I think I must spend too much time updating other people’s sites… like this one… It’s the middle of 2018 already, it’s bloody cold and rainy here at 032media HQ, and I’m still got the pedal to the floor.

It’s got a different feel to 2017, though. The car industry – after years and years and years of growth – feels as if it’s in a bit of a pause mode, as it resets in the wake of some pretty heavy decisions around future methods of propulsion.

Electric cars aren’t quite here yet, but fuels like diesel are definitely on the way out, and the seemingly insatiable appetite for SUVs – like the Hyundai I reviewed here – finally appears to be abating somewhat.

Of course, as an freelance automotive expert, a slowdown isn’t necessarily a great thing! Fortunately, my tenure with Mountain Biking Australia is still firing strongly – and it feels as if it’s moving forward, as well. I’ve even kicked off a little bike project of my own, but I’ll tell you more about that later.

Travel-wise, I’ve added Croatia to the world map, with trips to New York, the UK, France and Germany all falling in the first half of the year. The second half looks more sane, thankfully, with more locally based stuff on the horizon.

I’m right in the middle of the next issue of MBA, and I have to pack for… no wait, I don’t have to pack for this one! After almost 20 years, there’s a car launch happening literally 10km from my house tomorrow! Ace!

Oh, that reminds me – I’m really proud of the travel blog stuff I do for Volkswagen Australia – check it out here.

If you want to see what I get up to more regularly, I keep my Insta pretty stocked, I have a YouTube channel, and I also blog over here at theolcrank.com. Catch up soon!