Electric Cars

You’ve no doubt heard the term ‘design by committee’, which is another way of describing what happens when too many people have too much input in a creative project, and so the end result has had any unique or interesting features beaten right out of it.Well, I have another term for your lexicon. And that is ‘design by France’. And that, it seems, is the complete opposite, where just one person says ‘I think our family focused electric SUV should look like a muscular hot hatch. Throw those 20-inch alloys on it, too. Oh, and I want so many stalks behind the steering wheel that it feels like the driver is lost in a corn field.”Case in point? The Renault Scenic E-Tech Esprit Alpine (even the name is faintly ridiculous). On paper, none of the above would make much sense. But in an electrified world awash with same-same design (take amorphous blob, apply wheels), the Renault is a breath of fresh air.The matt grey paint and black roof of our test car (+$1300) surely helps, but the Esprit Alpine looks good/different, and its tough, muscular design only further grew on me.Inside, the good/different continues with Renault making some clever material choices, including the couch-like fabric (which turned out to be kenaf, a plant fibre) stretching across the dashboard and up the A-pillars. It gives the cabin a warm, modern and more environmentally conscious feel than the usual slabs of black plastic or synthetic leather.Less immediately positive is the congregation of stalks behind the steering wheel, with the gear selector, windscreen wiper stalk and separate media-control unit all clustered together. Add to that one of the flappy paddles that controls the regen braking and it's a busy place behind the wheel.Truthfully, it’s fine and fairly intuitive once you know where everything is, but it is confusing at first.In more good news, Renault hasn’t buried everything behind the vertical 12.0-inch central screen and horizontal 12.3-inch digital driver display (all angled toward the driver), either. There are physical air-con controls, steering-wheel buttons and mercifully the ability to adjust your wing mirrors from the driver's window panel.The tech generally works well, too. Wireless Apple CarPlay was flawless on test, and there’s a wireless phone charger that holds your phone in place, which is rarer than you might think. There’s also a deep storage area under the centre console, more space under the armrest and twin USB-C ports up front, though the single cupholder reminds you this is still a fairly compact-feeling vehicle in places.The front of the cabin can feel a little tight in terms of width and not all of the materials are winners. Some of the door plastics feel cheap, and that is even more obvious in the back seat, where the door trims and some of the other plastics don't feel overly premium.But space in the back is impressive. Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had enough knee room to properly stretch out and the flat floor means the middle-seat passenger isn’t forced to straddle a transmission tunnel.There are two ISOFIX points, rear air vents, twin USB-C ports and a very clever fold-down centre armrest with cupholders and some extra storage built in.The boot isn’t huge in length, but it is deep and tall, and will swallow a total of 545 litres with the rear seats in place, or 1670 with them folded flat. A bit like the rest of the 4470mm-long, 1864mm-wide and 1565mm-high Scenic, then, in that none of it feels massive, but it does feel cleverly packaged.The nuts and bolts are positive, too. While lesser Scenic models get 125kW and 280Nm, this flagship model ups that to 160kW and 300Nm, produced via a front-mounted electric motor that delivers a sprint to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.It gets the biggest battery, too, an 87kWh lithium-ion unit that delivers an impressive WLTP range of 625km. Charging is 11kW AC, or 150kW DC, the latter below average in a world of faster-charging EVs.On the road, the Scenic is a more complicated thing. It has all the ingredients that should make it one of my favourite driving cars. The steering is quite natural feeling, there's a firmness to the suspension that doesn't disconnect you from the road below and the acceleration is perky enough without being brutal.But it's the way those ingredients are put together that takes more getting used to than I expected. It feels as though the sensitivity has been dialled right up to the point where it can feel overly reactive to inputs, and as the brake pedal doesn't always feel linear in its application, it can end up feeling a bit jerky on the road.It just takes some getting used to with your inputs to smooth out the drive experience, and I should point out that my test was exclusively in greater Sydney, and the Scenic feels like a car that would really shine on flowing roads out of town.Still, it feels a cut above plenty of newcomer EVs from behind the wheel. There is a connection to what's going on beneath the tyres that's missing from some newer brands and there's very little in the way of motion sickness-inducing body roll from the Scenic's chassis.And perhaps best of all, I covered plenty of kilometres and all sorts of road conditions, and the active safety systems remained mostly quiet, calm and blissfully quiet throughout.Downsides? The reversing camera is poor. It has a weird fisheye effect that makes judging your surroundings harder than it should be, to the point where you end up relying on mirrors and old-fashioned shoulder checks instead.At five years or 100,000km, the warranty is way off the pace, too.And it isn't challenger-brand cheap. My car is $65,990, before on road costs, and before you add the $1300 in paint and roof. That’s real money. The longer-range Tesla Model Y is $68,900 MSRP. But the mid-tier Kia EV5 Earth is $64,990, and adds a second motor and AWD. That said, though, there is a cheaper Renault, still with the long-range battery, that starts below $60k. Still, what price a little joie de vivre?

