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Technology from motorsport will be used to give BMW performance engines a lifeline, and a path through the next wave of tough European emissions regulations. BMW has revealed clever F1 -style engine technology to keep its inline six-cylinder M2 , M3 , and M 4 performance cars alive towards the end of this decade. From the middle of this year, BMW will begin production of a new pre-chamber ignition system, known as BMW M Ignite, which is intended to help its 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six engine meet Euro 7 emissions standards in effect in Europe from November 2026. Initially patented by the brand in 2024 for motorsport use, the system is aimed to reduce fuel consumption, especially under high load, as well as trim emissions. The engine will operate as normal at low and medium engine speeds. MORE: BMW M3 EV to be similar price to petrol version However, as the engine reaches higher RPM under greater load, a newly-integrated pre-chamber igniti...

The home of the Falcon and Territory, Ford’s Broadmeadows Assembly Plant, has had its future pencilled in as a $1.1 billion data centre. After almost 10 years in limbo, the former Ford Australia factory in Campbellfield, Victoria – which built models such as the Falcon, Fairlane, Capri and Territory – has reportedly had its future set. Around one-third of the 60-hectare site formerly occupied by Ford’s Broadmeadows Assembly Plant is set to be transformed into a data centre by Singapore-based firm Zerra DC, according to The Urban Developer . The new development has a proposed cost of $1.1 billion, it is reported, with a staged construction rollout that will include six buildings dedicated to a new data centre, and additional construction to provide the site offices that go with it. Ford’s ownership of the site ended in 2019, with the Campbellfield factory site sold to Melbourne-based commercial property developer, Pelligra Group, alongside its Geelong engine an...

Volvo admits the EX30 and EX90, the first in its new range of electric cars, were not up to scratch on technology when they reached showrooms – but it promises the new EX60 won’t be the same. Volvo has vowed to bounce back from the software glitches that plagued the rollout of its recent range of EX30 and EX90 electric cars, and has its sights set on rebuilding trust with customers. The Chinese-owned Swedish car maker claims the new, mid-size EX60 electric SUV, due in Australia later this year, will not suffer the same issues, thanks to new ‘SPA3’ underpinnings and updated technology with Google Gemini AI built-in. The EX30 and EX90 were criticised following their 2023 and 2024 launches, respectively, for glitches in their infotainment and vehicle control systems. These included an electric motor error in an EX30 tested by Drive – and a  maligned keycard entry system if the phone-as-a-key function was not used. Software issues prompted a...

There is “no reason” why Australia can’t build electric cars, or else leave a “vulnerability” open to China and the rest of Asia, the Prime Minister has reportedly said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed a desire for car manufacturing to return to Australia – with an electric twist – lamenting the end of locally-made Holdens as “a pity”. It follows a call from Chinese car maker Chery for the Federal Government “modify … policy” to allow local manufacturing of new cars to become economically viable again. Albanese said at a News Corp Australia event, according to the Herald Sun , that “there’s no reason why we can’t make [electric] vehicles.” “At the very least, we can make parts and components, including batteries here. Indeed there are companies looking at doing just that.” MORE: Chery says Australia should restart car manufacturing Australian...

This cutting-edge wheel maker supplied the biggest brands, but new documents show how this Aussie manufacturing dream came crashing down. A new document has revealed how Australian firm Carbon Revolution has gone from building lightweight carbon-fibre wheels for major car brands such as Ferrari , Ford , and Chevrolet , to entering administration with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. The Geelong-based manufacturer, founded in 2007 and employing over 300 people, has become the leading supplier of carbon-fibre wheels to car companies looking to reduce weight in their fastest and most extreme models. Carbon Revolution entered administration in March with debts of about $345.5 million, after recording losses totalling $347 million over the past four years, with plans to return to private ownership in order to keep the business alive. A recent report by administrators McGrathNicol details a timeline of woe that led to the company entering voluntary administra...

The next step in the British sports-car specialist’s backflip on electric cars will be a V8 hybrid supercar producing more than 735kW. Lotus has teased its first V8-powered car in more than two decades, a new supercar due in 2028 with hybrid power and more than 1000 metric horsepower (735kW). The Chinese-owned British brand has previously scrapped plans to go electric by 2028 , in favour of a new range of plug-in hybrids to lower its emissions while retaining petrol power. It will pave the way for the Type 135, a new Lotus supercar due in 2028 with a V8 engine and hybrid assistance combining for more than 735kW, and expected to be built in Europe rather than China, like its electric cars. MORE: Lotus reveals first hybrid, in latest backflip on electric-only plan The last V8 Lotus, the Esprit. Type 135 was the codename given to a now-scrapped Lotus electric sports car, and a teaser image released by Lotus shows the V8 with sleek styling and two...