Articles by Stephen Ottley

BYD shook up the ute establishment with the arrival of its ground-breaking plug-in hybrid, the Shark 6. Now it’s looking to target the heartland of the ute audience with its newest addition.The Shark 6 Dynamic is a cab-chassis variant, expanding the appeal of the Chinese-made ute to a more working-class audience, and in particular the lucrative fleet segment.Or at least that’s what the company is hoping for, as the Dynamic joins an expanded Shark 6 line-up that also includes the more powerful Performance variant, which introduces 3.5-tonne towing capacity.Priced from $55,900 plus on-road costs the Dynamic Cab Chassis is the new entry point to the Shark 6 line-up, $2000 cheaper than the existing Premium and $7000 less than the new Performance.It’s powered by the same combination of 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and dual electric motors (one on each axle) as the Premium, which is good for a combined output of 321kW/650Nm. The motors are supported by BYD’s signature Blade battery, a 29.5kWh lithium iron phosphate unit that's the same as the other Shark 6. That’s enough for a claimed driving range of 800km combining the battery and 60-litre fuel tank, with a 100km electric-only range and fuel consumption rated at 2.0L/100km.Interestingly, BYD has opted to limit the new, bigger 2.0-litre engine to the Performance, so the Cab Chassis, despite being the obvious workhorse of the range, is limited to a 2500kg braked towing capacity.Instead of targeting the towing market, BYD is clearly hoping the Dynamic Cab Chassis appeals to those looking for a flexible work solution, which is exactly what fleet buyers want. By offering a Cab Chassis, BYD will be able to target organisations that need a ute but also have specific needs for the tray, such as special toolboxes and other setups.However, if you’re looking for a solution direct from the showroom, BYD has partnered with Ironman 4x4 to develop an approved tray available as an option. It features eight integrated tie-down points and two lockable storage boxes, one of which houses the charging outlet. It measures 1679mm long, 1809mm wide and 259mm in height.BYD hadn’t confirmed the price of this Ironman tray at the time of publication.BYD has also avoided publishing a direct payload figure, only publishing the gross vehicle mass and kerb weight, which suggests a 900kg payload, albeit minus the weight of the tray (which is 150kg) or any other extras. In addition to carrying over the same powertrain as the Shark 6 Premium, the Cab Chassis also has the same suspension setup, double wishbone type front and rear, instead of utilising the more capable leaf-spring rear end suspension favoured by most of its rivals.While this does limit payload, to a degree, it also helps ensure the Shark 6 Dynamic rides with a more SUV-like composure, rather than the busier, more bumpy ride that its rivals can suffer from - especially when unladen.It’s obviously a risk in this highly competitive market, but so was launching a plug-in hybrid ute in the first place, so it makes sense that BYD is sticking to the strategy that has worked so far.It translates to a ute that is quite quiet and pleasant to drive both on-road and off-road, although testing it alongside the new Performance did highlight the extra strength of the new, larger engined model.BYD did add approximately 400kg of payload to the tray for us to sample the ride and performance with some weight in the back. Given the amount of weight, it was entirely surprising that it managed to perform without any noticeable difference. Certainly, for fleet or private buyers needing to carry a few hundred kilos or add big toolboxes or similar to the back of the Shark 6, this new Dynamic variant will be up to the task.It has the same well-finished interior as the Premium, so it doesn’t look or feel like a ‘workhorse’ inside either. It has the same level of space and versatility that has made the Shark 6 a popular choice for so many ute buyers, presumably many with families, so the SUV-like cabin makes it feel family friendly.

