A quick trip on our roads will confirm that white is the most popular car colour in Australia. That makes sense given how hot most of our country is, but could it be more boring?

Around 40 per cent of new car sales in Australia are made up of cars coloured white, while black, grey and silver follow closely behind. A lot of these car colours are chosen for their resale value, which is an important factor for many when choosing a new car, but what if resale value didn’t matter? What if we chose our car colour purely for impact and street presence.

In no particular order, here’s our pick of some of the best car colours available today:

Porsche Ruby Star Neo

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Originally first shown in the late 1980s on the 964 Carrera, Porsche’s Ruby Star – and its newer Ruby Star Neo equivalent developed in 2022 (available through the company’s Paint to Sample program) – is an iconic colour that is best known for featuring on on the 964 Carrera RS. An intense magenta, Ruby Star was inspired by a ruby gemstone and remains a rare sought-after colour among Porsche lovers.

Mazda Soul Red Crystal

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Red isn’t traditionally a big colour choice for Australians, but nobody told that to Mazda buyers with its Soul Red (and the later Soul Red Crystal) colour. Offered on every Mazda model currently sold in Australia, bar the Isuzu-sourced BT-50 ute, Soul Red Crystal was first introduced in 2017 as the hero colour of the range. According to Mazda, it uses a three-layer structure that “blends vibrant pigments with light-absorbing flakes for a dramatic, luminous effect”, which is why it looks so great in direct sunlight.

Hyundai N Performance Blue

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It’s well known that a halo colour is needed to launch your new halo sub-brand, and that’s exactly what Hyundai did when its new N range launched in 2017. One of the first in a new wave of matte-like flat colours like Nardo Grey from Audi, Performance Blue is available on every one of its N products, like the Ioniq 5 N, i30 N and smaller i20 N. It also features in the cabin of the cars, including on the steering wheel buttons and contrast stitching.

Volkswagen Lapiz Blue

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Volkswagen‘s R high performance division has used deep blue colours as its signature colour since its debut with the Mk4 Golf R32 in 2004, and the latest version is called Lapiz Blue. Easily the most popular Golf R and Touareg R colour, Lapiz Blue is known for its deep, striking finish, where it appears bright and vivid in direct sunlight but deeper and darker blue in lower light

BMW Twilight Purple

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Twilight Purple is a relatively new option on the BMW palette, having been introduced on the 2021 2 Series, but has become popular on certain models like the M3 Touring. Available through the company’s Individual program, Twilight Purple is a deep and colour-shifting hue that changes from near-black to a vibrant violet depending on the light.

Mercedes-Benz China Blue

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China Blue is a vintage-inspired hue with a bold yet soft pastel finish. Inspired by rich colours of Chinese ceramics, China Blue first debuted in the 1980s on the G Wagen. These days, it’s only available through Mercedes-Benz‘s Manufaktur customisation line, ensuring its exclusivity, and it’s also only available on models such as the S-Class and G-Class.

Alfa Romeo Montreal Green

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Available on modern Alfa Romeo products such as the Tonale small SUV and high-performance Quadrifoglio versions of the Giulia and Stelvio mid-sizers, Montreal Green is a vibrant, tri-colour metallic green hue. It pays homage to the classic 1970s Alfa Romeo Montreal sports car and looks fantastic in direct sunlight with the metallic flecks bursting through. It’s a colour that looks even better up close.

MG Emerald Green

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Greens are certainly making a comeback in today’s new car market, as evidenced by mainstream brands such as MG offering it for its products. We recently tested the new MG7 mid-size sedan in the company’s new Emerald Green hue, which looked fantastic. It’s also available on the ZS small SUV, and we hope it spreads further throughout the MG range.

Subaru WR Blue

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The World Rally Championship cannot be imagined without the WR Blue – that’s World Rally Blue – especially in Subaru‘s dominant period that lasted from 1995 to 1997. Now available on the iconic WRX and the BRZ sports car, WR Blue is a great colour and is an intrinsic part of Subaru’s brand identity, much like the WRX and special editions such as the 22B, serving as a great reminder of how good performance car enthusiasts had it in the 1990s.

Lexus Sonic Copper

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Rose gold is a colour that has become much more popular in the past five years, both for cars but also watches and fashion. Lexus clearly wanted to join the bandwagon by launching its Sonic Copper colour on the current-generation RX in 2022. According to Lexus, Sonic Copper is created by “using sonic waves to distribute the metallic flakes suspended in the paint into close, uniform alignment”.

Rimac has presented the first Nevera R Founder’s Edition to the public, unveiling the highly customised electric hypercar at the I.C.E. St. Moritz event in Switzerland. Displayed against the frozen surface of Lake St. Moritz, the car marks the first public appearance of the Founder’s Edition variant as customer deliveries of the Nevera R get underway.

The vehicle shown features a bespoke two-tone exterior, finished in Cote d’Azur blue across the upper body and Titanium Silver below, divided by a sharp horizontal colour split that highlights the car’s low, wide stance. A slim central stripe runs across the roof, incorporating subtle design references unique to Rimac, including fine graphic detailing. The specification is intended to demonstrate the extent of personalisation available to a small group of buyers.

