Articles by Stephen Ottley

What price do you put on style? If you’re Hyundai, it’s $39,000 (plus on-road costs), which is the starting price of its all-new Inster compact electric vehicle.But while that makes it more expensive than its direct competitors, Hyundai’s global design boss has said that’s a cost the company must pay.SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Centre, explained that while the brand could have decided to make the Inster cheaper, the priority was to create a lasting first impression to the Hyundai brand for new buyers it hopes to attract.“ This is our challenge,” Lee told CarsGuide. “But at the same time, when it comes to EV of the Year, Inster, that is the gateway car for first-time users, and a lot of young Gen Z players buying this car. So for me, the entry-level car, the first car is so important because a gateway for our product. So we just want to make sure it has a lot of character.”He said the recently revealed Insteroid concept car is an extension of this design philosophy, playing with the idea of fun and youthful design that will try to speak to a new generation of customers - rather than making the cheapest, most-affordable model possible - even if it means standing out from other models in the Hyundai line-up.“Sometimes when you look at it, you have a smile on your face. And then you see in the Insteroid that is our video game car, it's all about ,” Lee explained.“When you look at it, you have a smile on your face. So you don't have to have exactly the same face as Palisade to the Inster. So this is all about, we have to really target our customers. And at the end of it, I must say there's nothing wrong with what other brands do versus what we are doing and the customer will make a decision.  I really believe this is the customer’s decision.”With its $39,000 starting price the Inster is notably more expensive than its nearest rivals, which all happen to be from relatively new Chinese car brands. The BYD Dolphin starts at $29,990 (plus on-road costs), the GWM Ora costs $35,990 drive-away and the MG4 is priced from $37,990 (plus on-road costs).Despite the cheaper prices, Lee has nothing but compliments for his Chinese rivals, but stressed Hyundai has different priorities as a more established carmaker, particularly when it comes to longevity of design and vehicle reliability.“I have a huge respect for Chinese brands because in such a short amount of time, they challenge a lot,” the Hyundai design boss said. “But we are a traditional OEM and we also are taking care of our customers on the fundamental side of it, most important safety."I mean, of course you love to have karaoke inside of a car and everything together, but a car is a form of transportation. You travel with your family, the safety is something you cannot compromise and therefore the usability and all the things, et cetera. And then we are actually adding the value. For the high techs and also connected and everything together. And so this is actually a bit of the priority difference, I would say.“But once again, that’s okay, this is our philosophy, which we believe is a very important philosophy, a customer able to choose at the end of it. Because for me, a brand-new car is cool, but cars on the street are even more important because I see the value of the car when the car has been out there at least five years and parked on the street."Is the car still stable? Is the car still easy to use and doesn't get dated soon? I think those are the very important factors when you design a car.”Fresh from claiming the title of EV of the Year at the World Car of the Year Awards, the Inster is due to launch in Australia by the middle of the year.

Genesis is finally ready to join the big names in the luxury car market, confirming plans to launch its first-ever sports coupe.

From sales darling to sales flop - Tesla is in trouble. The American electric brand needs to turn its fortunes around and hopes this updated Model Y can do it.We sample the refreshed electric SUV to find out if it can lift the brand out of its slump and back to its glory days.

Can you have too much of a good thing? Australians love utes and in recent years we’ve seen more and more brands look to capitalise on that, but it may not be a case of the more the merrier.

Hyundai Australia may still be waiting for a ute, but it just got the next best thing - a rugged, Toyota LandCruiser-rivaling SUV.Unveiled overnight at the 2025 New York International Auto Show, the Hyundai Palisade XRT Pro is the most off-road capable model the South Korean brand has ever offered in Australia. Due to launch locally in early 2026 as a fully-fledged member of the new Palisade line-up (rather than an option pack like the Santa Fe XRT), this new model features a raft of off-road-focused enhancements.There’s a unique grille, with a unique lower bumper that incorporates twin, chassis-mounted tow hooks, as well as creating more ground clearance for an improved approach angle of 20.5-degrees. New side skirts and a similar treatment to the rear bumper improve the departure and breakover angles to 22.4 and 18.3 degrees, respectively. Underneath there is a new XRT Pro-exclusive rear electronic limited-slip differential for better off-road capability as well as downhill brake control and new terrain modes for mud, sand and snow. There’s also real-time pitch and roll, compass and elevation displays and a new camera at the front to provide a clear view of the road ahead when you’re off-road and can’t see over the bonnet.However, aside from a ride height increase, to give the Palisade XRT Pro 213mm of ground clearance, the suspension is unchanged from the rest of the Palisade range. This is also partly helped by the new all-terrain tyres that wrap around the 18-inch off-road styled alloy wheels.Under the bonnet the XRT Pro is exclusively available with a 214kW/252Nm 3.5-litre V6 naturally aspirated petrol engine. This is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and Hyundai’s all-wheel-drive system.Speaking at the New York reveal, Olabisi Boyle, Senior Vice President of Product Planning and Mobility Strategy for Hyundai Motor North America, explained the reasoning that went into developing the XRT Pro."The 2026 Palisade XRT Pro is for people doing it all - raising families, chasing goals, showing up every day,” Boyle said.“We built this SUV by putting people first - thinking about real lives, real needs. It’s got space for your crew, capability when the road gets rough, and the kind of comfort, style, and efficiency that proves luxury doesn’t have to come with a luxury price.“We wanted to deliver a vehicle where affordability can meet lifestyle - no matter where off-road you want to go."Hyundai Australia has confirmed other versions of the new Palisade will go on sale in late 2025, starting with the new 192kW hybrid powertrain variant. The XRT Pro will follow soon after, in early 2026, with pricing and final specifications expected to be announced closer to them going on sale.

