Ute News

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program's (ANCAP) Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said criticism of its testing protocols was expected given how competitive our new car market now is.Hoorweg added criticism of ANCAP was arguably not just due to established manufacturers having to stump up for increased costs or decreased star ratings, but also because an increasing amount of new five-star ANCAP scores were being achieved by newcomers to the market from China, which were already putting price pressure on rivals.New cars built in China now account for the most new five-star ratings since 2023, accounting for 32 per cent of all new five-star rated models. In comparison, cars sourced from Japan and Germany have shrunk to 19 and 18 per cent respectively.82 per cent of cars put to the test from Japan have a five star rating, while 94 per cent of cars sourced from Germany have a five-star rating. Cars sourced from China are holding an 86 per cent five-star rating from 2023.“It’s disappointing because we know those brands can deliver five star products, so we hope they’re trying to bring those vehicles in. It is a competitive market though, so obviously they’re going to try to change the playing field. is one way they try to do that."The safety authority has been accused of effectively stopping manufacturers from bringing in more affordable cars or versions of cars built in markets with lower safety requirements due to its ever increasing safety standards, which Hoorweg agreed was a source of frustration for manufactures.“It’s true, they wouldn’t be as safe,” she said. “We exist to say, 'you can bring that ASEAN version, but it’s not as safe and it’s not what consumers expect'.”One recent notable example affected by both a potentially low ANCAP score and an increase to Australia’s base new-car safety standards in the Australian Design rules, is Mitsubishi’s ASX successor. If it weren't for ANCAP safety standards the hybrid XForce small SUV sold in right-hand drive for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia could have made it Down Under.Mitsubishi has been forced to import an ASX based on the Renault Captur from Europe, which will be much more expensive than the outgoing version. Mitsubishi cited high development costs to upgrade the XForce for ruling it out.Some new vehicles from Australia’s favourite brands, which have received less than five-stars in recent years, include the new Suzuki Swift that got one star due to poor crash performance. The Hyundai i30 sedan got three stars for the lack of advanced auto braking and blind spot monitoring as standard as well as poor vulnerable road user protection. The Mahindra Scorpio 4x4 and MG5 sedan that both scored zero stars for poor occupant protection and missing key active safety equipment.MG said it was able to bring its cars in at a lower price by not including all the required active safety equipment, while Mahindra argued its 4x4 comfortably met Australian Design Rules and was rated highly by the far more lenient Global NCAP, which focuses mainly on basic features and structural crash performance.MG brought a raft of upgrades to its MG5 a year after its 2023 launch, which resulted in a revised three-star rating.Hoorweg said some manufacturers would rather challenge the existence of ANCAP altogether, or criticise its messaging, as its increasingly harsh safety standards factor into these new model choices, but the reality is prices ultimately stabilise as companies package together various key technologies.“A lot of arguments get run, but there’s a lot of components which go into a vehicle and there’s a lot which goes into the cost of the car," said Hoorweg.“Safety is one element but what we see is the unit cost goes down, so when a new technology is coming through for the first time it has an expensive per unit cost but that decreases over time and things get bundled together so it decreases .“We’ve seen the real cost of a vehicle which factors in what you’re actually getting. The cost has stuck around $25,000 for a very long time, but what you’re actually getting is a lot more, so the real cost to the consumer has actually decreased. Manufacturers have actually done a great job of keeping those prices that low for a very long time, but we don’t want to see safety be the element that gets blamed for that ,” she said.Hoorweg noted calls to simply allow ratings to fall back to those from vehicle’s home countries or ratings out of Europe would result in some trying to take advantage of the lack of local standards.“There’s a huge opportunity to de-spec cars due to the differences between ADRs and European design rules,” she said.Hoorweg pointed to the Suzuki Swift as being a prime example of a car, which had alarming omissions in the specification delivered to Australia, that resulted in its one-star ANCAP score and three-star EuroNCAP score.Hoorweg added the language on five-star-or-nothing may have been softened a little, the body wouldn't back down on ratcheting standards up every few years, with a new framework starting in January 2026 focusing more heavily on driver assist systems and post-crash survivability."I think there’s enough consumer support and fleet support that there’s not much interest in dropping standards." she said.Even the Kia Tasman, which just received a five-star ANCAP rating was notable for the rating only applying to variants equipped with a unique bumper designed to maximise pedestrian safety. High-grade models likely to be popular with private buyers, like the top-spec off-road focused X-Pro are specifically excluded from the score.

The hottest ute battle of 2025 looks like it will contain two new faces, with the battle between Ford and Toyota overshadowed by the race between two relative – and unexpected – newcomers.

We now know that Chery will be among the wave of new Chinese utes hitting Australia (think BYD, MG, GWM et al), with the relative newcomer to launch not one but two new utes.

The ultimate anti-EV might be making a comeback.

