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Australia electric car owners are about to realise the full potential of their vehicles.Power giant AGL has announced a new Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) trial to allow EV owners to power their homes and be paid to send power back to the grid.V2G technology allows electric vehicle owners to use the energy stored in their vehicles to power their home or send power back to the grid to earn credits during periods of peak demand.Electric car batteries are typically about five times the size of conventional home batteries, which could deliver huge potential for Australians.When paired with roof-top solar, V2G technology could allow some to effectively live off the grid.AGL Head of Innovation and Strategy Renae Gasmier said: “To unlock the full potential of their electric vehicles, owners need to think about them as more than cars, but rather as home batteries on wheels. The typical electric car battery can store enough energy to power the average home for around three days.”The new technology was green lit last year when Federal Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced Standards Australia has signed off on a new protocol allowing the technology to be approved for use in Australia.This streamlined the process for car and charging device manufacturers to get their vehicles approved for V2G use.“Vehicle to grid charging is now ticked, enabled under the law of the land and will become a reality before Christmas, in the real world,” said Bowen at the time. “Possible today, technically possible today, thanks to these changes, but next couple of months, an opportunity for the companies to get their registrations in and get it happening.”Currently V2G is only being trialled in South Australia, but AGL opens it up nationwide by bringing in all major national electricity market Distribution Network Service Providers.AGL has joined forces with BYD, Hyundai, Kia and Zeekr to make the service available to select vehicles.Owners of a Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9 and the soon to be launched updated Ioniq 6 can take part.Kia’s EV3, EV6 and EV9 can also be part of the trial.Kia Australia boss Damien Meredith said: “Amid cost-of-living pressures, this unlocks the potential for Kia EV owners to transform their cars into mobile energy assets. Bi-directional charging is a game-changer, and we look forward to help introduce V2G to the Australian market on a much larger scale.”Hyundai Australia chief Don Romano said the trial will be able to show Australians its electric cars can do far more than just drive.BYD Atto 3 with some modifications is currently eligible with the plug-in hybrid Shark 6 ute and Sealion 6 a possibility further down the line.Zeekr currently has three electric vehicles on sale, the X small SUV, 7X mid-size SUV and 009 people mover. It is unclear which Zeekr vehicles can take part in the trial.

A best-selling SUV and van have retained their five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety rating.

Hyundai is already heading back to the design studio for its smash hit Santa Fe large SUV.The South Korean brand has been applauded for the design of its family SUV, which sports a blocky square profile reminiscent of an old Land Rover Discovery.Now the company is prepping some styling tweaks to keep it ahead of the pack.New renders published by Koreancarblog, show a reworked front end with vertical headlights and a light bar that runs the length of the front.A more closed-off grille replaces the big dual grille of the current version. This front end is closer in style to the current Kona small SUV and the soon to be updated Tucson mid-size SUV.The updated Santa Fe is also expected to ditch the current rear tail-lights in favour of vertical LEDs, such as those seen on the new Ioniq 9 electric SUV.A heavily camouflaged version of the updated Santa Fe has been spotted undergoing testing in South Korea, but it isn’t expected to go on sale until 2027.Hyundai is also expected to drop the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from the current turbocharged petrol variant in favour of a conventional eight-speed gearbox.Sister brand Kia has made a similar move in its Sportage, ditching a dual-clutch for a more city-friendly standard eight-speed auto transmission.The 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol motor makes 206kW and 422Nm and drinks 9.1 litres per 100km of the cheapest unleaded fuel.The Santa Fe will likely keep its hybrid setup and add a plug-in hybrid variant to more markets, as the brand increases its focus on plug-in petrol-electric power.The standard hybrid is already available on the current Santa Fe. It pairs a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor to make a combined 172kW and 367Nm. Fuel use drops to 5.6L/100km.A plug-in hybrid is already available in other markets but not Australia yet. Hyundai is working on the next generation of its plug-in tech, which is claimed to boost electric-only driving range to at least 100km.The Hyundai Santa Fe has been a success in Australia, with sales up more than 20 per cent through the first eight months of this year.Some styling tweaks to tone down its design could give it a boost to chase down the segment's top-selling Kia Sorento and Toyota Kluger.

