Demand drives diversity.
As a market becomes more popular it naturally leads to more competition, and that is being played out now in the huge variety of 4×4 and Adventure vehicles available in Australia. In 2024 we had big name arrivals like the Ford F-150, Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota Prado but there’s even more in-store in 2025.
Here are our top picks for what’s coming this year.
Ford Ranger PHEV
This is arguably the most important model that will launch in 2025 – and not just for Ford. The plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger will be a litmus test for PHEV technology and acceptance by Australian buyers.
Why? Because the Ranger is already Australia’s best-selling vehicle and if the government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES) are going to have the desired impact car makers will need PHEV models to become more popular.
The challenge for Ford is the BYD Shark 6 has beaten it to the punch, already hitting the market before the Ranger PHEV arrives before the middle of the year.
GMC Yukon
Not content with just launching Cadillac into Australia, General Motors Australia decided to launch another new brand for 2025 – GMC. The Yukon is an upper-large luxury SUV that’s based on the same underpinnings as the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 that’s already converted to right-hand drive locally.
Due to arrive in the second quarter of the year, the Yukon has the potential to open up a new market for several brands.
GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV
As we mentioned with the Ford Ranger, 2025 is shaping up as the ‘year of the PHEV’ and the expected arrival of the Cannon Alpha plug-in in the first half of the year strengthens that.
GWM has already established itself as a hybrid-friendly SUV and ute brand, so it makes sense to expand into PHEVs, especially with its upsized Cannon Alpha. However, price will play a big role in determining if this is a sales hit or not.
Kia Tasman
It’s fair to say the initial response to Kia’s long-awaited ute was… polarising. But it’s not due to hit showrooms until the middle of the year, so will that be enough time for people to get accustomed to its looks and defy the naysayers?
On paper the Tasman ticks several key boxes, specifically around safety, that should help win over fleet buyers not concerned with appearance. But will its 156kW/441Nm turbo diesel, 1195kg payload and 3500kg towing capacity lure buyers away from the likes of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux…
LDV Terron 9
The Chinese brand is looking to shake-up the ute market in 2025, offering its new Terron 9 with both a turbo diesel engine and an all-electric powertrain. Due to arrive in the first half of the year, the Terron 9 is LDV’s answer to the GWM Cannon Alpha, a larger-than-average ute that isn’t quite as big as the American Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150.
The decision to offer both the diesel and electric versions gives LDV a chance to appeal to a much larger audience and sets the brand up for the future.
Ram 1500
The Hemi is dead, long live the Hurricane.
The American ute brand is in the final stages of running out its Hemi V8 engine but thankfully its replacement is confirmed for a mid-year arrival. The new engine is the so-called ‘Hurricane’ 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 that’s already used in the new Dodge Charger.
While local specifications and pricing haven’t been confirmed, in the US market the 1500 comes standard with 313kW and 636Nm (which is more than the 291kW/556Nm offered by the Hemi 5.7-litre V8), while there is a ‘high output’ option that bumps those figures to 403kW/736Nm.
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