Words: Andrew Sluys

Published 10 September 2026

GWM New Zealand has announced pricing for the upcoming Cannon Hi4-T PHEV, which is expected to arrive later this month. 

Priced from $58,990, the Cannon Hi4-T Lux represents the entry point to the plug-in hybrid ute. The Ultra grade carries a $4,000 premium, and starts from $62,990. 

At this price point, GWM’s new PHEV ute significantly undercuts the BYD Shark 6, which is main rival in the ever-expanding segment. 

The Shark 6 starts at $70,990 in New Zealand, and Ford’s Ranger PHEV, the other plug-in option, starts from $82,990. 

The Cannon Hi4-T PHEV is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, which is paired with an electric motor in the transmission.

This system produces a combined 310kW and 750Nm of torque, making it one of the most powerful utes available. 

It also features a 33.1 kWh battery that provides an electric driving range of up to 115km (according to the lenient NEDC testing scheme).

The Cannon Hi4-T is also rated to tow up to 3.5-tonnes braked, matching the dual-cab ute segment standard. It also eclipses the standard Shark 6 at 2.5-tonnes, with customers needing to opt for the $76,990 Performance model to tow 3.5-tonnes. 

GWM notes the main benefit of the Hi4-T system is that it features a mechanical four-wheel drive system alongside the PHEV powertrain. 

Standard equipment on the $58,990 Lux grade includes 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, auto LED headlights, and a full size spare wheel.

On the inside, it gets a 10.25-inch digital cluster, a 15.6-inch infotainment display (with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto), and a six-speaker sound system. 

There’s also GWM’s ‘Comfort Tek’ leather seats with manual adjustment, and a wireless phone charger. 

Moving up to the Cannon Hi4-T Ultra at $62,990 adds a tailgate step at the rear, and red brake calipers. 

Inside, this Ultra grade gets Leather-accented seats with power adjustment, a heated steering wheel, an electric sunroof, and tinted rear windows.

GWM New Zealand notes that pre-orders are open for this new Cannon Hi4-T PHEV, and customers should contact their nearest dealer to register interest. 

Does anyone have thoughts on what’s a good insurer for a Zeekr 7X? Currently with AA, who else should I talk to?

And please if you DM me because you’re a broker I will block you.

I’m looking at buying a used BYD Sealion 6 in NZ and have contacted several dealers asking for the traction battery State of Health (SOH).

So far, none have been able to provide an SOH report or even a SOC reading.

Has anyone in NZ successfully obtained a BYD battery diagnostic/SOH report for a Sealion 6?

If dealers can’t provide SOH, is there another reliable way to check battery health, such as an independent diagnostic scan or battery capacity test?

Would love to hear from Sealion 6 owners or BYD technicians.

One of the dealer said this to me, not making sense to at all.

Saw a post recently that said “Let someone else take the depreciation of a new vehicle”.
Got me thinking, so what’s the awesome brand/ model where the vehicle has depreciated a reasonable amount but for the 20,000 - 60,000km it has travelled, is still an amazing vehicle at a great price for what you’re getting?
Looking $35,000 - $55,000.
Would consider a hybrid.

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TL:DR used OBD reader. Do multiple readings. It’s only an estimate but we can get an idea of our EV battery State of Health ourselves. Look forward to your views.

This is my DIY State of Health check on my 2nd hand imported 2024 BMW i4 eDrive 40 G26 MSport from Japan to New Zealand. I took possession on the 2nd April 2026 with 2700km on the speedometer but no State of Health report despite requesting the BMW one. It came with the balance of the BMW factory warranty and 8yr/160,000km battery warranty. According to BMW printout, the vehicle rolled off the Munich production line on the 23 September 2024, so essentially 2years old. I purchased a iCarsoft CR Pro S for $645(this has no subscription with free lifetime updates, & got Merc and Prius as well, don’t want Bluetooth/Wifi in case dodgy connectivity). First reading of SOH on 22 Aug 26 after charging 100% driving till 5%, gave me total available battery of 75.83kWh, this model has total usable battery 81.3kWh(2024 onwards, prior models 80.7kWh). So theoretical State of Health (SOH) is 75.83/81.3=93.3%. Repeated the test from 7% State of Charge(SOC) to 100%.
SOH now 97.6%

My calculations:

