Articles by Tim Gibson

Will Chery go hybrid only?

The incoming new-generation Nissan Navara is mechanically identical to the Mitsubishi Triton, but carries a sizeable price jump in comparison.It adds another rival to a compact ute market, so how does the more expensive Navara shape up to its cheaper Triton sibling? Nissan said money and time has been invested into its ute’s suspension, receiving assistance from Australian specialists Premcar.The brand said this local tuning offers improvement to driving and handling with and without load. The Navara has three different suspension set-ups across the range, with lower grades tuned for carrying loads, while SUV-like suspension is fitted to higher grades. Nissan’s ute also has a locking rear differential as standard on all grades, unlike on the Triton. Here is a breakdown of the difference between the Navara and the Triton.Pricing Australia (before on-road costs) Noting the Triton’s current drive-away offering, it comes in substantially cheaper than the Navara across the range. DimensionsBoth have the same braked towing capacity of 3500kg. Things start to change when we look at payload, with the Triton offers superior carrying capacity across the range. When it comes to cargo bed size, the pair share the same-sized space.  Engine and efficiencyThe Navara and Triton are nearly mechanically identical and use the same engine and transmission, so there is no difference between the two. Standard featuresNext grade adds or replaces: Next grade adds or replaces: Next grade adds The Navara does have more standard equipment than the Triton in a comparison between the pair.As standard, the Navara gets a digital driver display, unlike on the Triton, while it also gets a bigger central touchscreen. There is digital DAB+ radio, LED lighing front and back, tailgate assist and a rear diff lock as standard on the Navara, while that is only available on higher grade Tritons. There are areas where the Triton matches the Navara, including all-terrain tires and basic cloth trimmed manually adjustable seats.On the top-spec grades, the Triton has bigger alloy wheels, but they both have leather seats. The Navara’s top grade has a towbar fitted, but the Triton does not.Safety The Nissan Navara adopts the same five-star ANCAP safety rating awarded to the Mitsubishi Triton in 2024. Both get all the safety gear you would expect, such as eight airbags, lane keep assist and auto-emergency. As standard, both cars get a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors. VerdictThe Mitsubishi Triton appears to be the value buy here as it gets most of the gear as on the Navara, but for a cheaper price. The Triton's special drive-away price makes it more compelling for now, but the price gap will close once that offer is removed.The Triton may be the budget pick, but the Navara’s benefits are not obvious from the spec sheet. Its Aussie-tuned suspension and rear-differential lock could give it the edge on the off-roading scene, while also aiding the on-road driving experience. 

Honda has become the latest brand to be affected by the underperformance of its electric vehicles, according to reports.The brand’s EV write-offs and expenses for developing its EVs increased to nearly $2.5 billion in the nine months up to the end of 2025.Honda also saw its global EV sales halve in the past quarter, falling to 15,000.Its auto making business suffered a more than $1.5 billion operating loss for the first three quarters of this financial year.It is the fourth-straight quarter the brand has recorded an operating loss in its auto making department, with losses expected to blow out to more than $6 billion for the full year.Honda was targeting up to 2 million electric vehicle sales in 2030, but it is now expected it will only get to about 750,000.The brand has been forced to comprehensively shake-up its EV plan, which was foreshadowed by CEO Toshihiro Mibe in May 2025.“We intend to significantly revise our future EV strategy,” he said.There will be more details on Honda’s new EV strategy at the start of the upcoming financial year, which gets underway in April.The news comes after Ford reported heavy losses in the fourth quarter of this financial year, headlined by EV asset value decreases.It is unclear what this news could mean for Honda in Australia, with the brand having no EV units on sale yet.Honda Australia Director of Automotive Robert Thorp told CarsGuide in August 2025 that net zero emissions by 2050 is one of the company's objectives, with hybrid set-ups central to its approach.All five of Honda’s models sold in Australia have hybrid choices as well as petrol, but it is not known yet, whether that will be enough to satisfy the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).The brand has confirmed its Super-One city car will launch Down Under in the second half of 2026 as the first fully-electric model in its Aussie lineup.Honda sales grew more than nine per cent in Australia in 2025, with its CR-V and HR-V SUVs leading the way.

Tesla has announced its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology in Australia will move to a subscription-only service from April 2026. Buyers were previously able to purchase the technology for a one-off price of $10,100 or pay $149 per month. It is a Level 2 advanced driver assist system, which can navigate its way to the chosen destination. It is available on Tesla Model 3 or Model Y examples equipped with a Hardware 3 or 4 camera.The brand has confirmed the monthly subscription cost will remain the same for the time being. As with most subscriptions services, such as Netflix, there is a strong possibility for incremental increases on a regular basis.The initial pricing of the Model 3 and the Model Y has not changed despite the shift to a subscription model. The Model 3 starts in Australia from $54,900, before on-road costs, while the Model Y has a starting price of $58,900. Both cars were among Australia’s best-selling electric cars, with the Model Y topping the charts at more than 22,000 sales. Buyers will not be able to outright purchase the technology from the 31st of March 2026, so vehicles will have to be ordered by that date to be eligible for it. Existing owners of eligible vehicles will be able to outright purchase the technology via the Tesla app until the 31st of March as an upgrade post purchase. Tesla’s transfer promotions on the system will also no longer be offered from April of this year. This promotion allowed for owners of existing Tesla's with the FSD or Enhanced Auto Pilot to transfer it onto a new model without additional cost. The announcement confirms Australia will follow Tesla in the US, which ceased the outright purchase of the technology in mid-February of this year. The technology made headlines when it was released in Australia towards the end of last year as the first right-hand drive market to receive it.The move to a subscription-only service for FSD (supervised) is one of several big moves the car maker has made in recent times. Tesla announced in late January that it was cutting production of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the middle of this year. This is to make way for production of Optimus robots in the same factory. 

