Electric Cars

Kia’s wild looking Vision Meta Turismo concept looks set for full production as a futuristic, pure-electric successor to the Stinger sedan.As reported by Autocar, the Korean brand’s Executive Vice President and Head of Global Design Karim Habib has said the only thing stopping Kia putting sleek the GT in showrooms is evolving model line-up strategy."At this point, it is more strategic. It's a pure EV and the price of doing a high-performance EV is what is slowing us down.“Hopefully, the upward movement of EVs keeps going. I think there will be more openness to this car. At least that's what we're betting on," he said. Kia said the Vision Meta Turismo has been developed around “three core experiences” - performance driving, lounge-like space and comfort and immersive digital interaction - expressed as ‘Speedster’, ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Gamer’.A production version of the luxurious four-door would likely be underpinned by the Hyundai Group’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).Its 800-volt electric architecture enables dual-motor performance and ultra-fast charging, with the current EV6 and EV9 charging from 10 to 80 per cent in around 20 minutes on a 350kW pylon.This would put it on a collision course with some of China's latest and greatest, such as the Xiaomi SU7 and Denza Z9GT performance sedans.On the car’s potential role as a Stinger replacement Habib added, “We have a small history of doing cars like the Stinger and that's something we don't want to give up on. “The Meta Turismo is our idea of a sports sedan for the gamer generation. A few years ago, we started thinking about what could we do beyond SUVs?“We do produce and sell a lot of SUVs, which is good, but we also believe that there's more than that," he said. Headline features from the concept car unlikely to make production reality in their current form include an augmented reality head-up display that “distorts the surrounding space as speed intensifies”, a slide-away steering wheel and a series of game-style controllers including a central unit integrated into the front console structure.

Few brands do the whole cheap and cheerful thing better than the Chinese newcomers. Marques like Leapmotor, Geely, BYD and Chery have put such downward pressure on pricing that they’ve effectively redefined what things cost, and the old guard has been left scrambling (and often failing) to keep up. The challenge, though, is getting the balance exactly right. If you picture the scales of justice, with those little plates hanging off chains, you really want each side to be exactly even. The cheerfulness has to match the level of cheap and less of the former means more of the latter to balance the ledger. And on (admittedly brief) first impressions, the Leapmotor B03X is going to want to be cheap. It’s not that it lacks cheer entirely. It’s more that this feels like unapologetic cut-price motoring from behind the wheel, and Leapmotor would need to price it as such to make a splash in our market.In China, for example, it’s very, very affordable. The cheapest version converts to around $14,000 in Aussie dollars. That’s not going to happen in our market, but if it started in the mid-$20k bracket, those scales would be spirit-level balanced.But before we go any further than that, I should probably explain just what the hell I’m talking about, right?The B03X is Leapmotor’s small and all-electric SUV, called the A10 in China. At 4270mm long, 1810mm wide and 1635mm tall, we’re talking BYD Atto 2-sized here, which is the B03X’s clearest direct rival. In its domestic market it’s offered with two LFP battery sizes, 39.8kWh or 53kWh, with a claimed CLTC range of 403km or 505km. You need to shave some distance from both to get closer to an accurate WLTP number. I’m hypothesising here, but I’d say around 410kms from the bigger battery would be about right.DC fast charging is limited to around 130kW, but the brand says that's enough to go from 30 to 80 per cent charges in around 15mins. There's no word yet on AC charging, or how long it takes to go from empty to full.Providing the power is a front-mounted (so front-wheel drive) electric motor, and the power outputs are, well, less than impressive. You can choose between 70kW and 150Nm, presumably with the smaller and lighter battery. The most powerful version dials those figures all the way up (well, not that far up, actually) to 90kW and 150Nm.You don’t need to don a deerstalker hat to figure out what those outputs mean for acceleration. We put the B03X to a brief test on a rented track near Leapmotor’s Chinese HQ, and found flat-footed acceleration to be leisurely at best.The brand says the run to 100km/h can take up to 12 seconds, but it feels longer. Prepare to be overtaken by Lime bikes. And possibly pedestrians. That alone largely limits the B03X to the urban jungle. You'd need a sun dial to accurately measure overtaking manoeuvres on our long and dusty highways.I’m hesitant to waggle a finger too aggressively at vehicles we drive in China, as their tastes differ so much from our own. Most brands – Leapmotor included – change the ride and handling balance for export markets. And should the B03X make it to Australia, they will likely do the same, as the domestic-market version felt a little too soft and spongey through its suspension.If that’s the cheap, what’s the cheerful? You get a hell of a lot of stuff for your investment, whatever that ends up being. An electric powertrain, decent city range, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED lighting, a giant 14.6-inch central screen, a second digital driver display, clever under-seat storage, seat heating, a glass roof, a cabin without a scrap of fabric and an automatic boot.You also get Leapmotor's version of a slightly watered-down take on Tesla's Full Self Driving Supervised. The B03X will hold its speed on the freeway, change lanes and even take the right exit without your input.There's also space, and lots of it. Myself and another adult sat in the backseat of the B03X for about 30 minuntes or so, and we found we had plenty of room to get comfy. There’s also more than 600 litres of cargo space – and more than 1500L with the backseat folded flat.The B03X isn’t confirmed for an Australian launch, but it’s on the brand’s consideration list for a local debut. It just needs to get those scales to balance first.

