EV News

Aussie buyers have a new favourite passenger car, and it’s an EV.  The Tesla Model Y has had a monster 2026, but it’s now claimed the scalp of one of Australia’s stalwarts.  The Model Y has shifted 39,035 units up to October 2026, outselling the Toyota RAV4’s 35,927. It marks a sustained change in Australia’s new car buying market, with an EV claiming the best-selling passenger car spot.  With 2026 edging towards its conclusion, it looks like the Model Y will solidify the historic feat.  Soaring fuel prices and increasing fuel insecurity have encouraged many buyers to make the jump to an electric car, and the Model Y has been at the forefront for this transition. The Electric Vehicle Council’s ‘State of EVs’ report found one in every four cars sold were either electric or plug-in hybrid.  The Model Y has broken record after record in Australia.  In May 2026, it became the first-ever fully-electric car to claim the title for the best-selling car in a single month, toppling the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux diesel ute duopoly.  In June 2026, it achieved the highest monthly sales since the Holden Commodore in the early 2000s with 8072 deliveries.  Tesla also added more variety to its Model Y line-up when it released a six-seater variant called the Model Y L in March 2026.  This three-row Tesla prompted substantial buyer interest and outsold the standard two-row Model Y in July and August 2026.  The Japanese brand launched its next-generation Toyota RAV4 in Australia in March 2026, but it wasn’t smooth sailing to get to that point.  Wait times on new Toyotas have been a major talking point in Australia recently, especially for popular models like the RAV4.  The brand is seemingly still grappling with the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdowns that ravaged its supply chains.  The much-anticipated new-generation RAV4 suffered from significant delays of almost a year, partly caused by a slow production process.  The Model Y has had no such issues.  The majority of Model Y units are built in China using high-tech gigacasting to mould large pieces of the bodywork into a single piece instead of slower individual welding.  Tesla also delivers to Australia on a quarterly cadence, which has allowed them to keep up with increased demand.  Toyota’s sales dipped substantially in the first half of 2026, with the new RAV4 holding the key to the juggernaut turning its fortunes around.  Buyers tend to hold off buying a current generation of a car when the new model is just around the corner. This proved to be the case for the RAV4, with the SUV down more than 70 per cent year-on-year up to March 2026.  The RAV4 has since surged up the sales charts, but it’s been unable to hold off the unstoppable Model Y that keeps getting more popular. 

Toyota flexes its muscles as it dominates the top of the sales charts in October. Australians bought a little more than 100,000 new cars in the past month, but one in five of them wore a Toyota badge. The Toyota HiLux was the best selling vehicle with 5954 examples finding a new home and the RAV4 was the third best seller with 4718 registrations. These two bookended the Ford Ranger (4841). Tesla Model Y was the best of the rest with 3105, followed by the electric BYD Sealion 7 (2524), Toyota Prado (2397), Chery Tiggo 4 (2178), BYD Atto 2 (1943), BYD Shark 6 (1843) and Geely EX5 (1789). Toyota is still the dominant force in Australian new cars, but there is no other Japanese or Korean model in the top 10 sellers list. Outside of Tesla, the rest of the top 10 were Chinese brands, with BYD mimicking Toyota with three entrants in Australia’s favourite new car list. BYD sold more than 10,000 vehicles in the past month, which was a feat usually reserved for Mazda or Ford at their peak. The October sales also showed Australia’s love affair with utes and SUVs was stronger than ever, with those two body shapes making up the entirety of the top 10 list. China also maintained its top position as the biggest source of new cars in Australia. More than 35 per cent of all new cars sold were imported from China, followed by Japan (22.3 per cent), Thailand (17.9 per cent) and South Korea (9.2 per cent). Almost one in four new cars sold in October was electric, which is about three times higher than it was in the same month last year. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries boss Tony Weber said electric car sales were driven by high fuel prices and government subsidies such as the FBT tax exemption. “Consumers are making rational choices and are attracted to options that reduce their costs. Despite continuing pressure on household budgets and higher borrowing costs in 2026, the October result shows there is extraordinary resilience in new vehicle demand," said Weber. “This increase in new vehicle demand, especially BEVs, must be supported by reliable and accessible charging infrastructure that keeps pace with demand.”