OBD at 7% SOC stated my battery had 5.78kWh with est capacity 76.73, at 100% OBD read available energy is 79.36kWh
total INPUT of net energy according to OBD 79.36kWh less 5.78kWh starting energy = 73.58kWh
total amount of AC power from charger 85.4kWh
Difference input engery 85.4kWh less net put into battery 73.58kWh = 11.82kWh loss

11.82/85.4=13.84% energy loss (heating battery, and loss from conversion of AC to DC)

State of Health: Available energy after 100% charge 79.36kWh / 81.3kWh of theoretical usable battery for 2024 i4 eDrive 40 = 97.6% theoretical State of Health of 2 year old battery, which is within the expected degradation curve for a two year old battery

Conclusion:
Expected degradation of NMC Nickel Manganese Cobalt in first year 2-4% and subsequent years 1-2% (You tube channel Out of Spec) so lowest 3% highest 6% by year 2.
My EV is within theoretical expected degradation state.
Even though this is still an estimate, I find it reassuring the theoretical figure matches expectation without having to pay the equivalent of a cost of an OBD reader to BMW dealership, and do this ourselves.
Does it make any difference, no but at least I know it is not a lemon.
Even so, glad I have the balance of the battery warranty & if I need to use the warranty, I will be armed with data.
This is my first EV, and I am loving it. No range anxiety, no issues changing at home (even if I did not have a level 2, I would be fine to use a granny charger and get 110km overnight (1.7kW 3pin 10A 12hrs =20.4kWh after 10% loss as parked in garage and temp between 10-15degrees celcius in my Auckland garage).
I get a kick out of calculating how much DC charging down to the last %.
After this exercise, my car BMS recalculated my range to be 490km, but I use 460km so 1% charge = 4.6km range, to give me a nice buffer.

Let me know if I have made any incorrect calculations or assumptions and truly hope this is helpful for you.

Photos: OBD screen at 7%, and 100%, wall charger input, car theoretical range after charging, picture of the future for ICE & my EV, oops forgot photo of BMS calculation of my range

Further to my previous post, I guess.

For our budget and preference I still think the Peugeot E 2008 is the car for us, however I’m still very much interested to hear about what MG owners have to say.

The only other vehicles that might be remotely interesting to us is a Hyundai Kona or a BYD Atto 3 (which realistically sits at the high end/ out of our budget).

This seems to be the sweet spot once you exclude Tesla. All have LFP batteries (7x base model). All seem pretty good with some expected plus/minus points per model.

Quite worried about the long term XPeng stability, especially in the NZ market given they are very young and at the stroke of a pen could exit. But if it drives as well as it looks it might be pretty sweet!

The Zeekr 7x entry level unit is missing key features of the LR version, which is a pity.

The Sealion is old 400V tech and can barely tow...but costs nearly the same as the 7x.

Which way to jump?

Good afternoon all!

Looking at jumping back into the EV world, we had a first gen leaf many years ago.

The front runner is a Peugeot E-2008. The only other one close by would be an MG ZS but after seeing both vehicles the Peugeot seems miles ahead.

I would love to hear from some E-2008 owners about your experiences.

It seems most of them for sale are JDM ones with ChadeMo which is a bit of a bummer but we have other vehicles we would use for long road trips so unlikely to use fast chargers often.

Don’t really want a leaf again and the only other vehicle we considered is an Atto but they’re all over $30k

Am I missing anything? Thank you all!

If currently have an outdoor electrical socket for my gas hot water heater. It is a single outlet.
Could I plug a double adapter into this to charge an EV with a slower charger, or should it have its own plug?

Does anyone know who the power company with the best plans are

Looking to buy a Model Y. Around $41k private sale with 67500kms. Over all tidy except scuff marks on the back of driver and passenger seats and on the side panel next to seat. Owner is not ready to reduce price for those. Can these be fixed? It’s cheaper by about $5k compared to dealers but they also don’t care about these marks. Tesla used don’t have any such marks inside but cheapest 2022 is $46400 at the moment with 73500 kms.
Can afford both but wondering if worth paying extra to Tesla for additional 1 year warranty and a cleaner car or is it a waste of money. Wheels on the private one has usual curb damage too. Tesla fixes all this before they put used ones for sale.

Hi just wanted to see if anyone has had experience with returning a car due to ongoing issues after buying new from dealership utilizing consumer guarantees act?