Hot on the heels of Volkswagen’s unveiling of its fully electric ID. Polo, the brand has hinted that a high-performance ‘Clubsport’ version of the little hatch is on the way, according to reports.The ID. Polo is Volkswagen’s first electric variant of the model and it has just arrived in Europe to rival the likes of the BYD Dolphin and MG4 with an entry price of about $41,000. The sporty GTI version is due to launch in Europe next year.Now according to British publication Autocar, Volkswagen is tinkering away on an even sportier ‘Clubsport’ variant.While at the preview drive of the ID. Polo GTI Volkswagen dynamics boss Florian Umbach hinted of what was to come."We are working on something," he told Autocar. "There is certainly more peak power that we can find from the motor and battery hardware that we have and more torque that the front axle could handle also. There is clear potential.” Umbach also revealed that Volkswagen was working on a paddle shift style ‘gear-change’ system for the vehicle similar to what Hyundai uses on the Ioniq 5 N.“This is simply a software thing,” he explained. “It’s all about motor control and an audio soundtrack to match.” There is a catch, however. And that, according to Umbach, is the success of the GTI. If that proves popular then his other ‘dream’ projects like Clubsport have a chance of getting the green light.“These are the kinds of things that the executive board will only let us explore if the GTI is a commercial success, of course. If people respond to this car as it is, we can really take it to the next level.”The ID. Polo has yet to be confirmed for Australia with the local arm saying that neither availability nor timing for the arrival of the hatch were certain.The ID. Polo is shorter in length than its petrol cousin at 4053mm, but wider at 1816mm and taller at 1530mm.Powering the ID. Polo is a choice of three motors making 85kW, 99kW and 155kW, while the GTI version will produce 166kW.Two batteries are offered - a 37kWh with 329km of range and a 52kWh battery will offer up to 454km.Volkswagen has a growing range of electric models in its Australian line-up which includes the ID. Buzz people mover, ID. Cargo van and Transporter, along with the ID. 4 and ID.5 SUVs. 

