Toyota Prado 2025 News

Buyers still love 4WDs in Australia. It remains a big-selling segment, but some of its biggest hitters are suffering losses.China is starting to get a foothold in the market with budget offerings posing a serious threat to established regulars.Emissions-heavy vehicles such as 4WDs are also coming under fire from increasingly stringent rules in Australia.Here is the rundown of the best-selling 4WDs up to June 2026. The Ford Everest large SUV is up front with more than 11,000 sales in 2026 so far, despite a near 10 per cent year-on-year drop. It is based on the Ford Ranger, which is the best-selling ute in Australia.The Toyota Prado takes second place with more than 9000 sales so far this year, but it has experienced an even sharper drop of nearly 42 per cent year-on-year.The Prado is a scaled down version of the LandCruiser 300 Series, using a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, as opposed to the more powerful V6. Isuzu’s MU-X is third, making 7564 sales up to June, but it too experienced a more minor slump of 3.2 per cent. The LandCruiser 300 Series is currently fourth on the standings, and is the only car in the top five to have experienced a substantial growth in sales. Its 6451 sales constitutes a 26.3 per cent rise compared to first six months of 2025.Toyota also released a performance petrol hybrid V6 variant earlier this year.The Suzuki Jimny rounds out the top five as a much smaller and cheaper competitor to those above it. Priced from $31,990, before on-road costs, the Jimny is down 11.1 per cent compared to this time last year, while still amassing 3882 sales. The Nissan Patrol is down nearly 25 per cent compared to its sales result up to June 2025, with 2843 sales so far in 2026. The current Y62 petrol V8 Patrol will cease production next month, and order books for a new twin-turbo V6 will open later. GWM’s Tank 300 mid-size SUV off-roader has continued to surge up the sales charts in 2026, with 2759 sales so far.The Tank 300 is available in petrol, diesel, plug-less hybrid and plug-in hybrid set-ups - more varied than any of its competitors. BYD’s Denza sub-brand is another Chinese rival experiencing a solid sales return in Australia.Its B5 plug-in hybrid SUV has already accumulated 1445 sales this year, having only gone on sale in December 2025.Its bigger sibling the B8 is also approaching the 1000-unit mark midway through this year. The ultra-luxury GMC Yukon Denali from the United States is starting to pick up momentum in Australia. The V8-powered eight-seater Yukon Denali went on sale in the middle of last year, but 2026 has seen sales explode by nearly 190 per cent. It remains a low-volume model with only 202 sales, as it carries a $174,990 price tag. The 4WD segment is about undergo some serious changes in the next few months, including an influx of new models.The Mitsubishi Pajero will return to Australia, along with several new Chinese competitors likely to join it over the next 18 months.The anticipated Geely Galaxy Cruiser is slated for a UK launch, meaning Australia could its next step, while the GAC Yue 7 also seems to be on the way. 

Meet Toyota's bizarre Prado panel van.

Mahindra has confirmed that the long-awaited Thar will not be sold in Australia in its current form. The rugged, body-on-frame wagon was expected to arrive sometime this year in traditional three-door and extended-body five-door wagon guises.

Mahindra has finally confirmed that the Jeep Wrangler-style body-on-frame Thar as we know it will not be imported to Australia.

Is this a prototype of the 2027 Ford Bronco?

