Australian electric vehicle sales reported by Tesla and Polestar continued their strong 2026 run in September, with combined deliveries rising almost 20 per cent compared with the same month last year.

New figures from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) show the two brands delivered 5854 battery-electric vehicles during September, up from 4899 a year earlier.

Tesla accounted for the overwhelming majority, delivering 5654 vehicles – a 21.3 per cent year-on-year increase – while Polestar slipped 15.3 per cent to 200.

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The Tesla Model Y remained the dominant vehicle, recording 4476 deliveries during September, up 14 per cent from 3927 last year. It accounted for more than three-quarters of all Tesla and Polestar vehicles included in the EVC report.

Model 3 sales rose more sharply, jumping 60 per cent to 1178 deliveries. The increase comes as Tesla expands the sedan’s Australian line-up, this week announcing a new entry-level Model 3 priced below $46,000 before on-road costs.

Year-to-date figures reveal an even stronger rebound. Tesla and Polestar have recorded a combined 43,386 deliveries to the end of September, up 76.9 per cent from 24,521 during the same period of 2025.

Tesla has driven that increase, climbing 84.1 per cent to 41,705 vehicles. Model Y deliveries have more than doubled, rising 108.4 per cent to 35,930.

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Polestar has moved in the opposite direction, with its year-to-date total down 10 per cent to 1681 vehicles. Its Polestar 4 (above) is up 10 per cent, but Polestar 2 and 3 deliveries have declined.

Growth has also been recorded across every state and territory. The Northern Territory posted the largest percentage increase at 113.3 per cent, followed by Queensland at 88.3 per cent and NSW at 83.5 per cent. Even Western Australia, the slowest-growing market, rose 45.7 per cent.

The EVC figures cover Tesla and Polestar only and should not be interpreted as representing Australia’s entire EV market. Sales are recorded when vehicles are delivered rather than when they are ordered.

The Honda Civic Type R has received a host of updates for 2027, bringing subtle styling changes, even sharper driving dynamics and more creature comforts to the Japanese brand’s flagship hot hatch. Revealed in the United States, the updated FL5-generation Civic Type R arrives as the nameplate celebrates its 30th anniversary. Australian timing and specifications for the refreshed model are yet to be announced.

Honda hasn’t chased additional power for the update and the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine continues unchanged, producing 235kW of power and 420Nm of torque, and sending power exclusively to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and limited-slip differential.

Instead, Honda has concentrated on making the Type R sharper to drive.

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The adaptive suspension has received revised damping in its most aggressive +R mode, which Honda says improves the car’s ability to follow the road while reducing bouncing and impact harshness. The rev-matching system has also been recalibrated to respond more quickly during downshifts. According to Honda, brake pedal feel has also been addressed, with a new spring added to the pedal linkage to reduce free play and provide a more direct response.

There are functional changes outside with a redesigned front bumper incorporating a larger grille opening to improve airflow and engine cooling, while a deeper front splitter is claimed to increase downforce.

However, you’ll need a keen eye to pick the new model from the existing Type R. A new Meteorite Gray Metallic paint colour joins Championship White, Boost Blue Pearl and Sonic Gray Pearl in the US.

Perhaps more noticeable are the changes inside, where Honda has attempted to make the Type R a nicer place to spend time. For the first time, its heavily bolstered red front suede seats are heated, and the dashboard and upper front door panels are now trimmed in suede, while the dashboard gains a new diamond-pattern insert.

There are also darker finishes for the aluminium gear knob, centre console and door handles, along with black air vent and climate control knobs and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

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Technology has also been upgraded with Google Built-In – including Google Maps, access to the Google Play Store and Gemini AI assistance – as well as Alexa integration and two new USB-C ports. Honda has also updated its Honda Sensing active safety suite, including improved adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance, while automatic post-collision braking is newly standard.

The refreshed Civic Type R will reach US dealerships this month, priced from US$48,695 before destination charges, with an Australian launch yet to be confirmed.

It’s taken Toyota Australia a long time to start selling plug-in hybrids locally, which was an unusual move for the company that has made the drivetrain massively popular the world over. Until recently, buyers wanting to plug in had to choose an electric bZ4X, but that changes with the new-generation RAV4 PHEV. 

But Toyota hasn’t simply added a bigger battery to one of Australia’s favourite medium SUVs. It makes up to 227kW of grunt, boasts more than 110km of claimed electric driving range and offers 50kW DC fast charging capability, meaning that the plug-in version is both the most powerful and potentially most fuel-efficient RAV4 we’ve ever been offered locally.

However, the regular RAV4 hybrid is already very fuel efficient, and it’s also considerably cheaper, so does plugging in make the RAV4 better? Let’s find out…

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How much does the RAV4 PHEV cost to buy? 