Toyota's new CEO says the world's biggest automotive brand would engage in some big changes as it battles shrinking profits in a tough global economy.Chief Executive Officer of Toyota, Kenta Kon, said while Toyota had strong results thanks to “marketing efforts” in several key markets, including the USA where it had a record sales result, the company was expecting operating income to continue to decline due to the conflict in the Middle East and ongoing challenges with US tariffs.Importantly,  Kon earmarked several big areas of change. One is to reduce the amount of time it was taking the brand to deliver new hybrid models, something Australian buyers of the new-generation RAV4 (or even the previous RAV4 during production shortages of COVID) will be familiar with.“Our hybrid customers have been waiting a long time to receive delivery, so we must deliver to these customers more reliably. That’s the first thing we must achieve, because as a manufacturer, that is our biggest mission,” Kon said at a press conference announcing its 2025 full year financial results.Currently, the new RAV4 has a three-to-six month waiting period, depending on model grade.Toyota Australia's Vice President of Sales Marketing and Franchise Operations, John Pappas, recently told CarsGuide the increase in complexity for the new model range across 2WD, AWD, and now plug-in hybrid variants would have an impact.As a result of these delays, plus a dip in supply between the runout of the old model and launch of the new version, Toyota’s Australian sales dropped 19.3 per cent in March, marking an overall drop of 23 per cent down for the quarter year-on-year.Toyota’s long-touted multi-pathway strategy, which has seen the Japanese auto giant move slowly on its roll-out of battery electric vehicles, is something Kenta Kon will be looking to “accelerate” as part of a new mission to “re-organise our production models".This could mark a big change for the company. As to what Kon means, he said while Toyota was “fortunate” to be in a financial position to keep providing its buyers the “convenience” of hybrids, going forward the brand will need to undertake a “review of the model mix".“As we pursue along the line of multi-pathway, that will naturally increase the number of models and that means an increase in the number of parts and specifications which will make this even more complex for customers” Kon said.“So I believe that if we can review that complexity, that would have a major impact.”However, responding to a question on globally plateauing EV demand, Kon said the company’s strategy would still include increased battery electric sales.“Whatever the cars that our customers want, we would like to deliver - if our customers want BEVs we will deliver them good BEVs and that will remain the fundamental part of our strategy,” he said.Adding to Kon’s comments, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Toyota, Yoichi Miyazaki, said the company had to “adjust the sales numbers to actual demand and in areas where BEVs will grow".Interestingly, he noted the brand would continue to lean into its joint-venture operations for fully electric sales success.Miyazaki noted China, which is already a “mainstream market to begin with for BEVs” was already a success story for Toyota off the back of its FAW and GAC joint-venture models like the bZ3X.He also said Toyota’s strategy to roll out both its own and joint-developed models with Suzuki will continue in Europe. Interestingly, he also earmarked the USA as having strong potential for battery electric growth.Miyazaki also declared one thing Toyota won’t do as part of its strategy going forward, despite the need to repair its profits.“There was a time when we only pursued volumes. We will never go back to that, and each of our employees understand that,” he said.Stay tuned to see what impacts Toyota's global strategic changes will have on the local product offering, as Australia's new emissions laws for passenger vehicles inevitably have an impact on the brand's line-up.

We’ve hit peak ute and the only way is down as Aussies abandon the diesel-guzzling workhorses.

The 2026 Mini Aceman could be the perfect Mini - not too big and not too small - and with a fully electric powertrain. But what's it like at urban duties?

