Industry news

A self-charging Nissan Ariya concept has just been unveiled in the United Kingdom, with the in-built solar system capable of delivering up to 23km of range per day in ideal conditions.The car features a set of 3.8cm² solar photovoltaic panels on the bonnet, roof and tailgate, which converts sunlight into DC power. The panels were provided by a Dutch solar company called Lightyear, that worked on the first-ever solar-powered production car in 2019.Nissan said the technology can reduce charging frequency by up to 65 per cent.Solar technology allows for the car to be charged as it drives along, unlike conventional infrastructure. According to Nissan, a two-hour, 80km drive can produce 0.5kWh of charge, which adds up to nearly three kilometres of driving range.  Solar charging on cars poses practical challenges for manufacturers, needing to fit big enough panels to provide sufficient charge on a small surface area.Nissan notes the effectiveness of this solar charging is impacted by sun exposure available where the car is being driven.Dubai, for example, has high solar exposure, meaning the vehicle can generate an average of 21km of daily solar driving range, while in London that drops to 10km a day. Australia could benefit from solar charging, given its climate and the current electric vehicle charging infrastructure available. Australia has one of the highest solar exposure rates in the world, so it would offer some of the best conditions for this technology. It could ease the burden of EV charging infrastructure Down Under, with electric vehicles numbers ever-increasing, but chargers popping up at a slower rate. At this stage, Nissan’s new technology is only a concept, with just one example built so far. It also remains to be seen whether this type of charging can be offered at an affordable cost point and charge at a sufficiently effective rate. Other companies have been dabbling in solar charging cars in recent years.The Lightyear One was unveiled as the first-ever solar-powered car six years ago in the Netherlands, with its set-up offering 12km of range each hour in optimum conditions. The current Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid sold in the United States is available with an optional solar panel, which can add several kilometres of range each day. 

Autonomous driving in Australia is already here… sort of. But it should arrive in full by 2027.Most new cars offer some form of self-driving functionality, such as lane keep assist or adaptive cruise control.Tesla unveiled its 'Full Self-Driving (Supervised)' system late last year.Supervised is the key word because autonomous driving is not legal in Australia.According to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, automated vehicles (AVs) can only operate in Australia under state or territory trial frameworks. There are currently no large-scale trials on Australian roads. Maybe not large-scale, but there are trials.A driverless bus taking passengers to and from the Darwin Waterfront was tried in 2017 and deemed "successful".There are also automated trucks working on mine sites in the north-west of Western Australia. So what is it going to take to see autonomous driving cars on our roads?Whose laws matter?Our driving laws are generally state-based. Your speeding fines go to the state you are in, not the Federal Government.Consequently, some inconsistencies exist between various state driving rules, notably fine amounts.Mostly though, driving laws are formed on the same basis: the Australian Road Rules.These are updated every couple of years, so in theory AVs rules could be slipped in, right? That is the plan according to Executive Leader, Regulatory Reform and Emerging Technologies at the National Transport Commission (NTC) Aaron de Rozario. The NTC has been commissioned to put together a regulatory system before we have AVs on the road.“We’ve got all the Australian governments involved in the process of deciding ‘yes, these are the road rules that apply to an automated driving scenario’,” de Rozario said. The NTC puts together these road rules and all transport ministers will vote on whether to approve, before implementing into respective state laws.A key proposal currently put forward from the NTC is to have a ‘Commonwealth in-service regulator’.The regular will aim to fuse federal and state responsibility on AVs.One of its main tasks will be due diligence on new AV technologies coming into Australia to determine whether safe operation can be demonstrated. Once AV technologies enter Australia, the regulator will investigate issues and complaints about programming and incidents concerning AVs. Who is responsible? AVs on Australian roads raise issues with the establishment of causation of accidents. The NTC will target clear distinctions on responsibility between drivers/passengers and the automated driving system. Some of those distinctions are simply resolved such as wearing a seatbelt. That responsibility rests with those travelling in the car. The complexity is apparent when considering post-accident liability. How to overcome these issues remains murky, with hard-and-fast solutions still some way off.“There is a bit of work determining what happens if there is a motor vehicle accident,” de Rozario said.“Drivers have certain legal responsibilities to take action and we need to work out what happens in the case of an automated vehicle and whether there are any responsibilities for passengers.”One solution being proposed is to clearly specify where and on which roads certain types of AVs can be used safely, and legally.Something that has been made clear is companies will not be able to escape responsibility for their AVs.Providers of automated driving systems will have to have a registered corporate presence in Australia.“We’re deliberately setting this up so there isn’t a ‘Sorry I’m overseas. I don’t need to comply with your law’.”This mandate facilitates the full application of the national corporations legislation onto directors of AV companies, giving authorities powers to enforce findings and decisions.It would include enforcement of duty of care and diligence principles, including criminal punishment for dishonest and reckless conduct. At this stage, AV conversations remain in a preliminary phase, with the ATC targeting 2027 for a system framework.Tesla’s latest technology represents a window into the future of AVs. But you should not expect to see someone reading a newspaper as their personally-owned car drives them to work in the morning anytime soon.The government says the framework "will enable conditional deployment of automated vehicles in select locations".Automated taxi systems remain the most likely to come to Australia first. “From what we see overseas, the two areas which are likely to be the first movers would be the robo-taxi model or an urban taxi rideshare service,” de Rozario said.“The other one that keeps coming up is freight and that could be parcel delivery type services.”

