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It has taken nearly a decade of development, but Tesla has finally done it - they have made the world’s dumbest car. And, in true Tesla style, they have over-delivered on their promise (a decade in the making), making it incredibly dangerous, too.  I’m not mad at the world’s media, including many of my motoring colleagues, for falling for the hype, I’m just disappointed. Because there are some pretty major holes in what Elon Musk and his team at Tesla showed off last week. Of course, that was the point, show off some flashy gimmicks and make everyone pay attention to these wild stunts and not question the ‘how’ and the ‘why’, as well as the major safety issues it raises.  Let’s start with the obvious - it’s not a flying car. As Buzz Lightyear would say, it was “falling with style” rather than taking flight. As for its ‘flip’ over the rest of Tesla’s line-up, to say that it was ‘flying’ would be akin to saying skateboards can fly.  The demonstration, while unquestionably real and not AI and understandably attention-grabbing, was not a true reflection of what Tesla and Musk are promising. Evidence suggests it was basically a full-scale drone, with no human inside and it was seemingly just a simple ladder-frame chassis with a body on top and thrusters and fans underneath. Musk admitted that they didn’t have a human inside the car “to make sure we don't kill anyone!” Which is not particularly reassuring from a brand that has consistently ‘beta tested’ technologies on public roads with owners.  Musk also said: “Now I should say that this is not necessarily a safety optimised car, but it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10.” I’m all for having fun with cars, but safety must come first. To be candid, most motorists have a hard enough time driving safely on the ground. Adding in the complexity of flight is simply a recipe for disaster. Tesla has said the ‘flying’ elements will be autonomous, but again, based on the autonomous functions already in cars not exactly working with a perfect track record, launching cars into the air with rocket thrusters just seems like a recipe for disaster.  It was able to climb the vertical ramp because it has a series of fans to suck it to the ground. But this is not new technology, it was introduced in Formula 1 in 1978 and more recently the McMurtry Sterling has demonstrated it too can hold itself in place upside down. Of course, no-one is actually going to drive upside down, that’s just more attention-seeking behaviour from Tesla, but it will help produce more downforce for the road and track. Lars Moravy, VP for vehicle engineering at Tesla, told US media that the car can produce so much downforce that: “When we’re accelerating, we can break the laws of tyre physics.”  Hopefully that means they’ll develop newer, stronger, physics-defying tyres. Or else I guess your tyres will be destroyed every time you accelerate too hard.  Tesla’s own disclaimer on the website makes it clear the Rocket version of the Roadster will not be available in all regions and will be “subject to each region's legal requirements and applicable laws”, which means each country will need to decide if it feels kick-flipping cars are something they want on the road.  Musk’s gloating about the car almost sounds like an admission that it will have very limited scope.  “This will be an actual car that's on the roads. I'm not sure it's necessarily legal in all jurisdictions, but there will be such a car that someone can own,” he said.  The Plan B, or perhaps it's actually Plan A, is for a purpose-built test track facility to be built at Tesla’s headquarters in Texas. That would allow those invited to own the Roadster Rocket (because it is ‘invite only’) to have their fun in a private space, leaving the roads for proper cars. Although, once again it demonstrates the cult-like pull of Tesla and its limitation. If the special Texas facility is the only place you can fulfil its full potential, what does that mean for owners who don’t live in Texas? It’s hard to imagine Porsche or Ferrari telling customers they can only drive their expensive supercar in one specific location on Earth. Finally, perhaps the most important element that has been overlooked is that what we saw was not a production car. Nearly a decade after taking US$250,000 deposits for the second generation Roadster, Tesla is still yet to actually fire up the production line. No other car company on the planet, not even Ferrari or Lamborghini, could get away with taking people’s money and not delivering a car for over a decade. Sure, they’ve said it will enter production by 2028, but they’ve said it was going into production in the near-future since 2017. The fact that this car looks nothing like the original 2017 concept is another thing