After more than a few months of dissent from industry voices regarding the new emissions laws brought about by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), one senior executive from Australia’s most popular new car brand says it’s time to ‘get on with it’.Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley says the effects of the NVES, which increasingly penalises brands for selling more polluting cars year-on-year, says the effects of the rules won’t be seen in showrooms until the end of the decade.The initial stages of the NVES are already in effect, with brands incentivised via credits to sell cars that produce lower emissions, and given penalties for cars that produce more CO2.For Toyota, that means one of its most popular models, the HiLux ute, is in the firing line along with big off-road SUVs like the LandCruiser and smaller Prado.But Hanley says it’s not the end of the world. Just because cars like the HiLux are popular now, that doesn’t mean they’ll always be.“You'd be shocked, but not all customers who drive utes need utes, right?” Hanley told CarsGuide.“And they may say, ‘well, in actual fact, as a company, I probably don't need to be driving that Prado, I could probably do this in a RAV’, for example.“So, you've just got to narrow down in the future to customer requirements. What does the customer want? Because as you navigate new vehicle efficiency standards, decarbonization, regardless of what market you're in, you have to decarbonize. You just have to. That's not a debate.“That's why, when people ask about new vehicle efficiency standards, my standard answer is we support new vehicle efficiency standards. The targets are tough. They're real tough, but we support the notion, because you have to. It's not a choice.”Toyota’s hybrid SUV mentioned by Hanley, the RAV4, is also amongst the most popular cars sold in Australia, though even its current generation will need to lower its emissions over the years to meet NVES requirements.We asked Hanley when he thinks the impacts of the NVES will be generally seen in the Australian market - significant changes to model line-ups and pricing.“2029, ‘30,” Hanley says, “2029 is a long way away, right?”“So any commentary around NVES right now, it's just speculation, to be quite honest.“I mean, we accept the notion of an NVES, but we're not hiding from the fact that the targets are extremely challenging. They're hard, but in reality, you've got time.”By 2030, Hanley said he expects to see a much higher percentage of hybrid electric cars in the market, as well as plug-in hybrid making up a more significant share of new car sales, but importantly he says BEVs will more steadily approach the eventual market share they’ll rest at.“Despite popular opinion, Toyota is actually saying Toyota EVs will grow over the next four, five years.“Probably thinking around 30 per cent would be where I see it . But give or take, it could go to 40 right?“That would be the top end, but it certainly will be more than 10 per cent you've seen or the less than 10 per cent you see today.”In any case, Hanley expects global product offerings to change enough that the NVES limitations won’t negatively impact the Australian market as much as expected by the time they become much harsher.“Product portfolios will change dramatically between now and 2029 so anything that people are speaking about NVES really, it's just speculative stuff.“It's here. Get on with it. We've now got to work within the frameworks of what we know today and get on with it," he said.

The Toyota LandCruiser Prado will add a new five-seat version of its popular GXL trim level, allowing the second-cheapest model in the lineup to maximise its boot space.

Nissan has revealed that the coming, seventh-generation Patrol could be fast-tracked for Australia due to external influences (and some internal favours). While still officially set to launch locally in “late 2026” as per earlier remarks from Nissan executives back at the new Y63 version’s unveiling last September, the long-awaited 4WD wagon could come as soon as by the middle of next year.

The new-generation Toyota Landcruiser Prado only landed about two months ago and already the mad scientists at custom engineering firm Artic Trucks have worked their magic creating a super capable glorious beast.Icelandic company Arctic Trucks is famous for taking off-road vehicles to the next level and we’ve reported on its marvellous creations such as the Isuzu D-Max AT35 and the Toyota HiLux AT35 in the past. Now meet the Toyota Prado AT37.Developed between Arctic Trucks International along with the United Kingdom division and Toyota Africa’s distributor, the AT37 has been modified enormously while adhering to OEM and government fit and functionality standards.There’s an extensive list of mods: a 10-piece wide body package; 17 x 10-inch Arctic Trucks ‘Heritage’ dual-valve forged alloy wheels in satin black, 38-inch (37 x12.50 R17) BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 or Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 tyres; two-way adjustable suspension with longer travel front coil overs, rear dampers and springs with a lift of 40mm; wider and extended wheel base, aluminium side steps, discrete 2.0-inch rear multifunction reviver hitch and Arctic Trucks mud guards. Arctic Trucks UK Managing Director Peter Smith said the resulting monster Prado was more than just a combined group effort.  “This collaboration of teams across the Arctic Trucks group has resulted in a vehicle that is truly fit for use in any market. Combining our three decades of off-road expertise with technology and innovation from the UK supply chain has achieved outstanding results and reaffirms our ongoing commitment to delivering complete vehicle solutions for both work and play.”While Arctic Trucks hasn’t specified what will power the AT37 it’s likely that it will retain the stock 150kW/500Nm 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel engine with high and low range four-wheel drive.Prices have also yet to be announced but don’t get your hopes up Aussies, the Prado AT37 will only be sold in Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East.That means it won't arrive to tangle with hardcore off-roaders such as the Nissan Patrol Warrior, Ford Ranger Raptor and Land Rover Defender Octa.

We're lucky, us car journalists. We get to drive oodles of exciting new cars throughout the year — sometimes so many you start to forget your favourites — so making this list was a nice walk down medium-term memory loss lane.