If you’re in a market for a new Hyundai Ioniq 5, then act quickly, because the highly-acclaimed and ground-breaking electric vehicle (EV) is about to become $6400 more expensive to access, thanks to the deletion of the base Standard Range battery grade.Why? It is understood that Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) is making room for the coming Elexio/EO expected here sometime next year.This is the fresh mid-sized SUV EV fraternal twin to the popular Kia EV5, co-developed and built in China through the brand’s Beijing Hyundai joint-venture program with BAIC Motor.The number of Ioniq 5 grades for 2026 has been slashed, from 11 to just four, including the N flagship that now costs around $4600 more than before. The Dynamiq and Epiq variant names are also disappearing – perhaps due the Volkswagen Group’s coming Skoda Epiq EV SUV.“We have nothing to say about future product and nothing has been confirmed at this stage,” HMCA General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Bill Thomas, told CarsGuide.According to a dealer source, the slow-selling, entry-level 125kW single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) 63kWh Standard Range (SR) battery grade, starting from $69,800 (all prices are before on-road costs) is about to be dropped for the 2026 model year.This comes barely 15 months after the Ioniq 5 RWD 63kWh SR was announced, as part of a wholesale mid-cycle facelift in July, 2024.Stepping in its place will be the continuing, more-powerful 168kW RWD 84kWh Extended Range (ER) version, that is now $400 more expensive than before from $76,200, followed by the fresh Elite 168kW RWD 84kWh ER from $81,200, which usurps the previous Dynamiq 168kWh RWD 84kWh ER from $80,800.The upside of the ER is usefully more WLTP range compared to the SR (up from 440km to 570km in its most efficient specification wearing 19-inch wheels), as well as stronger performance, though – as before – torque remains the same in both motors, at 350Nm.Buyers will need to fork out an additional $6400 for a 2026 Ioniq 5 with the rousing 239kW/605Nm twin-motor and all-wheel drive (AWD) ER powertrain.This is because the current mid-spec Dynamiq 84kWh ER AWD from $85,300, its sportier Dynamiq N-Line 84kWh ER AWD from $87,800, up-spec Epiq 84kWh ER AWD from $88,800 and sport/luxury Epic N-Line 84kWh ER AWD from $91,300 will also soon be gone for 2026.All but the latter will be wiped out, to simplify a complex model-walk structure, and replaced by the newly-minted N-Line Premium 84kWh ER AWD grade from $91,700.While all the AWD versions also use the 84kWh ER battery, the added weight of the second motor plus other items means that its WLTP range drops compared to the RWD equivalents, from 570km to about 500km.Additionally, for 2026, all versions adopt the so-called Digital Key 2.0, enabling owners and users to operate their vehicle with a compatible smartphone, rather than having the experience the inconvenience of carrying a regular key fob.Meanwhile, the previously-optional Vision Roof – a fixed panoramic glass roof with an electric sunshade – is now standard equipment in the Ioniq 5 N, accounting for its circa-$4600 price hike. Whether that affects its 3.4-second (on boost) sprint-time to 100km/h from standstill is not yet known.Finally, the highly-controversial digital side mirror that forced drivers to rely on even more screens instead of an intuitive exterior-mirror glance has been discontinued.We understand that Australian production for the 2026 Ioniq 5 range kicks off next month, with cars reaching dealers possibly before Christmas.Stay tuned to find out more.

The sales charts in Australia have been shaken up over the past year with more and more Chinese brands emerging.However, Toyota still firmly is the best-selling brand in Australia.Toyota Australia Vice President of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said the company continues to be extremely strategic despite its success.“It’s competitive. Never take position for granted,” said Hanley.“Every day you wake up, it’s a new challenge. Every day you wake up, it’s a new way of thinking.“The automotive industry is evolving and moving like every other industry. Quick rapidly.“So to say it’s business as usual would be an incorrect statement. But we’re certainly not panicking.“We certainly feel confident and we feel in control of our destination. We have a good purpose. We have a great team of people and dealer network that’s working towards that purpose.“We’ve been very clear strategically for the last 10 years on what the next 10 years will look like.“So therefore, when you’ve got a common goal and a purpose that people buy into, including consumers, then you can be confident about your future, but it’s not business as usual.“The fact is we work hard all the time to try to get it right and there are times when we don’t get it right. We’re not perfect.“What I love about Toyota is when we don’t get it right, god, we try hard to get it right. We don’t hide from it. We face up.“In my 38 years , that’s the reason why Toyota is one of the most trusted brands in Australia and why it’s the most trusted automotive brand .In the first eight months of 2025, Toyota has sold a total of 163,491 new vehicles in Australia. The next best-selling brand is Mazda (63,208 sales), followed by Ford (62,581 sales).While sales for these established mainstream brands are all down slightly as this year is forming as a cooler year for overall new car sales, brands such as China’s BYD and Chery are experiencing astronomical sales growth.GWM has also asserted itself as a top 10 player in the new car sales charts. It plans to be in the top five by 2030.Despite the influx of emerging Chinese brands, a vast array of Toyota vehicles remain at the top of their respective segments. These include the Corolla, Camry, RAV4, Prado and LandCruiser.Where it has lost its footing is on the budget end of the spectrum with vehicles such as the MG3 overtaking the Yaris, the Mazda CX-3 outselling the Yaris Cross and the GWM Haval Jolion outperforming the Corolla Cross.Sales for its bZ4X electric vehicle (EV) are a splash in the pan compared to top-selling rivals like the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7.Over the next 12 months Toyota is poised to introduce another EV in the form of the larger bZ4X Touring.It will also introduce a new-generation of its top-selling RAV4 mid-size SUV with the inclusion of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power option for the first time in Australia.Toyota is launching a new petrol-electric hybrid version of the LandCruiser 300 Series in the first half of 2026 to sell alongside the existing turbo-diesel variants.

