Opinion

The Tesla Model Y is clearly the new Holden Commodore and the BYD Sealion 7 is the new Mazda CX-5. That’s how much things have changed, and it’s also how unscientific this story is - but I’ve included a table that makes me look as if I've based some of this on facts. Yep, the top 10 best-selling cars in Australia in 2026 looks very different to the top 10 from 2016. What were the big sellers back then and what’s replaced them now? Have we progressed onto better cars or was 2016 the peak and it’s all been downhill since? If you were to travel back 10 years in time and show anybody the top 10 best-selling cars for September 2026, even a car journo would look at you and say: "What’s a Geely EX5?". And you’d tell them it's a fully electric mid-sized SUV that came in at No.8 in the list of best sellers for September, 2026. But do not tell them anything else, you’ll risk altering the time line.  If you look at what car placed No.8 in 2016 you’ll find it was the Mitsubishi Triton ute. The Triton has fallen out of today’s top 10 in fact only two of the cars from the 2016 best sellers are still in the 2026 list, some of them like the Holden Commodore don’t exist at all anymore. Check out the table below for a side-by-side comparison of September 2016 v September 2026 In 2016, all of our top 10 cars had internal combustion engines (ICE) and only the Corolla was offered with a hybrid powertrain.  Currently, three of our top 10 cars are fully electric, five are offered in both hybrid and ICE formats, while only two models are only offered with ICE. The Corolla is gone, well it’s still on sale in 2026, but it’s left the top 10. See 2016 was one of the last years when hatchbacks ruled. The Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30 were the three little kings, with the Hyundai Accent thrown in there, too. But they’ve been replaced now by new small rulers. I would even say the Chery Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion are the new Corolla, i30 and Mazda 3. They are almost exactly the same size, price and target demographic for a Corolla in 2016. Following this gut logic I reckon the Tesla Model Y is the new Commodore. Holden fans won’t like to admit it, but they know I’m right.  The BYD Sealion 7 — that is the new Mazda CX-5. They’ve everywhere and they appeal to people who think they’re a bit better than a RAV4. Who’s now buying the RAV4? That’s a trick question because we all know RAV4 owners go on to buy another RAV4. So the RAV4 is the new RAV4. The EX5 is obviously the new Hyundai Tucson because it's one of the best but under-appreciated cars here. The D-Max is the new Triton. And that’s because the D-Max is no longer the runt of the ute litter, but it's still cheaper than a Ranger. What’s left. Ranger hasn’t changed - the same people are buying it and more of them and the same goes for HiLux. Those folks who would have loved V8 Commodores and Falcons are now in the tough ute group. Basically anyone who’d have a HSV or FPV 10 years ago is in a Ranger Raptor or HiLux GR Sport now. Prado is interesting and I think they are Toyota buyers who don’t want a Kluger and didn’t like their Fortuner but aren’t up for the 300 Series big dog. What do you think? If the Tesla Model Y isn’t the new Commodore then what is?  And were things better in 2016 when everything was ICE? Is our top 10 now looking like a list of best-selling electrical appliances? Are the Ranger and HiLux the last bastions of the best era ever? Or has their time come to move aside because EVs make far more sense? Also as a side note just to reassure you somewhat that not all of this is complete rubbish. Not only was in the same role at CarsGuide in 2016, but I'm pretty sure I also took most of the pictures of these cars from then, too. Stay tuned for my next unscientific round up of what’s what in 2036 when I’ll tell you that the super popular Mooflander Huckster 4 is the new Tesla Model Y.