The way a car looks can make or break a model, and recently we’ve seen cars such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Tasman receive so much criticism because of their styling that the brands appear to be working on a quick redesign for them. So will the new-look Tasman and Santa Fe translate into better sales? We’ll find out soon, once we see the updated cars and then the sales figures, but in the meantime here are our top 5 car re-designs from the past five years. And by redesign we don’t mean the change in styling, which comes with a new-generation of a car, but the facelifts and makeovers that happened in between.  5. 2025 Nissan QashqaiMost brands update their models over the course of about seven years between all-new generations. Normally these involve tweaks to headlights or taillights and are often cosmetic changes that are easy to fit onto the existing design. So it’s always impressive when we see a striking new look come along such as with the Nissan Qashqai in 2025.The Qashqai received a complete ‘face transplant’ giving it an entirely new look. The smaller plunging grille it had worn for years had been replaced by a gloss black textured one-piece grille stretching the width of the car. 4. 2025 Isuzu MU-XIsuzu’s seven-seater MU-X SUV has spent most of its life living in the shadow of the D-Max ute it’s based on, but a revamp in 2025 saw it lose its goofy grille and gain a menacing new look.Isuzu said the mid-life update came after customer feedback and along with the redesigned face the MU-X also gained a host of new features and safety tech.Isuzu said the restyling incorporated “aeronautical design cues to inject strength and dynamism” while improving aerodynamics.3. 2026 Subaru SolterraSubaru’s Solterra EV was massively overhauled just two years after its launch in 2023 due to strong criticism of its range, power, price and styling. The Solterra returned new and improved in 2025 with a redesign that made the SUV unrecognisable from the front.For Australia the change came even more rapidly, with the Solterra launching here in early 2024 and the updated version having just arrived in early 2026.The new face was just the tip of the huge changes that had taken place, with a larger battery installed for increased driving range and more powerful motors added. Subaru also dropped the price by up to $7000.2. 2021 Lexus ISThe Lexus IS hasn’t been sold in Australia since 2021 but it was in that year that the mid-sized sporty sedan launched locally with a redesign so big that this looked like a new-generation and not just an update.  More aggressive, but more refined the new IS had a wider body, a bigger grille, new headlights and LED running lights and new taillights.1. 2023 Hyundai SonataThe 2023 Hyundai Sonata was hit with a stunning makeover. The facelift took a fairly dull-looking sedan and turned it into a desirable, sleek and modern four door.A new frontal design incorporating a thin LED strip skirting the bonnet edge, large lower grille and a beautifully treated tailgate with restyled taillights completed an exterior design which looked more new-gen than makeover.The updated Sonata’s cabin also received an overhaul with new tech and features.

