Sedan News

How the super rich get a massive tax break under new car import laws, as ordinary buyers miss out.

AMONG the SUVs dominating the biennial Beijing motor show this weekend are new models that will make their way, in some shape or form, to Australia.

Honda announces pricing for the 10th-generation Civic sedan ahead of its June arrival.

April is the quietest month of the year for new-car sales — but it's still a good time to pick up a bargain if you shop wisely.

Budget brand Hyundai builds luxury sedan to take on BMW and Mercedes, the Genesis G70.

The crustiest brand in world motoring, Rolls-Royce, is planning a brighter and bolder future selling cars with youth appeal.

Ford doesn't make a 0-100km/h claim, so we did our own test.

Honda confirms new engine, spec and packaging details for its most important new model ever.

Here’s proof that autonomous car technology still has a long way to go. We nearly crash at 100km/h testing an automatic overtaking system.Less than a week after an autonomous Google car crashed into a municipal bus in California, we got a frightening reminder why cars that can drive themselves are a long way from replacing humans.I nearly put a brand-new $100,000 Mercedes E Class into a concrete barrier at 100km/h while testing the car's new automatic overtaking function in Europe this week, before it goes on sale in Australia later this year.It was a stark reminder about the difference between “autonomous driving” and what the car industry is now trying to back-pedal and rename “driver assistance technology”.The demonstration was supposed to be simple. Pull the cruise control stalk, indicate to change lanes, and then watch as the car magically steers itself gently into the next lane.But as we learned the hard way, it does not work in all conditions. The car’s onboard cameras must be able to see line markings and, ideally, there will not be a sharp curve.One of our first tests of the technology happened to be on a gentle curve on a crest. It should have worked. We were driving in perfect daylight and the road markings were clear.But it didn’t. Although the video shows the wheel moving slightly left and then slightly right, the steering was not moving quickly enough to avoid a crash into the barrier.Fortunately, I grabbed the steering wheel just in time, and disaster was avoided. Mercedes got its car back in one piece.For the record, we tested the technology several times before and afterwards and it worked perfectly.Afterwards, we showed the chief engineer of this technology the video of our near miss and he said it was not clear if the assistance function was active (our video camera view did not show the symbol which indicates whether it was on or off).I believe it was on, because the steering moved left and then slightly right before I grabbed the wheel. The engineer was not convinced.Either way, it’s a warning to us all that “driver assistance” technology is not a party trick. And that truly autonomous driving still has a very long way to go.In the US this week, Ford week filed a patent for an in-car movie screen to be used in an autonomous car of the future.How about we wait for the industry to get the autonomous car right first? Right now, I’m not convinced.The next time you read something about an autonomous car, just remember we are witnessing the gradual automation of the automobile.Driving from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne and beyond while being able to read a newspaper or watch a movie is still decades away. If, indeed, it will ever happen.Can you imagine trusting a car to steer itself for you? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Hidden radar warns that a bicycle is approaching as the driver opens the door.Could this car finally bridge the gap between cyclists and motorists?The new Audi A4 is the first car in the world with technology that warns drivers a cyclist is approaching -- before getting out of the vehicle.It is designed to prevent “dooring”, which can have fatal consequences -- two reported deaths in the past five years in Victoria alone.Despite the recent overhauls of bicycle-related fines, only Victoria, NSW and Queensland have a specific offence for “dooring” a cyclist.In Victoria, it carries a minimum $379 on-the-spot ticket, or a fine of up to $1476 if imposed by a court.In NSW the fine for “causing a hazard to a person or vehicle while opening a car door” is $319.In Queensland, the penalty for the same offence is $117.