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Only ten Nevera R Founder’s Edition examples will be built, all of which were allocated shortly after the model was privately announced. The St. Moritz showcase also included Mate Rimac’s own Nevera, which he is scheduled to drive on the frozen lake during the event, reinforcing the company’s emphasis on using its cars rather than treating them as static showpieces.

Founder’s Edition ownership extends beyond the car itself. Buyers are invited to configure their vehicles at Rimac’s Zagreb headquarters, working directly with the company’s senior leadership and design team. Owners also gain ongoing access to previews, development discussions and performance events linked to future Rimac and Bugatti Rimac projects.

The showcased car’s interior reflects this bespoke approach, with customised leather finishes, contrast stitching, carbon-fibre trim and personalised details throughout. Signatures from Mate Rimac and key members of the development team are permanently applied to the door sill, underscoring the car’s one-off status.

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Mechanically, the Nevera R represents a more track-focused evolution of Rimac’s original electric hypercar. Four electric motors deliver a combined output of 1571kW, managed by an advanced torque-vectoring system. Rimac claims the car can accelerate from 0–100km/h in 1.66 seconds and reach a top speed of 431km/h. Improved aerodynamics and revised tyres increase downforce and grip, contributing to faster lap times on closed circuits.

Production of the Nevera R is limited to 40 units globally, with the Founder’s Edition cars positioned as the most exclusive expression of the model. The St. Moritz appearance signals the beginning of deliveries and provides a rare glimpse of Rimac’s most ambitious project to date.

Formula One is firing up for season 2026 with massive on-track changes and a surprising early success.

The emphasis is on speed and reliability for the new generation of Grand Prix cars at Barcelona in Spain, but it’s all about the Oscars in Hollywood, California.

F1, the movie, has received four nominations for Academy Awards including a nod for the big one, Best Picture.

The showbiz news comes as the countdown to the eighth season of the streaming hit Drive to Survive begins, ahead of its release date through Netflix on February 27 in the run-up to the Australian Grand Prix.

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Brad Pitt failed to get a nomination for his acting and driving as Sonny Hayes in F1, with the Oscar nominations focussed on the technical side of the movie.

It is nominated in the Visual Effects, Sound and Film Editing categories.

If it wins the Oscar for Sound, it will be partly thanks to seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was a producer on the movie and also got deeply involved in ensuring the sound track was accurate – matching recorded F1 engine sounds to the artificial action.

There is nothing artificial in Barcelona this week, although few details have emerged from the first official pre-season running for 2026.

Formula One has erected a giant security screen around the circuit and banned any official timing, although teams have provided on-track pictures, quotes from drivers and the total distances covered by their all-new cars.

It’s the start of a massive re-set for F1 – with cars that are smaller, lighter and now have a bigger hybrid battery pack – and a potential shake-up of the grid.

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Audi is also coming into F1 as a full manufacturer after a buy-out of the former Sauber team, Cadillac becomes the 11th team – but using a Ferrari powertrain, Honda becomes the official powertrain supplier to Aston Martin, and Ford has a new technical tie-up with Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.

“It was good to be back in the car and to start learning a completely new package,” said Ferrari team leader, Charles Leclerc, after his first laps in the latest SF-26 on a day with rain and wet track conditions.

“Today was about system checks and understanding how everything works, rather than performance, especially with the mixed conditions.”

But the early action has included the first significant crash of the year, as Isack Hadjar escaped unhurt from a prang in the new Red Bull racer in his first hit-out as Max Verstappen’s new team mate for 2026.

And there were some significant absences, as a number of grand prix teams – including McLaren – stayed in the garage waiting for better weather after Williams had decided to delay its track lap after delays in completing its 2026 contender.

First published in the July 1979 issue of Wheels magazine, Australia’s best car mag since 1953. Subscribe here and gain access to 12 issues for $109 plus online access to every Wheels issue since 1953.

Do the Falcon 5.8 and Commodore 5.0 manuals put the punch back into performance? You’d better believe it. Of course in these silly speed-limited, responsibly fuel-conscious times the fiery thirsty big bangers are slightly anti-social and becoming more so almost by the day. On the other hand, it’s one of your last chances to have a damn good, really exciting fling. Before very long it’ll be true that they don’t build ’em like this any more.

The very last of the hairy-chested road rockets … that may well be how the manual 5.8 Falcon and 5.0 Commodore are fated to go into history. Enthusiasts’ only consolation is that the swansong’s being played on high and strident notes. For the moment, at least, High-Performance is alive and well and living in the four-speed, many-litred, bent-eight Falcon and Commodore. So let’s revel while we can.

Looking forward to the next major model changes in 1984-85, it’s difficult to foresee another generation of the blatantly and excitingly and thirstily V8 versions. It’s inevitable that rising petrol prices must spell extinction for big-banger sports sedans.

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That such cars are an endangered species is obvious when one considers how their ranks have thinned so much in recent years. The toll reads like a Who’s Who (or rather a What’s What) of the high-performance world. Among them are the local supercars that stormed their ways into Australian motoring folklore – the Falcon GTs, the Holden Monaro 350, the Chrysler Charger R/T, and the SL/R 5000 (or A9X and L34) Torana. Mighty, Magic, Muscle Cars – Australian style.

There’s nothing like them among the Japanese and very few Europeans offer their sort of performance either; a few sports and GT models and a handful of sedans, starting at Very Expensive and going up in price from there. And the Americans aren’t in the hunt any more either.