only Tesla can get away with, with its blindly-loyal customers. I do feel like Tesla will eventually put the Roadster into production (although I’d only say I’m 60 per cent confident), but the fact they have focused on the Rocket version and revealed little in the way of details about the Performance and Thrust variants that people will actually be able to buy is yet another red flag. While the attention-seeking unveiling of the Roadster did what it set out to do, making headlines and distracting from the massive delays, ultimately this is a car that answers questions nobody asked. People were happy with the idea of a second-generation Roadster that wasn’t based on a Lotus Elise and felt like it was built in an industrial estate by hand (which is very much what the first generation Roadster felt like). Instead, in what has become his calling card, Musk has pushed Tesla into unchartered territory for the car industry - for better or worse. I hope I’m wrong, but it feels inevitable that we’ll be writing about the first death of a Roadster driver not long after it enters production - whenever that may be. I loved watching Back to the Future II and day-dreaming of a flying car as much as the next kid, but when I grew up I realised the pure impracticality of flying cars and the dangers they create. There’s a reason why getting your pilot’s licence takes a lot longer than getting your driver’s licence.  This feels like the automotive equivalent of Google Glasses or Apple Vision Pro, technology designed by billionaires in Silicon Valley for millionaires in Silicon Valley (or, in this case, Texas) and that makes it as dumb as it is dangerous. But, after all this, if you’re still looking to buy a Tesla Roadster so you can jump over traffic or drive up walls, don’t spend your money yet because I have some magic beans to sell you…

China’s automotive industry is facing an unexpected speed hump on its road to relentless global expansion, and it is from an unlikely place. As highlighted by this week’s Paris Motor Show, Europe’s biggest and busiest in years, carmakers have started looking back to move forward, with a number of affordable yet evocative production or near-production concept models leaning heavily into post-modern – or retro - realms. Most are electric or electrified, and all major on emotional design to lure consumers in. With little to no history, tradition or heritage for Chinese manufacturers to also lean upon, it seems that France and Italy especially are mining their back catalogues for their next big hits – and the world is hungry for it. In essence, European marques are leveraging their single biggest asset – brand character and national identity – to survive today. In fact, the key, recurring message from nearly every European manufacturer during their new-model press conferences and presentations at the Paris event could be distilled down to five words: “Made in Europe, for Europe!” The aim is to send the world in general and China in particular a loud and clear message that European manufacturers are not taking the actual and existential threats from rivals like BYD, Zeekr, XPeng, MG and GWM lying down. Not on their own turf at least. Making waves is Stellantis, with its brands Peugeot and Citroen from France and Alfa Romeo and Fiat from Italy, all putting on the rose-coloured glasses. But it was immediately apparent on the first press day that arch rival Renault – the 127-year old carmaker from Boulogne-Billancourt that predates even Ford – created the biggest stir, and a home-ground one at that. In what turned out to be one of the show’s genuine surprises, it presented no fewer than five retro-inspired models, which, in turn, attracted probably the longest and most sustained attention from the assembled media on press day. The stunning Renault E-Space people mover ushered in the revival least expected in today’s SUV age. Harking back to the avantgarde 1984 Espace original, it would return Renault to the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) class it helped pioneer but is nowadays scarce for choice (barring the Kia Carnival and some electrified Chinese MPVs). But only the green light is given. This one’s a firm maybe. More importantly, a production E-Space could sit on the Renault Group’s coming next-gen electrified skateboard platform. Dubbed RGEV Medium 2.0, it follows China’s lead as a software-based EV-first architecture. Highlights include up to 750km of EV battery range or over 1000km with a range-extender powertrain, along with an 800-volt electrical setup for ultra-fast charging. Referring to China, as Renault Group CEO, François Provost, put it: “… we are not afraid of anyone.” Widely regarded as Europe’s best small EV, it was only a matter of time before the R5 E-Tech would receive the Turbo treatment. In 80s Renault-speak, and