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The Elexio is the brand’s first passenger model made in China for Australia, and more cars could come from there in future, Hyundai says. Hyundai Elexio Hyundai now has the ability to “search the world” to find new models for the Australian market, but expects more to come from China, it says. In addition to the three plants it has on home turf in South Korea, Hyundai has eight around the globe, as well as R&D centres in Namyang and Shanghai. While most Australia-bound models come from South Korea, the brand also builds the i30 and Tucson in the Czech Republic for our market and the i20 N in Turkey. The recently-launched Hyundai Elexio electric medium SUV became the car maker’s first passenger car to be made in China for the Australian market. MORE: Hyundai ute still years away from being ready Hyundai Elexio Speaking to Australian media at the launch of the Elexio, Hyundai Australia’s Product Development Manager, Tim Rodgers, said that scanning its plants w...

Audi’s new F1 entry could serve as inspiration for a series of limited-edition RS road cars, but Formula One engineers may not be involved. Special-edition Audi performance cars inspired by Formula One are under consideration, to draw on its investment in the world’s premier motorsport series. F1-themed versions of road cars are not new in the automotive world, offered by brands from Renault and Alfa Romeo to BMW, Aston Martin , and Mercedes-AMG . Audi could be next on the list, hints Jürgen Rittersberger, Audi head of finance, legal affairs and IT, as well as a member of the F1 team’s board of directors. “Let’s see,” Rittersberger told Drive at the Australian Grand Prix, when asked if there is space for F1 editions of Audi Sport performance models, such as the latest RS5 plug-in hybrid. MORE: 2026 Audi RS5 weighs more than a Ford Ranger ute 2021 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition 2021 Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition Pressed on whether a hypothetical RS5 ‘F1 Edi...

Higher sulphur limits will be reintroduced into Australia’s fuel supply for the next two months, after lower limits were enforced in December. Sulphur limits in Australia’s unleaded petrol supply will be relaxed for the next two months, the Federal Government has confirmed, amid rising costs and supply concerns due to conflict in the Middle East. The change essentially rolls back tighter sulphur limits introduced in Australia on 15 December, 2025 for 95- and 98-octane unleaded petyrol, when sulphur limits were reduced from 50 parts per million (ppm) to 10ppm. Australia’s 91-octane unleaded supply will also temporarily be allowed to increase from 10ppm to 50ppm, Drive understands, remaining lower than the 150ppm limit before the new standards were introduced in December last year . Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the relaxed sulphur limits will add 100 million litres of new fuel supply each month – or around two days’ worth, according to the ABC ...

Australian Suzuki Jimny customers could soon have more choice, as the Japanese company teases a new ‘Rhino Edition’ for the three-door. Malaysian-market Jimny Rhino. Suzuki Australia has teased the release of a new ‘Rhino’ special edition of the three-door Jimny four-wheel-drive, which is back on sale locally with safety upgrades to meet new regulations. A blurry video played to Australian media at a preview drive of the revised Jimny showed a neon green/yellow three-door filmed in the same style as Bigfoot sighting footage. Visible in one frame of the video is the Jimny’s historic Rhinoceros logo, alongside ‘rhino’ written in Japanese kanji script. “It’s something exciting for us,” Michael Pachota, Suzuki Australia General Manager, told Drive. “We’re doing something exclusive for the Australian market, which will be the subject of a future announcement. MORE: Suzuki studying options to keep Jimny 4WD alive as emissions rules tighten Suzuki Australia’s teaser. “...

As drivers head to their local servo to stockpile petrol, some service stations across the country are reserving their fuel for emergency service vehicles only. Amid the Middle East conflict, petrol prices in Australia are rising due to supply concerns, with hundreds of drivers heading to local servos to stockpile fuel. And while motorists are fearing the worst, further compounding the pressure is the fact that some service stations are also restricting their sales in response to the global market, as oil prices reached almost USD$120 a barrel on 9 March 2026. RELATED: Australians urged not to panic about petrol prices In one instance, a driver posted a photo of an unspecified servo in Brisbane, telling local drivers “Sorry emergency vehicles only for diesel sales” on a Reddit thread. The Reddit user posted the image on 8 March 2026, alongside the caption “Saw this the other day and had to double check. Surely this isn’t real?”. Drive understands neither the Queensland Am...

The software fault could the instrument cluster to go blank or not operate “as intended”, causing the speed or warning light to not display, according to the recall notice. Kia Australia has recalled 11,567 vehicles manufactured in 2025, citing a potential fault with the digital instrument cluster displaying a blank screen or not operating “as intended”. The affected vehicles include the Carnival , EV3 , EV5 , EV6 , EV9 , Sorento , Sportage and Tasman , and were stamped 2025 models, but may have been sold at a later date. The recall notice , lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says: “Due to a software error, the Instrument Cluster may display a blank screen or may not operate as intended. “A blank or slow-responding instrument cluster screen fails to display critical information such as the speedometer or warning lights increasing the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users. Date of recall notice 6 March, 2026...