SUV

The Lexus RZ, the brand’s first dedicated EV, disappointed with very low sales and arguably very high prices. Now, a big update and massive price drop could mean broader appeal for Lexus’ electric SUV.

Cadillac now has a new model, and a volume player, to kickstart its Australian sales ambitions, with the Optiq arriving to take on everything from the BMW iX3 to the Genesis GV60. So, does this all-electric medium SUV have what it takes to compete?

MG is looking to bounce back from a tough 2026 with an important new model - the MGS6. This is the brand's crucial new rival to the likes of the BYD Sealion 7, Tesla Model Y and a raft of other electric and hybrid powered family SUVs. We drive the new MGS6 to assess its performance, practicality, safety and more and find out if it has what it takes to get MG headed in the right direction again.

Affordable cars are back with a vengeance. Chinese carmakers are rushing to fill the void left by the exodus of cheaper options from mainstream brands a few years ago.The Jaecoo J5 petrol is the latest budget-friendly small SUV to land in Australia, and it joins the J5 EV already on sale and a hybrid version is due to arrive later. Jaecoo is Chery’s more design-focused sub-brand.The two-tier J5 petrol range starts at $25,990 drive-away for the Track grade we are testing here, and $29,990 for the fully-loaded Summit variant.That starting point makes it one of the cheapest small SUVs on the market, and roughly $10,000 cheaper than options from big name brands such as Honda, Hyundai and Toyota. It joins the Chery Tiggo 4 ($23,990 drive-away), MG ZS ($22,990 drive-away) and GWM Haval Jolion ($26,990 drive-away) at the pointy end of the new-car battleground.Jaecoo has invested in the right spots to make the J5 feel more expensive than it is.The first thing you notice is its design. It’s a sharp-looking compact SUV, with a large waterfall grille, boxy silhouette, multi-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels and dynamic LED lights front and back. It looks like a Range Rover, and that can only be a good thing.Step inside and your eyes are instantly drawn to the massive 13.2-inch tablet-style multimedia screen, which is compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and the 8.8-inch digital driver display. The cabin has a clean, functional design, but look a bit closer and a few things stand out.The centre console has what looks like twin wireless device chargers, but is just two empty slots to put your phone. You’ll need to jump up to the Summit grade to get the cordless charger.There are wide slabs of hard plastic on the dash, doors and beneath your eye line.A lack of physical buttons for controls means you’ll need to jump into the central touchscreen to change simple functions such as the air-con.The cloth-wrapped seats are manually adjustable and reasonably comfortable. If you pony up for the Summit you’ll get power adjustable synthetic leather-wrapped seats with heating and ventilation functions up front.There is a handsome flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in synthetic leather with haptic controls.Overall its a fairly spartan cabin with a few wow features, but more than enough to impress at this price point.The higher grade adds a fixed panoramic sunroof, power tailgate, dual-zone air-con and increased storage options.The J5 is roomy. There is decent head, shoulder and legroom in both rows, and a 480-litre boot is generous for this size of car. There are good storage options up front with two cup holders, a covered storage bin and a lower deck on the centre console can hold plenty of knick-knacks. The back row has its own air-con vent and USB-C charging point.There is no spare tyre. There is room for one, but instead the Jaecoo comes with a fiddly tyre repair kit, which is unacceptable in a petrol car that doesn’t have a battery taking up the space.A special mention has to go to the Bluetooth speaker, with multiple phone calls commenting on how bad the audio quality is.Power comes from a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 108kW and 210Nm. This is matched to an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drives the front wheels.Fuel use is a claimed 7.5 litres per 100km, which isn’t great for a small turbo-petrol motor, but it does only require the cheapest unleaded petrol. Our short loan showed that figure is achievable, especially if you do a lot of highway kilometres.On the road the J5 is no dynamic masterpiece.The engine-transmission combo looks decent on paper but the two don’t gel well in the real world. The CVT tends to rev to extreme measures when asked to accelerate with little in the way of increased forward momentum, before it finds the right ratio to deliver the oomph required.In stop-start traffic it is also indecisive and noisy. The combo works best when cruising at motorway speeds.The suspension is too firm, and you’ll feel it through your seat as it crashes over bumps and lumps of all sizes. Cabin noise is intrusive.The flip side is a car that holds its weight well through corners with little to no body roll.The steering is light and vague with little feedback, and doesn’t inspire confidence on a tight, twisting road.Jaecoo has ticked all the safety boxes with the J5 packed with active driver aids.There are seven airbags across both rows, and the J5 will automatically apply the brakes if it detects a potential collision. It will warn you if something is in your blind spot and if a car is approaching from the side as you reverse.A variety of sensors will help keep you centred in your lane and tug the steering wheel to keep you in the right spot.Most of it works well in the real world, with a distinct lack of bings and bongs. The driver attention warning is a bit sensitive and the lane keep assist is a bit jerky, but overall a big improvement over earlier Chery group products.One of the J5’s biggest selling points is the eight-year/unlimited kilometre warrant, which is one of the longest in the business. There is an eight-year capped-price servicing program that requires workshop visits every 12 months or 15,000km. Total cost for the eight visits is $3326, and be aware the sixth and eighth visits are about $700 and $600, respectively.