for motorsport homologation purposes, that meant stuffing the front-drive supermini with a powerful 1.4-litre turbo engine out back, driving the rear wheels. That necessitated massive biceps in the form of bulging arches, creating an instant classic in the process. Fast-forward to today and the EV is set to score a similar makeover, this time switching to an Alpine-tuned chassis with twin rear electric motors out back, to create a new breed of electric hyper hatch. Just 1980 of them will be built from 2028. Now largely forgotten in Australia, the original Renault 8 of the early 1960s was a small four-door rear-engined sedan, with the Gordini being Europe’s rally special sporty edition. Based on the R5 E-Tech’s flexible EV architecture, the reimagined R8 Gordini is a beguiling visual throwback that also conjures up other period classics with similar crisp styling – the Ford Escort, Datsun 1600 and BMW 2002 to name a few. A real knockout. As an exercise of intent, this is breathtaking. Will Renault build it? Time will tell. For a hot minute in the early ‘80s, the Alpine A310 V6 looked like it could become a serious Porsche challenger. Handsomely angular with gorgeous flared wheelarches giving it a total supercar stance, the Dieppe-based tuner of humdrum Renaults seemed on the same trajectory as AMG and M were with Mercedes and BMW respectively. Tragically, that never happened, as every consequent Alpine never looked as sensuous. But as Renault’s in-house special-vehicles department, reviving one of the sexiest models in the back-catalogue would be a no-brainer. Right now, Renault is saying this won’t be built, concentrating on the coming A110 EV first instead. But, this is the exactly the car that people think of when they hear the word Alpine. That and a pack of ciggies, but that’s another story. Enjoying a rapturous international motor show debut in Paris, the Twingo must have struck enough terror in compatriot Citroen’s heart when revealed last year for the latter to come up with its own beloved retro baby, the 2CV. More on that later. The Twingo is a tiny four-seater EV with looks evoking the 1992 original that influenced a generation of quirky city cars, most notably the 1999 Toyota Echo (Yaris outside of Australia and the US). This time around, it’s all-electric, of course, has won several car-of-the-year awards, and costs from about $31,000, or around $24,000 apres EV incentives. There’s economy of scale at play here, too, with Nissan (Pivo) and Dacia (Spring II) versions also being produced. Citroen’s twin-chevron logo literally denotes advancement. Going retro seems the opposite of what the brand used to stand for. But the world has changed since the pre-war design/post-war productionised 2CV put France on wheels. This one may look cartoonishly twee up front, but – like the original – this one promises to be an ultra-affordable (low-$20,000 AUD) urban EV with clever engineering for maximum efficiency at minimum cost. So, Citroen’s heart is in the right place. And, at the show, the boss promised that it will be built. Plus, China seems to have already cornered the avantgarde cheap-EV market already with models like the BYD Atto 1, so why not look back. Just don’t get into the habit, Citroen. PS. The van version, the Fourgonnette that nobody anticipated at the Paris show, is achingly cool. That’s the one we’d have. What you’re looking at is another reinterpretation of an ‘80s motorsport homologation special, and this time, there’s a mainstream affordable next-generation supermini lurking underneath. Peugeot’s e-T16 is an incredibly spot-on reimagining of the famous 205 T16 from 40 years ago, balancing retro themes with progressive design that makes us eager for the production e-208 coming next year. And the best news is, Peugeot is contemplating making an e-T16 hyper hatch like what you see here too! Just hurry up and sort out your Australian distribution mess, Stellantis. This could be the rebirth of cool, Peugeot-style. This is based on a cheap electric quadricycle originally marketed by Citroen as the Ami in 2020, though the Fiat Topolino version is prettier and truer to the Italian brand’s heritage for slow and cramped city cars that are barely any larger than a Smart ForTwo. The Multiplina is the four-seater version, with more space inside and greater performance, capable of hitting about 90km/h. And, evocative of the 1956 Fiat 600 Multipla (that was actually briefly sold in Australia), it’s super cute to boot. As far as retro revivals go, bringing back the RCZ seems a bit premature, given the last one was made as recently as 2015. But there aren’t enough 2+2-seater sporty coupes nowadays, so we’re glad that Peugeot is contemplating returning to the segment with this slick and slinky all-electric beauty. Especially as the Audi TT is no more.

