SUV News

BMW’s incoming iX3, which wears the brand’s dramatic Neue Klasse design aesthetic, is the first car to be tested to ANCAP’s new safety regime.The iX3 scored a maximum five stars, scoring relatively highly across the safety body’s four new categories.The new categories include, Safe Driving (which rates driving support systems), Crash Avoidance (which rates hazard mitigation technologies), Crash Protection (which rates the vehicles crash structure and physical safety hardware) and Post Crash (which rates how well the systems on board the car assist first responders following a crash).“Over three decades of ANCAP influence, this is the most comprehensive ratings framework we’ve applied. We have again stepped up our assessment to capture and evaluate the many ways a modern car can protect its occupants and other road users,” ANCAP Chief Executive Carla Hoorweg said.“The BMW iX3 is the first model we’ve put through this new rating process, and its specification and performance have captured the essence of the new requirements.”It is unsurprising the BMW iX3 ranked so highly to the new standards, as it is designed to comply with EuroNCAP safety procedures, which ANCAP’s procedures are largely based. The iX3 was physically tested in Europe for the EuropNCAP score, which was applied to the ANCAP scale.ANCAP’s new rating system places more emphasis on safety systems calibrated well enough that car buyers are likely to leave them on.“Systems that irritate rather than improve the drive experience will be marked down, with lane keep systems now assessed on how naturally they interact with the driver, including steering response and driver override effort,” said Hoorweg.“The ‘smart coupling’ of driver alertness with safety system intervention is also now assessed. Vehicles that enhance – or minimise – their response according to the driver’s level of alertness are rewarded,” she addedIn what may come as a relief to many new car buyers, the Safe Driving pillar also scrutinises the existence of physical controls, although for now it is limited to only core functions like indicators, hazard lights, horn, gear selector and headlights.Some of the most frustrating touchscreen-based systems, like climate and multimedia controls, will get a free pass.The safety body also now ranks the accuracy of speed limit assist systems, which are also a frequent source of irritation in new vehicles.The iX3 ranked well enough for Safe Driving (71 per cent), marked down for the lack of some occupant detection features, some distraction monitoring function, and the adaptive cruise not responding entirely to road features like roundabouts.It ranked more highly in Crash Avoidance (83 per cent), with its auto emergency braking and lane keep systems scoring highly across most categories.It also scored well for Crash Protection (86 per cent) - which now involves extra crash dummies for more thorough testing. It was marked down slightly for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility for presenting a “moderate risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle if struck”.The Post Crash Pillar was the iX3’s highest ranking category (95 per cent), scoring high across all categories including its eCall feature, high-voltage battery isolation function and door handle functionality.Other new elements of ANCAP’s testing regime for the next few years include a new crash barrier test, more robust avoidance assessments, the assessment of rollover injuries, new “pothole” test which assesses the ability of the driver to maintain control of the car when avoiding road hazards, more intense whiplash testing, a motorcycle t-bone test, and “serious component failures” also carry a more dire penalty.The five-star ANCAP rating applies to both the 50 xDrive and 40 variants of the new iX3.

Polestar is prepping a new luxury electric SUV and it has the Porsche Macan in its sights. A new Polestar 4 variant will go on sale in Europe this September with a new SUV body shape. It is expected to launch in Australia before the end of the year. Polestar said this new SUV will provide a more practical alternative to the strong-selling four-door fastback model. It gives Polestar a more direct rival to the Porsche Macan which starts from $129,800 (before on-road costs). There is no news on price, but we can expect it to sit around the $80,000 price point in reasonably close proximity to the existing model. Other potential rivals include the Tesla Model Y Performance ($89,400, before on-road costs) and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N-Line ($83,700).The biggest challenge for the new SUV could be the Zeekr 7X from Polestar's Chinese sister brand under common Geely ownership, priced from just $57,900 before on-roads.It is likely the Polestar 4 SUV will be available in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive forms with the latter producing up to 406kW when it arrives in Australia.It will ride on the same 400-volt architecture as the existing Polestar 4, as opposed to the Polestar 3's 800-volt underpinnings.Driving range has been boosted by 10km to 630km for the rear-wheel drive variant, according to WLTP standards.Polestar has only revealed one teaser image of the car so far, showing the rear quarter.We will learn more about the Polestar 4 SUV in the coming weeks ahead of its September launch date. The four-door coupe variant recently got an update and a price cut in Australia, with that model arriving later this month. Its single-motor variant continues to start from $78,500, before on-road costs, while the dual-motor grade now starts from $86,350, which is $2000 cheaper. It has proved to be the brand’s best-selling model in Australia, and it will continue to be offered alongside the new SUV. Polestar is plotting more models in the coming years, including a Polestar 2 successor in 2027, and a Polestar 7 compact SUV in 2028.

