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1 week ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | John Law |Tom Baker
Chinese carmaker BYD has already confirmed the Sealion 8, a plug-in hybrid Toyota Kluger and Hyundai Santa Fe challenging seven-seater, and now it’s mulling a cost-of-living crushing five-seat SUV. The medium SUV in question is the BYD Sealion 5 PHEV, also known as the Song Pro in its home market of China. Even with more than 1300km driving range (on the more lenient CLTC testing standard) and 173kW, word is it will be priced under $40,000 if it comes to Australia.
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2 weeks ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | John Law |Tom Baker
From an entirely unknown name in August 2022 when it launched its first model, the Atto 3, BYD has experienced monumental sales growth. The latest bump in success comes from the Shark 6 ute, which has been a game-changer in the truest sense. That said, it’s not perfect. Mainly in terms of off-road ability, where the Shark 6’s lack of locking differentials, low range and solid traction control have let it down.
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2 weeks ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | Tom Baker |John Law
When it comes to off-road compatible family cars, little can compete with the Toyota Land Cruiser badge for reliability and capability, and the Prado has always offered great value. Yet the value game has changed with new entrants from China, called the Denza B5. The GWM Tank 500 was the first to hit Australian shores, but now BYD is shaping up an off-road wagon to rival the Prado and Ford Everest.
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3 weeks ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | John Law |Tom Baker
Chinese carmaker Chery has been expanding in fits and bursts. Its first model, the Omoda 5, was plagued with some safety assistance annoyances, but the cut-price Tiggo 4 Pro is finding plenty of success. The next step for Chery to break top-10 new car sellers in Australia will be a dual-cab ute, and word from Australian managing director Lucas Harris is that a diesel-based plug-in hybrid is likely.
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3 weeks ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | Tom Baker |John Law
Polestar has had a bit of a rocky start to life. A naming structure that doesn’t line up with typical rivals, software-related holdbacks and a struggle to turn profits. And yet, the China-owned, Swedish-headquartered carmaker turned out a cracker in the Polestar 3.
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1 month ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | Tom Baker |John Law
The number of new cars on sale for less than $25,000 has dwindled over the last decade. Mainstays such as the Toyota Yaris, Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Mazda 2, Kia Rio and others all either too pricey or put to pasture due to insufficient demand. Having such a scarce selection of superminis on sale is a great shame, especially in the current cost-of-living crisis.
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1 month ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | Tom Baker |John Law
Electric cars are making headlines, but hybrids are all the rage. You only need to look at Toyota, Australia’s biggest new car seller, to see how popular petrol-electric is — its passenger car range has gone fully hybrid. It’s a trick that Subaru has so far missed. Sure, the fifth-gen Forester and XV both had hybrid systems, but Chasing Cars testing found them to be barely more efficient than petrol-only models in the real world. Enter the new, sixth-generation Forester.
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1 month ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | John Law |Tom Baker
Thanks for joining us this Friday May 2nd 2025. Notably in car news today: MG3 adds new bargain basement, Ford recalls more than 13,000 Rangers and Everests, BYD’s Ferrari beater, tougher CR-V debuts and Jaecoo J7 reviewed.
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1 month ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | Tom Baker |John Law
The new-look Nissan Qashqai arrived in Australia in February with the Japanese carmaker answering the public’s calls for more hybrid trims. Hallelujah!Even better, Nissan’s refreshed, sweet driving SUV arrived without a price increase, despite also collecting connected services along with cheaper servicing and a conditional 10-year warranty. Except, it’s not quite that simple. We were begging for the serene Qashqai E-Power hybrid range to expand lower down the tree with the ST and ST-L trims.
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2 months ago | 
chasingcars.com.au | John Law |Tom Baker
Following an initial announcement in February, Chinese carmaker GWM has secured lower pricing for its BYD Shark 6 and Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid ute rival. The 2025 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV’s list price is now $59,990 for the entry level Lux, offering a $2500 saving on the driveaway price in the ACT, however with state-by-state rather than national driveaway pricing, the Alpha PHEV is $600 dearer in WA.