GWM’s V8 hybrid luxury off-roader will launch next month, according to reports.There is no news yet on the Tank 800’s potential Australia future, but its impending China launch means it might not be too far away from Aussie shores.It was previously thought the car would launch some time in 2026, but that time line now appears to have been moved up.It is expected the car will take the shape of a large SUV, offering a luxury rival to the Range Rover and an off-roading competitor to the Toyota LandCruiser. The headline news with this GWM off-roader is that it will be fitted with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo eight-cylinder plug-in hybrid set-up, producing a combined 735kW.There is also a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a plug-in hybrid, producing 283kW. These engines are said to fall in line with the emissions regulations in Australia, which have forced its potential Aussie rivals, such as the Toyota LandCruiser and the Nissan Patrol, to down-size their V8s to six-cylinder units.GWM's V8 plug-in hybrid outputs leave its rivals in the shade, with LandCruiser 300 Series' 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel six-cylinder making 227kW and 700Nm.The Nissan Patrol's 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel engine produces 317kW and 700Nm.This would leave the Tank 800 with a competitive advantage, being a V8 off-roader in Australia, but priced similarly to its rivals at around $100,000.Unlike the LandCruiser and Patrol, the Tank 800 will feature a more luxurious interior, with a likening to the Range Rover. We got our first look at GWM’s new V8 in April 2025 at the Shanghai motor show, with other cars likely to utilise the engine in the future. GWM has been growing its Tank range in Australia, with the Tank 300 and Tank 500 proving popular, and there are an increasing number of power set-ups launching. A plug-in hybrid Tank 300 will launch in the first quarter of 2026, while a V6 diesel Tank 500 also launching this year. 

Ford has reported heavy losses.The brand has reported a $11.1 billion net loss in the fourth quarter of this financial year — its worst financial performance since the GFC in 2008, or the Great Recession. Headlining the losses for the company is a five per cent decline in fourth-quarter revenue to $45 billion, with adjusted gross earnings more than halving to $1 billion.This is despite record full-year revenue for the company increasing to $187.3 billion.This reflects a difficult overall year for the Blue Oval, with gross losses of $8.2 billion, due to electric vehicle asset value decreases, and $2 billion worth of tariffs. Electric vehicle sale underperformance has forced Ford to axe production of its F-150 Lightning full-size pick-up, with it failing to stimulate sufficient demand after a turbulent four-plus years on sale. As part of these EV adjustments, Ford's in-progress BlueOval City manufacturing facility in Tennessee will build internal combustion F-150s instead of the Lightning variant.Ford has not given up on its EV ambitions, with the brand planning five new budget models, which will launch by 2030 in the US. This includes an all-electric ute in 2027 called the Ranchero, which will look to capitalise on the raging success of the petrol-powered Maverick. Ford’s diesels have been the foundation of its sales success in Australia, with the Ranger ute and Everest SUV some of best sellers in the country. It is unclear at this stage whether Ford will bring across some of these emerging electric models to offset potential New Vehicle Efficiency Standard impacts.Ford is not an exception to impacts from tariffs and EV, with others cutting projects before they get off the ground to avoid losses. Late last year, it was reported Kia had canned plans for an electric full-size pick-up, which would have been a competitor to the F-150 Lightning. Toyota is also holding off on its plans for a small affordable ute for similar reasons. 

Pricing for the incoming BYD Shark 6 cab-chassis ute has been revealed on the website RedBook.It will start from $55,900, before on-road costs, which is $2000 cheaper than the pick-up version of the popular ute already in Australia. BYD Australia when contacted for comment said that the company was not in a position to share an official launch date for the new variant. The cab-chassis Shark 6 does not have a direct rival in Australia with the Ford Ranger PHEV being a pick-up-exclusive variant. GWM is preparing a budget PHEV ute in China, which has good prospects for an Australian launch some time this year, but it looks like that will be a pick-up-only variant as well. BYD’s newest ute Down Under was first revealed in late November when it appeared in Department of Infrastructure filings confirming sale approval. These latest details reveal the car will miss out on some of the Shark 6 pick-up’s gear, such as a head-up display along with heated and ventilated front seats.It will still have a digital driver display and central touchscreen display, but the leather-wrapped steering wheel has been replaced by a synthetic one. It can also now be confirmed that the ute will have the same power set-up as found on the pick-up variant. A 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors, producing 321kW and 650Nm. The ute has a 29.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, with an electric-only driving range of 100km, according to generous NEDC testing.The cab-chassis increases the payload to 900kg, but capacity will decrease with any tub or trailer installed. braked towing capacity remains at 2500kg.This news comes as BYD prepares to update the pick-up variant of the ute later in 2026. It is expected to be fitted with front and rear differential locks and a two-speed transfer-case, which would likely come with a price bump. 