So if it’s performance you want – in the good old neck-cricking, breath-sucking, gut-knotting way – and the handling to go with it, then the Falcon and Commodore manual V8s are the place to get it. They’re for drivers who like wielding the big whip; for drivers who can appreciate and use a power of performance. And to hell with the fuel economy … well almost.

To some they’re too fast and too thirsty, these big muthas. Wowsers see them as anti-social. But what they are is anti-ordinary, and a couple of blows for strong-willed individuality can’t be bad.

Ford and Holden have been hard at it now for more than a decade. locked in stirring combat so it’s only fitting that they should build the last of their kind.

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Henry started it in 1967 by releasing the then awesome XR Falcon GT. The big Roarin’ Fordie was tantamount to a declaration of war. The shock waves were still echoing from the top of Mount Panorama when the General rolled out his heavy artillery – the Monaro GTS327. No other maker could muster the firepower to enter the ring, let alone mix it with Ford and Holden. Only the respective models changed, through the GT (and GTHO) series on one hand, and the Monaro (and then Torana) on the other.

Now the scenario has changed. The script remains the same – performance v performance – but the models are new and have brought a subtle shift in emphasis. The current contenders have “brain” as well as brawn, and are much better for it. Just as the Falcon XD is a giant step forward from the XC in many ways, so the Commodore is that much ahead of the late great Holden GTS.

The GTS had been uplifted from ordinary to excellent performance standards (with Radial Tuned Suspension) when we pitted it against the Falcon GXL in Wheels January, 1978, for the original King Of The Hill comparison. Both were pretty reasonable performers by the ADR-depressed standards of the day, though not in the same mould as their rorty old ancestors. The GTS did the 0-400 m in 16.8 seconds and the Falcon in 16.3 seconds, a far cry from the days when GTs and GTSs used to crack 15s for the quarter mile. The Commodore and XD Falcon don’t step into the old-timers’ boots either, but are more sure-footed on their own accounts anyway … all the better for climbing the hill to kingsmanship.

Pricing

What’s in a name. The Falcon GT by any other badge would perform as sweet. That’s proved by the new model regardless of its GL label. The GT officially died in XB form in 1976, and the closest thing to it in the XC series was the Fairmont GXL with 5.8-litre V8. four-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes and selected other options.

For the latest comparison we stepped into a Falcon GL, the price of which started at $6600 and wound up at about $8800 when the high performance running gear and a few more niceties were added. If you didn’t want all the trimmings you could in fact have the muscle-built Falcon for about $8090, at which the spec includes 5.8 engine, four-speed manual gearbox, limited slip diff, four-wheel disc brakes and ER70H tyres. At that level the Falcon has to be the market’s best value package on performance per dollar basis.

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For icing, the test car also had rear inertia belts ($43), tinted windows ($35), laminated tinted windscreen ($106), Volante mag wheels ($163), and the $361 “S” Pack which includes comprehensive instrumentation, digital clock, intermittent wiper control, striped fabric for the seats, left-hand outside mirror, front bib, long-range driving lights and distinctive paintwork (meaning side stripes).

The “S” Pack option also claims to include ER70H14 tyres, which means that the $8798 price quoted for the test car doesn’t quite compute according to the way we see the figures. If there was an inadvertent duplication of tyre price in the base 5.8 spec and the “S” Pack, the test car’s price would add up to $8728, making it even better value. However we wouldn’t be prepared to wager on that because Ford’s mixture of standard items, options and mandatory options needs very careful cross-referencing. If we were buying an extensively-optioned Falcon we’d want to itemise everything individually to avoid the risk of being double-billed for anything. It could happen.

No such room for confusion existed with the Commodore because it was a much simpler package, albeit considerably more expensive than the Falcon. The test car’s tag started at $10,828 for the 4.2-litre SL/E and rose in one self-contained $366 jump to $11,194 with the dual-exhaust 5.0-litre engine, close-ratio four-speed manual gearbox, and rear speaker. Helping account for the difference in price (against the Falcon) were the SL/E’s headlight wash/wipe system, locking fuel cap, electric antenna, velour headlining, AM/FM radio-cassette, power steering, air conditioning, remote control boot lid, driver’s seat height adjustment, and bumper overriders.

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Performance

There’s no doubt that the Falcon has the muscle and the legs. That it confirms the old there’s-no-substitute-for-cubic-inches saying was borne out in the performance tests at Castlereagh Dragway.

The Falcon had already been well used by the motoring Press by the time it reached us, and was in a fairly ordinary, nothing-special state of tune. It had the usual roughly lumpy idle we’ve come to expect from the 5.8 engine in ADR 27A guise, shaking the whole car at standstill, as though impatient to be on its way. It also had the 5.8’s usual bad habit of sometimes violently running-on when the ignition was turned off immediately after very hard strops.

The XD re-affirms the Falcon’s status as king-of-the-quarter, or the 400-metre-beater, by storming along the dragstrip in breath-taking style. Today there’s only a handful of standard sedans anywhere in the world that can turn sub-16s for the standing 400m. The 5.8 manual Falcon does 15.8 so consistently that we’ve no doubt it could knock several tenths off that time given attention to engine tune, tyre type and pressure, and more practice runs to find the optimum gearshift points. That it runs so quickly so easily, straight out of the box, speaks volumes for its muscle.

