Plug-in hybrid

The Toyota Prado and LandCruiser have largely been the default choices for family SUVs in rural and remote Australia for decades now but as fuel prices crunch, some alternatives are seeming more desirable than ever.BYD’s premium spin-off brand, Denza, launched in Australia earlier this year with the Prado-sized B5 and LandCruiser 300 Series-rivaling B8 SUVs.Both offer a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) set-up, which combines dual electric motors (one on each axle) with a turbocharged petrol engine that generally acts as a generator to top up the battery pack but is also capable of directly powering the front wheels.Denza claims the B5 and B8 can travel up to 100km and 115km on electric power alone, respectively, according to NEDC testing.If you have the capability to charge at home, whether that be with or without solar, and have a commute of around 100km or less, you can theoretically travel on electric power alone and save massively on fuel costs.Using an electric price of 35c/kWh as a frame of reference, fully charging the B5 and B8’s battery costs $11.13 and $12.88, respectively.For many rural and remote Australians their commutes are considerably longer than 100km and this is where the peace of mind of the petrol engine comes into play.Denza claims the B5 and B8 have a combined range of 975km and 1040km, respectively, both according to the more lenient NEDC testing.The diesel-powered Toyota Prado and LandCruiser 300 Series have theoretical ranges of up to 1392km and 1236km, respectively, when using their ADR 81/02 claimed fuel consumptions.Sure the Denzas offer less overall range on paper, but previous experiences with the Prado and LandCruiser have shown they both consume more fuel than they claim, so expect less overall range between diesel refills.The new Prado also requires AdBlue and, depending on driving style and conditions, consumes around one litre of AdBlue every 500km. This means a full refill could be required every 8500km.Denza claims the B5 and B8 consumes 1.9L/100km and 2.0L/100km, respectively, when the battery pack is between 100 and 25 per cent of charge, according to NEDC testing. These figures are largely arbitrary though as much of the test cycle is driven on EV power.Where the real story is how much fuel is consumed when the battery pack is under 25 per cent charge. Denza claims the B5 and B8 consume 9.5L/100km and 9.9L/100km, respectively.During the media launch for the Denza B5 and B8 where we drove both of these cars on remote highways in the Flinders Ranges locked at 70 per cent battery charge, we saw average fuel consumption figures between 8.0L/100km and 9.0L/100km according to the trip computer read-out.One consideration is that diesel is largely more readily available in remote Australia than petrol. However, both the Denza B5 and B8 only require a minimum of 91 RON regular unleaded petrol.In saying this though, Denza has noted it’s unclear how the B5 and B8 performs on Opal fuel, which is a low-aromatic fuel that doesn’t contain the properties that create a high when sniffed and is more prolific in central Australia.While fuel is a major consideration for budget-conscious car buyers right now, there are a number of other factors that off-road-ready family SUV buyers consider.The Denza B5 has a braked towing capacity of 3000kg, which is slightly under the segment benchmark, however the B8 has a braked towing capacity of 3500kg. The latter matches what the Toyota Prado and LandCruiser offer.Due to the heft of the battery pack, the B5 and B8 are much heavier than the Prado and LandCruiser. Instead of having a kerb weight about 2500kg, the Denzas weigh more than 3000kg.The B8 in particular has a kerb weight of about 3300kg, making it Australia’s heaviest SUV.Payload in the B5 is between 490kg and 600kg, depending on the trim level, which isn’t a great deal as the Prado offers between 580kg and 615kg, depending on the trim level.The B5 only offers a five-seat configuration, whereas the Prado does offer a five- and seven-seat configuration, depending on the trim level.While payload in the B8 is 702kg across the line-up which is more on par with the 650kg-785kg payload the LandCruiser 300 Series offers.The B8 has a six- or seven-seat configuration across three rows, depending on the trim level, whereas the LandCruiser 300 Series has either five or seven seats, depending on the trim level.Both Denzas offer four-wheel drive systems with a low-range mode and, depending on the version, rear and front-locking differentials.Then there’s pricing. The 2026 Denza B5 is priced from $74,990 and $79,990 before on-road costs, whereas the Prado costs between $73,200 and $100,690 before on-road costs.The 2026 Denza B8 is priced between $91,000 and $97,900 before on-road costs, whereas the LandCruiser 300 Series costs between $99,340 and $147,910 before on-road costs.Both Denzas offer a more premium level of specification on par with the likes of Lexus.Where Denza will be fighting an uphill battle against Toyota is with its dealer network. The former is still scaling in Australia and will lean on its connections with BYD to get wide service coverage.Toyota has the largest dealer network out of any carmaker in Australia. It has over 250 locations, whereas Denza is planning to have 25-30 dealers by the end of 2026.While this op-ed has largely focused on the new Denza SUVs, there are a few notable family SUV rivals that also offer PHEV powertrains.Examples include the similarly off-road-ready GWM Tank 300 and Tank 500 PHEVs, as well as more on-road-oriented rivals like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Chery Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9 Super Hybrids.