Toyota cancelled another of its upcoming electric vehicles last week -in this case it was its luxury arm Lexus and the LF-ZC sedan leaving it even more exposed to the premium Chinese EV assault.So, are we seeing the fall of an empire here with Toyota or does the Japanese giant have a secret plan?Toyota's axing of the Lexus LF-ZC sedan isn’t surprising, it’s very much in keeping with the company’s change of plan to pursue hybrids rather than EVs in the short term.In 2021 Toyota held a global address announcing that it would launch 30 new EVs by 2030. Well, we are now only about three and a half years away from the end of the decade and Toyota has only launched about three and a half  EVs - the bZ4x, Toyota HiLux, C-HR, and the longer version of the bZ4x - the Touring. The reason is a change of direction. Two years ago Toyota revised its plans and decided that the uptake of EVs wasn’t as strong as many had expected and decided to double down on hybrids instead.The decision made sense - the world was experiencing a slow down in the adoption of EVs and Toyota delayed pouring A$100 billion into the development of 30 new models.Toyota Australia's Vice President Sales at the time Sean Hanley told CarsGuide in January 2025 that the company had read the market accurately after all.“The plain truth is that demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in markets around the world is not living up to the hype,” he said.Hybrid sales were booming and Toyota changed plans and went back to doing what it had pioneered - hybrid powertrains. But March 2026 saw the world change again with the war in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz being blocked and preventing oil from being shipped through the channel. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is transported through the channel and by the second month of the blockade the world’s petrol and diesel prices skyrocketed, particularly in Australia which sources its refined fuel from countries such as Malaysia which are supplied with oil from the Middle East.With this turn of events consumer interest in electric vehicles picked up again.Sales of EVs had gone from being down year-on-year by 61.9 per cent for cars (sedans and hatches) and down 12 per cent for SUVs in January 2025 to up by 77.4 per cent for cars and up by 150 per cent for SUVs.So why is Toyota still axing EVs? Well, never underestimate Toyota. The brand may look like it’s suddenly behind the eight-ball after a huge geopolitical change and it may also look like the victim of a surprise attack from a multitude of appealing Chinese electric offerings from brands such BYD and Zeekr, but Toyota is the world’s biggest car manufacturer and you can bet it either has a plan… or it can buy one.There are several possible plays going on here in my opinion.First, Toyota is probably banking on the spike in EV interest to fall once the conflict is over and believes consumers will return to hybrids. This is probably the most likely scenario, although I doubt people will return to buying petrol and diesel cars now without thinking about it as they did in the past. The fuel crisis has been a major catalyst in the switch to EVs.A second scenario is that Toyota is close to a solid state battery breakthrough and is holding off EV development until an affordable and practical example can be made, but this seems less likely.Toyota finding the solid state holy grail of batteries seemed like a possibility five years ago but Chinese carmakers such as Chery, BYD and battery maker CATL are reportedly already testing the tech in prototype form before an expected market launch between 2027 and 2030. When the solid state battery breakthrough comes it will be thanks to a Chinese carmaker - with recent commentary from Toyota itself placing doubt on the idea of the technology ever being ready for mass production.And third, which is probably going to happen, Toyota may decide to take the vehicles it produces in joint-ventures in China  and launch them globally.Toyota already has two major joint ventures in China - one with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) and the other with First Automotive Works (FAW).Toyota-GAC models include the bZ7 fastback along with Chinese versions of the bZ3X and bZ4X.And before you scoff at Chinese Toyotas, just look at the bZ7. To my eyes this is one of the most beautiful Toyotas from the past decade which isn't hard considering the brand is famous for making what some people consider whitegoods on wheels.And with the changing of the guard in Australia, Toyota locally now appears to have decided which plan to go they'll pursue.Toyota Australia's new Vice President of Sales, John Pappas has a slightly different take on the situation than his predecessor and appears to be embracing the possibility of the company using its global manufacturing reach to sell cars into the future. “So the beautiful thing, the benefit of being such a global company like Toyota, and being in around 180 markets all around the world, and having so many manufacturing plants, that enables us to assess - whether it's sourcing of the vehicle, spec, powertrain.”  The future may prove to be a bit of scenario one to start and then into scenario three with Chinese made Toyotas. Either way the world’s biggest car brand has plenty of options to survive and thrive.  

