Contributing Journalist
Contributing Journalist
Amid the seemingly endless influx of new cars coming our way there are some that are simply more important than others.
Whether due to popularity or importance to a particular brand, there are a select group of vehicles that stand out. We’ve looked ahead to what’s coming our way in 2026 and selected the five new models that will be worth watching closely as the year progresses.
A new HiLux is always important, but it takes on particular importance in ‘26 as Toyota faces the challenges of both a resolute Ford Ranger and an increasingly crowded ute market.
Toyota executives have been playing down the chances of the HiLux leaping back to the top of the sales charts for a year now, convinced that the fracturing ute segment is approaching peak volume.
But that doesn’t mean they expect the HiLux to become an also-ran, choking in the dust of the Ranger as the Isuzu D-Max and BYD Shark 6 loom closer. Yes, it’s not an ‘all-new’ HiLux, and is actually a pretty old HiLux underneath, but it is still a HiLux and that means Australian ute buyers will still be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
How many? That remains to be seen, but whether the new RAV4 lives up to expectations and becomes the best-selling vehicle in the country or not, the HiLux will still be crucial to Toyota’s 2026 plans.
Sure, like the HiLux the Ranger Super Duty technically launched in late ‘25, but this year will be its true test. Ford has invested a lot of resources into the Super Duty, so much so that it is simply too big to fail.
What is success for Super Duty? Well, the obvious goal should be to finally knock-off the Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series, which has dominated this corner of the market for decades. Obviously that is no small task, but nobody really thought the regular Ranger would out-sell the HiLux when the T6 generation first launched 15 odd years ago, but Australian ute buyers are as pragmatic as they are loyal.
The arrival of the Super Duty pick-up, joining the cab-chassis variants, gives Ford a broad line-up that should suit a variety of fleet operators. Importantly, while all the talk has been around fleet duties, the Super Duty is likely to prove equally appealing to private buyers (or sole traders for the purposes of the tax department) that want the biggest, toughest, roughest Ranger they can buy.
To say the CX-5 is important to Mazda is a bit like saying your heart is important to your blood flow. The arrival of a new-generation CX-5 should be cause for celebration, but there is a very large question mark hanging over this newest version — where is the hybrid?
Mazda will launch the new CX-5, which features a fresh look inside and out, with only the 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine carried over from the out-going model (albeit with 7kW less power and 10Nm less torque).
The turbocharged version of the engine is gone and the hybrid is not likely to arrive until sometime in ‘27, at the earliest.  This leaves Mazda trying to take on not only the new-generation RAV4, which will have both hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, but a growing list rivals that includes familiar names like the Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail and Hyundai Tucson but also newcomers like the BYD Sealion 7 and GWM Haval H6.
Despite its age the CX-5 is still clearly Mazda’s best-selling model, but can a single powertrain keep it that way in 2026? 
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Hyundai has been one of the most proactive brands when it comes to electric vehicles, offering the Inster, Kona, Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 9 already. But none of these have really hit the mark with local buyers in the same way other EVs like the Sealion 7, Geely EX5 or Tesla Model Y have.
And what do those three popular EVs have in common? They’re all made in China.
So, Hyundai will try that tactic in ‘26, launching the Chinese-built Elexio, which is similar in size to the Ioniq 5 but will aim to be more price competitive against its fellow Chinese-made alternatives.
Hyundai hasn’t revealed any details, specifically pricing, but as the Elexio is based on the same underpinnings as the Kia EV5 it will likely feature similar specifications and pricing.
Given the EV5 out-sells the more expensive Ioniq 5 by quite some margin, the Elexio could become Hyundai’s first breakthrough electric option.
The Japanese brand will take arguably its biggest risk in years in 2026. The Outback has always been a staple of the brand and a popular model in the large SUV segment, even though it’s not really an ‘SUV’ and very much a high-riding wagon.
Or at least, it was. The new-for-2026 Outback has very much blurred the lines between wagon and SUV, featuring a more upright, boxy design that has the potential to either attract a new flock of customers or alienate the traditional wagon lovers – or both.
Clearly this is a tactical risk from Subaru, but it creates more uncertainty over the Outback than ever before. If it pays off it could propel the model closer to the best-sellers in the large SUV market. But if it misses the mark with buyers, it has the potential to leave Subaru in a tough spot moving forward.
To call it important might be an understatement.
Contributing Journalist

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