Fuel prices continue to increase in Australia.Hybrid models generally offer better fuel efficiency than a comparative petrol model, but they are also more expensive. Questions remain about how much going hybrid actually saves buyers on fuel and how long it will take to pay off the extra upfront cost. Below is a comparison based on some of the most popular models in Australia offering petrol and hybrid choices and the potential increased savings in the current climate. Figures have been calculated based on the average yearly kilometres driven at 15,000km, and the cost to fill-up based on average NSW pricing data using the official recommended fuel for each model. Small car/sedanHyundai i30 sedanThe Hyundai i30 is one of few passenger car models which are available with petrol and hybrid variants in its lineup. Many of its rivals have become hybrid only, such as the Toyota Corolla and Camry as well as the Honda Civic. The hybrid is cheaper to fill up and goes further on its tank, so it takes around four years to pay off the $4000 hybrid premium - well within the seven-year warranty period for the car. This is also due to the smaller and more efficient hybrid motor compared to the bigger petrol engine.Small SUVChery Tiggo 4 The Chery Tiggo 4 is one of the cheapest SUVs on the market, with a drive-away price under $30,000 for both petrol and hybrid variants. The Hybrid carries a $6000 premium over the petrol, which means it will take roughly seven years to pay off the extra cost. This is part due to the $850 year-on-year saving, which is less than many of the other cars on this list. Unlike the other examples, there is no change in engine capacity between petrol and hybrid variants of the Tiggo 4.  The seven-year break-even point matches the seven-year warranty provided on the car. Medium SUVGWM Haval H6There is a $5000 gap between pricing on the petrol and hybrid versions of the Haval H6, but the smaller and more efficient hybrid engine sees savings of more than $1000 year-on-year. The H6 hybrid offers an average of more than 500km of driving range than the petrol. This means the extra cost of the hybrid can be paid off in just under five years. This falls within the seven-year warranty period for the H6. Large SUVHyundai Santa FeThe Hyundai Santa Fe was CarsGuide’s 2026 Overall Car of the Year, and offers one of the most competitive hybrid/petrol pricing comparisons. This is because the hybrid Sante Fe is less than $4000 more expensive than the petrol and offers more than 400km average driving range. With nearly $1200 of savings each year, it would take around three years to pay off the hybrid premium, and the majority of the car’s seven-year warranty will also still be valid.UteThis comparison uses the cheapest dual-cab variant of the Toyota HiLux Workmate and the single-variant BYD Shark 6. While these utes are obviously not variants within the same lineup, the Shark 6’s petrol status offers savings over the diesel ute. It also has a smaller fuel tank, which makes filling up cheaper. The HiLux is also slightly more expensive to drive-away, costing about $59,500 in NSW.Fuel efficiency on the Shark 6 dramatically decreases when the ute has less than 25 per cent of battery charge, dropping to 7.9L/100km. This still makes it less expensive to run than the diesel HiLux. *Petrol engine only fuel use figure not provided by Ford but calculated over several CarsGuide road tests once battery had been depletedThe plug-in hybrid set-up in the Canon Alpha does make it cheaper to run overall, but the substantial price difference between the plug-in hybrid and the petrol, means it would take eight years to break even on the extra cost. The Ranger PHEV is more of a curve ball, it is harder to hit on exactly how much fuel it will use. It all depends on how ofter you charge the battery. If you don't charge it every night it'll be more expensive to run than the diesel, as it needs to be topped up more often. If you regularly charge it the cost equation flips and it's a wallet saver.You'll need to be vigilant about charging to pay off the $15,000 premium, though.

