Last week we told you about the collapse of TrueEV, the Australian distributor for Chinese EV brand XPeng. That was a warning shot for Australian motorists being marched towards the electric future by people who never seem to mention the dull but important bits, like servicing, parts, warranty support and whether the local outfit behind the shiny badge might still exist by the time your touchscreen starts having a breakdown.
Then, on April 1 – yes, really – XPeng issued what independent consumer advocate and Dog & Lemon Guide editor Clive Matthew-Wilson called a syrupy press release announcing its triumphant entry, or re-entry, to the Australian market. It was headed: "XPENG Australia: A new era of trust & intelligence", which in corporate language usually means trust is in short supply and intelligence is being rationed.
The release banged on about building a new dealer network and taking "full responsibility" for the future but stopped well short of saying the only thing existing owners really wanted to hear: if you already bought one of these things, don't worry, we will look after you properly. No plain-English promise. No firm reassurance. No comforting sign that somebody will actually answer the phone when your pride and joy starts acting like a Chinese iPad on wheels.
As Matthew-Wilson correctly put it, Aussies do not like seeing ordinary people get screwed by corporates, especially foreign corporates armed with "trust and intelligence" slogans and a legal department. And he is right about something else too: XPeng will not be the last wobble. There are too many brands, too much subsidy distortion, too much hype and not enough hard-headed discussion about which of these companies will still be standing when the music stops.
Which "something electric" should you buy?
Which brings me to a domestic directive issued inside my own house. I have been instructed by a member of the family to find them "something electric" to replace the large diesel SUV they had just filled at a bloodcurdling $3.80 a litre. Fair enough. At that price, even rusted shopping trolleys start to look energy efficient.
But after the XPeng mess, this feels like exactly the wrong moment to pretend the answer for every Australian is a full EV. For plenty of normal people, the sweet spot right now is the hybrid.
The sensible person's shortlist
Here is where I would start:
The Lexus UX hybrid is a very decent thing, new or used. It has also been named by Which? in Britain as one of the more reliable cars on sale, and older Lexus products are better made than the new ones. New from about $55,000. Pre-driven from about $35,000. Well made and super service.
The 2022 model Lexus UX 300e.
Then there is the Kia Sportage hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Practical, roomy, familiar and entirely free of the "who even imports these now?" conversation. New from around $44,000, older ones from just under $40,000. It will not make you the hero of an EV Facebook group, but it may get you to Noosa and back without a nervous breakdown.
If your tastes run more to hedge-fund refugee chic, the Porsche Cayenne hybrid is a marvellous device. Fast, plush, beautifully sorted and ruinously expensive in the traditional Stuttgart way. New from $115,000 up to around $1bn. Used from about $74,000. Great car. Service bills likely to trigger a minor cardiac episode.
And then there is the Tesla Model 3. Yes, fully electric, which will suit basket weavers, inner-city prophets and anyone who enjoys discussing software updates over dinner. New from about $55,000. Flat battery emotionally from around $30,000 used.
Save the planet, buy a Ferrari
If, like me, you want to strike a blow against petrol price gougers, then obviously the next stop is Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach sale next week. Because nothing says cost-of-living solidarity like a 750hp Ferrari hybrid.
Under the bonnet sits a nice environmentally responsible twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with e4WD plug-in hybrid system. This 2025 Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale is one of just 799 road-legal track cars and could be driven out of a dealer for about $1.3m. Next week you might snag it for $2.4m. Not a bad earn for six months of garaging. It even comes with a fire extinguisher, which feels less like an accessory and more like an omen.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
After Palm Beach it is off to Bonhams at Goodwood, where the menu becomes gloriously deranged. Your choice: a 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, which is basically the Titanic in SUV form, for about $350,000, or a 2000 Porsche 911 GT3-R that won its class at Daytona. Full disclosure: this Porsche was running second in class at Le Mans when the bonnet flew open and the driver had to stick his head out the window to see the way back to the pits. Which is normal for your two WART drivers.
Bathurst nostalgia is a better investment than crypto
Meanwhile, Auto Action reports four classic Bathurst 1000 winners sold for $6m this week. Naturally, all were Holden Commodores, including Mark Skaife's two-time winning Golden Child VX and the 2003 winner driven by Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly. So, while the industry bores on about software-defined vehicles, mobility ecosystems and sustainable futures, real Australians are still paying good money for V8s, liveries and the memory of when touring cars looked like they wanted to punch you in the face.
Cars that can actually kill you
In our cars-that-could-kill-you department, Transport Minister Catherine King has recalled 13,000 Toyota HiLuxes and 300 Aston Martin DBXs. And naturally we must say hello to our old mate at BMW, CEO Vikram Pawah. Viki gave the AFR an interview this week in which he said that if he were not running BMW in Australia and New Zealand he would either be growing tomatoes or working in theatre. Given King has recalled 30,000 BMWs this year, horticulture may well be the safer option.
Recalls happen all the time, and usually they slide by as corporate wallpaper. But sometimes they are not background noise.
A two-year-old girl died in Ohio on March 7, 2026, after a power-operated third-row seat in a 2026 Hyundai Palisade folded onto her. The tragedy prompted a recall of roughly 69,000 Palisades. King recalled more than 2,000 Palisades in Australia last month. Hyundai was allegedly warned about the potential risks of the power seat mechanism six months before the incident.
It is a dreadful story by any measure. And it is the sort of thing that should cut through cars now being "software platforms" or "tech ecosystems". Fine. Call them whatever you like. But software companies do not usually have to explain why a seat may have behaved in a way that contributed to a child's death.
jc@jcp.com.au