Hatchback News

Honda has priced its newest electric vehicle (EV) in its domestic market ahead of an Australian launch in the second half of 2026.The 2027 Honda Super-One is priced from 3,390,200 yen which translates to just a smidge under $30,000 in Australia.This is around 200,000 yen (~A$1750) more expensive than the top-spec Honda N-One e, which is what the Super-One is based on.It’s likely the Super-One will be a little more expensive than it is in Japan to compensate for shipping costs, among other things.For context, the Honda Civic e:HEV starts at 4,094,200 yen (~A$36,000), whereas in Australia it’s priced from $49,900 drive-away.However, if the Super-One starts from around $35,000, this will put it in contention with rivals like the BYD Dolphin, MG4 Urban and Hyundai Inster.In Japan only one fully loaded version of the Super-One is being offered.It's powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 70kW and 162Nm. Honda claims there is up to 274km of electric range, according to WLTC testing.The Super-One is strictly a four-seater and comes with 15-inch alloy wheels, swollen wheel arches, LED headlights, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, 9.0-inch touchscreen touchscreen multimedia system, eight-speaker Bose sound system, as well as a range of drive modes, including a ‘Boost’ mode in Japan.At this stage Honda hasn’t confirmed Australian standard specifications for the Super-One so it’s unclear whether every feature will carry over.When the Super-One arrives, it’ll be the Japanese carmaker’s first EV on offer Down Under.As it currently stands, Honda is growing its hybrid line-up with more hybrid versions of its CR-V and ZR-V SUVs, as well as the new Prelude hybrid sports car.It will likely need to introduce more EVs in the coming years as the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) has tightening targets for vehicle CO2 emissions. EVs are the only vehicles that emit zero tailpipe CO2 emissions.In the first performance period for the NVES which ended at the end of 2025, Honda currently has a fine amount of $2.6 million. It will need to either offset this in following years by selling more vehicles under the CO2 targets or purchase credits from other carmakers that are already under the target.Globally, Honda has cancelled a wide range of EV plans and is pivoting more towards hybrids. This follows diminishing demand for EVs in North America, which is a major market for the Japanese carmaker.

Citroen has confirmed it is bringing back the iconic 2CV as an electric vehicle (EV) targeted at the European market.The French carmaker’s CEO Xavier Chardon announced this at Stellantis’ Investor Day 2026, which was held in Michigan, USA.“Icons create emotion. Icons reconnect brands with people, and today one icon is about to return. Yes, the 2CV is back,” said Chardon.This revived 2CV EV will be made in Italy from 2028 and be priced from under €15,000 (~A$24,385).Sitting underneath the existing e-C3, this will give Citroen a key rival to the likes of the Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03, among others.As part of the Investor Day presentation, a teaser image of this new 2CV was flashed up. It features all the classic exterior design traits including flared wheel arches, circular headlights and a rounded rear.At this stage it’s unclear if this new Citroen 2CV EV will be offered outside of Europe.It’s worth noting that the Citroen brand was axed in Australia back in 2024 after 101 years of selling cars Down Under.The Citroen 2CV is one of the French carmaker’s most iconic vehicles it has ever produced.With development pre-dating World War II, the 2CV entered production in 1948 and continued in certain markets until 1990.At launch the 2CV was powered by a 375cc air-cooled two-cylinder engine producing 6.6kW, however larger and more powerful engines replaced it over time.A wide range of body styles were offered, including passenger, van and pick-up utes.Despite being a huge sales success in Europe, among other parts of the road, only a few examples of the 2CV made their way to Australia.

