Urban

On the cusp of five years since the Holden brand disappeared from the Australian new car landscape, a sixth-generation version of what would have been a key part of the Aussie icon’s 2026 line-up has been unveiled in Europe.The Holden Astra, a localised version of its then Opel Astra corporate GM cousin, was in local showrooms when the Lion Brand was finally shuttered in 2021.Now a sleek, all-new Opel Astra has gone on sale in Europe with pure-electric, hybrid and diesel options offered.Designed, developed and built at Opel's headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the newcomer is available as a five-door hatch and Sports Tourer wagon, claimed to boast upgraded tech, improved comfort and a more distinctive appearance, all with pricing unchanged.Opel said the design of the new car’s nose has been influenced by its Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo concept shown at last year’s IAA Mobility show in Munich, as have new 17- and 18-inch alloy rim designs finished in ‘Kontur White’ and ‘Klover Green’.A premium visual touch is an illuminated Opel Blitz (German for lightning) emblem as a centrepiece of the brand’s signature single-module front-end design while ‘Intelli-Lux HD’ headlights are claimed to comprise 50,000 LED elements.Interior highlights include a sweeping media and driver information screen display and ‘Intelli-Seats’ featuring a centre recess to reduce pressure on the tailbone. Powertrain options include the 115kW Astra Electric with a 58kWh battery delivering a claimed range of up to 454km (WLTP) and V2L functionality. A 107kW petrol-electric hybrid variant and a 96kW 1.5-litre diesel are also available. Pricing for the Opel Astra Electric hatch starts at €37,990 (~$63,900) with the hybrid at €32,990 (~$55,500).A shining star for current owner, Stellantis, Opel became profitable soon after its acquisition by the PSA Group (now Stellantis) in 2017, turning around close to two decades of losses under General Motors. Who knows what might have been if the Holden journey had continued?

The 86 was, when launched, extremely affordable but has since become more expensive, and getting into a top-spec version of the GR86 is a task that’ll sap $20,000 more from your wallet than the original 86 base model. To find out if it’s worthwhile, we’ve snagged a 2026 Toyota GR86 GTS with optional Dynamic Performance Pack.

The MG4 Urban electric hatchback has just been priced in the United Kingdom, offering a new budget option in the EV space. It will start from £23,495 (about $46,000), but it is expected to be significantly cheaper when it comes to Australia, potentially around $30,000.This MG4 Urban differs from the MG4 hatch Australia currently gets, particularly as it is front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive, but is also noticeably bigger.The Urban measures at 4395mm long as opposed to 4287mm with the MG4 hatch.The MG4 Urban will offer MG a more affordable and more direct competitor to other budget EV hatch rivals, lining up with front-wheel alternatives such as the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora and the coming Geely EX2.With a current starting price of $36,990, before on-road costs, the current MG4 is more expensive than the Dolphin and the Ora, but this FWD Urban could close the gap.The MG4 was the ninth best-selling electric car in Australia in 2025, despite suffering a more than 50 per cent drop in sales year-on-year. We can expect the Urban to come to Aussie shores some time in 2026, but MG Australia did not state an official launch date when contacted for comment. "We do not speculate or comment on future models or product details. We are always evaluating and looking for different powertrain options across our line up - MG Motor Australia will update as models are formally confirmed," an MG Australia spokesperson said. The Urban features a neat interior, including a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 7.0-inch digital driver display. In the UK, it comes with two single elector motor choices, producing 109kW and 117kW, respectively. It is expected Australia will get a different version of the car, which has a more powerful electric motor, producing 120kW and 250Nm. The UK variants either have a 43kWh battery, offering 323km of WLTP driving range or a 53.9kWh battery, extending the range to 415km.According to MG, the Urban’s battery can charge from 30 to 80 percent in 20 minutes. 

We're running Hyundai's tiny new electric city car as a long-termer. Here are our first impressions.

Subaru has hiked the price of its affordable BRZ sports car. The cheapest BRZ now starts from $47,890 (before on-road costs), which is a $3600 jump based on 2025 pricing for the entry manual variant. It is almost $10,000 more than when the second-generation launched in 2022 at $38,990.Manual BRZ's are now the same price as automatic examples, having previously been a $1000 less.This price hike has been reflected across the range.The S variant is now $49,190 up from $45,490, while the tS starts from $52,790 - a $2600 increase.It is now nearly $4000 more than its mechanically identical counterpart, the Toyota GR86.The BRZ still comes in significantly cheaper than a comparative 2.3-litre petrol engine Ford Mustang.The Mustang leads the segment for sales, starting from more than $70,000.Subaru has released a special edition of its BRZ in addition to the announcement of these price hikes.It is called the Kiiro and only 95 units will be offered locally. The car is priced to start from $53,590 (before on-road costs), which is $800 more than the re-priced Coupe tS, which usually sits at the top of the range. This special edition BRZ gets an exclusive yellow paint, in line with the Japanese meaning for the word 'Kiiro', along with 18-inch matte back alloy wheels. There are suede and leather accented seats, with black and yellow elements. Yellow stitching is on the leather steering wheel and gear shift boot.There is an interior 'Kiiro' badge with the limited edition number of the specific car and ‘Kiiro’ badging is also visible in matte black on the rear of the car. It will be available in manual and automatic, keeping in line with the rest of the BRZ range. It will also be powered by the 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine, producing 174kW and 250Nm found in other BRZ models.The limited edition BRZ tS will hit showrooms later this month. 2026 Subaru BRZ pricing Australia

