wireless phone chargers. It will also be able to be optioned with heated and ventilated seats, as well as a heated steering wheel, following in the footsteps of other Chery models which offer high spec at a low entry price.The car gets the typical QQ bubble exterior design, with a segmented, round front and rear headlight design that houses diagonal strips. It rides on 17-inch wheels.Deliveries on the new QQ3 are scheduled to begin next month in its Chinese home market. Expect to learn more about Chery's range expansion as it follows up on the much-anticipated launch of its first dual-cab with a unique diesel hybrid powertrain later this year.