The most exciting new cars spotted testing in Australia this year

It looks like 2024 is shaping up to be a good year for Aussie car spotting. Just five months in, we have already glimpsed a series of exciting models testing on local roads. 

RELATED: Will the Tesla Cybertruck ever come to Australia? Here’s why it’s unlikely

Everything from hybrid utes to full-electric sports cars have been spotted either wearing camouflage or simply hiding in plain sight. 

Here, we sum up the most exciting models spied on Australian roads so far in 2024 – in most cases, undergoing real-world testing before likely hitting the market.

The latest MG model was spotted by Reddit user JuanAndAtou doing some real-world testing in New South Wales's Royal National Park. 

The test model Cyberster had some tape over all the badges and a sign in the window saying it was registered for 'engineering evaluation'; however, the car was largely on display with nothing hiding the styling. 

We have most of the information surrounding this model as it has already gone on sale in the United Kingdom. We know it will be fully electric, with international markets receiving a 250kW rear-wheel-drive version and a 375kW all-wheel-drive model capable of 0–100km/h in a claimed 3.2 seconds.

MG Australia boss Peter Ciao told local media late last year that a $100,000 price for the Cyberster was a "good forecast".

DC fast charging at up to 150kW is claimed to enable a 10 to 80 per cent power-up in 38 minutes, on par with the MG 4 electric hatch fitted with the same battery.

The Cyberster is fitted with Lamborghini-style scissor doors, two seats, and a fabric soft-top roof that can be raised or lowered in 15 seconds at speeds up to about 50km/h.

The first Australian deliveries of the 2024 MG Cyberster are due in the fourth quarter of this year (October to December).

Probably one of the most controversial new models to hit Australian shores is the Tesla Cybertruck. However, there is only one in Australia at the moment, and it's on a tour around the country and in New Zealand.

The model is controversial because it hasn't even been confirmed for the Australian market, yet it is here zipping around on Australian roads. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it's ever going to be sold Down Under – and to read more about why, head here.

Tesla has announced the electric pick-up will first appear at four showrooms in New South Wales:

Details of further locations are yet to be revealed; however, Drive understands the pick-up will later visit Victoria, followed by Brisbane in Queensland.

Powering the version of the Cybertruck seen in Australia are two electric motors – one on each axle – for a 447kW power output, 547km claimed driving range, 0–100km/h acceleration time of 4.1 seconds, and a 4990kg braked towing capacity in the US.

In late 2023, a left-hand-drive BYD ute was spotted wrapped in camo on Victorian roads.

It was first speculated that the ute was an all-electric model, but it was later revealed it would be first launched as a plug-in hybrid – estimated to be capable of up to 100km of electric driving range and up to 1200km in hybrid mode – ahead of an electric-only version joining later in 2025.

The new ute will likely be teaming a 1.5-litre petrol engine with twin electric motors, with outputs rumoured to be about 365kW.

The name was recently confirmed as the "Shark" when the new ute was spotted again without its camouflage.

David Smitherman, chief executive officer of BYD's Australian distributor EVDirect, told Drive BYD has been making sure the vehicle is perfect for Australian conditions. 

"It's certainly been testing in Australia, there are vehicles here," Mr Smitherman said.

"You've obviously seen the spy shots, so we're certainly making sure it's going to work for Australian conditions, and this means meeting Australian [regulations] of course.

"Absolutely, it's being tested and validated in [this] country."

The 2025 BYD Shark is expected to be revealed soon, with examples due in Australian showrooms by the end of the year.

The Kia Tasman ute was recently leaked on social media with a video showing off the interior. The footage – published via EFTM – showed two large, circa-12-inch displays, a wand-style gear selector on the steering column, and rugged-looking styling elements.

Prior to this, the Tasman was spotted on road tests around Australia sporting some heavy camouflage late last year. Renders have revealed a rough outline of what the Tasman will look like without its heavy pre-production camo. 

Among the design features that have drawn the most attention online are the black plastic panels over the wheel arches. It is unclear if these will be standard across the range in Australia, or will be reserved for certain model grades either here or overseas.

It is due to launch with a 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine shared with other Hyundai and Kia models – expected to develop close to a 2.8-litre HiLux's 150kW/500Nm – with plans for an electric version at a later date.

Drive received photos of the new MG ZS cruising the streets of Sydney in its prototype disguise in late April 2024. 

Given it is yet to be unveiled – not due until sometime this year, according to UK reports – it is not expected on sale in Australia until next year.

Asked by Drive for comment on the local prototype, and plans for a new ZS hybrid, an MG Motor Australia spokesperson said "We can confirm that we currently have a range of new hybrid products on our shores for testing, localisation and compliance purposes".

There is no confirmation that the ZS prototype spied is a hybrid, nor are there any badges on the exterior identifying it as an ZS or MG.

However, the prototype's licence plate has an 'EV' sticker — required for hybrid and electric vehicles in New South Wales, where it was registered— but there is also a 'x1000rpm' readout on the right of the instrument display, confirming that it is not a fully-electric car.

There is no further information about the updated model available, but since it is already testing on Australian roads, we can comfortably expect it in early 2025. 

