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Small cars and light cars aren’t nearly as popular as they once were, but that could be changing thanks to the increasing accessibility of electric cars, said one new brand’s product boss.Geely's Director of Product Planning and Marketing Andrew Tuitahi said he sees “promising signs” for small and light car segments.While the sales figures aren’t proof at this stage, with EVs making people consider a smaller car than they might otherwise buy.“I can't say that it's saved, but there's definitely some promising signs,” Tuitahi told CarsGuide. “The unique thing that ‘new energy’, battery electric plug-in hybrids are doing is causing people to reconsider.”Tuitahi said the downsides once associated with light and small cars are more and more being addressed by new compact EVs, after earlier in the day having pointed out the healthy list of features in the Geely EX2.“So a lot of the compromises that you typically make if you were going to buy a b-segment or a light hatchback - things like drivetrain, power, performance, safety, style, you know, space - a lot of those things are solved with a battery electric platform. “So I think consumers are able to prioritise maybe some features by sacrificing a segment, but still getting that same space.”While the EX2 does cover much of the above, it should be pointed out its entry grade has a very modest 60kW output in the base Complete variant, or 80kW in the Inspire.Tuitahi added that along with the price and the overall size of the car, the range of a small EV is less a priority than it would be in larger EVs that are more likely to be used on long trips.“It really depends on the use case,” he said.“So we'd be encouraging our dealers to work with customers to help identify how they're going to be using their cars and whether or not they need that range. “You know… looking at the average kilometers traveled, certainly someone charging once a week would be within that range for an EX2. “Someone who can trickle charge every day is never going to be less than 70 or 80 per cent battery. So, it really comes down to use case.”

2026 has been a watershed year for new vehicle sales in Australia, with the tsunami of new challenger brands from China continuing to pound our shores with full-force.It’s upset the established order on the industry leaderboard, with BYD (up 115 per cent) charging into second spot through the end of July, and sending a shudder through the hallowed halls of traditional number one, Toyota Australia, and unceremoniously relegating Ford to the third step of the podium.The rapid rise of Chery (up 71.3 per cent) and GWM (up 16.6 per cent YTD) has meant former high-ranking top 10 regulars Mazda and Hyundai have been shuffled down the order, with Mitsubishi hanging on by the skin of its teeth in tenth. A resurgent Tesla (up 88.3 per cent) sits in ninth spot, but Nissan (-33.7 per cent) and Subaru (-26.2 per cent) are out of the top 10 picture altogether.Question is, what does this furious churn of customers mean for overall sales? Is the market likely to expand, or given its historical stability, come in close to previous years?If it’s the latter, the financial writing could be on the wall for those legacy brands losing market share to newcomers offering fancy, typically electrified models full of bells and whistles at aggressive price points.So, let's start at the top. After a faltering start to the year marked by supply shortfalls of the in-demand RAV4 and HiLux, Toyota looks to be in the midst of staging a monumental comeback.RAV4 is still down over 25 per cent compared to the same point in 2025 and HiLux is close to 12 per cent behind, but in early June, Toyota Australia announced it had secured an additional 10,000 vehicles for 2026.And since then, the company said it has “worked closely with its global partners to secure further stock to help satisfy strong demand”. In fact, Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations John Pappas has said, "Increased supply of key models including HiLux, RAV4, Corolla Cross and bZ4X would play a key role in Toyota passing the 230,000 sales target for 2026.”It’s worth noting Toyota was the leader in 2025 with 239,863 sales, representing approximately 19.8 per cent of the total market.Which means normal programming is set to resume in terms of Toyota’s numbers and the Japanese giant’s first place positioning.But what about that cheeky upstart, BYD, riding high on the back of continued demand for its Shark 6 petrol-electric hybrid ute and the surging popularity of its Sealion 7 medium EV SUV.In fact everything from the new Atto 1 light electric hatch and Atto 2 compact EV SUV to the Sealion 5 and Sealion 8 SUVs are firing.In terms of a 2026 prediction, all BYD has said is it “would like to be in the top three by the end of the year.” We’d suggest that’ll mean a number in excess of 80,000 units and with 2025 second and third place finishers Ford and Mazda down 10.8 and 16.7 per cent, respectively so far this year, BYD’s aspiration looks well within reach. A total of 103,656 new vehicles were registered in Australia in July this year, which represents a modest 0.5 per cent increase over the same month last year (103,097 units) with the overall year-to-date number down just 0.2 per cent (710,449 vs 711,908 units).So, all this moving and shaking in the sales order clearly isn’t shifting the needle in terms of overall sales. One brand’s loss is another brand’s gain.The sales trend and numbers as they stand for 2026 so far point towards a year-end figure in the vicinity of 1.22 million units, which would be only fractionally up on the 1.21 million cars sold here last year.Economics 101 says in a mature, stable market that’s invaded by a host of new competitors, something’s got to give.Not every brand will get out of the Aussie new car sales race alive and the winners and losers over the next five months will be a telling pointer to which brands, new and not-so-new, are potentially heading towards the departure lounge longer-term.       Source: VFacts / Electric Vehicle Council 