Chinese carmaker BYD is making history as it rockets its way up the Australian sales charts that could see it finish in second place by the end of the year.Year-to-date BYD has sold 25,243 vehicles in Australia. Perennial top five seller Hyundai has recorded 25,103 so far, while Ford, the second-best selling brand in Australia last year, has managed 25,920.What’s so impressive is not just how many cars BYD selling, but the speed of its conquest of our market. This time last year BYD had sold 11,974 cars and somehow in the space of a year the brand has pushed past nearly every other carmaker in the country and looks to be headed to finishing second in 2026.The brands that still stand in BYD’s way are Kia with (27,080 cars sold so far in 2026), Mazda (27,526) and of course Toyota (59,675).Toyota is like the final big boss of the Aussie car game and BYD is one hundred per cent not going to beat it this year or possibly ever. It would be fun to entertain the idea that BYD could beat Toyota at some point in the future, but the only way that could happen is if Toyota tripped so badly in the sales race it couldn’t get back up again.We have seen huge brands rise and fall. Holden was once Australia’s top selling brand and today… well, it doesn’t exist.So Toyota’s is a lock for top spot this year, and the reality of BYD taking the silver medal is a very real possibility.That would send shock waves through the industry and mark the end of time for established brands such as Ford, which relies almost entirely on one model — the Ranger ute — to keep it on top.Ford would be anxious and brands such as Mazda, Kia and Hyundai would be feeling the heat, too.   Monthly sales for BYD show just how quickly the brand is striding ahead. In April BYD sold 7702 cars in Australia. Kia sold 6450, Hyundai 6002, Ford 5748 and Mazda 5636.Toyota, by the way, sold 15,185 cars in April.Are we living in unusual times? Interesting times, but not unusual. It seems that every 10 to 15 years a new big force arrives. Kia and Hyundai were the previous big force. Now it’s the Chinese brands' turn, and they're currently elbowing each other out the way to get to the front while the old guard scratches its head wondering what just happened. The catalyst for change has been the switch to electric cars and with Toyota, Ford, Mazda, Nissan and Mitsubishi hardly having an EV between them, Chinese brands have swooped in to offer what people want.BYD, Chery, MG, GWM, Geely and Zeekr are offering outstanding and affordable electric cars and hybrids from hatches and sedans to SUVs and utes.MG and GWM were first on the scene, and both have become a part of Australia’s automotive landscape.BYD has won over Aussies even quicker.Four years ago almost nobody in Australia had heard of BYD, or Build Your Dreams as it was known then. As motoring journalists we were aware of the new brand from China, but hardly saw it as an immediate threat to the likes of MG, which had already won over Aussies with models such as the MG ZS. Nope, in 2022 BYD appeared to be just another Chinese brand hoping to ride the wave of interest in EVs that had taken off in Australia.The popularity of BYD models such as the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute, Atto 3 small electric SUV and Sealion 7 electric SUV have been central to the brand’s success. Crucial to the brand’s continued rise is bolstering its line-up with a multitude of other models, such as the Atto 1 electric hatchback, Atto 2 electric small SUV, Sealion 5 compact plug-in hybrid SUV, Sealion 6 mid-size plug-in hybrid SUV and Sealion 8 seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV.BYD could just make it to second spot this year, but how long it can stay there is another story. Hyundai or Kia could make a comeback, but what is looking even more likely is a challenge from a fellow Chinese brand such as Chery. Chery only has five models but sold 4322 cars in April, and this year it will launch its diesel hybrid ute to rival the BYD Shark 6 and that could add an extra 1000 sales a month. Then again the ute market appears to be headed into troubled waters - again, another story for another day.For now it’s BYD time in the sun and while that might not mean being number one, number two would do.

