Cars

A major European brand has signalled intent for its China-built cars to go global.

Another affordable SUV is set for the axe in Australia.

Nissan's slick new ute has taken a surprising turn. It was previously thought the Nissan Frontier Pro ute would only launch with a plug-in hybrid set-up, but it has now been revealed with a petrol and diesel engine options in China.The Frontier Pro PHEV is destined for a global launch, with Australia potentially on the cards. Nissan Oceania Vice President and Managing Director Andrew Humberstone said that the brand is working on getting the ute down under. “New Navara and Frontier Pro together? Oh, yeah, absolutely,” he said to CarsGuide.“And it wouldn't be one or the other. I would absolutely see an opportunity for both of them (in Australia).”The Frontier Pro plug-in hybrid has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine, with a single electric motor producing 320kW and 800Nm. Its pure electric driving range is 135km according to the very generous CLTC testing system. The new petrol and diesel engines put it on a collision course with some of the biggest sellers in Australia, such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine produces 192kW and 400Nm, while the 2.3-litre turbo-diesel motor produces 140kW and 500Nm. Both are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Frontier Pro came about as a joint venture between Nissan and Dongfeng Motor Group and is designed and built in China. This will be the first time one of Nissan’s Chinese vehicles will take on the global market. Nissan currently sells the Navara ute in Australia, which comes exclusively with a 2.3-litre turbo-diesel engine. The brand recently announced a new D27-series Navara, which will launch in the first quarter of 2026 and will be tasked with turning around a tough sales decline. The current generation Navara starts from $36,428 (before on-road costs) for the single cab chassis, with the whole Navara range mustering less than 6,500 sales so far in 2025. This leaves it far behind many of its rivals such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max, who collectively are approaching 100,000 sales in 2025. The plug-in hybrid variant of the Frontier Pro would have to hunt down BYD’s Shark 6, which has had an excellent start to life in Australia, with more than 15,000 sales in Australia. A new diesel variant, if it were to come to Australia, would go into direct competition with the big hitters of the segment. 

The Toyota GR Corolla is bringing some efficiency and structural updates that are set to sharpen up the Japanese hot hatch.The Kia EV4 sedan will be the first EV4 body style to arrive, with its production in South Korea meaning it's easier to get here first.Closely related to the EV3, the EV4 is longer, wider and taller than a Tesla Model 3.Built in Slovakia and set to arrive later, the Kia EV4 hatch will mirror the sedan in many ways, aside from being shorter.As with the sedan, a a 58kWh Standard Range or 81kWh Long Range pack are confirmed internationally.Want to know what other new models are due in 2026? Check out our rolling coverage by clicking on the links below. Best EVs Australia 2026Best Ute Australia 2026Best 4x4 Australia 2026Best New Cars 2026 AustraliaBest Family Cars Australia 2026Best Hybrid Cars Australia 2026Best SUVs Australia 2026

Leapmotor to take on BYD's Atto 2 and Toyota's Corolla Cross.

Hyundai has reportedly started preparations for production of its forthcoming Santa Fe range-extender electric vehicle (REEV).As reported by ETNews, the South Korean carmaker currently plans to complete development of the new vehicle’s combustion engine and engine control unit (ECU) by the first half of 2026.It’s reported that mass production of the Santa Fe REEV will commence towards the end of 2026 at the company’s forthcoming Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America facility.The US will be the target initially due to the success of the Santa Fe in that market, with global sales expected for 2027.At this stage it’s unclear whether Hyundai plans to offer the Santa Fe REEV in Australia. It’s currently offered with either turbo-petrol or hybrid powertrains.No details about the Santa Fe REEV’s powertrain have been confirmed yet, but it’s believed to offer double the driving range of the Ioniq 6 (up to 614km of range). This theoretically means a total driving range of 1200km could be on offer.Like other REEVs, it’s understood the primary driving force will come from either one or two electric motors, with a petrol engine acting purely as a generator to top up the battery pack.REEVs are becoming increasingly popular in the Chinese market and while the Holden Volt and BMW i3 REx were among the first REEVs to ever be offered in Australia, there’s now the Leapmotor C10 REEV.It’s understood Genesis is also working on REEV technology and is planning to launch a GV70 REEV in the near future. The brands could be sharing the development work.In addition to this new REEV powertrain for the Santa Fe, it’s expected there’s an imminent facelift due which will address some of the complaints about its exterior design.This could include a redesign of the horizontal low-sitting tail-lights. A recently spied prototype showed what appeared to be vertically oriented units, skirting the edges of the vehicle’s tailgate.New LED headlights and daytime running lights were shown too, ditching the current model's H-shaped look.The updated Santa Fe will likely also introduce the company’s new Pleos Connect infotainment software which is more software-defined than current operating systems and will offer over-the-air updates, among other things.More prototypes of the updated Santa Fe, potentially with the new REEV powertrain, will likely be spied ahead of its expected reveal next year.

