Electric News

Australia’s EV buying growth has just been put on a global scale. AutoNews has released its “Global EV Report” looking at electric vehicle uptake around the world. Combined fully-electric and plug-in hybrid sales in Australia grew from just one per cent in 2025 to 15 per cent by 2025. The report confirmed BYD as the world’s leading EV manufacturers, with Tesla and Geely also making major contributions, which is reflected in their sales performance Down Under. It’s forecast that more than 66 per cent of the world’s EVs will be built in China in 2026.  Australia’s EV sales grew by 14 percentage points between 2020 and 2025, according to the report, which is more than South Korea, the United States and New Zealand for the same period.  Australia’s EV uptake still lags behind many of the world’s biggest markets.  China’s EV sales have grown by 47 points, while EV sales in the United Kingdom grew from 11 per cent to 35 per cent.  This news follows the Electric Vehicle Council’s “State of EV’s” report that found one in four new vehicles sold in the first half of 2026 were either fully-electric or PHEV in Australia. The EVC noted sales must still increase tenfold to reach a targeted five million EVs on Aussie roads by 2035.  Australia’s market is well set up for large-scale EV uptake because it has limited import restrictions and associated costs compared to other countries.  This differs from Europe, for example, which has placed hefty tariffs on Chinese imported EVs as it aims to protect its local carmaking industry.  Australia's open market allows Chinese automakers to rapidly roll out new models Down Under, several of which have become top sellers. The predominantly China-built Tesla Model Y mid-size SUV is the best-selling EV in Australia, while the closely-rivaling BYD Sealion 7 isn’t far behind.  Other EVs, including the Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X have also taken the market by storm in 2026, at the expensive of some Australia's previous petrol- and diesel-powered favourites. Nepal led global EV market share growth between 2020 and 2025 with a 58 percentage point jump, with electric and plug-in hybrid representing 68 per cent of all new vehicle sales.  Vietnam also saw substantial growth, going from no EV sales to 41 per cent in the five-year period.  Singapore saw a comparable surge, climbing from three per cent in 2020 to 40 per cent in 2025. Norway had an incredible 97 per cent of its new car sales that were represented by EV and PHEV in 2025. The United States has one of the worst EV uptake rates for the period, according to AutoNews.  It only grew from two per cent to 10 per cent across the five years, with only Canada and New Zealand recording less growth.  This slower uptake is due to trade barriers such as the US government’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs, as well as national security and surveillance concerns restricting imports further.  While BYD, Tesla and Geely produce the most EVs, Volkswagen also registers a strong contribution, along with Leapmotor and Hyundai.

China has revolutionised new cars and it is only the beginning. The China Society of Automotive Engineers has come together to show carmakers and third-party suppliers aren’t sitting on their laurels and are planning a big 2027. These are the trends and tech to revolutionise it all again in 2027, according to the gaggle of engineers. This game-changing technology is becoming a reality. The futuristic cells are entering the pilot production stage with an energy density of 400Wh/kg, which is more than double that of conventional electric car batteries. Solid-state batteries are said to be more energy dense, less fire prone and faster to charge than current batteries. This means range can be doubled, or carmakers can use batteries half the size for the same driving range as current EVs. This will allow for lighter, more efficient EVs and will make electric utes, 4WDs and sports cars more palatable.  Nearly every carmaker and battery supplier on the planet is working on this. Watch this space. Harnessing the stored energy inside a car’s battery to power homes and neighbourhoods during times of high power demand and emergencies is the holy grail of EV capabilities. This technology isn’t just being trialled in China, but is also being tested in Australia where is is arguably more valuable. V2G when paired with solar can effectively allow owners to live off the grid and to earn money by sending power back to the grid during peak times. The infrastructure is what is holding it up, the majority of electric cars are not yet set up to handle V2G and it can void the warranty if owners try to use the tech now. Chinese carmakers such as BYD, Geely, MG and others are trialling die-casting using a magnesium alloy which is lighter, stronger and better at reducing vibration than current materials. The die-casting method will make for more affordable construction methods thanks to reduced components, while the material will make EVs more efficient and pleasant to drive via increased structural rigidity and reduction of NVH. This new tech could revolutionise mining operations with a group of trucks following a prescribed route - from the mine to port for example - with one elad vehicle and several following it along major roads. This helps reduce the cost of freight, improve safety and reduce fuel use due to the following vehicles benefitting from reduced drag. 3D printing is common, but an emerging tech is 3D printing using metal. It can be used to make vehicle structures and complex single-piece mouldings. There are numerous constraints currently with the technology, but it has the potential to reduce weight from fewer parts used. It can improve strength, durability and crash safety performance by creating a stiffer structure with fewer welds. The engineers society believe there will be significant breakthroughs next year. Low-cost metal powders are expected to be used as building materials, plus layer thickness to make sturdier structures and improved printing performance. This works by cars and infrastructure all talking to each other to help make collaborative scenarios.  This can help improve road safety with advanced identification of hazards and reduced crash scenarios. It can also help reduce traffic with traffic lights prioritising the flow of traffic in real time rather than on set parameters. It also allows for better pedestrian safety with the cars able to effectively see around corners and other blind spots thanks to integration with static infrastructure and public cameras.

