Articles by Tom White

The mainstream mid-size SUV segment is one of the most tightly contested in Australia, making which option to go for both more exciting and more difficult than ever.Thankfully, our 2026 CarsGuide Car of the Year Awards will help shorten your choices down to only the best in an ever-changing market.This year’s top-10 shortlist saw an array of vehicles competing for the crown, but our judging panel liked three the most, Honda’s segment-bending ZR-V, Toyota’s ever-present RAV4, and a newcomer in the form of the Zeekr 7X.Which takes the crown and why? Read on to see our reasoning below.The Honda ZR-V is one of the brand’s most recent nameplates, sitting between the venerable HR-V small SUV and larger CR-V.Our judging panel loved the ZR-V for its just-right sizing, offering family buyers something a little more compact than most cars in this class, whilst also offering a versatile and generous interior space.We were also impressed how this car communicates Honda’s commitment to build quality so well. All agreed it offers an above-par driving experience for the segment, with not only a good all-rounder combustion engine, but also a sweet fuel-sipping hybrid with a bit more punch.It offers compelling ownership terms, but the panel also agreed that it has similar flaws to other Hondas in the limited availability of the hybrid powertrain, and its generally higher-than-rivals starting price.CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Andrew Chesterton who recently tested a ZR-V VTi-LX in hybrid form said it “continues Honda’s winning run of models lately. It looks good, feels solid, is well-appointed and presents as an SUV you can actually enjoy driving, too.”Believe it or not, this award applies to the outgoing RAV4 despite its age, but the good news is many of the metrics on which our panel made its decision likely transfer over to the newly updated model, too.However, we’re calling out the old version which fits inside our judging timeline because of its well-deserved staying power in our market.Our COTY panel agreed everything the RAV4 does, it does well, whether you’re considering its build quality, massively popular and affordable hybrid powertrain, or its spacious no-nonsense interior which has proven to be perfect for families.CarsGuide Contributing Journalist Emily Agar said the outgoing RAV4 “offers families space, convenience and features in a well-priced and handsome package” in her recent review.Australia’s frequently best-selling SUV isn’t without its flaws. Our panel also agreed that the interior design was starting to age, and there were now more innovative hybrid powertrains on the market.Slipping in just under the $60,000 mark, the Zeekr 7X has arrived in Australia with quite some fanfare as one of the most compelling new cars from a Chinese newcomer brand.Opening the door to a new class of affordable premium car, the fully electric 7X won over our panel for having exactly the ingredients we look for in a Car of the Year contender: it’s ambitious, moves the segment forward and represents excellent value.Not only that, but in its surprising sense of quality and even its driving performance, the 7X challenges perceptions of how Chinese cars can look and feel, and does so at a price that should be circuit-breaking for the mid-size SUV segment.Its cutting-edge design and materials are also complemented by a spacious and family-friendly interior with a generous boot, too.Even as an EV it’s impressive, with its 800-volt architecture supporting ultra-fast charging, and its healthy battery capacities supporting long driving ranges for each variant.For downsides? Like some of its Chinese contemporaries, the 7X has overly complicated software functions, and it has weird push-button doors and doesn’t feature a spare tyre.However, as Deputy Editor James Cleary notes in his recent review of the top-spec Performance AWD variant, the 7X offers “so much standard equipment for the money, stunning acceleration, top-shelf safety and a solid ownership package”.“This electric SUV has thrown down a hefty gauntlet in challenging its existing competition,” he said.It’s a recipe that makes the 7X our winner for this year’s mid-size SUV category for the CarsGuide Car of the Year.

