Ute News

In its CEO Investor Day report this week, Kia has confirmed its plans to introduce an electric ute to join the Tasman.

Toyota has whipped the covers off an updated HiLux GR Sport in Europe, with the model scoring increased ground clearance, wider front and rear tracks and revised suspension and damping to deliver what the brand calls “the best driving HiLux yet".But before were get too excited, Toyota in Australia tells us it isn’t aware of any plan to update our HiLux GR Sport, instead suggesting that the new model “introduces many of the features already available in Australia”.Billed as the Toyota HiLux GR Sport II, the European model does feature a lot of the upgrades already present on our hardcore HiLux, but the biggest discernible difference is the ground clearance.While Australia’s GR Sport is listed at 265mm, the V2 model increases that numbers to 323mm. It shares the same wider front and rear tracks, by 135 mm and 155 mm respectively, and the new information out of the Europe promises revised suspension and damping.“The suspension system has been revised with a 70 mm increase in the width of the front arms, the adoption of a lighter, tubular anti-roll bar and repositioning of the spring and damper assemblies further outboard. At the rear the axle has a new square cross-section and the dampers have been repositioned, to the outside of the vehicle’s frame,” Toyota Europe says.“Measures to gain a smoother and more stable ride over any terrain include new monotube dampers with large-diameter (46 mm) pistons in place of the previous twin-tube units. These provide better performance and faster response in tough conditions.”The Toyota HiLux GR Sport in Australia isn’t going anywhere — though a new model is reportedly earmarked for 2026.“The HiLux GR Sport being released in selected European markets introduces many of the features already available in Australia, such as the wider tracks and the 48V technology, although there may be some market-specific differences in specification and trim,” a Toyota Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide.Change is coming to the HiLux, though, with reports the 2026 update will include a GR Sport version that won't just feature key upgrades to improve its capability, comfort and cabin technology, but could also feature the thumping 2.4-litre i-Force Max hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Tacoma as an engine option.

Volkswagen and Walkinshaw have confirmed their continued collaboration on the second-gen Amarok will spawn a new variant in 2026.Partially revealed in a shadowy teaser, the new Walkinshaw Amarok appears to share a similar styling overhaul to the original previous-generation collaboration, complete with a larger set of wheels.It's expected to have a similar performance-oriented overhaul, particularly when it comes to suspension and off-road characteristics.Speaking to Australian journalists, CEO and owner of the Walkinshaw Group, Ryan Walkinshaw, said “the design is now locked in,” adding the Australian performance engineering company would now move on to the testing phase which would last the remainder of 2025.The next-gen “W Series” would then be scheduled for release during the course of 2026.Few other details were revealed about the performance-oriented ute, other than the collaboration was plotting “next-level design, performance, and handing”.However, with the Walkinshaw/Volkswagen team-up kicking off much earlier in the second-generation Amarok’s product cycle, Walkinshaw said the collaboration would be much deeper this time around, seemingly with the potential to result in more variations.He said thanks to the longer lifespan of the program the brands could “invest more money” in the project.“So, at the moment, we’ll be launching what you see but if it makes sense in the market and Volkswagen is obviously open to it, you know, we’re always keen to develop other variants and other great products.”Walkinshaw added that reception to the previous-generation road-focused W580, off-road W580X, and final edition W580 SE was positive, and that the scarcity of those variants was one of the main drawbacks of the original program.“So there were a lot of learnings in that initial program for ourselves and for Volkswagen and we can make sure we do the best job of delivering what everyone wants this time around.”Despite Walkinshaw Group now working on a wide variety of projects from the GMSV Chevrolet Silverado right-hand-drive conversion to the new Amarok, Mr Walkinshaw said adding more projects made the business bigger and more efficient.“The new Amarok program actually helps us scale and makes us more efficient, more competitive in the market, so the more programs we add on the more efficient and prospective we become for our customers."So we’re always ambitious to be growing.”The previous-generation Walkinshaw Amarok is now a sought-after limited edition, of which the most popular variant was the street-focused W580 which sold more than 2600 units during its limited production run.The W580 included a wider wheel and tyre package with correspondingly wider fender flares, re-worked suspension and a tweaked exhaust system to add to an overall styling overhaul.It may have disappointed some that the already-punchy 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine didn’t get further performance enhancements, although it’s possible further modifications could be on the table for the second-generation version, which in high-spec versions is powered by a Ford-sourced 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6.From there, the previous-generation W580 was developed into the W580X which focused more on off-road capability, with a 40mm suspension lift complete with twin-tube dampers, bash plates, rock sliders, diff breathers, and an optional factory snorkel.While VW was not yet willing to talk specifics on what changes will be made for the W series Amarok this time around, it would be unsurprising to see the collaboration spawn more than one variant.Sought-after Walkinshaw versions of the second-generation Ford Ranger-based Amarok can’t come soon enough for the German-branded, Australian-designed, and South African-built ute, which as of the first quarter of 2025 is comparatively unloved in Australia’s pantheon of utes.VW has moved 1459 units until the end of March, representing just 2.9 per cent share of the 4x4 ute segment, a 35.8 per cent drop year-on-year.

