Family Cars

Volkswagen Australia says it doesn’t fear newcomer Chinese brands, detailing the ways it believes its vehicles are superior while highlighting a slew of new models that it says will supercharge its sales in our market.That’s the word from the brand’s Head of Passenger Cars in Australia, Piergiorgio Minto, who says that while VW might not be able to compete directly on price with some newcomer brands, he believes his cars drive better than rival vehicles, and offer an elevated level of engineering.It’s one of three reasons he laid out that he says will continue to draw people to the Volkswagen brand.“I still believe that Volkswagen has a big advantage in drivability. Our cars are definitely superior there. So there is a different kind of engineering behind it,” he says.“And I believe that we also have some other subjects that are less linked to the product. Heritage is something that we have and we need to leverage that.“And last but not least, historically we have been present (in Australia) a long time, we have a very solid dealer network out there that is offering a strong service and is always there whenever a customer needs something.“These three propositions are quite unique. And they're still valid for the market.”The brand says its these three pillars that will spark a sales revival, suggesting it was a “perfect storm” of product renewals, rather than increased competition, that has seen sales fall over the past 18 months.“From a product perspective, you've got to remember that the biggest players involved for us — Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace — ran out last year, and T-Roc is running out this year,” says Arjun Nidigallu, Volkswagen Australia Head of Product.“So, our biggest volumes, it's just a perfect storm in terms of product changes and timings, which is why we don't feel like we're behind the eight ball."The new Tiguan plug-in hybrid, or e-Hybrid in VW parlance, has just launched in Australia, along with the spiritual successor to the Tiguan Allspace, the Tayron e-Hybrid, giving the brand a full complement across those SUV lineups. It will be joined by the second-generation T Roc — hugely important to the brand's sales numbers — which will offer more space, more tech and a new mild-hybrid powertrain.“It was part of the plan and now we're gearing up back this year towards having a full line up, and then with the T-Roc coming back next year, we'll be back in those numbers that we've seen in the past,” says Nidigallu.

Plug-in hybrid utes are taking over the diesel dominated segment in Australia.There has been an influx of PHEV utes into the Australian market.The BYD Shark 6 has captivated buyers' attention, but it faces increasing competition from Chinese rivals such as the GWM Cannon Alpha, along with the Ford Ranger Hybrid.With these utes chasing higher payloads and towing capacities, they are battling against each other to be the dominant player in a still emerging segment.The JAC Hunter is the latest entrant, joining with a competitive price tag and performance figures.How does the Shark 6's latest predator shape to the rest of the competition?Pricing The Hunter will enter the Australian market at a price of less than $50,000, making it the cheapest PHEV ute to date. The BYD Shark 6’s cheapest pick-up variant starts from $57,900, with the Canon Alpha a small step up at beyond $60,000. The Ford Ranger PHEV has had a recent price cut, with a new entry-level XL variant arriving to slip between the Hunter and Shark 6 at $59,000 drive-away.Engine and efficiency *Driving range figures not provided by Ford Australia but calculated over several CarsGuide road tests once battery had been depleted. Ford Australia has been contacted to obtain driving range figures. The JAC Hunter leads the way for power with 360kW for its 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors, with an official torque figure still be revealed.The Shark 6’s 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors pumps out 321kW, which betters the 2.0-litre engine and single motor from the Cannon Alpha. GWM’s PHEV ute beats the Shark 6 on torque.A new Shark 6 Performance variant is coming soon with a more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It produces total system outputs of 350kW and 700Nm, and boosts towing to 3500kg, but is $5000 more than the Premium version.Ford’s Ranger PHEV has a 2.3-litre unit, producing 207kW - the least power of any of its competitors, despite competitive torque. For the purposes of a consistent comparison, more generous NEDC figures have been used where possible. NEDC testing is generally more lenient than WLTP, so real-world experience may not match up to the numbers. The important fuel efficiency figure is edged out by the Hunter at 1.6L/100km, but the GWM Cannon Alpha is not far behind at 1.7L/100km. The Shark 6 offers fuel efficiency of 2.0L/100km, with the Ford Ranger at 2.9L/100km. While BYD is the only brand to advertise its fuel use figure without a fully charged battery, it highlights the general importance of these utes having the battery charged to achieve low fuel efficiency figures.We are yet to learn what the electric-only driving range of the Hunter will be, but it is expected to be on par with rivals, given its similar 31kWh battery. According to JAC, it will have a total range of 1005km.The Shark 6 has a 30kWh battery, with a total driving range of 800km, and an all-electric range of 100km.The Cannon Alpha has a bigger 37kWh unit, boosting range to 1060km total and 115km for electric-only.The Ranger PHEV has a significantly smaller 12kWh battery, offering an all-electric driving range of 49km, according to WLTP standards. This also means it has the least driving range of the four. BYD’s cheapest Shark 6 pick-up variant is the only one of the PHEV utes to not offer 3500kg braked towing capacity, although there is a more expensive performance variant offering this. The Ranger has the most payload in this group, with the Hunter coming in close, followed by the Shark 6 and then the Cannon Alpha.Verdict The JAC Hunter will launch in Australia with the cheapest price for a PHEV ute by some margin, and also comes in with strong performance figures. Ford's recent price cuts make the Ranger Hybrid a more compelling proposition.But the Shark 6 remains the leader of the PHEV ute market, but with more competitors coming, it could be about to change. GWM will release a cheaper, smaller Cannon ute in the coming weeks.Chery is not too far away from launching a diesel PHEV ute, which will add further choice for buyers. 

