Articles by Tim Nicholson

If you are keen on buying a Kia Cerato, you’d better get your skates on because the ageing small hatch and sedan range is just weeks from selling out.Kia has just replaced the long-running Cerato with the new K4, adopting a new global nameplate for its small passenger car range.That model is rolling into dealerships right now and instead of being produced in Korea like the Cerarto, and most of Kia’s other models, the K4 hails from the carmaker’s Mexican facility.Kia Australia said K4s are being shipped from Mexico to South Korea then onto Australia. That trip takes approximately a month.The K4 ushers in a new design inside and out, an updated platform, tweaked ride and handling, fresh multimedia and safety tech and an uptick in standard gear over the Cerato. But it also comes with a price increase of between $3530 and $6130 compared with equivalent Cerato grades.As the K4 starts to enter showrooms, Kia Australia Chief Operating Officer Dennis Piccoli said the Korean carmaker has “about six weeks worth” of Cerato stock remaining in Australia.“We expect to have a full suite of cars in market by February 1, across the country, not withstanding the issues that have occurred with logistics across the eastern seaboard, particularly Brisbane and Sydney.”He’s referring to strikes at the docks that have impacted deliveries of vehicles from multiple brands.The Kia website is showing drive-away deals on the outgoing Cerato S of $28,790, or the GT from $39,290.Piccoli says the new K4 small car probably won’t reach the sales highs of its Cerato predecessor, at least for this year.The ageing Cerato clocked up an impressive 15,502 sales in 2024, its final full year of sales. Piccoli said, given only the K4 sedan is on sale now with the hatch arriving later in 2025, the new model will have a “slower start”.“But then when we come through with the hatch in quarter four, we think that we will probably round out around 9000 cars - eight to 9000 cars.”As well as the hatch, expect a hybrid version to land soon — although Kia Australia refused to confirm it just yet — as the brand grapples with the NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standards) legislation.The K4 is yet to be tested by ANCAP for crash safety, but Kia Australia’s General Manager of Product Planning Roland Rivero said he is hopeful of a maximum five-star rating, “but the goal, or the target, is four/five.”That rating should be revealed in the next two months. There is some concern, however, given the K4’s mechanical cousin — the Hyundai i30 Sedan — only achieved a three-star rating late last year. It lost marks in the assessment areas of Vulnerable Road User Protection and Safety Assist assessment areas.With the new K4, the GT-Line replaces the Cerato GT hot hatch and sedan as the range flagship, but the GT-Line lacks the performance bite of the GT.“The GT versus GT-Line is really a global branding position, and in effect, with the likes of EV6 GT and even Stinger GT, before, to earn the GT badge required some serious performance,” explained Rivero.He said the GT-Line, however, was benchmarked for ride and handling against impressive rivals including the Honda Civic hybrid and the Volkswagen Golf R-Line.And if you are hanging out for a K4 performance grade, don’t hold your breath.“There's no plans for a GT at this stage,” Rivero confirmed.

Kia Australia remains bullish about its sales targets for the incoming Tasman ute despite public reaction to its polarising exterior design since its global reveal.

Kia set a sales record in Australia last year and the company’s boss has plans to smash that record again in 2025.

Ford is bringing back a popular version of its Everest off-roader, but don’t expect it to stick around for long.

