Articles by Stephen Ottley

Speed kills. It’s the message that we’ve had driven home for decades by law enforcement and the government. But it’s time to have a serious discussion about speed limits in Australia without the hysterics and put some cold, hard facts into the debate.I was inspired to write this column thanks to a few recent events, namely a trip up the highway from Sydney to Brisbane and two recent stories I’ve written for this website on speed limits in Australia and around the world. What these stories and my road trip rammed home to me is that Australia is not only behind the rest of the world but we’re living in the past.Have you ever asked why the speed limit is 110km/h on most freeways? Why isn’t it an even 100km/h or why not 115km/h or 120km/h? Well, you can thank the metric system because when Australia switched from imperial to metric the speed limits were changed in 1974 and were rounded to the nearest 10km/h increment. So, 60mph became 100km/h and the freeway limit of 70mph became 110km/h.Makes perfect sense in the context of the time. But does it still make sense now in 2025? Think about how far not only vehicle safety has come in the past 51 years but also the quality of our roads. The idea that we haven’t progressed our speed limits in half a century seems like madness to me, or at the very least laziness.I own a 1982 Alfa Romeo Alfasud and doing 110km/h in it feels very fast, actually doing 60km/h feels fast in it sometimes with its complete lack of any active or passive safety (save the seatbelts). The doors are so thin compared to even a modern hatchback equivalent and overall my old car just feels, well… old.Given that my 40+ year old Alfa Romeo is an outlier, with the average age of the Australian fleet believed to be roughly 10 years, that means the vast majority of vehicles on our roads are much safer than they were in 1974. A modern car has a suite of passive safety features to protect the occupants in an accident that we didn’t have 50 years ago, but back in ‘74 even basic cruise control was a luxury. In many of today’s cars they have adaptive cruise control, often paired with lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring and other measures to reduce the chances of you having an accident in the first place.On top of all this, modern cars are more capable of driving at higher speeds than those from 51 years ago. So, in short, modern cars are much safer to drive at 110km/h and have no trouble going faster — as demonstrated by the higher speed limits in other countries.A 2021 report by the World Health Organisation saw Australia rank higher on the list of road fatalities per 100,000 head of population than Germany, a country which famously has thousands of kilometres of highways with no speed limits. According to the report Australia had 4.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, while Germany had just 3.7, which undercuts the ‘speed kills’ message the government has pushed for so long.When I was younger I assumed Germany’s autobahns were some sort of special road, like a big, wide, smooth racetrack that made the higher speeds safer. But when I travelled there and drove on them I realised they were almost identical to Australian highways. The key difference, as far as I can tell, is all the unrestricted stretches of autobahn have some sort of guardrail or fencing on both sides of the road, whereas there are still large sections of Australian highways where there are none.But overall the standard of Australian freeways have improved enormously over the past 51 years. When I was a kid the M1 passed through dozens of small towns and had long stretches of two-lane blacktop. Nowadays it’s almost entirely dual-carriageway from Melbourne to Brisbane with almost every town except Albury and Coffs Harbour bypassed. The road is wider, smoother and safer than it has ever been and coupled with the safer cars, I believe it’s time to look at higher freeway speed limits, that would arguably make long distance travel in Australia safer.I’m not suggesting for a moment we follow Germany’s lead and go as fast as we want, I believe Germany has a unique cultural background that has allowed the unrestricted autobahns to survive and thrive. Namely, the Germans have excellent lane discipline, which is something we in Australia simply do not have — but that’s a column for another day.Instead, I believe Australian governments should seriously consider 130km/h freeway speed limits on sections they deem safe to do so. Frankly, between Sydney and Brisbane that’s the vast majority of the drive, but there are still some sections between Sydney and Melbourne that should probably stay 110km/h.A 130km/h would bring us into line with dozens of countries around the world. Much of Europe has a 130km/h cap on their freeways and France has the sensible idea of dropping the limit to 110km/h in the rain - which is an idea I'd 100 per cent support here.Increasing the limit to 130km/h gets you an extra 20km down the road each hour, so over the course of a trip between Sydney and Brisbane or Sydney and Melbourne you’d save over one hour of driving time. That may not sound like a lot, but cutting down these long drivers would help reduce driver fatigue and that would actually help make them safe.Of course, most road safety campaigners will say this is a dangerous suggestion and will lead to more deaths, but the statistics and my own experience of driving in other countries suggests that’s simply not the case. I don’t believe this is the work of a moment and there would need to be some robust public debate, but the time has come to accelerate out of our 1970s mindset and drive into a safer, faster future.

