Hello and welcome to Overdrive, where we mull over issues to do with cars and transport.
I’m David Brown
In this week’s program news stories with David Campbell
1. Tesla Cuts the price of Model 3 but increases Australian Charging Prices
2. Holden Hopes to rebound after several bad sales years
3. Volkswagen’s Jetta becomes a brand – but only in China
4. Maserati Cuts Prices
5. Melbourne Formula 1
6. Whitsundays Festival of Motoring
With a NSW state and a federal election coming up we will be bombarded with transport projects that political parties will be promoting as their transport policy.
Brian Smith and I discuss the six things that should be at the basis of all political transport policies.
Brian and I look also look at the success or otherwise of building cars models from lego. Now they are going life size.
You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on iTunes or Spotify. OR our Facebook site OverdriveCity
So, let’s start with the news
Tesla Cuts the price of Model 3 but increases Australian Charging Prices
When Tesla first launched the Model S Elon Musk said that, over time, he hoped to get the price down to US$35,000. Now he has finally delivered on his promise of an electric vehicle for the masses, confirming the reduced pricing.
Specs for the Standard Range start at US$35,000 (or around A$49,000) before US Government incentives.
The Standard Model 3 offers a range of 355km, a top speed of 210km/h and a 0-60mph (97km/h) time of 5.6 seconds, while, for an additional $2,000, the Standard Range Plus has a 386km range, will hit 60mph in 5.3 seconds and tops out at 225km/h.
Holden Hopes to rebound after several bad sales years
HOLDEN has forecast at least 9% growth in its combined SUV and ute sales this year, forecasting that 70% of its overall sales volume will come from these two major categories.
Holden is attempting to turn around its fortunes after its sales slumped 33 per cent last year in the wake of its exit from local car manufacturing in October 2017.
Volkswagen’s Jetta becomes a brand – but only in China
The Jetta name has made the leap from a Volkswagen model – to the Volkswagen Group’s latest all-new brand.
The long-running nameplate has been established as a brand in its
One of the reasons for the Jetta brand’s birth is that it allows the Volkswagen brand itself to position itself as the more premium class that it holds in Europe.
BMW fined for swapping ECUs
Prosecutors in Germany have hit BMW with an €8.5 million fine for fitting almost 8000 cars with the wrong engine management software.
The fine relates to an admission by BMW that it had inadvertently fitted a diesel-engine software upgrade for the X5 and X6 into 5 Series and 7 Series electronic control units or ECUs.
Prosecutors accepted that BMW had done nothing intentional, but was guilty of “oversight lapses”.
Maserati Cuts Prices
A DEPRESSED new-vehicle market outlook, and dealer and customer feedback on pricing, is behind Maserati Australia cutting the prices of its models by up to $46,000, – following similar changing price points for some BMW and Mercedes-Benz models.
Termed “realignment” by Maserati Australia, the new price scale is aimed at maintaining sales and market share in a very competitive high end market.
BMW last year reduced 7 Series pricing by up to almost $50,000, which put the model under the $200,000 mark for its entry-level models.
Similarly, in August last year Mercedes-Benz reduced its S Class pricing by up to $44,000.
