CAR ADVICE

Mattia Binotto has quit Ferrari after leading the Italian team to an underwhelming runner-up spot in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is the latest casualty of the famed Italian team’s ongoing failures in Formula One. Ferrari has not been a consistent winner since the days when Michael Schumacher dominated grand prix racing and its 2022 season was mired by tactical mistakes, pit-stop blunders, and mechanical failures. Ferrari started the year with the fastest car but was quickly overwhelmed by Red Bull Racing, as Max Verstappen stormed to a second consecutive drivers’ championship and the ‘Bulls’ took the teams’ title. The only consolation for Ferrari and its worldwide legion of fans – called the Tifosi – was a runner-up result for Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ title after nine pole positions, but only three wins. “I think it is right to take this step at this time as hard as this decision has been for me,” Binotto said...

With Australia’s road toll rising for the second year in a row, St John Ambulance will provide a no-cost first aid training course to all motorists – while ACT learner drivers will be given a discount towards their mandatory driving hours. Australian drivers will be able to access a free online first aid course as a part of a new campaign aimed at reducing the nation’s road toll.  While the free 30-minute online course is aimed at young motorists, St John Ambulance CEO Brendan Maher says the program will be available to all Australian drivers. “This course is accessible to anyone in Australia at no cost,” Mr Maher said in a media statement. “The first aid skills taught are based on our DRSABCD ( D anger, R esponse, S end for help, A irway, B reathing, C PR, D efibrillation) model, which is applicable to everyone.  “It is however targeted at learner drivers and young people, who we know can be at increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. We want to equip an entire g...

Offering electric-car power increases for an additional subscription fee has been banned in Europe – for now. German car giant Mercedes-Benz is facing a legal battle in Europe over plans to offer a wifi-delivered power boost on some of its electric cars through a subscription that’s in addition to the cost of the vehicle. Mercedes-Benz currently allows owners to increase the performance of the EQE or EQS in North America for an annual payment of $US1200 ($AU1800). However, Top Gear Netherlands has revealed European laws don’t currently allow the practice. For that money, owners of EQE 350 4Matic and EQS 450 4Matic models in the US get a time-limited performance boost of 45kW and 55kW respectively – an increase of about 20 per cent. A spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz told Top Gear the ability to offer the feature in Europe depends on “legal matters”. Given BMW is currently able to offer heated seating on subscription, and Polestar is offering performance upgrades for i...

A high-ranking BMW executive has encouraged motorists to spend their money on rejuvenating used cars instead of purchasing new vehicles. A top level BMW executive says motorists should spend their money to keep old cars on the road, rather than replacing them with new vehicles – effectively undermining the German auto giant’s business model, and against the advice of road safety experts. Although newer cars save lives and are more energy-efficient than older models, Monika Dernai, the head of BMW’s sustainability team, encouraged consumers to reuse and recycle products as long as possible to minimise waste.  As reported by UK publication Auto Express , Ms Dernai told attendees at a business conference in London the future used-car market should adapt to encourage motorists to invest in their existing cars through upgrades to items such as interiors, instead of trading their vehicles for newer models. “We really need to think about prolonging the life of cars; not having...

Alfa Romeo has acknowledged the perceived quality issues that have faced its previous-generation cars – something it aims to fix with the new Tonale small SUV. Alfa Romeo claims quality is its number-one priority for the new Tonale – rather than sales or profits – as it looks to bust stigmas of poor build quality and reliability that have followed previous-generation Alfa Romeos. Alfa Romeo global product boss Daniel Tiago Guzzafame told Australian media earlier this month the company acknowledges it has much room for improvement in the quality of its vehicles. This is something the company claims it aims to resolve with its first new car in six years, the Tonale small SUV, due in Australia in February 2023. “For Tonale, and I know it might sound a little strange, but the measure of success is quality,” Mr Guzzafame said. “We need that much more than the sales to be consistent and credible in the switch to electric vehicles,” referencing Alfa’s planned switch to s...

The next phase of Chinese electric-car brand BYD’s roll-out in Australia has been delayed to next year. The next electric cars to come from newly arrived Chinese brand BYD – the Dolphin city hatchback and Seal mid-size sedan – have been delayed , with order books not due to open until next year. The Dolphin hatch and Seal sedan – as they are known overseas – were previously due to open for customer orders before the end of this year, ahead of deliveries between March and June 2023. However, BYD’s local distributor EVDirect says orders – and subsequent first deliveries – for the Dolphin are now not due until the first half of 2023. Orders and deliveries for the Seal are due to follow in the second half of next year. The Australia distributor of BYD claims it wants to reduce the waiting time between orders and customer handovers – and eventually have stock on the ground ready for immediate delivery. The BYD Atto 3 currently has up to a seven-month wait between or...

Shocking video has emerged of three cars being severely damaged after a BMW driver ran a red light in Victoria. A dash cam has captured the dramatic consequences of driving through a red light, with a BMW seemingly written off after hitting two cars and a light pole in Victoria. A video clip uploaded to YouTube by Crash Dashes shows a black BMW 3 Series approaching a red light at speed as two other cars enter the intersection on a green light. While the ute closest to the BMW narrowly avoids the sedan, the Holden Commodore wagon isn’t so lucky – its front bumper clips the rear of the 3 Series, sending it into a spin. The BMW loses control and hits a pair of traffic light poles side-on, impacting the rear portion of the driver’s door and the rear quarter panel, causing its rear window to shatter. The BMW 3 Series knocked down one traffic light pole and bounced off another As well as being showered with debris, the Jeep Gladiator pick-up at the front of the queue is nu...