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The Chery E5 has been updated in Australia for the second time in 2025 with a smaller battery and more power – but less torque and slower fast-charging. 2026 Chery E5 pricing and specifications Australia’s cheapest electric SUV gets smaller battery, but unchanged driving range Power boost and less torque from electric motor Priced from $36,990 before on-road costs Chery’s first – and, to date, only – electric vehicle in Australia has been updated with a smaller battery, more power but less torque, and an identical driving range rating. The 2026 Chery E5 electric small SUV – marketed as a Model Year 2025.5 (MY25.5) vehicle – trades its 61.1kWh battery pack for a smaller 58.9kWh unit, still using lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. However, despite the smaller battery capacity, its WLTP-rated driving range of 430 kilometres remains unchanged, likely assisted by a 52Nm torque drop from 340Nm to 288Nm. MORE: 2025 Chery E5 price and specs – renamed electric SUV gets c...

The Volvo XC70 has been revived as a plug-in-hybrid-only SUV intended for China – but a European launch will follow, opening the door for Australia. The 2026 Volvo XC70 has debuted in China as a dedicated plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) , reviving a nameplate last used between 2003 and 2016. Revealed at this year’s Chengdu motor show, the 2026 XC70 is Volvo’s “first long-range plug-in hybrid” intended for customers “not yet ready to go fully electric”, slotting above the existing XC60 midsize SUV. The five-seat XC70 is built on parent company Geely’s Scalable Modular Architecture (SMA), which is an evolution of the smaller XC40’s Compact Scalable Architecture (CMA) built with plug-in hybrids in mind. MORE: Volvo XC70 to return as plug-in hybrid SUV for China, but it’s not for Australia – yet It is a twin-under-the-skin to the Lynk & Co 08 SUV, which could headline a range of plug-in hybrid models from the Chinese brand likely to come to Australia wit...

While Honda Australia is in a comfortable position with NVES for now, it believes the rules will force some buyers into car-making decisions that will leave the industry worse off. Honda Australia believes the New Vehicle Effciency Standard (NVES) – aimed at reducing fleet emissions – could have the opposite effect by keeping more polluting and less safe cars on roads for longer. Speaking to local media, new Honda Australia President and CEO Jay Jospeh said the rules outlined by the NVES , wherein car brands will be fined for breaching ever-tightening emissions targets, will limit the choice of models that marques can bring into the country. And with such a quick rollout and ramp-up, car brands will likely need to pass the cost of fines onto consumers – Mazda already confirmed to be doing so – leading to higher prices. “If you make new cars unappealing by regulation, or unaffordable by regulation, you’ll almost certainly drive up the market for used cars and keep older ca...

Regularly serviced. Full books. Low mileage. Only driven once by its previous owner… Jeremy Clarkson. Celebrity and pop-culture provenance can drive up the prices of already collectible classic cars , but what if the car in question had been somewhat abused by its big-name owner? This hand-painted green and black 1989 Alfa Romeo 75 V6 looks, from a distance, to be a poorly kept and run-down machine, now seemingly far from its days of high-speed touring on the autoroute, but the truth is far more interesting. For the past 11 years, the Alfa has been kept in this condition, but mechanically maintained to the value of £4500 ($AU9350), as back in July 2008, the car starred in an Alfa Romeo challenge on an episode of Top Gear . MORE: The wildest Alfa Romeo ever Driven by Jeremy Clarkson, who hand-applied the green paint, the car was reportedly purchased for just £450 ($AU900) and went on to win the show’s challenge against a GTV and classic Spider . The car was...