As seen on:

SMH Logo News Logo

Call 1300 303 181

Australia’s Best New Car News, Reviews and Buying Advice

automotive design

The Nissan Hyper Force Concept Car

There would be little debate over whether a Nissan GT-R is a legendary supercar or not.  It has been one of the most exciting cars of the last two to three decades, having even set a record on the Nürburgring racetrack of 7:08.68 min in 2013, which was achieved by the Nissan GT-R NISMO. 

Recently, the Nissan Hyper Force concept car stunned the crowds at a car show in Japan.  Could this concept potentially be the next new Nissan GT-R supercar?

The Nissan Hyper Force is an all-electric beast with a seriously brazen design suggesting time warp speeds!  In the car’s layout is an application of some clever revolutionary solid-state batteries that enable the supercar’s output to power up to 985 kW.  That’s almost 600 kW more than the current GT-R! It’s also good to see that solid-state batteries are starting to break out of the laboratory and into actual vehicles, as they have better safety performance.  However, these solid-state batteries are inside something that’s got that little hit of adrenaline. This electric vehicle is electrifying.

With this level of output, the Nissan Hyper Force Concept car is carefully aerodynamically designed to ensure the air is pushed over the car to force it down on the road.  In order to achieve the required levels of downforce, there are active winglets up the front end of the car to help channel air over the car, as well as a massive air scoop in the lower bumper, and an array of active fins for air manipulation.  If you look at the back of the vehicle, the telltale twin LED taillight clusters are very typical of the Nissan Skyline GT-R.  The massive wheel arches on the AWD machine look really spectacular, hiding what must be some serious rubber tyre profiles.  If I were making a Batman movie, I’d cast this vehicle as the latest iteration of the Batmobile.

The doors open upwards and forwards in a gullwing-like action.  Once the doors are opened, the onlookers are presented with a stunningly wild interior, featuring Lamborghini-crazy styling that is incredibly futuristic, offering sizzling red LED lighting vibes for high-speed driving modes.  Gentler GT modes light up the interior in a blue colour.  There are plenty of information displays and stylish graphics, as you’d expect.  The interior styling continues the edgy, angular diagonal lines of the exterior, giving a Batmobile vibe.  And did I see harness style seatbelts in there?

The Nissan Hyper Force concept was at the Japanese car show to inspire people, and to give them a taste of what a new roadgoing Nissan supercar (potentially GT-R) of the future might look like.  This is seriously cool! Here’s hoping that we’ll see some of the ideas trickling down. I particularly like the idea of the ambient lighting changing with the driving style, so I hope that we see that one in upcoming Nissan models. I’d also like to see the harness-style seatbelts making their way into regular cars, though they’d take a bit of getting used to, especially for a women (but they could easily be an improvement over the three-pointers we’re used to).

Find out more and have a drool in the official promo video from Nissan:

Internet of Things (IoT) and the Australian Automotive Industry: what you need to know

Internet of Things (IoT) and the Australian Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is consistently evolving. And quite recently, one thing has revolutionised the way we drive: the Internet of Things (IoT).

While the IoT is a relatively new technology type, it has quickly become prominent and is now part of the everyday lives of people in Australia and beyond. If you’ve ever worn a smartwatch, used your phone to control your thermostat or created a shopping list on your smart refrigerator – all these are proof that the IoT is both popular and practical.

Naturally, this technological phenomenon is also reshaping the way vehicles of today are designed, manufactured, and driven.

So, in this article, we’ll explore what the IoT is, its role in the Australian automotive industry, its benefits and how this intersection is revolutionising the future of driving.

What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the collective network of interconnected devices, vehicles, and other objects that share data and communicate over the Internet.

In IoT, devices are equipped with sensors, software, and connectivity features that allow them to collect and exchange information with other devices in the network without human intervention. Some of the most popular uses of the IoT are seen as wearable devices used to monitor health. It’s also used in smart home security systems and WiFi-enabled home appliances such as smart refrigerators and dishwashers.

In the automotive context, the use of IoT (also referred to as automotive IoT) can range from sensors in vehicles to traffic lights and even smart city infrastructure.

What are the applications of IoT in the automotive industry?

The impact of the Internet of Things on the Australian automotive industry is best observed in the following innovative advancements:

1. Connected cars are powered by automotive IoT.

IoT technology has enabled the rise of connected cars.

