Tesla News

The Tesla Cybertruck suffered a monster sales slide in 2025, with US numbers totalling just over 20,200 units, a fall of no less than 48 per cent compared to the year prior.And that’s on the back of 38,965 sales in 2024, approximately 210,000 units short of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s bullish annual volume prediction prior to the electric pick-up’s domestic launch in late 2023.Mid-year 2025 estimates pointed to at least 10,000 unsold units (worth around US$800 million) sitting in the brand’s inventory.A revised annual target of 125,000 sales pulled production capacity away from the controversial ute towards more popular models like the Model Y SUV.But reduced supply is one thing, driving increased demand is obviously the critical factor.So, no surprise Tesla has attempted to generate extra Cybertruck interest with a new, more affordable variant.Announced on social media platform X, the new model is simply called the Dual-Motor All-Wheel Drive with an MSRP of US$59,990, compared to US$79,990 for the Premium All-Wheel Drive and US$99,990 for the flagship Cyberbeast.Available to order in the US, the Dual Motor AWD boasts an estimated range of 525km, and features a powered tonneau cover, multiple vehicle-to-load (V2L) bed outlets (2x 120V + 1x 240V) as well as adaptive damping, heated front seats, ‘Steer-by-wire’ four-wheel steering and a braked trailer towing capacity of up to 3.4 tonnes.The Cybertruck is currently sold in North America (USA, Canada and Mexico) as well as select Middle Eastern markets including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.Still displayed on Tesla’s Australian website, the Cybertruck is not on sale locally, although Tesla Country Director for Australia and New Zealand Thom Drew told CarsGuide mid-last year that the stainless-steel-bodied EV has "never been off the table", at the same time confirming he had received a briefing on what changes will be required for Australian Design Rule (ADR) approval here."Cybertruck is a conversation that we're having ongoing. I can't tell you a timeline, or if or when, but we're advocating for it as much as we can," he said.

A new player has joined the all-electric passenger car game, with the Mazda 6e officially priced in Australia ahead of its impending launch. Now is a good time to look at how this new competitor shapes up to its primary rivals in the BYD Seal, Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3. All four of these cars take on a sedan-style body shape (although some have a hatch tailgate), all are built in China, and all created some fanfare when they arrived in Australia. The established three players have had a few years to settle in, while Mazda’s EV will need to hit the ground running as the first of the brand’s renewed electric push, and a major part of its strategy to reduce its emissions as one of the manufacturers most exposed to Australia's new emissions laws.Here is how the 6e compares to those it will need to take down if it is to be a success. The 6e, which is a platform-share with the China-market Deepal L07, has been priced competitively.It is virtually the same price as the BYD seal, while coming in at roughly $5000 cheaper than the Model 3 and more than $10000 cheaper than the Polestar 2. As you walk up the line-up for these cars the 6e’s up-spec model costs an additional $3000, which gets you leather and synthetic suede seats, a leather steering wheel, and a synthetic suede interior. The other trio’s pricing for higher trim models extends into the $60,000s, $70,000s and even $80,000 range for the Model 3, but with that comes much more gear, larger batteries and the addition of all-wheel drive. The Mazda is the longest out of all its competitors, being closer in size to a large sedan rather than a mid-sizer.When it comes to power, the 6e lines up pretty closely to the rest of the pack of entry-level rivals, but it has the least grunt out of all of them.The Mazda wins out on driving range, with its bigger battery offering 560km, which is more than the Tesla and significantly more than the Seal and Polestar 2, which have ranges in the 400km bracket.There is not much in it on the charging front, but the 6e’s 10-80 per cent changing time takes the title on official numbers. All four cars have single rear-mounted motors. Unlike the 6e, the Seal, Polestar 2 and Model 3 all have options further up the scale for all-wheel drive. The 6e boasts an impressive list of standard features, which includes a 14.6-inch central touchscreen and 10.2-inch digital driver display, as well as synthetic leather seats, which are heated and ventilated in the front. The Seal’s touchscreen is bigger than the Mazda’s, and shares many of the same features, which in part explains the similar pricing of the pair. It does only have 18-inch wheels as standard like the Model 3 compared to the BYD Seal and Polestar 19-inches. If you’re keen to pump your tunes, the Mazda 6e’s has the biggest audio system out of its rivals, with its 14 speaker Sony system. Wireless phone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard on the 6e and the Seal, but the Polestar 2 only has a wired connection as standard, while the Model 3 does not have any such connectivity. Standard safety features for each car listed below:The Mazda 6e has not been crash tested yet, but its rivals have all achieved five-star ANCAP ratings.All models have the standard safety gear you would expect from modern cars, with a high number of airbags and advanced driving assistance systems.The Mazda 6e seems priced just about right to ensure buyers give it some serious consideration in the segment. In an age where driving range remains the key question of any EV, sitting at the top of the pile means it is a compelling proposition. It will have a fight on its hands to eat into the sales of competitors which have been around for much longer than it and boast similar specifications and trim. Time will tell whether the 6e will have the desired impact Mazda needs it to have as it paves the way for future EVs from the brand. 

