Welcome to Overdrive, a program that ponders on the issues of motoring and transport

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

1. IONIQ 5 – New aspects of interior design (1:44)

2. All-New Subaru WRX includes a sports wagon (2:44)

3. Hyundai goes hard for hydrogen (3:42)

4. Peugeot's new vans are an important part of their mix (4:42)

5. MINI now has multi coloured roofs (5:51)

6. Honda will slowly implement a new surround view system (6:58)

Two Feature Interviews this week

Murray Hubbard has written a book: Car Wars Down Under – The untold Story of Australia’s first Land Speed Record. It is not just for rev heads it is a rollicking yarn about the life and times around the period of the first world war (8:01)

Just after the launch of their new Land Cruiser we spoke to Sean Hanley who is the Vice President of marketing and franchise operations for Toyota Australia. He reflected on the history of the vehicle in Australia as Toyota’s first export product from Japan. (19:20)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

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So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 23 October 2021

Welcome to Overdrive, a program that probes deeply into the issues of motoring and transport

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

1. Cars sales September 2021 – Overall good – People movers booming (1:24)

2. New Toyota Land Cruiser 300 (2:24)

3. All-new Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid (3:29)

4. Kona electric – reducing costs with smaller batteries (4:32)

5. All-new RAM 3500: Ready for the biggest jobs (5:33)

Road test

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is about to hit the market, we get their product manager to tell us why it is such an important car (6:39)

Motoring Minute

Audi Q7 (15:30)

Feature Interview

We get a run down on what to look out for if you are getting a dashcam (16:40)

Motoring Minute

Ineos 4x4 (22:31)

Quirky News

And in quirky news Brian Smith and I look at buses that traveled down train tracks in Australia that was not that long ago. (23:39)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

We even list the times each item appears to you can go straight to it

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So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 9 October 2021

There’s a new book out: "Car Wars Down Under". The subtitle is “The untold story of Australia’s first land speed record”, written by Murray Hubbard.

I wondered if it was a story for the mechanically minded, car enthusiast: A lone back yard mechanic with an inventive approach involving carburettors and camshafts.

As it turns out it is a rollicking yarn involving hardcore business, invective marketing, ambition, a high-risk approach to communication, the occasional rouge character, and intense competition. Set around the time of the first world war which alone produced some unexpected situations.

Like a good biography is not just a list of the fine details of one person’s life. It’s about the life and the times of people and an event.

This should not surprise those who know Murray, who is a motoring journalist but, among other things, was a three-time finalist for investigative reporting in the Walkley Awards.

And he wrote the manuscript for the multi-award-winning “The Day of the Roses”, a Channel 10 miniseries and telemovie.

• Why a picture in front of a pyramid is significant (1:25)

• Many characters had a start in the bicycle industry – how di this help? (3:17)

• The limitations of the Ford Model T (5:49)

• Doctors and others benefited from the development of cars (7:20)

• Alec Fraser Jewel – a character and a rogue (9:11)

• The first world war brought animosity to the Germans but also the Americans! (11:10)

• Why one major player started a car magazine which could have become cheap advertising favouring his product but ended up being a great ambassador for improving conditions for vehicles (16:46)

• Car events and the Hamilton Hill Climb

• Fred Eager – Heir apparent to a big business but also becoming their top driver and why the opposition had to establish a race for the land speed record (32:47)

• The vehicles – great speeds across the sand where aerodynamics may have made the difference (37:12)

• A few other characters – Professor Starlight and Peter Jackson (45:37)

Hello and Welcome to Overdrive, a program where we wander through the world of motoring and transport. 30/09/2021

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

1. Hyundai Santa Fe with one particularly interesting feature (1:42)

2. Citroën refuses to give up hope – a New C4 (2:37)

3. Hyundai i30 Sedan – Another elegant Korean sedan (3:40)

4. CUPRA Born – silly name for a new electric vehicle (4:56)

5. In cabin warnings – are they really helpful for road safety (5:58)

Feature Interview

Christine Mulvihill has just presented a research paper to the Australasian Road Safety conference on the effectiveness or otherwise of in-vehicle warning systems. We chat to her about the results (7:24)

Motoring Minute

• Toyota Rugged X (15:33)

Road test

Paul Murrell is about to drive the new Aston Martin DBX. He goes through his preparation (16:42)