A new report has shed light on which electric vehicles (EVs) maintain the highest percentage of battery life over time.Swedish car marketplace Carla has published results from a study into battery life of electric cars, using data from 10,000 battery tests on EVs in Sweden between 2022 and 2026.The results may come as a surprise to some, with the best brand for battery health after 10,000km travelled being Kia, and the second best being Hyundai with 96.8 per cent and 95.4 per cent battery health, respectively.The next brands down were premium marques Mercedes-Benz (95 per cent) and BMW (94.5 per cent), with Ford (94.3 per cent) sitting above Geely Group brands Volvo (94.2 per cent) and Polestar (93.7 per cent).Volkswagen Group vehicles took up the next four positions, which in order included Audi (92.9 per cent), Skoda (92.6 per cent), VW (92.4 per cent) and Porsche (90.9 per cent).Tesla, which is often quoted as a brand with impressive battery degradation figures in other studies placed 12th in the Swedish study, with its cars maintaining 90.2 per cent battery health after 10,000km.The grouping of various brands together comes as little surprise given each parent company will source batteries from similar places and use familiar chemistries and heat management methods.Another graph from the same study shows average battery degradation between the first 50,000km (94.39 per cent) and the next 50,000km was negligible, at just over 2 per cent. Average battery health of the 10,000 cars tested by 100,000km was 92.35 per cent.More interesting is the breakdown by model, with the study showing the car with the least overall battery degradation was the Kia Niro EV, which maintained 97.25 per cent of its battery capacity.The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia EV6 also scored well, with the next model down being the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.The popular Tesla Model Y also maintained 92.18 per cent of its battery capacity on average over 10,000km, although ranked 18th in the study, below many VW Group, BMW, and Geely Group products.It is worth noting that this study does not simply transfer across to the Australian market. Many of the EVs delivered to Sweden are built in Europe which often use different battery suppliers to the versions of the cars sold here.In addition, Sweden’s cool climate may produce different results to our hot climate, with different demands placed on temperature management systems, and different pressures placed on batteries while discharging or charging.However, more Australian cars using batteries from Chinese suppliers may actually be an advantage. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL (China’s largest battery supplier) are now pervasive across EVs from many brands sold in Australia. The Swedish study compared the performance of these Chinese CATL LFP batteries, Korean LG Chem batteries and two different types of Japanese Panasonic batteries, all in the Tesla Model 3 to control for model differences.The CATL cells had the highest average battery health, maintaining 93.3 per cent, the LG Chem cells were next at 91.5 per cent, and the Panasonic NMC batteries ranked lower at 89.8 and 88.2 per cent respectively.One factor worth keeping in mind is BYD’s lack of a major footprint in Sweden despite launching there in 2022, leaving it off the study. Not only does this exclude BYD from the ranking system, but it also leaves its batteries out.BYD sells its signature LFP ‘Blade’ batteries to many brands for cars sold in Australia, including Kia, KGM, and even entry-level versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.The study confirms several things - battery degradation is often over-stated, with almost all cars maintaining over 90 per cent capacity at the 100,000km mark, and newer chemistries and temperature management systems are having a notable improvement on battery life across all makes and models.Previous stories of cars losing up to 50 per cent of their capacity were often limited to early-generation NMC batteries using air-cooled technology. Almost all new EVs sold, particularly in Australia, use liquid-cooled cells.In other good news for Aussie EV owners and those considering a second hand EV, the Carla study is not the first time EV batteries have performed better than expected when surveyed en-masse.In Australia, auction house Pickles recently shared data based on its battery health scoring which showed EVs with between 80- and 120,000km were maintaining a battery health score of around 91 per cent.

