Articles by Neil Dowling

Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist

GoAutoMedia

Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting.

It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail.

He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out.

In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working for GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups.

He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally.

He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.

Audi, Hyundai and Volvo nab top safety score
By Robbie Wallis · 20 Mar 2017
Two European cars have been slammed by national safety test organisation for having less safety features in their Australian specification than the same model offered in other markets.
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Night pedestrian detection for next Fiesta
By Neil Dowling · 17 Mar 2017
Ford will add night-time pedestrian detection to its new-generation UK-spec Fiesta model later this year and then roll the life-saving feature to other models through 2018.
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Jeep refreshes its large SUV flagship
By Neil Dowling · 16 Mar 2017
Jeep's refreshed Grand Cherokee has arrived in Australia and features subtle styling changes.
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Australia second nation to trial GM's Maven
By Ron Hammerton · 16 Mar 2017
Holden is believed to be testing a car-share service in Melbourne to rival GoGet and GreenShareCar as part of parent General Motors' global expansion into new mobility solutions.
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Punchy Skoda Octavia RS245 in Aus in 2017
By Tung Nguyen · 10 Mar 2017
Skoda has unveiled the Octavia RS245, its most powerful production vehicle to date, at the Geneva motor show.
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Lexus outs hybrid LS500h limo at Geneva
By Terry Martin · 10 Mar 2017
Lexus has followed current engine downsizing trends by flicking its V8-engined LS600h hybrid saloon and replacing it with a V6 in the new LS500h
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Bentley concept may lead to baby roadster
By Neil Dowling · 09 Mar 2017
Bentley has picked green as its favourite colour, promoting its first all-electric car at the Geneva show in the form of the EXP 12 Speed 6e concept that may form the basis for a new small convertible
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Low-key Sonata hopes a fresh face lifts sales
By Ron Hammerton · 09 Mar 2017
Hyundai has unveiled a fresh new look and a technical upgrade for its struggling Sonata mid-size sedan
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VW Sedric previews autonomy, electrification
By Ron Hammerton · 08 Mar 2017
Volkswagen has hinted at its plans for 30 electric models by 2025 with a hands-free, electrified concept car called Sedric shown at Geneva.
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Compact Subaru XV morphs from lauded Impreza
By Ron Hammerton · 08 Mar 2017
Subaru has shared the platform behind its latest Impreza with the second-gen XV compact SUV.
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