Connected cars are equipped with sensors that collect data about the

  • vehicle’s performance,
  • surroundings and
  • driver behaviour.

This automotive data can then be communicated to service providers for:

  • remote diagnostics,
  • predictive maintenance and
  • overall enhancement of the driving experience.

2. IoT is utilised in vehicle fleet management.

For businesses operating vehicle fleets, IoT provides real-time monitoring and management capabilities. It allows fleet managers to track the following:

  • vehicle location,
  • fuel consumption and
  • vehicle health.

This way, routes and maintenance schedules can be optimised to streamline operations.

3. Smart traffic management is also possible with IoT.

IoT plays a crucial role in creating smart cities with intelligent traffic management systems. It enables traffic lights, road sensors, and cameras to communicate with vehicles, enhancing safety and improving traffic flow.

Cities like Singapore, London and Barcelona use this technology already.

the applications of IoT in the automotive industry

What are the benefits of automotive IoT?

Automotive IoT is designed to improve the overall driving experience. It comes with several benefits, including:

Data-driven insights

The data collected by automotive IoT devices provides manufacturers with valuable insights they can use for predictive analytics and predictive maintenance. These insights can then be used to design better and safer vehicles, improve the manufacturing process and enhance customer experiences.

Enhanced road safety

Since automotive IoT technologies provide real-time data and alerts that can be used to assess risks of malfunction, they can help reduce road accidents and promote road safety.

Increased efficiency

With available data, manufacturers can improve the manufacturing process. Businesses with fleets can even use IoT technologies to improve operational efficiencies and reduce costs, while every single driver can benefit from increased accessibility with IoT.

While automotive IoT may still have some limitations, the ongoing advancements in automotive technology are opening up an exciting future where our vehicles can seamlessly integrate into a digital world.

Whether you’re headed on your dream adventure or just driving around running errands, it’s good to know that there are technologies that can make the driving experience more convenient and safer for everyone.

Find the right smart and connected vehicle for you with Private Fleet.

Private Fleet empowers you to gain all the benefits of a fleet purchase but as a private buyer.

Backed by decades of vehicle industry experience, fleet buying power and a network of car dealers across Australia, we’re here to ensure that buying your next vehicle will be as straightforward as possible while taking advantage of the latest technologies.

Shopping for a car is an enjoyable process – let us make it hassle-free, too.

Reach out to us today for a seamless and simple car-buying experience.

Alloy Wheels 101

Many new models trundling out of car showrooms these days sit proudly on alloy wheels, which are usually measured in inches (only two other things are habitually measured in inches these days, with the other two being display/TV/computer monitor screens and a gentleman’s 11th finger).  These alloys look very pretty but do they have any other advantages other than simple aesthetics?

Alloy wheels are often contrasted with steel wheels.  Here, the pedantic geek in me has to stand up to tell you that, technically speaking, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon (and other bits, such as chromium, vanadium, boron, tungsten, titanium and other obscure elements on the period table).  It’s probably one of the most common alloys, though it’s not the oldest: that honour goes to bronze (an alloy of tin and copper) and electrum (an alloy of gold and silver that can occur naturally).  There are lots of alloys that have been used since ancient times, and the ability to create them is one of the earliest metalworking technologies out there*. 

To be more precise, alloy wheels are made from alloys of aluminium or magnesium.  This is why you’ll hear some people referring to mag wheels or mag-alloy wheels; mag is an abbreviation of “magnesium alloy”.  This term probably dates back to the 1960s, which is when these wheels, previously only available to the car racing community, hit the market.

Steel wheels have their benefits, such as being cheaper and being easier to bang back into shape after a serious ding.  However, they’re usually only fitted to cheaper cars and entry-level variants (if at all), and will never be found on any luxury vehicle worth its leather seats.  So why do they use them? 

The metals used to make alloy wheels tend to be a lot lighter, but they still have the strength needed to stand up to the rigours of driving.  Getting the weight down is important to car designers (the weight of the vehicle, that is, not the designers) for a number of reasons. Firstly, lowering the unsprung weight of the vehicle makes things easier for the suspension, which, in turn, makes the car handle a lot better.  So that’s definitely a good reason for fitting a car with alloy wheels.  Being lighter also improves the fuel efficiency of the vehicles they’re fitted to because the lighter something is, the less energy it takes to move it.  Needing less force to get moving also means that acceleration gets better. The reverse is true as well: objects that don’t weight as much are easier to stop and/or slow down.