Does the world need yet another Porsche 911 variant? The new 911 S/T is the brand’s celebration of the 60th anniversary of its iconic sports car and takes it to its ultimate conclusion. Built to be the purest, most driver-focused version of the now 20-strong 911 range, this limited edition is a worthy addition to the fleet.

Chery has been making the most of its second attempt at the Australian market, introducing an appealing range of well-priced SUVs. Having started with larger models it is now turning its attention to the smaller end of the market.The new Tiggo 4 Pro has arrived to take on the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Mazda CX-3, Toyota Yaris Cross and more. Is it up to the task? We find out in our review.

The Chinese car industry has already risen to become one of Australia’s leading sources of new vehicles. MG and GWM are inside the top 10 best-sellers, while others including BYD, LDV and Chery are rising fast. And yet none of them have unlocked the secret that could give them the boost they will need to unseat the likes of Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Kia at the top of the sales charts.I’m referring to a local ride and handling program, an engineering undertaking that focuses on tailoring the driving experience of a new model to the unique road conditions Australia has.This is why the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon were so popular for decades, because they were ideally suited to our road surfaces and driving preferences. But for evidence why one, some or all of the new Chinese brands need to invest in a local engineering program, look no further than the rise and rise of Kia and the reinvention of Hyundai.These two South Korean brands were known for selling ‘good value’ cars just over a decade ago, which was merely a polite way of saying they sold cheap cars. But then in 2010 Hyundai invested in doing an intensive ride and handling program on the cars it sold here, with Kia following shortly after.While Hyundai was already selling a lot of cars by that stage, just like MG, GWM and BYD already are, taking the resources and investing in what could be considered a ‘luxury’ like ride and handling proved to be a decisive factor in the brand’s image change.For Kia, the impact was even greater, as it meant critical acclaim for its cars, which suddenly became class-leading dynamically in many cases and that coincided with the start of its surge up the sales charts (although this was also significantly impacted by its seven-year warranty, to be fair).Personally, I’m surprised none of the Chinese brands have tried yet. Yes, it would be expensive, labour-intensive and add to production complexity, but none of these should be insurmountable obstacles for what are extremely large car companies (in many cases, state-owned).Spending the money fine-tuning chassis for Australia’s often inconsistent roads would be the icing on the cake for many of these brands, which already offer good value and well-designed models. As it currently stands, at least in my personal experience, too many Chinese cars are let down by the driving dynamics. To be clear, I’m not suggesting an MG ZS or GWM Tank 300 needs to handle like a Porsche and ride like a Rolls-Royce. No, I just believe they can be better when it comes to absorbing bumps, turning into corners and feeling confident when driven down a wide-open Australian country road.As I’m sure the management at Hyundai and Kia can attest, good value will only get you so far with Australia’s more discerning buyers, so investing in how the car drives and performs on the road is crucial. Even Toyota acknowledged this, and while it didn’t tune locally, it did make a concerted effort to ditch its reputation for sensible but boring cars and instead make ones that are enjoyable to drive.The brand that takes the initiative first should gain the advantage too, if one of these still-relative newcomers suddenly earns more critical praise than the rest for driving dynamics then that will likely leave an impression with buyers. And then the rest could be forced to play catch up, so personally I’ll be watching with great interest to see who takes the plunge first and commits to tailoring its cars to suit the Australian market.