Jeep’s future in Australia is coming into focus - and it looks very different to its past. For decades the American off-road brand has built its reputation, for better or worse, on the back of its American-made SUVs. But it is now looking increasingly likely that its future models are likely to be built in China and not the USA. According to overseas reports, Jeep will introduce more European-focused vehicles rather than simply exporting what suits the American market. That’s driven by the fact Jeep is one of four ‘global brands’ that Setallantis will focus on (in its stable of 15), alongside Fiat, Peugeot, and Ram. Stellantis signed a partnership with Chinese automotive giant Dongfeng earlier this year and it is looking increasingly like this will be the source for the next wave of Jeep models to land in Australia. “The agreement announced by Stellantis and Dongfeng in May strengthens a long-standing global partnership and supports the development and production of future Peugeot and Jeep vehicles for China and other markets,” a Stellantis spokesperson told CarsGuide.  “We look forward to sharing additional details for Australia at the appropriate time.” Stellantis Australia isn’t ready to reveal exactly what sort of models will be headed our way, but reports indicate there will be two models and they will both be available by a choice of plug-in hybrid or fully-electric powertrains. They will also be built at Dongfeng’s Wuhan factory, which has a long history with another Stellantis brand, Peugeot, which pre-dates the latest partnership. Dongfeng has had a joint-venture with Peugeot-Citroen since 1992, so has plenty of experience building the French-badged cars in China. This also opens the door for Peugeot to make another run at the Australian market, with either a new independent distributor or under the Stellantis Australia umbrella. Chinese-built Peugeot and Jeep models would give both brands with mixed reputations for both value and quality a fresh start in Australia. Chinese made vehicles now dominate the Australian market with over 244,000 already sold in 2025, ahead of Japan and South Korea sourced cars. Meanwhile, American-built models have only amassed 14,810 sales in the same timeframe. Given the repeated recalls and quality issues that have plagued Jeep in recent years, along with the rise and rise of Chinese-built cars in this market, a switch of production bases could be the brand’s best hope.  Especially if Dongfeng and Jeep can ensure competitive pricing to correct course after an ill-conceived plan to try and pivot the brand more upmarket. Getting Jeeps more price-competitive again and with a higher quality standard is the only way for the brand to revive its fortunes in Australia. The days of the Grand Cherokee selling more than 30,000 examples every year are long gone - as is the Grand Cherokee. Jeep has managed to notch just 378 sales in the first eight months of 2026, which has led to the inevitable questions about its future. But it seems the move to more Chinese manufacturing has been in the works for some time and Jeep Australia will simply have to endure a bit more pain until it can try again with a refreshed range. This is likely the same scenario for Peugeot, as it awaits more Chinese-built options to reinvent itself in Australia. But China won’t be Jeep’s only option, with Europe set to play a bigger role as Stellantis management tries to give it a new chance alongside its more successful French, Italian and German brands like Peugeot, Fiat and Opel. Reports have said the new ‘STLA One’ modular platform will underpin a range of Stellantis small and mid-size models across multiple brands, including Jeep. Crucially, it will feature an 800-volt electrical system that will allow it to accommodate fully-electric, plug-in hybrid and conventional hybrid powertrains.  A small SUV to sit slightly above the new Avenger, as well as a larger model that will sit just below the Compass are speculated to be on the way. This would create the potential for a more comprehensive line-up of Jeeps in Australia, and one that potentially distances itself from its American heritage (at least in a production sense). Whether or not it succeeds or fails will depend on many factors, not least the price and positioning of each model. But for Jeep fans, or just anyone questioning why the brand hasn’t given up and left Australia already, it’s clear there is a plan to once again make Jeep a popular choice for Aussie SUV buyers.

You have to feel for the good folks at Toyota. The executive team spends years downplaying EVs for Australia – suggesting they’re not the right fit for most Australians, are too expensive, and can’t do all the things ICE engines can do – and then they have to go and bloody launch one. I was at the launch of the bZ4X in 2024, the brand’s first-ever EV, and so was on hand to see the spectacular verbal gymnastics on display. One of the brand’s then-most senior executives had described EVs as “impractical”, suggested that “hybrids can have a greater impact than full electrification”, and – if you go back as far as 2019 – said he had no plans to launch EVs in Australia at all. "I always get concerned when pure electric vehicles turn up at fairly big prices, and people instantly think people will buy them and they'll take off," Toyota’s then VP of Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley told me back then. "But if there's one thing I've learned on the hybrid journey it's that they have to be affordable. I get frustrated when people say electrification isn't being taken up in Australia as quickly as it should be. Well, who is going to buy these small cars for $50,000?" And then here we were, launching the bZ4X — the brand's big push into the EV space — which started at a cool $66,000. And yes, there was other stuff holding the Toyota back. It was probably too expensive, it didn’t travel far enough on a single charge, and it arrived at a time when Chinese EVs were turning up offering more for less, increasing competition in our market seemingly daily. But surely at least part of its sluggish sales performance (in 2025 the brand shifted 1041 examples, compared to the Tesla Model Y’s 22,239 sales) is down to the fact that Toyota had spent so long telling its customers to ignore EVs, right before trying to sell them one? The good news for Toyota is that the tide is now slowly turning. This new and improved bZ4X is finding new buyers, with the brand already doubling its 2025 total over the first seven months of 2026. The brand is investing in advertising to increase awareness, and its EV fleet is growing. The Touring (or wagon) version of the bZ4X has already arrived, and the electric CH-R will arrive next year, too. Also here, but less relevant, is the Toyota HiLux BEV, which is aimed fairly squarely at mining companies, but you can in fact buy one if you really want to. “The (new) bZ4X is, from a value point of view, compared to the previous one, you can see that sort of step up. And the bZ was doing really well even before the sort of fuel crisis spike of demand,” Toyota’s new VP of sales and marketing, John Pappas, told me at the launch of the Touring. “Now what we're seeing is, we just launched bZ4X Touring, we're already seeing that the normal increased run rate of the bZ with the Touring has literally doubled the run rate of the family. “So that's a really good step for us, right? Now, into the future, yes we've got the Hilux BEV as well, but next year we're bringing the C-HR in a BEV in the middle of 2027.” Toyota has another ace up its sleeve, too. There is no other brand, and certainly no newcomer, that can offer the depth of coverage Toyota does from a dealership perspective. Trust is important when you’re dropping big money on a new car, and Toyota has a ton of it. Don’t rule Toyota out of the EV game yet. It has a heap of work to do to chase down its rivals in the space, but the brand appears to be at last beginning to take that challenge seriously. If you’ve read any of my long-term dispatches on the bZ4X you’ll know that I think it has the goods to take on Tesla and BYD in the electric SUV space. Now Toyota just has to convince its customers that it cares about EVs in the same way it cares about hybrids.