Before you get your hopes up… no, despite the name, this isn’t BYD’s answer to the Ford Ranger Raptor. But the new Shark 6 Performance might do something even better than just be quick.This is the brand’s first major update to its ute, coming after it became a sales hit despite paving the way for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) utes. However, while it has cemented itself as one of the top five most popular utes in Australia, it isn’t without its shortcomings.Specifically, the Shark 6 came under fire for its 2500kg towing capacity, when the industry standard is considered 3500kg, and some issues when the going gets slippery off-road. So, BYD has acted swiftly to try and address those criticisms and continue the Shark 6’s sales growth.That’s why the Performance, which sits above the existing Premium variant, has a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, replacing the 1.5-litre version. BYD has also added a more powerful front axle motor (but kept the rear axle motor the same), for a combined system output of 350kW and 700Nm. That’s a 29kW/50Nm improvement over the Shark 6 Premium.While that doesn’t mean it’s much faster, the 0-100km/h sprint now takes 5.5 seconds which is only 0.2 seconds faster than the Premium, but the added torque means the Performance can tow up to 3500kg.Then to tackle the criticisms about its off-road performance, particularly on steep inclines and slippery surfaces, BYD has introduced a new off-road setting to the car’s complex computer, ‘Crawl’ mode.This new setting was developed in Australia, as we are the lead market for the Shark 6, and it goes a long way to rectifying the problems the PHEV ute would have on high angle, slippery surfaces at low speed, where the traction control system would struggle to get you out of a jam.So Crawl mode activates between 0-12km/h and uses the petrol engine to help get over rocks, steep climbs, deep ruts and soft sand.Notably, BYD opted against adding the mechanical locking differential featured in the sister-brand Denza’s B5 and B8 SUVs, which share the same 2.0-litre PHEV powertrain. What there are though, are larger brakes, which helps if you’re towing an extra tonne, and revisions to the suspension, but otherwise changes are limited. Visually the Performance and Premium are the same externally, with the Performance getting a unique steering wheel and steering column-mounted gear selector.Driving the new Shark 6 Performance across a variety of conditions - on-road, off-road and towing - it doesn’t take long to realise why it has become so popular. BYD has had the rare fortune of meeting the market with exactly the right vehicle at exactly the right moment.With the rise of ‘lifestyle’ utes, the fuel efficiency of the Shark 6 Performance - using just 1.3L/100km and with a 80km electric range - combined with its new-found off-road improvements and ability to tow more, will only make it more appealing as diesel prices show no signs of diving anytime soon.On the road, the new engine doesn’t feel dramatically different to the existing 1.5-litre though, so if you are still thinking the badge makes it a sporty, high-performance ute, you will be disappointed. But it did manage to tow well over 2500kg during our test drive, pulling a large caravan without too much effort. Yes, you can feel the engine and motors are working harder to haul so much weight, but it doesn’t feel like it is straining.While we only did a basic towing test, BYD claimed that during local testing they pulled a 3500kg, 25ft caravan and saw a return of 18L/100km.Priced from $62,990 (plus on-road costs) the Performance is a $5000 premium on the Premium, but that will be a small price to pay for those looking for that extra 1000kg of towing capability.

