WhichCar By Wheels

Subaru Australia has revealed pricing and specifications for its new Uncharted electric small SUV, which will go on sale locally soon. Priced from $59,990 plus on-road costs, the Uncharted will serve as Subaru’s smallest electric vehicle, sitting below the Solterra (from $63,990 +ORC) and Trailseeker (from $67,990 +ORC) SUVs, and gives the brand another electric option in the market.

At launch at least, just one Uncharted model will be available in Australia. Simply called Uncharted AWD, a 74.7kWh lithium ion battery made by CATL is the only available battery and it can be DC fast charged at up to 150kW for a 10-80 per cent charge in as little as 30 minutes. The Uncharted’s range is rated at 522km on the WLTP cycle.

Australian Uncharted models will feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive system as standard, making 252kW of power, enough for a claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of just 5.0 seconds. That makes the Uncharted one of the quickest Subaru models ever.

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Off-road features from ICE Subaru models, like the brand’s ‘X-Mode’ off-road traction control systems, hill descent control, an off-road 360-degree camera and 211mm of ground clearance, feature as standard on the Uncharted.

2026 Subaru Uncharted pricing (excluding on-road costs):

Uncharted options:

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Uncharted standard features:

Hyundai is set to take driving thrills from the road to the virtual world with the launch of an official Hyundai N Racing Simulator.

Rather than a fully in-house development, Hyundai has teamed up with gaming industry experts for the virtual side of things, but the physical experience has a distinctly Hyundai flavour.

Two grades of Hyundai N simulator will be available, with a Racer version as the entry-level model, or an upgraded Pro version as the range topper.

Regardless of which you opt for, both feature N Light Sport seats from overseas versions of the i30 Sedan N, to give an authentic Hyundai driving feel.

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The steering and pedals come from Logitech, with an RS50 System steering wheel featuring the Hyundai N logo in place of the usual Logitech branding. A set of Logitech RS pedals is also included, with full adjustment for the seat position, pedal position, and steering wheel height.

LG provides the displays, with a 65-inch OLED screen on the Racer and an LG UltraFine G OLED Pro display on the Pro version, with a 120-hertz refresh rate, and 4K UHD resolution. The gaming system itself is also different between the two versions, with a Sony PlayStation 5 equipped on the Racer, and a PlayStation 5 Pro on the Pro model.

Using the Gran Turismo 7 game engine, real-world vehicle data is used to provide a true-to-life driving experience.

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Hyundai’s recent marketing activity has seen a push towards virtual racing at all levels. In 2025, Hyundai cars were added to KartRider Rush+ and Asphalt Legends Unite, with the aim of creating a new generation of young Hyundai enthusiasts. Later that year, Hyundai became the first automotive brand to have a solo display at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, featuring the Insteroid concept.

The Hyundai N Racing Simulator has been selected as the official sim-racing equipment for the South Korean team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where sim-racing is an official event alongside traditional events like athletics, swimming, cycling, and more.

Pricing for the Hyundai N Racing Simulator starts from 9 million won (A$8330) for the lower-spec Racer, or 13 million won ($A12,030) for the high-end Pro version in South Korea.

BMW has given the first hint that a production version of the next 3 Series wagon is just around the corner.

As part of his final official appearance, outgoing BMW CEO, Oliver Zipse (main and below), presented the first official images of the new 3 Series Touring on screen.

At the launch of the all-new electric i3 sedan, BMW first teased a wagon variant, although this latest hint from Zipse doesn’t reveal if this is the electric i3 Touring, or the internal combustion 3 Series. The latter has yet to be revealed in either sedan or wagon form, but it is tipped to look almost identical to the electric i3, despite running on an unrelated chassis.

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“The 3 Series is more than just a sedan, and it will remain that way in the future,” Zipse explained. “The 3 Series Touring is very popular with families and business customers, which is why we have already confirmed this model.”

With Zipse using the ‘3 Series’ name to refer to the Touring, rather than the i3 name assigned to the electric version, it appears this could be the first glimpse of the combustion-engined replacement for the current 3 Series.