The Tesla Model Y has just had its biggest sales month in Australia, and it has put it among the best sellers of all time, including the legendary Holden Commodore.The Model Y achieved 8072 sales in June 2026.Its sales have almost doubled year-on-year, up 95.5 per cent, with nearly 10,000 more than what it achieved in the whole of 2025. Tesla’s most popular model eclipsed the sales results of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux by more than 2000 units in June. It is also the first fully electric car to top the sales charts in a single month.The Ranger and HiLux ute duo usually comfortably sit at the top of the charts in Australia each month, but the Model Y has shot ahead of them.It’s not just established players the Model Y is taking down. It’s even chasing the records of heroes past. The Holden Commodore was one of Australia’s most popular models ever, and by the late 90s and early 2000s was reaching its peak with the VT, VX and VY versions.It achieved more than 9000 sales in a month on three separate occasions between 1998 and 2000.It peaked with 9667 sales in October 2002. Model Y sales could continue to rise in Australia due to soaring fuel prices and emissions regulations.  The Model Y has led the way for EVs for some time in Australia, and it continues to bat away hugely popular alternatives like the Zeekr 7X.The ongoing Iran war and fuel price increases have no doubt impacted its increased popularity in Australia, along with many other EVs. This sales increase has also coincided with the arrival of the Model Y L six-seater, which the brand said "capturing a significant share" of sales. Tesla usually delivers every vehicle that is shipped to Australia that month, but something the shipping cycles don't lie-u to the same amount every month, which can result in unusually low or high results in any particular month.Tesla sold about around 2000 units less of the Model Y in April 2026 than it did the previous month, which Tesla Australia said was down to the delivery cycles of the vehicles. The brand said it has been able to satisfy increasing demand through the production capability of the Shanghai Gigafactory.

The Jaecoo J5 has a revamped electric SUV rival in Australia.The MG S5 has been updated in Australia and will now be offered with a condensed range, bumping up the entry-level price.The base variant of the S5 has been cut from the lineup, meaning the car is roughly $2500 more expensive than it was before, starting from $42,990 (drive-away).The long-range variant of the car is $3000 more expensive, starting from $47,990 (drive-away), with the cheaper grade no longer available. The S5 will continue to be available as a rear-wheel drive exclusive model. MG said the reason for the model change-up is due the greater interest in the higher specification models.The top-grade Essence variants equate for more than 80 per cent of orders.The S5 tackles the larger end of the small SUV segment, which includes the sales-smashing Jaecoo J5 EV ($36,990, drive-away) and the BYD Atto 3 ($39,990 (before on-road costs). The S5 is a cheaper alternative to the Hyundai Kona Electric ($46,000, before on-road costs) and Kia EV3 ($47,600). The base S5 still has the same performance from its single electric motor (125kW/250Nm), but the range-topping car has seen its set-up tuned to produce 150kW and 350Nm.The increase in power results in a faster 0-100km/h time of seven seconds. Driving range on the top grade has also increased up to 450km from its 62kWh unit, according to WLTP standards.The cheapest variant has remained at 335km from its 49kWh battery.The car’s interior features a 12.8-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch digital driver display, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now as standard. There is also a leather steering that is heated, along with an electrically adjustable driver seat, with both front seats heated. Other new additions to the standard feature list include a hands-free power tailgate. 2027 MG S5 pricing Australia 

