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• Tesla deliveries down 13 per cent in first months of 2025 as BYD takes charge

  07-04-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  The best-selling electric-car brand 12 months ago has seen sales slide around the world – allowing BYD to pull ahead – but there’s more than one reason for the decline.Global deliveries of Tesla electric vehicles fell 12.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with 50,129 fewer customer hand-overs – the brand’s worst result in three years.But there is help on the way, as production of the updated Model Y ramps up – the sw
  
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• XPeng’s Australian product roll-out detailed, headlined by X9 premium people mover

  26-04-2025 00:00 via drive.com.au
  Updated G6 to be joined by G9 large SUV and X9 people mover this year, then XPeng will bring the P7+ to Australia in 2026.Upstart Chinese brand XPeng might be new to the Australian market, but it has plans to expand its portfolio from one to five cars in the next 18 months.Launching last year with the G6 mid-size SUV, a revised version of the same car was shown in March and is due to arrive in Australia later this year.Changes include a new rear end thanks to a full-width tail-light array, duckt
  
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• Leapmotor B01 is a $20k cut-price Tesla Model 3 rival

  25-04-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  Stellantis-owned Chinese car maker has shown off an aggressively priced fastback pitched at cost-conscious young buyers.The Leapmotor B01 has been unveiled at the 2025 Shanghai motor show as a sleek fastback sedan offering up to 650km range at half the price of a Tesla Model 3.The car maker said the B01 – which at 4770mm long is similar in size to the Tesla Model 3, marginally larger than a BYD Seal – will be priced from around ¥100,000 ($AU21,585) when it goes on sale in China t
  
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• Thinking of cycling home from the pub this weekend? Think again

  25-04-2025 22:00 via drive.com.au
  If you’re looking for an alternative way home from the pub this weekend, a bicycle may not be the best option. We answer the question, ‘Is it illegal to ride a bicycle while drunk?’
  Photo: Facebook
  After a couple of beers at the local, your bicycle chained up outside may look like a shining beacon of hope for getting home.RELATED: Police to target tired drivers in road safety blitzAfter all, those “RBT means you need a plan B” adverts worked, and you left the car at
  
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• 2025 Isuzu MU-X LS-T review

  25-04-2025 16:00 via drive.com.au
  The Isuzu MU-X was once the range flagship, but it has since been usurped. Does it still represent good buying?
  Skip ahead:IntroductionRunning costsPrice and specificationEnergy useInterior space and comfortOn-road assessmentConnectivity and infotainmentSummarySafety2025 Isuzu MU-X LS-T 4×4Although the off-road-focused SUV market moves quick, Isuzu does a good job at keeping its MU-X up to date and competitive. Every year or two, the Japanese manufacturer issues an update that either addre
  
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• Lamborghini once built a special Popemobile for Pope Francis

  25-04-2025 08:00 via drive.com.au
  What’s more special than a $400,000 Lamborghini Huracan? A one-off version signed and blessed by Pope Francis himself.
  Image: Rm Sotheby
  While Pope Francis was known for his modest taste in cars, such as the Fiat 500 and Ford Focus during his papacy as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, you’d be surprised to know he once technically owned a Lamborghini Huracan.Though His Holiness didn’t actually purchase the $390,000 exotic supercar, the luxury Italian car maker donated a c
  
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• Geely to rival Toyota Prado, GWM Tank 500, BYD Denza B5 SUVs with new PHEV off-roader

  25-04-2025 01:00 via drive.com.au
  The production-ready Geely Galaxy Cruiser concept is an off-road-focused, amphibious plug-in hybrid SUV with an “AI-driven” four-wheel drive system.A plug-in hybrid model from Geely could become the latest car from a Chinese brand aimed at the likes of the popular Toyota Prado and Ford Everest off-road SUVs.Revealed as a prototype at the 2025 Shanghai motor show, the Geely Galaxy Cruiser concept is a production-ready preview of an off-road-focused large SUV with range-extender plug-i
  
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• Jeff Bezos-backed electric start-up shows off Land Rover-like SUV

