Luxury

Jaguar’s coming back, but not as we know it. The storied British marque is in the middle of its ‘no new cars for five years’ strategy on a journey to full reinvention.

Renault’s performance subsidiary Alpine will reveal its first-ever electric SUV at the Paris auto show this October.

Why the Volvo EX90 is late and why it's probably likely to be very worthwhile as a result.

The Volvo EX90 is the company's first entirely in-house-developed and purpose-built electric vehicle, but it's much more than that. Advanced safety and multimedia tech, combined with intelligent interior packaging as well as sophisticated chassis and powertrain engineering, aim to make the Swedish large luxury SUV EV best in class. Not that you'd know all this from its pretty though safe design.

Aston Martin is making up for lost time with the return of its iconic Vanquish label, the firm's most powerful combustion engine to date. After a six year hiatus, the front-engined Vanquish will return with a huge 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 that is capable of pumping out a staggering 614kW/1000Nm.

Toyota will band together with BMW to develop hydrogen technology, in what is the biggest indication yet that BMW is gearing up to enter a hydrogen-powered vehicle into the mainstream market.According to Nikkei Asia, the Japanese and German automakers are set to sign a memorandum of understanding confirming the partnership next week, with an announcement expected during BMW’s round table media event on September 5.It’s the latest evolution of a hydrogen partnership that dates back to 2012, when Toyota agreed to supply BMW with a limited number of hydrogen fuel cell components.This agreement will pave the way for a more comprehensive partnership, with Toyota supplying BMW with more sophisticated hydrogen tanks and fuel cell systems. According to Nikkei Asia, BMW will then use its in-house EV technologies to manufacture the rest of the vehicle.The announcement doesn’t come as a surprise, given that Toyota is already a well-established player in the hydrogen fuel cell segment, and BMW has increasingly expressed interest in producing a hydrogen cell vehicles for the mainstream market.BMW recently toured its hydrogen powered iX5 hydrogen prototype – which is built on the X5 SUV platform – across Australia in July, while Toyota introduced its hydrogen powered Mirai, one of two hydrogen vehicles available in Australia, on a special leasing agreement back in 2021. The Mirai has been offered in Japan since 2014.Hyundai is the only other brand in Australia with a hydrogen passenger vehicle, the Nexo SUV, which it distributes under a similar leasing scheme. The ACT and QLD governments are two of Hyundai’s biggest leasing partners for the Nexo. Each government leased a fleet in 2021 which they have both extended as of this year.The arrangement with Toyota may bring down the cost of any prospective hydrogen vehicle from BMW, although questions persist — particularly in Australia — about the feasibility of selling a hydrogen vehicle to the public.Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles run on electricity generated through a chemical reaction created between hydrogen and oxygen, with their only tailpipe emission being water.Their range and refuelling time is considered to be better than EVs, with the technology presenting itself as an attractive alternative as the demand for EVs begins to plateau.There are just 12 hydrogen refuelling stations in Australia, with the cost of delivering hydrogen infrastructure here remaining incredibly high. The CSIRO’s hydrogen refuelling and production station in Melbourne, for example, cost $2.5 million to build, but only generates enough fuel capacity for roughly 10 vehicles per day.BMW may struggle less in Germany though, where a network of 86 refuelling and production stations puts Germany as one of the global leaders when it comes to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.Toyota Australia signed a memorandum of understanding last year with Hyundai, energy-giant Pacific Energy and fuel retailer Ampol to drive local infrastructure expansion.Hyundai’s XCIENT Hydrogen Fuel Cell trucks already operate across Europe on a commercial scale, with Hyundai and Toyota particularly adamant that hydrogen technology will first establish itself in the transport industry before it becomes available on a mainstream scale in passenger cars.

Lexus says it has finally found the means for it to rival German brands like Porsche and BMW when it comes to engaging driving dynamics.

Mercedes-Benz Australia recently flagged it is looking to bring back plug-in hybrids to the Australian market after a resurgence in PHEV popularity, but there’s not been any confirmation as to which model we’ll see arrive first.

Pricing for the new electric Tavascan crossover has been announced in the UK, as the Australian release of Cupra's most expensive model to date inches closer.

Australia hasn't had what you'd call a love affair with the Porsche Panamera. Not compared to the on-going romance with its iconic sibling, the 911 and even its SUV stablemates. So, will the redesign of this sedan launch an arrow from Cupid's bow for Australian families?