Tesla is Australia’s most popular electric vehicle (EV) brand… but for how much longer?

Formula 1 yoke-style steering wheels in cars will be been banned in China after government testing found them not only more difficult to use but potentially more dangerous in accidents, according to a report.Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla and several other carmakers will have to revert to traditional style round steering steering wheels from 2027 in China, after it was found yoke steering wheels could present unnecessary hazards.Chinese publication Autohome reports that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has drawn up draft legislation banning the yoke steering wheels.According to the government findings, yoke steering wheels risk concentrating too much force on the driver in a collision compared to round steering wheels which diffuse the force over a larger area.Airbag deployment was also found to be potentially more hazardous on yoke-style steering wheels compared to rounder ones.Finally it was also seen that yoke-style steering wheels were more difficult to use in environments that required larger steering inputs such as urban areas with tight turns or manoeuvring in spaces requiring constant changes of direction such as parking.While yoke steering wheels in cars aren’t new, there has been a resurgence led by some brands such as Lexus in its RZ small SUV and Tesla in its Model S and X over the years to add a futuristic look and feel to their vehicle cabins. The upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS will also be offered with a yoke -style wheel, too.Yoke steering wheels are used in Formula 1 due to their compact dimensions in cramped cockpits along with putting vehicle controls under the driver’s fingertips for instant reactions.The yoke steering wheel works perfectly in Formula 1 where steering is calibrated specifically for a track. On a public road, however, which presents a wide variety of steering inputs, the yoke steering wheels can be more challenging for a driver and may represent a safety risk.The Chinese ruling, which when passed will mandate all cars from next year to have circular steering wheels, could force the hand of other car makers to follow suit. And with Australia now seeing more and more Chinese brands or China-sourced vehicles coming to Australia it’s unlikely they’ll arrive with anything other than traditional circular steering wheels either.