The true successor to the Ford Falcon is finally coming, with a new name, fresh body styles and the right powertrain for our times, and it should be huge. This isn’t speculation or hyperbole either, but the facts behind an upcoming entire family of electric vehicles (EVs) recently announced by Ford’s global CEO, Jim Farley. With the first model badged Fathom, they represent a return to brand values at a most critical time in the company’s 123-year history. While not yet announced for Australia, the Fathom name has already been trademarked in this country, while its architecture has been engineered for right-hand-drive, auguring well for an eventual local launch. Starting from around $A40,000 in the US when orders commence early next year, the Fathom will initially launch as a four-door, five-seater mid-sized dual-cab EV of monocoque construction. Despite what the styling implies, this is not a ladder-frame pick-up, but an integrated ute around the size of the existing and highly successful Maverick, which is sadly unavailable in Australia. The Fathom is expected to eventually be part of a wider family of EVs that will likely include an SUV spin-off. In other words, Ford is devising a range of models that sit at the heart of the global new-vehicle market. Van and possibly passenger-car and crossover versions are also set to arrive in time. These are all possible due to some smart thinking behind what Ford calls the Universal EV Platform (UEP). New from the ground up, this is a modular architecture designed and engineered to be as flexible as possible. A key component of the UEP’s flat, skateboard framework is an integrated lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery module to provide extra strength and packaging efficiency. Other details, including range and specifications, will be released at a later date. Created to keep costs down, UEP is a direct response to the dramatically increased competition from China, as well as from South Korea, Japan and Europe. China in particular has rewritten the rules on hybrid and EV affordability, so Fathom is part of Ford’s wider fightback strategy. And not for the first time since 1903, either. Have no doubts. Philosophically, Fathom is a modern Falcon in all but name. The Fathom is a textbook return to everything the Falcon was and represented when Ford unveiled it in America in September, 1959. Back then, the company was struggling amid recession and the financial fallout of the multi-billion-dollar Edsel premium brand disaster. These were happening against the backdrop of booming sales for smaller and cheaper European (and later Japanese) models, like the Volkswagen Beetle and Renault Dauphine – something that none of the major American carmakers foresaw nor had adequate responses for. Described as a “compact”, it’s mad to think the Falcon was Ford’s direct answer to the Beetle, but until then, the Blue Oval’s smallest US offerings were still massive, like the 1959 ‘Tank’ Fairlane. With demand far outstripping forecasts, in one fell swoop, the original Falcon turned Ford around, outselling all before it. And let’s not forget – the Falcon also spawned the phenomenon that was the original Mustang. After all these years, Ford is hoping that magic Falcon lightning will strike again with Fathom. And, in the latter 2020s, it makes sense for that to be dual-cab ute. Going where the buyers are. The first Falcon was released in Australia in September, 1960, starting a 56-year battle against Holden, finally toppling it from number one for the first time in 1982. Before utes and SUVs ruled, sedans and wagons were on top, something the also-modular Falcon provided, along with ute and panel van alternatives. Fast forward to today, and Ford is profitable in North America but struggling in Europe, China and elsewhere, including in Australia. The least expensive new Ford passenger vehicle is the Everest Active 4WD from $58,990 before on-road costs. That’s why the Falcon handbook has been dusted off and modernised to better-suit consumer tastes, as the 2027 Fathom. Ford is returning to its roots by going back to basics. Here’s why the Fathom would be relevant for Ford Australia. We might be a ute and SUV-loving nation, but our appetite for EVs is now amongst the strongest in the world per-capita, so the timing couldn’t be more crucial. Especially as Ford is facing massive fines under the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) because its carbon pollution-heavy internal combustion engine-powered T6 II Ranger ute and its Everest diesel SUV spin-off account for around 90 per cent of total brand sales volumes. Plus, it will be increasingly difficult for Ranger and Everest sales to sustain the same cadence as before, coming under pressure from newer and mainly hybridised competition pouring into Australia. Of course, Ford will continue to evolve the T6 II models, and it’s believed that body-on-frame replacements – likely from China – are in the pipeline as the end of the decade nears.

