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Zeekr 7X sales hit the brakes amid shipping delays

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Port congestion and parts supply troubles have been attributed to a steady start for the Zeekr 7X, missing a target to deliver 2000 cars by the end of last year. Deliveries of the Zeekr 7X electric SUV have been hit by “logistics delays” that have seen the brand miss its initial targets. Zeekr claimed it had collected more than 2500 pre-orders prior to the first 7X deliveries in October 2025, at least 2000 of which would be in customers’ hands by the end of the year , it promised. However, only 1206 sales had been reported by the end of December, with a further 418 listed in January – down from the 682 quoted for November, its first full month of deliveries. MORE: 2026 Zeekr X power, battery upgrade approved for Australia A Zeekr spokesperson said the brand is “working around the clock to fulfil our pre-orders” after experiencing “some initial logistics delays”. “We encountered some temporary delays due to a combination of global battery supply constraints and loc...
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$42K for your driver’s licence: This country wants Gen Z off the roads

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To ease traffic congestion, this European country is paying young drivers to surrender their licences. Should Australia follow suit? Image: iStock Despite a range of public transport options across most metropolitan areas, there’s no denying traffic congestion remains a big problem in Australia. And while local authorities continue to work on finding ways to reduce gridlock, this European country is finding a creative, albeit tempting, way to get drivers off the road. RELATED: This country allows 14-year-olds to drive alone According to Malta’s Department of Transport, the country will pay young drivers – under the age of 30 years old – €25,000 (approximately AUD$42,000) to surrender their licence for five years. The ‘Driving Licence Surrender Scheme’ – introduced in January 2026 – will pay eligible drivers €5000 per year (about AUD$8300) and is open on a first-come first-serve basis. The program is open to local motorists aged 30 years old and younger, who have been a r...
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2026 BMW iX3 electric SUV reaches Australia to preview official launch

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The first example of the all-new iX3 has hit our shores ahead of the official commencement of production in March, with local deliveries to start mid-2026. BMW’s newest model, and the first built on its Neue Klasse platform, has now reached Australia to preview its mid-year official launch. ​​ Neue Klasse , or New Class, is BMW ’s all-new electric platform, designed to deliver more range, faster charging and a major leap in technology. The concept dates back to the 1960s, when BMW introduced a groundbreaking range of sedans that not only laid the foundation for its modern sedan line-up, but also helped rescue the company from financial difficulty. Initially offered in a single grade, the new iX3 50xDrive packs dual electric motors, a 108kW battery pack, and produces 345kW and 645Nm. BMW claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 4.9 seconds, and a top speed of 210km/h. MORE: 2026 BMW X1 plug-in hybrid coming to Australia in reworked line-up, plus X2 update The new iX3 is rat...
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Electric Toyota HiLux goes unsold at auction, while another example fetches nearly $40K

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The remaining two electric Toyota HiLux models from a failed start-up have been offered at auction, with one going unsold. The anticipated auction of two Toyota HiLux utes converted to electric power by a defunct Western Australia-based company has finished with one selling for just under $40,000, while the other failed to meet its reserve price. After 126 bids, the electric 2023 Toyota HiLux SR 4×4 dual-cab was sold to a buyer in the remote town of Jiggi, New South Wales, for $39,200. Meanwhile, after 138 bids, the 2022 Toyota HiLux SR 4×2 dual-cab had a final bid of $24,199, but did not meet the reserve price set. The two green HiLux models were originally owned by the Mining Electric Vehicle Company (MEVCO).  MORE: Australian electric-car start-up MEVCO goes bust, numerous EV utes could be up for grabs MEVCO is a now-defunct start-up that aimed to supply mines with electric utes, with these HiLux vehicles sent to auction after MEVCO entered administration lat...
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Car makers quietly lobbying against closing Australian EV ‘dumping’ loophole

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Top car makers and industry groups have pushed back on changing regulations that currently allow them to stockpile electric cars and profit from their rivals’ struggles to meet tough emissions rules. EXCLUSIVE Some of Australia’s top car makers have pushed back against closing a loophole that could allow them to ‘dump’ thousands of excess hybrid and electric cars in holding yards to help beat tough penalties for missing government CO2 targets. The rules, known as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), count vehicles towards a car maker’s emissions average when, or before they arrive in Australia, not when they are sold. It opens the door for low-emissions cars to be stockpiled – long before they reach customers – in order to bank ‘credits’, which can be sold at a premium to rival car brands struggling to meet the rules, or kept in-house to offset dirtier models in the line-up. MORE: Polestar to bail out rival car brands that can’t meet CO2 emissions targets Vehic...
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China’s new car safety regulations put an end to yoke steering controls

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After putting an end to failure-prone hidden and motorised door handles, Chinese regulators have turned their attention to irregular steering controls. Chinese regulators have drafted a new safety standard that could see ‘yoke’ style steering wheels banned on future vehicles. In a bid to reduce injuries caused by irregularly shaped wheels, or those with open ends, the new regulation includes impact tests at ten specific points around the steering wheel rim. The new test criteria, which call for impact tests at the “midpoint of the weakest area” and the “midpoint of the shortest unsupported area” on the steering wheel rim mean that ‘half-spoke’ or yoke-style steering wheels without a complete outer rim would not physically be able to comply with these tests. The new regulations, published by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), are set to come into force from the first of January, 2027. MORE: The correct way to hold a steering wheel revealed ...
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Tesla rollout of Apple CarPlay hits a snag, but it’s still coming – report

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Mapping glitches have slowed the rollout of Apple CarPlay to Tesla cars, after years of resisting the popular technology. The introduction of Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring technology to Tesla electric cars has been delayed after hitting a speed bump during development, according to a new report. News outlet Bloomberg – via reputable Apple-focused journalist Mark Gurman – broke the story last year that the US electric-car giant was looking to implement the popular feature, amid feedback from potential customers. It was initially forecast to roll out as soon as the end of 2025, according to Gurman, but “compatibility hitches” with the iPhone’s in-house Apple Maps have reportedly forced the launch to be delayed. MORE: Tesla poised to adopt Apple CarPlay, backflipping on long-held stance – report According to the report, the turn-by-turn guidance offered Tesla’s in-house navigation – which uses Google Maps data – would not synchronise correctly with Apple Maps’ rou...
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