XPeng’s new Australia-bound SUV means business, as it is priced to severely undercut key rivals in China.The XPeng G9L, which was recently revealed in China and confirmed to arrive here in the next six months, will cost the equivalent of $55,000 for the range-topping model in China.XPeng also confirmed there will be plenty of cheaper grades to choose from.This means the most expensive G9L will be more affordable than the cheapest Zeekr 8X ($75,000) in China.And the general rule of thumb is: if it's cheaper than its rivals in China, it’ll be cheaper than them here.Chinese cars are usually about 20 per cent more expensive in Australia than in China, so expect the G9L to top out at about $70,000 when it arrives.The G9L is a big five-seat SUV in the domestic market, which follows the latest trend of giant Chinese SUVs with roomy interiors.It is 5120mm long, 1999mm wide and 1795mm tall, with a 3100mm wheelbase, and is bigger than most seven-seat SUVs.It is available with an electric or range-extender hybrid (REEV) set-up. The latter uses a small petrol engine as a generator to charge the battery, with only the electric motor(s) driving the wheels.Both electric and EREV versions will be available in two- or all-wheel drive.The 2WD EV has a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 270kW, while the AWD adds a front-mounted 160kW motor for a combined 430kW.REEV variants have a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine to charge the battery.The single electric motor in the range-extender makes 210kW, with the AWD adding an extra 160kW motor for a combined 370kW.There are several battery options. Two-wheel drive versions use a circa-92kWh lithium iron phospahte (LFP) battery that is good for 702km of driving range, according to the more lenient Chinese test cycle.All-wheel drive versions use a roughly 92kWh Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt (NMC) unit, which is good for about 660km of range. This can be upped to a 110kWh power plant that boosts range to 755km.REEV versions use a huge 64kW LFP battery for a claimed Chinese verified electric driving range of 435km.XPeng hasn’t revealed what versions will be available here.XPeng HQ has recently taken over from the Australian importer after a several issues, which is now playing out in federal court.The factory-backed operation has grand plans now it is allowed to sell cars here.It already has the updated G6 mid-size SUV and X9 people mover available for order.It has confirmed the L03 coupe-SUV will be next to land, followed by the G9L and L05 mid-size SUV, the latter is from its more affordable Mona range. The flagship GX, which will likely be called something else when it arrives due to Lexus already claiming that name, will land sometime in the future.