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The Commodore is no slouch either and gets under the mid-16s in spite of being a lot slower than the Ford in its initial surge from the starting line. The Ford got its power down onto the ground quicker than the Holden which lost 0.4 second to 50 km/h. Try as we might, we couldn’t reduce the deficit. Lots of revs brought lots of time-wasting wheelspin. But more moderation on the loud pedal meant a relatively slow start anyway. So it was stuck with that initial lag. With the Falcon though, it was just a case of grip-and-go.

The Commodore shone with outstanding in-gears acceleration from low to middling speeds. It was impressively responsive and flexible in the first three or four overtaking brackets where it headed the Falcon by comfortable margins. In third and fourth gears the Ford doesn’t really get into stride until it’s doing 80 or 90 kays, then – pow – it flies.

Top speeds are pretty academic these days, but purely in the interests of science and accurate reporting we took the big V8s up to their respective red lines in fourth. In the Falcon that was 4800 rpm and 195 km/h; in the Commodore it was 5500 rpm and 202 km/h. The Commodore was flat at that speed. The Falcon could have gone faster – we saw 5300 rpm on the tacho during one burst coming back from the Flinders Ranges.

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The thing that counts, of course, isn’t that they’re capable of such high speeds but that they can cruise so effortlessly and safely at the
legal limit, which in most places means they’re bopping along at only half their potential.

Fuel economy

One should almost bite one’s tongue for mentioning these cars and fuel economy in the same breath. The manual V8s are bought because they perform. And when you do the natural thing and flex their bulging muscles, they get very thirsty.

You know the old saying about watching the fuel needle fall … well, with the Falcon particularly it’s almost true. The much-touted electronic fuel gauge is a fairly useless thing anyway and (on a couple of other Falcons we’ve so far driven so far) gives wildly variable readings. It’s a bit of a shock to see the needle (between its spasmodic accelerating/braking/cornering/climbing/descending fluctuations) go sliding downwards, slowly at first, then increasingly quickly once it passes the halfway mark.

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For a hard-driven distance of 653 km, which included all the performance tests, the 5.8 manual averaged just 4.47 km/l (12.6 mpg) from a best of 4.99 km/l (14 mpg) to a worst of 4.2 km/l (12 mpg).

The Commodore did a bit better by averaging 5.23 km/l (14.7 mpg) from extremes of 5.5 km/l (15.6 mpg) down to 5.0 km/l (14.2 mpg). So it wasn’t exactly frugal either. Remember, though, that it had air conditioning and power steering to add to its consumption. On the other hand, this was the SL/E that had earlier been tuned for, and competed in, the 1979 Total Oil Economy Run. Its consumption in that event averaged 8.14 km/l (23 mpg), showing what it can do when prepared and driven specifically for economy. But that’s not what manual V8s are bought and used for.

Transmission

Not much difference here on paper – both have manual floorshift gearboxes with synchromesh on all four forward [gears]. The ratios are similar too, with the Falcon just a notch or so taller in one, two and three. Neither of the test cars was quiet in the transmission. Gearbox growls and whines were audible in both cars, more so in the Commodore, though not objectionably loud.

It’s in the gearshift that the Falcon and Commodore transmissions are clearly different. The Commodore has an easy change with what feels to be relatively long throws from point to point, giving light but fairly loose shifts. The Falcon’s shift was preferred by all our crew for it is as light as the Holden’s but with shorter and crisper throws so the lever can be snicked from gear to gear probably as nicely as you could wish in a big car.

Curiously, while the Falcon is (and feels) that much bigger than the Commodore all over, its lever has a smaller knob which unanimously rated second with our drivers.

Handling

Though the Falcon holds a clear edge for performance on the straights, the Commodore reverses the decision through the twisty bits. It handles beautifully. Snaking through the slalom test the Commodore was seconds quicker than the Falcon, regardless of who was driving. It’s the same on the open road … in really demanding give and take conditions the Commodore has a clear margin over the Falcon, or does it noticeably easier when in convoy behind the Falcon.

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To give the Falcon its due, it has to be the best handler ever in the traditional Australian family-car size class because it gets round corners and generally handles better than any Falcon, Holden or Valiant. But it’s just too big and heavy to compare directly with the smaller, lighter, more responsive and better balanced Commodore.

The Falcon is an understeerer, not seriously but habitually. It doesn’t do anything bad – doesn’t plough its front-end and scrub the bejasuz out of its tyres – but it lacks fine throttle responsiveness and some of our crew thought it hasn’t as much light-on-its-wheels, ultra-controllable feel to its handling as cleverly optioned XA/B/C Falcons.

It’s difficult to be too categorical about the Falcon’s handling because it loses a lot in the translation through the dud steering. It’s strange but true that in these days Ford can still manage to engineer (?) a steering system that needs five and a half turns lock to lock … and is h-e-a-v-y-with it. On top of which it still has a vast turning circle.

At times the Falcon’s steering is just too slow and slack for safety; as when trying to quickly turn tightly into a traffic lane and finding not only that your arms have to work like fury but that you also overshoot the centreline. The manual steering is the Falcon’s single most serious flaw. We believe the power-assisted steering ought to be a mandatory inclusion with the V8s (the 4.9 as well as the 5.8) instead of a $272 your-choice extra. The power steering has its problems, namely too much lightness and too little feel, but at least it almost halves the movements needed to turn the car.

