Coupe News

A mid-engined sports car remains in Toyota's plans, as development continues to trickle along. More details of the brand's potential mid-engined rocket have been revealed, by AutoNews.The car is now a race-testing prototype, but do not expect to see a production version any time soon, with it still up to five years away.Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi told AutoNews engineers are in the first of four stages to be completed before mass production.Takahashi also provided some further details on the engine for the car, confirming it will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine, likely with some hybrid-electric assistance.“At the highest level, the chairman is determined to continue manufacturing internal combustion engines. And when we had this new 2.0-litre engine, we decided to mount it to a midship car,” Takahashi told Auto News in November.“We developed it to fit in a small car like the GR Yaris because the packaging and engineering is more demanding,” he said.“If we can do that, we can easily deploy it in bigger vehicles.“If we are going to mount this engine on many different vehicles, it’s almost mandatory to be able to combine it with hybrid technology.“We will be making such development.”It is expected this hybrid system will combine the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and electric motor power, rumoured to produce a total output of 370kW and 550Nm.The car will also feature a dynamic all-wheel drive system, such as on the Toyota Yaris GR.It is thought this car could see the revival of the MR2 name, which was last seen on Toyota cars in the mid 2000s.Fuelling the fire for a potential return of the MR2 is a couple of recent intellectual property filings for the name from Toyota.The brand filed the trademark ‘GR MR2’ in Japan and ‘MR2’ in Australia in December 2025, but this could just have been to ensure no one else claimed the name. The midship sports car project remains in early development, and with it still potentially four or five years away from production, with the 2028 rumoured launch date seems unlikely. Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda posted on social media, ahead of the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, alluding to the announcement of a new mid-engined machine, soon to be debuted.The mid-engined car teased was the not the much-anticipated return of the iconic MR2 coupe, but a customised mini truck.

Australians love high-performance cars and Polestar says more can’t come soon enough.Polestar Australia Managing Director Scott Maynard said he would consider bringing the brand’s BST high-performance offerings if development continues.“I think Australia is a market that loves high-performance product I'd love to see the continued development of some of the BST range,” said Maynard.“We've seen some real interest in that product when it was here previously, and I don't feel that we really gave it its head.“And so to be able to offer up a bit more of the BST line-up as a spin-off, to some of the vehicles that we've either got or are going to get, I think would be tremendous.“I'll take that.”Polestar’s BST line started back in 2022 and to date there have been two limited-edition versions of the Polestar 2 offered globally. Neither came to Australia though.Based on the Polestar 2 Long range Dual motor with the optional Performance Pack, both the Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 and BST Edition 230 gain features like a 25mm lower ride height, stiffer shock absorbers and a front strut bar. They also had unique designs.This is above and beyond standard equipment like the Brembo brakes with golden brake calipers and two-way manually adjustable Öhlins dampers.Power and torque from the dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up remain unchanged over the standard car. Total system outputs were 350kW of power and 680Nm of torque.It’s worth noting that the current 2026 Polestar 2 Long range Dual Motor with the optional Performance package now produces more torque at 740Nm. It can also do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.2 seconds.At this stage it’s unclear whether Polestar plans to create any more versions of the Polestar 2 BST to rival the likes of the Tesla Model 3 Performance and BYD Seal Performance, among others.The Polestar 2 is getting on in years now and originally dates back to 2016 when it was first revealed as a Volvo concept. It’s been on sale in Australia now since 2021 and already received a major mid-life update in 2024.It’s also unclear whether Polestar plans to officially give the BST treatment to any of its other vehicles.In 2024 Polestar revealed the BST concept which was a hotted-up version of the forthcoming Polestar 6 electric convertible.It featured a swan-neck rear wing, aggressive front fascia, dramatic rear diffuser, bonnet vents, as well as flared wheel arches to accommodate a wider track width.Although the Polestar 6 was previously slated for production in 2026, Polestar has no longer confirmed when it will begin producing examples.The Swedish electric vehicle (EV) carmaker also currently has the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 large electric SUVs and later this year is set to launch the Polestar 5 liftback in Australia.The latter is a Porsche Taycan rival that already offers up to 650kW of power and can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.2 seconds.

