How A Magazine Editor Built His Publication’s Press Car
Media publications often collect press cars for road-test reviews from a car company’s head office. Not this time. When Nissan Australia offered 4×4 Australia magazine a long-term road test of a Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar, editor Matt Raudonikis knew it was a great opportunity to show his readers what it’d be like to live […]
Why Stickers And Stripes Aren’t All Things Nice
“You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.” It’s a great quote. History can’t decide if Abe Lincoln or showman PT Barnum said it; either way, as sayings go, this one’s […]
Restoring a Car From 1971 Was A Valuable Reminder About Australia’s New-Car Market
Australians have always had particular needs and tastes when it comes to new cars, and official new-vehicle importers are starting to seize upon them. Most blue-oval fans will agree the 1971 XY Falcon represents “peak Ford” in Australia. This humble-looking three-box sedan earned its place in Australian life not only as a family car but […]
If You Think New-Car Enhancement Programs Are Just Technical Projects Then You’re Overlooking This
Creating niche new-car model ranges for official vehicle importers demands the best design, engineering and manufacturing. It also needs to right commercial approach. Without it, these programs risk not getting off the ground – or even failing mid-flight. Seems I rang a bell last month. When I recently shared why OEM carmakers trust Premcar to […]
Why Hollywood Might Hold An Important Answer For Car-makers
When it comes to new cars, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are changing the way people are moved. And it poses a new challenge for some of the world’s biggest automotive brands. The production of petrol- and diesel-powered cars has begun its slow descent as tighter environmental rules take effect in the world’s major new-car markets. For […]
Why Specialised Vehicles Are Just As Important As Iron Ore
As far as Australia’s exports go, minerals top the class. But rumbling in the background is a reminder that not everything we sell overseas needs to be dug out of the ground. In plain economic figures, it’s hard to ignore the importance of saleable natural resources to Australia’s economy. Iron ore tops the export sales […]
Why OEM Carmakers Let Us Develop And Create Their New Cars
If one word summarises why global carmakers choose us to engineer and enhance their new vehicles, it’s trust. And achieving it is a big deal. Work in product development with a global carmaker long enough and you’ll eventually discover an automaker’s greatest work is often hidden from view. Buyers of new cars can usually […]
They said they build them in “left-hand drive and _____-hand drive.”
An industry friend told me a story that revealed how some people at global automakers regard Australia’s new-car market, and it’s a viewpoint our local industry learned to capitalise on long ago. But there’s a catch. My friend, a 25-year veteran of the local car industry, was on a guided tour of a European car […]
You’ll Be Surprised What We Create With Our Carmaking Know-How
Because we’re a carmaker doesn’t mean we only make new cars. In fact, it opened the door to our first aerospace project: to develop a prototype helicopter. My recent LinkedIn post about Australia’s carmaking talent sparked a bit of a reaction. And all those messages in my inbox got me thinking, mostly about the depth […]
After 55,000 V8 and Turbocharged Engines, Here’s Why I Bought An Electric Car
There are two black cars in our household. They’re both four-door sedans, both are fun to drive, each has made media headlines, and they both have loyal followings. Despite their similarities, they couldn’t be more different. The first one is my 2014 FG X Ford Falcon, one of the last examples of Australia’s own big […]