A determined push by Chinese carmakers towards large luxury SUVs offering a choice of pure-electric and range-extender hybrid power continues to gather momentum as the XPeng GX enters full global production.Exuding an unmistakable Range Rover vibe, the GX joins the Aito M9, BYD U8L, Denza N9, Li Auto L9, MG IM LS9 and Zeekr 9X as similarly sized, specified and priced (not to mention Range Rover-inspired) rivals in the Chinese domestic market.Breaking cover earlier this year, we now know the XPeng GX is a substantial six-seater, measuring close to 5.3m long, 2.0m wide and 1.8m tall with a lengthy 3115mm wheelbase. Kerb weight ranges between 2690kg and 2890kg.Offered in pure-electric (BEV) and range-extender hybrid (EREV) form, the BEV sends a combined 430kW and a solid 695Nm to all four wheels via dual motors and Xpeng’s 800-volt coaxial electric drive system.An 800V AI battery platform supports 5C ultra-fast charging capable of completing a full charge of an 80kWh pack in around 12 minutes.That said, battery sizes for the BEV are yet to be confirmed but claimed ranges across four grades are 635km, 665km, 720km and 750km.The EREV GX also features a dual-motor AWD set up delivering a combined 370kW and a claimed pure-electric range of 320km. A 110kW 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine acts purely as a generator to power a CALB-sourced 63.3kWh LFP battery, but not the wheels. No word from XPeng yet on the EREV’s combined range figure, but a number in excess of 1000km is likely.Specifications detailed by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) point to upper GX grades featuring front- and rear-steer-by-wire tech to assist slow speed manoeuvrability and high-speed stability. And Xpeng has already confirmed the GX will be equipped with four Turing AI chips boasting computing power in excess of 3000 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second).Design details include a split-opening tailgate (a la Range Rover), retractable door handles, a panoramic sunroof and an active front air intake. Wheel size varies between 21- or 22-inch, depending on the version, and the large SUV’s relatively tight front and rear overhangs are 980mm and 1170mm, respectively. Domestic pricing is expected to land between ¥400,000 – ¥500,000 (~$82,000 – $102,000).CarsGuide has previously contacted XPeng for its position on the GX’s potential for Australian sale with the company not making any comment at this stage.

Geely has unveiled its Galaxy Starshine 7 plug-in hybrid sedan in China, offering a new electrified option in the segment. The model is expected to launch in China in the coming weeks, with no clear plans yet on if or where it will be exported, so there is nothing confirmed about the Galaxy Starshine 7’s potential future in Australia.However, the two current Geely models on sale Down Under also fall under the brand’s Galaxy sub-brand, so it may have a better chance than other cars in the brand's overseas catalogue.A spokesperson for Geely Australia said there is nothing to announce yet, but no model is off the table either.We expect to learn more about whether the Galaxy Starshine 7 is destined for Australia next month at the Beijing Motor Show. It measures 4958mm in length, 1915mm wide and 1505mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2852, seeing it sit on the larger side of the sedan category. It would offer a budget alternative to the plug-in hybrid sedan variant of the Audi A5 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The car is similarly sized to the Toyota Camry hybrid in Australia, which is the dominant player of the segment, so it would be a keen rival to the popular Japanese sedan.We are yet to find out more substantial information about the car, but we know it will be powered by a plug-in hybrid set-up with an all-wheel drive system.The 1.5-litre petrol engine produces 82kW, with the bulk of the power expected to come from the electric motors.It will have battery choices of 19kWh and 28kWh, both offering electric-only driving ranges of 115km and 165km, respectively, according to CLTC but expect closer to 100km for the long-range battery in real-world conditions.It also has a fuel economy of 2.0L/100km, which is half that of the Toyota Camry’s, although the Toyota is only a plugless hybrid. The plug-in hybrid C-Class has a fuel economy of 1.5L/100km, for comparison.The only other information available on the car at this stage is that it can complete the 0-100km/h sprint in 5.4 seconds.

