What shocked the CarExpert workforce probably the most throughout 2024

This yr introduced many surprises and never all of them have been nice ones.

Within the automotive area there have been additionally loads of issues that occurred in 2024 in Australia, and 2025 doesn’t appear to be being any completely different.

However earlier than we get too far forward of ourselves, right here’s a rundown of what every member of the CarExpert editorial was shocked about in 2024.

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Paul Maric: The Kia Tasman’s design

Styling is solely subjective, however I believed the course Kia went in for styling the Tasman was bold and courageous to a level.

But it surely was extra of a shock with the drivetrain they selected to go along with. It enters the phase considerably beneath its major rivals and doesn’t provide a compelling on-paper motive to purchase it forward of these rivals.

Maybe Kia goes with a worth proposition and can worth the Tasman in keeping with a number of the worth Chinese language propositions. However then the inside tech degree and end suggests it’s going for a premium method.

It’ll be attention-grabbing to see the way it pans out, as a result of the ute phase may be very completely different to what it was when Kia would have commenced product planning for Tasman.

Marton Pettendy: The velocity at which Chinese language carmakers are arriving in Australia

When the Volkswagen Polo Traditional sedan controversially turned the primary Chinese language-made mannequin to reach in Australia in 2004, who would have predicted that 5 main Chinese language auto manufacturers could be common right here inside simply 20 years?

And when Nice Wall Motors (now GWM) turned the primary Chinese language carmaker to arrange store within the native auto market in 2009, who would have been unsurprised by the presence of a minimum of 10 Chinese language automotive manufacturers right here little greater than 15 years later?

The speed at which Chinese language auto manufacturers have arrived Down Below this yr has been actually superior – and horrifying for a lot of legacy carmakers – even given Australia’s geographical proximity to the world’s largest auto market, and its suitability as a testbed for bold Chinese language auto exporters when it comes to this market’s security, know-how and emissions necessities.

If carmakers may be worthwhile in a automotive market as mature and aggressive as Australia’s, it’s seemingly to achieve success in different bigger Western international locations, besides maybe in a tariff-protected US market beneath Trump.

SAIC is China’s largest carmaker and its greatest model, MG, was relaunched in Australia in 2016 (two years after SAIC sister model LDV), earlier than changing into China’s main export auto model in 2019, cracking the record of top-10 manufacturers right here in 2021 and inserting seventh in final yr’s report new-vehicle market.

Since MG reincarnated itself right here simply eight years in the past, GWM has launched its Tank sub-brand, Chery has reintroduced itself and introduced its Jaecoo sister model, and BYD has captured a stable foothold since arriving right here in earnest in late 2022.

And whereas Polestar has joined fellow Geely manufacturers Volvo and Lotus on sale right here (adopted this month by Zeekr), Chinese language-produced Teslas have additionally grow to be Australia’s top-selling EVs.

To date there’s no signal of the FAW Group or Dongfeng in Australia, however the closing member of China’s big-four carmakers, Changan, can be touchdown right here this month through the Deepal model, courtesy of Subaru and Peugeot distributor Inchcape.

Different Chinese language manufacturers confirmed to focus on the best-selling Tesla Mannequin Y with all-new mid-sized electrical SUVs inside weeks embrace Xpeng, Skywell, Leapmotor (through Jeep mum or dad Stellantis), adopted by Geely, which can additionally carry its Radar/Riddara and Lynk&Co sister manufacturers.

Foton will relaunch itself right here in early 2025 with two massive new utes, and there’s additionally GAC Motor model Aion, and maybe Nio and Chery’s Jetour as effectively.

In fact, whereas BYD boldly claims it’ll ultimately outsell Toyota in Australia, and MG plans to be a top-three auto model right here, some Chinese language manufacturers may effectively disappear from the native market as shortly as they appeared right here.

However lots of them will go on to grow to be family names – simply as Korean marques like Hyundai and Kia have, and earlier than them Japanese manufacturers led by Toyota.

James Wong: The anti-PHEV agenda

It nonetheless boggles my thoughts that there are vocal factions in Australia which can be very anti-PHEV, since on paper they’re a fantastic center floor for native automotive consumers seeking to step into electrification.

With the appropriate client training and extra alternative, PHEVs have the potential to do lots of good Down Below and grow to be a mainstay possibility within the native auto market, in the identical manner they’ve grow to be in Europe.

Nevertheless, the EV-angelists and greenwashing governing our bodies wanting to look extra progressive than they are surely proceed to poo-poo the powertrain know-how as if it has no profit in any respect.

Have they forgotten {that a} massive a part of the substantial enhance in EV gross sales (and PHEV gross sales, to an excellent better extent) in recent times has been resulting from authorities incentives at each the state and federal degree?

Somewhat than forcing customers to leap immediately from ICE to EV in a single day, we must be incentivising the bulk to maneuver extra progressively throughout to HEVs and PHEVs (and EVs, the place acceptable), as a result of when used as meant they will have a much bigger affect on general emissions reductions, whereas placing much less strain on infrastructure and eliminating vary nervousness.

For me personally, I’m a lot nearer to purchasing a PHEV as my subsequent automotive reasonably than an EV.