Aston Martin has broken from tradition with its latest 'DB' series model. The new DB12 retains the style and sophistication but adds more muscle and agility to create something new. We review the new DB12 to find out if Aston Martin has created a modern masterpiece of luxury performance.

What is the highest speed limit in the world?Technically speaking the fastest speed limit in the world is no speed limit. While Germany has been introducing speed limits across many of its highways, which are known as the autobahn, Germany still has thousands of kilometres of roads where you can drive as fast as you like.In terms of the highest posted speed limit, that title belongs to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which has sections of motorway where you can drive to 160km/h (100mph).What is the purpose of speed limits?Governments around the world implement speed limits in order to keep the roads as safe as possible for all road users. And by all ‘road users’ we mean not only motorists but also cyclists and pedestrians, which is why there are different speed limits in urban areas compared to highways, and in recent years specific speed limits near schools in many countries.Do all countries have speed limits?Yes and no. Every country in the world has some form of speed limit, with one minor exception - the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man speed limit is officially non-existent. However, this small self-governing island posts guidance limits in built-up areas, to ensure public safety. Out on the island’s open highways, however, a road with no speed limit stretches out before you and drivers are free to go as quickly as is safe - with police still enforcing dangerous driving laws.How have speed limits evolved over time?According to a report from History.com speed limits actually pre-date the automobile, with the colony of New Amsterdam (now known as New York) issuing a decree in 1652 that “o wagons, carts or sleighs shall be run, rode or driven at a gallop” of the rider will be fined.The police were just as serious about enforcing the law back then too, with then-President Ulysses S. Grant arrested for driving his horse-drawn carriage too fast in Washington in 1872.As for speed limits specific to cars, the United Kingdom led the way in this regard, introducing a speed limit of 10mph (16km/h) on open roads and 2.0mph (3.0km/h) in towns in 1861.In Australia the speed limits were gradually introduced around the country in the first half of the 20th century. Notably, when Australia switched from imperial to metric speed limits were changed in 1974 and were rounded to the nearest 10km/h increment. So, 60mph became 100km/h and the freeway limit of 70mph became 110km/h - the limits we still have today.Check out our story on the highest speed limit in Australia.Why do maximum speed limits differ in different countries?There are a variety of reasons, from political, social to the purely practical. For example, a poorly constructed highway with no speed limit is obviously more dangerous than a carefully built and maintained one. While the German autobahns are not radically different from our highways in Australia, they typically have some form of fence or border on the median to reduce the risk of head-on crashes.Geography plays a major role in determining speed limits. For example, the Isle of Man doesn’t have an extensive motorway network, rather open roads across its largely agricultural land, whereas Abu Dhabi has a much bigger and very modern motorway network, so it is able to have a higher posted limit as the roads are straighter and smoother and therefore more conducive to faster driving.How can you find out the speed limit where you are driving?Most countries have roadside signs that display the limit, although they can differ significantly from one country to another. So if you are planning on traveling it’s worthwhile searching for images of what signs you should be looking out for.In Australia we use white signs featuring black numbers in a red circle, which were actually inspired by the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals held in 1968.What happens if there is no speed limit sign?If there is no sign then you should drive to what’s known as the ‘default limit’ in that country. Typically there is an urban limit and open road limit, so it pays to know what those are in whatever country you are driving.Typically the key differentiator between what is considered an ‘urban’ road is the presence of street lights and buildings, whether residential or commercial.In Australia those default limits are 50km/h in urban settings and 100km/h on open roads.What are the highest speed limits on roads around the world?1. Germany: UnrestrictedAs mentioned above, despite some political pressure (surprisingly on environmental