If you’ve seen a lot of BMWs on the road lately, there is a reason for it.The Bavarian giant is officially Australia’s favourite premium automotive brand.According to 2024 sales figures, BMW capped the year with 26,341 sales. That represents a modest 0.6 per cent bump over its 2023 results, or in actual figures, BMW sold 157 more cars last year than the year before.For years BMW was the number two marque in Australia behind archrival Mercedes-Benz. But that shifted a few years ago and now BMW is the dominant force in the premium segment.Mercedes splits its sales between two business units — Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Given none of its premium rivals offer commercial vans or utes, we will focus on cars.BMW was the 14th best-selling brand overall in 2024, wedged between Volkswagen in 13th and Suzuki in 15th.But how did it do so well last year? A couple of factors — SUVs and EVs.Sixty two per cent of BMW sales were for its ‘X’ SUV range. And the leader of that pack was the X1 small SUV with 4536 sales. Despite these solid numbers, it was beaten by the Audi Q3 for sales in the small SUV segment.The X3 was BMW’s next best seller, capturing high sales in runout ahead of the new-gen model arriving, and X5 was third best, while the X7 and 7 Series saloon had their best sales results ever.BMW’s EV sales were also a strong point, with just under 30 per cent of its total sales coming from electric cars. The iX1, i4, iX2 and iX3 made up the bulk of deliveries.Mercedes-Benz recorded 19,989 units in 2024, which was down by 17.8 per cent compared with 2023. Despite having a broader model range, the Stuttgart-based manufacturer saw double-digit sales declines for some of its most popular models including the C-Class (-26%), CLA (-32.7%), A-Class (-16.5%), GLC (-19.3%) and GLE (-41.4%).Benz fared better with some of its EV range, with the EQE medium SUV up by more than 200 per cent to 759 sales and the EQS large SUV also in positive territory (+126.7%). The GLA small SUV was the brand’s best seller, recording 3103 sales, up a healthy 65 per cent year on year.Coming third in the premium car sales race was Audi with 15,333, which represented a 19.5 per cent drop on its 2023 result.The decline can in part be put down to the delayed launch of the Q4 e-tron electric SUV, which now arrives in February, as well as some ageing model lines like the A4 and Q5 mid sizers. Both will be replaced in 2025 with new-gen models.The end of sales for the A1 hatch and TT sports car have also likely had an impact.Like Mercedes, Audi’s sales were a mixed bag. The Q3 was the brand’s star performer, capturing 5497 sales (+23.3%) to top the premium small SUV segment.The only other Audi model in positive sales territory was, interestingly, the A6 (+12%). Large sedans aren’t super popular these days so it’s a great result for a solid offering.On the flipside, the Q7 and A3 went backwards, but the SUV is about to get a big refresh in February, and the A3 has just been updated, too, so they should pick up in 2025.Aside from BMW, Porsche was the only premium brand to achieve sales growth in 2024, with 7029 units up 16.1 per cent. Every model line except the Panamera (-5.7%) and Taycan (-47.3%) saw double or triple-digit growth.Other premium contenders Lexus (13,642, -10.2%), Genesis (1400, -26.9%) and Volvo (8898, -20%) all had sales drops in 2024.