At the 2026 Paris motor show Plenty of brands provided a preview of what’s to come for buyers . Some of the world’s biggest carmakers put their work on display from ultra-affordable EVs to retro reboots of past successes.  Here is some of the biggest news to come out of the show.  Smart has revealed a new compact EV called the #2.  Boasting a two-door and two-seat layout, it’s roughly 1200mm shorter than a BYD Atto 1 and slightly bigger than the original Smart ForTwo.  It has a 330km driving range, according to WLTP standards and can DC fast charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes.  BYD sub-brand Denza has unveiled its answer to big hitters like Ferrari and Lamborghini with its Z electric sports car.  A close rival to the Mercedes-Benz SL Class, the Z is BYD’s first full-on performance model.  It will use a three electric motor set-up, producing 880kW, with a 0-100km/h time of less than two seconds.  Another Chinese brand is destined for Aussie shores.  Ultra-luxury brand Avatr showed off its T09 large plug-in hybrid SUV concept for the first time. It is due to launch in Australia in 2028 or 2029.  Citroen’s electric 2CV successor has landed.  The compact EV is due for launch in 2028, at 3760mm long shaping up slightly shorter than its petrol predecessor but still boasting a roll-top fabric roof.  It’s expected to be offered from a very affordable price point in Europe, but we’re unlikely to see it Down Under.  Fiat has revealed a bold new concept called ‘multiplay’, which can transform between a people mover, SUV and ute.  Measuring 4450mm long, the car shares a similar footprint to the BYD Atto 3. It features a sliding rear roof and C-pillar to enable conversion from a three-row family car, to a ute or an SUV depending on its specific requirements.  Alfa Romeo has given its iconic V6 engine a hybrid twist. Its Cuorerosso concept uses a conventional hybrid set-up, comprising a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine as well as some electric motor assistance.  The Italian brand developed the concept to show off the future direction of its Quadrifoglio sedan.  Renault unveiled two futuristic EV concepts.  The E-Space concept is an electric reboot of the Espace van and people mover.  The E-Space is similarly sized to the current Espace van on sale, but uses a fully-electric set-up and features a standout sleek design.  The French brand also showed off its radical Renault 5 Turbo 3E that is a limited-run production EV version of the Renault 5 Turbo.  Its electric motor set-up produces 410kW, while riding on a fast-charging 800-volt platform.  Renault will only build 1980 examples of the car to pay homage to the original birth year of the Renault 5 Turbo.  Peugeot provided a look into its future.  The rally-inspired E-T16 concept is a nod to the 1980s 205 T16 Group B rally car, and its three electric motor set-up, makes around 600kW. Its aggressive styling and blacked out accents are said to be a showcase into future styling for Peugeot.  The RCZ Vision concept is an electric sports car based on the original 2+2 sports coupe.  It features plenty of cutting-edge technology, including a solid-state battery with 10 to 80 per cent fast charging in under 10 minutes.  The car’s electric motor set-up produces 373kW, while a curved ‘double bubble’ roof is a reflection of the original design. 

At first sight, the Jaguar Type 01 EV has that rare power to stop you in your tracks. With a dramatic stretched bonnet and oversized wheels, it sits long, wide and low to the ground in a way that makes it difficult to fathom that the Type 01 is real but it is and will be on sale in Australia in the second half of next year, priced from around $300,000, plus on-roads. Delivering on almost all the promises made by last year's Type 00 concept, the new bold and daring four-door Jaguar GT has been created to snare buyers usually attracted by everything from a Porsche Taycan EV to a Bentley Continental GT. Developed to major in luxury, replicating its styling was so demanding it required an entirely new JEA platform. The underpinnings will eventually go on to support a large SUV that the reborn British brand desperately needs to survive. The low-volume GT, meanwhile, will serve as a brash statement of intent, repositioning the brand as a pukka Bentley rival, rather than an alternative to any BMW or Benz, the brand used to compete against.In the flesh, the sheer dimensions of the Jaguar are jaw-dropping, measuring in at 5235mm long, while standing at just 1403mm tall – which is lower than if you placed two of its enormous 23-inch wheels on top of one another. Overcoming a bluff front end, but tiny tweaks, active aerodynamics and a three-stage deployable spoiler, plus countless hours of virtual and physical wind tunnel testing have created the most slippery Jaguar ever with a low 0.23Cd drag coefficient. That figure has been crucial to achieving a 720km range (WLTP-verified) from its 118kWh battery. That distance is comprehensively humbled by the latest BMW i3 (900km), but is said to enable the brand's current customers to complete 99.7 per cent of all their journeys. Without being burdened