Porsche 911 GT2 RS Ironically Takes McLaren Senna's Interlagos Lap Record - Related to earnings,, not, rs, podcast:, more
GWM Australia not worried about rival Chinese brands

There are more and more Chinese car brands being launched in Australia, but GWM says it aspires to be the biggest of them all in this market, thanks to its 15-year history in this country and the value proposition across its growing model lineup.
Speaking with CarExpert. GWM Australia and New Zealand (GWM ANZ) chief operating officer John Kett stated the fact that some other Chinese brands are limiting themselves to either battery-electric (BEV) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models gives GWM the upper hand.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now.
“I think… we firstly… as a brand… need to be the leading Chinese brand,” noted Mr Kett.
“I think that aspiration won’t be lost on anyone that works for our organisation.
“And in all fairness, when you think about the breadth and depth of our portfolio in terms of all fuel types and. All pricing, you would have to say that we’ve had the broader strategy.
“[It’s] One that we’ve invested in and [is] accessible for everyone. And not picking technology winners or losers. I think that’s… the beauty of who we are.
“Some brands are coming [with] only EV. Some brands have only done PHEV. Some are leaning on the tax benefits that come with that if you’re novated leasing.
“So I think that’s significant for GWM, because we need to amplify ourselves to be that leading Chinese brand.”.
However, GWM ANZ head of marketing and communications, Steve Maciver, noted the brand isn’t just a rival for other Chinese carmakers anymore.
“We need to start thinking like a top-five brand and acting like a top-five brand, and ultimately to do that we need to look at the whole market,” stated Mr Maciver.
“We can’t just be looking at Chinese brands, and that’s not where we’re at in some segments.
“It may be more pertinent than others, but certainly if we think about the ute segment, we have to conquest from others and that’s exactly how we see it.
“I’m not going to name specific brands or specific models, but you… can draw those conclusions yourself.
“But I think where we position the value, where we position the spec, and this car, there’s clear conquesting opportunities and it all comes down to value.
“Whether it’s on a small small SUV, whether it’s on the ute, whether it’s on the Tank 500, value is still crucial.
“As long as we can keep delivering value and. Keep leading in terms of that technology space, we’re pretty confident that more and more Australians will put us on their shortlist.”.
GWM ANZ managing director Charles Zhao stressed that the corporation is the longest-standing Chinese carmaker still present in Australia.
“You see for us, as a Chinese brand, we want all the other Chinese brands to be successful because I can see too many consumers take GWM as a Chinese brand, and they may compare with other Chinese brands,” he mentioned.
“Actually, I don’t want one Chinese brand [to] fail.
“Many people think Chinese brand[s aren’t] going to focus on this market [and] not focus on [the] long-term benefits.
“So one thing to add for GWM is… we started the business in Australia since 2009 and we, GWM, has been the [Chinese] brand to stay the longest time in Australia.
“We [went] through the very difficult time in 2012-2014, when the Australian exchange rate was very bad. The economy was not good.
“During this period of time, many other Chinese brands left Australia.
“We have been, I think. The only Chinese brand… staying in Australia, even though we were not making money for many years. But we focus on the customer service, customer satisfaction.
“In the past few years, we can see… GWM focus on the… whole value chain, including the dealers and our consumers.
“Maybe this is something we want to differentiate ourselves for the others.”.
“So with the other Chinese brand[s] we are [aligned], but. We also have… competition.”.
As previously reported, GWM is planning to sell over 50,000 cars in 2025. If it does so, the brand would break its annual sales record for a seventh successive year.
GWM has already confirmed it plans to launch seven new or updated models in 2025, with a similar cadence of new vehicle launches confirmed for 2026.
In relation to this, the Chinese carmaker has also confirmed it plans to grow its 113-strong local dealer network to “around 125” by next year.
GWM points to its current dealer network covers around 92 per cent of the Australian population.
Discussions surrounding electric vehicles (EVs) almost always circle back to the issue of driving range, and. The phenomenon of ‘range anxiety’.
Tesla deliveries are expected to decrease this quarter to levels not seen in more than two years. We have to go back to 2022 to see the delivery volum...
Bet you haven't seen one of these in ages.
It's a wedge-shaped Corolla coupe with pop-up headlights.
Building on these developments, this unusually well-preserved Toyota has low mi...