Tesla has announced its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology in Australia will move to a subscription-only service from April 2026. Buyers were previously able to purchase the technology for a one-off price of $10,100 or pay $149 per month. It is a Level 2 advanced driver assist system, which can navigate its way to the chosen destination. It is available on Tesla Model 3 or Model Y examples equipped with a Hardware 3 or 4 camera.The brand has confirmed the monthly subscription cost will remain the same for the time being. As with most subscriptions services, such as Netflix, there is a strong possibility for incremental increases on a regular basis.The initial pricing of the Model 3 and the Model Y has not changed despite the shift to a subscription model. The Model 3 starts in Australia from $54,900, before on-road costs, while the Model Y has a starting price of $58,900. Both cars were among Australia’s best-selling electric cars, with the Model Y topping the charts at more than 22,000 sales. Buyers will not be able to outright purchase the technology from the 31st of March 2026, so vehicles will have to be ordered by that date to be eligible for it. Existing owners of eligible vehicles will be able to outright purchase the technology via the Tesla app until the 31st of March as an upgrade post purchase. Tesla’s transfer promotions on the system will also no longer be offered from April of this year. This promotion allowed for owners of existing Tesla's with the FSD or Enhanced Auto Pilot to transfer it onto a new model without additional cost. The announcement confirms Australia will follow Tesla in the US, which ceased the outright purchase of the technology in mid-February of this year. The technology made headlines when it was released in Australia towards the end of last year as the first right-hand drive market to receive it.The move to a subscription-only service for FSD (supervised) is one of several big moves the car maker has made in recent times. Tesla announced in late January that it was cutting production of the Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the middle of this year. This is to make way for production of Optimus robots in the same factory. 

If documents recently lodged with the United States Patent & Trademark office are any indication, Tesla’s second-generation Roadster could be closer to production reality than thousands of ‘ludicrously’ patient deposit holders and automotive skeptics believe.Two ‘Trademark/service mark’ applications have been lodged by Tesla; “a triangle design consisting of three flowing, curved lines” creating a simplified impression of the car’s silhouette and “the word ROADSTER in stylized format”.Unveiled as a surprise addition to the brand’s ‘Semi truck’ reveal in late 2017, the sleek 2+2 Roadster was positioned as the fastest production car ever, with a launch originally scheduled for 2020.Claimed to sprint from 0-97km/h (0-60mph) in 1.9 seconds with a maximum velocity of 400km/h-plus and a range in excess of 1000km, the triple-motor, AWD machine generated huge interest with an initial batch of ‘Founder’s Edition’ models priced at US$250,000 (~$350,000).Those putting their hand up for a car from that initial batch were asked to pay the full price to reserve their production slot. Purchase of the standard Roadster (US$200,000 / ~$280,000) required a $50,000 deposit.Less than six months later, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced news of a ‘SpaceX Performance Pack’ using 10 cold-air thrusters powered by a high-pressure air tank (replacing the rear seats) to achieve sub-1.0-second 0-60mph acceleration.At the time, Musk said the car would provide "roller-coaster" intensity performance and briefly be able to "fly".With estimated delivery timing for the Roadster progressively slipping further into the future - to 2022 (thanks largely to COVID-19), then 2023, then 2024 and most recently 2025, could this be the time Tesla Roadster 2.0 rubber really hits the road?Musk thanked what he referred to as "long-suffering" Roadster deposit holders during Telsa’s Q3 2024 earnings call and in its Q4 2025 earnings update (released in January this year), Tesla noted the Roadster is in “the final stages of preparation” with Musk adding it will be showcased at a Roadster 2 demo event scheduled for, no joke, April 1, with production to begin in 2027.Nothing like a 10th birthday party for alleged delivery of a much-hyped, over-promised and so far under-delivered ‘new’ hypercar.

