Articles by Chris Thompson

The Yangwang U9, you know, that wicked Chinese supercar that you’ve likely seen pop up (literally, it can hop) on TikTok or Instagram here and there — has just gotten a little bit more extreme.

Yes, the Mazda CX-3 is still around after more than a decade since its reveal, and it remains almost at the tippy-top of Mazda’s local sales charts. We’ve grabbed a CX-3 Evolve, the second-up of four available variants, to see if the popular light SUV still stacks up.

The Leapmotor C10 may be getting yet another new variant, with a high-powered all-wheel-drive version announced by parent company Stellantis.

Ford is reportedly delaying production of successors to electric versions of its F-150 and Transit as the Blue Oval looks to focus on smaller, more affordable electric cars.

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are on the up in Australia as evidenced by Chinese brands bringing in models like the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo Super Hybrid, as well as the MG HS Super Hybrid.This means Mitsubishi’s once-unassailable dominance in this area is being challenged.Now, a new brand (to Australia at least) is bringing its “cutting-edge” PHEV system in the form of the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i.Geely has already launched the electric EX5 mid-size SUV in Australia, but now it has a plug-in hybrid sibling which aims to jump in on the rising popularity of the drivetrain tech.The Starray EM-i is set to show up locally in the fourth quarter of 2025 and will be the debut of Geely’s EM-i (standing for E-Motive Intelligence) PHEV tech.Its engine, a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine (73kW/125Nm) is the product of Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Geely and Renault. Interestingly, the engine was designed from scratch to be a hybrid-assisted engine.Its thermal efficiency of up to 46.5 per cent is ahead of the standard curve for a car engine (typically below 40 per cent). Its claimed 98.02 per cent electric motor efficiency and 98.8 per cent transmission efficiency are also hard to fault.The 160kW/262Nm electric motor joins the engine for a total system output of 193kW. Power in the Starray EM-i is sent to the front wheels only.The electric motor can drive the wheels independently or with the help of the engine. It’ll also come with vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability to use its battery to power appliances.Geely claims an electric driving range of 83km (under WLTP testing, which is more realistic than often-used NEDC testing) and a total combined range of up to 943km.The Chinese carmaker also says the Starray EM-i’s combined fuel consumption lands at 2.4L/100km under WLTP testing.

The Subaru Forester Touring is the top-spec Forster, with the mid-size SUV available in petrol and hybrid options at this level.

Another breadcrumb has been added to the trail of rumours that the Subaru Brumby could make a return.

The Subaru Forester Sport is a mid-spec variant of the mid-size SUV that adds visual extras and more features in petrol and hybrid versions.

The Subaru Forester Premium is a specific variant that adds a small number of extra features to the base Forester AWD, but isn’t available with a hybrid drivetrain unlike the rest of the line-up.

With small SUVs becoming more and more prominent, Suzuki is bringing a new sub-$30K hybrid light SUV to the market - the Fronx. We’ve jumped in for a quick spin at its Australian launch to find out.