Chery is popping out new brands in Australia left, right and centre. While originally part of the model name that marked the Chinese carmaker’s re-entry into the Australian market, Omoda has now been spun off into its own brand under the Omoda Jaecoo umbrella.The 2026 Omoda 9 is the brand’s flagship model and is currently the most expensive Chery model offered locally.It’s only offered in one trim which is priced from $61,990 before on-road costs. This puts it on par with the likes of the BYD Sealion 8, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, as well as the related Chery Tiggo 9 Super Hybrid.Notably however, the Omoda 9 only comes with five seats, making it more of a budget alternative to the likes of the Lexus RX and Volkswagen Touareg.Available as a sole range-topping grade, the Omoda 9 is filled to the gills with kit. Highlights include 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, power tailgate, dual 12.3-inch screens, 12-speaker Sony sound system, head-up display, 50W wireless charger and black synthetic leather upholstery.If this isn’t enough there are luxurious features like a built-in fragrance system as part of the climate control, retractable door handles, walk-away locking, plus heated and ventilated front and rear seats. Now that’s flash for a car that’s under $70K.While there is lots of tech, there is no real defining feature that makes this car uniquely an Omoda. The same can be said for the exterior design, which from some angles can be generic and others it borders on tacky.This extends to the cabin where there's a smattering of interior ambient lighting that can strobe along frenetically to your music if you’d like.While it’s nice having some physical switchgear for features like the climate control and drive modes, it’s frustrating having to tell new passengers where the button is to open the door every time they hop in. The gloss black finish of the steering wheel button sections also get smudgy and gross quickly.Under the bonnet there’s a complex plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and no less than three electric motors – two on the front axle and one on the rear.Total system output is a massive 395kW, which is arguably too much for a car like this. It allows for a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.9 seconds. Pretty wild for a 2.2-tonne SUV.Making up a fair portion of this heft is a ginormous 34kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Omoda claims this allows it to travel up to 169km on electric power alone, which is around the same as what the original Nissan Leaf EV offered. Adding the 70L fuel tank, it’s claimed this SUV can travel up to 1100km, which is useful on long-distance journeys.I took this car on a long-distance trip to my family’s farm, around 350km north west of Melbourne. I could have made it there and back on a full battery charge and tank of fuel, but I ended up refuelling just as I neared Melbourne as I was testing how the engine charges the battery on the move.My sister, who was a passenger for the journey, enjoyed the comfort and plushness the Omoda 9 provides. However, we both noted how high the front seats are positioned and how pinched the seat bases are.If you’re not a car person and view a car purely as a means of transportation, you’ll likely enjoy the driving characteristics of the Omoda 9. It’s insulated, quiet and disconnected from the road, allowing you to be in your own bubble.However, this also means that the Omoda 9 has little feel from behind the wheel. It has some of the lightest steering I’ve experienced. It feels like I’m driving in a video game rather than real life as there’s virtually no resistance.The same can be said for the ride. While wafty and soft, there is a lack of body control and it can get bouncy in the cabin. You do need to remember how heavy this big SUV is, though.In order to counter this there are adaptive dampers as standard. In ‘Normal’ mode it rounds off speed bumps nicely but it takes the car multiple movements to settle over high-speed undulations, whereas in ‘Sport’ mode it’s a little more controlled, but still not enough.The Omoda 9 received a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2025. Standard kit includes eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, as well as a surround-view camera.A lot of the safety features work well and stay in the background, only activating when required. The only outlier to this is the driver attention monitor which struggles to detect your eyes when wearing sunglasses. This needs to be turned off using the touchscreen every time you drive the car.Owners are covered by an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty with eight years of roadside assistance. Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km and the first eight services totals $3343, which averages out to about $418 per service. Not too bad for a big, plug-in hybrid SUV.

