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Volkswagen is turning to dealers in its push for revised emissions standards Down Under, arming dealer principals with a sternly-worded letter to hand their local member of parliament ahead of next year's Federal Election...
There are new rules for the motor vehicle industry in Australia, after Federal Parliament passed the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 last week as a replacement for the Motor Vehicle Standards Act of 1989. The legislation passed both houses of parliament this week, but the rules won't start coming into force until late in 2019...
Roadworks speed limits would be returned to normal outside of work hours, under proposed legislation from re-elected Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews. Mr. Andrews posted on Facebook announcing the Government's plans to make "a new rule" so motorists aren't stuck going 40km/h past an "empty work site". Similar legislation has been tabled in past, but never enacted...
Hyundai has reinforced the need for new emissions regulations in Australia, suggesting the industry is eagerly waiting for a 'line in the sand' from the Federal Government on the issue. Speaking with CarAdvice at the launch of the Hyundai Ioniq in Brisbane, Scott Nargar, manager of future mobility and government relations at Hyundai Australia, highlighted the importance of certainty surrounding emissions Down Under...
No state or territory is on track to meet its road-toll reduction target under the National Road Safety Strategy (NRSS), according to new road trauma benchmarking from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). Developed in 2010, the NRSS is aiming for a 30 per cent reduction in road fatalities by 2020. We've seen a 10...
Public support for a 'road tax' to replace the current fuel excise is growing, according to a new survey from EastLink. The latest EastLink Self Driving Car Survey found 47 per cent of people think it's unfair for electric vehicles to use the roads without paying fuel tax to fund their maintenance, while a slight majority favoured replacing the current fuel excise with a 'road-use charge'...
Hobson's Bay has announced a 12-week trial of the Toyota Mirai, with three hydrogen fuel-cell sedans bound for the beachside city council's fleet. The trial, which starts today, will put the fuel-cell sedan in the hands of council members on regular day-to-day duties...
The Queensland Government has announced that it will be issuing defect notices to owners of more than 2000 cars fitted with faulty 'alpha' Takata airbags. The defect notice will give owners 21 days to have their airbags replaced by the vehicle's manufacturer. If owners choose to take no action, their registrations will be cancelled...
A new autonomous trial focusing on elderly and mobility-impaired people is headed to regional South Australia, in a push to show how self-driving cars can operate in a rural environment. The trial will take place in Renmark, around three hours north-east of Adelaide, and was this morning announced by Stephan Knoll, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government in South Australia at the International Driverless Vehicle Summit (IDVS)...
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has introduced new ban on 'flex commissions' in automotive lending. When they come into force on November 1, the new rules will apply to all automotive finance lenders, including banks and car dealers. The regulation changes come on the back of an investigation into flex commissions...
The Victorian State Government has followed its $1 million investment in a high-speed electric vehicle charging network with a further $2 million, announcing ultra high-speed stations will be built in Melbourne, Ballarat, Horsham, Torquay and Traralgon. Those five high-speed follow stations in Euroa and Barnawartha North, the former of which was formally unveiled today...
A report from the New South Wales Auditor General has called for the removal of warning signs before mobile speed cameras, arguing they "reduce the perceived risk of detection". The report, simply titled Mobile Speed Cameras, highlighted the combination of "covert and unconcealed" mobile speed cameras in Victoria – where warning signs aren't required – as a model to hit more motorists with speeding fines...
Australia's automotive industry has received a boost this week, with Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, announcing a $5 million investment to help graduate engineers kick-start their careers. While local manufacturing is no more, numerous vehicle manufacturers and other firms rely on Australian workers for automotive engineering, research and development, along with design...
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack today announced the establishment of a new Office for Future Transport Technologies, launched through a $9.7 million investment...
L-Plate drivers in Victoria will be able to log their 120 hours using a new 'digital log book app' from early next year. The myLearners app and website is being put through its paces by 110 drivers in a trial by the TAC and Victorian Labor Government, ahead of a launch early in 2019. Supervisors approve driving hours through the app or using a website, doing away with the paper logbook entirely...
Carbon Revolution, supplier of lightweight wheels to Ford Performance and Ferrari, will grow its staff and warehouse space in Geelong, as it prepares to ramp up production. The extra 500 employees will almost triple the brand's workforce, and push its annual production capacity from 10,000 to more than 150,000 wheels...
Owners of vehicles still fitted with the most dangerous 'alpha' Takata airbag inflators won't be able to register their car in South Australia from November 1. The move is the first of its kind in Australia, and will be enforced by the South Australian Registrar of Motor Vehicles...
Nissan Australia has announced it has been awarded a grant from the Victorian Government to fund its research project on electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, in partnership with the CSIRO and Delta Energy Systems. A sum of $210,000 has been approved from the New Energy Jobs Fund, and will help Nissan and its research partners look into off-grid charging infrastructure for EVs, and will run for 18 months...
The growing popularity of car-sharing apps like Car Next Door and Carhood has piqued the interest of the Australian Tax Office (ATO), which is calling on owners to learn the tax implications of the services. According to the ATO, renting your car through 'sharing economy' apps makes you eligible for certain deductions, but not everything can be claimed...
New laws will lock in how revenue raised by Victorian speed cameras is used to maintain the state's roads, thanks to new legislation from the Labor Government. All money raised from speeding fines handed out by mobile and fixed cameras, along with on-the-spot police monitoring, is currently put into a 'Better Roads Victoria Fund' reserved for road upgrades...
