People Mover News

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

The chances of these top vehicles from Tokyo making it to Australia.

Volkswagen’s ID.Buzz Pro all-electric people mover has had its price slashed by almost $15,000.

Australia’s cheapest car just got more expensive.

Kia’s new modular van is confirmed for Australia, with the PV5 electric passenger and commercial van to land in mid-2026.Designed on a new dedicated electric platform that will see other models follow, the 2026 Kia PV5 can be configured in many ways across passenger and commercial purposes, with features like a removable front passenger seat, stain-resistant interior materials and a walk-through configuration between the driver and cargo section on some versions.The PV5 sits between small and medium vans in terms of its size, bigger than a Volkswagen Caddy but smaller than a Toyota HiAce or Ford Transit Custom.Due in Australia in Q2 or Q3, 2026, the PV5 will be shown at Mobility Live in Sydney on October 15th and 16th this year.Kia Australia is yet to commence local suspension tuning and will confirm Australian specifications and pricing for the PV5 “in due course”.Kia in its global communications confirmed the PV5 will boast a range up to 416km and feature 30-minute 10-80 per cent fast-charging capability, with ‘up to 16 variants’ able to be configured for multiple purposes.Global specs show the PV5 being 4695mm long, 1895mm wide and 1923mm tall with an antenna, plus a 2995mm wheelbase.Outputs come in at 120kW and 250Nm, with battery sizes either 43.3 kWh, 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh. Passenger, Cargo and Chassis Cab body styles mean the PV5 can be anything from a personal transport, courier get-around, or even mobile base for a business.Kia worked with businesses like DHL Korea, Korea Post, healthcare provider GeoYoung and Milwaukee power tools to implement features and capabilities that would make the PV5 useful across a range of applications.It can also be used for leisure as a transport shuttle or camping van, and the PV5 has vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to help in numerous situations.As well as the Electric-Global Modular Platform for Service (E-GMP.S) platform it rides on reducing production and development costs, Kia looked at further ways to reduce costs and make the PV5 more durable, including LED headlamps integrated into the front bumper, as well as panels like wheel arches or bumpers being divided into sections for easy replacement.

GAC finally closes in on its Australian debut - with two models now appearing in the road vehicle descriptor database.

The latest safety assessment results released by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) have confirmed maximum five-star results for a trio of recent arrivals - the Kia Carnival, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Skoda Superb.

Sorry, Swifties. While we appreciate the cultural phenomenon that is singer/songwriter, artist and philanthropist Taylor Swift, this is not a paean to a great pop star, but, rather, a reference to the year that marked Japan’s stellar ascension as the biggest threat to the established carmakers of that time. Their fear was existential as well as actual.

China’s GAC has been teasing an Australian launch for years but it finally appears set to happen later this year.