by an old or outdated platform, Jaguar has been able to use its latest EV tech that benefits from all the knowhow earned from the I-PACE, Formula E and developing the new Range Rover twins. That explains why the Type 01 arrives with powerful 850-volt electrics that provide for fast DC charging up to 350kW and a 22-minute 10 to 80 per cent top-up. For those in a rush, after 13 minutes as much as 321km can be added using a fast DC charger – none of these figures set new standards, but in Australia even using our ageing 400-volt charging poles, the battery pack can still operate beyond 250kW. AC charging is 22kW, as standard, with dual AC charging ports on both sides to aid home top-ups. As well as looking the part and featuring the most up-to-date tech, engineers have ensured that the Type 01 drives like a proper Jaguar. We've already driven a prototype version and came away impressed, and the Brit brand has now confirmed the production car sports total of 757kW that's combined with an equally epic 1365Nm torque. That enables a 0-100km/h dash of around 3.2 seconds – which is brisk but lags the very quickest all-electric sedans out there, but the triple-motor powertrain has been designed to continue to deliver its relentless surge well above three figures, with 100-180km/h taking just 4.0 seconds. Catering for the keenest drivers the Type 01 has been designed to feature an optimum 50:50 weight distribution and an ultra-low centre of gravity. The dual-chamber air suspension and twin-valve active dampers, meanwhile, are said to achieve the aim of offering high levels of comfort one moment, and impeccable body control over the toughest of roads the next, with the system capable of monitoring the road ahead 500 times a second to pre-arm the chassis for what lies ahead. Rear-wheel steering and advanced torque vectoring afforded by having twin-motors driving the rear axle promise high levels of agility and engagement, if you're in the mood to play. When you're not, you can take delight in the look and feel of the Type 01's cossetting cabin, but might vent frustration with the lack of rear space. The new Jaguar isn't a svelte alternative to a Mercedes S-Class, with access to the second row being tight – blame a slim aperture and an imposing wheel arch that needs to be big enough to house those super-sized rims. Once seated, the biggest thing you'll notice is what's missing. There's no full-width cinema-like screen across the dash, with designers only adding a small seven-inch screen for ventilation and the seats that are mounted on a striking central spine that runs through the car. Ahead of the driver is a large 24-inch screen that incorporates both the instrument cluster and infotainment. With an almost complete absence of physical buttons, the driver will have to rely on the touchscreens, natural speak voice control or stab the buttons that adorn the seventies-inspired steering wheel. Compensating for the lack of a rear screen is a digital rear-view display that is mounted low within the dash, like an E-Type. Built into the dash is a large, almost full-width sound bar made up of 13 individual speakers which are combined with a further 25 speakers dotted out of sight around the cabin to provide the full immersive surround sound experience. By splitting the battery pack into two, engineers have cleverly been able to mount the front row seats low within the car while carving out space for added foot room in the rear. The former creates a sportscar-like driving position that helps set the mood for the drive. We've already mentioned the central spine, that features neat brass detailing and provides useful stowage and cupholders. While the front two gain 12-way heated and cooled adjustable massage seats, the rear seats are both heated and cooled and fold flat, boosting the modest (for such a big car) 450-litre luggage area. Highlights include fine attention to detail and the admirable resistance of the car-maker to rely on wood and leather, preferring a mix of unusual fabrics and textiles for a much more contemporary take on luxury materials. In the future, a five-seat variant will be offered, but even though leg and headroom are adequate, other similarly-sized limos offer more space to lounge back and enjoy the ride. Ensuring it will banish memories of any patchy reliability, the new Type 01 has undergone millions of kilometres of real-world testing, and torture testing that included plunging the hot battery pack into an ice-cold water bath to ensure it can cope with rapid changes in temperature. Keeping it safe on the roads is Jaguar's next generation of driver-assist tech that includes 10 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and five radars that promise a sophisticated semi-autonomous cruise control. On sale in Europe within the first half of 2027, Australian deliveries are tipped to begin late that year. It's too early for pricing and full specifications, local bosses claim, but it's expected the Jaguar Type 01 will be priced from $300,000 (plus on-road costs), with the 60-run Chromatic Moments launch edition painted in London Red or French Ultramarine blue both commanding a sizable premium.