A month ago we said goodbye to our Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid long-term test car and hello to our current one, the Volkswagen ID.5 SUV.Alongside its ID.4 sibling, the ID.5 is Volkswagen’s first electric SUV and it's the first time I’ve driven one, so I entered this long-term test the same way you walk into a supermarket while on holiday - a bit lost, even if everything looks the same.The ID.5 is a mid-sized electric SUV and the Volkswagen rival to the Toyota bZ4x, Tesla Model Y, Geely EX5 and the mechanically related Skoda Enyaq.The ID.5 is the not-so identical twin to the ID.4, the difference being the ID.5 has a swoopier, coupe-like profile while the ID.4 has a boxier shape.Both the ID.5 and ID.4 are offered in two grades, the Pro and the sporty, top-of-the-range GTX.The ID. 5 Pro is the car we are testing and it lists for $62,990 before on-road costs.The standard features list includes heated and massaging front seats, three-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, proximity unlocking and LED headlights.The ID.5 has a 77kWh battery and a range of up to 543km. There’s one motor and it makes 210kW and 543Nm.What’s interesting is that Volkswagen created completely new models for its first electric SUVs rather than just making an electric variant of its combustion powered Tiguan mid-sized SUV.Frankly, I think an electric Tiguan would have been a better idea and I’ll tell you why later.My first impression is that the ID.5 isn’t really an SUV but just a large-ish, round-ish car. Some people told me they loved the way it looked, but I have trouble seeing its beauty. Although I admit it is uniquely designed compared to many SUVs.I immediately appreciate the quality feel of every touch point, from the door handles through to the seats and steering wheel. The ID.5 doesn’t look like any Volkswagen that went before it, but the materials and craftsmanship are very much on-brand even if the styling is new.I was concerned the ID.5 might not be big enough for my family. It doesn't seem particularly spacious or practical for a family of five.Getting our child into the car and buckled up has been hard on my back, largely because of the coupe-like roofline. Higher-riding SUVs with taller door openings make this job easy, but the ID.5’s shape doesn’t help. Halfway through putting my daughter into her car seat in the pouring rain at night, I wished Volkswagen had just made a Tiguan EV. At least the ID.4 has a boxier shape.However, the space back there for head and legroom is actually very good. Our forward-facing child seat fits well with room for our daughter’s legs without the front passenger having to squash themselves against the dashboard.Storage is good with big door pockets but the adaptable cup holder area is a waste of space (literally) and the wireless phone charger lives in a pokey little cave down there, too.The boot is big at 549 litres but, again, the sloping roofline means tall objects won't fit under that hatch. Again, I miss the practicality of the Tiguan with its draws and utility. At this point I feel like VW has forgotten its ethos of maintaining practicality.Finally, while the volume and climate control functions are physical they're haptic buttons which sometimes work and sometimes don’t. It’s already making me go a bit bananas.The best thing about the ID.5 so far is energy efficiency. Also, the way the ID.5 drives, too. It’s smooth, comfortable, planted and quick. And we’ve spent more than a thousand kilometres behind the wheel - 1142km to be exact.But really if there's one thing that impresses me the most, it’s the SUV's efficiency. Some EVs I've lived with have given me such range anxiety. They've stayed home in the driveway while we’ve taken our own combustion car instead if we are traveling far and the availability of chargers is scarce.But the ID.5 uses its charge quite frugally. Officially, the combined energy use is 16.3kWh/100km but we’ve done even better at 15.8kWh. In the coming months I’ll attempt to calculate exactly how far we can get on a full charge because I might be able to beat the 543km range.I know I’m going to regret saying that…The headlights perform an unsettling movement when the car detects the key within range. It’s a sort of shifty side-eye action that is a bit too life-like for me.The other thing is the ID.5's accelerator pedal has a 'play button’ icon embossed on it and there’s a pause button on the brake pedal. I don’t like this nor do I like the person who thought it was cute, whoever they are. Acquired: March 2026Distance travelled this month: 1142kmOdometer: 1848kmAverage energy consumption this month: 15.8kWh/100km  