GWM has teased its upcoming V9X luxury large SUV as Chinese carmakers lay the gauntlet down in the hotly contested market segment.GWM’s offering is a big deal for the usually 4x4-focused brand, as it debuts a new platform and will serve as the flagship of the company’s luxury Wey arm.So far, GWM has shown official camouflage pictures of the vehicle, but the new silhouette images tease the car’s light profile and boxy Range Rover-esque roofline which suggest a new design direction for GWM’s future products.The flagship V9X is a plug-in hybrid measuring over 5.3 metres long, and will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with at least dual electric motors. GWM is claiming a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds, and an EV-mode driving range of up to 363km, although this will be to the more lenient CLTC measuring cycle.The new GWM 'One' platform set to underpin the V9X is also designed to support multiple powertrain options - whether it’s plugless hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fully electric, or even hydrogen, and will have an 800-volt electrical architecture to support powerful electric motors and ultra-fast charging.GWM has even earmarked the possibility of a diesel hybrid, in the same vein as Chery’s upcoming P3X ute which will also explore rare diesel hybrid tech, which could be a good fit for the Australian market.The Chinese giant also says it will be able to keep costs relatively low for products developed on the One platform thanks to high parts commonality and lower assembly cost.The luxury five-plus-metre-long SUV space is becoming intensely fought over in China, although only BYD’s rugged Denza B8 is currently the only option in Australia.BYD is also plotting a new flagship dubbed the Tang 9 in China, which it has had to delay due to its rivals beating it to market with impressive offerings.The Wey V9X will need to do battle with the upcoming Zeekr 8X and 9X flagship plug-ins, while SAIC’s IM brand which is sold under the MG banner in Australia is plotting similar LS8 and LS9 large SUVs. Even Leapmotor has its eyes on this space, with its soon-to-launch D16 flagship.GWM’s Wey luxury sub-brand is already locked in for an Australian launch, with the Wey 80 people mover arriving in 2026, opening the door for the V9X and other plug-in hybrid SUVs from the marque.It could be bad news for mainstream brands which currently offer three-row large SUVs, like Hyundai with its Palisade, Nissan with its Pathfinder and Mazda with its CX-90, which have thus far remained largely unchallenged by lower-cost Chinese players.The luxury V9X is also not GWM’s only iron in the fire. The brand is also working on a new flagship to top its Tank range of off-roaders, which is rumored to use the company’s brand-new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine in a plug-in hybrid layout.Expect to learn more about GWM’s future plans, globally and locally after the Beijing Motor Show this April, which is incidentally also the launch window for the V9X in China.

Details of BYD’s next-generation charging hardware have leaked in China, according to reports.The upcoming stations form part of the brand’s strategy to roll out megawatt-level charging for its range of cars in the near future.The second-generation megawatt charging stations reportedly will be able to support speeds of up to 1500kW and a maximum voltage of 1000, indicating BYD is future-proofing its new charging hardware for cars that don’t exist yet.Currently the fastest charging cars in Australia use an 800-volt electrical architecture, with the Zeekr 7X capable of charging at up to a claimed 420kW.At the claimed maximum speed, Zeekr says the 7X should be able to charge from 10 - 80 per cent in 13 minutes. Other vehicles with 800-volt architectures, including the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV9, are capable of speeds of up to 350kW for theoretically sub-20 minute charging times.Very few chargers in Australia are capable of supporting such speeds. Most chargers supporting 800-volt are limited to 350kW, and the fastest public charging station in the country are a set of 400kW ABB chargers at an Ampol AmpCharge site in Sydney.In previous conversations with charge provider Evie Networks, one major limiting factor for providing ultra-fast charging in Australia is the amount of power available to individual sites. Often the sheer input to support even 350kW is not available.In China, where power is both affordable and plentiful, charging ‘rest stops’ with tens of ultra-fast DC chargers are common. The largest site is in Shenzhen which has 258 DC fast chargers.In 2025, China reached a milestone of 20 million charging plugs, with BYD planning to deploy 15,000 MW-level chargers by 2027.These second-generation chargers look set to supersede the original 1MW chargers, which the brand announced to some fanfare in early 2025. At the time BYD said the 1MW chargers could add up to 400km of driving range to its Han L and Tang L EVs in just five minutes.BYD’s charging foray is in support of its range of fast-charge capable EVs, which will no doubt expand beyond the Han L and Tang L in the future.Currently a version of the Tang L is about to become available in Australia, badged the Sealion 8, although it is only sold as a three-row seven-seat plug-in hybrid compared to the EV version sold in China.BYD does not currently offer charging hardware in the Australian market.Tesla is one of the biggest players in the charging hardware game , and in China Tesla now offers its V4 pylons capable of outputting up to 500kW.Meanwhile for BYD locally it would be unsurprising to see the brand launch 1MW capable vehicles, such as an EV version of the Sealion 8 eventually, as part of its strategy to be a top-three automaker by the end of 2026 and beyond.