I once attended a car launch where they enlisted the help of one of Australia’s leading designers to tell us that ‘good design requires no explanation’.Which made it awkward when the car company executive then spent 30 minutes explaining the design of the newest model…While it was awkward and undercut the whole point of the design-led presentation, at least it made sense, because it was not a good looking vehicle. And that’s because despite all the concept sketches, clay models and focus groups, sometimes car companies just get it wrong.Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and looks are very subjective, but sometimes you just need to call a spade a spade. And, more importantly, there have been some models that have clearly been impacted by their looks.For example, Ford’s AU Falcon is a cult icon now, but at the time it was released it was widely considered a case-study in getting design wrong. In fact, you can probably trace the decline of the Falcon (and arguably the locally-made large sedans) to the looks of the AU.Another example of design having a major impact on a vehicle’s performance is the divergent fates of the 2011 Mazda BT-50 and Ford Ranger. Both utes feature the same Ford-developed underpinnings, but whereas the Blue Oval went down a design path of ‘boxy, tough, truck’, Mazda went a very different way. It tried to carry across the design ethos of its then-popular CX-7 and CX-9 SUVs, which arguably made sense given the gentrification of utes. But as history has proven, ute buyers prefer boxy, tough and truck-like design. Within a few years Ford had more than doubled Ranger sales, while Mazda had grown only marginally.So, what are some of the other most ‘visually challenging’ vehicles on the market today? Below is our list, but we’d love to know what you think, so let us know in the comments or on social media which new vehicles have a face only its designer could love…Tesla CybertruckThankfully Australia has been spared the sight of the ‘dumpster-on-wheels’ on our roads. Clearly the American electric brand wanted to stand out from the pack when it entered the ute/pickup market. Unfortunately, it stands out the same way you might stand out in a crowd if you wrap yourself head-to-toe in tinfoil.It has become a symbol of Tesla the brand: unorthodox, but not necessarily in a good way.Kia EV4When it comes to Kia the Tasman is the easy whipping boy of the brand. But that would be a cheap shot to hit it again, especially as the design was deliberately created to help the Tasman stand out in a very crowded ute market. It was a swing and a miss.The more unusual car in Kia’s otherwise very attractive line-up, is the EV4. The electric mid-size sedan is the definition of ‘form over function’, shaped by the wind tunnel for maximum aerodynamic efficiency.It works, with the long range models capable of more than 600km of driving on a single charge (according to Kia’s claim), but that doesn't change the fact it is an odd looking vehicle.Mercedes-Benz C-Class EVIt’s not just the mainstream brands that occasionally strike design trouble. The German luxury brand’s latest addition is unlikely to go down as one of the brand’s most iconic creations. Memorable? Yes, just not for the right reasons.The front grille is as subtle as a Las Vegas casino and looks like you crashed into a diamante shop. While the rear has so many three-pointed stars stuffed into the design nobody should be in any doubt that you’re trying to ram down their throats you have a Mercedes-Benz.And then there’s the interior…I know the full-width ‘Hyperscreen’ is an optional extra, but it’s 39.1-inches of technology over-riding classy, sophisticated design.Subaru OutbackSubaru has taken a big gamble on its latest-generation Outback, abandoning its wagon roots for an SUV design… sort of. Actually, what they’ve done is try to splice the two concepts together and the result is neither a good-looking wagon nor a stylish SUV.Instead it looks awkwardly proportioned, with a grille that wouldn’t look out-of-place on a US pickup truck. And the new Wilderness addition only adds more stuff to make it look even more bulky and awkward.Hyundai Santa FeLike I said earlier, design is purely subjective and there’s every chance you disagree with every car I’ve put on this list. I say that with confidence because I don’t think the Santa Fe should be on this list, because I think it’s a fantastic looking SUV.But, ever since it has launched I have had people tell me they think it’s hideous. In particular, the rear-end styling, with the lights mounted too low on the body, seems to be a sticking point.Personally, I love the boxy, almost-Land-Rover-Defender looks, but I can understand why it polarises opinion.And that’s the same story for any car, because everyone sees design strictly through their own eyes. So let us know in the comments what you think are the cars that get it wrong on the styling front.