It’s been more than a year since Jaguar’s rebrand and the reveal of its Type 00 Concept, and now the brand has revealed the first glimpse of the production version’s interior.The 2027 Jaguar Type 01, to give it the recently confirmed production name, will be revealed properly in New York on 6 October 2026, but the EV’s design still remains a mystery in terms of many details.Now, Jaguar has revealed a few images of its interior, which looks to be closely related to the interior shown in the controversial Type 00 concept.A blend of minimalism and unfamiliar design philosophy, the interior certainly confirms the words of Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover in that it’s “an interior like no other”.Inspired by the travertine limestone and brass of the concept, the colour palette and materials in the Type 01 also follow the ‘copy nothing’ philosophy set out upon the brand’s relaunch.With its name revealed in May this year not long after a preview drive afforded to select media - including CarsGuide - the Type 01 will be the brand’s first car to debut in its new era.The large electric four-door GT has a long bonnet, a total length of 5200mm over a 3200mm wheelbase, and space inside for four separated by a central ‘spine’ - the one made of limestone in the Type 00 concept.Under the cabin, a 120kWh battery should mean a range around 700km, though its brisk performance provided by three motors (two at the rear for 706kW, one at the front with 206kW) might tempt some to use up that power rather inefficiently.On our preview drive, we estimated a 0-100km/h sprint of under 4.0 seconds.Thomas Holden, Chief Interior Designer for Jaguar, said the “unmistakable drama” of the Type 01’s interior aims to “define the modern luxury automotive interior of the future”.“Our holistic design philosophy translates the vehicle’s exterior presence into a distinctive interior architecture,” he said. “In contrast to the horizontal interior design norm, we emphasise its dramatic longitudinal nature through the central spine - an architectural statement that creates four individual spaces.“With authentic materials, technology on demand and reductive flowing surfaces, Type 01 presents unmistakable drama and theatre that will define the modern luxury automotive interior of the future.”

The Australian car industry is in the middle of a major shake-up and not all brands are likely to survive it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say some of the biggest name brands, car makers we have loved for decades, may disappear within the next five years.That’s the hard reality of the dramatic change that is sweeping the industry. The new wave of Chinese car brands have arrived and quickly established themselves with solid market share. But that share has to come from somewhere and the reality is, the brands that are feeling the squeeze more than any other are those smack dab at the heart of the market.Looking at the sales data for the first half of 2026 it’s clear who are the biggest winners and losers. Geely is up 494.6 per cent, BYD has risen 124.1 per cent and Chery sales are 76.8 per cent improved, plus both GWM, MG, Omoda-Jaecoo and Zeekr are also increasing their presence.So where are those buyers coming from? Well, Toyota is down 21.4 per cent, Mazda is 17.2 per cent down and Ford has dropped 10.6 per cent. But I’m not suggesting any of those brands are doomed, Toyota is confident of a second half bounce back and Ford remains atop the all-important ute market. Instead, the bigger concern are the brands in the middle and lower half of the top 10, which are shedding sales at a higher rate and face increasing and long-term pressure from the newer arrivals. Nissan has dropped 32.8 per cent, Mitsubishi is down 25.7 per cent, Subaru down 25.6 per cent and Volkswagen has dropped 16.5 per cent, and there is no clear pathway for them to regain so much lost ground.While I’ve been talking strictly in sale percentage terms, the raw numbers don’t make good reading for those brands. BYD is obviously having a huge year, notching over 52,000 sales, but it’s brands like Geely (10,970 sales), Omoda-Jaecoo (8808) and even Zeekr (5835) that are starting to make serious in-roads on the likes Subaru (14,817), Nissan (13,854) and Volkswagen (12,333).In simple terms, the Australia new car pie is only so big, it typically hovers around the 1.2 million mark each year, so the slice of pie for each brand will get smaller as more and more brands enter the market. Short of a sudden and dramatic expansion of the number of people buying new cars, all of the established brands will need to get comfortable selling less volume. Brands will need to adapt to this new world order to survive and not just the so-called ‘legacy’ brands like Nissan, Subaru, etc, but also the new, predominantly Chinese brands. Since 2021 there have been more than a dozen new brands enter the market from China alone and there are more coming, with Forthing, Lepas, iCaur and Jetour all confirmed for Australia.There simply aren’t enough buyers to make more than 70 car brands viable in Australia so get used to hearing announcements like we have recently with Peugeot and Fiat about ‘reevaluating’ or ‘restructuring’ or just plain ‘leaving’ the Australian market for good.Ultimately who survives and who doesn’t will come down to you, the new car customer, as your choice will dictate which brands maintain enough sales to remain viable - and which ones fade away.

