Tesla News

The revolution hasn’t been canceled, but it appears to be delayed.

CarsGuide’s analytics team has unearthed exclusive data sourced from Gumtree, CarsGuide and Autotrader listings, which shows the second-hand electric vehicle market is primed for buyers with prices dropping significantly over two years.There’s a lot of talk about how cheap new electric cars are getting, and sure the prices are coming down, the BYD Dolphin Essential is the cheapest in Australia at $29,990 (before on-road costs). New electric cars are still on the pricey side, though, and you won’t find many new EVs under the $50,000 mark. Tesla is the most popular electric car brand in Australia, but entry into a new Model Y SUV costs $55,900 and a Model 3 starts at $54,900.  Hyundai’s Kona Electric Kona lists for $54,000 at its most affordable, the Zeekr X is $56,900 for the base car, while the cheapest Volvo EX30 is $59,990.But what about a second-hand Tesla or any used EV? And are there more used EVs available these days?We put the question to our analytics team: has the number of listings and the median price changed over the course of the past two years? We asked the team to concentrate on seven models: the BYD Atto 3, Hyundai Kona Electric, MG ZS EV, Nissan Leaf, and the Teslas — Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X.Those particular models were chosen not just for their popularity but also being established here for longer. The Nissan Leaf hatch has been on sale in Australia for 10 years, the Tesla Model S sedan first arrived in 2017 as did the Model X large SUV, while the Model 3 appeared in 2019 and went on to become not just the most popular EV, but one of the most bought cars in Australia. Hyundai’s Kona’s Electric small SUV quietly slipped into Australia in 2019, too. MG’s ZS EV SUV 2020 arrival signalled the start of the Chinese electric wave we’re currently riding. Tesla’s highly anticipated Model Y mid-sized SUV stole the EV show in 2022, followed by the BYD Atto 3 in 2023.The data revealed that the Tesla Model 3 is the most listed used electric car with a total of 7795 live listings over a reporting period starting on January 1 2023 and ending December 1, 2024. The Nissan Leaf is the second most listed used EV with a total of 5633 listed during those 24 months. Third place for listings was the MG ZS EV with 5352. The Hyundai Kona Electric was next with 3045, while there were 1937 listings for the Tesla Model Y.The number of live used listings increased for the Atto 3, Kona Electric, MG ZS EV, but stayed static for the Teslas. We could speculate that used Tesla Model 3s and Ys generally sell faster and therefore don’t accumulate to the degree the others, but further data analysis is needed.  Overall the number of used EVs listed fell from 1148 live listings on January 1 2023 to 746 in December 1, 2024, but during this time live listings rose and peaked at 1643 on March 1, 2024. That made the 12 months from January 2023 to January 2024 a time when the largest number of used EVs were consistently listed before falling to current levels of about 800 total live listings month in and out.The big takeaway is not just how many cars were listed but that the median listing price decreased for all models for the 24 months.The median listing price for the Tesla Model 3 in January 2023 was $65,990, but by December 2024 it was $46,705. Likewise for the Model Y the median listing price in January 2023 was $79,950 and by December 2024 it was $53,987.The BYD Atto 3 despite only being on the market since 2023 saw its median used car price fall dramatically, too, from $51,500 to $36,990 over the two-year reporting period. The MG ZS EV wasn’t immune to the median listing price fall either, starting at $48,071 in January 2023 and ending at $34,300 in December 2024. The most affordable used EV was the oldest — the Nissan Leaf — with a median price of $33,990 that fell to $22,990 over the two years.Only the Kona Electric, which started at $29,800, saw prices fall then increase to $37,300 off the back of the second generation model arriving in January 2024, then fall again to $34,490 by the end of that year.As for the Tesla Model S and X, both also started with higher median listing prices and fell over the 24 months. Both are older models and now available to buy new. Still, if you’re into this kind of thing the data is fascinating with the median listing price of the Model X being $129,990 and dropping to $75,800 after the two years. A bargain considering the Model X listed for $272K when it debuted here in 2017. But would you want an electric car that’s almost a decade old? Well, that’s another story and not the point of this report. Here we just wanted to present the real data from our own analytics team to help give you a better insight into both buying a second hand EV and maybe even help you manage your expectations when selling an EV.     

Voice control seemed so futuristic, with KITT, the heavily modified Pontiac Firebird showing just how helpful it could be in Knight Rider.

Australia’s new car market rose very slightly in volume in 2024 compared to 2023 - but it wasn’t good news across the board.

