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Sales slowdown in October for Australia's new car market.

China’s XPeng has detailed its new vehicle launch plans for 2026.

This new car will change everything you thought about Toyota.

If you’re worried the new Porsche Cayenne Electric is a sign of the end of the combustion Porsche era, the head of the Cayenne model line has some reassuring words for you.Petrol power will be around for “a long, long, long, long time”, says Michael Schaetzle, Porsche’s Vice President of Product Line Cayenne.Schaetzle says the internal combustion engine (ICE) Cayenne, which is still the model’s third generation, will be sold alongside the fourth generation Cayenne Electric. On top of that, he says there’s still more to come for the petrol Cayenne.“We are working on the ICE as well, and the development will go further with the ICE,” Schaetzle says.“And we really want to give the customer a real choice between these cars. So don't be afraid, in several years it will be possible to buy a very good ICE from Porsche in the Cayenne segment.Unsurprisingly, Schaetzle is very excited about the Cayenne Electric, but says there’s still an overwhelming demand for combustion-powered Cayennes.“We saw that a lot of people are not accepting EVs at the moment. We think, in the beginning, we will sell more ICEs now than the EVs.”Schaetzle also admits that he would like to see more EVs being sold due to the emissions regulations in Europe and in other markets worldwide.“We are happy about every customer buying the EV because of the CO2 regulations. We think in the 2030s, things will change, and will sell more EVs than the ICEs.“The Cayenne is special, because at the moment you’ve got both.”

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda shocked the automotive world when it announced at this year’s Japan Mobility Show that will go after Rolls-Royce and Bentley on the global market.

A Ford legend will still be around in 2026, according to Car News China.

The time of the purely combustion car is over: The age of the hybrid has begun.Now entrenched as the default choice amongst Aussie new car buyers, demand for fuel-sipping electrified cars has exploded and the new car market has well and truly responded.Hybrid cars in Australia in 2026 will see the market flooded with new and updated options hitting our shores and the lengthy list below contains only the ones we know about right now.Expect even more options to be confirmed over the course of the coming year.For now expect a theme - lots of new Chinese brands offering sought-after affordable electrified alternatives, and so-called ‘legacy’ brands scrambling to play catch-up.Read on to see the best hybrid cars in Australia in 2026.BYD’s largest and most expensive product yet, the seven-seat Sealion 8 is also a new-generation offering in its Chinese home market.Expect a familiar three-variant line-up for this plug-in hybrid in early 2026, with the range extending from a comparatively affordable base two-wheel drive, to a more performance-oriented all-wheel drive which will debut a new ‘DM-P’ powertrain for BYD in Australia, producing up to 400kW/668Nm.The Sealion 8 is expected to start from around $65,000 with prices possibly cresting $75,000 at the top. It features a new interior design language and batteries enabling a range of around 100-150km of range depending on variant.Australia’s favourite hybrid SUV will be getting an overhaul in the first quarter of 2026. It is expected to be one of the best hybrid cars in Australia in 2026 when it comes to sales, although it will be hit with price rises across the range.There’s a dramatically redesigned face and tail, as well as an overhauled interior, both in terms of the look and the tech, but ultimately it is the same size and platform as the outgoing version.The version arriving early in the year will be plug-less hybrid across its expansive range of variants, with more to come later on.KGM - formerly known as SsangYong - will launch its re-booted Actyon upper mid-sized SUV as a hybrid early in 2026.It will take on the likes of the Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota RAV4 as a quirky Korean alternative, also sitting above the Torres in the brand’s range.A plug-less hybrid version bodes well, with plug-ins famously a hard sell for many, but the re-booted Korean upstart will have its work cut out for it in facing popular and affordable Chinese rivals like the Haval H6.Suzuki’s ageing Vitara will get a facelift in early 2026, expected to be the same overall look and feel as the car which has already launched in the also-right-hand-drive UK market.This Vitara scores tightened-up styling on the outside, a new multimedia screen on the inside now with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and, importantly, some form of hybrid powertrain.We don’t know whether we’ll get the 1.4-litre turbo mild-hybrid powertrain or the 1.5-litre full-hybrid powertrain, both available in Europe but there’s a case for both cars being needed by the brand in Australia.Jaecoo - the semi-premium spin-off from Chery, will launch its J5 small SUV in early 2026. It will score a standard 1.5-litre turbo option, but more importantly it will also be available as a 1.5-litre plug-less hybrid. A fully-electric version will arrive first as part of a three-pronged assault on the likes of the Hyundai Kona.It will be the brand’s cheapest hybrid and you can expect a similar hybrid powertrain to the Chery Tiggo 4, consisting of a reasonably punchy electric motor and a hybrid transaxle set-up at the front.The struggling Stellantis joint-venture is no doubt hoping its curious range-extender hybrids will give it the boost it needs in Australia, after a disappointing few months for its cost-leading C10 electric mid-size SUV.The B10 follow-up is in a more compact package, and the range-extender variant will pair an engine with an electric motor - although only the electric motor will drive the wheels. Specs are far from being locked in, so tune back in later next year for more on what you can expect - but this could also be one of the best small hybrid cars in Australia in terms of price.The Sealion 5 is a plug-in hybrid mid-size electric SUV, and if you’re thinking 'isn’t that what the Sealion 6 does already' you wouldn’t be wrong.The Sealion 5 is a more cost-leading offering by the Chinese brand, designed to help it leap up the sales charts again next year by muscling out rival offerings like the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV.Expect a slightly smaller and more dressed-down alternative to the popular Sealion 6 at a more aggressive price-point, but with less impressive specifications, as part of BYD’s now two-prong assault on the title of best medium hybrid SUV in the sales charts.Toyota’s aspirational off-roader will finally line-up with the rest of the brand’s range by offering a plug-less hybrid variant in 2026.Hardly offering the middling performance of the rest of the hybrid badged Toyotas in Australia, the LC300 will pack a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 borrowed from the US-market Tundra pick-up, which has also recently landed in Australia.Unlike other Toyota hybrids, it also gets a 10-speed automatic transmission rather than the ‘e-CVT’ electrified transaxle, and maintains the same 4x4 hardware, like mechanical linkages to each axle and a low-range transfer case and three differential locks in the GR Sport variant.Wey is GWM’s luxury brand, sitting above Haval in its pantheon of passenger cars and has in the past been ruled an export-to-Europe-only venture.However, the brand has recently locked-in an Australian launch, with its 80 people mover. Expect a range of Wey SUVs to follow in the future.A luxurious plug-in hybrid, the Wey 80 enters an increasingly heated premium people mover space, which will soon be dominated by Chinese challenger brands. In particular it will go head-to-head with GAC’s M8.The relatively popular Lexus ES sedan will get a next-gen overhaul in 2026, again providing it a new lease on life in a world of shrinking sedan market share.The new model moves into new design territory for Lexus, and is set to feature a battery-electric variant for the first time to live alongside what will presumably be a hybrid-only range when it arrives in Australia mid-year.Toyota’s RAV4 will finally score a plug-in hybrid variant in Australia before the end of 2026, despite a PHEV having been available overseas for some time.The new version will land in Australia in two trim levels, as a front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive. It has a 22.7kWh battery pack, although the official driving range is yet to be revealed for our market.Will it be the best PHEV on the sales front in 2026? Time will tell.Jaecoo, another Chery spin-off brand, will add to its line-up of hybrid SUVs with a plug-in version of the J8.The J8 large SUV launched in 2025 notably missing any form of electrification, which is unusual for a Chinese challenger brand. It is also an unusual offering given its imposing dimensions and five-seat layout, given most in this class are seven-seaters.Specs are yet to be revealed, but given the J8 shares its platform with the Chery Tiggo 9 (currently one of few seven-seater hybrid options), don’t expect it to stray too far from that car’s range and specs.Another car from Chery’s techy Omoda sub-brand, the Omoda 7 could easily be one of the group’s best hybrid SUVs. A key mid-sized offering complete with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the Omoda 7 is also set to debut a new styling language for the brand, as well as new features inside and out.Specs are yet to be locked in, but expect to learn more towards the middle of 2026.Want to know what other new models are due in 2026? Check out our rolling coverage by clicking on the links below. Best EVs Australia 2026Best Small Cars Australia 2026Best 4x4 Australia 2026Best Ute Australia 2026Best New Cars 2026 AustraliaBest SUVs Australia 2026Best Family Cars Australia 2026

