The Toyota Yaris is reportedly being updated in Japan, with fresher technology and potential price rises to go with it. Japanese website Creative Trend reports hybrid-powered versions of the Yaris – a Mazda 2 and Suzuki Swift rival – have been updated in Japan with a 10.5-inch centre touchscreen now standard, a feature that has been offered in European-market Yarises since 2024. Both the Yaris and Yaris Cross SUV spinoff currently sold in Australia feature an 8.0-inch centre screen as standard, while previous Japanese models used a 7.0-inch display. Further changes for the Yaris Hybrid in Japan – not yet…

We’re still waiting for word on who will be the next James Bond, aka Agent 007, but that hasn’t stopped the Chinese automotive industry from pumping out another 007. No, it’s not a suave secret agent, but rather a large electric liftback that’s now available to order in New Zealand, ahead of first dealership arrivals in February 2026. The Dongfeng 007 entered production in China back in 2024 and it’s now bound for our neighbours across the ditch, where the Chinese brand is distributed by Armstrong’s Distribution Limited. The independent distributor also exclusively handles Citroen, Opel, Peugeot and Smart in…

A survey commissioned by the Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) claims demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has ‘flatlined’, despite EV market share gains in 2025. The survey of 2000 Australian motorists, commissioned by the peak body for car dealers in Australia and conducted by Melbourne-based Zing Insights in November 2025, found 38 per cent of respondents intend to buy an EV as their next primary new-vehicle purchase. That figure is unchanged from the AADA’s 2022 survey and one percentage point lower than its 2024 result (39 per cent). “Our members are committed to supporting Australia’s transition to lower-emissions vehicles and…

BMW has scrapped plans to end production of its trademark V8 and V12 petrol engines, which will continue to be offered in its high-end performance and luxury models alongside a range of new electric vehicles (EVs) as part of its Neue Klasse electrification strategy. According to Automotive News Europe, the German automaker’s renewed commitment to large combustion engines is due in part to continuing high demand in the US. “High-performance engines remain a central part of our strategy,” a BMW spokesperson told ANE, adding that North American demand for V8 vehicles remains “above average” and that the company doesn’t expect…

Luxury brand Jaguar has denied reports it’s set to introduce new models packing a petrol engine, saying it remains fully committed to an all-electric future and that suggestions to the contrary are “rubbish”. The Sunday Times published a report on January 24, 2026, claiming the Indian-owned British automaker is exploring the inclusion of extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) powertrains which incorporate internal combustion engines (ICE). Such a move would represent a significant strategy shift after Jaguar’s 2024 announcement it would stop making ICE-powered vehicles, announcing it would pause production entirely as part of its transition to a more upmarket, electric-vehicle-only brand. However,…

Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is now in effect, and electric vehicle (EV)-only brand Polestar has confirmed it will sell the emissions ‘credits’ it accrues to brands struggling with their EV uptake. Under the NVES, all manufacturers operating in Australia are required to meet average fleet-wide carbon dioxide emissions targets every year. These targets will get stricter each year, and any brand that fails to meet them will be fined. However, if a brand beats its fleet-wide target – particularly easy in the case of plug-in hybrid-heavy and EV-only brands – they’ll earn ‘credits’ that can either be used to…

The Genesis GV90 flagship electric SUV has been delayed due to unspecified ‘technical challenges’ and internal personnel movements, according to reports coming out of the brand’s home base in South Korea. According to The Korean Car Blog, the GV90 EV’s previous April 2026 launch timing has been pushed further back to sometime in the second half of 2026. It’s reportedly not the first delay for the GV90 program, which was previewed by the 2024 Genesis Neolun Concept as a three-row electric SUV designed to rival the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. The Neolun Concept’s features included rear-hinged, Rolls-Royce-style coach doors,…

We’ve lived through the semiconductor shortage that stifled car production after the COVID-19 pandemic, and we might be about to go through something similar in the not-too-distant future. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies are driving a spike in the price of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips as they build out data centres for their power- and processing-hungry applications. According to The Register consumer prices for the most common memory capacities jumped up 63 per cent in Europe during the final quarter of 2025. Analysts from S&P Global and UBS say this will have a knock-on effect to the automotive sector…