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I recently sat is a number of new EVs at dealers and shows, and test drove one - more soon hopefully. I am tall from seat to top of head.
You may want to visit the sellers' pages in a browser you don't use for farcebook. Try: Brave, and/or use the F.B. Purity browser plug in on the browser you use FB in, to "bust the fluff" (ads, "sponsored content", and other junk): https://www.fbpurity.com/. Despite this, you get ads on the app for car sites you visit on your PC.
Any range is the more accurate Global WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) system, but remember pushing a brick-like SUV through air at at highway speeds will reduce this number somewhat, be it petrol, DIEsel, gaseous fuels, or electric. As well as a number of km, economy can also expressed in a number of kWh per 100km, or Wh per km.
The alternative is the less realistic NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). The China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle (CLTC) relies heavily on regenerative braking in a simulation of dense urban traffic to generate even more inflated figures. The US's EPA uses the bizarre miles per gallon gasoline equivalent, mpg-e or MPGe, with any total range figures likely lower than WLTP.
All prices are rural NSW delivered with private use registration unless noted. While registration for business use is higher, the seller may provide "ABN-holder" pricing. Religious agencies and local and other government may get GST rebates. Most states have primary producer concessions, and WA has farm plates. The Northern Territory is offering free registration and stamp duty concessions, although injury insurance is still payable.
I've done a partial update in May to July 2026, and some vehicles have dropped in price, in many cases listed below.
Chinese cars are doing very well on NCAP crash testing. A Zeekr dealer pointed out that their design was done in Sweden, as both they and Volvo are part of Geely.
A term you may see from China occasionally is NEV, for New Energy Vehicle, a vehicle with any form of partial or full electrification in the drive train. A global term is ZEV, a vehicle with zero tailpipe emissions.
BYD Auto is part of a wider electronics, vehicle and stationary battery, vehicle parts, and mass transit systems company, named for the road it was founded on, Yadi Rd, with a B added to be near the beginning of western alphabetic lists, established in 1995. It is pronounced "Bǐyàdí" (BeeYarDay) if speaking with Chinese people.
The smaller BYD has recently been released in Australia as the ATTO 1 to start at around $24k for the Essential. However, avoid this jobbie, and get the $28k Premium with a more powerful motor, and better range, it really goes from a potentially inconvenient slug requiring multiple charging stops, to a useful, pleasant to drive car for $4k.
The ATTO 2 is a small SUV at $35.3k for the Dynamic, or $39.5k for the Premium, both in "Ski White". Both do 0-100 in 7.9 seconds, and can travel 345 km. Green mist paint adds $600, and a 7 kW home charger is $699.
The popular FWD Atto 3 SUV is $43k in Essential form (345 km), and $48k in Premium (420 km). 0-100 is 7.9 and 7.3 seconds, respectively. The rear of my friend's is comfortable, and roomy. This will likely be be upgraded to the Atto 3 Evo in rear drive (doing 0-100 in 5.5 seconds), and 3.9 second all-wheel drive. Range is up to 510 km and 470 km. Charging will increase to 220 kW DC.
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| BYD Atto 3 in the wild, used for rural commuting. |
The Dolphin is an FWD Hatchback, reminding me of an older Nissan Pulsar. The 340 km range Essential is $33k, and the 427 km Premium $40.5k, which can hold 1.3 cubic metres with the seats down. Charging rates are a bit ordinary, and not all see them as good value.
The Seal is a premium sedan, offering the 570 km RWD Premium at $57k, and $66.5k for the AWD Performance which does 520 km, and a 0-100 of 3.8 seconds. The previously ~$50k Dynamic has been discontinued. Sealion 7 is a fastback type SUV at $59k to $68.5k. Some nice demonstrators are listed here. They have dealers in rural cities, and in Canberra which would help many in the Snowy, etc. Visit: Dealer map, noting no cookie opt-out.
The new Seal 06 is an affordable sedan sold overseas, fitted with a LFP Blade Battery 2.0 and flash charging, reaching 70% from 10% in 5 minutes, and getting to 97% in a total of 9 minutes. It includes Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), not usually found in budget cars, and not with the LiDAR it uses. A lack of LiDar in Tesla allowed some folks to get it to do a Wile E. Coyote, and drive through a printed scene of a road continuing!
The new AWD go-fast ATTO 3 Evo is available in the EU, with a 510 km range. 0-100 is 3.9 seconds although I wouldn't put off buying anything else hoping it arrives - it likely won't. The RWD 3 EVO has been confirmed, available from September, as a step-up from the FWD 3. Also in the EU the Tang is a series of electric SUVs, only sold here in PHEV, as the Sealion 8. The Han is an AWD 521 km, 3.9 second fastback sedan. Launching in August 2026, the Da Han or Great Han is a full sized sedan (Commodore sized?), and the future flagship of the brand. It is dual motor, and has the same flash charging as the e³ platform models below, and a range of 827 km WLTP (over 1000 CLTC). Unlike many EVs, these do serious Autobahn or track speeds.
The T3 was a perhaps limited availability van, available in the secondary market. The Transit size "E-Vali" was shown at IAA Transportation in Hanover in 2025: As of mid-2026, BYD has obtained ADR certification for this as the V9, a full-size electric van measuring a pencil-width under 7 metres, and thus bigger than MB's eSprinter. It is listed with a rear motor of 150 kW rear motor and a 1330 kg payload. Range is 250 km, so fine for urban use, and something like an Bathurst to Oberon and Back twice daily service, especially with a quick splash of power at lunchtime. It can tow a 1,500 kg braked trailer. Seating options the document permits are 2 or 3. It will have 220 millimetres of clearance below the official height of Monty (the truck eating bridge). Also listed recently is the BYD M9 people mover.
Note that they also have hybrids with 6 in the model. Who needs the complexity of an grotty engine, plus a socket? The Shark 6 PHEV pickup is however selling well, causing ICE-only brands to take a big hit. In a diesel crunch for farmers, petrol is perhaps a little better an option.
Their luxury brand is Yanwang. The U7 is a sedan (equivalent to A$135k to $152k), the U9 is a supercar in coupé form, the latter costing at least A$360k. It can even "bunny hop" over potholes! The YangWang U9 Xtreme has just claimed the World's fastest production car status from Bugatti, at 496 km/h (or 308 MPH). These have 4 motors. I saw a doofus claim his fuel car could beat any BYD. Maybe he also has a tiny Yangwang, or something like that... One of the Xtreme models is coming to Australia in LHD. Hopefully it gets some track use, instead of rotting in a collection.
From their Fangchengbao product range, the large B5 and B8 off-road hybrids are sold here using the Denza brand. However the pure electric off-road Ti7 (from the symbol for Titanium) may make it here too, perhaps as a Denza. It has a wading depth of 600 mm, like other serious 4WDs - and might remind some of a latter-day Land Rover.
What has made it here is the Denza D9, a luxury 7-seat people mover, with two highly adjustable, massaging "captain chairs" in the second row. In black the 9.5 second, 520 km FWD is $93.5k; the 6.9 second, 480 km AWD is $105.5k, with massaging front seats. White is a paid option. It has a small dashboard screen and head-up display, in addition to the central screen. They ride on asymmetrical Michelin tyres on 18″ rims. See: https://www.denza.com/au/car/d9
Coming soon, the Z9GT is an attractive sports wagon (to which they ascribe a "shooting-brake silhouette"). It has range north of 700 km (820 km CLTC), rear wheel steering, three motors, and a 2.7 second 0-100. It is capable of "flash charging" from 10 to 97% in 9 minutes. Seats are Nappa leather (at least in the Ultra trim level). My birthday is in October, and the green shown on the teaser page will be fine, or the yellow. It has an advanced driver-assistance system, using 33 sensors and two Lidar units, including self driving and a valet parking mode, for the life of the vehicle (not on a musky subscription, or lasting until change of ownership). I sat in the LHD one at the dealer in South Melbourne - very comfortable, as was the D9. Register interest at: https://www.denza.com/au/car/z9gt.
The Z9GT is based on the Z9, an overseas executive 4-door sedan. The latter's range is up to 727 km WLTP (based on 1036 km CLTC). The new Z9S is not merely a sporting version of this, but a fastback "Super Sedan", shorter, slightly narrower, and slightly lower than the Z9, and likewise 100 mm shorter in wheelbase. The rear drive has a single 370 kW motor. The AWD totals 890 kW; with a 270 kW front motor, and a pair of 310 kW motors, one for each rear wheel! The RWD's CLTC of 920 km translates to 754 km WLTP, more than that of my old ICE Vectra, or twice that of ICE family vans of decades past. The AWD's CLTC claim is 780 km, or 640 km WLTP. The press photos show it in Dawn Purple (also used on the sedan): Images, etc: Electrek: BYD unveils its latest luxury EV with sleek fastback styling and 570 miles of range
I expand on the electric models available here, at: http://hamexam.space/EV_Denza.html
Recently announced as likely to come to Australia, is the Denza Z, a supercar designed by Wolfgang Egger. Initially presented as the FangChengBao Super 9, it will be a tri-motor car, on the e³ platform also used on the Z9 and Z9GT. There will be a "spyder" convertible, and likely a coupé. Pricing is likely to be in the region of $300k. There will also be a Racing version. The future Special Edition has 0-100 numbers are as low as 1.7 seconds, on semi-slick tyres, etc.
Overseas, the N9, also using the e³ platform, is a 3 row, 6 seat full sized SUV, the tri-motor format giving strong performance. It features DiSus-A air suspension, and the advanced driver assistance above.
The Fangchengbao Formula X (aka Fang Cheng Bao Formula X) concept battery-electric supercar is apparently going to production, and may come here as a Denza. Fangchengbao Formula S GT is a sports wagon they are calling a shooting break, featuring their 3 motor platform, and again it may head here as a Denza; as an "activity orientated vehicle" it can tow trailers up to 500 kg. There are also Formula S and Formula SL sedans.
SAIC Motor Corp., Ltd, was previously the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (renamed in 1995 from the Shanghai Internal Combustion Engine Components Company, started in 1955). They have multiple brands, and several joint ventures (JVs), including with VW and GM. The Volkswagen Santanas I travelled in as taxis in 2012 were made by them.
MG is a brand which has changed hands a number of times, now residing with SAIC. It came with the rights to the XPOWER name, which was used on some V8 prototypes in Britain before Phoenix Venture Holdings was robbed by its management, and collapsed.
The new entry level is the MG4 EV Urban hatch. The two variations are the Essence 43 and Essence 53, for the kWh capacity, with 316 and 405 km WLTP range. The 43 is $31,990. It appears the only other change is a marginal increase in power, and thus acceleration.
The MG4 EV (a hatchback) has been updated, the rear drive 7.5 second Essence 64 goes 452 km, at $40k in Dover white or Iris Cyan Metallic (not far off British Racing Green); Red, etc adds $700. The All-wheel Drive XPOWER is $48k, and gets to 100 in 3.8 seconds, travelling 405 km. Existing MG4 EVs are (were?) well priced in the used market. There were several range options, with front drive, and the XPOWER AWD version.
The MGS5 EV (an SUV) in RWD only ranges from $39k to $47k. Red is +$700, because in MG should be red, right? On the same body will be the rear-drive 4X. It offers 418 km range using a "world's first" semi-solid state battery, or 510 km using LFP.
The MGS6 EV is an SUV in the "Essence" trim. The 7.3 second, 530 km rear drive is $50k. The AWD gets to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, with a range of 485 km, costing $57k.
The MG2 is under consideration for Australia. UK pricing for this very conventional looking hatch suggests A$32k to A$33k drive away, but they may push it below $30k, although still it may not compete well, including against the MG EV Urban. $25k would attract buyers.
Goodwood 2026 provided two concepts: The MG Cyber Concept, which includes LiDAR above the windscreen. In production it will be a sporting SUV, and the brand's flagship. The MG GO! Concept is a 5 door hatch, with hidden read door handles, giving a 3-door look. It shares a platform with the MG2. It looks interesting, without being outlandish.
MG 07 is a front-drive fastback sedan, with very good range, not yet sold in Australia (or Britain). It should come in Rear or AWD. It is NOT the MG7 ICE jobbie. Again, it will have LiDAR, giving Level 2+ autonomous driving. Production commenced in July 2026.
MG's Cyberster is a roadster (soft-top sports car), at $106k in the 507 km RWD; $122k for the 3.2 second, 443 km AWD. Colours include white, red, yellow, and Mayfair Blue Metallic, some extra.
The MGU9 EV is coming soon, an AWD dual cab ute with strong towing capacity, a good sized tray, and a frunk.
IM is a joint venture between SAIC and others (inc Alibaba), "presented" in Australia by MG. The MG IM5 high quality sedan with 4 wheel steering, and with models at $61k RWD, $68k RWD with 655 km range, and $78k 575km WLTP. The upper model include advanced air suspension and variable damping, a $4k option at the intermediate level. The IM6 is an SUV with the same pricing points: $61k RWD, $68k RWD with 550 km range, and $78k for AWD with advances suspension. The suspension upgrade is a $5k option at the intermediate level. In all cases the interior is dark grey, with a light interior $990 extra. These appear as a model under MG on insurance sites.
Overseas the L7 is a high end, long range full size sedan. Additional SUVs are also available.
MG and IM: https://mgmotor.com.au/collections/explore-all-vehicles?&filter.p.tag=Electric. There is a free "Chargehub" on the the 5 and IMs at the moment.
As the Rover brand didn't come with the MG name and IP, they have used Roewe for a range of light vehicles, spinning out Rising Auto for EVs, with the F7 5 door executive level liftback, and an SUV (all currently China only).
Originally initials for Leyland DAF Vans in the UK, under SAIC LDV is now only used in Australia and NZ, with Maxus used elsewhere.
The new eDeliver 5 is $51k to $58k depending when you buy it, for short wheelbase, long wheelbase, and long wheelbase with high roof. Borrow an ABN and get a few $k off, presumably a farmer would have one. In any case, they take 5 minutes to apply for; a month later you decide your business idea was not well thought out, or that running an amazing EV website can stay a hobby - even if the occasional ko-fi is appreciated
The eDelivery7 is $58k to $70k depending whether price reductions are available, with a few grand off for ABN holders. The SWB Low Roof has 318 km range and a 1350 kg payload. The LWB low roof has a slightly lower payload. The high roof version has a 328 km range, and 1175 kg payload. A cab-chassis is also available.
The eDelivery9 is a larger van, doing up to 280 km, price on application. The eT60 is a 330 km range rear drive dual-cab Pickup truck, also POA. The MIFA 9 is a 7 seater van, POA. Oddly, for the vans (two heights) they quote height without the rear camera - although you probably won't scrape it off under Monty, just some carparks.
The eTERRON 9 UTE is coming soon, with a claim of "intelligent 4WD technology".
Visit: https://www.ldvautomotive.com.au/ and click ELECTRIC.
Those ads with SUVs driving dangerously off-road? Turns out spraying up sea water in ads, then having your punters' vehicles rust if they do this gets you in the doo-doo with the ACCC
The SAIC-GM JV makes vehicles such as the Buick Electra L7, a high performance (502 HP or 369 kW, the power of an 502 cu.i or 8.2 litre Chevy Big Block V8) sedan, sold in China. However this appears to be a range extender ICE car, but there are certainly pure EVs under this nameplate there. Maybe they could restart Holden, although the fastest ever Commodore being electric might upset a few folks. Or the fastest ever Torana. Currently as SUV seller, the North American company has an electric concept reviving the Wildcat name from their coupé format muscle cars of the past. They will apply the Electra tag to future EVs.
