The new models the CarExpert team is most excited for in 2026

2025 was a big year for new model launches, and 2026 is set to see another influx of fresh product on Australian shores – and not all of it is from China.

There’s everything from new generations of top-selling vehicles like the Mazda CX-5, Subaru Outback and Toyota RAV4, through to high-end fare like the first electric Porsche Cayenne and the Aston Martin Valhalla.

Throw in some intriguing new offerings like the Honda Super-One and Xpeng X9, as well as the return of the Honda Prelude, and there’s something for everyone.

CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal.

Here are the new cars, utes and SUVs that the members of the CarExpert team are most excited to get behind the wheel of in 2026.

Paul Maric: Ford Ranger Super Duty

I’m excited to spend some more time with the Ranger Super Duty.

It’s a critical vehicle for Ford – it’s the brand’s chance to steal huge market share from Toyota in the LandCruiser 70 Series space.

It will ultimately rely on reliability – something that Ford has struggled with in the past and that fleets paying this kind of money won’t stand for.

Alborz Fallah: Toyota Century

I’m waiting to place my order on a Toyota Century. Failing that, I am keen to see the supercars coming from Hyundai and the plethora of Chinese brands.

Marton Pettendy: Ford Ranger Super Duty

At the very least, the toughest factory Ranger ever is a flex for the ingenuity and perseverance of Australia’s ongoing automotive engineering industry.

At the very most, the first Super Duty-badged Ranger has received so many upgrades at a fundamental chassis level that it probably deserves its own unique model name and exterior design, but it’s understandable why Ford would want to leverage the nameplate of Australia’s best-selling model for the past two years.

Either way, it’s high time that Toyota’s trusty – but effectively 40-year-old – LandCruiser 70 Series had some competition, and that Aussies who need or want an outback-, mine- or farm-ready workhorse had another option.

James Wong: Cupra Formentor VZ5

In a world where distinctive engine notes are fast becoming a thing of the past, Cupra Australia has committed to releasing the five-cylinder Formentor VZ5 next year.

As we’ve come to love from Audi Sport’s ‘RS’ stable, the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol engine in the VZ5 will offer a distinctive five-pot soundtrack to go with its hyper hatch-rivalling performance. If anything, this engine is best suited to the Formentor’s baby-Lamborghini looks.

Zero to 100km/h pace in just over four seconds combined with the Formentor’s keen handling should be a bloody hoot. The reviews out of Europe for the original were overwhelmingly positive, and I hope to get a steer of one – preferably on a racetrack (hint hint Cupra Australia) – in 2026.

William Stopford: Cadillac Lyriq-V and Lexus ES

Okay, so the Cadillac Lyriq-V isn’t the type of V-Series Cadillac I’ve been hoping would come here for over 20 years – it’s not a sedan and there’s no spicy combustion engine under the bonnet.

Still, the Lyriq-V takes Cadillac’s already impressive middle-child electric SUV and dials up the performance while keeping aesthetic changes to a tasteful minimum.

It’s the only one of the three Cadillacs due here next year – the others being the very good Optiq and Vistiq – that I didn’t get to drive in the US back in June. General Motors has some talented engineers, so I’m keen to see how well they’ve crafted a high-performance electric SUV.

I’m keen to drive the new Lexus ES as well. I do enjoy a pleasant luxury sedan, and I found myself surprisingly taken with the latest Toyota Camry.

The new ES is the first generation to offer a choice of both hybrid and electric power, and the dual-motor all-wheel drive ES500e sounds particularly interesting.

But I have some serious reservations about the new ES. Its exterior is somehow a mix of overstyled and generic 2020s Chinese sedan; its interior has gone full Chinese with a huge screen and virtually no buttons.

Beggars can’t be choosers, though. Lexus still doesn’t have a new generation of IS, and we haven’t even gotten the current one for several years in Australia. With the LS limo seemingly on its way out (sacrilege!), this may be Lexus’ only sedan here soon.

I’ll also throw in a mention to the Denza Z9 GT, a luxurious sports wagon by BYD’s premium brand, offered with plug-in hybrid or electric power. Denza Australia hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, but it sure seems like a fait accompli, and I’d love to experience China’s answer to the Porsche Panamera and Taycan.

Damion Smy: Jaguar Type 00, Honda Prelude

Who knows if it will appear in 2026, but I am absolutely fascinated with the reinvention of Jaguar and what that will bring.

Of cars that are actually locked in, the Honda Prelude could be the start of some great new showroom battles, even if the first overseas reviews aren’t raving about it. Hello Celica, MR2…

Sean Lander: Ford Ranger Super Duty

No comment required, I just want one.

Josh Nevett: Genesis GV60 Magma and Hyundai Ioniq 6 N

Performance EVs are still a hard sell for many people including myself, but Hyundai is one of the few brands to have successfully cut through that skepticism with the bonkers Ioniq 5 N.

And next year, the Korean automaker promises to improve on that recipe.

For one, it will introduce a sedan version – the Ioniq 6 N – which brings sleeker looks and superior aerodynamics.

Then there’s the Genesis GV60 Magma, a slightly softer, more luxurious, and very orange version of the Ioniq 5 N that we’ve come to know and love.

Neither are likely to sell in great numbers, but the few who do take the plunge aren’t likely to regret it.

Ben Zachariah

Toyota has yet to confirm exactly what’s in the pipeline, but there are rumours of the company reviving the Starlet – potentially to replace the Yaris – with unconfirmed reports of a spicy GR Starlet in development.

Though it’s unlikely to make it into dealerships in 2026, it’s possible we’ll see some exciting reveals from Toyota and Gazoo Racing in the new year, and I’m here for it.

Max Davies: Lexus ES

Perhaps I’m an old man at heart.

When the next-generation ES was revealed at the Shanghai motor show in April, I was excited that Lexus would not only be building a new sedan even as sedans decline in popularity, but that it would also make it electric.

I’ve been saying a luxury electric sedan from Lexus would be a fantastic prospect since I reviewed the UX300e small electric SUV in 2024, and I’m glad the brand obviously took my advice to heart.

We already know that Lexus Australia will offer both hybrid and fully electric powertrains in the new ES; the only thing that would make it better is bringing the all-wheel drive option on top. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it’s the closest we’ll get to a new rear-drive luxury Lexus sedan.

But anyway, the poise of the current-gen ES surely indicates that Lexus will be able to make a lovely motor vehicle once again. The only thing I can grumble about is that it isn’t as sexy as the model it’ll replace.