Tesla’s electric six-seater SUV has had a smashing start to life in Australia, but last month was its best sales return yet. The Model Y L registered 2429 sales in July, which is more than standard five-seat Model Y (2215), claiming the second-best selling EV for the month.The BYD Sealion 7 was the only EV that sold more units than the Model Y L last month. This was the first time Tesla has offered a sales split for its Model Y and Model Y L variants, providing an insight how successful its three-row SUV has been. The Model Y L launched earlier this year as a bigger, three-row six-seater variant of the standard Model Y mid-size SUV.It launched with great anticipation following significant interest and demand in other global markets.  It starts from $74,900, before on-road costs, representing a $6000 increase on the all-wheel drive long-range variant ($68,900), making it the second-most expensive model in the lineup.The Model Y L uses the standard AWD Model Y's dual electric motor set-up, producing 378kW and 493Nm, paired with a 78kWh battery offering 681km (WLTP) of driving range. Electric car sales are booming in Australia and the Model Y L joined at just the right time to take full advantage.The Tesla Model Y was already the best-selling EV in Australia, but a six-seater variant has opened up an increased buyer appeal. Its success in Australia is mirrored by its popularity in other markets such as China and South Korea. The Model Y L is a comparatively cheap electric three-row SUV in Australia, with the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9 both around the $100,000 mark.Tesla commented on the success of the Model Y L in June, when the Model Y was the best-selling car in Australia.“The Model Y L has resonated strongly with families, capturing a significant share of Model Y sales and reinforcing its position as a standout choice in the segment,” a spokesperson said.“These results reflect growing customer confidence in Tesla, from loyal owners and to those experiencing electric for the first time.”

Your next Toyota is about to get more expensive, that's the word from the brand’s top accountant.Toyota released its quarterly financial report, which detailed it was expecting material costs for building its vehicles to jump 1.3 trillion yen ($11.5 billion).That’s bad news for anyone considering a Toyota, as the extra cost to build the cars will be passed on to consumers, according to the brand’s top accountant Akanori Azuma.“The impact of higher material costs, including measures to strengthen our supplier base, is approximately 1.3 trillion yen. We intend to recover roughly half of that through price revisions,” said Azuma.The good news is buyers won’t be hit all at once, with the brand intending to space out the price jumps into next year.“We do not intend to pass these costs on to customers all at once. Rather, we will continue to carefully consider both the timing and the level of price revisions.“Since the effects of price revisions also carry over into the following year, we will closely monitor their effectiveness and respond accordingly,” he said.Toyota plans to make more than 10 million vehicles this financial year, which means that 50 per cent of that cost spread over those vehicles equals about $600 per car.Toyota has been under fire for steep price rises for its new-generation RAV4 Hybrid around the world. In Australia price rises varied, with the base GX version now $3830 more expensive and the Cruiser grade almost $6000 dearer.  Toyota South Africa Motors Senior Public Relations Manager Riaan Esterhuysen said China is the problem."We intentionally moved it into a more premium space. It occupies or plays in the higher part of the segment now, and that is intentional," he told BizCommunity."We can't compete with the emerging Chinese brands directly on an entry-level price point. They have changed that market. They have shaped the market or changed the shape of the market by driving customers down to a lower and mid-tier of the segment or taking used car buyers and upselling them."The new RAV4 was the best selling car in Australia in the past month, with 5564 finding a new home.Those numbers aren’t expected to drop anytime soon with the company holding a heavy order book.Supply is the biggest thing holding back the RAV4 and the rest of Toyota’s range from hitting astronomical numbers.Most models have a standard three month wait list, with more popular vehicles stretching out further.Toyota Australia has said it has managed to secure about an extra 20,000 vehicles for this calendar year, with most of that number being RAV4, HiLux and bZ4X vehicles.That increased stock is expected closer to the year's end, so expect an even stronger sales number at the book end of 2026.

