“Defeat devices” are tricks built into a car’s computer to make it behave better during emissions tests. The concern is that the car may not work the same way on real roads, even if it passes the test.
A “class action claim” is a legal case where lots of people with the same problem team up instead of suing separately. It’s common when many car owners believe they were affected in the same way.
A “testing regime” is the official set of rules and procedures used to evaluate vehicles—like how emissions or fuel economy are measured. The host is arguing that if the behavior was allowed (or undetectable) under those test rules, the blame may lie with the testing framework rather than the manufacturer’s compliance strategy.
This is a similar per-mile charge, but for plug-in hybrid cars. Those cars can run on electricity sometimes, but they also use a fuel engine, so the tax rate is different.
This is a UK government plan to charge electric-car owners based on how many miles they drive. So the bill is linked to usage rather than being the same for everyone.
FEVs here means fully electric cars (not plug-in hybrids). The government is arguing that these vehicles already benefit from the way taxes are currently structured.
In the UK, an MOT is a safety/roadworthiness check your car has to pass. The hosts are saying this new mileage reporting isn’t going to be done through MOT tests.
They were worried the government would make people do an annual test just to prove their mileage. The segment says that won’t be required in the way people feared.
Connected car systems are the parts of a modern car that can share information over the internet. The episode says some owners may be able to send their mileage data through those systems.
Opt-in means you only do it if you choose to. The hosts say this mileage-data sharing option won’t be forced right now.
Term
EVED scheme
The EVED scheme is an EV-related program the government is running or supporting. In this segment, they’re saying it can end up helping some people much more than others, depending on income and job level.
It’s a deal where you agree to take less cash salary, and in return you get a benefit instead—often an EV through your employer. The key point is that the rules and tax effects can make it easier for higher earners than for people on lower wages.
Porsche is the car company making the sports cars. This part of the show is about who’s running production and how that leadership change fits with the company’s future plans.
Albrecht Röhmold is a Porsche executive mentioned as leaving his production job. The show uses his exit to explain the leadership handover that follows.
Christian Friedl is the Porsche executive who’s taking over the production leadership role. They also mention he previously worked on corporate quality, which hints at a focus on improving how cars are built.
Michael Leiter is Porsche’s CEO. The segment says he’ll finalize the company’s strategy soon, which is presented as part of Porsche’s bigger plan for the future.
The Ford Bronco is a type of SUV designed to handle rough roads and off-road driving. People talk about it a lot when Ford changes how it’s sold or tailored for different countries. That’s why you might hear it mentioned in a news segment.
The Ford Explorer is a midsize SUV meant for everyday family use. It’s often discussed in news when there are updates or ongoing decisions about the model. If people mention “criticisms,” they’re usually talking about things owners or reviewers didn’t like.
The Ford Capri is a car model name that Ford has used in different forms over the years. In this podcast, it’s mentioned because there’s an ongoing plan or decision connected to how Ford is offering cars in the market. That’s why it comes up alongside other models being discussed.
ANPR is technology that uses cameras to read car license plates automatically. Here, it’s being used to figure out which cars are in parking lots so ads can be sent to those owners.
“Hyper targeted ads” means ads aimed at a very specific group of people. In this case, they’re using plate-reading data to decide who to contact about selling their car.
The host is saying this crosses a line into privacy invasion. Even though the cameras are in public places, using the information to target specific people can still feel intrusive.
DVLA is a UK government agency that keeps records for vehicle registrations. If number plates are involved, DVLA records are often part of the conversation about who can be identified.
This is a Range Rover variant that’s meant to feel more “sporty and road-trip” than a typical SUV. The idea is to mix the comfort of a long-distance cruiser with the practicality of an SUV.
The “2 Series” is a BMW model line. In this discussion, it’s described as a car that mixes a sporty, long-distance driving style with an SUV-like shape. The idea is that it looks more like a coupe but sits higher like an SUV.
A “coupe SUV” is an SUV that looks more like a sporty coupe because the roof slopes down more. That styling can make the cabin feel tighter, especially for people getting in and out of the back seats.
Here, “minimalism” means the car’s cabin has fewer buttons and a cleaner, simpler layout. Sometimes that looks great, but it can be annoying if you can’t use things quickly or clearly while driving.
