Today in Cars: Amarok W600 flexes, BYD eyes Toyota, Model Y tops Aussie charts, and a £29k EV with 300 miles

Some days in the car world feel like a perfectly executed downshift—clean, decisive, satisfying. Today’s brief is one of those. Australia’s ute wars just got spicier with Walkinshaw’s latest Amarok news, EVs keep storming the sales charts, and a budget-friendly 300-mile EV is knocking on Europe’s door. Plus, a boutique British icon sets up shop in Germany, and an old Datsun pickup turns sleeper hero.

Australia’s market pulse: EV surge, BYD vs Toyota, and Tesla on top

VFACTS tallies for May 2026 show the Tesla Model Y back at number one in Australia as EV sales keep moving from “early adopter” to “default family choice.” Public chargers are still a patchwork in regional areas, but consumers clearly like the maths: low running costs and minimal servicing.

Meanwhile, BYD says it’s the customer who’ll decide if the brand can topple Toyota’s long-held dominance. Fair point. It’s one thing to sell a cut-price hatch; it’s another to win tradies, fleets, and families for the long haul. If BYD wants to really dent Toyota, it’ll need breadth (ute, 7-seat SUV, and a rock-solid dealer/servicing backbone) and bulletproof resale. In other words: the unsexy stuff that moves the needle.

Walkinshaw x Volkswagen Amarok: W600 revealed, more performance packages hinted

Volkswagen’s partnership with Walkinshaw steps up a gear. The 2027 Amarok W600 has been revealed with the sort of intent you can read from 50 paces: tougher stance, Walkinshaw-tuned suspension, and the reassuring hint that this isn’t a stick-on sticker pack. CarExpert’s early look and quick-drive coverage suggest the W600 focuses on real-world road and towing composure—a different vibe to the Baja-bred Ford Ranger Raptor’s whoop-swallowing bravado.

• W600: Walkinshaw chassis calibration aimed at on-road confidence and off-road surefootedness.
• W475: Volkswagen Australia is exploring a turbo-petrol route with Walkinshaw—intriguing given the diesel-first ute market. If it lands, expect a livelier character and a different tow/consumption trade-off.
• More packages: Walkinshaw hints at additional upgrade packs for the Amarok ladder. Think suspension, wheel/tyre sets, and perhaps cabin details that feel more OEM-plus than aftermarket.

The strategy is clever. Volkswagen isn’t chasing the Raptor’s desert swagger; it’s building a ute that does the daily grind with polish and still looks tough in the Bunnings car park. If you tow a boat, slog over corrugations to a coastal shack, or commute 40 km each way on sketchy bitumen, that tuning focus makes sense.

Quick comparison: Amarok W600 vs rivals

Value EV watch: Leapmotor B05 promises 300 miles for £29k

Autocar has already sampled the Leapmotor B05, a compact EV shooting for roughly 300 miles of range at about £29,000. If that holds in final UK spec, it undercuts plenty of mainstream rivals while matching everyday range targets. The cabin and ride polish will make or break it in Europe, but on paper the bang-for-buck is eye-catching.

There’s also the background noise of distribution smarts: Chinese brands in Europe live or die on aftersales, software updates, and parts pipelines. Get those right, and a £29k/300-mile combo becomes very hard to ignore for commuters and ride-share drivers alike.

New metal, old soul: Westfield eyes a German factory

Westfield—the lightweight, roof-down, grin-wide British icon—has a new owner planning a German factory and more models. For kit-car romantics, the promise is clear: shorter waits, better parts flow, and a broader range. For purists, as long as the thing still talks through its steering and weighs less than your gym membership’s guilt, we’re in.

Business chess: Why a Stellantis tie-up matters for JLR in the U.S.

Autocar’s analysis on JLR’s U.S. prospects under a Stellantis-flavored partnership is worth clocking. The gist: in an America that’s tough on dealer coverage and tougher on incentives, clever alliances can shore up logistics, cost, and compliance. If it helps keep the next-gen Range Rover electric on the right side of pricing and availability, customers won’t complain.

Newcomer check-in: Jaecoo J5

The Jaecoo J5 has landed in review cycles, positioning itself as a style-forward, off-road-flavored urban SUV. Expect tough-look trim pieces, tech-forward cabins, and the kind of amenity list aimed squarely at suburban families with weekend trail ambitions. The trick will be ride quality on Aussie backroads and how well the active safety tuning copes with country traffic and unpredictable wildlife encounters at dawn.

Enthusiast corner: a heroic Datsun and a sobering Corvette reminder

• Datsun 1200 Pickup, sleeper spec: Carscoops spotlighted a scruffy-cool ute hiding a turbocharged Nissan engine. The recipe is timeless: light chassis, boosted four-banger, and a bed that’ll carry tyres to track days and a barbecue home on Sunday night.
• C8 Corvette crash, driver survives: A heavy Corvette shunt ended with the driver walking away. Credit the modern safety cell, airbags, and the sort of chassis engineering you don’t see—until you need it. Fast cars deserve respectful roads and fresh tyres; that lesson never expires.

What it means, practically

• If you’re ute shopping: test-drive across philosophies. Amarok W600 (poised/tourer) vs Ranger Raptor (playful/desert) vs HiLux GR Sport (rugged/familiar). Your driveway and weekends should pick the winner.
• If you’re EV-curious: that Leapmotor pricing/range cocktail signals more affordable long-range options on the way. Waitlists might be worth it.
• If you’re hunting value brands: BYD’s growth and Jaecoo’s arrival show depth is coming fast—watch servicing networks and warranty fine print.

Quick hits

• Tesla Model Y leads May 2026 in Australia as EV momentum builds.
• Volkswagen and Walkinshaw sharpen the Amarok lineup with W600 and teased packages, with a possible turbo-petrol W475 flavor.
• Leapmotor B05 targets 300 miles for £29k—pressure rising on mainstream EV pricing.
• Westfield’s new German plan could streamline supply and broaden appeal.
• JLR’s U.S. outlook may benefit from Stellantis synergies in the background.

Conclusion

From Walkinshaw’s road-first ute tuning to a sub-£30k, 300-mile EV, today’s theme is clarity of purpose. Pick a lane, double down, and execute. Whether you’re towing north for the school holidays or eyeing an EV to tame the commute, the choices are getting sharper—and, refreshingly, more honest about what they’re built to do.

FAQ

• When will the Volkswagen Amarok W600 arrive?
  It’s been revealed for around the 2027 model year, with local details to follow closer to launch.
• Is a turbo-petrol Amarok really coming?
  Volkswagen and Walkinshaw are exploring a W475-style turbo-petrol option. It’s not confirmed, but the door is open.
• How did the Tesla Model Y perform in Australia?
  It topped the May 2026 sales charts as EV uptake continues to grow.
• What’s notable about the Leapmotor B05?
  A targeted 300-mile range for about £29,000 makes it a compelling value EV prospect in Europe.
• What’s changing at Westfield?
  A new owner is planning a German factory and an expanded model lineup to boost production and support.