A new variant for the GWM Ora 5 has appeared in Chinese government filings.Dubbed the Ora 5 GT, it is a plug-in hybrid wagon sibling to the budget electric Ora 5 SUV already on sale in Australia.The car was spotted undergoing testing in China in June, and is GWM's latest addition to its busy Ora lineup.It is bigger than the Ora 5 electric SUV, measuring up at 4758mm long, up to 1844mm wide, 1630mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2720mm.There are no direct rivals for the car in Australia, with the BYD Seal 6 PHEV wagon ($34,990) a size up.The Ora 5 GT will be powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and electric motor set-up, making 115kW. The car will be fitted with a lithium-iron-phosphate battery from Chinese giant CATL, but there is no official driving range figure yet.GWM Australia hasn't officially confirmed the arrival of the Ora 5 GT yet, but the local branch is considering it.The car won't launch this year, with it more likely to hit the market in early 2027 if it does come here.The brand axed its Ora hatch EV Down Under earlier this year, effectively replacing it with the Ora 5 SUV.A hatchback variant of the Ora 5 will launch in Australia before the end of this year, with a hybrid SUV variant not too far away either.Hybrids are on the agenda for GWM, with the brand plotting to bring across more Ora variants to Australia. "In terms of the levels of adoption that we expect to see within this market, within the coming years, we expect (hybrids) to accelerate more quickly," GWM Australia Head of Marketing and Communications Steve Maciver told CarsGuide in late 2025. "We think we can do a lot more with Ora… with plug-in hybrid, but EV will certainly come behind that as well, for sure."

Toyota is working on a new strategy to cut down wait times for buyers. The brand introducing a new lithium-ion battery to expand production capacity for its cars, according to AutoNews. These batteries will cut costs by hundreds of dollars per vehicle and improve overall performance in a shift away from nickel-metal hydride unitsThe Japanese giant is targeting a surge in hybrid car sales over the next two years.It wants to convert battery capacity for 600,000 of its Japanese-built vehicles to the next-generation battery from 2027.There is no official news on the performance specifications for the new battery, but it will be more efficient.It could be a variant of Toyota's 2023 concept that offered more than 800km of driving range.A more efficient battery manufacturing process could accelerate production significantly and shift cars to buyers faster.Wait times on Toyota vehicles have been an ongoing talking point in Australia, especially for popular models the RAV4 SUV and Camry sedan hybrids.The brand appears to still be picking up the pieces from its ravaged supply chains during the COVID-19 lockdowns.  Its much-anticipated new-generation RAV4 was subject to significant delays of almost a year in part due slow production progress.Toyota sales slid substantially in the first half of 2026, with the carmaker desperate to get its hands on new RAV4 to turn it around. Units have finally started to ship in significant numbers for Toyota, and the RAV4 took its place as the best-selling car in Australia for July. A more efficient production process would help the brand to maintain its hold of the Australian market.Cheaper batteries could also mean lower price tags for buyers, after Toyota hiked the price of the new RAV4 this year.Toyota is facing increasingly tough competition from Chinese automakers like BYD and Chery that have huge production capacity and are already shifting plenty of units Down Under. Toyota is now planning to source batteries for up to 200,000 cars from external suppliers, including Chinese behemoth CATL. The carmaker's battery plans don’t stop there, with another new lithium-ion battery due in 2028 boasting 1000km of range and a 10 per cent cost reduction. 

A car with 1,000,000km on the clock has just gone up for sale in Australia.The 2009 Toyota LandCruiser 200-series with 999,999km on the odometer has been listed for auction.It is one of very few cars to achieve the 1,000,000km mark, and one of even fewer to be listed for a public auction. West Victorian stock agent Gary Driscoll bought the car from new in April 2010, according to the ABC.It is the range-topping Sahara grade of the LandCruiser. The LandCruiser has travelled an average of 180km a day from property to property on rural backroads throughout its life.Driscoll said he hoped his LandCruiser would fetch more than $30,000.The auction started today and will run for two weeks, but it has already exceeded the $30,000 mark. Toyota’s Horsham dealership said the car has been serviced nearly 100 times, but it retains the same factory 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 diesel engine and automatic transmission. A starter motor replacement at 973,000km was the most noticeable big ticket service item. There are 300m left before the car ticks over the 1,000,000km mark, but it is unclear what will happen when the car reaches its seventh digit, with it such a rare feat for a car. "I'm not sure that Toyota even know because I don't think there's been another 200 series that has done it,” Driscoll told the ABC. "So whether it goes back to all zeros … Toyota have got the feeling that it might just stay on all the nines, but we won't know until someone gets in it and goes for a drive."Toyota Australia has been contacted for comment to learn more.Driscoll has left the privilege of finding out what will happen to the winner of the auction.