After years of ownership struggles and increased competition from Chinese rivals, Korea’s third-biggest automaker, KGM (formerly SsangYong) has had its strongest sales result in 11 years, posting an operating profit up 336 per cent year-on-year, with exports increasing by 12.7 per cent.In total, the brand sold 110,535 units globally in 2025.It is a radical turn-around for a brand that only a few years ago was rapidly running out of options after an elongated sale process from previous owner, Mahindra Group.At the time, the debt-laden automaker was struggling to find new owners, and was facing bankruptcy and re-structure.The once-embattled Korean brand’s new owner, KG Group, has turned an ailing ship around, injecting new life into its range of popular and historically value-positioned utes, 4x4s, and SUVs.Despite this saga, which dragged on for years, the brand known as SsangYong at the time was comparatively thriving in Australia as a niche but solid value player. Its diesel-powered Musso ute and Rexton 4x4 continued to sell in decent numbers, with its range of SUVs faring less well since the arrival of even more aggressively priced options from China.First off the rank for KGM’s re-boot in Australia was the Torres mid-size SUV, which replaced the Korando in combustion, hybrid, and EV forms, followed by the resurrected Actyon nameplate as an upper-mid-size SUV in combustion and now hybrid guise.It also recently added Australia’s first monocoque electric ute, the Musso EV, and the brand is now on the cusp of launching its next-generation replacement for the larger diesel Musso ute, codenamed Q300, as part of an expanded Musso sub-brand that's expected to spawn a larger pick-up truck.The next-generation diesel Musso will launch in Korea imminently, with an Australian launch no doubt not far behind.While KGM is now facing particularly tough competition in Australia with the rise of Chinese hybrid and electric options in many of the same market segments, a lot of KGM’s global success is coming from markets in Europe and South America.The brand said newly launched hybrid versions of its range were a major source of growth, now accounting for nearly a third of its global sales.In Australia last year, KGM was down 23.7 per cent year-on-year, with 4116 sales. This places it in a similar mid-tier sales bracket to Geely, Omoda Jaecoo, and Skoda. The brand is no doubt hoping the next-gen diesel Musso will reignite sales as it and many brands struggle for relevancy in a changing market. The Musso 4x4 ute is the brand’s best seller, accounting for nearly half of its volume in Australia over the course of 2025, with the related Rexton 4x4 SUV accounting for a third of the brand’s volume last year.However, while KGM faces tough competition from its Chinese rivals, that hasn’t stopped it tapping into some of the most renowned brands for technology, which should pay dividends in the future.For example, KGM has an arrangement with BYD to source its signature lithium iron phosphate (LFP) ‘Blade’ batteries, and has also established a partnership with Chery to develop a vehicle on the Chinese giant’s new platform and gain access to its hybrid tech.Stay tuned for more on KGM’s plans for the diesel Musso ute later in 2026.

Tesla will end production of its groundbreaking Model S sedan and its Model X SUV spin-off, the two models that put the brand on the map and arguably started the global electrification push.Controversial CEO Elon Musk said the Model S and Model X will reach the end of the line before the middle of this year as the company reconfigures its California factory to produce its Optimus home assistant robot.The Model S and X were discontinued in Australia in early 2023, and our market never saw the significantly updated models that were sold only in left-hand-drive markets over the last few years of their production run.“It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end with an honorable discharge,” Musk said during the brand’s fourth quarter earnings call.“If you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now would be the time to order it.”However, while the Model S and X might go down in history as one of the most influential duos ever built, ushering in the age of electrification, the writing has been on the wall for the larger Tesla models for some time.According to Tesla’s Q4 2025 Production, Deliveries & Deployments statement, the Model 3 and Y accounted for 97 per cent of the brand’s global footprint last year.According to Musk, once the Model S and X factory is re-purposed for Optimus robots, it is targeting a production of one million units a year. The home assistant robot will apparently be in its as-yet-unrevealed third-generation form, which Musk says is the first version meant for mass production.Meanwhile, the Tesla factory in Texas will begin producing the brand’s latest model, the driverless Cybercab, over