Having less weight also means that a vehicle can have bigger wheels without adding extra kilos, and the general thinking is that if it’s measured in inches, bigger is better.**  

However, having less weight is not the only advantage.  The aluminium and magnesium alloys have better ability to conduct heat away from the brakes, meaning that the brakes perform better.  If you’ve got an aluminium frying pan and a cast iron or steel skillet in your kitchen, you can see this easily.  If you get them both up to the same temperature then whip them off the heat, the aluminium pan will cool down more quickly than the steel one (have your oven mitts handy).  However, because of the greater strength of the aluminium or magnesium alloy, the wheels can be made with an open design – you know, those pretty stars and spokes.  Yes, these are a lot more aesthetically pleasing than a plain old steel wheel but this sort of design isn’t just beautiful but functional as well.  The open design allows the aluminium or magnesium alloy to release some of the heat generated by braking to the air, and the more surface area it’s got, the more heat it will lose.

The main ways of making alloy wheels are forging and casting.  Forging involves heating up the metal or alloy, rolling it, hammering it and generally mashing it about.  This process of heating, etc. makes the alloy grow stronger (I can see a nice little metaphor for a life lesson in there).  However, it’s a long and complicated process, and is more costly than casting.  Casting is where molten metal is poured into a mould, where it hardens.  Cast alloy wheels are cheaper and easier to produce en masse, but they aren’t quite as tough as forged alloy wheels.

Of course, these days, there is a new kid on the wheel block: carbon fibre.  Carbon fibre is even lighter than aluminium or magnesium alloys while still being super tough (diamond is pure carbon, remember).  Carbon is also better able to withstand bumps without forming microcracks, meaning that it’s tougher in the long run.  However, carbon fibre is a lot more expensive.  Will we see carbon fibre becoming more common (and cheaper) as time goes by?  I suspect we will, especially as EVs weigh a lot more than ICE vehicles, and thus cause more wear and tear on our roads, so trimming the weight down will be important (there’s also part of me that wonders if carbon fibre could be a way to sequester carbon, ultimately leading less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but this part is probably wrong).  Anyway, in EVs, regenerative braking transforms a lot of the kinetic energy lost during braking into electrical potential energy rather than heat energy, so there’s no need for open wheel designs that dissipate more heat. Instead, the designers can go for aerodynamics for even better efficiency (and look even cooler).  It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

* Could somebody please inform the writers of Amazon’s The Rings of Power of this fact?

** This may be true of wheels and screens, but speaking as a straight woman, it’s not true of the third.  Seriously, size really doesn’t matter.

Choosing The Right Driving Posture

When I learned to drive, I wasn’t told much about correct driving posture apart from ensuring that my feet could reach the pedals (obviously) and that my hands were in the “ten past two” position*. However, as time went on and I drove more, I soon came to learn that there’s more to sitting comfortably, and there’s a reason why car manufacturers take so much trouble with designing seats and making them adjustable in many different ways.

If you’ve felt stiff and sore after driving for a long time, then your driving posture might have something do to with it. Sitting down in a car seat is no different from sitting down in an office chair from some perspectives, and it’s important to allow for regular breaks during a long drive so that you can stretch your legs, etc. – just like you would if you were at work. Your office chair is probably not as comfy and cushy as the driver’s seat, unless you’ve done what I’ve done and converted the seat from an old Ford Falcon into an office chair (it’s a pig to move in and out, though, as I haven’t put castors on it).

Although the idea would be to get up every 20 minutes, we all know that this isn’t always possible when driving (every hour is more like it).  However, you can reduce the strain on your body – and it is strain – from holding in one position for ages by ensuring that you’re sitting correctly. If you’ve felt stiff after a long drive, then this might help you.

Everybody’s body is different, so I can’t give precise measurements and angles.  You may have long legs in proportion to your body, a big bum or a long back.  You may be a massive great big dude over six feet tall, or you may be a petite woman reaching five feet in her high heels.  This means that what’s ideal for you probably won’t be idea for someone else.  In fact, what’s best for you might not even be possible in some vehicles, so always test out the seats before you buy a new car.  This means that in the case of a couple consisting of the big dude and the petite lady, you’ll need to compromise (not ideal) or even buy two cars.