grounds as much as safety) Germany’s autobahns remain famously speed limit free for large stretches. This is possibly due to more thorough driver training and testing in Germany than most other nations and a strict adherence to the correct lane; driving too slow in the fast lane will get you flashed repeatedly until you move out of the way.2. United Arab Emirates: 160km/hWith a relatively modern and well-maintained motorway network there are sections of road in the capital, Abu Dhabi, with a posted speed limit of 160km/h. Perhaps more interestingly, on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road there is actually a minimum speed limit, with drivers required to drive at least 120km/h or face a fine.3. Poland, Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia: 140km/hThese three very different countries all have an upper highway speed limit of 140km/h.In Poland, the standard, two-lane highway speed limit is 120km/h, but it is raised on its toll motorways.Bulgaria has a similar system, with the majority of its highways limited to 120km/h, but drivers are allowed to go quicker on newer sections of motorway.While in Saudi Arabia the previous speed limit of 120km/h on its major routes was raised to the new higher speed in 2018, although trucks remain limited to 80km/h.4. USA (Texas): 137km/hThe United States of America is a little disjointed when it comes to speed limits as each state sets their own, rather than there being a national standard. The most common speed limits are 70mph (113km/h) or 75mph (121km/h) but they can also get to 80mph (129km/h) in several states.However, the highest speed limit in the USA belongs to Texas State Highway 130, a toll road outside of Austin that has a posted speed limit of 85mph (137km/h).5. Italy, France, Australia and more: 130km/hThere is a misconception that when it comes to the Stuart Highway no speed limit applies, but the truth is the Northern Territory trialled that and designed to limit it to 130km/h for lengthy stretches. This was done to make travel faster across what is a sparsely populated desert landscape.However, 130km/h is a common speed limit on highways and motorways around much of Europe, including Italy, France (except when raining), Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine.

The revolution hasn’t been canceled, but it appears to be delayed.

Despite a backwards step in 2024, Chinese cars are on-track to bounce back in 2025 as a flood of new brands enter the market.While brands like BYD, MG, GWM and Chery have already established themselves, a new wave is on the way to challenge Japan as Australia’s biggest car importer.By the end of 2024 there were 12 Chinese brands officially in the Australian market and at least two more have announced plans for entry into our market in 2025 with more expected to follow. Japan, by contrast, only has nine brands in our local market but still comfortably leads the overall production with nearly 379,000 vehicles from Japan sold here in 2024.That compares to 272,139 from Thailand and 176,159 from China. Those figures don’t account for a brand’s national base but rather simply where they are built, so it includes certain Tesla, Volvo and other models from different brands.But while Japan and Thailand still lead the way as the most popular countries for new-car production, China appears on-course to overtake them in the not-too-distant future at the current rate.With the likes of Zeekr, Leapmotor, Deepal, XPeng, Geely, Smart, JAC, GAC/Aion, Jaecoo and more set to grow in 2025, plus expanded product lines from BYD, MG, GWM and Chery, the approximate 96,000 sales difference between China and Thailand could shrink dramatically this year.The industry is well aware of the rapid growth of the Chinese car industry in Australia, with Toyota Australia’s Head of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, commenting this week: “The Australian new-car market has always been one of the most competitive in the world, and 2025 will be no different. We expect to see more new brands and models, which means more choice and even stronger competition, which, in the end, is great for the consumer.“By all reports, there could be a dozen new Chinese car companies arriving in Australia by the end of next year. In the past five years, they have taken more than 13 percentage points of market share from established brands.”Hanley was quick to point out that while these new brands have taken significant market share, Toyota remains the clear leader.However, that growth must come from somewhere and that will force brands across the market to react to this new array of rivals. This is likely to result in increased competition for Australian buyers at a time when cost-of-living pressures are expected to cool the market after record sales in 2024.