Earlier this month, Audi unveiled a retro-inspired small electric vehicle that is a homage to a car that failed a quarter of a century ago. Spectacularly. Chances are the timely and handsome new A2 will succeed where the overpriced and oddly styled original from 2001 could not, but referencing a flop seems risky. It’s like Ford reviving the AU Falcon (though to be fair it is having a moment), or General Motors exhuming Holden with an ode to the ZB Commodore. Or Epica. Which has us thinking: this isn’t the first time that nostalgia, perhaps served with a side plate of delusion, has led to some confounding decisions. Whether they sold or were received poorly, we outline five resurrections that flopped. And if you disagree, let us know why in the comments below. How the millennial Monaro came about requires context. Holden enjoyed two golden eras: the early years, and for half a decade from 1997, after the then-new VT Commodore became a runaway smash hit. And the next year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was pivotal. Codenamed Monica, the 1998 Holden Coupe Concept – essentially a VT with two doors, a slightly more-rakish windscreen and four (lower) seats – stole the show like no other car ever had before or since. At the time, Holden wasn’t even planning to build it. After all, coupe shelf lives are notoriously short. The original HK Monaro of 1968 proved popular initially, but its HQ-HX successors from 1971 struggled. The Coupe Concept utterly overshadowed Ford’s debuting AU Falcon at the Sydney show, made national news and created a buzz that helped bolster the brand. It was nothing short of sensational. Journalists immediately dubbed it Monaro, something Holden was understandably wary of. Despite what some articles today state, the resulting V2 Monaro failed to meet internal sales expectations when it arrived far later than scheduled, in November, 2001. Priced beyond most buyers’ reach from nearly $95,000 adjusted for inflation today, it went on to account for only a fraction of Commodore volume, at 4274 versus 88,478 units, putting it at 47 spot. From there, sales never improved, and the US-market Pontiac GTO export version of 2004 also failed to find a large-enough audience. By then, GM was floundering as the world moved away from sedans and coupes, in favour of SUVs, with the planned next-generation VE Monaro promptly canned, save for the 2008 Coupe 60 Concept to celebrate Holden’s 60 Anniversary. The Datsun 1600 is regarded as one of Japan’s earliest greats. Launched in 1967, it combined elegant styling with European-style chassis sophistication, to create a brilliant little sedan that dominated world rallying as effortlessly as it won over owners’ hearts. However, the larger and heavier 180B and 200B replacements of 1972 and 1976 respectively completely lacked the 1600’s sporty charm. Stung by widespread criticism, Datsun attempted to recreate the magic with the Stanza in 1978. But, built down to a price, it sorely lacked the fun and finesse that endeared so many owners to the old 1600. Critics were ruthless in their reviews. And though relatively popular and successful in motorsport, the Stanza couldn’t replicate the old 1600’s greatness and lasted only a single generation in Australia. By all objective means, any NSX is a masterpiece. Be it the exquisite 1990 NA1 original that became the first mid-engined supercar in history to love you back, or the NC1 tri-electric motor petrol/hybrid AWD successor of 2016 that was a breathtaking technological showcase, the name signifies engineering mastery. However, while neither generation achieved the sales volumes Honda required, the original has enjoyed a glorious afterlife as one of the all-time sports car greats. But the latter? Sadly, the second – or American – NSX remains misunderstood as being too advanced, and not “analogue” enough for drivers to truly connect with. That Honda cancelled it early (except in Japan) has not helped. Maybe the NC1 was just a decade before its time. Still an amazing achievement. One of Japan’s earliest Volkswagen Golf clones, the Pulsar became a beloved small-car staple in Australia over 25 years and six generations from 1980. That was until Nissan was forced to switch to a smaller replacement with awkward styling, ambitious pricing and a silly name. Inevitably, the 2006 Tiida tanked, even as Australians were clamouring towards smaller cars in the wake of soaring fuel prices. This was the era where the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla were king, but Nissan missed the party completely. The reason why the Pulsar ended was that it never properly challenged the Golf, so instead Nissan devised the Qashqai crossover, which immediately