Genesis has unveiled its boldest concept yet, the X Gran Equator, an off-road focused SUV that could put the brand in direct competition with Range Rover.

Lamborghini has dismissed the potential sales threats posed by the likes of BYD and its Yangwang U9 electric supercar, despite the Chinese car industry shaking up the global established order.Speaking to Australian media at the local unveiling of the V8-hybrid Temerario supercar, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said he doesn’t see all-electric supercars as a serious challenge as they offer too many compromises.Which is why the Temerario and its bigger sibling, the V12 plug-in hybrid Revuelto, are both hybridised rather than opting for potentially more powerful electric motors. Winkelmann believes buyers are attracted to more than just pure power figures.“ No, we always said that the pure electric supercar are not here to be successful,” Winkelmann said. “Some already admitted it, and they're putting them out of the market, they're still trying to sell some, but it's not going to fly because of a lot of issues.“It's the brand, it's the residual value, it's the missing sound, a lot of things. But at the end of the day, what you want is something which is real.”Winkelmann is also confident that Lamborghini’s brand image and reputation crosses over boundaries and through generations, giving a truly global appeal and an especially strong one in the lucrative Chinese market. He made it clear this is no accident, and the Raging Bull brand is carefully curating its image and the next generation of buyers using all the latest technology and apps.“Yes, I hope it's like this because we are also very into social media now,” he said. “We have Instagram, TikTok, we are in the best position. So we have a lot of kids now which are loving us, and not only people which are having a driving license, but also the majority will never have the opportunity to own a Lamborghini."It's also important for us not only to have a, let's say, a good base for the next buyers, but also to have always thumbs up when a Lamborghini passes by now, which is easy to say, but you have to always be ahead of the wave.“You never know what is going to happen. So to have a large crowd of fan community is important and this is a huge difference of our type of luxury business. If you compare it with watches or with accessories or fashion. No, there is not this emotion. Sometimes yes, but mostly not.”However, how Lamborghini integrates this level of emotional appeal into its already-announced first electric car, a 2+2 GT car to join the Revuelto, Temerario and Urus, remains to be seen. When quizzed about the possibility of artificial engine noises for the electric Lamborghini, Winkelmann admitted he wasn’t a fan of this concept, but said there is a lot of research going on behind-the-scenes.“For sure,  we will have the sound of silence,” he said. “So one of the things which are also important when you have an electric car is - I don't know if a GT 2+2 car is a different car than Revuelto - so it's important that you have at least the opportunity when you're on the phone or when you are speaking to somebody who is next to you, that you can also enjoy this part.“For sure, on the sound level, we have to make a clear decision. I am personally against a fake internal combustion engine sound. But I don't know today what it is going to be. We heard a lot of things… So amplifying what is there as a sound but it has to be done in the right way. This is pretty complex.”On the topic of an artificial transmission, Winkelmann was more receptive, indicating that if done the right way, such a system could be way to make its EV exciting and emotional to owners.“We are evaluating a lot of things, but this could be an opportunity to make a car very emotional now,” he said. “Because at the same time it’s recuperating energy and also slowing down, so this is like shifting down. You can explain it also in a different way. And this is the positive thing.”Lamborghini has pushed back plans to launch its electric GT by 2026 until at least 2027, as demand for EVs has not grown at the expected rate. Winkelmann also confirmed that plans to make the next-generation Urus all-electric have been shelved in favour of a plug-in hybrid future for the SUV.

Chinese newcomer Chery has admitted it has work to do fine-tuning its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for the Australian market.

Could the Australian car industry have been saved?

Chery won’t follow the lead of Hyundai, Kia and now GWM and hire local expertise to make its cars better suited to Australian tastes and conditions.