Electric vehicles are so powerful now that they have more horsepower than Formula 1 racecars. Why do they have so much power? How is this even legal? And where do I sign up? High-powered cars used to either be the exotic with owners who had paid big dollars for big output or the affordable modified ones nurtured by enthusiasts handy with spanners. Both groups have copped their fair share of noise from both politicians, regulators and the community for possessing their overpowered beasts.In the past five years Australia has been inundated with electric cars with horsepower so huge that it makes the output of even the most exotic or modified car seem cute. Yet they haven’t been met with the same backlash received by their loud combustion cousins.You can probably blame Tesla for setting the power standard so high that it became the selling point for almost all electric vehicles. Tesla found the way to sell electric cars was to make them quick and sexy. If you paid more you could unlock software that made your Tesla faster — they named it Ludicrous mode and Plaid mode. So you could have a ridiculously fast car now without the super car price or the mechanical desire to do it yourself.Tesla’s Model 3 Performance has 461kW and a 0-100km/h time of 3.1 seconds. And it’s a regular car you’d walk past in a supermarket car park without even noticing.Other brands paid close attention and copied, and now family favourite brands have their own super powered EVs.Kia’s EV6 GT has 485kW and has a 0-100km/h time of 3.5 seconds, Hyundai has the 478kW Ioniq 5 N and can reach 100km/h in 3.4 seconds. Newer brands are pushing those limits even further with the coming Polestar 5 four door sedan packing 650kW.And these aren’t even really considered high performance or exotic by EV standards.Just to put that in perspective the most powerful HSV GTS with a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 made 430kW when Holden stopped manufacturing in Australia 10 years ago.If you want exotic or high performance in an EV then look no further than Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo Electric, a large luxury family SUV with 850kW. If that means nothing to you, then look at it this way, Formula 1 cars in the 2026 Championship produce 750kW.So why do electric cars have so much power? It’s easy for electric motors to produce enormous power and torque compared to petrol and diesel counterparts. In its simplest terms a motor consists of a magnetic field within a cylinder that contains a rotor, which when supplied with an electric current spins creating mechanical energy.You can place an electric motor on a car’s axle and the drive is direct and acceleration instantaneous because there’s no gearing required as revs increase. Think of an electric drill, you pull the trigger and its spinning instantly. Same with the motor in an electric car, and that’s why acceleration can be so rapid in even a garden variety model.This segues us to electric hypercars with outputs that are almost unfathomable. Yangwang is BYD’s high-performance luxury brand and its U9 has four electric motors each making 550kW, which gives the thing a 0-100km/h time of less than 2.4 seconds. That’s painfully quick, I mean it takes 2.4 seconds to read this sentence.And at 100km/h you are covering 28 metres per second — a basketball court a second.So how is this even legal? Well currently in Australia there are no restrictions on the power output of a vehicle, just restrictions on who can drive them, as in those on their P-plates. New drivers are restricted to vehicles that don’t exceed a power-to-weight ratio.And that raises a good point about power-to-weight ratios because EVs are heavy due to their dense batteries and that’s also another reason why the higher output is required. Still with how easy it is for a motor to make big power, overcoming the weight is easy.But that weight does cause problems when it comes to dynamic ability, and while many regular EVs have high outputs, their handling is affected. The car may be small, but it has the weight of a large SUV.So while I love the quick acceleration unless it’s a high performance EV such as the Cayenne it’s only going to be fun in a straight line and I’m here for it although that novelty wears off quicker than the new car smell.There are benefits to good acceleration that don’t involve showing off. Being able to move quickly and decisively can be good for intersections without traffic lights, merging on motorways and overtaking, all without breaking the speed limit of course. The all-wheel drive offered by dual motor EVs often mean excellent traction for even more stability.That said, being able to move quickly doesn't leave much time to make decisions such as a braking to avoid a collision with the car in front or stopping for a pedestrian that's stepped out onto the road.Until now the ever increasing power of EVs feels like it's gone unnoticed, but it's not hard to imagine a time in the future when regulators put limits on how much power an EV can make. And that, probably a very good thing.