Ferrari’s ultra-controversial first electric car - the Luce - is a massive hit for the brand, according to its third quarter financial results. While the electric four-door GT is much maligned by combustion enthusiasts who see Ferrari’s lineage tarnished by a car with no enormously complex running gear, the brand literally can’t build enough Luces to meet demand. It is sold out for all of 2027 and the order book now extends into 2028, with the brand’s CEO saying current “geopolitical tensions” were not affecting Ferrari’s order book. Demand for the Luce is boosting revenues alongside Ferrari’s booming personalisation business. The company said over 21 per cent of its cars are now personalised, significantly boosting profit margins. As a result the brand has sailed past its previous forecasts now estimating its earnings (EBITDA) for the year to exceed three billion euros (A$4.8 billion). The company also pointed to its regular new model release cycle as a factor for its ongoing revenues, with 23 new models or editions added to the range since 2015, and two more new cars coming in 2027. On the flip side, the brand said its bottom line was hit by lower F1 revenues. The Luce also attracted commentary for its design, which strayed far from Ferrari’s usual offerings. The car was styled by LoveFrom - a creative agency founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. This manifested in an avant-garde look, with integrated functional aero alongside rounded rear tail lights, which invoke past Ferrari models. Inside, the car featured an ‘industrial-inspired’ look, blending classic Ferrari motifs with modern, functionality-focused design and an array of high-quality materials to set it apart from the crowd. The car made an impact, but for what many consider to be the wrong reasons, with it featuring unconventional proportions as part of its two-part look with the colour-over-contrast finish and giant wheels. The whole design flies largely in the face of previous designs in being form following function rather than the other way around. Some saw the car as a reset for Ferrari in a stagnant supercar environment where the usual eye-popping performance numbers have been made redundant by the advent of fully electric passenger cars at mainstream pricing with supercar performance figures. Regardless, the Luce is an undeniable hit, with the initial allocation of units selling out instantly in the highly competitive Chinese market, which is a conquest arena for the Italian sports car marque. At the same time, it’s not as though Ferrari isn’t abandoning its core audience, with the sculpted Amalfi having its drop-top Spider version being phased in as a classic Italian tourer, and the 12 Cilindri receiving a limited-run Manuale edition which features a simulated six-speed gated manual gearbox to match with its raucous V12 engine. Locally, Ferrari is performing decently, ahead of Aston Martin and arch-rival Lamborghini so far in 2026, although it is slightly behind on its tally this time last year. It is worth noting that the Luce is yet to officially launch in Australia, with the first deliveries not due until late 2027. It is priced at $991,446 before on-roads.

Kia’s EV5 electric mid-size SUV is about to get a major update in Australia.  A facelifted EV5 has just appeared in Australian sales approval documents for the first time. The EV5 is Kia’s best-selling fully-electric model on sale in 2026, edging out the smaller EV3 for the title. It tackles the Toyota bZ4X ($55,990) as well as hugely popular rivals the BYD Sealion 7 ($54,990) and Tesla Model Y ($58,900), all before on-road costs. The new EV5 should arrive in showrooms in mid-2027. The EV5 will receive a minor power boost for its updated model. The two-wheel drive variant’s single electric motor now produces 175kW instead of 160kW, while the dual motors in the all-wheel drive make 249kW, up from 230kW. Kia will continue to equip the EV5 with either a 64kWh or 88kWh battery, but we don't know if they will provide greater driving range.  The current EV5 offers between 400km and 555km of driving range, depending on the variant, according to WLTP standards.  It’s rumoured the EV5 will feature an updated ride and handling tune for Aussie roads in line with other models in Kia’s line-up.  The 2027 EV5 has some subtle styling tweaks for its mid-life update, with some new body creases and a sharper design.  It also features what looks to be a front camera bar fixed to the grille area. The car is basically dimensionally identical to its soon-to-be predecessor, measuring 4613mm long, 1875mm wide, 1715mm tall, with a 2750mm wheelbase.  The EV5 is scheduled to launch in mid-2027, but it’s unclear exactly when it will hit showrooms.  Buyers can expect more official news on the updated EV5 before the end of 2026. Kia will reveal pricing closer to the new EV5’s arrival, with a firm price yet to be confirmed.   The EV5 range currently kicks off from $56,770, with prices rising up to $71,770 for the top-spec car (before on-road costs). 