OK, to make sure you’re sitting comfortably, let’s begin with some basics. Take your wallet and/or phone and anything else out of your back pocket, because that will have an effect.  Now take time to find out what a neutral spine feels like.  A neutral spine is not a straight back, as the human spine is supposed to have a nice gentle S-bend shape to it.  Stand up and, if you can, check in a mirror side on.  Ensure that your weight is evenly distributed on both feet and don’t fully lock your knees.  Now imagine that there’s a string attached to the top of your head and that it’s pulling you up. 

For more help with knowing what a nice neutral spine feels like, I suggest chatting to your friendly local physiotherapist, taking up Pilates or both.

Now to get into the car.  Oddly, you need to start with the seat in completely the wrong position and then bring it into the right position.  If you’re doing this for the first time in a new car (or a car that you’re considering buying) then move everything as far as it can go – seat angle, steering wheel and all. Push the seat right back as far as it can go.  Now you’re ready to adjust it.

Let’s start with the seat height. In fact, the seat height is the least adjustable thing in many cars, so if you can’t get the height right, you may have to consider another vehicle. Your hips should be about as high as your knees or just a smidge lower (but not too low).  However, you shouldn’t be so high that you hit your head on the top of the car or that you have to crane your head down to see the instrument panel.  If you are too low down, you can use a cushion to get you high enough.  Also check where the edge of the seat is relative to the backs of your knees. If the edge of the seat pushes into your knees, this will restrict your circulation, and riding in that car will be very uncomfortable. Seriously, this matters.  I once owned a car that did this to me. It was great in other ways but the problem with circulation in the feet and legs was so bad that we sold the vehicle (hope it suited the new owner better). Reach down and see if you can fit two fingers between the edge of the seat and your knees. If you can, you’re all good.

Now bring the seat forward so you can reach the pedals (and the footrest) while keeping your back snugly against the seat.  You should have a small bend in your legs, as locking your legs for long periods isn’t all that good for them.  Your heels (in bare feet or ordinary shoes, not high heels) should be on the ground rather than dangling, and you should be able to push the pedal down with your heel on the floor as the fulcrum of a lever.  It’s possible to buy pedal extenders so you can do this if the car is perfect in every other way.  Of all the things that make driving tiring, an accelerator pedal that you can’t operate with your heel on the floor is the worst, and I’ve driven a couple.

If you can adjust the tilt of the seat, play around a bit until you find the position that gives you a neutral spine.  Women will naturally have a more forward tilt than men thanks to the shape of the female pelvis (high heels were invented to exaggerate this) but not too extreme.  Modern car seats have been designed to prevent “submarining”, which is when someone slides out under the seatbelt during the sudden stop in a crash, but this slightly backward angle isn’t all that good for our backs.  There’s not much you can do about this, so get the tilt as close as you can to what gives you a neutral spine.

Now for the seat back. This should not be at right angles to the ground (straight up and down) but it shouldn’t be so far back that it forces you/allows you to slouch your chest, head and shoulders forward.  Keep that spine in neutral position.  If you have lumbar support, this should sit snugly into your lumbar lordosis (the curve in your lower back just above your pelvis).  Some cars don’t have height-adjustable lumbar support (bad luck), and just have lumbar support that’s adjustable in terms of depth.  If your car doesn’t have lumbar support or if it’s in the wrong place for your body (I have a long back in proportion to my legs, so this happens to me a lot), then a lumbar cushion is worth buying and fitting to your car.

Moving on up, make sure that your shoulders can press against the back of the chair, then adjust the head rest. The head rest is supposed to be a head rest, not a neck rest, so sit with a neutral spine and ensure that the head rest touches the back of your head.

Now to adjust the steering wheel. You should be able to get both hands on it with a slight bend in your elbows – driving with straight arms puts strain on your shoulders and neck.  The best position isn’t “ten to two”, as I was taught, but quarter past nine (nine and three) down to seven and five.  Adjust the height of the steering wheel to suit you.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the positions on an analogue clock.

In a perfect world, we’d be able to customize everything so that it suited our bodies perfectly, especially when it comes to female bodies. Traditionally, car seats have been designed to fit the average male, but manufacturers have seem to have woken up to the fact that half of the population has a female body and are factoring this into their seat designs and safety features (Mazda and Volvo, for example).  That’s a topic for another day (and one I’ve discussed before) but in the meantime, if you aim to have a neutral spine and to keep a gentle bend in your arms and your legs while driving, you should be about right.

And don’t forget to allow for regular breaks to get up out of your seat during a longer journey.