While several big name car makers walk back their all-electric plans, the suggestion that electric vehicles are yesterday’s news doesn’t tally with growing sales.Electric vehicle (EV) sales still only account for 8.3 per cent of the total market, but grew significantly in the key SUV and light commercial vehicle segments. Notably, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have also grown significantly in recent years and combined EV and PHEV sales accounted for more than 13 per cent of the overall market.While there is still clearly a long way to go, there are also some clear signs that Australians are slowly starting to embrace EVs as they become more diverse in both price and type. Until last year, the market was dominated by Tesla, with the American brand often accounting for more than half the total EV sales.In 2025 the Tesla Model Y remained the best-selling EV, but the BYD Sealion 7 was its closest rival and the Kia EV5 and Geely EX5 also sold in good numbers. In total there were 10 EVs in the top 100 selling vehicles last year, underlining the increasing variety that is attracting new customers.BYD is the leading in this regard with four of the most popular EVs coming from the Chinese brand, and each very different propositions appealing to different buyers. These are the Sealion 7 mid-size SUV, Atto 3 small SUV, Seal sedan and Dolphin hatch.The arrival of the $23,990 Atto 1 will open up the EV market to even more customers too, as it will be amongst the most-affordable new cars on sale this year. In many respects, this is the moment the market has been waiting for, with EVs effectively achieving price parity with conventional petrol and diesel models. While not every EV is as price-competitive as the Atto 1, the increasing cost of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles only helps make EVs more appealing to buyers looking to save on their fuel bill.The growth of PHEVs will only further accelerate the electric future, as the long-touted ‘bridging technology’ will introduce more motorists to electric performance, while still allowing for the ICE back-up.PHEV sales have been on a sharp upward trajectory the past two years, growing more than 130 per cent in 2025 off the back of the BYD Shark 6, BYD Sealion 6, Mitsubishi Outlander and GWM Haval H6 GT. PHEV sales are expected to grow in 2026 and beyond, as more established brands, including market-leading Toyota, join the race. This will only accelerate the electrification on Australian roads, adding to the significant volume of hybrids already sold.While there is still some way to go before EVs become a majority on the roads, a reminder they account for less than 10 per cent at present, it’s clear that despite a slowing down of interest from manufacturers, electric cars are here to stay.Best selling electric cars 2025

​​Tesla has today announced a name change for its Model 3 and Model Y in Australia, introducing the "Premium" moniker, while also confirming the cheaper stripped-back Standard models offered overseas would not be coming to Australia.

Reports have emerged that Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX is considering a merger with one of the billionaire’s other major companies ahead of going public on the stock market.A tie-up between SpaceX and one of xAI or Tesla, all headed up by the contentious billionaire, is on the cards according to Reuters, with SpaceX expected to hit the stock market valued at as much as US$1.5t (A$2.16t).While reports suggest insiders are leaning towards a merger between SpaceX and xAI, both being private companies while Tesla is public, there’s talk that Tesla will eventually join the mega-company that is being touted as ‘Elon Inc’.Tesla being more closely associated with Musk’s other brands isn't out of the ordinary, the allegedly forthcoming Tesla Roadster has been touted as a “Tesla/SpaceX collab” according to Musk, while Tesla and SpaceX do business in the battery space for the rocket company’s storage needs.Tesla also ‘loaned’ a series of employees to Twitter (now X) to help with coding shortly after the former Trump ally bought the social media network.Merging Tesla and SpaceX presents more complexities than xAI and SpaceX, according to experts Reuters spoke to. Aside from the public/private company factor, Tesla investors might see the merger as “dilutive” to their focus on Tesla.“Combining all or part of his empire into Tesla would involve a number of complexities,” John Streur told Reuters. Streur is a Senior Managing Partner at Boston Common Asset Management. “If the valuations are extremely high it will be viewed as dilutive to Tesla shareholders.”While it’s all up in the air at the moment for Tesla, the effects it might have on the brand's products can be seen in the aforementioned ways the companies already work together - more AI integration into Tesla’s cars including autonomous features, plus the potential for more experimentation with SpaceX contributions to the brand’s features.The future of Tesla as a car brand is generally changing slowly already, with Musk touting Tesla’s robots and discontinuing the Model X SUV and Model S sedan, the latter being instrumental early in Tesla’s rise to EV dominance.It was announced in late January that the factory in California where the Model S and X were built would be converted into a production line for Tesla's Optimus robots.The loss of S and X won’t greatly impact the brand’s bottom line, though, as its Model 3 and Model Y reportedly accounted for 97 per cent of the brand’s 2025 global sales.