Articles by James Cleary

James Cleary
Deputy Editor

James Cleary is CarsGuide's Deputy Editor, with over four decades’ experience across automotive editorial, marketing, product planning and creative advertising.

He has written for national and international titles including Wheels, Drive, Carsales, Motor and Top Gear Australia providing everything from new product assessment and feature writing to industry analysis, news content and expert advice.

He’s spent time as an advanced driving instructor, and had the opportunity to experience rare and valuable classics here and overseas.

James worked in the PR and advertising/sales promotion teams at Mercedes-Benz Australia and has managed the Marketing Communications and Product Planning functions for Peugeot Australia. He also directed advertising client service for Hyundai Motor Company Australia and Volvo Australia.

James has a Bachelors Degree in Communications from Macquarie University and driving qualifications from multiple advanced schools, including Ian Luff Motivation.

He has been a member of the CarsGuide team for 10 years and as Deputy Editor manages everything from sub-editing to back-end platforms while creating written and visual content.

Expertise

  • New product assessment
  • Industry analysis
  • News content
  • Expert advice
  • Feature writing

Experience

  • BMW Performance Driving School
  • Lamborghini Winter Accademia
  • Master Maserati Driving School
  • Mercedes-AMG Snow Performance School
  • Porsche Level 4 Master training
  • Volkswagen Driving Experience program

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (MassComm) | Macquarie University | 1981-1984

Featured publications

New Merc-AMG E53 is a four-door hybrid hero
By James Cleary · 12 Mar 2024
Packing a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine supported by a single permanently excited synchronous electric motor, the new Mercedes-AMG E53 is a 430kW (585hp) / 750Nm plug-in hybrid powerhouse offered in sedan and wagon form.
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New Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is bonkers fast!
By James Cleary · 12 Mar 2024
Porsche says its new Taycan Turbo GT and lighter, track-focused Taycan Turbo GT with Weissach Package is the most powerful series-production model it has ever produced.
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Peugeot adds E-3008 SUV to local EV line-up
By James Cleary · 08 Mar 2024
Peugeot Australia has confirmed the new third-generation 3008 will arrive in Australia in the second half of this year, with the pure EV E-3008 leading the way.
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Renault Duster as good as confirmed for Oz!
By James Cleary · 03 Mar 2024
Renault Australia’s General manager, Glen Sealey is bullish about the prospects for the much-anticipated local introduction of a Renault-badged version of the latest, third-generation Dacia Duster small SUV, telling CarsGuide, “We’re absolutely full-on on that.”
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Hyundai Staria Hybrid confirmed!
By James Cleary · 29 Feb 2024
After much speculation Hyundai Motor Company has confirmed a hybrid version of its Staria people mover, with pre-orders opening overnight prior to the new model hitting the domestic South Korean market in March.
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LandCruiser 300 recall for transmission fault
By James Cleary · 28 Feb 2024
It’s been a three-row SUV family favourite for generations with a hard won reputation for space, reliability and performance on- and off-road. But now the current 300 Series version of the Toyota LandCruiser (and its Lexus LX sibling) has been recalled for a potential fault in one of the modules controlling its 10-speed automatic transmission.
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Uber-cool Renault 5 EV breaks cover in Geneva
By James Cleary · 27 Feb 2024
Just over 50 years since the original Renault 5 turned the global small car market on its head, the pure-electric Renault 5 E-Tech appears set to cause similar disruption.
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New-generation Hyundai Palisade rendered!
By James Cleary · 26 Feb 2024
It’s been spotted regularly out in the wild in pre-production form and now Hyundai’s all-new, next-generation Palisade has been brought to life by the Seoul-based design group, New York Mammoth.
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Audi Q2's big pre-retirement upgrades
By James Cleary · 23 Feb 2024
It may be set for retirement at the end of this year, but Audi isn’t allowing its Q2 compact SUV to fall off the pace, announcing the addition of a new touchscreen-based multimedia system and the brand’s configurable ‘Virtual Cockpit’ instrument display to the city-sized five-seater’s standard features list.
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Did Toyota Finance “rip off” 100,000 people?
By James Cleary · 22 Feb 2024
Following a writ issued in early January, Melbourne-based law firm Echo Law has now lodged a statement of claim with the Supreme Court of Victoria relating to a class action it has brought against Toyota Finance alleging the sale of “unfair” dealer loans between 2010 and 2018.
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