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The BYD Racco points to huge ambitions from the Chinese brand, tapping into Japan’s massive kei car market with a purpose-built model aimed at Japan’s highest-selling vehicle segment. BYD did the unexpected at the Tokyo motor show , and unveiled a vehicle specifically tailored to the Japanese market. The BYD Racco EV is sized to comply with Japan’s specific kei car regulations, which limit vehicle dimensions, with compliant cars receiving cheaper registration and taxes to encourage their uptake in Japan. It will be BYD’s first model designed specifically for sale outside of China, and while BYD didn’t offer engine or range specifications, as with dimensions, the Racco is likely to comply with the 47kW ‘gentleman’s agreement’ power limit observed by other kei models in Japan. While the kei car regulations are unique to Japan, the segment accounts for around one-third of vehicles sold in Japan each year – almost 1.2 million vehicles in 2024. MORE: BYD eyeing Top Three sales...

Lexus is considering a production version of its Sport Concept, which wears sleek styling that hints at electric power – but instead uses a twin-turbo petrol V8. A successor to the Lexus LFA – as a flagship supercar for the Japanese prestige brand – remains high on the wish list of the company’s global boss. And it could use twin-turbo hybrid V8 power set to be shared with the new Toyota GR GT – a sports car long mooted to wear a Lexus badge – rather than battery-electric propulsion. Lexus used this year’s Tokyo motor show to present an updated iteration of the Sport Concept, a sleek two-door supercar concept that hints at a new performance model to crown its range. “One of our core important values that we wanna show is sports driving and performance,” Lexus International president Takashi Watanabe told Australian media, through an interpreter, when asked if the Sport Concept will make production. MORE: Lexus LS sedan could be rebooted as a six-wheeled people mover, co...

Though we all know Louis, Gucci, and Saint Laurent live in Chadstone, what’s Porsche doing there? Opening a home base for its fans. A Porsche 911 Carerra GTS inspired by the eastern brown snake is the centre piece of the brand’s latest Chadstone pop-up store. Picture: Supplied When you’re in the business of fast cars and ultimate performance, it makes sense to double down on the ownership experience once you’ve joined the elite club. But in the case of Porsche – where the point of entry starts from at least $130,000 – the German luxury marque is looking to connect like-minded fans and customers in Victoria with its new pop-up store in Chadstone – the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. RELATED: The Birkin bag on wheels: How to be a player in the hypercar market Though it makes sense for fashion brands to populate the 230,442 m² space to accommodate retail buyers and their budgets, what’s a luxury car maker like Porsche doing there? Well, one key brand exe...

Plans for what appear to be a HiLux EV have surfaced from international media in a Toyota product presentation slide. The 2026 Toyota HiLux is poised to be offered with a fully-electric powertrain , according to leaks from this year’s Tokyo motor show . A presentation slide shown to Malaysian media – subsequently shared on Instagram – depicts the next 12-month product rollout from Toyota, likely applying to that nation only. It includes two mid-size utes shrouded in darkness, both with silhouettes akin to the HiLux – and one clearly labelled as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV). Other models present in the image include the facelifted bZ4X , the emerging-market Yaris Ativ, and the new LandCruiser FJ – indicating the slide is not wholly applicable to the Australian market, as only the mid-size electric SUV is offered locally. MORE: 2026 Toyota HiLux interior revealed again in leaked image However, Toyota’s next-generation HiLux is expected to break cover soon, and Au...

Subaru has presented two STI concepts at the Tokyo motor show this week, with an electric hatchback that points to a big shakeup for Subaru’s performance division. Subaru has used the Tokyo motor show to reveal what a future all-electric STI hot hatch could look like. Subaru showed a revitalised STI performance division in Tokyo this week , with the electric Performance-E STI concept shown alongside a petrol-powered STI hot-hatch. Unlike its four-cylinder sibling, which adapts an Impreza hatch body with STI styling cues, the Performance-E STI adopts a new, much cleaner look for Subaru’s high-performance arm. As is so often the case with Tokyo debuts, Subaru presented the concept as a styling exercise, and hasn’t revealed power outputs or performance stats for the new model. MORE: Subaru WRX STI hatch returns as aggressive concept, but you won’t be able to buy one The only confirmed details are that the Performance-E STI is fully-electric, and not a hybrid of any ki...

