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READ MORE: Omoda and Jaecoo the latest new Chinese brands to take on BYD and GWM READ MORE: IM Motors locked in for Australian arrival as MG’s luxury arm READ MORE: Hating on Chinese EVs? It’s fabulous, but will anyone buy a $135,000 Chinese MPV? Bloody hell. The Zeekr 009 is on sale in Australia.
However, bear in mind both cruising range figures were based on the lenient Chinese CLTC test cycle, so WLTP ratings will be lower when they come to Australia. The boxy four-seat electric SUV packs plenty of high-tech hardware beneath its retro styling, including a 15.4-inch 2025 iCar V23. 2025 iCar V23. Not a production model.
MG brand manager Chen Chui confirmed the new MG4 will be the first mass-produced EV to feature the new tech that was previously limited to only few premium or luxury Chinese EVs. The post New MG4 to feature BYD-crushing battery tech: Incoming cheapChinese small car will include semi-solid-state batteries that even luxury cars don’t yet get!
The news that the Fronx – the name combines Frontier and Crossover with ‘X’ symbolising the latter word – is only a few months away has been accompanied by Suzuki Australia confirmation the facelifted version of its 10-year-old Vitara small SUV will be delayed. 2026 Suzuki Vitara. 2026 Suzuki Fronx.
As the Chinese flood our market with cheap small SUVs, it’s clear legacy brands like Kia simply can’t match them on price. Say you don’t need a larger electric SUV. Maybe, like me, you have only two kids and realise you can survive with a small SUV or hatchback. How can it compete? But hang on.
Is Haval soon to reveal a full electric small/medium SUV ready to challenge Chinese EV cheapies like the BYD Atto 3, Geely EX5, MG S5 EV and Chery Omoda E5? On our recent Shanghai visit, GWM teased this cheeky powder blue number with Haval New SUV plates. GWM Haval Aussie three-row SUV solution emerges READ MORE: Ute Wars!
and rival the current crop of cheapChinese EVs including the cut-price BYD Dolphin and MG4 as well as the inbound European Renault Twingo EV, the new baby VW EV has been confirmed for price that will kick-off at around 20,000 ($A33,000). Still to be confirmed for the cheap VW EV is its name. 2027 Volkswagen ID.1
MG is promising a big step forward via plug-in hybrid technology developed specifically for Australia when the PHEV version of the HS medium SUV arrives in Australia later this year. READ MORE: MG-owned IM Motors locked-in for Australia in 2025 with IM5 electric saloon and IM6 SUV READ MORE: Its not the new MG4! seconds 0-100km/h time.
In the old days (last year), the MG ZS compact SUV was cheap and cheerful rental fleet fodder, but now its meant to be something that appeals beyond its price. It’s not much of a defence, but MG is not alone among the Chinese brands in requiring early retunes of new models. MG ZS Hybrid+ Excite. MG ZS Hybrid+ Excite.
Leapmotor is a box fresh Chinese brand on our shores, marketed by auto giant Stellantis (Jeep, Peugeot, RAM, etc.), and lands with the C10 medium SUV. But does its cheap price – from $45,888 before on-roads – equate to decent value? Made all the more impressive as this Leapmotor feels like a big and heavy SUV.
But Hyundai is here to allay your fears, with the Kona small SUVs range a sizeable 449km, but just as importantly, trustworthy too. The MG4 is the best electric product from the Chinese brand, and if youre interested, its hard to advise against buying a brand new Excite 51 version at $34,990 drive-away.
READ MORE: Volkswagen switches strategy to embrace range-extender hybrids to keep pace with its Chinese rivals READ MORE: EVERY1’s a winner: 2027 Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 previews the cheap, chic baby EV built to beat the BYD Dolphin, MG4 and GWM Ora READ MORE: Another cheap VW EV confirmed! Affordable Volkswagen ID.
2025 Mercedes-Benz G580 price and equipment Such EV extravagance doesnt come cheap, with the price of the G580 kicking off at $249,900 plus on-road costs (there’s also an Edition One model for $299,900 with various styling enhancements). For a car with some stratospheric price tags the G-Wagen is a popular beast!
The battery tech was clever, and Tesla certainly did a lot of things differently, but I thought it felt cheap inside, rode far too harshly, and the steering felt like a video game dialled all the way up to its most sensitive setting. It says it has SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe in its sights. Score: 3.7/5 Score: 3.7/5
From $64,990 before on-roads, or $67,990 plus charges for our range-topping Tribe Edition, the Formentor VZe medium SUV plays in the Tesla Model Y ballpark. Not many new cars today attract comments from total strangers, but the Formentor somehow manages to stand out among the plague of SUVs. Day 1: Handsome chap, arent you?