Podcast: Tesla protests, Rivian earnings, Kia’s new EVs, and more

In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla protests, Rivian’s earnings, Kia’s new electric vehicles, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post. Like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and. The audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 ET (or the video after 5 ET):
After cutting lease prices by $200 this month. The Rivian R1S is now surprisingly affordable. It may even be a improved deal than the new Tesla Model Y...
Rivian (RIVN) hit its goal of achieving a positive gross profit in the fourth quarter. The EV maker released its fourth-quarter earnings after the mar...
The Trump administration is shutting down EV chargers at all federal government buildings and. Is also expected to...
Porsche 911 GT2 RS Ironically Takes McLaren Senna's Interlagos Lap Record

Brazil's Interlagos is one of the world's great race circuits, and. It was only appropriate that a car named after Ayrton Senna held the production-car lap record. Well, late last year, Brazilian racer Ricardo Maurício set a in a Porsche 911 GT2 RS equipped with a Manthey Racing handling and aero kit. Breaking the McLaren's Senna's record.
The lap time was nearly a second faster than the Senna's, which lapped the track in back in 2022 with Maurício behind the wheel. Not bad for a 911 variant that left production six years ago. Though, this is the same car that set a 6:43 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, which still is faster than any road car bar the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar.
The Manthey Racing kit for the GT2 RS includes an aero package that increases downforce significantly, coilover suspension. And upgraded brakes. That makes the already-fast 691-horsepower 911 GT2 RS a true track weapon. Porsche is finally offering the upgrade package in the US, but it costs an eye-watering $113,140 before tax or installation.
Watching the onboard video. It seems the GT2 RS MR is ideal for Interlagos. It's got enough downforce for the Sao Paolo track's big braking zones and slow-to-medium-speed technical corners. But not so much that it's slow on the straights. And the upgraded suspension components work well over the track's curbing, letting Maurício use as much track real-estate as possible on corner exits.
We do wonder how long this record will stand. The GT2 RS MR is still one of the fastest cars in the world, but now, we've got monsters like the Corvette ZR1 ready to set blazing lap times. And new hypercars like the McLaren W1.
Winches are a vital off-road accessory. And while they're typically powered by a vehicle's 12-volt electrical system, Stellantis is looking at an alte...
The 2025 Ford E-Transit—an all-electric version of the automaker's Transit van—receives some new options while holding steady on pricing.
Rivian issued a recall for over 17,000 vehicles on Friday due to a headlight issue that only occurs in cold weather. The recall impacts certain 2025 R...
Market Impact Analysis
Market Growth Trend
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8.3% | 10.0% | 10.5% | 11.6% | 12.3% | 12.7% | 12.8% |
Quarterly Growth Rate
Q1 2024 | Q2 2024 | Q3 2024 | Q4 2024 |
---|---|---|---|
10.9% | 11.7% | 12.4% | 12.8% |
Market Segments and Growth Drivers
Segment | Market Share | Growth Rate |
---|---|---|
Connected Cars | 35% | 14.2% |
Autonomous Driving | 22% | 18.5% |
EV Technology | 28% | 21.9% |
Telematics | 10% | 9.7% |
Other Automotive Tech | 5% | 6.3% |
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity:
Competitive Landscape Analysis
Company | Market Share |
---|---|
Tesla | 16.9% |
Waymo | 12.3% |
NVIDIA DRIVE | 10.7% |
Bosch | 9.5% |
Continental | 7.8% |
Future Outlook and Predictions
The Australia Worried About landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by technological advancements, changing threat vectors, and shifting business requirements. Based on current trends and expert analyses, we can anticipate several significant developments across different time horizons:
Year-by-Year Technology Evolution
Based on current trajectory and expert analyses, we can project the following development timeline:
Technology Maturity Curve
Different technologies within the ecosystem are at varying stages of maturity, influencing adoption timelines and investment priorities:
Innovation Trigger
- Generative AI for specialized domains
- Blockchain for supply chain verification
Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Digital twins for business processes
- Quantum-resistant cryptography
Trough of Disillusionment
- Consumer AR/VR applications
- General-purpose blockchain
Slope of Enlightenment
- AI-driven analytics
- Edge computing
Plateau of Productivity
- Cloud infrastructure
- Mobile applications
Technology Evolution Timeline
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
Expert Perspectives
Leading experts in the automotive tech sector provide diverse perspectives on how the landscape will evolve over the coming years:
"Technology transformation will continue to accelerate, creating both challenges and opportunities."