Their SAIC-GM-Wuling JV makes the Baojun Yunduo compact hatchback in West Java, Indonesia as the Wuling Cloud EV. It is also the MG Windsor when made in India. Both of the last two are RHD countries. In India the Windsor costs A$15.5k plus 6.1 cents per km under a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) arrangement; it has V2L. The Wuling Air EV is a microcar sold in India as the MG Comet EV, at A$7069 plus 4.9 cents per km; it is also made in Indonesia, but I am unsure if it meets ADRs.
A SAIC and Huawei JV produces the SAIC H5 SUV, the sleek Z7 sedan, and the Z7T 5 door. The latter two have a range of 740 km. This is as part of the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance.
BAIC Group, founded in 1958, is based in Beijing, and is a luxury EV brand supplying vehicles from hatchbacks to full sized sedans; and BAIC Motor with the Beijing EU5 electric sedan. Stelato S9 is a full sized sedan, the S9T a full sized wagon, produced as part of a JV with Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), owned by Huawei. Range is around 700 km. BAIC is also the parent of the Foton, with ICE pickups and larger trucks sold here, including electric. ArcFox had confirmed its intention to supply the T5 mid-sized SUV, with good range. They are in several JVs.
The Foton T5 Electric Truck, (formerly iBLUE), is available placarded at 4500 or 6000 kg gross. It is a cab - chassis truck, to which you can add a tray or pantech box, etc. The wheelbase is 3360 mm or 132¼″.
Coming soon, the eAUMARK S* has a GWM of 8500 kg (the star is part of the name). Currently available, the eAUMAN D has a GVM of 18,000 kg; and the eAUMAN C a 31,000 kg GVM. The latter is shown with with dual front steering, as a cement mixer.
Woolworths uses them for "last mile" deliveries, while Winning Group (owner of Winning Appliances) is using them for the complete port to customer supply chain. Woolworths has had thousands of drivers driving theirs, and none have asked to go back to diesel. Palantir customer tracking system client Coles is not using electric trucks.
Foton Mobility: Trucks, and Buses. One retailer is Foton EV Sydney. Foton Australia is a different company, pushing ICE.
Their Arcfox brand produces a range of cars, from a hatch, to sedans to SUVs and MPVs. They are proposing a very fast charging Sodium (Na+) car. As of July 2026 the wheels appeared to have fallen off the idea of the αT5 (that is a lowercase alpha at the beginning) coming to Oz; instead the T1 hatch / SUV crossover is being sold in NZ.
These are not (yet) available here, although among other things, they demonstrate that hatchbacks, sedans, and wagons are popular there.
JAC Group, in association with MIMA produces the Maextro S800, a full-size ultra-luxury sedan with reclining rear seats which include leg rests, a drinks fridge, active suspension, and all wheel steering. It has 600 km range, and a charge time (10-80%) is 12 minutes! Pricing might be towards $250k, but this is likely commensurate with the features and quality of the vehicle. Features include power operated doors with radar to prevent contact with other objects. I'll take the purple and silver two-tone. Meaxtro article
Cadillac's first offering here is the Lyriq. This is a roomy crossover SUV, with all-wheel drive the single option here, now available. The Luxury trim is $128k, the Sport $130k, with the differences being wheels and trims. As of early March 2026 both are available to order from $95k! "Crystal White Tricoat" is reduced to $1500, but may be free on current stock. A tow pack is available in the US. Range is 530 km, and 0 to 100 km/h is 5.3 seconds. It is build in Spring Hill, Tennessee, as a factory RHD. Wheelbase is 121.8". Visit: https://shop.cadillacanz.com/. Carsales lists a couple of demonstrators at $90k.
One comment was that they brake if pedestrians are anywhere nearby when they are parking. They have 22 kW AC charging.
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| Cadillac Lyriq at the Sydney showroom. |
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The have LiDAR equipment on board, but only use it for lane keeping, however, as SuperCruise needs our roads to be mapped before it can be used here. LiDAR is far better than the deadly camera-only (and illegal in Victoria) system, which Tesla uses.
Future plans include the high performance Lyriq-V, the a larger Vistiq SUV, and smaller Optiq SUV. The AWD Optiq is made in Wuhan or Mexico. It has a range of 425 km, and is offered at $86k. The Vistiq is a tall three row SUV made in Tennessee or Shanghai, with a 461 km range, priced from $124.5k. One option does 0-100 in 4.2 seconds.
The Celestiq is a super-luxury full-sized car, hand built in Michigan, sadly in LHD only, at ~US$400k. The Escalade-IQ is likely not coming over, even if slow vehicle fans were spraying "Escalade" comments over the local FB page, wanting the ICE.
GM (via OnStar) is however mining your data and giving it to companies engaging in the legalised fraud otherwise known as insurance: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PAfjQKT3vBU. Yes, a hungry cat running up to his Chevy Bolt is a recorded as a daily "near collision with small object".
The Bolt EV was an electric hatchback, also sold as Opel Ampera-e. The latter was given to Pope Francis to help reduce the Vatican's emissions. The current Bolt is a small SUV. The Bolt EV hatch will be back in 2027. None have been sold in Australia. What did was the Holden Volt. Charged via a Type 1 connector, it could go 60 km electrically, before a petrol engine / generator kicked in to drive the electric motor for the next 300; it was sold elsewhere under various GM brands. They still sell for the rather silly $15k.
GMC is the commercial vehicle division of GM. They share platforms with Chevrolet's largest vehicles, such as the Silverado; and historically produced heavy vehicles and buses. Denali is their luxury nameplate. GMC Australia converts several of their vehicles including the GM Sierra EV Pickup. This has 724 km of range and a towing capacity of 4082 kg. 0-100 is around 4.5 seconds. It includes a large front boot for a your groceries, etc. Conversion is now done in Sri Lanka. See: https://www.gmcaustralia.com/
This company's other EV import is the ridiculously heavy Hummer EV. This has 613 km range and 3.5 second 0-100. It is available in SUV and Pickup.
The Chevrolet Silverado importer (GM Special Vehicles) does not do the EV, but maybe you can suggest it: https://www.gmspecialtyvehicles.com/contact-us. Despite the spray-tanned racist scribbling on a paper claiming to change the mountain's name, the GMC's version of the very large Suburban, the Yukon remains the Yukon Denali in the highest trim level.
Note that these commercial vehicles may require a Light Rigid licence; and/or require National Heavy Vehicle plates, thanks to a cash grab by the sQomo government.
Other overseas models are Chevrolet Blazer EV (including cop and SS versions (Super Sport, not the SS which ICE is learning from)) is a battery electric mid-size crossover SUV, while the Equinox EV is an EV. Both are on the BEV3 platform like the Lyriq, and are hecho en Mexico. US built RHD ICE Blazers were sold in Japan for a period, and was one way to get a Chevy here, but I am not sure if there are plans to repeat this with the EV. The GMC E300 is a microvan and Kei truck made in Taiwan (an LHD market).
Buick has so far forgotten to build EVs for North America. This brand is however used in China. The latter has the Electra L7 full sized sedan (rear or all wheel drive), the Electra Encasa people-mover, and the Velite 6 front-drive compact 5 door wagon.
For those who think EVs are not for serious drivers, try a Lotus! The Emeya is a fully electric Hyper-GT in All-wheel drive. The 600 has 600+ horsepower, and up to 580 km range. 0-100 is 4.15 seconds. The base is around $186k. The 600 GT SE is around $190k. GT stands for Grand Tourer, or gran turismo, meaning a car able to cross a large European country in a day, operating an fatigue preventing speeds over longer distances. The Sport SE is around $225k. The 900 has 900+ horsepower, and a 2-speed transmission for the rear motor, with 0-100 in 2.78 seconds. The Sport is ~$250k and the Sport Carbon $275k with Solar Yellow paint an included option. A towbar is $3k. LiDAR is $11.5k. An extensive range of interior and performance options are available, with a carbon fibre roof being an example. The side mirrors can be replaced with more aerodynamic cameras.
The Eletre is an SUV. Built on the same platform, the options and pricing are as above. Range maybe suffers by 10 km with the greater frontal profile, maybe a little more in actual GT use. The 600 does 0-100 in 4.5 seconds, the 900 in 2.95. Interestingly, the top speed is a few km less legal, given the CLP regime in the NT is only doing the concentrating kids into camps bit, but not the (//) open limit applying historically. See: https://www.lotuscars.com/en-AU
The company is a co-owned with Etika Automotive, part owner of Proton, although there is recent news re Proton upping its investment.
Volvo (the car company ONLY, as trucks are owned by the Swedish AB Volvo, below) sells a sedan, and various SUVs. The ES90 is a large rear drive fastback sedan with 1600 kg towing capacity. It has a 550 km range, and two trim levels, at $96k to $120.5k.
The EX30 is the smallest SUV. In rear drive Plus with P5 Long Range driveline does 0-100 in 5.3 seconds, with a 462 km range it is $56k; heated seats are extra. The Ultra trim with the glass roof is $61k. The AWD EX30 Cross Country, using the P8 drivetrain with 3.7 second 0-100 and 417 km range, has an increased ride-height, but is is only available in the Ultra trim, with the stupid glass roof, at $69.5k. These have a kick-up in the metal towards the rear of the rear door into the window area, shared with the Zeekr X.
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| EX 30 Cross Country in a flat beige or tan paint, in the dealership in Parramatta. |
The EX40 has a single high trim level, with 520 km range rear drive at $77k, and 485 km AWD $82k. The largest is the AWD 7-seat EX90 at $140k (Plus) to $150.5k (Ultra), both with 521 km range. Wander over to: https://www.volvocars.com/au/build?engineType=bev
EX60 is a low-riding compact luxury SUV, to be sold here in RWD and AWD. It will feature an advanced adaptive seat belt system. With manufacturing having commenced in Sweden, it will become available late in 2026. The 5.9 second, 611 km P6 RWD will be around $90k, the 4.6 second, 660 km P10 AWD around $105k. The P12 does 0-100 in 3.9 seconds and 810 km! A cut-back P4 may be under $75k. The Cross County can raise its suspension to 234 mm. Motoring journos, flown business class to Spain for the launch, are very up-beat.
Volvo trucks are below, made by a different, Swedish owned, company, including in Australia.
The C40 was a "crossover" SUV, discontinued with the 2024 model. A 2022 Twin motor is available at $42k as I type this, along with a single motor at $39.9k. There were single and twin motor options. Range is 476 and 507 km.
Polestar was once the go-fast tag of Volvo, before it become the brand used for electric sedans (they will still reprogramme ICE cars to accelerate faster, add add a badge). The 2 is the long-standing sedan. I've ticked the $1500 heat pump option which includes rear seat heating, as using resistive heating is a major range killer in cooler weather, and thus stupid. The RWD base model is discontinued, with the RWD Long Range (659 km) coming in at $$68.5k, until June 3, 2026, slightly below the old base model's standard price. The 596 km AWD is now $74k. White paint instead of ugly grey is $1800. Adding a towbar costs $2600 and allows up to 1500 kg of braked trailer. Yikes, they know how to charge for a charging cable! $480 for an 11 kW one. I am unsure if there is an update coming soon. They have ads implying a new model or refresh is coming soon.
The 3 is an SUV with up to 706 km range, or 0-100 in 4.7 seconds. The range number is for the $127k Long range Single motor (with a long wait time). The LR is on clearance of available models $102 to 140k. The Performance pack is around $155k. See what is on the site, I suppose.
The 4 is a fastback. It replaces the rear windscreen with a camera, but has an LCD based electrochromic glass roof. The 620 km single motor is $86k. The dual motor pulls 0-100 in 3.8 seconds, and costs $96k.
The 5 is marketed as a combination of sports car and high performance Grand Tourer (GT). The Dual motor - Launch edition is $187k and will travel 670 km between charges. 0-100 is 3.9 seconds. The Performance - Launch edition goes 565 km, but makes "100" appear on the speedo in just 3.2 seconds, in exchange for $210k. A tow pack is available for $3200, although if you're just taking stuff to the tip a few times a year paying a local with a ute might be cheaper!
Drop by: https://www.polestar.com/au/
Coming soon, the 6 will be a all-wheel drive Roadster (open-top sportscar). Power will be 660 kW, and range will be 482 km.
The 7 will be a luxury compact SUV, manufactured in Košice, Slovakia by Volvo. It will likely have rear- and all-wheel drive as options, sharing a platform with the EX60.
Incidentally another piece of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) from the anti-EV brigade was that Volvo was selling out of Polestar, falsely implying that they were no longer interested in EVs. Apparently there was a (partial?) transfer of shares to Geely itself. Oddly the FUD brigade don't comment on the fact VW owns Porsche, but Porsche owns VW, and any associated share trading. (Thee two Porshes are in fact different entities).
Zeekr is another Geely brand (but it is also listed on the NYSE), with the 7X SUV at $65k for RWD, $70k in Long Range RWD (615 km), and $80k for Performance AWD (3.8s 0-100 km/h). White or other coloured paint is currently a free option, as is a light interior on the AWD, but will have fees at some point. Cables are also included in the pre-order offer. They are designed in Sweden, and have as 5 star NCAP rating.
The X is compact SUV / hatch. It has recently had a "facelift" with new battery options. The RWD is sub-$49k, the AWD has dropped significantly to under $58k. Range is 405 or 415 km; 0-100 is 5.6 or 3.7 seconds! The AWD has electrically operated front doors. There are mid-2026 EOFY offers, with extra inclusions.
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| The Zeekr X in "Pine Green" above, and White below, The 009 is in the background. |
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The 009 is listed as a Luxury MPV (Multi Person Vehicle), a brick on wheels capable of gapping a V8 VF Commodore with its 4.5 second 0-100 figure. The 2+2+3 7 seater is $146k, and the 2+2+2 6 seater $150k. Range is 686 km, using the ADR method. It even has an 8.6 litre fridge or warmer. The slower front drive 2+2+3 is $125$frac12;k. See: https://www.zeekrlife.com/en-au/
The 007GT is a long range, high performance luxury wagon some call a shooting brake, despite an excessive number of doors, shown in LHD at the Sydney show in 2025. I remember it as being comfortable. A true shooting break is a luxury 3 door vehicle with rear seats, and the storage area of a wagon (to hold "sporting equipment" and perhaps small game). Apparently it will be available from 2027.
We miss out on the 001 "5-door shooting brake", sold with 1 motor (RWD), 2 motors (AWD), or as the 001 FR with 4 motors, and a 2.02 second 0-100 time!
One of the accessories shown the the Sydney show in 2025 was a pepper grinder (or coffee grinder) - a weird reference to Peugeot, which started as, and still is, a pepper grinder company.
Branded Geely, the Geely Auto division sells the front-drove EX5 mid-sized SUV, now called the "Extended Range" as they have extended the range! The "Complete" with 475 km is up ~$1k to $45k, ditto the 450 km Inspire with a glass roof for $49k. They currently have a free wall charger and cable, although it is 7 kW, implying the car doesn't support fast 3 phase charging - while the description indicates a lower rate 3 phase charger (11 kW). Maybe it can do 7 kw on single phase or 11 on 3 phase. The base model only has a dark interior - certainly something you wouldn't want with the glass roof. That version includes the light interior is the default. The Aquatic Green paint looks nice. They have dealers in Orange, Windsor (NSW), Shepparton, Wodonga, Launceston, Cairns, Townsville, and Bundaberg as examples of rural locations, with Shellharbour, Geelong, Canberra, and Darwin available, in addition to all state capitals. Check out: https://www.geely.com.au/models/EX5
Older secondary market models will have a lower official range.
The EX2 is an all-electric RWD 5 door hatchback, with pastel paint options, and a 70 litre front boot. Overseas sources suggest export models limited range, and rather sluggish acceleration, while the 2026 China models have 394 km WLTP. Geely here is currently accepting expressions of interest. The 252 km range "Complete" is just over $29k in white, $600 for colours. The 345 km Inspire is just short of $34k. It adds heated front seats and steering wheel. A white interior becomes an option, in addition to dark grey. However, the roof goes from body-colour to black.
