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Mazda is preparing something big.The Japanese brand has teased its latest creation ahead of the vehicle’s official reveal at the upcoming 2025 Japan Mobility Show (JMS).Mazda has released a single shadowy teaser image of what it said represents the vision for future Mazda vehicles.The image doesn’t give much away but shows a silky smooth coupe silhouette, which looks like an evolution of its Iconic SP concept shown at the same show two years ago.Mazda has been tipped to push the range-extender hybrid into production. It uses a rotary engine as a generator to juice up a battery, with the wheels driven by electric motors only.The carmaker also said the vehicle would symbolise the company's theme for its JMS exhibition. That theme is: “The Joy of Driving Fuels a Sustainable Tomorrow”.A low-emissions fun-to-drive sports car appears to fit this theme perfectly.Mazda has previously alluded to the Iconic SP entering production at some point.The company’s design chief Masashi Nakayama said last year the Iconic SP Concept from the 2023 Tokyo motor show was always destined to become a reality."This concept is not just one of those empty show cars," he said."It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future."Adding weight to the claim was the Iconic SP Concept was registered with the Japan Patent Office earlier this year.That registration confirmed some eye-popping features such as retractable pop-up headlights and twin-rotary EV power.Mazda is also due to show off a replacement for its long serving 3 hatch and sedan, and this concept could show its future direction.At this point it's all just speculation what the show car will be until it is revealed on October 29, and CarsGuide will be on the ground to bring you the action as it happens.Mazda will also display the new CX-5 SUV and a new CO2 capture technology, which reduces emissions the more people drive.Mazda will also showcase a new algae-derived carbon-neutral fuel.

Another Chinese carmaker has confirmed its arrival in Australia.GAC — or Guangzhou Automobile Company — has long made no secret of its plans to launch in Australia, but now we know its first vehicles will go on sale in just a matter of weeks.Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang said, “Launching GAC in Australia is an exceptional milestone for our brand.""I have no doubt that Australian customers will welcome our range of high-quality, innovative models with keen interest, and become accustomed to the elevated ownership experience we are set to offer.”The newcomer will launch in Australia with a three strong line-up, with petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric power on the menu.First up is the Aion V mid-size electric SUV, which is pitched at the Geely EX5, Tesla Model Y and Kia EV5.Then it is the big M8 plug-in hybrid people mover to target the Kia Carnival. Finally there is the Emzoom petrol-powered small SUV, which is aimed at the MG ZS, Chery Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion.GAC Australia hasn’t revealed any details of the vehicles, but why have previously appeared in government homologation documents.We know the Aion V will be fitted with a single electric motor making 150kW and 240Nm.A circa-75kWh battery delivers a claimed driving range of 602km, via the more generous NEDC test cycle.The bulky M8 people mover uses a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and electric motor to produce a combined 274kW and 630Nm..This is paired with a 25.5kWh battery that allows for up to 120km of electric only driving, again calculated via the NEDC testing regime.It has a total claimed combined range of 1032km thanks to a 56L fuel tank. It has a DC charging capability of 40kW, allowing for a 30-80 per cent charge in half an hour.GAC’s Emzoom compact SUV uses a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine to make 125kW, which is paired to a seven-speed automatic transmission that drives the front wheels.GAC is no minnow, having sold more than two million vehicles globally in 2024.It also has several key partnerships, including with Toyota. This partnership has delivered several Toyota electric vehicles in China using GAC’s technology.One vehicle is the Toyota bZ3X, which has just launched in Hong Kong, another right-hand drive market.It uses a 150kW/210Nm front-mounted electric motor, with range stated at 565km although this is to the more lenient NEDC standard.The 70kWh LFP battery has some limitations, namely just 90kW peak charging speed on DC, with the AC inverter also limited to 6.6kW, making for comparatively slow charging times.

Toyota has published some imagery of the concepts it plans to reveal at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Nissan's new Y63-inspired SUV has taken a sizeable step closer to an Australian launch, with the brand securing the Tekton through our trademark office.