Cathy, Thorpey, Kylie and Nikki had just shown the world that Australia can hold its own in sports and culture, we’d given quite a few of our guns away, the Millenial Bug wasn’t such a concern anymore… and three sedans dominated Aussie roads.A quarter of a century ago, the year 2000 was just in the rear-view, and the sales charts looked very different to today.What better time than 25 years later to look back at the cars and brands Australians were heading to the showroom for?Not only were there fewer utes and SUVs being sold, they didn’t even make up a third of the new vehicle sales in the country combined that year. Utes and SUVs were lumped together in the same section of the VFACTS report (the sales figures industry stakeholders, pundits and media receive each month) alongside heavy trucks.Only 8413 new Toyota RAV4s were sold, making the Daewoo Lanos (9029 sales) more popular that year. Compare that to 2025, when the RAV4 ranked second in sales for the year with a whopping 51,947 units, only topped by the Ranger (56,555).Speaking of which, how did our now-favourite utes fare in 2000? The Ford Courier, the Ranger’s predecessor, sold just 6769 units, while the HiLux managed to hop into the top 10 with 21,509 sales. Still somewhat short of its 51,297 in 2025.To be fair, if you’d asked someone if they were buying a Ford ute, the Courier wouldn’t have been the first thing to come to mind. Ford sold 13,698 Falcon utes in the year 2000, putting it well ahead of its Commodore rival’s 6361.That can be explained easily, Holden didn't build a new ute for the VT generation Commodore of the late-’90s, instead continuing to sell the VS ute alongside the VT sedan.The near-new AU Falcon ute (released in mid-1999) had the car-based ute market covered for the turn of the century.Those two now-gone badges, along with the enduring Toyota Camry and the impressive Mitsubishi Magna, were impossible to avoid on Aussie roads then, with the Commodore, Falcon, Camry and Magna being first, second, third and fifth (thanks to the Corolla in fourth) most popular cars in the country in 2000.Between them they contributed to the total 198,766 large passenger cars sold in 2000, which made up 35.9 per cent of the year’s new vehicle sales. In 2025, large passenger cars made up just 2285 sales, or 0.2 per cent of the market.Small cars made up the other major chunk of sales back in 2000, with 154,050 sales being 27.8 per cent of the market. They were 72,222 sales and 6.0 per cent of last year’s market share.The aforementioned Daewoo was in the top 10 brands (just) in terms of sales for the year 2000, but was the only brand in that list that no longer exists.A scroll through the list shows other long-gone names like Daihatsu, Saab and Proton, and one not-so-long-gone name — Citroen.Daewoo Nubira? Daihatsu Sirion? Even the Proton Satria? These forgotten cars all sold in the thousands back then.Giants like Kia and Hyundai have come a long way, too. The brands once known for the Excel or Accent, plus the Kia Rio in its most ‘cheap and cheerful’ phase (RIP) are now global powerhouses with new technology and reliability commonly in the same sentence as their badge names. Hyundai, at least, was still a top-10 player back then.Below, there are tables with the most popular models and brands from the year 2000 and the figures we gleaned from the data — note the badge names have been consolidated so that cars with Commodore (for example) includes all body types.Top 10 cars sold in Australia in 2000Top 10 cars brands in Australia in 2000  

Geely has launched its Galaxy V900 range-extender powered luxury people mover in China, according to Car News China. The car has a starting price of 309,800 yuan, which is roughly $65,000, and will be available in six, seven and eight seater variants.  The Galaxy V900 gives Geely a rival to other luxury people movers in the segment, such as the Denza D9 and Xpeng X9, both of which are expected to launch in Australia this year. Australia's people mover segment is dominated by the internal combustion or hybrid powered Kia Carnival, with new-energy alternatives limited.Electric options have started to pop up such as the Zeekr 009 and VW’s ID. Buzz, with both launching in the past 12 months or so, but have not made in-roads into the Carnival’s strong hold. The Hyundai Staria is the Carnival’s closest rival in Australia, and recently unveiled a fully-electric version of its people mover.A spokesperson for Hyundai Australia told CarsGuide the brand is reviewing the business case for the electric Staria Down Under, but there are no local launch plans currently. There is no news on a potential launch for Geely’s latest people mover in Australia, but it would line up with the confirmed local arrival of the Denza’s D9 and the Xpeng X9. Geely currently only offers two cars in Australia, the EX5 electric and Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid mid-size SUVs, with a small electric hatchback joining in 2026.Geely Australia said when contacted for the comment that there are no details to share at this stage on the Galaxy V900's future.The Galaxy V900 is a range-extender hybrid, which uses a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and dual electric motors. This set-up packs loads of power, producing 340kW and 523Nm, driving all four wheels.The car comes with two battery choices — 43.3kWh or 50kWh — offering an electric-only driving range of 220km or 260km, according to the generous CLTC testing cycle, Its total range when fully fuelled and charged is 1220km. The Galaxy V900’s interior features a 10.25-inch digital driver display, 15.4-inch central touchscreen and a 19.8-inch full-length head-up display. There are also plenty of comfort features for passengers, with massaging, heated and ventilated seats.The second row of seats has a 17.3-inch entertainment screen and 5.98-inch armrest control screen. 

