Today in Cars: Aussie market chess moves, a 1300-hp Honda gone feral, and a Bugatti caper

I wrote this with a flat white in one hand and sand still in my shoes from yesterday’s photo shoot. It fits the vibe, because the day’s news swings from sunburnt ute deals to a desert-slaying Honda and one very unlucky hypercar owner. Let’s take a lap.

Australia Watch: Kia’s small-SUV strategy, supply pinch, and the hybrid-shaped question mark

Kia’s Seltos is having a moment—just not the sales crown its engineers might’ve hoped for. The brand’s boss has conceded the Seltos won’t be Kia’s top seller in Australia this year, and the reason isn’t demand; it’s supply. I’m not shocked. The last three Seltos I tried were snapped up before they hit the showroom floor, and dealers kept telling me “we could sell twice as many.”

There’s more: looking toward the 2027 update, Kia says there are “no plans” to spin a cheaper, petrol-only Seltos to claw back entry pricing. Translation: the brand would rather sell well-specified trims than chase headline sticker tags with cloth seats and missing safety kit. As someone who’s hustled a base-spec small SUV over corrugated backroads, I won’t mourn the rock-bottom stuff; the Seltos rides tight and tidy when you’ve got decent rubber and the multi-link rear sorted.

On hybrids, Kia remains deliberately coy. The company’s staying mum on a direct Corolla Hybrid rival for Australia. That’s the white space, isn’t it? Toyota’s feasting there, and Hyundai’s already nibbling with the Kona Hybrid. The Seltos, meanwhile, stays petrol here—think around 110 kW from the 2.0 and a punchier 1.6 turbo—while shoppers keep asking me, “Got it in hybrid?” Not yet.

Small SUV electrification at a glance (Australia)

My two cents from the driver’s seat: in traffic, Seltos’ 2.0 can drone if you’re aggressive off the line, but on country roads the 1.6T’s mid-range makes overtakes clean. A hybrid would round that out nicely for the school run and stop-start life—if and when Kia gives Australia the nod.

Ute Wars: HiLux trims $4000 as Ranger deals circle

Toyota’s HiLux is offering a $4000 discount, a clear response to a flurry of Ford Ranger deals. It’s that time of year—the great plate clearance tango—when I get texts from tradies asking, “Buy now or wait?” If you’re towing a ski boat for summer or gearing up for holiday road trips, this is the window where the math tilts in your favour.

• On-road manners: HiLux rides firmer unladen; Ranger feels a touch more settled over sharp edges.
• Towing: Both are happy with a tandem trailer; as always, watch GVM/GCM math and payload with a canopy and gear on board.
• Cab tech: Ranger’s big screen looks flash but can lag at boot; HiLux’s interface is simpler, faster in my experience.

Tip from recent dealer visits: turn up with a written quote and a trade-in evaluation. Even in a tight market, that still moves needles.

Policy & Security: Tesla’s road-user charge pitch, and Canberra’s stance on Chinese cars at bases

Tesla’s called for a national road-user charge that applies to all cars, not just EVs. I’ve run the numbers on long loops in EVs and diesels alike, and the fairest scheme probably blends a modest per-kilometre fee with time-of-day incentives to ease congestion. Do it once, do it nationally, and keep it simple for fleets and families. If it feels like a tax labyrinth, it’ll stall adoption and annoy everyone equally.

Separately, Australia won’t follow the U.S. and others in banning Chinese-made cars from military sites. Practical reality: our car park is full of them already, and blanket bans are blunt tools. Expect more behind-the-scenes cybersecurity hardening rather than boom-gate theater.

Off-Road Theater: Honda’s 1300+ hp “Passport” Trophy Truck is a sandstorm with seatbelts

Honda Racing has built the most un-Honda Passport Honda Passport ever: a hybrid-assisted Trophy Truck with more than 1300 horsepower aimed at Baja. It wears Passport clothes, but let’s be honest—this is a tube-frame monster with a Honda badge and a mission to fly dunes like they’re speed bumps.

• Powertrain: Hybrid-assisted V8 setup delivering 1300+ hp (yes, one-three-zero-zero).
• Intended battleground: Baja 1000 desert racing.
• Hardware hits: Long-travel suspension, beadlock wheels, endless cooling, lights for a midnight sprint.
• Reality check: It’s not road legal; it’s a rolling sledgehammer for the desert.

I stood trackside at Baja years ago when a Trophy Truck skimmed whoops at 140 km/h; the earth moved under my boots. Add hybrid shove for launch and response, and you’ve got a new kind of quick. The fun part will be heat management—hybrids hate prolonged high-temp sprints unless you overbuild everything. Honda usually does.

Meanwhile at the ’Ring: A longtail Subaru WRX mule, or just a fever dream?

A peculiar Subaru WRX prototype was spotted lapping the Nürburgring wearing what looks like a longtail add-on. Aero experiment? Cooling mule? Both? I’ve seen enough camo cones at the ’Ring to know sometimes a tail is just ballast or a data-gathering rig. Still, if Subaru’s poking at high-speed stability, enthusiasts won’t complain—WRX feels planted to 160, but above that, cleaner aero never hurts.

Design Desk: Chery’s Lepas shooting brake concept sharpens its elbows

Chery’s Lepas concept previews a tougher, more aggressive design language, wrapped in a low-roof shooting brake body. It’s the kind of styling flourish you clock outside a Fitzroy cafe and immediately Google. Crisp character lines, a hunched stance, and the suggestion that if this goes to production, there’ll be an R-Line/GT-Line rival waiting across town. The Chinese brands are moving from value-first to “why not both?”—and concepts like this are the bread crumbs.

Wild Card: A Bugatti, a CEO, and a police chase across Europe

A $4.75 million Bugatti Chiron belonging to the company’s CEO was reportedly stolen, sparking a cross-border pursuit. Every car person’s stress dream, that: you hand the keys to someone in a nice jacket, look down to tip the valet, look up, and your 16-cylinder art piece is headed for Luxembourg. It’s a reminder that even in the rarefied air of megacars, the most valuable option is a good tracker.

Bottom line

Kia’s playing the long game on spec and supply while the hybrid drum keeps beating louder in the small-SUV class. Ute buyers have leverage right now, so sharpen those pencils. Motorsport gets a jolt of electrons with Honda’s savage hybrid Trophy Truck, and somewhere in Europe, a very fast Bugatti just had a very bad day. Typical Thursday in carland—never dull.

FAQ

Is the Kia Seltos getting a cheaper petrol-only version in 2027?

No. Kia says there are no plans for a stripped-back, petrol-only Seltos to chase a lower entry price.

Will Kia launch a Corolla Hybrid rival in Australia?

Kia is staying tight-lipped. The brand hasn’t confirmed a direct hybrid rival for Australia yet.

What’s the current Toyota HiLux deal?

A $4000 discount has been announced. Check local dealers for trim-specific availability and build dates.

What exactly is Honda’s 1300+ hp “Passport” Trophy Truck?

A hybrid-assisted, purpose-built desert racer from Honda Racing aimed at the Baja 1000. It’s not road-legal and shares little with the showroom Passport beyond the name and styling cues.

What is a road-user charge and why is Tesla supporting it?

It’s a per-kilometre fee to fund roads. Tesla argues it should apply to all vehicles—not just EVs—for a fair, tech-neutral system.