The Zeekr 7X has a renewed Australian rival.The updated XPeng G6 has been priced in Australia ahead of its arrival in showrooms next month.This model is only available through the factory-backed XPeng ANZ operation and has no connection to the previous distributor, True EV.True EV was appointed XPeng's exclusive importer, distributor, and retailer for Australia in 2024.True EV commenced legal action against XPeng in the Federal Court of Australia earlier this year, with hearings scheduled for October.  The new G6 will be priced from $51,800 (before on-road costs) for the rear-wheel drive, while the new all-wheel drive variant is available from $63,800. This means the range kicks off from $3000 less than it did previously.The G6 is now more than $6000 cheaper than the hugely popular Zeekr 7X ($57,900), and roughly $5000 cheaper than mainstream rivals like the Kia EV5 ($56,770).It will also be more affordable than the Tesla Model Y ($58,900) that is currently experiencing a huge sales surge in Australia.The RWD standard range has a single electric motor, producing 185kW and 440Nm, with the long range boosting power to 218kW/440Nm.The new AWD variants have dual electric motors pumping out 358kW and 660Nm. The base variant of the G6 has a 69kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery, offering a driving range of up to 480km, according to WLTP standards. All other variants have an 81kWh unit, with a maximum driving range of 525km, but AWD examples only have 510km.The G6 rides on an 800-volt platform, enabling DC fast charging from 10 to 80 per cent in 12 minutes. On the inside, there is a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 10.25-inch digital driver display, with two wireless phone chargers. The cabin also features an 18-speaker audio system, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both come as standard.It can be optioned with synthetic leather seats that are heated, ventilated and have a massage function. The G6 also launches with the range-topping Black Edition. It adds 20-inch black wheels and brake callipers, and exclusive black exterior paint, with other black elements elsewhere.2026 XPeng G6 pricing Australia  

All automatic versions of the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series are available to order once again in Australia as the company makes some subtle tweaks to reduce emissions.The LC70 Series now comes with a 20-litre AdBlue tank across the line-up, which allows the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine to comply with Euro 6 emissions regulations.The AdBlue system uses the vehicle’s selective catalytic reduction process to inject AdBlue into the exhaust to help reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.In 76 Series wagon, 78 Series Troopcarrier and 79 Series dual-cab chassis grades the AdBlue refuelling port is located above the front left wheel arch and has a lockable lid.79 Series single-cab chassis grades, on the other hand, have the AdBlue refuelling port between the cab and rear wheels on the passenger side.The 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine produces an unchanged 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque.The 78 Series Troopcarrier grades now receive a smaller 130L diesel fuel tank with this update, bringing it line with the rest of the 70 Series line-up. It previously had an 180L unit.While all versions of the LC70 with the six-speed automatic transmission are back on sale, including the 76 Series GXL wagon automatic, which had a sales pause since 2025, grades with the five-speed manual transmission are unavailable for the time being.At this stage Toyota hasn’t given a timeline for when manual-equipped versions of the LC70 will return to Australian shores.“After pausing orders for certain LandCruiser 70 Series in 2025 to manage customer expectations around vehicle supply challenges, we are excited to say that order books are now back open,” said Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operation John Pappas.“The addition of the AdBlue system will also ensure the vehicles meet the latest Euro VI emission standards.”Toyota hasn’t detailed pricing for the LC70 yet with the inclusion of the AdBlue system.The line-up currently starts at $75,600 before on-road costs for the 76 Series Workmate wagon automatic, and extends to $83,500 before on-road costs for the 79 Series GXL dual-cab chassis automatic.It’s likely pricing may rise incrementally but we’ll have to wait and see if this is the case.