— Industry Expert
"Organizations must balance innovation with practical implementation to achieve meaningful results."
— Technology Analyst
"The most successful adopters will focus on business outcomes rather than technology for its own sake."
— Research Director
Areas of Expert Consensus
- Acceleration of Innovation: The pace of technological evolution will continue to increase
- Practical Integration: Focus will shift from proof-of-concept to operational deployment
- Human-Technology Partnership: Most effective implementations will optimize human-machine collaboration
- Regulatory Influence: Regulatory frameworks will increasingly shape technology development
Short-Term Outlook (1-2 Years)
In the immediate future, organizations will focus on implementing and optimizing currently available technologies to address pressing automotive tech challenges:
- Technology adoption accelerating across industries
- digital transformation initiatives becoming mainstream
These developments will be characterized by incremental improvements to existing frameworks rather than revolutionary changes, with emphasis on practical deployment and measurable outcomes.
Mid-Term Outlook (3-5 Years)
As technologies mature and organizations adapt, more substantial transformations will emerge in how security is approached and implemented:
- Significant transformation of business processes through advanced technologies
- new digital business models emerging
This period will see significant changes in security architecture and operational models, with increasing automation and integration between previously siloed security functions. Organizations will shift from reactive to proactive security postures.
Long-Term Outlook (5+ Years)
Looking further ahead, more fundamental shifts will reshape how cybersecurity is conceptualized and implemented across digital ecosystems:
- Fundamental shifts in how technology integrates with business and society
- emergence of new technology paradigms
These long-term developments will likely require significant technical breakthroughs, new regulatory frameworks, and evolution in how organizations approach security as a fundamental business function rather than a technical discipline.
Key Risk Factors and Uncertainties
Several critical factors could significantly impact the trajectory of automotive tech evolution:
Organizations should monitor these factors closely and develop contingency strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts on technology implementation timelines.
Alternative Future Scenarios
The evolution of technology can follow different paths depending on various factors including regulatory developments, investment trends, technological breakthroughs, and market adoption. We analyze three potential scenarios:
Optimistic Scenario
Rapid adoption of advanced technologies with significant business impact
Key Drivers: Supportive regulatory environment, significant research breakthroughs, strong market incentives, and rapid user adoption.
Probability: 25-30%
Base Case Scenario
Measured implementation with incremental improvements
Key Drivers: Balanced regulatory approach, steady technological progress, and selective implementation based on clear ROI.
Probability: 50-60%
Conservative Scenario
Technical and organizational barriers limiting effective adoption
Key Drivers: Restrictive regulations, technical limitations, implementation challenges, and risk-averse organizational cultures.
Probability: 15-20%
Scenario Comparison Matrix
Factor | Optimistic | Base Case | Conservative |
---|---|---|---|
Implementation Timeline | Accelerated | Steady | Delayed |
Market Adoption | Widespread | Selective | Limited |
Technology Evolution | Rapid | Progressive | Incremental |
Regulatory Environment | Supportive | Balanced | Restrictive |
Business Impact | Transformative | Significant | Modest |
Transformational Impact
Technology becoming increasingly embedded in all aspects of business operations. This evolution will necessitate significant changes in organizational structures, talent development, and strategic planning processes.
The convergence of multiple technological trends—including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and ubiquitous connectivity—will create both unprecedented security challenges and innovative defensive capabilities.
Implementation Challenges
Technical complexity and organizational readiness remain key challenges. Organizations will need to develop comprehensive change management strategies to successfully navigate these transitions.
Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around emerging technologies like AI in security applications, will require flexible security architectures that can adapt to evolving compliance requirements.
Key Innovations to Watch
Artificial intelligence, distributed systems, and automation technologies leading innovation. Organizations should monitor these developments closely to maintain competitive advantages and effective security postures.
Strategic investments in research partnerships, technology pilots, and talent development will position forward-thinking organizations to leverage these innovations early in their development cycle.
Technical Glossary
Key technical terms and definitions to help understand the technologies discussed in this article.
Understanding the following technical concepts is essential for grasping the full implications of the security threats and defensive measures discussed in this article. These definitions provide context for both technical and non-technical readers.