Deepal's odd ute-SUV priced!

As if we weren’t already inundated with new Chinese utes following last weekend’s Melbourne Motor Show, in which JAC, Foton and MG previewed incoming models, it appears another entrant has its eyes set on the Australian market.

Fresh from its Australian debut at the Melbourne Motor Show, Chinese commercial vehicle specialist Foton has revealed initial details for its Tunland ute series for this market.The Tunland had its local debut just after fellow Chinese brand MG held the global debut for its U9 pick-up.If the name Foton is familiar, it could be for a couple of reasons. Foton is a successful light truck maker in China and has recently launched its Aumark S range here.Another reason for the familiarity could be that Foton launched the original Tunland ute in Australia back in 2012, but poor safety scores, lack of brand recognition and quality issues hampered the brand’s expansion plans.Not that Foton’s local management is too concerned about the first time the brand had a presence here, with Foton Australia General Manager Glen Cooper highlighting the brand's backing from Subaru, Peugeot and Deepal importer Inchcape, telling CarsGuide, “I think we have got a fantastic product. It is well and truly a step up on what it used to be. I think I am pretty safe in saying that.  "And we are backed by Inchcape this time around. We are doing all the right things to really set it up right so I think we should be in a good spot,” he said.There are two versions of the Tunland coming to Australia - the Tunland V7 which the brand describes as a “no nonsense workhorse” that’s available in two- and four-wheel drive. The Tunland V9 has coil-spring suspension that Foton says gives the ute “SUV like comfort”.The pair will arrive in the third quarter of the year and Foton says it expects them to be competitively priced, although exact pricing is yet to be confirmed.Both utes are powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-diesel engine paired with a 48-volt mild hybrid system, producing 120kW/450Nm. It comes with an eight-speed ZF-sourced automatic and fuel use is yet to be announced for Australia.The pair will sport a 3500kg towing capacity and come with an advanced BorgWarner electronic selectable 4WD system.In terms of dimensions, the Tunland V7 and V9 are a size up from mainstream mid-size utes like the Ford Ranger (5370mm long) and Toyota HiLux (5325mm long), but not quite as large as US-sized pick-ups such as the Ford F-150 (5884mm long).Specification is yet to be announced but expect a 14.6-inch touchscreen, intelligent cabin tech, matrix LED headlights, four-way power seat adjustment and leather upholstery.The Tunland will compete with a number of utes, including the upcoming MG U9, as well as the Ford Ranger, GWM Cannon and Cannon Alpha, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton, Toyota HiLux and more.Cooper said there’s likely more new product on the horizon from the returning Chinese brand.“There’s an excellent product catalogue we are looking at overseas, so we will see what comes from that as well,” he said.

If you don't love this ute, you can give it back - but there's a catch.

The Kia Tasman ute hasn’t even arrived yet, but the outcry over its looks has been huge, with people saying it’s not just the ugliest car they have ever seen but the ugliest thing they’ve seen ever, like in their entire lives.

Could the Australian car industry have been saved?

Next year is shaping as one of the biggest, and most important, in Toyota's history, with fresh reports pointing to an avalanche of new products including an affordable LandCruiser, the updated Toyota HiLux and new RAV4 Hybrid.