So far, only three plug-in hybrid variants of the RAV4 are offered in Australia, and they all sit in the upper part of the range. The RAV4 XSE PHEV – currently the cheapest PHEV model before the new GXL PHEV launches early next year – starts at $59,515 before on-road costs in front-wheel drive form, while the all-wheel drive version tested here costs $64,015 +ORC, or around $70,000 once on-road costs are included.

That makes the AWD PHEV $4500 more expensive than the XSE AWD Hybrid, while sitting just $2325 beneath the flagship $66,340 GR Sport PHEV AWD. While there are some plug-in hybrid rivals around the same price, like the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Aspire ($66,790 +ORC), there are plenty of Chinese medium SUV rivals charging at least $20,000-$30,000 less. 

At least the XSE is well equipped. Standard equipment includes 20-inch black alloy wheels, LED lighting, a 360-degree camera, two-tone exterior paint, a sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, electric front seat adjustment with driver’s seat memory and a tasteful suede and synthetic leather trim with blue stitching.

On top of the XSE hybrid, the PHEV adds larger brakes to account for its extra weight, and a 1500-watt inverter and household-style outlet in the luggage compartment. That allows the RAV4’s sizeable battery to run appliances when camping or away from mains power. There’s a full list of standard features at the bottom of the page.

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It’s certainly not what you’d call cheap, especially when the RAV4’s starts at $45,990 +ORC, but the XSE PHEV offers more than just a drivetrain change – it’s significantly quicker than the hybrid and also feels as though it should have had this drivetrain when it was launched earlier in the year. 

How practical is the RAV4 XSE PHEV?

One of the biggest compliments you can pay the PHEV is that it remains a RAV4, which makes it one of the most spacious medium SUVs that you can buy. Sure, there are rivals that offer more clever storage solutions or bigger boots, but one of the most appealing things about it is that it’s so easy to fold the seats down and throw in some bulky shopping – and the PHEV doesn’t change that. 

There’s plenty of space up front, good outward visibility and loads of useful storage dotted around the cabin, like the dual trays on the dashboard. There’ are ‘s also a pleasing amount of physical buttons located around the cabin, though the lack of physical air-conditioning controls is annoying. The quality isn’t quite befitting of the price, either, with plenty of disappointingly hard materials around the cabin, including on the dashboard. 

However, Toyota has also made a welcome leap forward with the new-generation model’s technology, addressing one of the biggest weaknesses of its predecessor. A 12.9-inch touchscreen features with the brand’s new ‘Arene’ software, and it’s bright, fast and easy to use. Features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat-nav with live traffic, AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio and online services for access to apps like Spotify and weather. 

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Front-seat comfort is generally good, with supportive and firm seats featuring as standard. The rear is similarly accommodating, and families will find it not only practical but easy to enter, exit and enjoy. There’s ample legroom and headroom for adults, a relatively flat floor and wide-opening doors, while air vents, map pockets, door pockets and two USB-C charging ports help make the second row family friendly.

The only place you see the PHEV RAV4’s practicality dip below the hybrid’s is in the boot, where it has no underfloor storage. As a result, the boot capacity is 655 litres (that’s measured to the roof, unlike most manufacturers that quote to the parcel shelf) with the rear seats up. Toyota Australia doesn’t quote a figure for the rear seats but it looks like it would sit at around 1800 litres, which is healthy for the segment. Impressively for a PHEV, there’s still a spare wheel, with a space-saver sitting underneath the boot floor.

How far can the RAV4 PHEV travel on a charge? 

Here’ i’s where the PHEV makes its strongest case for itself. A 22.7kWh lithium-ion battery gives the front-wheel drive XSE an official electric range of 121km on the WLTP cycle, while the more powerful AWD model tested here can reportedly travel 113km before needing to call on its petrol engine.

For many Australian commuters, 113km is enough to cover several days of driving without burning any petrol at all, and impressively, we achieved 110km of electric driving before the battery ran out. Of course, that will depend on your driving style, but we didn’t use any hypermiling techniques to arrive at that figure. 

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Unlike some plug-in hybrids, the RAV4 also supports DC fast charging. Its maximum rate of 50kW isn’t going to trouble an EV, but it adds useful flexibility on longer journeys as it can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in as little as 28 minutes – enough time for a lunch break while heading out of town. AC charging is supported at up to 11kW using three-phase power.

Once the battery’s usable EV charge is depleted, you aren’t left dragging around a big battery with an inefficient petrol engine doing all the work. The RAV4 effectively reverts to operating like one of Toyota’s familiar hybrids and in hybrid mode, we landed in the mid-5L/100km range, which isn’t far off the consumption for a RAV4 hybrid. That’s not bad considering the extra weight and performance of the PHEV.

How fast is the RAV4 PHEV? 

Very, at least by RAV4 standards, as the range hasn’t had a truly powerful model in Australia since the 200kW 3.5-litre V6 models sold from 2007 until 2013. The front-wheel drive XSE combines its 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor for a healthy 201kW combined output, but choose the all-wheel drive and there’s a second e-motor on the rear axle for a keen combined output of 227kW, which is good enough for a claimed 5.8-second 0-100km/h time. 

