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A smaller, car-derived, sub-HiLux ute from Toyota appears to be in the pipeline, but it is unclear when it is due in showrooms – and if it will look as RAV4-like as these illustrations. Toyota is considering a smaller, car-derived ute for its US line-up to capitalise on the success of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz family SUV-turned-pick-ups. And it could look something like these illustrations of a dual-cab ute based on the latest RAV4 mid-size SUV – created by Theottle – which is due in Australia in the first half of 2026. “We’re looking at it,” Mark Templin, Toyota USA chief operating officer, told Bloomberg . “We could really do well in that segment, so we’re trying to do it. It’s a matter of timing,” Cooper Ericksen, Toyota North America senior vice president of planning and strategy, said in a separate interview with the outlet. MORE: Toyota considering smaller ute below HiLux – report Such a vehicle would slot under the Tacoma , the company’s entr...

The future of the local Nissan casting plant in Melbourne’s Dandenong South looks bright thanks to the manufacturer of key components in crucial global models. The Nissan Casting Australia Plant (NCAP) has had its future secure d thanks to production of new-generation Y63 Patrol parts and next-generation electric car components. With the Y62-generation being in production for over a decade, the NCAP could be viable for the next 10 years, but when the question was put to Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone, he would not be drawn on a concrete timeline. “We will be manufacturing Y63 parts as well as some of the newer electrified model components as well, which are products of the future,” Humberstone said. Nissan, globally, has recently had to close seven of its 17 production facilities around the world in a cost-cutting exercise after it recorded a loss of $AU7 billion (670.9 billion Japanese yen) for the 2025 Japanese fiscal year. MORE: Nissan achieves o...

Recent Volvo models with Google built-in technology will be the first vehicles with the Gemini artificial intelligence assistant, ahead of a wider roll-out. Speculative illustration by Drive, not related to or endorsed by Volvo. Volvo has announced its recent models will be the first to include Google’s Gemini voice assistant system – including in Australia – as generative artificial-intelligence technology continues to roll out across the automotive industry. Gemini will launch in vehicles with Google built-in technology from later this year to replace the current Google Assistant system, starting with recent Volvo models. Volvo said the Google Gemini assistant will become available in models with Google built-in through a software update due to be released later this year, which is expected to be distributed over-the-air. The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric and all other Volvos from model-year 2023-onwards use an infotainment system running Android Automotive softwa...

Smartphone company and now car maker, Xiaomi, launches the YU7 – its first SUV – with 3.23-second 0-100km/h acceleration and more than a passing resemblance to the supercar class. Chinese automaker Xiaomi has unveiled the brand’s second model line and first SUV with the 2026 Xiaomi YU7. Despite looking like the SU7 sedan , the brand’s first production model, Xiaomi claim the YU7 SUV is “a completely reimagined SUV from the ground up.” Styling remains close to the design language of the SU7 sedan, headlights that look like they coil from a McLaren, a window line with a close resemblance to that of the Ferrari Purosangue, and proportions not unlike a Porsche Macan. Hidden within the upper portion of the headlights is an aero-enhancing air channel that exits at the rear of the front guards. MORE: Smartphone brand’s first electric car faces significant backlash Airflow around the car is managed by 19 vents and 10 flow-through air channels. Xaiomi claims drag as...

Software will be a key focus for Toyota and its all-new RAV4 as it rolls out its new Arene suite that promises faster performance and over-the-air updates. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg via Getty Images Toyota’s sixth-generation RAV4 will be the first model from the brand to feature its new Arene software platform , designed to better compete against Chinese and Tesla infotainment systems. Toyota describes Arene as the “first step toward fully software-defined vehicles” and has been in development for five years as a snappier, more responsive system that is currently displayed on either an 8.0- or 10.5-inch screens in the outgoing RAV4 . Toyota is yet to confirm the size of the screens on the new 2026 RAV4, but it will be available in two forms. Underpinning Arene will be an always-on connection that will collect data from users around the world for Toyota to process with artificial intelligence (AI) that will inform future updates, according to Automotive News . MORE...

It will cost Nissan Australia $25,000 per year for the new ‘Australian Made’ label on some car parts, but the certification is all about highlighting how true blue the brand is according to the local boss. Nissan might be going through financial turmoil – posting a $AU7 billion (670.9 billion Japanese yen) net loss for the 2025 Japanese fiscal year – but the cost of gaining the new ‘Australian Made’ certification logo for local parts is easily justified according to the local boss. The process of achieving an ‘Australian Made’ certification involves proving that products are materially changed on local soil, which for Nissan involves its casting plant in Dandenong South, Victoria that produces die-cast parts, bullbars and tow bars for models around the world. According to the ‘Australian Made’ website, it will cost a business with a turnover of more than $45 million per year a $25,000 annual fee to use its iconic green and gold kangaroo label. When Drive put it to Nissan O...

Toyota is often credited for kicking off a rush of interest in compact go-anywhere crossover vehicles with the RAV4. The Toyota RAV4 is as well known and ubiquitous as models like the Camry and Corolla , but its history is quite a bit shorter than those models. Making its global debut in 1994, the Toyota RAV4 aimed to be easy to park in busy city streets, while also offering uncompromising all-terrain ability for sporty owners with outdoor pursuits like hiking, camping, and kayaking. RELATED: ‘Cheeky, cheerful and cuddly’: Our first review of the original 1994 Toyota RAV4 The RAV4 is often credited with being responsible for a wave of small and medium crossover SUVs that followed, and while it’s true the rest of the 1990s saw a rush of new lifestyle vehicles, the RAV4 was built on a formula established by vehicles like the Lada Niva and Suzuki Vitara before it. To see how far the just-announced 2026 RAV4 has come, we take a look back at the five-generation history of To...