Subaru has hiked the price of its affordable BRZ sports car. The cheapest BRZ now starts from $47,890 (before on-road costs), which is a $3600 jump based on 2025 pricing for the entry manual variant. It is almost $10,000 more than when the second-generation launched in 2022 at $38,990.Manual BRZ's are now the same price as automatic examples, having previously been a $1000 less.This price hike has been reflected across the range.The S variant is now $49,190 up from $45,490, while the tS starts from $52,790 - a $2600 increase.It is now nearly $4000 more than its mechanically identical counterpart, the Toyota GR86.The BRZ still comes in significantly cheaper than a comparative 2.3-litre petrol engine Ford Mustang.The Mustang leads the segment for sales, starting from more than $70,000.Subaru has released a special edition of its BRZ in addition to the announcement of these price hikes.It is called the Kiiro and only 95 units will be offered locally. The car is priced to start from $53,590 (before on-road costs), which is $800 more than the re-priced Coupe tS, which usually sits at the top of the range. This special edition BRZ gets an exclusive yellow paint, in line with the Japanese meaning for the word 'Kiiro', along with 18-inch matte back alloy wheels. There are suede and leather accented seats, with black and yellow elements. Yellow stitching is on the leather steering wheel and gear shift boot.There is an interior 'Kiiro' badge with the limited edition number of the specific car and ‘Kiiro’ badging is also visible in matte black on the rear of the car. It will be available in manual and automatic, keeping in line with the rest of the BRZ range. It will also be powered by the 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, producing 174kW and 250Nm found in other BRZ models.The limited edition BRZ tS will hit showrooms later this month. 2026 Subaru BRZ pricing Australia

Ford’s flagship sports car has just levelled up.Ford has announced its new Mustang Dark Horse SC sports car over in North America. This Mustang will replace the Shelby GT500 variant — as the top-spec track-ready edition of the car.Little is known about the technical details of the new muscle car, other than it will be powered by a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 petrol engine.This same engine is fitted to the hardcore Mustang GTD, which makes 608kW, but expect the Dark Horse SC to produce less than that but still more than the Shelby GT500's 567kW.Ford has confirmed a series of big changes to other areas of the car.It has had its suspension overhauled, with adaptive dampers and firmer springs than in the regular Dark Horse.There are also new anti-roll bars, and a lightweight strut tower brace to give the car more poise when handling. There has been some serious weight shedding on this Mustang, equating to 68 kilograms. With the Track package, the car sits on carbon-fibre wheels and there are forged aluminium suspension components, replacing steel ones.The Mustang has undergone some exterior styling changes, with a new aluminium hood featuring an imposing vent. There is a re-worked carbon fibre rear spoiler available, offering a substantial boost to downforce at high speeds. On the inside it gets a flat-bottom leather steering wheel. Alcantara and carbon fibre elements are a constant in the cabin.It is unlikely we will see this full-throttle version of the car in Australia in the short term, with buyers having to settle for the standard Dark Horse variant.It's naturally-aspirated 5.0-litre V8 only produces 372kW (which is 500-horsepower) and 566Nm.

In a world of electric cars, plug-in hybrid and shrinking petrol engines, some are trying to bring back V8 grunt.

Nissan has previewed an update to its Z sports car at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon ahead of its launch in Japan around the middle of 2026.A lot of the stylistic cues of this updated Nissan Z have been inspired by the original S30-generation of the Nissan Fairlady Z, known as the Datsun 240Z and 260Z in Australia.This includes the new Unryu Green exterior paint colour which is inspired by the original Grand Prix Green paint from the Fairlady Z, plus the machine-finished alloy wheel design.Highlighting this update is a revised front bumper which now features a body-colour bar across the grille and a ‘Z’ front badge replacing the standard Nissan badge.Other subtle changes to the front bumper add 30mm to the overall vehicle length, while they are also claimed to reduce front lift by 3.3 per cent and drag by 1.0 per cent.Under the skin there are larger pistons for the shock absorbers which are claimed to improve comfort and stability.It’s worth noting no changes have been made to the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine which continues to produce 298kW and 475Nm, and is mated to either a six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic transmission.Inside the changes are minimal. Nissan has introduced a new tan upholstery colourway on the seats, as well as the lower portion of the dash and door cards.In addition to this updated Nissan Z, the Japanese carmaker revealed a manual version of the Z Nismo at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. To date it has only been offered with the nine-speed automatic transmission.The Z Nismo manual gets a unique engine torque profile aimed to improve the throttle response, as well as a short-throw six-speed manual gear shifter.At this stage it’s unclear if or when this updated Nissan Z or the Z Nismo manual will be coming to Australia. We’ve reached out to Nissan and will update this story once we hear back.