The replacement for Kia’s long-running Cerato small car has finally arrived and it’s a pricier offering than before.But the new K4 small sedan adds a number of features over the outgoing Cerato that arrived in mid-2018, including updated powertrains, more safety and multimedia tech, comfort features, a new platform and design.The newly named K4 will face off with the segment-leading Toyota Corolla, as well as the Mazda3 and the related Hyundai i30 Sedan, and the budget focussed MG5.Only the sedan is available from launch, with the hatchback expected late in 2025. Spec and pricing for the hatch will be revealed closer to launch, according to Kia.The model grades are much the same as before, with the exception of the GT that has been renamed GT-Line, in line with other Kia models, and likely reflective of the detuned version of the warmed-up GT’s turbo engine.So, how much is the 2025 Kia K4 sedan?It kicks off in base S guise from $30,590 before on-road costs, which represents a $3530 increase over the previous base grade.The Sport and Sport+ are are also up in price, as is the GT-Line which at $42,990 cops the biggest hike, up $6130 over the old GT.Pricing for the Mazda3 sedan runs from $30,470 to $42,470, the Corolla is $32,320 to $40,260 and the i30 Sedan is $29,000 to $41,500 - all before on-road costs.All grades except the GT–Line come with Kia’s existing 2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, delivering 112kW and 192Nm, and driving the front wheels via a six-speed torque converter auto.The GT-Line uses the group’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit, matched with an eight-speed torque converter auto. With power and torque outputs of 142kW and 264Nm, it is down slightly compared with the outgoing GT’s 150kW/265Nm figures.As a result, fuel consumption on the combined cycle is down by 0.2L to 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres. The 2.0L unit maintains the Cerato’s fuel use figure of 7.4L/100km.As well as a sleek new exterior design with a fastback silhouette, the K4 adopts a new platform, and the GT-Line gains multi-link rear suspension where the 2.0L grades use a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear setup.The K4 also benefits from an “extensive” ride and handling development program to ensure it is better suited to Australian roads.In terms of standard gear, the K4 comes with a lengthy safety features list across all grades, including auto emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control with stop & go functionality, lane keep assist, lane follow assist, multi-collision braking, ‘Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist’, driver attention warning, ‘Intelligent Speed Limit Assist’, a front centre airbag and more.A Safety Pack can be added to the S for $2100 and that adds a 12.3-inch instrument display, a 5.0-inch air-con display, dual-zone climate control and an expanded AEB system with junction turning and crossing and direct/oncoming lane change detection.While the S comes with a 4.0-inch LCD driver’s instrument cluster, it does get a 12.3-inch multimedia screen (along with all other grades), over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, rear-seat air vents and USB-C ports, digital radio, and customisable driver profiles and manual air conditioning.Each subsequent grade adds more kit, and the flagship GT-Line gains the most, including a premium Harman/Kardon eight-speaker audio system, a three-spoke premium steering wheel, artificial leather seats, eight-way power driver’s seat, paddle shifters, ambient lighting, heated steering wheel and a wireless charging pad.The boot can take 508 litres of cargo, more than the model it replaces, and its dimensions are longer, wider and lower than the Cerato sedan.The 2025 Kia K4 sedan is on sale from late January. Keep an eye on CarsGuide.com.au in late January for our first impressions of the new Kia K4.Prices listed are before on-road costs

At the beginning of each year we dissect the top-10 best-selling automotive brands of the previous year, digging into what went right for some brands and what went wrong for others.What about the brands that just missed out on the glory of a top-10 placing?Based on full-year 2024 data, we’ve pulled together another list. For all the details of the top 10, read about it here. But now we are detailing the brands that landed in positions 11 to 20 on the best-selling car brands list.There are some big names that were once fixtures in the top 10, but a combination of factors have kept them out of the top rankings this time around.Competition from newer brands has had an impact, as has shifting consumer preference and cost-of-living concerns.Check out our table below for the full figures.Subaru was the unlucky brand to just miss out on a top 10 spot last year, after being shut out by growing Chinese manufacturer GWM by 2178 sales.Subaru had been a mainstay in the top 10 for years, but last year it captured 40,604 sales, which was a near 12 per cent dip compared with 2023. All of Subaru’s models, excluding the newer Crosstrek small SUV, experienced double-digit percentage declines last year.Another more recent top-10 entrant, Tesla, also slipped out of the main list last year. Declining interest in its only two models — the related Tesla Model 3 and Model Y — ensured a 17 per cent drop. This was part of a wider trend of stagnating EV sales in Australia. Battery EVs were only up by 4.7 per cent in 2024, a dramatic change from the 160 per cent increase in 2023 over 2022.Another long-standing brand, and former top-10 player, Volkswagen, saw a further slide in 2024. Its tally of 36,480 was about 17 per cent off the previous year.The Amarok ute was in positive territory, but sales of some other key models dropped as the wait for replacements of some of its biggest models like the Tiguan drag on.Fellow German maker BMW landed in 14th place and remained steady, shifting just 157 more cars in 2024 compared with 2023.The next two brands had a big year. Suzuki clawed back lost ground by increasing its sales by 24.6 per cent to 21,278 units. The Jimny continues to be Suzuki’s best seller, with the tiny off-roader nabbing nearly half its total sales at 9697 units - up a whopping 94 per cent year on year.The other big mover was BYD, with the Chinese giant adding 20,458 sales to its name last year.Challenging Australia’s SUV obsession, BYD’s top seller was the Seal sedan on 6393 sales, but the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV was just behind on 6198. The latter only had six full months on sale, however.Expect this to change in 2025 with the Shark 6 PHEV ute likely to take over of the brand’s most popular offering.Mercedes-Benz Cars took a dive in 2024, dropping by nearly 18 per cent for 19,989 units. If you add Mercedes-Benz Vans to its tally (they are reported separately in VFACTS) it would have recorded 24,831 sales which was enough to beat Suzuki.LDV was one of few Chinese manufacturers to go backwards in 2024 (-24.8%). The commercial vehicle specialist was hampered by ageing models like the D90 SUV and the T60 ute, but both of those are being replaced early this year.In 19th place was Audi which dropped by 19.5 per cent last year, with very few bright spots in its line-up except for the ever-popular Q3 small SUV. That model was ahead by 23.3 per cent last year and led the premium small SUV segment for sales, edging out the BMW X1 and Volvo’s XC40.Rounding out our top 20 is Honda with 14,092 sales. The Japanese brand was another regular visitor to the top 10 in the not-too-distant past, but a drastic change in sales strategy in Australia - including downsizing its model range, dealer network and shifting to an agency dealer model - meant sales dropped, ensuring what the company says is a more sustainable business model.While the excellent CR-V went backwards last year, its two other SUVS, the HR-V and ZR-V, gained ground, increasing by 53.3 and 79.3 per cent respectively.Just missing out on a top-20 placing were Lexus (13,642) and Chery (12,603).

