CAR ADVICE

There is “no reason” why Australia can’t build electric cars, or else leave a “vulnerability” open to China and the rest of Asia, the Prime Minister has reportedly said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed a desire for car manufacturing to return to Australia – with an electric twist – lamenting the end of locally-made Holdens as “a pity”. It follows a call from Chinese car maker Chery for the Federal Government “modify … policy” to allow local manufacturing of new cars to become economically viable again. Albanese said at a News Corp Australia event, according to the Herald Sun , that “there’s no reason why we can’t make [electric] vehicles.” “At the very least, we can make parts and components, including batteries here. Indeed there are companies looking at doing just that.” MORE: Chery says Australia should restart car manufacturing Australian...

This cutting-edge wheel maker supplied the biggest brands, but new documents show how this Aussie manufacturing dream came crashing down. A new document has revealed how Australian firm Carbon Revolution has gone from building lightweight carbon-fibre wheels for major car brands such as Ferrari , Ford , and Chevrolet , to entering administration with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. The Geelong-based manufacturer, founded in 2007 and employing over 300 people, has become the leading supplier of carbon-fibre wheels to car companies looking to reduce weight in their fastest and most extreme models. Carbon Revolution entered administration in March with debts of about $345.5 million, after recording losses totalling $347 million over the past four years, with plans to return to private ownership in order to keep the business alive. A recent report by administrators McGrathNicol details a timeline of woe that led to the company entering voluntary administra...

The next step in the British sports-car specialist’s backflip on electric cars will be a V8 hybrid supercar producing more than 735kW. Lotus has teased its first V8-powered car in more than two decades, a new supercar due in 2028 with hybrid power and more than 1000 metric horsepower (735kW). The Chinese-owned British brand has previously scrapped plans to go electric by 2028 , in favour of a new range of plug-in hybrids to lower its emissions while retaining petrol power. It will pave the way for the Type 135, a new Lotus supercar due in 2028 with a V8 engine and hybrid assistance combining for more than 735kW, and expected to be built in Europe rather than China, like its electric cars. MORE: Lotus reveals first hybrid, in latest backflip on electric-only plan The last V8 Lotus, the Esprit. Type 135 was the codename given to a now-scrapped Lotus electric sports car, and a teaser image released by Lotus shows the V8 with sleek styling and two...

Regular BYD family electric SUVs sold in Australia will one day be capable of recharging as quickly as filling with petrol. Electric-car fast-charging technology capable of replenishing a battery from 10 to 97 per cent full in nine minutes will not remain the preserve of the six-figure Z9 GT super wagon from its Denza luxury brand. That is according to Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland, who told Drive an expansion of the ‘Flash’ charging technology to cheaper models from Denza and BYD , is inevitable. “I look at the Flash charging the way I look at Formula One,” Harland said in recent weeks. “So Z9 GT right now is the pinnacle of technology for BYD, Denza – the family, if you will. M ORE: Denza mid-size SUV to rival Zeekr 7X on Australian wishlist “In the coming years – I would say it’s not going to happen overnight – in coming years, we take that technology and it trickles down across the range in Denza [and], further...

Once the domain of the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, MG’s IM5 all-electric sedan is now dominating the premium passenger car space. It is no secret that new-car buyer preference has shifted heavily away from what once-popular passenger cars to SUVs, but interest in large luxury sedans in particular has drastically dwindled in all but one model. According to VFACTS sales data to the end of April this year, only 469 premium large sedans over $70,000 have sold, a drastic 33.9 per cent decline over the same period in 2025. Segment stalwarts like the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class are both down – by 14.3 and 80.8 per cent respectively – despite new and refreshed models being recently made available in showrooms. MORE: MG’s IM eyeing faster sales growth with new models and premium play Leading the pack however, is newcomer MG IM5 , which has notched 148 new registrations so far this year, which accounts for 31.6 per cent of the ...

Achieving a maximum five-star safety rating is something some car manufacturers decide not to chase, according to Euro NCAP. Certain car brands are sacrificing safety to keep prices low, according to Euro NCAP, but homologation rules will keep all vehicles at a bare minimum safety level believes the organisation. Speaking to Australian and New Zealand media, Euro NCAP technical director Richard Schram said there are car brands willing to accept a sub-five-star safety score. “I can’t speak about the Australian market because it does slightly differ than the European, but for the European market, we what see is [for example] Dacia as a brand clearly doesn’t aim for five stars,” Schram said. “They want to be at the budget [level], but they will aim for three [stars]. MORE: Chinese car safety systems to be refined due to global NCAP alignment “What you will see there is its significantly better than regulation, but they made some clear choices – ‘...