Nissan clearly believes the best form of defence is attack, with the company’s global President Ivan Espinosa confirming a new-generation Skyline is locked in for launch in December this year. Speaking with Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Espinosa said he hoped the new sports sedan would "become a symbol of the renaissance of Nissan", joining a host of other new products from the Japanese maker. Representing the first full model renewal in 13 years, like its ‘V37’ predecessor, the new 14th-generation Skyline will be produced in Nissan’s Tochigi plant, designated as the brand’s advanced production base for sports cars, EVs and people movers. Recent teaser images released by Nissan feature an aggressive two-tier nose treatment and the model’s signature dual circular tail-lights. Initially slated for Japanese domestic market (JDM) consumption only, it’s expected to remain a four-door performance sedan rather than making the jump to an SUV or crossover body style. A roughly 300kW version of the 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine currently used in the Z sports car is widely expected to drive the rear wheels through an auto transmission, with six-speed manual and all-wheel drive options possible. In a not so subtle reference to the rapid ‘China Speed’ development often attributed to emerging competitors, Espinosa said, "The Skyline is an icon of speed as a car and it’s an icon of speed for Nissan because it’s the first new car to run under our accelerated development process.” He said the use of AI (artificial intelligence) has massively reduced the Skyline’s development period from the usual 50 months to around 26 months and added, “This car proves Nissan can not only make good cars, but also develop them with speed." The Skyline was included in Nissan’s long-term strategic vision announcement, held at the company’s Yokohama headquarters in April, along with the new Elgrand people mover (which launched in the Japanese domestic market in July), X-Trail (Rogue), Juke EV and Xterra. Sale of the sub-compact crossover-style Kicks SUV has also been extended into Europe and the new Murano SUV will be exported to Japan from its US production centre in Tennessee. This new and extended product activity sits within the company’s commitment to “streamline its global line-up from 56 to 45 models, exiting low-performing models and reallocating reinvestment to growth areas.” Nissan is aiming to move on from a financial crisis which saw it record massive consecutive annual losses, including a A$7.0 billion net loss for the fiscal year ending March 2025 and a A$4.7 billion net loss for the year ending March 2026. However, it recorded a profit in this year’s most recent April-June quarter thanks in part to cost efficiencies and increased overseas earnings from a weaker yen. And as part of its strategic vision, Nissan is transforming its industrial model through the ‘Nissan Product Family’ strategy. This will move the company’s focus from model‑by‑model optimisation to platform‑led development across three product families accounting for more than 80 per cent of global volume. The three product family groupings are mid-size (think X-Trail), compact family (think Qashqai/Note) and body-on-frame, the latter initially focused on reintroduction of the Xterra SUV in the US market from 2028, with it and “four sibling spinoffs” to be produced at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi plant by the end of the decade.

Earlier this month, Audi unveiled a retro-inspired small electric vehicle that is a homage to a car that failed a quarter of a century ago. Spectacularly. Chances are the timely and handsome new A2 will succeed where the overpriced and oddly styled original from 2001 could not, but referencing a flop seems risky. It’s like Ford reviving the AU Falcon (though to be fair it is having a moment), or General Motors exhuming Holden with an ode to the ZB Commodore. Or Epica. Which has us thinking: this isn’t the first time that nostalgia, perhaps served with a side plate of delusion, has led to some confounding decisions. Whether they sold or were received poorly, we outline five resurrections that flopped. And if you disagree, let us know why in the comments below. How the millennial Monaro came about requires context. Holden enjoyed two golden eras: the early years, and for half a decade from 1997, after the then-new VT Commodore became a runaway smash hit. And the next year’s Australian International Motor Show in Sydney was pivotal. Codenamed Monica, the 1998 Holden Coupe Concept – essentially a VT with two doors, a slightly more-rakish windscreen and four (lower) seats – stole the show like no other car ever had before or since. At the time, Holden wasn’t even planning to build it. After all, coupe shelf lives are notoriously short. The original HK Monaro of 1968 proved popular initially, but its HQ-HX successors from 1971 struggled. The Coupe Concept utterly overshadowed Ford’s debuting AU Falcon at the Sydney show, made national news and created a buzz that helped bolster the brand. It was nothing short of sensational. Journalists immediately dubbed it Monaro, something Holden was understandably wary of. Despite what some articles today state, the resulting V2 Monaro failed to meet internal sales expectations when it arrived far later than scheduled, in November, 2001. Priced beyond most buyers’ reach from nearly $95,000 adjusted for inflation