A “camoed wrap” is a patterned covering put on a car during testing or before launch. It helps hide the real design so people can’t easily tell exactly what the finished car will look like.
Range Rover is a luxury SUV line from Jaguar Land Rover. The host is pointing out that this new model will still look like a Range Rover, just with a more coupe-like shape.
“Bluff front” just means the car’s front looks more boxy and upright, not sleek and pointy. It’s a way of describing the shape and proportions of the nose.
Term
tiny windows
The host is talking about the side windows being smaller because of the sloping coupe-style roof. That can make the cabin feel tighter and can make getting in and out less comfortable.
A side mirror is the mirror on the outside of the car that helps you see what’s behind you on the side. If something blocks it, it can make driving and lane changes harder.
The Defender is Land Rover’s rugged SUV. The host is saying JLR sells an accessory for it that can block the side mirror, and they’re using that as an example of questionable design choices.
Car
Dacia Stryker
The Dacia Stryker is a cheaper family wagon that’s been raised for rougher roads. The idea is to give you an Outback-like, outdoorsy feel without paying premium-brand prices, and it’s expected to use a small hybrid engine.
It means a regular wagon, but with the suspension set up so the car sits higher. That usually helps it handle bumps, dirt roads, and uneven ground more confidently.
The Subaru Outback is a family car that’s higher up than most wagons, so it handles rougher roads better. The host is using it as a comparison for the Dacia Stryker’s outdoorsy vibe.
The Skoda Octavia is a practical car that’s often chosen for its space and good value. The podcast mentions it because another car could be priced lower than the Octavia estate version. That affects which one feels like the better deal for people who need room.
Term
off-road and mud sand driving modes
These are built-in settings that change how the car behaves when the road is slippery or uneven. They help the car put power down more smoothly on things like mud or sand.
This means the car uses a small 1.2-liter gas engine plus an electric system. The electric part helps with efficiency and can support driving in certain conditions.
Car
Dacia Bigster
The Dacia Bigster is another Dacia car. The host is saying the Stryker will use a similar hybrid system.
The Volkswagen ID Cross is a Volkswagen electric crossover, part of their ID EV lineup. The point is to offer different battery and motor choices so it can fit different budgets and driving needs.
The Ford Puma is a small crossover, and “Gen E” here means the newer generation. The host is using it as a comparison for the target market of the ID Cross.
The Dodge Challenger is a performance car, often called a muscle car, with strong acceleration. It’s known for its bold, classic look. People mention it when talking about how the Challenger name has been used over time.
The Dodge Charger is a car that’s built for performance, but it’s still a sedan you can drive day to day. People often talk about how different years look similar or share certain styling details. That’s why you might hear comparisons between Charger models from different generations.
LIVE
Welcome to the Motoring Podcast, your weekly discussion of Motoring News. This is episode
701 on Monday, the 27th of July, 2026. Hello, I'm not Alan, as the more perceptible ones
amongst you will notice. I'm Andrew. And this week you'll hear about how if you haven't
lost anything, you can't get any compensation. In new new car news, you'll listen to me ask
the question, why? And in points of interest, you can have a small cure for some FOMO for
one event that happened in this last weekend. But first, we leap into follow up. And finally,
the High Court has ruled on the claims that were taken by a sort of class action claim
that was taken against several manufacturers, which included Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Nissan,
Renault and Peugeot stroke Citroen, that they had in fact installed defeat devices, and that
they were conning customers and the public alike. There was 1.6 million claimants who jumped on
the ambulance chasing bandwagon. And the court has rejected many of the allegations bought,
not all of them, but most of them. The judge, I'm going to quote from the Law Society Gazette
here, where they are quoting from the judge, Lady Justice Cockrell, who said,
is the effectiveness. She went on to add that on whichever analysis of the relevant provisions
is pursued, the ambit of the claim is much reduced. Therefore, she was basically saying that where
there was the presence of the PDDs, which is the prohibited defeat devices, where they were
alleging that it just didn't succeed in her opinion under all that, you've got obviously the
ambulance chasing lot who going right with this is ridiculous Europe voted in favor of this,
etc worked as some of the comments pointed out below in the bottom half of the internet of
this article. In Europe, they were saying the court cases were saying you have to prove that you
didn't do this, whereas in the UK, the stance that was taken was prove that they did do this.
