Car News

High-spec versions of Great Wall’s new ute will land in Australia with a payload rating almost 500kg less than the established players offer, thanks to its new five-link rear suspension. Launched in Shanghai, the new ute carries bears the hefty weight of expectation from head office. Forget about Ssangyong and LDV, the company wants it to be a “top three ute” in the global market, which would have it rubbing shoulders with the all-conquering Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux on the sales charts.

Renault has unveiled its first fully electric vehicle for the Chinese market at the Shanghai motor show, as it chases 550,000 annual sales in China by 2022. The City K-ZE is the result of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's joint venture with Dongfeng. It looks very similar to the Kwid offered in developing markets, but the face has been tweaked for the Chinese carpark and, naturally, there's a battery pack under the floor.

Toyota will transfer its focus on safety from cars to vans, announcing its entire HiAce range will get autonomous emergency braking as standard. Update: Toyota Australia has added pricing details for the LWB petrol automatic and diesel manual. We've updated our chart at the bottom of the story.

Hyundai will fill another niche in the booming SUV market with a high-riding hatchback designed to challenge the likes of the Mazda CX-3, one of the top sellers in the class. The Hyundai Venue, unveiled at the New York auto show overnight, is tipped to start from less than $20,000 when it arrives in local showrooms in the second half of 2019.

The Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle has been deemed “the best car on the planet” after being named the 2019 World Car of the Year at the New York motor show overnight – taking out a trifecta of awards for the first time in the event’s history. The 86 judges from 24 countries including Australia voted the Jaguar I-Pace the best vehicle outright in the 15th annual running of the awards. The Jaguar i-Pace also won best green car and best design.