  25-04-2025 00:00 via drive.com.au
  The man who shot Katy Perry into space is working on a Tesla rivalling electric car company with at least three different body styles – including a Cybertruck rival and two SUVs – to launch in late 2026.
  Image: tough_stough on Reddit
  Electric car brand Slate Automotive – a new self-proclaimed ‘disruptor’ and Tesla rival part-owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – has revealed three different versions of its first model ahead of its planned arrival in showrooms i
  
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• Last chance for $3000 off JAC T9 dual-cab ute

  24-04-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  JAC is offering $3000 off for first-time buyers of the brand or a $3000 trade-in bonus – but both deals end after this weekend.This weekend is the final chance for JAC buyers in Australia to take advantage of a pair of promotional offers with $3000 off the list price of its new T9 dual-cab ute.The Chinese car maker is offering $3000 off for ‘first-time ute buyers’ to the brand, bringing the list price of the already sub-$50k T9 Oasis down to $39,662 before on-road costs at its
  
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• If you have this number plate, you’re an actual V.I.P

  24-04-2025 22:00 via drive.com.au
  You may have spotted these number plates around in recent weeks. But what are they, and how do you get them? It turns out you need to be pretty important…In the lead-up to the federal election, you may have spotted these number plates driving around our major cities.RELATED: The regal number plate rich in Australian historyThere’s no doubt that these attract attention as they’re a combination that’s not available for purchase by the average owner.But what do these actual
  
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• The amazing automotive involvement from the WWI ANZACs

  24-04-2025 08:00 via drive.com.au
  As Australia reflects this weekend on the ANZAC soldiers who served in World War One, we take a look at how vehicles were involved in their war effort.ANZAC Day, which falls on April 25 each year, is, of course, a national day commemorating the sacrifice and service of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps during World War One.RELATED: Citroen’s genius act of sabotage against the Nazis in World War IIThe specific date marks the Gallipoli landing in Turkey, which led to the death of 8709
  
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• 2025 Ford Transit Custom price and specs: PHEV and EV variants detailed for Australia

  24-04-2025 06:03 via drive.com.au
  Ford has confirmed details for Australia’s first plug-in hybrid van, along with its all-electric E-Transit Custom, ahead of local showroom arrivals by October.2025 Ford Transit Custom PHEV and E-Transit Custom EV pricing and specificationsDue in Australian showrooms by October in long-wheelbase Trend and short-wheelbase Sport gradesPlug-in hybrid mid-size van starts from $67,590 before on-road costs, $10,000 more than the dieselE-Transit Custom EV adds a further $10,000, starting from $77,
  
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• Dutton plan to dump electric car incentive slammed by critics

  24-04-2025 03:55 via drive.com.au
  The Coalition has come under heavy criticism after announcing it will drop Australia’s existing electric vehicle incentive if elected to office at the upcoming federal election.Opposition leader Peter Dutton has come under heavy criticism after a policy reversal in which the Coalition will drop the current electric vehicle incentive if it wins the May 3 federal election.Mr Dutton confirmed the policy backflip only days after saying the electric vehicle incentive would remain unchanged if t
  
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• GWM considering full-size US-style pick-up for Australia with V8 power

  24-04-2025 03:00 via drive.com.au
  China’s GWM has revealed a full-sized pick-up – possibly with a V8 – has been studied, and without Trump tariffs, could have been used to lead a US launch.
  GWM Cannon ute.
  Plans for a full-size, V8-powered pick-up from GWM – which could spearhead a launch into the US market – have crossed the company’s drawing board, a top executive has revealed.But the project – and seemingly an accompanying US launch of the brand – have been placed on hold, amid
  
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• BYD Yangwang U8L SUV revealed to sit above U8

  24-04-2025 02:49 via drive.com.au
  The tank-turning, amphibious luxury SUV spied testing in Australia has been revealed with a bigger body to be offered in China.An even bigger version of the 880kW luxury plug-in hybrid SUV from BYD – the Yangwang U8 – has been revealed ahead of the 2025 Shanghai motor show.The longer version – officially named Yangwang U8L – adds a reported 281mm to stretch to a 5600mm long, making it bigger than its full-size Range Rover, Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol rivals, and
  
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• New-gen electric car batteries promise 1500km range, 515km charge in five minutes