The GT-Line is the flagship model in the K4 Hatch range, sitting at the top of the four-model line-up, and breaking well in the $40K range, with its sticker price of $43,790.Unlike the rest of the K4 range, which are powered by a 2.0-litre engine, the GT-Line gets its own engine and transmission combination, a 1.6-litre turbo that makes 142kW and 265Nm paired with an eight-speed automatic.The K4 hatch is slightly shorter and slightly lower than the Cerato it effectively replaces, but there is some clever interior packaging, so much so in fact that Kia says you get more legroom and headroom in both the front row and the second row than you did in the old Cerato, but marginally less shoulder room in the back seat.What does that mean in real terms? It means that I think you'd actually get away with this as a family car, at least in terms of passenger space.Sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had tonnes of knee room and enough headroom to get comfortable. Yes, it would be tight with three adults across the back, but you could have two kids back there, or a child seat or two, easily. 

The Sport+ is the second-highest grade you get in the K4 Hatch, sitting below only the flagship GT-Line. It is, predictably, also the second-most expensive model, listing at $39,090.It rides on 18-inch alloys, gets LED projection headlights, unique synthetic leather two-tone seat trimming, a heated steering wheel with paddle shifters, and a strong Harman Kardon eight-speaker stereo.Like the rest of the K4 range (save the GT-Line, which gets a bespoke engine), the Sport is powered by a new and more efficient 2.0-litre engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drops power slightly, and fuel use more significantly. The new engine and transmission combination makes 110kW and 180Nm, compared to 112kW and 192Nm, with fuel use falling from 7.4L/100km to a more frugal six litres flat.In terms of back seat and boot space, sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, I had tonnes of knee room and enough headroom to get comfortable. Yes, it would be tight with three adults across the back, but you could have two kids back there, or a child seat or two, easily. The boot is 438 litres VDA, which is very solid, but not good enough to swallow a massive pram comfortably. There is, however, a space-saver spare under the boot floor, which is a tick.

The K4 Sport occupies the second rung on the K4 Hatch ladder, sitting above the entry-level S, and listing at $36,690. It gets the 'Integrated Panoramic Display' (Kia’s two 12.3-inch screens joined by a 5.0-inch climate monitor) as standard, along with the added safety stuff included in the S level’s 'Safety Pack' and dual-zone climate control. It also rides on 17-inch alloys.Like the rest of the K4 range (save the GT-Line, which gets a bespoke engine), the Sport is powered by a new and more efficient 2.0-litre engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drops power slightly, and fuel use more significantly. The new engine and transmission combination makes 110kW and 180Nm, compared to 112kW and 192Nm, with fuel use falling from 7.4L/100km to a more frugal six litres flat.The K4 Hatch is slightly shorter and slightly lower than the Cerato that it effectively replaces, but there is some clever interior packaging, so much so in fact that Kia says you get more legroom and headroom in both the front row and the second row than you did in the old Cerato, but marginally less shoulder room in the back seat.What does that mean in real terms? It means I think you'd actually get away with this as a family car, at least in terms of passenger space.

Kia’s replacement for its ever-green Cerato arrived in two stages — the K4 Sedan, which arrived earlier this year, and now the K4 Hatch, which has just landed in Australia. The Hatch trim levels and specification mirror the Sedan exactly, which means the range kicks off with the entry-level S, yours for $32,090.The big news for S is a new and more efficient 2.0-litre engine with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drops power slightly, and fuel use more significantly. The new engine and transmission combination makes 110kW and 180Nm, compared to 112kW and 192Nm, with fuel use falling from 7.4L/100km to a more frugal six litres flat.The K4 S arrives with 16-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, a smart key with push-button start, power folding and heated exterior mirrors, four USB-C outlets and a six-speaker audio system, but it does have the worst tech offering, swapping Kia’s twin-screen system for what it calls a 'Basic Digital Driver Cluster' with 4.0-inch multi-function (LCD) display — which doesn’t sound too fancy, does it?You can add the 'Safety Pack' to the K4 S for $2100 and that adds a 12.3-inch instrument display, as well as dual-zone climate control and an expanded auto emergency braking (AEB) system with junction turning and crossing and direct/oncoming lane change detection.

We’ve been calling for it and it’s finally here!