Recently, BMW has expanded its range of wagons, adding a high-performance M3 Touring to its line-up in 2022, the first time an M3 wagon has been officially produced. After brief appearances in the late 1980s and mid 2000s, an M5 Touring was also reintroduced to the range in 2024.

In 2025, BMW’s company-endorsed April Fools’ Day joke centred on the M3 Touring endurance racer. The concept proved so popular that BMW is set to run a version of the M3 Touring, based on a modified M4 GT3 race car, in this year’s Nürburgring 24-hour race.

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For now, the official teaser images reveal only a full-width lighting signature at the rear, and portions of the tailgate, with a rear window aperture that mirrors the form of the tail lights, with angled corners.

The styling cue closely follow thos seen on the i3 sedan and iX3 SUV.

No mention of a high-performance version has been made yet, but the enduring popularity of BMW’s Touring models suggests that, alongside the petrol 3 Series and electric i3, at least one high-performance M Touring could be on the cards.

Renault Australia has announced local pricing and specifications for the new Master large van, which is due in local Renault showrooms from June. Priced from $55,990 plus on-road costs, the new Master will be offered with both diesel and E-Tech electric drivetrains, with the electric variants due in the second half of 2026.

Launched for the first time on Australian soil at April’s 2026 Melbourne Motor Show, the new Master is the first ground-up redesign of the Master in more than a decade with more power, more torque, more safety equipment, and more load-carrying capacity than the model it replaces. The new-generation Master will be available with a choice of mid-wheelbase and long-wheelbase configurations, as well as mid roof and high roof body styles.

Diesel Master variants use a 125kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, which is mated to either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic transmission. Local fuel economy figures are yet to be confirmed.

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The electric Master E-Tech uses a 105kW/300Nm front-mounted electric motor that draws power from an 87kWh lithium ion battery for a claimed WLTP range of 409km. The Master E-Tech can be recharged at up to 130kW for a claimed 15-80 per cent charge time of as little as 38 minutes.

On the capability front, the diesel Master’s payload is rated from 1811kg to 1923kg, its gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 4000kg, its gross combination mass is 6000kg and its braked towing capacity is 2000kg. The E-Tech’s is a bit less, with a 1084kg to 1164kg payload, 3500kg GVM, 5500kg GCM and 2000kg braked towing capacity.

2026 Renault Master pricing (excluding on-road costs):

Master standard equipment:

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Optional extras:

The new generation Renault Master will go on sale in Australia from June 2026.

Mazda has confirmed that the second-generation CX-3 compact SUV was scheduled to go into production in Thailand in 2027, published as part of its 2026 financial results.

The first CX-3 has been in production since late 2014, and has been available in Australia since early 2015. In the 11 years since it has been given periodic minor updates.

The new CX-3 will be built exclusively at Mazda’s Auto Alliance Thailand factory. Currently, the CX-3 is also produced in Mexico, and until 2022 was also built in Japan.

This latest confirmation reveals that, like the CX-5, the CX-3 will continue with its current name and not move to the two-digit SUV naming structure found on the larger CX-30, American market CX-50, and Large Architecture SUVs, including the CX-60, CX-70, CX-80, and CX-90.

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Absent from Mazda’s earnings call was any mention of a new-generation Mazda 2 city car, pointing to the new-generation CX-3 as a single model replacement for both the current Mazda 2 and outgoing CX-3.

Mazda revealed the Vision X-Compact at the 2025 Tokyo motor show (below), providing the strongest hint at what to expect from the design of the new CX-3.

The Vision X-Compact featured short overhangs and a tall roofline, but abandons the six-window glasshouse of the original CX-3, with a closer proportional relationship to the compact Mazda 2, albeit with a taller roofline.

At the time of its reveal, Mazda did not announce what powertrain the Vision X-Compact used, but the 2026 financial report indicates an expansion of Mazda’s internally developed ‘Skyactiv-Z’ hybrid line-up.