At the beginning of each year we dissect the top-10 best-selling automotive brands of the previous year, digging into what went right for some brands and what went wrong for others.What about the brands that just missed out on the glory of a top-10 placing?Based on full-year 2024 data, we’ve pulled together another list. For all the details of the top 10, read about it here. But now we are detailing the brands that landed in positions 11 to 20 on the best-selling car brands list.There are some big names that were once fixtures in the top 10, but a combination of factors have kept them out of the top rankings this time around.Competition from newer brands has had an impact, as has shifting consumer preference and cost-of-living concerns.Check out our table below for the full figures.Subaru was the unlucky brand to just miss out on a top 10 spot last year, after being shut out by growing Chinese manufacturer GWM by 2178 sales.Subaru had been a mainstay in the top 10 for years, but last year it captured 40,604 sales, which was a near 12 per cent dip compared with 2023. All of Subaru’s models, excluding the newer Crosstrek small SUV, experienced double-digit percentage declines last year.Another more recent top-10 entrant, Tesla, also slipped out of the main list last year. Declining interest in its only two models — the related Tesla Model 3 and Model Y — ensured a 17 per cent drop. This was part of a wider trend of stagnating EV sales in Australia. Battery EVs were only up by 4.7 per cent in 2024, a dramatic change from the 160 per cent increase in 2023 over 2022.Another long-standing brand, and former top-10 player, Volkswagen, saw a further slide in 2024. Its tally of 36,480 was about 17 per cent off the previous year.The Amarok ute was in positive territory, but sales of some other key models dropped as the wait for replacements of some of its biggest models like the Tiguan drag on.Fellow German maker BMW landed in 14th place and remained steady, shifting just 157 more cars in 2024 compared with 2023.The next two brands had a big year. Suzuki clawed back lost ground by increasing its sales by 24.6 per cent to 21,278 units. The Jimny continues to be Suzuki’s best seller, with the tiny off-roader nabbing nearly half its total sales at 9697 units - up a whopping 94 per cent year on year.The other big mover was BYD, with the Chinese giant adding 20,458 sales to its name last year.Challenging Australia’s SUV obsession, BYD’s top seller was the Seal sedan on 6393 sales, but the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV was just behind on 6198. The latter only had six full months on sale, however.Expect this to change in 2025 with the Shark 6 PHEV ute likely to take over of the brand’s most popular offering.Mercedes-Benz Cars took a dive in 2024, dropping by nearly 18 per cent for 19,989 units. If you add Mercedes-Benz Vans to its tally (they are reported separately in VFACTS) it would have recorded 24,831 sales which was enough to beat Suzuki.LDV was one of few Chinese manufacturers to go backwards in 2024 (-24.8%). The commercial vehicle specialist was hampered by ageing models like the D90 SUV and the T60 ute, but both of those are being replaced early this year.In 19th place was Audi which dropped by 19.5 per cent last year, with very few bright spots in its line-up except for the ever-popular Q3 small SUV. That model was ahead by 23.3 per cent last year and led the premium small SUV segment for sales, edging out the BMW X1 and Volvo’s XC40.Rounding out our top 20 is Honda with 14,092 sales. The Japanese brand was another regular visitor to the top 10 in the not-too-distant past, but a drastic change in sales strategy in Australia - including downsizing its model range, dealer network and shifting to an agency dealer model - meant sales dropped, ensuring what the company says is a more sustainable business model.While the excellent CR-V went backwards last year, its two other SUVS, the HR-V and ZR-V, gained ground, increasing by 53.3 and 79.3 per cent respectively.Just missing out on a top-20 placing were Lexus (13,642) and Chery (12,603).