Australia’s electric vehicle buying frenzy appears to have already subsided.That’s the view of one of Australia’s leading electric vehicle brands, BYD, which says its mix of models has already started to normalise despite the on-going fuel crisis. Sales of EVs jumped in March and April, as the price of petrol and diesel spiked amid conflict in the Middle East.In March EV sales were double what they were in March 2025, jumping to 14.6 per cent of the total market. That figure rose to 16.4 per cent of total sales in April, while searches on CarsGuide classifieds for EVs rose 230 per cent in March. Autotrader reported a 631 per cent jump in people searching for a new EV to buy in March.But the peak of this EV boom may already be behind us according to BYD Australia Chief Operating Officer Stephen Collins, which is telling because the brand only offers EVs and plug-in hybrid (PHEVs).“I'll tell you what we've seen,” explained Collins. “What we saw was that in March there was a big uplift. Our mix went from 50/50 PHEV/EV to 70 per cent EV and 30 per cent PHEV. Definitely March, absolutely. April it started to come off, that mix came off, and the huge spike was coming off, and I would say now is pretty much back to normal.”However, he added that even though the sales split had returned to its previous levels, overall demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles remains high as fuel prices appear unlikely to drop dramatically any time in the near-future. And Collins believes that this is all part of a long-running shift towards EVs and PHEVs.“I think the baseline from where we were in January, February to now is higher. So I think it's been one of those events that has actually changed the momentum. But I don't think it's true that, we're riding on the sort of a . Some people are saying, ‘Yeah, we're riding the wave of this, petrol, fuel crisis thing.’ Yes, there was a short period where it went really strong, but even prior to that, the trajectory was pretty obvious.”BYD has certainly benefitted from the current situation, finishing second on the April sales charts. Its 7702 sales that month put it only behind Toyota for the month, as buyers flocked to its line-up of ‘new energy vehicles’ including the most-affordable EV on sale today, the pint-sized Atto 1.BYD’s biggest EV success story is the Sealion 7, with the mid-size SUV not only the second best-selling EV in the country, behind only the Tesla Model Y, but is also amongst the most popular models in its class - which includes the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Mitsubishi Outlander.As of the end of April sale, BYD was the fifth best-selling car brand in Australia, behind only Toyota, Mazda, Kia and Ford. The brand is aiming to have 30,000 new cars delivered by the end of the financial year, starting with a shipment of 4800 new vehicles aboard the BYD Zhengzhou, a company-owned car carrier due to arrive in Australia at the start of June.

The Audi Q3 195kW quattro is the current flagship of the new range.The 150kW is priced from $81,900 for the SUV and $84,400 for the Sportback and comes with adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery, a 10-speaker sound system as well as adaptive dampers and 19-inch alloy wheels.Powered by a 2.0L turbo-petrol four-cylinder, producing 195kW/400Nm, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with quattro (all-wheel drive), it is the most powerful member of the current Q3 range.But the extra power brings extra fuel consumption, with the 195kW quattro rated at a relatively thirsty 8.1L/100km.Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands.There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions.The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

The Audi Q3 150kW quattro is the mid-range model of the new small SUV range.The 150kW is priced from $70,200 for the SUV and $72,700 for the Sportback and comes with adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery, a 10-speaker sound system as well as adaptive dampers and 19-inch alloy wheels.This model is powered by a 2.0L turbo-petrol four-cylinder, producing 150kW/320Nm. It is paried to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with quattro (all-wheel drive).Fuel economy for the 150kW quattro is a claimed 7.3L/100km.Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands.There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions.The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

The entry-level model in the new-for-2026 Audi Q3 range is now known simply as the 110kW.It is priced from $61,600 for the SUV and $64,600 for the Sportback variant.Standard equipment includes 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, ambient interior lighting, keyless entry and ignition, leather-appointed upholstery and a 10-speaker sound system.It is powered by a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder mild-hybrid, turbocharged petrol engine, which makes 110kW/250Nm and sends all that performance to the road via the front wheels through a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.Fuel economy is rated at 5.8L/100km for the 110kW model.Audi claims this is the safest Q3 ever, with more safety equipment than before to ensure it meets modern customer demands.There’s a 360-degree camera set-up, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and a host of other active safety features. But perhaps more importantly than just having these systems, they are locally tested and calibrated for local conditions.The Q3 is covered by Audi Australia’s standard five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. This includes five-years of roadside assistance too.