Hyundai's premium brand Genesis has detailed its plan to supercharge sales, with the group's local CEO suggesting deliveries could more than triple under a new strategy.Genesis launched in Australia under a direct model, in which the brand itself held the limited retail spaces (just one store each in a handful of capital cities) and sold the vehicles direct to customers without enlisting a dealership network.New Hyundia Group president and CEO Don Romano has previously labelled the strategy a "distraction", and vowed to return to a more traditional national network of dealer locations he refers to as agencies.Now Romano has forecasted the results it could deliver, telling CarsGuide 500 sales a month was a possible target, which would mean annual sales of 6000. Last year, the brand managef 1602 total deliveries."We're moving from a direct model to an agency model," Romano says."We've opened two stores that are operational right now, and we're opening a third hopefully next week. A fourth, we're just finalising the design plans."It is the direction that we're going to head in. It doesn't mean we're not going to keep the direct stores, because we invested all that money and they're in certain strategic locations, so we're still kind of working both at the same time."We could continue to do that, or we could convert those stores to dealer (owned), it simply depends on the development of the brand and the rate it develops. But right now the main focus is just to expand through the country with agencies owned by dealers."Even now, with five stores operational, Mr Romano says Genesis is massively underrepresented in Australia, which is hampering the brand's advertising spend that he describes as "wasting money" given the current location penetration."I think right now we're a niche brand. We're not advertising or promoting because we don't have the coverage necessary to be able to go out and tell the story," he says. "With five stores across a country of this size, it makes no sense. So we just need to go on the path we're on right now. But we don't want to force it because it's Genesis, not a mass-market brand, so it's best that we get the right dealers in the right place at the right time and if it takes two to three years longer that's fine."For us to take that next leap we've got to tell the story, and to tell the story, we have the resources to do it, but I'd be wasting money, because if you're for instance in Adelaide it means nothing to you because there's no representation. If you're in parts of Sydney, parts of Melbourne, parts of Perth, we just don't have the proper coverage to service the customers."Genesis has always been loath to talk about sales targets, instead referring to customer loyalty as a target, but Mr Romano says that, once the network is in place, monthly sales of at least 500 would be a viable goal.Hitting it would at last put Genesis on the premium-brand map, though one with plenty of work still to do to catch its closest legacy competitor in terms of sales, Lexus, which is managing around 1000 sales per month at the moment. It would also be well-timed to take advantage of the brand's new performance focus under its Magm Magma performance division."I'm not as focused on the volume growth as I am on the loyalty and the customer service ratings to get the word of mouth to help get the exposure, but I would say...double and triple would be the minimum if we had full coverage," he says. "Because right now we're doing 150 a month, so we should be able to do 500 absolutely, but probably way down the road when it's done organically and not done with incentives and prices and dumping vehicles and demos – I don't want to get near that."

XPeng’s new segment-bending Mona L03 SUV has been caught testing in Australia just after going on sale in China.Spotted by CarsGuide’s own Byron Mathioudakis on Victoria's Great Ocean Road, the SUV remains heavily camouflaged but still identifiable as the L03 thanks to its partially exposed signature front headlights, tail-lights that form part of its rear spoiler piece and partially exposed alloy wheels with XPeng logos.Glimpses of a steering wheel on the right-hand side can be identified, which is the first time the L03 has ever been spotted in this configuration.The L03 sits below XPeng’s only current model in Australia, the G6 mid-sizer SUV, which competes with the Tesla Model Y. The L03 will compete with more affordable SUVs such as the Geely EX5 (from $41,990), BYD Atto 3 (from $39,990) and GAC Aion V (from $42,590).It shares a familiar minimalist interior treatment to many of its Chinese contemporaries, with modern touches like a large central multimedia touchscreen, oval steering wheel and floating central console, with its key differentiator being its slinky fastback-style rear.The L03 is available overseas in electric form, with a 183kW/280Nm rear-mounted motor and either a 56kWh or 69kWh battery pack for up to 625km of range, according to lenient Chinese standards.A range-extender hybrid model will follow, using a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine and a 37.2kWh battery pack.The L03 was spotted alongside another unknown XPeng model, which appears to be a hatchback or crossover. It could be a third member of the Mona family, with the L03 being an SUV and the M03 being a sedan.It stands to reason that XPeng would launch a hatchback as the brand has been active in the European market for some time. It would follow in the footsteps of the original MG4, Leapmotor's B05 hatchback, both created specifically for the European market, or BYD and its Euro-focused plug-in hybrid derivatives of the Atto 1 and Atto 2.The M03 sedan has been previewed in Australia in left-hand-drive form under XPeng’s previous distributor, and has gone on to become a popular low-cost vehicle in China, but it is unclear whether XPeng’s new factory-backed operation will follow through with plans to launch it in Australia now the company’s model range has evolved overseas.The freshly spotted car seems to have more in common with the SUV design, featuring a bar-style tail-light rather than the individual light clusters of the M03 sedan, while its hatch-style tailgate is a new profile for the brand.CarsGuide understands the L03 is due in Australia in 2027, and the spotted SUV is likely undergoing validation testing for the Australian market.The hatchback model is likely undergoing initial testing and will launch further down the track.XPeng is seeking to get its business back on track in Australia amid an ongoing legal stoush with its former distributor TrueEV.The now factory-backed brand currently only offers the updated G6 on its website, with the X9 people mover listed as coming soon.It is yet to comment locally on the L03 and CarsGuide has sought clarity on the hatchback model.