Something we've banged on about ever since these claims came out, if it was permissible under the
rules of the testing regime, how can it be found to be guilty is surely it's the testing regime and
the organizer stroke governments who need to be taken to court for that. Anyway, most of it's been
kicked into touch, there will be further court proceedings to work out the rest of the small
bits, including potential appeals from both those who were pursuing the claim and those who were
defending the claim. Right, moving on to new news and the UK government has finally confirmed
following the consultation last year into this year about a paper mile EV tax, effectively,
and plug-in hybrid tax. And it's going to come in from April 2028. And they have made some tweaks
to their proposals, but electric vehicles are going to be charged 3p per mile. Plug-in hybrids
are going to be charged 1.5p per mile, bearing in mind that both these also pay vehicle excise duty
on top of this, which, okay, particularly the plug-in hybrid because they pay a lot more than
an electric when it comes to vehicle excise duty, but whatever, that's obviously not changing.
However, the government is adamant that EVs and FEVs are benefiting heavily from the way the taxes
are all set out anyway. But one of the biggest changes is going to happen because as we all
laughed the day after the announcement came out, the Chancellor at the time had no idea
that MOTs didn't happen to cars. But what they're doing for vehicles under three years old is
that the owners will only have to send a photograph and an estimate of the next year's
mileage, a photograph of their automaton reading, and their predicted mileage for the next 12 months
to then be appropriately charged or not by HMRC. One of the fears was that there was going to have
to be a tracking system installed or they were going to have to have basically go through a
mileage MOT test every year, but none of that's going to happen. There will be an ability for
people to submit their information to the government via the connected car systems,
where you can send your information directly to the government if you so wish, so that it is
an up-to-date and very accurate mileage reading and therefore your charges are spot on.
I was going to say your mileage may vary in this, but that's too on the nose. But that is an opt-in,
it is not at this stage, it is not a mandatory thing. There's been various responses,
a lot of it negative, particularly those who are trying to sell more electric vehicles and
are in the associated industries around electric vehicles and just feel this is another stumbling
block to getting people to transfer into electric cars, particularly when the rumors are very strong
that the government is going to back away from the very silly mandated targets that bear very
little in terms of reality to what's going on. But we'll see on that front. However, one of the
things that the EVED will do, and there will be a second article linked in the show notes,
from AutoCar written by Alex Grant, friend of the show, he runs into the details of those
who are looking to be on the salary sacrifice schemes. Already these schemes are weighted
massively in the favour of the wealthier staff members and those higher up the management structure,
which is why you see so many of the BMWs, Mercedes, Audi's, etc., the higher end
electric vehicles on the roads is because they've all managed to do it via the salary sacrifice.
But when Alex has run through the figures and spoken to experts in the industry,
then those on lower wages get kicked even harder, now making it virtually impossible for someone
low down on, say, £20,000 to get into a salary sacrifice scheme, which just reinforces
inequality, doesn't it? Absolutely. And hopefully the government will take a look at this and
make tweaks so it doesn't do that. But if you're interested in that, like I said,
two links in the show notes, one talking about the EVED scheme and the other one
about how it's going to impact certain elements or certain sectors of society.
Moving on now to Porsche, and they have appointed a new production chief.
Albrecht Röhmold has announced he's stepping down as of the end of August this year,
and Christian Friedl will take over as and be the executive board as member for production
on the 1st of September, 2026. He moves across from corporate quality,
where he headed that up. And also he's had other management positions within the company,
but he's a long-term Porsche person. And that's all in the time when there's obviously a lot of
plans going into place with how they're going to restructure the company, how they're going to
hone and tighten up their offerings to customers to make them more attractive.
And Michael Leiter, the Porsche CEO, said that he will in early October finalise
what the strategy is going to be. So it'd be interesting to see because
it feels like they're taking steps back when I'm not sure that's going to help them.
Okay, sticking with sports cars and expensive sports cars.