Geely also manufactures in the RHD Indonesia, such as the 7-seat Aletra L8 EV, with 400 and 500 km options. Chinese builds are also sold in RHD Malaysia as a Proton.
We don't currently get them, but Geely Galaxy is a sub-brand, many including "Geometry" in the model name. They also have a Panda overseas: Wikipedia: Geely Panda Mini EV
RIDDARA has launched in NZ, and is hopefully coming soon here. Globally there are 4WD and 2WD options. The 4WD can even do a "tank turn". See images and info on the various pages here: https://www.riddara.com/, then prod them here: https://www.geely.com.au/contact-us
In case one heads down here one day, Lynk & Co is an internal JV between Geely and Volvo, mostly ICE, except the 02 sold in Europe (aka Z20 or 20 in China), a rear-drive compact crossover 5-door SUV with 445 km range, and 300 kW DC charging.
Farizon sells goods vans which can be driven on a car licence. The SV is the original and larger van. It has 376 km range. I photographed it at Mobility Live 2025 - Sydney. Several colours are available, with the price is $70k to $77k.
The V7E is a newer van, a little more compact, with 329 km range, available now. Capacity is 6.9 5m³, and payload up to 1338 kg. It is just under $50k, and can tow 1000 kg.
The larger SV could be a mobile library, the V7E good for distributing material around a multi-branch system or network.
The H9E is a series of trucks. The SWB Cargo is a pantech rated at 4500 kg for CAR drivers. Two cab-chassis are rated at 8000 kg for LR licence holders, the first has a 3360mm (132¼″) wheelbase like the Cargo, the second 4500 mm (177″). Unlike all the vans above, none will fit under "Monty", the truck and bus destroying Montague Street Bridge in South Melbourne! It is not for from MCEC in Southbank
See: https://farizonauto.au/.
$8000 to $15,000 towards fleet conversion per vehicle is available in NSW, up to the end of November 2026: Details
Geely also owns the London EV Company, which not only builds the hybrid taxi (Hackney Carriage), but the VN5 van, also available as the e-Camper. See: Wikipedia: LEVC VN5
The Smart JV is discussed below.
Volkswagen AG (Aktiengesellschaft = shareholder owned company) is the overall company, with owners including Porsche Automobil Holding SE (Porsche SE), and the State of Lower Saxony. "Volk" means the people, "Wagen" car, with the W is generally pronounced as a V.
Škoda, pronounced something like "shkowda", is a long-standing company in the Czech Republic, aka Czechia, bought by VW, and thus shares the MEB platforms with other VAG makes. If the government of as country affects how you vote with your dollars, as this is uploaded, the country has just elected a right wing populist and pro-Russia party which will likely form government with extreme right groups, and will cease support of Ukraine. Their first product is 4 door they call a Coupé, the Enyaq. The 2WD Sportline is $70k, the AWD RS is $77k, adding a very visible Mamba Green as a zero-cost option. It is now also available in a wagon format, with 580 km range. Elroq is an all-electric SUV, at $60k in "85 Select" trim. See: https://www.skoda.com.au/
The Epiq is the other "ID. Polo" equivalent. It has a twist-beam rear suspension, aka torsion-beam axle. Wikipedia indicates it will arrive here from the Spanish (SEAT) factory in 2027.
The Peaq is a chunky SUV. It has a 5 seat two-row option, and a 3 row option. There is a 91 kWh option which in 639 km range RWD does 0-100 in 7.1 s, and in 610 km AWD, 6.7 secs. Vmax is just 180 km/h. The 450 km range, 63 kWh in RWD takes 8.4 seconds, and can't quite do the "tonne", topping out at 159 km/h.
Volkswagen itself sells SUVs and vans. The ID.4 Pro is a 544 km range RWD small SUV, at $64k with an extra kilobuck for white, for the 2026. The 2025 is clearing for $60k. Listed separately, the ID.4 GTX is the go-fast AWD with 511 km range, at $74k for 2026; 2025 models are clearing at $73k.
The RWD ID.5 SUV (in a long lift-back format) is $67k for 2026, 2025 clearing for a $1k less, and does 543 km. The AWD ID.5 GTX is $77k (2026), also listed as a different models on their site, doing 522 km. 2025s are listed at $73 to $76k. In all these cases the 2025 gets a free "Ampol" branded charger.
Overseas the ID.3 Neo is a large hatchback, now updated. The ID.6 is a crossover SUV, and the ID.7 is available in Saloon or Tourer (wagon). Coming soon, the ID.1 will be a small hatch, and ID.Cross a small crossover. ID. UNYX series are the product is a joint venture with JAC in China, the 06 is a cross-over SUV, also branded Cupra Tavascan.
The ID. Polo is a hatch with traditional styling, and buttons rather than screen based user interface. It is being considered for Australia, you can encourage them at VW: Contat Us.
With good price drops, the 7-seater ID. Buzz comes in short wheelbase "Pro" starts at $80k, and long wheelbase for $85k, with a GTX version available. These are mid-year 2026 offers, using the inane "EOFY" tag.
The ID.Buzz Cargo is a 3 seater van, starting at $75k, which holds 2 Europallets. Pomelo Yellow Metallic is an option, at $2k; two tone is $4k.
More conventional, the new Transporter is available in all-electric. It is rear drive, with short and long wheelbase options. It does the full 22 kW AC charging. Solid colours, including white, red, and blue are included, metallic adds $1490. Drive-away is from $83.5k for the SWB, plus options such as side glass instead of metal, timber floor, tie-down points, and cab options. The LWB adds $2k. It seats 3 by default, with a 2 seat option available at no extra cost.
Visit: Electric VWs
Audi has 3 sizes of SUV and SUV sportbacks, with 2WD and AWD (quattro) options: Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron are SUVs. The Q6 SUV e-tron (updated for 2027), SQ6 SUV e-tron, Q6 Sportback e-tron and SQ6 Sportback e-tron are larger. Q8 e-tron, Q8 Sportback e-tron, SQ8 e-tron, and SQ8 Sportback e-tron. $110k to $180k.
The Audi e-tron GT is a range of three all-wheel drive Grand Tourers on the J1 platform in the $225k to $333k range.
For EVs click "Fully Electric" here: https://www.audi.com.au/en/models/
For those seeking Iberian passion, Cupra is a brand of the SEAT division of VAG. The initial Born hatchback offering has sold out in Australia, even if the model is sold elsewhere. They were listed from just under $37k to $49k. A 4 seat premium version is listed now at $44k. Others are 5 seat. Range is 500 km.
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| Blue Cupra Born shown in a rural NSW city. The copper coloured highlights are a brand hallmark. |
Their new products is the Tavascan SUV. The 210 kW RWD Endurance is $66k, the 250 kW AWD VZ is $80k. See: https://www.cupraofficial.com.au/cars/tavascan, The ЯAVAL is a "coming soon" mini car, a high power version of the ID. Polo, also in front drive.
Their Bentley brand has electric vehicles under development, and currently sells plug-in hybrids. Their first electric, to be launched in 2026, is "the world’s first luxury urban SUV". They will be built at Crewe using on-site solar panels and other green power, with the entire site certified 100% carbon neutral. It will be named the Torcal, with more released at 19:19 BST on 23 September 2026, noting the marque started in 1919. Visit: https://www.bentleymotors.com/en/about-bentley/beyond-100/coming-this-way.html
The Lamborghini Lanzador EV has been cancelled. It was to have been a high ground clearance 2+2 coupé. They have however gone with PHEVs, including using this name.
Majority owned by VAG, Porsche (pronounced with a schwa (ə), as in "car", on the end) also have a range of EVs on the same platforms as Audi. Oddly, they use "Turbo" to indicate higher performance versions, an ICE carry-over. S (sport) also indicates go-fast versions. A 4 means all wheel drive.
The Tycan is a sports sedan with 4 doors. The standard version has 4 seats, with an addition centre rear seatbelt and headrest available for $1k. Examples include the base in white at $200k; the 4 at $210k; the 4S, $242k; the GTS, 287k. Turbo GT can exceed $0.5M. Custom paint can be up to $46k! (Maybe buy a low income person an affordable EV, and get a $5k paint option instead). They look great. The Taycan Cross Turismo is termed a shooting brake or estate. The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo is $334k. Available overseas, the Taycan Sport Turismo is a shooting break. Range can be up to 600 km. The roof over the rear of the sedan does drop, so some will find the headroom a little low.
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| Porsche Taycan. The wheels are 21-inch Mission E Design wheels, a $3,940 option. |
The Macan is an SUV which is now all electric in the second generation, with the ICE first generation dropped in Australia. The base rear-drive Macan Electric is $145k, and does 0-100 in 5.7 seconds, but tops out at 220 km/h. Adding air suspension lifts ground clearance from 185 to 205 mm (while in tippy-toes mode), and fording height from 300 to 305 mm. The 5.2 second 4 is $153k. The 4S goes 0-100 in 4.1 seconds, and is $165k, with a rear wiper as a $0 option on this and the Turbo. The 4 Turbo reaches 100 in 3.3 seconds, and costs $205k. Bramble is a leather colour option, darker than V-set seats. The rear seat headroom is good, for all but the most overgrown teenagers. There is a substantial centre console in the front makes stretching for guys difficult. The Frozenblue Metallic from the Dreams range is lovely, and a $2,880 option. Unfortunately my 'phone camera photo blurred.
The larger fourth generation (2026) Porsche Cayenne, coded E4, is all-electric. All here are all-wheel drive, with rear-drive an option overseas. Rear steering is an option, allowing tighter turning. Driveaway is $186.5k for the version with a 0-100 of 4.8 seconds. The intermediate level is the S, with 0-100 in 3.8 seconds, at $213k. The "Turbo" does this in 2.5 seconds; with things like the ventilated seats, optional on the base, standard, it is $283k. I think I'd add black/sage trim, and Aero wheels with bright element, maybe with Mystic Green paint. You can add many thousands on options, from thermally and sound insulated laminated glass to wheels and paint. The head-up display is $5k!, and an off-road package a similar price.
The larger fourth generation (2026) Porsche Cayenne, coded E4, is all-electric. All here are all-wheel drive, with rear-drive an option overseas. Rear steering is an option, allowing tighter turning. Driveaway is $186.5k for the version with a 0-100 of 4.8 seconds. The intermediate level is the S, with 0-100 in 3.8 seconds, at $213k. The "Turbo" does this in 2.5 seconds; with things like the ventilated seats, optional on the base, standard, it is $283k. I think I'd add black/sage trim, and Aero wheels with bright element, maybe with Mystic Green paint. You can add many thousands on options, from thermally and sound insulated laminated glass to wheels and paint. The head-up display is $5k(!), and an off-road package a similar price.
A variation is the so-called Coupé, a with a fastback roofline. I will have to test-sit one to see how the rear headroom is, once these arrive in September 2026. The three power levels above apply. Prices are slightly up on the SUV, at $193k, $215k, and $296k.
One interesting feature is inductive charging at up to 11 kilowatts. Another is that it has AC charging on both sides - sensible when in some markets ferries, trains, or roads provide easy transfer between countries with different driving sides - or you just have a power outlet in the garage on one side only. DC is on the left, meaning it should be compatible with short-lead Tesla DC chargers.
Their site is shy on range, but apparently over 500 km is possible on some models. An EVSE is $3k!
See: https://www.porsche.com/australia/
Jaunt also electrify 1970s 911s.
XPeng are listed on the NY and HK stock exchanges. Many are 5 stars on C-NCAP, preformed at a higher speed then Euro-NCAP. Model names are usually one letter, one numeral. Sedans, are P, presumably for Passenger. SUVs are G, perhaps not for Geländewagen, but who knows? Maybe Guangzhou or Guangdong, the city and province they are in; or Graz, Austria were the European models are built under contract. bonneted people movers are X.
The G6 is a fastback style vehicle, in RWD, with an 800 volt battery. It is $55k for 435 km Standard Range; $60k for a 570 km Long Range. A towbar is $1880 fitted. For 2026 they are claiming 0-100 in 6.2 seconds, presumably for the new AWD. The range has DROPPED to 525 km! This is due to a change from NMC to LFP, but potentially, on the right charger (800 volts) it can charge very rapidly, at the cost of s-l-o-w-e-r charging on a 400 volts charger. There are now additional AWD models, in standard and "Black".
The G9 is a more wagon-like SUV, with the site listing up to 570 km range [in RWD]. The AWD option claims 0-100 in 3.9 seconds. On Wikipedia these numbers apply to the earlier NMC battery models; It lists figures for the current LFP as 585 km for the RWD (and 6.4 seconds); and 4.2 seconds for the new AWD (and 540 km range). Even in July 2026 these remain at the "Keep me informed" stage here.
The X9 seats 7. Range is very good, and charging fast. There are rear and AWD models. With a 0-100 figure of 5.7 seconds, anyone trying to get to a slip lane first from lights is going to discover it isn't a Tarago very quickly.
Tested in Australia, and just launched at an XPENG run event at Showpalast München (Munich) the L03, aka Mona L03, is a fastback SUV, potentially in the A$40k to A$60k range here. We should get the 6.6 seconds RWD, and two higher performance AWDs. It was demonstrated with Level 2++ autonomous driving over a fixed route in Munich, noting the Tesla's self driving ist Verbotten in Germany, and shuts off with much beeping and blaring driving out of Denmark.
Americans get the P7, a large sedan, looking rather Volvoish. The smaller FWD Mona M03 sedan doesn't make it here either.
The Downunder site no option to decline cookies, so copy this to a browser you don't use for other uses: xpeng.com.au Link
The P7+ 5-door executive liftback sedan was shown in LHD in Sydney too. The P7 pulls 4.1 second 0-100 times.
They also sell the Voyager X2 and XPeng Voyager X1 eVTOL multicopters, and a 6×6 "Land Carrier" van to carry them.
While American, Ford also has major operations in Europe, especially Germany. And, yes, they did build for military purposes when the nasty little moustached Austrian guy was in charge, with Henry's full blessing, and for his gain (worse, Ford's rabid, hateful publications heavily inspired him). UK vehicle production ended in 2013, with only diesel engines and transmissions still being made, and petrol engine production ending concurrently with Brexit in 2020 (oops). Interestingly they did use "Blue Oval" as the name of the holding company for a period.
The Mustag E-Mach is a high performance 5 door fastback SUV. The rear drive Select is $63k, the 600 km range RWD Premium is $77k. The GT is $107k, unless an offer applies. Those who say that if it isn't a V8 then it isn't a Mustang might hear differently from owners of First and Third generation inline-6 and V6 models; ditto the various I-4s. It was originally a mi-sized "Pony" car. It is however more rounded than the more angular ICE versions. The front seats are roomy enough, with a lower centre console allowing some lateral stretching (man-spreading). The rear seat is quite good, although what appear to be large speakers in the door do intrude a little for chunky passengers.
The E-Transit Custom Trend is a long wheelbase rear drive van. E-Transit Custom Sport is the short wheelbase version, with stripes. The big option is the high roof 11.5 cubic metre, 1.6 tonne E-Transit, with a mid-roof option available. Read more: https://www.ford.com.au/showroom/electric/
The F-150 Lightning was a large dual cab pickup, dropped from $170k to $109k, with good towing capacity. I sat in one at Asia-Pacific Hydrogen Summit 2025, and it is certainly roomy for the driver. The rear seats fold away allowing significant internal storage. The cost is partly down to local conversion: https://ausev.com.au/ - This site has failed to display content as of 1 April, and their facebook is unavailable. I suppose some will become available used. Apparently US dealers killed the product with excessive mark-ups, etc, no doubt unhappy that they need so little service.
