In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss Australian pricing and specs for Kia's oddball EV4. Can it successfully take on the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal? We also look at autonomous driving specialist Waymo making a local entrance, and cover BMW's latest drip-feed of info about its mighty new electric M3.

Show notes

- Kia EV4 pricing & specs: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-kia-ev4-price-and-specs-tesla-model-3-byd-seal-rival-arrives-in-australia/

- Waymo enters Australia: https://thesizzle.com.au/p/waymo-australia-self-driving-cars-trial-2026

- BMW's electric M3: https://www.bmwblog.com/2026/01/13/2027-bmw-m3-electric-four-motors/

In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss some of the winners and losers in our recap of Australian new car sales in 2025. We also talk about two new Chinese electric SUVs from non-Chinese brands, namely the Hyundai Elexio and the Mazda CX-6e.

Show notes:

-2025 Australian new car sales: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/big-auto-brands-are-losing-share-as-australias-new-car-market-fragments

-Hyundai Elexio: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/2026-hyundai-elexio-price-and-specs-aussie-tuned-chinese-ev-slots-in-under-ioniq-5

-Mazda CX-6e: https://www.carthrottle.com/news/mazda-cx-6e-specs-details-and-features

Happy New Year everyone! In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss Tesla once again having an annual decline in sales. We also chat about what to look out for if you want to buy an ex-police car (very good value for money!) and our pick of brand new cars under $25,000.

Show notes:

- Tesla sales decline: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/01/tesla-sales-fell-by-9-percent-in-2025-its-second-yearly-decline/

- Redbook: Brand new cars under $25k: https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/results/?q=(And.Price.range(..25000)._.CurrentRelease.True.)&sort=MakeModel

In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss Kia's new Tasman ute failing to meet its lofty sales expectations. We also chat about what the atrocious 1 star ANCAP safety rating means for the future of the Suzuki Fronx in Australia. Finally, we wrap up the year by discussing the cars that impressed us the most.

Show notes:

- Kia Tasman sales: https://www.drive.com.au/news/kia-walks-back-ambitious-tasman-sales-goal-for-2026-which-helped-it-get-into-showrooms/

- Suzuki Fronx safety: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/official-safety-recall-for-suzuki-fronx-after-seatbelt-failure-sparks-urgent-investigation

In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss why the EU has broken its commitment to ban tailpipe emissions from new vehicles entirely by 2035, and what this could mean for consumers. We also talk about BYD bringing some (very) cheap dreams to market with the new Sealion 5, Australia's cheapest new PHEV. Finally, we undertake another iteration of the Carsales challenge - this time, hot hatches under $20k.

Show notes:

- EU drops 100% tailpipe emissions reduction target: https://www.spglobal.com/automotive-insights/en/blogs/2025/12/europe-shifts-into-reverse-on-eu-2035-ice-ban

- BYD Sealion 5: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-byd-sealion-5-price-and-specs-australias-cheapest-plug-in-hybrid-due-early-next-year/

Not content with the original Lexus LFA, in this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss Toyota's attempt to again prove that it has supercar chops with the new GR GT and (electric) LFA concept. We also discuss Sanbib's favourite car, the new Kia Seltos. Finally, we conclude with news that MG, perhaps the most established Chinese brand in Australia, has decided to take the Camry head-on with the launch of the new MG 7.

Show notes:

- Toyota GR GT: https://toyotagazooracing.com/gr/grgt/wp/

- Lexus LFA concept: https://www.lexus.com.au/news/2025/12/05/lexus-unveils-lfa-concept-bev-sports-car

- MG 7: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2026-mg-7-price-and-specs-toyota-camry-rival-brings-turbo-power/

In this week's episode of The Hook Turn Podcast, we discuss the latest plot arc in the Jaguar Land Rover drama. This time, the shocking departure of Gerry McGovern, JLR's ostensibly autocratic Chief Creative Officer, and responsible for hits like the new Defender, and (what we think) will be misses such as the Type 00 concept. We also discuss new updates to Australian vehicle safety ratings, and end with our thoughts on whether Toyota is literally just dreaming with the crazy new Corolla concept.

Show notes:

- Gerry McGovern fired: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/jlr-axes-design-boss-gerry-mcgovern

- 2026 ANCAP safety ratings: https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.ancap.com.au/app/public/assets/55242003ce81cea982bcf523ce917f1763ea1ad6/original.pdf?1764115390

- Radical new Toyota Corolla concept: https://www.carscoops.com/2025/10/toyota-shows-the-future-of-the-corolla/

In this week's episode of the Hook Turn podcast, we discuss a one-two punch from Korea. Not only has Genesis launched a new performance sub-brand to take on BMW M, Audi RS and Mercedes AMG head-on, but the broader Hyundai Group reveals that it's now more profitable than VW. Speaking of the VW group, we also discuss Porsche's new Cayenne Electric and what it might mean for the luxury SUV market.

Show notes:

-Genesis Magma GT concept: https://www.drive.com.au/news/genesis-magma-gt-concept-previews-a-production-ready-v8-mid-engined-supercar/

-Hyundai overtakes VW in profitability: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/hyundai-has-overtaken-volkswagen-to-become-2-globally-in-profit-says-ceo

-Porsche Cayenne Electric: https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/2025/products/porsche-cayenne-electric-technological-milestone-41128.html