
NVES results, Local Car Testing, Unexpected MG Ute
From Overdrive by David Brown
March 1, 2026 · 1h 4m
About this episode
This episode discusses the results of Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and various automotive topics including emissions, local testing, and a road test of the MG U9 ute.
Description This week on Overdrive, David Brown and Paul Murrell unpack the first results from Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard and what they really mean for car makers and buyers. They examine winners, losers and the politics of emissions averaging. Subaru returns to frontline motorsport safety, JAC fine-tunes a plug-in hybrid ute at Lang Lang, and Leapmotor updates its EV over the air. Plus, listener feedback on traffic data, marketing jargon, Bathurst memories—and a road test of the MG U9 ute that surprises in more ways than one. Episode Breakdown • NVES first results analysed – including winners, losers 00:00:39 • Subaru’s new Supercars role – 00:16:23 • JAC Hunter PHEV tested locally – 00:26:05 • Leapmotor OTA update explained – 00:30:56 • Traffic data & governance debate – 00:39:51 • Road test: MG U9 ute – 00:50:37 ________________________________________ NVES first results analysed The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard’s first six-month snapshot shows about two-thirds of suppliers beating their CO₂ targets. Passenger cars averaged 21 per cent below target, but light commercials—especially utes—lagged. The scheme works on fleet averages, not individual bans…
People in this episode
Host: David Brown
Guest: Paul Murrell
Topics covered
- New Vehicle Efficiency Standard
- car emissions
- motorsport safety
- plug-in hybrid vehicles
- electric vehicles
- traffic data
- road testing
Keywords
- NVES
- car makers
- emissions averaging
- Subaru
- JAC Hunter PHEV
- Leapmotor OTA
- traffic data
- MG U9
- road test
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Subaru, JAC, Leapmotor, BYD, Toyota, Tesla, Mazda, Nissan, MG
Products: MG U9 ute
More episodes of Overdrive
- Young Drivers training, EV trends, BMW i4, Jimny · June 5, 2026 · 50 min
- Driving Thrills, EV Mining Trucks, Vitara Hybrid · June 5, 2026 · 51 min
- AI cars, classic shooting brakes likened to Kia K4 · June 1, 2026 · 49 min
- EV surge, transport rethink, return of the 2CV · May 31, 2026 · 53 min
- F1, reduced attention span, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon · March 30, 2026 · 49 min
- AI in cars, CES Innovations & the Soul of Driving · March 12, 2026 · 37 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Overdrive podcast page.