Volkswagen is officially in trouble, as the German giant pauses work on its new electric ID.Golf. The Volkswagen Golf was once the brand’s bread and butter, but changing buyer tastes and rising prices has pushed the hatchback into the background. "We simply can't afford this work right now," said Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schaefer, according to Reuters. "I know what the Golf means for Volkswagen and for Wolfsburg. That's ​why this decision was really not an easy one for us,” said Schaefer. He said the ID.Golf isn’t cancelled, just postponed, but if the situation doesn’t improve it might be the end of the road for the famous Golf.  The German carmaker is undergoing one of the biggest restructures in its history, with it likely to cut up to 100,000 jobs, close four factories and slice vehicle variants by up to 75 per cent in an attempt to make it leaner and more agile. Volkswagen posted a €5.9 billion ($9.43B) loss in the past three months, its largest quarterly loss in more than a decade. The problem is new ultra-affordable brands from China hitting Europe with incredible force. The German giant’s business model is to sell volume at low margin in Europe. "This business model is ⁠under ​enormous pressure in Europe," said Volkswagen Group boss Oliver Blume. Industry analysts have crunched the numbers and said Chinese makers can produce an equivalent electric vehicle for $11,000 less than a European maker.  The ID.Golf was expected to be based on the company’s new Scalable Systems Platform (SSP). This is an 800-volt EV platform that puts software at the heart of the car. Audi, Porsche and then VW were to get vehicles made on this platform. Software has been the thorn in Volkswagen's side. The company’s Cariad software division has been bleeding money and has not been delivering on its investment. Volkswagen has been forced to invest in US start-up Rivian to gain access to its software. Volkswagen also has a joint-venture with Chinese brand XPeng, which has spawned several vehicles in China. It also gives the brand access to XPeng’s software knowledge.

Toyota launched the Performance Hybrid version of its LandCruiser 300 Series in Australia earlier this year and it’s claimed to only be making up a small portion of overall sales. So far diesel versions of the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series are claimed to be outselling the petrol-electric Performance Hybrid trims almost seven-to-one. Toyota says the amount of LandCruiser 300 Series Performance Hybrid sales is what it expected. “Yeah, it’s going well,” said Toyota Australia Vice President national sales, marketing and franchise operations John Pappas to CarsGuide. “The Performance Hybrid is sitting where we thought it would be, which is roughly at around 15 per cent of our sales of the overall LandCruiser .” Toyota sold a total of 9787 LandCruiser wagons through the first nine months of this year, which is up 10.1 per cent year-on-year. A small portion of these sales include the LandCruiser 70 Series wagon and troop carrier. Toyota doesn’t split out sales and instead only reports it as LandCruiser wagon and LandCruiser pick-up/cab-chassis. Part of the LandCruiser wagon’s recent sales success is due to the runout of the Y62-generation Nissan Patrol. The new Y63 Patrol is due to launch in early 2027. This improvement in LandCruiser wagon sales defies Toyota’s overall sales so far in 2026. It sold a total of 152,944 vehicles until the end of September, which is down 15.9 per cent year-on-year. Toyota is still on track to be the best-selling carmaker in Australia in 2026. This will make it the 31st consecutive year. As it stands, both the diesel and Performance Hybrid versions of the LandCruiser 300 Series are above the threshold for ‘Type 2’ vehicles