And we come into more problems for Aston Martin. And what's happening to them is that more than
according to this article from Zetik.com, Aston Martin has more than 50% of their
majority shareholders have signed a cooperation pact. So they've created
effectively an ad hoc creditor group. And they're pulling that all together to help protect themselves
through any debt restructuring that has to go on. Because the fear has been that it'll be the
shareholders that take the brunt of this rather than the creditors. And they're getting together to go,
no, that's not going to happen. They've sent a legal letter where they've pushed back on this.
And that also comes during the same similar timings. Aston Martin has secured 550 million
pounds of debt financing, which they've managed to restructure some of their other debt. So they've
paid off some of the U-Tree credit facility, they've paid off the revolving credit facility
that they had that took 170 million, 20 million to U-Tree that they claim or their chief financial
officer Doug Lafferty said that the new 550 million pounds debt financing significantly
strengthens our liquidity, providing us with both additional resilience and further flexibility to
execute our current and future product plans. First half results are due on July the 29th.
So in just two days as of recording this, that'll be Wednesday. I don't expect those to be very
good figures to be honest. And I think they're just trying to get ahead of the bad news somewhat.
Once again, Aston Martin seems to alert from crisis to crisis, really, which is such a shame.
Really, as I hope they can get it sorted, but doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon,
does it? Following the rumors of Ford speaking to Geely of or to somebody from China about helping
out the Valencia plan, we get the new joint venture from Ford and Geely, which will secure
the future of the Valencia plan. And it means that the new entity will run that production facility
where they are going to have two Ford SUVs. The first one is going to be sort of a European
focused version of the Bronco, which seems like a no brainer, and that's supposed to arrive in
2028. But they will also be developing with Geely a family crossover, another SUV for the
C segment, which, oh my word, they, sorry, this is just I'm, I'm quoting here from
Ford Europe boss, Jim Baumbach, and he says there will be a rally bred crossover in the
C segment, probably not in that tone. Rally bred crossover in the C segment. Oh, for goodness sake.
Anyway, skipping over that, Geely will be building two electric SUVs in the plant as well from
2028, I believe. And the idea, if everything goes swimmingly, is that they should maximize the
potential of a half a million vehicles being produced in that plant. Ford is going to own 66%
and Geely will own 34% of this new entity helps Geely get around the EU tariff on vehicles built
outside or built in China, getting an unfair advantage. We'll see how that one goes and how
well that's going to go. But Ford are really making it very clear that the the SUV they develop with
Geely will not just be a rebudging. So obviously they are getting stung by some of the criticisms
when you look at the Explorer and the Capri and but that deal is still ongoing and that's and this
isn't going to affect that. Yeah, let's see how well inviting Chinese manufacturers into European
plant is going to work. I can see the very short term reasons why companies are doing this.
It does feel kind of allowing the fox into the hen coop, really.
To round out the first part of the show, there was an article that we stumbled across
that is titled CarWow launches a NPR marketing campaign to engage with drivers.
Sounds a little bit innocuous, but when you read it, what is happening is CarWow is using
automatic number plate recognition, a NPR to scan every car that goes into car parks in particularly
in during the holiday period. So they can then send hyper targeted ads encouraging the owners to
sell their car via their platform. And as long as it meets certain criteria that they want, so it
is less than 40,000 miles or these things over worth over 15,000 pounds. But I think that that's
crossed over a line. That's crossed over a line into misuse of a NPR data for starters.
But more importantly, that's an invasion of whilst you're out in public are still an invasion of
privacy that someone can target you to such an extent that they go, oh, let's have a look at your
car. Great, we'll get up the detail from DVLA and we'll now send you a targeted ad through the other
horrific ways in which you're you're tracked around the internet. I just think that's an
absolute no. And I think everyone should tell CarWow that's a no. And they should make it very
clear and should be very, very loud about protesting about this. Now I went because I'm that kind of
guy to look up what the information commission and commissioners office useless though they are is
information about automatic number plate recognition and how it is fair use of the data and they have
a checklist you have to satisfy that you have run through to make sure that you are using this data
correctly fairly and in a manner that doesn't actually inhibit people's privacy.
