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Firefly electric car due in Australia in 2026, as launch details firm

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China’s answer to the Mini has been locked in for Australian showrooms as soon as this year, but it has set its sights much higher than budget BYDs and Geelys. The pint-sized Firefly electric car from Chinese manufacturer Nio is slated for Australian showrooms by the end of 2026, with retro-inspired looks and rated for up to 330km of driving range. But it will not be a bargain-priced $30,000 rival to BYD , Geely and MG , and instead has set its sights on Mini and Volvo with a price likely to start from more than $40,000 before on-road costs. The Firefly has been spotted testing on local roads in recent months, and it is now produced in right-hand drive for Asian and UK markets, but arrival timing has previously remained unclear. MORE: Nio Firefly electric car confirmed for Australia, but when is it due? Firefly global president Daniel Jin told Drive it is “highly likely” the first examples will arrive sometime in 2026, rather t...

2026 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing special edition revealed as F1 celebration

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A limited edition of Cadillac’s V8 Blackwing sedan has been unveiled to mark the US car brand’s entry into Formula One. Cadillac is marking its entry into Formula One with its most powerful V8 production car ever, the CT5-V Blackwing Formula 1 Collectors Series. Just 26 units will be produced, a number chosen to signify 2026 as the last year of production of the CT5-V Blackwing , with a direct successor for the 6.2-litre supercharged V8-powered sedan yet to be confirmed. It is claimed to be the first US production car to wear official Formula One badging, fully sanctioned by the FIA, F1 and Cadillac, and uses the brand’s most powerful V8 yet. The 6.2-litre supercharged unit produces 511kW (685 horsepower) and 912Nm, up from the regular Blackwing’s 498kW and 893Nm, via an upgraded supercharger with a CNC-machined cover. MORE: Cadillac would ‘love’ to sell $200,000-plus Escalade IQ electric SUV in Australia It ...

BMW M3 EV to be similar price to petrol version

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Electric and petrol-powered versions of the BMW M3 are due to coexist alongside each other when the new model is due in 2027. The first-ever electric BMW M3, due in 2027, will be a similar price to the new-generation, twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol version it will be sold alongside. BMW M head of sales, Sylvia Neubauer, told Autocar that the electric models will differ in powertrain, platform and performance, but not major styling changes or pricing. “The good news is that from a pricing perspective, they are in the same ballpark,” she said. The current-generation petrol M3 is priced from $169,100 to $186,900 plus on-road costs as a sedan, with the next model likely to approach $200,000 in all-wheel-drive form. MORE: BMW will let customers decide if they want electric or petrol M cars The new electric M3 will use four electric motors for as much as 1000 horsepower (745kW), though it is thought it may be ‘detuned...

Toyota Tundra prices cut by about $20,000 in Australia to clear year-old stock

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A rare EOFY deal from Toyota Australia sees about $20,000 slashed from the Tundra full-size pick-up to clear stock built 12 months ago. Toyota Australia has slashed about $20,000 from its Tundra full-size pick-up to clear 12-month-old dealer stock. In a rare end-of-financial-year deal from Toyota , the company is offering complimentary on-road costs, including registration, compulsory third-party insurance, stamp duty and dealer delivery fees, along with a $10,000 cash bonus. Available from 1 May 2026 to 30 June 2026, “unless extended”, the deal cuts about $20,000 from the Tundra , offered in Australia in Limited and Platinum grades. However, it is only available for new and demonstrator Tundra vehicles “built up to” 31 July 2025, with newer examples not included in the deal. MORE: Toyota wants the Tundra to sell better in Australia – ‘people don’t realise it exists’ It reduces the Tundra Limited to about $140,000 drive-aw...

Toyota LandCruiser 76 Series and Prado modified concepts break cover in Japan

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A division within Toyota has built two Urban Style LandCruiser models for an upcoming auto show, but sadly, no one will be able to buy them. Two one-off LandCruiser concepts have been unveiled ahead of Field Style Tokyo 2026, giving the popular Toyota Prado and 76 Series slight visual tweaks rather than previewing upcoming model updates. Toyota’s LandCruiser Base division is responsible for the builds, but has not shared any technical specifications yet, simply showing cosmetic changes to the SUVs known as Urban Style. The division is known for building show vehicles where it partners with lifestyle brands for accessories. It also has a role in the GR Heritage Parts Program, producing discontinued components and accessories for classic LandCruisers. The 76 Series LandCruiser , called Urban Heritage Style, wears a beige paint job that extends to the wheels wrapped in Yokohama all-terrain tyres, complemented by black and grey stripes down the side of the veh...

MG IM5 and IM6 owners set for upgrade before updated cars arrive

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Software updates will add expanded self-parking and more smartphone control to 2025 MG IM5 and IM6 ahead of a facelift due later this year. Buyers of MG ’s IM premium brand, which launched last year with the IM5 sedan and IM6 SUV, will receive a host of upgrades to their vehicles ahead of a more significant model update due later this year. While the IM5 and IM6 only arrived in Australia in August, 2025, the models known as the L6 and LS6 respectively in China have been on the market overseas since 2024 and 2023. IM Motors co-CEO and overseas business general manager Liu Tao confirmed mid-life changes – called Middle Cycle Enhancement (MCE) in the brand’s parlance – to the IM5 and IM6 are due in China around the middle of the year. An Australian arrival is expected in the second half of 2026, but IM is yet to detail exactly what will change with the update. MORE: MG’s premium IM brand set for major model expansion Drive understands there wil...

Zeekr explains pivot to include plug-in hybrids alongside EVs

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Once proudly electric-only, Zeekr is now looking to make a big splash in the hybrid space. Once upon a time, Zeekr pledged to be an EV-only premium brand for the global market. That was only in 2021, when this luxury sub-brand from Geely first launched. But that promise has already changed. Zeekr recently confirmed plans to introduce plug-in hybrid technology for a range of large SUVs in Australia, after their launch in its home market of China. MORE: Zeekr high-performance ‘FR’ sub-brand set for reboot First amongst these are the 8X and 9X, which share a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine along with large 900-volt batteries and up to three electric motors, depending on trim level. Along with long electric-only driving ranges – up 330km claimed, on the lenient CLTC testing cycle – the Zeekr 8X and 9X also offer prodigious combined power of up to 1030kW with three electric motors. These two models are locked in for Australia, joining ex...