under the Australian Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES). The threshold for ‘Type 2’ vehicles in 2026 is 180g/km and the LC300 diesel and Performance Hybrid are claimed to emit 235g/km and 220g/km, respectively. This theoretically means each LC300 imported into Australia attracts an NVES fine of $2750 and $2000, respectively this year. Toyota may not need to pay this fine if it can import other vehicles under the CO2 thresholds, or purchase credits from other carmakers. Toyota has previously warned that price rises may occur, especially on models that are high-emitting. “Due to the challenging NVES targets for commercial vehicles from 2027 onwards, we cannot rule out price increases,” said Pappas. The LandCruiser 300 Series Performance Hybrid is dubbed the most powerful LandCruiser sold to date in Australia. It has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine with an electric motor for total system outputs of 341kW and 790Nm. This is 114kW and 90Nm more than the 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 diesel. Only two versions of the LC300 Performance Hybrid are offered in Australia - Sahara ZX and GR Sport. They’re priced from $156,740 and $156,990, before on-road costs, respectively. This is roughly $9000 more than the equivalent diesel-powered version. While the LC300 Performance Hybrid can still tow 3500kg, it only offers five seats and is claimed to consume more fuel than the diesel.

Jaecoo has just given its Toyota RAV4 competitor some special flair.  The brand has unveiled the Jaecoo J7 Black Edition as the range-topping grade for the mid-size SUV, starting from $49,990 (drive-away).  It’s $2000 more expensive than the plug-in hybrid all-wheel drive grade of the J7 ($47,990) and is $10,000 more expensive than the base PHEV grade of the car ($39,990).  The new sleek and blacked-out J7 is much cheaper than the bigger BYD Sealion 6 AWD ($52,990) and AWD PHEV grades of the Toyota RAV4 ($64,015), both before on-road costs. The Black Edition will arrive in Aussie dealerships in November 2026 as a permanent fixture, with no scheduled departure date. The car features a suite of blacked out exterior finishes that replace chrome details, including on the vertical grille, wheels, mirrors and roof rails.  Inside the cabin, there’s a dark headliner and pillar trims, while the car keeps its 14.8-inch central multimedia screen and its 10.25-inch digital driver display.  Seats are wrapped in a synthetic black leather, with heating and ventilating functionality in the front ones.  Omoda Jaecoo said the new look is designed to provide a more striking presence on the road.  The Black Edition’s PHEV set-up is the same one found in the J7 Summit AWD grade, which combines a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and two electric motors to make 260kW and 490Nm.  This means it also has the same AWD system that has an electric motor on each axle. This is more power than AWD grades of the Toyota RAV4 that only produce 227kW, with the Japanese brand not quoting a combined torque figure for the car.  It’s a minor step up on power over the most powerful BYD Sealion 6 example that has 253kW and 550Nm.  The car can DC charge from 30 to 80 per cent in about 20 minutes.  The J7 is one of three models sold under the Jaecoo name, joined by the J5 small SUV and J8 large SUV. The J5 small SUV launched in January 2026, with its EV variant surging to become the brand’s best-selling model.  The J7 is the second-best selling model in the line-up, followed by the J8 and the Omoda 9. The Omoda 9 three-row SUV is currently the only Omoda-badged model remaining on sale, but buyers can expect two new models from next year.  The Omoda 4 small SUV and the Omoda 7 mid-size SUV are both scheduled to arrive in the first half of 2027. 