MG has just launched its first ute, but it isn’t resting on its laurels, with the odds shortening on more electrified workhorses and a Pajero fighter.

Mercedes-Benz has revealed how it will cut costs, slash development times and boost efficiency, all without compromising quality, in a dramatic bid to replicate what is already happening in China.

BYD has smashed through a sales milestone. The brand said it has made more than 50 per cent of its total revenue from export markets, rather than from its domestic sales in the Chinese market. This is due to BYD’s efforts in the last several years growing both its exports and its overseas manufacturing efforts in order to escape a stagnant Chinese new car market, which has contracted after a long period of explosive growth. The brand’s sales in China declined by 12 per cent, but it grew its exports by a whopping 137 per cent, to well over half a million units, according to BYD’s third quarter numbers for 2026. The Chinese market has reached a level of saturation and stagnation after several years of a bruising price war, which many competitors have pointed the finger at BYD’s aggressive domestic pricing strategy, overseas markets have become a crucial battleground for their future growth aspirations. Profit margins on vehicles sold in Australia, Europe and South America are exponentially higher than cars sold domestically in China. This is part of the reason sticker prices in the Chinese market are significantly lower than those we see in other markets. Price tags for the Australian vehicles generally attract a 15 - 20 per cent premium over the equivalent spec offered in China. Part of this will be down to right-hand drive conversion costs, and higher compliance costs for vehicles to meet Australia’s notoriously strict design standards and high bar for a maximum five-star ANCAP score. One analyst, as quoted in Nikkei Asia’s analysis of BYD’s latest sales numbers, said the company earns “roughly 10 times more profit per vehicle abroad than in China”. A part of this is vehicles sold in developed markets like Australia are offered in higher trim levels than they are in the Chinese domestic market, although the slew of larger, more expensive 4WDs and growth of luxury sub-brands like BYD’s Denza or Geely’s Zeekr are also massively helping to buff profit margins. GWM proclaims that it has doubled its average sale price in the last seven years in Australia as it has introduced pricier, better-featured vehicles, both from its Haval SUV brand and its Tank off-road brand further up the price scale. “The year-on-year increase in volume has also come with new cars at more expensive price points. If we can do that at the same time as showing customers value no matter the price then we’re on the right track." the brand’s Executive General Manager of Marketing and Communications Steve Maciver told CarsGuide recently. GWM is set to introduce its dedicated luxury arm Wey into Australia before the end of 2026. While Chinese brands continue to dominate the sales charts in Australia, where the barrier to entry is significantly lower, automakers like BYD, Geely, and Chery are facing tariffs in Europe and the USA as those jurisdictions move to protect their own domestic automaking capabilities. This is putting a cap on their respective ambitions, but each brand is also moving to diversify and acquire manufacturing capacity not only across Europe, but also in other strategic markets like South Korea and closer to home in South East Asia. Legacy automakers are feeling the crunch. Domestically this means household names like Subaru and Nissan dropping out of the race to be a top-10 automaker by sales, but internationally it means a massive squeeze in profit margins, big expenditure in research and development, and a large reduction in market share. This has resulted in many large international brands like Volkswagen and Nissan resorting to closing factories or cutting jobs by the thousands, with some brands needing to embrace Chinese joint-venture partnerships more closely to build more competitive models for export. Nissan, for example, shut down its historic Oppama factory in Japan as part of its Re:Nissan business overhaul, as it looks to reduce its capacity by a million units. As of the end of September 2026, the top-10 rankings in Australia are: Toyota (152,944 units) BYD (76614 units) Ford (61104 units) Kia (60800 units) Mazda (58865 units) Hyundai (56009 units) GWM (44959 units) Tesla (41705 units) Chery (38022 units) MG (36832 units)

Toyota is gearing up to soon reveal a new-generation version of its Corolla and it has detailed some more information about the powertrains it will have.

