Australia’s new-vehicle market might be bigger than it was a decade ago, but it’s also more fragmented. Total sales rose from 1,155,408 deliveries in 2015 to 1,241,037 in 2025, a gain of 85,629 vehicles. Yet over the same span, the top end of the market ceded meaningful share to a growing ‘long tail’ of smaller and mid-size auto brands. The clearest measure is concentration. In 2015, the top 10 marques accounted for 75.9 per cent of all new-vehicle sales. In 2025, the top 10’s share fell to 67.3 per cent. In other words, nearly one in three new vehicles sold last year came from outside the 10 biggest brands, up from one in four back in 2015. CarExpert…

Kia Australia is killing off pure petrol versions of its Carnival MPV and Sorento SUV, as local emissions regulations tighten. The entry-level front-wheel drive V6 powertrain in the Carnival and Sorento is now “limited to dealer stock”, according to a notice published to the brand’s local website. A Kia Australia spokesperson told CarExpert the move is due to the Australian Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), and that stock is expected to be cleared out by the end of March – meaning if you want a V6 Carnival or Sorento, you’d better get in quick. CarExpert can save you thousands…

Chinese brand Omoda Jaecoo will branch out into the seven-seat SUV market this year by introducing a three-row, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the recently launched Jaecoo J8. Up until now, Omoda Jaecoo has only sold SUVs with two rows of seating – the Jaecoo J7 and J8 and Omoda 9 – but that will change later this year when the Chery-owned brand introduces its rival to popular family haulers including the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Mazda CX-80. “Yes, there are plans,” said Chery Australia chief commercial officer Roy Muñoz. “We are evaluating the J8 Super Hybrid 7-seat…

The Volkswagen Touareg R plug-in hybrid (PHEV) performance SUV is being recalled as a battery defect poses the risk of a fire. “Due to a manufacturing issue, the cell modules installed in the high voltage battery may be defective and overheat during charging. If this occurs, it could lead to a vehicle fire,” the company says in its recall notice. “Until the software is installed, we ask that you request can consumers refrain from charging the high-voltage battery using an external charging source and refrain from driving in electric-only mode. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click…

Hybrid vehicle sales in Australia increased by 15.3 per cent year-on-year in 2025, with a total of 199,133 reaching customers. That was slightly higher growth than posted by electric vehicles (up 13.1 per cent to 103,269 units) but not as steep as the growth of plug-in hybrid sales (up 130.9 per cent to 53,484 units). Chery and KGM launched their first hybrids in 2025, and brands like Hyundai and MG expanded their hybrid lineups. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. This influx of new product helped drive an increase in…

Ford says it will be “deomcratising autonomy” when it launches an eyes-off-the-road self-driving system in 2028 in one of its most affordable vehicles, a new electric ute tipped to be christened Ranchero. Doug Field, Ford’s Chief EV, Digital and Design Officer, made the announcement at this CES in Las Vegas. He said Ford’s Level 3 self-driving tech was developed “for the many, not just a privileged few”. Mr Field claims the automaker is able to put the technology into “vehicles people actually buy” because it developed the software and hardware for the system in-house, making it about 30 per cent…

Volvo’s long-serving XC60 mid-size luxury SUV is still gorgeous to look at and fancy to sit in.  It was launched eight years ago, so a lot has changed during its lifecycle. And while this isn’t the EXACT same car as it was at launch, having received a recent facelift and tech revisions over the last few years, the formula remains the same: luxury, comfort, simplicity, and safety. But with competition rife and the market rapidly changing, does this SUV still make sense? How much does the Volvo XC60 cost? The updated Volvo XC60 lineup has seen some price increases, and…