Is Toyota becoming the new Holden? And I don’t mean in a good way.The Japanese brand has dominated the Australian market for more than a decade. In 2025 almost one in every five new vehicles sold was a Toyota.So surely the brand can’t be in trouble, right? Surely Toyota is too big to fail? Well, it’s only early but there are some warning signs that the brand won’t find the going quite as easy as it has in recent years.Sales are down more than 20 per cent in the first four months of 2026. Toyota has lost almost five per cent of its market share, down to 15.9 per cent from over 20 per cent at the end of last year.Make no mistake, Toyota is still in a very strong position, comfortably ahead of its nearest rival on the sales charts, but that doesn’t mean there should be any complacency from the brand. As the people that used to work for Holden will no doubt tell you, there are no guarantees in this business and fortunes can suddenly change for even the biggest brand.Holden failed for many reasons, but key amongst them was an over-reliance on the strength of the ‘badge’ and a lack of investment into key products and segments. Management at Holden and General Motors felt they could rely on the popularity of the Commodore and supplement with re-badged Daewoo models, such as the Captiva, Epica, Viva and Barina. Holden seemingly felt that it could offer these sub-par products and Australian customers would accept them because of the Lion badge on the front. That worked, for a time, with Holden sales remaining strong and some of those mentioned models selling in big numbers.But eventually word spread that these were not good quality products, on par with what people felt Holden had offered in the past. And so Holden customers or would-be customers went looking for alternatives.In many cases that alternative was likely a Toyota, be it a HiLux, RAV4, Prado, Camry or any of the other popular models the brand has.I’m not suggesting that Toyota’s current line-up is on the same level as the rebadged Daewoo models Holden sold, but there has been a trend to recent Toyotas and that’s ‘facelifted’ or ‘updated’ models, rather than all-new vehicles.The prime example of this is the new RAV4, which is an update of the previous model, but has a less powerful hybrid engine, which now requires more expensive premium unleaded petrol for only marginal fuel economy improvements.The same goes for the HiLux, the beloved ute skipped the newer TNGA-F underpinnings used by the Prado and Tundra and instead still sits atop the same basic architecture that dates back to the mid-2000s.In some respects it’s easy to understand why Toyota is taking this ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach. Both the RAV4 and HiLux are amongst the most popular cars in the country, so why radically change them? Especially when Toyota needs to invest billions into new technology under its ‘multi-pathway’ strategy for future models.But when you look at the latest sales data, there is a distinct possibility Toyota is losing ground to rival brands because it isn’t making new cars that are as compelling as before.Sales of some of Toyota’s key models are down significantly so far this year. The Corolla is down 17.7%, the Yaris Cross has slumped 29%, Prado sales have plummeted by more than 40%, the Kluger is down 20.1%, plus the RAV4 is down 57% (albeit during the handover to the new model), and even the HiLux is down 11.1%, with a new model arriving at the end of 2025 with a limited line-up that has now expanded. Even the seemingly permanent sales success of the 70 Series LandCruiser has taken a dive, down 52.7 per cent in 2026, following a 13.6 per cent decline last year.Holden invested heavily in the VE/VF Commodores and it still wasn’t enough to keep the buyers coming back. If Toyota isn’t careful, its strategy of evolutionary improvement may end up costing it dearly.Looking further at the sales data there are several notable brands on the rise. BYD has more than doubled its market share in the first fourth months of 2026 compared to 2025. Chery has almost doubled its share over the same period and GWM has improved as well.In short, the talk from some of these new Chinese brands that they want to take on Toyota is starting to look less and less like bravado and more reasonable. At the same time Toyota sales are in decline, BYD sales are up 110.8 per cent, led by the popularity of its all-electric Sealion 7 SUV and backed up by the on-going sales strength of the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute as well as an expanding line-up of hybrid and electric vehicles at highly-competitive prices.As we have written before, the Chinese brands have taken a page from the Japanese and South Korean brands that came before and are offering some of the most-affordable new cars on the market to lure buyers into the brand, potentially creating return customers in the future.It is clear that the likes of BYD, GWM and Chery have Toyota in their sights and are doing what they can to close the gap. Much in the same way Toyota targeted Holden and eventually ended its reign.Toyota is certainly in no danger of collapsing like Holden did, and it has the tools it needs to reverse its sales skid, but it must act. Relying on past success for future success is no plan and some bigger risks might be required to stay ahead of the pack.