As inflation took an unexpected jump in the September quarter, those dealing with the already high cost of owning a car have been hit harder. Owning a car in Australia is becoming more expensive, and it’s not just down to the cost of buying a new set of wheels – but due to the cost of keeping those wheels on the road. Australian transport costs increased by 1.2 per cent in the three months to September – a significant jump when compared with the previous quarter’s decline of 0.7 per cent – Wednesday’s quarterly Consumer Price Index (CPI) revealed. What is the CPI? For those not bushed-up on their finance news, the CPI is released as a monthly indicator and a complete quarterly report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It is the primary measure of price inflation of consumer goods and services – essentially, the cost of living. As of next month, the complete CPI will be released monthly, and will replace the current monthly indicator and quarterly complete syste...

A new concept from the STI performance division previews a hardcore Toyota GR Corolla competitor… but Subaru says it’s not coming to showrooms. Subaru has previewed a potential return to the hot-hatch segment with the reveal of a new Performance-B concept at the Tokyo motor show this week. But it is strictly a concept, and there are no plans to put the Performance-B – based on the current Impreza hatch – into production, Subaru says. The Performance-B treats the five-door body shell of the latest Impreza hatch to an STI overhaul, with wider wheel arches, a tall fixed rear wing, and an aggressive black bonnet scoop hinting at turbo power under the bonnet. MORE: Subaru teases hot-hatch return, STI electric car as concepts for Tokyo motor show The black plastic accents of the WRX sedan have been skipped in favour of body-coloured accents, plus a new front face distinct from the WRX sedan, with the STI division’s signature cherry pink accents around the grille. A centr...

Although just revealed in Japan, Honda Australia has committed to bringing its diminutive Super-One electric vehicle to local showrooms next year. Honda Australia’s first electric vehicle (EV) will be the just-revealed Super-One micro hatchback, arriving in local showrooms in the second-half of 2026. Measuring “less than 3.6m long and less than 1.6m wide”, according to Honda , the Super-One’s footprint is even smaller than a BYD Atto 1 and Hyundai Inster, and is more in line with the Kia Picanto . And because of its diminutive size, it will become Honda Australia’s most affordable passenger car, undercutting the $49,900 drive-away Civic small car. Exact pricing is still to be confirmed, but given its all-electric powertrain and big-name badge, it could start around $40,000 like the Hyundai Inster . MORE: Honda reveals new Kei electric car with simulated shifter, possibly coming to Australia It has also been confirmed the model will receive a level of local tuning to...

Boxier styling and overhauled technology have been added to the baby of the petrol Hyundai SUV range, but Australia could continue with the current iteration for now. Hyundai has given its smallest petrol-powered SUV – the 2026 Hyundai Venue – a high-tech makeover with technology from the most expensive cars in the Korean brand’s range. However, the new Venue revealed in India in recent days will skip Australia for the time being, in favour of an extended life for the current model in local showrooms since 2019. “As with all new models we will review the business case and suitability for our market, but in this instance there are no plans to launch the India-sourced Venue locally,” a Hyundai spokesperson told Drive . Australian examples of today’s Venue are manufactured in South Korea, and are slightly larger than Indian models, which are compacted to unlock tax benefits for vehicles less than four metres long. MORE: 2026 Hyundai Venue caught on camera before official rev...

Mitsubishi’s fabled off-road SUV is expected to be revived next year, replacing the Triton-based Sport model. Here’s everything we know about the new Pajero. The Mitsubishi Pajero off-road SUV is widely expected to be revived next year, with the current Pajero Sport set for a makeover – and a new name – to compete against fresher rivals.  Expected in local showrooms in the second half of next year, the new-generation SUV will be much needed for Mitsubishi in Australia, as stock of the Pajero Sport is expected to run dry soon.  Here’s everything we know so far about the new 2026 Mitsubishi Pajero , or 2026 Mitsubishi Montero, as it’ll likely be called in other markets. MORE: Nissan discussed sharing 2025 Patrol with Mitsubishi to build new Pajero 2026 Mitsubishi Pajero When will the new Mitsubishi Pajero launch? The new-generation Mitsubishi Pajero off-road SUV is expected to launch in Australia in 2026, pending any delays. Japanese media outlet NHK World...