If you believe the experts, nobody will want to own a car in the near future. They seem to think people are rational and will always choose the cheapest and most efficient option. But they don’t recognise how much we relish the personal freedom that owning a car brings. Read More
Sales of new cars are at record levels in Australia even though wages growth is low. It seems we still want new cars, no matter what. In fact, Australians just love their cars: we’re even in the global top ten for car ownership. Read More
The VW diesel emissions debacle showed the world it was all too easy to fudge the figures on cutting emissions. Now the Australian government is in discussions with industry on setting emission standards for new vehicles. Unfortunately, different groups come up with their own statistics, making it harder for consumers to know the truth. Read More
Humans have always been fascinated by the idea of being able to fly because we are so earthbound. But watching birds take off and fly offers science a few ideas for how we might do the same. Just as birds, insects and other animals can walk and fly, there is potential for a flying machine that works efficiently on the ground and in the air. Read More
Looking for parking is just part of driving in busy cities. But do you know how much time you spend looking? In fact, you can spend 14 hours each year just looking for a parking space. It’s ironic that a machine built for travelling spends 95% of the time parked. Read More
If we asked you to name one good reason for driverless cars, you would probably say safety. If 90% of crashes are caused by human error, eliminating humans should reduce the chance of crashing. In fact, experts say we could save 1.2 million lives each year because driverless cars are so safe. Read More
There are two big trends in driving that could be working against each another. One is that new vehicles come increasingly equipped with driving aids, such as lane-assist, self-parking and blind spot technology. The second is drivers are becoming lazy and more distracted by gadgets in their vehicles. What is the result? More road deaths and serious injuries and – worse – we forget how to be good drivers. Read More
How many electric vehicles (EVs) have you seen on the road? Probably not many. Sales of EVs in Australia dropped 23% in 2016: only 701 plug-in hybrids and 668 fully electric. In September 2017, Australians bought 100,200 cars and only 93 were pure EVs while 907 were hybrids. No wonder the NRMA and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) wants action to encourage us to go out and buy them. Read More
The NSW government spent $300 million on road safety in the 2017 budget. Sadly, 392 people died in 2017, which was 12 more than in 2016. The road toll has increased each year since 2014 after decades of steady decline. In three years there were 20% more fatal car crashes and 85% more deaths in light trucks. Read More
You might not want to buy a car but it can be fun looking around a dealership to see what’s on offer. That may soon change. Some 85% of leaders in the global auto industry are convinced 20-50% of dealerships will be shut within seven years. So what will local dealerships do then? And how will we buy a car? Read More
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