There’s been an influx of new auto brands to Australia, but the overall new-vehicle market was up only modestly in 2025. A total of 1,241,037 new vehicles were delivered last year, up just 0.3 per cent from 1,237,287 in 2024 – despite Australia’s population growing by around 1.5 per cent in 2025. It’s the third year in a row the overall Australian auto market has grown, and comes despite some analysts predicting no growth in 2025. Per data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and the Electric Vehicle Council, electric vehicle (EV) deliveries totalled 103,269 units. EVs therefore…

Nissan Australia has confirmed pricing and initial details for its upgraded 2026 Qashqai small SUV lineup, which will be exclusively offered with the latest iteration of the brand’s e-Power series hybrid powertrain. Due to land in local showrooms in March, the MY26 Nissan Qashqai brings a base price rise of more than $10,000, to $45,640 plus on-road costs, following the culling of petrol-only variants and the entry-level ST trim level Down Under. Headlining the 2026 model year update is the range-wide adoption of the upgraded e-Power hybrid drivetrain, which is claimed to lower combined fuel consumption from 4.8 to 4.1L/100km,…

The 2026 Mahindra XUV 7XO has been launched in India ahead of its anticipated release in Australia later this year, bringing a new name and an upgraded exterior and interior – at no extra cost – for the existing XUV700 mid-size SUV. The mid-cycle update follows the naming convention Mahindra started with the XUV 3XO small SUV, a rival for the Chery Tiggo 4 that was launched as one of Australia’s cheapest SUVs in July 2025. Mahindra has not officially confirmed the 7XO for Australia, where equipment levels and pricing are also yet to be announced, though the XUV700 is…

Chery‘s local expansion is still very much ongoing, with the Chinese automaker expected to launch a fourth brand – iCaur – in Australia within the next 18 months. Positioned as a youthful electric vehicle brand, iCaur (or iCar, as it’s known in China) will sit alongside Chery’s namesake brand as well as Omoda Jaecoo and Lepas in the Chery ‘ecosystem’. Concrete launch timing hasn’t yet been set by Chery Australia, but head of public relations and communications Tim Krieger says a date in 2027 appears most likely. “There’s certainly a lot of interest in iCaur, but we don’t have any…

Alpina is dead, long live BMW Alpina! BMW originally bought Alpina in 2022, but a condition of the sale was for the tuner to continue to operating independently until the end of 2025. Now that all the New Year’s fireworks have been exploded, the BMW Group is taking full control of the tuner, which has been rechristened BMW Alpina, and will live alongside BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce as a standalone brand. 2023 Alpina B5 GT The company has revealed BMW Alpina’s new word mark, which is based on a 1970s design. The work mark will be used in the centre…

The Subaru Forester has always looked right at home Down Under. It’s handsome, versatile, spacious and tough – all attributes valued highly by the stereotypical Aussie family. So highly, in fact, that the Forester quickly became a popular purchase among mid-size SUVs, and it remains just that despite a growing pool of competitors. The sixth-generation Forester arrived last year and this petrol Sport variant sits smack bang in the middle of the range. Priced a tad under $50k, it’s specced for adventure and positioned against the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Nissan X-Trail, Mazda CX-5, Honda CR-V, and Mitsubishi…

This year marks five decades of the iconic Volkswagen Golf GTI, and the German brand is planning big things for the nameplate’s big birthday. Starting with the Mk1 Golf GTI in 1976, “the world’s most successful compact sports car” has sold more than 2.5 million units across no fewer than eight generations so far. 50 years on, VW says the GTI’s core DNA remains the same – “[an] agile engine, lightweight front-wheel drive, balanced chassis, perfectly fitting sports seats and crisp, no-frills design”. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. VW has confirmed…

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in building cars is inevitable, according to Lamborghini, even among smaller specialised automakers – like the Italian exotic brand – that still hand-make some components. AI is widely used for infotainment and safety systems in new vehicles, and it’s also typically employed by automakers to make production lines faster in the quest for greater volume, both in terms of efficiency and quality control. Speaking to CarExpert, Lamborghini chief manufacturing officer Ranieri Niccoli said AI still has a role to play at the company, despite it being a niche brand whose end goal is not to…