A new performance electric car is coming soon.The Geely Galaxy TT has opened for pre-sale in China, and will be the latest four-door electric sports coupe to hit showrooms.Coupe-style sports cars out of China are surging in popularity as cheaper alternatives to the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT off the back of the smash-hit success of the Xiaomi SU7.The Geely Galaxy TT has a front-mounted 180kW motor and a rear-mounted 245kW motor that combine for a total of 425kW.It has a one-button boost mechanism that offers an increased power output for up to 20 seconds. The Galaxy TT can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 210km/h. It is equipped with a 75kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery that has a 650km driving range, according to more generous CLTC standards. The car rides on an 800-volt platform, meaning it can DC fast charge from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 12 minutes. It measures up at 4999mm long, 1919mm wide, 1479mm high, with a wheelbase of  2920mm, so it is a little bigger than a Toyota Camry. The exterior is similar to many of its rivals, showing off a sleek body shape and frameless windows. It comes with 19-inch wheels as standard. The TT’s interior features a 15.4-inch central touchscreen and 10.2-inch digital driver display, along with a 25.6-inch panoramic head-up display. It also includes is also a 50W wireless phone charger and 23-speaker sound system. The Galaxy TT will be a direct competitor to the seriously popular Xiaomi SU7 which sold its first 15,000 units in roughly half an hour earlier this year.The Denza Z9 S electric sedan will provide further competition, with its wagon variant due in Australia before the end of the year. The Galaxy TT is not in Geely’s Australia schedule in the short term, but the brand has demonstrated a methodical approach to introducing models rather than the explosive range expansions of some of its rivals.The TT is priced from 200,000 yuan in China, which is roughly A$42,000. Most Chinese cars carry a roughly 20 per cent premium by the time they arrive in Australia in right-hand drive, making a potential local price somewhere just north of $50,000.This would make it slightly more affordable than the Zeekr 7GT and significantly more affordable than the Denza Z9.The Xiaomi SU7 which it is seemingly designed to target is not headed to Australia in the short term, with the Chinese tech company overwhelmed by demand in its home market.