Christmas is a fading memory, the New Year’s hangovers have cleared and we’re still getting used to writing ‘2025’ so you know what that means?Hot takes time.Yes, it’s January and with a whole year of new cars ahead of us, I’m going to try and predict the future. But while these might meet the clickbait definition of a ‘hot take’ these aren’t just random thoughts, but rather these are five scenarios that I believe could play out in 2025 based on previous trends and the other available evidence.To be fair, I’m basing this at least in part to Toyota Australia boss Sean Hanley’s own prediction that he believes the RAV4 can leapfrog the Ford Ranger into first place. I agree with him that the Ranger will need to work hard to stay at the top of the charts, with its gap to the RAV4 less than 4000 sales in 2024.The Ranger will be entering its fourth year on sale, which means it no longer feels ‘new’ but is also too early for a mid-life upgrade, so it will need to rely on new additions like the Super Duty and plug-in hybrid to keep its interest high.The latter is really the key for Ford, with the Ranger PHEV having to face a direct rival in the form of the BYD Shark 6 - which wasn’t on the horizon when Ford announced its plug-in back in 2023.Meanwhile, the RAV4 remains beloved by SUV buyers, despite its many rivals, and Toyota is (reportedly) carrying over a healthy order bank that should maintain its steady sales pace.Whatever happens, it should be a close finish in the sales race.It’s safe to say Kia has copped some flak for the styling of its Tasman ute, which has raised concerns over its sales potential. But, personally, I think it will be a success story for Kia even if it doesn’t achieve the headline-grabbing sales figures the brand is hoping for.Kia’s goal to sell more than 20,000 Tasmans per year is an ambitious target, even if the styling had been universally praised, given the strength of the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. But the truth is looks are subjective and the Tasman’s ultimate sales potential will come down to pricing and specifications. If Kia can give ute buyers a good value proposition, then undoubtedly many will jump aboard, regardless of what anyone says about the styling.Fleet operators who don’t care about subjective elements like style will likely be wooed by the expected five-star ANCAP rating and Kia’s reputation for reliability.Bottom line, even if Kia sells half of its expected numbers, adding 10,000 Tasmans to Kia’s tally is all incremental growth for a brand that has never previously offered a ute - and that will make it a big success.One of the key takeaways from the 2024 sales was the huge growth of hybrids (HEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) compared to the stalled sales of electric vehicles (EVs). Sales of pure electric models were only up 4.7 per cent after growing more than 160 per cent in 2023.That’s an enormous change of fortunes for EVs, which have always largely been underpinned by Tesla, which had a down year in 2024. Whether Tesla can rebound is one major question, with its sales down by more than 16,000 sales, but other brands will need to start selling more of their EVs if the market is to accelerate its growth again.It appears as though the market for EVs has largely been catered to, with a huge variety of makes and models across the spectrum of size and price, so there’s no longer any major barriers for EVs apart from consumer demand.Australians seem unconvinced by EVs in the broad sense, preferring dual-cab utes and mid-size SUVs with hybrid engines, and it seems unlikely to change in the short-term so I wouldn’t be betting on a big turnaround for electric sales in 2025.NVES, or the New Vehicle Efficiency Standards, grabbed plenty of headlines in 2024 as the car industry pushed back on long-overdue emissions regulations like kids not wanting to eat their vegetables. But despite the kicking and screaming from certain members of industry, NVES officially began on January 1 and the world hasn’t stopped turning.Inevitably there will be change thanks to NVES, with car brands needing to introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles or face financial penalties, however the government has effectively given the industry three years to sort itself out. Any brand above the limit in 2025 has until the end of 2027 to generate (or buy from a rival brand) ‘credits’ to offset their less-efficient models.In other words, expect ‘situation normal’ in 2025 with all the usual models you find in dealerships, albeit with a ramp up of more hybrids and PHEVs like we’ve begun to see in the last 18 months.Normally you’d expect the arrival of two big name models, which nearly double the options for buyers, to result in a sales boom for a particular market. And yet, despite the introduction of the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra, sales of ‘$100k plus utes’ (otherwise known as the US-style pick-ups) were up just a marginal 2.4 per cent in 2024.The segment still sold more than 10,000 units in 2024, which is an impressive number when you consider these are expensive and niche vehicles, but the arrival of the Ford and Toyota should have been a boost. They certainly helped offset the sales decline of the Ram 1500, which dropped as the current V8-powered model entered run-out, but it speaks to the limitations of the market.With the arrival of the new six-cylinder Ram 1500 to go along with the F-150 and Tundra, it’s hard to see the total volume of $100k plus utes getting much higher than 10,000 per year.

