Powered by RND
PodcastsLeisureAutoExpert

AutoExpert

John Cadogan
AutoExpert
Latest episode

Available Episodes

5 of 838
  • 300kW GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV: Cheaper than Ranger Wildtrak or Kia Tasman
    In this episode: full breakdown on the newly released specs and pricing on the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV. (The Chinese carmaker's new 300kW plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute.)
    --------  
    30:19
  • The truth about Chinese manufacturing in 2025
    Get a great deal on home solar (or add a quality battery to your existing setup): https://autoexpert.com.au/solarSave thousands on any new car (Australia-only): https://autoexpert.com.au/contactIn this video, I visited Risen's factory in China, and saw truly cutting-edge manufacturing technology on a scale you will not see in Australia. Risen is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of solar panels. It has roughly 15,000 employees, of which more than 1000 professional propellerheads work in R&D.The company holds over 740 proprietary patents. You can’t miss them, because you have to drive past them to visit the production line……which you can’t walk onto without wearing the full anti-static frock. And then, they blow you. With air. To make sure you don’t bring in any dust. It’s basically the full ‘Skynet’ freak show of cutting-edge robotic automation. Crystalline wafers that are less than four thousandths of an inch thick get scurried about by robots, and subjected to dozens of tightly controlled doping and layering processes in a surgically clean science-fiction set.It’s a decent 400- or 500-metre stroll from one end of the cell production line to the other. Endless processes with built-in testing take place. There are, of course, multiple lines in parallel.I had one impression in my head of manufacturing in China, and this, frankly, was not it. The minders who took us through were the full brainiac - they spoke binary. I struggled to keep up.I’ve been to car factories and R&D centres in Japan, Europe and South Korea. Risen’s factory is right up there. If I hadn’t been wearing a surgical mask, my jaw would have been on the floor.There are people at Risen, and all they do is think about heterogeneous junctions, zero busbar technology, optimising metallic paste, and advanced interconnection systems. It’s closer to rocket science than you think, and more reliable than SpaceX.This is properly advanced technology, and they develop it in-house.
    --------  
    19:05
  • Kia Tasman is way too expensive, and far too ugly
    Pricing revealed and pre-orders open for one of my most anticipated new vehicles - Australia’s new ugliest ute - the Kia Tasman. Move over Ssangong Musso; there’s a new monument to dual-cab ugliness in town...Hilarious developments back at headquarters: The penny has dropped, finally, that it looks hideous. They're doing what they can. They’re defending the design, but at the same time also striving to make it seem less crap, at minimal cost - overseas and here.And the price: It’s out of control, dude. Top-spec Tasman is $12k more than top-spec Triton (its closest competitor in the market, all things considered). And line-ball with a 3.0V6 diesel Ford Ranger Wildtrak.That's an intelligence test isn't it? The Wildtrak or the Tasman... How much thinking music do you really need?
    --------  
    34:07
  • The Ford Ranger Super Duty - over-hyped and too expensive
    The Ford Ranger Super Duty is currently a fairy tale. Ford’s PR team - doing what it does best: Selectively representing the truth about the Ranger Super Duty to the most domesticated car reviewers on the planet.The ones too timid, or otherwise incentivised not to ask any hard questions. Perhaps they just don’t know what to ask. In any case, the official Ford-sanctioned reports so far are just a suck.Ranger Super Duty is going to be OK - too expensive, but OK. Meaning, not nearly as good at towing or load carrying as you’ve been led to believe. At this point, that's pretty obvious.I'm going to break that down for you, in this video, using (you know) facts.If you’re thinking about buying a Super Duty Ranger, this report covers what you need to know. From someone who’s not afraid to do ghetto engineering and actual journalism.
    --------  
    46:18
  • Self-destruct mode: How Subaru lost the plot
    Subaru used to be a great company in Australia, but unfortunately they've been sowing the seeds of their own downfall for well over a decade now ... and the harvest is imminent.Increasing Toyota ownership of the company means more Toyota beancounters running the show, sucking the passion from the brand and removing - essentially - all the exciting variants from the range, especially in Australia.Here I use one owner's interaction with them to illustrate this point, and lay out the broader reasons why this once great brand is over the hill.
    --------  
    38:53

More Leisure podcasts

About AutoExpert

AutoExpert is all about cars from Australian automotive expert, journalist and engineer John Cadogan
Podcast website

Listen to AutoExpert, Smith and Sniff and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Social
v7.18.2 | © 2007-2025 radio.de GmbH
Generated: 5/26/2025 - 1:31:19 AM