Skip to main content

Automotive Industry

A surge in hybrid sales has surprised automakers and sounded alarm for emissions

Car buyers looking for low-emission options are choosing hybrid vehicles over fully battery-powered EVs, according to latest sales figures.
Hand of man inserting a power cord into an electric car

Car import loophole allows manufacturers to rush polluting vehicles into Australia

A loophole in the government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard could be exploited by car makers seeking to import higher-polluting vehicles, and would undermine the first three years of the new climate laws.
Updated
Rows of cars in a car park, with stacked shipping containers behind them.

How Australia changed the 4WD that's influenced designs across the world

Four-wheel drives are commonplace in Australia, but that wasn't always the way. 
Land Rovers on a misty mountain

The Beetle was the symbol of the 60s. Now Mexico's largest city is keeping the cultural icon alive

Mexicans reflect on the deep significance "The Bug" holds for them after celebrating this year's Worldwide Volkswagen Beetle Day.
Updated
BEETLE

Australia's largest car dealership, Eagers, back-pays $16 million to underpaid workers

Eagers Automotive has reimbursed over 13,000 underpaid staff after the car dealer discovered the anomalies and self-reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Updated
A woman with chin-length auburn hair with blue glasses and a blue suit  smiles

Billionaire Elon Musk's record-breaking $US56 billion pay package approved by Tesla shareholders

Shareholders also approved a proposal to re-elect his brother, Kimbal Musk, and son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch, as board members. 
Man sits in driver's seat.

Cheaper Chinese electric cars are making their way into Australia, but it's not all good news

Chinese-made electric cars are gaining popularity as a cheaper alternative to brand names like Tesla, and Australia is benefiting from the increased supply.
Updated
A man smiling and standing infront of a big red car

David says driving his EV instead of his ute has saved him 35k in diesel

Despite the large distances travelled, more country Australians are buying and driving electric vehicles. So what's it really like?
Updated
A man wearing a button up and cap sits in the drivers side of a car, he is smiling

'Flawless' Monaro GTS sells for $346,000 — and that's small change in the nostalgia trade

When the National Holden Motor Museum closed and its rare cars became available, there was no shortage of buyers or money, despite the cost-of-living crisis.
Updated
An orange-red 1972 Holden Monaro in front of several Holden signs.

Paid parking has always been controversial, but experts argue it's an absolute necessity

Nobody enjoys feeding the meter or getting a ticket when they've overstayed, but experts argue city CBDs and shopping districts would be much worse places without paid parking.
Updated
Cars and parking meters.

Why Chinese-made cars are becoming so common on Australia's roads

The rapid rise of Chinese electric vehicles has been met with resistance in the US and Europe. So why are Australians buying them at record levels?  
A row of white electric vehicles lined up in a showroom.

New rules make it harder for written-off vehicles to return to Queensland roads

The Queensland government proposes a shake-up to the state's written-off vehicle scheme, including a new inspection model that will make it more difficult for write-offs to return to the road.
A traffic jam in inner Brisbane

Government passes emissions laws for new vehicles after Greens deal

Car makers will be forced to reduce their emissions for new vehicles as the federal government strikes a deal with the Greens to pass its climate laws for the industry.
Updated
Bowen looks to an out-of-focus King, a number of people are visible behind him.

Walla Walla residents in bun fight to save historic bakery from servo developers

Residents of a tiny town in the NSW Riverina region are battling to save their historic bakery from becoming a petrol station, as regional areas prove attractive servo investments. 
Two men smile in front of an old oven while cooking in it.

Brian spent 40 years restoring this rare double-decker passenger bus. Now a museum wants to buy it

A double-decker bus operated by one of the most significant transport families in Australia has been immaculately restored over 40 years and could be bound for the Sydney Bus Museum.
The blue and cream double decker bus is parked outside in a large grassed area.

'Every car's got a story': Car club boom as collectors leave COVID in rear view mirror

The pandemic accelerated interest in vintage vehicles, with a 25 per cent increase in car clubs across the state since 2019.
A white car with open wheels drives through the main street of a country town with a red historic car behind

Elon Musk heads to China as Tesla pushes self-driving technology rollout

Tesla CEO Elon Musk visits Beijing on an unannounced trip, where he is expected to discuss the rollout of the company's Full Self-Driving software, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Updated
Man sits in driver's seat.

EV demand 'motoring along' as energy authority brushes off slowdown claims

Amid plans by some automakers to hit the brakes on EV expansion plans, the International Energy Agency says demand is set to surge in 2024.
a small electric car plugged in to an electric charger inside a garage

Class actions against Toyota and Ford to be heard in High Court today

Angry car owners will take on two of Australia's car giants in the High Court today, seeking compensation for faulty vehicles made by Toyota and Ford that could run into billions of dollars.
Updated
Toyota Hilux

analysis:Australians love big, fuel-hungry utes. What does that mean for the future of EVs — and Australia's climate ambitions?

The Albanese government says it wants more EVs in Australia and wants to provide more "choice" to Australians in the hope they will choose EVs themselves. But how likely is that?
Four wheel driving enthusiasts driving down a muddy track in southern Tasmania

Maisie knew what she wanted to be when she was six. She thought it might not be possible because of her gender

Maisie Place knew from a young age that she wanted to race and fix cars. She saw one problem standing in her way, but it turns out being a woman hasn't been a barrier after all.
Updated
A young woman wearing motorsport gear and standing in front of a car.

Car makers have been won over on vehicle efficiency laws. The path through parliament may be harder

The federal government's softened climate laws for cars have won the industry over, but it is yet to find the numbers to pass them in parliament — and the Greens warn not to count on their support.
Updated
A group of people walk towards a camera along a long hallway.

Carbon emissions limits for cars weakened amid opposition's 'ute tax' campaign

The federal government will water down proposed carbon emissions laws for vehicles, as it seeks to appease car makers who feared it would push up the price of some cars by thousands of dollars.
Updated
Image shows congestion and traffic delays. You can see cars, grey road on a gloomy day.

Biden administration issues new rules aimed at cutting vehicle carbon emissions, boosting EV sales

The new standards will avoid more than 7 billion tonnes of planet-warming carbon emissions during the next three decades and provide nearly $151 billion in annual net benefits, according to the EPA — but they could be rolled back if Donald Trump is returned to office.
An elderly white man beams happily from the driver's seat of a shiny new car under lights.

'Chinese brands a decade ahead of the rest': The reality facing the EV industry

Two rival Japanese car makers have announced they will work together on electric vehicles, countering the rise of Chinese competitors.
BYD cars in a showroom