Like the original European (and not the chronically leaky Downunder-built front-drive convertible), the Capri is a rear-drive fastback vehicle, built on the MEB platform, and available in RHD countries such as Ireland and the UK. A towbar is available. If they arrive here, ensure you tick the heat-pump option. There is a 286 PS (metric horse power) option. I'd love to see them, even of they may have hit a bit of a retro car obstacle - those who remember the original likely want the old GT bodied V6, while to younger EV buyers the name means little, or has negative connotations thanks to the soggy rag-top. Or maybe they look like the second generation US Mercury Capri from the 1980s. Richard Hammond is a fan, saying it handles well. Ford Australia was very reluctant, but that was before the FTA with the EU — give them a prod. It might work out around A$62k*. See: Ford UK - Capri or Ireland - in metric. Prompt them: foacust1@ford.com, or: 13 FORD (13 3673)
Other European models are the Puma Gen-E (416 km range at A$50k equivalent in the UK), and "All-Electric" Explorer (601 km at A$64.5k). The base Mach-E is A$81 k equivalent, suggesting that here the other two could be sold for less: Their VAT is 20%, twice our 10% GST, and with 11/12 of the UK price tallying with the local Mach-E price, the two above could be $46 and $59k here. *Same calculation applied.
They have a chunky SUV under the Bronco name in a Chinese JV.
Ford has reclaimed the "Ranchero" trademark, likely for use on an upcoming ~A$50,000 electric pick-up (US$28,350 = A$40,324.87, but there is then GST, etc), for released in 2027. The original was a true ute. Announced in August 2026, it is to be called the Fathom, and will be a 4 door vehicle with integrated tray, and a frunk, claimed to accommodate 5 adults. What may have been AI or other renderings did have RANCHERO pressed into the tray's metalwork. It is on the Canadian site, but not Mexican, German, UK, nor Aussie ones.
As an aside, Mexico is using the Territory name for hybrid SUVs. The closest we get to an electric pick-up is the South African built rANGER.
Interestingly, they are using a very old trademark, Model e, for their EV and software businesses - which is why the musky 13 year old couldn't have Tesla E, so instead has his model letters spelling "S3XY".
Their luxury Lincoln brand is only at the concept stage of electrification, with the cool looking Model L100 coach door coupé / GT. The Corsair is available as a low range (43 km) PHEV, the entire model about to be discontinued.
Mercury, the intermediate level brand, ceased with the 2008 sub-prime mortgage debacle triggered GFC. (BTW, not only did the Australian response save the economy, it is saving Australians $billions on heating and cooling). Ford also divested of the brands within their Premier Automotive Group over this period.
GWM stands for Great Wall Motor. The only pure EV here is the ORA, a small 5 door hatch with a somewhat distinctive front, especially around the headlamps. It is branded as the ORA Goodcat in some markets (as in the make is Ora, the model Goodcat). This 2WD car has a 400 km range. The Lux trim is $36k, the GT $39k. This also changes the battery chemistry. Rock on over to: https://www.gwmanz.com/au/config/ora/
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| GWM Ora. This vehicle can be "defected" due to no "EV" blue triangle on the plate. NSW is now providing plates with the EV tag built in. |
The have a couple of good looking pick-ups in pure EV in China, one with 400 km range.
Now in stock in Australia is the GWM "Ora 5 SUV". It is front drive, with a 435 km range, and Vehicle-to-Load (V2L). Made in both China and Thailand, it is simply the Ora 5 overseas. The Lux is $34k, the Ultra $37k. One was parked in one of the shopping centres in Bathurst: The charge inlet is on the front right - good to drive into a short-cable musky DC charger, but less good for curbside chargers. There are lots of bright colours, especially in the Ultra spec.
Their dealer network is extensive, including Dubbo, Broken Hill, Midura, Chinchilla, Mt Isa, Darwin, Mudgee, Loxton, many coastal and rural areas, and multiple in each large city.
Their HAVAL branded ICE vehicles are popular here, as well as Russia where they have a factory...
Chery promised an affordable small SUV or tall car in Australia a few years ago, and has recently delivered is the E5.
The E5 is a 430 km front drive SUV. It has a Full Size Spare Wheel. It can tow a 750 kg unbraked trailer. Range is 430 km, and it seats 5. The Ultimate is now $38k in Titan Green, white and other colours extra. It has the heat pump (taking up the 19 litres of front storage for Sarah Aubrey to store her wine in, which the discontinued Urban had); and heated seats. AC charging is 6.6 kW on single phase, or 10.3 kW using three phase. DC is up to 130 kW. See: Chery E5
A more recent promise is that the iCar range will be available, branded iCAUR. The V23 is a boxy SUV, with a 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating. The Malaysian price equates to A$43k. The 03T is an SUV in rear or all wheel drive. It appears to be an off-road capable. It is planned for mid-2027.
Overseas Chery New Energy has the Arrizo e sedan, the e Q1 city car (although with decent range), and eQ7 SUV. The Chery QQ Ice Cream is a cute but limited range city car. With pastels including pink maybe it is for women, and only the manliest of men. :-) Potentially coming to Australia, the QQ3 is a larger small hatch. Range should approach 300 km, or significantly exceed it, depending on the battery option, with pricing on the lower range perhaps $27k, making it better value that the poverty-pack BYD Atto 1.
Lepas appears to be aimed at cashed-up trendy young things, and is coming at the end of 2026. The L4 EV is based on the Chery Tiggo 5 electric (not sold here), it is front drive. There are also L6 and L8 SUVs overseas. L1, L2, and L3 are future small cars.
Also overseas only, the Karry Little Elephant EV single cab can carry an 8 foot (2.44 metre) long hay bale, unlike a RAM tray-backed SUV (which they call a "truck"). The Porpoise is a rear drive van.
What is being delivered is the Jaecoo J5 EV. Note that the brand is mostly selling combustion vehicles - including a flammable liquid powered J5. Pricing is just under $37k, with introductory free "premium" paint. It is an SUV appearing similar to a recent Range Rover. WLTP is a useful 402 km. It is front drive, and there is space for a spare tyre. Value is good; look at this too if looking at the ATTO 2. "Electrify This" was upbeat about it. A towbar is available. (The recent "all new" spam appears to be for an ICE version). They are apparently selling very well, with strong orders even before the Trumpstein files distraction boosted fuel prices.
They are in a JV with Jaguar and Rover (part of Tata) which means they will produce the Freelander 8 SUV, rebooting an old LR name. It will feature solid state LiDAR.
This FTA was signed on 24 March 2026. It removes the 5% Tariff on EU built cars, while the Luxury Car Tax threshold for zero emission vehicles has risen to $120,000.
The LCT is currently 33% the price in excess of $91,387 for cleaner cars. For all EU cars this means a 4.762% drop in landed price to which profit and GST is added, and for high end cars roughly $9500 drop on the LCT. Some cars will drop out of the LCT all together. If you were the boss of the car importer, of high value car and brought one in for yourself, so profit was zero, I think the total current price might work out something like the following: $200,000 + 5% = 210,000 landed. Add GST and get $231,000. LCT is (231,000 - $91,387) × 10 / 11 × 0.33 = $41883.90. 231,000 + 41,883.90 = 272,883.90. New system: $220,000 inc GST + $30000 LCT = $250,000.
The 10/11 bit is to exempt the GST component from LCT, yet oddly they don't exempt the excise on fuel ordinary folks pay from GST when calculating the bowser price (this is actually illegal).
If you buy a $40k Jeep Avenger from Poland the price might drop somewhere around $1500, depending on how much is profit and dealer fees, etc.
Prices are below are under the current system. Remember also that the UK self-relegated from the EU, but already benefited from their own FTA and ZEV LCT concession.
I remember when BMW had 4 or 5 models, with a few engine options, and the badge on my 318i could be decoded as a small coupé with a 1.8 litre injected engine, before one size with different software meant a range of digits, especially in diesels. Odd prefixes became 4 door or Touring (except 2 & 3 door 3 series), even was coupés, M means Motorsport, and the X/x such as xDrive means all wheel drive, as in the 325iX I would have liked. e was a performance level, but now means rear drive on cars, or front drive on SUVs, a travesty to a a brand built on rear-drive. A leading i means "innovation" aka electric; a trailing i is injected (petrol), with non-injected petrols ending in the 1980s, it is no longer on some cars now in the car yards. A trailing d is diesel. An "s" is or was an indication of performance (perhaps "sport").
The group's vehicles, including RR, and especially Mini are very big sellers in Europe.
The iX is a medium sized SUV with 4WD. Oddly they number them with some sort of engine size equivalent. The 45 suffix is $155k, the 50 is $200k, the M60 $250k. They are one of the vehicles used by the Federal parliament for transporting politicians.
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| A 2023 BMW iX xDrive40 station wagon, used rurally. |
The iX1 is medium AWD SUV. The front drive eDrive20 is $87k. xDrive30 is $94k. An M version is $101k. [Hey BMW, making selections on your site is awful].
The iX2 is medium SUV, with the xDrive30 (AWD) at $94k. The eDrive20 FWD is $91k. They were pointing out these are below the luxury car tax.
The iX3 is a compact cross-over SUV, with pricing around $120k, apparently AWD, transitioning to the Neue Klasse platform. A longer wheelbase versions is also being developed. Range is up to 800 km.
Coming soon, the i3 will be a small executive sedan, and the second vehicle built on the Neue Klasse platform. It will have dual-motor, all-wheel-drive; or in the i3 M, quad-motor AWD. Range may be 912 km!
The i4 is a "Gran Coupé", somehow meaning 4 doors. Someone from Canberra visited town in one, and it certainly looks nice - plus no need to worry about fuel, or highway pass failures. The RWD eDrive35 is $95, and the eDrive40 is $111k. The AWD M50 is $144k.
The i5 eDrive40 Sedan is an upper middle sized car at $169k in RWD. The go-fast version is the i5 M60 xDrive Sedan at $240k. Someone else visited my town in one.
For wagon fans, $146k gets you the i5 M60 xDrive Touring.
The i7 xDrive60 Sedan is the largest option, at $327k. The i7 M70 xDrive Sedan is $367k.
Coming in 2028 the iX4 will be an large-sedan / SUV crossover with 5 doors. The iX5 will presumably be an electric X5, noting they have sold a very small run hydrogen fuel-cell powered X5s under the iX5 name.
For some "Sheer Driving Pleasure" visit: https://www.bmw.com/en-au/electric-cars.html
Unfortunately BMW has discontinued the smaller i3. Used models range from under $20k to $41k. While some are pure electric, the REx added a 0.6 litre 2 cylinder generator.
Alpina, was a company which built things like high performance engines to be placed into vehicles on the BMW lines which were then sold with an Alpina badge in place of the usual roundel. Due to its failure to embrace electrification, despite national and sub-national bans or very tight restrictions kicking in from last year to 2030, and the EU wide ban from 2035, BMW has bought the company, with staff moved to other parts of BMW. There are no vehicles on the new BMW-Alpina site, so who knows. One challenge is that driving on an Autobahn with the 250 km/h speed limiter most German cars have disabled chews through battery capacity very quickly. (I suppose the only Alpina products sold in Norway are liquor, ski shoes, and bikes from other companies, using a word meaning "of the Alps").
The ban has since become a very tight restriction, allowing only a small number of high cost sports cars, and the like. I doubt there will be a noisy ICE VW GTI hatch, or fuel burning Škoda for the Reform / AfD types cheering this "defeat of the EV agenda", or whatever they see this as.
The early 1980s Coupés, being the E21 3-series and E24 had a differential bolted to a bracket on the body, not floating on the axle housing. Short shafts fed torque to the wheels in a semi-trailing arm independent rear suspension system. Thus electrification should be fairly easy.
The Rolls-Royce Spectre is a glorious fastback coupe, seating 4. It is all wheel drive, with a real world range of 450km, and a WLTP figure of 530 km with careful driving. The price is $770k plus on-roads, with options potentially taking it to over $1.1 million. These are generally built to order, with interior and exterior colours customisable. See: Specte - in detail
Mini has several EV option. Range is enough for most rural users, although not for the remotest areas. The Aceman is an all-electric 5 door, with the SE at $67k. The All-Electric JCW Aceman is $72k (JCW is John Cooper Works, named for the racing car builder). The Cooper SE (3 door, the closest to the traditional version), with up to 400 km range is $65k, and the All-Electric JCW is $70k. The Countryman E (5 door SUV) is $71k, the SE ALL4 $80k. Click on: https://www.mini.com.au/
Classic Austin / Morris / Leyland Minis can be electrified by Jaunt. The Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf probably can too.
Alpine (pronounced al-peen) is a long standing French sports car company from Dieppe, merged into Renault S.A., and now relaunched as a brand. The A390 is an "Elegant Sport Fastback", aka mid-sized SUV. Range is 520 to 555 km. It has a Wound-rotor synchronous motor at the front, and a permanent magnet synchronous motor at each rear wheel. The colour? "bleu Alpine vision", close to the mid-blue Bleu de France, although others are available. The prices will likely be north of $130k for the GT (4.8 seconds), and north of $150k for the GTS (3.9 seconds). See: https://www.alpinecars.com.au/new-vehicles/a390/. They also have merch for both the brand, and associated motorsport.
The electrified A110 has just been shown off on the Hill at Goodwood, with the Duke as passenger, and thus not going up at full speed. It has two electric motors in the rear axle with two 800-volt battery packs to maintains the ICE version's the 40:60 front to rear weight balance. Range should be 600 km. It is a hard-top. Future plans are a convertible A110 and a 4 seater (2+2); plus motors at the front to provide all-wheel drive. More: Topgear: A110
You can also visit https://www.alpinecars.fr which shows the A290 Hot Hatch, not listed here. Seriously guys, get rid of the X headlights and driving lights, I certainly don't want to look like I'm simping Musk. And the Alpine X Lacoste looks like when that grotty kid at school painted a matchbox / hot-wheels car with liquid paper / tip-ex.
Renault itself in Australia has the Megane E-Tech and the Kangoo E-Tech. The former is an listed as a car in Wikipedia, although is more of a hatchback / "crossover". Range is 454 km, and acceleration 7.4 seconds, better than most things ICE, and especially when you consider the current offer is just $49,990 driveaway. See: https://www.renault.com.au/vehicles/megane-e-tech/
The Scenic E-Tech is a fairly conventional front-drive SUV. The techno is $60k with a 430 km range. The techno - Long Range is $64.5k. Both are red at that price, pearl white or other colours are $900 extra. The esprit Apline is $71k. The latter two have a range of 625km WLTP. A safety kit which includes a vest, first aid kit, and warning triangle is $30. Visit: https://www.renault.com.au/vehicles/scenic-e-tech/
For commercial users or others wanting a bonneted van, Kangoo E-Tech is available with metal panels or glass windows, and rear doors or a tailgate. It is front drive, freeing space in the rear. There are short and long wheelbase options, and various "packs" adding things such as timber lining. They can tow 1500 kg. Prices start at $67k. See: https://www.renault.com.au/vehicles/kangoo-e-tech/
They have a range of passenger EVs available outside Australia, including the 5 E-Tech car, and 4 E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech SUVs. The Trafic Van E-Tech is a large van with 297 km range.
The 5 E-Tech is a front-drive hatch based on the earlier ICE of the same name. The "Turbo 3E" version uses motors in the rear wheels, also termed hub motors. Renault 4 E-Tech is a crossover on the same platform. The Megane E-Tech Electric is a front drive 5 door family hatch.