today, it went on to account for only a fraction of Commodore volume, at 4274 versus 88,478 units, putting it at 47 spot. From there, sales never improved, and the US-market Pontiac GTO export version of 2004 also failed to find a large-enough audience. By then, GM was floundering as the world moved away from sedans and coupes, in favour of SUVs, with the planned next-generation VE Monaro promptly canned, save for the 2008 Coupe 60 Concept to celebrate Holden’s 60 Anniversary. The Datsun 1600 is regarded as one of Japan’s earliest greats. Launched in 1967, it combined elegant styling with European-style chassis sophistication, to create a brilliant little sedan that dominated world rallying as effortlessly as it won over owners’ hearts. However, the larger and heavier 180B and 200B replacements of 1972 and 1976 respectively completely lacked the 1600’s sporty charm. Stung by widespread criticism, Datsun attempted to recreate the magic with the Stanza in 1978. But, built down to a price, it sorely lacked the fun and finesse that endeared so many owners to the old 1600. Critics were ruthless in their reviews. And though relatively popular and successful in motorsport, the Stanza couldn’t replicate the old 1600’s greatness and lasted only a single generation in Australia. By all objective means, any NSX is a masterpiece. Be it the exquisite 1990 NA1 original that became the first mid-engined supercar in history to love you back, or the NC1 tri-electric motor petrol/hybrid AWD successor of 2016 that was a breathtaking technological showcase, the name signifies engineering mastery. However, while neither generation achieved the sales volumes Honda required, the original has enjoyed a glorious afterlife as one of the all-time sports car greats. But the latter? Sadly, the second – or American – NSX remains misunderstood as being too advanced, and not “analogue” enough for drivers to truly connect with. That Honda cancelled it early (except in Japan) has not helped. Maybe the NC1 was just a decade before its time. Still an amazing achievement. One of Japan’s earliest Volkswagen Golf clones, the Pulsar became a beloved small-car staple in Australia over 25 years and six generations from 1980. That was until Nissan was forced to switch to a smaller replacement with awkward styling, ambitious pricing and a silly name. Inevitably, the 2006 Tiida tanked, even as Australians were clamouring towards smaller cars in the wake of soaring fuel prices. This was the era where the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla were king, but Nissan missed the party completely. The reason why the Pulsar ended was that it never properly challenged the Golf, so instead Nissan devised the Qashqai crossover, which immediately became a sales phenomenon. Somehow, Nissan Australia convinced a reluctant Japan to allow the redesigned Tiida hatch of 2012 to be rebadged Pulsar, along with the Thai market Sylphy sedan. Hopes were high of a sales revival but neither interloper possessed the required sophistication or appeal to lure local consumers back. Both Pulsar iterations never saw out their model cycle. The rear-engined air-cooled Beetle, which changed comparatively little between 1937 and 2003, remains the world’s best-selling vehicle of all time, at 21.5 million units. In contrast, the Toyota Corolla regenerated 12 times to date for it to find 50 million buyers. The re-imagined New Beetle, released globally in 1997 and 2000 in Australia, based on the versatile Golf IV architecture and built inexpensively in Mexico, sold strongly at first. But demand tapered off markedly as per most fashion statements, especially when BMW’s Mini reset the bar for retro remakes from 2001. However, after nearly 1.2 million units, VW’s third attempt, officially known as the “The Beetle”, struggled from the outset in 2012, despite featuring significantly more sophisticated drivetrains. Gone by 2019, barely 550,000 units were produced worldwide.

Forget what you think you know.

Ford has put out a recall notice and stop-sale order for some of its Mustang sports car examples in Australia.  The recall impacts 7724 units built between 2023 and 2026, across both its 2.3-litre four-cylinder and 5.0-litre V8 engine options.  The Mustang is one of the most popular choices for sports car buyers on the market. Nearly 500 vehicles in dealer stock will not be sold until the issue is rectified. Any stock built since the start of June is not affected by the issue as well as upcoming Mustang Dark Horse and Dark Horse T8 Spec Pack examples. The issue concerns potential vibrations causing the engine wiring harness to break loose. “Due to a manufacturing defect, the engine bay wiring harness ground terminal may become damaged due to vibrations,” the notice reads.  “This may cause the wiring harness to break, resulting in a loss of engine power. Additional safety functions such as the headlamps and windshield wipers may fail to operate as intended.  “A loss of motive power and safety functions whilst driving increases the risk of an accident, resulting in serious injury or death to vehicle occupants and other road users.”  A spokesperson for Ford Australia said there have been no reported instances of the issue occurring in Australia.     Ford will contact affected vehicle owners in writing to request they contact an authorised dealer to arrange inspection and repair, free of charge.  Owners can also contact Ford Australia for additional information. 