Toyota’s GR Yaris hot hatch is about to receive some performance enhancements in Australia.It will launch next month, with a spokesperson for Toyota Australia confirming there will be no price change for the new GR Yaris.The car will continue to start from $55,490 (before on-road costs).It will now have a smaller steering wheel diameter of 360mm, down from 365mm. This smaller steering wheel has been designed to offer a more comfortable grasp for the driver when cornering. Steering has been given a further tune courtesy of an expanded operating range for electric assistance. There will also now be steering wheel-mounted switches positioned separately, with illumination to aid visibility and use under race conditions. The range-topping GTS will ride on new high-performance Bridgestone Potenza Race tires as part of the upgrades. There have been some minor design tweaks for the car to give it a sharper look. Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas said these minor upgrades were designed to provide the marginal improvements needed for racing success. “When you’re racing, improvements are measured in tenths of seconds and these upgrades to the GR Yaris are designed to deliver the sort of performance enhancements that can make a difference,” Pappas said.The upgrades were inspired by Toyota’s recent success at the World Rally Championship. It will continue to be a rival to the Hyundai i20 N and the Volkswagen Polo GTI Down Under.All GR Yaris variants use a 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, producing 221kW and 400Nm. Toyota’s hot hatch could be about to undergo a serious change before the end of the decade.There have been rumours of a new hybrid set-up coming to GR Yaris in 2028 similar to recently-announced performance grades of the LandCruiser 300 4WD.The brand did not confirm whether such a variant was in the works, but its potential announcement could coincide with the arrival of the new all-electric Yaris coming in 2028.

There is good news for car buyers as brands slash the price of EVs to boost demand as competition increases.Hyundai is the latest brand to offer some very generous discounts across its range of quality electric vehicles.The Korean maker has cut prices and deleted on-road costs, with some models now more than $13,000 cheaper.Leading the discounts is the electric version of the popular Kona compact SUV.The Kona EV Standard Range is now $45,990 drive-away, which is about $13,000 cheaper depending on what state you are in.This version uses a circa-48kWh battery to deliver a driving range of up to 370km.The Extended Range version is now $50,990, or about $12,400 cheaper, and lifts the driving range to more than 500km.Better-equipped Premium Extended Range versions and sporty looking N-Line examples are between $11,600 and $12,900 more affordable.Hyundai has also sliced thousands off the recently launched Elexio mid-size SUV.The China-sourced EV, which is related to the strong-selling Kia EV5, is down to $57,990 for the base version and $59,990 for the Elite version that comes with more stuff as standard.The Elexio packs an roughly 88kWh battery that delivers a driving range of up to 562km.Both grades use a single motor to make 160kW/310Nm sent to the front wheels. Hyundai is also getting generous with its pint-sized Inster. The Standard Range version is now about $4300 cheaper at $38,990.The base Inster is well suited to city motoring, and an ideal second car. It is one of the shortest cars on the market and has seating for four.A little 42kWh battery enables a driving range of up 327km. It is extremely light for an EV and its 71kW and 147Nm electric motor makes it feel peppy.The critically acclaimed Ioniq 5 medium SUV has also been given a big price cut.A base Ioniq 5 RWD is now about $10,500 cheaper at $71,990, and the Elite grade now starts at $78,990, which represents a saving of almost $9000.Fully loaded Ioniq 5 N-Line Premium AWD is now $87,990, or almost $11,000 cheaper.The Ioniq 5 was crowned CarsGuide’s 2026 Best SUV Under $130K, with single-motor 168kW/350Nm and dual-motor 239kW/605Nm versions impressing.Driving range varies from 495km for the heavier dual-motor version to 570km in the base RWD example.The catch? You need to be quick as customers must take delivery by the end of the month.Hyundai electric car deals 

Volkswagen global CEO Thomas Schäfer has confirmed an electric version of the German giant’s next-gen Golf 9 will appear much later than its originally scheduled 2028 launch date.As recently as March this year CarsGuide reported that VW AG Chairwoman of the General and Group Works Council Daniela Cavallo had flagged a mid-2027 shift of production of the internal-combustion Golf from Wolfsburg in Germany to the company’s Puebla plant in Southern Mexico.And Ms Cavallo was keen to reassure the Wolfsburg plant employees she represents that the move was designed to make way for a ninth-generation, pure-electric ID.Golf produced in Germany, showing a teaser silhouette image of the upcoming Golf 9.But speaking overnight at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit in London, CEO Schäfer has pointed to the end of the decade as the earliest launch point for a Golf EV.“We have a fantastic line-up now that we do not need an electric Golf in 2028. We are well set with what we have in our portfolio with our vehicles," he said.One of a panel of close to 90 speakers at the summit, including Stellantis CEO Antonia Filosa, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa and Ford Europe President Jim Baumbick, Mr Schäfer went on to give a progress update on the VW Group’s all-new 800V Scalable Systems Platform (SSP) set (according to VW Group CEO Oliver Blume) to bring price parity to ICE and EV models.In a pointer to a timing pushback for the ID.Golf, Schäfer said, “SSP, we will roll it out across the brands. We will start with the premium brands first. It will start with Audi, then Porsche, then us and on and on.“It sounds like we take so long (with SSP), but for us we are looking at scale and you have to have scale in this game or you'll never make margin parity,” he said. The rescheduling may also reflect Blume’s reported announcement in February this year of a planned 20 per cent reduction in costs across all VW Group brands by the end of 2028.As detailed by Manager Magazin, in response to falling profits caused by higher input costs, a softening Chinese vehicle market, increasing competition from Chinese brands outside their domestic market and US tariffs, Blume and group CFO Arno Antlitz presented a "massive" savings plan at a closed-door meeting with the company's top executives in Berlin in mid-January.Manager Magazin quotes one insider predicting even more radical steps than those recently taken by VW, in which around 35,000 jobs are to be cut by 2030.“It will also involve plant closures,” they said. 

Hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s unveiling of its fully electric ID. Polo, the brand has hinted that a high-performance ‘Clubsport’ version of the little hatch is on the way, according to reports.The ID. Polo is Volkswagen’s first electric variant of the model and it has just arrived in Europe to rival the likes of the BYD Dolphin and MG4 with an entry price of about $41,000. The sporty GTI version is due to launch in Europe next year.Now according to British publication Autocar, Volkswagen is tinkering away on an even sportier ‘Clubsport’ variant.While at the preview drive of the ID. Polo GTI Volkswagen dynamics boss Florian Umbach hinted of what was to come."We are working on something," he told Autocar. "There is certainly more peak power that we can find from the motor and battery hardware that we have and more torque that the front axle could handle also. There is clear potential.” Umbach also revealed that Volkswagen was working on a paddle shift style ‘gear-change’ system for the vehicle similar to what Hyundai uses on the Ioniq 5 N.“This is simply a software thing,” he explained. “It’s all about motor control and an audio soundtrack to match.” There is a catch, however. And that, according to Umbach, is the success of the GTI. If that proves popular then his other ‘dream’ projects like Clubsport have a chance of getting the green light.“These are the kinds of things that the executive board will only let us explore if the GTI is a commercial success, of course. If people respond to this car as it is, we can really take it to the next level.”The ID. Polo has yet to be confirmed for Australia with the local arm saying that neither availability nor timing for the arrival of the hatch were certain.The ID. Polo is shorter in length than its petrol cousin at 4053mm, but wider at 1816mm and taller at 1530mm.Powering the ID. Polo is a choice of three motors making 85kW, 99kW and 155kW, while the GTI version will produce 166kW.Two batteries are offered - a 37kWh with 329km of range and a 52kWh battery will offer up to 454km.Volkswagen has a growing range of electric models in its Australian line-up which includes the ID. Buzz people mover, ID. Cargo van and Transporter, along with the ID. 4 and ID.5 SUVs. 

Toyota is the king of hybrids, and it could be about to install petrol-electric grunt in its small but mighty hot hatch.