Motoring Minute

• Audi SQ2 (21:59)

Quirky News

Brian Smith and I looks at the impact of COVID on transport – including the insufferable impacts on road testers. (23:09)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

We even list the times each item appears to you can go straight to it

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Hello and welcome to Overdrive a program that panders to the world of cars and transport

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

1. Australian launch of the IONIQ 5 (1:27)

2. All-new Kluger – hybrid petrol is better thana diesel (2:38)

3. Picking between two cars where one costs twice as much (3:49)

4. Walmart autonomous vehicle delivery service in three US cities (4:57)

5. How people really behave with Tesla Autopilot (6:02)

Feature Interview

Rob Fraser ruminates on two large SUVs - one that is twice as expensive as the other (7:20)

Road test

Alan Zuvas fills in the details of the latest all-new Kluger (14:48)

Motoring Minute

Hyundai i30 Sedan N-Line (21:38)

•

Quirky News

Brian looks at whether abandoned rail stations are the best places for seeking the supernatural. (22:47)

Motoring Minute

Kia Sorento Platinum (28:02)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

We even list the times each item appears to you can go straight to it

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So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 25 September 2021

Modern road safety systems are showcasing what is technically possible in warning drivers of dangerous situations and possibly intervening in the vehicle operation, if not to take complete control but at least to add an element of augmented reality.

But, as we reported the other day on some research from MIT, there can be a big difference between what is technically possible, which we then use to dictate how we want people to respond versus how people respond in real life situations.

We caught up with Christine Mulvihill who, with a background in psychology, is now a research fellow at Monash University’s Accident Research Centre, and who was about to deliver a paper to the Australian Road Safety Conference.

The title of the paper is “First-Stage Evaluation of a Prototype Driver Distraction Human-Machine-Interface Warning System”.

Subjects and the timing (in mm:ss) at which they appear in the interview are as follows:

• The significance of heavy vehicles in road fatalities (1:17)

• Trucks carry considerable weight that can aggravate a crash situation and it is not always the driver’s fault (1:53)

• The development of in-vehicle warning devices (2:38)

• Designing the help the drier not take over (3:33)

• Engaging with truck drivers not just once (4:44)

• Companies and drivers are interacting in many positive ways (7:31)

• With a background in psychology – how this helps with engagement (8:07)

• A multi-modal warning system (8:51)

• There research process with a truck simulator (12:18)

• The potential for individually tailored warnings – not just generic systems (14:01)

• Continuing the research including car drivers (16:43)

• The need to avoid false positives with the warning system (19:30)

• The value of longitudinal research (20:32)

Welcome to Overdrive, a program about the wonderful world of motoring and transport.

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

1. Car sales grow in a topsy turvy market (1:30)

2. It costs a lot just to have your car sitting in the driveway (2:28)

3. Australia’s Warrego hydrogen ute claims big pre-orders (3:31)

4. An Australian council approves trial of kerbside EV charging (4:33)

5. Electric Mustang claims Guinness records (5:30)

Feature Interview

• Subaru is teasing us about the facts and features of the newest BRZ sports car. We talk to their managing director. (6:39)

Motoring Minute

• Genesis QV80 (16:29)

Road test

• Toyota have launched a new big Landcruiser. Alan Zurvas gives us the latest (17:34)

Motoring Minute

• Kia Niro PHEV (22:47)

Quirky News

• Brian Smith and I discuss how a quest for more parking lead to the Florida apartment catastrophe (23:50)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

We even list the times each item appears to you can go straight to it

Our Facebook page OverdriveCity – Driven Media

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or

Our YouTube site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKyx5sv6cgF4URRmNq2JiXg/videos

So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 11 September 2021

Welcome to Overdrive, a program that digs up all sorts of information good and bad about the world of motoring and transport.