These share platforms with Nissan in Europe. The Ariya is an SUV with 2WD and "e-4ORCE" AWD options. The "Evolve" AWD is $77k; $79k with the rather nice copper paint. "How much is the 2WD (at Advance level)?" is the $64,500 question. Advance+ claims 504 km range, and costs $69k. The base Engage model claims 385 km and costs just under $54k. There is a current offer (April 2026) of $54k with an EVSE if bought on their finance.
Last year they were advertising an SUV as an EV, but it was just an ICE with a generator and a motor, instead of a driveshaft, something copied from Owen Magnetic from 1916 (Jay Leno has one which spent its life in Norway). The Kangoo is also the Nissan Townstar EV in some overseas markets. I am unsure if any Leaf cars remain in stock, but these UK built models were on clearance at earlier this year for $35k. Otherwise models with various ranges should be available used, some from those who bought them from the Good Car Co, imported used from Japan, as well as local deliveries. We miss out on the French built 400 km range Micra, now EV only, sold in RHD in Ireland and the UK. The Ariya is also in these markets, with a NISMO version available. The Clipper is a rebranded Mitsubish microvan for Japan.
How about the platform's co-developer, Mitsubishi? Nope, despite the eK X EV minicar, and the MiEV mini-van and mini-truck being sold in Japan. (Apparently the lack of a 5-star rating means fleet managers would avoid the eK X). Maybe the minitrucks can be imported via Iron Chef Imports, as they'd make great road registered farm vehicles. Ask Iron Chef Imports. Luxgen n7 aka Foxtron Model C mid-sized crossover SUV may be built by Yulon under licence in Taiwan, and badged Mitsubishi, available from 2026. Try: https://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/ (nope, still asleep as of August 2026).
The i-MiEV does have air-conditioning for the battery, so 16 year old versions are still on the road here. They are really only suitable for running around in town, unless you get the ~$16k third party upgrade to get 250 km range.
China's Nissan N7 mid-size sedan, produced in a Dongfeng Nissan JV is exported to the Philippines as the Nissan Primera. Unfortunately that country became LHD in 1945 to take advantage of US military surplus trucks.
For completeness re the Renault group, Dacia is the budget brand, based in Romania. Not sold here, the Dacia Spring is very much an entry level EV. The second generation just 225 to 305 km range, and a battery which takes an hour to charge, annoying any other fast charger user waiting, as it only pulls 30 kW in DC mode. It is made at the Dongfeng-Renault JV plant in Hubei, China. The top speed is 78 MPH or 125 km/h, slower than the typical motorway traffic flow in many countries, and one version takes 19 seconds to get to 100 km/h! It might work as a runabout on a holiday island (Malta has a top limit of 80 km/h), but that is about it. Maybe the third generation will become a worthwhile car - and just announced in June 2026, the "New Spring" will use a different platform, still only go 225 km, but with less pathetic acceleration; and they've added an anti-roll bar, to make its handling less sloppy; I'm pretty sure my Mum's base model Corolla KE70 had one in the early 1980s. Its only advantage is that it will be built in Slovenia, so its ~A30k price will compete with Chinese pure EVs, subject to very high tariffs, which explains why BYD, et al, have pivoted to dirty hybrids - EU bureaucrazy. I wonder how many kids this law put in the lung-cancer ward, or 1.8 metres under. ICE only, the Duster has been "promoted" to a Renault badge here. A variant was sold by Nissan as the NP200 in South Africa, being one of the last true utes, with a single panel for the cab and body, but called a bakkie, from bak meaning bowl.
However the 3 diamonds are available in electric, if you buy a FUSO eCANTER. Maybe a truck is a better choice for a farmer than a ute or a bloated US pick-up which may raise certain questions... For those with only a car licence: the e515 comes in City Cab and Wide Cab. The City Cab has 2500 mm (98″), 2800 mm (110″), and 3400 mm (134″) wheelbases. The Wide Cab in 3400 mm only. These have the smallest battery to allow a useful payload within the 4495 kg GVM. However, the rear axle limit is 4500 kg, and the front 2600 kg, meaning the 4495 is a legal fiction to allow CAR licence holders to drive it (but on private land you can probably fully load it). For Light Rigid licence holder vehicles a medium battery is fitted. The 6 tonne e615 City Cab as a 3400 mm wheelbase, and e615 Wide cab has this or a 3850 mm (152″) option. The 7.5 t e818 Wide Cab has more power, and 3400 mm or 3850 mm options. Medium Rigid options have an 8.55 tonne GVM. The e918 Wide Cab with a medium battery and 3850 mm, 4450 mm (175″), or 4750 mm (187″) options. The 4450 mm can be downgraded to a 7000 kg compliance plate, to be driven by an LR driver. Also 8.55 tonne GVM, the e918 Wide Cab Long Range has the biggest battery. Many include an ePTO option.
I sat in one at All Energy in Melbourne. It was reasonably comfortable, but the passenger seatbelt is potentially shorter than required by the ADRs. I have a photo on my Rural EV page.
See: https://www.fuso.com.au/range/electric/
The inches were for my benefit, to compare with the historic 101″ FC and 109″ Series IIB forward control Land Rovers.
The NSW Labor government is funding heavy vehicle training (LR, MR, HR, MC or HC) for people who own a farm, or who can get a letter offering employment on one if they get the upgrade. It used to be the case you could go from CAR to LR or MR, so you may as well get MR; then after a year to HR, then to combination and multi-combination (semis, doubles, and more). See: AgSkill 3.0
This is a 1954 founded company which went into the automotive field in 1969, but is now a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., which has a mix of unlisted shares, and those listed on the Hong Kong SE (coded DFG). Here the T5 EVO is sold as the Forthing Taikon 5 Electric, a mid-sized SUV. It is front wheel drive, and will retail for $39k for the Luxury. Range is up to 427 km. As of July 2026 they are accepting registrations of interest: https://www.forthing.com.au/
Note that DFLZ Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of the Ateco Group.
Other overseas brands are Seres (also the name of one of the companies in this group), and Fengon. The Fengon 500 is built in Pakistan as the Seres 3, a 344 km range front drive SUV. Landian is another brand of this company.
Stellantis is a major joining of automotive groups, formed in 2021, and based in The Netherlands. Their "Dare Forward" strategic plan is their move to electric vehicles. Brands are: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram Trucks, and Vauxhall. There is a great deal of platform sharing. They also own 20% of Leapmotor, and are the European distributor. They are in other joint ventures, and own various financial and lease / rental companies. They also own Musée de l'Aventure Peugeot (Museum of the Peugeot Adventure), and a museum and archive in Torino (Turin) dedicated to their Italian brands. They presumably own no-longer-used names such as Plymouth and AMC.
Opel and Vauxhall were transferred from General Motors when they quit the right-hand drive world. Sadly Holden was instead "terminated with extreme prejudice". Vauxhall is the UK brand, while Opel is sold in Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta in RHD; and Germany, Norway, and other markets in LHD. Frontera is a front drive SUV. Corsa-e is a hatchback, which should have been an electric Barina. The Mokka-e is a small SUV, sharing the platform. Most models names end in "a" to honour Adam Opel. The Combo (aka Combo-e) is available for goods or passengers, with the cargo vision built in England, beside the Mersey, badging them with the mainland Europea brands of thsi vehilce. Apparently Opel is considering setting up here again.
One brand sold here is Fiat, and its go-fast cousin Abarth. The Fiat 500e is a 3 door at $39k. It does 0-100 in 9.0 seconds, and goes 311 km. It has Level 2 automated driving, such as lane-keeping and maintaining spacing from other vehicles. The Arbath 500e does 0-100 in 7.0 seconds, but only gets 253 km, and costs $44k, including hyperactive paint. (The early 500e was a 185 km range compliance car in California). What don't we get? The 600e SUV, the Grande Panda small SUV, the e-Scudo / e-Ulysse medium van, and e-Ducato long wheelbase van. See: https://www.fiat.com.au/ July 2026 news: Grab one NOW if you want it as a new car.
To be built in Kénitra, Morocco, the Fiat Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback will be front drive compact crossover SUV, a larger sibling to the Grande Panda (also available in electric). It will be sold as the Chrysler Arrow Cross, and Chrysler Arrow in the US. In Europe it will also be sold as the Opel Frontera, noting the Wikipedia article does not mention Vauxhall, potentially implying no RHD. The Frontera is currently sold by both ex-GM brands as as a sub-compact SUV, in ICE and electric, made in Slovakia. It will also become the new Citroën ë-C3. There is no mention on Wikipedia or elsewhere of introduction to Oceania.
For those with and original 500, the Classic Fiat 500 Conversion kit is produced by Silent Classics in Mere, a town in Wiltshire, England. Prices are £15,495.00 for 130 km range, or £20,995.00 for 225 km. Additional suspension upgrade parts may be available. A FIAT 126 conversion kit is under development. Kits can be shipped to their partners in Australia - or South Africa. They have also converted a Datsun 240z for a TV show, and can do other engineering work.
Citroën is a French brand sadly only in parts supply and servicing mode at the moment. If reactivated products we might get the ë-Berlingo people mover and hatches, SUVs, and vans. They are also launching an electric 2CV.
DS Automobiles was spun out of Citroën as a luxury brand, with the name a nod to the iconic Citroën DS. The DS N°8 is an all-electric model, an SUV crossover in front or all wheel drive, with up to 750 km range. The DS 3 E-Tense is a luxury supermini. N°4 E-TENSE is a "new generation hatchback with timeless style". The N°7 E-TENSE is an SUV. "E-TENSE" is the suffix indicating pure electric, when there are ICE and/or PHEV variants. There are Preformance Line versions of the DS 3 and N°4, including in pure electric. These are sold in Britain and Ireland, so are made in RHD, but we don't get them.
Better news is that the Jeep Recon will be made in Mexico, and sold here. Apparently it is a larger, more off-road SUV, with front and rear motors; range is 400 km, less in Moab trim. The Wagoneer S may be LHD only for now (Cherokee (KM) is hybrid or ICE only). The New Jeep Compass has a pure electric option available in the UK, at a price suggesting A$75 to A$80k+ here; the current Oz offering is hybrid, or a PHEV which does half the distance Chinese standards require (47 km).
The Avenger is a front drive small SUV made in Poland, with a range of up to 390 km, available now, with specials on the entry level Longitude at $40k, and potentially demonstrators for less (currently at "Please Call", but they have been as low as $35k); roof is body colour only. The front is roomy, and rear seats have good headroom. Avenger: https://www.jeep.com.au/avenger.html. The next trim is the Limited, with the option of body colour or black roof, currently on offer at $46,888. The Summit, with a compulsory black roof is $54k; this has black leather seating, with "Jeep" embroidered in in white, and white stitching. The user-interface is quite conventional, with a dashboard screen in the position of the instrument cluster on an ICE car, and a modest screen for entertainment controls, etc, although these are also on the steering wheel. As with my friend's Mexican built Cherokee Limited, the indicator stalk is on the left. It however only got 3 stars in NCAP, indicating that the Junior below may perform poorly. It may well be the best option for an affordable non-Chinese EV.
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| Jeep Avenger, showing the traditional grille design. Matt black plastic appears to provide the wheel arches with protection from minor scrapes. Image of a person using a telescope on a tripod, printed in the black window edge of the Avenger. Hopefully some low-IQ donut consumer won't decide it is a sticker and issue a fine. |
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For those avoiding US products the only US aspect is the name. Maybe I'd put a "Made in Poland" sticker on it? However, parts of Poland, especially the south east is highly homophobic and transphobic, even if anti-LGBT declarations were ruled unlawful. Ironically for a supposedly off-road brand, the rural dealer network is weak, although generally little service is needed for an EV. If the pure electric Compass gets here, it may well be made in Italy.
Likewise, Alfa Romeo Junior in "Elettrica" form has 407 km range, on the same platform as the Avenger. It was to be the Alfa Romeo Milano, but the Italian government got grumpy about an Italian name being applied to a Polish built car. Others are now upset because "Junior" was used for entry level 1300 and 1600 cc versions of some cars. It is $65k. Various body colours are available, with a black roof. White (below a black roof) is included; red, etc extra. See: https://www.alfaromeo.com.au/models/junior
The Lancia Ypsilon HF and HF Line Electric is a hatch, but in LHD only. There is the high performance HF 280HP version. Both have a range of 418 km.
For those wanting a Stellantis van, the good news is your Peugeot dealer is the person to see. The smaller, bonneted E-Partner Pro Long has a 330 km range, and is $66k. The E-Expert Pro Long is a full sized van with a small bonnet. Range is listed as 330 km NDEC and there is currently a special of $79,990 in NSW. Dealers are located in various rural location, and remember they can often register vehicles in your state even if they are on the other side of the Murray, etc. See: https://www.peugeot.com.au/models/vans.html
You can see the E-206 GTi hot hatch, SUVs, hatches and wagons, and people movers at https://www.peugeot.co.uk/models/categories/electric.html, then nag the local mob.
Maserati is a luxury Italian brand, with a commitment to offering an electric version of every model imminently. Folgore, the word for lightning is the name for electric options of each model. The Grecale is a medium SUV with a great range of colours available, at around $200k in electric It does 0-100 in 4.1 seconds, with WLTP figure of between 426km and 501km.
GranTurismo is a grand touring vehicle in coupé form, around $450k, with apparently very good range, despite having 3 motors. These provide a 2.7 second 0-100 figure. There are a large number of options for paint, interior, brake shoe type and colour, and accessories. The GranCabrio is the open top version, at $517k. Visit https://www.maserati.com/au/en.
On the yet-to-be-electrified list Ghibli is a 4 door sedan or saloon. Levante is a larger SUV. MCPURA is a sports car, MCPURA Cielo is "missing" its roof. GT2 Stradale is also a sports car.
Chrysler is currently in parts and service only mode in Australia. However globally the company is entering its "Electric Century", commencing with the very nice looking Airflow sedan / SUV: https://www.chrysler.com/chrysler-innovation/airflow.html. Ditto the Arrow and Arrow Cross small SUVs.
RAM is a rebranding from RAM trucks being a model made by Dodge. The RAM 1500 was to have a pure electric option, now restricted to a "REV" (range extended vehicle) which was to be called the Ramcharger. It uses a large petrol engine as a generator. Whether it comes here depends on the local conversion companies. They also have large vans, although I am not sure if there would be much point converting them to RHD when you can buy one from Peugeot. Prod them via the chat at: https://www.ramtrucks.com.au/
Leapmotor is part owned by Stellantis. The C10 is a chunky SUV. WLTP is likely around 400 km. Price in rear drive is $46k to $51k, with some demonstrators at $44k. These have a very roomy rear seat. See: https://www.leapmotor.net/au/c10
. The new option is the Sport+ (or Plus overseas). This is a 446 kW, 4 second to 100 all wheel drive rocket. There is also an EREV if you want to charge every 100 km or so (145 km WLTP) to dodge high fuel prices. WB is 111.2″.The B10 is a fairly attractive smaller SUV. Range is 361 and 432 km. Price is $38k. I have a photo on my EV homepage. Costco members may get a better offer. Overseas they have a sub-compact and various sedans, in addition to the typical SUVs. Wheelbase is 2735 mm (107.7″).
The Lafa 5 and Lafa 5 Ultra recently launched in China. It was proposed to come here as the B05 Ultra hot hatch, in late 2026. The lower range version (Style) will cost A$36k for 401 km range. The longer range Design LR will more expensive, doing 482 km. 0-100 is 6.7 seconds for the smaller battery car, 7.5 for the heavier, so not super-fast. The .au site only uses the term B05, without the Ultra; either way, they are going after the VW GTi / GTD demographic. Handling is good, but pedal layout is poor. The media test cars are a colour which looks like someone left a yellow Corolla KE70 in the weather for the last 42 years. They call it "Lightning Yellow". Wheel diameter is 19 "international units", as a speaker from Pirelli insisted on calling inches, although this has Korean brand rubber bands where the tyres should be. Kiwis chose between the Life and Design, the latter NZ$4k extra, although whether all this gets is 19.4% more battery is unclear; if so, the Australian LR, which adds a fair few upgrades (leather or similar seats vs cloth)*, plus a glass roof, may be more than $4k extra.
