Carseekers news
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The brutal Chinese price war that handed Australian buyers cut-price EVs and SUVs is running out of road. Margins have collapsed, raw materials are climbing, and the rivers of discounting are slowing. The next 12 months will look very different on the showroom floor.
Toyota has forecast its third consecutive year of declining profits, citing US tariffs and Middle East conflict. The world's biggest automaker is restructuring at the same time, and Australian buyers of the HiLux, RAV4 and LandCruiser should understand what this means for pricing and supply.
The 2026 Federal Budget keeps the EV FBT exemption alive for now but signals a phased wind-back from April 2027, starting with cars over $75,000. Buyers chasing the novated lease tax break need to act inside the next 11 months. Here is what changed, when, and what to do.
The Mazda 3 is heading into its eighth year on sale with no styling refresh, despite a 2027 update for Europe. New safety tech and smarter headlights are coming. Australian arrival is expected late 2026, and current pricing of $31,610 to $43,610 before on-roads is unlikely to drop. Here is what to know before buying one in 2026.
GWM is swapping the slow-selling Haval H7 for a fresh seven-seat PHEV based on the Chinese-market Menglong. The 2027 H7 Plus brings 140km of EV-only range, all-wheel drive and Hi4 plug-in tech. Expect a $60,000-plus starting price and a direct fight with the BYD Sealion 8 PHEV, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Kia Sorento PHEV.
After 12 years on sale, the Mazda CX-3 is getting a clean-sheet replacement. Mazda has confirmed a 2027 launch from its Thai factory, almost certainly with hybrid power. Australian arrival is on the cards by late 2027. Here is what buyers waiting for the new model need to know.
Kia has taken the cleaver to its struggling Tasman. The flagship X-Pro is now $64,990 drive-away, putting the most loaded variant at the price of a base Ford Ranger V6. With only 320 Tasmans sold last month against 3,661 Rangers and 2,835 HiLuxes, this is Kia waving the white flag on first-year pricing.
Subaru has trimmed up to $4,000 from its electric Solterra and Trailseeker line-up in the second cut of the past six months, finally matching the Toyota bZ4X on price. The move lands the same day the smaller Uncharted opened for orders. Here is the new pricing and what existing owners can do.
Subaru's smallest, cheapest EV is here. The 2026 Uncharted opens at $59,990 before on-roads with 522km of WLTP range, dual-motor AWD and a 30 minute fast charge. But it's still a Toyota underneath, the dealer network is still small, and the price puts it square in the middle of a brutal compact EV fight.
Renault has confirmed Duster 4x4 manual demand in Australia is outstripping supply, with the brand unable to lock in enough production. The boxy budget small SUV is pulling adventurous buyers cross-shopping the Suzuki Jimny. Just 62 Dusters were sold last month but the order book is climbing. Here is the full picture.
BYD is reportedly preparing to launch a plug-in hybrid version of the Atto 2 in Australia. UK pricing suggests it could land under $30,000 before on-roads, making it the cheapest PHEV in the Australian small SUV segment by some distance.
BYD has been cleared by Australian regulators to launch the M9 plug-in hybrid people mover, with showrooms slated to receive the seven-seater by year-end. It will go after Kia Carnival hybrid buyers.