Audi wants to have it both ways. The German brand is planning to expand its new Q3 range with both a flagship, high-performance RSQ3 and a more frugal, budget-helping plug-in hybrid.Speaking at the launch of the new Q3 range, which is rolling out with 110kW, 150kW and 195kW variants initially, Audi Australia management have made it clear that more options are on the way.Officially Audi hasn’t confirmed plans for an RSQ3, but Matthew Dale, National Product Manager for Audi Australia, leaves no uncertainty what the local position would be when plans are announced.“ We'd love one tomorrow,” he told CarsGuide. “Definitely put our hand up for one.”While Audi is almost-certain to revive the RS badge for this latest generation Q3, exactly what form that takes remains to be seen. The previous generation was powered by the brand’s iconic five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, but Europe’s strict emissions laws have put its future in doubt. That means Audi is likely having to develop a new powertrain for the RSQ3, which will need to balance performance with efficiency and emissions requirements both in Europe and around the world.Given the RS model accounted for up to 15 per cent of total Q3 sales in Australia with the previous generation, the local demand is expected to be high - five-cylinder engine or not. So the most likely scenario is Audi Australia is simply waiting for head office to confirm its existence and timeline before committing publicly.On the flip side, the finishing touches are being made to the arrival of the all-new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant of the Q3. Its omission was obvious, as the new Q3 launches at a time of sky-high petrol prices and an increased demand for electric vehicles.Officially the Q3 PHEV is under ‘evaluation’ but all signs point to its arrival in the not-too-distant future.“ The main reason for that is, obviously, the latest generation Q3 we locked in all of our ICE models,” Dale said. “We just want to make sure that, one, the product that's available in Europe is fit for the Australian market and Australian consumer. Two, it's been tested for Australian conditions as well. And three, it’s the latest generation of the product. So it's close to getting to the end of its evaluation and getting a decision, but we just want to make sure that all three of those areas are ticked prior to bringing a product to market.”Asked if he foresees any of these issues holding the PHEV back, Dale was confident the latest model, which reportedly boasts up to 100km of EV-only driving range, will be a good fit for Audi Australia. “No, the big thing is that space is moving so, so quickly with, say, battery technology,” he explained. “Not necessarily the hardware components of the actual PHEV itself, but with battery technology, it's moving so, so fast, and that's something that we've obviously shown in, say, A5 and Q5, is the latest generation products. We've moved from having, say, 30-40km range in a battery pack that is essentially the same size as today, up to closer to 80km of pure EV range. And that shows that, we're using the same hardware size, but the hardware inside and the software has been increased exponentially over that period of time to offer the latest products to Australian consumers, and I think that's where we're looking into to ensure that if we position a vehicle in the market, that we're bringing the latest product to Australia.”The addition of a Q3 PHEV would help expand the appeal of the popular small SUV to people looking to save money at the petrol pump. The recent surge in fuel prices has seen interest in EVs dramatically increase, which is good news for Audi, as it was one of the first luxury brands to make a major commitment to EVs.“ Definitely ,” Dale said. “We've seen, even through our dealer network and our partners that invest in our Audi dealerships, they're basically saying that just inquiry on electric vehicles alone has been astronomical and it's doing quite well. Hopefully we continue that momentum. But yeah, you can see based on, consumables like fuel prices and things like that, where the consumer pivots to alternative solutions and with our broad portfolio of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles as well, even mild hybrid pluses and mild hybrids that we've got in this car as well, there's quite a broad range of products where consumers can pivot and have broader options.”

The new, third-generation Audi Q3 arrives with big expectations. It’s the best-selling model for the German brand in Australia, so it needs to retain all the elements that have made it a sales hit while trying to expand its appeal. We drive the new Q3 110kW, 150kW and 195kW models to see if Audi has done enough to keep its small SUV ahead of rivals from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo and more.