Ute News

Hyundai is putting the finishing touches to its breakthrough range of dual-cab utes, offering elevated levels of design, engineering, capacity, capabilities and choice against competition as diverse as the Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6, Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning.

GWM is having a near range-wide sale with between $1000 and $6000 cut from drive-away prices until the end of the year. Additionally, the majority of discounted cars sold between now and November 8 get their three first scheduled services thrown in for free, valued between $297-$1870. The only exceptions are the Jolion Premium and Lux grades.Anyone who purchases GWM’s only battery electric car, the Ora, also gets a free charging station installation thrown in, valued at $1690. What’s the reason? Well, like BYD, MG and others with big offers on the table, it's partially about sales bragging rights but mostly clearing excess stock. GWM is on track for a record-breaking sales year in 2024, up 21.8 per cent having delivered 35,143 new cars. In October, it was in 10th spot, just shy of Nissan (37,710) and with a few strong months to round the year out, it could climb into ninth place.The new Cannon Alpha now starts at $49,990 drive-away with a $2000 discount on both the 135kW/480Nm diesel and unique 255kW/546Nm plugless hybrid version. Its smaller Cannon ute sibling with its smaller 120kW 2.0-litre turbo-diesel can be had from as little as $35,490 drive-away, a $3500 discount, while the blacked-out Vanta black-pack is $5000 more affordable at $42,490. The related Tank 300 Jeep Wrangler-rivalling off-roader now wades in at $45,990 ($2000 off) while the hybrid versions get $5000 knocked off the sticker, as low as $50,990 for the Lux. The only model to miss a straight discount is the Tank 500, though it still gets $1870 worth of scheduled servicing thrown in. GWM’s Haval SUV range includes a Kia Seltos challenger, the Jolion, which can be had for up to $3000 less in petrol guise, handily undercutting a Mitsubishi ASX at $23,990 drive-away.The larger H6 is also on offer with up to $3500 off the hybrid version, meaning the rival to Toyota’s in-demand RAV4 can be as low as $38,990 on-the-road. A petrol version can be had for $30,990 drive-away. Finally, the Ora electric car nearly makes its way as low as the MG4, with $2000 knocked off the Standard Range guise making it $33,990. The Extended Range gets a tantalising $6000 lopped from the price at $34,990 — plus a free home charging station.

With the launch of Toyota’s right-hand drive Tundra in Australia very clear in the rear-view mirror, the brand’s local arm is waiting to see what will happen with the segment it lives in.

Kia will launch an "unprecedented" pre-launch campaign for its new Tasman ute, essentially touring the country to connect customers with the vehicle so they can see, sit in and experience the brand's first dual-cab for themselves.

Stellantis officially reveals its STLA Frame platform which will underpin its next-generation RAM 1500, but will it be enough to keep the brand in the fight against Ford and GM?

SsangYong, soon to be known as KGM SsangYong, could have a sleeper ute on sale in Australia next year.

Ford has announced its strongest and most capable Ranger yet in the shape of the new Super Duty line-up. While little has been revealed for now, since sales won’t commence until 2026, Ford has confirmed a breakthrough 4500kg towing capacity, as well as 4500kg Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and 8000kg Gross Combined Mass (GCM) ratings.

At long last, Isuzu’s Thailand division has confirmed rumours that the brand will launch a new smaller diesel engine for its two-strong 4x4 line-up.

Toyota has confirmed full local details for its locally remanufactured Tundra ute as the model goes on sale in Australia, with its price set firmly at the top end of the American ute market.Starting from $155,990 before on-road costs, the 2025 Toyota Tundra will initially be offered in Australia in a single variant, the Limited, which in the US is around the middle of the line-up.It’s the lowest grade that can be had with the hybrid i-Force Max set-up, which pairs a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine and a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor for a total of 326kW and 790Nm. This heads to all four wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission and a part-time four-wheel drive system.The Tundra is the focus of a remanufacturing program in Melbourne, undertaken by Walkinshaw Automotive Group to convert the trucks from left- to right-hand drive. Its rivals undergo the same process.The program is the first of its kind for Toyota anywhere in the world and was paired with a local customer evaluation program, which saw more than 200 Tundras loaned to customers to provide feedback to Toyota.It is 5955mm long, 2040mm wide and 1985mm tall, and features a decent number of features visible from the outside including an ‘active front spoiler’ below the front grille, which changes position to improve aerodynamics or increase ground clearance.Its LED headlights feature automatic high-beam functionality, while 20-inch alloy wheels flank a side-step to assist cabin access.Inside, the Tundra Limited comes with a 14.0-inch touchscreen multimedia display, which Toyota said is the largest it offers, plus a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12-speaker JBL premium audio system.Wireless phone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, a series of USB ports including two rear USB-C outlets, dual-zone climate control, and heated and vented electrically adjustable synthetic leather front seats are also standard.It boasts a 4500kg braked towing capacity with optional towing kit, while its standard 3500kg rating and maximum tray payload of 758kg come thanks to the TNGA-F platform shared with the LandCruiser 300 Series and LandCruiser Prado.Toyota covers the Tundra with its five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as capped-price servicing at $450 per service over intervals of 6 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.The price is slightly higher than the $145,990 indicated pricing initially expected, but CarsGuide was told “the quoted amount is indicative only” at the time.The Tundra is approximately on par with the most expensive comparable (i.e. non-performance) offering from Ram, the $156,950 1500 Limited with RamBox. Only heavy-duty offerings such as the Silverado HD or Ram 2500 and 3500, and the supercharged Ram 1500 TRX are more expensive.

With Toyota’s evergreen HiLux being knocked from first place by the Ford Ranger and now the RAV4, Australia’s largest car brand sees big changes coming.