Xiaomi, the tech giant turned car manufacturer, has quietly gone official in Australia as hiring has begun for positions in its automotive division, laying the groundwork for a future launch. The brand, made famous for its smash-hit-in-China SU7 sedan and YU7 SUV, is still thought to be years away from a local debut, with the new positions in legal and automotive financing early steps in its local arrival. Despite its overwhelming success in China, which has seen models with hundreds of thousands of units on back-order as its Beijing factory struggles to keep up with demand, Xiaomi is seeking export markets to make its business sustainable into the future as the Chinese new car market faces a contraction after years of explosive growth. The two new positions available on LinkedIn are located in Sydney, and come shortly after the brand announced its roll-out plans across continental Europe. Xiaomi is yet to lock in firm plans for right-hand drive markets, despite eyeing a Japanese debut. The news of local position hiring seems to confirm this will be part of the company’s future direction. Xiaomi currently offers the SU7 four-door coupe and YU7 mid-size SUV both as performance-oriented fully electric cars. It also recently launched its SkyNomad range of large hybrid SUVs, consisting of the two-row N70 and three-row N90, both use a 1.5-litre range-extender hybrid set-up. Xiaomi is positioned as a tech-luxury marque in China, and competes directly with the likes of Zeekr, XPeng, and the also-yet-to-arrive-in-Australia Nio. Xiaomi will face some tough barriers to entry. It will be comparatively late to the Australian market compared to its Chinese rivals, and is only just overcoming a production bottleneck at its Beijing factory ahead of its European debut. Wait times for the YU7 at its launch in China extended beyond a year, although this has now been brought down to just a handful of weeks. The YU7 was moving 40,000 units a month in its peak in December 2025, according to figures reported by Chinese media. The much-hyped SUV, which has styling and performance features influenced by everything from the Tesla Model Y to the Ferrari Purosangue, amassed 240,000 orders within 18 hours of going on sale. The success of Xiaomi’s automotive division has caused rivals to respond by launching similar performance-oriented models, like Geely’s Galaxy TT, MG’s MG07 and the Luxeed RX from Chery’s joint-venture with Huawei. Xiaomi’s take on the explosively popular large SUV segment goes in a different direction to its rivals with its Range-Rover inspired new products betting more on adventure than straight-up luxury, featuring a pop-up roof tent version from launch. Other expansion plans from Xiaomi recently include its acquisition of a large ownership stake in battery supplier Sunwoda, and the establishment of a research and development centre in Munich, Germany. The brand has also been spotted testing an updated version of its SU7 Ultra high-performance model at the Nurburgring featuring a new aero package. The company also hasn’t been without its dramas, from delivery bottlenecks frustrating customers in China to various quality issues and several fatal crashes whilst vehicles were being operated under self-driving software. All of which the brand is rapidly addressing ahead of its international debut. Regardless, expect to learn more about Xiaomi’s future automotive plans in Australia imminently.

Australia’s EV buying growth has just been put on a global scale. AutoNews has released its “Global EV Report” looking at electric vehicle uptake around the world. Combined fully-electric and plug-in hybrid sales in Australia grew from just one per cent in 2025 to 15 per cent by 2025. The report confirmed BYD as the world’s leading EV manufacturers, with Tesla and Geely also making major contributions, which is reflected in their sales performance Down Under. It’s forecast that more than 66 per cent of the world’s EVs will be built in China in 2026.  Australia’s EV sales grew by 14 percentage points between 2020 and 2025, according to the report, which is more than South Korea, the United States and New Zealand for the same period.  Australia’s EV uptake still lags behind many of the world’s biggest markets.  China’s EV sales have grown by 47 points, while EV sales in the United Kingdom grew from 11 per cent to 35 per cent.  This news follows the Electric Vehicle Council’s “State of EV’s” report that found one in four new vehicles sold in the first half of 2026 were either fully-electric or PHEV in Australia. The EVC noted sales must still increase tenfold to reach a targeted five million EVs on Aussie roads by 2035.  Australia’s market is well set up for large-scale EV uptake because it has limited import restrictions and associated costs compared to other countries.  This differs from Europe, for example, which has placed hefty tariffs on Chinese imported EVs as it aims to protect its local carmaking industry.  