Well, I mean, I'm not going to read the whole thing out because that would be a list of the
week entirely. However, there's a couple in here that I feel really need to be discussed
and thought about. The very first thing on the checklist is we have identified a genuine need
to read vehicle registration marks VRMs from vehicles using public or private roads and car
parks in a way that is fair, lawful and transparent. What the genuine need is to make their bottom line
bigger. That's not a genuine need to the public though, is it? We keep the number of AMPR cameras
we use to a minimum to ensure that we only use the appropriate amount in a specific area to
address a particular need. Now this is UK wide marketing plan. Okay. And also we ensure that the
locations of our cameras are fully justifiable and are placed in such a way that they do not
accidentally capture any vehicles that are not of interest. Well, they've broken it there
because they're capturing everything. The only way to find the ones that they want is to capture
everything. I'm so sick of this. I am so sick of companies abusing all this, but here we are.
So like I say, when you listen to this, be very loud on any social media platform. Tell your
friends, make sure that there is genuine outrage at this because as far as I'm concerned, this is
just absolutely disgusting. And this is not what AMPR is for. And it further entrenched how
badly we have been let down by our government and the useful as a chocolate teapot ICO.
Anyway, moving on from that, as I allow my blood pressure to sink slightly,
gives me an opportunity to say that it is guilt minute. And that's the quick break in the show
where we ask for a tad of financial support to keep the lights on and hosting running.
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If you've done all that, and some of you do, thank you very much, then the last thing you
can do is recommend us to your friends or colleagues. I just a quick note to say that,
sorry that we missed last week, and sorry, it's only me this week. However, we're not going to be
able to do the roundup of recharging around Britain until a week Thursday is when we've
got it planned for. If you've got any questions that you would like us to consider answering
during the live stream where we're going to summarize what we did, bring you up to date,
bring it all into one lump, one episode, and answer some of your questions hopefully as well,
then please do get them into us in whatever way you can get hold of us, either printing out,
wrapping it around a brick, throwing it through a window, smoke signals, Blue Sky, LinkedIn,
email, the contact page, any of those, please do get them into us so that we can help answer
what you want to know from us, because we've got an idea of what we want to answer
from these things, but we're not sure exactly all the things that perhaps you would like to know.
Do get those into us, please. Right, let us move on to Nunu Karn news, and I wish the Looking Out
podcast had got their episode about the Range Rover GT out, because I bet it's going to be a
humdinger. Anyway, JLR have released images of the Range Rover GT where there was a lot of talk
about how this gets close to being a mix between a Grand Tourer and an SUV.
They've made a Coupe SUV, is what they've done, and they've made a Coupe SUV that
they've removed every button that they can find pretty much from the inside of. I mean,
they are leaning so heavily into minimalism on that interior, I think they've fallen through it.
It's looking at the images we've had released, and this is, there will be an AutoCart article
linked in the show notes, but do bear in mind these. If it doesn't have a wrap on it, a sort of
camoed wrap, then AutoCart produced those themselves, so take those with a pinch of salt.
But looking at the images that JLR have released, it's got the typical Range Rover bluff front and
the rear, and they've shrunk the roof line, so you've got very tiny windows at the side,
and then they've put a Coupe style at the back. But apparently, there's loads of room to get in
and out of, even though it's a Coupe, but whatever. I don't know who it's for.
That's the problem here. I don't understand who it's for. Discussing it with Alan, it's a shame
he's not here this week because I thought he came up with a brilliant point when we were chatting
about this sort of offline. He said it's either a brilliant move because they sweep up all the
customers that Porsche has lost because they've canned their Coupe SUV or are going to, or it's
five years too late. I mean, they'll get visibility because they'll put it in the hands of tons of
influencers and media people and all the rest of it. Great, but whatever. I mean, it's not for me.
Increasingly, the JLR product range, there is nothing in there that is aimed at me,
so I struggle to understand it. When it comes to the interior, I think it's just
ridiculous. I know we're only looking at images we've been supplied by JLR,
but I don't see how you can have the tiny, if you look at the pictures in there.