The next-generation Toyota Highlander — known as Kluger here — three-row SUV has been revealed in the United States as an electric-only model.A spokesperson for Toyota Australia said there are no current plans to add the Highlander to the range Down Under. That does not definitively rule out the new-generation Highlander as an option for Australia in the future.The new model will ditch hybrid power, so its unsure if Australia's US-sourced Klugers will continue.An electric Kluger would offer Toyota a three-row SUV EV rival to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90 in Australia. The top-spec all-wheel drive model has two electric motors, producing 252kW and 438Nm.There are two battery choices on the Highlander, which are a 77kWh with 462km of driving range and a 96kWh battery with a range of 515km. It is also available in a single motor, front-wheel drive layout.The 2027 Highlander is built on the TNGA-K platform, rather than Toyota's electric car platform that has spawned other models such as the bZ4X.The incoming RAV4 plug-in hybrid launching in Australia this year is also built on the TNGA-K platform, which opens the door to a future EV version.It has similar design elements to the new-generation RAV4 and Prado SUVs, with a boxy look and sharp creases in the bodywork, riding on 19-inch wheels. Overall, the car is bigger than its predecessor, but it sits slightly lower than the outgoing Highlander/Kluger. On the inside, it comes as standard with a 14.0-inch central touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital driver display.The seats are covered in a synthetic leather, with the front seats heated as well as the steering wheel. The car is expected to officially launch in the US towards the end of 2026 and the start of 2027. 

Toyota’s small ute plans appear to have been put on hold in the United States, according to reports.The small Toyota ute was seen as a potential future rival to the popular Ford Maverick in the US.It was thought there were strong prospects for a small ute from Toyota in the middle of last year. Toyota's Chief Operating Officer in the United States Mark Templin said the brand was “looking at it”. A senior vice president in charge of planning and strategy at Toyota Motor North America Cooper Ericksen echoed the COO's words."We could really do well in that segment, so we’re trying to do it," Ericksen said in a separate interview with The Japan Times. "It’s a matter of timing."Like the Maverick, it was speculated that a Toyota compact ute would be built on an SUV monocoque platform, potentially the RAV4's. This would differ from the HiLux and other major ute players underpinned by a ladder-frame chassis.Plans for the ute seemed to be at an advanced stage, with Toyota even going as far as to reveal a concept in 2023, which was said to be hybrid powered.It now looks like those plans are on hold with Templin pouring cold water on the immediate prospects of a compact ute, emphasising patience. “It’s a really intriguing segment for us, but the whole segment right now is 160,000 to 170,000,” Templin recently told Auto News.“When the market’s right, we may have something.”It looks like continuing US tariff trouble is behind Toyota’s hesitation.The future of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement may be up in the air after recent comments from the US administration on the topic. A trade deal collapse could spell the end of any small ute plans for Toyota, with manufacturing costs in the US and consequent steep pricing making production difficult to justify.

Chinese brand FAW has unveiled a new type of battery, which can achieve a driving range exceeding 1000km, according to reports.The battery has a capacity of 142kWh, and offers an energy density of 500Wh per kilogram. This is a new type of high-tech battery, differing from the traditional idea of solid-state, which is often viewed as the next big step.Chinese companies are continuing to develop their solid-state batteries, such as BYD and Chery that have recently announced projects.Chery claims its solid-state battery has an energy density of 600Wh per kilogram, but FAW’s efforts still represent a significant improvement on conventional alternatives.Traditional solid-state batteries do not use a liquid or gel electrolyte for the mechanical separator. Unlike solid-state, the mechanical separator in FAW's battery is made up of a slurry-like substance, combining solid and liquid components. This hybrid composition is able to provide the desired high energy density in comparison to common lithium-iron batteries, while also offering potential for cost-effective mass-production.The lithium-manganese battery developed by FAW features lithium manganese cells and solid electrolyte elements.While this battery has been mounted into an FAW car, there is no news on the battery's full-scale production future.FAW produce several electric models, and from the photo, it looks like the battery has been fitted to the Hongqi Tiangong 05 sedan launched in 2025.Solid-state batteries have commercial and manufacturing challenges in the pursuit of full-scale mass-production, which is why some car makers have ruled them out in the short and medium term.BYD and Chery have taken different approaches for the composition of its solid-state battery, but neither brand has committed to long-term mass-production of the technology.Chery has unveiled two cars featuring solid-state batteries, but they are both part of the brand’s premium Exeed branch, so it will not be offered in mainstream products. BYD will only produce solid-state vehicles in a small batch coming next year. FAW’s hybrid alternative could offer a route towards solid-state in the interim while the technology develops towards a more sustainable level.