The first arrival of a BYD-owned shipping vessel to Australia has caused a stir as the brand’s top brass is confident troubles with supply in its home nation won’t affect Australian demand.The BYD Zhengzhou docked at the Port of Melbourne carrying 4809 BYD vehicles destined for Australian customers, part of a promise to deliver 30,000 new cars in the second quarter of 2026.BYD has already more than doubled its sales in the first quarter of 2026 compared to Q1, 2025, and if 30,000 vehicles are added to the existing count before halfway through the year, BYD will finish the first half with a remarkable 55,000 new cars sold in Australia.But on the morning media were given a tour of the BYD Zhengzhou in what could arguably be called a fanfare event, Toyota Australia announced it “has secured an additional 10,000 vehicles for local customers in 2026”.Toyota sold 59,675 cars in Q1 to BYD’s 25,243. BYD also remains behind Mazda, Kia, and Ford.The timing suggests Toyota wanted to remind Australian buyers who is number one in the sales race, but BYD’s commitment to meeting demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is clear, and the brand’s top brass didn’t hesitate to say as such.Liu Xueliang, Group Vice President of BYD and General Manager of BYD Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, told Australian media during a conference in Port Melbourne that despite battery supply challenges in the brand’s home market, BYD would meet demand in Australia.Via interpreter, Mr Liu told CarsGuide that even at home in an EV-saturated market, BYD’s outlook is optimistic.“Sales in China have begun to recover in Q2, we achieved 380,000 units sold in May just past. “Growth has tightened a bit, but that does not affect supply to markets including Australia.“This is just one of our ships, but we’ve got many other ships that are arriving in Australia.”While Mr Liu wouldn’t be drawn on Toyota’s announcement, the theme that returned many times during the conference was BYD’s ownership of its own supply chain, and the control that grants.Given Australia’s demand for plug-in hybrids and EVs in 2026 is higher than it has been by huge margins, Liu Xueliang said this wouldn’t be the first time a BYD-owned ship would be seen in an Australian port.

Given the way so many four-wheel drives have morphed into performance SUVs over the years, it’s no surprise Range Rover had its own take on a high-spec, high-stepping wagon. The difference being, of course, that with a Range Rover badge, the end result needed to be sporty(-ish) and capable of plugging through the worst forest tracks and trails imaginable.The product of that thinking became the Range Rover Sport.Although the badging and high-end interior materials said Range Rover, the platform with its semi-monocoque construction said Land Rover. Land Rover Discovery 3, to be precise. But when you started to explore the Sport’s on- and off-road abilities and its tremendous looking body, any misgivings might have been scratched.The range kicked off in Australia in 2005 as the L320 series and included a huge range of mechanical packages. They started with the 2.7TDV6 which used a 2.7 litre turbo-diesel V6 with a six-speed automatic. With 140kW performance was okay, but importantly, the L320 used a proper two-speed transfer-case with permanent four-wheel drive.There was also a 4.4-litre petrol V8 option with 220kW and a storming 4.2-litre supercharged petrol V8 with no less than 287kW at its disposal. Both of those also had six-speed automatic transmissions and all V8 models had a locking rear differential for more off-road prowess.A year after the model’s launch, Range Rover added a 3.6-litre twin-turbo diesel V8 model with 200kW.The Range Rover badge decreed that luxury could not be forgotten, so every version of the Sport featured 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, LED lighting and leather upholstery. The 4.4-litre V8 version added a CD stacker, bi-xenon headlights, and rear parking sensors, while the diesel V8 carried the same specification but with 19-inch alloys. The supercharged Sport added 20-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, front parking sensors, memory seats and mirrors as well as hydraulically controlled anti-roll suspension.Air suspension was a much hyped part of the Sport deal with the (on-paper) ability to make the independent suspension work as if the vehicle had solid axles in tougher off-road settings.Range Rover gave the L320 a facelift (to Series 2 spec) in 2009 with new engines and improved suspension as well as interior improvements to make the driver’s job easier.The new engines started with a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, while the V8s were replaced by a 5.0-litre petrol V8. Available in either naturally aspirated or supercharged form, the new V8s were good for 276kW and a massive 375kW.The model was eventually replaced in 2013 by the L494 model Range Rover Sport. The short answer is yes, and no.The Range Rover Sport is a pretty amazing thing dynamically, able to combine high-speed stability with good comfort and even exceptional off-road abilities. That’s the ‘yes’ part.The ‘no’ comes in the form of a litany of serious mechanical and electrical problems that have surfaced over the