became a sales phenomenon. Somehow, Nissan Australia convinced a reluctant Japan to allow the redesigned Tiida hatch of 2012 to be rebadged Pulsar, along with the Thai market Sylphy sedan. Hopes were high of a sales revival but neither interloper possessed the required sophistication or appeal to lure local consumers back. Both Pulsar iterations never saw out their model cycle. The rear-engined air-cooled Beetle, which changed comparatively little between 1937 and 2003, remains the world’s best-selling vehicle of all time, at 21.5 million units. In contrast, the Toyota Corolla regenerated 12 times to date for it to find 50 million buyers. The re-imagined New Beetle, released globally in 1997 and 2000 in Australia, based on the versatile Golf IV architecture and built inexpensively in Mexico, sold strongly at first. But demand tapered off markedly as per most fashion statements, especially when BMW’s Mini reset the bar for retro remakes from 2001. However, after nearly 1.2 million units, VW’s third attempt, officially known as the “The Beetle”, struggled from the outset in 2012, despite featuring significantly more sophisticated drivetrains. Gone by 2019, barely 550,000 units were produced worldwide.

Car makers are constantly coming up with new features they think we need, from big screens to weird door handles. Often these cause more problems than they solve. We get it, since that very first person with a face full of mud 140 years ago said: “Geeze I wish my jalopy had some kind of screen to protect me from the wind”, manufacturers have been trying to wow us with newer and better features in the hope we’ll buy their product.  Who can argue with windscreens and wipers, air-conditioning and airbags, radios and sound systems? And we love proximity unlocking, head-up displays and heated seats.  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are superb, blind spot warning and parking sensors have saved us from embarrassment and saved lives.  But then there are the other inventions that make you wonder what on Earth were they thinking? Vibrating seats? Door handles that disappear and are hard to use? Giant glass roofs in Aussie summers? Huge screens that have done away with all the real buttons? Safety alerts so distracting they’re possibly even dangerous?      We know what we want so here’s our list of features we’d like to see, and please jump in and tell us what you think cars need and maybe the message will get through to the carmakers. There are few features more disappointing than the voice command function in cars. The promise was a Chat GPT or Siri style helper that could not only carry out vehicle functions easily but also plan our journeys and organise our calendars. Well they couldn’t keep the promise, because the current versions in cars are next to useless.   Is it too much to ask for our real dials, switches and buttons back? Over the past five years we’ve watched them disappear before our eyes into touch screens, making the process of just turning the air-con temperature down an awkward process of finger swipes and stabs. The windscreen was a great idea, and combined with windscreen wipers, meant driving in all weather conditions was now possible. But are we not at the stage where a kind of smart chromatic glass can be used that adjusts to cut glare and brightness when driving into the sun.  Yes, there are sun visors and sun glasses, but there are many reasons why these aren’t perfect. While we’re at it is there a better way to keep windscreens clear in torrential rain? Windscreen wipers are fantastic but can a charged windscreen be developed where water doesn’t hit it in the first place? Just asking…  Full-sized spare wheels are heavy, take up space and are hard to change. But they’re better than space savers spare wheels, run flat tyres and repair kits. For years we’ve seen innovative tyre prototypes that aren’t filled with air and don’t puncture, but here we are a century later still driving around on balloons.  Cars dent and scratch way too easily. The cost of repairing metal panels and respraying is huge, and means the car is off the road for weeks sometimes.  Yes, the ultra high-strength steel and aluminium that’s used today is better than the steel we used to use, but why aren’t we using plant-based fibres and resins to build the bodies of our vehicles?  Steel is so last century. Actually it was last century in 1941 that Henry Ford patented his soybean car, which had a body made from plastics reinforced with hemp and flax fibres. The car was 500kg lighter than a regular steel car and up to 10 times stronger than steel.  So what happened? World War II seemed to derail the push for bioplastics and steel continued to rule the world.

