Plug-in hybrid

Australia’s van segment finally has its first plug-in hybrid: the 2025 Ford Transit Custom PHEV.

GWM to launch brand new 4.0-litre V8 by 2027 despite Australia's increasingly tough emissions laws

Lexus has revealed an all-new ES prototype at the Shanghai auto show, marking the first time the now eighth-generation sedan has been offered with the choice of a battery-electric powertrain.

A Nissan Americas executive has hinted at the future of the brand’s ute and pick-up family becoming much more streamlined.

More information about the upcoming electric sibling to the CX-5 has come from the Chinese joint-venture between Mazda and Changan - take a look inside the EZ-60.The 2025 Mazda EZ-60 SUV is an electric car that looks ready to take on the likes of the Tesla Model Y and XPeng G6, both also built in China. It’s also available as a range-extender, details of which were confirmed last week.Set to be called the Mazda CX-6e for global markets, the EZ-60 was revealed in mid-April but without details of its interior and features, until now.Inside, it seems Mazda has taken the trending approach of minimal physical buttons, instead relying on a huge central touchscreen for multimedia controls and no driver display screen, similar to a Tesla or the Volvo EX30.Instead, driving information is displayed on a head-up display. The screen measures 26.45-inches according to Chinese auto media, with CarNewsChina also reporting the car boasts a 23-speaker sound system with Dolby Atmos.There’s a rear touchscreen for passengers in the second row, a 350-litre boot that expands to 2036 litres with seats folded, and 126 litres of storage under the bonnet in the EV version.On that, the pure-electric version of the EZ-60 is said to be closely related to the EZ-6 sedan underneath, although specifications are yet to be officially confirmed.The range-extender on the other hand will come with a 31.7kWh LFP battery and a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with no mechanical links to the wheels. A 190kW electric motor solely powers the range-extender EZ-60, the engine only charging the battery. The EZ-60 range-extender boasts a claimed 160km electric-only driving range.While the model is intended for markets outside China, more details of its global presence (including a probable European launch) are expected in the future. Mazda Australia has previously indicated interest in bringing any models that might appeal to the local market here where possible, so don’t be surprised if the EZ-60 (as the CX-6e) ends up Down Under if it's made available.

You might not have heard of CATL, but you’ll have heard of the brands its electric car batteries are used in: Toyota, Hyundai, Tesla and plenty of others.

With the eagerly-anticipated Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) finally hitting showrooms in the middle of this year to give the BYD Shark 6 PHEV a run for its money, is that where this level of electrification development stops on the T6.2 platform?

Chinese brand BYD is plotting an SUV and ute-lead takeover of the Australian new-car market, with the carmaker's local executives promising ladder-frame SUVs and even a tougher Shark 6 ute as part of a broad product rollout.

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.

In a rapidly changing new-car market, Australians are increasingly getting to know an array of electric vehicle technologies.