New model launches were a big year in 2025, and the new product is due to be another wave of fresh products on Australian shores – not all from China.
There’s everything from new generations of top-selling vehicles like the Mazda CX-5, Subaru Outback and Toyota RAV4, through to high-end fare like the first electric Porsche Cayenne and the Aston Martin Valhalla.
Throw in some intriguing new offerings like the Honda Super-One and Xpeng X9, as well as the return of the
Honda Prelude, and there’s something for everyone.
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childcareman.xyz team members are most excited to get behind the wheel of in 2026, here are the new cars, utes and SUVs that they’re coming out with.
Paul Maric: Ford Ranger Super Duty
I’m excited to spend some more time with the Ranger Super Duty.
It’s a critical Ford car–it’t just means the brand is taking over huge market share from Toyota in the LandCruiser 70 Series space.
But it will ultimately depend on reliability – something Ford has struggled with in the past and that fleets paying such money won’t be as good.
Alborz Fallah: Toyota Century
Waiting to order a Toyota Century. Aside from that, I am looking forward to seeing the supercars coming from Hyundai and the plethora of Chinese brand names.
Marton Pettendy: Ford Ranger Super Duty
It’s a step for the ingenuity and perseverance of Australia’s ongoing automotive engineering industry, which is being developed into an increasingly tough factory Ranger at the very least.
The earliest Super Duty-badged Ranger has been given so many upgrades at a basic chassis level that it probably deserves its own unique model name and exterior design, but the fact is clear to me why Ford would want to use the nameplate of Australia’s best-selling model for the last two years.
But it’s a time that Toyota’, who was trusted by the way but effectively 40-year-old – LandCruiser 70 Series had some competition and that Aussies with an outback- or want an off back-, mine-or farm-ready workhorse were another option.
James Wong: Cupra Formentor VZ5
In a world where distinctive engine notes are fast becoming a thing of the past, Cupra Australia has committed to releasing the five-cylinder Formentor VZ5 next year.
the two as we’ve fallen in love with Audi Sport’s ‘RS’ stable,. With its hyper hatch-rivalling performance, the VZ5 will provide a unique five pot soundtrack to go with its 5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that has sparked an innovative 5-litre diesel engine. It should be engined for the Formentor’s baby-Lamborghini looks if anything.
It should be bloody hoot to mix zero to 100km/h pace in just over four seconds with the Formentor’s witty handling. The reviews of the original were overwhelmingly positive, and I hope to get one steer — on a racetrack (hint hint Cupra Australia) – in 2026.
William Stopford: Cadillac Lyriq-V and Lexus ES
Okay, so the Cadillac Lyriq-V isn’t the type of V-Series Cadillac I’ve been hoping would come here for over 20 years – it’s not a sedan and there’s no spicy combustion engine under the bonnet.
However, for example, the Lyriq-V carries Cadillac’s already impressive middle-child electric SUV and dials up performance while maintaining aesthetic changes to a tasteful minimum.
The only one of the three Cadillacs that I’m getting here next year is it’s the very good Optiq and VistiQ – which I didn’t drive in the US back last June. I’m interested in the quality of a high-performance electric SUV that they have built, because General Motors has some good engineers.
I’m keen to drive the new Lexus ES as well. I do enjoy a pleasant luxury sedan, and I found myself surprisingly taken with the latest Toyota Camry.
ES500e sounds particularly interesting, as the dual-motor all wheel drive is the first generation to offer hybrid and electric power options.
I have some serious reservations about the new ES, but that’s something I really care about. Its exterior is a mixture of overstyled and generic 2020s Chinese sedan; its interior has been full Chinese with ‘an enormous screen, virtually no buttons’ inside the car; it also features an entire-screen display.
Beggars aren’t necessarily choices, but they can be choosers. The new generation of IS is still not in Lexus’s family, and we haven’t even gotten the current one for several years in Australia. It’s the only Lexus’ sedan here soon, with the LS limo apparently on its way out (sacrilege!
I’ll also throw in a mention to the Denza Z9 GT, a luxurious sports wagon by BYD’s premium brand, offered with plug-in hybrid or electric power. Denza Australia hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, but it sure seems like a fait accompli, and I’d love to experience China’s answer to the Porsche Panamera and Taycan.
Damion Smy: Jaguar Type 00, Honda Prelude
What will be the next 2026 but I am absolutely fascinated with Jaguar’s rebirth and what it is going to bring?
Of cars that are actually locked in, the Honda Prelude could be the start of some great new showroom battles, even if the first overseas reviews aren’t raving about it. Hello Celica, MR2…
Sean Lander: Ford Ranger Super Duty
No comment required, I just want one.
Josh Nevett: Genesis GV60 Magma and Hyundai Ioniq 6 N
Performance EVs are still a hard sell for many people including myself, but Hyundai is one of the few brands to have successfully cut through that skepticism with the bonkers Ioniq 5 N.
And next year, the Korean automaker promises to improve on that recipe.
For one, it will introduce a sedan version – the Ioniq 6 N – which brings sleeker looks and superior aerodynamics.
Then there’s the Genesis GV60 Magma, a slightly softer, more luxurious, and very orange version of the Ioniq 5 N that we’ve come to know and love.
No one will sell in large numbers, but the few who do take the plunge aren’t likely to regret it.
Ben Zachariah
Toyota has yet to confirm exactly what’s in the pipeline, but there are rumours of the company reviving the Starlet – potentially to replace the Yaris – with unconfirmed reports of a spicy GR Starlet in development.
Although we won’t be able to get into dealerships in 2026, it’ll be some interesting new year news from Toyota and Gazoo Racing. I’m here for that.
Max Davies: Lexus ES
Perhaps I’m an old man at heart.
When the next-generation ES was announced at the April motor show in Shanghai, I was very excited that Lexus would not only be building a new sedan as sedans were dying out of popularity but also electric.
I’ve been saying a luxury electric sedan from Lexus would be a fantastic prospect since I reviewed the UX300e small electric SUV in 2024, and I’m glad the brand obviously took my advice to heart.
In the new ES, we already know that Lexus Australia will provide both hybrid and fully electric powertrains; the only thing that would be better is to put the all-wheel drive option on top. Perhaps we’ll be closest to a new rear-drive luxury Lexus sedan, perhaps with wishful thinking.
But despite this, the poise of the current-gen ES surely means Lexus will be able to create a lovely motor car once again. It’s not as sexy as the model it’ll replace, and is only one thing I can regret about being a .
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