  24-04-2025 01:00 via drive.com.au
  China’s CATL – makers of electric car batteries for brands including Tesla, BMW and Hyundai – has revealed a new revolutionary rapid charging, long-range battery tech.Revolutionary cheaper, rapid charging battery tech with up to 1500km range has been revealed by CATL, the world’s largest producer of lithium batteries and supplier to brands including Tesla, Polestar and Mercedes-Benz.The new second-generation Shenxing batteries were unveiled at the official CATL Tech Day 2
  
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• 2025 Audi S3 review

  24-04-2025 01:00 via drive.com.au
  Audi’s Golf R-baiting sedan and hatch make a welcome return to the 2025 line-up. More power, torque and equipment mean more money and, we hope, more fun.2025 Audi S3
  With the current unavailability of the barking mad five-cylinder RS3 – Audi’s website says production is exhausted – there’s just one choice for performance-minded Audi A3 fans, at least until Q4. It’s the 2025 Audi S3, and it has been a stalwart in Audi’s Australian range for a long time, o
  
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• 2025 GWM Tank 300 Hooke revealed as hardcore off-road special edition

  24-04-2025 00:00 via drive.com.au
  Solid axles, all-terrain tyres and the possibility of V8 power – although unconfirmed – headline a new GWM Tank 300 off-road special edition for China.GWM has revealed what may be its most hardcore off-roader yet, a GWM Tank 300 with live front and rear axles and taller tyres to take on the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.And there is a chance it could use a new V8 – a 4.0-litre twin-turbo, plug-in hybrid-assisted unit currently in development – based on suggestions by GWM in a pre
  
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• 2025 Mazda BT-50 SP now undercuts D-Max X-Terrain twin after Isuzu price rise

  23-04-2025 23:00 via drive.com.au
  The national drive-away price of the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain ute has increased – along with the X-Rider and Blade – while the cost of its Mazda BT-50 SP twin remains unchanged.Isuzu Ute Australia has increased the national drive-away price of its D-Max X-Terrain ute – along with the X-Rider and Blade – with its mechanically-identical Mazda BT-50 SP twin now undercutting the model it’s based on.The national drive-away cost of the 2025 Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain ute has incr
  
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• Every electric car under $50K on sale in Australia in 2025

  23-04-2025 22:00 via drive.com.au
  Want to make the move to electric without breaking the bank? Here’s a list of every electric car under $50K currently available in Australia.Though Australian new car sales have shown a greater appetite for hybrid cars in recent months, electric vehicles also reached record numbers despite a global cooldown.Between January and December 2024, 91,292 battery-powered SUVs, as well as passenger and light-commercial vehicles, found their way into garages across Australia – representing a
  
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• 2026 JAC T9 Hunter PHEV to stalk BYD Shark 6

  23-04-2025 22:00 via drive.com.au
  JAC believes it can emulate the success of the BYD Shark 6 with its T9 Hunter PHEV, despite the end of plug-in tax breaks.Chinese ute brand JAC believes it can emulate the success of the BYD Shark 6 with the 2026 T9 Hunter PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle), even with the removal of the fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption for hybrids now scrapped.The FBT exemption applied to customers acquiring a PHEV under the luxury car tax (LCT) on a novated lease, and meant a monthly payment on a plug-in
  
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• The luxury car brand from Japan you’ve probably forgotten about

  23-04-2025 21:00 via drive.com.au
  Mazda gambled big in the early 1990s with its Eunos luxury sub-brand. Just four years later, Eunos was dead and Mazda was on the brink of extinction.Original story first published in Drive on 21 April, 1996.Eunos, the Mazda luxury division, is beating an elite retreat in Australia.After six years trying to establish its own identity through a stand-alone chain of 11 dealers, Eunos cars will now be sold through the mother brand’s 138-strong national dealer network. All Eunos models are engi
  
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• Win a classic 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop 429 Stroker

  23-04-2025 20:00 via drive.com.au
  Offering the chance to drive off in a beautifully restored 1974 Ford XB Falcon Hardtop 429 Stroker, Classics for a Cause can put you behind the wheel of this muscle car while helping support Aussie war veterans in need. 
  Sponsored by Classics for a CauseFord XB Falcon Coupes are classic Australian muscle cars – first hitting the roads back in the early 1970s. They’re also icons of the silver screen, as Mad Max’s ride of choice through the post-apocalyptic wastelands. 
  