The Renault/Nissan alliance will lean deeper into their ties in China for ultra-rapid vehicle development, according to a new report from industry source Automotive News.While Nissan has been open about its need to lean into its Chinese joint-ventures for rapid global vehicle development off the back of a range of successful models in China, its alliance partner Renault has started the process of decoupling from its Chinese ventures.However, the French giant maintains a development centre in Shanghai, established in 2019, from which it leverages the Chinese market’s speed and competitiveness to develop next-gen electric cars and hybrids.According to Automotive News the development cycle of these new models is just 16 months from concept to production, as part of a push by Renault to be more competitive with Chinese brands making rapid inroads into Europe.Brands like GWM, BYD, and Chery have ultra-rapid design cycles that often shorten generational changes to well below the usual seven-to-10 year mark that traditional automakers often stick to, with updates and facelifts regularly rolled out.The first models to benefit from the knowhow of the Shanghai development centre are a range of new city cars based on the upcoming Renault Twingo E-Tech. The electrified city car will spawn an equivalent Nissan (the next-generation Micra) and a low-cost spin-off for the Dacia brand.It will mean the Twingo is designed in France, built in Slovenia, with spin-offs developed in Shanghai.The model is the company’s most affordable mainstream electric car, with the equivalent of an AU$33,446 starting price in Europe. In the same vein as a BYD Atto 1, the Twingo is equipped with a 60kW electric motor, features 263km of driving range and has a relatively impressive 360-litre boot.Part of Renault’s mission with the retro Twingo was to reduce weight for an electric car, thereby having a lower rate of energy consumption and requiring smaller batteries which form a bit part of the cost. To that end, the city hatch has an LFP battery with just 27.5kWh capacity, which is smaller than some plug-in hybrids.The battery is so small the car doesn't even come with DC charging capability, but a 50kW DC port can be optionally equipped, reducing charge time to just 30 minutes. It can also optionally be equipped with a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, allowing a power output of up to 3700W for external devices.It is unclear whether Renault’s Australian importer has designs on the Twingo, although it has previously stated it plans for Renault to be primarily an electric car brand going forward, earmarking re-badged Dacia models (like the recently-launched Duster) as the future of its combustion cars.Meanwhile, Renault has effectively exited the Chinese domestic market, wrapping up its joint-venture with Dongfeng. It has various strategic interests in Asia, including a partnership with Geely on a spin-off combustion engine business, Horse Powertrain, and it has re-configured its South Korean manufacturing base.Formerly Renault Samsung Motors, the Korean factory is now also a joint-venture with Geely, which produces new Renault models for the global market, as well as vehicles under the Geely umbrella, like the Polestar 4.Horse Powertrain, meanwhile, will build engines in Europe and China for Renault and Geely models, as well as for Dacia, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Proton and even Mitsubishi.French brands have struggled to compete in Australia's new-car landscape that's being re-defined by aggressive Chinese carmakers.Renault sales were down 17.8 per cent by the end of 2025 compared with 2024, while arch-rival Peugeot fared even worse, down 28.8 per cent in the same period.Citroen, meanwhile, exited Australia in November 2024 after 102 years following a long period of slow sales.

A mid-engined sports car remains in Toyota's plans, as development continues to trickle along. More details of the brand's potential mid-engined rocket have been revealed, by AutoNews.The car is now a race-testing prototype, but do not expect to see a production version any time soon, with it still up to five years away.Gazoo Racing President Tomoya Takahashi told AutoNews engineers are in the first of four stages to be completed before mass production.Takahashi also provided some further details on the engine for the car, confirming it will be powered by a 2.0-litre engine, likely with some hybrid-electric assistance.“At the highest level, the chairman is determined to continue manufacturing internal combustion engines. And when we had this new 2.0-litre engine, we decided to mount it to a midship car,” Takahashi told Auto News in November.“We developed it to fit in a small car like the GR Yaris because the packaging and engineering is more demanding,” he said.“If we can do that, we can easily deploy it in bigger vehicles.“If we are going to mount this engine on many different vehicles, it’s almost mandatory to be able to combine it with hybrid technology.“We will be making such development.”It is expected this hybrid system will combine the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and electric motor power, rumoured to produce a total output of 370kW and 550Nm.The car will also feature a dynamic all-wheel drive system, such as on the Toyota Yaris GR.It is thought this car could see the revival of the MR2 name, which was last seen on Toyota cars in the mid 2000s.Fuelling the fire for a potential return of the MR2 is a couple of recent intellectual property filings for the name from Toyota.The brand filed the trademark ‘GR MR2’ in Japan and ‘MR2’ in Australia in December 2025, but this could just have been to ensure no one else claimed the name. The midship sports car project remains in early development, and with it still potentially four or five years away from production, with the 2028 rumoured launch date seems unlikely. Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda posted on social media, ahead of the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon, alluding to the announcement of a new mid-engined machine, soon to be debuted.The mid-engined car teased was the not the much-anticipated return of the iconic MR2 coupe, but a customised mini truck.