Australia has recently scrapped a few road laws, but there are still plenty of others I reckon need ditching, too.  That’s right, as one financial year ends and another begins it’s not just accountants who get excited but road users can, too, because this is the time that old traffic laws are scrapped and new ones are introduced. This year one of the most popular changes will certainly be the scrapping of the road work speed limit during non-road work times in New South Wales.  Previously road work speed limits have been enforced 24 hours a day and regardless of whether road work was taking place. The lower speed limits are designed to slow traffic down to 40km/h or even 20km/h and are crucial in protecting roadside workers.  The only problem with this was the low speed zone still applied even outside road work times. On a busy motorway this led to some drivers sticking to 40km/h while others raced past at 110km/h.  I’m glad this one has changed, but there are so many more that could do with scraping and replacing, too. Here’s a few that could do with changing, surely I’m not the only one who feels this way - feel free to jump with what you think needs changing on our roads, too. I’m completely against excessive speeding. I feel that if you’re in need of speed then you need to take it to a race track where you’ll be humbled very quickly.  That said, I think speed cameras, especially the kind that are unmarked, are more about making money than saving lives.  Scrap the speed cameras, but keep the red light cameras and bring in more police patrols with radars. That’ll save more lives and change driver behaviour. Running red lights is beyond stupid and dangerous and I personally think that red light cameras should be at every set of traffic lights, so what I’m about to may say sound ridiculous. I think drivers should be able to turn left on a red light upon stopping and checking to ensure the coast is clear.  This works perfectly well in the US (all states allow a right turn on a red light) and it would work here too, improving traffic flow and actually increasing driver situational awareness.    Who knows how much trouble this one is going to get me into, but the law against going slightly over the speed limit while overtaking needs to be scrapped.  This would only apply to single carriage ways and at no more than 10km/h over the speed limit. There’s a couple of good reasons for this. First I’ve experienced drivers speed up while I’m overtaking; second I’ve had vehicles from the other direction approach quicker than expected, and it’s not a good idea to have two cars travelling at speed barely 50cm apart together for any longer than a couple of seconds.  Sometimes a little hustling is needed to get back to safety. Surely the less amount of time spent on the wrong side of the road the better.  This is simple: if the left-hand lane ends and drivers have to form one lane then those in the continuing lane need to give way.  The current law states that those in the lane that ends need to give way, but that’s ridiculous. They’re literally going to run out of a lane in a matter of seconds, let them in for goodness sake. South Australia, NSW and the Northern Territory only allow P platers to travel at a maximum speed of 90km/h or 100km/h, while the rest of the country allow them to travel at the maximum 110km/h speed limit.  Really the P-Plater maximum speed should be in line with the rest of the traffic and an extra 10km/h to bring them to 110km/h would go some way to preventing other road users taking risks to get past them. Yes, the Northern Territory has some highways that are 130km/h, and no I don’t think a P-Plater is ready for that speed on a rough bit of tarmac like the Stuart.  Anyway, that’s my list for now, and I’m sure I’ve missed many more but feel free to jump in and tell me the road rules you’d like to see scrapped and why.

Car makers are always coming up with new features in the name of making our driving time more comfortable, convenient or safe but sometimes the result is the opposite. Yep, as car reviewers there’s a list of well known, very annoying features that we could really do without. So here’s a quick collection of the most annoying new car features... and please feel free to add your own to this never ending list.  Massive glass roofs look amazing in a car dealer’s showroom but on the road during an Australian summer they make you feel like a rotisserie chicken - not to mention the dangers of sun exposure in this part of the world. Thankfully some roofs have retractable shades and some have decently thick ones to cut down the light and heat.  The Tesla Model Y has an expansive fixed glass roof and no screen to shield its occupants from that furnace in the sky. This sounds super irresponsible to anybody who hasn't experienced the nightmarish intrusiveness of modern safety alerts that are supposedly designed to reduce speeding and distraction, but trust us.. We’re talking about speed warning alarms, which activate at 2km/h over the posted speed limit (often falsely), distraction alerts that are triggered by the driver looking out for pedestrians and overly aggressive lane keeping assistance that feels like a sudden arm wrestle. The systems in our opinion become potentially a safety issue in themselves. Kia and Hyundai have been criticised in the past especially for over zealous safety alert systems, but pretty much every new car now has them - some worse than others. Do you know how many people used to say, “I wish my car’s door handles weren’t so easy to use, I want something that’s awkward and confusing to operate, something so flimsy it feels like it might snap off in my hand”? I’ll tell you - nobody. With the advent of electric vehicles came door handles that retracted flush with the car’s body to improve aerodynamics and in turn energy efficiency, which is all very good but it came at the price of functionality. Is it really necessary - I mean you can’t tell me regular door handles create that much drag?   