In everyday driving, the RAV4 PHEV feels quite effortless. Its e-motors are powerful – the front one outputs 151kW/272Nm alone, or more grunt than a hybrid RAV4 in total – with the rear adding 41kW/123Nm. Torque is instant, even at higher speeds, and refinement is exactly what you’d expect. If you want more performance, the petrol engine can be called on for more grunt and it gives the RAV4 PHEV surprisingly serious overtaking ability. 

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It’s definitely not a sports car, however. As you’d expect for a RAV4, it’s set up primarily for comfort, and it does well here. You can feel the PHEV’s extra 285kg on the road and it’s a bit stiffer in its ride quality, though it’s still comfortable and easy to steer. Those wanting a bit more dynamism will have to spend the extra $2325 to get to the GR Sport with its meatier steering, 20mm-wider track, sportier suspension and so on. 

As with other Toyota products, the RAV4 PHEV’s active safety features are mostly well tuned and feel much less hyperactive than what we’ve seen from most Chinese brands. However, the driver monitoring system in our test car was infuriatingly sensitive and would ding at you for even looking at the driver’s display (which is, ironically, also where its scoldings appear). A less sensitive system or one that was able to be defeated permanently would be more in line with the RAV4’s easy vibe.

How much does the RAV4 PHEV cost to service?

Helping the PHEV’s cause is the fact it offers the exact same service and warranty package as the hybrid. The standard warranty is five years/unlimited km for the car and up to 10 years/unlimited km in total for the EV battery if an annual health check is performed at a Toyota dealership. The drivetrain warranty can also be extended to seven years in total if serviced through the Toyota dealership network. 

As for service costs, the RAV4 PHEV is the same as the hybrid at $325 per year for the first five years/15,000km (whichever comes first) for a five-year/75,000km total of $1625. That’s quite low in today’s market, though the flip side is that there’s no roadside assistance as standard – buyers must pay a minimum of $99 annually for it, or use another provider. 

Should I buy a Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV? 

Yes, it’s expensive to buy and the RAV4 hybrid can be so economical that the PHEV’s extra cost would be difficult to justify for some customers. But view it as more than just a way to save even more fuel, and we think it’s definitely more justifiable. The claimed 113km electric driving range is impressive in today’s market, it can charge relatively quickly for a PHEV and the 227kW of peak combined power means that it’s surprisingly rapid. 

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In a lot of ways, we think the PHEV is the RAV4 drivetrain to choose. Its added performance is great, as are its charging statistics, while it also feels more modern than the hybrid. It’s taken Toyota Australia a long time to get here, but its first plug-in hybrid is finally available locally and we hope there are more to come. 

RAV4 XSE PHEV standard features: 

• 20-inch black alloy wheels (with a space-saver spare)
• Dusk-sensing automatic all-LED exterior lighting
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Sunroof
• Rear privacy glass
• Roof rails 
• Heated and auto-folding mirrors
• Electric tailgate
• Synthetic leather and suede seat upholstery
• 10-way driver/8-way front passenger electric seat adjustment with driver’s memory settings
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• 12.3-inch digital driver’s display
• 12.9-inch touchscreen with online services and over-the-air updates
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Bluetooth calling and audio streaming
• Six-speaker sound system
• 5x USB-C charging ports
• Wireless phone charger
• Embedded drive recorder
• EV, HEV and auto powertrain modes
• Eco, normal, sport, snow and trail driving modes
• Hill descent control 
• 8x airbags
• Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and daytime cyclist detection
• Intersection Turn Assist and Emergency Steering Assist
• Lane keeping assistance with adaptive lane guidance
• Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist
• Blind-spot monitoring with front and rear cross-traffic alert
• Safe exit assist
• Driver attention monitoring
• Auto high beam
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera

Toyota RAV4 XSE PHEV AWD specifications:

Seventeen years after Mark Skaife steered the Fred Gibson GT-R to the controversial “pack of arseholes” victory at the 1992 Bathurst 1000, Wheels got him back behind the tiller of Godzilla once more to find out how he reckoned it stacked up against the R35. It was one hell of a reunion…

First published in the May 2009 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.

A dense, black cloud front seemed to be marching towards the motor racing circuit with Wagnerian menace. It had its rival on the ground: an awesome automotive force, a twin-turbocharged, all-wheel drive powerhouse that has already sat the most revered of European rivals on their rear ends. 

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In all this, the new Nissan GT-R R35 road car was replaying the scene from 17 years earlier, when its forebear – the legendary Skyline GT-R R32, christened by Wheels as ‘Godzilla’ – charged head-on into a black wall of downpour on lap 144 of the Tooheys 1000 at Mount Panorama. 