the course of the first half of the year.According to Musk, the Cybercab won’t have “human controls” and a recent pre-production version spotted testing in the wild stuck relatively closely to the cars shown at the company’s I, Robot reveal event in 2025.While driverless trials have already started in the US for Tesla’s pilot robotaxi service without back-up drivers, the path to implementing driverless taxis in Australia is much less clear.Although Tesla has launched its self-driving software, styled FSD (Supervised) into our market, it currently exists in something of a legaslative grey area, specifically requiring the driver to be aware at all times. As long as the driver meets the monitoring conditions in the car, it can fully navigate of its own accord simply based on the in-car navigation software.It is unclear what happens in the event of an accident, although regulators are working on a legal framework, aware that more autonomous vehicles will be on our shores before long.Tesla is not the only automotive company with a stake in robotics or autonomous vehicles. While almost every brand, especially Chinese carmakers, are developing autonomous vehicle tech, other companies like Hyundai are heavily invested in robotics.The South Korean giant purchased US robotics firm Boston Dynamics, which is known for its humanoid and quadruped robots, used for a variety of industrial and military applications.Tesla’s local operation continues to tick along nicely, with the Model Y retaining the title of the best-selling electric car in Australia by a healthy margin. It was also the 10th best-selling vehicle in Australia overall in 2025.Its Model 3 isn't faring as well, down 61.3 per cent year-on-year, although it is still the third best-selling EV in Australia.The biggest threat to Tesla is the rise of Chinese rival BYD, which stormed the charts in 2025 off the back of its popular and competitively priced range of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.While the Model Y kept its closest competitor, the BYD Sealion 7, at bay last year, it’s hard to imagine the pioneering American brand staying ahead of its competitors for long with little in the way of new product on the horizon.

IM, the luxury arm of MG’s parent company SAIC Motor, has revealed details of its flagship LS9 Hyper large SUV.The nearly five-and-a-half meter long luxury hybrid SUV pairs a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with, not two, but three electric motors in a range-extender set-up (where the engine has no connection to the wheels but is used purely as a generator for the battery). It has enormous power figures with the front motor producing 165kW and the two rear motors producing 195kW each, while the engine is capable of producing 114kW to power the battery. The plug-in hybrid LS9 is equipped with a 65.9kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) battery pack, which grants it up to 308km of pure electric driving range, according to the more lenient CLTC testing procedure.It is also equipped with a fully independent four-wheel electric steering system with the wheels able to turn a total 24 degrees, bringing its turning radius down to just 4.95 meters, less than the total length of the vehicle.It is also equipped with dual-chamber adjustable-height air suspension, which has 150mm of travel, and features a new regenerative braking system that can allow for 100 per cent energy recovery.It features the brand’s latest design language with LED strips front and rear, as well as between 20 and 22-inch wheels. Inside, it scores a dash-spanning tri-screen layout, which measures a total of 27.1-inches, with a separate passenger screen measuring 15.6-inches on its own.The massive IM9 is a three-row SUV, although it is offered in China as a six-seater rather than the more prevalent seven-seat layout usually seen in Australia.The seats can fold fully flat, and IM claims the LS9 has an 86 per cent usable interior space.The details on the LS9 Hyper model come after the brand recently revealed the smaller LS8, which has a similar approach to its styling and performance.Chinese automakers are pushing into the space usually occupied by the Range Rover or Range Rover Sport, Volvo XC90, BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS.IM’s LS8 and LS9 will face off in China against a wide array of rivals, including the Leapmotor D16, Denza’s D9, Zeekr’s 8X, as well as an upcoming flagship SUV from GWM.The explosion of activity in this large luxury SUV space has also caused BYD to delay its incoming Tang 9 flagship in the same category as it seeks to improve the model to stay ahead of its competitors.SAIC’s luxury IM arm is sold via MG in Australia and it currently offers two models, the LS5 and LS6 electric sedan and SUV.

Chery’s Rely commercial division has revealed pricing and specifications for its electric dual-cab ute in China, the R08 EV.

Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury arm, has revealed a range of off-road concept vehicles, including the bespoke X Skorpio off-road coupe.The brand showed off its range of concepts in the UAE as part of what it called a “glimpse into Genesis’ next decade”, with each car leaning into off-road prowess. The models shown include the GV70 Outdoors concept, featuring a pumped ride height, off-road wheels and tyres, with a roof platform and rally lights, and the GV60 Outdoors concept, which adorns the EV with a set of tracks rather than wheels and similar upgrades to the GV70.The X Skorpio is billed as the brand’s first “extreme off-road vehicle”, which is “purpose built to conquer harsh terrain with cutting-edge performance and luxurious design”.The model is named as such drawing inspiration from the black scorpion, which it says is “known for its resilience and ability to thrive in harsh environments”.It sports a tubular frame, roll cage and other “components sourced directly from off-road endurance racing specialists”, and while it is designed with the performance of Dakar-style trophy trucks in mind, it also features a focus on interior comfort and ergonomics.It also builds on the brand’s previous Magma GT concept, featuring a V8 engine. In the case of the X Skorpio, Genesis says it produces 820kW/1152Nm, although deeper details on this yet-to-be-made-for-production engine are yet to be revealed.It also features 19-inch wheels with 40-inch tyres and motorsport-grade Brembo brakes. The body is built from fiberglass, carbon fibre and kevlar.The latest range of concepts build on a clear shift toward the lucrative 4x4 market by Genesis, which is no doubt eying the success of the Toyota LandCruiser range, as well as its Lexus GX and LX spin-offs.Many Chinese brands are also making inroads into the performance 4x4 space, with GWM finding success in markets like Australia and the Middle East.The new concepts build on other recent examples of Genesis’ future model previews, like the X Gran Equator concept which previews a Lexus-GX rivalling large off-road SUV.In an investor briefing in late 2025, the brand confirmed it was plotting a production version of not only the X Gran Equator, but also a ute under the Hyundai brand.The production car based on the X Gran Equator was said to feature a new range-extender hybrid powertrain, which will be placed in other Genesis models to headline the brand’s emissions-friendly European presence.The focus of the brand’s incoming range of cars it wants by 2030 was very much focused on the European and US markets, which could see the Australian market wait longer than usual to see these new models from Hyundai’s luxury arm.Genesis is also plotting an expansion on its Magma sub-brand for performance versions of its existing range.In other Genesis news, the brand recently released an array of images from a design concept it worked on for a Ford F150-sized pick-up truck. The project was ultimately shelved, with Chief Design Officer for the brand Luc Donckerwolke explaining to CarsGuide that it simply wasn’t the right time for the luxury arm to be launching such a product.This doesn’t rule it out for the future. Meanwhile, the luxury brand’s Hyundai parent has been increasing its commentary around its highly anticipated first ute model, most recently hinting it may share the frame from its Kia Tasman sister product, but will instead debut with “new technology” rather than the Tasman’s 2.2-litre diesel.

BYD’s Sealion 6 will undergo a behind the scenes change in Australia, which could alter the future direction of BYD products for our market.Following the news of the end of production for the top-selling BYD Sealion 6 in China, the brand’s local division has confirmed to CarsGuide not only will the model live on, but it will swap production to the brand’s Thai factory.The “eventual” change will be seamless and imperceptible to Aussie buyers, and ongoing supply of the popular plug-in hybrid will not be affected, according to a BYD Australia representative.“BYD vehicles are built to the same exacting quality standards irrespective of the production location, so it doesn’t matter if the vehicles originate from China or Thailand,” the representative said. “Nor would we anticipate any impact to shipping and logistics costs.”While the shift may be imperceptible to buyers, it represents an interesting move for the Chinese brand in opening the door to potentially more Thai-built cars in the future.BYD opened its new Thai factory in 2024, which has been building the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal and now the Sealion 6, with a capacity of 150,000 units a year. While the factory serves as a strategic facility for right-hand drive markets in the region, it also started exporting left-hand drive vehicles to Europe in 2025.This is because vehicles built in Thailand can dodge some tariffs placed on Chinese-built vehicles in Europe.The massive export boon, plus a big push in Thailand to electrify its vehicle fleet, has attracted multiple Chinese manufacturers to its shores.BYD joins GWM, which took over the Holden plant in the same province, as well as familiar giants SAIC Motor, Changan and GAC.GWM has also begun to source cars for the Australian market from its Thai facility, kicking off with the updated Ora electric hatchback.Thailand continues to be the country of origin for the majority of utes sold in Australia, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton. It was once a strong export location for passenger cars from brands such as Honda, it has since fallen to the wayside as Australia’s safety and emissions standards further diverge from our South East Asian neighbours.More demand for electric vehicles and a higher specification level offered in Chinese cars has again made Thailand relevant as a point of origin for cars sold in our country.The majority of BYDs will continue to be sourced from China for the time being, but it will be interesting to see whether the shift to Thai production for one of its best-selling products will influence its local line-up in the future.BYD has an ambitious goal to be a top-three automaker in Australia by the end of 2026, and to achieve that goal it will aggressively expand on its line-up over the next 12 months.The brand has just launched its Atto 1 city hatch and Atto 2 small SUV both as fully electrics, and will soon offer the Sealion 5 as a price-leading plug-in hybrid mid-size SUV to sit below the Sealion 6. It will also top-out its local range with the Sealion 8 three-row plug-in hybrid SUV. The brand has also flagged an expansion of its smash-hit Shark 6 plug-in ute range, which currently only has a single variant. It has earmarked well-received upgrades from the related Denza B5 — such as differential locks, which are currently a glaring omission from the Shark 6’s equipment list.Other officially unannounced models in the works include the Seal 6 sedan and wagon pair, both will serve as plug-in hybrid alternatives to the fully electric Seal sedan, which has been on sale for some time. The pair appeared in regulatory approval documents earlier in January. These approval documents usually precede a launch by a few months.All form part of BYD’s plan to attack as many market segments as possible to challenge some of the most popular automakers in Australia. To achieve a podium finish, the brand will need to nearly double its sales tally from 2025, and unseat popular brands Hyundai, Kia and Mazda.

