Overdrive

Welcome to Overdrive, a program where we put the world of motoring and transport under the microscope. 1. Future mobility - who is calling the shots? (1:17) 2. Safeguards to keep drivers focused with semi-autonomous vehicles (2:12) 3. Ford Puma SUV (3:10) 4. Audi SQ8 TDI (4:09) 5. VW Amarok 580 (5:15) 6. How will the Coronavirus affect transport? We talk to transport planner Brian Smith (6:07) 7....

Hello and welcome to Overdrive a program that broods over the world of cars and transport 1. A paradigm shift brough about by EVs (1:26) 2. Holden Sales Crash (2:15) 3. Are old Holdens worth more now that the brand is going? (3:02) 4. Plug-in Electric Vehicles (3:52) 5. Feedspot’s top 10 transport podcasts (4:44) 6. Extended interview with Stephen Lester from Nissan Australia about car image and f...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that practices what it preaches, most of the time, on the subject of cars and transport. This week we concentrate on Holden, that famous Australia car brand that will soon cease to exist. In the news 1. From Craft to economies of scale (1:22) 2. General Motors did the holden name well (2:32) 3. Was the first Holden that good (3:37) 4. Button plan (4:32) 5....

Some have romantic memories of old Holdens: Terry Thompson is ever the realist but loves them all the same. Terry Thompson is a director of the ARDC, and has a long history in many things to do with cars and motoring, including the New South Wales Road Safety Advisory Council and a whole pile of motoring clubs, including the 48 and FJ. Holden Owners Club. We chatted to him about the history. You c...

Dean Oliver and he and his family’s early holdens Overdrive's artist in residence, Dean Oliver also comes from a family that has had its passion for Holden cars. We chatted about those early years and Dean as a young man with a passion for cars but not the financial responsibility that some would have liked, DB Dean, your family did have some Holden's how far back to the go. DO Yeah. Thanks, David...

There is an old adage about motor racing. “Race on Sunday; Sell on Monday”. This was one of those passionate mantras that seem to motivate Holden and Ford during the glory years of the long-distance production car racing at Bathurst in the late 60s and most of the 70s. Holden kept at it for years after that more than Ford. Fred Brain is a classic example of someone who had a close association with...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive a program that ponders the purpose of cars and transport In the news 1. Jaguar Land Rover: new vehicle for a new approach (1:20) 2. Can the Haval H9 SUV make it here? (2:07) 3. The standout design feature in the Citroen C5 (3:08) 4. A hydrogen-electric ute (4:04) 5. A new meaning to “Heavy Metal Fan”: (5:00) 6. We put a call in to the UK to speak to their head of Fut...

DB: Alan Finlay is a great friend of the program and is a respected traffic engineer and transport planner. His family has had twelve Holdens over the years with a predominance in the early part, I believe. DB: Alan, I looked at your first six cars, the first five from an FJ to an EH were Specials and the next one at H.K. was a premier. Were you the rich family in the street we all envied? AF: No,...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that practices what it preaches, most of the time, on the subject of cars and transport. This week we concentrate on Holden, that famous Australia car brand that will soon cease to exist. In the news 1. From Craft to economies of scale (1:22) 2. General Motors did the Holden name well (2:32) 3. Was the first Holden that good (3:37) 4. Button plan (4:32) 5....

Hello and welcome to Overdrive a program that samples and savours the world of cars and transport 1. Coronavirus leads to parts shortage (1:18) 2. Hyundai/Canoo to co-develop all-electric platform (2:05) 3. Mazda CX-30 (2:58) 4. Audi Sales – at last some good news (3:48) 5. Formula 1: 'carbon neutral' by 2030? (4:36) 6. And car ads at the Superbowl • Audi’s weird one (5:52) • Kia’s sentimental one...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive where we climb the hills, tackle the bends and endure the potholes of issues to do with motoring and transport. 1. Volkswagen leads in global sales (1:25) 2. Jaguar Land Rover’s better seat (2:22) 3. DeLorean comeback (3:26) 4. Honk more, wait more (4:26) 5. Sustainable transport - Carrots and sticks (5:10) 6. We hear from BMW about their latest update you can get ov...

Damien Meredith is the Chief Operating Officer for Kia Australia. He is a down to earth bloke that knows that his first task is to sell cars now, which will then provide the foundation for future developments. In the full year of 2019 when the market declined by 7.8%, Kia did what no other top ten manufacturer did, it increased its sales over 2018 volumes. It is not all wonder and light. The incre...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that ponders the philosophical and the practical aspects of motoring and transport. • Car sales for 2019 (1:33) • Another airbag recall (2:33) • Rolls Royce Car Sales are booming (3:35) • Making ‘Ice Missiles’ illegal (4:54) • Motoring Minute – Lotus Electric (6:13) • What to do in a car in a bush fire (7:38) • Motoring Minute – Maserati Levante SUV (2:17)...