The Land Rover Defender Octa Black is supposed to be the 'ultimate Defender', but I'll be the judge of that after living with this monstrously capable high-performance luxury SUV for a week.

America is winning the new car emissions arm wrestle.

BYD's new plug-in hybrid sedan is about to launch in Australia, and it has got the Toyota Camry in its sights.A Department of Infrastructure filing confirms the BYD Seal 7 has been approved for sale in Australia, also exposing some key details about the new car. BYD Australia has been contacted for comment to find out exact launch times for its new model.There is no news yet on how much the Seal 7 will cost, but expect it to be more expensive than the recently-launched Seal 6, starting from $34,990 (before on-road costs). The Seal 7 is a bigger car than the Toyota Camry hybrid, but it will still live in its territory when it launches in Australia. Other rivals such as the Skoda Octavia mild hybrid and Honda Accord Hybrid will provide further competition, along with the Geely Emgrand PHEV, which is due to launch in Australia next year. The Seal 7 has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and electric motor set-up, producing 197kW. It is expected to have an electric-only driving range of less than 200km when it lands.It measures up at 4980mm long, 1890mm wide, 1495mm high, with a wheelbase of 2900mm. The car will ride on either 17-inch or 18-inch wheels, but other details will be revealed closer to the car’s launch, which is likely to be in the next few months. The Seal 7 is BYD’s latest model in what has been a bumper past few months for brand Down Under, seeing it jump to second spot in the sales charts for April. This has been led by its electrified approach, including the Shark 6 PHEV ute and the Sealion 7 electric SUV. 