The R32, for all its supposed all-wheel-drive superiority, was simply hosed off the track along with Ford Sierras, Commodores and BMW M3s. But in the wash-up, a countback of the previous lap gave the race to the controversial Japanese supercar. 

It was a final cigarette before execution. 

The victorious Gibson Motorsport team-mates Mark Skaife and Jim Richards had spent the first half of 1992 locked in battle for the Australian Touring Car Championship in their Winfield-liveried GT-Rs. It was the wily, supernaturally talented Kiwi against the 25-year-old wunderkind who had largely driven the R32’s development. 

With their shared Bathurst victory in chassis 5, the final R32 built by Gibson, Skaife crowned a record-breaking 1992 season. He had also become Australia’s youngest Touring Car champion and took the Australian Driver’s Championship in his SPA-Formula Brabham single-seater. The latter two titles were sealed on the very same day at Oran Park. 

And here we were today. Storm clouds. Oran Park. And a pair of thundering, clawing, blood-red Nissan GT-Rs, book-ending 17 years. 

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Mark Skaife OAM, Australia’s most successful touring car driver, retired from full-time racing last October. But as he stepped into a more understated Holden race suit and pulled on the familiar yellow and red helmet for his Wheels GT-R assignment, he admitted he might dabble in the enduro rounds. “I won’t be able to go cold-turkey, because I love driving too much,” he shrugged. “Even things like today; I just love getting into the car and speeding around.” 

He’s been a Holden man through-and-through since 1993, of course, when V8 Supercars killed Godzilla. And the last time he’d driven chassis 5 was when he’d last handed the car over to Richards at Mount Panorama, under gathering clouds. 

These days, he said, “I can drive any car that starts with ‘H’, ends with ‘N’ – and isn’t a Hillman.” But 12 years of comparative product testing with HSV and Holden have kept him well up to date with rival products. 

He hadn’t seen a GT-R R35 in the metal before. “I think it’s a super spunky-looking car,” he nodded, knowing a thing or two about tough road cars (his daily driver is an HSV GTS). “I love the wheel offset, I love the aggression, but it’s got that tough look about it. Tough-looking car. And value for money, absolutely.” 

We gave Skaife a quick rundown on the GT-R’s transmission and suspension R-modes and ESP switches. With ‘R’ on and ESP off, Skaife burbled the chiselled red supercar down Oran Park’s pit lane. Its pert tail disappeared beyond the fast kink of the full-length GP circuit. When the nose bobbed up again over the bridge, it was already travelling at a clip. 

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Skaife was feeling out the traction, experimenting with the boost, car and driver squirming around as they became acquainted through the cresting-left Suttons and over the Dogleg. The red wedge disappeared again into the hard-leaning hollow before BP corner. And when it came past me on the straight – whooshing like an F-18 fighter, right-side mirror reaching for the wall – this performance party was already on. 

Skaife trail-braked scary-late into the kink, the GT-R getting quite squirrelly as he firmly and rapidly massaged corrections into the wheel. Watching from the pit wall, I figured Skaife had probably caught it four times, in the second-or-so it would take most people to realise they were losing it. 

I’d driven the R35 on the road in Germany, and had been gobsmacked by the way it masked its 1740kg kerb weight. But plenty of hard-edged road cars show up soft on the racetrack; surely, not Godzilla? 

Skaife did five or six thundering, hard-working laps. I forgot to count, amid the train-sized cylinder of dust and air and chemical stench of brakes blasting past me on the straight, the brake lights Morse-coding deep into the kink, the rear end twisting and torquing as Skaife mastered its momentum. But then the GT-R was cruising, cooling its turbos, before the stinking, tinking R35 was stopped before us in the pits.

If I’d been expecting some awe-struck rice-boy’s reactions, or a hard-headed Holden V8 fan’s ruthless critique, I’d have been surprised. Skaife delivered a verbal data-download on everything the R35 had been doing. And how one might go about improving it. 

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“From a geometry and stability standpoint, it’s quite nervous on the way to the corner,” he explained. “When you first turn it, it’s nervous, and that restricts your entry. Then, when you get it to what I call segment two to three, bringing it back to the apex, it’s actually got mild understeer. That [right] front tyre there has copped plenty.” 

Skaife went on to describe the yawing and corner uneasiness we’d been able to see clearly from the outside. He had been busy. “At places like Suttons [a left-hander with a dip on turn-in, and a crest after the apex], the car’s quite nervous,” he went on. “You brake it, turn it, oversteer – and when you’ve got it caught, it gets back on the front wheel and just starts to understeer. And then finally when the understeer goes away, when you get back onto the throttle, it’s got enough sniff to drive itself out pretty straight. 

“A lot of the characteristics are similar to the R32, when it first happened,” he smiled. “The amount of drive grip they’ve got is just extraordinary. When you can get into the throttle, it’s just unbelievable.”

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Skaife added that the early throttle response was too tardy in letting him shift the action rearwards. I wondered aloud whether he’d been spoiled by 17 years of V8s, too long away from turbos. “No, you could definitely change the mapping to give you a bit more for your money there.” 