An upgraded version of the Denza B8 from BYD’s luxury arm has been uncovered in China thanks to a filing with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.The new version of the B8 large off-roader, which only just launched at the beginning of 2026 in Australia, also has various styling tweaks, like new wheel designs and bumpers, as well as what appears to be an upgraded safety suite for the Chinese market.The new battery pack moves from 36.8kWh, which granted it 115km of range (NEDC), to 46.7kWh, which grants it a range of 150km (according to the WLTC cycle).The new version of the car maintains the same 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to electric motors as before, with the engine producing 200kW and the motors producing 200kW in the front and 300kW in the rear.In Australia the current 2.0-litre dual-motor set-up provides a combined output of 425kW/760Nm.As with all Chinese regulatory filings, the interior of the updated car is yet to be revealed, although a range of wheel types and exterior trims were also revealed.Locally the current car is offered in just one trim level, which starts from $91,000 for the seven-seat version, moving to $97,000 for the more luxurious six-seater.Sales in full are yet to kick off for the B8, with only nine units registered in the first two months of 2026. Meanwhile, a boatload of the smaller Prado-rivalling B5 has arrived, with the brand adding 300 units to its tally.Denza has ambitious plans to be a dominant player in the emerging Chinese luxury car segment, where it will serve as a rival to Geely’s Zeekr, and the upcoming Wey brand from GWM.While the brand offers two more off-road oriented models currently in the B5 and B8, it will also add the D9 people mover and potentially a version of the Z9 GT sports car later in 2026.BYD and Denza’s plans locally aren’t limited to cars either, the brand has also earmarked an expansion into the charging infrastructure game, with the possibility of introducing its new megawatt-level charging stations to Australia.These stations can charge at up to (or even over) 1000kW, even without the requisite grid support thanks to a buffer battery, removing the usual limitations which see most DC chargers in Australia limited to around 350kW.This will serve as an advantage not just for BYD products, but also other vehicles which have charging capabilities beyond that of Australia’s current network.BYD itself has plans to crack the top-three in Australia by the end of 2026, and is on the warpath to doing so, having already overtaken GWM and MG in Australia’s charts so far this year.

Although the Ford Ranger is currently the best-selling vehicle in Australia for two years running, there's no denying BYD has had a lot of success with the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute.It’s even more of a big deal when Ford CEO Jim Farley comes to Australia to test it out, along with other key rivals to see how they stack up against the Ranger.“They’re totally different animals,” said Farley to Australian media, including CarsGuide, when asked how the Ranger compares to the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV.“The [BYD] Shark is a ute, but if you put 500kg in the back, it’s not a Ranger, it’s not a HiLux.“But for someone who doesn’t do that every day and they want electrification, you know, it’s a pretty competitive product.“I have no idea how they make money.“The Great Wall is a very competitive product and I’ve talked to a lot of customers of both and those customers are very educated.“Yet again, [BYD and GWM] haven’t been doing it like our Ranger or the HiLux for decades, so they don’t have all the chassis and all the towing payload and all the experience.“So they’re coming at it with a huge deficit, but it’s a good, solid, competitive product.“I mean I much prefer the Ranger for real work. It’s no competition, but not everyone in buys a Ranger to do the kind of work that we design it for.