New-to-Australia brand GAC, which has operated in China since the 1990s, has launched with a pricing tactic contradictory to many Chinese brands Down Under.Speaking to CarsGuide ahead of the launch, Deputy General Manager of GAC Australia Cheney Liang said the brand won’t chase low prices to attract customers.The thinking behind it is that GAC believes it has a product not directly comparable to rivals, and lowering its sticker prices would devalue what it believes to be higher-quality cars.“We are not chasing the same outright, aggressive pricing strategy as has been seen in the market recently, as we feel this undermines the quality and level of innovation,” Liang told CarsGuide.One of the key reasons GAC won’t be dropping pricing to the floor, Liang said, is that the brand has worked closely with Toyota and Honda in China for the last two decades, meaning it has learned plenty from the legacy Japanese brands.“In terms of our existing manufacturing facility, we have had exceptional partnership with Toyota and Honda to build and manufacture their vehicles for the domestic market. “We have learned a lot from them, and we believe that the customer will have a different experience by driving GAC.”The other main reason, Liang says, is GAC has already tested and tuned its three key offerings for Australia.“When we picked the models, we came to Australia. We have, we have already done the Australian test,” Liang confirmed.“All the models have already been sent to Australia one year ago to do the road test, and we got some feedback after finishing the test."The Aion V mid-size electric SUV, the M8 plug-in hybrid people mover, and the Emzoom compact SUV will all arrive with Australian-specific tuning.“What we believe is the vehicle price and value, always depends on what the customers need."“GAC would not always be the cheapest one, even in other countries, but most of the customers who have owned a GAC… they were impressed by the quality of GAC. “We hope that our price will match the value that we can bring to the customer.”The GAC Aion V, which should be a big-volume car for the brand, starts from $42,590 before on-roads, while the Emzoom small SUV kicks off from $25,590.The M8 plug-in is pricier at $76,590, but also more feature-packed.GAC M8While pricing for the Emzoom isn’t the lowest for its class, the Aion V’s starting price puts it very low for an electric mid-size SUV. It sits with the Geely EX5 ($40,990) and smaller BYD Atto3 ($44,990) for pricing.But don’t bring that up with GAC, as before pricing was confirmed Liang specifically said the aim wasn’t to battle other brands on price.“We don't want directly compared with other brands. What we want is, we hope, the customer to feel that the value and the price are equal.”All three of GAC’s models are available to order now.

Has the world finally hit peak SUV? Hot on the heels of the release of the BYD Atto 1 and Kia K4 hatch in Australia, smaller, lighter, more efficient and – best of all – more-affordable passenger-car models are set to start making a comeback, as manufacturers respond to consumer and market shifts alike.

Best new cars coming to Australia in 2026