Subaru is preparing to break away from Toyota and control its own electric car destiny. The Japanese brand has so far co-developed a range of EVs, including the Solterra, Trailseeker and Uncharted SUVs currently on sale in Australia, with the world’s biggest carmaker. But it has always had ambitions to develop its own EVs, and that day is fast approaching, according to reports in AutoNews. Subaru has shown an electric car prototype to Japanese media, with several technologies showcased. The prototype wore the shell of an old-gen Subaru Outback, but what was underneath was quite different. It had two electric motors enabling all-wheel drive grip, pumping out 380kW and delivering a 0-100km/h time of less than four seconds. The vehicle is also capable of over-the-air software updates, which are commonplace in Chinese electric vehicles and allow the car to be improved as time goes on. A Panasonic battery powers the prototype, and it is 25 per cent lighter than the previous battery and the company is targeting a 20 per cent increase in energy density. Subaru said it had developed these technologies in half the time it usually does, which would help it keep pace with the rapid development of EVs from China. Other carmakers such as Nissan are embracing what is termed “China Speed” to help shorten new car development times. Subaru executives didn’t provide any firm dates on when the EV would enter production, but 2029 would be the earliest. Subaru is developing a whole new electric vehicle platform to underpin its next-generation of zero-emissions vehicles. Inchcape has long had the contract to distribute Subarus in Australia, but the company’s global boss was not happy with the company’s performance Down Under. In a recent quarterly earnings announcement Inchcape Group Chief Executive Duncan Tait took aim at Subaru’s lack of competitiveness. “Australia remains a challenge - our key brand (Subaru) has underperformed, with deteriorating competitiveness in a rapidly-evolving market,” he said. Subaru has taken too long to deliver hybrid versions of its key vehicles, its electric car range is not selling as well as its Toyota siblings and it can’t compete with Chinese examples on price or performance. News that a new in-house developed EV is still years away won’t be welcome news.

The fastest charging car to hit Australian shores is going to take a little longer to roll into dealerships. The Denza Z9 GT four-door electric grand tourer was planned to go on sale before the end of 2026, but that has pushed into either late quarter one or early quarter two next year. The news comes as the wild performance EV has been spotted testing on Australian roads. According to a Denza Australia representative, the company did not want to rush the rollout of its flagship performance model. That’s the reason the car was spotted in Melbourne’s south-east suburbs - not far from parent company BYD’s Australian HQ - and the north west last week. The spokesperson confirmed that there’s more than one example of the Z9 GT undergoing “fine tuning” to make sure it’s suitable for Australian road conditions before customer deliveries start. “We have teams of local engineers constantly evaluating and fine-tuning both software and hardware items on a range of BYD and Denza vehicles as part of our commitment to offer vehicles that are great to drive on our roads,” they said. Denza Australia has not revealed pricing for the Z9 GT yet, but CarsGuide believes it will be the first Denza model in Australia to breach the $100,000 mark. There aren’t many rivals but similar offerings include the Polestar 5 (from $171,100), Porsche Taycan (from $181,200) and Audi e-tron GT (from $209,900), although the Denza won’t cost anywhere near as much as those electric grand tourers. Standard gear isn’t yet confirmed but expect goodies like air suspension, Nappa leather upholstery, massaging and ventilated seats, a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display, premium stereo system, built-in fridge and 128-colour ambient lighting. The Z9 GT is notable for a number of reasons. The main one is that it introduces BYD’s new blade battery 2.0 technology, as well as its ‘Flash’ charging. This gives the 122.5kWh battery 1500kW DC charging, meaning it can technically fill the battery from 10 to 97 per cent in just nine minutes. Australia's current fastest charger can dish out 400kW. Denza has previously confirmed the Z9 GT has an EV driving range of 1036km, but that is to the far more generous Chinese CLTC protocol. That should dip to a still impressive 820km when it’s rated to the more real-world WLTP standard. Three electric motors combine for a whopping 850kW, allowing for a blistering 0-100km/h sprint time of just 2.7 seconds. The game-changing Flash charging network is expected to be small at first, focusing mostly on metropolitan areas. Some of these will be at Denza dealerships. Denza Australia Chief Operating Officer Mark Harland has previously told CarsGuide that the idea is to install a big enough central battery to deliver the charge, so that vehicles are not drawing off the grid. "It’s something we think can be a real game-changer to the industry, when someone can go for 400 or 500kms in the same time you would fill up at a bowser. They're doing the testing in China to understand the impact on the grid, but they want to back it with a battery, so you’re not drawing off the grid."