years, tainting the Sport’s reputation.This car is a classic case of buyer beware, but if you do get lucky and find one that is reliable, the driving experience is hard to match. The problem is picking a good one, because the odds aren’t great that it will be clear sailing. In a nutshell, not great. In fact, not even close. Too many owners have had expensive, often catastrophic failures to make any other judgment. The problems are wide and varied, too, so there’s no short-cut to finding one that won’t necessarily break the bank.The rusted-on fans out there will beg to differ, but the facts are the facts, and this vehicle’s a gamble at best. This is no short list and the Range Rover Sport’s reputation for fragility and dud engineering is based on many years of turning motorists into mechanics.Let’s start with the real elephant in the room, the 2.7 and 3.0 litre V6 turbo-diesels. These have a pretty shocking record for destroying themselves due to problems with the bottom end bearings. Speculation is that the bearings themselves were either fitted incorrectly at the factory, or that they could wear and 'spin' in service. Either way, once you hear the warning noises from under the bonnet, you had a handful of seconds to pull off the road, shut the engine off and call a tow-truck. Any longer and you were likely to destroy the engine completely as the crankshaft failed due to the bearing problem.Symptoms that you have those precious seconds remaining include a knocking noise that gets louder as you load the engine, and a low oil pressure warning on the dashboard. Ignore it and you’ll soon have the con-rods on the ground under the car. Not nice.Scandalously, despite this being a known problem affecting the very earliest L320 cars, it took Land Rover until 2012 to sort a fix with a revised bearing design.Early examples of this engine also had a major design flaw in the oil pump assembly which was too weak to support the tensioner for the rubber timing belt that was mounted on the pump casing. This often showed up straight after a new timing belt was fitted and the added tension of the new belt exceeded the integrity of the pump casing.At that point, all hell boke loose as the timing belt jumped ship, allowing the pistons to collide with the valves and reducing the engine to scrap in milli-seconds. A revised pump casing design fixed things, but not before plenty of owners were replacing entire engines.The single turbocharger unit fitted to the 2.7-litre V6 was also prone to internal wear. Lots of white smoke from the exhaust was a sign that this was the case. Replacing the turbocharger unit was the usual fix. EGR valve failures on this engine are not unknown, either.The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 was not without problems and it often developed a rattle or ticking noise. This was usually traced to the timing chain tensioner, requiring the tensioner and the timing chain to be replaced. An improved design of the chain and tensioner helped, but didn’t arrive until the 2012 model.The Sport’s air suspension has also caused its share of grief with many owners returning to their vehicle to find it lying almost flat on the ground. The cause is usually the air suspension’s compressor system which can either fail to maintain the required ride height or simply allow all the air to escape the suspension units. One theory holds that the compressor itself was too small and was overworked, leading to failures.We’ve also heard of a few instances where the suspension units themselves have failed requiring costly replacement. But even the plastic plumbing for the air suspension seems underdone in the sense of a car designed for off-road work.Those are by no means the only faults associated with this make and model, but they’re the ones that keep surfacing over time. None of them are minor. Again, this is a long list because the Range Rover Sport has been far from immune from safety recalls to fix things that should never have gone wrong.Let’s start with the transmission which could sometimes refuse to select Park. This affected very early build L320s.Then there was the ABS sensor which could chafe its wiring on the wheel under extreme cornering and suspension travel situations. Again, this affected early (2005 and 2006) models.Perhaps the recall with the greatest potential for mayhem was one for V6 turbo-diesel vehicles built between mid-2004 and mid-2009. In those, there was a chance the vacuum system and the entire braking system could fail, leading to a total loss of brake performance. And again, that’s an awful lot of cars to be affected by such a serious defect.The L320 was also recalled at various points in time to correct faulty crank angle sensors that would stop the engine in its tracks, door latches that wouldn’t (latch) and fuel pumps that could fail prematurely.You can find out more by visiting https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ Later built cars were definitely better than earlier-build examples, purely because Range Rover had time to sort things out (not that it always did). But the one vehicle we’d avoid would be the turbo-diesel in any of its forms as these were the ones with the dicky bottom end. This is a vehicle where the fewer kilometres covered, the better. That