Ute News

The GWM Cannon is now a more serious contender than ever.

This is going to be the year of the plug-in hybrid ute.

Mazda has given its BT-50 workhorse a major upgrade.The BT-50 is a twin under the skin with the Isuzu D-Max but has Mazda’s very distinctive design language applied.New styling toughens up the BT-50’s appeal. It has a new bumper, grille, larger Mazda badge and new-look LED lights.These changes are joined by fresh looking wheels, side body cladding and a re-worked rear end.The base XS grade arrives priced from $36,400 (before on-road costs), which is about $1000 more than the outgoing version.It is only available in a single cab chassis layout and is the only model in the line-up powered by a 1.9-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that makes 110kW and 350Nm. This is paired with a six-speed automatic and two-wheel drive.Mazda has deleted manual transmissions from the BT-50 line-up.The XS comes with 17-inch steel wheels, cloth seats, an eight-inch multimedia touchscreen and safety tech such as auto emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert and a reversing camera.Next up is the XT grade, which is available in single cab, freestyle cab and dual-cab body styles.All XT variants are powered by the same 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine as before, which makes 140kW and 450Nm. This is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and buyers can choose between two- or four-wheel drive.The XT grade swaps out the steelies from the XS for alloy wheels of the same size. Four-wheel drive variants have a locking rear differential and rough terrain mode. Dual cab versions have rear aircon vents and pick-up shaped variants have tailgate assist and rear parking sensors.For a full list of prices for the XT, refer to the table below.Next up is the XTR grade that is only available in a dual-cab body with the choice of a cab chassis or pick-up rear. It uses the same 3.0-litre motor and is available with two- or four-wheel drive.It steps up its game with 18-inch alloy wheels, front LED fog lights, side steps, folding side mirrors, daytime running lights.Inside buyers can expect a nine-inch multimedia touchscreen, dual zone air conditioning, satnav, tyre pressure monitoring.Pick-up shaped XTRs have a tow bar and a tub liner.For a full list of XTR prices, see the table below.The GT grade is only available in four-wheel drive, and is available ith either a cab chassis or pick-up back end.It has heated exterior mirrors, leather wrapped seats that are power adjustable for the driver, both front seats have a heating function and there are front parking sensors and a remote engine starting function.The top-spec SP is only available as a pick-up shape with four-wheel drive.It has a range of exterior styling tweaks compared to the GT. These include 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels and gloss black highlights all over, a roller tonneau cover and synthetic leather and suede wrapped seats.Prices listed are before on-road costs

Leapmotor studying utes and vans as part of potential future commercial vehicle push.

Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle sales are surging, but the federal government is about to put a roadblock in the path of these petrol-electric machines.

Kia Australia remains bullish about its sales targets for the incoming Tasman ute despite public reaction to its polarising exterior design since its global reveal.

Kia set a sales record in Australia last year and the company’s boss has plans to smash that record again in 2025.

Ram is gearing up for a new model in one of the world’s largest vehicle segments.

If you’ve ever wondered what Ford wants to be then you’ll be happy to know the company’s global CEO and president Jim Farley has just told us — it’s Porsche.

Three years ago, very few Australians knew what BYD was. Now, it is fast becoming a household name.