“There’s a lot of different kinds of customers here.”The BYD Shark 6 ute is by far the best-selling PHEV ute currently in Australia. In 2025 a total of 18,073 examples were sold, making it BYD’s best-selling vehicle for the year, while also outselling a number of diesel-powered rivals like the Mazda BT-50, Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok.While it has a body-on-frame chassis, the Shark 6 has an electric-heavy PHEV powertrain layout with no driveshaft down the middle of the vehicle and no locking differentials. It also has a slightly reduced braked trailer towing capacity of 2500kg.GWM has had success to a lesser extent with the Cannon Alpha PHEV in Australia, but due to how its PHEV drivetrain is configured, it allows for a mechanical four-wheel drive system plus a higher 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity.It’s worth noting the Ford Ranger PHEV also has a similar PHEV layout as the Cannon Alpha PHEV and similarly allows for a segment-meeting 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity and a mechanical four-wheel drive system.Ford doesn’t publicly disclose sales figures that split out Ranger PHEV sales from the wider Ranger family, which now also includes the beefy Ranger Super Duty. It’s therefore unclear how popular the Ranger PHEV has been in Australia to date.On paper, where the Ranger PHEV is let down over the Shark 6 and Cannon Alpha PHEV is pure-electric range. It only offers up to 49km of electric range, whereas the Shark 6 offers 100km and the Cannon Alpha PHEV offers 115km, all according to NEDC testing.Another notable disadvantage for the Ranger PHEV over the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV is pricing.The Ranger PHEV currently starts at $71,990, before on-road costs, for the XLT and extends to $79,990, BOC, for the Wildtrak.The Shark 6 on the other hand is currently offered in one trim level, priced at $57,900, drive-away.The Cannon Alpha PHEV starts at $51,490, drive-away, and extends to $58,490, drive-away, thanks to a pricing offer that’s set to end at the end of March.

The incoming D24 Nissan Navara ute may not be the only ute model in Nissan Australia’s line-up for long, according to suggestions from the local arm’s top brass.Nissan Australia has only just launched the new-generation 2026 Nissan Navara, but there’s an international sibling waiting in the wings to join the Australian-focused ute.The Chinese-built 2027 Nissan Frontier Pro, which borrows the Frontier name used for the Navara in the US, has a possibility of joining the new Navara here to fill the electrification gap currently seen in the ute space.With the popularity of the BYD Shark 6, it would also make sense for Nissan to offer a rival plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute here in Australia.The Frontier Pro is a similar PHEV ute, developed by Nissan’s Chinese partner Dongfeng, which sells it in China as the Z9 GE.Rather than replacing the diesel-powered (for now) Navara, it seems there’s room for both models in Nissan Australia’s showrooms.Outgoing Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone says the strength of the Navara nameplate is just some of the reason there’s scope for the two products to coexist.“Navara as a nameplate is very strong, it’s like Patrol,” he told CarsGuide. “The powertrains can potentially change, but the product name Navara and its heritage here is very strong.”“There’s five generations… it’s got a long history. It’s a trusted brand on its own. We’ve built Warrior on the back of that as well, so we have a real Australian heritage with what we’ve done with this one.“The strength of Navara is something I would not underestimate. If I could use the Navara name or the Patrol name over another name I almost certainly would.”But with Nissan Australia not yet fully committed to the Frontier, it’s unclear whether the brand will look to bring that model here or wait for electrification in the Navara to be a possibility.Even if Navara does end up with hybrid (or any other kind of electrification) in its line-up, Humberstone says the two utes aren’t a case of ‘one or the other’.“I would see them as very different products… if you look at the design. Could those run parallel? Potentially, yeah, there’s no commitment on that product coming in yet, but at the national partner meeting we did discuss it at length.“We think it’s a great product, there’s lots of investment committed to that product. Going forward the markets will be named that are getting that within the next two to three months. And then once we have that we can potentially share more details.”Humberstone has previously said - in mid-2025 - he would like to see both models land Down Under, but this more recent suggestion that both would work in the line-up as parallel offerings shows the brand is gathering more information while keeping it on the cards.