China’s XPeng has confirmed its plan to launch five new or updated vehicles in Australia over the next six months.Including the updated G6 electric mid-size SUV and the recently launched X9 electric people mover, the Chinese carmaker has locked in a local launch for the L03 coupe SUV in the fourth quarter of 2026.This latter XPeng vehicle was only just revealed in Europe last week and it signals the brand’s intention to bring new cars to Australia more quickly and in sync with China.Then the G9L large SUV and the L05 mid-size SUV are all coming Down Under within the next six months.Additionally, XPeng has confirmed the flagship GX SUV is coming to Australia, however concrete launch timing is yet to be locked in. It’ll likely also need a different name as Lexus already sells a model with this name locally.All XPeng models to date offer pure electric (BEV) powertrains, however the Chinese carmaker is set to introduce range-extender hybrid (REEV) powertrains in Australia in 2027.XPeng hasn’t fully disclosed which of its models will be offered with a REEV powertrain in Australia, however it’s understood that the L03 coupe SUV will be the first. It’ll be offered with both BEV and REEV powertrains.Other XPeng models will likely follow with offering both powertrain technologies.The Chinese carmaker also plans to introduce its semi-autonomous driving software in Australia. It’s already available in other markets and it’s currently targeting a local launch before the end of 2027.This will finally give Tesla a rival on the semi-autonomous driving front. It’s the only carmaker to offer a similar level of technology currently in Australia.Lastly, XPeng is currently planning an Australian pilot for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.It is still in discussions with potential partners and will disclose the models it’ll be offered on and the timeline at a later date.As it currently stands, XPeng has 25 showroom locations within Australia and New Zealand but it’s looking to ramp this up to 50 within six months. It also plans to have three flagship experience centres.The Chinese carmaker is also setting up offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland to act as support hubs for the dealers.It has established a national parts warehouse with delivery through a partnership with FedEx, plus has a customer care support network with a dedicated call line and roadside assistance.It’s clear that XPeng is going hard in Australia now that the factory has officially taken over direct operations from the previous distributor, True EV.There are still ongoing legal disputes however between XPeng and True EV and a trial is set to begin locally in October.

Mercedes-Benz Australia has introduced two new versions of its mid-size GLC SUV including the pure-electric GLC400 4Matic as well as the performance-focused AMG GLC 53 4Matic+, the latter in traditional SUV wagon and Coupé form.Adding the GLC400 4Matic Electric battery electric vehicle (BEV) to its most popular model line slots the dual-motor all-wheel drive SUV into the heart of the three-pointed star’s local line-up, delivering 360kW/800Nm, 0-100km acceleration in 4.3 seconds and a (WLTP) driving range of up to 630km.Underpinned by a dedicated platform featuring an 800-volt electronic architecture, the GLC400 is fitted with a 94.4kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery and boasts a DC fast charging capacity of up to 330kW, which allows it to take on 300 kilometres of range “within 10 minutes.” Maximum AC charge rate is 22kW.WLTP tested energy consumption on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle is 17.1kWh/100km; the new EV running a two-speed transmission on the rear axle with a Disconnect Unit (DCU) on the front axle, which allows the drivetrain to decouple at the front to reduce mechanical drag-induced efficiency losses.Carspotters should look out for an illuminated grille, AMG aprons front and rear, 21-inch AMG alloy wheels and Night Package Styling elements including high-gloss black exterior accents.Inside, the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) Superscreen stretches across the dash incorporating instruments, vehicle information and multimedia functions in one display. And Mercedes-Benz claims the optional 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen is the largest screen ever offered in a Mercedes-Benz production vehicle.The electric GLC’s wheelbase is 84mm longer than its internal–combustion engine (ICE) siblings which is claimed to have increased head and legroom front and rear with luggage capacity at a handy 570 litres (rear seats