The Renault/Nissan alliance will lean deeper into their ties in China for ultra-rapid vehicle development, according to a new report from industry source Automotive News.While Nissan has been open about its need to lean into its Chinese joint-ventures for rapid global vehicle development off the back of a range of successful models in China, its alliance partner Renault has started the process of decoupling from its Chinese ventures.However, the French giant maintains a development centre in Shanghai, established in 2019, from which it leverages the Chinese market’s speed and competitiveness to develop next-gen electric cars and hybrids.According to Automotive News the development cycle of these new models is just 16 months from concept to production, as part of a push by Renault to be more competitive with Chinese brands making rapid inroads into Europe.Brands like GWM, BYD, and Chery have ultra-rapid design cycles that often shorten generational changes to well below the usual seven-to-10 year mark that traditional automakers often stick to, with updates and facelifts regularly rolled out.The first models to benefit from the knowhow of the Shanghai development centre are a range of new city cars based on the upcoming Renault Twingo E-Tech. The electrified city car will spawn an equivalent Nissan (the next-generation Micra) and a low-cost spin-off for the Dacia brand.It will mean the Twingo is designed in France, built in Slovenia, with spin-offs developed in Shanghai.The model is the company’s most affordable mainstream electric car, with the equivalent of an AU$33,446 starting price in Europe. In the same vein as a BYD Atto 1, the Twingo is equipped with a 60kW electric motor, features 263km of driving range and has a relatively impressive 360-litre boot.Part of Renault’s mission with the retro Twingo was to reduce weight for an electric car, thereby having a lower rate of energy consumption and requiring smaller batteries which form a bit part of the cost. To that end, the city hatch has an LFP battery with just 27.5kWh capacity, which is smaller than some plug-in hybrids.The battery is so small the car doesn't even come with DC charging capability, but a 50kW DC port can be optionally equipped, reducing charge time to just 30 minutes. It can also optionally be equipped with a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, allowing a power output of up to 3700W for external devices.It is unclear whether Renault’s Australian importer has designs on the Twingo, although it has previously stated it plans for Renault to be primarily an electric car brand going forward, earmarking re-badged Dacia models (like the recently-launched Duster) as the future of its combustion cars.Meanwhile, Renault has effectively exited the Chinese domestic market, wrapping up its joint-venture with Dongfeng. It has various strategic interests in Asia, including a partnership with Geely on a spin-off combustion engine business, Horse Powertrain, and it has re-configured its South Korean manufacturing base.Formerly Renault Samsung Motors, the Korean factory is now also a joint-venture with Geely, which produces new Renault models for the global market, as well as vehicles under the Geely umbrella, like the Polestar 4.Horse Powertrain, meanwhile, will build engines in Europe and China for Renault and Geely models, as well as for Dacia, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Proton and even Mitsubishi.French brands have struggled to compete in Australia's new-car landscape that's being re-defined by aggressive Chinese carmakers.Renault sales were down 17.8 per cent by the end of 2025 compared with 2024, while arch-rival Peugeot fared even worse, down 28.8 per cent in the same period.Citroen, meanwhile, exited Australia in November 2024 after 102 years following a long period of slow sales.