There’s been a lot of noise recently about the influx of Chinese car brands coming to Australia.There’s been less of a focus on India, largely because, for now, there are far fewer Indian automotive manufacturers, particularly ones that operate internationally.One brand has been quietly toiling away for nearly 18 years now, and it could be about to step into the limelight.Indian giant Mahindra landed in Australia in 2007 through a private distributor before shifting to a factory-backed operation in 2011. In that time it has offered utilitarian models like the PikUp and Genio utes, and while you’d be hard pressed to find too many of them on city streets, there are plenty in rural and remote areas of Australia.Following the forgettable XUV500 family SUV that was discontinued in 2022, Mahindra shifted up a gear in 2023 with the arrival of the off-road focussed Scorpio SUV, followed by the more refined XUV700 medium SUV.The Scorpio was hampered by its shocking zero-star ANCAP crash safety rating, but has remained popular with off-roading enthusiasts.The XUV700 on the other hand has helped boost the profile of Mahindra in Australia. It is a genuinely solid budget-focussed offering in the competitive medium-SUV segment.Unfortunately Mahindra does not report its sales data through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the company was not forthcoming with its latest sales figures.However, anecdotally, there are a lot of XUV700s on the roads, and you'll spot a few Scorpios and PikUps as well.It’s unlikely that Mahindra’s Australian sales would be anywhere near Chinese rivals like Chery or GWM, or even Korean rival SsangYong, but you can expect to see a lot more Mahindra badges in the supermarket carpark in the coming year.Mahindra is keeping mum on its plans for 2025, but there are two models that should hit Australian shores by the year’s end.The first new arrival is expected to be the smallest model in its line-up - the 3XO SUV. This model is a small crossover that will give Mahindra a competitor in the fiercely competitive compact SUV segment for the first time.Powered in India by either a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, or a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine, the 3XO is likely to face competition from light SUVs including the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Venue and Kia Stonic.Once again, Mahindra is yet to officially confirm this model, but it is almost a certainty for Australia.The other possibility for 2025 (although it could push into 2026) is the replacement for the ageing PikUp ute. Previewed by the Global PikUp concept from 2023, the new ute will be underpinned by the same platform as the Scorpio and will be a much more modern workhorse than the old model.It is likely to be offered in single-cab and dual-cab bodystyles, and should come with a version of the 2.2-litre 129kW/400Nm turbocharged mHawk diesel unit used in the Scorpio. More engines are expected to be added down the track.This will give Mahindra a genuine alternative to the leaders in the pick-up segment, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max/Mazda BT-50, as well as Chinese rivals such as the GWM Cannon, JAC T9 and LDV T60.Mahindra could also be on the cusp of entering EV territory, with its recently revealed BE 6e and XEV 9e models in line for an Australian debut. The company’s local arm told CarsGuide in November: "Mahindra plans a phased, calibrated international rollout of the Electric Origin series, starting with right-hand drive (RHD) markets. We will make announcements of launch at the appropriate time."The other model that could finally make it Down Under is the Thar. The Jeep Wrangler lookalike has been blocked from sale in Australia by Jeep’s owner Stellantis given its similar design to the American off-roader.A five-door version of the Thar - dubbed the Thar Roxx - debuted in August last year riding on a new platform, but it’s unclear if it will ever make it to Australia.