It’s on X, so it must be right… right? Tesla’s official account on the social media platform has made a post signalling October 1 this year as the launch date for the much-anticipated Tesla Roadster. Sceptics might say they’ll believe it when they see it because the triple-motor EV hypercar has been ‘coming soon’ for close to a decade. Unveiled in concept form as a surprise addition to the brand’s ‘Semi truck’ reveal in late 2017, the sleek 2+2 Roadster was positioned as the fastest production car ever, with a launch originally scheduled for 2020. Claimed to sprint from 0-97km/h (0-60mph) in 1.9 seconds with a maximum velocity of 400km/h-plus and a range in excess of 1000km, the AWD machine generated huge interest with an initial run of ‘Founder’s Edition’ models priced at US$250,000 (~A$350,000). Those putting their hand up for a car from that first batch were asked to pay the full price to reserve their production slot. Purchase of the standard Roadster at US$200,000 (~A$280,000) required a $50,000 deposit. Less than six months later, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced news of a ‘SpaceX Performance Pack’ using 10 cold-air thrusters powered by a high-pressure air tank (replacing the rear seats) to achieve sub-1.0-second 0-60mph acceleration. At the time, Musk said the car would provide "roller-coaster" intensity performance and briefly be able to "fly". With estimated delivery timing for the Roadster progressively slipping further into the future - to 2022 (thanks largely to COVID-19), then 2023, then 2024, then 2025 and most recently (no joke) April 1, 2026, this may be the time Tesla Roadster 2.0 rubber finally hits the road. Musk has previously thanked what he referred to as "long-suffering" Roadster deposit holders during Telsa’s Q3 2024 earnings call and in its Q4 2025 earnings update (released in January this year), Tesla noted the Roadster is in “the final stages of preparation” with Musk adding it would be showcased at a Roadster 2 demo event scheduled for April 1, with production to begin in 2027. Needless to say, that didn’t happen, with the joke seemingly still on those who stumped up a quarter of a million dollars for a Founder’s Edition Roadster nine long years ago. But documents lodged with the United States Patent & Trademark office in February this year indicated Tesla’s second-generation Roadster was getting ready for take-off with two ‘Trademark/service mark’ applications lodged by Tesla; “a triangle design consisting of three flowing, curved lines” creating a simplified impression of the car’s silhouette and “the word ROADSTER in stylized format”. Then in late April, an additional filing added a badge-style polygon logo, again, specifically for the Roadster.  Will this much-hyped, over-promised and so far under-delivered ‘new’ hypercar hit Tesla showrooms before celebrating a 10th birthday?  We might know in just a few weeks but the top comment on Tesla’s X post at the time of writing is telling with ‘Scott’ posting, “Perfect timing for my midlife crisis.”

Lamborghini is in the business of selling dreams, and those dreams don't include an electric car, according to Chief Executive Officer Stephan Winkelmann The Italian brand won’t follow in the footsteps of Ferrari and release a fully-electric model any time soon, having walked back its plans for a fully-electric car earlier this year. Winkelmann told CarsGuide Lamborghini wanted to have an all-electric model by the end of this decade. This was likely to be inspired by the Lanzador concept revealed in 2023, but lacklustre demand has pushed back any EV plans. “We saw that our customers, they are not stepping into this idea , so they are saying we need a car with a combustion engine,” Winkelmann told CarsGuide.  “It is also important to underline when you buy a Lamborghini, you don’t buy a Lamborghini because you’re moving from A to B on a daily basis. “We are not selling mobility, but we’re selling dreams.” Lamborghini has chosen to introduce another plug-in hybrid model instead, the Revuelto SV.  It will be Lamborghini’s third PHEV model following the launch of the standard Revuelto and the Urus SUV.   Lamborghini hasn’t ruled out producing a fully-electric car in the future, but it has recalibrated its immediate focus to stay on petrol engines. Winkelman said the brand will pivot towards EVs when there is clear demand for them. “We were also ready to do so, but we constantly check the response of our actual and future customers and comparing them with the assumptions we had at the beginning of this decade,” Winkelman told CarsGuide.  “We will be ready to do so, but the market is not, and we have to face the reality.”  Ferrari and Lamborghini face the same EV conundrum. Both are synonymous with raw internal combustion power and iconic engine noise, but must now contend with an increasingly electrified car industry. Winkelmann said Lamborghini is taking its own approach to the future. “We have a different history, but we have a lot of the same customers, and everybody has to find his own way to succeed in the future,” Winkelmann told CarsGuide.  “We look into the future and I think we have a consistent approach.”