Top 5 News Articles of 2024

This year we’ve also seen everything from a crash involving an O-Bahn driver in Adelaide to Citroen’s exit from the local market.

But none of our news articles on these topics attracted enough readers to rank among the top five most-read news content of the year.

Here are the top-rated news articles written by our team in 2024.

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1. Australia’s reborn car industry expands with new factories

While many consider the last Holden produced in October 2017 to be the moment the Australian car industry died, other players continue to maintain their niche in the local car trade – arguably none more so than Walkinshaw Automotive Do better.

The former Holden specialty vehicle manufacturer has adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the local market and in July announced it would build a new factory in Dandenong South to “remanufacture” “some of the largest automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)” “vehicles. for the Australian market”.

Walkinshaw has been working hard in Melbourne since 2016 to convert American pick-up trucks from left-hand to right-hand drive, starting with the Ram, then expanding to the Chevrolet Silverado and now the Toyota Tundra.

The company has also developed a range of small dual-cab off-road pickup trucks for brands including Isuzu, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen, and has enjoyed success with its New Age RV brand. Walkinshaw will also drive a V8-powered Toyota Supra in the Australian Supercars Championship from 2026, terminating his current contract with Ford.

Within the factory, conversion operations for different brands will take place in separate and secure areas, while the 100,000m facility will also continue to handle engineering and manufacturing work for other companies.

2. Australia’s city with the worst traffic isn’t Sydney or Melbourne

Complaining about traffic is an Australian pastime, but a congestion study has found residents of one city have more of a right to complain than most.

According to the 2023 INRIX Global Transport Scorecard, Brisbane is Australia’s most congested city and ranks 12th among the world’s most congested cities.

The research found that on average, Brisbane drivers lose 74 hours a year due to traffic delays, a 10 per cent increase from the same report a year ago.

For context, Melbourne came in second with drivers losing 62 hours to traffic delays, Sydney came in third (53 hours) and Perth came in fourth (42 hours).

Further research by RACQ found the Pacific Highway, which connects Brisbane and the Gold Coast, is the state’s most congested road.

The Bruce Highway was ranked as the second most congested road, followed by the Centenary Highway. The Gateway Motorway ranks fourth.

Perhaps that’s why Queensland politicians have made the 50 cent public transport fare a permanent fixture.

3. Another car logo company files for bankruptcy

2024 is the year that many car companies go bankrupt, whether directly involved in the industry or those adjacent to it.

Seat supplier Recaro and wheel specialist BBS filed for insolvency in Germany earlier this year, citing financial difficulties at their European operations. However, these bankruptcies have not affected their global operations and Recaro was recently acquired by an Italian supply company.

However, Hoonigan, the automotive lifestyle brand founded by the late Ken Block, also filed for bankruptcy in September.

In an effort to trade on Hoonigan’s popularity, Wheel Pros – a company that owns several wheel brands and is itself owned by private equity firm Clearlake Capital – merged with the brand in September 2021.

Mr. Block died in a snowmobile accident in January 2023, and subsequent management changes at Hoonigan led to a number of high-profile departures from its popular YouTube channel.

Wheel Pros changed its name to Hoonigan last October due to rising costs for its core wheel brands, which include American Racing, TSW, Rotiform and KMC.

Hoonigan announced in a media statement that it aims to raise US$570 million (A$857 million) in capital as part of its restructuring support agreement, which looks to eliminate US$1.2 billion (A$1.8 billion) of debt.

4. Thieves causing new problems at public electric vehicle charging stations

Copper theft, common in most countries, has become a problem, with electric vehicle (EV) charging companies in the United States facing shutdowns this year due to the crime.

July, automotive news According to reports, 129 charging cables were stolen from Electrify America charging stations in the first five months of this year, more than in all of 2023 (125).

According to Electrify America, it costs $2000 to $4000 (about AU$3000 to $6000) to replace a severed cable, which can cripple a small startup.

The U.S. state of Washington has become a hotspot for copper theft from electric vehicle charging cables, with 89 cables cut at Electrify America locations in the state between January 1 and July 11.

Chargefox CEO John Sullivan said car expert The problem is far less widespread in Australia, he said: “We see very little vandalism and copper theft is almost non-existent”.

If copper theft becomes more common here, it will inconvenience EV owners already affected by Telstra and Optus blackouts and unreliable Tritium chargers.

As experts point out, using a saw to cut through an electric car charging cable to get out the copper inside is a fool’s errand.

“The copper is wrapped in heavy insulation, so you don’t actually get raw copper from the cable,” said Travis Allan, chief legal and public affairs officer at Flo EV Charging. automotive news.

“It’s totally Sisyphean to try to make money from thin, coated wires,” he added, noting the dangers of handling the aforementioned high-voltage cables.

5. 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Price and Specs

The new Toyota Prado 250 range is unveiled in August 2023, but Australian pricing wasn’t announced until eight months later in May 2024, when we published a price and specs news article for the new off-road SUV.

Perhaps it’s the fact that the new Prado’s price has increased by at least $9,600 that makes this our most-read news article to date about pricing for the upcoming vehicle.

Regardless, rising prices haven’t stopped Australians from flocking to snap up the first new Prado in 15 years, with the new 250 Series set to take back the large SUV sales crown this year after losing it to the Ford Everest in 2023.

Even though the new model is powered by a legacy engine (save for its mild-hybrid system), even its new eight-speed automatic transmission is better on and off-road, and its boxy retro design looks pretty cool.

The first local deliveries of the new Prado have now begun and a number of aftermarket accessories are already available.

What was your favorite news article of 2024? Tell us in the comments below