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With the U9 ute in showrooms, nearly all the pieces are in place for MG Australia to accelerate towards its Top Three goals over the next five years. MG Australia’s bold plans to become a Top Three automotive brand vying for leadership against Toyota and Ford will be underpinned heavily by its recently-launched U9 ute and related, yet-to-be-revealed, off-road SUV model. Speaking to media at the launch of the U9 last month, MG Australia boss Peter Ciao said the new ute will be a major factor in growing the Chinese brand’s local-market share. “My ambition is [by the end of] 2027, top five, [by the end of] 2030, top three – that’s my goal,” Ciao said. “When I spoke about these goals, this car [U9] was already in my plans. MORE: MG draws a line under car safety – ‘five stars, that’s it’ MG U9 based SUV speculative render “[In] Australia’s top segments, if I am short of product, how do to achieve the top three? “My plan is for my product range to cover each [major veh...

Holden’s former European sibling – Opel, now part of the same global automotive group as Peugeot – has revealed it has considered an Australian entry since a short stint in the market a decade ago. Latest Opel Astra hatch. The source of the final Holden Commodore – Opel – has revealed it has considered a return to Australia under French ownership more than a decade after it pulled the plug on an 11-month stint in local showrooms. However, the German car brand says it has struggled to create a “sustainable business case” in what is one of the world’s most competitive new-car markets, helped by minimal tariffs and our proximity to China. Opel is now part of the Stellantis group, the merger of the Peugeot – Citroen and Fiat – Chrysler conglomerates, after it was sold to the former in 2017 by long-time owner General Motors . Along with forming the basis of plenty of Holdens – from the Astra hatch to the 2018-20 Commodore , a rebadged Opel Insignia – Opel briefly sold c...

Chinese brand Zeekr says its new mid-size electric family SUV – priced from less than $60,000 before on-road costs – is drawing attention from luxury-car customers. One of Australia’s newest electric-car brands from China – Zeekr – says it is luring customers out of German prestige machinery with its new mid-size Tesla Model Y competitor, the 7X. More than 2000 Australians have pre-ordered the 7X electric SUV , which is due to commence deliveries in the coming weeks, priced from $57,900 to $72,900 plus on-road costs. Frank Li, managing director of Zeekr Australia and vice president of Zeekr International, told select media, including Drive , that the EV (electric vehicle) is attracting a mix of customers. MORE: 2026 Zeekr 7X deliveries to begin next month, 2000 orders and counting “I have had several discussions with customers of 7X. I think there are two groups. One group is coming from the ICE [petrol] car family, and most of those are coming from premium brands li...

Chinese brand Leapmotor has undercut Chery, BYD and MG with Australia’s most affordable electric SUV, due in November with a bigger footprint than a BYD Atto 3 at a sub-$40,000 drive-away price. 2026 Leapmotor B10 pricing and specifications Two model grades with 361km and 434km WLTP ranges Second model in Australia from Jeep, Peugeot parent-backed brand Priced from $38,990 drive-away The 2026 Leapmotor B10 will claim the title of Australia’s most affordable electric SUV when it arrives in showrooms this November, priced from $38,990 to $41,990 drive-away. Positioned beneath the C10 mid-size SUV, the B10 – larger than a BYD Atto 3 but smaller than a Geely EX5 – is the second model from the Chinese brand backed by Stellantis , the owner of Jeep , Ram , Peugeot and other car makers. The $38,990 drive-away starting price is affixed to the B10 Style, which uses a 56.2kWh battery pack for a driving range rating of 442km in NEDC lab testing, or an estimated 361km under m...

The price of the cheapest Mitsubishi ASX has climbed by more than $13,000 with the new European-made model, which brings a new powertrain and increased standard equipment help ease the sting. The 2026 Mitsubishi ASX small SUV – now a rebadged Renault Captur – will carry a starting price more than 50 per cent higher than before when it arrives in showrooms later this year, with the three-variant line-up kicking off at $37,740 before on-road costs for the LS grade. The most affordable version of the new ASX sits $13,250 upstream of the previous entry-level GS, which was $24,490 – excluding drive-away deals – and more than even the old, top-of-the-range Exceed grade ($35,240). However, the 2026 ASX line-up comes with an automatic transmission standard across the board, which means prices are up $11,000 when comparing with last year’s $26,740 automatic GS base model. The substantial price hike is accompanied by a longer list of standard features, as well as a more sophisticated ...

Ford’s last new hot hatch – for now, at least – has been built as the end of the line for more than 45 years of cult favourites. The final example of Ford’s last-remaining hot hatch, the Focus ST, has rolled off the production line in Germany , ending a lineage stretching back more than 45 years. It precedes the end of all Focus production, due to wrap up in Germany this November after 32 years, as Ford’s final passenger vehicle in Europe that isn’t an SUV – at least for now . Images posted to the ‘Ford Focus ST / RS’ Facebook page show the final Focus ST, a red wagon, was completed on Friday, September 26. MORE: Ford ends 45-year hot hatch lineage with axing of Focus ST Production of the smaller Fiesta ST ended in July 2023 , about a year after it and the Focus ST were dropped from Australian showrooms. The ST badge continues in Ford showrooms on SUVs – the Puma ST in Europe and Explorer ST in the US – but the company is without a high-performance hatchback for ...

The Supra and GR86 might be twinned with BMW and Subaru models, but Toyota is keen to build a GR model on its own two feet. 2025 Toyota GR Supra Track Edition Toyota is confident it can build a standalone halo sports car too sit atop its Gazoo Racing (GR) brand , and can do it without the help of a partner like it has with the Supra and GR86. Speaking to Drive , Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing boss Sean Hanley said the brand can build sports cars independently, not needing to partner with BMW or Subaru like it has done in the past. “The answer is yes; we can do this [build sports cars] on our own. Why? This is what GR is about, this is exactly what GR is about,” Hanley said. “But having said that, we learned a lot, and will learn a lot, through our partnerships. MORE: Toyota knew Supra would be discontinued before committing to Supercars “And BMW they build some seriously good cars, so we don’t take a step back from that relationship at all – it was a good ...

The rugged Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is set to lose its roof – again – as the German brand expands the G-Class family. The first official convertible version of the latest Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been confirmed for showrooms , and it could come to Australia. It is the latest in a long line of open-top G-Wagens , which, when launched as a civilian off-roader in its original form in 1979, offered a three-door short-wheelbase convertible as one of the five body styles available. MORE: Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric car deemed a failure by executives – report The soft-top was offered in many markets as part of the W460 (1979-1991), W461 (1992-2022), and crossover W463 (1990-2018) generations – most of which were two-doors – culminating in the G500 ‘Final Edition’ cabriolet in 2014. In 2017, Mercedes-Benz introduced a limited-edition (99 units) Maybach G650 Landaulet, which saw an extended-chassis five-door G-Class score the rear-section of the short-wheelbase convertible...