Articles by Tim Gibson

There is a new V8 4WD king.German tuner Brabus has applied it craft to the Mercedes-AMG G63, and turned it into a bonkers V8 powered drop-top with a eye-watering price tag dubbed the 800 Cabrio.The 800 Cabrio’s pricing starts at more than 900,000 Euros (more than $1.6 million). In Australia the standard V8-powered G63 costs $368,400 (before on-road costs). Brabus is a German aftermarket tuning company, famous for its high-end customisations of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart vehicles. The base G63 comes with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, producing 430kW and 850Nm, which undergoes some specialist tuning to get a substantial boost in the Brabus. Brabus’ juiced up version produces 588kW and 1000Nm, and can shift the bulky 4WD from 0-100 in four seconds, going on to an electronically-limited top speed of 240km/h. It has the same nine-speed automatic transmission as the standard G63. The 800 Cabrio gets a suite of exterior changes to differentiate from the standard car. These include several carbon elements and Brabus badging. It rides on 24-inch wheels and has an adjustable ride height, varying between 0.8-inches and 1.6-inches. But the biggest exterior change is the two-piece folding convertible roof, which has 500 custom-made components, opening and closing in 20 seconds. On the interior, it gets special quilted leather pretty much everywhere, including the sun visors, and there is frequent Brabus logo embossing. The car comes in two specifications: the base 800 Cabrio and the 800XL Cabrio, which has an increased ride height and other off-road enhancements. Production on the 800 Cabrio will be limited to 100 units between the 800 and the 800XL. Brabus customises several of Mercedes’ high-end performance models such as the GTS shooting brake, and the GT63 coupe.The brand also produces a pumped up version of the Porsche 911 Turbo S coupe, and Ranger Rover P530, among other luxury cars.  

A major European brand has signalled intent for its China-built cars to go global.

Mercedes-Benz is bulking up its impressive new CLA EV range.

Nissan's slick new ute has taken a surprising turn. It was previously thought the Nissan Frontier Pro ute would only launch with a plug-in hybrid set-up, but it has now been revealed with a petrol and diesel engine options in China.The Frontier Pro PHEV is destined for a global launch, with Australia potentially on the cards. Nissan Oceania Vice President and Managing Director Andrew Humberstone said that the brand is working on getting the ute down under. “New Navara and Frontier Pro together? Oh, yeah, absolutely,” he said to CarsGuide.“And it wouldn't be one or the other. I would absolutely see an opportunity for both of them (in Australia).”The Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, with a single electric motor producing 320kW and 800Nm. Its pure electric driving range is 135km according to the very generous CLTC testing system. The new petrol and diesel engines put it on a collision course with some of the biggest sellers in Australia, such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine produces 192kW and 400Nm, while the 2.3-litre turbo-diesel motor produces 140kW and 500Nm. Both are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Frontier Pro came about as a joint venture between Nissan and Dongfeng Motor Group and is designed and built in China. This will be the first time one of Nissan’s Chinese vehicles will take on the global market. Nissan currently sells the Navara ute in Australia, which comes exclusively with a 2.3-litre turbo-diesel engine. The brand recently announced a new D27-series Navara, which will launch in the first quarter of 2026 and will be tasked with turning around a tough sales decline. The current generation Navara starts from $36,428 (before on-road costs) for the single cab chassis, with the whole Navara range mustering less than 6,500 sales so far in 2025. This leaves it far behind many of its rivals such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max, who collectively are approaching 100,000 sales in 2025. The plug-in hybrid variant of the Frontier Pro would have to hunt down BYD’s Shark 6, which has had an excellent start to life in Australia, with more than 15,000 sales in Australia. A new diesel variant, if it were to come to Australia, would go into direct competition with the big hitters of the segment. 

Leapmotor to take on BYD's Atto 2 and Toyota's Corolla Cross.

A best-selling family SUV’s has been given an engine switch-up.

Ford has announced a serious boost to its Ranger ute lineup.

The electric car onslaught will continue in 2026 with the announcement of more than 20 new models in Australia.

A new all-electric SUV has just landed.

BYD is expanding its Shark 6 ute range in Australia.