Car news, 19 May ’25: Chasing Cars 2025 Car Of The Year revealed, Toyota’s new model uses BYD parts

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Thanks for joining us this Monday, May 19th 2025. Notably in car news today: Chasing Cars proudly announces ten COTY 2025 finalists, Toyota’s Chinese partnership releases an all-new model. 

Browse this issue:

• Chasing Cars releases monumental 2025 Car Of The Year results
• Toyota’s exclusive Chinese partnership sees new model with BYD technology 
• Xpeng unveils sleek new P7 electric sports sedan
• Say goodbye to the rear-wheel-drive Ford Everest

Chasing Cars releases monumental Car Of The Year results

• Chasing Cars has revealed its Best New Cars 2025, including an overall 2025 Car Of The Year winner. Eligible cars must have been launched between May 2023 and May 2025, with only new-generation, significantly updated and/or mechanically updated vehicles being eligible for inclusion.

• Each year Chasing Cars assesses a huge array of new release vehicles to the Australian market. Car Of The Year (COTY) 2025 sees 20 unique car brands, 35 vehicle models and several unique variants, totalling to 50 finalists each for independent review. 

• Chasing Cars’ 2025 COTY can be viewed for free exclusively on the Chasing Cars YouTube channel. Stay tuned on the Chasing Cars website for a wealth of independent reviews following this prestigious event.

• Chasing Cars is proud to bring its audience and beyond a fantastic and unbiased result as Australia’s most independent car reviewer, in partnership with Budget Direct. 

READ: Chasing Cars car reviews

WATCH: The best cars 2025 including our ultimate Car Of The Year

Toyota’s exclusive Chinese partnership sees new model with BYD technology

• FAW Toyota, a partnership between Toyota Motor Corporation and FAW Group Corporation, has begun production on an all-new electric crossover SUV, dubbed the bZ5.

• The Faw-Toyota bZ5 will launch exclusively to the Chinese market in June 2025. It features a 200kW BYD front-drive electric motor, and BYD lithium iron phosphate Blade Battery to match. 

• Two battery options will be available for the bZ5 – a 65kWh unit with a claimed range of 550km (CLTC) or 74kWh unit with a claimed range of 630km (CLTC). Pricing in China is ~AU$28,000 (130,000 yuan) and ~AU$35,000 (160,000 yuan) respectively. 

• Interestingly, the bZ5 is built on Toyota’ s Electric New Global Architecture (eTNGA) platform, best known in Australia as the basis for the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ. Faw-Toyota currently has no official plans to bring the bZ5 to Australia. 

Xpeng unveils sleek new P7 electric sports sedan

• Xpeng chairman Xiaopeng He has released a first look at a new generation of P7 sports sedan, with styling by French designer Rafik Ferrag. 

• Expect the new P7 to be built upon Xpeng’s state-of-the-art Kungpen platform, which boasts 800-volt silicon carbide electrical architecture, and a claimed 0-80 percent rapid charge time of 12 minutes.

• Also expected for the next-generation P7 is use of the new Turing AI chip for driver assistance, rather than conventional lidar. Xpeng claims its radar and camera-intensive Turing software will “enhance human-like interaction fourfold, with a 53 percent increase in lane-change success and a 155 percvent improvement in detour handling.”

• Currently, details surrounding the powerplant of the new P7 have not yet been confirmed, nor has Xpeng confirmed details surrounding the vehicle’s interior. Xpeng has not made an official statement on the plausibility of the P7 coming to Australia. 

Say goodbye to the rear-wheel-drive Ford Everest

• Ford Australia has confirmed production of Ford Everest two-wheel-drive variants, currently limited to the Ambiente and Sport, will cease this month.

• The decision comes in light of current Australian New Vehicle Efficiency Standards (NVES), which places a threshold on the amount of CO2 a vehicle can produce. Two separate standards are in place – one for passenger vehicles, and the other for ladder-frame commercial vehicles. 

• The Ford Everest awkwardly slots into both NVES categories. Rear-wheel-drive Everests are considered passenger cars, which do not meet NVES CO2 standards. However, four-wheel-drive Everests are considered commercial, adhering to much lessened restrictions.

• The base model rear-wheel-drive Everest Ambience and mid-spec Sport are currently the most affordable variants of Everest on the market, priced at $54,240 and $63,740 respectively (MSRP). Following the May production halt, new vehicle purchases will be limited only to existing stock. 

READ: Ford Everest review

WATCH: Ford’s all-terrain wagon gets a wild makeover (Ford Everest Wildtrak 2024 Review)

The next issue of Car News Today will be published on Tuesday 20th May at 4.30pm Sydney time.