The front tyres, whose shoulders weren’t new when we started, underlined Skaife’s point about the GT-R’s two phases of understeer. 

“It’s actually front grip-limited, at some point,” he mused. “The nervousness really comes from an unstable rear, and the instability gives it that initial oversteer – but the natural balance of the car is mild entry understeer.” 

He’d been impressed by the brake feel, but the car’s weight had contributed to bad fade after just three or four laps. He asked the kerb weight, and we told him: 1740kg. 

“Yeah, it feels like it’s got quite a lot of momentum there. You have to do quite a lot of work to straighten the car up.” 

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How does all of this tally with his more usual mounts – similarly big, V8 rear-drivers? “Well, as a consequence [of the understeer], some of the fun’s taken out of it as a purist’s car,” he said. “But the amount of exit grip and how much throttle you can get on the car, once you’ve got it neutral and you can get it off the corner, anyone who didn’t enjoy that is just kidding themselves.” 

Skaife recognised that the R35 is a GT-R. In his Nissan days, he had an R32 company car.

“Oh, you can feel that DNA,” he smiled. Skaife should feel it; he is himself woven somewhere deep in the GT-R code. “But … I hope they don’t get upset with me for saying this: they’ve lost a little bit of the crudeness and the rawness that the original [R32] car had. It had a much nicer steering wheel – a racy wheel – a more sculpted seat, so it was more like a race car. 

“But, from the architecture and the engineering of the car, the way it translates to the driver, there’s a lot of that DNA… They’ve done that, but they’ve tamed it off too much. I’d be very interested to see what a Spec-V would be like.” 

Which brought us back to his lap time. Did he care to hazard a guess? “Honestly, I wouldn’t have a clue, because after driving touring cars around here … I would have thought it’d do a, ahh … it’d be an 18 or a 20?” 

In fact, on used tyres and without having sat in the car before, he had clocked a best of 1:18.08. He nodded. “If you put your head down and had some new tyres, this would be good for a 16.5 to 16.8, I reckon.” 

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As it stands, it’s only eight seconds off the pace of a current V8 Supercar. And, more pointedly, it means the R35 would still have its red baboon-butt soundly spanked by its 17-years-older, race-bred sister. 

Back in 1992, the Winfield GT-R R32 – on slicks, of course – clocked a fastest race lap of 1:10.26 in Skaifey’s hands. He’d qualified it a quarter of a second quicker, but was pipped to pole by a brilliant John Bowe in the Shell Sierra. 

Chassis 5 is now owned by restaurateur and racer Terry Ashwood, who bought the Gibson collection lock, stock and baseball caps in 2001. 

Skaife slowly paced the car, hanging his head, looking upwards to admire the immaculate red, yellow and white paintwork. Its body glistened like the hull of an America’s Cup yacht. 

He remembers – even down to gear ratios and brake master-cylinders – his time with the GT-Rs. The first time they met was in 1990, with four road cars and several boxes of Nismo race bits. 

The GT-R had yet to be subjected to two, continuous years of Gibson Motorsport’s engineering wizardry. The Skyline’s story would be one of Aussie ingenuity exported to Japan for factory Group A homologation. 

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Skaife first drove one of the Nismo kit-cars on a lonely, drenched test day at Winton. “I couldn’t believe, number one, the turn-in in the wet,” he recalled. “But the exit drive, it was unbelievable. You could get the car basically halfway around the corner and just put your foot flat. 

“We knew what lap-time other cars would do, based on our [Skyline HR31] times. The HR31 was a very competitive car – Jim won the championship in 1990 with that car – so we knew this thing was going pretty well.” 

If the helmet still looks at home in the R32’s cockpit, it’s because Skaife’s colour scheme dates back to his Winfield days. While he strapped in, owner Ashwood hooked up the external battery and fired the gorgeously finished, 2.6-litre in-line six into life. 

The under-bonnet view looks more street-machine than Formula One: hand-wrapped heat shielding tape, braided steel hose, polished aluminium and anodised fittings. Steel-tube “bridges” straddle the cast-aluminium cam covers to support the Inconel exhaust manifold against turbo temperatures of 1000 degrees C. 

Skaife reckoned the R32’s power steering to be 40 percent heavier than the R35 road car’s. The new one wasn’t pushing against slick tyres and 5.9 degrees of knock-kneed negative camber. But even the steering wheel itself was special; after all, Skaife helped create it. 

“There’s a bit of crudeness,” he smiled from the cockpit. “There’s a lot of stuff that was really modern for the era, and now not. Like the gear lever, and where it is. We never bent the lever and put it where we wanted it … It’s a lot more road-car-y, and that’s essentially what they were.” 

Skaife did three or four laps in the R32, dabbing brakes as he left the pit-lane, then giving the car an 80 percent thrashing for a similar portion of each lap. He was deferring to the car’s age and value, but owner Ashwood had also asked him to shake it down for that weekend’s Phillip Island Classic. 