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Set to make its first appearance in the CX-5, the Skyactiv-Z hybrid will form part of a multi-energy strategy for Mazda, which will allow the brand to tailor production between electrified, hybrid, and combustion engines, depending on demand.

Like the CX-5 before it, the CX-3 is expected to utilise a modified version of its existing platform (called the Skyactiv-B chassis on the CX-3 and Mazda 2), refreshed to bring it up to date and make it compatible with a hybrid powertrain.

Despite its age, the CX-3 is Australia’s best-selling Light SUV, with 4439 sales to the end of April 2026, ahead of the Toyota Yaris Cross (2731), Suzuki Jimny (2537) and Hyundai Venue (1938).

Figures compiled by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) and reported by Reuters, indicated new vehicle sales in China dropped by 21.6 per cent, with 1.4 million vehicles sold for the month.

April’s figures represent the seventh month in a row that China’s new car market has dropped below results from the previous year.

Believed to be driven by rising petrol prices and questions over supply stability, plug-in hybrid sales fell by over 25 per cent, but electric vehicles posted a small 2.4 per cent increase. 

Chinese-built vehicles sent offshore, meanwhile, saw an 80.2 per cent increase in April with 769,000 vehicles reported as exported. Exported ‘new energy’ vehicles (NEVs), including electric, plug-in hybrid, and extended range EVs, represented 406,000 units, up 112 per cent compared to last year.

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The combined sales for NEVs in China dropped by 6.8 per cent overall, with the small boost in EV sales not enough to stem the drop driven by PHEV numbers.

Within China, recent changes to the passenger car market have seen buyer incentives and subsidies for reduced for NEVs reduced, as the government looks to stabilise the country’s manufacturing sectors.

With fierce competition and heavy discounting to attract buyer attention, Chinese car brands are building stronger export programs. Vehicles sold outside of China can often be retailed with higher margins while still undercutting established rivals.

Financial analyst firm, Morgan Stanley, predicts that China’s overall vehicle production volume would drop by around 2 per cent in 2026, but has recently increased the country’s export growth potential estimate from 15 per cent earlier in the year, to around 33 per cent by the end of 2026.

To offset falling sales at home, Chinese automakers are turning to larger, high-margin luxury SUVs and sedans while reducing the number of cut-priced compact models offered.

Chinese brands are now also prioritising export markets, with a number of brands designing models specifically for sale in Europe, rather than adapting Chinese-market products for sale in overseas markets.      

Further details about the Jaecoo J5 Super Hybrid have been revealed ahead of its July 2026 Australian debut. Already available in both electric and turbo-petrol forms, the J5’s third drivetrain choice will come in the form of a 1.5-litre ‘Super Hybrid’ drivetrain, with the addition of a turbocharger giving it a point of difference compared to the popular Chery Tiggo 4 it shares a platform with.

Making a total system power output of 165kW, the J5 Super Hybrid’s hybrid system is 15kW more powerful than the Tiggo 4. Jaecoo is yet to reveal its combined torque figure, but it will likely feature more than the Tiggo 4 hybrid’s 310Nm. A small 1.83kWh battery will handle electricity storage.

According to its maker, the J5 Super Hybrid will be capable of travelling 980km, which will “balance strong performance with low fuel consumption across both daily commutes and long-distance driving”. Its combined fuel consumption is also yet to be revealed, but the Tiggo 4 Hybrid is rated at 5.4L/100km.

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Australian pricing for the J5 Super Hybrid is also yet to be revealed, but with the petrol model starting at $25,990 driveaway and the EV at $36,990 driveaway, we’re expecting a starting pricepoint somewhere in the middle, perhaps $29,990 driveaway. If the brand offers a two-model line-up like the petrol J5, we’re predicting around $33,990 driveaway for the upper-spec car.

In terms of standard equipment, we predict the base model to mirror the petrol J5, and include 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED lighting, cloth upholstery, an 8.8-inch digital driver’s display, a 13.2-inch touchscreen and safety features like seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera.