The Kia Tasman ute has been awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on the current 2023-2025 testing protocols.It achieved 85 per cent for Adult Occupant Protection, 85 per cent for Child Occupant Protection, 74 per cent for Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 80 per cent for Safety Assist.It’s worth noting the Tasman’s five-star rating only applies to certain 4x4 dual-cab pick-up variants. The X-Line and X-Pro, as well as the entry-level S 4x2 dual-cab pick-up remain unrated.This also applies to the forthcoming single-cab and dual-cab chassis variants that are due to arrive later this year.ANCAP noted the Tasman “performed well” across the crash protection and collision avoidance tests.Specifically, high scores were achieved for the low risk of injury the adult and child dummy occupants received during the frontal offset crash test.The safety authority also noted the Tasman has a “moderately low” crash compatibility risk, which for its size and mass it did “very well”. This test assesses the risk the test vehicle has to potential crash partner vehicles and their occupants.A penalty was applied, however, in the full width frontal crash test when the pelvis of the driver dummy slipped beneath the lap section of the seatbelt.“Fleet buyers and potential Tasman customers across the country have been eagerly awaiting the Tasman’s safety rating, and this five-star result will be welcome news,” said ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg.“With such strong market presence and consumer demand, it’s pleasing to see manufacturers continuing to prioritise safety in this segment.“The dual-cab shopping list is already healthy, and we expect to see it grow further with other new contenders entering the market in the coming months.“Consumers and fleets should check the ANCAP website regularly to ensure they have all the information they need to make an informed, and safe, purchasing decision.”As standard the Kia Tasman receives safety features like seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, safe exit warning, adaptive cruise control, intelligent speed limit assist, driver attention monitoring, reversing camera, as well as front and rear parking sensors.All models also receive an emergency SOS calling function.Stepping up to the SX gets you Highway Drive Assist 2 which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centring. It also includes an assisted lane change function.Opting for the X-Line and above gets you additional features like reverse AEB, a surround-view camera and side parking sensors.The flagship X-Pro variant also gains a Ground View Monitor, which is helpful to see under the car when off-roading.It’s worth noting that all Tasman variants also have ISOFIX points and top-tether child seat anchorages on both outboard rear seats.There’s no top-tether point on the middle rear seat, so ANCAP doesn’t recommend installing child seats in this position.

Jeep has detailed the pricing and specifications of its updated Gladiator ute ahead of examples arriving at local dealers this month.

Isuzu has revealed the price of its new electric D-Max in fellow right-hand drive market, the UK.Isuzu Australia hasn’t confirmed if the D-Max EV will arrive in Australia, but it is expected to launch sometime in 2026.In the UK the new D-Max EV is priced from £59,995, excluding a 20 per cent tax, which puts it at about $124,000 in Aussie dollars before tax.If the D-Max EV arrives in Australia, it is expected to be much cheaper than that, though.Non-European vehicles are usually considerably cheaper in Australia than the UK and shipping is cheaper as Australia is much closer to the D-Max’s production hub in Thailand. Australia also has a free trade agreement with Thailand.Even at circa-$100,000 it would be a tough sell to most tradies. Big company fleets looking to decarbonise will likely be the main customer at that price.The D-Max EV appears fit for purpose with a rugged ladder frame chassis, one tonne payload, 3500kg braked towing capacity and dual motors putting it in the same ballmark as diesel-powered alternatives.Its dual motors make 130kW and 325Nm and are matched to a 66.9kWh battery, which is good for a WLTP-rated range of 262km. A max DC charge rate of 50kW will see the battery topped up from 20 to 80 per cent in one hour.It boasts 210mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of 600mm. Approach and departure angles are listed at 30.5 degrees and 24.2 degrees, respectively.Isuzu has ditched rear leaf spring suspension for more advanced De Dion suspension. It has permanent all-wheel drive and a dedicated Rough Terrain Mode.The D-Max EV looks mostly the same as the combustion version inside and out. Inside there is a 9.0-inch multimedia screen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an eight-inch digital display, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and front and rear parking sensors.Isuzu Australia has been contacted for an update on the D-Max EV’s prospects for Australia.

The new Toyota HiLux appears to have been leaked in an international presentation, with the 2026 model debuting a new-look front-end, bolder wheel arches and a new LED light treatment.It's not known whether the new look is the same as the one that will arrive in Australia, but if these are official images as is being reported, then they'd be in keeping with what we think we know so far about the new HiLux – namely that it would be an evolution rather than a revolution that carries-over much of the important stuff from the current-gen model.The 2026 model is expected to persevere with Toyota's 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, aided (as it is now) by a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.We haven't yet seen the interior of the new HiLux, but it's in the cabin where the bigger changes are expected to appear, with new materials and the addition of the Ranger-rivalling technology, including new screens.Plug-in hybrid and even hydrogen-fuelled options are on the horizon, but there aren't any major powertrain updates expected at launch – and a question over whether the HiLux's now-ageing platform could even be retrofitted for green energy solutions.It's more likely those options will appear some way down the track, when another new HiLux is debuted. In fact, CarsGuide has previously reported on a potential two-model HiLux strategy, where this 'new' model is joined by a genuinely all-new ute primed for electrification.All will be revealed soon enough, with the new HiLux expected to debut in the coming months, ahead of a launch in either late 2025 or early 2026.

A new player in the expanding electric vehicle (EV) market is coming to Australia. To be confirmed next year and expected to arrive locally starting from 2027, the EVs in question are from Mahindra – the 80-year old automotive brand from India better known for its global domination of tractors, rugged 4WDs and, more recently, value-priced urban SUVs like the XUV700 and recently-released XUV3XO. While not synonymous with electrification in its home market either, Mahindra has shocked sceptics by bounding into the top-three EV makers position in India this year to displace Hyundai, on the back of the Toyota RAV4-sized BE (Born Electric) 6e and its longer, BYD Sealion 7-esque coupe-SUV sibling badged the XEV (Crossover EV) 9e.

Fresh from conquering just about every segment Australia has to offer – from micro cars like the Picanto to performance cars like the 130 N and Ioniq 5 N and even big, electric SUVs like the EV9 and Ioniq 9 – Kia and Hyundai have now set their sights on only unexplored frontier left; the off-road crowd.