The Commodore contrasts because its steering, by powered rack and pinion is one of the best available, regardless. It’s nicely direct and amply, but not excessively light.

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The Commodore also wins the roadholding department for it is superbly sure-footed from its initial mild understeering attitude through neutrality to throttle-responsive oversteer at its very high limit of adhesion. The Falcon reaches its limit a bit lower down the scale and is less tidy in the process. Bumpy corners are taken in stride by the Commodore, its suspension soaking up the worst of the roughery and remaining virtually unaffected. In the same circumstances the Falcon reacts with a sharp side-stepping rear-end twitch before settling into its modified wider line.

Ride

Another plus for the Commodore here. The Falcon rides firmest of the two even on main routes and away from the highway its poise stiffens in direct relationship to the road condition, so you have to rely more on the seats than the suspension to absorb the harshness. It’s not uncomfortable, just not as comfortable as the Commodore which has suspension not necessarily softer but more supple.

Brakes

It’s a good win to the Falcon in the braking department, in spite of losing points for the handbrake which wouldn’t hold the car on a 1:4 grade and was accordingly voted unsatisfactory. The Commodore’s handbrake held firm.

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The footbrakes were a different story however. The Falcon had a very good pedal with firm but progressively modulated feel and no lost travel. The brakes’ efficiency and stability in deliberately abusive conditions gave us every confidence them. The Commodore’s brakes worked well enough too, albeit not quite so impressively at the limit, but the pedal was (as we’ve noted on some other Commodores) disappointingly soggy with long travel to a spongy conclusion. The test car was a rather long toothed early build car, later models have a more progressive pedal.

Noise

For all its shimmering and shaking at standstill the Falcon proved to be the quieter of the two at idle, by a big margin. It was slightly noisier than the Commodore at steady 60 km/h and during maximum acceleration, but there was no difference between them for 100 km/h cruising. Both in fact are pleasantly quiet in normal conditions with little wind, road and other noises to disturb the relative calm. Indeed it was perhaps because of them being so un-noisy in other ways that the gearboxes’ growls seemed notably obvious.

Interiors

The Commodore’s a clear winner here. Though it hasn’t as much room as the Falcon, the Commodore makes better use of what it has got. Nowhere is that more evident than at the rear seat (and boot). Aside from being much wider than the Commodore, the Falcon offers extraordinarily generous rear legroom. Even with the front seats right back, very tall (about two metres) rear-seaters have knee-room to spare.
They have less spare space in the Commodore but aren’t cramped there either. The difference is that the Falcon’s rear accommodation simply isn’t comfortable. The Ford’s cushion is about 50 mm shorter than the General’s, and softer with it, so the edge falls away and you’re effectively perched only on your coccyx (tail), and that’s not nice. The Commodore’s bench is wider and firmer and a much more comfortable place to be for any length of time.

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The Commodore also wins at the front for its buckets give more support than the Falcon’s while offering the advantage of height adjustment and a wider choice of positions which (unlike the Falcon) enables tall drivers to put the wheel at arms’ length.

The Falcon’s “bigger” theme includes the instruments which are just that much larger than the Commodore’s. And it has to be said that while the General’s instrumentation is about as good as you’ll get for layout and legibility, Henry’s is even better – truly excellent.

Where the Falcon loses some of the ergonomic vote is in requiring a stretch to the centre console for the air/heat/fan/vent controls, the knobs of which are well identified in large letters but all with the same shape and not illuminated at night.

Luggage space

It seems a reasonable assumption that many V8 buyers shop in that market because they want a car for long hauls with a load of passengers and their luggage. That being the (suit) case, they may well find the Commodore the more practical of the two because it has a much more capacious boot than the Falcon where the shallow floor is a real limitation for bulky luggage.

The Verdict

If you consider them in relation to size (especially width), the Commodore and Falcon really aren’t directly comparable because the Ford is so much bigger. But if you look at the V8s purely as performance cars, then it may be a fairly close thing, depending on your priorities.

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To some beholders the Ford is a beauty; to others the Commodore is more attractive. On paper the Falcon has the superior acceleration. But on the road, after swapping between the rivals time and again in different conditions, there’s no doubt about it … the Commodore is the drivers’ car and earns the right to the crown. King Commodore rules.

Kia Australia head honcho, Damien Meredith, remains confident that Kia can continue to grow its market share, despite acknowledging the growing threat of an influx of Chinese brands into the Australian market.

“Chinese cars were 20 per cent of the market in 2025, and will continue to grow,” Meredith told media at the launch of the manufacturer’s newest electric car, the EV4. “Kia sold more than 82,000 cars last year, which is a 6.8 per cent market share, but we won’t lose focus.”

Chinese car brands have made huge strides very quickly in the Australian new car market with a
compelling blend of sharp pricing, long standard features lists, and robust warranty terms, forcing the
established brigade to sit up and take notice. Kia, not so long ago a challenger brand itself, is one company that won’t be asleep at the wheel.

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“We intend to grow in 2026,” Meredith said. “It’s likely to be a similar volume for the market as
2025, but we believe the Chinese brands will continue to grow, and we will gouge market share
from any brand we possibly can.”