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Petrol J5 Track shown

The upper-spec petrol J5 Summit then adds synthetic leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats with electric adjustment, a panoramic glass roof and 50W wireless phone charging, which we’re also expecting to carry over to the Super Hybrid.

Australian pricing and specifications for the Jaecoo J5 Super Hybrid will be revealed closer to its July 2026 local release.

It’s Golden Jubilee time for the Honda Accord, which is celebrating 50 years of production this month. Production for the brand’s iconic mid-sizer began on May 8, 1976 and 11 generations later and two Wheels Car of the Year awards later, it’s hit its 50th birthday. Total global sales of the nameplate since its introduction total over 25 million, making it one of the world’s best-ever selling cars.

The very first Accord was actually a compact hatchback, sitting above the Civic in the brand’s line-up as it does today, and was actually the first Japanese car to win Wheels Car of the Year, which it did in 1977 and later in 2008 with the second-generation Accord Euro. In 1989, when the Accord became one of North America’s best-selling cars (still true today), the line-up expanded to include a sedan bodystyle, as well as a coupe and even a wagon.

By the time the mid-1990s came along, the Accord had grown notably in size and was actually almost as large as the first-generation Legend that sat above it. In 1994, Honda‘s iconic VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control) system made it to the Accord line-up with a new 2.2-litre petrol engine, and eventually expanded to larger 2.7-litre and 3.0-litre V6 engines.

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The fifth-generation Accord was actually the first where two separate models were developed globally to suit different tastes, a trend which continued until the mid-2010s when the last European Accord (badged Accord Euro locally) ended production. Australia received the North American Accord, while a separate European model was developed and twinned with the Rover 600, like the larger Honda Legend and Rover 800.

The sixth-generation Accord actually spawned three different models: One for Japan, one for North America and Australasia, and one for Europe, with each featuring different styling and sizing. As with the previous model, Australia only received the American model and only as a sedan, with the coupe left overseas. That also meant that we missed out on the first Type R and Euro R performance versions.

For its seventh generation, the Accord reverted to two global versions and for the first time, Australia received both models: the larger Thai-built North American Accord and the smaller Japanese-built model destined for Japan and Europe, with both sedan and wagon bodystyles, available with Honda’s first diesel engines. In North America, the first hybrid drivetrain in the Accord was released in 2004, coinciding with the smaller Civic Hybrid, in response to the Toyota Prius’ huge success.

Despite Australia again missing out again on the hot Euro R version, the first-generation Accord Euro sold quite well locally, with over 45,000 units sold from its debut in 2003 until the next model landed in 2008.

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Notably, the seventh-generation European Accord’s “Cog” advertisement is regarded as one of the most influential car advertisements of all time. It follows the convention of a Rube Goldberg Machine utilising a chain of colliding parts taken from a disassembled Accord, and ends up with a full-sized model at the end with the line, “Isn’t it nice when things just work?” In the UK, where it was filmed, it’s still one of the most well received and highest-awarded advertisements of all time.

The eight-generation models grew significantly in size, and were again offered in both smaller Euro and larger American forms. The eight-generation car was the last Accord model to be sold in Europe thanks to dwindling large sedan sales on the continent, and since then, there has only been one form of each Accord.

Over its history, the Accord has often been one of the first cars with new technologies in the market – the first model was the car in Japan to feature a tachometer and intermittent wipers, the second-generation model optionally featured the world’s first automatic in-car navigation system, and the third-generation was the first Honda product to feature double wishbone rear suspension to aid both ride and handling. It also early was early in the adoption of airbags, anti‑lock braking, and the Honda Sensing driver‑assist technologies.

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In Australia, the current Accord is currently offered in a single e:HEV RS specification, and priced at $64,900 driveaway. Standard features include a panoramic sunroof, 12.3-inch touchscreen with inbuilt Google features like Google Maps, a 360-degree camera and the full suite of the Honda Sensing active safety features.

The next-generation Accord is not expected until at least 2030, and at this stage, it’s known yet known if it will remain a hybrid or be available in fully electric form as well. But regardless, the Honda Accord has been a massive success for its maker over half-a-century. While Australian sales have been modest for the past few generations, it remains an important model as the head of the Honda line-up and still one of the best medium sedans around.

