People Mover News

Australia's ever tightening emissions regulations have taken another scalp.

The Toyota Tarago, axed half a decade ago, could make a return according to reports out of Japan.Renderings of a next-gen version of the once-popular people mover by Japanese magazine Best Car suggest we may see a 2027 Toyota Tarago revealed before the end of this year.The outlet, which has insider sources at Toyota and is regularly close to the mark on matters of the brand, says the design will be inspired by the original but its platform and running gear will be much more contemporary.With development already underway according to Best Car, reports say the next-gen Tarago — called Estima in its home market — will come with a full battery electric power or a plug-in hybrid option.Chances are, it’ll ride on the GA-K platform, which is a version of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) now almost ubiquitous in the brand’s line-up.There’s not too much more information on the incoming Tarago, aside from Toyota plans to try and keep costs low by using as much of its existing production line resources as possible to produce the new people mover.The plug-in hybrid version of the Tarago will likely use the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and battery as existing PHEV models, and like its BEV version will likely be available as all-wheel drive.Best Car has previously guessed the new Tarago will come in at 4900mm long, 1850mm wide, 1750mm tall and with a 3000mm wheelbase.There’s no guess as to what it’ll look like inside, but most of the details in the outlet’s rendering line up with Toyota’s current design language with nods to the original — save for perhaps the missing ‘c-shaped’ headlights we would estimate the brand would implement.

In the age of increasingly dominant Chinese car brands, how can Japanese favourites stand out?

Ford Australia has issued a recall for its Transit Custom and Tourneo vans due to a risk of toxic gases potentially leaking into the cabin under certain driving conditions.

Hyundai has detailed an update for its spaceage-looking Staria people mover and Staria Load commercial van in South Korea, while an electric version looms.The South Korean carmaker has confirmed the updated Staria will arrive in Australia during 2026 with local specifications to be confirmed closer to its local launch.There have been no major changes made to the Staria’s exterior besides a slightly altered grille and daytime running light (DRL) set-ups.The bigger changes are on the inside. A highlight is a bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia display (up from 10.25-inches) that runs Hyundai’s latest ccNC multimedia system.It offers an updated graphical interface, plus the ability for over-the-air software updates. It’s also expected to bring wireless smartphone mirroring capability.The touch-sensitive climate control buttons under the central touchscreen have been replaced by physical buttons and dials, while the rest of the centre stack has been redesigned to include more air vents and a repositioned wireless phone charger.There’s also a new steering wheel, plus certain variants get a larger 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. This is up from the 10.25-inch unit currently fitted to the Staria.The Staria Lounge, which isn’t offered in Australia, gets a new shift-by-wire gear selector mounted on the steering column, like other current Hyundais, whereas the regular Staria sticks with a regular centre console-mounted gear selector.Other new features include Digital Key 2 access via a smartphone, a walkaway locking function, updated built-in dash cam and multi-zone voice recognition.Under the skin there is tweaked suspension for better passenger comfort and stability, extra sound-deadening materials, plus hydro bushings in the chassis in the top-spec Lounge trims.The powertrains remain unchanged. In South Korea the Staria comes either with a 3.5-litre V6 engine that runs on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid engine.In Australia the Staria currently comes with either a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine or a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.At this stage it’s unclear whether the hybrid engine will arrive with this update. It’s currently only built in left-hand drive guise.Additionally, Hyundai is gearing up to reveal its “biggest EV yet” at the Brussels Motor Show in early January. Slotting above the Ioniq 9, it’s understood this will be an electric version of the Staria.Hyundai hasn’t confirmed many details, however this new EV will have an 800V electrical architecture like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9.There technically is already an electric version of the Staria in the form of the ST1, which is an electric version of the Staria Load but with a box-body rear.It features a front-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW and 350Nm which is fed by a 76.1kWh battery pack. This allows for a claimed range up to 317km.The battery has a peak DC charging rate of 350kW, allowing for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 20 minutes. There’s also vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to power appliances using the battery pack.It’s unclear whether Hyundai will make any changes to the ST1’s powertrain for this potential forthcoming electric Staria. It could gain a larger battery pack from the likes of the Ioniq 9.

China’s XPeng is pushing further into export markets, especially right-hand drive markets, but a new deal could see this become even easier.The Chinese carmaker has set up a partnership with Malaysian manufacturing group EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) to begin localised production of vehicles in Malacca, Malaysia.The vehicles will be built using the semi-knocked down (SKD) model with mass-production currently aimed to commence during 2026.This new localised Malaysian production deal is the third time XPeng has set up overseas production collaborations. It already has deals with Magna Steyr in Austria and Handal Indonesia Motor in Indonesia, both also using the SKD production model.XPeng has noted the vehicles built at this new Malaysian production facility will be for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) markets, though it hasn’t explicitly said for which ones outside of Malaysia yet.Malaysia is a right-hand drive nation, like Australia, though it’s unclear whether any Malaysian-produced XPengs will be offered locally. All Australian-market XPengs are currently made in China."Establishing local production project in Malaysia is a significant milestone in XPeng's global strategy and underscores our long-term commitment to the ASEAN region,” said XPeng Vice President James Wu."EPMB's proven capabilities and shared vision make them an ideal partner."This initiative allows us to be closer to our customers, accelerate market responsiveness, and systematically introduce our intelligent technologies, driving forward our mission of 'Democratizing Technology' on a global scale."XPeng says its "sales and service network now spans 52 countries and regions worldwide".From January to November this year it claims to have delivered a total of 39,773 vehicles in overseas (non-Chinese) markets, which is up a claimed 95 per cent year-on-year.XPeng doesn’t currently report vehicle sales in Australia, though it launched locally in late 2024 and now claims to have more than 2000 vehicles on the road.The Chinese carmaker currently only offers the Tesla Model Y-rivalling G6 mid-size electric SUV, though that’s soon set to change.Late in the first quarter of 2026 XPeng will launch the updated version of the G6. It’ll bring tweaked looks, more power and torque, and a longer driving range thanks to a larger lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.In mid-2026 XPeng will launch the X9 electric people mover, with customer deliveries expected to commence in the second quarter of 2026.This will be a key rival to the likes of the Zeekr 009, Volkswagen ID.Buzz and LDV Mifa9. The local line-up, pricing, or specification details haven’t yet been confirmed.Lastly, in the third quarter of 2026, XPeng is expected to announce the next-generaton G9L large electric SUV for Australia. Customer deliveries will follow in the fourth quarter of 2026.Beyond these three new or updated XPeng models that are already locked-in for Australian launch during 2026, the company’s local distributor, TrueEV, has confirmed it has its eye on “two to three new global models” that are currently in “advanced development”.It’s unclear what these vehicles could be, though it offers a wide-ranging vehicle line-up. The company has previously expressed interest in bringing passenger cars like the XPeng P7 and Mona M03.

China’s XPeng has detailed its new vehicle launch plans for 2026.

Zeekr has lowered the price of entry to its 009 electric people mover range by $20,000 with the addition of a new model grade.

New arrival brand GAC, or Guangzhou Automobile Group, has set a very lofty sales goal for its first couple of years in Australia.

GAC says it has already done Australian tuning prior to its local launch