What makes a car important? Depending on the brand, important can mean a lot of different things.It could be its profitability or maybe it’s the new technology it will bring or even a new image it could create for a brand.So picking the most important new models from Australia’s biggest brands isn’t always easy, but looking ahead to what’s headed our way in 2025 one common theme emerged - sales.It seems obvious, it’s important that the models each brand offers sell, but in the case of these five there is an extra layer of importance beyond just the volume they will or won’t do.To say the Ranger is important to the success of Ford Australia is an understatement. Sales of the ute account for more than 60 per cent of its total volume, and that’s before factoring in the Everest SUV spin-off.Ford has put a lot of money and resources behind this new plug-in hybrid version of the Ranger, knowing that it needs to cut its fleet emissions as the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is introduced in 2025.If Ford can get its marketing and sales staff to successfully push the Ranger PHEV it sets the brand up for a bright, lower-emissions future. But if they can’t, it could become a very expensive white elephant for the brand.Toyota hasn’t said too much on the record, but all signs point to a new RAV4 arriving by the end of 2025. The popular SUV usually has a six-year lifespan and the current iteration was launched in 2019, so in theory it’s time is up.What will we see from the new RAV4 - will it be more of the same or a shift upmarket like we’ve seen with the CH-R? The former is far and away the most likely, although don’t be surprised if inflation drives the price up slightly, as the RAV4 has become the brand’s bedrock passenger vehicle.There is a possibility it will follow the Camry and go for an all-hybrid line-up, but that would undoubtedly drive the entry-price up and Toyota is probably hesitant to do that if it can be avoided. It should have enough hybrids to help offset its HiLux and LandCruiser sales under NVES.Why is a small car so important in 2025? Especially when Kia is set to launch its all-new Tasman ute? Well, because of sales.The K4 is the replacement for the Cerato which, despite all the hype around SUVs and utes, is still Kia Australia’s second best-selling model (behind the Sportage SUV, of course). If the more polished-looking K4 carries a significant price rise, though, that could dent its market appeal and leave Kia with a sudden drop in its overall volume.Small cars like the Cerato and Toyota Corolla still do decent volumes, in large part because they are affordable and appeal to a sizeable number of people that don’t want a bigger car. Pricing the K4 right will be the most important challenge for Kia Australia in 2025, regardless of what happens with the Tasman.This new baby of the Hyundai family is due in the early months of 2025 and will bring with it a lot of expectations and new hope. While we’re still waiting for official details (at the time of publication) the speculation is it will carry a sub-$40k price tag. That would be a big deal for Hyundai in its fight against the influx of affordable electric small cars from China - such as the GWM Ora, BYD Dolphin and MG4.But more than that, the Inster needs to draw a younger audience to Hyundai. The brand has deliberately ditched its ‘cheap and cheerful’ image for a more premium range. But there’s no doubt many current Tucson, Santa Fe and Staria drivers probably had an Excel or Accent in their past.The Inster is unapologetically youth-targeted, so if it can be priced right it could be critical in reviving Hyundai’s chances with a fresh audience for years to come.The Chinese brand may be proudly celebrating its improved new generation of vehicles, including the recently launched ZS Hybrid+, but the reality is its volume aspirations are tied to affordability. Which is where the rest of the ZS will play such a crucial role when it arrives in early 2025.While the hybrid offers a good value package, its mid-$30k price range is a big step up from the sub-$25k entry-level ZS of old. Introducing at least two (but preferably three) sub-$30,000 models will be crucial to maintaining the ZS as the best-selling small SUV in the country.