Two Hyundai Caspers have been snapped draped in camouflage on Australia roads. The pair were first spotted after they landed in New South Wales and then spotted again, a month later, with the little city cars covered in what appears to be red dirt from the centre of Australia.

There is a petrol-powered model already on sale in Asian markets, but Hyundai Australia has hinted at a new, small EV that would rival the GWM Ora in price, so we can safely assume that the Casper will not only be electric but also around the $40,000 mark. 

The petrol-powered model measures 3600mm long, 1600mm wide and has a wheelbase of 2400mm, making it roughly the same size as the related Kia Picanto. However, overseas reports claim the electric Casper may ride on a 250mm-longer wheelbase to maximise interior space and make room for a large battery pack.

There has yet to be any information released about the electric model, its release date, or even its power outputs, but spy photos show the electric Casper is also in line for larger, circa-10-inch screens for instruments and infotainment, compared to the 8.0-inch touchscreen and small driver display in the petrol version sold overseas.

Earlier this year, a Toyota Prado was spotted in its camouflage at Melbourne Airport after it was air-freighted in for testing on Australian roads. This was after the new 300 Series was revealed to the public so it caused some confusion. 

A Toyota Australia spokesperson confirmed that "the vehicle is here as part of regular global work by our local evaluation and development engineers, which often involves non-Australian specification" but gave no other details.

But with the new-generation Prado already revealed, and locked in for an Australian showroom debut later this year, why the secrecy?

Drive's Senior Journalist, Tung Nguyen, speculated they could be testing some sort of hydrogen model since Toyota has been a longtime supporter of this technology and even jointly developed a hydrogen-powered V8 engine with Yamaha. 

"There are possibilities to adapt [hydrogen-fuelled engines] into those big vehicles, including LandCruiser," Toyota hydrogen factory president Mitsumasa Yamagata told local media last year.

"This advantage of the technology can be utilised for those vehicles including [those that are used for heavy] towing and [heavy] loading."

Toyota has built a refuelling station at its headquarters in Melbourne's west, as well as a mobile refuelling station to tour the country alongside the first-generation Mirai in 2016.

There has been no confirmation from Toyota of a hydrogen-powered model for any market. However, whatever it is, Toyota sure is confident in what it is testing if it's sending it halfway across the world to be trialled in Australian conditions. 

The all-electric, off-road-focussed Rivian brand has been teased for the Australian market since 2019 when its R1T pick-up was confirmed for production. Rivian's chief engineer, Brian Gase, told Drive he wanted to get the vehicles on sale Down Under as soon as possible.

Fast-forward to 2024, and we still haven't seen any of the American large EVs hit the market Down Under.

However, we do have confirmation that the R1T ute will not be sold here – but solely for commercial use. The Rivian will be modified by Australian-based company MEVCO for sale to mining fleets here and overseas. It is believed it will be offered in left-hand drive only – and cannot be sold to the general Australian public for use on the road.

On the flip side, the Rivian R1S has been spotted in its road-going guise multiple times in Australia. The latest R1S was shown on a flatbed truck on a Sydney motorway in an image posted to X (formerly Twitter) by user Evans Electric. It's a green example riding on 20-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres.

It is unclear why this Rivian R1S was in Australia, if it is left- or right-hand drive, and if it is the same vehicle spied two years ago – which is believed to have visited New Zealand for cold-weather testing.

A Rivian spokesperson recently told Drive, "Our ambition is to be a global company, but we don't yet have a timeframe for Australia".

The Rivian R1S is priced from $US74,900 ($AU113,000) in the US, powered by dual or quad motors developing up to 623kW – for a 0–60mph (0–97km/h) time as low as three seconds – and 435km to 644km of claimed driving range.

To round out our list is perhaps one of the most mysterious vehicles spotted in Australia in 2024: the Ford Bronco Raptor. 

Strangely, Ford Australia has passionately denied the possibility of the Bronco entering the Australian market, so there was some confusion when the sport-oriented Bronco Raptor was spotted in a Coles supermarket car park in Melbourne.

The left-hand-drive Bronco was seen parked up, taking up a little more than an entire parking space, in March this year. It had Victorian numberplates and was labelled as an "Engineering Evaluation Vehicle". 

"Ford's Australian Product Design team work on a variety of global vehicle programs, including many that are not destined for Australian roads," a Ford Australia spokesperson said.

"The Bronco Raptor that was recently pictured in Melbourne is here for engineering validation and evaluation; however, it is not an indication of the vehicle being engineered for Australia. Bronco remains LHD [left-hand drive] only and unavailable for Australia."

Ford Australia has said in the past that the Bronco is off the table for Australia as it is produced exclusively in left-hand drive for overseas markets.

There are few right-hand-drive markets that would take such a vehicle – as the UK, Japan and much of South-East Asia tend to prefer smaller cars – and the numbers may not stack up to develop the car just for Australia.

The headline feature of the Bronco Raptor is its 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, which punches out 312kW/597Nm to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission.

For reference, the Ranger Raptor ute uses the same 3.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, though tuned to 292kW/583Nm, according to Australian power measuring standards.

Could Ford Australia just be teasing us with this, or could we see the range-topping, giant wagon come to Australian soil?