Another piece of the ‘Li Auto coming to Australia’ puzzle has seemingly fallen into place with news the premium Chinese brand will go on sale in the UK in 2027. Li Auto has already stated it will produce its electric Li i6 five-seat SUV and Li Mega EV people mover in RHD for sale in Hong Kong, Singapore and other ASEAN nations before the end of 2026. And with the rapidly expanding brand also setting up operations in Malaysia (another RHD market), it feels like a matter of time before those high-profile models arrive Down Under. Confirming the UK move, Li Auto Head of International Business Nestor Wu told Autocar the brand’s line-up will target family buyers with pure-electric and ranger-extender (EREV) options. “Families have different market needs. That’s what we focus on and succeed (with) in China and we think it will work here,” he said. Established in 2015 and offering an eight-model line-up in China, across pure-electric SUV and people mover options, as well EREV SUVs, Li Auto positions itself as a luxury brand “committed to providing products and services that are safer, more comfortable and more convenient for family users.” The Li i6 is the entry-point to the Li Auto range, measuring just under five metres long, close to 2.0m wide and around 1.6m tall with a 3000mm wheelbase. Autocar said Li Auto has adapted the i6 to European tastes, adding air springs for sharper dynamic response than the Chinese market version, where customers typically prefer a softer ride. And in line with the maker’s premium positioning it features a 15.7-inch HD dual screen for backseaters, 20-speaker premium audio and multimedia driven by a high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon chip set. Highly configurable Nappa leather seats, ambient lighting, power everything, a panoramic roof and close to 730 litres of boot space (with all seats up) mark it as a high-end blend of luxury and practicality. Offered domestically in (250kW/425Nm) single-motor rear-wheel drive and (400kW/660Nm) dual-motor all-wheel drive form, the i6 features an 87.3kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery and supports ultra-fast DC charging for a 10 to 80 per cent top up in less than 15 minutes. Maximum CLTC range is 720km. The Li Mega is a futuristic, strongly aero-influenced (Cd 0.21) luxury people mover offering seven seats including two fully rotating captains chairs in the second row. At over 5.3 metres long, just under 2.0m wide and a bit over 1.8m tall with a 3300mm wheelbase it’s a substantial machine offering everything from heating for all seven seats (ventilation and massage function on the first two rows) multiple large screens, Dolby audio and a dual-purpose refrigerator, to a massive panoramic roof, Nappa leather upholstery and one-touch power doors. With dual electric motors producing overall outputs of 413kW/542Nm this 2.8-tonne beast can blast from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. Its 103kWh NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery is good for a quoted CLTC range of 710km and the car’s 800-volt architecture delivers a peak charge capacity of 520kW for a 10-80 per cent charge in just over 10 minutes. The Li i6 single-motor starts at ¥249,800 in China with the dual-motor at ¥269,800. Taking import and distribution costs into account those prices would likely translate to around A$70,000 and A$75,000, respectively, putting it in the same price ballpark as large EV SUV players like the Ford Mach-E (from $65,990), Kia EV6 (from $72,865) and Lexus RZ (from $84,500). The Li Mega costs ¥509,800 in China, which would potentially end up at around A$140,000 here, mixing it with the XPeng X9 (from $89,900) and Zeekr 009 (from $115,900). CarsGuide has contacted Li Auto for comment on the Li i6 and Li Mega’s potential sale in Australia.

Chery has launched Luxeed, a new global sub-brand that is a high-end luxury brand already present in China. Luxeed International CEO Shawn Xu confirmed some details to CarsGuide. The first model to launch for the brand will be the 2027 Luxeed LLounge - the extra L not a typo, but instead meant to represent the brand’s name, and pronounced as the letter ‘L’ before the word ‘Lounge’. It’s a high-end luxury electric people-mover, and it’ll be followed by an electric performance SUV called the Luxeed Stormax, sold as the Luxeed RX in China. The Luxeed LLounge (or Luxeed Luxeed-Lounge?) will arrive mid-year, with Australian testing to take place between now and then, though local specs and pricing haven’t been confirmed. Called the Luxeed V9 in China, the international version features dual-chamber air suspension, a road preview system and is certified for motion sickness reduction by TUV Rheinland. It’s almost 5.4 metres long, but its rear-wheel steering means it has a turning circle of just 5.35m. Rotating welcome seats with zero gravity mode, a 33-speaker sound system and even adjustable privacy glass to block “99.6 per cent” of light makes it stand out as a luxury van. Mr Xu also told us dedicated Luxeed dealers will handle sales of the LLounge from launch, with the potential for partnerships with other premium brand dealers on the cards. The Stormax, which is more of a mystery in terms of features for now, will follow the LLounge at some stage. Luxeed confirmed on the night its intention as a driver-focused model, with a 3.8-second sprint to 100km/h and a 251km/h top speed. Importantly, the brand’s collaboration with Chinese phone maker Huawei won’t extend to its international models. “For international models, there’s not any relation with Huawei,” Mr Xu told journalists after the presentation. “Not any for the hardware or the software.” Dropping Huawei allows the brand to avoid limitations to connectivity and capability after the phone brand’s hardware was banned from implementation in Australia’s 5G networks in 2018.