Part of that success in 2026 will no doubt be an acceleration in sales for the Kia Tasman, the
Korean brand’s first dual-cab and a bold entry into what is a ferociously competitive segment. It’s a
segment nearly every manufacture wants a piece of, including the challenger brands who can see the value of a successful dual-cab.

LDV and GWM were the first Chinese-made dual-cabs off the rank in Australia, followed by BYD and its pioneering Shark 6 and MG’s U9. JAC entered the Australian market in late-2024, while Korean brand KGM (formerly SsangYong) updated its Musso dual-cab. It’s a segment that shows no signs – yet – of slowing down.

“We’ve got great faith in the Tasman as a product,” Meredith said. “We’ll keep working hard to make sure it’s a success in this market, and we are not making or looking for excuses.”

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The Tasman has only been on the market in Australia for seven months, so in one sense, it’s harsh to
judge Kia’s dual-cab before it’s had a full year to bed in.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. We know that it’s a great product and we know that it will work in the Australian market,” Meredith said. “Australia has asked for this product, so we want it to succeed.”

Kia’s success in Australia was accelerated by what was then an industry standard setting seven-year
warranty, and that, along with the brand’s dealer network will remain a key focus as it looks to
strengthen it’s position further in Australia.

“We have to grow, we have to compete and care about our customer through our dealer network,” Meredith said. “Every aspect of our business is a focus, that’s the differentiation and that’s what
we’ll be working on.”

Electric cars beneath the $50,000 threshold aren’t new in the Australian new car market – that barrier was broken some time ago – but the fact the all-new Kia EV4 electric sedan starts from $49,990 before on-road costs is still noteworthy. Even more so when you break down the standard specification list. 

Three model grades will be available – Air, Earth and GT-Line – with pricing moving to $59,190 and $64,690, both before on-road costs, as you step through the range. The way the models work sees Air badged Standard Range, and Earth and GT-Line as Long Range, while all three are FWD.

Platform and component sharing is a no-brainer in the electric vehicle world, and the new EV4 medium sedan shares its electric motor and battery packs with its EV3 small SUV stablemate.

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What’s the driving range of the Kia EV4?

The base model Air is extensively specified, with a WLTP-claimed 456km range, vehicle-to-load capability, 17-inch alloy wheels and Kumho tyres, 12.3-inch infotainment screen, wireless smartphone connectivity, over the air software updates, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, LED cabin lighting, LED reflector headlights, dual-zone climate control and rear air vents, to name just a few. 

We reckon though, if your budget stretches, the middle of the range Earth is the sweet spot, with its WLTP-claimed 612km range a bonus for buyers with either one car, or one primary car in the driveway. 

The sector of the market the EV4 fires into is a tough one. Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal, and Polestar 2 all currently battle it out to claim market share, but Kia’s fifth dedicated electric vehicle packs a value punch worthy of note – especially considering Kia’s excellent seven-year warranty. For comparison, the EV4 costs more than the Seal, but less than the Model 3 RWD. Interestingly, the EV4 is FWD, while the other two are RWD, showing that variety is very much on offer in the EV world. EV4 is competitive to own, too, with servicing costs $688, $1308 and $1929 across three, five and seven years respectively. 

While the claimed driving range differs across the model grades, the outputs are the same – a single electric motor driving the front wheels, generating 150kW and 283Nm, with a 7.4 second 0-100km/h claim for the Air and 7.8 seconds for the Earth and GT-Line. 

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What’s the Kia EV4 like to drive?

The EV4 feels punchy on the move without being silly fast, nicely matched to the driving style demanded by the daily traffic grind. Getting off the mark is effortless, as we would expect of an EV, but what Wheels didn’t expect is how quiet and refined the EV4 is at speed. Over long stretches of coarse-chip country road, the EV4 is eerily quiet inside the cabin, testament to the work Kia has undoubtedly put in to ensure the cabin experience is a pleasant one. 

Kia’s suspension geniuses, headed up by Graham Gambold, have once again delivered a superb blend of ride quality and handling ability without erring too far toward one discipline. Urban and around town ride quality is excellent, both on the Air’s 17-inch rims or the 19s on either Earth or GT-line, and the Kumho or Goodyear tyres provide quality grip, coupled with minimal road noise. 

Gambold told Wheels that as more suspension testing and evaluation becomes possible with each new electric platform, the result delivers more nuance, more refinement and a much more capable overall package. And, the EV4 might just be the best example of it, yet.

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The challenge of managing the extra weight of an EV is undeniable, but there are advantages to be found in the low-down heft of the battery pack, which typically sits between the wheels, and can provide a benefit in regard to the weight shift, side-to-side. Likewise, the reduction in weight (and complexity) at each corner of the vehicle frees the suspension up to do what it is designed to do more effectively. 

Whatever changes have been made, the EV4 strikes an excellent balance between comfort over longer distances, and handling ability if you want to have some fun. This isn’t an outright rapid EV designed to be punted hard first, but it’s more fun than we thought going in. The effort to hide the not-inconsiderable bulk of the 380kg battery for the standard range and 475kg battery for the long range has yielded impressive results. Battery technology is Lithium-ion NCM and Kia quotes 10-100 percent charging on the standard range, as taking five hours and 20 minutes on a three-phase 11kW charger. Using a 50kW public charger sees that drop to approximately 55 minutes (Air) or 79 minutes (Earth and GT-Line) according to Kia.