The Jaguar Type 00 Concept car (below) sparked one of Jaguar’s most controversial chapters when it was revealed in 2024.

Now Jaguar has announced how its all-electric new generation line-up will connect the brand’s historic past with its bold future.

The first production car to be based on the Type 00 will move away from the concept’s two-door form and morph into a four-door grand tourer, with a design that closely follows the styling themes established by its concept forebear.

And the name, similarly, won’t stray too far either.

Jaguar has announced that its first all-new product will be called the Type 01, with the ‘Type’ designation designed to link the new ultra-luxurious four-door to iconic cars from the brand’s past.

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The first ‘type’ car was the C-Type racer produced from 1951 to 1953, a competition version of the XK120 sports car. From there, Jaguar followed up with the D-Type racer as its successor, and the highly recognisable E-Type coupe and convertible (below).

While Jaguar’s aim is to evoke its illustrious sports car history, the ‘Type’ designation has also adorned the S-Type sedan from 1963 to 1968 and was revived again from 1999 to 2008 on a modern S-Type four-door.

The smaller X-Type also wore the designation previously, but suffered by association to its Ford Mondeo-related platform and compact size. Most recently, the F-Type coupe and convertible saw the designation return to its sports car past.

For its use on the Type 01, Jaguar says the ‘Type’ designation “unites the brand’s history of innovation in design, technology and performance”. The ‘0’ denotes its zero-emission electric powertrain, while the ‘1’ refers to the car’s chronological appearance as the first of its kind in Jaguar’s latest line of products.

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The move to a name based on order of introduction mirrors that of Polestar, which gives each car in its range a numerical designation based on its order of release. This is in contrast to a growing number of brands that use a higher numerical suffix to indicate status within a line-up.

The move could be a risky one in markets like China, where a lower number could be seen as the equivalent of an entry-level product, rather than the high-end positioning alongside Bentley and Rolls-Royce that Jaguar is aiming for.

The full reveal for the production version of the Jaguar Type 01 is set to take place later in 2026, with Jaguar set to preview the car in camouflage in Monaco for round 10 of the Formula E championship on May 16th and 17th.

The ongoing closure of the Straight of Hormuz could see production of new vehicles massively restricted. The pivotal shipping route sees around half of the world’s supply of sulphuric acid shipped from the Middle East, where it is produced as a byproduct of oil refining. Sulphuric acid is essential to extract battery-grade nickel from Indonesian ore.

Indonesia is one of the leading producers of battery-grade nickel, though Australia also contributes to the supply of metals like lithium and copper used in the production of EVs.

A report by Reuters has identified that, like fuel supply from the Middle East, the supply of other products from the region is starting to impact areas outside of the fossil fuel industry.

With the supply of sulphur slowing, the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries is set to face delays at a time when interest in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles is soaring as consumers look to offset rising fuel costs.

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Commodity analysts Kpler report that sulphur shipped through the Straight of Hormuz has dropped from a monthly average of 1.27 million tonnes at the start of the Iran war conflict, to 180,000 tonnes in March and just 30,000 tonnes in April.

The price of sulphur has risen by 50 per cent, according to reports, with the higher cost impacting the price of metals like copper, nickel, and lithium, and contributing to shortages of those metals.

With electric vehicle batteries reliant on the supply of those metals, battery suppliers face output restrictions that could see car makers left short of stock, and facing higher production costs.

Demand for electrified vehicles is already rising in the short- to mid-term as a side-effect of rising petrol prices. Now, new car buyers could be faced with delays in a repeat of the waiting lists that stemmed from component shortages earlier this decade.

Materials shipped through the Straight of Hormuz could also run short for other industries which, alongside battery supply shortfalls, could also see other electronic components, computer chips, and associated hardware rise in cost as production output shrinks.

Helium supply, shipped from countries like Kuwait and Qatar and used for semiconductor production, is also at risk. With priority given to medical usage, slowing the output of electronic components.