Electric cars are finally having their moment. As petrol and diesel prices soar, it appears everyone on the fence about buying an electric vehicle (EV) have taken the plunge.Having steadily hovered around the 10 per cent total market share for the past 18 months, EVs accounted for more than 16 per cent in April. That means approximately one-in-six cars sold last month were battery-powered.But perhaps even more interesting than just the total number of EVs sold, was who was selling them. The days of Tesla dominating the electric market appear to be over, with several new names emerging as popular options for Australians.Here are five of the most in-demand EVs in 2026.BYD Sealion 7For all the hype around BYD’s Shark 6 ute and cut-price Atto 1, the real star for the brand is its mid-size SUV. The Sealion 7 isn’t just a popular EV, it’s also one of the most popular SUVs on the market and was the seventh best-selling vehicle in April.Sales are up 342.2% year-to-date, but it isn’t just a sudden surge in the wake of the fuel crisis. The Sealion 7 has been a popular choice almost since it arrived. It was the eighth most popular SUV in its segment in 2025, behind some of the biggest names in the market - Toyota RAV4, Mitsubishi Outlander, Kia Sportage and Subaru Forester.So regardless of what happens with fuel prices in the coming months, the Sealion 7 looks set to remain a popular choice for anyone looking for a mid-size SUV, electric or otherwise.Geely EX5 If there is a biggest winner of the current surge in EV sales it is the Geely’s EX5. Sales are up 415.4% year-to-date, peaking with 1202 in April alone. That’s up from an average of just 328 sales per month in 2025 and its jump demonstrates that it is genuine demand in EVs, not simply availability, that is driving this current boom. The EX5 was already one of the most affordable EVs on the market, starting at just $41,990, so if it was simply price and choice creating this sales increase in electric options there’s no reason it wouldn’t have started last year.Instead, Geely is taking advantage of its appealing price and benefiting as Australian buyers look for a way to beat the pain at the pump.Zeekr 7X While it doesn’t have the sheer volume of others on this list, selling only 2698 examples so far in 2026, the 7X is proving to be consistently popular while growing in sales.It’s not surprising that it isn’t selling in bigger volumes like the BYD and Geely, as it is positioned as a more premium offering with a starting price of $57,900  that stretches to $72,900 for the flagship Performance AWD model.But averaging nearly 675 sales per month to start 2026, with a spike of 973 sales in April, it’s clear that the 7X is an EV with a growing following.Kia EV3 You may have noticed a theme with the previously mentioned models, as the newer Chinese brands have claimed the role of EV leaders. But one of the established brands holding its own is Kia.Not all of its EVs are proving a sales hit, with the larger EV6 and EV9 still returning relatively modest sales numbers, but the smaller EV3 is doing well. Sales are up 150.2 per cent year-to-date, helping it become the most popular small electric SUV in its price range.The EV3 has garnered critical acclaim and has been slowly building a customer base, likely appealing to those looking to make the electric switch with a brand they know and trust.Sales of the larger EV5 are also up in 2026, but nowhere near to the same level, increasing only 28.7 per cent as it competes directly against the Sealion 7, EX5 and even the 7X.Toyota bZ4XCompared to the other cars on this list the total 2026 sales of just 1323 looks a bit poor, but when you consider how the bZ4X has performed previously it is having a breakout moment.Toyota’s first EV averaged less than 87 sales per month in 2025 but in 2026 it is averaging 330 sales per month so far; peaking at 483 sales in April.This is likely thanks to a renewed marketing push from Toyota, the RAV4 changeover and the high petrol prices leading Australian buyers to give it another look. How long this continues remains to be seen, but given the struggle Toyota has had with this model so far, this is a definite bright spot for the bZ4X.

Toyota has confirmed it will introduce a first-ever fully-electric Yaris hatch alongside the hybrid and petrol versions. Toyota’s European Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Andrea Carlucci said in an overseas interview the brand will look to embrace electrification in the segment.“If electrification is the direction, I think we cannot avoid having a fully electrified version ,” Carlucci told Auto Express.“The ideal path is to offer a platform where we have multi-energy options, so delivering different powertrains that are the right solution for every customer. “Let me put it to you this way: a multi-energy approach isn’t just one solution. It has to be the solution.”There is no official news yet on whether we will see the electric Yaris in Australia, but it could be a welcome addition for the brand. Toyota currently has only one all-electric vehicle on sale, which is the bZ4X, while an electric HiLux is also on the way. An electric Yaris gives Toyota a competitor in the growing electric hatch segment, and would be expected to be the brand’s cheapest EV. It would take on the likes of the recently-unveiled Volkswagen ID. Polo,  which could be on the cards for Australia, as well as Chinese rivals such as the BYD Atto 1.Toyota Australia said it was not able to confirm the arrival of the electric Yaris yet. Starting at under $30,000, the current hybrid-only Yaris is the cheapest car for Toyota in Australia, but any electric version is expected to be a decent step up in price.One potential roadblock for the Yaris EV getting to Australia is where it will be sourced.It will first launch in Europe and will likely be sourced from Toyota's factory in France. European budget car imports to Australia are often prohibitive due to high costs of shipment and other applicable tariffsThe Yaris currently available in Australia is sourced from Japan, which usually does not incur the same shipping costs as from Europe, meaning it can be offered at an affordable price point. Any new Yaris is not expected until 2027, when the new-generation hybrid will launch, with the electric version potentially not arriving until 2028.

Toyota’s next Corolla is approaching, but the brand is keeping quiet on what we can expect from the next generation of on of the world’s highest selling cars.