Mazda's EV and hybrid onslaught detailed

Audi’s China-only brand AUDI has just debuted its next vehicle in concept form — the E SUV.Audi is living a double life releasing cars you’ve never seen nor heard of in China under its AUDI brand. Yes, all uppercased and without any sign of the familiar four rings. It’s been a massive success, so far. When AUDI launched the E5 Sportback in September, the company received 10,153 orders within the first 30 minutes of the books opening. Impressive even by Chinese standards.Now AUDI is offering a taste of its follow up act for China with the E SUV Concept, which was unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show over the weekend.The E SUV Concept is an SUV version of the E5 Sportback, which is expected to be formally named the AUDI E8 SUV when it goes into production.The E SUV Concept shares similar styling to the E5, with its signature giant LED trapezoidal lighting from and rear, but brings its own flavour with an SUV coupe design.Industry publication Car News China reports that the E8 will also use the same Advanced Digitised Platform (ADP) as the E5 and also use tech from Audi’s joint venture partner SAIC’s IM Motors brand.Car News China predicts the top grade E8 will be equipped with 800V architecture, along with a 109kWh battery with a range of up to 700km (CLTC).Single-motor rear and dual motor all-wheel drive variants will be available with the latter producing a combined 500kW with an estimated 0-100km/h sprint coming in under five seconds.We don't know what the cabin of the concept looks like, it makes sense to assume the interior is much like the E5 Sportback with an expansive curved screen that traverses the dash of a minimalist but luxurious looking cabin.The Chinese launch of the E8 is expected in early 2026. As for when it comes to Australia, unfortunately that's very unlikely to happen. The closest Australians can get to driving and Audi E8 or E5 is through one of IM Motors products currently being sold in Australia. IM has arrived in Australia as a luxury sub brand of MG. The current line-up includes the IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV. The top-of-the-range IM6 Performance comes in at $80,990 and comes standard with a 100kWh battery with up to 505km of range, dual motors for all-wheel drive making 572kW and 702Nm, and 800V architecture.  

Car companies typically focus on selling vehicles customers want to buy. But Volkswagen openly admits its newest model is unlikely to be a big seller.

BYD's flagship SUV has already been given buff before its even launched in Australia, Car News China reports.The Chinese brand has announced an upgraded version of its Sealion 8 seven-seater large SUV that is launching very soon in Australia.It will be the largest and most expensive BYD that has been introduced to the market so far. BYD sells the Sealion 8 in China with electric and plug-in hybrid variants, but it will be solely available as a plug-in hybrid when it hits Aussie shores.The plug-in hybrid option Australia will get comes with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces a total output of 400kW and 668Nm.The new Sealion 7 gets 115kW from the four-cylinder engine and paired with electric motors, offers a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds.This new version will boost range, with the 36.5kWh battery boasting an electric-only range of 175-215km via the more lenient CLTC testing system. The Australian bound versions can drive a climbed 152km using the slightly more stringent NEDC test cycle. Other updates include a re-designed front grille, bamboo wood trim, while there are improved driver assistance features. There is an all-electric version of the Sealion 8 in China that has a dual-motor set-up. The front motor produces 230kW, while the rear motor makes 580kW, to achieve a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds. It has a massive 101kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery that provides a CLTC range of 670km for the top-tier variant. BYD is growing its presence in Australia as they target a top-three place in the market by the end of next year, according to BYD Australia boss Stephen Collins.Both its Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV and Sealion 7 all-electric SUV have been well received in Australia with strong sales figures. The comparatively larger Sealion 8 will be priced competitively to its main rivals, between $65,000 and $75,000. Jaecoo’s Omoda 9 plug-in starts from $61,990, as a five-seater. But the Sealion 8 will also have to take on the Kia Sorento, which is a dominant seller in the seven-seater segment. Its plug-in variant starts from just over $70,000.Another challenger will be the seven-seater variant of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in, which starts from under $70,000.It is unclear whether this new Sealion 8 will be seen in Australia, with the original variant still yet to hit showrooms. BYD has not confirmed whether it will bring the electric version of the Sealion 8 to Australia, but it is rapidly expanding its line-up into new segments.