Top of the dashboard, in front of the driver behind the steering wheel, there's this very thin
screen that's going to have your typical information, but I don't see how anyone's going
to be able to see that properly. And bearing in mind, JLR sell an accessory for the Defender that
blocks its own side mirror. I wonder if anybody actually tries any of their stuff when they're
developing it. I really do because there's some really daft decisions made, but whatever. Let's
see when we find out. We don't know what the price is going to be. They said it's going to be really
competitive, but what does that mean? Okay, let's wait till it comes out. I wonder how long we're
going to be teased on this because JLR do like... I will give JLR credit. One of the things they are
fantastic at is getting coverage without having anything solid to show off. I will congratulate
them on that. Anyway, moving on to something that's more real and more likely for where I can see
the use case of it, and that's the Dacia Stryker. This is a jacked up estate. I'm sure we've talked
about this before on the new car news when it was revealed as a concept or something,
but it's a jacked up estate. So think along the lines of the Subaru Outback.
And it's one of the... Yes, we did because we talked about how long it was, I'm sure. But it's
going to be priced from 25, just under £25,000 when it comes to the UK. And that means that it's
going to undercut things like the Octavia estate. The design is very much Dacia at the moment.
They've got a really good strong design language which is simple. I'm not going to say it's elegant,
but it's not overly aggressive either. I think it's treading a fine line between,
but you know that it's a Dacia. It's got tons of space. It'll also have the ability if you want
to have some off-road and mud sand driving modes to boost its capability because that will be
electrified by the 1.2-litre hybrid which produces 150 horsepower, again like in the Dacia Bigster.
Great things. It looks good on the interior as well. I would love to get my hands on one when
it comes out and have a give it a go and see what it's like. There's going to be four trim levels.
We're starting at essential, then expression, extreme, and then the journey is the top of the
range. It's probably round about the expression extreme will be the sweet spots of the range,
I am sure. Good to see Dacia. Now Skoda have decided they're moving into sort of premium
area. It's good to see there's at least one brand that isn't Chinese, that is thinking of
those of us who cannot afford brand new vehicles over a certain price.
Talking of affordable vehicles, Volkswagen have revealed the ID Cross. This is aimed at the
likes of the Renault 4 and the Ford Puma Gen E. It will have a variety of battery and motor options
which means that there will be maximum mileage ranges ranging from 196 up to 271 miles.
Prices are expected to start around £25,000 as well, although I would expect the 271 mile range
to be north of 30 grand, probably 35 typically. Like the Polo, the interior Volkswagen have
realised their mistake and also heard about how NCAP are going to come down heavily on anyone who
doesn't have suitable buttons and switches for certain aspects, but there are buttons and switches
inside the vehicle which is backed up because their lead designer said it was a mistake to get
rid of them. It looks like some of it's been thought through ergonomically as well, which is good.
I am sure this will sell quite a lot of vehicles, particularly at that price point as well or those
price points, although I do feel if you're over, I will reiterate if you are selling a vehicle over
£20,000 it should have a mileage range of 200 miles, real 200 miles as well. I do feel less than
that is short changing those who cannot afford, who cannot afford more expensive vehicles new.
Once again, AutoCard link in the show notes to check that out.
We move on to points of interest and as I said in the introduction, as many of us
have FOMO from last weekend because we were not at the photo festival of the unexceptional and
it looked amazing, the weather number of vehicles there looked amazing,
and I have only selected three videos from YouTube, there are lots on there. Whilst I'm
giving you these three links and these are people we have linked to before, please do search for
Festival of the Unexceptional 2026 and go show some love to smaller creators out there who have
taken time out of their own weekend to go and film these things and put it out for us to look at.
Do check them out, do give them some love through some views and some likes and all the rest of it
because let's not forget people don't have to do this.
Nobody has to produce anything for us, nobody has to do it and we need to remember and thank
them for it in a way that we can thank them and one of the best ways is you watch it, you like it
and if you like it enough you subscribe to the channel. So first of all, I am linking to iDrive
Classic, so Steph's version of this, that's 58 minutes, so that should be a couple of lunch
times for you. Also, I have Furious Driving for his one hour 1450 second video. Okay, and then
finally the one I'm linking to in the show notes is John Cooplant on Cars and he has just a mere
one hour and three minutes and 20 seconds of the cars coming into the festival that he captured,
all three brilliant, love seeing them, love, the fact that I couldn't make it yet again,
I know it seems to be an annual event that it goes on and I can't be there, but do enjoy that,
do watch them through and like I say, please do check out the smaller creators as well and give
them some love. Okay, that means we have a list of the week and it's from Classic and Sports Cars.
