VW, Audi, Porsche, SEAT, Skoda emissions scandal not over yet
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Spanning 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2015
The anti-Musk hyperbole has more energy than a Tesla
There's nothing worse than a media pile-on — and Elon Musk is copping one just because Tesla shareholders have seen their stock tank by $1.1 trillion. But with Tesla quality rankings near the bottom and sales falling in China, is the hyperbole really that far off?
Read moreVolkswagen EPA emissions scandal: diesel dead as a dodo
"Over the past few weeks, much has been written about alleged problem areas and improvements that need to be made. Ladies and gentlemen, please don't be fooled." That was Marty Winterkorn at the Volkswagen Group's annual general meeting five months ago.
Read moreWhen it came to performance, Herbie had the power but VW didn't share his passion
It's hard working for a family company, just ask Herbie Diess. Until this week, Herb was the boss of the $116bn Volkswagen. Despite turning the business around and producing a profit of $19bn, the family suddenly gave Herb the flick. When it came to performance, Herbie had the power but VW didn't share his passion.
Read moreChina dominates global EV market with battery supply chain control
About 140 years ago Carl Benz invented and trademarked the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
Read moreEVs, yaks and a smashed up Jaguar XK150
Did you get the free fire pit extra on your new car? How much would you pay for an old Jag that hit a tree head on in 1996 and has been in the garage since? And want proof the world has gone Captain Rats? Buy the original Gasoline Tank from Steve McQueen's Husqvarna 400 Cross.
Read moreWho killed the petrol engine? And no, the answer's not Elon
Friend, 20 readers, and the Sultan of Kensington's second cousin's bean counter – strap in.
Read moreCoat hangers wired for sound as Mark the Moke bloke hogs the limelight again
The humble wire coat hanger: the most useful tool for cars ever invented. Plus, British consumer group Which? hacks a Ford Focus and VW Polo.
Read moreCarmakers to Joe Biden - Slow down on electric vehicles
The big question in septic land right now isn't: "Will the Trumpster be the Pres?" The reality is that he is a lot less weird than some of the 46 who have preceded him into the job.
Read moreFeeling flat and lost that spark? Time for a recharge
I spent 15 minutes sitting in a Polestar in a Hertz parking spot in Adelaide airport, unable to work out how to turn it on. Range anxiety is a huge problem. And it takes two hours to charge one of these things.
Read moreFlameageddon on the open seas powered by electric-vehicle battery flare-ups
I know you are in deep mourning. Weeping and gnashing your teeth. How could Felicity Ace do it to us? About 4000 pieces of serious metal including 1100 Porkers, 189 Bentleys and heaps of EVs with lithium batteries that catch fire whenever they feel like it have been going up in smoke just off Portugal.
Read moreTrump's EV ban: Bidders boo as auctioneer stops $40m sale of Porsche 917K
Yes readers, it's the bumper Chrismukkah edition. The Sultan of Brunei has banned Xmas but you can visit his $9bn metal collection on Xmas day. Bernie Ecclestone is selling his $600m F1 car stockpile to pay his tax bill.
Read moreThe 10 cars you should genuinely consider
You want to know the 10 new cars we recommend you buy this year? Let's start with some first principles. We hate electric cars, but putting that to one side we still can't recommend you buy one. Yes, they are cheap on
Read moreBlack Hawks, a burning Tesla and a porcupine: hot vehicles and hot bargains
Ever harboured the desire to start your own air force? Our friends at Australian Frontline Machinery have 27 slightly used Black Hawk helicopters for sale. Also: Teslas that catch fire for four hours, and a porcupine motorcycle for $500k.
Read moreOn your marques: it's plug-and-play time
Rolls-Royce has launched an electric cruise ship on wheels. Ferrari has the Purosangue. Cadillac has the Celestiq. The car industry's plug-and-play era is upon us — and it's going to cost you.
Read moreAmerican pollies anti EV policy gets my vote
Next week there are elections on Cocos Islands (nomination deposit of $80, cash preferred). On March 25, there is the NSW election and in October, elections in our seventh state (the one across the Tasman). You know our
Read moreFancy a driverless car? Ask pilots how safe is the autopilot
<p>Listen. Can we all take a cold shower? Seriously. Autonomous cars, driverless cars, self-driving cars, robotic cars, cars where you sit there having a tinny and a smoke while the metal navigates the freeway are of the same magnitude of delusion as Y2K.</p>
Read moreDriverless cars won't text but if they crash, the maker pays
<p>The Tesla-driving, gourmet pizza-eating, Tasmanian Pinot-drinking South Yarra socialists are after us again. If they're not trying to make electric cars compulsory then they're promoting driverless cars as the answer to the road toll.</p>
Read moreWhy carmakers are slamming the brakes on EVs as buyers choose hybrids
Production of Ford's battery powered F-150 Lightning trucks at the Dearborn factory in Michigan has ceased. Picture: AFP
Read moreTesla electrical recall? Gee now there's a shock
Good news Tesla drivers! If you own a 2017 to 2021 Model S or Model X, you're in for a free software upgrade — aka recall. The steering may not operate as intended. Which is another way of saying it could kill you.
Read moreWhich cars keep the highest residual value? Well it's definitely not Lamborghini
If you're buying a used car, you're more likely buying an older used car. Toyota dominates the top residual value spots with Landcruiser, RAV4 and Camry on the podium. New cars are like printers.
Read moreTesla sued over dodgy odometers as rare Honda CRX, Jeeps, Lincoln Convertibles in hot demand
The car market's in the toilet, which normally means it's time to panic.