Possibly the worst door handles I’ve ever encountered are on the Cadillac Optic. They’re as thin as a pencil and make opening the Cadillac super heavy doors ridiculously difficult. Another case of re-inventing something that wasn’t broken, the camera wing mirror is more a case of car designers saying "look at what we can do" rather than actually improving upon the simplicity and effectiveness of a piece of shiny glass. Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and Gensis GV60 can be had with camera mirrors - yeah, no thanks! Can’t wait for my bathroom mirror to be replaced by a camera and a screen. Anyone that’s needed to get something from the boot in a hurry because it's raining but had to stand there getting soaked waiting for the electric tailgate to slowly open, will tell you that it would have been quicker to open it themselves. And as for the gesture tailgates that require a swoosh with your foot top open - they seem to work about 50 per cent of the time.   An all-time low for me and gesture tailgates was when I was trying to take a Christmas tree out from the boot of a Mazda CX-70 and somehow my moving foot told it to start shutting without me realising it until it closed down on me. The car basically ate me alive.  Car companies have tried to integrate digital assistants into their cars to carry out functions such as opening the windows or lowering the cabin temperature. The problem is getting the voice assistant to listen to you, understand you or even do anything is almost impossible which is a lot like being the parent of a teenager. Myself and the rest of the motoring media are to blame for encouraging car companies to do away with easy-to-use buttons and dials and move all the functions to a screen that forces the driver to step through three pages of a menu just to turn the climate control down.  Yes, for years we praised cabins with “minimalist interiors” and “cleanly designed, button-less dash boards”. Well careful what you wish for, because now all I want is a knob for the stereo volume.   The Geely EX5 has a very cleanly designed button-less dash, which isn't a good thing after all. Some cars play little musical greetings when you sit down in the driver's seat. I find these as enjoyable to listen to as those birthday cards that play songs. As with door handles and wing mirrors, steering wheels never needed re-inventing but again and again car companies try to do so. Peugeot, Subaru and Geely have dabbled with not-round steering wheels but the worst we've seen is possibly the yoke in the new Lexus RZ550e F Sport. Seriously car companies - stop it.  Ok there’s so many more features I loathe but let's end on a really good one - tyre puncture repair kits. These usually involve a small compressor and canister of goo which is used to fill a flat tyre sealing the puncture and have you on your way. Sounds great, but it isn't. I’ve been on the side of the road in the bush with a puncture and used the repair kit only to watch all the good squirt out through the hole in my tyre sealing nothing but my opinions on how useless these devices can be.

Are we headed for a world where petrol is only the fuel of the rich, powering their hypercars and luxury super SUVs? It certainly appears that way. And I don’t like it… This week the car world achieved a major milestone - the average global price of electric vehicles fell below that of hybrids for the first time. And before too long we’ll see the average price of EVs drop lower than the price of petrol cars. There’s nothing wrong with that - we’re watching the evolution of the motor car, and a change in buying habits and taste in real time. What could supercharge this process and fundamentally change what fuel we use, however, is the volatility of petrol prices which have spiked dramatically due to the conflict in the Middle East.  Covering car news each day is revealing a trend and I’m not too sure I like it. High-performance and luxury car brands are doubling down on their fossil fuel focus, while mainstream brands are pushing the limits to make the most affordable electric cars. At the start of this year BMW announced it would reverse its decision to pivot away from petrol and return to producing V8 and V12 units due to their customer demands. Rival brand Mercedes-Benz did the same thing and scrapped its plan to go completely electric by 2030 and dived back into making V8s. Porsche, too, changed its mind after receiving a walloping from customers who made it very clear that Porsche to them meant power from petrol, not power from the electricity grid. Lamborghini also did an about face on EVs at the start of this year and went back to petrol, adding a hybrid system but only to make more mumbo. Yep, Lamborghini replaced its V10 Huracan which made 470kW with the V8 Temerario which makes 588kW plus another 220kW from its electric motors. Then there’s the mysterious case of Ferrari giving us the breathtaking 12Cilindri with yes a V12, which was closely followed by the even more gorgeous V8 Amalfi, before giving us the all-electric Luce which hurts to look at directly. It’s as if the brand was sending us some kind of message coded in ugliness about being asked to do something against its will.  