A stong contender to enter our market is the B03X (zero three) mini SUV, also called the A10 in China. The LFP battery pack which charge from 30% to 80% in 16 minutes. It may even be under $30k here, and certainly not much over. Range will be a little under 400 km, or somewhat over, depending on the battery. It has a traditional sun roof with sliding shade. WB is 2605 mm (102.6″).
The S01 was a coupé with 2+2 seating. I would happily drive something like that, if it had not been discontinued. T03 is a small, tall hatch with a 256 km range. Wheelbase is 2400 mm (94.5″), and overall length is 3620 mm. B01 and C01 are compact and mid-sized sedans. C11 is a 115.4″ WB mid-sized SUV (rear or all wheel drive); large SUVs are C16 (RWD, 111.2′) and D19 (AWD, 122.4′ WB). D99 will be a large AWD luxury multi-seat van. A05 will be a small hatch.
Interestingly, what may be the world's best ICE car, the now replaced V12 Toyota Century, uses wool fabric, rather than leather.
Dodge has several Chargers in electric, with up to 3 motors. Perhaps it will escape the LHD world one day.
Changan dates back to 1862, and is a long term vehicle builder, owned by SASAC. It is the parent of several EV brands, and part of several joint ventures.
Deepal has factories in China and Thailand.
The Italian designed S07 is a larger "all electric" crossover SUV in Australia, although still classed as "compact". The single option model will get the largest battery option here.
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| Deepal S07. The nearer one is closer to orange. |
The S05 (zero five) is a smaller SUV in pure EV, or ICE + battery, coming real soon now. It is a rear drive vehicle, with an AWD option in Europe.
The E07 Multitruck is a rebadged Changan Nevo E07, with a small rear area which can be uncovered or covered, forming a ute. It is rear or all wheel drive. I drove one a short distance at The Sydney EV Show. Feeling quite large, it was easy and comfortable to drive. For the rear drive the driveaway is $69969 in my rural location, just north of $70,170 in Sydney, $70,029 in Wodonga. The AWD Performance is $79,419 in Black for green, $81,309 in grey or orange (both for 2787 postcode). These have a high level of creature comforts, including electric seats with multiple motions. One on-screen option even places the passenger in the ideal position for make-up application. They also have a massage function.
Overseas they have several models including a sedan (SL03 / L07), with a modified version built in RHD Thailand as the L07. See Mazda 6e. The Deepal pickup is a hybrid at the moment, and a rebadged Changan. Changan and its other brands are often ICE, but the Changan Lumin is a 3 door "city car". Their AVATR brand (designed in Germany) has pure electrics and range-extender vehicles, including good sized sedans, and SUVs which actually look decent.
There is no cookie opt-out: https://www.deepal.com.au/ (Link)
Of the cars produced under their own name, the Changan Nevo A06 sedan, is notable because it uses a mix of sodium and Lithium batteries.
Avatr is a JV with battery company CATL and others, with technology from Huawei, producing sedans, a wagon, and SUVs. Kaicene is there commercial vehicle company with a small trucks (probably in our CAR licence GVM), goods vans, and MPVs.
FAW was founded in 1953, and includes Hongqi, founded in 1958, as China's first car brand.
Dongfeng was founded in 1969, this is one of the "Big Four" vehicle makers, involved in multiple joint ventures. The Dongfeng Box in available in New Zealand at NZ$29,990, or about A$26k. The boxy hatchback as a range of 317 km. The 007 is a 520 km range fastback sedan, with the site headlining performance. The Vigo is an SUV with 340 km range and a 30-80% charge time of 18 minutes. The "Aurora Purple + Stone White" option looks "interesting".
Again, no cookie opt-out: https://dongfeng.co.nz/ (Link)
Hongqi makes China's official state cars, for those such as the President. They produce a number of high end EVs, including sedans. When the ultra-luxury Golden Sunflower range will be electrified is unclear.
Bestune makes a city EV, the Pony, the nicely streamlined Yueyi 08 sedan, and two SUVs.
Exor is a family investment company which also invests in clean energy. They have an interest in Stellantis, and in the following:
Ferrari is held by Exor, Mr Ferrari, and other shareholders. Its EVs, available in 2026, has been renamed from Elettrica to Luce, meaning light. It is a 5 door sedan / shooting brake, with four motors, 4 wheel steering, and torque vectoring. Range is 531 km. See: https://www.ferrari.com/en-AU and https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/ferrari-luce-engineering. It will have 15 individually replaceable battery modules, to ensure long life. In late July news, the 500 allocated for 2026 sold out rapidly, for US$640k.
Iveco is primarily a rigid truck, prime mover, and military vehicle company. They also sell several of the Stellantis vans. The eMoovy is a rebadged Korean van or cab-chassis if very unusual appearance. They are involved in Naveco with Nanjing Automobile (part of SAIC). Speaking of Korea, KIA has a PV5 van launching in Australia, with the disadvantage than one bump with some wildlife and you can no longer charge it, at least not safely - yes, the inlet is front and centre!
The local offerings are the eDaily van and eDaily cab-chassis. They are rear drive, with CAR and LR licence options.
They also have electric prime movers and rigid trucks, including for waste collection (likely meaning happy ratepayers, thanks to less noise at 5 am).
Wander over to: https://www.iveco.com/au/eDaily
This was previously Daimler-Benz, then the disastrous DaimlerChrysler era.
Meredes Benz sells several electric versions of ICE cars. G-Class: The G 580 is an electric large 4WD, yet does 0-100 in 4.7 seconds. It includes a Low Range mode. $263k, with many options available.
The CLA is a 2026 sedan, with the electric option (CLA with EQ technology), perhaps $87k.
Under the Mercedes-EQ brand, the pure electric vehicles have 3 letters, commencing with EQ. In Australia this is used only for SUVs. The final letter increases with size, and is roughly equivalent to the saloons, hatches, and van: A, B, E, S, and V. Any overseas SUV differentiator falls off here.
The GLB, currently sold in ICE, is "coming soon" in electric. In some markets it it the "GLB with EQ technology. It is a 7-seater SUV with fold-away 3rd row, and a sliding second row, to improve cargo space. They claim a "WLTP tested range over 600 kilometres". It apparenly replaces the EQB
The C-Class Electric is an compact executive AWD sedan, with 107 litres of front storage, not yet listed in Australia. Range is up to 800 km!
The EQV is an bonneted 7 seat people mover. The range is ~400 km. Google's AI says "The price for a 2025 Mercedes-Benz eVito in Australia starts at around $98,951 for the Panel Van variant and approximately $137,515 for the eVito Tourer [windowed van for people], excluding on-road costs. Panel van means a taller van with metal, rather than the Holden product of some infamy.
Mercedes-Maybach. Maybach was an engineer who left Daimler to build his own engines for aircraft including airships, before also building luxury cars. The engine division, now MTU owned by the the industrial version of Rolls Royce (not BMW owned) built tank engines in WW2. MTU repowered the some of the British version of the XPT with quieter V16s. The car division was bought by Daimler-Benz, and for a period much more recently sold ultra luxury, often chauffeur driven sedan, limousine, or landaulet models. It is now a sub-brand for MBs in the highest trim level, but with the 3-pointed star and MAYBACH text and grille, instead of the M mascot.
The Mercedes Maybach EQS 680 SUV is a highly luxurious electric SUV. The Night series is a sporty version in two-tone paint, and black wheels. See: https://www.mercedes-benz.com.au/passengercars/models/suv/maybach-eqs/overview.html. In stock vehicles range from $335k to $422k.
The AMG in Mercedes-AMG was an external tuning company, now part of MB. The badge and two digit numbering system is applied to the high performance versions of several EQ models overseas, still not available here. Australia is getting the all-electric Mercedes-AMG GT which they are innumerately terming a "4-Door Coupe". Two version have 2.8 and 2.4 seconds 0-100 times, and WLTP range of 700km and 696km. 600 kW DC fast charging would mean 10-80% in 11min, if a suitable charger is available. It is very streamlines (Cd = 0.22). The product codes are 55 and 63, terminology stuck in the ICE age. They are based on the AMG GT XX concept car, which drove the circumference of the earth, 40,075 kilometres, in under 8 days, setting multiple endurance records, and proving the pancake shaped "axial flux" motor based drivetrain.
Overseas models are the EQC crossover and EQT a smaller bonneted people mover. Overseas the EQS is a full sized saloon, and the EQE is an executive car, with SUV suffixes indicating, well, you can work it out. The "GLC with EQ Technology", or "electric GLC" is an SUV.
Brabus is an external tuning company focusing on MB, Maybach and Smart.
smart (their case) has gone from a (not particularly efficient) bubble / wedge car to a broader range. The original was the Swatch Mercedes ART, a concept with allowed coloured panels to be swapped like the band on a plastic watch, which Swatch touted around the German car industry.
The #1 is a small SUV. The 420 km Pro+ is $59k, the 440 km Premium is $63.5k, both RWD doing 0-100 in 6.7 seconds. Some clearance pricing may be available as of mid 2026. The Brabus is $73k, and has the signature Radiant Red roof option available at zero cost, unless you don't want to make it obvious to the V8 or STi driver they are about to have their doors blown off by a Smart. This AWD reaches 100 in 3.9 seconds, but range drops to 400 km.
The standard #3 is a RWD SUV with a fastback look, doing 0-100 in 5.8 seconds. Pro+ goes 435 km and is $62.5k, the Premium does 455 km and costs a beastly $66.6k. $76k gets you the 3.7 second AWD Brabus with a range of 415 km, and again Radiant Red on the A-pillar, mirror, roof, and C-Pillar is a zero dollar option on the metallic black body. Why is the Red Back (Black Widow) spider brought to mind?
#5 is a blocky SUV "coming soon" for Australia. Range is 549 km for the standard, about 600 the Brabus. The wheelbase is 2,900 mm (114.2″).
To avoid spam, copy this into a browser you don't use for much else, as they have no Cookie opt-out: au.smart.com - Link
LSH Auto is a group owning Mercedes dealers. The also sell used smart and Mercedes group products. See: https://www.lshauto.com.au - Link
The ForTwo was available as an EV in some markets, and an earlier wedge shaped model had an EV option for car-share services.
Jaguar Land Rover is now a division on Indian's Tata, a vast corporation across multiple industries.
The premium product of Land Rover is the Range Rover. The second generation of the Range Rover Velar mid-sized SUV will be electrified from 2027 or 2028. Currently it is ICE or PHEV.
Jaguar ( JaGUar ) currently has manufacturing on hiatus as they move to high performance EVs. They are likely to produce a GT. The Type 00 large coupé concept they displayed was slab sided and pink which triggered a lot very insecure males. There is also a blue version. It has a fastback rear. Power is 750 kW, and range 770 km WLTP. See what is happening at: https://www.jaguar.com.au/
The I-PACE was an SUV produced by Magna Steyr in Austria (where the only kangaroos are in the zoo). Used are in the range of $42k to $120k. Yes, these are the cars used in revenue service by Waymo, although the dangers (including injuries, dead companion animals, and one human - perhaps not an entirely at fault crash) are down to the Waymo systems.
Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles has some nice and affordable EVs, with 7 electric models, only sold in the region: The Tiago.ev compact 4 door hatch starts at A$13,660, with a subcompact sedan available. The Punch.ev is a 2 door crossover at a price which translates to A$17k. The other option is pay the equivalent of A$10,000 up front, then 4¢/km Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) charge, where Orange to Westmead (a medical precinct) and back would be just under A$20, on top of power. Tigor.ev is a sedan starting at under A$19k. Visit: https://ev.tatamotors.com/. Nexion.ev is the next size up, followed by the Curvv.ev. Harrier.ev is an off-road capable dual motor SUV. The new Sierra.ev is an SUV starting at A$28k.
By the way 1 lakh is 1,00,000 in India's system which increments names of large numbers by multiples of 100. ₹ 9.99 lakh is just short of 1 million rupees (also shown as "Rs"). 1 crore is 1,00,00,000, or ten million. Bharat is traditional name for India, hence Bharat NCAP; the term is being pushed by the ultra-nationalist, and populist Modi.
Traditional or "Series" Land Rovers are very simple; just apply torque to the gearbox or the transfer case, and you get motion. Companies include Jaunt Motors: https://www.jauntmotors.com/series, or British OffRoad: https://www.britishoffroad.com/ev.aspx. Electrogusto convert Landrovers, Porsches, and many other vehicles: https://www.electrogusto.com.au/
Just don't break the rear half shafts with too much torque, if you are DIYing. Or zap yourself!
The Munro Series M is the Electric 4×4 Land Rover should have built. They are available as a 5 seater, truck, or cab-chassis. They can tow 3.5 tonnes and carry 1050 kg. It has a two speed transfer case, and locking differentials. They are more about working all day off-road than long distance touring, with a real world range of 272 km, although the standard range of petrol Series Landy was not significantly greater. They are built to order. See: https://www.munro-ev.com/
The Lotus 7 was a small open-top sportscar from the 1960s-1970s, suitable for road and track use. There are many clones, both commercial and home built, for Britain is a place where a bloke or blokess can build their own car in a shed, and register it; this is no doubt how many makes started. Instead of a roughly 1.6 litre 4-banger, or a screaming motorcycle engine, why not go eletric? Indeed some have.
The Locost is an affordable home-built design, published by Haynes, of vehicle repair manual fame. It is made from a frame of square steel tubes, although an update includes some steel strengthening plates (perhaps required to be registered in Australia). This could no doubt be built in electric. Websearch: electric locost.
Caterham bought the rights to the Lotus, and is perhaps the largest producer. They have an EV Seven (or SEVEN), a sub-700 kg version, doing 0-100 km/h is around 4 seconds. It is currently at the "Be the first to know" registration stage: https://caterhamcars.com/en/models/evseven
Westfield built the iRacer, for the track.
KG Group took over the assets of SsangYong. The KGM Musso EV is their SUV with an integrated tray, on a 3150 mm or 124″ wheelbase. It includes V2L for power tools, or camping, etc. Creature comforts include heated front and rear outer seats (front ventilated), and heated leather steering wheel. Front drive has a 420 km range, at $60k in Grand White. AWD has 380 km range, at $64k. Metallic paint adds $700, while ABN holders get $800 off.
Carrying capability is up to 905 kg, and towing 1800 kg. It should carry a reasonable number of standard hay bails. Visit: KGM Musso EV (Australia)
They also have the Torres SUV at around $52k. Both are discussed, with images, on my Musso page.
Tembo is a Dutch company, now owned by Vivopower in Britain. They have converted Jeepneys in the Philipines to electric, as well as mining vehicles such as Toyotas. They may also do finance and leasing, not that this is a recomendation.
Established in China in 1987 Dayun produce sedans, SUVs, and hatches, plus the Piya pickup.
These have come together in the form of the Tembo Tusker. This has been available to mining companies and councils in Australia for some time, and is now for sale to the public. The single cab, providing a larger tray at $74k. The dual cab is $75k.
Not part of Tata, Mahindra makes several high quality, long range EVs, although they are yet to be sold here. The XEV 9e is a mid-size RWD crossover SUV with 533 km WLTP, it is a 5 door but some use the C word - Coupé - to describe it, as is a fairly low. The price translates to A$42.5k. The Cinéluxe version, in satin white or satin black, is ~$46,000.
XEV 9S is a taller compact SUV which has a number of battery option (all LFP blade designs), starting at A$31k.