Actions speak louder than words and the fact Chery has lined up a QQ3 at one of its proving grounds a stone's throw from its Wuhu HQ suggests the small hatch will be announced for our market shortly.Priced in China from the equivalent of just $A14,000, in Australia we think the QQ3 will cost the same as a BYD Atto 1 ($23,990 plus on-road costs), which is remarkable as the much-bigger Chery offers the space of a Toyota Corolla, plus a far longer range, compared to other cheap EVs.Throw in pleasing rear-wheel drive handling, brisk acceleration and class-leading in-car tech and the new Chery QQ3 has all the makings of a big hit. That's if Chery Australia chooses to import it.As it pours with rain, the poor all-electric hatch has already suffered at the hands of other journos, with multiple cone strikes having already made their mark, but the odd minor dent here and there doesn't take the shine off one of Chery's most appealing designs so far.Paying homage to the first-generation Chery QQ, that was little more than a rip-off of the pint-sized Daewoo Matiz, the new curvy QQ3 gains oval-shaped LED lamps, smooth door handles, a floating roof and slanted C-pillars.Measuring in at 4195mm long, 1811mm wide and standing 1569mm tall, the QQ3 has a relatively long 2700mm wheelbase for plenty of space within.For reference, that's 95mm shorter, 41mm wider and 1mm shorter than the BYD Dolphin, with the same wheelbase.Boot space is 375 litres, with a useful 70-litre frunk tucked up under the bonnet. Inside, there's also said to be a further 38 storage areas dotted around the light and spacious cabin, including a 35-litre compartment under the rear seats.Six exterior hues are available with further optional finishes for the roof, the youthful exterior is reflected within and the entry model Chery's cabin surprisingly comes with some advanced big car kit, despite its low price.Headline equipment includes an 8.8-inch instrument cluster and a huge 15.6-inch central multimedia screen which runs a punchy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip for faster, smoother reactions.The tech includes an AI-powered voice assistant and standard Apple CarPlay. As an added bonus, our car also came with ventilated and heated front seats and vehicle-to-load charging (V2L), with the latter able to top up domestic appliances like laptops or e-bikes.In China, two powertrains are available – one with 58kW and 90Nm of torque and another with 90kW and 115Nm of torque.Battery options include a 29.48kWh and a 41.28kWh powerpack, with even the baby powerpack delivering 310km of range. The bigger battery, meanwhile, sees the QQ3 drive up to 420km, but both of those figures are on the more lenient Chinese CLTC test cycle, so expect a big drop off when evaluated using the more stringent WLTP testing.Plug into a DC fast charger and Chery says the QQ3 takes 16.5 minutes for a 30-to-80 per cent top up, with no claim for the more common 10-to-80 per cent charge.Further big car tech includes an optional adaptive cruise that follows the navigation, lane-keep assist, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, plus auto parking and 360-degree surround view.We didn't get to experience either, as we only had an extremely limited time behind the wheel, but can report that off the line the 90kW version offers plenty of performance, while a tight and twisty course reveals the rear-drive QQ3 offers enough agility to be fun on a country road.Grip levels and braking performance were impressive, considering the wet conditions.

Has Hyundai turned its 'ugly duckling' into a beautiful swan? The all-new Hyundai Ioniq 6 N gives the brand's polarising electric sedan a high-powered makeover. Featuring supercar levels of performance and a raft of groundbreaking technology, the Ioniq 6 N is a technical masterpiece. But is it an exciting and engaging performance car to drive? We test it on road and track to find out.

Safety ratings have been handed out for the hotly-anticipated Tesla Model Y L, BYD Seal 6 and other EVs, with a surprise for one family SUV.This latest batch of results were assessed using the Australasian New Car Assessment Program's (ANCAP) outdated 2023-2025 testing criteria, with the revamped 2026 criteria still to be officially brought in.The new testing protocols will have a greater focus on accident prevention, emphasising safe driving and crash avoidance, while crash protection remains an important factor.These vehicles are now able to hold a five star rating for six years."We can expect to see ratings assessed under 2023 to 2025 criteria for some time as they enter the Australian and New Zealand markets," ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg said in a statement to CarsGuide. "The first vehicles rated against the new 2026 criteria are expected later this year.”The incoming six-seat Tesla Model Y L SUV has been awarded a five-star rating, which is based on the rating of the standard Model Y. The Model Y L is Tesla’s first three-row car on sale, with deliveries starting last week. ANCAP said there were additional tests undertaken on the car to ensure results were applicable to the Model Y L.While achieving a protection rating of 91 per cent for Adult Occupant, ANCAP noted there were difficulties in correctly installing child restraints. This resulted in an 11 per cent decrease to 84 per cent for Child Occupant protection compared to the standard Model Y.The incoming BYD Seal 6 also received a five-star rating, with the car arriving imminently in the Australia as a plug-in hybrid sedan or wagon. The Seal 6 received an overall adult protection rating of 92 per cent, with maximum points for side impact and oblique pole tests, with good protection generally offered on the frontal offset test.Elsewhere Child Occupant protection was at 90 per cent, while Vulnerable User Protection was 84 per cent. MG’s new MG4 Urban budget EV has also picked up a five-star rating, courtesy of protection ratings of 87 per cent for Adult Occupant and 86 per cent for Child Occupant.The MG4 was marked down for marginal protection of the driver’s legs due to upward pedal movement.The Skoda Octavia was also awarded five stars, following reassessment of vehicles built from July 2025.