Your questions answered: do people even care about car brands anymore?
Is the battle of the bonnet badge a thing of the past?Market insights about brand loyalty, Outlander arrival and vehicle-to-grid this week in Your Questions Answered
Got an automotive question but you don’t know where to find the information you need? Never fear, email us here at editor@carsales.com.au.
Will vehicle-to-grid take off?
As the referenced article tries to imply, it's about warranty. My Tesla Powerwall 2 home battery is going on five years, and I'm sure there are others even older.
A colleague at work suggested it's about the amount of current that can be output from the car, which I find to be a rubbish reason. If there are super electric vehicle (EV) chargers that can charge an 80kw battery to 80 per cent (64kw) in twenty minutes, they have the ability to send that much current both ways. Draining power from an EV while it's stationary at home would be far safer than driving it, oddly enough.
It's kind of like telling a Raptor Ranger owner you can't tow anything with the towbar. – Greg
Answer: Hey Greg, it’s an interesting conundrum, no doubt affected by the fact that there are multiple entities in the loop and no one willing to take a punt just yet.
Australia’s ageing energy network is run by private companies, who are already dealing with the huge influx of household-generated solar energy – and its effect on their bottom line.
Now they’re being asked to consider how to deal with an influx of private power stations that could buy and sell power to the grid, again to the detriment of their bottom line.
There are cars out there (for example, Volkswagen, Skoda, Kia, Nissan) that are vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable, and most Chinese-made EVs are more than ready to facilitate a V2G network. Already the top four carmaker GAC has even built its own trial-scale microgrid in Shenzhen that supports 2,500 EVs.
Government support? Unless it comes in the form of subsidies for private companies to tempt them into investing in V2G infrastructure, it’s unlikely to materialise.
2026 Mitsubishi Outlander arrival?
Hi, do you know when the 2026 model of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid (PHEV) will be available in Australia? – Marc
Answer: Hi Marc, the 2026 Outlander PHEV looks like a good bit of kit! Of course, the Outlander was the first PHEV in market, and it’s been around for near-enough two decades now.
We know it will gain more endurance – up to 105km of electric-only range – and a few other tweaks, but it will likely mirror the current car for spec and looks.
Expect to see it around Easter time.
Do people care about car brands anymore?
Not only do Aussies seem to love dual-cab utes, but the days of fervent brand loyalty ended the same time that both companies turned off the marketing tap.
People have always bought cars based on value and price, no matter what the ads say, and the fact that new brands are already building big ownership bases (MG, GWM etc) tells me that a shiny ad with a roaring eight-cylinder won’t change their habits any time soon – Aaron
Answer: Hey Aaron, in the article you’ve referenced there’s definitely an interesting ‘what if’, and you’ve raised a fair point or two.
For decades, Ford and Holden spent countless millions in the war for our driving dollar, and the sexy eight-cylinders were merely the sizzle on the mainstream six-cylinder steak sales. And you’re right; once the marketing budgets went away, Australian buyers showed no hesitation in switching allegiances if a brand could offer the right combination of value, spec and style.
MG’s climb up the ranks is a case in point, and both GWM and BYD – along with others like Chery – have already built a decent local following, despite being infants in the market.
Where to next? The new brands need to keep working hard on servicing the customers they now have via excellent aftersales service and spare parts support, in order to entice them into another one of their cars when the time comes to trade in.
I feel like we are in an era where people will look past the minimal marketing hype out there and the badge on the nose to buy whatever vehicle best fits their needs and their budget at the time, even if it means going to a different showroom.
The views stated in this advice column are advisory only. Questions may be edited for clarity and length.
Got an automotive question but you don’t know where to find the information you need? Never fear, email us here at editor@carsales.com.au.
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