The new Volvo EX60 electric mid-size has been dubbed a ‘game changer’ by the Swedish carmaker.It needs to be too as it’s finally introducing an electric counterpart to its best-selling car of all time, the XC60.Speaking to CarsGuide, Volvo Vehicle Product Lead for the EX60 and EX60 Cross Country, Lorina Gewargis said it’s fun to be standing with the finished product and having delivered the promises the brand made years ago.“I would say we have packed this car with so much new technology that we haven’t done before and we did that in this timeframe,” said Gewargis.“I’m very confident that we have basically sold the kind of three main concerns that some consumers have when going to electric.“We have the range and the charging speed. Then obviously, price is a very important area as well. The price for the EX60 to be equivalent as current XC60 plug-in hybrid .”The EX60 is priced from $86,900 before on-road costs for the Ultra P6 RWD and $101,990 before on-road costs for the Ultra P10 AWD in Australia. These are equivalent with the XC60 PHEV.Volvo is readying a flagship P12 AWD version of the EX60, which offers the full 810km of WLTP-claimed range, as well as 400kW of peak DC fast-charging thanks to the 800V electrical architecture.This flagship EX60 P12 AWD trim will likely cost more than the P10 AWD trim and be closer to the BMW iX3 50 xDrive, which is currently priced from $109,900 before on-road costs and offers 805km of WLTP-claimed range.“We are designing it, engineering it and building it in Sweden. I think that’s the whole game-changer point,” added Volvo Technology and Programs Manager, Power Electronics, Adrian Thuresson.“Of course we have the HugeinCore, where we have fully centralised computing, where we improve this over time, continuously.“This is just the start of a really nice journey.”It’s worth noting that the EX60 is the first Volvo to have a landscape-oriented central touchscreen multimedia system.“We have a new world-first when it comes to restraints,” said Volvo Engineering Manager Front and Rear Structure Analysis, Dr Isabelle Stockman, noting the new multi-adaptive safety seat belt that’s making its debut in the EX60.“So with this … software-based car, we can analyse what’s going on outside of the car using the exterior sensors and also what’s going on inside of the car using the interior sensor.“Based on that information … we can then adapt to the situation with help of these … profiles now in the safety belt and together with the rest of the restraint systems.”Additionally, the Volvo EX60 has a clean, Scandinavian-inspired exterior design without regular door handles. Instead there is a tiny flap with a button at the bottom of the window. It’s a similar set-up to the front doors on the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Australia’s electric vehicle buying frenzy appears to have already subsided.That’s the view of one of Australia’s leading electric vehicle brands, BYD, which says its mix of models has already started to normalise despite the on-going fuel crisis. Sales of EVs jumped in March and April, as the price of petrol and diesel spiked amid conflict in the Middle East.In March EV sales were double what they were in March 2025, jumping to 14.6 per cent of the total market. That figure rose to 16.4 per cent of total sales in April, while searches on CarsGuide classifieds for EVs rose 230 per cent in March. Autotrader reported a 631 per cent jump in people searching for a new EV to buy in March.But the peak of this EV boom may already be behind us according to BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins, which is telling because the brand only offers EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEVs).“I'll tell you what we've seen,” explained Collins. “What we saw was that in March there was a big uplift. Our mix went from 50/50 PHEV/EV to 70 per cent EV and 30 per cent PHEV. Definitely March, absolutely. April it started to come off, that mix came off, and the huge spike was coming off, and I would say now is pretty much back to normal.”However, he added that even though the sales split had returned to its previous levels, overall demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles remains high as fuel prices appear unlikely to drop dramatically any time in the near-future. And Collins believes that this is all part of a long-running shift towards EVs and PHEVs.“I think the baseline from where we were in January, February to now is higher. So I think it's been one of those events that has actually changed the momentum. But I don't think it's true that, we're riding on the sort of a . Some people are saying, ‘Yeah, we're riding the wave of this, petrol, fuel crisis thing.’ Yes, there was a short period where it went really strong, but even prior to that, the trajectory was pretty obvious.”BYD has certainly benefitted from the current situation, finishing second on the April sales charts. Its 7702 sales that month put it only behind Toyota for the month, as buyers flocked to its line-up of ‘new energy vehicles’ including the most-affordable EV on sale today, the pint-sized Atto 1.BYD’s biggest EV success story is the Sealion 7, with the mid-size SUV not only the second best-selling EV in the country, behind only the Tesla Model Y, but is also amongst the most popular models in its class - which includes the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander.As of the end of April sale, BYD was the fifth best-selling car brand in Australia, behind only Toyota, Mazda, Kia and Ford. The brand is aiming to have 30,000 new cars delivered by the end of the financial year, starting with a shipment of 4800 new vehicles aboard the BYD Zhengzhou, a company-owned car carrier due to arrive in Australia at the start of June.

