CHINESE-OWNED British car brand MG has developed a new demister test to simulate the window fog caused by a wet dog. The company brought prototypes of its new GS SUV to Australia as part of a rigorous 1.2 million kilometre shakedown regime that exposed the car to 46-degree heat in Alice Springs and a deep … Continue reading NEW WET DOG TEST
NOT a motor show goes by without several electric or hybrid concept cars being revealed, many of which are designed to eliminate stereotypes that electrified cars are boring and promote the advantages high technology can bring to the everyday lives of motorists. While many of these show-ponies have forward-looking, futuristic designs and features, as many … Continue reading WATTS GOING ON AT OHM AND ABROAD
IT DOES not require the memory of an elephant to recall a time when diesel pumps were hidden around the back of petrol stations, in a slippery, smelly corner only trodden by the heavy boots of truckies. The rise of diesel in Australasia came from a hard push by European brands to make the fuel … Continue reading DEMSIE OF THE DIESELS
SOONER or later, electrified vehicles will be a common sight in Australasian vehicle dealerships and on our roads. New Zealand is bringing about the electric revolution by carrot and stick measures, while in Australia market forces will be the leading cause of change and this will only be accelerated by the demise of local car … Continue reading WHAT VEHICLE ELECTRIFICATION MEANS FOR OUR INDUSTRY
THERE is an old African proverb – “To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.” As we approach the end of the calendar year I like to pause and reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like most people, our year has seen many successes, a few disappointments, the odd moment … Continue reading TO GO FAR
THE Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo is fast approaching and VASA members are encouraged to start making planning their trip to this must-see biannual trade show, which will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6-8 April 2017. As a follow-up to VASA’s successful Aftermarket Expo debut in 2015 we will again be … Continue reading ATTENDING AFTERMARKET EXPO MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE
THE first and only sealed maintenance free (SMF) battery designed and built in Australia represents Brisbane-based Century Batteries’ commitment to local manufacturing, with millions in research and development spend backed up by a $3m upgrade to its manufacturing facility. Designed for Australian conditions, the increasing electrical demands of modern vehicles and time-poor consumers who are … Continue reading CENTURY BATTERIES
INVENTIONS don’t come much more Australian than a machine designed to rapidly chill large quantities of beer in remote locations. Enter the Can Van, one of the more unusual subjects put through VASA director Mark Mitchell’s SuperTest facility in Queensland. The brainchild of Gold Coast publican Peter Thompson, Can Van is designed to keep up … Continue reading CAN VAN INVENTION IS NO SMALL BEER
CARRIER Transicold has found another European supermarket to trial its R744 refrigerated trailer prototype, with German grocery chain Netto the first continental customer to give one a go. Netto’s new trailer was displayed on the Rohr stand at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover in September before entering its three year field trial in … Continue reading ANOTHER R744
AUTOMOTIVE component supplier Mahle showcased a suite of technologies at the European Automotive Air-Conditioning Convention (EAAC) in Frankfurt in September, claimed to reduce the fuel consumption of a car’s air-conditioning system by 50 per cent on average, over the course of a year. Developed in conjunction with Behr Hella Thermocontrol (BHTC), the Cool Efficiency innovations … Continue reading COOL RUNNINGS