It's just titled 23 car colors with great names and they are 23 great named colors now
along here. So there's, there's, right, okay, there's 24 slides but 23 colors and I am going to
ask you to go in your packs if you can follow along at home to go to slide number four, a slide
number five, which is number four, Go Mango. And this was a color from Dodge and it was originally
on the 1970 Challenger, the same name but not quite the same tone in color or exact color
was the 2006 charger and the 2016 Challenger charger and Dart. But yeah, the orange Go Mango
on that car, amazing, love it. There's some brilliant ones in here, some fabulously named
colors. If you go to slide eight, very nearly beat out, Go Mango. But there we go. Oh yes.
Anyway, we round out with an and finally, there seems to be a recurring theme that the tech bros
feel they need to redesign transportation and only they know how to fix the problems with
transportation. And invariably, they are either creating something that we can fix now for a
fraction of the cost if we just had the will and the drive, no pun intended, or the focus to do it.
I'm talking about autonomous vehicles, all their suggestions on what the benefits we can fix now.
But this time, and we're going to going to link to a miles and transit video on YouTube
where he discusses the uber shuttle or bus. What they've done is they've designed a fixed route
from Logan airport that goes to specific stops and then you you cannot deviate from that route
or those stops. And you go, it's a bus. You've made a bus for crying out loud.
They're just reinventing what we already have. But I don't know, perhaps they didn't feel that
customers were being exploited quite enough. And that's the problem with public transport
is that people aren't being exploited enough. Anyway, do click on it. Watch it. It's 14 odd
minutes. At the end of it, just laugh heartily at how dumb this world has become in certain areas.
And just try and cheer yourself up that way. That's what I'm trying to do anyway.
Oh, dear. Well, that brings us to the end of the show. And there are just a couple of
personas just as a reminder. Alan should be back next week should be back on our normal
day of the week as well. Things should have calmed down in the world outside of the podcast
enough for us to be able to do that. The other thing is that the live stream
where we summarize and round up recharging around Britain should be taking place, but we'll
definitely confirm in the days between now and then should be taking place a week Thursday in
the evening, probably eight o'clock kickoff again, as usual. Do get your questions into us, please.
So, we'd like to make sure that when we're covering it, we answer any queries or
are able to answer any questions you have about what happened and our thoughts on things. Yeah,
so please do that. That only leaves me to say that don't forget between now and next week,
you can give us any feedback and share your thoughts with the show at MotoringPodcast.com
on Blue Sky at MotoringPodcast on Instagram and Facebook and on the contact page of www.motoringpodcast.com,
the hub of all our activities. Remember, you can support us financially via Patreon and please
leave a review and rating on Apple Podcast YouTube or however your podcast app lets you do such a
thing. If you would like to get in touch with Alan, the best way to do that is via Blue Sky,
where he is at AJP Bradley, that's B-R-A-D-L-E-Y. If you want to get in touch with me, if you
search for crack windscreen on Blue Sky or under my name on LinkedIn, we'll be back very soon.
But until then, he's not been Alan Bradley. I've been under clues and safe motoring.
About this episode
A UK High Court ruling takes centre stage as the hosts weigh whether alleged diesel “defeat devices” were proven, and why the testing regime might be at fault. The discussion then shifts to UK EV taxation: confirmed pay-per-mile rates of 3p for EVs and 1.5p for plug-in hybrids, with mileage reporting that won’t require an annual “mileage MOT test.” They also critique CarWow’s ANPR-based targeting, before moving through model news from Porsche and JLR to Dacia and Volkswagen.
FOLLOW UP: COURT MAINLY RULES IN FAVOUR OF OEMS IN UK DIESELGATE TRIAL
A UK judge has found mostly in favour of car manufacturers in the claims against them regarding defeat devices being fitted to cars between 2012 and 2017. The judge’s decision is based on her decision that a defeat device needs to be deliberately installed to create a different driving operation if it senses it is in test conditions, but this has not been proven to be the case. If you wish to learn more, click this article link here, from The Law Society Gazette.
