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…

Chery has put BYD in check, slashing the price of its most affordable plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) for a limited time and therefore claiming the mantle of Australia’s cheapest PHEV. The model year 2026 (MY26) Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid Urban is being offered for $34,990 until February 28, 2026, a reduction of $5000; the flagship Ultimate is also being offered for $38,990 drive-away, also down $5000. Pricing for purely petrol-powered Tiggo 7s is unchanged, and the offer sees the premium for plug-in hybrid power slashed from $10,000 to $5000. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click…

Monday, January 5, 2026, is the first official day for new Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) CEO Shunichi Kihara, who is looking to turn the automaker’s local fortunes around amid falling sales and stronger rivals. While the reveal of a new Pajero – a nameplate on ice since 2021 – appears imminent, it may not arrive in the first 12 months of the new CEO’s tenure as the new-car sales battleground only intensifies. Mitsubishi’s hard-won role as a value brand, offering a lot of car for the money – even if there were better, albeit costlier, competitors – has been…