Australia’s top-selling car and the top-selling brands for 2024 have been revealed and it’s been yet another record year of sales.Last year, Australians bought 1,237,287 new vehicles, which represented a modest 1.7 per cent upswing compared with 2023 sales. It was enough to make it the biggest year of sales in Australian history.Utes and SUVs continued to dominate with just one passenger car - the Toyota Corolla - managing to remain in the top 10 best-selling models list.Almost 700,000 SUVs were sold in the calendar year compared with 270,000 light-commercial vehicles and just over 203,000 passenger cars (hatchbacks, sedans, wagons, sports cars and people movers).The top-selling model for 2024 was the Ford Ranger, repeating its 2023 win, despite a slight dip in sales to 62,593 (-1.2%).The Toyota RAV4 had its best sales year and came pretty close to toppling the Ranger, but had to settle for a still-impressive second place with 58,718 units, closely followed by its HiLux stablemate on 53,499.The Isuzu D-Max was the only other ute in the top 10, landing in fourth place with 30,194, and rounding out the top-five models was the Mitsubishi Outlander.Making up the rest of the top-10 models were Ford’s Everest, the Corolla, Mazda CX-5, MG ZS and the Kia Sportage. Check the tables below for all the figures.Toyota maintained its dominance in the industry, leading the charge with 241,296 sales, which is 12.1 per cent ahead of last year’s total.As expected, Ford leapfrogged Mazda to nab second place with a healthy 100,170 units, helped mostly by those solid Ranger and Everest numbers.Mazda dipped a little in 2024 (95,987) but remained well ahead of fourth-placed Kia on 81,787, while Mitsubishi (74,547) capped off the top-five brands.Hyundai (71,664) only just missed out on a top-five position, trailing Mitsubishi by 2883 units.MG also took a sales tumble but still stayed firm with 50,592 (-13.3%) for seventh place, while Isuzu continued to punch above its weight in eighth spot, recording 48,172 sales with just two models on sale.Nissan managed to make some gains in 2024, landing in ninth place with 45,284, and China’s GWM is now firmly a top-10 player having grabbed tenth spot with 42,782.The Chinese giant kept Subaru and Tesla out of the top list, with Subaru collecting 40,604 sales and Tesla sliding by 17 per cent to 38,347.The Model Y also just missed out on a top-10 spot for model sales, with 21,253 finding homes, a drop of 26 per cent.Despite the bumper sales year, the automotive industry’s peak body is forecasting a gloomy outlook and taking a swipe at the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Emissions Standards that kicked in on January 1.“While overall consumer preferences remain clear with SUVs and Light Commercial vehicles continuing to dominate the market and especially the top ten sales, many vehicles in these segments are either difficult or expensive to decarbonise. This will prove to be a significant challenge in meeting the extremely ambitious targets of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) which began on 1 January 2025,” Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries Chief Executive Tony Weber said in a media release.“The industry is responding to NVES by increasing the range of zero and low emission vehicles on offer. However, a continuation of current customer buying preferences will inevitably lead to the accrual of substantial penalties under the Government’s new scheme, which will create price inflation within the new vehicle market.”

It’s been another huge year at CarsGuide, especially when it comes to our video content.