Can the 2026 Honda-Nissan-Mitsubishi merger finally get Japan competitive against Tesla and the Chinese? READ MORE: You can forget a cheap Japanese electric car in Australia: Red-tape ends Mitsubishis dream of sub-$30K eK SUV READ MORE: Electric HiLux incoming! READ MORE: EV fightback!
Suzuki’s renowned for affordable, simple, and small-engined compact cars and SUVs. They’re typically quite fuel efficient and not very CO2 polluting due to their size – it has no performance model nor large, hyper-polluting big SUV or diesel ute in its range. price) from Japan stack up,” he said.
Hyundai’s cheapest EV, the Inster , isn’t at cheap as some. READ MORE: With no rear airbags the new Hyundai Inster is unlikely to get a four-star ANCAP rating READ MORE: Hyundai Inster priced: It’s the cheapest non-Chinese EV you can buy in Australia today, but still $10K more than a BYD Dolphin READ MORE: EV switch!
The new addition to MG’s mid-sized SUV model is more expensive than petrol-only models, but with claimed EV range of 120km it promises running costs savings as a tempter. Now it never quite felt that hearty, but there’s certainly more than most family SUVs will pump out. And, of course, you’ve got petrol beyond that. litres per 100km.
But if everyone is arming up with SUVs, then I’ll just have to go even bigger with my own double decker bus. more… The post A Chinese electric double decker bus for less than a cheap electric car? With car bloat so prevalent on US roads these days, you’d be hard pressed to find a compact car in any typical parking lot.
Behold, the Chinese electric knock-off of a G-Wagon! more… The post This hilarious electric Chinese knock-off of a Mercedes G-Class SUV is suspiciously cheap appeared first on Electrek. But if you have neither money nor time off-road, then I’ve got a quirky little alternative for you.
Incoming Chinese premium electric brand Zeekr has confirmed its intention to bring the new 7X T esla Model Y fighter to Australia. China’s Zeekr previews yet another electric medium SUV rival for the Tesla Model Y “It’s one of the vehicle’s we’re looking to bring in. 2025 Zeekr 7X SUV. 2025 Zeekr 7X SUV.
The Seres 3 SUV. It’s a Hyundai Kona-sized small SUV with a 120kW/300Nm single electric motor up front, 52kWh (useable) battery, 18kWh/100km energy use and a claimed 329km range (WLTP). Seres is a subsidiary of Chinese auto giant Dongfeng, and the Seres 3 has sold in China as the Fengon E3 since 2019.
During the late innings of the ICE-age (as in the Internal Combustion Engine age) it has become clear that feeding gasoline and diesel to the next billion new cars is not going to be easy, or cheap. If you drive an SUV in Southern California those miles cost over 30 cents each.). At that price, California miles are 16 cents each.
The next stage in BYD’s plan for Australia’s electric vehicle market has been unveiled in Germany overnight, with the European debut of the BYD Seal U giving us our best look yet at the Chinese brand’s new mid-size SUV. 2024 BYD Seal U electric SUV appears as Australian launch looms appeared first on EV Central.
Just days after Volkswagen said it would go it alone and produce its cheap €20,000 ($A32,500) EV without any help, Renault has announced that it has already found a new Chinese partner to help it create its low-cost Renault Twingo. Before then, Renault will launch the larger R5 hatch later this year, followed by the R4 SUV in 2025.
The Volkswagen Group has announced it is ready to cash in on its substantial US$5.8 ($A8.9b) billion joint venture with electric car disruptor Rivian by inviting the US SUV and truck maker to help develop its all-new Mk 9 Volkswagen Golf. 2026 Rivian R2 electric SUV. READ MORE: 2025 Volkswagen ID.3
Delightfully and quirkily styled, good value and with excellent passenger space, it stood out like a shining, extrovert beacon next to the sea of homogenised, vanilla small SUVs. With that horror show of a Blue Oval mini SUV trouncing the Soul’s 485 sales that year, no wonder Kia Australia pulled it after a decade of trying.
The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 three-row electric SUV has been launched in the US ahead of its debut Down Under around June next year. long large six- and seven-seat SUV is expected to be priced from $100,000 for the most basic versions. When it lands, the Ioniq 9 might be Hyundai’s most ambitious car ever to be launched locally.