Rumours of Polestar’s demise are premature, according to the company’s global boss.Polestar’s recent financial results included some sobering details, including a billion-dollar loss that had some commentators questioning the long-term viability of the Geely Group-owned marque.But Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller put a positive spin on the results and said the reason for the massive financial loss was a result of the Chinese-built Polestar 3 no longer being able to be sold in the United States due to tariffs.“The reality is, there was a lot of very good financial news in the H1 results. Why do I say that? First of all, volume was up 51 per cent. Revenue was up 56 per cent. For the first time in the history of Polestar, we achieved a positive operating gross margin. Costs are coming down, and EBITDA losses are also reducing. So all operational indicators show in the right direction and we do the right things,” he explained.“Truth is, we had to impair the Polestar 3 very much driven by the US situation, and that's obviously a one-time impact we had to book. And that's why you get then the headlines like, hey, the losses are big. But I think if you split the story in the two pieces, operational performance is good. We do the right things, and that's the encouraging piece.”Lohscheller said Polestar has put in place some strategies to further protect itself from the Trump Administration's 100 per cent tariff on electric cars made in China, starting with manufacturing for the upcoming Polestar 7 compact SUV.“We will produce this car here in Europe in a Volvo plant in Slovakia, so it's close by. And of course, that makes a tonne of sense, because the majority of our volume is in Europe. Then we don't have to ship the cars around the world. The tariff problem is also then not there. Because you produce locally here in Europe, and then this will make life much easier,” he said.“We also want to go into segments which are bigger, right? So compact SUV segment is quite big, so we do the right things on that side too. And that helps us. At the same time, we have certain flexibility. We use also the Volvo plant in North America. We also use a factory of Renault and Geely in South Korea. And obviously we have the Chinese plant, right? So we have some flexibility, which I think is a very big competitive advantage too.”Sustainability is at the core of Polestar’s brand image and it has talked up transparency with annual public reporting of the sourcing and impacts of its supply chain and manufacturing facilities.Lohscheller said that laser focus on sustainability and transparency did not slow down model development, and in fact, it has resulted in positive outcomes for the company.“No, not at all. I think… it actually makes things easier, because we know that we have to go this way, right? So when we set up new factories, for example, or use factories of our partners, renewable energy is of highest importance. So I think it makes things a little easier, actually. And then the question is, okay, how can you translate that into also economic efficiency? But I think this direction makes it actually easier for us.”

Toyota could be on the cusp of an electric vehicle revolution.The Japanese carmaker was slammed for its slow uptake of the zero-emissions tech, but it is inching closer to a game-changing breakthrough.Toyota said it is aiming for an electric car fitted with solid-state batteries to launch in 2027-2028.The carmaker has announced a new agreement to mass produce components of hi-tech solid-state batteries with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co.This partnership will produce the cathode material needed to make solid-state batteries.Solid-state batteries differ from conventional electric car batteries by ditching the liquid or gel electrolyte for a solid material.This allows for a huge increase in energy density, which allows for smaller batteries that can deliver long driving ranges. They are also less prone to fire than conventional batteries.Toyota’s development doesn’t solve the issue of using a solid electrolyte, but instead the "highly durable cathode material" will prolong the batteries' life by reducing the degradation of the battery from repeated charging and discharging cycles.Reducing cost of mass-producing solid-state batteries is also a key aim of this new partnership.Toyota first announced plans to show off its solid-state battery back in 2021, according to Asian business publication Nikkei. Developmental struggles have set it back with no working prototype seen as yet.Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima also cast doubt on the tech earlier this year, too.“...development is always unpredictable. Frankly, there’s no telling if it will work out or not,” said Nakajima."I always take encouragement from Chairman Toyoda’s reminder that, ‘It’s okay to fail’.”Toyota aren’t the only brand doubting the feasibility of the future tech.One of Audi’s senior drivetrain engineers, told CarsGuide last year the technology wasn’t likely to be feasible for ‘everyday’ cars in the foreseeable future due to the minuscule manufacturing margins of error required.Hyundai Group's Head of Global Product Planning, Spencer Cho, told US publication Automotive News that the technology is more complex than many realise.“I don’t think we can commercialise these batteries before 2030,” said Cho. “There is a lot of uncertainty about the progress of solid-state batteries,” he said.Mercedes-Benz and BMW appear to be the most advanced with prototype vehicles fitted with solid-state batteries undergoing early testing. Both are aiming to have the cells fitted to vehicles before the end of the decade.Toyota is now on track to be one of the first carmakers to bring the tech to market, which is a huge about turn for a company that appeared to be so slow to roll out electric cars.

The new-generation Toyota HiLux is one of the most anticipated vehicle launches in the past 12 months or so and the drip feed of new information continues to flow ahead of its expected reveal at this year’s Thailand motor show.

History’s most influential van ever turns 60. With a global impact that includes Australia, the Ford Transit changed the way vans were designed, engineered and marketed from the very moment it hit the streets – initially in the UK and Europe – in October, 1965. Today the Transit is to Europeans what the Holden and Ford utes meant to Australians and what the F-Series pick-up is to Americans.