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What’s the Kia EV4’s interior like?

Cabin space and comfort is excellent, given the physical size of the EV4, with the highlight being the space on offer in the second row, even with tall occupants up front. At 4730mm long, the EV4 cabin makes the most of its 2820mm wheelbase, and the 490-litre boot space is also family – and daily driver – useful. It never feels big from behind the wheel, but its Tardis-like cabin will be a bonus for family buyers.

At launch, we used the wired smartphone connection for Apple CarPlay, and it was quick to connect, and quick to respond once up-and-running. Screen clarity was, as has become standard for Kia, strong in any light, even during the middle of the day, and Kia’s mix of physical controls versus touchscreen input is another strong point. The control systems are easy to understand and no more complicated than they need to be. 

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The Verdict

There’s no doubt that for the average Aussie buyer, $50,000 still represents a significant dent in the budget, and Kia is realistic about how quickly sales will tick up for its new electric vehicle.

However, the EV4 represents solid value for money, typical Kia attention to detail and standard equipment, and a genuinely impressive drive experience on any road. Tesla’s Model 3 is the runaway favourite in this market, but the Kia EV4 has the tools to give it a run for its money.

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Specs

Mazda has confirmed global production and sales of the CX-5 have passed five million units, marking a major milestone for the mid-size SUV that has become one of the brand’s most important models.

The CX-5 is only the third Mazda vehicle to exceed five million sales globally, following the Mazda323 and the Mazda3. It is also the fastest Mazda model developed under the company’s Skyactiv engineering program and Kodo design philosophy to reach the figure, underlining its sustained popularity since launch.

First revealed in 2011, the CX-5 was Mazda’s entry into the rapidly expanding crossover SUV segment. It went on sale across more than 100 countries and regions, quickly becoming a core product in Mazda’s global lineup. Early success included strong domestic sales in Japan and multiple industry awards, helping establish the CX-5 as a key volume driver for the brand.

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The first-generation CX-5 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011 and soon gained recognition for its combination of efficiency, safety and design. By 2015, cumulative global production had already reached one million units. A second-generation model followed in late 2016, bringing incremental improvements in refinement, safety technology and interior quality. That version went on to earn top safety ratings in the United States for nine consecutive years.

Mazda unveiled the third-generation CX-5 in Europe in mid-2025, ahead of its wider global rollout. The latest model represents a comprehensive redesign, focusing on updated styling, a revised interior layout and improvements to everyday usability. Mazda has also reworked the human-machine interface, aiming to make controls more intuitive while retaining a driver-focused layout.

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While Mazda has not detailed regional specifications or powertrain options in this announcement, the CX-5’s evolution reflects broader shifts in the SUV market, including rising expectations for safety technology, connectivity and comfort. The model continues to sit at the centre of Mazda’s passenger vehicle range, particularly in markets such as Australia, where it has been a consistent sales performer for more than a decade.

With the CX-5 now entering its third generation, Mazda faces increasing competition from newer rivals and electrified alternatives. However, reaching five million sales highlights the SUV’s role in sustaining the brand globally, as Mazda balances traditional internal-combustion models with a gradual transition toward electrification across its line-up.

BMW may be drawing headlines with its next-generation electric SUVs, but the brand hasn’t forgotten its smaller battery-electric models. For 2026, BMW has quietly updated the iX1 and iX2 (below) with modest hardware changes that translate into meaningful range improvements, helping keep them competitive in an increasingly crowded compact EV segment.

The upgrades centre on a slight increase in usable battery capacity, rising from 64.6kWh to 65.2kWh. While the change looks minor on paper, BMW says efficiency gains elsewhere in the system allow the extra energy to go further. The entry-level iX1 eDrive20 now offers a claimed driving range of approximately 510 kilometres, up from roughly 470km previously. The all-wheel-drive iX1 xDrive30 improves to about 465km.

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The closely related iX2 receives similar benefits. The eDrive20 variant now matches the iX1 with a claimed range of around 510km, while the xDrive30 stretches to approximately 475km, depending on specification.

BMW has not detailed every technical change, but confirms the introduction of a new silicon-carbide inverter designed to reduce electrical losses and improve efficiency. Other unseen updates, such as revised wheel bearings, are also believed to reduce friction and energy consumption.

Importantly, charging and performance figures remain unchanged. Both models retain a peak DC fast-charging rate of 130kW, allowing a 10 to 80 per cent charge in about 29 minutes under ideal conditions. The single-motor eDrive20 continues to produce around 150kW, while the dual-motor xDrive30 delivers roughly 230kW. Acceleration figures are also unchanged, with the quicker xDrive30 capable of 0–100km/h in the mid-five-second range.

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The updates arrive as competition intensifies. When the iX1 launched in 2022, its main rivals were the Volvo XC40 Recharge (now EX40) and Mercedes-Benz EQA. Since then, newer or refreshed alternatives such as the Audi Q4 e-tron and more affordable versions of the Tesla Model Y have shifted buyer expectations, particularly around range and value.

The iX1 and iX2 also share their underpinnings with the MINI Countryman Electric, which has received a similar efficiency upgrade, pushing its claimed range to around 500km.

Australian pricing for the updated BMW models has yet to be confirmed, but the changes are expected to roll into local vehicles as part of the 2026 model year. A fully redesigned iX1, influenced by BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse design language, is still expected later in the decade.