Read moreSome electric cars lost more than two-thirds of their value after being driven out of showrooms
Many of our 20 readers say they don't understand this column sometimes. I don't understand it either and I write it. A Pagani Zonda LM Roadster sold for $17m in Dubai. When you have more money than sense, try a Pagani Zonda.
Read moreGerman carmakers and soap dodgers drown sorrows while a Lambo gets pole
Last week the EU hit VW and BMW with $1.3bn of fines because they illegally colluded to restrict competition on emissions-cleaning technology in diesel cars. Merc maker Daimler only avoided getting pinged because the company dobbed on the other two.
Read moreSeparating the positive from the negative in electric cars
Yes, we've just had another World Electric Vehicle Day! September 9 is the one day of the year when we celebrate everything good about what is really "yet another marketing scam to disguise something as environmentally friendly when it really isn't." But your team here is the fair and balanced alternative: we report you decide.
Read more'Automotive third world' sideswipe a bit rich coming from the Dieselgate CEO
Question: How many electric vehicles were sold in Australia in the first half of the year? Answer: 8688 (or about 1.6 per cent of the total vehicles sold). So forget the headlines about one million per cent increase in EV sales in Australia.
Read moreIn defence of real cars ahead of electric switch
Let's put a stop to at least some of the fake news on the big issues. In most world markets middle market buyers have only shown mild interest in EVs. In Australia it's about 2 per cent. In defence of real cars ahead of the electric switch — the facts without the vomiting.
Read moreRambo Lambo that doesn't attract the fun police's attention
You know that we have crusaded for years to stop drug dealers buying Lambos. For $650k, a saving of about $300k, you can buy a 1988 Lamborghini LM002 SUV – the original Rambo Lambo.
Read moreElectric dreams or screams: Ford Model T v Musk Muscle Model S
The firestorm around electric cars — and a definitive test: can a Tesla Model S outrun a 1915 Ford Model T over 1100km?
Read moreAspark Owl electric hypercar a real hoot-hoot
It's the oldest trick in the book.
Read moreElectric shock: charges really add up when the cost of cars is measured fairly
Hybrid and electric car makers have been fibbing to you, governments around the world, their shareholders, their families and whatever life there is on Mars or Uranus. Which? reports real-world costs are on average 252 per cent more expensive than manufacturer claims.
Read moreEV prices set to crash as Tesla turns toxic
It's the impossible dream: Melbourne to Sydney in an EV on one charge.
Read moreShannon's auctions show there is softening in the market from the record prices of the last few years
The car industry has launched a wide-ranging secret campaign to delay Australia's transition to electric vehicles. Shannon's auctions show softening in the market from the record prices of the last few years.
Read moreGet that floating feeling with a Porsche IPO that leaves VW in the slow lane
What a great time to announce a European IPO. VW has a market cap of $136bn. If Porsche was a standalone listed company it would have a market cap of $140bn. In other words, one of the world's smallest carmakers is worth more than one of the world's biggest. Get ready for the float.
Read moreCar manufacturing's revolution exposes the true cost of computer chips
Remember when car companies made cars? Now they make computers with cupholders.
Read moreKnuckleheads, electric-vehicle madness and VW's bid to make Porker sporty
Three boring things about the worst mechanical combination ever invented – two wheels and one engine; cars that will last you 300,000km or more; Porsche buys some of Bugatti from VW and sets up a joint venture between Bugatti and Rimac.
Read moreWorld's biggest tech show saved from being soulless by nuts flying boat and harvester horsepower
CES 2026 in Las Vegas bleakly demonstrated the future isn't about speed, sound or skill. But a flying boat, a Lotus-like speedster and a 515kW combine harvester saved the show from complete soullessness.
Read moreBonkers Boris fuelling dissent with his ban on petrol cars
Boris Johnson announces UK will ban petrol and diesel cars by 2035 — and the reaction from petrolheads is predictable.
Read moreWhen it comes to recalls fired-up Jag sets an electric pace
If you share a house with your bank manager you are a millionaire. But you are paying $4k a month to send your banker's kids to private schools in Jaguar SUVs. Unreliability comes at a price for new car buyers.
Read moreThe four best used cars for under $40,000 and the one you should avoid
Now that Jim Chalmers has put lipstick on an economic pig it's the right time to look at buying a used rather than new car.
Read moreThat buzz you get from EVs isn't from excitement
Yes, bowing to unpopular demand, this is our bumper all-green, all-the-time edition plus bonus tales of SUA (sudden unintended acceleration) with a sprinkling of bad manufacturer stories.
Read moreConspiracies, fast cars and one driven by a love that dare not speak its name
Some US persons believe a coterie of mates including Michael McMichael and the mainstream media are running the world. Plus mechaphilia.
Read moreA future car love that dare not speak its name
Rob Brooks is the Professor of Evolution at the University of NSW and he writes about a future in which you and your car could be more than just friends. Cars "that engage our human needs for connection, intimacy, and sexual satisfaction". Also: the Rimac Nevera hypercar.
Read moreHaunting tales from the unencrypted VW data
You can tell a lot about a person by what they do in the back of a Rolls Royce Phantom in Las Vegas. Mad Max Verstappen spent his time playing with the Roller's gadgets after winning his fourth world championship.
Read moreIf you're charging towards an EV, here are some things to consider
Should you buy an electric car now? Should you eat cold vomit? Similar questions. If you're charging towards an EV, here are some things to consider — from range anxiety and battery costs to the environmental questions that the EV lobby doesn't want to answer.
Read moreYear of the lemon: Five worst cars to buy in 2025
Ho Ho Ho. I have saved the best present for you until today. It's the auction of the ex-Steve McQueen, Jerry Seinfeld Porsche 917K – the "Hero Car" from the 1971 film "Le Mans" and one of the most recognisable race cars in history.
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