upright) expanding to 1740L (rear seats folded). There’s also a 128-litre frunk in the nose.Standard equipment includes the AMG alloy rims and MBUX Superscreen as well as synthetic leather upholstery, Burmester 3D surround sound audio, an AMG Line Sport Seat Package (heated and power-adjustable with memory function in the front), open-pore birch wood interior trim, a panoramic roof, privacy glass and more.The GLC400 4Matic electric is on sale now at $112,200, before on-road costs. And a limited Launch Edition version offers a slightly lower entry-point thanks to deletion of the MBUX Superscreen at $110,000, BOC.The Mercedes-AMG GLC53 4Matic+ manages to hit the magic 100km/h mark a tenth of a second faster than its new electric stablemate (at 4.2 seconds), but its means of propulsion is dramatically different.A 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine is supported by a mild-hybrid starter-generator unit to produce 330kW/600Nm (plus an extra 40Nm for 10sec on overboost).Drive goes to all four wheels via a nine-speed dual-clutch auto transmission (featuring a double-declutching function to allow multiple downshifts) and a fully variable all-wheel drive system.AMG Ride Control adaptive suspension is onboard as is rear-axle steering and the AMG Dynamic Plus Package incorporating an electronic rear-axle locking differential, dynamic engine mounts and the Race Driving Program (including Drift Mode).Euro muscle car devotees will surely love the “special resonators” in the exhaust system to “amplify the sound experience (with) characteristic crackling on throttle lift-off.”Standard features include 21-inch forged alloy rims (in matt black with a high-sheen rim flange), dark chrome AMG badging and grille elements, a front lip spoiler, black roof rails, MBUX multimedia, ‘metal structure’ interior trim elements, leather upholstery, heated front sport seats (with memory and four-way lumbar support), a panoramic sliding sunroof, head-up display, Burmester 3D surround sound and heat-insulating dark-tinted glass.A Golden Accents Package, Performance Ergonomic Package and Plus Package are optionally available.Like the Mercedes-Benz GLC400 4Matic, the Mercedes-AMG GLC53 4Matic+ is on sale now with before on-road costs pricing of $140,600 and $151,300, respectively.2027 Mercedes-Benz GLC pricing2027 Mercedes-AMG GLC pricing  

XPeng has confirmed the pricing and specifications of its next new vehicle in Australia, the X9 electric people mover, as orders open.There are two versions of the 2027 XPeng X9 available at launch, the FWD Standard Range and AWD Performance. Pricing is $89,900, before on-road costs and $109,900, before on-road costs, respectively.This sees it undercut the luxurious Zeekr 009, but it’s priced similarly to the Denza D9.The entry-level X9 FWD Standard Range is powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor that produces 235kW.It’s fed by a 94.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery and offers up to 535km of WLTP-claimed range.The flagship X9 AWD Performance, on the other hand, has a dual-motor all-wheel drive set-up with total system outputs of 370kW and 640Nm. This allows it to travel from 0-100km/h in 5.9 seconds.The dual electric motors are fed by a larger 110kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery which offers up to 580km of WLTP-claimed range.AC charging across the line-up is 11kW, whereas peak DC fast-charging is up to 542kW. This allows for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 12 minutes.There’s also vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities at up to 6kW.As standard there is air suspension with adaptive dampers, as well as a rear-axle steering system.A seven-seat configuration is standard with second-row captain’s chairs that offer 14 ways of electric adjustment, heating, ventilation and massaging, as well as a 17.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, a 21-inch head-up display, 21.4-inch rear touchscreen, 27-speaker sound system and a fridge/hotbox.On the safety front there are nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, lane centring, a semi-autonomous park assist, as well as a surround-view camera.The X9 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first. Pricing will be confirmed at a later date.Beyond the updated G6 electric mid-size SUV and the X9 electric people mover, XPeng also plans to launch the L03 coupe SUV, G9L large SUV and the L05 mid-size SUV in Australia over the next six months.The Chinese carmaker has also confirmed the flagship GX SUV will launch in Australia, however it hasn’t locked in concrete launch timing yet.