Christmas is a fading memory, the New Year’s hangovers have cleared and we’re still getting used to writing ‘2025’ so you know what that means?Hot takes time.Yes, it’s January and with a whole year of new cars ahead of us, I’m going to try and predict the future. But while these might meet the clickbait definition of a ‘hot take’ these aren’t just random thoughts, but rather these are five scenarios that I believe could play out in 2025 based on previous trends and the other available evidence.To be fair, I’m basing this at least in part to Toyota Australia boss Sean Hanley’s own prediction that he believes the RAV4 can leapfrog the Ford Ranger into first place. I agree with him that the Ranger will need to work hard to stay at the top of the charts, with its gap to the RAV4 less than 4000 sales in 2024.The Ranger will be entering its fourth year on sale, which means it no longer feels ‘new’ but is also too early for a mid-life upgrade, so it will need to rely on new additions like the Super Duty and plug-in hybrid to keep its interest high.The latter is really the key for Ford, with the Ranger PHEV having to face a direct rival in the form of the BYD Shark 6 - which wasn’t on the horizon when Ford announced its plug-in back in 2023.Meanwhile, the RAV4 remains beloved by SUV buyers, despite its many rivals, and Toyota is (reportedly) carrying over a healthy order bank that should maintain its steady sales pace.Whatever happens, it should be a close finish in the sales race.It’s safe to say Kia has copped some flak for the styling of its Tasman ute, which has raised concerns over its sales potential. But, personally, I think it will be a success story for Kia even if it doesn’t achieve the headline-grabbing sales figures the brand is hoping for.Kia’s goal to sell more than 20,000 Tasmans per year is an ambitious target, even if the styling had been universally praised, given the strength of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. But the truth is looks are subjective and the Tasman’s ultimate sales potential will come down to pricing and specifications. If Kia can give ute buyers a good value proposition, then undoubtedly many will jump aboard, regardless of what anyone says about the styling.Fleet operators who don’t care about subjective elements like style will likely be wooed by the expected five-star ANCAP rating and Kia’s reputation for reliability.Bottom line, even if Kia sells half of its expected numbers, adding 10,000 Tasmans to Kia’s tally is all incremental growth for a brand that has never previously offered a ute - and that will make it a big success.One of the key takeaways from the 2024 sales was the huge growth of hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) compared to the stalled sales of electric vehicles (EVs). Sales of pure electric models were only up 4.7 per cent after growing more than 160 per cent in 2023.That’s an enormous change of fortunes for EVs, which have always largely been underpinned by Tesla, which had a down year in 2024. Whether Tesla can rebound is one major question, with its sales down by more than 16,000 sales, but other brands will need to start selling more of their EVs if the market is to accelerate its growth again.It appears as though the market for EVs has largely been catered to, with a huge variety of makes and models across the spectrum of size and price, so there’s no longer any major barriers for EVs apart from consumer demand.Australians seem unconvinced by EVs in the broad sense, preferring dual-cab utes and mid-size SUVs with hybrid engines, and it seems unlikely to change in the short-term so I wouldn’t be betting on a big turnaround for electric sales in 2025.NVES, or the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards, grabbed plenty of headlines in 2024 as the car industry pushed back on long-overdue emissions regulations like kids not wanting to eat their vegetables. But despite the kicking and screaming from certain members of industry, NVES officially began on January 1 and the world hasn’t stopped turning.Inevitably there will be change thanks to NVES, with car brands needing to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles or face financial penalties, however the government has effectively given the industry three years to sort itself out. Any brand above the limit in 2025 has until the end of 2027 to generate (or buy from a rival brand) ‘credits’ to offset their less-efficient models.In other words, expect ‘situation normal’ in 2025 with all the usual models you find in dealerships, albeit with a ramp up of more hybrids and PHEVs like we’ve begun to see in the last 18 months.Normally you’d expect the arrival of two big name models, which nearly double the options for buyers, to result in a sales boom for a particular market. And yet, despite the introduction of the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra, sales of ‘$100k plus utes’ (otherwise known as the US-style pick-ups) were up just a marginal 2.4 per cent in 2024.The segment still sold more than 10,000 units in 2024, which is an impressive number when you consider these are expensive and niche vehicles, but the arrival of the Ford and Toyota should have been a boost. They certainly helped offset the sales decline of the Ram 1500, which dropped as the current V8-powered model entered run-out, but it speaks to the limitations of the market.With the arrival of the new six-cylinder Ram 1500 to go along with the F-150 and Tundra, it’s hard to see the total volume of $100k plus utes getting much higher than 10,000 per year.

Tesla has revealed its long-awaited updated Model Y electric SUV.

After months of teasers, spy shots and speculation, we now officially know what the updated Tesla Model Y ‘Juniper’ will look like.And could it have leaked anywhere else other than Elon Musk’s X?Spy shots published to the platform by ThinkerCar show the new Model Y testing in heavy snow with all of the new exterior features we expected.Following in the updated Model 3’s footsteps, there’s a squared-off, more aero-focused front end with redesigned LED headlight clusters. Unique to the updated Model Y are two LED light bars on each end of the vehicle.A sportier rear bumper is present as well, along with some freshly designed rims. Based on their apparent smaller size, they appear to be fitted to a standard variant – not the Performance grade.We expect even further changes to be made to the car’s underpinnings, interior and potentially its range, though nothing has been revealed in these spy shots, nor confirmed otherwise.If it follows the Model 3 in part – as we expect – it is likely to include more premium interior materials, better sound insulation, a new steering wheel, new ventilated seats and a rear passenger display, among other upgrades.US-based Forbes has previously speculated a new performance variant could crack the 0-60mp/h (0-98km/h) mark in under three seconds.If true, that would suggest a healthy bump in power from the current model’s 413kW to better rival the Porsche Macan Turbo Electric. Though once again, nothing has been confirmed.Despite remaining the best-selling electric car globally, including in Australia, Tesla sales have begun to taper due to increasing competition from budget Chinese rivals such as BYD, which has quickly emerged as the world’s second best-selling EV brand.In Australia, Model Y sales fell by 26.1 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year from 28,769 sales to 21,253. The brand’s total sales dipped by 16.8 per cent, or from 46,120 sales to 38,347.To counter the downward trend, Tesla is likely to release the Model Y Juniper across global markets, such as the US, China and Europe, imminently, with Australia likely to receive it by the middle of this year.

Here are our top 10 cars released in the first 25 years of this century.

It’s been another huge year at CarsGuide, especially when it comes to our video content.