The BE 6 is a real Coupé SUV at ~A$37k. A Formula E version is available in red with decal, with a free track day included, at a similar price to the standard. A limited Batman Edition which could be ordered (or "booked") on 10 March 2026 sold out in minutes; the August 2025 batch of 999 sold in 135 seconds. It is ~A$44.3k. It has a very OTT cockpit design: Batman Edition
The XUV 3XO EV is a subcompact crossover SUV, just announced. They start at ~A$21.6k for the AX5, with a higher trim level AX7L at ~A$23.3k. It does however have less range, maybe 300 km.
Take a look at https://www.mahindraelectricsuv.com/, then give the local importer a poke via: https://www.mahindra.com.au/
They have also developed a rapid charging network.
They make tractors in Brisbane; maybe they should make EVs here too!
Honda has dropped the ball in Australia. They have the e:Ny 1 small SUV in Europe. Honda e:NP2 and Honda e:NS2 is a Chinese built range of fastback SUVs. The Prologue is built in Mexico by GM on the BEV3 platform, also branded as the upmarket Acura ZDX (built in TN on the same line as the RHD Caddy) so they should be able to build a RHD. Their discontinued "e" small hatchback is a UK and Japan model. At least one has been imported privately, so hopefully Iron Chef Imports, or Iron Lady Imports, can help you bring one here too.
The same ball-dropping applies in the US: The Zero or "Honda 0" was to be produced in Ohio as a saloon and an SUV, not entirely unlike the Ferrari "Breadvan". It was be marketed in Europe and Japan at some point, implying a RHD version. Unlike the concept it may have had a real window as the top of the panel. The Acura RSX is also being cancelled.
They have also been faffing around in a JV with Sony, called Afeela, but have failed to get beyond the concept stage.
They hav elaunched the limited range "Super-One" (aka Super-N aka N-One) micro hatchback here in mid-2026. Range will be 215 km. It will be slightly wider, longer, and taller than the Japanese domestic market "Kei" car version. Try: https://www.honda.com.au/ to register interest. It is a retro inspired by the 1970s Civic. It will be $36,990, quite pricey for a lower range car. Purple is exclusively available at the $37,400 price-point. It has a weird engine sound and flappy-padals simulation, with non-pathetic acceleration requiring pressing a "BOOST" button. "Pre-orders" are being taken in-person only, requiring a kilobuck refundable deposit.
Mazda: The Mazda 6e fastback styled RWD sedan in now available in Australia, with Mazda here claiming the reason they killed the MX-30 in Oz is that a new EV is coming (there was briefly a very mild hybrid CX-30). Range is 555 km. The price is $55k. Or $58k if bovine epidermis was used to trim it, a case of MOOz instead of ZOOM? The pricelist from Bathurst Mazda, where I sat in one indicates "leather" at all levels, $54.5 k for black $55.5k for "warm beige", and just over $57.5 for tan in the Atenza trim level. The lower two ("GT" level) are in fact MazTex, a plastic fake leather, with a Texan redditer commenting how hot this got in his [Australia-like] climate. The salesperson had a good understanding of the product. It has a small screen in the standard instrument position, a head-up display, and a large central one, which is required for the vast majority of functions. The indicator is on the left, and concerningly the drive selection is a horizontal stalk on the right, where a wrong-handed attempt at using the indicator would operate it, although it would not go into reverse while trying to lane-change on the motorway. The dealer has a "DO NOT OPERATE" tag from the workshop hanging on it to prevent cars accidently moving in the showroom (they should have it "showroom mode"). The Deepal E07 has this at a maybe 1:30 position, with a small horizontal extension, AC charging maxes out at 11 kW (or 7 kW on single phase), a BYO cable is $300, in a nice bright blue; DC chargins is a quite decent 192 kW. Power out is 3.5 kW. Its non-Mazda appearance is down to it being a Deepal SL03, also sold as the L07 in Pakistan, etc; like other Deepals, it is quite long, at 4,921 mm. Charging is on the rear right, or driver's side, no doubt carried over from China. Get into the habit of using the wing mirrors, as the rear window is tiny, and quite high. Colors are white, grey, grey, grey, black, red, or dark blue. Wheels are 19″, with a goo can in place of the 5th. It has a frunk, either partly or fully chiled. The Germans get nice bronze paint: Car Export: 2026 Mazda 6e Atenza. They do indicate it is not particularly quick for an EV.
See: Mazda 6e
The CX-6e will be a rear drive SUV for sale "soon-soon" in Australia. They claim 450 km, with the tiny little "1" being for a footnote saying "ADR 81/02", which is the requirement for a sticker indicating fuel use and CO₂. It is based on the Deepal S07. It is $59k in the GT, and $62k in the AZAMA. Nightfall Violet is an additional colour, with the blue option the much lighter Air Stream Blue Metallic; or maybe it replaces the darkest of the greys, this shape having only two. Again, it has a frunk. Details: Mazda 6e
The company has also indicated that a hybrid, and possibly a pure electric, MX-5 light sportscar will be produced. These are called the Miata in some markets (products sold into the US often replace numbers with words).
The MX-30 is now discontinued here (in electric); it was a subcompact crossover SUV. It was also the compliance car which allowed Mazda to sell ICE in California, and thus has a 224 km range, selling at $72k. The battery was 200 volts, not the usual 400. With used prices between $26,400 (15,000 km) and $33k, it looks like some people have "taken a bath" on them. If you are a big Mazda fan and could talk a low end priced car down a bit you'd have a nice car (Astina level was the only offering here) if you didn't need a lot of range (say as a second EV in a family).
Toyota: We miss out on several rebranded Stallantis vehicles (metal sided vans without the "Verso" suffix, and people movers with it), being the ProAce City, ProAce City Verso Electric, Proace, the larger Proace Max, Proace Verso, and Proace Max Verso. The Suzuki e Vitara is sold as the Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV in various markets, suffixed with "Ebella" in India, that latter sold at the equivalent in A$35k.
Legally not a compliance car (that was a 166 km range RAV4 EV with NiMH cells, which apparently lost range with each charge cycle), the bZ4X is however not great on the dollars per kilometre range scatter chart for a non-exotic car. I expect they were more for the fleet manager who has been very well looked after by his fleet sales mate, who has an edict to buy a certain percentage of electrics, "Maaaaaaaate, the boss says I need to buy some EVs, what 'avya got?". The bZ4X is a very Subaru looking SUV. The first generation RWD started at $71.6k with up to 436 km WLTP (they like promoting the NDEC number). The AWD swaps the one 150 kW motor for two wee little 80 kW ones, and is $81k with a range of 411 km. 0 to 100 drops from a yawn-inducing 7.5 to a tardy 6.9 seconds.
There is a newer version with the price dropping and range increasing: WLTP is 591 km in the $61k 2WD. The $74k AWD claims 517 km. Power is up, providing 165 kW in the front motor, and 87 in the rear, bringing the AWD to 252 kW all up. The weird plastic above the wheels remains. Frosted white paint is a ~$500 option, as is red. Bathurst Toyota is listing a $7500 "deposit bonus" on stock, but work out if it is the new or the old vehicle. A towbar is available.
The bZ4X Touring (aka bZ Woodland) is now listed at $76.5k in white, $76k if you want a hot black car. It is listed as having a range of 488 km (which they are disclaiming the stuffing out of, with no information on a range preserving heat pump being fitted). It is AWD with two 167 kW motors, but will only supply 280 kW to them.
The C-HR+ (Europe), or C-HR (North America) is a compact crossover SUV. It is not listed on the .au site. The CH-R+ is larger than the European ICE / Hybrid CH-R. It is available as front and all-wheel drive.
Announced on April 1 is the Hilux EV, leading some to think it was a joke. What is the joke is its range. This is for Maaaaaaaate's mate above, whose family all drive fully optioned high-end Toyotas (inconsistent with their wages), and who has now been asked to order electric utes. Think of the poor workers having to charge all the time...
I saw a comment re the previous version, that if they sell their rusted on buyers a "crappy" EV they will go back to the brand's ICE for their next car.
For Toycar acquisition visit: https://www.toyota.com.au/bz4x-ev using something like the Brave browser. (bZ4X link) or: https://www.toyota.com.au/bz4x-touring (Touring link)
Perhaps the GAC Toyota JV built bZ3 may make it here beside other Chinese builds?
The alternative badge for this is Subaru Solterra, with priced dropping to AWD for the $70k. The Touring (also AWD) is $76k. The latter includes V2L, but only 1500 watts. I bet there were meetings with managers insisting it be slower than the WRX. The plastic wheel arches on a different model I saw in a shopping centre were so soft a fingernail marks them!
Confusingly they claim both "Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive" and "Max Combined Power of 252kW", which as you can see from the Toyota numbers means either a 160 kW total, or a significant bias to the front wheels. And Subaru, SI requires a space between the value and the symbol, such as "252 kW".
Electrify This is upbeat on the fastback AWD Subaru Uncharted, based on the CH-R+, with 522 km WLTP. It has the full 22 kW for AC charging, and a quite decent 150 kW for DC charging. An odd feature us the display pod which is rad above the wheel, which has its top squared off, and which may partially intrude into the bottom of forward vision for some. V2G is only 1.5 kW. It is $65.5k, or add $1260 for a glass roof. See: https://www.subaru.com.au/
The longer Trailseeker is now being advertised in Australia, as an alternative to the Outback; it is the E-Outback in Europe. The base AWD is $69.5k, or $76k for the AWD Touring. V2G is 1.5 kW again. While the 533 km range looks good, there is a great big asterisk beside them, so who knows what they are using. Also, there is no info on heat-pumps.
Lexus is an export only brand at a level between ordinary Toyotas, and one of the best cars in the ICE world, the previously V12 Toyota Century. It has the RZ SUV at between $121k and $131k, plus on-roads (according to external sources), but may be at the discontinued or demonstrator run-out stage. Range is a rather ordinary 395 km using WLTP. Stuck in the ICEy past, it is coded an RZ 450e, which Wikipedia says used the front motor (or "eAxle") of the front drive 1st generation Toyota, plus the rear one from the AWD; further options were available overseas. A used 2023 sells from around just under $70k.
The updated version is out in mid-2026, with significant price drops, and better power output. The 460 km 500e is $94k in Luxury, or $102k in Sport Luxury. The 437 km RZ 550e F is the go-fast version, at $115k. They can tow 1500 km.
The long-standing Lexus ES (aka Toyota Camry Prominent / Vista) is being electrified, as a fastback sedan, and is coming down-under later in 2026. They have produced a few EV concepts, including in the LF line, but they appear to want to remain an ICE seller until 2035. There is no tracking opt-out: https://www.lexus.com.au/ (Link)
The UX 300e FWD subcompact crossover has been discontinued here, and while less expensive, certainly isn't cheap as a used car, at $44k to $76k. Range is 299 km.
Suzuki is finally electrifying their SUV. The e Vitara is now at "pre-order" stage in Australia. There are only two options, not 5 here. The Motion in front drive has 344 km range, as only the low capacity battery option is available in 2WD, at $47k as a special offer. The other option is Ultra trim with AWD and the larger battery, giving 395 km, at $57k; additions include front fog lights and heated front seats. These oddly has no front storage. We in the Wide Brown Land miss out on both the 424 km range 2WD (both trim levels); and the Motion 4WD which retains a metal roof, instead of the Ultra's glass.
The Jimney may be electrified by 2030, but funeral insurance could actually be a good idea for buyers (normally a savings plan is better).
The Daihatsu Hijet Cargo is a small van, to also be marketed as the Toyota Pixis Van, and perhaps the Suzuki e Every. Production apparently started in February 2026. The powertrain is "e-SMART ELECTRIC" with an "eAxle" integrating the motor, inverter, and reducer on the rear drive axle. The passenger car version is the e-Atrai RS. Given Daihatsu chickened out of Australia a decade ago, these will have to be "grey imports", see below.
Isuzu, spun back out of GM after the GFC, will apparently produce an EV version of the D-MAX pickup, with motors front and rear. An old press release claimed they will eventually send it here. They have also been trialling rigid bodied commercial trucks.
Further to previous comments, one of my previous jobs was "sentencing" documents, and vehicle purchasing documentation must be retained for 7 years in the NSW government, due to the risk of corruption.
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd has a range of brands, including GAC and Aion, car JVs, plus a commercial vehicle JV with Hino, and Hyptec for luxury and sports cars. GAC Aion is the third largest BEV manufacturer in the world, exceeding 480,000 units.
The Aion V is cross-over SUV is coming here, as the "GAC Aion V". It is a 5 seat SUV with a WLTP of 510 km. The Premium is $46k. Luxury is $48k. A small cashback may be available. It includes a fridge / warmer. See: Aion V.
The GAC Aion UT is a 5 door hatch with test drives now available. It likely has a 400 to 410 km WLTP range, beating the BYD at the similar price point. Aion UT. Oddly they are promoting the $36k Luxury version more strongly. The base version (called Premium) is on a $31k offer for the first 600 units. They are advertising the 2750 mm wheelbase, which is 108¼″. It has good rear seat legroom, seating 5 adults, despite its short overall length. These are likely the best value in the $30k - $32k range.
The heavily advertised EMZOOM, apparently NOT a JV with Mazda, is a gas-guzzling SUV.
In China they have several sedans, the LX SUV, and Y Plus hatch; Hyptec includes sedans, the SSR 2-door coupé / sports car, and a GT. Another of their brands is Trumpchi, which got a lot of pushback, even at a motorshow in Detroit in 2017, so is only used in China, with GAC used elsewhere.
Rivian R1T ute was available in Australia, imported by MEVCO for off-road use only, at mining sites. Now collapsed financially, MEVCO imported them, and added bars and lights, and tool trays in the gear tunnel behind the rear seats, etc for use on mine sites, including underground, to avoid cancer causing DIEsel emissions. Range is 415 or 595 km. The standard ones are white, other colours were extra - perhaps like the green-yellow the demos have. Charging is CCS 1. You can see a copy of their site here: https://mevco.webflow.io/
MEVCO in Australia also converted the Toyota Hilux 4x4 to a 250 km range EV.
While potentially North America only, they have smaller, more standard SUVs coming soon. They also make delivery vans, but unlike some where the driver is near the curb, these are LHD (RHD vehicles, including Jeeps and Subarus, for rural postal contractors are a thing in the US). This is yet another market Holden failed to exploit, as I am sure the Commodore wagon or Adventra would have worked fine.
Being developed in California, the Telo MT1 is a very short bonnet (van-like) dual-cab ute with rear or all-wheel drive. Pricing will be the equivalent of A$65k. Options include solar panels on the roof, and/or a hard tonneau cover with them on, both supplied by Aptera. Length is 3.68 metres; load is 770 kg on the AWD or 900 on the RWD, with a "mid-gate" to allow 2.4 metre loads such as 8′ boards (surf or timber). Towing is now uprated to 3.6 tonnes. Range is 418 or 563 km, using the US system. A camping top is available, and a conversion to a people carrier may become available. While BMW's "Minis" are not as small as the original, this is the comparison Telo is using for size. 152″ overall is 3.86 metres.
Maybe a smart territory or state government could allow Rivians and Telos on Farm plates, with a very liberal definition of what a farm related activity is, such as obtaining supplies for the farmhouse pantry, attending informal peer support (going to the pub or church), etc.
Also from a California based company, the Aptera is a two-seat, three-wheeler electric / solar vehicle, currently in prototype stage, and waiting for funding to go to full production. A short commute (under 64 km) and outdoor parking may mean no or little charging using the NACS inlet. The single wheel is at the rear, so no Beanesque toppling over. The standard option is drive is to the two front wheels, which are in steerable pods; A$5,000 adds rear drive, dropping 0-96 km/h drops from 4 to 6 seconds. Some Australians have reportedly put down a deposit. Pricing varies from A$40k equivalent for a front drive 400 km unit to A$87.5k for a fully optioned all wheel drive with 1600 km range! See: https://aptera.us/
This is how you sell a car; each option can be selected by the buyer, it isn't just poverty-pack 2WD or big-dollar, high feature set AWD. China, please take note!