William Stopford: The sheer variety of Chinese language manufacturers saying Australian launches

I knew extra Chinese language manufacturers would come to Australia. It appeared solely inevitable, as they proceed to be frozen out of the US market and earlier this yr the European Union elevated tariffs.

Competing in Australia now appears to be a feather in Chinese language manufacturers’ caps – if you can also make it right here, you’ve proven you seemingly have product that meets powerful security requirements and which might maintain its personal towards a legion of extra established manufacturers in a particularly aggressive market.

What I wasn’t anticipating was the sheer variety of manufacturers saying their entry into Australia.

Geely, for instance, desires to throw yet one more model into the combo right here with its namesake marque.

Chinese language massive 4 participant Changan had unusually stayed out of Australia all this time, solely to announce a play at our market with its Deepal EV model, distributed through Inchcape. This got here shortly after the identical distributor introduced it was bringing again the Foton model.

What we find yourself having is a dizzying variety of Chinese language manufacturers coming right here. It’s laborious to maintain observe of all of them, and whereas some are coming via established distributors, others are arriving via new importers, which is making issues much more attention-grabbing.

Let’s see what shakes out in 2025.

Jordan Mulach: Hybrid car gross sales

Hybrid car gross sales hitting the afterburner in Australia isn’t one thing many anticipated to occur, however wanting again it was in all probability probably the most inevitable and logical final result.

We’ve been informed for years that fully-electric automobiles (EVs) and even plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) could be the way in which ahead, however Australian consumers are actually being supplied extra standard hybrid fashions than ever earlier than, and so they’re shopping for them in droves.

Plugless hybrids now account for nearly 15 per cent of recent automotive gross sales in Australia. Whereas that is largely resulting from Toyota clearing its order backlogs, conventional hybrid powertrains are actually extra broadly obtainable throughout a large spectrum of the market.

This could possibly be the shot within the arm Australia wants to scale back its general transport emissions, and the encouragement some automotive firms require to start out bringing extra environment friendly automobiles to native showrooms.

Jack Fast: Toyota Tundra pricing

All of us knew the Tundra wouldn’t be low-cost and the notorious ‘Toyota tax’ is at all times fairly hefty, however my socks have been blown off when this pricing information dropped.

At $155,990 earlier than on-roads, the Tundra is the costliest full-sized pickup obtainable in Australia earlier than you begin heavy-duty choices just like the Chevrolet Silverado HD and Ram 2500/3500 variants, a few of which require a heavy car license.

And it makes the Tundra the costliest Toyota mannequin ever offered in Australia.

I do know Toyota must recoup the price of native right-hand drive growth and conversion by Walkinshaw, however within the US the equal Tundra Restricted i-Pressure Max pickup begins at US$58,005 (~A$90,500).

Josh Nevett: Toyota’s shock Supercars entry

Nicely, this definitely wasn’t on my bingo card. Japanese big Toyota will be a part of the Australian Supercars Championship grid from 2026, pitting the Supra up towards American muscle in Australia’s greatest motorsport class.

Whereas the homegrown collection is finest identified for fostering the rivalry between Ford and Holden (now Chevrolet), it’s not unparalleled for producers to come back from additional afield – who can overlook the domination of the Nissan Skyline GTR, in any other case generally known as ‘Godzilla’, within the Nineties?

Extra not too long ago, European gamers Mercedes-Benz and Volvo each tried their hand on the Supercars components.

Nevertheless, after Ford and Chevrolet have been introduced because the manufacturers to debut beneath the most recent Gen3 rules again in 2020, the producer hearsay mill went quiet. It was broadly accepted that Supercars would stay a two-horse race… till a few months in the past.

Toyota’s entry got here out of nowhere, and it left us with various questions. Why would Toyota leap right into a declining race class when it already has intensive motorsport publicity Down Below?

And why race the Supra, a mannequin that’s anticipated to be axed a minimum of in its present kind within the not-so-distant future?

These questions stay, however Toyota’s leap of religion can solely be a very good factor for motorsport and the dominant auto model’s road-going efficiency automobiles in Australia.

Max Davies: The Kia Tasman’s design

There was lots of speak for a very long time within the lead as much as the Tasman’s reveal in October, and lots extra after Kia’s first ute broke cowl.

And the best solution to describe its design is… stunning. I gained’t say it appears to be like good, however it’ll definitely get folks speaking and set it aside from the competitors.

In a phase the place a lot of the selections look fairly related, Kia has a minimum of managed to design one thing that’s distinctive and can stand out in the actual world, which isn’t straightforward lately.

I can vouch for that as a result of I used to be capable of immediately recognise a camouflaged Tasman on the Hume Freeway simply final month, once I was equally shocked by simply how huge it appears to be like in comparison with common site visitors.

Whereas (single- and dual-cab) physique choices and (diesel) drivetrain selections might be much less of a shock, the largest consider whether or not the Tasman hits Kia’s comparatively conservative gross sales goal (a minimum of the one it’s said publicly) in Australia’s sprawling ute panorama is prone to be worth. However understanding Kia, it’s prone to be sharp, and backed by an extended guarantee.

As for the controversial styling, there will certainly be some pretty main tweaks to enhance the Tasman’s controversial look down the observe, even perhaps earlier than it’s launched right here in mid-2025. Because it stands although, it caught my consideration in a manner I didn’t fairly anticipate it to.