• L’Oréal’s CES 2026 beauty devices include a skin-like flexible LED mask

    January 5, 2026

    Over the last ten or so years, L’Oréal has brought a taste of beauty tech to the masses at CES 2026. This time, it has three devices to show off: the “Light Straight + Multi-styler” as well as the helpfully named LED Face Mask and LED Eye Mask. Don’t let the unassuming names mislead you. These three products actually harbor some unique traits. The Light Straight (and multi-styler, which I’m going to just call the Light Straight from here on), for instance, uses infrared light to help generate the heat required to style your hair. Meanwhile, the LED Face Mask…

  • Tencent Researchers Release Tencent HY-MT1.5: A New Translation Models Featuring 1.8B and 7B Models Designed for Seamless on-Device and Cloud Deployment

    January 5, 2026

    Tencent Hunyuan researchers have released HY-MT1.5, a multilingual machine translation family that targets both mobile devices and cloud systems with the same training recipe and metrics. HY-MT1.5 consists of 2 translation models, HY-MT1.5-1.8B and HY-MT1.5-7B, supports mutual translation across 33 languages with 5 ethnic and dialect variations, and is available on GitHub and Hugging Face under open weights. Model family and deployment targets HY-MT1.5-7B is an upgraded version of the WMT25 championship system Hunyuan-MT-7B. It is optimized for explanatory translation and mixed language scenarios, and adds native support for terminology intervention, contextual translation and formatted translation. HY-MT1.5-1.8B is the compact…

  • Tesla Australia sales slump in 2025, dragged down by Model 3

    January 5, 2026

    Tesla’s Australian sales fell sharply in 2025, even as the Model Y tightened its grip as the brand’s best-selling vehicle. According to the Electric Vehicle Council’s latest annual vehicle sales report – which tracks sales for automakers that don’t report through VFACTS – Tesla recorded 28,856 deliveries in Australia in 2025, down 24.8 per cent on 38,347 in 2024. More than three quarters of Tesla’s sales in Australia were of the Model Y. Tesla 2025 sales in Australia at a glance Tesla total: 28,856 (-24.8%) Model Y: 22,239 (+4.6%) Model 3: 6617 (-61.3%) In 2025, the Model Y made up 77.1 per cent of Tesla’s Australian sales (22,239 of 28,856). That’s…

  • Volkswagen Golf GTI turns 50, big birthday celebrations planned in 2026

    January 5, 2026

    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…

  • Much brighter and impressively adaptable

    January 5, 2026

    Samsung announced its newest portable projector ahead of its First Look showcase at CES 2026, but you might have been a little confused as to what’s changed. The company says the is nearly twice as bright as the 2022 Freestyle projector, rated at 230 ISO lumens, which was pretty underwhelming. The new Freestyle+ can output at 430 ISO lumens. If this is the first you’re hearing of ISO Lumens, it’s an internationally standardized rating for projectors, intended to standardize manufacturers’ claims of brightness. It still looks very similar to its predecessors, with 160 degrees of rotation that makes it easy…

  • Lamborghini says AI is inevitable in car manufacturing – even for low-volume supercars

    January 5, 2026

    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…

  • Unique speaker designs debut at CES 2026

    January 5, 2026

    In addition to its annual soundbar updates, Samsung debuted two new home speakers at CES 2026. The Music Studio 5 and 7 are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi units designed to blend in with your home decor thanks to their minimalist look. They certainly don’t look like your typical speakers, and Samsung has packed them with features that it says will ensure optimal sound quality from each one. The Music Studio 5 has a four-inch woofer and two tweeters, and a sound profile that’s optimized by AI Dynamic Bass Control. The design is an interesting interplay between a circle and a square,…

  • Move over, BYD: Australia has a new cheapest PHEV, but only for a limited time

    January 5, 2026

    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…

  • A stunning Wallpaper set, glorious Micro RGB colors and a better Gallery TV

    January 5, 2026

    LG usually announces its CES TV lineup well ahead of the show, but this year the company had a surprise at CES 2026: The return of its ultra-thin “Wallpaper” TV. Now it’s toting a gorgeous OLED screen and wireless connectivity, and it’s about as thin as a pencil. We got a chance to check out the Wallpaper TV in action during a CES preview event, as well as the previously announced Gallery and Micro RGB sets. LG still has its typically OLED and LED sets around, but it’s clear that 2026 will be filled with intriguing TVs for a variety…

  • Deepal’s delayed electric BYD rival nears Australian launch

    January 5, 2026

    The Deepal S05 is one step closer to Australian showrooms, though the electric SUV is arriving later than expected. The mid-size crossover SUV has now appeared in Australian Government certification documents, and Deepal Australia has confirmed it’s due on sale here during the first half of 2026. The company had announced early in 2025 that the SUV would launch here during the second half of 2025. Government approval documents list a pair of powertrains: a 200kW single-motor configuration and a 320kW dual-motor configuration. Both use a 68.82kWh battery. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to…