Hatchback News

Volkswagen Australia has announced it will increase prices for much of its model range, effective July 1 - the second time the brand will increase its pricing this year.

If you’re looking for a new Mercedes-Benz then the timing is just right. The German luxury brand is bracing for a busy remainder of 2023 with no less than 11 new or updated models hitting showrooms.

Volkswagen Australia is enjoying a significant boost in sales, up 51.7 per cent to the end of April this year, as supply of key models become more readily available.

Called the Avante in its home nation of South Korea, the Hyundai i30 Sedan is currently in the middle of a facelift in what could be the last generation of the model.

Is Australia a technological backwater? Not according to Cupra who says PHEVs and EVs have been embraced by its Aussie customers.

France has a history of building some of the most widely revered hot hatches in the world, and it doesn’t look like the electric car era is going to change that. This is the spiritual successor to the Renault Clio Sport - the Alpine A290.

The world bought 79,400,000 new cars in 2022, over a million less than in 2021, but new information reveals just how different the new car landscape is globally with electrification becoming a new standard consideration in new car buying decisions.Data published by auto industry analysis firm JATO reveals the top ten passenger car models (including utes) sold worldwide in 2022, with Toyota now joined by Tesla as the most present brands in the top chart.While Toyota models take five of the top ten spots, Tesla has two including its Model Y small SUV in third place, having sold 747,000 units in 2022, and the Model 3 sedan in tenth with 482,000 sold.The Model Y, as of the end of Q1 this year, also leads European sales by a significant margin - more than 10,000 sales ahead of the second-most popular car in the region, the Dacia Sandero, and amassing 71,683 sales after three months.The Toyota RAV4 topped a million in 2022 with 1,016,000 units sold, though it’s down 10 per cent on 2021. The Corolla, which is the most-sold car in the world to this day, sold 992,000 units in 2022.It means that, while the Model Y is only one of two hugely popular models in the electric car brand’s range compared to the many Toyota models, it seems like premium-leaning electric cars won’t struggle with popularity as the world shifts to electrification.JATO’s Global Analyst Felipe Munoz said there are several factors that Tesla has overcome to achieve two cars in the top ten sold worldwide, like the brand’s newness despite it's relatively expensive pricetag.“It is a historic moment to see a pure electric vehicle not only so close to the top position, but a relatively new brand getting so far in the global ranking, particularly given they are not the most affordable vehicles,” he said.Behind the RAV4, Corolla and Model Y is the Honda CR-V with 733,000 sales, the Toyota Camry with 673,000 and, another of Australia’s top models, the Toyota HiLux in sixth with 632,000.The Nissan Sentra, related to the Pulsar formerly sold in Australia, sold 566,000 units, with the Toyota Corolla Cross at 530,000.America’s darling, the Ford F-150 with 525,000 sales, is ninth ahead of the Model 3 to round out the top 10.Interestingly, only three models in the list sold more in 2022 than the previous year: the Tesla Model Y, the Toyota HiLux and the Corolla Cross - the latter only recently being introduced to Australia, inflating its sales difference.

A new variant has been added to the top of the range for Abarth’s new electric ‘hot hatch’, with the 500e Turismo variant coming in hatch and cabriolet body styles.

Here's why Australia is so important to Cupra, and why the brand has had such quick success in a tough market.

The Ford Ranger remains on track to be crowned Australia's most popular vehicle in 2023, with the Blue Oval's ute once again outselling its Toyota HiLux arch rival in April.