I’m David Brown

The times each story appears in the program are noted (mm:ss)

News

• The all-new Kia Sportage (1:41)

• New powertrain for Mazda CX-30 and Mazda3 (2:44)

• Motional and Hyundai Motor Group’s joint robotaxi (3:47)

• Nissan e-POWER is coming to Australia (4:40)

Feature Interviews

• What sort of background would be helpful to become an executive at the major road and transport research organisation in Australia. Jeff Doyle was once a professional footballer but he takes on a role at ARRB because then went on to huge managerial success- We talk about how football and other experiences help develop a focused team work environment. (5:58)

Motoring Minute

• Kia Cerato (19:17)

Quirky Interview

• Brian Smith gives us the low-down on the current transport problems from the holy island at Lindisfarne (20:27)

You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0ah6JZN8LTYURIfNs1IIBs

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overdrive-cars-transport-and-culture/id1001084679

We even list the times each item appears to you can go straight to it

Our Facebook page OverdriveCity – Driven Media

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or

Our YouTube site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKyx5sv6cgF4URRmNq2JiXg/videos

So, let’s start with the news

Originally broadcast 5 September 2021

It was T.S. Eliot who said:

Where is the Wisdom we have lost in Knowledge?

Where is the Knowledge we have lost in Information?

The collection of data is very much at the bottom of that list. It may be the first step but it may even be the wrong numbers or full of inaccuracies. Data is not guaranteed to produce the definitive measure of what we are trying to understand until it has been through a process backed by knowledge and wisdom.

It's wonderful to see that ARRB has set up and employed an executive manager for measurement. Jeff Doyle has taken on the newly created role of Executive Director of Measurement. He joins us on the line

Issues covered (timing in the interview is listed in mm:ss)

• The word measurement is important. It's not data and it's not information. Is there more significance in the word measurement? (0:41)

• Is this a position that would not have existed five years ago? Have we progressed in our appreciation need for understanding of good data measurement rather than just numbers? [01:54]

• What's your background? [02:27]

• Professional Footballer [02:29]

• Pen Salesman [03:29]

• Manager [04:16]

• Executive management [04:39]

• Being a footballer is often seen as whether you personally are good or bad. But did you see a start to see there how the role of teamwork became important? [06:49]

• So football is often the replays are all about the goal that's finally scored. But the good management is looking at what built up to that. It's not just the one off. Is it the understanding and the measurement of the build-up that becomes critical? [08:48]

• You've mentioned a couple of times working with the existing structure. Is you position in the style of matrix management; that you're not out there just doing the product, but you're helping other departments within the ARRB to do their product? [12:05]

• Is there room in very tight budgets in the world for technical curiosity, not just funding what we know to exist at the moment? [14:28]

• IN terms of local councils; is it the case of not just giving them numbers or even giving them solutions, but give them guidelines. Perhaps giving numbers where they can play with them and come up with their own ideas and you might give them a package to help them play? [18:01]

• Your CEO Michael Caltabiano has talked about auditing. Not only do you give data so people make decisions, but do you then push hard to say we must measure afterward: not to condemn, but merely find out what worked and what didn't? [21:22]

• There's been a lot of work including the Grattan Institute coming out about the concern that there has been a decline in skills and independence within government departments. Do you think that good measurement is a great way of being able to give thoughtful scientific advice that can empower the need for professionals within organisations, be it government or even private? [22:36]

Navman, started back in 1986 based in Australia and NZ, with a focus, as the name suggests, in providing navigation systems for cars and trucks.

But like most or all things high-tech, more and more things are being developed.

Virtual reality is a purely an imagined experience but augmented reality is where you get some extra information to help you operate and make decisions in your current situation.

Augmented reality is an enhanced version of the real physical world by adding visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli provided by technology.

And the “new”, soon becomes part of the “norm”. There is now a more generic term, dash cam, as people wish to record an incident or things of interest.

These developments help us reflect on how we can use technology to the individual and community benefit.

Wendy Hammond is Navman’s general manager, Australia & NZ (timing in the interviews in mm:ss)

Issues covered

• The company started in Australia and New Zealand. Is there still some workforce here? (1:16)

• Is navigation still an important reason that people buy the system? (1:40)

• Phone directions that are linked to the car infotainment system interrupt directions if a phone call comes in. Can this happen at inappropriate times? (2:19)

• Are customers now looking for and accepting new technological applications? (3:11)

• Dashcam information might help reduce delays from crashes as enough information is collected (3:59)

• More information is now being collected from crashes (3:59)

• You can get cameras facing front and rear (4:33)

• Parking mode: recording when your car has been hit or tampered with (6:07)

• Information for four-wheel-drive and camping activities (7:05)

• Cameras for motorbikes (9:19)

• Carrying hazardous loads (11:04)