Today in Cars: Hyundai Palisade Hybrid sticker shock, Australia’s cheapest EV SUV, and the CarPlay fight gets spicy

I kicked off the morning with a travel mug and a dusty set of tyres from last weekend’s B-road detour, and then the news feed slapped me awake harder than the espresso. Prices are rising where we least expected, budget EVs are barging through the door, and tech chiefs are lobbing friendly fire at Apple on stage. It’s a weird, riveting moment to love cars. Let’s wade in.

Hyundai Palisade Hybrid price shock: near-$90k for a family bus

Hyundai’s 2026 Palisade arrives as a flagship hybrid and the headline number is the one that makes you blink: almost $90,000. That’s premium-brand territory for a Hyundai badge, which feels odd until you remember how plush the current Palisade already is. I’ve done school runs, airport dashes, and a weekend winery loop in the existing car—it’s sofa-soft over bumps, church-quiet at 110 km/h, and its eight seats are honest-to-goodness adult-usable in a pinch. If the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid adds extra smoothness in traffic and a tangible fuel-economy bump without killing that effortless vibe, it’ll snag buyers who were eyeing German or Japanese luxury badges and decided they’d rather have features than a crest on the grille.

Hyundai Palisade Hybrid: quick notes from the driver’s seat

• Expect a calmer, electric-boosted takeoff and quieter city running than the V6.
• If tuning mirrors the current Palisade, ride comfort should be glove-soft on 19s; 20s look great but add a little thump.
• Cabin tech has been marching fast—fingers crossed the infotainment keeps pace without burying simple tasks.
• Fuel economy is the drawcard; whether it pencils out versus cheaper trims will come down to your annual kilometres.

In the same breath, the 2026 Mitsubishi ASX climbs about $13k. I’ve driven more ASXs than I care to admit (press cars, rentals, urban errands). They’ve always been no-nonsense runabouts—simple, honest, inexpensive. A jump like this usually signals safety and tech overhauls, but it also bumps the little Mitsi into a brutal price bracket with polished competitors. I’ll hold fire until I’ve crawled all over the spec sheet and hustled it around a few pockmarked suburbs.

• 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid: Premium price, premium intent—hybrid power for the big family hauler.
• 2026 Mitsubishi ASX: Price rises suggest real upgrades; value story has to work harder now.

Hyundai Palisade Hybrid vs rivals: which big family SUV fits you?

Hyundai Palisade Hybrid shopping heads-up: should you wait or buy now?

Honest answer? If you value quiet, smooth takeoffs and you’re watching your weekly fuel spend, waiting for the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid makes sense. If you tow often or prefer proven tech at a lower sticker, a current Palisade V6—or a Kluger Hybrid if you want Toyota’s thrift—might be the calmer choice. I’ll report back once I’ve driven the hybrid on scabby urban tarmac and a fast Hume run; that’s where big SUVs show their true colours.

Australia’s budget EV shake-up: Leapmotor B10 undercuts, Zeekr surges—and Lynk & Co sits out

Australia’s cheapest electric SUV now wears a Leapmotor badge. The 2026 B10 swoops in below the usual suspects and takes the fight straight to BYD and MG. I haven’t had the B10’s key in my pocket yet, but China’s latest EVs have a habit of overdelivering on cabin tech and perceived quality. The long game is service support, software cadence, and resale—three areas where new brands have to earn trust.

Meanwhile, Zeekr’s 9X flagship reportedly snagged around 40,000 orders in the first hour. Wild number. It tracks with the sheet metal I’ve seen from Zeekr lately—clean lines, serious materials, and an obsessive approach to UX. The kicker? Zeekr’s boss says sister brand Lynk & Co “doesn’t make a lot of sense” for Australia. That’s rare clarity in corporate-speak: bet big on the horse that’s already winning.

• 2026 Leapmotor B10: Currently the cheapest EV SUV in Australia.
• Zeekr 9X: Launch demand looks enormous on paper.
• Lynk & Co: Not headed Down Under anytime soon, per Zeekr leadership.

Workhorse watch: Next-gen Toyota HiLux edges toward electrification

The 2026 Toyota HiLux is doing the slow-burn teaser routine. Every tradie I chat with fires off the same two questions: will it tow better, and will it drink less? Expect some form of hybrid assistance—mild or full—to help both. I guided the current HiLux across rutty farm tracks last month; it’s a hammer, but unladen it can hop about on broken surfaces. If Toyota calms that rear-end jiggle without sacrificing bulldog toughness, it’ll be an instant sellout.

Industry cash watch: JLR seeks another $4B as production restarts

Jaguar Land Rover is reportedly chasing a further $4 billion to stabilize while it restarts production. Not great for nerves—or for customers tracking delayed deliveries. The products are desirable (try finding a Defender on the lot for long), but consistency is everything. I’ve reshuffled more than one test plan around JLR’s stop-start supply; here’s hoping this reboot sticks.

Battery breakthrough (on paper): 50% more range, same size

Autocar points to a radical EV battery tech promising 50% more range without growing the pack. High-silicon anodes? Solid-state-ish wizardry? The engineer in me is giddy. The realist remembers how long it takes to turn lab miracles into warrantable road cars. If even half that gain hits showrooms before decade’s end, it rewrites design levers overnight: fewer cells, less mass, smaller costs—or simply far longer legs between charges.

Software spat: Ford boss throws shade at Apple’s “CarPlay Ultra”

Ford’s top brass isn’t sold on Apple’s all-encompassing CarPlay Ultra and wants to double down on native, AI-heavy operating systems. I get it. Carmakers want control over the interface and data; drivers want their phones to just work. I spent a week in LA traffic toggling between wireless CarPlay and a very slick native system. When the native assistant nailed a complicated voice nav request, it felt like magic. But for podcasts and messages? CarPlay was still the low-drama zone.

Autonomy meets the law: driverless car pulls a naughty U-turn, gets… no ticket

Police reportedly stopped a driverless car after an illegal U-turn and couldn’t figure out who to ticket. The operator? The owner? The algorithm? Years back in Phoenix, I watched a safety driver hover at a construction zone as the robo-car hesitated like a learner on a hill start. Huge progress since then—but edge cases are still tripping over legal code and human patience.

Quick take: Tesla Model Y remains the road-trip reference

Autocar circled back to the Model Y, and I’m not surprised. As an EV for long-distance travel, it remains the benchmark: ruthless efficiency and a charging ecosystem that saves your weekend. The ride on 20s can be a bit busy and the minimalist interior isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for covering ground with minimal friction, it still sets the pace.

Real-world wallet check: Do you need GAP insurance?

GAP fills the space between your car’s current value and what you owe if it’s written off. With prices spiking and depreciation doing what it does, it’s worth a look if you’re lightly deposited, heavily financed, or in a model that sheds value fast. Don’t buy on the spot at the dealership—shop around.

What stood out to me today

• Hybrids aren’t the “budget” option anymore; the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is staking a claim at premium money.
• China’s EV offensive is coordinated: Leapmotor on price, Zeekr on polish.
• Utes are inching toward electrification; the next HiLux is the bellwether.
• The dashboard is the new battleground, and software is now a car’s personality.

Conclusion

From a near-$90k Hyundai Palisade Hybrid to bargain-basement newcomers like the Leapmotor B10, today’s headlines are a split-screen: premium at the top, price disruptors at the bottom, and software squabbles in the middle. As ever, buy the car that fits your life—not the press release. I’ll hunt down seat time in the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid and the rest—bumpy backstreets, school chaos, freeway slogs—so we can separate the hype from the honest stuff.

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