Utes

The countdown to Kia unveiling its all-new Tasman ute continues at pace with the release of the first images of the game-changing newcomer wearing a unique camouflage wrap.

BYD's first ute will almost certainly be named the Shark in Australia, with the brand locking in the global name for its Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival.

A right-hand drive version of the Ford F-150 Lightning has been spotted in Australia by CarsGuide, but the Blue Oval has no plans to launch the car locally.

By now, you might have seen some Toyota Tundras on the road, but you still can’t actually buy one of the Japanese brand’s full-size, American style utes… or trucks.

Like it or not, the end-of-days for diesel is upon us, and there will be few manufacturers brave enough to launch an all-new diesel powertrain in the years ahead.

Ford has confirmed that its updated Ranger ute and the Everest SUV will arrive missing some features, but wants people to know that items have also been added.

Think Nissan’s out-there 2023 Hyper Force concept was all for show? Think again. The Japanese carmaker has revealed its work-in-progress solid state battery plant in Yokohama. The new technology is viewed by some as the silver bullet to electric car adoption, promising faster charge rates, lower fire risk and more than twice the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries – meaning 1000km driving range is not out of the question.Nissan is showing off the battery assembly line that could provide charge to next-generation electric vehicles from the Navara to GT-R. The expected timeline of solid-state production viability is Fiscal year 2028 (end of March 2029).Solid state batteries use solid electrolytes rather than the liquid or gel materials used in current battery technology.The hint for an electric Navara comes from the brand itself: “Nissan plans to use all-solid-state batteries in a wide range of vehicle segments, including pick-up trucks, making its EVs more competitive”, it said in a statement. Nissan’s existing Navara has been around since 2014 with a heavy facelift in 2020. In March, the company announced “The Arc” new model plan and teased what looks like a new-gen Navara ute in a shadowy video, before confirming a one-tonne pick-up truck is due for reveal later this year. The Navara is expected to use the same underpinnings as Mitsubishi’s new Triton which has reportedly been developed with electrification in mind, ranging from plugless hybrid to full battery-electric options. Initially, we expect the Navara to do without a battery option as, following MD Adam Paterson’s comments to CarsGuide, the brand won't settle for compromised driving range, towing capability or power with a quick turnaround electric ute.Much like the solid state battery plant, we probably won’t see production versions of an electric Navara running around until at least 2028.  If Nissan’s solid-state batteries are on line and delivering the promises of excellent energy density and fast charging by then, it could be the perfect time to reboot some other icons. A desert-bashing 1000kW electric Nissan Patrol off-roader? Yes please. And while we’re at it, Nissan’s Hyper Force concept (October 2023) gives a vision – albeit exaggerated – of what an R36 GT-R could look like, with promises of one megawatt outputs, active aerodynamics and torque vectoring all-wheel drive. Nissan’s current electric car line-up is fairly limited with only the ageing Leaf small car available in Australia. The Ariya medium SUV has been held up in Australia due to it not complying with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) but it's sold in other markets including Europe, while the Sakura is an electric kei car twinned with the Mitsubishi eK X EV. Another Japanese company that championed solid state battery tech was Toyota, though it appears to have revised its solid state plans further back into the future. Chinese brand IM  – which falls under the SAIC umbrella along with MG – will release a vehicle with semi-solid batteries using a mix of solid and gel electrolytes this year.Nissan continues to invest in and work on the new technology with an expected release of 2028-29 for production solid-state batteries. 

If you think that, in the wake of a New Vehicle Emissions Standard and a looming diesel downfall, that is now is the perfect time to launch a petrol-powered plug-in ute, you're not alone, with those creatives over at Digimods Design willing a Ram Dakota PHEV into existence through new renders.

The proliferation of American-sized utes in Australia has resulted in some fairly extensive right-hand conversion operations, but the exact detail of how in-depth the conversions are seem to be overlooked by some in the US.

China’s rapid expansion will see it overtake Thailand by 2026