We just got more details on Geely’s 830kW rugged 4WD.The Geely Galaxy Starship is a large plug-in hybrid SUV that is expected to launch in China towards the end of this year.The car's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and three electric motor set-up will produce 830kW, making more powerful than some of the biggest names on the 4WD scene.This put it into direct competition with the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, Nissan Patrol and the incoming Mitsubishi Pajero. Geely has just released new interior pictures of the car on social media. It features plush seat coverings, with soft-touch materials everywhere in the cabin. It has a gear selection mechanism akin to one found in a jet airliner, with a single horizontal lever responsible for choosing the park, reverse, neutral and drive gears. There are also plenty of physical buttons on the steering wheel and centre console as opposed to the car’s functions being controlled from a touchscreen display.There is a large panoramic glass roof, and its large tablet-sized central touchscreen, complimented by a smaller display spanning the width of the dashboard. We don’t know exactly how big the car will be but images show it as a five-seater, so it won’t be among the biggest offerings in its segment. It should have a cheaper price tag than much of the competition if it ever gets to Australia, falling into a similar category as BYD’s Denza B5.Geely has demonstrated a methodical approach to the introduction of new models in Australia compared to other Chinese brands. We shouldn’t expect any news on the Galaxy Battleship this year, but it could form part of the brand’s lineup in 2027 or beyond. Geely has already confirmed it will launch in the United Kingdom, which could be a final step before it lands Down Under. A spokesperson for Geely Australia told CarsGuide at the start of this year they could not confirm the Galaxy Battleship as a future part of the brand’s lineup. 

New Chinese carmakers are slowly but surely storming up the sales charts in Australia as legacy carmakers are slipping.The biggest highlight over the first six months of 2026 is BYD. It’s now the second-best-selling carmaker in Australia, behind only Toyota, which has retained the number one spot for 20 consecutive years.BYD sold a total of 52,335 vehicles until the end of June, which is up 124.1 per cent compared to H1 2025.Toyota sold a total of 95,141 vehicles until the end of June, which is down 21.4 per cent year-on-year.While BYD still has a long way to go to overtake Toyota’s annual sales crown in Australia, during June alone BYD sold a total of 18,881 vehicles, which was just 243 vehicles shy of Toyota’s monthly result.GWM is now holding steady at seventh place on the year-to-date sales charts. It has sold a total of 30,359 until the end of June, which is up 20.5 per cent year-on-year.MG sold a total of 23,146 vehicles until the end of June, making it the 11th best-selling brand. Its sales are up 6.8 per cent.Recent entrant to the market Geely sold a total of 10,970 vehicles until the end of June, which is up a wild 494.6 per cent year-on-year. It’s now the 18th best-selling brand in Australia.New arrival Omoda Jaecoo sold a total of 8808 vehicles until the end of June, which is up an even wilder 1177 per cent year-on-year. It’s now the 19th best-selling brand in Australia.Zeekr is now the 20th best-selling brand in Australia. It sold a total of 5835 vehicles until the end of June, which is up 1197 per cent year-on-year.The flip side of the Chinese brands having sales success is a number of legacy brands are moving down the sales charts.Ford has been relegated to third place on the year-to-date sales charts. It sold a total of 42,296 vehicles until the end of June, which is down 10.6 per cent year-on-year.Mazda is now the fifth-best-selling brand in Australia. It sold a total of 40,502 vehicles until the end of June, which is down 17.2 per cent year-on-year.Mazda previously was the second best-selling brand in Australia from 2015 until 2022.Mitsubishi is now hanging on to ninth place in the year-to-date sales charts. It dropped out of the top 10 best-selling brands in the month of June.The Japanese carmaker sold a total of 24,802 vehicles until the end of June, which is down 25.7 per cent year-on-year.Subaru is now in 13th place, selling a total of 14,817 vehicles until the end of June. This is down 25.6 per cent year-on-year.Nissan drop to 14th place, with a total of 13,854 vehicles, down 32.8 per cent.It’s not just the Japanese legacy carmakers either. Volkswagen is now the 16th-best-selling carmaker in Australia in terms of year-to-date sales.It sold a total of 12,333 vehicles until the end of June, which is down 16.6 per cent year-on-year.BMW is down 8.0 per cent and Mercedes-Benz is down 5.0 per cent.We’ll have to wait and see how things shake out for the rest of 2026, but it’s clear that these rapidly establishing Chinese carmakers are going from strength to strength in Australia.