They were once the staple in almost every Australian driveway, but the sedan is looking increasingly in danger of disappearing altogether.Sales of family-sized sedans are down more than 60 per cent in 2025, with even the biggest names in the market including the Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3 enduring a major sales slide.The decline of the Camry, which is down 46.4 per cent in the first nine months of 2025 is particularly telling. Once a staple not only of the sedan market, but one of the most popular cars in the country, the Camry is now struggling to find new buyers. Once popular family cars including the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Mondeo, Mazda6, Volkswagen Passat, Kia Optima and more have all disappeared over the past decade and more and more buyers shift to utes and SUVs.A decade ago some local car executives openly questioned how large the SUV market could grow, doubting that the sedan could be overtaken, such as the dominance of the bodystyle at the time.That has clearly changed.Some industry insiders viewed electric cars as a potential saviour of the sedan, as the lower body allowed for better aerodynamics and less weight, and therefore greater efficiency and longer driving range off the batteries. The Model 3 and BYD Seal have performed strongly previously, but sales of both have taken a turn for the worse in 2025.This year Tesla reported sales of the Model 3 were down more than 65 per cent in the first seven months of the year, while the Seal has seen its sales halved. While this is happening, sales of SUVs and utes continue to stay strong, making it clear to car companies where they should be focusing their attention and future models. While there are some brands still committed to the sedan for now, it’s hard to see them playing a significant role for any brand in the future.Toyota will likely keep the Camry as long as possible given it has been a staple of the brand and recently received an update. But as we’ve seen with the Mazda6, which was a fixture of that brand’s line-up, no model is truly safe regardless of its heritage.The same is true for the premium end of the market too. The BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 have often been amongst the best-selling sedans overall, competing on volume with the likes of the Mazda6, Sonata, Passat and others.But these luxury options are also suffering declining sales. The sales of mid-size sedans over $60,000 are down almost across the board, with the only model enjoying sales growth being the Audi A5 - which is coming off a small base and the departure of the A4.The fact that Audi has decided to retire the A4 badge and shift its sedan focus to the A5 is telling in itself. It underlines the shift from the traditional to this new era of both SUVs and electric vehicles.The recent reveal of the BMW iX3 as the first offering from the Bavarian brand’s so-called Neue Klasse is another sign that electric SUVs are the focus for many brands and sedans are an afterthought.This news will be disappointing for the sedan loyalists who simply don’t want to switch to a bigger SUV or ute. But the message is clear to those who still prefer sedans - get them while you can.

Hyundai's tough, ladder-frame and ute-based 4WD now on the table to take on everything from the Ford Everest to the Toyota LandCruiser Prado could launch with turbo-hybrid power, with the brand seemingly testing a rear-drive AWD version of the new powertrain in Europe.Intitially thought to be a possible partnership with GM, the latest news confirms Hyundai is taking development of its Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival in-house. At Hyundai's recent Investor Day, in which company chief José Muñoz confirmed the pickup would arrive before 2030, a slide was shown that read "build-out pickup truck portfolio and broaden customer base, with potential for body-on-frame SUV variant".And we now have our best clue at just what will be powering it, with the model increasingly likely to debut with petrol-hybrid power, with the 2.5-litre turbo-hybrid that has just debuted in the Palisade the most likely candidate.In Palisade form, the powertrain develops 245kW and 460Nm, giving us an indication of the kind of power expected from Hyundai's ute offering, with the same engine combinaton then a sure-bet to pop up in the SUV variant.Hyundai in Australia has made secret of the fact its ute won't offer a diesel solution, with the brand's local chief, Don Romano, telling CarsGuide that "Australia doesn't need another diesel ute"."I think we have to look at options. And I can't tell you whether that's a PHEV, a HEV or a BEV, but I think those are options that have to be considered. And I think those are the areas that will give us an opportunity for expansion," he said."Our position here in Australia is that we don't need another diesel ute. But we do want Kia to be successful because right now we see a decline in total ute sales, and that could delay the development when people look at it and say 'is that really an important segment that we need to be in?' The answer is 'yeah'."We want to be able to point to our sister company to say look at the success that they've had. Just having an open bed, I think that's important."The hybrid powertrain might have just taken a signifiant step in its development journey, with what appears to be GV70 hybrid spied testing in Spain with a 'HEV' sticker on its rear. While the Palisade is front-drive AWD, a ute or 4WD offering would need to be rear-drive AWD, and if the GV70 is testing the 2.5-litre turbo-hybrid, then it the brand has likely developed a solution."The group plans to introduce a rear-wheel-drive 2.5 turbo hybrid system in 2026 and aims to gradually expand its hybrid technology to the Genesis luxury brand by applying this powertrain to key models over time," the brand said at the unveiling of its new hybrid technology, also promising that the tech would have "broad application from sub-compact to large vehicles".Hyundai is yet to confirm exactly what powertrain will be fitted to its ute and SUV.