Have you ever wondered what the most expensive car in Australia is?Would it break the $1m mark?As we get towards the end of the year, here is a look at the five most expensive cars on sale in Australia with no added options.Price: $846,888, before on-road costsStarting off the list is one of two offerings from Ferrari. The SF90 Stradale features 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and three electric motors, which have a total output of 746kW and 800Nm.It has the trademark Ferrari speed, shifting from 0-100km/h in 2.5 seconds and boasts a top speed of 340km/h.Its interior has a standout 16-inch curved digital screen, which is designed to give the driver a Formula 1 feel.Price $886,800, before on-road costsFerrari also claims second spot with a convertible on this list.This convertible is more than $80,000 more expensive than the hard top 12Cilinidri. The 12Cilinidri has a 6.5-litre V12 petrol engine producing 610kW and 678Nm, with a 0-100km/h time of 2.9 seconds. On the interior, the car has three different digital screen, which are a 15.6-inch digital driver display, 10.25-inch touch screen and a passenger display.Price: $895,000, before on-road costsThe Cullinan is the only SUV on this list, and the last car before the $900,000 barrier is breached. Amazingly, the Black Badge edition is a $118,000 upgrade on the standard Cullinan. It has a 6.7-litre V12 engine, which produces 441kW and 900Nm. The car also features the optional iconic 'shooting star' headliner, with a multitude of other customisable specifications. Price $933,000, before on-road costsThe Black Badge Spectre is Rolls Royce’s most expensive and first-ever all-electric offering on the market.The luxury coupe is one of the few cars on this list not famous for its speed, but it still manages to offer plenty of power. Its dual electric motors produce 485kW and 1075Nm, shifting from 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds.It has a range of more than 500km, according to the WLTP testing cycle from its 102kWh battery.As with all cars featuring the Spirit of Ecstasy, it comes with the outrageous luxury add ons one would expect for a car approaching the $1m mark.Price: $987,000, before on-road costsThe most expensive car on sale in Australia is the only Lamborghini to make this list. As Lamborghini's flagship supercar, it has one of the most advanced hybrid systems.Its 6.5-litre V12 engine and three electric motors pump out 747kW and 807Nm, with a 0-100km/h time of 2.5 seconds.It has a 3.8 kWh lithium-ion battery, which if you really wanted to, can make the car run on electric-only power for 10km. The Revuelto is a near $400,000 jump from the next most expensive Lamborghini in the Huracan STO. 

The attention of supercar fans have been caught by the first electric monster to be released by Chinese vacuum cleaner maker Dreame — the 1400kW Kosmera Nebula 1 — at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.Dreame makes electric appliances such as vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers, and Kosmera is its supercar brand. And while looking much like a Ferrari F8 Tributo from the front, the similarities to the exotic Italian end there with the Nebula 1 having four doors and a side profile that scoops into a C-shape rear pillar much like Bugatti’s famed styling on the Chiron. It’s one thing to have beautiful supercar looks, but backing it up with horsepower and handling can be where new carmakers with everything to prove have come unstuck. For now we know the Nebula 1 has the grunt to go with the fast styling, with the Nebula 1’s four electric motors claimed to produce a mind-boggling 1399kW.In comparison Ferrari’s most powerful model the F80 V6 hybrid produces 882kW, and Bugatti’s big hitter the Chiron Super Sport 300+ packs 1193kW.According to Kosmera the Nebula 1 can fling itself from 0-100km/h in 1.8 seconds, which sees it join the ultra quick podium alongside the YangWang U9 and Xiaomi SU7 Ultra.If anything the Nebula 1 could be a cut price alternative to Porsche's fully electric Taycan, which in its Turbo GT top grade produces 760kW with 0-100km/h coming in 2.2 seconds. There's no price yet and the Nebula 1’s numbers are all just numbers right now and, with this being a concept model, lacks an interior and any real world testing that we’ve seen so far.Still the company’s CEO claims the Nebula 1 will go into production this year, possibly in Germany.Teased along with the Nebula 1 were two other supercars from Kosmera, one with two fuel flaps suggesting it’s a plug-in hybrid.Dreame is not the first vacuum cleaner maker to wade into the shallows of the auto industry. In 2014 Dyson set out to produce an electric car but abandoned the plan in 2019 after the company's billionaire British inventor James Dyson admitted the business “ was no longer commercially viable”.   

Nissan is giving petrol-heads what they want.

There’s good news for fans of Porsche’s iconic two-door sports cars.