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The barking note from the side-exit pipe was a reminder that touring cars don’t need a V8 to sound great. 

“I felt very comfortable straight away,” Skaife grinned when he came back to the pits, remembering the familiar click-click-clicking of the American-made Electramotive engine management. “A lot of nice memories come back, from just the feel of it and the sounds and the things that were part of what made the car very special. 

“You know, so many of the intrinsic, engineering things that we did with that car, as soon as you get in and drive it, poof – they just come back. I mean, the way that car turns at the corner is unbelievable. In fact, it would be the best car on turn-in that I would have driven in 10 years or more. It’s unbelievable.” 

Skaife admits to a special emotional attachment to this car. “When you’re a professional race driver you try not to get too attached to the cars – because you pretty easily don’t have one!” he reflected. “But definitely, cars that you’ve had great results with, and cars that have meant a lot to you…” He nominates this, and HRT chassis 45 (2002’s VY) as the two stand-outs of his career. 

And this car, R32 chassis 5, was the ultimate product of 10 years of pioneering experience in preparing turbocharged Nissans; experience that had made Gibson Motorsport one of the most respected Nissan racing developers in the world. And Gibson fed its findings straight back to the factory, adding to the very fabric from which the latest R35 has been cut. 

This is the car, and that was the race, that made the GT-R great.

Chery has confirmed that the Stockman ute will have a thumping 350kW and 800Nm of grunt when it goes on sale, just after announcing that customers can get three years of free servicing and a $2000 gift if they order soon. 

The official specs show that the Stockman will feed that power to all four wheels through a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel Super Hybrid powertrain. The ICE engine will make 140kW and 450Nm, with a 34kWh lithium iron phosphate battery giving it an electric-only driving range of up to 96km on the WLTP cycle – beating two of its biggest rivals in the BYD Shark 6 Performance and Ford Ranger Hybrid.

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Braked towing capacity is 3495kg, which is just 5kg short of the Shark 6 and Ranger Hybrid. Unbraked towing capacity is 750kg, kerb weight is 2735kg and gross vehicle mass is 3500kg, with a payload of 765kg.

Off-road gear features front, centre and rear differential locks, plus all-terrain tyres, 4H, 4L and Intelligent 4WD driving modes. Terrain modes cover snow, mud, sand and rock, and the fuel tank comes in at 80 litres, with fuel consumption claimed at 1.1L/100km on the combined cycle and energy consumption of 31.1kWh/100km.

Ground clearance is 247mm, and the departure and approach angles are 25 and 30 degrees respectively. Maximum towball download is 350kg, and the Stockman’s dimensions are 1890mm tall, 5450mm long, 2010mm wide, with a wheelbase of 3250mm.

Inside, there’s a 14-speaker sound system, 10.25-inch LCD instrument cluster and 15.6-inch LCD touchscreen. Buyers will get seven total USB outlets, leatherette seat upholstery, and eight-way power driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front pews, a heated steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control.

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Suspension is double wishbone up front, leaf spring out back, it rides on 17-inch alloy wheels and the tub measures 1560mm wide, 1560mm long and 500mm deep. Serpentine green is the standard exterior colour, with optional Obsidian, White Opal and Sandstone finishes.

On September 1, Chery revealed the first examples will reach customers from February 1 next year. Buyers who reserve their vehicle online from October 1 will get a $2000 Bunnings gift card and three years or 45,000km of free scheduled servicing.

Mitsubishi Motors Australia has revealed more local details for its new ASX VR-e small electric SUV ahead of its arrival in local showrooms in late 2026. Four models will be offered from launch, with rear-wheel-drive LS, Aspire and Exceed grades, plus a high-performance dual-motor GSR flagship.

All versions use a 57.7kWh LFP battery, although Mitsubishi is yet to confirm driving range or Australian pricing. The single-motor versions send 171kW and 350Nm to the rear wheels and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.8 seconds. In the GSR, adding a second electric motor at the front axle increases outputs to 342kW and 700Nm, cutting the 0-100km/h time to just 3.9 seconds, making the ASX VR-e GSR the fastest-accelerating Mitsubishi ever officially sold down under.

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Eco, comfort and sport driving modes are standard, while the GSR can actually its torque distribution in Sport mode from a 50:50 front-to-rear split to a more rear-biased 30:70 arrangement. The steering is also adjustable with light, standard and heavy settings as well.

The ASX VR-e measures 4315mm long, 1885mm wide and 1535mm tall, with a relatively long 2800mm wheelbase, making it the same length as the outgoing Kia Seltos. Its exterior was designed by Italian styling house Pininfarina, with aerodynamic features including an ‘S-Duct’ through the front bodywork, air curtains, active grille shutters and flush-fitting door handles.