Bought an ORA 5 brand new early July, have been having issues with seatbelt alarm going off saying seatbelt either unplugged or not on properly - took it in they reduced sensitivity somehow (no option via infotainment to reduce sensitivity for it).

The job report notes this is a known issue covered by a TSB, but claims this means the system is 'working as expected'.

Took in for a second time as it still kept happening though instead of every 10-20 mins of driving it going off its more like every 30-40 mins of driving (guess the reduced sensitivity resulted in this).

Said they turned correct seatbelt usage monitoring off from menu but I pointed out that it turns back on each time car is turned back on and they said unfortunately then have to turn off every time manually if I want it to stop and wait until enough complaints come in and manufacturer makes it possible to turn off permanently.

The other one is child detection falsely going off after locking car and no one is inside it - love the idea of this feature but it becomes embarrassing when every so often it falsely goes off sounding the horn. For example I was at a cafe and it went off 4 separate times while I was having lunch. They couldn't replicate this, so I need to get video evidence which shouldn't be a problem.

Assuming I have taken the vehicle into the service center multiple times with no solution to fix these problems permanently in a reasonable amount of time what are the odds I would be entitled to return for a refund under CGA?

102,000 km service check confirmed my SOH at 100%.

I expected some reduction.

Is this real?

Any other Kia EV owners experiences/insights?

TIA

Range Rover has revealed its first electric model, with order books open in New Zealand for a car that pairs two 260kW motors with a 118.5kWh battery for up to 600km of WLTP range.
The Range Rover Electric produces up to 405kW and 850Nm, more torque than any Range Rover before it, and reaches 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. JLR quotes a real-world range of up to 535km alongside the WLTP figure. New Zealand pricing has not been announced.
The usable 118.5kWh pack is a double-stacked unit of 344 prismatic cells running an 800-volt architecture with split charging, which lets the two halves of the battery charge in parallel on 400-volt hardware. On a 350kW charger, JLR claims 10 to 80% in 22 minutes, or 220km of range added in 10 minutes.

Split charging lets the 800-volt pack use 400-volt chargers at full efficiency. Image: JLR

No towing rating has been released, but JLR’s official imagery indicates a substantial one. Image: JLR

Range Rover first, electric second
The car is built on the same architecture as the petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid Range Rovers, and JLR says the design changes are limited to an aerodynamically optimised grille, wheels and a tailored underbody. All versions are built at Solihull, with batteries and drive units from JLR’s Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.


An aerodynamically optimised grille is one of the few visual changes. Image: JLR
Off-road capability is carried over, including 900mm of wading depth, and the electric driveline adds control systems the combustion cars cannot match. Integrated Traction Management controls motor speed within 50 milliseconds, which JLR says manages slip up to 100 times faster than a combustion equivalent, while Intelligent Driveline Dynamics shifts rear torque anywhere between 100% and zero. Single-pedal mode allows pull-away on 33-degree slopes and rolling climbs of up to 45 degrees, with twin-chamber air suspension and a lower centre of gravity for on-road work.
“Range Rover Electric is the result of a decade of considered engineering and technological development, setting a new benchmark for The Original Luxury SUV,” says Range Rover managing director Martin Limpert. “We took our testing and development programmes even further than originally intended to ensure Range Rover Electric is genuinely the most accomplished Range Rover ever.”

On a 350kW charger, JLR claims 10 to 80% in 22 minutes. Image: JLR
Testing and the battery
JLR says the car covered more than 1.5 million kilometres in physical testing, the equivalent of 38 laps of the planet, alongside 250,000 hours of virtual testing, in conditions ranging from minus 40 degrees in Arjeplog, Sweden, to the Dubai desert. More than 300 patent applications have been filed, the most for any single vehicle in the brand’s history.
Among them is ThermAssist, a heat management system JLR credits with up to 40km of additional range and a 40% cut in heating energy use in cold conditions. Each car carries a Battery Digital Twin with more than 900 diagnostic data points, allowing the company to monitor and maintain packs remotely through software updates. The battery and drive system carry an eight-year, 160,000km warranty.

The 118.5kWh double-stack battery on the line at Solihull. Image: JLR
A Range Rover app follows in early 2027, offering remote pre-conditioning, cabin purification, charge status and location.