KGM has detailed updates for its Torres and Actyon SUVs in South Korea.The 2027 KGM Torres with the regular 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine now comes with an eight-speed Aisin-sourced torque-converter automatic transmission, instead of a six-speed Aisin unit.The all-wheel drive petrol version now also receives off-road terrain modes in addition to the existing drive modes.The Torres is still also offered with hybrid and electric powertrain options.There are revised front and rear fascias, as well as new exterior paint colours and interior colourways.Inside, the Torres looks much more like the Actyon now. It receives a two-spoke, hexagonal steering wheel, as well as an updated screen set-up for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen multimedia system.A number of key criticisms have also been addressed.There’s now wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a bigger gear selector, a physical switchgear cluster for the dual-zone climate control, as well as dual wireless chargers.It’s worth noting that the KGM Actyon also picks up the aforementioned updates, as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission.We’ve reached out to KGM Australia to see when we can expect these updated Torres and Actyon models will arrive Down Under. We’ll update this story once we hear back.KGM, which was previously known as SsangYong, launched the Torres in Australia in 2024 and was followed by the related and slightly larger Actyon in 2025.The South Korean carmaker has since launched hybrid and electric versions of the Torres, as well as a hybrid version of the Actyon.In the first four months of 2026 KGM has sold a total of 74 Torres examples and 80 Actyon examples. This is down considerably over top-selling rivals like the Toyota RAV4 (7571 sales), Hyundai Tucson (6842 sales) and Kia Sportage (5743 sales).

Stellantis, owner of Jeep, and Jaguar Land Rover have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to “explore opportunities to collaborate on product development in the United States”.Antonio Filosa, CEO of Stellantis said: “By working with partners to explore synergies in areas such as product and technology development, we can create meaningful benefits for both sides while remaining focused on delivering the products and experiences our customers love.” Meanwhile PB Balaji, CEO of JLR said: “As we continue to evolve JLR for the future, collaboration will play an important role in unlocking new opportunities. Working with Stellantis allows us to explore complementary capabilities in product and technology development that support our long‑term growth plans for the US market.”The tie-up comes as both companies face a tough tariff environment in the US, with Stellantis being embattled there in previous years with its previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, focusing largely on the European operation. JLR, meanwhile, could gain a foothold in the lucrative US market, where it does not currently have a manufacturing footprint.The partnership marks a major change in strategy for embattled Stellantis, which posted a A$37 billion dollar loss in 2025. Its house of 14 brands includes diverse marques from Jeep to Peugeot and Maserati. Under Tavares the US operation suffered, particularly Jeep. The brand pivoted to a more premium position, which didn’t resonate with buyers. Locally, it even resulted in the Grand Cherokee being pulled from sale as Jeep chose to focus on its more competitive offerings.JLR recently ended production of Jaguar models as it gears up for a major re-boot of its luxury passenger car brand, with the company still managing to post good results for 2025 off the back of record sales of the popular Defender and surging global sales of its new Range Rover Sport.The brand even claims that it has taken over 32,000 expressions of interest globally for its upcoming Jaguar Type 01 GT car.A bruising cyberattack, which shut down the brand’s factories in late 2025, has had an impact on the JLR’s bottom line. New tariffs in the US have caused the UK based company to post a 99 per cent profit slump in the first months of 2026.Both companies, which have been rivals in the past, have also turned to their Chinese joint-ventures for more global resilience.Stellantis has made clear its plan to lean on more partnerships, particularly with its Leapmotor joint-venture, and more recently, a new tie-up with Dongfeng to build more Peugeot models in China.Jaguar Land Rover has re-booted the Freelander marque as part of its joint-venture with Chery. The first model, the Freelander 8, pairs the design motifs from the previous Freelander small SUVs with an 800-volt architecture from Chery, plotted to be offered in both range extender hybrid and fully electric forms.Unlike previous Freelanders though, the new Chery-based model is an over-five-meter long three-row SUV. The tie-up has global aspirations and will exist independently of both Land Rover and Chery, and has been confirmed for an Australian launch.