said, you do see the odd one with better than 400,000km on board still getting around, but it would be very interesting to find out how much of a grandfather’s axe it is. Those high-milers are also almost always turbo-diesel cars, too, but that’s as much a function of the fact that this vehicle arrived in Australia when diesel was the new black, and people were flocking to it. It’s very difficult to recommend this make and model unless you’re an expert in diagnosing and fixing them and don’t mind a bit of down time. The non-supercharged petrol V8 stands a better chance of going the distance, but even it lives in the shadow of air suspension failures and other maladies. A high-mileage turbo-diesel can be had for comfortably less than $10,000 these days. In fact, you see them advertised for as little as $5000 which still makes them a punt, but a much lower-stakes punt.There’s a wide spread of prices after that with something like a supercharged V8 version with 100,000km showing for between $45,000 and $50,000. The one thing in the Sport’s favour as a long-term proposition is the magnificent repair and parts industry that has sprung up around the brand. You could argue that’s a function of necessity to keep a flawed product on the road, but it also reflects the fanaticism the Range Rover brand has created for itself.There’s a legion of specialist workshops that know these vehicles backwards and can supply pretty much every part needed. Independent specialists are also usually a lot cheaper than Range Rover dealership repairs and servicing.The better news is that every time a Range Rover Sport is pensioned off or scrapped its parts help keep other Rangies on the road. There’s no way of knowing how many L320 Range Rover Sports were sold during the model’s eight years on sale. But we can tell you that the bigger online sales sites have between 50 and 140 L320s available for sale.The vast majority of those are turbo-diesel V6 variants.

Jaecoo’s big J9 luxury range-extended hybrid SUV has just been given the green light to land in the UK, according to reports, which hints at a future Aussie launch.The Jaecco J9 is related to the Chery Fulwin T11 on sale in China. It will wear the brand’s luxury Jaecoo badge in the UK, according to AutoExpress, but it's essentially identical to the T11 apart from some styling differences.The Fulwin T11 was launched in China in 2025 and made headlines for its claimed 1400km driving range. The Fulwin T11’s range extender hybrid system combines a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder petrol engine with one or two motors depending on the variant for front wheel drive or all-wheel drive.In China two batteries are available: a 33.68kWh battery for the single motor variant, and a 39.92kWh battery for the dual motor. The system is able to offer up to 220km of electric driving range.The range is impressive, but so is the Fulwin T11’s interior, which is expected to carry across to the Jaecoo J9.It is a big unit at more than 5.1m long and with a wheelbase of 3.1m. The Fulwin J11 is a six-seater over three rows, with two captain’s chairs in the second and third rows. The interior is spacious, opulent and tech heavy.A 30-inch 6K LED display runs across the Fulwin J11’s dashboard and a 17.3-inch screen is offered in the second row on all but the entry grade.Pricing and specifications have yet to be announced for the Jaecoo J9 in the UK, but the slightly smaller Jaecoo J8 in Australia starts at $49,990 drive-away. If and when the Jaecoo J9 does land locally buyers can expect prices to begin at about $60,000.CarsGuide has contacted Chery Australia for confirmation of the Jaecoo J9’s arrival and is still awaiting its response.

Tesla has seemingly rectified the most annoying flaw in its Model Y SUV with the introduction of a retractable sunshade to reduce heat radiating into the cabin through the car’s large glass panoramic roof.Launched as an accessory on the brand’s Chinese website at ¥1499 (~A$310), the manual sunshade will be available for delivery from Thursday this week.Installation appears to be straight forward with the single-piece unit trimmed in the same fabric as the original factory headliner and features metallic handles.DIY fitment should be the norm but Tesla is also offering professional installation for an additional fee.And unlike the myriad of aftermarket (typically clip-in) third-party options available, the factory unit is constructed with an integrated frame and uses a roller-type design to ensure low noise.It’s worth noting Tesla has published a patent focused on engineering the glass roof to help cool the cabin, so this new option may ultimately be a temporary solution.Suitable for 2025 and later Model Ys, Tesla said the shade has “undergone full-vehicle airbag deployment testing and multiple road tests to ensure safe use”. CarsGuide contacted Tesla Australia to check in on local availability and a spokesperson said, “At this point in time the retractable roof is just for China, however it is anticipated that accessories will be available outside of the Chinese market in the future.“What we have seen with Model Y L is an overwhelming global volume (for markets that do take it) which sees accessories take some time to come to market”, they said.