Aston Martin was going to revive the Lagonda marque with an off-road capable luxury shooting break or GT. Now it appears they will push ahead with ICE and hybrids until they are illegal (although the EU is allowing an exemption for niche ICE which has gotten the ICE addicts here all over-excited, not that they will have the several hundred thousand or half-million required to buy the cars produced under this rule). Or maybe the Lagonda is on again, who knows?
The Scout Terra is an upcoming AWD full sized pick-up truck to be sold in the US, with a 500 km range, and as an petrol EREV. It will be a dual cab with a limited length tray. They are a subsidiary of VW, which acquired the name, once owned by international Harvester, by buying International Motors (ex Navistar). Who knows if it will make it here. the Traveller will be a full-sized SUV.
The Slate EV is an ultra-basic budget 2 door pickup. If it made it here, it might be $40k or so. A 5 seater SUV is also being designed. Apparently it has no car radio - not very safe in bushfire or grass fire prone areas!
Their brands are Nio. Onvo, and Firefly. Their point of difference is robotic battery swap garages. The now "locked in" local option will be a cute hatch termed the Nio Firefly, at around $37k.
Rimac have produced several EV hypercars, especially the Nevera. It was developed from the Concept_One. Having one motor per wheel allows torque vectoring, meaning extraordinary handling. They are also the manufacturer for the Pininfarina Battista. Pininfarina, recently bought by Mahindra, was a coach-builder which became an automotive styling consultant to many Italian and other makers (in the past you might buy a Rolls Royce as a powered chassis, and have a third party build the body and interior). The Japanese Aspark Owl also uses one motor for each wheel. Ditto the Nio EP9.
Meanwhile DeLorean Motor Company in the US is working on the Alpha5. The whole thing is surrounded by legal cases, and dodginess such as NFTs. They claim 0-96 km/h in 2.99 seconds, and the memetastic 0-142 km/h in around 4.35 seconds. (The latter is 88 MPH).
Most used car sales sites have a drop-down box for Fuel type. Given they are stuck in the ICE age, you may need a 1 speed "automatic" with 0 cylinders...
Carsales has an EV link which points here: Carsales EVs.
Trading Post is less well set up; you can either search for brands, or put "electric" in the search box and get a mix of EVs and combustion cars with electric windows... Trading Post cars
Drive has a slightly lumpy search, and way to many "Price on Application" cars: Drive - electric all states.
Pickles is a significant ex-government and fleet auction house. They also have online auctions: Pickles EVs. If that goes wonky there is an Electric and Hybrid option under the Buy drop-down at the top-left.
You can try ebay, but is appears unhelpful.
WARNING! Facebook marketplace is full of scammers and criminals, at least on the "buying" side.
OzCar has a large stock of F150 Lightnings - these have just 100 to 500 kilometres on the odometer, so appear to be unsold vehicles converted in 2024. Another is mis-listed as "Lightening". They want you to enter your personal information to search, but any random details will work. They have a very small number of other EVs.
Yes! For the vast majority of users, including rural, an EV is practical, and a saver of operating costs, pollution, and imports of fuel. And a blast to drive.
Brands and models available here are added to often. A list of EVs is available in Wikipedia: Wikipedia: List of battery electric vehicles, and I expect some will move from the Chinese-market to Global market section. It includes future products.
Electrify Everything - Neerav Bhatt: YouTube, Website
Electrify This - Sarah Aubrey: FB, Websitewith lots of social media and video links.
Kiwi EV Adventures: Farcebook, Website, and YouTube (old conversion projects).
Sites such as Top Gear, Drive, and Car Sales have plenty of EV stories.
NRMA in NSW has quite a bit of EV content: https://www.mynrma.com.au/electric-vehicles
Iron Chef Imports work by you selecting from currently listed items, or you asking them to find you a suitable vehicle, be they made in Japan, or imported there and sold officially. This uses the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (SEVS). While I am not sure if they can help with them, there are pre-insanity Teslas listed on other sites for $20k and up, including the X, although these may be ineligible unless they are a unique version.
See: https://www.ironchefimports.com/
They recently had a 2020 Audi e-Tron 55 Quattro First Edition with 15,000 km at a very good Auction Grade 4.5B rating, for $65k complianced and registered, saving $20k over local models. They should be able to find you something similar.
Iron Lady Imports are primarily if you (or a family member) has lived overseas, such as the UK, the Crown Dependencies, or Ireland, and owned a car there for over 12 months, with proof that it has been driven by you / them, you / they can use the Personal Effects Pathway (PEP), which allows pretty much anything RHD (probably except quadracycles). They can also do SEVS imports.
See: https://www.ironladyimports.com/
There are quite a few other companies, which either sell imported cars, or provide other services.
Something really old, such as a Baker Electric, Detroit Electric, or Columbia can be brought in as a historic vehicle, being well over 25 years old. It appears that they are not protected as movable cultural heritage in the US, but check first.
Even Queen Victoria bought a 1901 Columbia Victoria Phaeton, for her daughter-in-law to drive. They were built in Hartford, CT, from 1899 to 1910. More: Wikipedia: Columbia
Electric prime movers are essential for reducing Australia's emissions. Windrose produce a unit with a central driving position and a 3 seat bench behind. One trial found they saved 20 minutes or more over a 4 hour route in a hilly area, as they can climb steep hills at the speed limit. Global site: https://www.windrose.tech/
Drivers of DIEsel trucks frequently suffer deafness induced by the excessive noise of the truck engines, and the fact hearing protection is prohibited, to allow sirens to be heard. Hey, Transport Workers' Union, it is time to place work bans on these health damaging vehicles, and demand safe, quiet, electric trucks.
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| Windrose prime mover with Melbourne's skyline behind, outdoors at All Energy 2025. Several other low emissions vehicles are shown. |
Janus converts diesel prime movers to electric, with batteries which are swapped with a fork-lift. They are used on Brisbane to Sydney trips.
Deepway is a maker of heavy duty prime movers to pull semi-trailers. There have single and twin rear axle options. The company has made over 10,000 trucks. See: https://deepway.com.au/
Pure One produce hydrogen powered prime movers, delivery trucks (including refrigerated), concrete trucks, and buses. I got to sit in their prime mover, and it is definitely comfortable. See: https://pure1corp.com/. They also sell well in NZ.
Volvo Trucks are owned by AG Volvo in Sweden (not Geely). They have electric versions of many of their trucks. FMX is available as a heavy rigid truck with a large towing ability. FH will be built in Brisbane from 2027, but as of July 2026 a pilot batch has been completed, and they are very, very triggering for the ICE lovers, despite over 50% locally made parts, some of which are exported to Sweden, to go into trucks built there. FB: Electrify This test drive.
Foton has heavier rigid trucks such as the eAUMAN D has a GVM of 18,000 kg; and the eAUMAN C a 31,000 kg GVM which can be built into a cement mixer.
Speaking of cement trucks, SANY from Hunan, China has an Australian distribution site in Dandenong South, in Victoria. They are a large mining and road building equipment company, also in the light truck business, along with clean energy. They also have prime movers. You would have to contact them to see what is sold here. Putzmeister Oceania in Altona, part of the SANY group, makes pumps and mixer-pump combos. Holcim use both Foton and SANY mixers.
XCMG sells electric earthmovers and loaders.
Small, medium, and large buses, including some with full accessibility are available. Custom Denning are another company is this space. Foton have buses in various sizes, and have been involved in a project building bodies onto electric powered chassis in Wollongong. Interestingly, schools are now buying their own mini-buses, so the low running costs and low pollution on an electric one would make sense.
Legal, ADR-compliant, road-registered electric motorcycles are available as straddled motorcycles, and step-through or "scooter" formats. Bicycles with added motors under 250 watts are also legal. The Queensland laws are unnecessary, and are designed to make cycling less safe, and thus less attractive, in the service of their fossil fuel sponsors. I suppose it will also get votes from "Kens" and "Karens". It will push cyclists onto roads, and probably cause deaths. It also discriminates against children with disabilities, and adults without the cognitive ability to pass an L-plate test. Maybe it will just teach kids "ACAB" earlier. Unregistered motorcycles ridden illegally could also be confiscated already, be they ICE or electric.
SAVIC C-Series has a range of 220 km, priced from $30k. They are based in Melbourne. To see specification you need to provide personal details to have it emailed. Limited details are at: https://www.savicmotorcycles.com/
Fonz sells a range of bikes, from a CAR licence moped at $6.5k to a short-wheelbase bike (made in Oz) at $13k. See: https://www.fonzmoto.com/
LEKI has two bikes with sports styling. The E1 5000W for is aimed at learners, and tops out at 110 km/h, with 100-110 km range. Price is $8k. $12k gets the E1 10000W, capable of 140 km/h or more, and has 160 km range. Both use hub motors, of 5 kW and 10 kW, as indicated in the model number.
EVSE Australia just might sell EVSEs in Australia: https://evse.com.au/
Jaycar has an "AC Charger", but it is only single phase, 2 pins on the 5 pin proprietary connector are apparently required to identify the input plug. Oddly, it was hidden out the back, and is not available to resellers: ME0003. New is the wall-mount 7-22 kW EVSE, capable of 3 phase. It includes 5 metres of cable to the vehicle. See: ME0001. These are currently marked "Clearance" without a price reduction, as is the 22 kW Type 2 cable: ME0002.
EVC focuses on commercial sites, and is based in Tuggerah, a semi-rural part of NSW: See: https://www.electricvehiclechargers.net/
I was getting spammed on YouTube by an EVSE company called dé or depow, which ships from China. The ad starts with a plug going into what looks like an Australian socket with a Chinese combined 2 pin European and 2 pin US outlet, and a dangerous multi-format socket included on the plate (item 4 with item 12 as shown on Museum of Plugs and Sockets - China) on a white painted brick wall. With any direct exports you really don't know what materials or thickness of wire they are using, or if they have any quality control, so I'd avoid them. Also, Chinese 3 pin plugs have longer pins than Australian ones, and these pins are uninsulated, so present a risk that someone with small fingers can contact live pins. Any product with such a plug is unlawful here. Even if you change the plug, local approval is still needed for lawful use. Depow are pushing product via paid influencers. Plus they were showing it operating at 15 amps from the Chinese 10 amp outlet, not particularly safe. Even if they claim to have approval, they started selling unlawfully. April 1, and I got the ad with the dodgy connector - no joke! They were also pulling 15 amps out of the Chinese 10 amp socket. (A Chinese 16 amp socket is not compatible with an AU 15 amp, as the spacing is slightly greater; ditto the large CN 20 amp version, compared to the AU 20 amp one). Another YT ad says that the cable is lighter that the Tesla one. There are only three reasons for this, all bad: Using copper-clad aluminium instead of copper, which is generally unsafe; using lighter gauge copper, with higher electrical resistance, and a risk of overheating and fire; or using light insulation, meaning less voltage margin, and less resistance to damage. 17 May: Oh, and ultra-scammy; the Lexus UX 300e video I was just watching was interrupted by an ad in which depow claimed that the video I was watching was sponsored by this company (ads have yellow time bars, sponsored content read by the creator the same red as the actual content). They showed what I can only assume is a 10 amp plug to 15 amp socket adaptor cable, definitely something which should not be sold to consumers.
Generally an EVSE sold by one car brand will suit any other. However, Tesla Destination ones were somewhat unreliable, or wrongly configured, a case of "I could only get the the left one to work." for some, and "Only the right side worked for me." on Plugshare.
If you have a business a low rate DC charger may be the better option, as these are not limited by things like single phase only cars, or 11 kW 3-phase limits. They also provide a more meaningful amount of charge in a lunch break, field service person's supply pick-up stop, etc. There are also a few home options, where DC from solar panels charges a battery (which can also supply home loads), and sends it to the car when plugged in; they can also draw mains power if required. One example is T-Power.
I have a full page on charging at
As some vehicles only come with a can of goo, etc, there are third party sellers of skinny wheel and tyre sets, although a better option may be a full sized wheel and tyre from either a wrecker (vehicle dismantler), or the dealer.
Yes! If the Russians can despite sanctions, so can we (not to praise Russia). The Moskvitch 3 uses kits from JAC in China, based on the JAC X4. JAC has a range of EVs in China, but only an ICE pick-up in Oz. Lada has also experimented with marketing EVs. Meanwhile Stellantis has factories in Morocco and Algeria, although it appears the latter only makes ICE at the moment.
Another benefit would be that you could do a lot more specifying of features. Want a 2WD with all the creature comforts, and advanced sideways looking intersection crash prevention? OK, we can have that here in 3 weeks. Or AWD in basic trim? Sure, we are doing a run of special option AWDs in 4 weeks. British Racing Green with a white roof? Let me check... Yes!
Volvo Trucks are ramping up building the FH in electric in Qld (just don't tell the LNP). A pilot run of ten has been completed.
Ditto the bikes just mentioned, and likely others.
The Electric Bushmaster electric protected mobility vehicle (ePMV) is a prototype electric version of the very successful Bushmaster, the base vehicle designed by the once government-owned Australian Defence Industries (ADI). The "Liberals" allowed it to be sold to Thales from France. Presumably it was built in Bendigo, Victoria. No ICE means it has a much lower thermal and audio signature, and the battery means it can operate as forward command vehicle for an extended period without a noisy, smelly generator, or or power medical equipment.
Meanwhile VinFast in Vietnam (LHD) is producing multiple EVs, and exporting their larger SUVs to the US. More exciting is Togg, a joint venture in Türkiye (Turkey), which includes a mobile 'phone network. The T10F is a sedan, the T10X an SUV, with further models planned, including the 2026 T8CX crossover 4-door, a smaller SUV, and a MPV. They are now pushing into the EU, starting with Germany, then France and Italy, although EU residents can buy a car anywhere in the Single Market. Große Reichweite (Long Range) starts at ˜A$73k. Sadly for Aussies, they are LHD only. New Zealand is a little more liberal on driving side of private imports. See: togg.eu. Several Chinese companies are partnering with local companies in Pakistan (a country with 7 million or less cars, versus our nearly 20 million) to build EVs. Brands include Deepal and MG, with others built under licence. Electric buses are apparently also built there, or shortly will be.
There is a long tradition of Australian companies building bodies for buses (and before that companies like Holden "coachbuilding" on Ford, GM, etc, powered chassis). Volgen is bodying BYD buses. Likewise Custom Denning combined two bus makers, now building electric buses in western Sydney, including exporting to the UK, with plans for LHD into the European Economic Area.
In fact, we sort of did, the Commodore used for VIPs at the Sydney Olympics had a fuel cell and electric motor. Apparently there was development of a BEV, before Joe Hockey told GM to, um, attempt reproduction while travelling. If they can't break unions they are very happy to destroy unionised industries, and put 100,000+ Aussie workers at Holden's suppliers out of a job.
There are also companies which convert things like the 79 series Land-cruiser pickup to electric, for mine use; and "restomod" (restore a vehicle while upgrading it to electric) older cars. Australian EVs is an example: https://www.australianevs.com.au/fleet-ev-solutions/
Comedy: Cupholders on subscription?
If you want your media vehicle reviewed on a rural trip, let me know by email: julian AT sortland D0T co D0T uk (Note no "h"). Community newsletters and papers are also interested in this content. I have some older but decent Digital SLRs. Or perhaps "Visiting town-name in a car-make" travel items which also demonstrate the practicality of your make for rural use.
Written by Julian Sortland, VK2YJS & AG6LE, updated August 2026.
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