2022 New Cars

The new-generation 2021 Nissan X-Trail could offer a seven-seat option and a pair of hybrid powertrains when it arrives in Australia. Japanese website Best Car Web reports the new X-Trail, which was unveiled for the US in June 2020, will enter production for, and go on sale in Japan in September 2021.

A global semiconductor shortage – caused by the coronavirus crisis – is threatening to slam the brakes on vehicle assembly lines around the world. For now, the impact on new-car deliveries in Australia is unclear, but the shortage has already paused vehicle production in Japan and the UK. The silicon electrical circuits are used in a wide range of vehicle systems, including cell phone integration, heads-up displays, autonomous driving aids, and infotainment.

The 2022 Nissan 400Z sports car edged closer to Australia this week, with Nissan filing patent images locally for what appears to be the production car. While the Nissan 400Z has already been teased with the Nissan Z Proto concept (bottom) unveiled in September 2020, new patent filings lodged with Australian intellectual property officials seem to show the production version of the hotly-anticipated sports car.

The 2021 Ford Maverick pick-up has been caught on camera on a production line in Mexico, an image of which was posted on the online forum Maverick Truck Club. While it appears to have the bold front end appearance similar to early spy photos of the 2021 Ford Ranger, this ute is car-derived and based on Ford’s new compact SUV platform.

The next-generation 2022 Honda HR-V has been spied testing in Europe for the first time, ahead of its anticipated unveiling later this year. While the prototype snapped by our spy photography partners wears moderate camouflage over its front and rear fascias and body lines, it's still clear the new HR-V won't stray too far from its predecessor in the design department.