Ute News

Ford's Ranger Super Duty undercuts big American trucks as ultimate dual-cab for hardcore applications

BYD is gearing up for a massive new-model rollout that should cement its place in Australia's top 10 car brands.

Tesla in Australia has lifted the lid on its model plans, and its wish list, for our market, with the brand touching on everything from the long-rumoured Tesla Model 2 or cheaper EV products to the seven-seat Model Y.

Kia Australia appears to have confirmed the future direction of its Tasman ute, conceding a plug-in hybrid powertrain was "on the radar" as the brand prepares to officially launch the diesel variant of its first-ever ute.Kia Australia chief Damien Meredith was quick to point out that no timelines were currently in place, and the focus was squarely on the launch of the diesel-powered Tasman, which has so far accrued close to 2000 orders."I think it's on the radar, but let's get the 2.2-litre diesel up and firing, and then we can talk about other engine options," he said.His comments follow similar suggestions from Kia Australia General Manager of Product Planning, Roland Rivero, who recently told CarsGuide the Kia Tasman platform had been future-proofed.“It’s a modular platform and it can accommodate numerous powertrains,” he told CarsGuide, when asked about the possibility of a plug-in hybrid.“Tasman will have a long life as most light commercial vehicles will, and we’ll do what we need to do from a market perspective.Plug-in hybrid petrol powertrains have emerged as the saviour of the ute segment, at least in terms of capability, as pressure on the continued sale of diesel engines mount.The Ford Ranger PHEV, for example, maintains its 3.5-tonne towing capacity, while the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha both promise off-road capability.Toyota, too, has confirmed it is working on a plug-in hybrid solution as the future of the HiLux."If we can get to a situation where a PHEV has the capability of doing 200-plus kilometres on BEV alone — so in other words, if I've got a HiLux I can just go around town, I can run that on BEV and be carbon-neutral pretty well, providing I'm using renewable energy to do it," Toyota Australia's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Sean Hanley, told CarsGuide last year.“Now the issue is of course can it tow? Can it take a heavy load? Well, to be able to flick a switch and say, well, for those moments where I'm going out off-road or for those moments where I need to tow a heavy load, I've got the convenience of going to a normal hybrid engine and I can get 500 or 600 kilometres and it's convenient, then I see a role for PHEV in that space."Asked directly whether Toyota is working on a 200km-range PHEV, Mr Hanley told us: “Of course we are. And so that to us would represent two things. It's practical (and) it can do things that the customer wants it to do.”

Kia has confirmed to CarsGuide its Tasman ute is currently being evaluated by police forces around Australia.

Chery has detailed its first ‘global’ ute offering, the Rely 08 in China which seems destined for export markets like Australia.

The next-gen Subaru Brumby ute is champing at the bit to make a return to Australian roads.

Ford Australia has just launched the highly anticipated Ranger plug-in hybrid, with the Blue oval soon to boast two plug-in hybrid models in its commercial vehicle range.

Ryan Walkinshaw himself explains how one of the brand's most controversial HSV models was the springboard for local re-manufacturing.

The Kia Tasman appears off to a running start in Australia, with the new diesel dual-cab accruing enough orders to see it finish ahead of the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Mazda BT-50 and BYD Shark 6 – and alongside the Isuzu D-Max – in its first month of deliveries.