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• GWM reveals its first twin-turbo V8, destined for Tank 4WDs – and may come to Australia

  23-04-2025 13:23 via drive.com.au
  Mourning the demise of the V8 Patrol and LandCruiser? China is here to help, debuting a new twin-turbo 4.0-litre destined for future 4WDs and luxury cars.Chinese car giant GWM has announced plans for its first V8 engine, destined to power future Tank 4WDs – and a new range of super-luxury cars – matched with plug-in hybrid technology.In development for a number of years, the new GWM V8 will displace 4.0 litres – and carry twin turbochargers – in what the brand describes a
  
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• LDV to clash with ACCC in court for alleged vehicle rust of T60 ute and G10 van

  23-04-2025 08:56 via drive.com.au
  Advertisements of the LDV T60 and G10 were allegedly misleading to consumers, claims the ACCC, due to the model’s supposed high propensity for rust and corrosion.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will pursue legal action against LDV Automotive Australia for allegedly misleading consumers on the “durability” of the T60 ute and G10 van.According to the ACCC release, both models were depicted in advertisements that implied the LDV models “were durable
  
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• 2026 Mazda CX-6e interior, specs revealed: New Tesla Model Y rival shown in China as EZ-60

  23-04-2025 08:55 via drive.com.au
  The rear-wheel-drive Mazda EZ-60 electric and range-extender hybrid mid-size SUV has debuted in full in Shanghai ahead of a likely global launch as the CX-6e.Mazda’s rival to the electric Tesla Model Y and plug-in hybrid BYD Sealion 6 mid-size SUVs has debuted in China ahead of its likely global launch.The 2026 Mazda EZ-60 is a close relation to the Mazda EZ-6 sedan revealed 12 months ago, with both vehicles manufactured in China and co-developed with its Changan Automobile joint-venture p
  
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• 2026 MG CyberX concept revealed as preview to rugged electric SUV

  23-04-2025 07:54 via drive.com.au
  MG’s electric SUV concept with Land Rover-like styling has been revealed, but it is likely a while away from Australian showrooms if it lands locally at all.The MG CyberX concept has been officially revealed at the 2025 Shanghai motor show – one of a swathe of new MG models due in China in the next two years – but a production version is still sometime off appearing in Australian showrooms.The CyberX concept is the second MG introduced under its youth-oriented Cyber brand after
  
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• Audi’s AUDI reveals first model, the MG IM6-twinning E5 Sportback electric car

  23-04-2025 05:20 via drive.com.au
  Sharing its underpinnings with an MG model, the AUDI E5 Sportback is tasked with winning back the hearts and minds of Chinese consumers.Audi’s Chinese sub-brand AUDI has lifted the silk on its first model, the sleek E5 Sportback electric car, as it aims to regain a strong footing in the world’s largest car market.With premium brand sales in China tumbling due to home-grown competition from the likes of Zeekr, Yangwang, and others, Audi’s new move to catch the eye of Chinese buy
  
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• 2026 Lexus ES revealed with electric and hybrid power, confirmed for Australia

  23-04-2025 05:17 via drive.com.au
  The Lexus ES luxury sedan has entered its eighth generation with familiar hybrid power or, for the first time in its 35-year history, electric powertrains.The 2026 Lexus ES luxury sedan has debuted in China with electric power for the first time in its 35-year history, along with a familiar hybrid powertrain.Australian showroom arrivals are due sometime in 2026, with the battery-electric version confirmed to join the Lexus UX300e and Lexus RZ electric SUVs in the brand’s local line-up.The
  
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• Toyota expands electric car line-up with bZ7 large sedan

  23-04-2025 04:59 via drive.com.au
  Toyota has leaned on Chinese partner GAC to develop a production-ready version of the bZ7 sedan, rivalling the likes of the BYD Han.Toyota has officially revealed a new addition to its burgeoning bZ electric vehicle range, with the electric bZ7 passenger car set to take on the likes of the Tesla Model S and Chinese rivals such as the BYD Han.Making its debut at the 2025 Shanghai motor show, the showroom-ready 2025 Toyota bZ7 is the product of Toyota’s joint-venture with one of its Chinese
  
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