Honda has announced that it is developing an advanced hybrid set-up for its next-generation Pilot full-sized SUV, to give the Japanese brand a more-effective rival against the Toyota Kluger, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Palisade and others.And after nearly a quarter of a century of being a largely North America-only model, it may even come to Australia.Why? To be built upon a new electrification-ready large-vehicle architecture set to debut sometime in 2028, this might be the first Pilot in four iterations since 2002 that is not solely manufactured in left-hand drive (LHD).While flatly refusing to comment on any future product, Honda Australia President and CEO Jay Joseph did reveal that things are changing within the company as it seeks out greater efficiencies globally, that may open the door to vehicles that were previously unavailable here."The right hand drive requirement is a little bit of a challenge for some of the North American product that we have, which was always intended of LHD," he told CarsGuide."But we're becoming more capable, and more adept, at being flexible on that. So that option is opening up."Not a confirmation then that the Pilot or any other US-made LHD-only will definitely come to Australia, but the strongest evidence in years that one of the biggest obstacles that Honda has faced here may soon be reduced, if not eradicated.So, why is the brand's next full-sized, three-row SUV so important?Announced last month as part of Honda’s new-model strategy outlining a focus away from electric vehicles (EVs) to hybrids, it will address the current Pilot’s biggest issue – the lack of a hybrid alternative to the powerful but thirsty 3.5-litre V6 petrol unit, hurting sales and giving rivals a free kick in one of the world's largest markets.In its place will be a V6 petrol/hybrid powertrain, reportedly of 3.0 litres in capacity, acting partly as a generator for the plug-less range-extender electric vehicle tech, charging a sizeable battery that power electric motors via a hybrid transmission, as well as clutching in direct drive to all four wheels as required.Along with dramatic fuel-economy gains, significant weight savings (upwards of 100kg) have also been earmarked for the platform.Additionally, Honda said that it is adopting some Chinese and Indian-market practices and methodologies to make its centrepiece hybrid tech price competitive, ushering in a far-more efficient model development process it refers to as “Triple Half: 50% Reduction”.In a nutshell, compared to 2025 levels, each successive Honda should cost half the amount of money to develop, and build, and in half the amount of time (hence the triple reference), slashing costs and boosting global accessibility along the way.And the Pilot is just the start.The new hybrid powertrain and architecture is also slated for the next Passport (a related but smaller five-seater SUV with some off-road capability), the long-overdue North American-market Odyssey redesign (the current minivan is already eight-years old), and – as reported in CarsGuide recently – the next-gen Ridgeline monocoque-bodied dual-cab ute.Expect to also see it feature in a future Accord (as strongly hinted by the Honda Hybrid Sedan Prototype revealed last month), along with a host of corresponding Acura luxury-brand SUVs.While Honda's American luxury brand that pre-dates Lexus is unlikely to arrive in Australia any time soon, it seems having access to a BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute or Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid SUV rival to fill in some big gaps in the local portfolio would be desirable.With 15 new models promised globally between now and 2031 (which do include Acura), the Honda Australia boss indicated that the future range will largely mirror what North America and Asian markets offer.“In general, the North American focus products are well suited to Australia,” Joseph revealed. “The Asia market products are well suited to Australia (too)."I'd have to look at the list to give you an exact number, (but) at least a third of them, maybe half, somewhere in that range (may come to Australia).”By our calculations, that would mean between five and seven or even eight all-new models could arrive by March 31, 2031, Japan's end of financial year (JEOFY) and the deadline for those 15 newcomers.Along with replacements of ageing core existing vehicles, meaning HR-V (confirmed globally for 2028, then Civic, ZR-V, CR-V and perhaps Accord soon after), that leaves room for the Pilot and Ridgeline on top, as well as possibly one of the smaller, sub-HR-V SUVs like the Elevate/WR-V, as sold in India, Japan, South Africa, Brazil and elsewhere.As announced in Honda's widely-reported latest financial results for the most recent JEOFY report ending March 31, the company is reeling from an operating loss of around $A3.7 billion – its first in 70 years.A turnaround is forecast by the end of the 2028 JEOFY, thanks in part to these new-product innovations and several other measures including the highly-publicised cancellation of some EVs, though the coming Super One city car is not one of them.Would the next-gen Pilot hybrid be a worthwhile addition to Honda Australia's range, or it better-served pitching the future Ridgeline as a Shark 6 PHEV foe?