Volkswagen Australia has admitted sales of the retro-looking ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo electric vans didn’t get off to the quickest start but it believes the tides are now starting to change.

It’s been almost three years now since the current-generation Volkswagen Amarok has been available in Australia and the company is now finally starting to reveal some details regarding the locally fettled Walkinshaw version.Dubbed the Volkswagen Amarok W600, this new range-topping version of the South African-built and Australian-tweaked dual-cab ute will be fully revealed early in the second quarter ahead of customer deliveries commencing in the third quarter of 2026.Unlike off-road-oriented flagship utes such as the Ford Ranger Raptor, Isuzu D-Max Blade and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, this new Amarok W600 sits as an ultimate road-going ute, much like the previous-generation Amarok W580S.Based on the Amarok TDI600 Style, the W600 features a number of unique upgrades that are all equipped at Walkinshaw’s new facility in Dandenong South, Victoria.There are new 20-inch six-spoke alloy wheels that are 10-inches wide and are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tyres.In order to house these larger tyres the wheel arches have been flared, plus there is a new front end with a ‘W’ motif in the grille and a full-width LED light bar connecting the LED headlights.Volkswagen claims that Walkinshaw has made additional changes to the front end of the W600 and will fully reveal the front fascia at a later date.Other tweaks include electric side steps, a dual side-exit exhaust system and exterior Walkinshaw badging.Under the skin there is a bespoke Koni suspension set-up that has been tuned especially by Walkinshaw for this ute. It’s worth noting the rear leaf spring set-up is retained.The dampers use frequency selective damping (FSD) technology which essentially means there is a valve bypass inside allowing the vehicle to maintain comfort if you hit a pothole, for example. There are also Raid shock absorbers which is Koni’s off-road line of shock absorbers.This is the first time Koni has combined this type of shock absorber with this kind of damper.Additionally there is a 22mm rear anti-roll bar fitted to the W600 by Walkinshaw with what it claims is OEM levels of integration.All of the new suspension equipment fitted by Walkinshaw is coloured in Volkswagen’s Lapiz Blue.Inside there is Walkinshaw embroidery on the headrests, as well as aluminium pedals.Despite all these changes, there hasn’t been any under the bonnet. Power comes from an unchanged 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine producing 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque.This is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a full-time four-wheel drive system.It’s worth noting that the brakes also remain unchanged in the W600 and although there is a space for a full-size 20-inch wheel under the tub, Volkswagen has decided to stick with a smaller spare wheel.At this stage it’s unclear how much the Amarok W600 will cost. The current line-up caps out at $82,990 before on-road costs for the Amarok TDI600 Aventura.Historically the W580S was around $7500 more than the next most expensive Amarok trim level. If this carries over it could see the go over $90,000 before on-road costs.It’s worth noting that the Ford Ranger Raptor is currently $90,690 before on-road costs. Despite being overtly more off-road-oriented, it features a more powerful 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that produces 292kW and 583Nm.

The Freelander name will be revived in 2026 as Chery and Jaguar Land Rover re-shape their partnership, according to Car News China. It is expected the brand’s first car will be a large seven-seat SUV available with electric and range-extender set-ups. The Freelander has been confirmed for a launch in the Middle East in 2026, with no other regions outside of China officially confirmed at this stage. There is no news on whether the Freelander will wind up in Australia, but if it does, it would be another hybrid rival to the BYD Sealion 8, Chery Tiggo 8 and MG QS. This will be Chery Jaguar Land Rover partnership's first car sold outside of China. The news was revealed after Chery invited public tenders for a marketing agency to create the core visual assets, among other things for the launching Freelander.While bearing the Freelander name, it has been speculated that it will feature Chery’s Exeed brand’s EOX platform. This lends to the likelihood of the Freelander being available in electric and range-extender variants, as on Exeed Star Era ET, which uses the same platform. Freelander-branded cars have already been spotted in China during 2025 road tests of the vehicles. The car features a familiar Land Rover look, with a similar grille and light cluster along with sleek roof design. The Freelander name first started as a Land Rover model alongside other well-known examples such as the Discovery and the Defender. The Freelander project was officially announced in mid-2024 as an electric-only and China-exclusive model.It now looks like plans have changed with the Middle East confirmed for the Freelander brand. We could get our first look at the Freelander as early as April at the Beijing Auto Show.