UK GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS PAY-PER-MILE FOR EVS AND PHEVS
Following the public consultation, the Government has announced that it will introduce a pay-per mile scheme, named eVED, for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, from April 2028. As a result of feedback they have tweaked how the proposal will work. Vehicles under three years old will not have to undertake an additional check to the mileage prior to their age requiring an MOT. A picture of the odometer and an estimation of next years mileage will be sent by the driver. Drivers can opt-in to send the Government the vehicle’s mileage data directly via the connected systems on-board, if they wish. This is not mandatory. To learn more, click this electrive article link here.
PORSCHE FINDS A NEW PRODUCTION CHIEF
Porsche has announced that Christian Friedl will take over as Production Chief, from Albrecht Reimold. Reimold is stepping down at the end of August. If you wish to read more, click this electrive article link here.
ASTON MARTIN SHAREHOLDERS FORM CO-OP
More than 50% of the largest shareholders in Aston Martin have formed a cooperative to insure themselves against any new debt deal that would leave them taking disproportionate losses. During this time, the company has restructured its debt financing, with the revolving credit facility and some of the Yew Tree financing being paid off. Financial results are due to be announced on 29 July 2026. For more on this click this link from Zetik, here. To read about the debt restructuring, click this Morning Start link here.
FORD AND GEELY SIGN EUROPEAN DEAL
Ford and Geely has agreed to a new joint-venture that will run the Blue Oval’s Valencia facility, eventually producing two Ford SUVs and two Geely SUVs. Ford will bring a European Bronco inspired car and develop another C-Segment SUV with Geely. The Chinese company will be building two electric SUVs in the same facilities. To read more, click this Autocar article link here.
CARWOW RUNS AD CAMPAIGN USING ANPR TO TRACK YOU
Carwow is using ANPR in a UK-wide advertising campaign, encouraging owners of cars the company is targeting to sell to them through their system. Does that step over the line into tracking far too much? Does it contravene the ICO’s rules on using ANPR? Click this Motor Trade News article link to read about the plan from Carwow.
If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCASTNEW NEW CAR NEWS -Range Rover GT
JLR has revealed a new model line for the Range Rover brand, the GT. The claim is it sits between a grand tourer and an SUV. The images issued appear to show the typical bluff Range Rover range front end, with a coupe style rear. Either this is a brilliant move to capture buyers who’ve lost out due to Porsche leaving or many years too late. The interior is really leaning into ‘minamilist’, with a very thin screen directly on top of the dash in front of the driver and a huge screen slapped in the middle, quite low down. Prices and specifications are yet to be revealed. Click this Autocar article link, for more.
Dacia Striker
Dacia has revealed their latest model, the Striker. The overall design concept, jacked-up estate, is reminiscent of the Subaru Outback. Prices will start at a smidgen under £25,000, when launched in the UK, but the full price and specifications are yet to be released. Click this Motoring Research article link, for more.
VW ID Cross
Volkswagen has shown off images of their latest ID model, the Cross. Using the same MEB+ platform as the ID Polo, this will go up against the Ford Puma and Renault 4. There will be a variety of motors and battery packs offered, which will give ranges varying from 196 to 271 miles. Prices are expected to start around £25,000. Click this Autocar article link, for more.
LUNCHTIME WATCHES: FOTU 2026
Last weekend was the 2026 Festival of the Unexceptional, from Hagerty. A much loved car gathering, where the common cars from yesteryear gather and everyone enjoys their trip down memory lane. For those of us who couldn’t attend, thankfully YouTube has many videos showing off the wonderful event. We have but a tiny fraction of what is out there, do go search for more and spread some love to all those who make content for us to enjoy.
Classic & Sports Car have a list about some of the best named colours that you could have specified for your car. Do you agree with Andrew’s choice? What would you like to have, adorning your car just so you could tell people the name of it? Click this link to check out your options.
AND FINALLY: TECH BROS MAKE A BUS. AGAIN.
In an ever increasing number times the tech bros design a transport ‘solution’ it turns out we already have that solution, but perhaps it hasn’t been maximised to exploit the customers enough. This time, Uber have designed ‘the bus’, albeit named the ‘Uber Shuttle’ that runs from Logan Airport, in the US, on a fixed route with dedicated stops. Click this YouTube link to then join in pointing and laughing and the ridiculousness of these companies.