Cupra is adding plug-in hybrid power to its family SUV.The Terramar VZe is due to arrive in November with a starting price of $77,990 before on-road costs.This puts it at about a $10,000 premium over the purely petrol-powered Terramar VZ, snd slighly more expensive than the fully electric mid-size Tavascan SUV-Coupe.The Terramar VZe brings potent performance with the combo of a feisty turbo-petrol engine and electric motor, but with fuel sipping hybrid credentials and a long electric-only driving range.It is packed full of standard equipment with next to no optional extras.The Terramar VZe is a PHEV that combines a petrol engine combined with an electric motor.20-inch Hadron black and copper alloy wheelsLED headlights10.25-inch driver displayHead-up display12.9-inch media screenSat nav12-speaker Sennheiser stereoThree-zone climate controlHeated front seatsPower front seatsLeather upholstery in Deep BurgundyMultifunction steering wheelProximity unlockingWireless Apple CarPlay and Android AutoWireless phone chargingDigital radioPower tailgate with kick sensorPanoramic sunroof: $2000Auto emergency brakingBlind spot warningFront cross traffic alertRear cross traffic alertAdaptive cruise controlLane keeping assistanceTraffic sign recognition360 degree cameraFront and rear parking sensorsSeven airbagsGlacier WhiteTimanfaya GreyFiord BlueMidnight blackDark VoidGraphene GreyCupra covers the Terramar VZe with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty

Billionaire investor Warren Buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway company has sold it last remaining stake in BYD.

One Chinese EV maker is trialling a new safety feature, which has been panned online.A video posted to X shows an iCar 03T (iCar is Chery sub-brand) undergoing a bizarre safety procedure.The video shows the electric 03T explosively ejecting its battery to mitigate any safety risk to the car.X users were quick to slam the idea.One user wrote: "Also, are we trying to kill pedestrians instead of putting vehicle occupants at risk? What an asinine design."Another said: "Absolutely annihilating the kids walking down the sidewalk.""Watching this makes my ankles hurt," wrote another.This tech is believed to mitigate the risk of battery fire, known as thermal runaway, which is extremely hard to extinguish and is at risk of reigniting even after the fire has been initially quenched.The novel idea asks more questions than it answers.Yes, it can help protect the car, but the manner and violence in the way the battery is expunged could lead to damage and injury to nearby vehicles, pedestrians and other road users.There is no evidence this safety feature is in production vehicles yet.The risk of an electric car fire is highly unlikely according to Australian data.EV Fire Safe, which is backed by the federal government, said there have been eight electric car fires since 2021 in Australia and only one is from an unknown cause with the rest the result of an accident, an external fire or arson attack.Electric vehicle fires are rare, but when they start they can have devastating results.US shipping company Matson announced earlier this year it would cease to accept any booking to move electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, according to reports.The announcement follows the sinking of the Morning Midas off the coast of Alaska, which was caused by a fire starting in an electric car.Chery’s iCar vehicles are currently not on sale in Australia but they could land Down Under in coming years.According to Autocar, iCar will launch in the UK in 2026, however it will be marketed as ‘iCaur’ outside of China given Apple owns the rights to ‘iCar’.Chery Australia is remaining quiet on the iCar brand for now, with a company spokesperson telling CarsGuide previously: “We’re certainly interested in the exciting product that was revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show. However, at this early stage there are no confirmed plans.”

Ford is beefing up its 4WD range.

Skoda Australia has added the finishing touch to its new, second-generation Kodiaq line-up with confirmed pricing and specification for the RS performance flagship version of the large, seven-seat SUV.