1. 2027 Hyundai Tucson revealed — the RAV4's next headache
The all-new 2027 Hyundai Tucson has landed — and it's coming straight for the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and the Mazda CX-5. It gets over-the-air updates, 20-inch rims, dual wireless charging pads, and a Stay Mode that keeps the air con, heating and charging going with the engine switched off. Australia scores an XRT grade with a wider nose, extended black cladding, skid plates and off-highway rubber — but the tougher XRT Pro stays North America-only for now. A sports-inspired variant debuts at the Paris Motor Show on October 12, and Hyundai boss José Muñoz says the Tucson leads the brand's biggest-ever product push: more than 100 new and refreshed vehicles globally by 2030.
Source: CarsGuide
2. Tesla Model 3 drops $9,000 — undercuts BYD Seal, Kia EV4 and Mazda 6e
Tesla just made the Model 3 a bargain. A new base rear-wheel-drive grade lands at $45,900 before on-road costs — a full $9,000 under the old entry price and cheaper than the BYD Seal Dynamic ($49,888), Kia EV4 ($50,040) and Mazda 6e ($49,990). You get a claimed 572km of WLTP range (355 miles, up 52km), a 6.2-second sprint to 100km/h (62mph), and standard kit including the wireless phone charger. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is a $149/month subscription. Tesla says orders are open now with first deliveries expected from mid-October — and if you're in the US, this is the shape of where EV pricing is heading.
Source: CarsGuide
3. BYD admits Shark 6 'defect' after Four Corners hacking demo
After an ABC Four Corners episode showed a cybersecurity researcher remotely accessing a BYD Shark 6 ute's infotainment system to listen in on conversations, BYD has acknowledged a "defect" and will push a software update once "rigorous validation" is complete. The breach came through the Android Debug Bridge, a development tool built into the Android-based multimedia system that's normally disabled before cars leave the factory. BYD says the footage of headlights and wipers being messed with required direct access to the vehicle's wiring — not something a remote hacker could actually pull off. Worth watching either way: BYD is checking whether other models need the fix too, and it's a handy reminder that a modern ute is basically a computer with wheels.
Source: Drive.com.au
4. AIVA: another Chinese EV brand knocks on Europe's door
One to watch from Paris: AIVA, a brand-new Chinese EV maker backed by Seres (33 per cent), battery giant CATL (10 per cent), TikTok parent ByteDance's AI division and autonomous-driving specialist DeepRoute, has debuted its first production model, the ME7. The five-door crossover is 4.85 metres long (about 16ft) on a 2.9-metre wheelbase — right in Tesla Model Y territory — with pixel-style front lights that display patterns and react to gestures. It'll come as a pure EV and with a range-extender drivetrain. European sales aren't confirmed yet and full specs are still under wraps, but with parents like these, the established brands won't be sleeping easy.
Source: newmobility.news
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