As for charging capability, the ASX VR-e can be DC fast charged at up to 134kW, while AC charging is limited to 6.6kW. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality is also standard.

Inside, every ASX VR-e features a 15.6-inch central touchscreen and 9.2-inch digital instrument display, along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, live services and over-the-air updates. Mitsubishi has retained physical switches for frequently used functions such as the climate control, demisters and hazard lights, while a customisable favourites button provides quick access to another chosen function.

As for other standard features, the entry-level LS also features 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, five-stage regenerative braking with a full one-pedal mode and a six-speaker sound system.

Safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic-sign recognition and driver monitoring, while Aspire grades and above add adaptive high beam.

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Stepping up to the Aspire adds artificial leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, electric front seat adjustment, 64-colour ambient lighting, an electric frunk, 360-degree camera, additional parking sensors and remote parking assistance. The Exceed further adds 20-inch two-tone wheels, a panoramic glass roof, hands-free electric tailgate and 12-speaker SEAS audio system.

Sitting at the top of the range, the GSR not only features its more powerful dual-motor all-wheel-drive system but also artificial leather and microsuede upholstery, blue stitching and a selection of two-tone exterior finishes.

Australian pricing, driving range and further specifications are expected to be announced closer to the Mitsubishi ASX VR-e’s showroom arrival in late 2026.

Kia Australia has confirmed pricing for the all-new Seltos, with the new-generation small SUV set to arrive in local showrooms this month priced from $39,990 driveaway for the entry-level S, making it almost $7000 more expensive than its predecessor. That’s because the new Seltos will launch solely with hybrid power in Australia, dropping the previous petrol engine options for our market.

All new Seltos variants use a new 1.6-litre hybrid powertrain paired with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission making 113kW in front-drive form and 131kW in top-spec GT-Line all-wheel drive, though Kia is yet to confirm fuel economy figures or other detailed specifications like standard equipment.

The range opens with the Seltos S, priced at $37,990 before on-road costs or $39,990 driveaway. Adding the optional Safety Pack lifts those figures to $40,150 and $42,490 respectively. Kia is yet to detail standard features for the Seltos range, but based on the K4 small car, we predict the Safety Pack adding features like a 360-degree camera with a blind-spot camera feed.

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The familiar Sport and Sport+ grades continue, priced from $41,910 and $44,970 before on-road costs, or $43,990 and $46,990 driveaway respectively. These models are likely to add more equipment like synthetic leather upholstery, larger wheels, heated seats, automatic wipers and so on over the S and S Safety Pack models.

At the top of the range, the GT-Line will be offered in both front- and all-wheel-drive. The front-drive version costs $49,870 before on-roads or $52,990 driveaway, while the flagship GT-Line AWD is $52,870 before on-roads and $55,490 driveaway. We expect the GT-Line to feature more luxury features such as a panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon audio, 19-inch wheels and ventilated front seats.

The GT-Line AWD is first for Kia Australia as it features the brand’s new e-AWD system locally. Like a Toyota RAV4, rather than using a conventional mechanical all-wheel-drive system, e-AWD features an electric motor on the rear axle, reducing weight and allowing for quicker engagement for improved traction.

The all-new Kia Seltos is due to arrive in Australian dealerships during October 2026 and more detailed specifications such as fuel consumption and standard features will be announced soon.

Aston Martin’s new DBX GT has been revealed as an even more luxurious take on the V8-powered model that sacrifices none of its considerable straight-line performance. Joining the DBX707 and DBX S, the GT has been designed for customers who want the pace of Aston Martin’s performance-focused SUVs without some of their more aggressive styling and sporting flavour.

Pricing is expected to be similar to the DBX S. Its anticipated UK cost of around £210,000 translates to roughly $430,000, although local pricing has yet to be confirmed. The DBX GT will start appearing in showrooms globally during the last quarter of this year.

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Aston Martin has made extensive styling changes to give the GT a more elegant appearance. Up front is a reshaped grille with a choice of bright silver or black strakes, teamed with a more restrained lower bumper.

Body-coloured sections replace some of the contrasting exterior elements found on other DBX variants, extending across the lower front and rear bumpers and side sills. New oblong chrome exhaust outlets feature at the rear, while solid-metal side strakes and new 22-inch alloy wheels complete the transformation. Buyers can still specify 23-inch wheels, too.

The luxury push continues inside, where Aston Martin has redesigned both rows of seats. The front pews gain additional memory-foam cushioning to provide a softer experience than the sports seats in the DBX S, while the rear bench has been reshaped to improve comfort for the two outer passengers without sacrificing the middle position.

Semi-aniline leather, revised stitching patterns and deep-pile carpeting further distinguish the GT, while additional sound-deadening material has been installed in the doors, boot and wheelarches to reduce cabin noise.

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Mechanical changes are similarly focused on refinement. The GT receives a bespoke tune for its air suspension, new dampers and revised calibration for its valved exhaust.