The heavily updated Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan has debuted five years after the current W223-series model debuted in 2021. Representing the largest mid-life update the company has ever applied to a model, the upgraded S-Class has been given light exterior changes and more comprehensive updates under the skin, including a new dashboard and upgraded drivetrains, including a new flat-plane-crank V8 engine. Australian arrival timing is yet to be announced.

Visually, the updated S-Class has been given new front end detailing with star icons in the headlights, an optionally-illuminated three-pointed star grille emblem, a 20 per cent larger grille with a black surround, revised bumpers and new alloy wheels up to 20-inches in size. The headlights now feature micro-LED technology for even greater lighting power, and more stars feature in the revised tailights.

There’s a new ‘Intelligent Damper Control’ function for the suspension that uses data collected from other Mercedes-Benz cars to anticipate potholes, speed bumps and other road imperfections to increase the damping rate up to 10 metres before to preserve the car’s ride comfort. The driver will also be alerted to small flaws in the road from the navigation system.

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Air suspension is standard in every new S-Class, but there is an available 48-volt electro-hydraulic suspension system that independently controls each wheel’s damping. Similarly, 4.5-degree rear-axle steering is standard, but customers will be able to choose an upgraded 10-degree system to cut almost two metres out of its turning circle.

Inside, the updated S-Class has been gifted the company’s ‘MBUX Superscreen’ – not to be confused with the even larger ‘Hyperscreen’ that recently debuted in the electric GLC with EQ Technology – and latest-generation operating system, which includes the AI-based “Hey Mercedes” voice control system combining input from ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing and Google Gemini to make interacting easier and MBUX Surround Navigation based on Google Maps with live traffic.

A 14.4-inch touchscreen is standard, along with a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and the 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger. The redesigned centre console now features dual wireless phone chargers, while heated seatbelts that can be heated at up to 44ºC are also now available.

The rear seat of the S-Class has also received attention, with new 13.1-inch entertainment screens for passengers that feature inbuilt cameras for video conferencing.

The company has also improved the S-Class’ active safety and parking systems with more sensors and a powerful new computer architecture. As a result, the S-Class can now park on both sides of the road and at an angle, as well as exiting a park capability.

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The brand’s bespoke Manufaktur program has also extended its touch on the S-Class, now with over 150 exterior colours and over 400 interior options available. New personalisation options include door sills, steering wheel designs and even emblem packages.

The new S-Class range for Australia is yet to be confirmed, but we predict that it will again consist of the S 450 4Matic with a 280kW/560Nm (+10kW/60Nm) 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine and the long wheelbase S 580 L 4Matic with a new flat-plane-crank 393kW/750Nm (+23kW/50Nm) 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8, both with mild-hybrid tech.

The new V8 engine is unusual because flat-plane V8s are usually reserved for high-end supercars thanks to their aural drama, higher revving capability and added lightness, compared with a cross-plane V8 engine (which the pre-updated S-Class features), but Mercedes-Benz has fitted one to its updated luxury flagship.

Other engine variants available globally for the new S-Class include a twin-turbo 3.0-litre turbo-diesel in S 350 d and S 450 d variants, an uprated version of the 3.0-litre petrol six in the S 500, plug-in hybrid variants using 3.0-litre petrol six with a 22kWh battery for up to 115km of electric range and the iconic twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 for the armoured S 680 Guard.

Mercedes-Benz Australia is yet to confirm local timing and specifications for the facelifted S-Class, but it’s likely to land before the end of 2026.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that production of its Tesla Model S and Model X will end by the middle of 2026.

After 14 years, the Model S large sedan – and its Model X large SUV sibling – will be killed off to make way for production of its new Optimus consumer robots. Around 730,000 units were built since their production started, while the Model S was the first mainstream Tesla and the one that expanded the company’s reach to much of the globe.

Tesla doesn’t list Model S and X production statistics separately but with the Cybertruck included, last year it delivered 50,850 vehicles across the three model lines. That figure stands against 1,585,279 Model 3 and Model Ys. As such, the company now intends to use the S and X production slots at its Fremont, California factory to make robots.

Musk made the announcement today at the company’s fourth quarter 2025 earnings call, where he also confirmed a three per cent drop in revenues throughout 2025 to US$94.8 billion (around A$135b). Tesla’s global deliveries also fell by 8.6 per cent in 2025 to 1,636,129 vehicles.

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“If you’re interested in buying a Model S and X, now is the time to order it, because we expect to wind down S and X production next quarter, and basically stop production,” he said. “We will obviously continue to support the Model S and X programs for as long as people have the vehicles, but we’re going to take the Model S and X production space in our Fremont factory, and convert that into an Optimus factory with a long-term goal of having a million units a year of Optimus robots in the current S and X space.”

Tesla’s Optimus consumer robots will reportedly start production late this year ahead of the first deliveries to the public in 2027. According to Musk, the Optimus will be the “biggest product of all time”. Ahead of that will be the Cybercab autonomous vehicle, which will start production in April.

Originally launched in 2012, the Model S sedan was the first mainstream Tesla product and it was joined by the Model X in 2015. Around 15,000 units of the Model S were delivered in Australia, but right-hand drive production of both it and the Model X ended in 2021. Both continued in left-hand drive markets with various model updates to make them more advanced than the models sold locally.