Another carmaker has stepped back to pause and consider what its future in Australia looks like.Fiat has announced it has stopped importing passenger vehicles into Australia, as it assess what its future line-up may look like.It wasn’t an extensive model range, with the Italian marque only selling the electric Fiat 500e and its sporty twin, the Abarth 500e.The company will continue to import and sell its range of commercial vehicles.It is understood this isn't the end for Fiat cars in Australia, but a break to work out the models in its line-up that would best suit.“As part of Stellantis Australia's ongoing portfolio and product planning process, the availability of specific models can vary over time as we assess market demand and future product opportunities. We remain focused on ensuring the vehicles we bring to Australia meet customers’ expectations,” said a company spokesperson. “Following Stellantis' recent confirmation of Fiat as one of its core global brands, we are excited by the opportunities the brand presents for the future. “Fiat 500e and Abarth 500e stock in Australia has now largely been sold through and, at this stage, we are not planning additional orders while we evaluate future product opportunities for the local market. “We continue to support our Fiat and Abarth customers and dealer network and look forward to sharing more information about Fiat's and Abarth’s future plans in Australia at the appropriate time.”Fiat has only sold 144 vehicles through the first six months of this year in Australia, which is down 30 per cent compared to the same period last year.Its range of commercial vehicles is faring better, and sold 139 in June alone.Fiat has an expanding range of SUVs overseas, including the Grande Panda and Grizzly. These models are both electrified and better suited to Australian tastes.Peugeot, which is also owned by Stellantis, also closed up shop in Australia earlier this month.The French brand’s local distributor, Inchcape, handed back the keys to its selling rights and there is no immediate taker to pick up where they left off.The writing was on the wall for Peugeot after a string of tough years that culminated in 373 sales through the first five months of this year, which was down 35 per cent compared to the same period last year.This follows a circa-29 per cent drop in 2025, and losing a quarter of sales in 2024.

Details of Chinese carmaking giant GWM’s upcoming ‘next-size-up’ Ora 7 sportback-style wagon have finally emerged, just after the pure-electric Ora 5 compact SUV launched in Australia.Displayed as a production-ready ‘concept’ at last year’s Shanghai motor show, filings with the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) have filled out the technical picture for the new BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).To be named Ora Lightning Cat in its home market, it’s likely the mid-size five-seater will replace the existing Porsche Panamera ‘inspired’ coupe-style sedan version of the car.Measuring just over 4.8m long, a little more than 1.8m wide and around 1.5m tall with a 2870mm wheelbase, the new Ora 7 is in the same size ballpark as medium BEV sedans, including the BYD Seal, Kia EV4 and Mazda 6e. The new wagon will be offered with a choice of 58.3kWh and 68.9kWh NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) battery packs across single-motor, front-wheel drive and dual-motor, all-wheel drive variants. The current Ora 07 sedan uses LFP (Lithium iron Phosphate) batteries. A 150kW/340Nm motor on the front axle is used on two FWD versions, which is joined by a second 160kW unit at the rear for a combined 300kW/680Nm on the flagship AWD.Range claim for the base FWD version is 560km (to the more lenient CLTC - China Light-duty vehicle Test Cycle protocol), with a large-battery long-range FWD variant expanding that number to 630km and the heavier dual-motor AWD using the same pack coming in at 535km.Three tyre sizes are quoted - 225/50R18 (FWD standard), 235/50R18 (FWD long range) and 235/45R19 (AWD).And it’s interesting to note the concept version’s flush door handles have been swapped for traditional pull-out units in the production car in line with the Chinese MIIT’s ban on new vehicles models with flush handles applying for approval starting January 1, 2027.If the newcomer was to land here it will have to match or better that previously-mentioned EV sedan trio on price - BYD Seal (from $49,888), Kia EV4 (from $49,990) and Mazda 6e ($49,990), all prices before on-road costs.CarsGuide contacted GWM Australia for comment on the new Ora 7 wagon’s potential for local sale and a spokesperson told us, "Our current focus is on the Ora 5 platform and the opportunities to expand that range."As confirmed at the recent Ora 5 launch, a touring/wagon variant is already on the roadmap which we feel would be more aligned to Australian market requirements," they said.