BYD is supersizing its luxury Denza plug-in hybrids.The Chinese brand isn’t resting on its laurels, and is already advancing some of its newest Denza branded models with some mega upgrades.In China the Denza N9 and N8L large plug-in hybrid SUVs are getting new batteries that would make most EVs jealous.The Range Rover rivalling models get a 40 per cent electric driving range boost thanks to a new circa-75kWh Lithium-Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery.BYD claims it pushes driving range up to 315km in the N9 and 320km in the N8L.That new battery is bigger than what is found in most EVs, and is about three to four times bigger than what is found in most plug-in hybrids.The extra battery capacity pushes the two SUV's weight above three tonnes. That extra weight will mean the bigger battery will be more inefficient as it has to move around the extra bulk.Other technical details have not been revealed, but it is likely to maintain the same set-up as the current version.The N9 uses a​​ 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to three electric motors, which pump out a combined 680kW and allow it to hit 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds. It takes aim at the European luxury establishment with top-notch items such as dual-chamber air suspension, rear-wheel steering, a refrigerated centre console box and a 17.3-inch screen which folds down from the roof to provide entertainment for the second and third row.The N9 is more road-focused compared to the Denza B5 and B8 premium off-roaders which have recently gone on sale in Australia.There is no word yet on whether the Denz N9 or N8L will come to Australia, but out of the two the N9 would be the most likely.BYD is aggressively expanding its line-up in Australia, including via its Denza high-end sub brand, which opens the door to the N9 coming Down Under.

“Let them eat cake.” The infamous quote attributed to ill-fated French queen Marie Antoinette shortly before she lost her head (literally) seems like a strangely appropriate comparison to today's motoring landscape.It seems the governments around the world have made the decision that we must drive electric cars and, as such, the car industry is being legislated down that path.In Australia we have the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES), while in Europe they’ve cut to the chase and will just ban cars that produce any CO2 emissions.Several Australian car companies are now staring down the barrel of millions of dollars worth of fines under the NVES policy and it’s highly likely some (or even several) brands will simply abandon Australia altogether as it will no longer be financially sustainable.In Europe, car brands are trying to figure out how to achieve the European Union’s new demands while still meeting customer expectations.And therein lies the challenge for both car companies and governments - how do you legislate electric cars if customers don’t want them?Make no mistake, I am a car enthusiast and I have a deep love of the internal-combustion engine, but I’m also a human being that requires clean air to breathe.Finding the compromise between market demands and what’s best for society is crucial, so crucial it cannot be done poorly.The Australian car industry had it too easy for too long, dragging behind the rest of the world, protected by the shield of the local industry.But as soon as Holden, Ford and Toyota stopped making Australian-specific cars, the government should have accelerated plans for cleaner cars.Instead it was years before NVES was announced and introduced, effectively condensing what should have been a decade-long transition into a rushed and compromised mess.The reality in Europe is even worse, with several high-profile car marques committed to the electric-only future to meet the government’s expectations, only to find customers didn’t want that. Porsche is perhaps the best example of this, pushing through plans to make its entire range electric, with the exception of the iconic 911 sports car, only to now find itself hastily reorganising itself in the wake of buyer backlash.That’s the harsh reality the governments in both Australia and Europe have seemingly ignored - you can’t force people into buying a certain type of car.You can try incentivising a certain type, which is closer to the NVES model, but you cannot make them buy a car they don’t want.If buyers are faced with the choice between a car that is either too expensive or doesn’t fit their needs and not buying a new car, they’ll often opt for the latter. And that is not what car companies want.Of course, there is no perfect solution and all sides will need to compromise in some way, shape or form in order to find a way forward.But right now it seems there is a fundamental disconnect between what the three sides want and ultimately the group most likely to suffer is you - the car-buying public.Hopefully as NVES and the CO2 emissions ban in Europe approach and it becomes obviously unsustainable commonsense will prevail, but we’re talking about politicians, so trusting in commonsense is… optimistic. But if consumers make it clear that they are not ready for an electric transition in the next few years, both government and industry will need to respond accordingly - otherwise, we’re all headed for a crash. As Marie Antoinette can attest, ignoring the will of the people and telling them what they should eat (or drive) is not always received well.