Of course the super high end brands appear completely unconcerned by prohibitively high petrol prices affecting sales or the climate. Bugatti announced an end to the reign of its enormous 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 engines in its cars like the Veyron and Chiron, but before we could even think it was going green trumpeted in almost the same breath that it was doing V16s instead. Which it did with its current Tourbillon hypercar that houses a monstrous 8.3-litre V16 engine. Yes it has a hybrid system with electric motors but it’s not to save fuel, it’s to make more power.  If you were to ask bespoke high performance vehicle maker Hennessey if it had electric cars the response would almost certainly be, “never heard of her." The brand just unveiled its US spy plane-inspired Blackbird hypercar with a naturally aspirated V8 and positioned it as the kind of vehicle that allows drivers to cover 1300km a day. Just days ago Aston Martin ran into the room boasting it was delaying its EV plans because it had found a loop hole which meant it could keep making V12s. The loop hole being that the brand had to keep V12 sales under 1000 a year. Low volume sales aren’t a worry for brands like these - not when an Aston Martin Vanquish costs more than $700,000. And unlike you and me, that's not the owner's only car… it joins a garage with five other cars in it… at least. Yes we’re talking millions of dollars and all petrol-powered. Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to work out how we can get into an electric car for less than $40,000 because chaotic fuel prices are hurting us and we’re worried about the future resale value of petrol cars.  I’m also highly concerned about the air that my children breathe and the thought of having a car powered by burning oil that just to drives to shops, school and work sounds more and more preposterous to me. It’s like having kerosene lanterns in every room of your house rather than light bulbs To be completely clear, though, I love petrol performance cars and detest electric performance ones. Petrol has a place. My fear is that petrol’s happy place in performance cars will eventually exclude me as the fuel becomes more expensive, rarer and the food of exotic beasts I can’t afford. So what’s left? There’s the Cupra Leon VZx, Ford Mustang, Honda Civic Type R and Prelude, Hyundai i30N, Mazda MX-5, Nissan Z, Subaru WRX, Toyota GR Yaris and GR Corolla and VW Golf R. Watch these models closely, because they are the final 'affordable' petrol performance cars and they are all now endangered.    

The Australian car industry is in the middle of a major shake-up and not all brands are likely to survive it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say some of the biggest name brands, car makers we have loved for decades, may disappear within the next five years. That’s the hard reality of the dramatic change that is sweeping the industry. The new wave of Chinese car brands have arrived and quickly established themselves with solid market share. But that share has to come from somewhere and the reality is, the brands that are feeling the squeeze more than any other are those smack dab at the heart of the market. Looking at the sales data for the first half of 2026 it’s clear who are the biggest winners and losers. Geely is up 494.6 per cent, BYD has risen 124.1 per cent and Chery sales are 76.8 per cent improved, plus both GWM, MG, Omoda-Jaecoo and Zeekr are also increasing their presence. So where are those buyers coming from? Well, Toyota is down 21.4 per cent, Mazda is 17.2 per cent down and Ford has dropped 10.6 per cent. But I’m not suggesting any of those brands are doomed, Toyota is confident of a second half bounce back and Ford remains atop the all-important ute market.  Instead, the bigger concern are the brands in the middle and lower half of the top 10, which are shedding sales at a higher rate and face increasing and long-term pressure from the newer arrivals. Nissan has dropped 32.8 per cent, Mitsubishi is down 25.7 per cent, Subaru down 25.6 per cent and Volkswagen has dropped 16.5 per cent, and there is no clear pathway for them to regain so much lost ground. While I’ve been talking strictly in sale percentage terms, the raw numbers don’t make good reading for those brands. BYD is obviously having a huge year, notching over 52,000 sales, but it’s brands like Geely (10,970 sales), Omoda-Jaecoo (8808) and even Zeekr (5835) that are starting to make serious in-roads on the likes Subaru (14,817), Nissan (13,854) and Volkswagen (12,333). In simple terms, the Australia new car pie is only so big, it typically hovers around the 1.2 million mark each year, so the slice of pie for each brand will get smaller as more and more brands enter the market. Short of a sudden and dramatic expansion of the number of people buying new cars, all of the established brands will need to get comfortable selling less volume.  Brands will need to adapt to this new world order to survive and not just the so-called ‘legacy’ brands like Nissan, Subaru, etc, but also the new, predominantly Chinese brands. Since 2021 there have been more than a dozen new brands enter the market from China alone and there are more coming, with Forthing, Lepas, iCaur and Jetour all confirmed for Australia. There simply aren’t enough buyers to make more than 70 car brands viable in Australia so get used to hearing announcements like we have recently with Peugeot and Fiat about ‘reevaluating’ or ‘restructuring’ or just plain ‘leaving’ the Australian market for good. Ultimately who survives and who doesn’t will come down to you, the new car customer, as your choice will dictate which brands maintain enough sales to remain viable - and which ones fade away.