Honda has renewed its partnership with GAC in China, after months of speculation it would pull out of the agreement when its original 30 year contract ended.The GAC/Honda joint-venture in China has struggled for market share, even amongst other foreign partnerships. With the rise of China’s automakers such as BYD, Geely and SAIC, not to mention even smaller players XPeng and Xiaomi soaking up domestic market share, even once-successful joint venture players such as Volkswagen (the longest serving and most successful of all) are faltering.Nikkei Asia reports Honda’s market share in China has fallen 60 per cent last year, with GAC Honda specifically fallen to 340,000 units. While that might seem enormous given the brand’s mere 15,383 unit tally in Australia last year, it makes it a relative minnow in the enormous Chinese market, where annual sales for the biggest brands are frequently measured in the millions.Honda has renewed its agreement with the Chinese giant for a further 10 years, a Honda spokesperson told Nikkei Asia.“We’ve made this decision in order to assess the business environment,” the spokesperson said.An executive from one of the JV’s suppliers told the outlet, "this is Honda sending a message that it won't give up on China".It is notable the Honda/GAC operation currently has less joint-venture models than most rivals, and only one purely electric model in a market, which is demanding more zero-emissions options.GAC Honda currently sells the Honda Breeze (a re-styled CR-V), ageing Avancier coupe SUV, and a sedan Integra (not related to the coupe sold in Australia) all as unique combustion models, while also selling Chinese domestic versions of the Accord, Odyssey, and HR-V (as the Vezel).The only electric car the JV sells is the P7 mid-size SUV in an EV-hungry market, while the Dongfeng joint venture sells its own version, dubbed the S7, and the more affordable e:NS2 crossover. Despite showing several concept models at Chinese motor shows in previous years, new and more desirable models are yet to materialise in the fast-moving market.Even GAC’s joint venture with Toyota was significantly more successful last year, moving around 756,000 units, with popular JV models including the bZ3X, which shares its platform with the GAC Aion V.The bZ3X has since become available in right-hand drive form for Hong Kong. Toyota Australia hasn’t ruled the China-built model out for our market either, given it will need to sell more electric vehicles in the near future to comply with the strict new vehicle emissions standards (NVES), which closes the vice on hybrid models before long.As for Honda using the sought-after ‘China Speed’ manufacturing for more cost-effective export models, it is only just testing the waters resurrecting the Insight nameplate for a version of the China-built e:NS2 from its Dongfeng venture sold in Japan.Meanwhile rivals are forging ahead with Chinese partnerships for export, with Kia and Hyundai already selling the Chinese-built EV5 and Elexio in Australia respectively, and Nissan announcing its intention to make its Dongfeng joint-venture models like the Frontier Pro PHEV ute and NX8 large SUV available globally.

A Chinese brand rivalry is heating up in Australia.Chery Group is one of the largest growing carmakers in Australia but it is now facing competition from within its own ranks. Omoda Jaecoo has burst onto the Australian car scene with its Jaecoo J5 small electric SUV, which claimed the best-selling small SUV title for May 2026. It even outsold the Chery Tiggo 4, which is the best-selling SUV so far this year.The Tiggo 4 starts from $23,990 (drive-away), making it the cheapest in its segment. The J5 EV carries on this budget mantra, starting from $36,990 (drive-away).This makes it much cheaper than many of its legacy rivals like the Hyundai Kona Electric ($54,000, before on-road costs). A petrol J5 has just gone on sale and a hybrid is on the way, bringing Omoda Jaecoo’s important model into direct competition with the Tiggo 4. The petrol variant is priced from $25,990 (drive-away), making it $2000 more than the Tiggo 4, but it is marketed as a more premium version of its closely-related sibling.Omoda Jaecoo by Australian Chief Commercial Officer Roy Munoz emphasised the importance of the J5, describing it at the brand's 'hero' model.Munoz said the Chery Group brands need each other to be successful in Australia, but rivalry still exists between them.“There’ll always be competition,” he told CarsGuide.  “We can’t win them all. They can’t win them all, but together we can win a big share of the market.“So as long as we’re still both up there, that’ll keep everyone happy.”The Chery Group rivalry will heat up further in the coming months with the arrival of Lepas that will debut in Australia with its L6 electric mid-size SUV. Lepas will be joined by Freelander and iCaur from 2027 as the Chery Group sub-brand collection grows. Chery Group subsidiary Jetour has also been confirmed for Australia, but it will operate under its own steam as opposed to forming part of what has already been established Down Under.