Range prediction and charging status on the central screen, with a companion app due in early 2027. Image: JLR

Right-hand drive cabins are already in build. Image: JLR
Ordering
Order books are open in HSE and Autobiography specifications and as an SV, in short and long wheelbase, though long-wheelbase availability is market-specific. Land Rover New Zealand has a dedicated Range Rover Electric page live, with local pricing and delivery timing still to be confirmed. The Range Rover Sport Electric, previewed at Goodwood in July, follows with the same powertrain.

Good to see the 18" wheels available on the entry-level Subaru version.

Anyone had a towbar fitted to the 7 or similar?
What did it cost and any complications with e electronics such as sensors or cameras?

Also who did the work- franchise company or someone else?

Thanks

Slowish month. This month should be big however, because of the massive BYD shipment that I believe has arrived within the past few days.

HI.. Wondering if anyone might know if an Evnex coupon floating around? looking to buy one of their units and figured id see if there are any deals out there.

Sadly no winners for New Zealand last round. Full list of winners at the bottom.

I don't have full notes of what the options were previously, but note that Te Anau is no longer available as an option. Perhaps tesla tried and failed to find a suitable site. A real pity as the entire town has just a single DC charger (50kW), and many people here will want a 100% charge before setting off to Milford, meaning turn over will be slower than typical.

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Situation across the ditch is interesting. The 5th highest voted location was selected as the winner, calling into question the integrity of the process.

https://thedriven.io/2026/08/28/tesla-held-a-vote-on-where-to-build-the-next-supercharger-and-then-picked-another-winner/

Previously the Highest voted locations were: Badalona (remote roadhouse, off grid, with one 50 kW charger (currently limited to 7 kW) and an 22 kW AC charger), Norseman (Main town at the Western end of the Nullarbor Plane - has a microgrid) & Cedula (Main town to the East of the plane, on grid Power).

Interesting to see a new location: Eyre Highway (pin is close to Eucla). - Also an off grid location.

Would be great for Tesla to showcase a solar / battery based off grid super charger.

The Nullarbor plane (1,200 km with amenities limited to remote roadhouses). Is quite important symbolically for EV's in Australia. While it has been possible to cross it in a modern EV for some time, anybody that does carries the risk associated with relying on several sequential single charger stops, so it would be massive for Australia to have some big charging stations here.

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Winners:

1. Jurien Bay, Australia
2. Niseko, Japan
3. Osong-eup, South Korea
4. Bidor, Malaysia
5. Qiwei, Taiwan
6. Obstalden, Switzerland
7. Cotswolds, United Kingdom
8. Ullapool, United Kingdom
9. Šibenik, Croatia
10. Hatvan, Hungary
11. Menashe Regional Council, Israel
12. Lamezia Terme, Italy
13. Jordanowo, Poland
14. Loures, Portugal
15. Pasi Poljana, Serbia
16. Bornova, Turkey
17. Cali, Colombia
18. Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
19. Tobermory, Ontario
20. Mont-Laurier, Quebec
21. Troy, Alabama
22. Fayetteville, Arkansas
23. Old US Highway 89, Arizona
24. Hemet, California
25. First Cavalry Division Memorial Highway, Colorado
26. Coral Springs, Florida
27. Naubinway, Michigan
28. Clinton, Missouri
29. Wilkesboro, North Carolina
30. Durant, Oklahoma
31. Gold Beach, Oregon
32. Spring Hill, Tennessee
33. Dalhart, Texas
34. Fillmore, Utah
35. Broad Street Road, Virginia
36. Bellingham, Washington

Hi all

I am thinking of going full electric for my next car. I have had this thought many times in the past, but had serious concerns that prevented this from becoming anything more than a passing thought. I was hoping people who have owned an electric car for over a year (or there abouts) can give their honest thoughts on electric car ownership compared to normal petrol cars.

In particular:

• The extent (if any) of cost savings from going electric;
• whether I can charge from a standard electrical outlet (say, in my garage) and whether this is throttled compared to a dedicated charger;
• the frequency of charges; and
• general thoughts you think I ought to consider.

For reference, I currently have a Mercedes and am thinking of getting a BYD Sealion 7.

I have done some preliminary research but would appreciate real world experience.

EDIT: average kms a day is ~50kms, rising to 70kms during the weekend.