According to the official VFACTS figures, there were 3330 examples of the battery electric SUV sold in Australia last month. It is also a big reason the popularity of Chinese-made cars is exploding in Australia, as both the Model 3 and Model Y are made in Shanghai. Tesla’s tally is obviously the key to the 385.4
seconds, while the big battery provides for a Chinese CLTC-verified 630km range. As well as the Z9, Denza also sells the D9 people mover and the N7 and N8 SUVs in China, with all three a possibility for our market. That’s enough for a 0-100km/h launch of just 3.4 litre turbo and smaller 38.5kWh battery to produce 640kW.
READ MORE: Light speed: Honda next-gen 0 Series electric cars preview F1 tech that will give it the edge over its cheaper Chinese rivals READ MORE: Will it be a Hossan or Ninda? Sharing costs would drive up profit, enabling it to compete on a level-footing with the likes of both Tesla and the looming threat of Chinese car-makers such as BYD.
During a call with Deutsche Bank, Travis Axelrod, Tesla’s head of investor relations, announced to the car-maker’s backers that the new cheap EV would be priced from less than $US30,000 ($46,500) and could possibly even cost less than $US25,000 ($38,800). It is believed to be undergoing development under the Redwood codename.
Fresh from its assault on Australia’s entry-level EV space, a new wave of Chinese manufacturers will now attack more premium players, placing a target on the back of brands like BMW, Audi and Lexus. A new wave of Chinese manufacturers is coming, and they might just change the premium landscape in Australia.
Emerging electric car brand Zeekr has revealed yet another Chinese Tesla Model Y rival and it is almost certain to come to Australia. Zeekr is the latest upmarket electric brand from China’s giant Geely group and it launches within months in Australia with the Zeekr X compact SUV and 009 people-mover. 2025 Zeekr X. 2025 Zeekr X.
Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares has pledged that Jeep’s affordable all-electric SUV will be priced from less than US$25,000 ($A37,500) in the USA – almost US$19,000 less than the cheapest Tesla Model Y. Some suggestions are that it might even sit at the lower end of the mid-size SUV category, making it almost Cherokee-sized.
Retro Renault 17 Electric is proof the French brand is cooking up fast, fun and stylish EVs READ MORE: Cheap as frites: Renault Megane E-Tech adopts cheaper pricing in bid to turnaround Aussie fortunes READ MORE: Twingo is GO! The Paris show car, meanwhile, isn’t expected to drastically differ from the well-received 2023 Twingo concept.
Kia has unveiled its EV3 compact SUV ahead of a confirmed Australian arrival in 2025. READ MORE: Tesla Model 3 slashed to just $54,900 plus on-roads READ MORE: Volvo EX30 review: $59,990 small SUV EV full Australian test READ MORE: Kia to launch 15 new EVs in the next three years What are the Kia EV3’s vitals?
Chinese-owned MG is hatching a cheaper sibling to its current all-electric MG 4 that will share tech but be priced from less than €20,000 ($33,000) when it makes its debut in 2025. Also in the pipeline is an all-electric ZS SUV and an MG 4-based wagon. READ MORE: Park that Toyota Yaris! The post Below $30,000!
We think that in order to be a big player in the Chinese market we need both offers—high spec, low spec, higher price, lower price—because I believe that the support that the Chinese government is giving to electric cars is going to continue and it’s going to be stronger. —Carlos Ghosn. We are not selling it and it’s a problem.
The collection includes two compact cars from the Volkswagen and Cupra brands and two small SUVS from VW and Skoda. The under-€20K BEV is designed for the European market as Asian automakers, like China, flood the market with cheap electric vehicles. The Chinese EV could help BYD dominate Europe.
A Chinese maker of inexpensive TVs you’ll find at Walmart or on Amazon is launching a new family hatchback EV designed to rival the VW ID.3, A host of Chinese brands that you’ve likely never heard of have been unveiling new EVs at this week’s Paris auto show – which has made a big comeback this year after a major lull post-COVID.
Bloomberg recently reported more deeply on the project, noting that The Blue Oval may be planning up to three new electric models on the new architecture, including a compact SUV and a small pickup truck. However, the threat of China flooding the market with cheap electric models is too frightening to ignore.
Hyundai has confirmed its electric Inster city SUV is coming to Australia in early 2025, with a likely sub-$40,000 price tag. Unveiled today at Korea’s Busan International Mobility Show, the funky five-door four-seat baby SUV is offered with either a 42kWh 305km-range or 49kWh 355km-range battery option. The post Look out MG, BYD, Ora!
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