Australia's open market allows Chinese automakers to rapidly roll out new models Down Under, several of which have become top sellers. The predominantly China-built Tesla Model Y mid-size SUV is the best-selling EV in Australia, while the closely-rivaling BYD Sealion 7 isn’t far behind.  Other EVs, including the Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X have also taken the market by storm in 2026, at the expensive of some Australia's previous petrol- and diesel-powered favourites. Nepal led global EV market share growth between 2020 and 2025 with a 58 percentage point jump, with electric and plug-in hybrid representing 68 per cent of all new vehicle sales.  Vietnam also saw substantial growth, going from no EV sales to 41 per cent in the five-year period.  Singapore saw a comparable surge, climbing from three per cent in 2020 to 40 per cent in 2025. Norway had an incredible 97 per cent of its new car sales that were represented by EV and PHEV in 2025. The United States has one of the worst EV uptake rates for the period, according to AutoNews.  It only grew from two per cent to 10 per cent across the five years, with only Canada and New Zealand recording less growth.  This slower uptake is due to trade barriers such as the US government’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs, as well as national security and surveillance concerns restricting imports further.  While BYD, Tesla and Geely produce the most EVs, Volkswagen also registers a strong contribution, along with Leapmotor and Hyundai.

China has revolutionised new cars and it is only the beginning. The China Society of Automotive Engineers has come together to show carmakers and third-party suppliers aren’t sitting on their laurels and are planning a big 2027. These are the trends and tech to revolutionise it all again in 2027, according to the gaggle of engineers. This game-changing technology is becoming a reality. The futuristic cells are entering the pilot production stage with an energy density of 400Wh/kg, which is more than double that of conventional electric car batteries. Solid-state batteries are said to be more energy dense, less fire prone and faster to charge than current batteries. This means range can be doubled, or carmakers can use batteries half the size for the same driving range as current EVs. This will allow for lighter, more efficient EVs and will make electric utes, 4WDs and sports cars more palatable.  Nearly every carmaker and battery supplier on the planet is working on this. Watch this space. Harnessing the stored energy inside a car’s battery to power homes and neighbourhoods during times of high power demand and emergencies is the holy grail of EV capabilities. This technology isn’t just being trialled in China, but is also being tested in Australia where is is arguably more valuable. V2G when paired with solar can effectively allow owners to live off the grid and to earn money by sending power back to the grid during peak times. The infrastructure is what is holding it up, the majority of electric cars are not yet set up to handle V2G and it can void the warranty if owners try to use the tech now. Chinese carmakers such as BYD, Geely, MG and others are trialling die-casting using a magnesium alloy which is lighter, stronger and better at reducing vibration than current materials. The die-casting method will make for more affordable construction methods thanks to reduced components, while the material will make EVs more efficient and pleasant to drive via increased structural rigidity and reduction of NVH. This new tech could revolutionise mining operations with a group of trucks following a prescribed route - from the mine to port for example - with one elad vehicle and several following it along major roads. This helps reduce the cost of freight, improve safety and reduce fuel use due to the following vehicles benefitting from reduced drag. 3D printing is common, but an emerging tech is 3D printing using metal. It can be used to make vehicle structures and complex single-piece mouldings. There are numerous constraints currently with the technology, but it has the potential to reduce weight from fewer parts used. It can improve strength, durability and crash safety performance by creating a stiffer structure with fewer welds. The engineers society believe there will be significant breakthroughs next year. Low-cost metal powders are expected to be used as building materials, plus layer thickness to make sturdier structures and improved printing performance. This works by cars and infrastructure all talking to each other to help make collaborative scenarios.  This can help improve road safety with advanced identification of hazards and reduced crash scenarios. It can also help reduce traffic with traffic lights prioritising the flow of traffic in real time rather than on set parameters. It also allows for better pedestrian safety with the cars able to effectively see around corners and other blind spots thanks to integration with static infrastructure and public cameras.