Hello this is Overdrive a program about the facts, the fun and the fiction of motoring and transport 1. ACCC issues new Takata airbag warning for thousands of cars (1:35) 2. The $73b company with no name: Fiat Chrysler, Peugeot (2:45) 3. Holden announces exclusive SUV and Ute line-up (3:35) 4. NSW’s smartphone-detecting traffic cams go live this weekend (5:31) 5. Stink bugs delay Hyundai & Kia Shi...

At the premiere of the movie Machine, which is a documentary film about artificial intelligence, one of the featured experts was Professor Toby Walsh. Professor Walsh is a leading researcher in artificial intelligence who has held research positions all over Europe and also in Australia, including the University of New South Wales. He was named by a newspaper as a rock star of Australian Digital R...

Dyan Currie is the Chief Planner for Brisbane City Council and she was also the president of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) at the time Kirsty Kelly was the CEO. It was a significant time and one that is worth reflecting on. We had a chat with Dyan soon after Kirsty Kelly (who Dyan worked with at the PIA) joined the AITPM. • Place Making • Applying a sense of place to work and institute...

The Australian Institute of Traffic Planning and Management is taking another major step as it continues its growth and influence from humble beginnings to a major institute in the field of traffic and transport planning. It has created the position of Chief Executive Officer. The inaugural CEO of the AITPM is Kirsty Kelly. We chatted with Kirsty soon after the announcement. She spoke about • Awar...

Hello this is Overdrive a program about trains, planes and automobiles, but mainly automobiles. 1. FCAI releases November 2019 new vehicle sales figures (1:21) 2. Tesla boss Elon Musk wins defamation trial over 'pedo guy' tweet (2:53) 3. Five stars for BMW 1 Series. Four stars for Peugeot Partner (3:37) 4. New Ford Transit (4:15) 5. Top uni teams contest Formula SAE-A (5:08) 6. UK’s first ‘bat-fri...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that looks at the fantasises and fallacies of anything to do with motoring and transport. 1. Australia’s first regional AV project scoops national ITS award (1:41) 2. Bertrand Piccard breaks world distance record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle in a Hyundai NEXO (2:44) 3. The Premiere of the movie Machine and its relationship to autonomous vehicles (3:34) 4...

Hello and welcome to Overdrive, a program that looks at the factors facing our attitude and actions to motoring and transport. 1. Uber Loses London Licence – again (1:31) 2. Tesla unveils its long-awaited electric Cyber pick-up truck (2:38) 3. Ford reveals Mach-E electric SUV with a Mustang logo (3:58) 4. Mercedes unveils bot one but 3 large SUV’s (5:18) 5. Aston Martin’s first SUV announced (6:25...

I have just come back from the Phillip Island circuit where I watched the Island Magic meeting. Not the biggest race meeting at the racetrack. It is made for those who love to race with the only spectators being family and friends. The events range from formula V open wheelers to Sport cars including Lamborghinis, Lotuses, BMWs and Audis. I was there because Overdrive’s Fred Brain had his 1969 Mon...

Hello this is Overdrive a program with an infatuation about trains, planes and automobiles. 1. The latest vehicle sales figures especially for diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles (1:21) 2. Rally Australia World Championship event cancelled (2:17) 3. Hyundai Motor Group Develops World’s First Road Noise Active Noise Control Technology (3:30) 4. Hyundai Motor Demonstrates Autonomous Driving Tech Ca...

At the premiere of the documentary film Machine, a movie that explores artificial intelligence in general and includes reference to autonomous driving, Audi spoke about where they are at in terms of using this technology The film Produces, incorporated comments from Miklós Kiss, Audi’s Head of Predevelopment of Automated Driving, because their work is a good example of how technology will not just...

Driverless cars: not necessarily a force for good David Brown When driverless cars were first discussed they were portrayed as leading to a motoring utopia. With a robotic chauffeur we could more usefully employed reading a book, watching a video or doing some work. Increasingly we are seeing alternative views. A recent report from the researchers at the University of Sydney's business school’s In...

At the driverless vehicle summit held in Sydney there was a demonstration from Students from Monash University that might be a cute exercise for those who are interested in motor racing. It turns out, however, that it is a comprehensive exercise that prepares students for working in teams, with other disciplines and with business. And it has students making a commitment in their effort that many o...