Performance remains formidable. Its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 produces 534kW and 900Nm, driving all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission with a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. Despite weighing around 2.2 tonnes, the DBX GT can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds.

It also retains the DBX S’s more direct steering and huge 420mm carbon-ceramic brakes, while its claimed top speed is an extraordinary 311km/h. The result is a DBX intended to deliver supercar-rivalling performance while placing greater emphasis on long-distance comfort, refinement and understated luxury.

BYD Australia has kicked off an aggressive end-of-year sales push, offering $4000 cashback on a broad range of its new vehicles until December 21. The offer applies to both versions of the new BYD Seal 6 plug-in hybrid sedan and wagon, including the Seal 6 Essential and Seal 6 Touring Premium, and applies to orders for eligible vehicles between October 1 and December 21.

It means the recently launched Seal 6 family becomes even more affordable, with the model joining BYD’s expanding plug-in hybrid line-up as a rival to conventional hybrid and petrol-powered medium cars.

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The same $4000 cashback applies to both the Essential and Premium versions of the Sealion 5, BYD’s affordable plug-in hybrid medium SUV. The Sealion 5 combines a petrol engine with BYD’s ‘DM-i’ plug-in hybrid technology and offers up to 1030km of claimed combined NEDC driving range.

Ute buyers aren’t forgotten in the offers, either. All three versions of the popular Shark 6 – Premium, Performance and Dynamic Cab Chassis – also qualify for the $4000 cashback deal.

The offer also extends further than those three main model lines. The Sealion 6 Essential, Dynamic Extended and Premium Extended are all eligible, as are both versions of the electric Sealion 7 and all three variants of the larger seven-seat Sealion 8.

For most of its plug-in hybrid models, there is also offering an alternative 0.99 per cent comparison rate finance deal over 36 months (with no minimum deposit or balloon payment). Eligible models include the Seal 6, Sealion 5, Sealion 6, Sealion 8 and Shark 6 and buyers required to choose between the two offers, rather than combining them.

Elsewhere, the electric Atto 1 Essential is currently advertised at $19,990 driveaway, making it the cheapest car in Australia, while the entry-level Dolphin Essential is $28,888 driveaway. The newly launched Atto 2 DM-i Essential is also being offered from $25,990 as part of its launch campaign.

BYD’s $4000 cashback and 0.99 per cent finance campaigns will run until December 21, with eligible vehicles required to be delivered by December 31.

Hyundai has confirmed the all-new fifth-generation 2027 Tucson will go on sale in Australia in the middle of next year in hybrid form only – but we’re going to miss out on the most hardcore variant of what the company calls its “boldest SUV ever”.

Aussies will get the Korean-built long-wheelbase version of the Tucson but unlike other markets, there’ll be no petrol or plug-in hybrid options on sale down under. Surprisingly for a market and country so suited to more rugged off-road-focused vehicles, the XRT Pro is also off the cards and will only be available in North America.

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Power comes from a new turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine paired with two electric motors making 13kW and 48kW, fed through a six-speed transmission. Total output is 174-180kW and 380Nm, which betters the 172kW and 367Nm of the Tucson’s predecessor and is good for a 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds.

The Tucson also gets a 1.5kWh battery, an estimated 81km of all-electric range, front- or all-wheel drive, and fuel consumption ranging from 5.6-6.2L/100km on America’s EPA combined cycle. 

Size has increased across the board too, with the Aussie Tucson 60mm longer than the model it replaces, 40mm wider, and the wheelbase has swollen by 30mm to give measurements of 4700mm long, 1905mm wide, 1685mm tall and 2785mm between the rubber. That will translate to more room inside, of course, with Hyundai claiming headroom in the second row is up by 29mm.

According to Hyundai’s information, missing out on the short-wheelbase version means Aussies won’t get features like three-zone climate control, trailer reverse assist, the brand’s Ergo Motion massaging front seats and Micro Pixel headlights with 25,600 LED pixels apiece. 

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While the XRT PRO is a loss, we will get the XRT, which looks the part of a tough, bush-bashing AWD but doesn’t get any significant increase in off-road ability. The XRT goes up a notch in terms of the brand’s Art of Steel design with chunkier front and rear bumpers, wheel-arch cladding and skid plates.

In good news, Hyundai has included a row of buttons for frequently used functions like ventilation and the sound system. The cabin also gets a central multimedia display of 12.9 or 17 inches, depending on the model, and they’ll run the new Pleos Connect infotainment system. 

Safety features have been upgraded with the addition of Door Unlock Power Redundancy, which will unlock the vehicle even if main power is out, Memory Reverse Assist, and Pedal Misoperation Safety Assist. 

“Millions of families around the world count on the Hyundai Tucson, and this is the best one we have ever built,” said Hyundai president and CEO José Muñoz. “Tucson opens the most ambitious product offensive in our history, including more than 100 new and refreshed vehicles globally by 2030.”